What does the man have to do?Kurt Coleman and five other Buckeyes were announced first or second team All-Big Ten selections (PDF warning) by the league's coaches and media Monday night. The senior captain recorded 5 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles and several bone-crushing hits (one of which landed him a one-game suspension, robbing him of a certain additional takeaway or two) on the way to being named to both the coahes and media first teams.
Justin Boren joined him on the media first team, but placed on the coaches' second team. Also on the coaches' second team were Brandon Saine, Thaddeus Gibson, Cameron Heyward and Ross Homan. Saine and the three defenders also made the media's second team.
You could make a case for Cam making a first team, but the league's defensive front is perhaps the strength of the conference. What is worth groaning about, is that Jim Tressel now has six Big Ten championships, but zero Dave McClain Coach of the Year awards. The winner of the award, Iowa's Kirk Ferentz had a fantastic season in his own right -- guiding an injured team to a 9-0 start and a top 10 ranking, but his Hawkeyes did place seven players on first teams, which led the conference. Should Tressel not get a little love for winning the league outright with only two first team guys?
It's worth pointing out that the media chooses this award and maybe this is their way of sending him a message about his playcalling and/or development of Pryor (who only earned an honorable mention nod from the media and nothing from the coaches). Or maybe it's the (unrealistic and crazy) assumption that he should be winning titles with the talent and full force of the machine behind him. But six titles (three outright) and no hardware is a little tough to stomach.
