Yeah, and they've finished 9-5, 8-5, and 8-4 under their high-powered offense. They can't rely on out-gunning their opponents every game. If the saying "The best defense is a good offense" were true, then they should be on a 30-something game win streak. But when you lose games 51-48, 51-49, and 43-40 like they have over the past few seasons, you can clearly see that's not the case.
i think that both you and BKB have taken my post out of context. in NO WAY was i implying that i want Ohio State to be Texas Tech... what i AM saying is that just because you have a great defense doesn't mean that your offense has to suck... we have been in two situations this season where we absolutely HAD to score late... we failed miserably each time... now, my point is that maybe if there had been the same emphasis on an excellent O as there was on D and ST, we wouldn't have been in that undesireable position in the first place... does that make sense? if we turned those FGs into TDs, we wouldn't be having this conversation...
i'm not for sacrificing superior D in order to get more O... what i AM asking for is that the same emphasis be placed on having an outstanding offense as there is on having a devastating defense and superior special teams...
read the Presser again: Tressel clearly stated that his gameplan called for a huge play on ST... well, that didn't happen... so now what? your O, which
by your own admission you merely 'hopes will contribute' suddenly has all this extra pressure on it to succeed... well, maybe if you had emphasised excellence on O as much as you emphasised excellence in the other two facets of the game, the need for a big ST play would not be so great?
it's time to take some of the pressure off... by scoring more-- which IS possible-- you take pressure off the D, which can play fast and loose; you take pressure off the ST, which can relax and not have to attempt a 50 yard FG with the clock running down; and you take pressure off the O late in the game because you don't need to drive 90 yards with 1 timeout just to tie the game...
once again: it IS possible to have a great offense AND a great defense-- they are not mutually exclusive.
and i MUST point out that in the list that i read on BN of the scoring O of the last 25 MNCs, Ohio State '02 was DEAD LAST on that list... of course all those other teams had great offenses... but just because your D only allows 13 points per game, doesn't mean that you only need to try to score 14... you need to try to score as much as you can...
when Tressel first arrived, he said that the goals on O were 200 yards rushing, 250 yards passing and 40 points per game... suddenly, 5 years later, instead of 40 points per game, the goal is 24... come on. quit wasting the talent, and stop letting inferior teams hang around because you don't feel that it's neccessary to score a lot of points. blast 'em with 3 TDs in the first 10 minutes of the game, and it's all over...
look, i realize that being in close games early gets you ready for the big tests late, but there has to be a happy medium... the longer you let the opponent hang around, the smaller the margin for error becomes... with each passing moment, the opponent gains confidence, and the ability to rebound from a mistake is diminished...
it's time for a fundamental change of philosophy on Offense... the D is fine. the ST is fine. the O needs a MAJOR overhaul... it's time for Tressel to stop being a best friend and a brother, and start being a result-conscious CEO... demand better results, or cut the dead weight... Daniels needs to go: the QBs have largely underacheived for the last 5 years. Bollman needs to go: the O-line, which contains starting NFL talent, consistantly underachieves. we've had nearly 5 years now. the results are in, and the grades are unacceptable... it's time to find someone else. promote Peterson to the O-line coach, and go get the OC from Bowling Green... then get the QB coach from Marshall or Toledo...it's a damn shame that the MAC produces better QBs than a top 5 all time team, but that can be changed if only the staff desires to make it happen...
) and the "Wind is blowing off the banks of the Olentangy", you want to rely on passing the ball? Those high powered Buckeye offenses under Cooper did not get it done when the weather came. 72-0 against Pitt or Rice in August is meaningless when you lose to scUM 28-0 or 13-9 or 20-14. You win championships in November and you do it running the ball and playing defense! Ask scUM about the 1990's.
