The State of Ohio State
The talk amongst media folks in the aftermath of Ohio State’s 28-10 win over Troy was how we felt badly for sixth-year senior quarterback Todd Boeckman. Here’s a guy who stood by and waited for a Buckeye scholarship only after Brady Quinn turned his back on Ohio State. He paid his own way in school for a semester while he gray-shirted. He sat patiently behind Craig Crenzel, Justin Zwick and Troy Smith to get his shot and he didn’t blow his chance. He became an all conference quarterback, led the Buckeyes to the national championship game last year and at one point during the 2007 season was the number one junior class NFL quarterback prospect and Heisman Trophy candidate. He was voted team captain by his peers before the season, not to mention the fact that he took care of business in the classroom and has already graduated. After accomplishing all that, Buckeye fans booed him off the field for throwing one bad pass? I know Buckeye Nation is frustrated by the less than spectacular recent big game performances, but common! I’m not telling people how to be a fan – they’ve bought their ticket and I believe in free speech – but that was bad. I heard former Buckeyes on the talk shows after the game who said that they were embarrassed by those fans. I’ve gotten to know Todd fairly well the past couple years, even shared a flight with him to New Orleans last year – I’ve looked him in the eye, asked him some uncomfortable questions and he’s always been nothing but positive. He’s a genuine, nice guy, and has never found himself in any off the field trouble. He’ll continue to be a good soldier, will say the right things and tutor Terrelle Pryor appropriately. The guy is all class, beloved by his teammates. He deserves respect from Buckeye fans - at all times whether they win or lose. I know that’s a little too ideal, but in Omar’s world that’s how it ought to be. However, I must say I think Todd’s earned every bit of his benching. He simply hasn’t played well in Ohio State’s biggest games, and Terrelle Pryor is already the best true freshman quarterback I’ve ever seen – and that includes Tim Tebow. Nobody feels worse about this situation than the Ohio State offensive line. Their consistently poor performances have forced Boeckman’s immobility to become an issue, highlighting one of Pryor’s great strengths. I asked guard Ben Person about it last week. He said he felt awful and partly responsible for Todd’s inconsistency. If they had played better, then maybe Todd would have had more time to throw, show what he could do, make better passes and decisions. Former Buckeye assistant coach Lou Holtz always told his teams that they would face three crises in a season. Ohio State has had Beanie’s injury, the quarterback upheaval and have handled those two decently. We’ll see what dangers number three will provide, but I think they have the leadership to steer the ship back to smooth sailing. Not to mention a rookie standing on the bow who appears immune to seasickness. Until next time…
