My Condolences, Gentleman Jim
October 22, 2009Shaquille O’Neal’s Cheat Sheet Uncovered
October 22, 2009Coming in to this season, Rock and I ran a preview and both felt that this season was going to be a very important one for the Buckeyes. It could, in fact, be a turning point for the program – we felt after the past number of years on top, the big-game gaffes and mounting frustrations of spoiled fans could be coming to a head. Or this could be the year the Bucks firmly put their foot in the ground and brought it.
Well, we’re halfway through the year and there are still more questions than answers. Those questions lie mainly on the offensive side of the ball, but also with the coaching staff. At this point the biggest question mark (and the one that everybody has an opinion about) is the ability of one Terrelle Pryor.
Yesterday, Pryor’s high school coach Ray Reitz got his name in the news by stating that Pryor would be better suited to run plays from a read option look, much akin to that so beloved (and used effectively) by Richard Rodriguez.
In my opinion, this in and of itself is news-ish. Not necessarily big-hitting news, but since errbody and they mama has an opinion either good or bad about Ohio State, it was sure to get some attention. We discussed Pryor’s coach in our morning emails today, and this is Rock’s take on the whole situation:
“Ray Reitz made no secret of the fact he wanted Pryor to go to Michigan. Now that Pryor is struggling because he actually has to read defenses (something Reitz never taught him) and can’t just out-athlete everyone, Reitz is trying to blame Tressel. It’s pathetic, and it’s completely unprofessional. It would be like Tressel trying to tell Ken Wisenhunt how he should be using Beanie. But to act like Tressel doesn’t know how to develop a QB who is an athlete first is just stupid. Tressel did the same thing with Troy Smith, and for Troy it didn’t click until his 3rd season. It’s way too early to be giving up on Pryor and blaming OSU. If in the end, Pryor isn’t capable of learning how to run an actual offense, I fail to see how this is solely OSU’s fault.”
In addition to Reitz piping his opinion into the mix, yesterday also brought a quote from DeVier Posey, Pryor’s good friend and go-to-guy. When asked about Pryor’s progress, Posey had the following to say:
“From his first pass, (people said) he’s really not that good. But I really feel that’s kind of hard for a guy like that, you know what I mean? There’s only one Tim Tebow in this world and I don’t really know what people want from (Pryor). He’s going to get better. He really can’t do much worse.”
Supportive words, but ones that certainly have been clipped and put into headlines that look wonderful out of context. Thanks, MSM.
This all leads to wonderful drama and doom-and-gloom for the Bucks, right? Well, maybe – but maybe not. Smart Football’s Chris Brown penned a pretty damning piece about Tresselball after the SC game (as did DP here) – today he tweeted that Pryor might not be the right fit at OSU. Brown knows a lot about football – more than I ever will. His take (per a series of three tweets) is similar to what I had to say after Saturday’s loss to Purdue:
Tress knows O but you can’t coach what you don’t know/believe in. I think might be Pryor great talent but bad fit. Did USC recruit him? […] And Pryor’s HS coach, as reported by Schad, was incoherent. Recruited on promise of pro style but they should run him more like UMich? […] Final: Tressel should hire a pro guy, like Whipple, or two-TE power guy, like Saban did from Fresno. Be power but more multiple. Fresh ideas.
That being said, I think the main focus here is on Pryor’s development and psyche – not on what the program needs to do (or what program he should supposedly be playing for). Per every beat report that I’ve read, Pryor was relaxed and looked much more comfortable in his own skin yesterday. He says that the loss has put things in perspective for him, and that he’s learned a lot about himself. There’s a lot of pressure on him, and he is starting to acknowledge that.
He’s turned to others outside of the program for advice, namely Jacory Harris from Miami. I think Harris is a great guy to turn to – not only is he hilarious (OK I just wanted to put that in here, not relevant at all), but he is also in a program with tremendous pressure. Harris has performed quite well this year and I think is a very good guy to turn to.
Pryor is also turning to LeBron. I’m not sure how I feel about this. Yes – LeBron is a great guy to get advice about dealing with the spotlight. I’m sure there’s a lot that he can advise Pyror on in terms of dealing with the pressures of essentially being a rock star. But LeBron also didn’t deal with the extended amateurism that is the NCAA, and had problems with keeping himself eligible for OHSAA events when he was not supposed to get free stuff. I have mixed thoughts about this one, but my gut instinct is to kind of feel wary of this marriage.
Look – Pryor is and always will be measured up to Vince Young because of their clear similarities. I’m not saying Young is the guy to go to for advice (he’s a bit of a head case, it seems – though Pryor may be as well), but there are obvious things that need to be learned from his collegiate career. There are also obvious Troy Smith comparisons, and I hope he can be part of Pryor’s life. But to force Pryor to talk with either of these guys just because seems like a mistake. He’s got to find his own way.
I hope that Tress is learning as much as he can from Mack Brown about handling guys like TP. They traveled to the Middle East together this offseason and seem to be rather compatible guys. The bulk of the responsibility in my opinion is on Tressel – he’s the father figure of the program and needs to make sure his guy grows up. He’s a sophomore. There’s still at least a year and a half of this being Pryor’s team. So let’s let the kid grow, and grow with him.
Stewart Mandel at least got this aspect of things right – Pryor is no baby and needs to grow up. Regarding the relationship between Pryor and OSU, I don’t think that is or ever will be at risk. The kid’s a Buckeye, he’s not going to go anywhere. Not without laser ink removal, at least.
Though we hear about the shoulder chip far too often, I think Jason at 11W is on to something – “the more this kind of spins into chaos and recriminations, I like our chances. Nothing will bring these youngsters together faster than the feeling of them against the world.”
Hopefully we can see Pryor grow up and be a guy who is not viewed as a mistake, but a real triumph of the program, much like Troy Smith has been. I think it’ll happen, but it’s going to take time. It certainly can’t get much uglier than it has been.
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10 Comments
Thanks for getting that song stuck in my head now.
Great post Denny. Pryor obviously has some growing to do, both on and off the field, but I think he’s far from a lost cause. He’s got a boat load of talent, but is being asked to execute in a pro-style offense unlike anything he was exposed to prior to coming to OSU. Granted, it’s disappointing to watch him seemingly regress is season 2, but I think that’s more of a function of him trusting his instincts less as he over-thinks the playbook. What Troy Smith did so well (and what V. Young arguably did better) was use the instincts and the playbook. I think it will click, and when it does – watch out. He is only a true sophomore.
I might be mistaken but didn’t VY make a quantum leap between his soph and jr years? Lets hope Pryor does the same.
In another news, Pryor’s high school coach released a weather balloon and claimed his kid was trapped inside.
Talk about inserting oneself into a situation where one does not need to be.
Of course Pryor would have more statistical success at Michigan right now. He’d be a beast in that offense.
But, that’s not what he wanted. He wanted to become a legitimate pro prospect. As a UM fan, I love Tate Forcier. But, he’s never going to be an NFL QB. Pryor has the potential to be one.
VY was a red-shirt sophomore when he made a name for himself on the national stage by emasculating Michigan in the Rose Bowl, yes.
But during the meat of his RS sophomore season Young didn’t do well. I forgot to add this link, but Sam at WWAHT did a great job of comparing freshman/sophomore Young and Pryor.
from Mandel’s piece linked above it was stated that VY began “getting it” after hitting rock bottom against Missouri in his sophomore year.
let’s hope that Purdue was Pryor’s rock bottom and he starts to rise…
for all the hatred heaped on him…he still makes some plays that few others could think of…is incredibly elusive, and somehow got us back into position against Purdue to potentially tie a game when he could have gone into a shell.
i’m keeping the hope alive.
The Young comparisons are decent, in terms of experience vs. breakthrough; let’s not forget when Troy Smith broke out… sophomore year vs. Michigan. What year is Pryor, again? Right then. Watch out, scUMbags.
I just hope he stops fumbling so damn much. I really don’t have that much of a problem with him, given his age as a QB for a top program, he’s just gotta stop fumbling the damn ball 2 times a game.
I’m not sure how you can blame the MSM for Posey’s comments. They sound horrible both in and out of context.