QB Troy Smith - 2006 Heisman Winner - (Baltimore Ravens)

[WestEnd]

He said in the o-zone article that he would have two years of eligibility remaining ... somebody here said that his redshirt year counts against him. Would he have one or two years of eligibility left if he transfered to I-A? If he really wants to try to make himself into an NFL player, he oughta transfer and go someplace that runs an NFL style offense ... if that's not the case, then I'm not so sure it would be a good decision due to the number of NFL scouts that swing by columbus every year.

On the other hand, I'm sure he's probably thinking that he's not getting any better by standing there on the sidelines and not getting any real game experience.

[bukIpower]

I don't think what he did was wrong. Yeah he kinda hinted at some stuff, but could you imagine what Troy has to be going through? You have to believe troy thinks he should be the starter and after his performance against Cincy I don't see why we dont' give him another shot? I mean we won't ever know if we just dont' put him in? Everytime we put him in we ran some pussy ass draw play and EVERYONE knew it was coming including the defense. I think what troy said was out of frustration of not even getting a fair shot more than anything. I mean they were declared neck and neck in mini camp and all that crazy stuff, and then we come out and the kid doesn't see the light of day. Whats up with that you know? I think Tressel should play Smith against a more less violent team like Indiana or perhaps even Northwestern just to see what he's really like against competition!! I mean for all we know he's the next Vince Young!!! Vince Young didn't even play till that Mock got hurt last year and look what he's doing for them? Also Troy Smith is a perfect replica of Brian Randell From Virginia Tech. He has more than expectional speed and has a GUN. I just feel for the kid and wish he would get his shot especially since Zwick really hasn't lit the world on fire. If Zwick was tear'n [censored] up then I'd understand but he's not and I think Troy is definatly not getting his fair chance.

[BrutusBobcat]

I'd hate to see Troy go the JaJa Riley route. You have to think with the RB troubles we had last year that JJR would have gotten a serious look.

As it stands, next year we're looking at having four scholly QBs on the roster: Zwick (presumably the starter), Smith (junior with three years in the system), Boeckman (redshirt freshman) and Schoenhoft (true freshman).

Exactly two of those guys have ever taken a snap in a college game. TS is one play away from being the man. You never know when the starter is going to get a DUI :rolleyes:, try to jump to the NFL, end up with a torn ACL or what have you. Look at Curt Warner. He was NOBODY until Trent Green got hurt.

Sure, Smith could go run off and become the starter at a MAC school. Maybe he gets an NFL look and maybe he doesn't. He could also wind up being the savior of a NC season or a B10 title season if JZ goes down sometime during the next three years.

I just hope he gets good advice and takes it. The tone of that interview didn't sound too promising to me.

[Dariuswagner]

i find it hard to comprehend a kid would bank his future on the possibility that someone is going to get hurt.
i've read between the lines and it appears as though smith is not the "type" of qb ohio st. wants. i have to believe even if zwick's arm fell off that boeckman would be the man next year. smith isn't wanted.

[tsteele316]

have to believe even if zwick's arm fell off that boeckman would be the man next year. smith isn't wanted.



yes, osu just offered him a scholarship for the hell of it.

[Dariuswagner]

they certainly don't want him as a QB. the staff was hoping to move him to another position....just as they'll move carlton jackson to WR or Safety. LOLOLOLOL

[bucknut11]

smith isn't wanted.

good call. maybe you should let JT know that. or maybe you could just open your eyes and see that JZ's doing everything that's asked of him so far. 3-0. i'm not complaining

[StoRMinBrutus]

Originally Posted by Dariuswagner

they certainly don't want him as a QB. the staff was hoping to move him to another position....just as they'll move carlton jackson to WR or Safety. LOLOLOLOL

How do you know they don't want him ? I may have missed one of Coach Tressels interviews but I don't remember him ever saying that. Maybe Coach Tressel just wants him to listen to him and stay back in the pocket a little more and if/when he does use his feet, he mainly uses it to scramble to give his WR's more time to get open. That's what any great running/scrambling QB is supposed to do. Maybe practices have showns that One QB does do that and the other does not (yet!!!) and that increases the margin of more errors, which clearly Coach Tressel will not like. There is no doubt that Troy is a great talent but its a competition and nobody is given promises of starting. Have some faith. Last I knew Coach Tressel was something like 32-7 (Buckeyenation may correct me on that hahahaha )

[maagnum]

I could care less how heralded zwick was coming out o high school, the bottom line is that he hasn;t gotten the job done at all. he overshoots intermediate routes way to often, and am i the only one that notices he only throws a spiral about 50% of the time? I believe smith could bring an added dimension that this offense needs, as well as a cannon for an arm that always delivers a tight spiral. i actually read that pro scouts are higher on him than they are on Zwixk. It just seems to me like tressel ignores the obvious and is to loyal at times. if he wasn;t, then smith would have gotten a better opportunity and Pittman would be toting the rock as the starter rather than lydell ross, who lacks both vision and burst....please tell me i'm not the only one who feels this way..PS tressels play calling has been borderline awful this season and our defense doesn;t make the same adjustments at halftime like they used to!

[gobucksBC]

Troy Smith's fair chance is called practice. He's obviously not showing the coaches anything on the practice field to warrant being put in. The coaches believe JZ gives us the best chance to win, and I'll go with them.

[MililaniBuckeye]

Well, I personally wouldn't mind seeing Smith given a chance in game time. Zwick was atrocious, and I'm one of his biggest supporters. I'm not saying bench Zwick, but at least give Smith a chance when Zwick is all over the field. I saw more ducks Saturday than an AFLAC commercial marathon.

[MegaWoody]

I saw more ducks Saturday than an AFLAC commercial marathon

Nice one, Mili.

I was a big Zwick defender too and still think he has great potential. But I now agree that Smith should be given a shot. The 'once was' championship season is only a memory now. The Buckeyes are playing for a December bowl game and as practice for next year. There is nothing to lose in putting Smith in and seeing if his scrambling brand of QB play can rattle defenders and ignite our offense.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome.

Smith seems to me to be a perfectly sane choice at the moment. There are some other tough choices that will have to be made once the season's over -- like appointing an offensive coordinator -- but for now, letting Troy give it a shot seems a no-brainer.

[Sdgobucks]

I would like to see Smith given a shot in the game ... if he screws up and we lose oh well, its not like we are having a great season anyway. I say we should play alot of the backups, let some other people get some playing time.

[strohs]

I personally think JZ will end up being the man in the long run, but its pretty obvious its not working now.
I would absolutely give TS a chance this week, hell it just may spark Zwick.
Although, I must say if our OL plays the same way for TS as it does for JZ, then Troy will fair no better.

*edit for stupid spelling mistakes*

[StoRMinBrutus]

Won't happen unless Justin Zwick gets hurt. Coach Tressel is going to groom this kid for the future of the team no matter how painful it is now. Troy Smith has not progressed and done what the coaches want in practice. I am not saying he doesn't have the potential to be a good one but he is no Vick from what I have seen in the limited plays he has been on the field. Point blank Coach Tressel is there to coach them to win and if he thought there was even a slight chance Troy could win more than Justin could, then Troy would be in there so fast our heads would spin.
When Justin Zwick learns to throw to the shorter routes instead of trying to hit the home run pass all the time, we'll see a better game from him. Heck Kyle Orton today on espn was stating that he hardly ever tries to throw the long ball but mainly concentrates on throwing the under routes and the quick passes. That, in my opinion, is the difference so far with Zwick other than experience, and maturity. He is not reading his routes right YET and the coaches feel that can be corrected. Hopefully it'll happen sooner than later cuz it hurts so bad now.