Hi Coach,
It seems like ages since I last wrote. What a wild 2012 it was huh?
First there was the post-season ban. Admittedly I was worried about how you would motivate the team. The evidence suggested you knew what you’re doing, but you’d never faced a challenge like that. Secondarily, I was concerned the ban might hurt recruiting. I mean you know how other coaches can spin these things.
Apparently you weren’t too worried though. I get it you’ve got a mean pitch.
Then there was the ESPN training days series, which gave us all an inside look into how you run your program. The access was unprecedented, and it was enough to sate our football desires until the start of the season….and I want to thank you for that.
But, even with the peek behind the curtain, it was hard to discern what kind of team OSU would field. From the clown show comments, to the apparent lack of a big play guy, the squad, particularly the offense, was a mystery.
Well it wasn’t long before you had me questioning everything. Down 3-0 after the first quarter of the Miami (Ohio) game, I was freaking out. Would this team be a replay of 2011? Would we lose the first game of the season? Would you retire again because this offense was keeping you up until 4 AM slugging Red Bulls and scrawling NEED MORE SPEED!!! in your own blood on a white board?
Luckily the remaining three quarters put those fears to bed, but the second third and fourth games were more of the same. Sure the good guys won but it was clear the team was only scratching the surface. I wanted more, you wanted more and that’s exactly what we got against Michigan State.
You said it yourself, it was a moment for the team. The come to Jesus was just what the Dr. ordered and the players responded, reeling off 115 points in the next two games….and I want to thank you for that.
Then came Purdue. OHHHH Purdue. Everything that could go wrong did, but you kept your cool. If I was coaching the team I would have ripped my own head off, thrown it in a trash can and walked my mangled shell of a body out of the stadium in disgust, but you didn’t…and I want to thank you for that.
After the close call against the fighting mustaches, you rolled up four more wins including one against this guy on your way to the only undefeated season by a first year head coach in OSU history. Man what a honeymoon that was. Honestly I was so happy I didn’t even care the team had a post-season ban. Sure it would have been great to compete for a title, but the next best thing is shoving an undefeated season up the NCAA’s collective tail pipe….and I REALLY want to thank you for that.
Sure it would have been great to compete for a title, but the next best thing is shoving an undefeated season up the NCAA’s collective tail pipe….and I REALLY want to thank you for that.
Then came the long cold offseason. It went by seemingly without a hitch. Spring practice came and went without so much as a peep from the offseason arrest gods. But alas, mere sunrises from B1G media day four players (including two upperclassmen starters) found trouble.
Well in the college football media vacuum that is the summer, that was all reporters needed. Before we knew it, “journalists” far and wide were trotting out the tired “Urban Meyer Lacks Discipline” storyline, even going so far as to link you to the unspeakable sins of a player you hadn’t coached in four years.
Nevermind LSU lead rusher Jeremy Hill being arrested for battery, four Alabama freshman committing two separate robberies, a Texas player fracturing another man’s jaw and Heisman winner Johnny Manziel getting bombed underage seemingly every weekend without repercussion. No no, it’s you Coach Meyer who runs an undisciplined program.
Unfortunately it’s the blessing and the curse of being the OSU coach. Tressel learned it the hard way. Buckeye stories garner page views and page views bring in ad dollars. Simple as that.
Of course you already know this, I’m just preaching to the choir. I guess what I’m trying to say is, we Buckeye fans realize how hard it is to be the coach at Ohio State. You’re now the head man for the Yankees of college football. There’s intense love and intense hate, it’s part of the deal.
With that said, I want you to know you’re not alone in this. You’ve given me an undefeated season, with the promise of another successful campaign on the horizon. You’ve given me top recruiting classes with another seemingly in the can. You’ve represented Ohio State with grace and class, and last but certainly not least, you’ve given me a reason to get excited about my favorite football team again.
And I want to thank you for that.
I’ll see you Aug. 31st, come hell or high water.
Sincerely,
Any Ohio State Fan
