From: doel@bae.bellcore.com (Michael Doel)
Subject: Re: Ohio State Football - No fun, no future to it's players and recruits
Organization: Bell Communications Research
Distribution: na
Date: 4 Jan 93 15:14:16


Min Zhao writes:

> In article <1993Jan4.130831.2723@cis.ohio-state.edu> atchison@lyre.cis.ohio-state.edu (Mark Atchison) writes:

> >Smith is expected to release a statement through the SID Monday, and Harper is
> >scheduled to hold a press conference on Tuesday.  Some local speculation has
> >suggested that many borderline underclassmen may go this year simply due to
> >the impending doom in the draft process (limited rounds, salary cap, etc.).
> 
>    That's just part of the reason. I am mildly (and understandably) suprised
> none of the sports casters mentioned the real reason behind:  Playing for
> a loser (Ohio State football program/John Cooper) is NO Future !

Oh no, here we go again.


>   Roger Harper, right on the Citrius Bowl field after losing: I'm out here !
> 
>   Smith: This guy is a great talent, but what does he have to show for ?  If
> we had a winning program,

excuse me, but 8-3-1 is a winning program.  It's also our best record under
Cooper (and an improvement over last year which was an improvement over the
previous year).  Ohio State is not some insignificant nobody on the map of
college football.  We're still a highly respect power.


>                            Smith would benefit by staying in school and 
> showcase his abilities next season (and maybe the year after too). There
> is nothing for him to stay for (as far as football is corcerned).

Smith has nothing to stay for?!?  How about a good shot at a Big10
Championship next year?  How about being amongst the group considered early
favorites for the Heisman trophy?  How about another full year to show he's
ready for the pros?


>   John Cooper and the Ohio State football program have done grave injustice
> to Smith as well as all the other talents that came to Ohio State to grow.

Phoey!  Tell that to Steve Tovar who led Ohio State's best defense in years.
Or tell it to Greg Smith and Brian Stablein who earned conference honors
after walking on.  Or tell it to Kirk Herbstreit who came to Ohio State
known strictly as an option quarterback only to finish the regular season
with Ohio State's all-time completion percentage record.


>   I can't help to feel for the kids. They came to Ohio State, not just 
> because it's Ohio State, to be part of a proud tradition, now the 
> tradition is all but losing it's shine. They came here to win games, 
> to improve their skills and showcase their talents, and some of them
> to go on to the next level. Now all these kids will have to live all 
> their lives to regret their decision to have come to Ohio State, to 
> live with the fact that they never win anything of significance at 
> Ohio State, to live with the facts that their potential for better future
> in the NFL have not been helped at all, if not hurt by playing at 
> Ohio State.

You make it sound as if the players have nothing to do with it - like
they're little pawns in some coaching game.  The players have everything to
do with it.  John Cooper didn't lose to Illinois this year, the players did.
John Cooper didn't exhibit sloppy tackling against Georgia, the players did.
John Cooper didn't play uninspired against Wisconsin, the players did.  The
players aren't regretting their decision to come to Ohio State, they're
regretting the missed block or tackle that caused the loss.

Ohio State this year exhibited the talent and preparation to beat every team
they played.  That's the coach's job.  After that, it comes down to luck and
execution.  Don't blame the coach when these two don't go your way.  Blame
the players for poor execution. 


>   I am also tired of the argument that firing Cooper now will hurt 
> recruiting.  Who are you cheating ?  If I am an outside coach, be it 
> Gary Moller, Joe Paterno, or Lou Holtz, recruiting a prep star in Ohio
> (let's not even consider outside Ohio), all I need to tell the kid is,
> "Do you really want to go to Ohio State ? " Do you really want to play
> for John Cooper and his Ohio State team ?" "And you know what means, don't  
> you ?"

To which Cooper answers "we've improved every year I've been here."  Since
we finished second in the Big10 this year, I think the pattern shows that
we're competing for the conference title with regularity now.  If you really
think Cooper is the problem (i.e. you must think the program is worse off now
than it was when he arrived) then what is the solution?



>   (too add to the point, did you read the story that right after Larry
> Smith's departure and John Robinson's hiring, a couple stars in that 
> team immediately announced that they will stay in school)

John Robinson is an ex-USC coach with lots of experience in the pros.  This
is a situation very similar to Bill Walsh returning to Stanford.  Who fits
this bill for the Buckeyes?  Answer: nobody.  Your anecdotal evidence that
recruiting and team continuity wouldn't be hurt by a coaching change is
baseless.


>   Firing Cooper will only bring hope, and hope is what all is left here 
> in the state of Ohio, for the Ohio State players who already came
> here, for the Ohio young kids who are born to bleed Buckeye blood, for
> the millions of Ohioians who used to take pride in their Ohio State Buckeye
> football.

Only if you can hire Bill Walsh, Lou Holtz, or resurrect Woody Hayes.  Just
about anyone else would reveal the act for the cowardice which precipitated
it.


Many of these cry babies want to go back to the Woody Hayes days - at least
in terms of success.  Interestingly enough, I'm currently reading _Woody
Hayes, the Man and His Dynasty_.  It's well known that early in his carreer,
Woody was on the hot seat just as Cooper is now.  An interesting story is
told of the first few years.  It seems some people were so anxious to run
Woody out of town that the Hayes' would occasionally receive phone calls at
4:00 in the morning just to wish Hayes well before he left.  Anne Hayes
would invariably tell the caller, "we're no going anywhere" to which the
caller would respond "oh yes you are."  My point is this, even Woody
struggled in his early years at Ohio State.  He eventually braught the
program back to national prominence though & the fans finally came around
(though he didn't receive respect until well after his first national
championship).  Let's give Cooper a chance to see how far his improvements
will carry us.  If we've receeded back into mediocrity in a few years, then
start looking for someone else.  Until then, leave the poor guy alone.


--
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Mike Doel				<doel@bae.bellcore.com>
444 Hoes Lane RRC 1B-209
Piscataway, NJ 08854

"For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat
 and wrong." - H.L. Mencken
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