I'm sure we all know the talent is there. This new defense just needs to be able to gel quickly with some tough games coming early in the year.
Link[!--quoteo--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]How much of Jim Tressel’s bubbly optimism about his defense is real, and how much is the Ohio State coach forcing a smile?
Nine starters are gone from a tough-as-nails bunch last year that finished with the nation’s fifth-ranked defense overall and first against the run.
Goodbye, Green Berets. Hello, green bananas.
"I don’t know if any of those guys shave," Tressel said of the newcomers.
One would think this would depress a coach. But Tressel has called the rebuilding effort, "fun" and "an adventure," and said he’s "excited about the process."
Really?
Consider this: It turns out that the tired phrase, "offense wins games; defense wins championships," actually is true, at least in recent college football seasons. Five of the past six national champions have been ranked in the top 10 in total defense. The only exception was OSU in 2002, when the Buckeyes ranked 23 rd. In contrast, only two of those six title teams had top-10 offenses.
So if a top-25 defense is necessary to win a title, and top-10 is preferable, the question is clear: Can the Buckeyes’ defense be championship-caliber?
Tressel answered firmly.
"We think they’re very capable," he said. "From a physical, intellectual standpoint, they’re very capable of being a championship defense." [/quote]
