JT: The Portrait Of a Coach in Transition

Jim Tressel is a beloved member of the OSU community and he has cemented his stature as a respected coach for many young men who seek greatness on the gridiron, in the classroom, and in life.

No man is without flaws and everyman is challenged in their life to meet the changes required to move their life forward in ways that create enhanced success and joy in living. And so it is for JT, at this time, which perhaps marks the mid point of his coaching tenure at OSU.

Mid-point correlates with the notion of mid-life, with all the challenges that mid-life brings, as well as the possibility of a mid-life crisis. If you look at JT's time line for his coaching career at OSU, he is in his ninth year of what may end up being a 20 year stint.

Divide those 20 years into three stages and you have approximately 6.5 years. We can then describe these three, six year stages in differing terms, using language from developmental psychology to help us understand the overall arch of JT's development as a coach at OSU.

The three stages will be: The first phase, the middle passage, and finally, the last phase. 

The First Phase: The first phase is characterized by youth moving forward into the world by testing boundaries, discovering one's own voice, all types of education, and the gaining of life-skills.

It's a period of youthful vitality, questioning, and settling on what makes sense and living that out in the world, of making mistakes and owning them as unique and purposeful, of learning from mistakes, and finding what works and what doesen't in the larger process of life.

It's a period of about 30 years in the normal adult lifespan, and this period began at OSU, for JT, in 1999.

JT came to OSU with the program in decline. Though John Cooper was an outstanding recruiter, he lacked Ohio roots and was ineffective in preparing his teams for the final games of the year. He had a very poor record against UM and a poor bowl record as well.

What more, he also had great teams that consistently lost in one game that cost OSU a shot at the mythical National Championship of the pre-BCS Era. Cooper appeared to lack the know-how with the media and his program was thought to be loosely controlled at the time of his departure.

JT was brought in to shift the programs direction so that is would be on very solid footing: with the players, the administration, the fans, the media, cooperate partners, recruiters, etc.

During the first half of his tenure he has also overseen a massive expansion of the OSU athletic facilities and runs a program that is perceived by outsiders to be an exceptional product.

Many do not know this, but OSU is under a ten year plan to expand the academic excellence of the university as a whole, in order for it to rise to the top of the ranking with other large land grant universities, and the athletic department has played a major role in this mission, both by providing revenue for projects and by being a program that does not depend on the university for funding.

Looking back, it's clear that all of this was part of the administrations thinking nine years ago when they began the process of recruiting a head ball coach.

The conventional thinking then was that OSU needed to get their man: an Ohio native, who understood the UM rivalry, as well as the great history of OSU football, and thus re-establish a commitment to excellence. Many coaches with roots back to Woody were interviewed.

At the later stages of the process, a relative unknown was interviewed, and became a leading candidate for the job, later accepting the position, and his introduction to the OSU community, at the half time of a OSU men's basketball game, is the stuff of legend.

Knowing JT now, we can look back on the hiring process and get a feel for what the Administration liked about him: he's calm, focused, articulate and cerebral. For a university wanting a more polished image, he fits the mold to a T.

He has a great passion for the game, a history of being part of Ohio football from the cradle forward, and he is able to put the game into a context so that it's not everything. He's married with children, gives back to the community, dedicated to the traditions, and motivated to succeed. It's only fitting that this man would write a book called: The Winners Manual.

On the gridiron, JT inherited a group of men that were largely an afterthought, that is, until he stunned fans by beating UM. His first recruiting class was a good one, and included a highly rated young man named Maurice Clarett, who would be a player with a different mentality on the field than OSU had been used to seeing, in that he brought a killer instinct to every down.

In his second season, the program was still off the radar nationally, and his team was ranked 13th in the AP pre-season poll, and again, the team was thought to be re-building.

Into everymans life the blessing of a little luck must fall. And so too, with the 2002 edition of the football team, a little luck seemed to be with them the whole way.

From the beginning to the end, the 2002 team seemed blessed with riches: from a dropped touchdown by Cincy, to the interception for a touchdown against PSU, to the final interception on UM's last drive deep in OSU territory, to the U's five turnovers in the NC game, all the stars seemed to align for OSU to win a long awaited seventh title, in the most unconventional of ways, in one of the greatest upsets, on the biggest stage.

The only team to ever win 14 games in a season in the history of college football thrust the program into elite status on the national stage.

It's not at all clear to me if JT really even knew what he had accomplished. In only his second year he had delivered in a way no one expected. The program was elevated into the national spotlight and thus, in the first half of his coaching tenure at OSU, he had achieved at the highest possible levels.

That success continued. In 2003, the only loss to UM during his tenure kept OSU out of a shot at getting into the BCS Championship Game. That year they won in their bowl. Similar results followed in 2004, 2005, and then, in 2006, the team was poised for a run for another title.

During this time, JT had amassed a number of outstanding recruits, had build a solid program, and garnered a salary to suit. He was recognized as one of the best coaches in college football, and the sky was the limit. Yes, there were setbacks: the loss to Texas in 2005, the issues with Marurice Clarett and a few other players. Aside from those who expected perfection, these were acceptable bumps along a golden road.

In 2006, OSU didn't disappoint. Ranked number one they took out TX on the road and came out ahead on every occasion. Troy Smith was on his way to being the first Big Ten quarterback to win a Heisman, and OSU was headed for a showdown for the ages against UM in Columbus, in a game that was lights out the biggest game in the storied history of the rivalry.

In that game there were so many firsts: OSU and UM were first and second in the polls, the game teed off at 3:30pm, Bo died the night before. The winner was going to the NC game and was the clear favorite to win it all.

I was at the game and it was as spectacular a setting as any there has every been. Inside 100k plus; outside the stadium another 100k plus. The electricity was awesome. That game set a standard for greatness for OSU and anyone who was there knows it had the intensity of a national championship game. In fact, I later came to feel that this game marked the high point of JT's career at OSU, because, hard to believe, but given all the traditions, etc, it really was a grander stage that the 2002 NC game.

The game was so competitive it's hard to explain to anyone who was not there just how high the crowd was. The entire country watched that game. For me, this win was OSU 8th NC and marked the pinnacle of JT's coaching career at OSU.

The Middle Phase: The middle phase of life is that time in which you put everything you learned in the First Half to work, in the services of career and family. It's a time when one blossoms, putting to work the hard won truths of the First half of one's life.

When this phase unfolds as it should, one's life feel like flow, and the various architecture of one's life is strong and firmly anchored. When this phase is problematic, that is when we get concepts such as the mid-life crisis, a time in which the threads that weave one's life begin to unravel, the ground doesn't feel as sure, and the anchor for one's life seems inadequate.

Things go awry and one may not be certain why. There are, of course, varying levels of intensity to this experience, and it's an experience that pulls one to question their course and re- evaluate certain commitments. Interestingly, the more one is able to see the mid-life crisis as an opportunity for re-evaluation, and re-orienting of one's life, the sooner one tends to shift out of the experience, and feel one's life to be "back on track."

However, if this experience sets in, and one fails to recognize that one is ultimately asked to make some internal changes to the compass of their life, then the experience can expand, enlarge, all in an effort to get the person to recognize the need for a change.

JT is comfortably known as "The Senator." A title he has earned during his tenure at OSU. If you look at the US Senate, you will find that there are very few young Senators. Most come to the Senate after establishing themselves, so that the time they become senators usually corresponds with the Middle Phase of their life.

And thus, in 2006 JT brought his team to the land of Tempe, where they had won a number of times during his tenure. JT's team was loaded with talent and was everybody's pick to beat a FL team that few thought actually belonged in the game. Many wanted a rematch between OSU and UM and Loyd Carr lobbied for that in the media. What began with a thunderbolt ended with an thumping, and OSU was handed the first significant black eye of JT's career.

It was shocking only because it was so discontinuous with his tenure at OSU. Most thought it was a glitch, a statistically anomaly, and so, it was largely ignored, and OSU went back to Columbus for what was thought to be a rebuilding year.

JT changed OSU in a very significant way: The idea of rebuilding was eliminated replaced with the concept of reloading. Only the most elite teams reload, and OSU was one of those teams. In the unusual year that was 2007, OSU did just that, they reloaded and came out much like the 2002 team, winning.

Winning gets attention, and JT got alot of it, as his team was unbeaten 10 games into the season. When IL came to town certain weaknesses were exposed and IL shocked the Buckeyes, winning in Columbus, on Senior's Day, beating the number one team. Looking back, the loss was less relevant because of a referee's known biography and the massive blown call in the first quarter that gave IL a seven point lead. IL should never have won that game.

However, what became clear was that the luck was running out. The calls that may have gone their way did not materialize and, looking back, you can sense that in the past three years, lady luck had been missing most significantly.

Certainly one could argue that it was luck that brought about the strange happenings that catapulted the one loss Bucks back to the NC game, however, looking back, one wonders if they would not have benefited from a differing venue.

Playing LSU in New Orleans one could sense that many forces were allied against the Bucks on that night. It was wonderful to see them start that game strong, but then a dropped td pass and a missed field goal resulted in a profound shift in momentum and LSU never looked back. OSU had lost consecutive NC games and, most importantly, had appeared to really take their licks at the hands of a superior conference, the SEC.

The loss in consecutive NC games had a troubling impact on OSU, most specifically with the media outside of the state of Ohio. Naysayers began to wonder about JT's offensive play book, football philosophy, and there were rumblings about something called "Tressel-ball", in which field position, stout defense, and running between the tackles are core attributes.

Against the back drop of the spread offenses in the SEC and the pro-style at USC, JT's philosophy started to look dated. Never the less, JT was recruiting well, and the program continued to re-load not re-build. 2008 was seen as an opportunity to field a team in the hunt for the NC.

We all know what happened. The black eye at USC represented a third humbling loss for the Bucks, in which they appeared to be out-played, out-coached, and out of their league. Especially hard was the way in which the 2008 team was loaded with experience and seniors, and led to the media beginning to pile on about how the best in the Big Ten was second rate in other power conferences.

Three significant losses in a row and the rumblings began in Columbus as well. For a rabid fan base, used to winning the big games, this was uncharted territory, and marks the transition to a crisis. 

Yet, with home games against a stout PSU team and another shot at a BCS bowl, hope turned to optimism when JT made a stunning move, changing quarterbacks. This really was an unprecedented move in coaching where winning at all costs is the perceived goal.

Sitting a senior captain was less drastic then it was dramatic, especially for a coach known for his loyalty. I'm quite sure this "shocking" turn of events caught everybody off guard. However, from the vantage point of this essay, what we see here is JT's recognition of the need for change, and making a change.

To me, this appears to be JT's first significant response to the crisis that was arising for the Buckeye team. The quarterback is the leader of the team on the field and thus sitting a senior quarterback is a symbol of the need to change at the level of leadership. This moves suggest that JT recognized that leadership was a core issue in the crisis that was taking root in the football program.

The question was, would it be a change of significant proportion that it lifted OSU out of the crisis? Time would tell.

The time of reckoning was the clash with PSU in Ohio Stadium, in another electric night game. Two storied programs would do battle for the Big Ten title. As a prelude to the game, OSU had appeared to bounce back from the loss to USC, and Pryor proved to be a versatile and exciting athlete, capable of heroics. He had a confidence that appeared to shift the energy of the team.

And unlike the previous three games, in this one OSU was competitive, nasty, and appeared to have a swagger. The D played exceptionally well, and the higher rated team was on the ropes for most of the game. An unfortunate error by Pryor resulted in a fumble that gave the game to PSU, however, one could sense that there was a significant change to the team, and you could hear the media start talking about moral victories.

Looking back, Jt's change certainly appeared to have a significant impact on the overall morale and attitude of the team, and the fans in Columbus were excited despite the loss.

From this vantage point, it appears that the impact of JT's decision to sit his senior captain had dramatically impacted the Buckeyes in a positive way. When the season came to close against UM, you could just tell that the swagger was there. After Pryor threw a pick to give UM the ball deep in OSU territory in the first quarter, the D came on and held UM to no points.

You could see here a swagger, a confidence, a nastiness to the team, that was a direct by-product of Pryor's insertion into the starting lineup. OSU went on to win. PSU lost that same weekend, and with a help of a little luck, OSU came out Co-Big Ten Champions.

The next test would surely come against TX, in the Fiesta Bowl. Many argued that TX belonged in the NC game, and that they would come to Tempe with a chip on their shoulder and crush the over-matched OSU team. TX was heavily favored.

The game featured anything but what the pundits predicted. OSU really had the swagger they demonstrated since inserting Pryor into the lineup and they took it to TX all night. However, looking back, you could see that though OSU dominated, they were unable to score tds in the red zone, and thus despite the strong play, they never scored enough points to put TX away.

Of course, that came back to haunt the Buckeyes, and they lost again. It was a bitter loss in that the buckeyes really should have won; really played as the better team. There was more talk about moral victories, but never the less, OSU had lost their 5th straight against an elite program.

Entering the 2009 season, JT fielded a young team, however, with a veteran quarterback, of sorts, in Pryor. They were rated sixth in the pre-season polls largely on the unknown athleticism of Pryor and strong recruiting. At the beginning of the season there was much excitement I think because a group of seniors who had endured alot of difficult setbacks had graduated.

There were new players, names, and faces, and with that came much optimism for new outcomes, especially in the biggest games. Pryor had a year in the system, and appeared more knowledgeable about the system, and there was an emerging consensus that his throwing might match his running, and prove to be a dynamic combination, ala Vince Young.

All the preparations for the season pointed to a marque match up against USC in Columbus, pitting two teams who re- loaded in another match-up for the ages. The game certainly did not disappoint.

It was a titanic battle in which OSU appeared to be the better team, in which they had a swagger, and nastiness to them that was really welcomed. Of course they put themselves in a hole, but then demonstrated their grittiness in evening the score, and really taking it to SC the whole game.

When you look back at the field position for OSU (per drive) in this game and compare it to that of SC, you would think this game would be a blow-out. Given JT's coaching philosophy, this game had the field position advantage he covets so significantly. Yet, the dominating effort fell short largely because OSU was not able to capitalize and score tds.

It was clear to most that SC was going to score at some point and Carroll was taking every risk he could to put his team in a position to win, and in the end they did. 

What emerged from this game was again the perception that OSU had certainly rebounded from the caricature of a team that looked like a deer in the headlights in the first three lopsided losses. Rather, OSU played a hard nosed game in which they had every chance to win. Overall, you can look at these six games and point to a clear difference between the first three and the last three.

Each set has its own patterns, which are fairly obvious. It seems to me that the difference in the last three from the first three is the insertion of Pryor at quarterback. This significant change really amounted to making OSU competitive on the biggest stage. What it hasn't done is get OSU into the win column.

Now, I'm going to argue here that the reason why OSU has gotten so close but not been able to cross over to the winning side, is because the change that JT implemented, as a response to the crisis, whereas a good one, was not the core change that was needed.

Shifting to Pryor was needed because he brings so much more to the game, this despite his weaknesses and relative inexperience, all of which have cost the bucks, but cost them really within the coaching philosophy of JT.

The crisis of wining on the biggest stage at OSU is not a crisis built on a lack of hunger, effort, speed, physical play, or swagger, for in the last three losses OSU's players went toe to toe with the best of them. They have the players with the confidence and the ability to win the games against any team on any field.

Great recruiting of players who know nothing but winning means these kids are used to winning and crave it. The fact that the players from last year and this year came so close, in equally the same way, on the biggest stage, tells us that the problem is not the players, nor really player execution. Rather, the problem at OSU belongs to JT.

The losses are a reflection of the inadequacy of his response to the needed coaching changes that would set his players loose to light up the scoreboards and win, dare I say, easily, against the best teams. Remember, the shift to Pryor was a shift in leadership and it had an effect.

The last three games against top teams in no way resemble the three that preceded them. Equally so, the last three games have featured the same ending, despite being in differing seasons, with differing players.

Thus, it really makes sense to see the problem in the scope of JT's need to measure out what he can shift in his leadership as the head coach, that will allow the players to translate their enormous talent into wins.

Of course there's still time this season for JT to shift the leadership aspects of his O strategy, however, if you read his response to the critics,  indications are that he's taking a defensive posture towards any real change. That's unfortunate because it signals that he is not willing to address the really important change that must come from him.

Based on what I am proposing here, if JT continues to resist the changes to his leadership that are the core aspects of the crisis at OSU, then what we can expect is that losses will begin to pile up in the Big Ten, and most likely against the best teams, but also against UM, and this will result in OSU playing themselves out of the BCS.

I would expect that if play calling responsibilities on the offense do not shift in some important way, then there is going to be a continuation of the pattern we see in these last three games, and additional losses, till such time as JT recognizes where the problem actually resides, and has the courage to make a change.

We certainly live in an era of big time athletics, and OSU football is as big as it gets. OSU is putting together another stellar recruiting class and already have eyes set on the best quarterback recruits. Certainly many of these four and five star recruits are going to come to OSU. That will keep the buckeyes very competitive, as they have been the last three years.

These athletes are used to winning and want to win. They have big egos and feel themselves to be the best of the best. In like fashion, so does JT. He's the well paid "senator" from Ohio who manages one of the most elite football programs there is. He's got a sizable ego too, and does present as a person who is ego-inflated, meaning a little too full of himself, despite the packaging in which he presents himself as humble.

As a result of this inflation, he is significantly challenged to address the crisis for what it is: a reflection on his leadership. The question is: what will he do?

I'm not quite sure that he's ready yet to do anything significant, such as hire an O coordinator. However, if losses mount, if OSU looses at HV and in AA, the chorus of critics will grow, much like a chorus in a Greek tragedy.

Eventually, something has to give. And it will, but how is just not clear at this time. If JT is able to summit his own ego inflation and make the needed changes, you can bet that OSU will be back and with a vengeance on the biggest stage, and JT will have survived his mid life crisis, and found a way to enter into the Last Phase of his tenure as coach.

This is where he will have enormous success and become the elder statesman of OSU football. If he's unable to find the courage to make the required changes, the losses will surely mount and the program will suffer.