This is a tough article to write for me. It really is. My friends know I have struggled myself health-wise, and it is a very touchy topic for me to go after. What I can say before plunging ahead is this: everyone has issues, and it is not my place to judge how those issues affect them.
What I can go into, however, is how Urban’s health has taken a turn this season. It’s the same situation that occurred during his tenure at Florida. For those that don’t know, shortly after winning the national championship, he became obsessed with winning so much he began calling recruits. This was not the only thing he did that became scary for his family to witness. He took Ambien and drank to help him sleep, which he rarely did anyway. He disconnected from his family, and spent most of his days watching film and at practice. He became so obsessed with winning, his health deteriorated to the point where he had to step away so he could get better. As sad as the story is, he came to OSU after said break under the premise all was well, and swore that old Urban wouldn’t break back through.
…and yet…it’s starting to look like he has…
Yes, I know the arguments against this. He has a contract with his family, and they know the signs better than me. But he’s won a championship, and has followed that with great season’s that fell short. Even though the team is considered by many as one of the top 3-5 teams going into the season every year (and only two teams would want to face them in the postseason), they can still falter to even the lowest middle-tier teams solely by being unprepared and unfocused. Those two words have never been used to describe the teams of elite coaches, and especially when it comes to teams Urban has coached.
I know I can’t be the only one seeing the signs behind his mask.
Am I a crazy fan that believes OSU should fire Urban after the embarrassing loss to Purdue? No, they earned and deserved that win. Am I delusional in thinking that OSU could get a better coach? I like to think not. You may be asking what point I’m making then, and to be honest, I was having trouble myself with this point exactly. And that’s what scares me about Urban’s health: the uncertainty.
When Urban came to OSU it was sworn that he was better. And yet he now has a cyst in his brain that leads to collapsing in the middle of the game. The team seems unfocused and not ready. To top it off, people seem to have quickly brushed over the fact that the beginning of the year started off with Urban not even being the head coach of the team. The last time a OSU team had this much bad press is when the Gold Pants for tats ‘scandal’ broke.
Everything I’m saying must be taken with a grain of salt right now, which is why I hate writing these kinds of pieces. But it’s what was on my mind, and what I felt needed to be said. I am not going as far as saying fire Urban. There is no reason to. What I can say is to watch this situation closely. I don’t think this season is going to end the way that my preseason thoughts had me leaning towards believing. At this point, I hope we get the fourth best SEC team to beat up on. In reality? I am just hoping we can still get one of the New Year’s six bowl games, and don’t become an afterthought.
…but still, go Bucks!
