Paul Finebaum has been a very vocal detractor of Ohio State coach Ryan Day. Today on ESPN’s First Take, Finebaum doubled down on his Day skepticism.
Finebaum said, “The one deficiency they (Ohio State) have is Ryan Day. He’s yet to prove very much to me other than he can put a gaudy record up with some of the best talent in the country. He still managed to blow some of the biggest games of the year.”
When Stephen A. Smith and Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo suggested playing Georgia close in the national semi-finals two years ago as a positive in Day’s ledger, Finebaum erupted, “ Quit giving Ryan Day a lifetime achievement award because he choked a 14-point lead in the 4th quarter against Georgia. All he had to do was turn one 4th down into a 1st down and he wins that game. But he couldn’t do it. And that’s my issue with this guy.”
Finebaum continued, “He’s so lucky. He was handed the keys to the Mercedes and he’s gotten a few scraps on it. Nobody has had an easier transition than this guy. Urban Meyer quits and Ryan Day takes over. He’s had elite quarterback after quarterback. You can just look in the NFL and see who I’m talking about. We’re not talking about Little League here. This is the big time. My issue with him isn’t his record. Big deal, he can beat up a bunch of crummy teams. My issue is, what happens when he gets to prime time?”
Big game performance from Day’s teams is Finebaum’s biggest issue, “I think he’s a good coach. I don’t think he’s an elite coach. But he’s making $12-million dollars at Ohio State. Win the big game.”
“Ohio State is on an equal footing with Alabama except for one thing,” the ESPN analyst said. “They haven’t won a national title in 10-years. Alabama has won three or four since then.”