Beanie out? I’m not buyin’ it yet

Yeah, I heard the news last night too. Jim Tressel called an impromptu press conference to declare that Beanie Wells was not going to be available for tonight’s USC game. No other players, not even Wells himself, has been made available to the press since that statement.

Immediately after hearing Tressel’s comment, my heart sank. And then I remembered who said it.

I’m not buyin’ it.

Let us all remember who Jim Tressel is. He’s a disciple direct from the Woody Hayes school of thought. Steep the team in tradition, treat your players like they were your own sons, and keep everyone else in the world guessing. The other team is the enemy and they do NOT get to know the game plan. That includes who is getting the ball.

Woody was a master at message control and keeping his game plan undisclosed. The only secrets that got out were the only that Woody wanted to get out. And Jim Tressel is Woody Hayes (if Woody had gone to anger management seminars).

I still firmly believe that Beanie will be playing tonight, and I will believe it until I see street clothes or sweatpants on #28.

Let’s look at the timeline of this week, and you tell me whether or not you think Tressel is playing the media like an organ grinder plays a monkey.

• Monday – Beanie does not practice with the team, but does running drills the entire time. Several players are quoted after practice, all of them telling the press encouraging details about Wells’ progress
• Tuesday – Ohio State releases their depth chart for the USC game. Beanie Wells is listed as the #1 running back
• Tuesday – Beanie tells offensive coordinator that he’s ready to carry the ball 45 times
• Wednesday – Beanie practices with the team, gets about 20 carries and the team lists him at 75% healthy. More positive details from fellow players
• Thursday – Tressel announces that Wells is listed as “doubtful” for USC moments before the Buckeyes board the plane for California. No other players are made available to the media
• Friday – Following a walk-through at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Tressel calls a press conference to announce that Wells will not play on Saturday. No players are made available to the media
• Saturday – ESPN reports that Ohio State’s team doctors have cleared Beanie Wells to play. Erin Andrews also reports that when attempting to discuss it with Buckeye players in their hotel lobby, they refuse to answer, only offering “the team is focused” statements
• Saturday – ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit expresses doubt about the reports and affirms his belief that Wells will play. No other members of the GameDay crew challenge e his assertion

I don’t know what that looks like to you, but what I see is a total lockdown on the players so Tressel can get his own message out there and not have it refuted. Besides Tressel, the only people who have witnessed a single moment of practice aren’t talking about Wells anymore, and the tone of discussion regarding his return took a rapid and surprising decline as soon as the lockdown commenced.

Maybe I’m living in the first stage of grief still, but I’m just not convinced. If Wells shows up on the field an hour before the game in full pads, I will not be shocked.

Let’s hope I’m right on this one.

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By the way, how cool must it be to be a Buckeye player last night? You go to your hotel, and Erin Andrews is waiting in the lobby for you? Sign me up.

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