While we were sad about the Fiesta Bowl, Ryan Day gave up playcalling.
I definitely missed this at the time, so I imagine a lot of you did as well. Ryan Day told Herbie that he plans to give up playcalling next season. With Stroud leaving and Kevin Wilson bouncing to take the Tulsa head coaching job, it seems like the OSU offense could look very different next year. Given how deadly their offense has been with him calling plays, this one seems a bit puzzling to me. Their offense was definitely not the problem. Thoughts?
January 11th, 2023 at 7:51 PM ^
Born on third base - but repeatedly picked off before getting home. His story is so refreshing for this rivalry.
January 12th, 2023 at 6:29 AM ^
This looks like a head coach that knows his offense is going to go backwards next season and wants to put someone else in charge who can take the fall when it doesn't work. Typical CYA move.
"We are losing a really good O Line, key skill positions, and a two time Heisman candidate QB. You want to do it?" - said to nearest scapegoat
He is going to recruit himself to be his own savior in 2-3 years, but will anyone be around to play politics with him?
January 12th, 2023 at 7:33 AM ^
Ryan Day's play calling is not the problem. Having his mind on calling plays while he's supposed to take on head coaching duties is the problem. Stepping out of play calling will allow him to game manage better. And though I certainly expect he'll remain active in game-planning discussions, there's more he can attend to as a head coach during the week beyond establishing an offensive game plan.
When I first heard speculated that Day might step away from play-calling I thought it was a great idea because Kevin Wilson would step in and call plays. But now that Wilson is gone, if Day doesn't call plays it means it's coming from someone currently not on the staff, or someone who is on the staff and a first-time play-caller. That makes me a little nervous.
January 12th, 2023 at 7:48 AM ^
I get what you are saying, but the timing of the decision and all that it coincides with is still pretty fascinating. Especially when considering how well the offense was performing with the last group of players he called plays for in 2022.
January 12th, 2023 at 10:47 AM ^
I think timing is that he needs to hire a new OC, and you are not going to get a great/ established OC (one without baggage) if you do not allow them to call plays on gameday.
Just a guess on my part.
January 12th, 2023 at 2:40 PM ^
They gave up 85 points in their last 2 games. He's got more pressing worries than how Stroud leaving might impact his public perception.
January 12th, 2023 at 8:11 AM ^
If by ‘managing the game better’, you mean finding someone who can:
- articulate a better defensive scheme
- find better assistant coaches
- teach the new scheme to his 4- and 5-star recruits
- come up with better game plans and make game time adjustments,
then I agree. Offense hasn’t been the problem at OSU.
January 11th, 2023 at 7:52 PM ^
I don't know. But does anyone else think it's a little weird that CJ Stroud still hasn't declared for the draft?
January 11th, 2023 at 7:54 PM ^
Perhaps he wants to have four full years at osu with zero gold pants.
January 11th, 2023 at 8:16 PM ^
It is wierd. Two year starter, Heisman finalist, waiting to declare for the draft? Perhaps the draft analysts aren’t projecting him where he’d like to hear his name called. In my mind, he’s a strong candidate to be the last guy sitting in the green room after everyone else’s name has been called. Or maybe he’s waiting for his 2023 NIL number. Who knows.
January 11th, 2023 at 8:28 PM ^
There's easily 5 teams that are in desperate need of a QB. He goes top 15 without question
January 11th, 2023 at 8:45 PM ^
I'd say top 5 without a question. If the Bears do NOT want a QB, some team is going to trade to get the top pick of probably Young. Houston needs a QB, the Colts need a QB. I could understand Seattle taking one with Geno being older, and the Lions taking one to groom for a year to avoid paying Goff next year.
January 11th, 2023 at 8:54 PM ^
I want the Bears to draft young and trade fields
January 11th, 2023 at 9:04 PM ^
Perhaps the Bears do not want another OSU QB?
January 11th, 2023 at 9:36 PM ^
Miami will draft a QB. Commanders. Raiders. Jets. And the aforesaid Colts Texans and perhaps bears and Lions. What happens with Kyler in Arizona? Stafford has what 2-3 years tops in him.
January 11th, 2023 at 10:46 PM ^
zero chance the Lions take a QB high. Zero. Anyone saying this hasn't been watching the Lions and hasn't been following the coach and GM. The damage that would do for this rebuild would be big. Lions are likely a playoff team next few years. How many years would it take CJ Stroud to play as well as Goff? Goff was the highest rated QB in the 2nd half of this season. Even if everything turned out the best possible for CJ in Detroit, it would take three years. That's 2~3 years of playoffs Detroit would be turning away. Detroit would ever do that.
January 11th, 2023 at 11:22 PM ^
If the Lions were to waste one of their 1st round picks this year, especially with the QB class as it is, it would be one the most high level fuck ups in their storied history of high level fuck ups.
This team is close and needs pieces. Goff is playing good ball. Management has stated they believe in him and he has reinforced that with his play.
January 12th, 2023 at 9:00 AM ^
Eh…..CJ Stroud is deadly accurate
unless his first read is a problem
or he gets pressure
He is very talented but I’m not sure his talent translates cleanly the the NFL where you have to progress through your reads quickly and adapt to pressure.
January 11th, 2023 at 8:47 PM ^
Anyone remember the year Aaron Rodgers sat around the green room after everyone else was long gone? Pretty sure he was the best player to come out of that draft.
January 11th, 2023 at 10:09 PM ^
Former is dropping, latter is rising.
January 11th, 2023 at 8:32 PM ^
Maybe he's going to portal out
January 12th, 2023 at 7:55 AM ^
Unless he is getting a guarantee that he'll be going in the top 15. You have to imagine he's getting some really good offers to stay. That fan base paid over one million for Ewers to stop by for a cup of coffee.
January 12th, 2023 at 9:59 AM ^
He is absolutely going top 15 and I'd bet on top 10. There's no reason to stay unless he just really wants to leave OSU on a better note...but that's leaving a lot of money on the table
January 12th, 2023 at 9:04 AM ^
It is weird but I assume he's going to leave. His stock won't got any higher with another year in college and his flaws aren't likely to disappear.
Some guys just take their time with it.
January 11th, 2023 at 7:54 PM ^
I did see this, and my take is this... When he was doing what Urban told him to do against Michigan, it worked. Then he quit doing that and it no longer worked. He doesn't want to run the ball and it cost him dearly at the end of the year.
I think he had to do something to stay off the angry fans. They could look very different next year for a number of reasons.
January 11th, 2023 at 7:56 PM ^
Stave off the angry fans?
January 11th, 2023 at 8:00 PM ^
IMO Urban/Day's annihilation of us was mostly a Don Brown problem. They were even more pass-happy in 2018 when they beat us 62-39 IIRC.
January 11th, 2023 at 8:35 PM ^
Stroud not making himself a dual threat helped. I was surprised seeing him run as much as he did against Georgia, after basically not running at all against Michigan two years in a row.
January 12th, 2023 at 10:07 AM ^
The 'meta' on the rivalry under Harbaugh has mainly been Michigan's defense trying to catch up to OSU's offense imo
2015 - DJ Durkin nuked by Urban's more run heavy scheme
2016 & 2017 - Don Brown vs. Urban's more run heavy scheme actually did fairly well but Haskins coming in for an injured Barrett in the 2017 was a harbinger of future problems
2018-2019 - Don Brown's scheme gets nuked vs Ryan Day's scheme
2021-2022 - Michigan's move to a more NFL style defense sufficiently slows Ryan Day's scheme
Michigan is out in front for once. We'll see how Day responds. Playcalling is only scratching the surface
January 11th, 2023 at 8:40 PM ^
Ding, ding, ding!
January 11th, 2023 at 8:42 PM ^
Ding, dang, dupe!
January 11th, 2023 at 9:13 PM ^
Wait, if OSU hadn't stopped running against us they would have beaten us? Ha. Their problem was the defense giving up 28/half against UM no matter who the DC is.
January 12th, 2023 at 12:06 AM ^
CJ ran a little bit against Georgia, so OSU clearly learned from its mistakes in The Game. There were a few instances when he left yards on the table against us by forcing a tough pass when he could have run for a first down.
January 11th, 2023 at 7:57 PM ^
Well, there is a lot of opinion that head coaches shouldn't call plays. However, it does make for a possibly down year for them. New QB (probably?), new person, same old Charmin soft approach. One more beatdown and OSU could be in trouble.
January 11th, 2023 at 8:17 PM ^
Other than Harbaugh pulling down Day’s pants 2 years in a row, OSU has been pretty solid on offense. They were a missed field goal away from going to the championship game and very likely the National Championship.
Seems odd to me as well.
January 12th, 2023 at 7:25 AM ^
Just like Michigan firing Don Brown, though, scoring 27 and 23 points in the Game in back-to-back years is a serious issue. It doesn't matter how many points you nuke Indiana or Toledo by if you can't get it done when it matters.
January 11th, 2023 at 8:25 PM ^
Must be bringing in urbz to be his new OC
January 11th, 2023 at 8:27 PM ^
Sounds good. Bring in Al Borges.
January 11th, 2023 at 8:28 PM ^
Strange move to give up the one thing he is supposed to be great at?
January 11th, 2023 at 8:44 PM ^
That's because he REALLY REALLY wants to win next year. Like super duper wants to win.
January 11th, 2023 at 8:52 PM ^
He will be gone if they lose again
January 11th, 2023 at 9:18 PM ^
Are you super cereal?
January 11th, 2023 at 8:51 PM ^
Being the head coach and the play caller at the same time just does not work IMO. Day is a perfect example. I am a Chicago Bears Fan while we had coach Nagy this was a major issue as well. The season before he got fired he let his play calling go before the the last 5 games or so. The offense started to do well. Then the next season he decided to be the play caller again and the offense was awful again and the team gave up on him he got fired. The head coach has too many obligations and things especially throughout a game that need attention. When you are the offensive coordinator with the name tag of head coach it does not work. This was IMO the right move by him.
January 11th, 2023 at 9:22 PM ^
You've obviously never met Michael Barrett.
LB, Safety, O-coordinator, D-coordinator, Google engineer, Nasa scientists, MMA fighter, dog whisperer.
That's just Mon-Wed.
January 11th, 2023 at 9:16 PM ^
OSU will be good forever no matter what. Accept it.
January 11th, 2023 at 9:45 PM ^
Evil is never good.
Good is never evil.
Ohio is what they choose to be but they have never chosen good from Woody on.
January 11th, 2023 at 9:18 PM ^
As much as I hate OSU, Ryan Day is not particularly unlikable. He's not an asshole in the Mork Dantonelli mold, and he's generally mild mannered.
Obviously it helps that Harbaugh beat his ass the past two years and was called out for being born on third after his hang 100 comment, but in general he's just not the asshole I'd really enjoy OSU having as coach and losing to UM.
January 11th, 2023 at 9:28 PM ^
His smarmy drop 100 comment after getting caught practicing during the pandemic says otherwise.
January 11th, 2023 at 9:46 PM ^
People, especially competitors, say things. I submit Harbaugh’s third base comment as an example. Day won’t match Meyer as a coach and he won’t match him in the asshole department. In fact, he’s personality isn’t much different than any other coach’s. And Stroud is excellent and played well in the losses to Michigan. The opinions about both here are overly negative for obvious reasons.
January 11th, 2023 at 11:35 PM ^
Fair enough, I mean, I don’t necessarily get the impression he’s completely soulless like an Urban or Tressel or a maniac like Tucker or Dantonio. Also not as obnoxious as say Bert or Franklin. A little full of himself ie the drop 100 in response to getting caught cheating but I’ve gotten the impression more that he’s sort of fake or a really mechanical guy. Like Jim Harbaugh space cadet around the media bad.
His answer to the question of who his favorite old school coach was bizarre. It was supposed to be an easy, fun question and he gives this boring political answer talking about how there’s so many great coaches. Anyone else at OSU would have immediately said Hayes even if they didn’t like him just for points.