Posted on 09/06/2009 9:35:05 AM PDT by Comparative Advantage
Except for a fourth-quarter interception, Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor had a decent day in Ohio State's season-opening win over Navy. He passed for one touchdown, ran for another and made a deft option pitch to Daniel Herron for another score in a 31-27 victory.
More noteworthy, however, were the words printed on Pryor's eye-black patches: Mika under his right eye and Vick under the left.
Mika referred to Pryor's sister, he said.
Vick was a nod to Michael Vick, the NFL quarterback who served 18 months in federal prison for his involvement in a dogfighting ring. He is back in the league, with the Philadelphia Eagles.
"I know what happened with him and, I mean, I don't want to talk much. I'm just going to be very short and sweet with it," Pryor said yesterday. "But I just feel he made his mistake and I think he just needs more support.
"Not everybody is the perfect person in the world. Everyone does -- kills people, murders people, steals from you, steals from me. I just feel that people need to give him a chance."
Pryor's ability has been likened to that of Vick as a quarterback who can run and throw equally well.
"I always looked up to Mike Vick and I always will, because I still think he is one of the best quarterbacks," Pryor said. "I love Mike Vick."
(Excerpt) Read more at dispatch.com ...
How many dogs has Tressel killed?
Clearly, our young student-athlete won't be majoring in English or communications.
Personally, I long for the days of the 1940's and 1950's, when college kids that played sports for their respective colleges and universities were actually college kids - kids that should be in college. But, commercialism has changed college athletics - at least football and basketball - into the farm system of their professional sports.
Pryor's not the exception, but the rule. I have no idea what he scored on his SAT, but I've heard him speak and I have significant doubt it was anything near the OSU student body average. There are plenty of smart kids who are athletic and if one watched the Navy/OSU game yesterday, you saw proof of that very theory. I would wager that there isn't a single skill-player on OSU's roster, certainly not in the starting line-up, that would be academically eligible for the Naval Academy. Conversly, I'd wager that there aren't many, if any Naval academy players that were recruited by OSU. And yet, people would have us believe that OSU fields student-athletes in the football program - ridiculous.
end of rant.
It sounded like our boys at USNA gave these guys all they could handle yesterday.
~jp
Yes. They did themselves proud and I wasn’t the least bit surprised. They are as competitive as OSU is talented.
If the NFL doesn’t work out, Terrelle will have a degree, such as it is, and can be a diversity czar or Ebonics ESL professor.
On Target, Fire for Effect. As a rabid college football fan of another OSU (Oklahoma State - Go Cowboys!), allow me to second your rant. It is really sad and painful to hear these athletically-talented young men embarassed by their inarticulate media interactions. It exposes exactly that these individuals are there only because of their physical talents, not because they have any interest in the development of their mind.
The Middies had Ohio State on the ropes and it is very possible that USC will come in to finish them off.
Navy is a damn good team. Class all the way.Had me sweating for the last 5-6 minutes! Helluva Game. Go Bucks!
As much as I love Ohio State Pryor is anything but a class act. He looks and talks like a thug. Tressel thinks Maurice Clarett gave him trouble.
We were immensely proud of the way the Mids played at OSU, and we were gratified at the respect and sportsmanship that OSU showed to the Navy team. It was a far cry from the thuggish behavior of the Rutgers team over the past few years.
Hats off to OSU.
GO NAVY!
(a USNA ‘07 Dad)
You presume that Pryor will graduate from OSU. I would place great doubt on that happening. I haven't seen statistics in several years, but in 2007 Ohio State was graduating less than 30% of it's black football players. And, that comes for JBHE (Journal for Blacks in Higher Education). Here's the list for all the schools in that year's BCS chase...
The story can be found here , near the bottom of the page...
Incidentally, my alma mater is on that list, very near the top. We can do better, but we do FAR better than most.
*******
I've always said Vick was THE most overrated player in the NFL. We've heard ad nauseum what a talent he is, but I've repeatedly seen him do things in the passing game good quarterbacks simply don't do. He runs well, but that pretty much sums it up. Pryor clearly doesn't have any concept of what it takes to be a great quarterback.
The fact of the matter is the most important quality in an NFL quarterback is intellect, period. NFL offenses are wildly complicated things, and NFL defenses are equally complicated. A QB's ability to read those defenses and make good decisions with the football is the primary factor with respect to what makes a great NFL gunslinger.
Sure, Vick can scramble. But, that only gets you so far in the NFL, as Vick has learned.
Bobby Knight is quite the hot head, but the man's graduation rate says a lot about his character.
That is sad.
Beat Army!
Isn’t it interesting that schools have to lower their standards because these great athletes don’t have time to study and play sports, yet the service academies manage to graduate articulate, smart athletes who not only studied and trained but fit Div. 1 athletics into their college schedules?
Absolutely. What most people also don't realize is that the cadets/midshipmen have intense military-related training during the "off-season" or summertime preseason when other BCS-caliber programs have their athletes engaged in well-structured conditioning and strengthening programs.
The challenges - physical, emotional and academic - that our members of the service academies have to endure, almost 12 months a year, dwarf the rigors of the that are placed upon other, much more athletically dominate, colleges and universities. And yet, we see a performance out of Navy yesterday that probably should have beaten OSU.
Good luck ODH.
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