Ramzy: We Are Not Okay
If you have read everything here, watched every Rose Bowl game highlight, or read twice/thrice for Brian's main game column as I did, here is some schadenfreude from our super lovely rivals. Extra juicy - and well written by Ramzy.
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2023/12/144478/we-are-not-okay
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:21 PM ^
OSU has a culture; it's a team full of mercenaries.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:44 PM ^
Where's my Mercedes? And, there were a few ten grand checks I received during my unofficial visit that bounced. You owe me!
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:29 PM ^
Invoking Dantonio's prophet status? Not sure why we're going down this road but:
Dantonio was very aware of what he was saying. And he fell into looking clairvoyant because it coincided exactly with Carr's retirement. That's pretty much all it was.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:55 PM ^
A Prophet knows what they are saying. Dantonio did not. He made a statement out of emotion after a loss to UM that turned out to be correct.
January 3rd, 2024 at 6:53 PM ^
Sustained mediocrity at OSU is something that I've never seen in my lifetime as a fan. Hell, even John Cooper won three conference championships in his time at OSU. It would be something to behold.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:15 PM ^
I didn't watch the game, but did they lose 14-3 because of their special teams play? That's kind of how the article reads. Either that or the special teams coach ran over Ramzy's dog.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:30 PM ^
He's using the ST coordinator as an example. Not the only guy on the staff he's disappointed with. Says that coach is the "embodiment" of the problems within the program, not the only one responsible.
January 3rd, 2024 at 6:14 PM ^
He could really stand to expand his list of examples, coach wise. And his blaming the ST coach for false starts on 2 pt tries makes him look dumb.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:15 PM ^
Meyer didn't wait to make necessary changes, because the best program stewards in the sport always operate with urgency.
This sick fascination with Meyer is why OSU is stuck where they are. They simply can’t move on from that douche of an human and allow someone, -anyone-, to create their own legacy. Fact is, Day has made staff overhaul changes, pink-slipped starting players to the portal, and pathetically tried to hype himself through weird “rah-rah” moments just this past year.
Maybe I’m a bastard for saying this but I’m glad they’re having these “look in the mirror” moments because up until 3 years ago, that was basically Michigan football for a very long time.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:53 PM ^
Shipping McCord to the portal and just not being at all prepared is the moment I've stopped the "he's good not great" line. Yes, Cotton Bowl and no MHJ - but THAT was just awful. After they treated their QB like offal.
There's not just one way to win - on the field or in the locker room. Tik tok videos are fine. We have folding chairs for some reason. They don't have to match Michigan, and honestly they shouldn't. They should zig to our zag. But what does Ohio State want to be? For the last 15 years they were the program with the NFL QBs and adapting the cutting edge of CFB offense for the Big Ten. The last 5 they became WRU too. In the NIL era, those are expensive games to play and the portal doesn't leave much margin for error. Either they pay off big - like a FG away from a title game against TCU - or you get the Cotton Bowl. OSU has the money and the resources - they can play that game and get away with it most years. But Georgia and Michigan have found a way to compete without Heisman-level QBs. We'll see how sustainable it is, but it has been better than OSU for 3 years now.
And Ryan Day is not the guy to find a new identity. He was a genius of a type of offense. But he has not figured out Michigan for three years. Harbaugh adapted in year 5 - so maybe I'm wrong about Day. But if he cannot, can he figure out a way to buy enough good will in '24 to make up for the inevitable inconsistencies that will happen with this approach?
But make no mistake, there will be a year where they have Cade at QB and their offense will not be as good as ours in 2021. If Day wins the league before then, he's probably ok. If it happens in '24, he's out.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:16 PM ^
I have no idea what he is talking about. OSU is tough and no changes are needed.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:46 PM ^
Agreed. From my perspective, I have been totally pleased with Ryan Day's tenure.
January 3rd, 2024 at 6:16 PM ^
I'd be curious to see someone dig up his comments following Day's nonsense following the ND game.
January 3rd, 2024 at 6:19 PM ^
I read this article and my reaction was fear - fear they might figure it out and fire Ryan Day. This after I thought MSU had their mediocre coach locked in for the long haul. That didn’t work out.
January 3rd, 2024 at 7:39 PM ^
Preach!
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:17 PM ^
This entire article is just fancy slop from a spoiled brat. Boo hoo, three straight eleven win seasons. I feel so bad for them!
Has it ever occurred to them that their program isn't exactly falling apart, but that Michigan has elevated itself? Ryan Day has made the CFP more than Meyer did! The difference between the two is that Meyer never had to face Michigan teams of this caliber.
I wouldn't read too much into the Cotton Bowl. That team was almost entirely checked out, and Mizzou were no slouches this year. McCord probably would have won that game for them, but they ran him out of town for not being the NFL ROY.
Their biggest problem isn't any of what this dude wrote. Sure, some of its probably true, but as long as they ignore their cultural issues of arrogance and entitlement, they'll continue to take L's to The Victors.
MICHIGAN BEAT ALABAMA IN THE ROSE BOWL! There's nothing any of them can say that will change this fact! Hell yeah!
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:41 PM ^
This I agree with. There is a profound lack of self-awareness permeating the OSU fan culture, and I expect that is shared with the football program itself — Day certainly seems to fit the bill. Let them make scapegoats and condemn themselves to sustained mediocrity for generations to come
January 3rd, 2024 at 6:17 PM ^
Ryan Day has made the CFP more than Meyer did!
Don't they both have 3 appearances?
January 3rd, 2024 at 7:02 PM ^
Meyer made it in 2014 and 2016. He lost to MSU's backup QB in 2015, and got blown the fuck out by Iowa and Purdue in 2017 and 2018. They missed the playoff in those years (and didn't score a single point in 2016, so were they really actually there?)
Day made it in 2019, 2020, and 2022.
January 3rd, 2024 at 8:02 PM ^
Couldn't remember if they made it in 2018 or not.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:17 PM ^
Sssshhh. We don’t want Day improving the coaching, it seems pretty clear Michigan has had superior coaching the last few years, and that has trumped OSU’s “stars.” Let’s not mess with that formula.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:19 PM ^
Sucks at recruiting? Wait... *checks profiles of OSU recruits* ... how in the eff can any Bucknut fan complain about recruiting??? Seriously, that is beyond delusional.
Now, failure to develop recruits, that's another matter.
January 3rd, 2024 at 7:00 PM ^
I don't understand how anyone at OSU can think recruiting or coaches who can't recruit are the problem.
Maybe they mean the transfer portal? They certainly aren't lighting it up there at the moment.
January 3rd, 2024 at 7:11 PM ^
At the time this column was written, Ohio State still employed a shocking number of assistants who don't recruit, cannot recruit, cannot coach adequately - or a combination of all three.
Yeah, recruiting is really a sore spot for An Ohio State University.
okay.gif
Man, eleven warriors staff writing really went down the shitter since they hired Urban, huh...
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:19 PM ^
He's not wrong.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:20 PM ^
Big culture differences between Ann Arbor and Columbus right now. OSU looks and plays like a bunch of mercenaries. They all look miserable and I didn't see any of them play with much enthusiasm a few weeks ago. While the W/L records might be similar, these programs are in very different places
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:20 PM ^
Alabama is probably going to go through a similar kind of meltdown someday soon.
He's complaining about recruiting but OSU is always top 5 or whatever.
I'm also confused because I thought their viewpoint was Ryan Day was still undefeated against Michigan because the last three years don't count. So really he's only lost, what, three games or something? So one meaningless bowl game with a dominant defensive performance means the sky is falling? I'm honestly confused. Lose a meaningless bowl game with a third string QB means fire everybody?
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:51 PM ^
A small point of clarification. Complaining about recruiting? The Buckeyes have had one of top three rosters in eight of the last nine years (according to 247).
Think about that - eight of nine seasons - a top three or better roster of talent - the one season they weren't top three, they were fifth.
They've got plenty of talent - as others have noted - they lack character and culture. But, damn - they are driving around Coluxbus in some very sweet wheels - and, have some awesome shoes.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:53 PM ^
Saban is 72 years old, there isn't an obvious successor being groomed to take over, and expectations will be insanely high for whoever does take over. I think you're right that Alabama's day iscoming soon.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:58 PM ^
If Saban did decide to retire - who would Bama go after? Who would you go after if you were Bama's AD?
I think Dan Lanning has to be pretty high on that list - as would be DeBoer. Dabo doesn't have quite the luster he did a few years ago. There's no way Smart leaves what he's built at Georgia - is there?
January 3rd, 2024 at 5:21 PM ^
Kirby Smart is a Georgia football/U alum. He just dominated CFB for three years. His recruiting is on par and/or better than Bama every year. So your question...
January 3rd, 2024 at 6:19 PM ^
Dabo was the immediate thought a few years ago, not so much anymore.
January 3rd, 2024 at 7:05 PM ^
I hear Jimbo Fisher is available
January 3rd, 2024 at 9:25 PM ^
I'm dead serious when I say this --- Lane Kiffin is going to wind up as the next Alabama HC.
January 3rd, 2024 at 7:12 PM ^
Do they really, deep down, think the last three years don’t count? I doubt it. They still feel the sting.
We would have greater justification in discounting the entire Tressel era, but is anyone making that case? No sir. We’re not deranged. We lived to see it. Even if we make the excuse, it doesn’t take away the memory.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:22 PM ^
Ha! I was just going to post this, and I feared I would get negbanged for posting it this week. In fact, I was considering negging myself if I did break down and post it. I was going to say, similarly to you:
Very well written. The old adage: "That's typing, not writing" doesn't apply. Whoever the guy is, he writes well.
But I wanted to add: Even in our darkest days, Brian and staff never wrote something this negative about M. Wow. Woof.
They BPONE at least as well as we do. Perhaps better.
January 3rd, 2024 at 5:14 PM ^
Even in our darkest days, Brian and staff never wrote something this negative about M.
I'm not sure that's entirely correct.
January 3rd, 2024 at 7:30 PM ^
Yeah the Brady Hoke era got real, real dark.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:23 PM ^
Holy shit, I'm going to pour a neat bourbon tonight and read this 15 more times.
This is reminiscent of all of us knowing Don Brown's scheme had been figured out and that he needed to move on, or Drevno's o-line development.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:25 PM ^
That is a miserable, spoiled fan base.
January 3rd, 2024 at 7:18 PM ^
The fact that they have a fan base, which is really a statewide cult, trying to remove all use of the letter M in the English language, has a song trashing the entire state of their sports rival — dissing the lives of about 10M people and a stunningly beautiful, culture-rich place — and refer to M as TTUN or TCUN, etc etc etc
and none of this prompts the realization that they are deeply unwell. It’s losing a couple football games that does. Yikes on a bike.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:29 PM ^
That is the vintage Dom Perignon version of Schadenfreude.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:34 PM ^
That writer is to Eleven Warriors as OSU is to Michigan. He’s a poor man’s Brian Cook — half as good, but more arrogant.
January 3rd, 2024 at 10:57 PM ^
Is it arrogance if the audience doesn't understand it? Seems like victory unto itself.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:42 PM ^
That was pleasant to read, but 2 things stuck out:
1-We are truly spoiled by the quality of writing on this blog. That was decently written, apart from him repeating the same thoughts over and over. Dude needs an editor.
2-in discussing Meyer’s emotional/poor coaching hires, he conveniently neglected to mention Zach Smith 🙄
January 3rd, 2024 at 6:20 PM ^
I'm sure that was an unintentional oversight.
/s
January 3rd, 2024 at 7:21 PM ^
I like the BOLD, ITALIC CALLOUTS
It really adds an unhinged lunatic Jack T Chick pamphlet vibe to the whole thing
But re: point #2, maybe we should set up weekly wellness checks on Ramzy’s significant other during football season. Or at least after they play Michigan…
January 3rd, 2024 at 11:35 PM ^
Hey, leave Urban alone. He's been busy with past mentoring of Aaron Hernandez on problem solving and bouncing his barmaid granddaughter on his knee.
January 3rd, 2024 at 4:48 PM ^
Their delusions and rationalizations are amazing. "NCAA will vacate wins!" "Cheaters that are cheating!" "They haven't faced an offense as good as Washington!" This last one said perhaps without realizing that this shits on their own offense, which before The Game they certainly expected to light us up. Their world is falling apart and they truly don't know how to deal.
There is at least one sane Bucknut commenter on there who said: "Everyone needs to stop caring so damn much what Michigan is doing. You all just create endless fodder and entertainment for their fanbase as they revel in our unhinging. It's pathetic."
Unhinging. I like that word.
January 3rd, 2024 at 6:22 PM ^
I am entertained.