Ohio State Football: ‘Urban Analysis’ is ‘Must See TV’
Urban Meyer’s segment on Big Ten Network with Gerry DiNardo is ‘Must See TV’. After watching this series I have new and appropriate appreciation for what coaches do on a weekly basis.
When Urban Meyer announced that he was turning to television after retiring from coaching I was very excited to say the least. He was great on ESPN before he joined Ohio State.
While he is most known for his role on Fox with Big Noon Kickoff, I believe Meyer is at his best with his segment on Big Ten Network, Urban Analysis.
Urban Analysis is a quick four to six-minute segment that airs a couple of times per week on the Big Ten Network. Urban and former coach and Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo break down film and talk about coaching. The segment is great because it’s two coaches talking shop, and breaking down film in ways that the viewer at home can understand.
Debuting in late August, the first installment on the series focused on how Ryan Day would adapt to being the head coach and how Justin Fields would take over at quarterback. From the minute I watched the first installment, I knew the series would be gold.
Breaking down what made Ryan Day elite and how he believed Justin Fields would fare in this Buckeye offense, Meyer’s analysis has been spot on.
Urban and Gerry have broken down many issues on Big Ten football including how Don Brown has changed up Michigan’s defense, Iowa adding more spread principles to their offense and breaking down Minnesota’s passing attack. They even break down situational football such as when to run specific secondary coverages and third and long situations.
You can learn so much through the breakdown of X’s and O’s from those two, but what I find really fascinating are Urban’s takes on program building. For example, Meyer and DiNardo spent an entire segment breaking down the importance of building a coaching staff.
Meyer said how he kept a notebook of prospective coaches he either knew or who were recommended to him in anticipation of getting his first head coaching gig.
You also get a glimpse into the genius of Meyer, revealing how and why he was such a successful coach. I think my favorite example of this aired last week when Urban told a story of how he used to study the opposing teams head coach to see how involved he was on special teams.
He would have a graduate assistant watch the head coach on the opposing sideline, and if that coach was very attentive on a special teams play when he normally would not be, Urban was alerted and he would call a time-out. All to sniff out a fake play, or as he called it ‘smelling a rat.’ Pure genius.
He actually called out Ryan Day on that episode because he was ‘showing a tell’ when Ohio State ran the onside kick against Maryland. The small details mattered to Urban when he was coaching, and it’s evident on this series.
Also, the interaction between Meyer and DiNardo really is the glue of this segment. The viewer can see through their interactions they have a deep and mutual respect for each other, not only as coaches but also as co-workers.
This segment has taken off so much that the Big Ten Network actually recently aired a ‘best of’ Urban Analysis episode on Twitter. That would be an excellent place to start if you haven’t seen the series yet.
Next. Spartans need Luke Fickell to compete in the Big Ten. dark
So to anyone interested in what made Urban Meyer such a great coach, or to anyone who loves breaking down a football scheme, this segment is for you.