Urban: "I wouldn't say a great class; we have some marginal guys in there"
I realize that some of the stuffier types who frequent this board will no doubt lament the fact that some anti-OSU content has been put forth as a forum topic (perish the thought). Nevertheless, I thought it might be interesting to highlight Urban Meyer's ongoing attempts to be ultimately crowned Lord of all Douchebags. I'm sure none of the incoming recruits he's referencing, to say nothing of future recruits, will be put off by the insinuation that if they weren't labeled 5 stars by either Scout or Rivals (i.e., Urban's infallible recruiting Almanacs), then they aren't fit to play for the Co-Ed Banger. Is this something anyone could see Hoke saying?
http://forums.the-ozone.net/messages/300088.html
Added bonus: sifting through the comments beneath the quote, it seems that a not insignificant percentage of the Hillbilly Mafia have taken issue with the language used. I had to rub the sleep out of my eyes, my disbelief was so staggering. The ripples of birthing discontent are subtle, but palpable...
February 11th, 2012 at 9:09 AM ^
Wow.
What a d-bag.
I was on the fence about Meyer, in terms of what kind of person or coach he was. But now I dislike him. Alot.
February 11th, 2012 at 10:31 AM ^
February 11th, 2012 at 11:23 AM ^
Is he more of a doucher than Dantonio?
February 11th, 2012 at 12:25 PM ^
But it sure is going to be fun to watch their bottom feeder cage match from the sidelines.
February 11th, 2012 at 2:03 PM ^
February 11th, 2012 at 8:03 PM ^
How bad was he? BG was pretty successful under him.
February 11th, 2012 at 1:15 PM ^
I just don't know what blows my mind more, the fact that this is the second big public mess up by this supposedly master craft snake oil salesman or that the OSU fanbase seems to, for the most part, be rebelling against this type of talk.
Good, let him continue this bullshit. LEt recruits see that he is a cold, heartless B. And let them see that at UofM it's about family and value and that Hoke is true to those ideals.
February 13th, 2012 at 4:17 PM ^
Total D-bag, but we already knew. Why exactly are we trying to dis Urbie for being a co-ed banger? Thats a compliment
February 11th, 2012 at 9:11 AM ^
You could probably say this about almost any class, but yeah, there are some marginal guys in there. Jacoby Boren? Pat Elflein? Luke Roberts?
A coach shouldn't be saying these things about his own kids, of course, but they're true.
February 11th, 2012 at 9:15 AM ^
I agree with both parts of your statement- but I think the whole "shouldn't be saying it," especially when you are the head coach, the one their parents are entrusting their sons to, that is really the point I was trying to highlight. You just don't do that. It's just a slimy thing to have said; he comes off increasingly reptilian-like in my estimation every time I hear him speak.
February 11th, 2012 at 9:37 AM ^
"The better part of discretion is valor." Shakespeare said it best.
February 11th, 2012 at 9:42 AM ^
Now Shakespeare, that was a real five star talent, Meyer would have totally recruited him. Dickens, on the other hand- more of a three star level recruit, the kind of player only the old regime would have accepted, way beneath Urb's standards.
February 11th, 2012 at 9:43 AM ^
I actually agree about Dickens. Way overrated, in my opinion.
February 11th, 2012 at 9:46 AM ^
Dickens might not start, but I'd totally take him for depth purposes. Urban would throw him under the bus though because he couldn't get Cormac McCarthy.
What are we talking about, again?
February 11th, 2012 at 9:51 AM ^
I think we were talking about our favorite Ann Arbor restaurants. It wasn't my favorite, but I did love me some Amer's Deli.
February 11th, 2012 at 9:50 AM ^
but if Dickens worked on his pad level, I could definately see him moving up to a low 4 star...
February 11th, 2012 at 9:54 AM ^
You would think he would be naturally gritty after working in a factory as a kid, but alas, no such luck.
February 11th, 2012 at 10:14 AM ^
I actually agree about Dickens. Way overrated, in my opinion.You bite your tongue, man.
February 11th, 2012 at 10:38 AM ^
I can't say I'm a fan either - you tend to drag on a little when you're paid by the word.
February 11th, 2012 at 10:51 AM ^
Stipulated. But it's a testament to the incredibly compelling characters he created that his books are that enjoyable regardless of wordiness. And call me a sap, but I much prefer Dickens's happier endings to modern, 20th-century writers who think it's not art unless it's starts off depressing and ends up worse.
February 11th, 2012 at 10:58 AM ^
Tell that to Sidney Carton.
February 11th, 2012 at 11:14 AM ^
OK, there's always exceptions, but you can't deny that most of Dickens's stuff turns out lot better for the characters than most of the famous stuff written in the 20th century.
February 11th, 2012 at 11:10 AM ^
So who are your favorite authors?
February 11th, 2012 at 11:27 AM ^
Chuck Palahniuk, Dave Eggers, Thomas Harris, Douglas Adams, JRR Tolkien, Cormac McCarthy, Lev Grossman, Nick Hornby, Shakespeare, Poe, Bukowski.
February 11th, 2012 at 11:50 AM ^
Now Shakespeare, that was a real five star talentWilliam Shaksper, that glove maker's son from a small town? He never performed under pressure. He's got some personal baggage, too (possible recusancy). The Lord Chamberlain shouldn't recruit that guy. London will eat him alive.
February 11th, 2012 at 12:47 PM ^
Uh, everyone knows that Shakespeare was just a product of his offensive line. Also, he took his 40 time from another player.
February 11th, 2012 at 6:38 PM ^
Some think that Earl of Oxford guy was really responsible for Shakespeare's success. Could be a sleeper.
February 11th, 2012 at 9:57 AM ^
"The better part of valor is discretion"
Just in case any of the kids out there have a test this week.
February 11th, 2012 at 10:02 AM ^
Well, f***, you're absolutely right. I can't believe I transposed those words.
#smh
February 11th, 2012 at 3:16 PM ^
Not to nit pick here Magnus, but you got the quote backwards.
It should read: "The better part of valor is discretion..."
or for the whole quote.
Falstaff:
Henry The Fourth, Part 1 Act 5, scene 4, 115–121
To die is to be a counterfeit, for he is but the counterfeit of
a man who hath not the life of a man; but to counterfeit dying,
when a man thereby liveth, is to be no counterfeit, but the true
and perfect image of life indeed. The better part of valor is
discretion, in the which better part I have sav'd my life.
February 11th, 2012 at 4:07 PM ^
Yeah, I know. I'm lexicdys. Somebody else already corrected it above, and I acknowledged it.
February 11th, 2012 at 8:16 PM ^
Wow, 40 posts arguing about Shakespeare in a thread about Ohio State's football coach.
Welcome to MGoBlog.
February 11th, 2012 at 10:15 AM ^
He shouldn't say that... but he is also creating a little plausible deniability against the possible OSU uproar when he doesn't win immediately. Those faithful are absolutely brutal, and if they want him to win at all costs, then he is letting them know that those 'marginal' guys were ones he didnt and wouldnt have recruited....ie... and performance shortcomings can be partially diffused to Fickell.
February 16th, 2012 at 9:02 AM ^
I think the guys you brought up show the undertone of what he's saying. They were there before Meyer arrived and aren't HIS guys. This is just foreshadowing for the end of next recruiting season when Urb needs to free up a few more spots and suddenly these "marginal" players "decide" to transfer, miraculously freeing up some spots for his beloved 5* guys.
February 11th, 2012 at 9:13 AM ^
February 11th, 2012 at 9:16 AM ^
Meyer has to act the tough guy to overcome the fact that he looks like he should be selling computers at Best Buy.
February 11th, 2012 at 9:35 AM ^
Selling fishing supplies at Outdoor World.
February 11th, 2012 at 3:41 PM ^
yeah, we sell Ugly Stik, but they're crap. Move up to a Loomis, or you're nobody kid.
February 11th, 2012 at 9:38 AM ^
Let's be honest - at Ohio State kids don't have to "buy" computers.
February 11th, 2012 at 10:41 AM ^
I think Christian Bale and Urban Meyer are the same person!!!
February 11th, 2012 at 2:29 PM ^
February 11th, 2012 at 9:18 AM ^
February 11th, 2012 at 9:19 AM ^
You just don't say things like that...not ever. Even if it were true, those are the thoughts you keep to yourself.
I can't wait until Ohio loses a few games. The noise level is going to get real loud real quick.
February 11th, 2012 at 9:21 AM ^
In his interview on The Fan the other day, he said something while talking about their class about never knowing whether you have a "good batch or a bad batch" until you get them on the field. That struck me as kind of douchey as well.
February 11th, 2012 at 9:27 AM ^
In other words, "Once I realized my last Florida recruiting class wasn't that good, I decided to skip town. Good luck Muschamp."
February 11th, 2012 at 9:25 AM ^
I'm sure this will definitely help team chemistry.
February 11th, 2012 at 9:27 AM ^
to see how the whole Urbie thing works out. He strikes me as a real front-runner, and I wonder whether he has the grit to hang in there when things get tough. These kind of comments also suggest to me that he is not in fo the long haul at OSU, but intends to get in, scoop up a couple of classes of 4/5 stars, win an NC and then leave "to spend more time with his family." I also get the sense he thinks that the B10 is easy pickins compaared ot where he was; here's hoping the conference shows him otherwise.
February 11th, 2012 at 9:30 AM ^
word "marginal" is telling. What he's telling these guys, his parents, friends, family and the public is that there are guys who just signed on that they are not really wanted and they are there only because he could not get someone better. All schools do that, but damn, that's outright thoughtless at best, cruel at worst. He may just be the Saban of the north.
February 11th, 2012 at 9:35 AM ^
The "marginal" kids are probably the ones that stuck with the class through Ohio's darkest year in memory. The deserve to be thrown under the bus, right? What an asshole.
February 11th, 2012 at 10:18 AM ^
You misinterpreted this.... Urban was referring to the INCOMING class...the 3 star guys who Fickell recruited.
And the fact is, that Hoke likely thought the same thing about the RR guys like DJ Williamson and Greg Brown, but would never say it, unlike Meyer.