Buckeye blog, Along The Olentangy, even found one of those so-called posts mocking the mere thought that Terrelle could have run a sub-4.4 40 dash. I mean, he is from north of the Mason-Dixon line. He couldn’t have that kind of speed, right? Yup, busted!

It’s been clear, since Day 1, that TP is a freak of nature athletically. I mean, look at him! Why people can’t accept that is beyond me. I guess they’re just so used to downgrading and doubting him, every step of the way, that their mindset has them dismiss all facets of his life. It is what it is, I guess.

Cheers to y’all…

I’ve sat relatively quiet through that roller coaster of the past few months. It’s like a never-ending bad dream; just story and story and story, culminating with the resignation of beloved coach Jim Tressel. Now, with likely more bad news to come out (because it never ends), Terrelle made the decision to leave Ohio State.

It was a good decision. His presence, even on the sidelines, would be a distraction. It is in the program’s best interest for them to part ways. I don’t think he wants to hurt his brothers any longer.

If you were looking for a hate-filled post here, I’m sorry to disappoint. This site has always been around to SUPPORT TP, not tear him down. It appears that this is the only such site that isn’t all about hits and slander. That’s ok. I’ll gladly take on that responsibility.

Terrelle is not a criminal. He didn’t rape/assault anyone. He did not break into anyplace and steal things. He did not drive drunk and endanger anyone’s lives. He wasn’t making improper contact with agents etc. He is a young man that has made some poor decisions though. He’s paying for them dearly. But he’s also a good person. An Academic All-Big Ten student. A loving and devoted son. And a talented football player.

I shudder to think how I’d react if my poor decisions were dissected and broadcast across the globe when I was his age. That’s why I continue to support him. I don’t think it’s right what he’s going through, and if I have to, I’ll be that one positive voice amongst all the Terrelle Pryor slander.

I wish him the very best as he navigates this next part of his life. And this site will still be here, ever step of the way!

Next step? I’m obviously going to give the site a new look, but it’s not going anywhere. If you’d still like to keep up with Terrelle, TPO will be here for you.

For the past few days, I’d been hearing that all of the tatgate offenders, minus Boom, had already told the big guy that they were coming back for their respective senior years. Then, Posey was the only one to mention in in his apology, so I was all “hmmmmm”.

Then I heard that Tress made the players sign a piece of paper guaranteeing they’d be back. I thought that was a good move, but since it wasn’t public, what was to stop them from jumping to the NFL anyway?

Then, today, Tressel dropped the bomb and I love the move! The media is still wondering what’s keeping any of the soon-to-be suspended players from declaring for the NFL. The paper they signed isn’t legally binding or anything. What’s Tressel doing?!

But they’re looking at it from the wrong viewpoint. One of the best parts of being a Buckeye is forever being part of Buckeye Nation. If you leave the program IN GOOD STANDING, you’re pretty much set for life. (See: Craig Krenzel & Justin Zwick) There are future jobs/endorsements/perks former Buckeyes get that us normal people can only wish to grab. Then, look at the former players who end up on the coaching staff, or in the upper ranks of ESPN. Recommendations and easy access to one of the top programs in the country is built in, provided you left on good terms. Following me?

So, no, a piece of paper won’t force them to stay, but what they would forfeit for going back on their word makes for a very costly decision. It may not sound like much to you, but to Buckeyes, that lifestyle and legacy is very important to them. Screwing over their current/future teammates, beloved coach, university, and extended rabid fanbase isn’t something they’ll take lightly. And if you think outsiders are rough on the players, why not check out how some of Buckeye Nation’s own treat them. (Insert analogy about wild animals eating their young) Being labeled traitors, or some other variety of words I choose not to post in this space, will follow them around for the rest of their lives. And that’s before non-Buckeye fans have at them!

Tressel was in a no-win situation. If he sits them for the bowl (on top of a suspension that I think is excessive), in the hopes of getting the suspension reduced, what happens w/ the appeal if the NCAA is pissed since they already risked their rep in making the players eligible? And, on the other hand, if he lets them play, the rest of the college football world will scoff that he’s sending the wrong message.

Since he’s smarter than the rest of us, Tressel took the decision of current punishment out of his own hands and placed it squarely in the hands of the offending players (that is, of course, after he let the seniors vote on whether or not they should play). Well done.

So, Bravo Jim Tressel. Sit back in your cushy chair and prop your feet up on your desk. I’d tell you to light up a cigar too, but I’m pretty sure you don’t smoke. Nice work.

Having said all that, I still think Boom goes, but that’s on him. Good luck with that…

Am I disappointed? Hell yea! Did I think what he did was foolish, shortsighted and selfish? You betcha. But, at the end of the day, who am I to judge? I screwed up royally, more than once, when I was in college. I’m still dealing with the effects of one of those bad decisions, and it wasn’t broadcast to the entire world like Terrelle’s was. I also can’t even begin to fathom what is going on his personal life or what his thought process was during these events. I don’t think this transgression makes him a bad person, but I truly hope he really understands what his actions have done, not only to his reputation/legacy, but also to everyone connection with The Ohio State University.

As pissed off as much of Buckeye Nation is right now, I can only imagine that no one’s more upset than he is right now. Ultimately this is something that he, his teammates, and the coaching staff are going to have to deal with and work through. We’re all hoping this won’t be a distraction for the team, but you never know. We’ll all have to sit back and see how this all plays out. You can only hope the young man grows from this. I think a Twitter hiatus & media blackout would be a great start.

There are many in the fanbase that have washed their hands of Terrelle and wish him to just to move on, and declare for the draft. Whether it is that or returning for his Senior year, TPO will live on and continue to support him every step (and misstep) he takes.

You can disagree and that is your right, but hate is not something that I will ever allow on this website. I pay for it and, if I feel like it, I will censor the hell out of all that appears on these pages. Don’t like it? Go right on ahead and click the ‘X’ in the upper corner of this window. You know the drill.

I support Terrelle Pryor.

Go Bucks!

But eventually I calmed down.

Then I watched a couple of series with Bauserman/Saine, and the horrid play calling after he returned. Then, I looked more like this:

But there is always a method to Tressel’s madness, and he wins the surest way he knows; Tresselball, and we got a hefty dose! This looked a lot like Purdue 2009, except the team handled the challenge a lot better. They were able to stare down adversity and grind out a win. That is a great step!

IN A NUTSHELL:

• I’m reading the wind was really an issue. Was it? I mean, looking at the punts (from both teams) and you kind of could see how it drastically affected the kicking game. Why not the passing game too, right?
  
  

  For whatever it is worth, weather.gov says the winds were gusting at 29 miles per hour today during the OSU game in Champaign, Illinois.Sat Oct 02 20:50:01 via webLori Schmidt
  LoriSchmidt

• If the rumors are true, my heart goes out to Tyler Moeller. Hearing that he’s out for the season. He was such a great comeback story. Hope he gets that 6th year…
• Was the Oline that bad, or are the RB’s that bad? Or… *gulp*… both?
• Kenny Guiton should be the backup QB.
• Saine should be in for pass downs only. Sorry.
• Too many drops/miscommunications between TP and Posey. Needs to be fixed yesterday.
• Sanzenbacher is MONEY, and he doesn’t even know it.
• Interesting day in the Big Ten! Sparty taking down Wisky? Dayum!
• Really, really, really, really hope Jordan Hall gets a shot next week. It’s been time.

Terrelle’s ok, folks. Well, that’s what he said to the Twitterverse:

Here’s what he said to the media:

“The worst thing was when I came back and the guys thought I was all right and they were saying, ‘Come on Terrelle, lead us’. There was no way I could do anything but hand the ball off and maybe get a couple passes. I was in full stride and all of a sudden I felt and heard something pop and I was like ‘What’s going on?’. It was probably the worst pain I had in a while.”

Yikes… but explains the sudden switch to Tresselball, does it not? Tress made the right call. 1-0 in Big Ten play. Time to move on to Indiana.

He wanted to know why I didn’t just give TP the username I use, which is his name, terrellepryor. I’m sure many of you have wondered the same; along w/ the many people who can’t read and don’t realize it’s a fan account. You know who you are LOL!

My answer is this: I have reached out several times to see if he wants it (because if he does, it’s his immediately!). I’ve never heard back, so I’ve had to assume that a) he doesn’t want it or b) he gets too many replies/messages from fans & never saw it.

When I signed up for this Twitter account, at the end of 2008, Twitter wasn’t as huge as it is now. I thought I’d grab it while I could, so when TP finally joined, his name wouldn’t be taken by someone who had no intention of giving it to him or worse, by someone impersonating him. Happens a lot with domain names too. That’s not me. Like when you save a seat for your friends at the movies, that’s what I’m doing. Saving this username for TP.

His last account got hacked, and he’s having to start all over. That sucks. His social media life would be so much easier if he could just use his name. He could get it verified & the Twitter people could assist him any time someone hacks his account in the future. And it would just make it easier for people to find him. Win-win, right?

This is about to be a huge year for TP, so I think it’s time to ask him, again, if he wants this account. For that, I need everyone’s help!

So, if you’re reading this, and have a twitter account, I’d appreciate it if you could help me get TP’s attention, so he knows he can have twitter.com/terrellepryor if he wants it. Tweet him @TPeezy2 or retweet this Tweet! I just want to help him out.

Any other ideas on how to accomplish this or other related feedback is welcome. You can comment here, tweet me, or email me

“Experts” and other CFB analysts report QB stats and that’s it. From there, the public is left to judge whether or not a team is ready and/or whether or not said QB sucks.

If a National talking head simply rattles off TP’s stats from yesterday, and no other details, then a reader (not familiar w/ OSU’s jersey scrimmage practices) is left to compare his numbers to say that of a Greg McElroy & simply write off Terrelle Pryor and Ohio State. That’s their right, but that would be foolish. And let me tell you why.

Ohio State doesn’t really do game simulation scrimmages. Heck, even the Spring Game isn’t “real”. For example, Tressel could have the offense start a series from the 1 yardline, just to see how they react. And in said series, he could tell them that they can only run the ball; no passes. It’s not out of the question. And at the same time, the staff will inform the defense that they can only show certain looks & run certain coverages. I call this process, though misleadingly referred to as a scrimmage, “Tressel’s Lab”. He sets up specific game situations to see what the team needs to work on. Lots of weird scoring rules ensue.

Then, on the next series, Tress may decide that his QBs need to work on passing. He’ll place the ball on the 20 yardline (we don’t need no stinking kickoffs or punts!) and give a mandate that this series must be pass plays only. Then, just for sh*ts n’ giggles, he’ll sub in a completely new Oline. Fun, right? But he’s not done. He’ll inform the defense that there shall be no blitzes. It’s all a part of Tressel’s Lab, I tell ya!

And let’s not forget that biggest storyline here: TP had the black no-contact jersey on. That’s pretty much the opposite of a real scrimmage or game action, isn’t it? You’re taking the most dangerous part of TP’s game out of the equation. Put that together with all the other lab research conducted during this “scrimmage” and you end up with stats like this: 10 of 24, for 151 yards and 1 TD.

It’s been interesting to see the overreaction and judgement of the 2010 Buckeyes, based on a simple stat line. From the media members who attended, TP is miles ahead of where he was last year and probably even this Spring. Turnovers have cost the offense the coveted scarlet practice jerseys for several seasons now. That they had just 1 in their close win, speaks volumes to TP’s improved decision making. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m encouraged.

Bottom line is we won’t see the real improvement and progress in TP’s game until the Marshall Thundering Herd comes to town. After that, judge away!

In the meantime, prepare for a condemnation as more of the national media get back to work Monday. Just let it go, Buckeye fans. You’re due for a laugh. Yuck it up. After all, the internetz are funny!

P.S. No, I haven’t forgotten about the iPhone project. In fact, I’ve actually been working a lot more on them, including a full Winterboard theme, that I must admit looks pretty sweet! Individually, there’s lockscreen, battery, SMS, Signal bars, icons, ringtones, and more! I think y’all will love it!

So around midnight Monday, LeBron James posts the following tweet for our entertainment.

Now, Bron Bron deleted this tweet within a couple of hours, but not before the Twitterverse went in on it!

Here’s a sampling of reactions to said tweet:

Bandwagon Miami Heat Fan: Ummm, you’re in Miami now. Shouldn’t you be playing with Da U?

Pissed off Cavs Fan: You’re not allowed to root for Ohio State after what you did! Find a new team to root for!

Delusional Michigan Fan: Doesn’t matter. Michigan will roll the Suckeyes this year!!eleventy!!11

These aren’t direct quotes, but a lot of the @replies to his tweet were along these lines and it gave me quite a bit of entertainment reading them the other night! He probably wasn’t expecting that much of a reaction, hence why he deleted it after only a couple of hours.

It was funny to me that the Miami fans that don’t know anything about LeBron (except that he now plays for the Heat) don’t realize that LBJ is more than just a ‘fan’ of TP. He’s TP’s mentor. They know each other. They talk. TP looks up to him and has publicly supported his decision to play for the Heat. I don’t think LeBron being in Miami means he’s suddenly going to call up Randy Shannon and ask to be BFF’s with Jacory Harris, but stranger things have happened.

Interesting situation, though. But what about this: Should LeBron attend either of the Ohio State/Miami games these next 2 seasons, whose sideline do you think he’ll be on? Just stirring the pot a little, Buckeye fans.

Meanwhile, TP has rejoined Twitter and has yet to return to the regular tweeting schedule he had when he used the @pryor2two account. Maybe he’s just shy?

I will now return you to your regularly scheduled programming. Fall camp’s coming!

There’s always work to be done and improvements to be made. As such, here are some things I’m keeping my eye on.

1. Special Teams. Special Teams. Special Teams.
Tress puts so much emphasis on special teams play. Coverage, returning, punting, kicking, & the whole she-bang. It’s a key part to Tressel-ball and it was pretty terrible this season by Tressel standards. I excuse the return game of the Rose Bowl due to the absence of Ray Small. And being that Smally is a senior and Lamaar Flash Thomas has transferred, the staff must find a new return man in this off season. Preferably one that doesn’t make everyone hold their breath wondering if he’s going to muff it. I don’t care if it’s a freshman. Just make sure he gets as many practice reps as possible, so he’s ready.

Kick coverage was atrocious this year. Opponents had way too favorable field position and the defense shouldn’t routinely be placed in that type of position. Oregon’s return yardage was unacceptable at 199 yards. Losing senior Marcus Williams, early in the season, didn’t help the coverage unit. I could be wrong, but I also believe Tyler Moeller was a special teams regular. Whenever a longtime special teams contributor is sidelined, it’s going to hurt. But I don’t think that’s the sole reason they underperformed. The unit simply has to get better.

Who’s going to handle the kicking & punting duties? Local boy Ben Buchanon and incoming frosh Drew Basil (who is enrolling in March) will probably be in the mix for starting punter. I’d assume Devin Barclay will be back and resume the role of primary kicker.

2. Playbook revisions
First of all, the option pitch needs to be scrapped from the playbook. I hate it. Too slow to develop and only works about 15% of the time. Get rid of it, Tress!

Overall, I loved the Rose Bowl offense. Letting TP throw and effectively shut up the haters was exactly what the doctor ordered. I’d like to see more of that. Hopefully it will give all of us Buckeye fans flashbacks to Troy’s Heisman year…

Having to break in new skill players in the WR and RB positions, as well as a of the Oline meant things would be a little rocky at times. I expected that coming into the ’09 season. Now that those pieces are in place, and all returning for 2010, the foundation has been set. 7-on-7′s this summer should prove to be invaluable to TP, Posey, Sanzenbacher, Stoney, and our stable of RBs. Chemistry class, all summer long, yo!~

It’s been no secret that TP’s passing pretty much occurs outside the hash marks. Being able to utilize the middle of the field, and possibly our TEs as a receiving threat, would make the Buckeye offense even more potent. Getting him comfortable enough take advantage of that portion of the field would be huge! I’d really love to see improvement there.

3. The Running Back Stable.
What to do? What to do? Glad I’m not Tress! There will be 2 more RBs added to the roster in Carlos Hyde (just enrolled after spending the fall in prep school) and Rod Smith. That’s on top of returning every. single. RB. we had this past season. And don’t forget about 5* Jaamal Berry, who redshirted.

Saine
Herron
Hall
Berry
Martin
Hyde
Smith

And there’s only one football…

4. The Secondary
Losing Kurt Coleman and Anderson Russel hurts. It’s nothing the team can’t recover from, but losing 2 of your 3 best safeties is a situation that most fans will/should be watching. Appears the leader to start alongside Jermale Hines is Ohrian Johnson, another Brew Crew member. From all accounts, we’ll be seeing a big, super athletic, hard hitting safety. The defense, in general, tends to reload. There’s always a talented, coached-up player just waiting for his chance to hit the field. And as long as the Dline continues to get the push they have been, I think the Safety position is just fine. Our starting CB’s returning also helps.

5. Drinking the Kool-Aid?
After the impressive Rose Bowl win and Terrelle’s seeming “coming out party”, the national media are already on his jock and back on the Ohio State bandwagon. The 2009 Buckeyes appeared to respond quite favorable to all the negative talk and doubters. They did indeed “Finish Strong” with the Rose Bowl victory. Now, they are right smack in the middle of the National Title hunt. What’s it going to be like, for the next 7+ months, when everyone is telling them how good they’re going to be next season? Are they going to stay hungry? Is it still going to be “us against the world”? We’ll see!

I’m not sure if anyone noticed, but I never really gave a prediction as to how the game would end today. I simply gave a list of what I wanted to see. I thought the teams were so evenly matched that, even with a loss, if some progress was made, I’d still kind of sort of be ok. (Maybe?) I just needed to see the team continue to improve. We saw them beat up on Minnesota and New Mexico State, but wanted to see them put in a solid effort against a good defense.

Well, we certainly saw that today with a dominating 24-7 win in Happy Valley. It’s pretty. It’s so, so pretty!

I said the trenches (lines) would decide this game, and that’s what happened. Ohio State’s offensive and defensive line owned Penn State. That was the difference. I expected pwnage from the Dline, but the Oline manned up and shut everyone up!

IN A NUTSHELL…

• My fave stat of the game? 0 turnovers.
• Sacking Daryll Clark on PSU’s first offensive play of the game was awesome. I’m sure that pumped the entire team up!
• I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Ohio State’s defense is amazing! It’s easy to see why they lead the country in forced 3-and-outs.
• Loved all the decisions TP made today. He played smart and made quick decisions. That was key to the team’s victory.
• Hearing TP say, postgame, that he was hurting yet still played very well should make everyone excited; not just for the remainder of the season, but for his 2 remaining seasons. I think the light has gone on for him.
• I’m not going to lie. I was beyond frustrated with the playcalling in the 1st half. Running on 1st and 2nd down was not putting the offense in a position to succeed. While the running game was indeed effective, the specific run plays called needed more variety.
• It was nice to see an OSU kicker make a clutch field goal. It’s a shame Tressel didn’t let him try that kick early in the 1st quarter. Couldn’t have ended up worse than the penalty/punt/touchback.
• Ray Small was great today. He and special teams really got the team going.
• Daryll Clark did not score a TD. I don’t care what anyone says. This was a shutout.
• Cam Heyward was beastly today. I hope he comes back next year…
• Chimdi Checkwa was great today. Did his receiver ever catch a pass?
• Still a little disappointed that Jordan Hall didn’t play much today. Thought he earned more carries than in garbage time.
• I’m glad the staff finally decided to let TP throw because we had receivers running free all day.
• Once Tress opened it up, we saw the future of this offense and I loved it!
• It was almost bizarro world in College Football this week. Bring on Iowa. I was confident in that game even before they lost and Stanzi was hurt. Our Dline was going to smother whomever was back there taking snaps.
• I’m not even mad at Mike Brewster for his throat slash towards the crowd penalty. Heard the fans were nasty and cussing at the team all game.
• The PSU fan the cameras kept zooming in on was classic. Nice shirt, ass.
• I smell roses. That is all.

TP’s final stats:
Passing: 8/17 for 125 yards and 2 TDs, No INTs
Rushing: 5 carries for 50 yds

PARTING SHOT: