I think we need to pump the brakes on the doom and gloom a tad. There are many things working against the Horns, most importantly two factors:
1) Mack Brown left the cupboard as bare as one can possibly leave it four years removed from a National Championship caliber season. Strong started blindfolded and with both hands tied behind his back. This team was not good even before he took over and their record against ranked opponents in Mack's final years highlights that perfectly. They were able to beat up on the likes of Kansas and New Mexico State, which helped to paper over the fact that the program was in steep decline the moment Colt left Austin.
2) Because of that, last year's team was filled with seniors who were checked out and didn't give a shit about what Strong had to say. The 357 players that were dismissed from the team are all the evidence you need of that. Now, the team is loaded with underclassmen who are going to make mistakes. Usually, you have your fair share of upperclassmen that help bring younger players along but Texas doesn't have that luxury. All over the field, on both sides of the ball, you see freshmen getting their first taste of big time college athletics by getting thrown into the deep end. There are bound to be some growing pains.
It's fair to question Strong for his in-game decision making and for some of his personnel choices but I feel like we should give the team some time to grow up before we throw the baby out with the bath water. The team is raw as hell but it's pretty obvious that there is some serious talent there. That tells me that Strong is recruiting well and he should be given the chance to at least see his first recruiting class come to fruition. They may not challenge for a playoff next year but even St Urban took a few years to get there. Granted, he took over a team that was heavily sanctioned bit with Mack having checked out the last two years of his tenure, the situations might as well have been the same.
I'm as disappointed by the start of the season as anyone but I've been seeing progress the last two games (and some regression too, to be fair). In a rebuilding season, isn't progress a good thing, regardless of results? I know we're all spoiled and expect to compete every year but I'm willing to accept that this is a lost season, with the condition that they improve throughout the year and win 8-9 games next year.
Edit: Damn you guys for making me be Mr Sunshine and Rainbows. This is a weird role for me.
1) Mack Brown left the cupboard as bare as one can possibly leave it four years removed from a National Championship caliber season. Strong started blindfolded and with both hands tied behind his back. This team was not good even before he took over and their record against ranked opponents in Mack's final years highlights that perfectly. They were able to beat up on the likes of Kansas and New Mexico State, which helped to paper over the fact that the program was in steep decline the moment Colt left Austin.
2) Because of that, last year's team was filled with seniors who were checked out and didn't give a shit about what Strong had to say. The 357 players that were dismissed from the team are all the evidence you need of that. Now, the team is loaded with underclassmen who are going to make mistakes. Usually, you have your fair share of upperclassmen that help bring younger players along but Texas doesn't have that luxury. All over the field, on both sides of the ball, you see freshmen getting their first taste of big time college athletics by getting thrown into the deep end. There are bound to be some growing pains.
It's fair to question Strong for his in-game decision making and for some of his personnel choices but I feel like we should give the team some time to grow up before we throw the baby out with the bath water. The team is raw as hell but it's pretty obvious that there is some serious talent there. That tells me that Strong is recruiting well and he should be given the chance to at least see his first recruiting class come to fruition. They may not challenge for a playoff next year but even St Urban took a few years to get there. Granted, he took over a team that was heavily sanctioned bit with Mack having checked out the last two years of his tenure, the situations might as well have been the same.
I'm as disappointed by the start of the season as anyone but I've been seeing progress the last two games (and some regression too, to be fair). In a rebuilding season, isn't progress a good thing, regardless of results? I know we're all spoiled and expect to compete every year but I'm willing to accept that this is a lost season, with the condition that they improve throughout the year and win 8-9 games next year.
Edit: Damn you guys for making me be Mr Sunshine and Rainbows. This is a weird role for me.
