Keep the Faith !!! We are still Buckeyes and have a Great Future !!

[StoRMinBrutus]

Teddy Ginn had a 65 yard punt return for a Touchdown. Showing how good he can and will be.
Jamario O'Neal is another future impact player who will contribute soon. As well as some other great defensive recruits.
AJ HAWK had 20 tackles today ... WOW !!!
Freeman and Hobbler are in OSU's Future !!! Yikes !!
Flashes from Pittman show how great a run game we can have. Also
think of Haw coming in right behind him,who runs a 4.2-40 and is a beast of
a kid. Imagine if/when we get Wells, Ringer and Stewart. Any one of
those players would be great to have. WOW even to have a chance makes
me get goosebumps and we WILL get one or two. Lets not forget Lydell Ross
who has gone through so much. Yes he may not be the best RB who ever
has put on the S&G but think of the class he has shown through all the
MoC-gate saga and then how this year he's kept his mouth shut and didn't
blame anyone, and has tried his hardest each and every play. Maybe he
should be on the bench BUT he is still a 20 year old kid who is a BUCKEYE
and thus deserves our support. He is in the OSU family and lets be honest
its not all his fault ... the O-line is contributing to his lack of yards.
Our O-line did show a little more improvement but has a long way to go.
Think of Boone, Cordle, Bemoll and possibly either Taz or Doering in '05.
Think of Mitchum, Person, Rehring, and Skinner from the '04 recruiting
class. alot of potential to build on. Our OC's and Coach Tressel know
they have to make major adjustments or they won't be here for very long.
They will strive to improve with this team.
Our Defensive line and defense as a whole did alot better against
Wisconsin, except for that laps in Nate Salleys' coverage. I have to say
though that OSU can't keep the defense out there all day long and expect
to do well each and every week. They will improve on defense and overall
they had a good day today. HAVE FAITH in our Buckeyes !! Its coming
slowly and painfully but it is coming.
Teddy Ginn, Roy Hall, Gonzalez, Dukes, Lyons, Hartline, Amos ... all
have potential to be impact players. Holmes is only a soph and will improve.
Look how good he is now. Yes he makes some mistakes but again he is
YOUNG and we all know how great he can be at times.
Their can be arguements as to whether the coaches called the right plays but what I saw on the field today,while at the game, was that there were good plays called and the short routes were wide open but Justin made poor decisions and tried to go for the "home run" longer routes. Thats a Young high school stars mental mistakes. He could get away with that maybe in highschool but not now. When he takes the next step and
thinks like the potentially great OSU COLLEGE QB he can be ... he will be so
great. He has all the potential in the world and in all fairness the Offensive
troubles are not all his fault. He has no confidence in his O-line right now.
Who knows maybe Troy would do better but there has got to be a reason
why he's not starting and he has no experience , So let it go (hehe at least
for now !!)
It all comes back to young players not sustaining blocks and/or
missing blocks all together, or more importantly, not properly
executing at whatever position they are at. Coaches can only do so
much. Those plays on 3rd and long for Wisconsin were all scouted by
OSU and the players knew what they had to do. The LB's coverage was not
in the right place. Just young mistakes !!! Also, on Offense, the Wr's routes
were not run properly or they gave up on the route too soon. The O-line
didn't sustain blocks until the whistle blew. All young Mistakes. That can
be fixed !!!

The Choices of the OSU fans is a more easy one though. We don't even have to be coached. Yea we can be critical because they are not doing well now and we as fans are spoiled with only being two years removed from a National Championship. Look at Nebraska and now even LSU. Its a rare thing to be perfect every year. Heck look at the "perfect" Miami hahaha. Its also a choice to be a fan who cheers for the great tradition of Ohio State when they need it most. Like now!! Its easy to get on the bandwagon when times are great, but the best way to show our class and what it is to be a part of
Thee Buckeye Nation is to cheer and give support for the OSU Buckeyes when they need it most in times like this !!! We love our team at 14-0 or 0-14(god forbid). Thats why we are different than other teams fans. USC fans hardly ever even go to the Stadium. I have freinds who say USC is lucky to get half the stadium filled. Thats rediculous. Thats why its GREAT to be a BUCKEYE !!!

Woody Hayes had 7-two loss seasons, 8-three loss seasons, even 2-five loss seasons. In one stretch OSU even had a record of 4-5 , then went 6-3 and then BAM OSU won a National Championship in 1968 !!! Woody is a legend !! Yes Coach Tressel has had some questionable calls on Offense. Yes he is going through some tough times with the team. Yes there are questions about the OC's and the offense as a whole but look at the recruiting and you only need to look at what Tressel has done so far. He's 35-9 (80% winning record). Woody was 26-9 (74% winning record) and Woody didn't have to deal with the 85-25 Scholarship limitations. He had unlimited talent coming in each and every year at his disposal, Coach Tressel is limited.
Note: Bear Bryant was at 82% after 4 years, Joe Pa- 83% after 4 years and Bobby Bowden was at 74% after 4 years.

Bottom Line: KEEP THE FAITH !!! Its great to be a BUCKEYE !!! We have
Such a great future once this team matures !!!

[LABuckeye]

I think your post is right on the money and I like your optimism. There is a lot of negativity being posted, and even though I can understand everyone's great frustration, things will get better. We Buckeye fans do not take loss or failure very well, but it could be a lot worse....We could have been Nebraska getting crushed by Texas Tech today, 70-10.

[ScarletArrow]

Woody Hayes had 7-two loss seasons, 8-three loss seasons, even 2-five loss seasons. In one stretch OSU even had a record of 4-5 , then went 6-3

Would modern day OSU fans stand for even one losing season?

We're in a new era where our high profile recruits are looked upon as 1str ound draft picks - they must come in and produce at a higher level than the players currently on the roster.

The demand for an 80% winning percentage is so high there is no time for development.

[LoKyBuckeye]

good post stormin... I got tired of thinking about all the negatives last night and had some of the same thoughts. This team has a lot of work to do but there are positives.

[daddyphatsacs]

Nice post.

I think that we are really beginning to see how many great players we have lost over the last 2 years. This team is very young.

[bukIpower]

Go Bucks!!!!!!!!!!!

[StoRMinBrutus]

I will always find the positive when it comes to The Ohio State Buckeyes and I think we have alot to look forward too. Yes we need alot of help on our Offensive output but with all the talent we have and all the more coming in with new recruits, we have such a bright future. Its sooooo painful right now but once our O-line comes together, I am convinced that things will fall into place.
I can't defend OSU's OC anymore and I hope that gets resolved one way or another really soon. No matter what gotta love the BUCKEYES !!!
GO BUCKEYES !!! Keep the Faith !!!

[MililaniBuckeye]

Originally Posted by ScarletArrow

Would modern day OSU fans stand for even one losing season?

They did in 1988 (4-6-1 in Cooper's first year), which was our first losing season since the 3-5-1 season in 1959, which coincidentally was two seasons after a national title (1957).

[Moose]

Still keepin' the faith. I am a buckeye fan in good and bad.

Times like these will rid the bandwagon fans from the true fans....
Moose

[horseshoe1]

I think we are G R E A T and there is nothing wrong we don't need a new OC or anything else, we are doing just fine, we are the best team in the country and should be rated as such. We get cheated or something every time we go on the field.
There I said it so now nobody can call me a band wagon fan. I love to loose, it gives me a chance to cheer to the world and everyone can call me such a loyal fan and a GREAT looser.

[Brutus1]

After further review:.........

I have to keep telling myself, regardless of expectations, we are a VERY young team.

A first year qb
At times, a first year rb (not enough times)
Three first year starters as well as second teamers on the o-line.
I don't know the positions well enough to be critical, but it has to be a very hard learning experience, especially when thew majority of your o-line mates
are green as well.
A couple of first year receivers.
A first (and last) year punter
Aside from Fraser, a whole new d-line and backups.
A majority of first year starters among the secondary.

I have to tell myself that roughly 18 starters will return next season.

If we can just cut out the turnovers, we can still make this a very good season, regardless of current offensive problems.

[ScarletArrow]

Originally Posted by MililaniBuckeye

They did in 1988 (4-6-1 in Cooper's first year), which was our first losing season since the 3-5-1 season in 1959, which coincidentally was two seasons after a national title (1957).

'88 was Coop's first year - he was going to get a free pass regardless of his record. So if there was any year to have a losing record it was then.

General fan tolerance for losing has reached an all-time low.

Geiger will never get rid of JT while he is AD (barring a catastrophe) - but if a losing season does occur, there will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth (by the fans).

[Silverbullet]

Go Bucks!! Keep the Faith! I look at it this way, we lost 14 players to the NFL, no other team in history has had to take a hit like that as far as returning players. I admit I was a little worried this year that we would not meet expectations of all the fans out there and all of sudden they would be calling for Treesel's job.

The thing we have to look at right now is the potential this young team has in the future and we need to stand behind them. Look at next years roster for crying out loud, what do we loss this year, 17 seniors, but only 2 defensive starters with Fox (huge but replaceable), Simon Fraser (not as big an impact player as we thought), 3 offensive starters with Ross (????), Hall (not really a starter),Brandon Joe (Injury prone?) and Mike Kne (walk-on), and three off of special teams with Turano (average), Andrews (ouch) and Nugent (huge). So the way I see it the very young team we have now is our future and I for ONE think the future is bright.