Is this the Urban renewal? With the addition of Meyer, Ohio State must hope so

  • brian questel
  • December 6, 2011
  • 340
                        
121211 OSUUrbanMeyer column – questel hed shot Is this the Urban renewal? With the addition of Meyer, Ohio State must hope so If this were a rebuilding project in a devastated downtown, they would call it urban renewal. This, however, is Urban renewed, or so hopes the powers-to-be at Ohio State, who also hope Urban Meyer can brush aside the turmoil that has swirled around the fabled program for the past 12 months and rebuild it as well. That is, of course, if Meyer is really healthy and really ready to dive back into the high drama of Division I BCS football. Urban Meyer may be the perfect solution for what ails Ohio State as it looks to break ties with former head coach Jim Tressel and the taint of Tattoo-gate. Of course, Meyer and OSU should be mindful as they looks to toss the final shovelful of dirt on that grave all they have to do to truly clean up that mess is to hire a better class of players, or at least one’s not so easily bought and sold. Character really does count, as Ohio State should be reminded in the embarrassment and sanctions fallout of the Terrelle Pryor, et al, debacle. The NCAA would be wise to try to implement that itself and demand colleges go back to recruiting scholar athletes rather than just athletes, since that is the NFL’s, and not the NCAA’s, mission in life. It is ironic that Meyer will be in familiar territory when he gets his first inside look at the Buckeyes in the Gator Bowl on January 2 in Jacksonville, Fla. It won’t be the Buckeyes Meyer knows inside and out. Instead, it will be his former team, Florida, who he left last year because of alleged health reasons and a desire to spend more time with his family. That family urge apparently satisfied and his health apparently back to tip-top, Meyer was apparently ready get back to the long hours and the grind of Division I college recruiting and games when he accepted Ohio State’s $6 million a year offer. Or, maybe the simple truth is money talks. If Meyer is truly ready to go, then Ohio State has scored a major coup and perhaps got the best man available. He has long-standing Ohio roots, serving as an assistant coach at Ohio State and then reviving the Bowling Green University program. Then it was on to do the same at Utah before landing in Florida, where he took the Gators to a pair of national championships in six seasons. Then he forced himself out for health reasons at the age of 47, which should signal to even the most casual OSU observer that Meyer could see a short tenure. If he is a short-term fix that would work out perfectly, allowing Ohio State to complete the repairs that one-year coach Luke Fickell had dumped in his lap. Meyer had the human touch to offer to retain Fickell, who should be commended for getting the Buckeyes to 6-6 with the impact of NCAA sanctions hanging over the program’s head. He will certainly offer a sideshow when Ohio State and Florida meet in the Gator Bowl, with both teams looking to apply some salve to wounded 6-6 seasons. No one, at least on the Ohio State side, should kid themselves that the spotlight will be on the game with Meyer standing in the shadows. Instead it will be on the changes coming in the months ahead. Win or lose, the spotlight will shift to Meyer January 3. Where he goes, and where he takes Ohio State, remains to be seen. It could be as simple as this: Urban and the Buckeyes will both be renewed, or the health of the pair will continue to suffer. I suspect it won’t be long before we have the answer to both.


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