3/25/2013
“We’re not good” are typically not the words of a 12-0 head football coach after winning his 4th straight game. “Awful.”
Urban Meyer spoke at the Professional Football Hall of Fame Luncheon in Canton, Ohio on Monday, March 25th at Tozzi’s on 12th Restaurant. Things had to change dramatically if Meyer and the Buckeyes were to challenge the teams up north for the B1G Ten title. Meyer explained to the crowd that the team had many talented players, but something was missing. Following a victory over UAB, Meyer faced the reality that the team needed to turn the defense around quickly with Michigan State and Nebraska set to face Ohio State in back to back weeks. With a gutty performance at Michigan State, the team won 17-16 and a game ball was awarded to defensive lineman John Simon.
Meyer had spoken about Simon, calling him the toughest player he ever coached. In his office hangs two jerseys – Tim Tebow and John Simon. For the past couple weeks, Simon was playing through a shoulder injury and never let anyone know how much pain he was in. Simon accepted the game ball after the Michigan State game and began to break down in tears. Meyer realized that this player was giving everything he had – not only for his own draft stock, but for his teammates, coaches and university. Sitting in his coach’s office, Meyer had to reevaluate the team’s situation. He went around all the coaches and challenged them to do their jobs with as much passion as John Simon did with his. To inspire the team, Meyer brought in a guest speaker to talk to the players at their weekly devotional team meetings. 3 things were highlighted: Choices, Sacrifices, and Time. Meyer spoke that their are choices that all college students must make and they have to decide if the results will benefit the team. Sacrifices must be made to help the team. Not every player will be the star player. Finally, the players must devote time to become great. “The NCAA allows 20 hours for practice each week. Hell, 20 hours is 2 days for our quarterbacks.” The last thing that Urban Meyer addressed was that his players stood up for each other because they genuinely loved each other, their university and the fans. He repeated “genuine love” about 5 times in the last 5 minutes of his speech. From the Michigan State game and on, the team went on to drastically improve their games and went on to finish 12-0. We all know Urban Meyer is a great coach and motivator, but the crazy thing is how he develops cohesiveness between his players. I assure you this Buckeye Fans … Urban Meyer will bring this team back to the promised land, and it might just be sooner rather than later.