This weekend, on the Big Ten Network, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach, Greg Schiano, now defensive coordinator from Ohio State, was asked how his defensive line in Columbus stacks up against any of the defensive lines he’s coached in the past – including the NFL

Here was his response (starting at the 2:50 mark).

“It is [the most talented defensive line I’ve ever been around, including the NFL]. And that’s not a joke. It is. Now we had a great player in Tampa Bay by the name of Gerald McCoy, a tremendous player, but that was one guy.”

Sigh. What a silly thing to say.

First of all, there is no comparison to current college players and NFL players. No, Alabama could never beat the worst NFL team, and that means, no, no defensive line in college is better than a defensive line in the NFL.

Second, Schiano had not only Gerald McCoy, as he mentions, but also Michael Bennett in his final year in Tampa – a year he recorded nine sacks. Though it wasn’t deep, it also had defensive tackle, Roy Miller, who is still in the NFL as well.

Even if you could argue that Schiano was talking about the talent depth, the way you acquired talent in college versus the NFL is so drastically different that it renders the statement off, regardless.

Don’t compare kids while they’re kids to grown men who were succeeding at the professional level.

Schiano should know this, but he said what he said anyways.