Ohio State Football: Why Urban Meyer's Press Conference Proved He's a Fraud

Urban Meyer has a peculiarly poor memory for a college football coach of his pedigree and success.

Either that, or he's Pete Carroll without the NCAA sanctions, a coach constantly in pursuit of greener pastures.

Meyer was introduced as the new man in charge of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team on Monday, less than a year removed from his second retirement from the same position at Florida, where he led Tim Tebow and the Gators to two BCS National Championships in six seasons.

There's little doubt that the Buckeyes will enjoy tremendous success under Meyer's stewardship or that hiring Meyer should be regarded as a Panglossian success to add to athletic director Gene Smith's tainted resume.

Beneath the mess that sent Terrelle Pryor packing to the NFL and Tressel out of town to be a consultant with the Indianapolis Colts lies a veritable treasure trove of football talent in Columbus just waiting to be tapped. Current Ohio State freshman Braxton Miller is arguably the most gifted quarterback Meyer will have ever coached.

And it's not as though he hasn't already had the privilege of coaching some collegiate excellent signal-callers, with Tebow headlining a crew that includes Chris Leak, Alex Smith and Josh Harris.

That being said, there's still something undeniably fishy about how this all played out, and not just because the timing and execution of the process was incredibly disrespectful to interim coach Luke Fickell (which it was).

Meyer left Florida in January, citing many of the same health concerns and desires to spend more time with his family that led him to take an abbreviated leave of absence following the 2009 SEC Championship Game. Now, he returns to the Horseshoe as the head man in what is undoubtedly the dream job for the native Ohioan and former assistant under Earle Bruce.

But so soon? Has he forgotten why he left Gainesville in the first place? Sure, the itch to coach may be impossible for Meyer to scratch from the ESPN broadcast booth, but it figures to take its toll on his health once again. If anything, there's only more pressure to win at Ohio State than there was at Florida.

And now, he'll have to contend with Brady Hoke's revitalized Michigan program, though two championship rings and deep ties to the state of Florida should make selling Ohio State in living rooms across the country that much easier for Meyer.

By all accounts, Urban Meyer is not certifiably insane, but if he truly thinks that he can get by this time without the holistic medicine that is rest, relaxation and time with his family, then he may just be overdue for a psychiatric evaluation.

Of course, it's tough to blame Meyer for jumping back into the profession when he did. Luke Fickell wasn't about to be the long-term solution in Columbus and who knows who the university would've hired to take his place?

In Meyer's mind, this might well have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, even if the opportunity itself ultimately degrades the quality and length of his life.

But if health really is not and will not be a concern for Meyer anymore, then it's difficult not to wonder whether he bolted the Swamp so as not to have his legacy sink without Tebow. In that case, it's near impossible not to imagine that he knew the Gators were in for a long and strenuous rebuilding process. He was well aware of what the team had when he coached them to an 8-5 record in 2010.

Better Will Muschamp than him to take the Gators to 6-6, right?

That scenario may be a bit far-fetched, but the uncertainty of Meyer's health remains. Certainly, Meyer said all the right things at the press conference in Columbus. He talked about the importance of The Game, of winning the right way, of getting the most out of the players he has and recruiting the very best to join them.

Yet, he still seemed unsure of himself at times, if not in word then in body language and inflection. Perhaps, once again, he knows something that nobody else does.

And no, I'm not talking about the 31 times his players ran afoul of the law during his six years at Florida.

Rather, that his tenure at Ohio State won't last long, or that it will only last as long as often-fragile body allows it to.