Cleveland Cavs’ star LeBron James has recently started reaching out to Ohio State sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who has come under criticism lately after his poor performance in the Buckeyes’ loss to Purdue last Saturday.

From ESPN.com:

“[I'm] trying to mentor him and get him through ‘life in the spotlight,’ which I’ve been through,” James said after a preseason game in Columbus on Wednesday night.

James said he has been speaking to Pryor on the phone in recent weeks to try to help him deal with celebrity at a young age. James knows something about that, since he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated under the headline “The Chosen One” while he was still in high school in Akron, Ohio.

“Being that No. 1 guy, how do you adjust to it and how do you get through it and still perform at a high level?” James said. “Sometimes it can be very difficult on [a young athlete]. I’m trying to be that guy who can really help him get through a lot of situations which he’s never seen before but now he’s seeing and understanding.”

Pryor said the bad game at Purdue had helped open his eyes.

“That opened me up to the world and opened me up to myself and who I am as a person,” Pryor said. “I think maybe that was the best thing to happen to us last week. Maybe we’ll learn from it. We’re having real good practices, and we’re just trying to get the fans back on our side.”

Pryor seems to have a good head on his shoulders and generally wants to excel at the collegiate level. Hopefully he doesn’t succumb to the pressure and criticism of the media and tanks the rest of his career because he has plenty of athletic talent.

This is when Jim Tressel needs to step up and do everything he can throughout the week and on Saturdays to ensure that Pryor succeeds. If that means scaling back the playbook and giving Pryor only 10 plays to master, then so be it. Spreading out the offense and trying to fit a round peg in a square hole won’t work and Pryor will only continue to struggle.

It’s great that a star like LeBron is willing to help a student athlete out. But he isn’t going to be around Pryor all the time like Tressel is. Maybe Tressel’s future at Ohio State should be tied to how Pryor develops over the next couple years. (If it isn’t already, that is.)

Ohio State sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor’s high school coach doesn’t like the way Jim Tressel is utilizing his former star.

From ESPN.com:

“They need Terrelle to run more,” former Jeannette (Pa.) High School coach Ray Reitz said. “They’ve put the reins on him and they need to let him go free. When I watch Terrelle play right now, I see a robot.”

Reitz, now the coach at Latrobe High, said Pryor was recruited on the premise of a more diverse offense.

“All I know is they promised him that they would teach him a pro-style system with both a shotgun and under center,” Reitz said. “Jim Tressel is a great coach and he’s been running his offense successfully for 30 years. But I’d like to see some zone-read plays where with one mistake [by the defense], he can be gone. With some zone-read plays, they wouldn’t be able to take away all the outside runs because he’d being a threat to go between the tackles.”

Reitz said he believes that Pryor is being affected by criticism — though he would never admit it.

“It’s gotten to the point where I turn the volume down when watching TV now,” Reitz said. “I believe the criticism has seeped into his mind. I’m sure there are some mechanical issues. But all I know is he was accurate when he was in high school.”

Reitz said it would be a mistake to move Pryor to wide receiver — a move which Tressel said does not figure into his plans.

“He would be a great wide receiver or even a great linebacker,” Reitz said. “But that doesn’t mean you should move him from quarterback. In fact, I don’t think he’d agree to a move to wide receiver. Give him time to grow. Put the ball in his hands and if there is a breakdown let him run. It doesn’t look to me like he’s relaxed. It doesn’t look like he has rhythm. It doesn’t look like he’s comfortable.”

Tressel’s questionable game planning and playcalling aside, Pryor hasn’t shown that he can handle even the basic fundamentals of the position yet. His footwork is sloppy, his mechanics aren’t sound and he isn’t accurate. So this notion that Tressel isn’t using him effectively is a moot point right now because Pryor needs to figure out the basics of the position first.

But I agree with Reitz that Pryor shouldn’t be moved to another position yet. If he continues to regress at quarterback, then Tressel can re-assess the situation at the end of the year. But Pryor is only a sophomore and is still learning so at least for the time being, OSU should continue to try to shape him as a quarterback before moving him to another position.

Gerardo Orlando of Cleveland Scores wonders whether or not Ohio State should bench highly touted sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

As an Ohio State fan, it’s hard to imagine watching Pryor play quarterback for two more seasons. The Buckeyes are loaded on defense, and they have a solid offense as well, even with a mediocre offensive line. All they need right now to compete is a quarterback who can hit open receivers and avoid turnovers. They don’t need a Vince Young or even a Troy Smith. Put Craig Krenzel on this team and the Buckeyes are competing for a national championship. Instead, we have the Terrelle Pryor train wreck, and an excellent defense is being wasted.

Pryor chose Ohio State because he wanted a program that could help him develop as a future NFL quarterback. That seems like a pipe dream now. The kid needs to focus on just being a competent college quarterback.

What should Tressel do? Would sitting Pryor help? Tressel needs to consider this if Pryor continues to turn over the football. He owes it to the other players on the team.

In the meantime, short of benching Pryor, Tressel needs to rethink what he’s trying to do on offense (the issue of Tressel calling the plays will be addressed another time). We can see he’s already tried to incorporate the option more into the offense, but we’re seeing that Pryor’s instincts aren’t much better there. Perhaps with practice he’ll get better, as the option at least plays to his running ability. Tressel should toss aside a good chunk of the playbook and go to a much simpler offense. Focus on running the football, the option, and other Wildcat-type plays, and have Pryor make much simpler throws that play off the running game. Dig up old tape from Oklahoma and Nebraska from the 1970’s, or even most of the Woody Hayes years. Keep it simple until the kid shows he can handle more.

Buckeye fans often get frustrated with Tressel’s conservative play-calling, but opening up the offense is not the solution here. He has to pull things back and start over. And, if Pryor can’t cut it in a simpler offense, then Tressel will have to make a change.

Well said. I could get into all of the things Pryor is currently struggling with, but the article does a nice job going into detail about the sophomore quarterback’s issues with arm strength, accuracy, mechanics, pocket presence, decision-making and leadership.

I find it interesting that Pryor was between Ohio State and Michigan two years ago and he might have been a better fit for Rich Rodriguez’s offense than Tressel’s. Not that Pryor has run the option well at OSU, but at least Rich Rod could have exploited Pryor’s running abilities.

That said, hindsight is always 20/20. If Pryor isn’t cut out to be a collegiate quarterback, then Ann Arbor wasn’t going to solve his issues.

After turning in one of the more pathetic offensive displays in recent memory, No. 7 Ohio State was shocked in West Lafayette on Saturday as Purdue beat the Buckeyes 26-18.

His final numbers (17 of 31, 221 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) don’t do justice to how bad sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor was today. Midway through the third quarter, he was just 7 of 14 passing for 84 yards with interceptions. And his fumble in the second quarter killed a potential scoring drive.

Pryor has all the physical tools to succeed, but Jim Tressel was wrong when he said this summer that the sophomore was developing as a passer. He’s not. His decision-making isn’t very sound and he’s not good enough to overcome turnovers, which was evident today.

That said, Tressel hasn’t helped Pryor in his development. His play calling and in-game decisions are often befuddling and he clearly isn’t the right person to nurture a quarterback as skilled as Pryor. Also, Ohio State’s running game was non-existent on Saturday, which is staggering considering Purdue was allowing over 160 rushing yards per game coming into today.

This was a sad offensive display by the Buckeyes and they deserved to lose with the way they played. But let’s give credit to a Purdue team that took advantage of the opportunities that it was given. They could have opened the door for an Ohio State comeback when the Buckeyes added a field goal early in the fourth to cut the Boilermakers’ lead to 23-10. Instead, Purdue added a field goal of its own to all but put the game out of reach.

This was a nice victory by a Purdue team that many people figured would just play dead today.

Over the last few seasons, Ohio State has gone into marquee matchups (whether it be the national championship or other wise) and the coaching staff has held back. For whatever reason, Jim Tressel succumbs to the pressure of big games and often plays not to lose.

Entering their clash Saturday night against USC in Columbus, the Buckeyes had everything to gain and nothing to lose, or at least that’s how Tressel should have approached it. The Buckeyes were embarrassed last year at the Coliseum, but have a much better squad this season, especially at quarterback now that Terrelle Pryor is the full time starter.

Tressel and his coaching staff would have benefited from staying aggressive for four quarters. Instead, Tressel once again played it close to the vest (no pun intended) and the end result was an 18-15 Trojans victory and yet another loss for the Buckeyes in a game big.

Even though it was in the first quarter, one drive from this contest tonight painted a perfect picture of how Tressel game plans against opponents with equal or better talent.

With just over four minutes left in the first quarter, Ohio State marched down the field methodically, keeping the ball on the ground until Pryor completed a 34-yard pass to DeVier Posey that got the Buckeyes to the USC 2-yard line.

From there, Tressel attempted one pass (which fell incomplete), decided it was too dangerous to put the ball in the air again and then rushed Boom Herron consecutive times on 2nd and 3rd down, which resulted in a gain of just one yard. Facing a 4th and 1 from USC’s goal line, Tressel opted to kick the field goal instead of trying to punch it in and take a one-touchdown lead.

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One of the most anticipated matchups of the 2009 college football season takes place Saturday night in Columbus as the Ohio State Buckeyes host the USC Trojans one year after Pete Carroll’s team waxed Jim Tressel’s bunch at the Coliseum. Here are five things to keep an eye on as we get closer to kickoff.

1. Which running game will take over?
This game is going to be won or lost in the trenches. Whichever team can establish its running game and wear down their opponent’s defensive line will emerge unscathed. Carroll is starting a freshman quarterback (Matt Barkley) on the road and he’s not going to want to put the game on his young signal caller’s shoulders. Instead, he’ll trust that his running game (which chewed up San Jose State for 342 yards last week), led by junior Joe McKnight (14 carries, 145 yards, 2 TDs) and one of the most experienced offensive lines in the country will open things up for Barkley in the passing game. But McKnight (who fumbled twice last week) must protect the ball, because the Trojans won’t survive if they turn the ball over on the road. Defensively for the Trojans, they can expect to see a steady diet of “Boom” Herron and Brandon Saine after the duo combined to rush for 125 yards on 26 carries last week against Navy. Tressel will also get quarterback Terrelle Pryor on the move early and often in order to keep USC back on their heels.

2. The X factor for Ohio State.
Speaking of Pryor, this is a game that could help put him on the map as a passer. If the Buckeyes’ running game can get into a grove and open things up for the passing game, Pryor needs to capitalize on all the hard work he put in this summer and prove that he can beat opponents with his arm. Tressel has marveled at how far his sophomore quarterback has come as a passer since his first year and now it’s time for Pryor produce against a secondary that’s going to challenge his resolve. Taylor Mays is one of the best safeties in the nation, so it would be wise if Pryor stayed away from the senior’s side of the field. One thing Pryor shouldn’t be shy about doing, however, is moving around the pocket and making things happen with his legs. If passing lanes don’t start to open for him early on, moving around and creating his own lanes could be beneficial and keep the ball moving for OSU.

3. Barkley gets a taste of the big stage.
The fans at the “Horse Shoe” are going to make things a living hell for Barkley, so it’ll be interesting to see how the frosh quarterback does in his first real test of his collegiate career. Barkley has a strong arm and is a gunslinger through and through, but he falls victim to believing he can complete any pass in any coverage and he’s susceptible to throwing a high number of interceptions. Things can go south real quick for a young quarterback if he starts turning the ball over on the road, so Barkley needs to trust that his running game will open things up for him and he can take calculated risks only when they present themselves.

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Dave Curtis of The Sporting News.com thinks so:

The Trojans rocked overmatched San Jose State for 342 rushing yards, an average of 7.6 yards per carry, and six touchdowns in their 56-3 victory. Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel raved about the USC offensive line, which cleared paths for all those gains.

…center Kristofer O’Dowd is expected to return from a dislocated kneecap. The move shifts fill-in center Jeff Byers back to guard, and gives USC one of the most talented and most experienced offensive lines in the country.
The backfield, though lacking Navy’s deception and misdirection, has more speed and strength than the Mids. Joe McKnight, who’s spent most of his Trojan career fighting injuries, emerged as USC’s primary back and racked up 145 yards on 14 carries Saturday afternoon.

Ohio State, on the flip side, brings a defensive line capable of hanging with the Trojans. Veterans Doug Worthington, Cameron Heyward and Thaddeus Gibson have struggled in big games in the past but possess experience against top Big Ten teams and Texas in the Fiesta Bowl.

The veteran presence falls off after that.

Curtis brings up a good point. Everyone is focused on the two quarterbacks (OSU’s Terrelle Pryor and USC frosh starter Matt Barkley) in this huge matchup, but it probably won’t be an aerial show come Saturday night in Columbus. Both teams might try to wear each other down on the ground and then go for big strikes over top in the passing game.

Pete Carroll has to rely on his running game. He has a freshman under center playing in a hostile environment; he can’t put everything on Barkley to win the game, and I highly doubt he will.

Paola Boivin of the Arizona Republic writes that while Texas’s 24-21 win over Ohio State in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl was impressive, the Longhorns aren’t title-worthy.

With all due respect, we’d like to direct the jury to disregard the statements of Texas coach Mack Brown, who proclaimed after Monday night’s Fiesta Bowl that, “We’re obviously one of the best teams in the country, if not the best.”

If we’re to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, the Longhorns aren’t worthy of national-title consideration. They were gutsy and entertaining in a 24-21 victory over Ohio State, but by week’s end Florida or Oklahoma will prove it’s more deserving.

We direct your attention to People’s Exhibit 1, mainly Texas’ inability to find the end zone until the third quarter. In a college football postseason that has become, yawn, absurdly diluted, Texas’ quest for title respect was the most interesting story line of the night.

Until the Longhorns scored their game-winning touchdown with 16 seconds left, it was Mr. Sweater Vest himself, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, who gave the game its spice. The guy might be more sock hop than hip-hop, more L.L. Bean than LL Cool J, but he added some oomph with the way he showcased his freshman quarterback.

In a game that squared off a team that had a lot at stake against one that didn’t, Texas needed a blowout to sway opinion. It will have to live with the reality that the Bowl Championship Series got it right.

Hey, it happens.

“I wasn’t sure before tonight . . . but I’m going to vote Texas No. 1,” Brown said.

Brown is loyal. He’s just not right.

You knew if Texas didn’t blow out Ohio State that we would see 50 of these articles hit the net by Tuesday morning. No offense to the Longhorns or the Buckeyes because they played an entertaining second half, but the game didn’t matter. None of the college football games matter expect for the national championship game and even that doesn’t matter. Without a playoff, there’s no fair way to judge which team is the best in the nation so I refuse to partake in the, “Texas deserves to be No. 1/Texas doesn’t deserve to be No.1” discussions. Sorry.

Here are six quick-hit thoughts on Texas’s 24-21 win over Ohio State in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl:

1. Quan Cosby was Texas’s MVP, not Colt McCoy
No disrespect to McCoy (41 of 58, 414 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INTs) because he was excellent, but the Longhorns’ true MVP was wideout Quan Cosby. Texas’s offense is predicated on short timing routes in which McCoy gets the ball out of his hands quickly and the wideouts getting up the field. McCoy did his job because he was outstanding in getting the ball out of his hands quickly (especially in the second half), but he doesn’t rack up over 400 yards if his receivers don’t make plays after the catch. And considering he hauled in 14 receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns (including the 26-yard game winner with just 16 seconds remaining in the game), Crosby certainly made his fair share of plays. He also threw a key block to spring McCoy for a 14-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter that provided a spark for a UT offense that was dominated in the first half.

2. Terrelle Pryor is a special player, but he’s incredibly raw.
There’s no doubt that Pryor is a special player and it’s easy to see why he was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. But he’s got a long way to go before he’s a complete player. The way he evaded defenders to the tune of 73 rushing yards was impressive, especially with how many tackles he broke. And his touchdown catch to put the Buckeyes within two with just over seven minutes to go in the game was a thing of beauty. But how many times did he run out of bounds in the first half when he had at least 3-5 yards more that he could have gained? The one run were he went out of bounds when he could have easily picked up a first down clearly showed his lack of awareness. He also has a ton of work to do with his footwork when passing, because several of his attempts (including one on a 2pt conversion) fell short because he never set his feet. He uses his arm too much and Jim Tressel and the OSU coaching staff will certainly have to get the kid to learn how to drive his legs into his throws or he’ll wind up throwing plenty of interceptions before his career is finished. That said, he’s a phenomenal athlete and considering he’s only a freshman, he had quite a year. OSU has a special player on its hands and he’s already showed that he’s committed to becoming a better quarterback. I love his attitude.

3. Not reaching the end zone in the first half doomed OSU
The Buckeyes really missed a golden opportunity to head into halftime with a double-digit lead, but they couldn’t get into the end zone in the first half. Texas couldn’t stop Beanie Wells’ in the first half and OSU was moving the ball effectively down the field. But twice they had to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns and it doomed them down the stretch. They essentially couldn’t capitalize on how well their defense played in the first half and it doomed them down the stretch. If OSU takes a 14-3 lead into halftime, the second half obviously plays out much differently than it did and the Buckeyes probably take home the win.

4. Jim Tressel’s use of both Pryor and Todd Boeckman was excellent.
Forget the fact that both Pryor and Boeckman had major contributions in OSU’s victory. Where Tressell’s idea to use both quarterbacks really came into play was at the beginning of the game. He knew the freshman Pryor would have some jitters playing in his first bowl game, so he didn’t line him under center, but split him out wide as a receiver. What the play did was show Texas a formation they weren’t entirely prepared for, allowed Pryor to get the blood flowing without having to take a snap, and got both quarterbacks involved early in the game plan. Great idea.

5. Texas needed more from their running game.
Colt McCoy didn’t put up Colt McCoy-type numbers, but he certainly did more than enough in the passing game to beat Ohio State. But what really hurt the Longhorns was the fact that they couldn’t get a consistent running game going. The Buckeyes did a fantastic job of keeping McCoy (UT’s leading rusher this season) contained and forcing the Longhorns to run the ball more conventionally, which isn’t their style. Obviously it didn’t matter in the end because McCoy and the passing game saved them, but the Horns could have pointed to their lack of running game as one of the reasons for defeat if they had lost.

6. First down or no first down?
Many OSU fans are going to talk about the first down that was awarded to Texas on a 4th and 2 with under a minute to play. In full speed, it looked like the Longhorn receiver’s forward progress got him the first down but it was close on the replay. There’s definitely an argument to be made that he was stopped short, which would have given OSU a win.

6.5 Who in the name of everything right in this world was that blond standing next to Colt McCoy’s parents?
Holy crap. They couldn’t show her enough…