I've never been so mad to be so right.
I've said this before, and in no way does this make me unique, but the primary reason I started blogging was so I could take my opinion public. Had I not been blogging last week, I still would have told my Buckeye people how something just wasn't right about the 2008 defense. They were lacking an edge, and it was shocking that seemingly nobody else made the same observation. Every time OSU came out flat, the offense--Todd Boeckman in particular--received the blame, and deservedly so. But, other than in this space, I don't recall anyone mentioning the businesslike approach of the defense, or how there wasn't a single head-smashing lunatic in the starting lineup. That stuff matters on the college level, just as we saw (or didn't see) on the national stage a few nights ago in Los Angeles.
Here's the telling (but not necessarily shocking) postgame quote from Alex Boone that illustrates the demeanor of this team (thanks to Ken Gordon of the Columbus Dispatch):
"When we walked in at halftime, nobody was saying anything," Boone said. "I mean, what the (heck), we're Ohio State -- we should be screaming and swearing and saying everything evil you can think of.
"And guys are hanging their heads, and you don't know what to say to them. You try screaming, and they just put their head down even more. We can't play like that, and if we play like that the rest of the season, we won't be anything."
-Brad Spieser (Brad@TwinKilling.com)
9/16/08
