re: Zeke Elliot trashes OSU coaching staff in post game comments.

He had 8 carries on one drive which resulted in a touchdown. He had 4 carries the rest of the game including only 3 carries after 12:45 in the second quarter. It was the worst offensive play calling I've ever seen and the most unimaginative.

quote:

---

The point is that he's an immature, self-centered player

---

Where is your evidence for this?

It seems to me the thing that bothered Elliott the most was that the Team lost.

In the first game of the season vs. Virginia Tech, he had 11 carries.

Ezekiel Elliott Discusses Ohio State's 42-24 Win Over Virginia Tech

Elliott wasn't critical of the play-calling (although, he did mention it was a "pretty simple game plan" based on the opponent's D), and he got one less carry than he did vs. Michigan St. The difference is that the Team won!

I am not an Ohio St. fan. However, I was interested to see what Ohio St. would do on Offense this year with all of the firepower they had. The Buckeyes had the personnel pieces to do all sorts of different things with creative personnel groupings, formations, and play-calling. But they have consistently underwhelmed (Meyer agrees). In my view, on a certain level, the Ohio St. coaches have failed their players, and that is why I said that despite feeling that Elliott's comments are generally better kept in-house, I'm okay with what he said in this situation. Players have obligations to coaches, but coaches also have obligations to players (some people, especially some older guys, often look past/forget about that second part).

quote:

---

ultimately letting the inmates run the asylum

---

This is a horrible analogy because Ezekiell Elliott is not analogous to an inmate, and Ohio St. is not analogous to an asylum (jokes aside).

I've seen a number of people say/repeat this. It's an oddly authoritarian analogy.

quote:

---

Elliott wasn't critical of the play-calling (although, he did mention it was a "pretty simple game plan" based on the opponent's D), and he got one less carry than he did vs. Michigan St. The difference is that the Team won!

---

Precisely. This is our whole point. He threw his coaches under the bus because they lost. That is something that someone that lacks maturity does. Pretty simple.

quote:

---

He threw his coaches under the bus because they lost.

---

I don't think that's appropriate phrasing in this instance because of the crucial factor of the Ohio St. coaches not setting up the O to run in the way that it had the potential to this year. That's the key factor for me on giving Elliott leeway in this situation, and I think if you got Urban Meyer to speak candidly, he would probably agree with that. I think this is something that has probably been building up for Elliott, and in some ways for other players also. I explained this with my first post in the thread when I referenced the mistake in offensive strategy having a psychological effect.

There is no point that you or anyone else in the thread is making that is lost on me. In fact, you have quoted me when you go the crux of your argument. And I have explained, going back to my first post in the thread, that I have a specific reason for making an exception in this instance.

To a lesser degree, I also give Elliott some leeway because football is a very emotional, violent game, and these comments were made right after the game. This kind of thing is going to happen sometimes. You say that you see immature whining. I think that is insulting, and lacks perspective. I see a passionate young guy who cares deeply about his Team, and being their focal point (Back to my main reason for leeway, I don't think he should be the main guy. I think he should be a main guy, with Barrett, Jones, and Miller more involved and playing together more often.) on O this year, I'm sure he felt that he let his teammates (and a lot of other people) down -- that's the aspect relative to himself that it seems a lot of people aren't considering -- he's the guy (Again, I don't even think he should be in that position to be the guy. Ohio St. has other options, but they are contingent on creative play-calling.) on Offense who could have made a difference in the outcome, but he wasn't really given the opportunity. He had a moment of passionate candor -- I don't think it's really a big deal based on the context and the key factors I've mentioned. If the circumstances were different, I may agree with you, but in this instance, I don't.