You know, I took as much glee out of Ohio State’s meltdown after the loss to Michigan State as anyone, but now, as I hear the cries in the media calling out Ezekiel Elliott for expressing his frustration, I’m starting to backtrack. Maybe it’s just me, but is there really that much difference in substance in this comment…
“I’m disappointed in the play-calling. I’m disappointed in the situations that we were put in, and I wish it all played out differently,” Elliott said. “It is very disappointing. In the one drive that we had where we kind of had some momentum after we scored on the strip-sack, the plays we ran, we ran a lot of gap schemes and we were gashing them. You guys saw that on that drive. We had a lot of momentum.
“Honestly, we didn’t see those plays for the rest of the game. Those plays weren’t called anymore. I asked for those plays to be called, and they weren’t. It just hurts. It hurts a lot because of how we lost. I feel like we just weren’t put in the right opportunity to win this game. We weren’t put in the right situations to win this game.”
…
“I think I do deserve more than 11 carries,” he said. “I think I really do. I can’t speak for the play calling, I don’t know what was going on or what they were seeing, but honestly, it didn’t work out. It wasn’t working.”
… from what Nick Chubb had to say after the Alabama game?
“I know I wanted to run the ball more ‘cause our passing game just wasn’t in rhythm,” said Chubb, who ran for 146 yards to tie Herschel Walker’s streak of 13 consecutive 100-yard games. “It would’ve been great to run the ball because things were actually starting to open up. If we could have threw the ball off running the ball we could’ve had a better passing game.”
Chalk it up to Things Dumb Offensive Playcalling Makes Star Players Say and move on, methinks.
I’m sure that had we done the Les Miles game plan, it worked have worked wonders just like it did for Fournette. Just keep hammering it up the gut and you’re bound to get to 40 yards eventually.
LikeLike
I have seen many remarks of how ungrateful Ezekiel Elliot is for having the great opportunity he had at Ohio State and how he clearly shows that feeling of entitlement they have when they should fall down on their knees daily and thank their lucky stars that they have been allowed to play. To hell with that mindset. I have no problem with a player questioning why a coach stops calling what has been working. And the coach should be able to give a solid answer as to why he called what he called. Coaches have no problem pissing and moaning about player execution.
LikeLike
Especially Meyer. I remember him throwing guys under the bus on several occasions at Florida.
LikeLike
Give him press credentials and he sounds like any hack columnist or radio jockey.
Give him a uniform and he’s insubordinate.
LikeLike
I just love it when people bitch about Corch. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
LikeLike
My only complaint is that we don’t hear more bitching about Corch. A real prince of a guy…
LikeLike
The fine folks over at the Shutdown Fullcast where drawing comparisons between this OSU team and the 2009 Florida team. I think that Corch might be running head long into another cardiac episode.
LikeLike
I wonder which of his players is murdering people this time around.
LikeLike
I think the most interesting thing is seeing all the national pundits only just now coming to the realization that Ohio State is a good but certainly not great team that hasn’t really played any decent competition. The Buckeyes have, quite frankly, struggled against some very average teams. They barely beat Northern Illinois. Yet everyone was convinced that Ohio State was virtually a lock to repeat as National Champions. Go Sparty! I hope Michigan takes them down another notch.
LikeLike
“I think I do deserve more than 11 carries,” < (way<) “It would’ve been great to run the ball because things were actually starting to open up. If we could have threw the ball off running the ball we could’ve had a better passing game.”
Tone is everything.
LikeLike
And who sets the tone?
LikeLike
Tony! Toni! Toné!
LikeLike
And they taught Corch how to play cards as well as set the tone…
“I call and raise you fo’ mo’!”
LikeLike
I was thinking about this scenario last night. OSU loses to Michigan Saturday , Mich St and Iowa win. So then it’s Mich St/ Iowa in the playoff and a new year six bowl. Michigan to the Cap One or whatever they’re calling it now. That leaves OSU to the Outback bowl against an SEC team. Probably won’t happen, but it could be us. There is going to be a lot of SEC teams logjammed with 3 and 4 losses.
LikeLike
Sometimes..actually, most of the time, it’s not what you say but how you say it. Chubb is a very classy and respectful young man. I seriously doubt he was calling his coaches out. Elliot, on the other hand, seems (to me) to be calling his coaches out.
Maybe OSU players are about to go “Full Missouri” on corch?
LikeLike
To your point though, did you see the actual clip of him saying those things? It came across much less inflammatory on video than it did in print. I was yucking it up with everyone else as I saw the tweets of the quotes coming out Saturday night – but then I saw the actual clip on Sunday morning and he really came across as more of a guy that was just hurting and really wanted to win. In print it came across as very prima donna, but not so much on video. To me the tone struck me different when I actually saw the video.
LikeLike
Found the video
http://espn.go.com/ncf/story/_/id/14188908/ezekiel-elliott-ohio-state-buckeyes-points-finger-coaching-staff-loss-michigan-state-spartans
Was that the right place to say all that? Probably not. But again, he looks like a guy who is really hurting over a loss. I want guys like that on my team, guys who are pissed when they lose.
LikeLike
No, Rev..I didn’t see him on video and I’ll gladly accept your take on it because you are a reasonable man. The reason I believed it to possibly (probably) be disrespectful stemmed from the other team comments it was grouped with. It sounded almost like a budding insurrection.
Actually, I’m happy to be wrong. We’ve got enough problems today without adding to them. Thanks.
LikeLike
It’s all fun and games until somebody fakes a heart attack.
LikeLike
LikeLike
LOL!
LikeLike
I agree with you more often than not, Senator, but I see a very large difference between a player saying he wants the ball and a player calling coaches out by name, questioning their competence, and topping things off by eagerly announcing that he can’t leave the team soon enough.
LikeLike
Agree, there is some sameness in the message but no comparison with the delivery and intent. Chubb > Elliott in multiple ways.
LikeLike
Yeah, If Chubb had also announced that was definitely going pro after his Junior season or something consequential like that, then it would be more apples to apples.
LikeLike
I agree that Elliott adding that he is not returning next season with games still to be played was what set him apart from Chubb.
LikeLike
Greyson Lambert wants 30 throws a game. 15 would be short hopes. 10 would be overthrows. And the remaining 5 would be picks returned for TDs.
Pruitt has limits on play calling. We can keep you in the game up to a certain point Shotty, but minimize defensive scores by opponents Mark.
Bet some players are going to see the game less as OSU closes out the year.
NFl coaches took note of those juvenile comments.
One thing to take over the Chancellor’s office, but another to call out your HC and OC. Yep buck Meyer, but be prepared to go way down the depth chart.
OSU misses Harmon.
Richt only needs to look at Miles situation due to an OC determined to play old man NFL style football.
LikeLike