M-Borg vs. THE Flavortown U Thread, Orig. by Buckeye Paul, absconded w/by talent.

[Optimus Prime]

I will concede that it's a bit unsavory, the notion of having 3 coaches in less than a year at Ohio but that's what you get when you allow Tressel/Gee/Smith do the vetting.

BTW Meyer fooled many while at Florida, it was always in my nature to give him the benefit of the doubt.

[iam416]

I will concede you're easily fooled.

[iam416]

Treadwell visited OSU today. Went well. With Foster apparently off the board, he actually becomes a bit more of a priority. Shelton Gibson is in the bag. If they want to reach Gladney would commit yesterday. But UFM is aiming it bit higher, I think, for WR, and with good reason.

[lineygoblue]

liney's placing Hoke alongside Nick Saban as the best in the biz

Okay.

Explain what is it that Nick Saban does, especially on game day, that absolutely sets him apart from every other coach in the country. And, mind you, .. since you consider Nick to be the "best" in the business, what is it that he does better than ... Urban Meyer? ...

And, "winning games" is not an answer. Be specific. What is it that he does, that makes him the "best in the business"?

[iam416]

I like Coach Saban's approach to football. His teams block. His teams tackle. He plays football the way I want it to be played. More to the point, it's painfully reasonable to infer that Saban is outstanding from his remarkable record of success. 3 BCS Titles in 8 years at two different schools! That's more national championships than M has in the past 75 years -- the whole of the "poll era". So, yeah, I think I'm on solid ground. The one knock on him I have is that he was out-coached by Lester last season in Tuscaloosa.

Coach Hoke? Well, he's 58-52. He's won zero conference titles, let alone any national titles. He doesn't belong in the conversation.

Michigan is going to play an Alabama team that is vastly better than anything M saw last season. Waaaaaayyyyyyy better than MSU, which I guess was probably the best team M played. I dunno, maybe ND or VT -- neither of whom are remotely close to Alabama. It's not going to be a close game, IMO.

[Pasadena Blue]

game preparation/planning and excellent teaching of the fundamentals. I don't think he is a great in game coach ... but his teams are well-prepared.

[Optimus Prime]

You are such a hater, OP ...

I am merely the medium, that's like getting cross with Walter Cronkite simply because one finds the narrative objectionable.

[Pasadena Blue]

Saban, Meyer are 1,2 in the list of top coaches.

http://www.athlonsports.com/college-football/ranking-college-footballs-top-25-coaches

[Optimus Prime]

It is particularly disturbing to learn what Meyer does with his players injured in the line of duty...."free up a scholarship"?!?

Tampa Bay Tribune
By TBO.COM | Staff
Published: April 09, 2012
Updated: April 09, 2012 - 10:04 PM
Report: UF went out of control under Meyer

Former Florida football players say that the Gator program had fallen into a state of disrepair late in the tenure of championship coach Urban Meyer, according to a Sporting News story published Monday after a three-month investigation.

Meyer came to Gainesville from Utah in 2005 and quickly achieved legendary status among Gator fans. He won two national championships (2006 and 2008 ) in his six seasons and helped iconic quarterback Tim Tebow become the first sophomore to ever win the Heisman Trophy in 2007. Three of his teams won 13 games, and UF went 16-2 against chief rivals Tennessee, Georgia and Florida State under his direction.

But Meyer himself seemed to struggle with the weight of the job late in his tenure. Paramedics were called to his home the night of a 32-13 loss to Alabama in the 2009 SEC Championship Game (he was eventually diagnosed with esophageal spasms), prompting him to announce his resignation before the Sugar Bowl that season before deciding to stay.

The Gators then limped to an 8-5 finish in 2010 following Tebow's departure, and Meyer again announced his resignation before an Outback Bowl win over Penn State. This time, UF responded by naming Gainesville native and Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp as his replacement.

Even Meyer, now at Ohio State, called the Florida program "broken" late in the 2010 season, and Muschamp, players say, was left to deal with a fractured locker room plagued by a lengthy record of arrests, drug use, preferential treatment for star players and a lack of respect for coaches.

One former player, Zephyrhills native Bryan Thomas, said "The program was out of control."

Players point to the season-opening game in 2008 against Hawaii as an example of the star treatment typically afforded to established players. WR Percy Harvin, TE Aaron Hernandez and LB Brandon Spikes all missed the game because of injuries, according to Meyer, but other Gators say the three were sitting out because they failed drug tests, a fact Meyer wanted to keep private.

"Over the last two years (Meyer) was there," one former player said, "the players had taken complete control of the team."

Harvin, who was part of what other players called Meyer's "Circle of Trust," was also referenced in a conditioning drills incident before the 2007 season. The Gators were climbling stadium steps when Harvin, now with the Minnesota Vikings, sat down and refused to go on. The next day, a former player claims, the team switched to playing basketball for its conditioning.

Then in the 2008 season, Harvin reportedly attacked receivers coach Billy Gonzales, throwing him to the ground, but was never disciplined for his actions.

Meyer, who spoke with Sporting News in the article, acknowledged the incident did occur.

"Something did happen and something was handled," Meyer said. "I don't think it's fair to Percy Harvin or Billy Gonzales to talk about it."

Gonzales eventually left UF for LSU, placing his keys, cell phone and resignation letter on Meyer's desk, according to the report.

But Harvin was far from the only problem child for Meyer and the Gators. At least 30 players were arrested during his six-year run, including star defensive lineman Carlos Dunlap, who was found unconscious in the driver's seat of a car in the middle of a Gainesville intersection the week of the crucial 2009 game against Alabama.

All-American cornerback Janoris Jenkins failed a drug test and was arrested for his involvement in a bar fight during Meyer's tenure. Sources claim Jenkins threatened to quit the team after the 2008 Hawaii game, possibly in response to the treatment given to Harvin, Hernandez and Spikes. Following Muschamp's hiring, Jenkins was arrested twice more for marijuana possession and eventually transferred to North Alabama.

The report claims that New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick spoke to the team this past offseason, indirectly using former Gators as a cautionary tale about the perils of drug use.

"His message was, in essence, don't be like those guys," a source said.

Thomas, the Zephyrhills native who played safety for the Gators, claims he was told by Meyer to "move on" after the 2008 championship season because he wasn't part of the team's future plans. He had suffered a knee injury and says he was given a medical hardship letter stating the injury would keep him from being able to play, essentially freeing up an athletic scholarship for another player.

"I told them I wasn't leaving," Thomas said, "and if they tried to force me to leave, I was going to tell everyone everything."

Meyer claims the problems the Gators experienced were no different from what all college programs encounter.

"I am very proud of our guys that played at Florida," he says. "Are there issues? Yes there are with 18- to 22-year-olds. ... We do the best we can and I think our record has been really positive in the impact we've made on those people."

[Optimus Prime]

Found this little scuttlebutt gem, in particular....

Meyer is also accused of covering up for star players in his preferred “Circle of Trust.” One such incident reportedly occurred before the 2008 season opener when Harvin and former linebacker Brandon Spikes allegedly missed the season-opener because of a failed drug test, but Meyer made it seem like they were injured by outfitting them in a walking boots.

“They were running with us on the first team all week in practice,” one former player said. “The next thing you know, they’re on the sidelines with a (walking) boot for the season opener like they were injured. …”

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_bianchi/2012/04/urban-meyer-gators-ohio-state-allegations.html

[hack]

I agree with the notion that Hoke will be coaching at UM long after Meyer's gone from OSU -- as long as Hoke proves worthy. And, yeah -- it certainly looks like Meyer is a shithead. That doesn't make him unique among coaches, but clearly he's in it for himself and has no sense of loyalty to the institution, and that's a risk for OSU.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I agree with the notion that Hoke will be coaching at UM long after Meyer's gone from OSU -- as long as Hoke proves worthy. And, yeah -- it certainly looks like Meyer is a shithead. That doesn't make him unique among coaches, but clearly he's in it for himself and has no sense of loyalty to the institution, and that's a risk for OSU.

I share these sentiments.

After all was said and done, jim tressel was in the game for jim tressel. While speculative, it would make sense for osu to release tressel with a set of benefits in exchange for specific restraint.

I don't think there is any question that a CFB coach that blatantly lied to untold people including the NCAA to benefit himself, his players and the institution he was employed by, should have received ANY benefits from his employer at all. He should have been fired for violating his contract (and yes I understand the Jim Obrien thing .... massive fuck up by osu's human resource and legal staff in that mess. Smart folks would have fixed that so it didn't happen again but, oh, wait ...... gene smith).

Why did he get the Golden Hand Shake he got? He had something on osu and threatened to use it. I don't think there is any other rational conclusion that can be drawn regarding the answer to that question. This is the big leagues. People and their lawyers play hardball.

ufm is in the same league as tressel. He's in the game for himself and I think wide spread and consistent reports of his track record support that view ...... criticism of those reports notwithstanding. That is mere deflection of a narrative osu fans don't want to hear. Nothing new here. The denial of tressel's bad behavior for 15 months after it was clear something stunk rings as the stark truth to this head in the sand mentality or "win baby, win."

Anyway, enjoy the ride. ufm is going to have some success. His recruiting is top shelf and he's a good football coach as his W/L record tells us. But sports journalists are going to be on osu and ufm like stink on shit for a good while. The smallest event that can be characterized as slightly smelly is going to get bad press. Winning might help but osu has been found to cheat, cheat regularly and apparently without concern. I'd hate to be an AD, a HC or a player in a football program laboring under that sort of dark cloud.

[iam416]

blah, blah, blah

[Dr. Strangelove]

There's only two coaches I'd categorize as elite: Nick Saban and Brady Hoke.

Urban has yet to prove he can be successful in the Big10

[SeattleLionsFan]

Ha.