If only his parents had named him Justice.

The staff writer notes in the article above that parents of the players do come here and even read the comments. The point being this is a fully publicly domain, and that makes it different than sharing opinions with your mates at the pub.

I propose the Golden Rule: say to others what you would want said to you; try and put yourself in the other person's shoes. This guiding principle doesn't try to toe a blurry line about adults/minors and paid/unpaid, it just tries to treat all human beings with decency and respect. Being a fanatic does not live at odds with being honorable. Even to the rivals. I see a lot of comments about how this or that was 'unacceptable' and that coach should give back his salary or is a fraud or should be fired. I don't follow the entitlement logic that says a person has free conscience to type each and every wrathful thought that crosses their mind. Does buying tickets or merch or shaking a former coach's hand once give a poster a lifetime 'god mode' pass to hurl lightning bolts and demand their way like an angry tyrant with infallible wisdom? "That coach knows nothing about defence like I do." I mean, come on. Can you stroke your ego somewhere else, please? My understanding of being a fan is someone who makes a conscious decision to pledge unconditional, unwavering love to their team, good, bad, ugly or sad. That is the very essence of the Brotherhood. How can we keep the hits above the waist? How do we keep these 11W forums from spiraling into a miserable hell? Let's try to self-moderate with the Golden Rule. If you see me being an miserable ass on here, feel free to give me a humorous nudge in the right direction.

If he calls plays as well as he handles the rest of his biz, then sweetsassymolassy!!

Sorry you're feeling flabbergasted. I suggest gelato.

Nah. Hindsight shows that the best two teams played a classic on New Year's Eve.

I think they called the Pink Panther out of retirement.

I suspect he thinks of himself (as does most of the B1G) as too noble and principled to tarnish his character and the game with pay-to-play NIL baiting. He'll ride that high horse out of Ann Arbor to any place that will pay him more.

Respect to Ryan Day. He is a national championship coach in the making. When he gets there, he will have earned it, and Harbaugh can eat third base.

I do remember Knowles admitting in a post game press conference the weakness of his scheme was that it could be prone for giving up explosive plays. I could see how this could be understood to mean that giving up a select few big plays each game was acceptable if it served the greater good. Has he said it more than once? I did not take him to mean that giving up certain big plays was excusable, only that it was a weakness of the scheme that had to be accounted for. My impression of Knowles is that he holds himself responsible and to the highest standard. He seems willing to fix and adjust. If there is another defensive coordinator doing it better for less money, I don't know who that is. It certainly was him last year. I'm genuinely optimistic for next year and grateful that Knowles is coaching for us instead of against us. 

We saw this after The Game, too. Staff writers are producing content while tired and emotional. I would also like to see balanced, gracious professionalism with the staff articles. Critique without criticizing. What the staff writes sets the tone and ethos for the commenters. There are loyal fans walking away from this site because of the excessive negativity. 

I get the frustration toward Knowles, but we're very lucky to have him. Yes, there is room to improve. Everyone can see that. But the defense is strides better than last year. I personally don't find it reasonable to expect that our defense would have cleaned up all of last years shortcomings and fully implement a new scheme all in one season. That takes time. It's hard to be patient for these things, but I think that the patience will pay off (hopefully a year from now). Also, let's look at the wider landscape. Georgia gave up a lot of points. TCU gave up a lot of points. Michigan gave up a lot of points. ND gave up a lot of points. The list goes on. It is going to take an innovative mad scientist type like Knowles to adapt to the innovations happening on the other side of the ball. If our defense improves by the same margin that it did last off season, it will be the #1 defense. I think the talent and personnel are there, and player development is on schedule. 

That was refreshing interlude. There was much respect for Coach Day. It was said that Day had his players ready to play, had well drafted Xs and Os, made the better adjustments, gets credit for not putting Marv back in, and is a top 5 coach. 

I would echo all of that. I feel luck that Day is our coach and I believe his best seasons--including championship winning seasons--are ahead. 

Go Bucks!

I get that you're disappointed and bewildered. But you don't have to share every denigrating thought that crosses your mind. I respect a person who can self moderate and practice the golden rule. If you hold your team to a high standard, hold yourself to one too. 

Ditto! I'm so proud of these Buckeyes! Safe and happy New Year to all.

Thank you, CJ! Your character is exemplary and you led your team extremely well! 

That was pure passion down to the wire! I'm proud of these players. Happy and safe New Year everyone! 

Georgia has a heck of a team this year. What a contest. It was pure passion down to the wire.

I'm very very proud of how our boys put it all on the field today and I'm grateful for a really enjoyable season rooting for the best damn team in the land. It was terrific seeing CJ run to convert first downs.

I think Knowles defense will only get better in his second year, and I think that the off season QB battle will sharpen McCord and Brown into fierce competitors, both potentially ready to command the offence--with great talent and experience all over the roster to get it done.

From where I sit, even though we finished with two losses, this team ended the season a more complete team than last year, even with key injuries (JSN and much of the RB room). We were one play away from beating the reigning champs. We're in a very good position to build upon this season and take it to yet another level. I expect Georgia and Michigan to be there again, too. Historically, Day has shown readiness to improve and adapt, and I think we'll see positive changes to how offensive play calling is handled. Day appears to learn from losses, and he will continue to improve as a first time head coach. His best days are ahead and his championships will come. I do believe this.

Key decision makers will need to respond decisively to the NIL quandary and roll out a competitive strategy. The team is in a good place for next year, but with so many key recruiting misses this cycle due to being outbid by other schools, the Buckeyes cannot afford to slip any further to shore up the talent for future rosters to be big game ready. There needs to be a willingness from leaders to publicly address the abuses related to pay-to-play and transfer portal tampering. These major oversights by the NCAA have the potential to degrade the entire college football experience and turn it into a pale shadow and sham of its former self. This present issue is a watershed moment in the sport, and I hope that OSU will display principled leadership in pushing for reform or reinvention. 

Now, time to steel myself for the long off season, always looking ahead with a longing in my heart for September 2, 2023, when the world will again become a better, brighter place for a few months.

Go Bucks!

They might be getting paid, but they're still kids and students under immense pressure. Learning to cope mentally and emotionally with the big stage is part of the development process, and it takes years. As for 'criticism', I don't think this is the word we want to condone, as criticism denotes negativity and disapproval on the basis of faults (whether substantiated or perceived). There is a significant difference between a drunk cuss who criticizes student athletes in game day threads and a fan (or coach) who analyzes and critiques a players performance with with a supportive and non-demeaning manner. I think there is a dotted line between 'criticism' and 'critique' and the fan base should err on the side of the later. I understand there is a shadowy side to the human condition where people act in uncalled for ways. Even I do sometimes. But I also think saying 'it is what it is' falls short. We should hold ourselves to a high standard and call out the uncalled for, otherwise we enable an ethos where it's fine for everyone to be a Desmond Howard.

A 'fan' who disparages student athletes is neither a fan or a decent human being. A fan does not cross that line. Instead they show honor, devotion and gratitude to their team whether things are good, bad, ugly or sad. In other word, a fan wants nothing but the very best for those kids just like they were his/her own kids and they have their back even if/when they (the student athlete who takes the world on their shoulders) lets the world down. The players uphold this ideal in their covenant of Brotherhood and a fan will make this pledge the first time and each time they put on the scarlet and gray and wear that OSU logo over their hearts. Go Bucks

This game could be won by 1 or 21 by either team. No matter how it plays out, I'm going to ride with my Buckeyes, good, bad, ugly or sad.

These are very good observations and I couldn't agree more.