Mailbox: Will Ohio State football fans watch Kyle McCord become another Joe Burrow?
Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at bwhite1@dispatch.com. Letters are lightly edited for clarity.
On Ohio State football
To the editor: I believe that if the quarterback failed to learn, that tells me that the coach failed to teach. It’s the duty of the coaches to call the plays. If the receivers do not do their jobs, you cannot blame the quarterback. When a coach makes a mistake he should not point fingers at another person. Will Kyle McCord be another Joe Burrow? Is this the same reason that Burrow left OSU?
Carl Felton, Columbus
To Carl: No, that is not why Burrow left Ohio State. He left because he did not win the starting job and wanted to go somewhere he would play right away. The player who beat him out at Ohio State, Dwayne Haskins, threw for 50 touchdowns and a Big Ten-record 4,831 yards as the Buckeyes finished 13-1 in 2018. Burrow rose to greatness the next season, his second at LSU.
To the editor: I have just one comment concerning coach Day's record vs Michigan: At what point does he finally decide to turn the offensive play calling duties over to his offensive coordinator? You are paying for the OC to be on staff, so let him call the plays, and if they are not good enough then get someone else who can do the job. Day did that with the defense even though it still has not reached peak performances against Michigan and playoff teams. Day calls plays that have no imagination or creativity. That is why we usually get burned by trick plays like in this year's games vs Rutgers and Michigan. Even if you are not successful with trick plays, it sure gets the defense thinking about them. Hopefully we will see Day wake up and turn the offensive play calling over to Brian Hartline. Hard to believe that things will not improve!
Ken Shepherd, Gahanna
To Ken: Hartline has never been a play-caller, so for a coach who has had great success to hand it over to a newbie would be a big ask on the big stage Ohio State is on. Kevin Wilson was a different story, as he had a long history of coordinating. But Wilson is now the head coach at Tulsa.
To the editor, Mr. Brian White: Don White claimed that Ohio State's last victory over Michigan in football came "over a terrible TTuN during COVID." Michigan may have been terrible, but that's not Ryan Day's fault, and it was absolutely not during COVID. Our 56-27 win over the Wolverines in Ann Arbor came in November 2019, a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic started in the U.S. Also, why does it seem that many people easily forget that the November 2020 game, which was during the COVID pandemic, was canceled due to COVID? Ohio State was so heavily favored in Columbus that year that the Buckeyes were expected to win in a blowout, so very likely OSU had a big win over our archrivals unfairly taken away by COVID in 2020.
Gail Holcomb, Upper Arlington
Dear Editor: There seems to be a lot of hand wringing and head scratching going on regarding all the transfers in college football these days. With the transfer portal wide open and all the NIL money to be made, it’s no surprise. Keep in mind, all of these athletes want to get on the field and compete and all are great athletes even if they are on the sidelines watching. Many just want a chance to show their stuff on game day. I think to decrease the number of players looking to transfer would be to cut the number of scholarships schools can give from the current 85 to 75. This would give more players the opportunity to play and thus be less likely to want to transfer. Do you really need a third string of players who never get the chance to realize their dream?Chet Ridenour, Worthington
To the editor: (On Ryan Day) Sometimes you're standing on the sidelines in an iconic football stadium observing your iconic football team play another iconic football team and you think you're an iconic coach, but you're not.
Rick George, Plain City
To Brian: I started my letter in praise of Ohio State for exceeding expectations this season. Considering from the start a new QB, rebuilding the O-line, injuries and the uncertainty of the secondary, there was progress weekly. The Buckeyes had a real chance to silence The Big House crowd. But the announcement of the transfers, foremost by Kyle McCord, sheds an unfavorable spotlight on Ryan Day. For the head coach to say, "You didn't get it done. ... It's just not good enough" (a mixed message alluding to McCord?) is unwarranted. Michigan is the ultimate yardstick and was the better team. Dispatch writers (Dec. 1) attested to that view. J.J. McCarthy could return as a senior, giving his team a greater advantage in the rivalry - that is, without McCord who [gave] OSU the best chance to win. But would McCord want another year without his coach's backing? How many first-year quarterbacks get to 11-0? Tenacious! The timing of Day's comments was unwise. The news may give the "Fire Day" crowd some pause. After another loss, maybe not.
Losing to your rival x 3, stings deep - it was devastating. Hope on the final drive is now replaced by questions and doubts. A bowl win won't change those feelings for some time. And readers can decide if McCord was hasty and possibly selfish. Lately, with Harbaugh's issue(s), the scene in Ann Arbor looked almost dysfunctional. Yet I wonder if the problems aren't more far-reaching here. Day cares more about his reputation, particularly in regard to McCord. Or maybe little. Only the 1-3 record. Whatever it takes to win - That Game.
Larry Cheek, Dublin
To Larry: I see nothing wrong with a coach telling a player he needs to compete to keep his job, especially after he did not meet expectations. And telling someone they haven't been good enough is just coaching.
On the Columbus Blue Jackets
To the editor: After watching the latest meltdown against the Kings it is obvious that the "brick by brick" strategy has yielded nothing more that a house of straw. Time to huff and puff and blow it down and bring in new upper management to get us some players with the ability to play a full 60 minutes. Fantilli was a great pick but he is not going to be able to flourish unless we surround him with more talent.
As for the rest of this young team (we have been hearing that for years), are they actually going to develop or will they just grow into mediocre players that are a little bit older? As of now I will be canceling my Bally Sports subscription as of the first of the year. $19.99 a month, and Comedy Central is free - both showing pretty much the same material these days
Tom Cole, Etna
To the editor: Like many long-suffering Blue Jackets fans, I am more than slightly dismayed at their inability to win games they have led in the third period. I read a recent article with complete disbelief. The players and coaches are, supposedly, trying to figure out what they need to do to win those games. Really? Are they serious? Such obfuscation of the obvious facts is an insult to the intelligence of every Jackets fan. Here’s an idea: attempt to play offense in the third period when leading. A very radical idea, indeed. In other words, play the same way all the time. Play like you want to win, instead of playing like you are afraid to lose.
During the Nov. 6 game in Florida, the Jackets trailed early and battled back to take the lead with less than 10 minutes to play. After the ensuing faceoff, what did the entire team do.? They backed up. They all backed up and proceeded to cower in the defensive zone the remainder of the game, completely ceding procession of the puck to the Panthers. One would think after working so hard to get the lead they would see the benefit being in the offensive zone. Your opponent can’t score if they don’t have the puck!
Chipping the puck out of the defensive zone and allowing the opponent to repeatedly bring it back in and take pot shots at net is not a winning strategy. Hoping for time to expire is not a plan. If this is the idea of the players, I guess they don’t really want to win. If it’s the idea of the coaching staff, someone needs to be fired.
Paul Burchett, Pickerington
On Ohio State basketball
To the editor: I am curious if anyone else is tired of the bombastic delivery of the new announcer at the OSU me'n's basketball games. His announcing school must have come from WWE, as it is very grating in style and does the opposite of what he is trying to accomplish - fire up the crowd. His overly loud and overly boisterous delivery is obviously for his own entertainment since no one around me is entertained. I guess he thinks he is the entertainment. Oh, for the days of listening to an arena announcer that is not trying to be a legend in his own mind.
Jim Sibert, Gahanna
On the Columbus Crew
To the editor: Well, it appears that Major League Soccer continues to disadvantage Crew fans, and now notoriously unreliable Ticketmaster, as well. Mr. Arace was way too kind when he said it is never too late to do the right thing, because it was. Many season ticket holders made arrangements to be available for the Monday 1 p.m. beginning of ticket sales, but that window for purchase was essentially nullified by a leak to other organizations with bots to purchase tickets. They tried to do the right thing by nullifying those purchases and reopening at 10 the next day, but those who either didn’t didn’t see the email in time or who were unable to make arrangements to be available on short notice were out of the running. In addition, the visiting team supporters were given access before the Columbus season-ticket holders. That’s especially galling, given how the process played out. There must be a rationale for that, so I’d be interested to hear it. Those who have opted for a credit card also received priority. I’d ask what the league priorities are, but that is self-evident. It is not money, of course, and it is decidedly NOT Columbus Crew fans.John Heintz
To John: I can assure you that Crew fans' happiness is not high on the league's priority list. There is money, then about a thousand things, and then maybe the Nordecke, as long as it results in money.
On Ohio State women's basketball
To the editor: I so enjoy The Dispatch sports department (particularly Jardy) of an Ohio State men’s sports, but I’m again disappointed in the lack of coverage to the stellar Ohio State women's basketball team. It’s another stellar year for the Buckeyes, and yet the coverage is very limited. The reports on Ohio State men’s team, the Blue Jackets, the Crew, high school sports, etc., are top level.
Being in South Carolina part time, the SC women's basketball team receives top, equal coverage to both Clemson and USC men’s sports. Hopefully more attention and resources will be added to The Dispatch coverage of women’s sports at Ohio State.
Than Johnson
To Than: While we don't treat all sports equally, we do quite a bit on the Ohio State women's basketball team. Adam Jardy gave us great coverage in the preseason, and now Brianna Mac Kay is on the beat. Follow her for great coverage this season.
More from the Mailbox:
Some are supportive, but plenty of Ohio State football fans are angry at Ryan Day
Big Ten was unfair to Jim Harbaugh, and Dispatch coverage couldn't be more biased
Readers have opinions on Michigan football cheating and want Jim Harbaugh fired
Readers unhappy with Ohio State football, officiating, newspaper deadlines
Ohio State football's Dallan Hayden could be a treat to watch next year
1 yard and a cloud of dust is a bad strategy for Ohio State football
Readers unhappy with Peacock, Bigfoot, streaming and Dispatch negativity
Peacock, Ohio State football run game have readers upset
Readers still reacting to Ryan Day, Lou Holtz and 'Ohio against the world'
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mailbox: Will Kyle McCord leave Ohio State and become Joe Burrow?
