The offensive coaching situation at Ohio State is unlike most other schools.
Instead of the usual five offensive coaches (OC, OL/TE, QB, RB, WR), Ohio State
employs just four. Jim Bollman doubles as the offensive coordinator and
offensive line coach, Joe Daniels doubles as the quarterbacks and wide receivers
coach, Tim Spencer mentors the running backs and Bill Conley coaches the tight
ends. Of that group, only Spencer has what you would really call a
"typical" coaching gig.
The Bucks can get away with having one less offensive coach than usual
because head coach Jim Tressel is heavily involved in the offense. In fact,
Tressel is basically the offensive coordinator and the quarterbacks coach of the
Buckeyes. Tress has said on many occasions that he is a quarterbacks coach at
heart. Back when Daniels was hired, Tressel said it was ideal getting a guy with
no ego like Daniels because there was going to be "two guys coaching the
quarterbacks."
* In my opinion, the guy calling the plays is the offensive coordinator - and
that's Tressel for the most part. Bollman obviously has heavy input, but his
specialty is working with the O-Line. And Bollman is not your typical offensive
coordinator that's going to be up in the box, thinking of creative ways to
score. He is a guy that likes to stay on the field and, like Tressel, enjoys a
grind-it-out running game.
So, is this good, bad, what? I don't know - but it sure is a unique way to do
it. My concern, like most everyone else, is that the offensive staff will be too
conservative in its play calling. Tressel ran a ball-control offense at
Youngstown State and with several young players on the Buckeye offense this
year, he might be more conservative than ever. (This is why I am one of the few
who liked that last pass in the Outback Bowl. It proved that Tress has an
ultra-aggressive side to him and if Mike Jenkins makes an easy tackle, it's just
a long punt. And if the ball is not underthrown...). On the other hand, both
Bollman and Daniels are former NFL assistant coaches - they know a thing or two
about "new age" offenses - so maybe OSU's offense will be more
wide-open than we think. Bollman spent three years in the league as a tight ends
coach (one with Philly, two with Chicago) and Daniels coached wide receivers in
the NFL for five years (three with Cleveland, two with Buffalo) and quarterbacks
for two years (NY Jets). Daniels was also the University of Cincinnati's
offensive coordinator in 2000 when the Bearcats ran primarily a spread offense.
What to make of this? The offense seems to be in pretty good hands. Tressel's
ball control offense garnished four national titles at Youngstown and the other
coaches are proven talents. But I would like to see another offensive coach up
in the box (I believe only Daniels and Conley are up there during games). More
specifically, I'd like to see Bollman up there. Even in high school, that's
where you can usually find the OC.
HOOT 'n HOLLER SOME MORE
I really like some of the "little things" that Tressel has done
since taking the job. He takes all the Buckeye traditions very seriously and
makes sure that his players do the same. And some of the most interesting things
that Tressel has implemented are, in no particular order: the spring game draft,
jersey scrimmages and practice drills like the "Hoot 'n Holler."
Defensive coordinator Mark Dantonio thinks stuff like that has brought the
team closer together and made practices more competitive.
"Throughout spring drills, our guys were enthusiastic about what we were
doing," Dantonio said. "I think coach Tressel's system in the spring
in terms of the way we play for those jerseys really caught on. You know, we
lost the scarlet jerseys in one of those scrimmages and there was a lot of
intensity to get those back. Game-day intensity. Things you aren't expecting to
get out of the spring from your guys... The guys like that Hoot 'n Holler drill.
They get into it."
The Hoot 'n Holler is a one-on-one goal line drill. The players sound like a
pack of rabid dogs rooting for their side of the ball to win.
YOU'D EXPECT THIS IN DETROIT...
But not in Ann Arbor. Two Michigan football players - Markus Curry and Carl
Diggs - were shot at an off-campus house party last weekend. Curry, a sophomore
defensive back, was shot in the back and Diggs, a junior linebacker, was hit in
the leg. Most published reports made it seem like a random shooting with someone
open-firing into a crowd. But UM wide receiver Ron Bellamy gave a more accurate
view of what happened in a story that appeared in the The Detroit News.
"We were just dancing and having fun (at the party). These guys were
looking at us, because we're the football players, and were asking us stuff
like, 'Let's go outside, let's do this fight.' And we were like, 'Hey, we're
cool, we're just trying to have a party,'" Bellamy said.
That would dispute original reports that said the UM players were not
involved in a fight prior to the shooting and had no verbal altercations with
the shooter.
After the fight (still not clear exactly who was involved), Ann Arbor police
were called to the house and began to clear out the area. But 45 minutes later,
four men, believed to be the original instigators of the fight, returned in a
car and confronted the UM players who were still standing outside. Here's what
Bellamy had to say about the rest of the events...
"Those guys approached us and were like, 'So what do you want to do
now?' We are like, 'We're just trying to have fun.' And those guys said, 'You're
scared punks.' And we were like, 'Whatever.' Then three guys surrounded Curry
and all of a sudden there was a big fight. I went to pull them off of him and I
heard gun shots and we ran."
The bullet that got Curry narrowly missed his spine and is logged in his
upper-right back. Diggs was shot in his left calf, but is already walking.
Hopefully these two young men have a full recovery from this senseless act of
violence.
There is some good news: The 18-year old shooter was arrested by Ann Arbor
police three days after the incident. He is being charged with two counts of
attempted murder.
EYES/EARS EVERYWHERE
According to a poster on a Bucknuts message board, coach Tressel mentioned
Bucknuts.com during a recent OSU Alumni Association function in Broward County,
Fla. Apparently, someone asked Tressel to comment on local product Chris Gamble.
Tressel said, "I can only tell you this because I don't think there is
anyone from Bucknuts.com here. I go on-line if I want to find out information on
my team." Coach Tressel, God love you, there are Bucknuts everywhere.
Thanks for the update Oswald! Even if he was being sarcastic, it was pretty cool
to hear that the big man mentioned us.
(FYI: Tress went on to say that Gamble is the best receiver on the team and
just needs to have more confidence in himself.)
BENGALS DID SOMETHING RIGHT (Besides draft Corey Dillon)
Since
its inception two years ago, Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium has been ranked by
numerous sports publications as the NFL's best stadium. Recently, the accolades
got even more impressive as "PBS" was honored by two of the top
architectural magazines in the world. Architectural Record and Architecture each
ranked "PBS" as one of the top four sports stadiums in the world (I
maintain that Ohio Stadium should be ranked up there as well). Of course,
Buckeye fans can get a closer view of Paul Brown Stadium on Sept. 21 when OSU
tackles UC... By the way, look for something on the club site in the coming
weeks on former Buckeye running back/defensive back Dick LeBeau, the head coach
of the Bengals. LeBeau is believed to be the only Ohio State grad to ever become
a head coach in the NFL (still waiting to hear back from OSU sports information
on that one, but I'm 99 percent sure). LeBeau won a national championship
playing under Woody Hayes in the late 1950's before going on to an All-Pro
career with the Detroit Lions.
Check back next week for more of Dave Biddle's Bucknotes!