Lessons from Urban Meyer, and it was Ohio State that was holding at Michigan

On Dec 19, 2021

Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at [email protected].

Urban Meyer was 2-11 this season with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

On Urban Meyer

To Brian: Here are a couple of leadership learnings from Urban’s short tenure in Jacksonville:

You can’t effectively lead others if all you care about is yourself.
Your words and motivational sayings are meaningless if your own actions are inconsistent with these.

Jim Burke, Dublin

To Jim: Would love to hear the re-reviews from the students who took Meyer’s “Character and Leadership” course at Ohio State a few years back.

Michigan Wolverines defensive back DJ Turner (5) and linebacker Junior Colson (25) tackle Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5) during the third quarter of the NCAA football game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021.

On Ohio State-Michigan

Hello Brian: Interesting hand-wringing on the OSU fan base because Michigan was not called for holding. Full disclosure: I am a Michigan fan and was at The Game with very good seats in the corner of the end zone, so could see fairly well when ball was down on my end of field (also watched multiple game replays to enjoy OSU getting its butt whipped). First, there always seems to be holding by offensive lineman on almost every play throughout football with the offender only getting a flag when there arm wraps around the defenseman’s body, usually in the underarm or neck area, or they basically tackle said defender. That said, I was looking at a ton of holding by the outside OSU receivers on every running play or flanker screen pass with nary a flag to be seen. In fact, those were the only times OSU had any success there.

More: Urban Meyer fired as Jaguars coach 13 games into first NFL season amid controversies

Also, when looking at replays of Michigan’s decimation of OSU’s offensive line on pass plays, I would say that Hutchinson/Ojabo combo would have had several more sacks had the OSU lineman not been holding on for dear life. On the Michigan side of the ball, all I saw was the OSU linemen, linebackers and defensive backs on the outside getting pushed backwards — no need to grab anything.

On a side note, after having to listen to OSU fans trash talking as I got my breakfast, on the way to and into the stadium and before kickoff, their silence at the end of the game was so satisfying.

Greg McKenna

To the editor: Couldn’t pass up a chance to print a Detroit Free Press article lauding TTUN’s recruiting could you? “Stomping Ohio State?” Really? Maybe a 15-point win qualifies up there.

John Dawson, Dublin

To John: No devious angle here in running that story. Just newsy. The big rival that finally beat the local team had a banner year in recruiting, partly because of how it stomped the local team.

New Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman is recognized on the court during a timeout during an NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Robert Franklin)

On Marcus Freeman

To the editor: Since (Notre Dame coach Marcus) Freeman is so sorry to have played at OSU, maybe we are sorry to have let him play. We probably thought he would be glad for the opportunity, but I guess not. Guess I’m hoping his coaching at Notre Dame is not successful also.

Donna Brown, Gahanna

To Donna: Freeman is learning pretty quickly that as a head coach at a place like Notre Dame his every word he utters will be scrutinized. Look for fewer slip-ups in the future.

Austin Carr looks up during an NBA basketball game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Brooklyn Nets on March 18 in Cleveland.

On Austin Carr

To the editor: Listening to Austin Carr broadcast the Cavaliers game is worse than watching the TV stations broadcast pictures of “Buckeye Guy” or “Bucknut” during the OSU football games. Please spare us the pain!

Jimmy Ryan, Canal Winchester

Cincinnati Bearcats running back Jerome Ford (24) celebrates a touchdown carry in the second quarter of the NCAA football game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Cincinnati Bearcats at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021.

On the College Football Playoff

To Brian: A modest proposal to end the madness of a puny, laughable, pathetic four-team college football playoff. December/January/February Madness — a 64 team playoff to determine the true college football king. It works for basketball. It will work for football. True, it stretches the season out a bit, to 17, 18 games, but what are these kids gonna do in the winter anyways? Attend classes? Plus, it fills a boring TV stretch for sports — bowling, followed by more bowling. Need I say more? This will generate revenue. Plus tremendous fan interest. If this system was in place today, Ohio State would still be in it.

Thad Woodman, Westerville

To Thad: Your idea, while great for TV ratings, would take an unbelievably painful toll on the bodies of those players. Have you seen how former players limp and ache now? This would be cruel and unfair.

To Brian: Larry Cheek makes some good points in his letter published last Sunday. In particular, I like “Throw away the Rankings,” and I say let someone win it on the field. Larry doesn’t understand why a team might have to beat a team they already defeated in the season. In fact, in the Big Ten, a team might have to face a team in the CFP that they’ve already beaten TWICE.

There are already plans in the works to expand to eight or more teams. Division I should set it up like Division II has been doing for years and create a playoff, admitting the champions of the conferences. After all, how does a team claim to be a national champion if they’re not even champion of their own league? And why should anyone get a second (or third) shot at their league champion?

What are the Power Five guys afraid of, anyway? Maybe they know the Group of Five guys are better than anyone admits. Maybe they know that if the Group of Five guys had a legitimate shot at a national championship, they could take away some of those three-, four- or five-star recruits and level that field as well over the long term.

The polls, rankings and media are done by folks who know which teams have the most star recruits and even make a competition out of that, and they know what coaches get the highest salaries and even make a competition out of that. How much of this seeps into their thinking on rankings? If the independents don’t like it, they should join a conference. If the bowls think they’ll lose too much money, let them host the first round of the playoff.

Charlie Hoben, Reynoldsburg