Sid, I totally agree that if you have the best athletes, you're going to score points and win games. Just ask the college football powerhouses before scholarship limitations. Things like the offensive and defensive schemes you run matter now more than ever because of parity amongst the schools as far as the talent levels of players. That being said, I agree that too many topics are over thought and overdiscussed but isn't that the point of messageboards? To have intelligent and well-thought conversation on a variety of topics regarding sports is why I visit this site. To be honest, sports in general are overanalyzed and overdiscussed especially considering the credit crisis, the price of oil, and the fact that the jobless rate grows by leaps and bounds every week. Still, it's fun and this site, along with many others, gives the average sports fan an opportunity to analyze and discuss like the talking heads on ESPN although I think the conversation here is sometimes much more intelligent than what's on TV.
Exactly. Mich. has a better record of putting QBs in the NFL and yet Pryor went to Ohio State. Granted, I can't see inside the guy's head but I think the pro style offense had to be a factor in what put him in a Buckeyes' uni. He would have been the BMOC on day one at Michigan which is one of the greatest programs in the history of the sport. He would have been running an offense tailor-made to suit his skill set. What's not to like??
Nobody likes to get their a$$ kicked in every year by your arch rival then sit home on the couch watching another guy a) take home your Heisman and b) line up under center playing for the national championship! Other than that, I can't think of anything! 8) ps sincerest aplogies to my good friend Bobda.
Good points, Aquila. At the risk of sounding self-serving, I wholeheartedly agree. At least we Skyboxers think before we post......most of the time. :wink: The TV talking heads just read what they are told to read.
BTW, my comment on Ohio State in the NC game was just an attempt at humor not meant to rile up old arguments that have been beaten to death.
no harm taken Aquila.....but you will note that I also did not add, d) win a NC by ending one of college football's longest winning streaks in an OT thriller! We've been in several recently. Let's not have selective memory and focus only on the losing efforts! :wink: In any event, my guess is that TP would much rather be playing than watching a NC game....win or lose. But I'm only guessin'..... :wink:
I think Pryor might have gone to WVA if RR had stayed there because the system was in place and he could have stepped right in, at Mich the system is not in place and it might take a couple of bumpy years before it's a well oiled machine. In Columbus it is already a well oiled machine, he won't have tremendous pressure to be the savior right out of the box. I wouldn't be suprised if he doesn't play at all this year at OSU but also wouldn't be suprised if Tressel doesn't play him sort of like Bobby Petrino did Brian Brohm as a freshman at Louisville. If you remember Petrino had a well established Sr. QB who was a good college QB, but he still worked in several series for Brian in every game to get him experience. At Ohio State he will eventually be the man and he'll have plenty of talent around him to maximize his opportunity for success. If he displays a strong arm and accuracy to go along with his mobilty he'll be a 1st round draft choice. It won't matter wheter or not they play a Pro offense, a Shotgun Offense, run some Zone Read or what. Terry
I agree with your assessment about Pryor possibly going to WVa if Rodriguez had stayed there and perhaps Pryor was a bad example to use. The offense may have had nothing to do with his decision. I don't know. However, I do know that the more kids hear analysts talk about the pro prospects of players who play in a similar scheme being dim that the less they will consider those schools. If, however, spread option skill guys prove that the offense has nothing to do with their ability to adjust then those doubts will be overcome and proven irrelevant. I do, however, think that the type of offense that a player runs in college has an effect on their appeal to NFL teams. The reason being that if a player runs a pro style attack as opposed to a triple option, for example, then he would be considered less of a project. Is that going to keep him from being drafted if he has the necessary skills? Probably not but it can cost millions in terms of the round a player is picked.
I would certainly agree that all other things being equal that if a QB has played in a more traditional offense, like at USC, Notre Dame, Tenn, Miami, Michigan (before RR), LSU, and others, that the NFL would probably give them higher value than a QB who has played in one of the Zone Read/Spread Option/type of offenses. No doubt the same for a RB, I'm not sure about the WR's. They run routes, they catch balls, they are fast, tall, fast and tall, great hands, hands of stone. I would think the offense they play in is less of an issue.
I think Terry is close to it on Pryor because it is the prevailing thought around Michigan that he just didn't want to be thrown to the lions...the Nittany Lions if you will right off the bat. Rich Rod and the Wolverines will most likely have an uphill learning curve this year while OSU looks primed to face down yet another SEC juggernaut for the national title. ( uh-oh ) I don't buy this "prepare for the pros" thing. Troy Smith won the Heisman and so far the jury is out on NFL stardom for him and OSU is not particularly known as the cradle of NFL stars at the position. Then....there's Tom Brady....hmmmm. :wink:
Alex Smith may not be an NFL superstar yet, however he was a high draft choice, number 1 if memory serves, and is the starter for San Francisco. I don't think playing for the Meyer spread option hurt him. Percy Harvin will go high if his injury situation does not hurt him. I'm also predicting that regardless of what some posters here have said about Tim Tebow he will go high and that John Brantly who will be his understudy this year has a very good chance to be an NFL player also. Along with a number of other Gator receivers and players. I don't buy the argument against the spread option because of the pros. The QB's in Meyers system will throw the ball.
For whatever the reason sometimes great college players are unsuccessfull in the Pro's. As a college football fan, while I'd like to see ND or Texas guys be great pro's, I'm more interested in them being great college players. So far Tim Tebow has been a great college player and [/quote]is likely to continue to be a great college player. Rick Mirer (ND QB) was a great college player and a bust as a Pro, in fact I'm suprised he isn't on this list of the 50 biggests busts in draft history.
I see two great ND guys, Patulski and Niehaus, are on the list. I thought Patulski was a decent DE for the Bills. I would not consider Mirer a bust. He had an OK career as a backup QB for several teams. I agree with you, Terry, in that I am interested in how they play at ND much more than what happens in the pros. The list to me is suspect because it has Maurice Clarett on it. He was a bust long before he went pro. How can you put him on the list when nothing was expected to begin with? Again it's one person's opinion. It generates conversation, but a more knowledgeable person than I would likely find several flaws in the author's rationale, like I did with Clarett.
I have to differ a bit about Clarett....I have little doubt that he would have been an outstanding, potential MVP-caliber NFL back had he kept his nose clean. After his dismissal from the team in Columbus and his prolonged absence from the game, it was a big gamble by Shanahan to be sure, but the upside was immense. I never saw him play a game in which he was not demonstrably, imo, the best player on the field and I've never seen a better running back in Columbus, much less a 19 yr old frosh just out of high school. He was special, but obviously terribly misguided. Very tragic. I would have loved to see him fulfill his potential in the league.
Interesting that both Ohio State and Nebraska won NCs with RBs who were personal busts to the extent that they were also NFL busts... Clarett and Phillips.