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

[lineygoblue]

"At this time" is today.

Once OlieO starts throwing wheelbarrows full of money at him, it will be another day, and he'll say yes.

But, it would be funny to see him end up at Penn State. I'd have to laugh quite heartily at the OlieO fans who have been drooling over him since Tressel hit the door.

[Optimus Prime]

Liney, keeps UM on every wish list, why not.

Talent, well then, let me ask is Elvis alive and well in the FBI Witness Protection Program?

[Ghengis Jon]

I don't think Meyer is heading to C-bus. Thats all white noise and wishful thinking. osu will poach from Rutgers or some other school...if a 'name brand' isn't available, then I think Fickel will remain coach with a 2-3 year RR-esque grace period. osu is a botched extra point and one long pass away from a much better (ie tolerable to schmuckeye faithful) win-loss record and a lofty ranking. Tresselgate has had an impact on the team and I think Luke has done a decent job despite it.

Please don't confuse this observation with defending a buckeye. osu is still this planet's pus oozing, bleeding hemorrhoid.

[Hannibal]

Sounds like it's probably going to happen.

Buckeye fans will have to retract all of their remarks about how the pussy spread doesn't work in the Big Ten.

[lineygoblue]

It really shouldn't matter to Michigan fans anyway. We've got to play them every year no matter whose name is on the HC's door in Columbus.

I'm a bit tickled at the irony of all this. Michigan is transitioning from a "spread" team to a "pro-set" team, ... and OlieO and its fans are salivating over the prospect of changing from a "pro-set" team to a classic "spread" team, with Urban Meyer.

Hilarious.

[SeattleLionsFan]

And Brionte will be in Ann Arbor

[UMStan White]

What do you think the odds were a year ago that neither Tressel nor Paterno would be coaching in this game because each had been canned for unethical behavior?

[Optimus Prime]

Slim, next to impossible to get caught. For example, Cam Newton's father took the cash, crap!?!


Oh Talent, one more thing, although Tebow is 4-1 now as an NFL starting QB, will he be reunited with coach Meyer in Columbus?

[iam416]

(1) I've always been and always will be a "talent wins" guy. My principal problem with M fans re RichGOD was exhultation of system over talent. That said, I do have problems with the "spread" -- at least the way Oregon and RichGod run/ran it.

(2) I think good talent wins in any system. To have a complete program, you need good talent and good coaching.

(3) I think UM3 is a good coach and a good recruiter, so I'm pretty happy.

(4) I think the blocked extra point in West Lafayette sealed it. I've read (and I think) that UM3 was hesistant about stepping in if OSU made it to the CCG. I think OSU was uncomfortably close to getting "Stewarted".

(5) Brionte Dunn is a very good. I think he will be a very good college RB. I know OSU has very good RB depth. I know I'd trade 100 Dunns for UM3. I think that Kalis is the one that really hurts Ohio State.

[Optimus Prime]

I am just amazed that OSU fans are so willing to throw tressel's "groomed successor" under the bus so soon?

Second, timing it appears is everything when hiring a CFB coach and I must admit, Meyer publicly shooting down Penn State has me a little concerned, if not now, it's likely Never for UM3 at OSU.

Third, if Meyer ends up in Columbus the Big Ten Conference should be very worried, just look at his SEC Conference record.

Last, Meyer had 31 player arrests while at Gainsville, the criminal element at OSU will certainly NOT keep him up at nights.

[Hannibal]

I'm mostly a "talent wins" guy too, but it sure is a lot easier for your talent to do its job if the defense doesn't know what's coming. That's all I ask of an OC, really. Be aggressive on every posession, be unpredictable, take advantage of mismatches and weaknessses on defense. For some reason, spread offenses seem to be the maojrity of the teams that actually follow this simple philosophy. Not many others in recent memory that seem to do much besides game management. I can think of a few that I have really liked (Stanford, Wisky, ND under Weis, USC), but if I'm a defensive coordinator nowadays, I'm much more afraid of Oregon's offense than Alabama's.

Curious, this giddiness over the supposed OC hire. The guy's track record is sort of "meh" to me. He's the OC at LSU now, but they are middle of the pack in offense in the SEC despite having lots of experience at QB and 5* guys everywhere in the depth chart.

[iam416]

I'm mostly a "talent wins" guy too, but it sure is a lot easier for your talent to do its job if the defense doesn't know what's coming. That's all I ask of an OC, really. Be aggressive on every posession, be unpredictable, take advantage of mismatches and weaknessses on defense. For some reason, spread offenses seem to be the maojrity of the teams that actually follow this simple philosophy.

I don't disagree with this. As I've said, the only thing I fundamentally disagree with is the notion that a system can overcome anything more than marginal talent discrepancies. I prefer an offense that wants to score as many points as possible.

As a side note re Oregon. First, I think that team still suffers from a talent gap at the point of attack that ultimately screws them against elite defenses. I also think that's a product of a definite recruiting and conditioning philosophy. Second, they can be brilliant at ball control. That team can kill of the final 7 minutes of game as well as anyone.

Re OC, I'm not going to comment until I hear something more credible. All I will say is that from what I read, the LSU guys is extremely well-respected as an OL coach. His chops as an OC seem untested.

Finally, re Fickell, I *think* he was apprised of the situation when he took the job -- at least generally. I *think* he will be coaching for OSU in 2012 in some capacity. I know that my dream scenario from months ago was a "home run" hire + retention of Coach Fickell.

[lineygoblue]

Maybe Fickell agreed to something like that, but I can't understand why he would.

Its akin to a law firm promoting one of its associate partners to a full partner "temporarily", giving him all the perks and privileges of a full partner, .. then snatching it away from him when "Mr. Super Stud Attorney" becomes available and comes in as a full partner. Then, its back to "associate" status for the temporary guy. I mean, once you've reached the pinnacle of your profession, why would you willingly agree to give it back up in favor of a newcomer?

Oh well .. maybe Talent is right. Maybe Fickell knew what he was getting into all along, and he's willing to be a permanent Ed McMahon to Meyer's "Johnny Carson". McMahon made a ton of money as Carson's second banana.

[Hannibal]

Good situation for Fickell. He got to audition for the job without a lot of pressure and a really good job to fall back on. It's hard to think of anything good or bad that's firmly on his shoulders this year. And since he now had a year of experience at a major progam, the timetable for him getting a permanent HC job has moved up at least a few years.

[Mike]

Agreed. Fickell is still young enough that he can be a coordinator for a several more years and still have a long career as a head coach when the time is right. This trial by fire that's been foisted upon him is good seasoning for a young coach.