Excellent break down of the rote “Day is Cooper 2.0” or “we can’t win big games” comments. Thanks for pulling it all together coherently. We have the opportunity to fix these things as long as they realize it and do what needs to be done. Here’s hoping this provides the boot in the ass needed.
Ryan Day is NOT John Cooper, at least not yet…. The loss to Oregon should be a wake up call, and (to Ramzy’s point), was a loss that really doesn’t derail any team goals for this year…. Big Ten Championship, beat Michigan, get into the playoff and see what happens. Actually, losing to the #3 team in the nation, by one point on the road, with all the flukiness that occurred (the offensive interference, the onside slam-kick, the Judkins fumble- first in two seasons, and Denzel Burke playing like a turnstile), I feel very confident about a rematch on a neutral field…
Unfortunately, there is no room for any other error…. Must beat PSU on the road, and Michigan. And it appears Nebraska and Indiana are also much improved. But have faith Buckeye fans…. LJ needs to unleash the fury—
if so, sit back and enjoy what is ahead…. Go Bucks!
"The lazy reason is toughness, which is overused and ambiguous when discussing football. The correct one is edge. The Buckeyes don't command The Moment. It commands them."
Pinpoint accuracy from Ramzy.
I seriously wonder if this team needs a sports psychologist to help them overcome the fear of failure. Play confident, fellas! And smart. And I'm not just talking about the players here.
The team's goals are still ahead of them and I believe in this offense, despite Simmon's likely absence the rest of the year. If the defense can pull it together, get on the same page, figure out how to apply more pressure and execute in future big moments, this team can and will do special things.
"In weightlifting, I don't think sudden, uncontrolled urination should automatically disqualify you."
-Jack Handey
The correct one is edge. The Buckeyes don't command The Moment. It commands them.
Which, imo, brings us back to mental toughness, expecting to win the game, and program culture. The only thing the vast majority of this team knows is losing big games under Ryan Day. That must change - must - and Day is the only one who can do it because he is THE head coach, and he sets the tone for everything in the program.
Edge, toughness, culture… call it whatever you want, but whatever “it” is, Ryan Day lacks it, and as a result, his team, as a whole, lacks it as well. Beat PSU, ttun, win the B1G, and that’ll go a long way to showing us that Day has found what is currently lost.
IMO, Ramzy's most important observations are these:
The fear of screwing up trickles down.
The Buckeyes don't command The Moment. It commands them.
The Ducks won with creativity. The Buckeyes lost with predictability.
[Buckeyes] keep trying to win matchup games with their recruiting classes instead of coaching.
Since Day was never a head coach of a lesser, underdog team trying to upset a much more talented one, he seems to lack the strategy and ability to get his guys to show big game opponents that "We're just as good as you today, or better" and TAKE the game away from the opponent. All game long.
Our honor defend, we'll fight to the end !
"it's not magic, it's fundamentals" that lead to Ohio State's success. - Ryan Day
Right. I love Day and I do believe he'll succeed but I agree with you that his limited experience with beating teams of roughly equal (or more) talent has shown through. He seems to be learning and putting things together but not all the ingredients are there yet. Fingers crossed he can make the most of the remaining opportunities.
"In weightlifting, I don't think sudden, uncontrolled urination should automatically disqualify you."
-Jack Handey
How telling was Josh Fryer's pre-game comment, "I hate playing in big games."? That right there tells you the mentality of the players. I think the players sense the stress in coach Day and it translates to playing tight. Not good.
I have to admit I was concerned about the tone of this week's Situational based upon the preview - and you nailed it:
My position, as an enthusiast of both peanut butter and whiskey is you shouldn't mix them. But it's good with ice, Kahlua and Bailey's okay, I love that for you. I'll eat Reese's and sip something reputable. The efficiency gained by marrying two elite consumables isn't worth the squandered enjoyment of keeping them separated.
Another great article, cheers!
Time and change will surely show
How firm thy friendship ... OHIO!
Great article. I'm skeptical that much will change with the defense, other than practicing fundamentals. Would love to be wrong, as it's genuinely unfun to watch our defense right now.
Reading this was a sad read. No team is ever going to win them all. Cooper 2.0? Not even close. Please remember the cheap shots in the end zone our Buckeyes committed on South Carolina. That was the final straw in what had been the unraveling of a once great program. I was calling for Cooper's head for years. Losing so many times to Michigan, when many of those times Michigan was not a good team, but we still lost to them. Beyond frustrating. When they finally let Cooper go and hired Tressel, many laughed at the hire. I simply said, "I don't care if we lose every other game as long as we beat Michigan". We did and I knew we had the right guy. Order was restored. Day is the right guy for the job. That's the cold hard fact the author of this article is not seeing. Again, sad.
Our Honor Defend we will Fight to the end for O-HI-O!
People act like Cooper was in the top 5 every year, but he had a great stretch from 95-98 but otherwise had mediocre records. And he was losing to 4 loss Michigan teams, not undefeated (and cheating) Michigan teams.
I think people really need to adjust to the new reality of college football. NIL, the portal and the expanded playoffs are going to level the playing field very quickly. Everyone talks about OSU's money spent, but Oregon absolutely loaded up in the portal (as well as outbidding OSU for guys like Uiagalelei). My guess is their roster costs every bit as much as OSU's.
Agree. Harmon from MSU likely cost them a pretty penny and Evan Stewart was known to be a money chasing recruit. Both ended up at Oregon. Those are just 2 examples of the top of my head.
Phil Knight's dying wish is to see them win it all and it's clear the $$$ is helping their cause.
"In weightlifting, I don't think sudden, uncontrolled urination should automatically disqualify you."
-Jack Handey
93, 95, 96, and 98 he was undefeated going into the Michigan game. He was 1-3 in those 3 years span against um, and 3-1 in bowl games. They were 11th, 6th, 2nd, and 2nd in those years. in 1997, they had a close loss to PSU going into the UM game, and subsequently lost the game and the bowl to fiish 12th. Day is better than Cooper, but over all the bowl records, the UM record, the games against big oppoenents, and the knack for losing close games makes them very similar, at least for a specific time frame.
Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect - Woody Hayes
Thanks SOF, missed that. For comparison purposes, after Cooper rebuilt the Buckeyes...
Cooper was 43-7 in the 4 year stretch 94-98, that's pretty good. 1-3 vs UM, 2-2 in bowl games. finished #6, #2, #12, and #2
Day's is 40-7 in the 4 year stretch 20-23, that's also pretty good. 0-3 vs UM, 2-3 in bowl games, finished #2, #4, #6 and #10.
Cooper went downhill after that. It is yet to be seen what happens with Day, we are losing a lot of players next year, but still have a ton of talent, so don;'t expect a dropoff like we had with Coop.
Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect - Woody Hayes
They weren't undefeated in 98 and they had a tie in 93. But even more importantly, Michigan lost 4 games in 93, 95 and 96, and 3 games in 98. He wasn't losing to good teams.
Yes, it is not the same, but there are commonalities. I am one of those lazy folks - likely informed by the deep scars obtained during the shocking Cooper era - that suggest "Cooper 2.0" I keep hoping not and, as this article nicely points out - and gives me hope - there are distinctions. At the highest level the things I see that concern me are the tightness (i.e. "puckering") in big games and the what seems to be a lack of mental toughness. Time will tell and I earnestly hope Day blossums into a Buckeye legend and I get get to eat a large bowl of "Cooper 2.0 crow..
I totally agree. The Cooper 2.0 narrative is lazy and lacks nuance. Cooper got shellacked by less talented TTUN teams and then shit the bed in bowl games annually. He was never on the precipice of Natty’s like Day has been twice. He recruited well but not as well as Day. The overall narrative that coaches can’t win big games is also overblown. Football is a fickle and unforgiving bastard of a game sometimes. Bounce of a ball here or there and it’s a different story. Day will get it done.
Football is a fickle and unforgiving bastard of a game sometimes. Bounce of a ball here or there and it’s a different story.
What is it — bad karma? Ohio seems to be unlucky in football (injuries, bad calls, etc), basketball (injuries, bad calls, etc), and … lookout Guardians!
Our honor defend, we'll fight to the end !
"it's not magic, it's fundamentals" that lead to Ohio State's success. - Ryan Day
Egos both player and coach need to be checked at the door. All great head coaches make decisions based on what is best for the team. Urban said he doesn’t want to be around average, anyone can be average. I’m not convinced that attitude still exists, but I hope I’m wrong.
If you can’t make a fourth and one, you don't deserve to win.
I’m glad you mentioned LJ’s d-line philosophy is based offenses from 30 years ago. Why bring in Knowles as the d-coordinator, and his scheme that has seen modern day success at other programs, if you’re going to essentially require Knowles to adjust his scheme so LJ, a subordinate, is happy?
You're right Shitinky (hilarious btw). If that is indeed what is going on, that's totally fkd up. Time for the CEO to be a CEO. I don't want to hear anymore "The sacks will come" from Day.
I'm a professional musician and have not had a ton of participation in organized sports. But I have learned over the last few years of my career that you absolutely cannot be afraid of failure when The Moment arrives. You put in the work, trust in that work and your talent, and go out and face your fears. It pains me to see this same struggle play out in real time for these guys and Day. Perfectionism and the fear of failure will kill any progress you can make or goals that you set for yourself. For the team, there must be a balance struck between having fun and having a ruthless desire to impose your will on your opponent - by any means necessary. Coasting on talent and fundamentals will get you nowhere.
As a former high school band member who played trumpet - fear of being in the wrong register at any given point, especially to start a solo, is huge. Sometimes your lips just don't do what you want them to do and then you look like an idiot. Well, sound like one.
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All the best musicians (and athletes, I would assume) still battle anxiety and nerves, no matter how seasoned or accomplished they are. The question is whether you're going to allow that to hamper your performance or use the energy to spur you on to greatness.
Sort of on that subject: I love the biography of one of my favorite musicians, trumpeter Herb Alpert, who got his start in the USC Trojan marching band. I didn't find this factoid out until Google, decades later.
Shtinky1, I think the major problem is that LJ does not consider himself to be a subordinate. Day should have made that clear from day1 and if LJ couldn't handle that, adios. It almost appears that Day is intimidated by LJ's previous history and reputation. LJ has become his albatross who may be his undoing. My respect for LJ has taken a hit.
If you have two people that agree on everything, that only means one of them is not thinking at all.
I agree. I’m sure LJ carries a lot of influence with influential alumni based on his time with the program and past players he’s mentored. It’s definitely a tricky situation. That fact that it has gotten to this point leads me to think that Day believes the situation has the potential to go south for the program. With that said, if the reports are accurate, then a decision has to be made or it doesn’t matter who the d-coordinator is, the issue will always be a problem.
I wonder if 4 stars playing DL in Knowles system outplay 5 stars in this weird hybrid of strategies we have on defense. We are going to have to bite the bullet at some point when he leaves, and potentially lose some of the stars in his pipeline. Maybe we start fresh in 2025 with someone new. Any former Buckeyes out there coaching D-line that we can poach?
In shitty Corporate America parallels, mediocre department heads often tell others to stay in their own lane whenever their effectiveness is being questioned cross-functionally.
I disagree. What you are describing is Brian Hartline telling Larry what to do. What is actually going on is the manager of the entire department is telling a supervisor to get his shit together, and the supervisor is telling him to pound sand. This goes over well for so long before the VP asks the manager his recommendations and the manager, now tired of that guy, is honest. Until that happens, Larry keeps running his mediocre department how he wants.
I'm convinced the Athletic Department provides every new OSU coach with the manual "how to lose in the spotlight" that is mandatory reading.
I've become accustomed to us losing in big games recently, but for me this goes all the way back to 1970 against Stanford in the Rose Bowl.
Upside is we are so good we get lots of opportunities; downside is it seems we don't take advantage. Reality is that we are 27W-29L in bowl games all time; 13-11 in the 2000's.
That difference is both Tress and Meyer won multiple national championships before coming to Ohio State. There aren’t a lot of those coaches with current college football experience floating around. It takes that level of experience to get over the hurdle. Day has shown that he is willing to learn and adjust. It’s just a matter of time.
Whew that Texas 05 game sure didn't seem like it. And I would trade close losses for being embarrassed to have OSU on the same field as what happened at USC in 2008.
Exactly, Stantmann. Great point! Tressel and Meyer would lose the head-scratcher vs Iowa or Purdue, but they would play loose vs top 5 teams. This is where Day's similarities with John Cooper are real: in big games the players can sense the pressure and nervousness of the head coach, and it translates on the field. I'm not sure how that can ever change, once that label is stuck on him. "He chokes in big games."
Lots of love and respect for Tressel but including him in a definition of teams playing "Loose" and to win is a bit off. Hanawi referred to the Texas game in 2005 and I would add the Penn State game in the same year and the USC game at home in 2009. In both games Tressel was accused of "playing not to lose instead of to win". Like I said.....I will hold Tress (and Urban) in the highest regard. Heck, I even met and chatted with Tress one time. But to say his teams played "loose".....eh, not always the case. But, at the end of the day, his team's achievement in 2002 was something Ryan Day's has not been able to attain, and there are doubts creeping him.
It's funny, in my living room (and I'm sure thousands of others), we kept saying "Why are we only rushing 4 every down" or, "Gabriel has all fkn day! WTF?!?" You're right Ramzy, we don't have the dogs anymore (e.g. Bosas, Young) and we have to scheme better because I still believe we have the talent to do sooo much better. I really thought Caleb Downs would bring that "edge", that swagger to this defense. I think he has it and I guess I was hoping it rub off on the more complacent others. Go Bucks.
Absolutely could use some more creativity on defense. Where are the stunts? Make the offensive line have to figure out who to block in less than half a second.
This may get me down-voted into oblivion but, hey, not the first time, right?
Is Larry Johnson trying to get Coach Knowles fired because he doesn't like the idea of playing the Jack? Is Johnson "marking his territory" by playing the same way, with the same set, game after game.
Coach Day is the only guy that can fix this. He demoted Coombs in 2021 because our defense was terrible. Why should LJ get a pass? His DL has underperformed, for the most part, since 2019 and having Williams off the field during important moments is inexcusable. Either get it together or let somebody else decide the DL rotation.
I’ve sensed this for a while, but I believe that Day is crippled with anxiety. Urban was too, and was candid about it towards the end of his career, but he built a personal (perhaps unhealthy) mechanism to channel it into a laser focus productivity driver. I think Day pushes his (unintentionally) onto his players. It’s a razor thin margin that I feel like we’re currently on the wrong side of.
Great article as always. Great whiskey section as always. I'll have to try some Quality House soon.
I will offer one bit of frustration on the Knowles-Johnson stuff with regard to how it's been covered up to now. I wish Eleven Warriors or other Ohio State media would write articles pointing out the so-called "open secret" before a dramatic loss materializes, instead of after. I like that this write-up cited an article written in 2023 about the lack of the Jack position and Knowles' comments on it, because it shows that the evidence suggesting the issue was indeed out there. So I don't know if writers just like to sandbag this stuff for such moments so they can cash in on the clicks generated after a high profile loss; maybe they don't want to rock the boat while the team is winning; maybe I'm just an ignoramus who is expected to be able to read between the lines that all is not well; I don't know. What I would like to see is simply for someone to just write the damn piece on how Larry Johnson is a fly in the ointment BEFORE we're licking our wounds from Oregon and trying to find places to lay the blame. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
Many were saying the same or similar things about LJ last year and there were whispers in '22. It should have started when Michigan shoved the D linemens' dicks in the dirt in the 2021 game, but nah. When LJ landed Eddrick Houston in the spring, first there were hosannas, then comments filled with snark toward posters who were openly doubting whether LJ should still be on the sideline late last year. I don't know if the rumors are true that he is holding up the works, but his unit is one of the team's true weaknesses at worst, or disappointments at best. (the LBs are close behind) There is no doubt that LJ is a HOF coach. But as each year goes by we are left to wonder if his best year's are behind him. Penn State may have had its issues in big games in recent years, but their D lines by and large have been elite, and yes, without LJ still wearing blue and white. I expect we will find that out in 3 weeks.
Right. No matter what this Buckeye team does, LJ needs to move on after this season in my humble opinion. Love the guy, but need someone younger who understands the modern game and who won't butt heads with the DC (assuming the rumors are true).
"In weightlifting, I don't think sudden, uncontrolled urination should automatically disqualify you."
-Jack Handey
Just my viewpoint but part of the issue is that we have tried to get too fancy when just running the damn ball straight ahead at critical points would have worked. For example in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl against Clemson we had a first down near the goal on one of the possessions (and we were up a couple of touchdowns) and we tried some passing plays instead of pounding it in. We settled for a field goal. Similar thing with the ending of the Oregon game. Way are earth did we throw to Smith when could have run it towards the middle of the field , called time out and kicked a field goal. From a statistical viewpoint the benefits from some of the pays are not worth the potential downside. Like Woody said there are a lot of bad things that can happen when you throw it. It's not that I don't like to air it out it's just that at some point you pivot and pound the ball.
When I think back to the loss to UGA in the Peach Bowl, the exact opposite happened. After CJ's long run to get into FG range, Day called a run play at the UGA's 31 yd line and it ended up getting stuffed and they had to use 1 of their remaining 2 timeouts. I'll be honest, I remember yelling at the TV at that moment to run the ball.
"Friendship means little when it's convenient." - Shimazu
The play call was fine. If Smith doesn't extend his arms, Buckeyes win and none of this gnashing of teeth that we've experienced over the last 4 days occurs.
Ohio State has no choice but to be strategic with this defense and finally, actually focus on margins.
Oregon won on the margins, which is where Day's teams always lose these types of games.
Coach Day's biggest losses are as follows:
23-29 (Clemson, '19)
41-42 (Georgia, '21l)
24-30 (TTUN, '23)
31-32 (Oregon, '24)
Very, very winnable games that were lost. A play here, a play there. I feel like Charlie Brown with Lucy and the football, but, one of these days, it has to swing our way.
Nick Saban didn't win a national title until his 9th year as a head coach (and at his second school).
If we want to move on from Ryan Day sooner than nine years for not winning the big game, we might want to take a step back.
There has been exactly 1 game on his watch that we weren't in position to win that didn't involve cheating. One. And you can blame Covid or Nick Saban's greatest assembly of talent or whatever on that one; we also broke Clemson to get there and they haven't recovered since.
He will eventually figure out how to win the winnable walkoff type game. The changes he made this past offseason attest to that. He will solve the LJ problem - though that isn't the only reason we lost on Saturday.
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I agree with the spirit of your post about being patient with Day, but to play devil's advocate, Saban built his way up in the coaching profession, similar to Urban, going from Toledo to Michigan State to taking over an LSU program that had gone 7-15 in the previous two seasons before he arrived. He won a natty in his fourth year at LSU. It would have been damn near impossible for anyone to follow that career arc and have won a natty sooner.
In contrast, Day took over a plug and play program stacked with NFL talent across the board and ready to compete for a national title in year 1. It would have been realistic for someone to have followed in his career arc and have won a national title (or 2) by now.
I agree, but have add that the loss to Bama following Clemson was predictable once Trey Sermon, who had carried OSU to that game, went down for the count. Half the offense left the field and did not return. Thats tough, and one can fault the lack of depth at RB (looks like Day learned that lesson).
Ramzy nails it as usual while making points I would never have thought of if given a week in a soundproof room.
His take on flavor additives covering up bad whiskey is definitive. Mixed drinks became popular during Prohibition specifically to mask the nastiness of what was available.
Go Bucks and a pat on the back to Ryan Day. You've got this!
I would love to see a more creative defense unleashed after the bye week against Nebraska, but it is really hard to convince me they will make any sweeping changes mid-season. Speculated every year and never happens.
Personally, peanut butter whiskey shaken with half-half and khalua is a top tier drink for me.
If you take everything I’ve accomplished in my life and condense it down to one day, it looks decent!
I've been wondering where the Jack is....I don't make millions as a coach but i have been a military O-6....you can't sacrifice the team for one player or one coach. If Johnson and Knowles need a come to Jesus meeting I would make that happen. DG shifted the pocket because he can't freaking see over anyone and allowing him to sit and rotate if necessary was killing Burke...who should go back to takling 101. Why would Day willingly take heat for defensive differences...he hired Knowles to get it done so either empower him or do it yourself.
Let’s avoid these self defeating narratives. I’ve always said that I have no problem coming up short in games so long as we play our best. The enemy has a vote. It is rare air when we lose under Day, but that comes with the territory. NIL is proving to make every team “unknowable” because one year ago they sucked—and maybe they’ve always sucked—but now they’re legit because of mercenaries. I’m just gonna enjoy sitting here with everything attainable in front of us in my multiple OSU paraphernalia I’m wearing right now. We’re getting close to a dynasty.
Correct me,but I thought Day gave up play calling in favor of Chip calling them from the box. If you know for a fact that Day called the C-F pass to Smith when only a few yards would have improved the field-goal chances, bring it on.
It certainly didn’t look good, but, as Ramzy pointed out, 7 seconds is a long time to adequately cover a top receiver, especially when there’s a top caliber QB throwing to him. Imagine giving someone like CJ seven seconds to throw to Marvin.
2019 CFP Semifinal: Walk-off drive crushed by miscommunication between Justin Fields and Chris Olave resulting in an endzone interception (L)
***The play you describe is irrelevant if the officials don’t totally blow the fumble return and the targeting calls. OSU wins it going away without those calls.
2022 Rose Bowl: A shell-shocked Day called timeout eight seconds too early, ceding the walk-off and forcing another kickoff by Parker Fleming's special teams to a Utah return unit which had already housed one earlier in the game (W)
***Nice. Find any reason to sh*t all over one of OSU’s greatest comeback VICTORIES.
2022 CFP Semifinal: Abrupt puckering on what should have been a walk-off, squandering the final minute and settling for a long field goal attempt which landed in another zip code (L)
***Put any honest set of officials on the field, and, despite the assault on MHJ, OSU wins by two TDs.
2023 Notre Dame: An epic final drive featuring a dropped interception and the Irish defense only sending 10 players onto the field for each of the final two snaps. Sometimes the pants-shitting is on the other sideline. Inexplicably, Ohio State attempted an untimed PAT after the touchdown and risked a game-tying block/return instead of kneeling on it (W)
***Again, take the one great Kyle McCord game and sh*t on it.
2023 Michigan: Walk-off drive crushed by a Kyle McCord interception (L)
***So, Day is responsible for an interception? Oh, by the way, Michigan HANDILY won the NC and OSU lost to them AT Michigan in THE rivalry game of rivalry games and to a senior laden class and with Michigan likely still possessing some insight into OSU’s signaling.
2024 Oregon: A walk-off drive and a high-percentage field goal were in play, but abruptly transformed into what was already the prevailing Day narrative in these opportunities - the consequence of leaving doubt (L)
***So, let’s have a rule that permits Oregon to cheat the change that rule only AFTER the cheating so no other team has to be cheated out of a win.
GIVE ME A BREAK. If Ryan Day hadn’t suffered this almost comically bizarre series of cheating, poor officiating, and terrible rules, he’d be 67-3, with at least one NC and three more BigTen championships.
Day, however, is a gentleman who refuses to blame anyone but himself. His flaw? He’s too nice, too decent, too good for a world that practically DEMANDS cheating to achieve what that world suggests (deceitfully, of course) is success.
If—IF—you care about Ohio State football, its players, and its character, be VERY THANKFUL that Ryan Day is the HC.
I think you're forgetting that multiple things can be true at once. Yes, bad officiating had a hand in screwing some of these games. Yes, the cheaters screwed over the 2021-2022 games specifically. Yes, Kyle McCord was generally terrible in The Moment. But Day also has had several instances of poor game management in The Moment. Ramzy isn't saying that Day is solely responsible for all these losses.
What Day is missing is a rough edge in The Moment. He talks a big talk, but when the brightest lights come on, he folds - and the players feed off of that. Day needs to face his fears of failure and attack The Moment with ruthless and unforgiving efficiency.
I didn't even read the Ramzy article. Over the past few years, Ramzy has become one of the most disappointing Buckeye sports writers, who bloviates in such an arrogant manner that I believe he actually "gets off" on his criticisms.
Based on what I read in the comments (and yours especially), I see that this nitwit still blames Day for circumstances completely out of his control. Ramzy also falls to a contrarian fallacy that many (here) do: Day is apparently to blame for the Michigan losses that were enabled by Stallions. In games between two relatively evenly matched opponents, the kind of intel Stallions provided tips the scales, every time. I specifically remember a comment Cade Stover made in an interview where he stated that Michigan "knew" about a TE screen that up until The Game, had not been run all season long. Michigan blew up that screen, and it was not due to lack of proper execution by the Buckeyes.
I realize Ramzy's "eloquent" pieces draw the mouth-breathers who seek affirmations by agreeing in the comment section. Well, enjoy. However, as someone who has participated in team sports at a decent level, both as a player and a coach, I find people like Ramzy, and (effectively) his sycophants to be disgusting. They usually have no idea of the complexities involved in coaching, and to be honest, I can't imagine what it would be like to manage the day-to-day of one of the largest, most successful football programs in the country. So, when they release drivel that reduces these complexities to "kibble for a marmoset", and blame the head coach for things like.. untimely interceptions (because yeah, that's how Day drew it up), I just have to laugh at the sheer inanity,
I'm assuming you're referring to me because I explicitly said that I wouldn't call myself an athlete. Well, you're right. I don't know what it's like in the same way these guys do. I've played in sports, but nowhere near this level. And I nor anyone else here will completely understand what Day's workload and stress level is like in the same way. We'll never be in his shoes. However, that does not mean that we can't point out issues that we see, and it also does not mean that we can't relate to common issues of the human experience as it relates to anxiety and facing The Moment.
I read Ramzy's articles every week, and while I absolutely do not agree with everything he writes, I find that he often verbalizes things in a way that most of us haven't put together. I'm glad that 11W has someone like him. Also, he's not blaming Day for every single loss - actually reading the article does certainly help.
Remember how we've all (rightfully) berated Jim Hairball because he's the head coach and he should know what's going on with his program? It's the same thing with Day. No, every failure is not explicitly his fault, but as the head coach, the buck stops with him. This especially applies to the Knowles-Johnson fued. The fact that he hasn't stepped in and done something is concerning, to be honest. I want Day to succeed, and I'm sure that most people reading this AND Ramzy want him to as well. But to say that he's perfect and has no easily recognizable flaws is simply not true.
I’m trying to find, in any of these posts, where someone wrote that Day is perfect. I have yet to find that. What I have found—over and over again—is vitriolic attacks on a great coach and a good man who has led OSU football to sustained extraordinary success for years.
Fans want to win. So do coaches and players, and they put in the hard work. Players take the field and risk literally everything to make a hard tackle or a catch over the middle or to cross the goal line off tackle. Coaches work 18 hour days in far too many of their 365 each year to keep this program at cream of the 1% level.
Even so, there will be occasions when not everything comes off perfectly, whether coaching, player error, poor officiating, or heck, illness and injury. For example, does OSU score twice more if they don’t lose their best O lineman?
And any fan who wants to go-emo and blame Ryan Day for every little false start or interception or no-sack performance should take a deep breath and try to recall, or if too young in this world to recall, then go to video and watch, Ohio State’s Cooper Purgatory, or Earl’s various failures, or even Saint Woodrow’s worst. If you lived through 24-12 and still loved Woody, you are a true fan. I still love Woody. And I loved after Clemson. AND NONE OF THOSE COACHES HAD TO ENDURE WHAT DAY HAS ENDURED THROUGH CHEATING AND POOR OFFICIATING.
That silly cliche about being born on 3rd base is a despicable deceit. Anyone who pretends that it applies to Ryan Day is only buying a bag full of Harbaugh’s sh*t. We Buckeye fans are living in the promised land of milk and honey, and Ryan Day’s Joshua has taken us there. Sure, Urban’s Moses led us to the edge, but Day has taken us in while Urban fades into his just reward.
Buckeye fans—Be happy. Be thankful. And send a nice note to Coach Day and his staff and thank them for all that they do for us.
When did anybody actually insult Day here? Again, multiple things can be true at once. Day is a good man who has done a lot for the program, and I am thankful for what he's done so far. But, we also recognize that he's not perfect, and we want him to break through to reach the summit of CFB. Obviously, I can't speak for everyone in the fanbase - but getting defensive and accusatory is not going to help anything.
Again. I search for posts that state that Day is perfect or anywhere close to it. I cannot find any. However, I find a great many armchair All-Americans who fault Day for things well beyond his control. He does not throw passes, fumble footballs, make rules, or officiate games. He just coaches his tail off 365 days a year.
The essay here is designed to attract clicks. It is sensationalist nonsense for the most part. It is divisive and dangerous. Constructive criticism is fair only when it is (1) constructive; and (2) born of honest, intelligent analysis. I find this essay to be neither.
In fact, the essayist and his fanboys appear to me to be attired in maize and blue.
Ok if you're going to accuse those of us who actually care about the program and want to see it succeed (while sometimes being a bit harsh in our criticism) of being TCUN fans, I have nothing more to say.
I am neutral on Day. Time will deliver the verdict on his tenure and the longevity of the same. The only thing that confuses me about the ongoing Ryan Day debate is the emotional investment that some people have in it.
I have trouble understanding why some people soil themselves over criticisms of Day. When someone makes an observation or offers a criticism, some folks' butthole immediately puckers up tighter than a snare drum. It's as if someone seriously dissed a family member and they feel compelled to defend their honor. I understand arguing football around the water cooler. I just don't get why some folks get so worked up over the subject of Ryan Day.
As if losing last week wasn't bad enough, I regret to inform you that the state of Ohio is discontinuing sales of Quality House. It really is excellent as bottom shelf bourbons go.
I appreciate the work and the erudition put into these Nasrallah articles.
A criticism: when one is a hammer, everything looks like the head of a nail. Every Ramzy article is psychodramatic, ponderous narrative formation.
I get the "angle": apply tale-spinning to a sports subject to get some deeper human perspective. I think it would be great to branch out in a different direction, though.
It is still good work and still great effort, but it's time to change up the formula.
He's probably one of the best modern sportswriters around.
There are plenty of writers here and elsewhere who can give you the same textbook analysis of gameplay and personnel and x's and o's and what-happened-here and what-should-happen-there—those who have never cracked a thesaurus or read a a shred of old Joe Campbell. Ramzy is less a sportswriter and more a mythologist, make of that what you will. He carries the torch of Grantland and Red and Shirley, a link to a near bye-gone era when even sports journalists were entitled to wax poetic.
Sports is drenched in pathos and he reminds us of that.
Even if you admire his style, I do not understand how individuals who claim to have played a team sport can fall for his use of fake sophistry as "fact". What I am saying is that much of Ramzy's criticisms are over-dramatically spewed b&^%&^%t without the benefit of a solid foundation.
And by the way, I much prefer those who delve into the details of the X's and O's. Why? Because the mechanistic explanations actually tell us "what" is going on, and allow us to infer the "why" within a given context. (For example, we could not get pressure on Oregon's QB due to dropping 4 linemen into coverage and blitzing the LBs, on a given play)
"And by the way, I much prefer those who delve into the details of the X's and O's. Why? Because the mechanistic explanations actually tell us "what" is going on, and allow us to infer the "why" within a given context. (For example, we could not get pressure on Oregon's QB due to dropping 4 linemen into coverage and blitzing the LBs, on a given play)"
Those writers are a dime a dozen. You can't swing a dead cat in Bristol, Connecticut without hitting one.
And, by the way, it's pretty easy scroll on past a Ramzy article (I can ID them via headline) and read the six other slices at 'why didn't the defense work on Saturday?' here at Eleven Warriors.
much of Ramzy's criticisms are over-dramatically spewed b&^%&^%t without the benefit of a solid foundation.
Congratulations...? It appears you stumbled, without the requisite corrugations of gray matter, on the point of the articles. Ramzy is an entertaining writer. While I'm sure he believes most of the things he says, the allure of his articles is the wit and "over-dramatically spewed b&^%&^%t.
I Used to be 100% behind coach Day. Not assigning a number but it's certainly not 100% any longer. We always lose the big/important games. It's certainly gotten old.
Interesting statement by Ramzy on how long Oregon had to throw. Maybe an article and clips showing how long they had on some of their big passes. I hope they try some different rush approaches starting next week. Amazing how OSU was 7-0 under Urban when underdogs, and only the Bama semifinal was close, while getting crushed in some weird games (Purdue, Iowa).
Great write-up Ramzy. I was at the 2019 Maryland game and the inside kick was a thing of beauty. We put a hurting on Maryland that year 73-14 I think it was. Day needs to keep the element of surprise but he rarely uses something to deceive the opposition. When the talent is equal we need to break tendencies
When telling the truth becomes a revolutionary concept, it’s wise to join the revolution
Jesus Christ Ramzy, you had me in stitches with this starting off this article......
"He's averaged at least one game-ending parade-planner or pants-shitter per season since taking control of the Ohio State football program. Ohio cardiologists have been on notice since 2019."
Ramzy would love to write a "got the monkey off his back" article... and I'd love to read it!!! Until then, we all get to wrestle with "what's the problem really?" I remember when we had to put Woody out to pasture. There's actually no excuse for the D Line coach and the D Coordinator to not be on Exactly. The. Same. Page. And the onus is on LJ to execute Knowles plan. If that's not happening, it's time to make a change- IF.
I recall LJ leaving PSU over an issue around the coaching hierarchy (and this is not a criticism, just an observation) so if we are seeing another coaching hierarchy tussle, there's a history.
Another banger by Ramzy. It will be interesting to hear from the LJ defenders. Any time someone tries to critique LJ the knives of sainthood come out. I've said LJ should be afforded an opportunity to retire on his terms (1-2 yrs) while his replacement is on staff. If there is a disconnect between your Defensive HC and his staff allow him to make changes.
I am fans of teams and players but I always considered coaches as engineers whose job is to ensure the engine is operating at optimal performance. When you start getting attached to coaches from a personal perspective, your perspective can be skewed. If your engine isn't running at the levels of performance expected given the quality of the parts, you are eventually going to have to point the finger at the engineer. This team is simply too talented to not be considering the coaching staff as part of the reason for subpar performances.
You had me at “He's averaged at least one game-ending parade-planner or pants-shitter per season since taking control of the Ohio State football program.” At least we are in one and not out of one
Great article.
I agree it’s much better to have that loss now (like Va Tech) than at the end of the season to the cheaters up north. I’ll take that any Day. Would you trade an early season loss, beating tcun, beating the ducklings in the B10 championship, and winning the natty for winning all your games until you lose to scum at the end of the season, miss the B10 championship game, get a lower seed in the playoffs and lose? I know I would. Use the bye opportunity to improve, correct, and plan (revenge is really sweet). Figure this shit out!
Great article Ramzy. As several others said, you have many great ones however this was one of the best. All of the fans that read Eleven Warriors have the same interest, win every game. When the HC is being paid $10M which is in the top 5 nationally and the DC is being paid $2M+, it would seem as fans that we should be able to criticize coaching especially after a huge and emotional loss. The great thing about your article Ramzy is that you cited facts and helped identify solutions. The fact that our team is 2 W's and 7 L's in top 5 games should be concerning. As part of this, the chunk plays of 20 yards or more especially against top teams also needs to be scrutinized for a solution.
“Finally, a hard lesson being learned in time for something to be done about it inside of the same season. No bowl game opt-outs when you lose in October. No nine-month did-a-cat-shit-in-my-mouth-while-I-was-sleeping aftertaste.”
lolololollololol! Best lines in the article out of many!
This Ramzy-guy f*cks!
“In Europe, every morning game is a night time game. GO BUCKEYES!”
I wonder if the defense having not played all the way to the end of the fourth has had a negative effect? They have not had to keep their foot on the gas for 60:00. I know it keeps them fresh and healthy but maybe that is what they need, full 60:00
The team as a whole hasn't provided that kind of performance this season. There has been a common theme prior to the Oregon game - either the offense or defense comes in playing flat in the first half. Then the defense comes in playing flat through most of the premier game on the schedule. It's not what one would expect to see from a hungry team whose stated mission has always been to deliver a Natty or Bust season that leaves no doubt.
Great article as always. Just leaving this message in case your job security here is based on engagement metrics. Count me as a thoroughly entertained customer!
If you want to know why our fans freak out after a 1 point loss on the road to the #3 team in the country, look no further than Ramzy. It is obvious that the way to win the NC every year is to hire Ramzy. He is a genius and knows all the answers. It is amazing that a major college program hasn't hired him. He knows all the answers, just ask him. In reality, he is a one-trick pony that does nothing more than take cheap shots at people, some of whom have not been around for years. The sad part is that his cheap shot mentality has trickled down to the 11W staff and it shows in their inability to write anything other than disparaging comments about teenage college students. The staff tries to justify their behavior because of the NIL money but ultimately, they are still college students. We as fans deserve better!
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Ramzy,
Excellent break down of the rote “Day is Cooper 2.0” or “we can’t win big games” comments. Thanks for pulling it all together coherently. We have the opportunity to fix these things as long as they realize it and do what needs to be done. Here’s hoping this provides the boot in the ass needed.
Ryan Day is NOT John Cooper, at least not yet…. The loss to Oregon should be a wake up call, and (to Ramzy’s point), was a loss that really doesn’t derail any team goals for this year…. Big Ten Championship, beat Michigan, get into the playoff and see what happens. Actually, losing to the #3 team in the nation, by one point on the road, with all the flukiness that occurred (the offensive interference, the onside slam-kick, the Judkins fumble- first in two seasons, and Denzel Burke playing like a turnstile), I feel very confident about a rematch on a neutral field…
Unfortunately, there is no room for any other error…. Must beat PSU on the road, and Michigan. And it appears Nebraska and Indiana are also much improved. But have faith Buckeye fans…. LJ needs to unleash the fury—
if so, sit back and enjoy what is ahead…. Go Bucks!
"The lazy reason is toughness, which is overused and ambiguous when discussing football. The correct one is edge. The Buckeyes don't command The Moment. It commands them."
Pinpoint accuracy from Ramzy.
I seriously wonder if this team needs a sports psychologist to help them overcome the fear of failure. Play confident, fellas! And smart. And I'm not just talking about the players here.
The team's goals are still ahead of them and I believe in this offense, despite Simmon's likely absence the rest of the year. If the defense can pull it together, get on the same page, figure out how to apply more pressure and execute in future big moments, this team can and will do special things.
"In weightlifting, I don't think sudden, uncontrolled urination should automatically disqualify you."
-Jack Handey
Football has a sports psychologist embedded with them. She attends every practice and every team and coaches meeting. And travels with the team.
I did not know this. Thanks for sharing
"In weightlifting, I don't think sudden, uncontrolled urination should automatically disqualify you."
-Jack Handey
Perhaps she and Burke should have hit the medical tent and had a session during the game. Mathews could have covered for him a couple of series.
The correct one is edge. The Buckeyes don't command The Moment. It commands them.
Which, imo, brings us back to mental toughness, expecting to win the game, and program culture. The only thing the vast majority of this team knows is losing big games under Ryan Day. That must change - must - and Day is the only one who can do it because he is THE head coach, and he sets the tone for everything in the program.
Edge, toughness, culture… call it whatever you want, but whatever “it” is, Ryan Day lacks it, and as a result, his team, as a whole, lacks it as well. Beat PSU, ttun, win the B1G, and that’ll go a long way to showing us that Day has found what is currently lost.
When I die, sprinkle my ashes over the 70's
"Friendship means little when it's convenient." - Shimazu
IMO, Ramzy's most important observations are these:
Since Day was never a head coach of a lesser, underdog team trying to upset a much more talented one, he seems to lack the strategy and ability to get his guys to show big game opponents that "We're just as good as you today, or better" and TAKE the game away from the opponent. All game long.
Our honor defend, we'll fight to the end !
"it's not magic, it's fundamentals" that lead to Ohio State's success. - Ryan Day
Right. I love Day and I do believe he'll succeed but I agree with you that his limited experience with beating teams of roughly equal (or more) talent has shown through. He seems to be learning and putting things together but not all the ingredients are there yet. Fingers crossed he can make the most of the remaining opportunities.
"In weightlifting, I don't think sudden, uncontrolled urination should automatically disqualify you."
-Jack Handey
How telling was Josh Fryer's pre-game comment, "I hate playing in big games."? That right there tells you the mentality of the players. I think the players sense the stress in coach Day and it translates to playing tight. Not good.
I'm squeamishly optimistic.
yes, focus on the wrong "toughness" - not physical but mental.
I have to admit I was concerned about the tone of this week's Situational based upon the preview - and you nailed it:
My position, as an enthusiast of both peanut butter and whiskey is you shouldn't mix them. But it's good with ice, Kahlua and Bailey's okay, I love that for you. I'll eat Reese's and sip something reputable. The efficiency gained by marrying two elite consumables isn't worth the squandered enjoyment of keeping them separated.
Another great article, cheers!
Time and change will surely show
How firm thy friendship ... OHIO!
Great article. I'm skeptical that much will change with the defense, other than practicing fundamentals. Would love to be wrong, as it's genuinely unfun to watch our defense right now.
Am I seeing things or is the clock already down to 5 seconds before the ball is snapped on the picture in the lower right?
Reading this was a sad read. No team is ever going to win them all. Cooper 2.0? Not even close. Please remember the cheap shots in the end zone our Buckeyes committed on South Carolina. That was the final straw in what had been the unraveling of a once great program. I was calling for Cooper's head for years. Losing so many times to Michigan, when many of those times Michigan was not a good team, but we still lost to them. Beyond frustrating. When they finally let Cooper go and hired Tressel, many laughed at the hire. I simply said, "I don't care if we lose every other game as long as we beat Michigan". We did and I knew we had the right guy. Order was restored. Day is the right guy for the job. That's the cold hard fact the author of this article is not seeing. Again, sad.
Our Honor Defend we will Fight to the end for O-HI-O!
Well said.
GeorgiaBuckeye
Is the author of this playing the Dave biddle? Verdict: yes, conclusive.
does it slap: no it doesn’t.
People act like Cooper was in the top 5 every year, but he had a great stretch from 95-98 but otherwise had mediocre records. And he was losing to 4 loss Michigan teams, not undefeated (and cheating) Michigan teams.
I think people really need to adjust to the new reality of college football. NIL, the portal and the expanded playoffs are going to level the playing field very quickly. Everyone talks about OSU's money spent, but Oregon absolutely loaded up in the portal (as well as outbidding OSU for guys like Uiagalelei). My guess is their roster costs every bit as much as OSU's.
Agree. Harmon from MSU likely cost them a pretty penny and Evan Stewart was known to be a money chasing recruit. Both ended up at Oregon. Those are just 2 examples of the top of my head.
Phil Knight's dying wish is to see them win it all and it's clear the $$$ is helping their cause.
"In weightlifting, I don't think sudden, uncontrolled urination should automatically disqualify you."
-Jack Handey
93, 95, 96, and 98 he was undefeated going into the Michigan game. He was 1-3 in those 3 years span against um, and 3-1 in bowl games. They were 11th, 6th, 2nd, and 2nd in those years. in 1997, they had a close loss to PSU going into the UM game, and subsequently lost the game and the bowl to fiish 12th. Day is better than Cooper, but over all the bowl records, the UM record, the games against big oppoenents, and the knack for losing close games makes them very similar, at least for a specific time frame.
Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect - Woody Hayes
They weren't undefeated in 98; MSU beat them.
"The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender." Woody Hayes
Thanks SOF, missed that. For comparison purposes, after Cooper rebuilt the Buckeyes...
Cooper was 43-7 in the 4 year stretch 94-98, that's pretty good. 1-3 vs UM, 2-2 in bowl games. finished #6, #2, #12, and #2
Day's is 40-7 in the 4 year stretch 20-23, that's also pretty good. 0-3 vs UM, 2-3 in bowl games, finished #2, #4, #6 and #10.
Cooper went downhill after that. It is yet to be seen what happens with Day, we are losing a lot of players next year, but still have a ton of talent, so don;'t expect a dropoff like we had with Coop.
Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect - Woody Hayes
They weren't undefeated in 98 and they had a tie in 93. But even more importantly, Michigan lost 4 games in 93, 95 and 96, and 3 games in 98. He wasn't losing to good teams.
Yes, it is not the same, but there are commonalities. I am one of those lazy folks - likely informed by the deep scars obtained during the shocking Cooper era - that suggest "Cooper 2.0" I keep hoping not and, as this article nicely points out - and gives me hope - there are distinctions. At the highest level the things I see that concern me are the tightness (i.e. "puckering") in big games and the what seems to be a lack of mental toughness. Time will tell and I earnestly hope Day blossums into a Buckeye legend and I get get to eat a large bowl of "Cooper 2.0 crow..
$23 million
GO BUCKS!!! *ichigan sucks!!!
Just say you don't follow college football to understand that Oregon's roster likely costs as much or more than OSU's.
How much NIL 'costs' is immaterial in an environment where every good or big or elite program has to spend millions.
I totally agree. The Cooper 2.0 narrative is lazy and lacks nuance. Cooper got shellacked by less talented TTUN teams and then shit the bed in bowl games annually. He was never on the precipice of Natty’s like Day has been twice. He recruited well but not as well as Day. The overall narrative that coaches can’t win big games is also overblown. Football is a fickle and unforgiving bastard of a game sometimes. Bounce of a ball here or there and it’s a different story. Day will get it done.
Buckeye born and raised, even after I die...
What is it — bad karma? Ohio seems to be unlucky in football (injuries, bad calls, etc), basketball (injuries, bad calls, etc), and … lookout Guardians!
Our honor defend, we'll fight to the end !
"it's not magic, it's fundamentals" that lead to Ohio State's success. - Ryan Day
Reads like an argument for a participation trophy.
No thanks
Robert M
Egos both player and coach need to be checked at the door. All great head coaches make decisions based on what is best for the team. Urban said he doesn’t want to be around average, anyone can be average. I’m not convinced that attitude still exists, but I hope I’m wrong.
If you can’t make a fourth and one, you don't deserve to win.
One of the best I’ve read.
Side note
I think Smith has that edge. He wants the ball in these high moment situations
Unfortunately a flag was thrown on a borderline call.
I’m glad you mentioned LJ’s d-line philosophy is based offenses from 30 years ago. Why bring in Knowles as the d-coordinator, and his scheme that has seen modern day success at other programs, if you’re going to essentially require Knowles to adjust his scheme so LJ, a subordinate, is happy?
GeorgiaBuckeye
You're right Shitinky (hilarious btw). If that is indeed what is going on, that's totally fkd up. Time for the CEO to be a CEO. I don't want to hear anymore "The sacks will come" from Day.
It's better to burn out than fade away
I personally think Will was down and a timeout called with 1 second on the clock. I blame this lose purely on the coaches.
BEAT MICHIGAN.
I'm a professional musician and have not had a ton of participation in organized sports. But I have learned over the last few years of my career that you absolutely cannot be afraid of failure when The Moment arrives. You put in the work, trust in that work and your talent, and go out and face your fears. It pains me to see this same struggle play out in real time for these guys and Day. Perfectionism and the fear of failure will kill any progress you can make or goals that you set for yourself. For the team, there must be a balance struck between having fun and having a ruthless desire to impose your will on your opponent - by any means necessary. Coasting on talent and fundamentals will get you nowhere.
As a former high school band member who played trumpet - fear of being in the wrong register at any given point, especially to start a solo, is huge. Sometimes your lips just don't do what you want them to do and then you look like an idiot. Well, sound like one.
Your signature will be publicly displayed at the end of your comments.
All the best musicians (and athletes, I would assume) still battle anxiety and nerves, no matter how seasoned or accomplished they are. The question is whether you're going to allow that to hamper your performance or use the energy to spur you on to greatness.
Sort of on that subject: I love the biography of one of my favorite musicians, trumpeter Herb Alpert, who got his start in the USC Trojan marching band. I didn't find this factoid out until Google, decades later.
I'm squeamishly optimistic.
Or worse. (This also reminds me of The World According to Garp, book or film.)
I've seen the Buckeyes coast a lot over the years, and sometimes get edged out in the end by doing so.
In my view, if you're going to coast, then "Grab some pine, meat!" Send in the reserve(s).
Our honor defend, we'll fight to the end !
"it's not magic, it's fundamentals" that lead to Ohio State's success. - Ryan Day
good article. factual.
Sounds like cruelty to animals.
It’s certainly cruelty to Buckeyes.
Shtinky1, I think the major problem is that LJ does not consider himself to be a subordinate. Day should have made that clear from day1 and if LJ couldn't handle that, adios. It almost appears that Day is intimidated by LJ's previous history and reputation. LJ has become his albatross who may be his undoing. My respect for LJ has taken a hit.
If you have two people that agree on everything, that only means one of them is not thinking at all.
I agree. I’m sure LJ carries a lot of influence with influential alumni based on his time with the program and past players he’s mentored. It’s definitely a tricky situation. That fact that it has gotten to this point leads me to think that Day believes the situation has the potential to go south for the program. With that said, if the reports are accurate, then a decision has to be made or it doesn’t matter who the d-coordinator is, the issue will always be a problem.
GeorgiaBuckeye
I wonder if 4 stars playing DL in Knowles system outplay 5 stars in this weird hybrid of strategies we have on defense. We are going to have to bite the bullet at some point when he leaves, and potentially lose some of the stars in his pipeline. Maybe we start fresh in 2025 with someone new. Any former Buckeyes out there coaching D-line that we can poach?
I say push LJ out early, leave his contract money in place, and get yourself a younger man who understands team playing.
“In Europe, every morning game is a night time game. GO BUCKEYES!”
I disagree. What you are describing is Brian Hartline telling Larry what to do. What is actually going on is the manager of the entire department is telling a supervisor to get his shit together, and the supervisor is telling him to pound sand. This goes over well for so long before the VP asks the manager his recommendations and the manager, now tired of that guy, is honest. Until that happens, Larry keeps running his mediocre department how he wants.
I'm convinced the Athletic Department provides every new OSU coach with the manual "how to lose in the spotlight" that is mandatory reading.
I've become accustomed to us losing in big games recently, but for me this goes all the way back to 1970 against Stanford in the Rose Bowl.
Upside is we are so good we get lots of opportunities; downside is it seems we don't take advantage. Reality is that we are 27W-29L in bowl games all time; 13-11 in the 2000's.
Make no mistake about it, close games are what Urban and Tressel excelled in. We were spoiled.
Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect - Woody Hayes
That difference is both Tress and Meyer won multiple national championships before coming to Ohio State. There aren’t a lot of those coaches with current college football experience floating around. It takes that level of experience to get over the hurdle. Day has shown that he is willing to learn and adjust. It’s just a matter of time.
GeorgiaBuckeye
Whew that Texas 05 game sure didn't seem like it. And I would trade close losses for being embarrassed to have OSU on the same field as what happened at USC in 2008.
Exactly, Stantmann. Great point! Tressel and Meyer would lose the head-scratcher vs Iowa or Purdue, but they would play loose vs top 5 teams. This is where Day's similarities with John Cooper are real: in big games the players can sense the pressure and nervousness of the head coach, and it translates on the field. I'm not sure how that can ever change, once that label is stuck on him. "He chokes in big games."
I'm squeamishly optimistic.
Lots of love and respect for Tressel but including him in a definition of teams playing "Loose" and to win is a bit off. Hanawi referred to the Texas game in 2005 and I would add the Penn State game in the same year and the USC game at home in 2009. In both games Tressel was accused of "playing not to lose instead of to win". Like I said.....I will hold Tress (and Urban) in the highest regard. Heck, I even met and chatted with Tress one time. But to say his teams played "loose".....eh, not always the case. But, at the end of the day, his team's achievement in 2002 was something Ryan Day's has not been able to attain, and there are doubts creeping him.
It's funny, in my living room (and I'm sure thousands of others), we kept saying "Why are we only rushing 4 every down" or, "Gabriel has all fkn day! WTF?!?" You're right Ramzy, we don't have the dogs anymore (e.g. Bosas, Young) and we have to scheme better because I still believe we have the talent to do sooo much better. I really thought Caleb Downs would bring that "edge", that swagger to this defense. I think he has it and I guess I was hoping it rub off on the more complacent others. Go Bucks.
It's better to burn out than fade away
Some times only3 DL rushed and Sawyer dropped into overage.
BuckeyeRocket
I am hearing the issue on the D and the lack of pressure on the QB is an issue between Knowles and Johnson.
Go Buckeyes!
Absolutely could use some more creativity on defense. Where are the stunts? Make the offensive line have to figure out who to block in less than half a second.
This may get me down-voted into oblivion but, hey, not the first time, right?
Is Larry Johnson trying to get Coach Knowles fired because he doesn't like the idea of playing the Jack? Is Johnson "marking his territory" by playing the same way, with the same set, game after game.
Coach Day is the only guy that can fix this. He demoted Coombs in 2021 because our defense was terrible. Why should LJ get a pass? His DL has underperformed, for the most part, since 2019 and having Williams off the field during important moments is inexcusable. Either get it together or let somebody else decide the DL rotation.
What was the situation when Larry Johnson left PSU? He wasn't getting the opportunity he felt he deserved?
Does Johnson feel HE should be running the Defense, rather than Knowles?
He wouldn't be sabotaging Knowles, would he?
Our honor defend, we'll fight to the end !
"it's not magic, it's fundamentals" that lead to Ohio State's success. - Ryan Day
I believe that he was upset that he wasn't given serious consideration to be the head coach after O'Brien left.
I’ve sensed this for a while, but I believe that Day is crippled with anxiety. Urban was too, and was candid about it towards the end of his career, but he built a personal (perhaps unhealthy) mechanism to channel it into a laser focus productivity driver. I think Day pushes his (unintentionally) onto his players. It’s a razor thin margin that I feel like we’re currently on the wrong side of.
Thanks, Sigmund.
Watauga
You’re welcome, Freud.
“In Europe, every morning game is a night time game. GO BUCKEYES!”
You’re very welcome.
Notice to all Buckeye coaches. Adapt or die.
Great article as always. Great whiskey section as always. I'll have to try some Quality House soon.
I will offer one bit of frustration on the Knowles-Johnson stuff with regard to how it's been covered up to now. I wish Eleven Warriors or other Ohio State media would write articles pointing out the so-called "open secret" before a dramatic loss materializes, instead of after. I like that this write-up cited an article written in 2023 about the lack of the Jack position and Knowles' comments on it, because it shows that the evidence suggesting the issue was indeed out there. So I don't know if writers just like to sandbag this stuff for such moments so they can cash in on the clicks generated after a high profile loss; maybe they don't want to rock the boat while the team is winning; maybe I'm just an ignoramus who is expected to be able to read between the lines that all is not well; I don't know. What I would like to see is simply for someone to just write the damn piece on how Larry Johnson is a fly in the ointment BEFORE we're licking our wounds from Oregon and trying to find places to lay the blame. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
Born, raised, and residing in Enemy territory.
Many were saying the same or similar things about LJ last year and there were whispers in '22. It should have started when Michigan shoved the D linemens' dicks in the dirt in the 2021 game, but nah. When LJ landed Eddrick Houston in the spring, first there were hosannas, then comments filled with snark toward posters who were openly doubting whether LJ should still be on the sideline late last year. I don't know if the rumors are true that he is holding up the works, but his unit is one of the team's true weaknesses at worst, or disappointments at best. (the LBs are close behind) There is no doubt that LJ is a HOF coach. But as each year goes by we are left to wonder if his best year's are behind him. Penn State may have had its issues in big games in recent years, but their D lines by and large have been elite, and yes, without LJ still wearing blue and white. I expect we will find that out in 3 weeks.
Right. No matter what this Buckeye team does, LJ needs to move on after this season in my humble opinion. Love the guy, but need someone younger who understands the modern game and who won't butt heads with the DC (assuming the rumors are true).
"In weightlifting, I don't think sudden, uncontrolled urination should automatically disqualify you."
-Jack Handey
nine-month did-a-cat-shit-in-my-mouth-while-I-was-sleeping aftertaste
Thanks for making me piss my pants laughing
Please hang a 100
Just my viewpoint but part of the issue is that we have tried to get too fancy when just running the damn ball straight ahead at critical points would have worked. For example in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl against Clemson we had a first down near the goal on one of the possessions (and we were up a couple of touchdowns) and we tried some passing plays instead of pounding it in. We settled for a field goal. Similar thing with the ending of the Oregon game. Way are earth did we throw to Smith when could have run it towards the middle of the field , called time out and kicked a field goal. From a statistical viewpoint the benefits from some of the pays are not worth the potential downside. Like Woody said there are a lot of bad things that can happen when you throw it. It's not that I don't like to air it out it's just that at some point you pivot and pound the ball.
T Sheaf
When I think back to the loss to UGA in the Peach Bowl, the exact opposite happened. After CJ's long run to get into FG range, Day called a run play at the UGA's 31 yd line and it ended up getting stuffed and they had to use 1 of their remaining 2 timeouts. I'll be honest, I remember yelling at the TV at that moment to run the ball.
"Friendship means little when it's convenient." - Shimazu
The play call was fine. If Smith doesn't extend his arms, Buckeyes win and none of this gnashing of teeth that we've experienced over the last 4 days occurs.
VA_Buck
This is it in a nutshell.
Coach Day's biggest losses are as follows:
23-29 (Clemson, '19)
41-42 (Georgia, '21l)
24-30 (TTUN, '23)
31-32 (Oregon, '24)
Very, very winnable games that were lost. A play here, a play there. I feel like Charlie Brown with Lucy and the football, but, one of these days, it has to swing our way.
One of those games was decided by cheating. Also an interception that wasn't called, giving Michigan a TD.
The other three games were decided by poor officiating calls.
Clemson: Targeting call on Wade. Scoop and score overturned.
Georgia: Given first down after a fourth down stop. Overturned targeting call.
In these games, the correct call was made on the field. The reply officials stopped play to overturn the call on the field.
Oregon: OPI call (when the officials weren't calling anything the entire game). They decide to toss a flag with 30 seconds left???
Illegal participation penalty: Should have been 15 yards as an unsportsmanlike conduct foul.
Other than that, I am not angry or bitter at all. ;)
Thank you AZ!
VA_Buck
Nick Saban didn't win a national title until his 9th year as a head coach (and at his second school).
If we want to move on from Ryan Day sooner than nine years for not winning the big game, we might want to take a step back.
There has been exactly 1 game on his watch that we weren't in position to win that didn't involve cheating. One. And you can blame Covid or Nick Saban's greatest assembly of talent or whatever on that one; we also broke Clemson to get there and they haven't recovered since.
He will eventually figure out how to win the winnable walkoff type game. The changes he made this past offseason attest to that. He will solve the LJ problem - though that isn't the only reason we lost on Saturday.
Your signature will be publicly displayed at the end of your comments.
I agree with the spirit of your post about being patient with Day, but to play devil's advocate, Saban built his way up in the coaching profession, similar to Urban, going from Toledo to Michigan State to taking over an LSU program that had gone 7-15 in the previous two seasons before he arrived. He won a natty in his fourth year at LSU. It would have been damn near impossible for anyone to follow that career arc and have won a natty sooner.
In contrast, Day took over a plug and play program stacked with NFL talent across the board and ready to compete for a national title in year 1. It would have been realistic for someone to have followed in his career arc and have won a national title (or 2) by now.
If Day was at Alabama or LSU, he could also have a NC on his resume. Football in the SEC just means more.
I agree, but have add that the loss to Bama following Clemson was predictable once Trey Sermon, who had carried OSU to that game, went down for the count. Half the offense left the field and did not return. Thats tough, and one can fault the lack of depth at RB (looks like Day learned that lesson).
Watauga
Ramzy nails it as usual while making points I would never have thought of if given a week in a soundproof room.
His take on flavor additives covering up bad whiskey is definitive. Mixed drinks became popular during Prohibition specifically to mask the nastiness of what was available.
Go Bucks and a pat on the back to Ryan Day. You've got this!
“Because I couldn't go for three.” - Woody Hayes
I would love to see a more creative defense unleashed after the bye week against Nebraska, but it is really hard to convince me they will make any sweeping changes mid-season. Speculated every year and never happens.
Personally, peanut butter whiskey shaken with half-half and khalua is a top tier drink for me.
If you take everything I’ve accomplished in my life and condense it down to one day, it looks decent!
I've been wondering where the Jack is....I don't make millions as a coach but i have been a military O-6....you can't sacrifice the team for one player or one coach. If Johnson and Knowles need a come to Jesus meeting I would make that happen. DG shifted the pocket because he can't freaking see over anyone and allowing him to sit and rotate if necessary was killing Burke...who should go back to takling 101. Why would Day willingly take heat for defensive differences...he hired Knowles to get it done so either empower him or do it yourself.
Bbc11
Big games come, big games go. Whatever the solution is to winning them is ultimately up to Coach Day. But, in the end, it all comes down to one thing.
Just re-read it. I think this is my favorite column Ramzy has ever written.
Nasrallah '24!
I think Ramzy's talent would be wasted and not appreciated as much as a POTUS candidate.
I'm squeamishly optimistic.
Let’s avoid these self defeating narratives. I’ve always said that I have no problem coming up short in games so long as we play our best. The enemy has a vote. It is rare air when we lose under Day, but that comes with the territory. NIL is proving to make every team “unknowable” because one year ago they sucked—and maybe they’ve always sucked—but now they’re legit because of mercenaries. I’m just gonna enjoy sitting here with everything attainable in front of us in my multiple OSU paraphernalia I’m wearing right now. We’re getting close to a dynasty.
Round on the ends and "HI" in the middle. O-HI-O.
Correct me,but I thought Day gave up play calling in favor of Chip calling them from the box. If you know for a fact that Day called the C-F pass to Smith when only a few yards would have improved the field-goal chances, bring it on.
If day is cooper 2.0 then Matt Campbell is Tressel 2.0.
Burke was exposed in this game.
Draft pick? I am not sure. First round? He didn't look like it.
In old Ohio there's a team that's known throughout the land...
It certainly didn’t look good, but, as Ramzy pointed out, 7 seconds is a long time to adequately cover a top receiver, especially when there’s a top caliber QB throwing to him. Imagine giving someone like CJ seven seconds to throw to Marvin.
Good point on coverage time.
In old Ohio there's a team that's known throughout the land...
He'll be fine.
I cannot fathom such nonsense . . .
2019 CFP Semifinal: Walk-off drive crushed by miscommunication between Justin Fields and Chris Olave resulting in an endzone interception (L)
***The play you describe is irrelevant if the officials don’t totally blow the fumble return and the targeting calls. OSU wins it going away without those calls.
2022 Rose Bowl: A shell-shocked Day called timeout eight seconds too early, ceding the walk-off and forcing another kickoff by Parker Fleming's special teams to a Utah return unit which had already housed one earlier in the game (W)
***Nice. Find any reason to sh*t all over one of OSU’s greatest comeback VICTORIES.
2022 CFP Semifinal: Abrupt puckering on what should have been a walk-off, squandering the final minute and settling for a long field goal attempt which landed in another zip code (L)
***Put any honest set of officials on the field, and, despite the assault on MHJ, OSU wins by two TDs.
2023 Notre Dame: An epic final drive featuring a dropped interception and the Irish defense only sending 10 players onto the field for each of the final two snaps. Sometimes the pants-shitting is on the other sideline. Inexplicably, Ohio State attempted an untimed PAT after the touchdown and risked a game-tying block/return instead of kneeling on it (W)
***Again, take the one great Kyle McCord game and sh*t on it.
2023 Michigan: Walk-off drive crushed by a Kyle McCord interception (L)
***So, Day is responsible for an interception? Oh, by the way, Michigan HANDILY won the NC and OSU lost to them AT Michigan in THE rivalry game of rivalry games and to a senior laden class and with Michigan likely still possessing some insight into OSU’s signaling.
2024 Oregon: A walk-off drive and a high-percentage field goal were in play, but abruptly transformed into what was already the prevailing Day narrative in these opportunities - the consequence of leaving doubt (L)
***So, let’s have a rule that permits Oregon to cheat the change that rule only AFTER the cheating so no other team has to be cheated out of a win.
GIVE ME A BREAK. If Ryan Day hadn’t suffered this almost comically bizarre series of cheating, poor officiating, and terrible rules, he’d be 67-3, with at least one NC and three more BigTen championships.
Day, however, is a gentleman who refuses to blame anyone but himself. His flaw? He’s too nice, too decent, too good for a world that practically DEMANDS cheating to achieve what that world suggests (deceitfully, of course) is success.
If—IF—you care about Ohio State football, its players, and its character, be VERY THANKFUL that Ryan Day is the HC.
Watauga
I think you're forgetting that multiple things can be true at once. Yes, bad officiating had a hand in screwing some of these games. Yes, the cheaters screwed over the 2021-2022 games specifically. Yes, Kyle McCord was generally terrible in The Moment. But Day also has had several instances of poor game management in The Moment. Ramzy isn't saying that Day is solely responsible for all these losses.
What Day is missing is a rough edge in The Moment. He talks a big talk, but when the brightest lights come on, he folds - and the players feed off of that. Day needs to face his fears of failure and attack The Moment with ruthless and unforgiving efficiency.
Amen, Watauga.
I didn't even read the Ramzy article. Over the past few years, Ramzy has become one of the most disappointing Buckeye sports writers, who bloviates in such an arrogant manner that I believe he actually "gets off" on his criticisms.
Based on what I read in the comments (and yours especially), I see that this nitwit still blames Day for circumstances completely out of his control. Ramzy also falls to a contrarian fallacy that many (here) do: Day is apparently to blame for the Michigan losses that were enabled by Stallions. In games between two relatively evenly matched opponents, the kind of intel Stallions provided tips the scales, every time. I specifically remember a comment Cade Stover made in an interview where he stated that Michigan "knew" about a TE screen that up until The Game, had not been run all season long. Michigan blew up that screen, and it was not due to lack of proper execution by the Buckeyes.
I realize Ramzy's "eloquent" pieces draw the mouth-breathers who seek affirmations by agreeing in the comment section. Well, enjoy. However, as someone who has participated in team sports at a decent level, both as a player and a coach, I find people like Ramzy, and (effectively) his sycophants to be disgusting. They usually have no idea of the complexities involved in coaching, and to be honest, I can't imagine what it would be like to manage the day-to-day of one of the largest, most successful football programs in the country. So, when they release drivel that reduces these complexities to "kibble for a marmoset", and blame the head coach for things like.. untimely interceptions (because yeah, that's how Day drew it up), I just have to laugh at the sheer inanity,
I'm assuming you're referring to me because I explicitly said that I wouldn't call myself an athlete. Well, you're right. I don't know what it's like in the same way these guys do. I've played in sports, but nowhere near this level. And I nor anyone else here will completely understand what Day's workload and stress level is like in the same way. We'll never be in his shoes. However, that does not mean that we can't point out issues that we see, and it also does not mean that we can't relate to common issues of the human experience as it relates to anxiety and facing The Moment.
I read Ramzy's articles every week, and while I absolutely do not agree with everything he writes, I find that he often verbalizes things in a way that most of us haven't put together. I'm glad that 11W has someone like him. Also, he's not blaming Day for every single loss - actually reading the article does certainly help.
Remember how we've all (rightfully) berated Jim Hairball because he's the head coach and he should know what's going on with his program? It's the same thing with Day. No, every failure is not explicitly his fault, but as the head coach, the buck stops with him. This especially applies to the Knowles-Johnson fued. The fact that he hasn't stepped in and done something is concerning, to be honest. I want Day to succeed, and I'm sure that most people reading this AND Ramzy want him to as well. But to say that he's perfect and has no easily recognizable flaws is simply not true.
I’m trying to find, in any of these posts, where someone wrote that Day is perfect. I have yet to find that. What I have found—over and over again—is vitriolic attacks on a great coach and a good man who has led OSU football to sustained extraordinary success for years.
Fans want to win. So do coaches and players, and they put in the hard work. Players take the field and risk literally everything to make a hard tackle or a catch over the middle or to cross the goal line off tackle. Coaches work 18 hour days in far too many of their 365 each year to keep this program at cream of the 1% level.
Even so, there will be occasions when not everything comes off perfectly, whether coaching, player error, poor officiating, or heck, illness and injury. For example, does OSU score twice more if they don’t lose their best O lineman?
And any fan who wants to go-emo and blame Ryan Day for every little false start or interception or no-sack performance should take a deep breath and try to recall, or if too young in this world to recall, then go to video and watch, Ohio State’s Cooper Purgatory, or Earl’s various failures, or even Saint Woodrow’s worst. If you lived through 24-12 and still loved Woody, you are a true fan. I still love Woody. And I loved after Clemson. AND NONE OF THOSE COACHES HAD TO ENDURE WHAT DAY HAS ENDURED THROUGH CHEATING AND POOR OFFICIATING.
That silly cliche about being born on 3rd base is a despicable deceit. Anyone who pretends that it applies to Ryan Day is only buying a bag full of Harbaugh’s sh*t. We Buckeye fans are living in the promised land of milk and honey, and Ryan Day’s Joshua has taken us there. Sure, Urban’s Moses led us to the edge, but Day has taken us in while Urban fades into his just reward.
Buckeye fans—Be happy. Be thankful. And send a nice note to Coach Day and his staff and thank them for all that they do for us.
GO BUCKS!
Watauga
When did anybody actually insult Day here? Again, multiple things can be true at once. Day is a good man who has done a lot for the program, and I am thankful for what he's done so far. But, we also recognize that he's not perfect, and we want him to break through to reach the summit of CFB. Obviously, I can't speak for everyone in the fanbase - but getting defensive and accusatory is not going to help anything.
Again. I search for posts that state that Day is perfect or anywhere close to it. I cannot find any. However, I find a great many armchair All-Americans who fault Day for things well beyond his control. He does not throw passes, fumble footballs, make rules, or officiate games. He just coaches his tail off 365 days a year.
The essay here is designed to attract clicks. It is sensationalist nonsense for the most part. It is divisive and dangerous. Constructive criticism is fair only when it is (1) constructive; and (2) born of honest, intelligent analysis. I find this essay to be neither.
In fact, the essayist and his fanboys appear to me to be attired in maize and blue.
Watauga
Ok if you're going to accuse those of us who actually care about the program and want to see it succeed (while sometimes being a bit harsh in our criticism) of being TCUN fans, I have nothing more to say.
Great article
DH7 was Special R.I.P Simba
Larry Johnson needs to become a team player. Knowles was brought in to run his defense & he can’t do that if the line coach won’t cooperate.
Schwaan
I am neutral on Day. Time will deliver the verdict on his tenure and the longevity of the same. The only thing that confuses me about the ongoing Ryan Day debate is the emotional investment that some people have in it.
I have trouble understanding why some people soil themselves over criticisms of Day. When someone makes an observation or offers a criticism, some folks' butthole immediately puckers up tighter than a snare drum. It's as if someone seriously dissed a family member and they feel compelled to defend their honor. I understand arguing football around the water cooler. I just don't get why some folks get so worked up over the subject of Ryan Day.
BubbaGumps
There is a difference between constructive criticism and the “fire Day” crowd.
GeorgiaBuckeye
Not always. Even remotely suggesting that there are some possible issues with Day's approach to the game will cause some people to become incensed.
BubbaGumps
Screwball with bang purple haze is a FANTASTIC peanut butter and jelly sandwich!
As if losing last week wasn't bad enough, I regret to inform you that the state of Ohio is discontinuing sales of Quality House. It really is excellent as bottom shelf bourbons go.
The most "loud mouth, disrespect" poster on 11W.
Rushmen?
Hushmen.
Michigan. lol.
PSA: grayed out comments get read the most. Thanks!
I appreciate the work and the erudition put into these Nasrallah articles.
A criticism: when one is a hammer, everything looks like the head of a nail. Every Ramzy article is psychodramatic, ponderous narrative formation.
I get the "angle": apply tale-spinning to a sports subject to get some deeper human perspective. I think it would be great to branch out in a different direction, though.
It is still good work and still great effort, but it's time to change up the formula.
He's probably one of the best modern sportswriters around.
There are plenty of writers here and elsewhere who can give you the same textbook analysis of gameplay and personnel and x's and o's and what-happened-here and what-should-happen-there—those who have never cracked a thesaurus or read a a shred of old Joe Campbell. Ramzy is less a sportswriter and more a mythologist, make of that what you will. He carries the torch of Grantland and Red and Shirley, a link to a near bye-gone era when even sports journalists were entitled to wax poetic.
Sports is drenched in pathos and he reminds us of that.
Even if you admire his style, I do not understand how individuals who claim to have played a team sport can fall for his use of fake sophistry as "fact". What I am saying is that much of Ramzy's criticisms are over-dramatically spewed b&^%&^%t without the benefit of a solid foundation.
And by the way, I much prefer those who delve into the details of the X's and O's. Why? Because the mechanistic explanations actually tell us "what" is going on, and allow us to infer the "why" within a given context. (For example, we could not get pressure on Oregon's QB due to dropping 4 linemen into coverage and blitzing the LBs, on a given play)
"And by the way, I much prefer those who delve into the details of the X's and O's. Why? Because the mechanistic explanations actually tell us "what" is going on, and allow us to infer the "why" within a given context. (For example, we could not get pressure on Oregon's QB due to dropping 4 linemen into coverage and blitzing the LBs, on a given play)"
Those writers are a dime a dozen. You can't swing a dead cat in Bristol, Connecticut without hitting one.
And, by the way, it's pretty easy scroll on past a Ramzy article (I can ID them via headline) and read the six other slices at 'why didn't the defense work on Saturday?' here at Eleven Warriors.
Congratulations...? It appears you stumbled, without the requisite corrugations of gray matter, on the point of the articles. Ramzy is an entertaining writer. While I'm sure he believes most of the things he says, the allure of his articles is the wit and "over-dramatically spewed b&^%&^%t.
Fu(k _ichigan
I love the irony and sarcasm, Turban. You are hilarious.
Watauga
I Used to be 100% behind coach Day. Not assigning a number but it's certainly not 100% any longer. We always lose the big/important games. It's certainly gotten old.
Interesting statement by Ramzy on how long Oregon had to throw. Maybe an article and clips showing how long they had on some of their big passes. I hope they try some different rush approaches starting next week. Amazing how OSU was 7-0 under Urban when underdogs, and only the Bama semifinal was close, while getting crushed in some weird games (Purdue, Iowa).
Great write-up Ramzy. I was at the 2019 Maryland game and the inside kick was a thing of beauty. We put a hurting on Maryland that year 73-14 I think it was. Day needs to keep the element of surprise but he rarely uses something to deceive the opposition. When the talent is equal we need to break tendencies
When telling the truth becomes a revolutionary concept, it’s wise to join the revolution
Jesus Christ Ramzy, you had me in stitches with this starting off this article......
"He's averaged at least one game-ending parade-planner or pants-shitter per season since taking control of the Ohio State football program. Ohio cardiologists have been on notice since 2019."
Ramzy would love to write a "got the monkey off his back" article... and I'd love to read it!!! Until then, we all get to wrestle with "what's the problem really?" I remember when we had to put Woody out to pasture. There's actually no excuse for the D Line coach and the D Coordinator to not be on Exactly. The. Same. Page. And the onus is on LJ to execute Knowles plan. If that's not happening, it's time to make a change- IF.
I recall LJ leaving PSU over an issue around the coaching hierarchy (and this is not a criticism, just an observation) so if we are seeing another coaching hierarchy tussle, there's a history.
Steelybuck54
The Playoffs have started.
Exactly. And let’s hope it lights a very hot fire beneath this sleeping giant such that the giant awakens and crushes everything in its path.
Watauga
Another banger by Ramzy. It will be interesting to hear from the LJ defenders. Any time someone tries to critique LJ the knives of sainthood come out. I've said LJ should be afforded an opportunity to retire on his terms (1-2 yrs) while his replacement is on staff. If there is a disconnect between your Defensive HC and his staff allow him to make changes.
If not now, when?
I am fans of teams and players but I always considered coaches as engineers whose job is to ensure the engine is operating at optimal performance. When you start getting attached to coaches from a personal perspective, your perspective can be skewed. If your engine isn't running at the levels of performance expected given the quality of the parts, you are eventually going to have to point the finger at the engineer. This team is simply too talented to not be considering the coaching staff as part of the reason for subpar performances.
BubbaGumps
100%
If not now, when?
You had me at “He's averaged at least one game-ending parade-planner or pants-shitter per season since taking control of the Ohio State football program.” At least we are in one and not out of one
Great article.
I agree it’s much better to have that loss now (like Va Tech) than at the end of the season to the cheaters up north. I’ll take that any Day. Would you trade an early season loss, beating tcun, beating the ducklings in the B10 championship, and winning the natty for winning all your games until you lose to scum at the end of the season, miss the B10 championship game, get a lower seed in the playoffs and lose? I know I would. Use the bye opportunity to improve, correct, and plan (revenge is really sweet). Figure this shit out!
Go Bucks!
Go by what I mean, not by what I say.
LEAVE NO DOUBT!
Great article Ramzy. As several others said, you have many great ones however this was one of the best. All of the fans that read Eleven Warriors have the same interest, win every game. When the HC is being paid $10M which is in the top 5 nationally and the DC is being paid $2M+, it would seem as fans that we should be able to criticize coaching especially after a huge and emotional loss. The great thing about your article Ramzy is that you cited facts and helped identify solutions. The fact that our team is 2 W's and 7 L's in top 5 games should be concerning. As part of this, the chunk plays of 20 yards or more especially against top teams also needs to be scrutinized for a solution.
Keith
“Finally, a hard lesson being learned in time for something to be done about it inside of the same season. No bowl game opt-outs when you lose in October. No nine-month did-a-cat-shit-in-my-mouth-while-I-was-sleeping aftertaste.”
lolololollololol! Best lines in the article out of many!
This Ramzy-guy f*cks!
“In Europe, every morning game is a night time game. GO BUCKEYES!”
I wonder if the defense having not played all the way to the end of the fourth has had a negative effect? They have not had to keep their foot on the gas for 60:00. I know it keeps them fresh and healthy but maybe that is what they need, full 60:00
The team as a whole hasn't provided that kind of performance this season. There has been a common theme prior to the Oregon game - either the offense or defense comes in playing flat in the first half. Then the defense comes in playing flat through most of the premier game on the schedule. It's not what one would expect to see from a hungry team whose stated mission has always been to deliver a Natty or Bust season that leaves no doubt.
BubbaGumps
Great article as always. Just leaving this message in case your job security here is based on engagement metrics. Count me as a thoroughly entertained customer!
If you want to know why our fans freak out after a 1 point loss on the road to the #3 team in the country, look no further than Ramzy. It is obvious that the way to win the NC every year is to hire Ramzy. He is a genius and knows all the answers. It is amazing that a major college program hasn't hired him. He knows all the answers, just ask him. In reality, he is a one-trick pony that does nothing more than take cheap shots at people, some of whom have not been around for years. The sad part is that his cheap shot mentality has trickled down to the 11W staff and it shows in their inability to write anything other than disparaging comments about teenage college students. The staff tries to justify their behavior because of the NIL money but ultimately, they are still college students. We as fans deserve better!
Jim Braden