If there are even two games more games as close as ND and Cal, I pray for y'all's cardiovascular systems.
2016 Texas Longhorn Football: The End of the Beginning
- Thread starter Kremlin Watcher
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Mason Rudolph threw for 540 yards yesterday. Looks like we're going to need that extra week to see if we can keep him below that.
That's the $64,000 question, isn't it? Charlie pledged today to "get more involved" in the defense and that he would fix it.
I'm not sure if it's a good thing that he's getting more involved or a bad thing that such a defense-minded coach hasn't been very involved in the defense to date. But speculation on Texas boards is that guys like Evans, Haines, Cole and some other upperclassmen are going to be riding some pine next weekend and we are going to see a lot more Jones, Roach, and other young guys. Because at this rate the Pokies are going to hang a minimum of 50 on this D.
My fear is this IS Charlie's defense and Bedford is and always has been just calling the plays. I fully expect Charlie to call plays vs the dirt burglars and from here on out, and I won't be surprised if Bedford is demoted the week after OU.
I'll give Charlie credit - when things go south he isn't afraid to do what he believes can fix them. Offense, special teams have shown this - let's hope the defense can get together.
I have this weird feeling that it isn't a talent or schematic issue but moreso of they have made it overly complicated for some dumb upperclassmen and freshmen who need it to be stripped down a little.
They'll probably give up four touchdowns vs Bye this week, but they'll win going away.
I'll give Charlie credit - when things go south he isn't afraid to do what he believes can fix them. Offense, special teams have shown this - let's hope the defense can get together.
I have this weird feeling that it isn't a talent or schematic issue but moreso of they have made it overly complicated for some dumb upperclassmen and freshmen who need it to be stripped down a little.
They'll probably give up four touchdowns vs Bye this week, but they'll win going away.
The highlights didn't show much of a scheme issue. They were completely and utterly unable to defend the wheel route when the outside receiver overlapped on a post. I counted at least three big plays (including two touchdowns) where the receiver on the wheel route was all alone because the outside corner busted coverage by following the inside receiver, leaving the outside receiver wide fucking open.
That doesn't scream "scheme issue" to me. That screams "these corners don't know what the fuck they're doing", which points to a coaching issue. That's on the defensive backs coach and the defensive coordinator.
That doesn't scream "scheme issue" to me. That screams "these corners don't know what the fuck they're doing", which points to a coaching issue. That's on the defensive backs coach and the defensive coordinator.
one game suspension, counseling, community service and "further internal discipline".
I look forward to the day when an arrest for DWI is treated with the weight and severity it deserves.
I would definitely bet the over on that one. Mason what's-his-name is going to throw for about a thousand yards.
Charlie Strong is gone. He may last through next season but it's just playing out the string at this point. No on-field progression in three seasons.
It really blows because I like him and hope he found success.
It really blows because I like him and hope he found success.
Charlie is done I think, one way or another. None of the major issues of the past two years have been addressed. Special teams, clock management, poor tackling, crapping out when the run game stutters, all of it. I hate starting over. But if Perrin doesn't do something he's going to lose a ton of credibility. This can't keep happening at Texas.
Doubt it matters and probably too late but Bedford is done.
@gkketch
Multiple sources have told Orangebloods tonight that Charlie Strong will take over full control and play-calling duties from Vance Bedford.
@gkketch
Multiple sources have told Orangebloods tonight that Charlie Strong will take over full control and play-calling duties from Vance Bedford.
Beginning to think the 22 years between DKR and Mack might be fewer than Mack and our next competent coach.
I'm a lot less sure of that. You have great coaches that would take that spot in a heartbeat. I would be surprised if any of Tom Herman, Larry Fedora, Les Miles or maybe even the newly fired (projecting) Bill o'Brien wouldn't get down on all fours and bark like a dog for that gig.
BoB won't ever go back to be a college head coach. He hated the dog-and-pony show he had to do at Penn State. He just wants to be a football coach, not a fundraiser and public figure for a university.
This is all assuming Strong is gone at season's end.
In googling Herman, I didn't realize there is a real TLU, I always thought it was what the tv Friday Night Lights meant for Texas State.
IMHO, Fedora is a non-starter and Miles has been around too long.
In googling Herman, I didn't realize there is a real TLU, I always thought it was what the tv Friday Night Lights meant for Texas State.
IMHO, Fedora is a non-starter and Miles has been around too long.
They'd have to back up a fleet of Brink's trucks for any of the big names. We're talking about a program with no forward momentum and whose coach has a crippling amount of media responsibilities. If Strong doesn't right the ship starting on Saturday, this program is in a load of trouble.
That assumes that the AD and the BoR don't screw it up again. Mack was an accident; the first choice was Gary Barnett. Since Coach Royal retired the Texas Athletics Department and the BoR have conspired to screw up every major football coaching search. Dave Campbell was Coach Royal's choice so naturally the Regents chose Freddy. After Freddy drove the program off a cliff the best compromise they could come up with was a beloved but incompetent David McWilliams. Don't even get me started on Mackovic. Then they seriously tried to get Gary Barnett. Then Strong, who appeared to be a good choice at the time but clearly wasn't vetted thoroughly enough. What success Texas football has had has been in spite of its management. I have zero confidence - ZERO - that they'll get it right this time. Probably go after someone like Lane Kiffen or Jon Gruden. I said it last season and I'll say it again: we are looking at another lost decade of football at Texas.
O'Brien? Yammer, the Texans are gonna win the South again. McNair won't fire him for that. Maybe, maybe if they make the playoffs again in 2017 and don't win a game.
Edit: and if he was canned, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him end up back in NE as OC for a couple years
Edit: and if he was canned, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him end up back in NE as OC for a couple years
Strong's press conference today gives me no faith at all in anything.
We have the worst STs in the country (by far, hell maybe in collegiate history) and he didn't even mention anything about them. He dug his own grave today.
We have the worst STs in the country (by far, hell maybe in collegiate history) and he didn't even mention anything about them. He dug his own grave today.
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Disagree. We're talking about a program that's still a destination for any coach who isn't an alum of Florida, Ohio State, USC, Notre Dame, Michigan, and the small group up for debate that's part of this circle. Strong could wither for another three years and UT would still draw anyone not included in the aforementioned.
After all, Bama's decade plus of mediocrity before Saban was more than tolerated.
Granted, that doesn't mean Texas wouldn't have to clean house and make sure there's a stable AD/administration situation.
But yeah, they're THIRD all time in program wins behind only Michigan and Notre Dame. And yeah, despite sucking for the last six years, they were still the most valuable college football program. The next-closest school was just $25 million behind according to Forbes.
I lean toward giving Strong a pass on the defense, it's young (I read that 11 of top 17 tacklers are underclassmen) and I've seen enough this year to say really no one in the Big 12 can tackle. Only teams I haven't seen are Tech and Kansas, and well, Tech never tackles, Kansas is Kansas.
But the special team miscues are damning enough to let a coach go. 1 flubbed PAT, fine, but Saturday was atrocious.
But the special team miscues are damning enough to let a coach go. 1 flubbed PAT, fine, but Saturday was atrocious.
Why do you think Jon Gruden would be a bad pick?
I don't think you're going to get someone to leave a plum job to come to Austin -- the gap between what's realistic to expect and what the alumni demand is too great. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't see Jimbo Fisher or Gus Malzahn walking through that door. So I think you're looking at a guy with baggage (Miles, Petrino), someone who has had success at a second-tier program (Fedora, Herman), someone who has failed once in a top-tier job (Kiffin), or an outside-the-box pick -- like Gruden. I'm not sure outside-the-box isn't the right way to go.
I don't think Gruden would translate into the college game. He worked for a total of three years in college coaching, one as a graduate assistant. The crap that goes with the Texas job would probably be enough to scare him off in any case. There were rumors about him before the Strong hire, but it was said he wasn't super interested.
But yeah, we're going to have to take another risk with this next hire because it won't be a top name. My concern is that the regents will, as they have in past searches, find something shiny and sexy and go with it without a proper vetting process. They do it every time. They almost didn't hire Coach Royal. They only managed to find him because Bud Wilkinson said no and recommended Royal for the job.
But yeah, we're going to have to take another risk with this next hire because it won't be a top name. My concern is that the regents will, as they have in past searches, find something shiny and sexy and go with it without a proper vetting process. They do it every time. They almost didn't hire Coach Royal. They only managed to find him because Bud Wilkinson said no and recommended Royal for the job.
Never say never. If he is fired at Houston his options will be to be an NFL coordinator or take a college gig. Given that HC of Texas is one of the top 20 most prestigious jobs in all of football, i think he would happily hop in.
I think things look bad from the inside because you see all the cracks. A high energy coach, or a big name coach would see a weak conference, a massive alumni base, fertile recruiting grounds, world class facilities and a town that is actually worth living in. Texas has been hurt by the rise of Baylor, Houston and TCU, that is for damned sure, but let'a be honest, getting the burnt orange to be the hip kid at the soda shack won't take a ton of work.
I think - and you made the point - that he has to get in the playoffs and win a game to be safe. If he fails to make the playoffs - which is a decent chance - I think he is gone.
Him being OC in NE strikes me as unlikely as I am not sure that McDaniels is a hot ticket (although you ever know), and i think HC of TX is a bigger Jon than OC at NE.
Choosing to stay in the weakest of the P5 conferences was probably the right decision for the university as a whole, but from the standpoint of the football coach, it sucks. Other programs (including A&M) get a lot more national TV exposure, plus a one-loss conference championship season doesn't guarantee you a spot in the playoff like it does in the SEC or PAC-12. And Texas has, what, one national title in the integrated era? In the eyes of the audience that matters most to a coach (recruits and their parents), Texas doesn't have the pedigree of Oklahoma, which competes for TX recruits along with A&M and the schools you mention.
None of which is to suggest that Texas isn't a plum job -- clearly, it is. But it's not USC by a longshot. It's probably a tick better than LSU, but only because of prospect of playing Saban annually for the next 5 years is deeply unappealing.
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You have to be kidding. Texas travels as well as any program not named Notre Dame or tOSU. When they had Vince Young they were on tv every Saturday nationwide.
Texas is so ludicrously better than the LSU gig it isn't funny. At LSU you get to be the coach of a state program in a state that is shit-ass broke, whereas at UT you get to be the coach of a program where ludicrously rich alums fall out of every tree. One loss National championships have a lot of style points in them and there is no better place to earn style points than in the big 12.
A good coach at UT would crush the Oklahoma pipeline, and I say that as a guy who loves Bob Stoops.
I'd rank Texas overall fourth or fifth:
ND
USC
Michigan
Texas
O$U
Bottom three pretty interchangeable.
USC has historically failed to live up to what it should be. LSU is somewhere in the teens. Pretty irrelevant - they have a better perspective in the north than they do in the region.
ND
USC
Michigan
Texas
O$U
Bottom three pretty interchangeable.
USC has historically failed to live up to what it should be. LSU is somewhere in the teens. Pretty irrelevant - they have a better perspective in the north than they do in the region.
Those ludicrously rich alums aren't necessarily a positive at most P5 programs.
It's one reason I don't think coaches are making enough $$$.
It's one reason I don't think coaches are making enough $$$.
Ole Miss was on national TV all the time when they had Eli Manning. Nobody thinks that makes them a marquee program now.
More to the point, when Texas had Vince Young, the Big 12 was a stronger conference than it is now. The Big 12 was a loser in the big realignment of a few years ago; Texas had a good reason to stay (TLN), but their football program would be better off if they had joined the SEC or PAC-12. If Texas had a Heisman-caliber QB now, they wouldn't get as much national exposure as A&M did when they had Manziel, because nobody outside the southwest gives a shit about the crappy teams that Texas plays.
If the Big 12 was a great launching pad (or even a decent one), TCU would've been in the playoff two years ago instead of tOSU. Times have changed -- it's better to be in a strong conference than it used to be.
I'm not sure what the affluence of a state or an alumni base has to do with anything. I mean, I'd rather spend my life in Austin than Baton Rouge too, but it's clear that college football coaches and players don't think like you and I do. If they did, Vanderbilt would be a dynasty and Alabama would be an also-ran.
OU integrated almost a generation before the other southern programs, which allowed them to dominate in the '70s and '80s, which gives them more pedigree today than just about anyone else.
I'd put USC, Oklahoma and Alabama in my top tier, followed by Florida State and Florida. After that, I don't think there's a big difference between #6 and #20; both LSU and Texas fall somewhere in that range.
D'oh obviously Alabama is near the top, my bad.
I think OU is below the top tier. I biased though.
I think OU is below the top tier. I biased though.
Wow, I don't see Florida as anywhere close to any of those other schools, including Texas.
Funny, I actually edited that post -- didn't have Florida listed, and I said there wasn't much difference between #5 and #20. Maybe I should've stuck with that.
That said, Florida is still recovering from the Muschamp era. I think they'll be back to their dominant ways in a couple of years. They're like Michigan, without the high-profile coach but with a much better recruiting base.
Most all are the highest paid state employee by a good chunk. How much higher should the number be?
Florida have had two, brief, spurts of relevance under Spurrier and then under Meyer/Tebow. Let's not confuse that with an elite program.
A few things on this.
1) ole miss wasnot nationally televised all that much when Eli was there, much to my chagrin. Ole miss brings hot ladies to the Grove and god bless them for that. But large numbers of viewers who buy trucks and beer wear burnt orange.
2) TCU didn't make the playoff over tOSU because they werent as good. They got hammered in their bowl game. Nothing to do with the big 12. Oklahoma was in the playoff last year.
3) I honestly respect the hell out of all things Oklahoma, particularly their integration of African-American players in the 50s. To me, Bud Wilkinson is a hero far bigger than Dean Smith (who was still very courageous). But I don't think that matters to recruits anymore.