Tigers or Indians: Stronger Roster Going Forward?
June 14, 2011Da Clip Show: Keeping an Eye on the Tribe’s AAA Squad – 6/14/11
June 14, 2011Yesterday, Ohio State introduced it’s 23rd head football coach. The University has had varsity football since 1890. One hundred and twenty one years, 23 head coaches.
Luke Fickell is a Buckeye. He grew up in the area, played High School football at DeSales. He was recruited by John Cooper, and played nose tackle for the Buckeyes from ’93-’96. He started in a record 50 straight games for Ohio State during that time. He was part of the ’97 Rose Bowl team which beat Jake Plummer and the Sun Devils on a late drive.
Full disclosure- I want Luke Fickell to succeed as much as anyone. I was a huge fan of those defensive lines anchored by Finkes, Fickell and Vrabel. When Tressel resigned, one of my first thoughts was how excited I was for Luke to get his shot.
Earlier today I linked the one-on-one interview at the Big Ten Network. Coach Fickell did a decent job in that interview, though you can imagine he probably had a very good idea what the questions were going to be. In his press conference, I was a little less impressed.
I was hoping for less robotic answers. Luke Fickell is known as an energetic and fiery kind of coach, and I’d really hoped some of that might have come through in his time with the media. Perhaps through time we will see it. I’d also hoped that Luke would really take ownership of this team.
Time after time he talked about continuity, about keeping things going and moving forward. He mentioned that Jim Bollman will continue to run the offense, and he will ‘make himself available’ on that side of the ball. He mentioned being excited about the QB competition. I was hoping someone might press him and ask who would be making the decision on the starter. The obvious answer is it would be a group decision, but at some point Luke has to be the one making the final call. It is his name in the record books from now on.
At times I thought he looked a bit overwhelmed. To be expected I suppose. Given the circumstances and the fact that he’s never been a head coach before.
-Fickell mentioned that he hadn’t talked to Pryor about his decision to leave the program. I find that a bit odd. He even said that Pryor had tried to contact him, but his schedule prevented them from talking before Pryor announced his decision. Very interesting. Sounds a little to me like coach is glad he is gone.
-Two times Luke used the words ‘an unbelievable job’ to describe elements of the football program. They were the compliance department, and Jim Bollman as offensive coordinator. Unless Luke meant it was ‘unbelievable they were still employed by the university’, I think he may want to rethink those word choices.
-Nice softball questions at that press conference. “Luke, how much do luv defense lol?” Ok, maybe they weren’t that soft, but not far off. “Does the Michigan game mean something special, or is it just another Big Ten game?” Are you kidding me?
-When asked how he felt about the program going through this mess, what his emotions were, I was really hoping that he’d just blurt out “It really pisses me off. I love this school and I can’t stand what a few individuals have done to drag it down.” But of course he didn’t. Maybe he couldn’t. But it would have been awesome.
12 Comments
Couldn’t agree more Rick. I think Luke needed to cut his teeth at a smaller university before being the head coach at OSU, the situation dictated this so we will see how it goes. My expectations aren’t that high.
The reins in Speign stay manely in the plain.
BTW, does anyone know the correct pronunciation of coach’s name? Is it fick-KELL or FICK-el?
I am 100% behind Fickell, but felt bad for him when I flipped on the interview last night. His presentation was basically genuine passion and relatively little substance filtered through a remarkable number of sports cliches. I agree w/ Sean: Even though Fickell is over a decade older than me I couldn’t help but feel he’s a bit too callow for the role.
I like Fickell (FICK-el) an awful lot and I really hope he surprises everyone and leads OSU to an undefeated season this year. But I was thoroughly unimpressed with his press conference. I agree, he looked overwhelmed and I also thought he looked nervous and unsure of himself. He kept repeating the same awkward catch phrases like “fine line between perception and reality”.
I still vividly remember Tressel’s first press conference and how I was ready to suit up and fight for him. It’s unfair to expect Fickell to live up to those standards, but frankly, that’s what happens when you follow in a legend’s footsteps. He is always going to be compared to Jim Tressel. The odds are certainly stacked against Luke and I doubt this ends well for him. But I truly hope he proves me wrong.
We’re so fickle.
I hope he succeeds, seems like the type of guy you’d want to play for.
In regards to his 1st presser, what can you really expect from the guy? He’s a 1st time coach at one of the biggest programs in the nation and he’s following in a legend’s footsteps on the wake of scandal. I didn’t expect him to come out guns blazing. Let him worry about the product on the field and not what kind of answers he gives to stupid questions.
” I was really hoping that he’d just blurt out ‘It really pisses me off. I love this school and I can’t stand what a few individuals have done to drag it down.'”
How does he say this without the media reporting that he has thrown Tressel under the bus?
@Lyon – I think we were looking for two things: fire and substance. Fickell has the former in great abundance but didn’t seem to present a greatly nuanced vision for the team or differentiate his regime from the troubled one that just left (and in fact said some bizarre things about the compliance department, which Rick mentioned above).
Will of course judge him on the larger body of work, but you have to objectively admit this was not an impressive performance.
totally agree it wasn’t impressive, but I didn’t expect it to be. Basically his first press conference, I don’t expect much from that. Do I wish he had fire & charisma? Yes. But that wouldn’t change a thing. He’d still be a 1st time coach on team with some major players from last year not starting the season. Now, if the 1st game was tomorrow & he had no fire, I’d be with ya. But we do have 3 more months until the 1st game.
And yes he made some stupid comments. Obviously the compliance dept. is not doing an unbelievable job. And the only unbelieveable thing about Bollman is that he still has a job.
I don’t want to be that guy, but you’re using reigns wrong here. If someone’s taking them, they’re reins, like are used to control a horse.
No Wiggles, that’s what Santa uses.
I say bring back Earle Bruce. He won’t take any of this s*&$, and would kick a player off for messing around ala Chris Carter.