Why Jim Tressel Should No Longer Call Plays for The Ohio State Buckeyes

Despite overwhelming unease and antipathy from fans and critics, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel says he will continue to act as playcaller for the Buckeyes, despite his sixth straight loss to a top 10 team as head coach and offensive coordinator.

How unfortunate, since the criticism that is coming down is rather pointed and damning. Saturday's loss was the closest the Buckeyes have come to winning over a top 10 team in the last six attempts. Leading in the fourth quarter, Tressel decided to punt instead of icing the game, giving the Trojans the one chance they needed to score.

And score they did, before the largest television audience for a college football game in ESPN's history.

By its very nature, "Tresselball"—heavy on power-iso runs, light on risk—is becoming more and more antiquated as the game demands staying ahead of the other team's coach, both in recruiting and in preparation. These days, Tressel only has one of those locked down.

Far more egregiously, this brand of Tresselball is burying the amount of talent on the field by remaining predictable and stale, while simultaneously not giving OSU's playmakers a chance to break the game open on sheer ability.

Worst of all, the Buckeye players are blaming themselves, when it should be Tressel who takes the blame

Terrelle Pryor was the nation's No. 1 recruit when he arrived in Columbus last year. When he signed with the Buckeyes, it appeared as though Ohio State had gotten the answer to critics who'd said the Ohio State offense was at the risk of going stale after the high profile loss to LSU in the National Championship.

Instead, Pryor's abilities have been subsumed into this lackluster offense. As long as Tressel continues to call plays, Pryor's ability to take over a game, and a sport, are at risk of going up in smoke.