Disclaimer: I’m about done with disclaimers. If you have read these before you already know that I’m not reading pinned post-game content, and I don’t pretend to have all the answers. Blah, blah, blah…
I’m going to start with some thoughts about how I have been dealing with supporting this team. Don’t take it as me telling you how to think about anything, I’m sure many will disagree.
1. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
Funny group of guys, funny movie, and funny song. Not bad medicine after losing seven, uh, I mean six straight.
But seriously, it is good advice. Especially as a fan. It isn’t our job to figure out the problems or fix them. Our job, and our playing time is not on the line. There is little to gain by stressing over the disappointment. Much of my life has been built around watching Texas football. Win or lose. I have too many happy memories associated around the people I have watched with, some of them now gone, the traditions, the great plays, and great games, to ruin them by stressing over not having what I want right now.
It’s more fun to win. Losing sucks donkey balls. (No offense Pedro.) But if I keep things in perspective, I can still enjoy Texas football. My goal is simple. Just enjoy every Texas football season, and every Texas football game. That may be easier for me than some others because I am old. IDK. But I think it is good advice and healthy.
Maybe instead of “look” on the bright side I think of it more as “focus” on the bright side but still keep your eyes open. I don’t suggest a blind eye to problems. Still, it is just as easy to get lost in the negative and fail to see the positives as it is to become accepting of lower standards. It is the same trap.
Every game I see individual players bust their butts, play hard every down, play with injuries, and never quit. Even when team results are poor there are those individuals, and some individual plays, that I can identify as positives.
This is a message board, so of course people are going to discuss the issues. Talk about where they believe changes should be made. Often disagree. But it doesn’t have to be stressful. I saw a post on this board in which someone said that they “hate” this team and the coaches. I just don’t think that it is healthy to take football that seriously.
As a fan I suggest, enjoy the process. Your other choices are less fun and won’t accomplish anything. You can do that and still be honest about the product on the field. The two are not mutually exclusive.
2. Heroes
It isn’t for everyone. I get it. I just want Texas football players to play as hard as they can every play of every game. No matter the score, or the record. So, I can’t feel good about myself if I quit on them.
Plus, if there is a great play, I want to see it. If there is a great win against amazing odds, I want to see it. When this program claws its way back to prominence, I want to see how it happens.
Even if they are heroes only for one day, maybe one play, I want to enjoy that moment. My emotional investment over decades is too much for me to give that up now. If this team has heroes against Kansas State, I will damn well see it happen.
It may be easier if you revisit #1 above and sing along, whistle a little bit. It may require me to drink a little more at times. Darn. But mostly I just need to watch Texas football and be supportive in whatever way that I can.
This doesn’t require me to be happy with losing, even one game. It doesn’t require me to stop bitching when I feel the need. I am still free to scream at both players and coaches. I don’t need to lower my standards at all.
We generally expect players to fight through adversity. We frequently judge players by how they respond when they get knocked down. I know that I have those type expectations. And, as a fan I feel like I have a much easier job than the player. All I need to do is keep watching, keep wanting them to play well. Continue caring…..continue drinking.
I don’t pretend that it is easy. I think that is large part of why I am on my fourth week of writing out these long ass thoughts. (No offense, Pedro.) But it must be easier than being a player busting his butt on a team that just lost seven, uh, I mean six games in a row.
I know that what I do has zero impact on the team’s performance. But it does have a lot to do with my sanity, and how I feel about myself.
If you are that poster who “hates” this team and coaches, then you probably should step away. You are probably taking this more seriously than is in your own best interest. I wouldn’t want to find you burning couches when Texas does finally win something again. A change might do you good.
I don’t mean to sound self-righteous. I hate self-righteousness. This isn’t a right or wrong thing. I understand that some people feel differently, and that works for them. I’m just explaining my perspective.
I understand the concept of knowing when to cut your losses and step away. But personally, I would be more unhappy if I gave up.
3. The Hard Way
Maybe I should explain before I get a lecture from other posters…I understand the point of view that says sports is about nothing but winning. If you are not first, you are last. No participation trophies. The ONLY thing that matters is the W.
OTOH - In a perfect world college football, all college athletics, is meant to be just like every other college course. That is, meant to prepare the student for life after college.
Sports teach you how to deal with adversity. How to lose with grace. Win with humility. Respect others and be a contributing member of a team. Sports teach how to test our limits and understand that growth comes from failure. Sports teach both how to lead and to follow, and the value of hard work and preparation.
Being a “student” athlete is not just about learning math, or history. The degree is important and valuable yet being a student “athlete” is largely about learning life lessons while being allowed to play a game.
Of course, there are also sport specific lessons. But say with me here, please.
Success in the student athlete classroom, by this definition, is often demonstrated by winning. Even if life lessons are prioritized over winning. Even if the goal is life lessons rather than winning, it is winning that should be the ultimate demonstration of success. The passing grade.
What does all of that even mean at the end of the day? A good teacher can have students who do not have the ability to learn the required material, or who do not apply themselves to the lesson. A good teacher can have enough poor students that the grading curve is destroyed. Sometimes a bad teacher has students so good that they overcome the teaching.
As well, a coach may be great at teaching life lessons and really, really poor with the sport specific lessons.
So, what the hell is your point, thar0902?
Just that in professional sports I don’t care about anything other than winning. In college athletics I see some gray area. I can celebrate a team that refuses to quit. I can celebrate a player who gives his\her best despite injury. I can celebrate individual accomplishments, or great plays. I can be happy about an upset during an otherwise miserable season. It demonstrates the learning of life lessons. I don’t care about those things in professional sports.
My point is just that if you want, and I understand that some do not, there are plenty of ways to enjoy college athletics, even if you want better results, better players, or better coaches.
Not be satisfied, at all. But enjoy, all the same.
I know that there are kids who go to college who don’t give a rat’s ass about the classroom. Especially in football. I can’t change that. But I believe that is even more reason that other life lessons are important and should be celebrated.
I still hate the losing. But it is possible to find moments to celebrate along the way, even if they do it The Hard Way.
4. I'm a Loser
All that said, you can’t lose seven, uh, I mean six straight games and not come face to face with who you really are. This is not a winning football team. You are who your record says that you are.
At least there is some comfort in understanding that it is very, very likely the only players on the 2022 roster will be players who are serious about wanting to change the record for the better. Some players will be encouraged to move on. Some will want to move on. Some recruits will be scared off by the 2021 record.
But there will be a football team at Texas in 2022 and the players will be a group made up of individuals who have some pride, who want to build something at Texas, and who believe in the direction of the program. Regardless of what any of us think.
This is the advantage of hitting bottom. (God, I hope it is bottom.) A dozen years of staying average doesn’t ever address culture issues. It lets culture issues slowly grow. Sometimes you need to take a step back before you can take a step forward.
I hear people talk about coaches changing schemes to hide talent deficiencies. I heard Texas coaches, many of them, over many seasons, talk about simplifying things, making it all easier. I see that as an excuse in itself. It may allow you to avoid a four-win season, but it also never allows you to be championship caliber.
I have come to believe that a coaching staff should implement the scheme they believe will win championships. Teach it. Run it. Recruit for it. Believe in it. Changing schemes is just an excuse for poor recruiting and encourages players who should move on to stay.
Will there be a significant step forward next season? IDK. Will this staff be the one that takes Texas back to the elite of college football? IDK. Is the scheme they prefer to run the best? IDK. But for the first time in quite a while I think those things may actually be possible, and not just wishful thinking.
This offseason is lining up perfectly to be a huge indicator of this program’s future fortunes. I hope they get it right.
5. The Battle of The Alamo
That WVU game felt a lot like the Alamo. Missing Bijan Robinson, arguably the best player on the team. Joshua Moore gone and JWhitt obviously far from 100%. A QB with a bum throwing hand. Senior CB Josh Thompson out. Overshown out for all practical purposes. Still looking for someone to replace Jacoby Jones……
All on a team with depth problems from the beginning. I give them credit for fighting until the end. But we all knew that no reinforcements were coming.
I’m not sure what coaching can do when the game starts with a three and out because the best WR you have drops a pass that hits him in the hands. It was far from the only drop of an easy catch and was complicated by numerous other passes missing wide open targets.
Scheme? The plays have been there the entire season for the offense. It is pretty easy to see that with execution this offense will not hold Texas back. If Texas can recruit offensive players successfully, they will score points. If there is a clear positive moving forward, we know that Sark knows how to run an offense.
Still…
6. I Think I'll Need a Band-Aid
Defense? These guys would not last for 13 days. If I am honest, I have trouble identifying what they are trying to do sometimes. I can’t tell if it is poor execution, blown assignments, lack of effort, or stupid scheme. I can see enough of the first three that I’m not sure of the last.
I suspect, and I am not the first to say this, that not everyone on the defensive side of the coaching staff is a perfect match. I am still confused by the hiring process. Why was the staff hired before the coordinator? It felt like a coordinator deal fell through and left Sark scrambling. I wonder if having staff already hired cost him some alternative coordinator choices.
IDK, obviously. I’m just making wild ass (no offense Pedro) speculation.
I do know that in a former life I had a regional manger position when the company I worked for was sold. The new ownership started methodically trying to create reasons to remove existing middle and upper management across the country. I hung on stubbornly for much longer than most. Toward the end one of the strategies became not allowing me to choose my subordinate district managers yet holding me accountable for their performance. It was a mess. I have a lot of sympathy for PK in that regard.
There is an obvious need for talent upgrades and improved depth on the defense. I would not be surprised if there is an assistant or two changed…..Not because I know sh!t. It just feels that way to me. There is a long hill to climb to get back to average on that side of the ball and the offense will not be able to hold the walls for long.
As much as I prefer the strategy of continuity, changes may be necessary. If so, do it now. Do it decisively – and get it right. The University of Texas is not going to allow time to play juggling assistants. We have been down this fork in the road before and it does not lead anywhere that we want to remain.
Even the offense could use a band-aid, or maybe three or four. It seems clear that a major talent upgrade is needed on the OL, both recruits and transfers who can help immediately. Some more speed and reliable hands at WR, where a freshman has a reasonable opportunity to make a difference. A plus QB and backup would be nice, we have no idea if Casey or Hudson will be back, and maybe a TE who can block.
Come 2022 our first opponent will rip off the band-aid. I don’t expect to be fully healed, but it would be nice if the bleeding had stopped.
7. I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan
Mack Brown – Charlie Strong – Tom Herman – Steve Sarkian
Greg Davis – Bryan Harsin – Major Applewhie – Shawn Watson – Jay Norvell – Sterlin Gilbert – Tim Beck – Mike Yurcich – Kyle Flood (Sark)
Will Muschamp – Manny Diaz – Greg Robinson – Vance Bedford – Todd Orlando – Chris Ash – Pete Kwiatkowski
I’m not going to bother listing the assistant coaching changes. Others have done that, and it is embarrassing for Texas.
I’m not suggesting that past head coaching changes were inappropriate. Mack did great things, but the program was in obvious decline. CFS sounded like a good idea at the time, I guess, but the program was in obvious decline. CTH achieved some short-term success, smoke and mirrors notwithstanding, but the program was in obvious decline when he left.
I do not question the HC changes. Change was required. I do question the changes made by those head coaches during their time at Texas. Mack losing the NC game and changing the offense, changes of OC, changes of DC. Continually changing the plan, and the vision.
Certainly, the coaching staff shares some of the blame for this season. But fixating on that one piece of the puzzle is not going to solve all the problems. If Texas has accomplished anything it is scientifically proving that coaching is not the only issue.
There are no perfect plans. I have watched people fail more times than I can count by continually changing direction, continually chasing the shiny ball of a new, better idea. I don’t subscribe to stubbornness, intractability sticking with something that continues to fail. Flexibility and creativeness have tremendous value. But they should not require abandoning a core strategy, or vision.
This to say – I cringe every time an assistant is fired, more when it is a coordinator. It means that players who were already not successful on the field now need to learn and buy into new techniques and schemes. Players who were failing are sent a message that it wasn’t their fault, it was the coaching.
More importantly it signals a lack of faith in the plan by leadership.
Here is my point – Texas fans have often fixated on coaching as the villain causing their pain. The actions of program leadership often reflect the same. While I am not defending any coach, or staff, individually, I have always subscribed to a philosophy that would have produced less change.
What is important is not having a perfect plan. (Or scheme.) What is important is having a plan and executing it as well as possible.
8. Dancin' Circles Round the Sun
About excuses.
The dance around the words excuse and reason is always frustrating. In general, I think we call an explanation a reason if we accept it as a reasonable justification for some defined result. We call it an excuse if we do not accept it as a reasonable justification for the defined result.
Those things are matters of opinion. I prefer to think of things in terms of responsibility. Yet even that word doesn’t have the same meaning for everyone.
To me, responsibility is a state of mind. An attitude.
Taking responsibility for failure and never making excuses is a mentality that is taught because it works. Don’t worry about anything else. Do your job. Support your teammates, or co-workers, or family to the best of your ability. Taking responsibility is taught because it is what gets the best results. Blaming circumstances, or other people never gets better results. So, take responsibility and don’t make excuses. It isn’t about being right, it is about what works and what is in your best interest.
In that definition of responsibility reasons and excuses do not matter. It reflects how you go about your life, and your work.
That said, when talking about Texas football we are fans. We are on the outside looking in. We CAN see circumstances which impact results. Sometimes those circumstances explain why there was a failure, sometimes not. Sometimes it is a partial explanation, other times completely unrelated.
What I object to is the broad definition of any circumstance as an excuse – or as a complete justification. Each must be discussed individually.
It is nuanced. That is the point.
We could continue that list all day. I don’t have all the answers. I really only mean to suggest that believing there is one single issue, or one place to point a finger and place blame is not realistic.
This is an unholy mess.
It is being honest about those circumstances and understanding them that will be the key to moving forward. Not just one of them, but all of them.
I hope Steve Sarkisian is the right guy to get this fixed. I don’t want to imagine a world in which he proves that false. I hope he is honest with himself during evaluations, stays true to his core vision, and builds something better.
As the song says, Steve…
When focused on the truth at hand, the critics try to make you bland
But they don’t understand what they don’t know
9. Ain't No Sunshine
I don’t think that enough has been made of the significant contribution by the Longhorns of 2020.
A 4th year starting QB, now on an NFL roster in Sam Ehlinger. Replaced by a QB with a great arm and virtually zero experience thrown into a new system, and a guy playing with an injured throwing hand for most of the season.
A pass rushing LB/DE in Joseph Ossai. Replaced by…..OK, you tell me.
An NFL LT in Sam Cosmi. Replaced by Christian Jones, a kid who hardly saw the field previously.
An NFL safety in Caden Sterns. Replaced by a former WR.
And the list goes on. Consider who would be the replacement for Juwan Mitchell, Brennan Eagles, Jake Smith, Tarik Black, Ta’Quon Graham….
Definitely no sunshine without those guys. I listed nine guys specifically and I would say that 2021 Texas is equal or better in one of those spots.
All teams have attrition and lose players to the NFL (you hope). That is not the issue. The issue is having the depth to replace those moving on without a drop in productivity.
I’m a little tired of hearing about CTH and his record at Texas. He would have failed miserably with this group – which would not have included Worthy. He left a mess. While this coaching staff has been far from perfect, they are not responsible for how we got here. Only how we find a way to move forward.
10. I'm Your Ice Cream Man
It is difficult to be calm in the face of a season this disappointing. People generally react to disappointment with hot takes. I hope that my efforts to avoid hot takes, kind of be your ice cream man, and stay calm may have helped just a little.
Again, I completely understand that it doesn’t work for everyone. I have frequently struggled myself during a streak of seven, uh, I mean six straight losses.
I just can’t let myself take football so seriously that it becomes stressful. When it starts feeling that way I start trying to think about why and usually end up calmer…if I am honest with myself instead of throwing things at the television.
I appreciate OBers allowing me to post my thoughts this way. It truly does help to calm me, even though it does nothing to change results.
I’m going to start with some thoughts about how I have been dealing with supporting this team. Don’t take it as me telling you how to think about anything, I’m sure many will disagree.
1. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
Funny group of guys, funny movie, and funny song. Not bad medicine after losing seven, uh, I mean six straight.
But seriously, it is good advice. Especially as a fan. It isn’t our job to figure out the problems or fix them. Our job, and our playing time is not on the line. There is little to gain by stressing over the disappointment. Much of my life has been built around watching Texas football. Win or lose. I have too many happy memories associated around the people I have watched with, some of them now gone, the traditions, the great plays, and great games, to ruin them by stressing over not having what I want right now.
It’s more fun to win. Losing sucks donkey balls. (No offense Pedro.) But if I keep things in perspective, I can still enjoy Texas football. My goal is simple. Just enjoy every Texas football season, and every Texas football game. That may be easier for me than some others because I am old. IDK. But I think it is good advice and healthy.
Maybe instead of “look” on the bright side I think of it more as “focus” on the bright side but still keep your eyes open. I don’t suggest a blind eye to problems. Still, it is just as easy to get lost in the negative and fail to see the positives as it is to become accepting of lower standards. It is the same trap.
Every game I see individual players bust their butts, play hard every down, play with injuries, and never quit. Even when team results are poor there are those individuals, and some individual plays, that I can identify as positives.
This is a message board, so of course people are going to discuss the issues. Talk about where they believe changes should be made. Often disagree. But it doesn’t have to be stressful. I saw a post on this board in which someone said that they “hate” this team and the coaches. I just don’t think that it is healthy to take football that seriously.
As a fan I suggest, enjoy the process. Your other choices are less fun and won’t accomplish anything. You can do that and still be honest about the product on the field. The two are not mutually exclusive.
2. Heroes
It isn’t for everyone. I get it. I just want Texas football players to play as hard as they can every play of every game. No matter the score, or the record. So, I can’t feel good about myself if I quit on them.
Plus, if there is a great play, I want to see it. If there is a great win against amazing odds, I want to see it. When this program claws its way back to prominence, I want to see how it happens.
Even if they are heroes only for one day, maybe one play, I want to enjoy that moment. My emotional investment over decades is too much for me to give that up now. If this team has heroes against Kansas State, I will damn well see it happen.
It may be easier if you revisit #1 above and sing along, whistle a little bit. It may require me to drink a little more at times. Darn. But mostly I just need to watch Texas football and be supportive in whatever way that I can.
This doesn’t require me to be happy with losing, even one game. It doesn’t require me to stop bitching when I feel the need. I am still free to scream at both players and coaches. I don’t need to lower my standards at all.
We generally expect players to fight through adversity. We frequently judge players by how they respond when they get knocked down. I know that I have those type expectations. And, as a fan I feel like I have a much easier job than the player. All I need to do is keep watching, keep wanting them to play well. Continue caring…..continue drinking.
I don’t pretend that it is easy. I think that is large part of why I am on my fourth week of writing out these long ass thoughts. (No offense, Pedro.) But it must be easier than being a player busting his butt on a team that just lost seven, uh, I mean six games in a row.
I know that what I do has zero impact on the team’s performance. But it does have a lot to do with my sanity, and how I feel about myself.
If you are that poster who “hates” this team and coaches, then you probably should step away. You are probably taking this more seriously than is in your own best interest. I wouldn’t want to find you burning couches when Texas does finally win something again. A change might do you good.
I don’t mean to sound self-righteous. I hate self-righteousness. This isn’t a right or wrong thing. I understand that some people feel differently, and that works for them. I’m just explaining my perspective.
I understand the concept of knowing when to cut your losses and step away. But personally, I would be more unhappy if I gave up.
3. The Hard Way
Maybe I should explain before I get a lecture from other posters…I understand the point of view that says sports is about nothing but winning. If you are not first, you are last. No participation trophies. The ONLY thing that matters is the W.
OTOH - In a perfect world college football, all college athletics, is meant to be just like every other college course. That is, meant to prepare the student for life after college.
Sports teach you how to deal with adversity. How to lose with grace. Win with humility. Respect others and be a contributing member of a team. Sports teach how to test our limits and understand that growth comes from failure. Sports teach both how to lead and to follow, and the value of hard work and preparation.
Being a “student” athlete is not just about learning math, or history. The degree is important and valuable yet being a student “athlete” is largely about learning life lessons while being allowed to play a game.
Of course, there are also sport specific lessons. But say with me here, please.
Success in the student athlete classroom, by this definition, is often demonstrated by winning. Even if life lessons are prioritized over winning. Even if the goal is life lessons rather than winning, it is winning that should be the ultimate demonstration of success. The passing grade.
What does all of that even mean at the end of the day? A good teacher can have students who do not have the ability to learn the required material, or who do not apply themselves to the lesson. A good teacher can have enough poor students that the grading curve is destroyed. Sometimes a bad teacher has students so good that they overcome the teaching.
As well, a coach may be great at teaching life lessons and really, really poor with the sport specific lessons.
So, what the hell is your point, thar0902?
Just that in professional sports I don’t care about anything other than winning. In college athletics I see some gray area. I can celebrate a team that refuses to quit. I can celebrate a player who gives his\her best despite injury. I can celebrate individual accomplishments, or great plays. I can be happy about an upset during an otherwise miserable season. It demonstrates the learning of life lessons. I don’t care about those things in professional sports.
My point is just that if you want, and I understand that some do not, there are plenty of ways to enjoy college athletics, even if you want better results, better players, or better coaches.
Not be satisfied, at all. But enjoy, all the same.
I know that there are kids who go to college who don’t give a rat’s ass about the classroom. Especially in football. I can’t change that. But I believe that is even more reason that other life lessons are important and should be celebrated.
I still hate the losing. But it is possible to find moments to celebrate along the way, even if they do it The Hard Way.
4. I'm a Loser
All that said, you can’t lose seven, uh, I mean six straight games and not come face to face with who you really are. This is not a winning football team. You are who your record says that you are.
At least there is some comfort in understanding that it is very, very likely the only players on the 2022 roster will be players who are serious about wanting to change the record for the better. Some players will be encouraged to move on. Some will want to move on. Some recruits will be scared off by the 2021 record.
But there will be a football team at Texas in 2022 and the players will be a group made up of individuals who have some pride, who want to build something at Texas, and who believe in the direction of the program. Regardless of what any of us think.
This is the advantage of hitting bottom. (God, I hope it is bottom.) A dozen years of staying average doesn’t ever address culture issues. It lets culture issues slowly grow. Sometimes you need to take a step back before you can take a step forward.
I hear people talk about coaches changing schemes to hide talent deficiencies. I heard Texas coaches, many of them, over many seasons, talk about simplifying things, making it all easier. I see that as an excuse in itself. It may allow you to avoid a four-win season, but it also never allows you to be championship caliber.
I have come to believe that a coaching staff should implement the scheme they believe will win championships. Teach it. Run it. Recruit for it. Believe in it. Changing schemes is just an excuse for poor recruiting and encourages players who should move on to stay.
Will there be a significant step forward next season? IDK. Will this staff be the one that takes Texas back to the elite of college football? IDK. Is the scheme they prefer to run the best? IDK. But for the first time in quite a while I think those things may actually be possible, and not just wishful thinking.
This offseason is lining up perfectly to be a huge indicator of this program’s future fortunes. I hope they get it right.
5. The Battle of The Alamo
That WVU game felt a lot like the Alamo. Missing Bijan Robinson, arguably the best player on the team. Joshua Moore gone and JWhitt obviously far from 100%. A QB with a bum throwing hand. Senior CB Josh Thompson out. Overshown out for all practical purposes. Still looking for someone to replace Jacoby Jones……
All on a team with depth problems from the beginning. I give them credit for fighting until the end. But we all knew that no reinforcements were coming.
I’m not sure what coaching can do when the game starts with a three and out because the best WR you have drops a pass that hits him in the hands. It was far from the only drop of an easy catch and was complicated by numerous other passes missing wide open targets.
Scheme? The plays have been there the entire season for the offense. It is pretty easy to see that with execution this offense will not hold Texas back. If Texas can recruit offensive players successfully, they will score points. If there is a clear positive moving forward, we know that Sark knows how to run an offense.
Still…
6. I Think I'll Need a Band-Aid
Defense? These guys would not last for 13 days. If I am honest, I have trouble identifying what they are trying to do sometimes. I can’t tell if it is poor execution, blown assignments, lack of effort, or stupid scheme. I can see enough of the first three that I’m not sure of the last.
I suspect, and I am not the first to say this, that not everyone on the defensive side of the coaching staff is a perfect match. I am still confused by the hiring process. Why was the staff hired before the coordinator? It felt like a coordinator deal fell through and left Sark scrambling. I wonder if having staff already hired cost him some alternative coordinator choices.
IDK, obviously. I’m just making wild ass (no offense Pedro) speculation.
I do know that in a former life I had a regional manger position when the company I worked for was sold. The new ownership started methodically trying to create reasons to remove existing middle and upper management across the country. I hung on stubbornly for much longer than most. Toward the end one of the strategies became not allowing me to choose my subordinate district managers yet holding me accountable for their performance. It was a mess. I have a lot of sympathy for PK in that regard.
There is an obvious need for talent upgrades and improved depth on the defense. I would not be surprised if there is an assistant or two changed…..Not because I know sh!t. It just feels that way to me. There is a long hill to climb to get back to average on that side of the ball and the offense will not be able to hold the walls for long.
As much as I prefer the strategy of continuity, changes may be necessary. If so, do it now. Do it decisively – and get it right. The University of Texas is not going to allow time to play juggling assistants. We have been down this fork in the road before and it does not lead anywhere that we want to remain.
Even the offense could use a band-aid, or maybe three or four. It seems clear that a major talent upgrade is needed on the OL, both recruits and transfers who can help immediately. Some more speed and reliable hands at WR, where a freshman has a reasonable opportunity to make a difference. A plus QB and backup would be nice, we have no idea if Casey or Hudson will be back, and maybe a TE who can block.
Come 2022 our first opponent will rip off the band-aid. I don’t expect to be fully healed, but it would be nice if the bleeding had stopped.
7. I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan
Mack Brown – Charlie Strong – Tom Herman – Steve Sarkian
Greg Davis – Bryan Harsin – Major Applewhie – Shawn Watson – Jay Norvell – Sterlin Gilbert – Tim Beck – Mike Yurcich – Kyle Flood (Sark)
Will Muschamp – Manny Diaz – Greg Robinson – Vance Bedford – Todd Orlando – Chris Ash – Pete Kwiatkowski
I’m not going to bother listing the assistant coaching changes. Others have done that, and it is embarrassing for Texas.
I’m not suggesting that past head coaching changes were inappropriate. Mack did great things, but the program was in obvious decline. CFS sounded like a good idea at the time, I guess, but the program was in obvious decline. CTH achieved some short-term success, smoke and mirrors notwithstanding, but the program was in obvious decline when he left.
I do not question the HC changes. Change was required. I do question the changes made by those head coaches during their time at Texas. Mack losing the NC game and changing the offense, changes of OC, changes of DC. Continually changing the plan, and the vision.
Certainly, the coaching staff shares some of the blame for this season. But fixating on that one piece of the puzzle is not going to solve all the problems. If Texas has accomplished anything it is scientifically proving that coaching is not the only issue.
There are no perfect plans. I have watched people fail more times than I can count by continually changing direction, continually chasing the shiny ball of a new, better idea. I don’t subscribe to stubbornness, intractability sticking with something that continues to fail. Flexibility and creativeness have tremendous value. But they should not require abandoning a core strategy, or vision.
This to say – I cringe every time an assistant is fired, more when it is a coordinator. It means that players who were already not successful on the field now need to learn and buy into new techniques and schemes. Players who were failing are sent a message that it wasn’t their fault, it was the coaching.
More importantly it signals a lack of faith in the plan by leadership.
Here is my point – Texas fans have often fixated on coaching as the villain causing their pain. The actions of program leadership often reflect the same. While I am not defending any coach, or staff, individually, I have always subscribed to a philosophy that would have produced less change.
What is important is not having a perfect plan. (Or scheme.) What is important is having a plan and executing it as well as possible.
8. Dancin' Circles Round the Sun
About excuses.
The dance around the words excuse and reason is always frustrating. In general, I think we call an explanation a reason if we accept it as a reasonable justification for some defined result. We call it an excuse if we do not accept it as a reasonable justification for the defined result.
Those things are matters of opinion. I prefer to think of things in terms of responsibility. Yet even that word doesn’t have the same meaning for everyone.
To me, responsibility is a state of mind. An attitude.
Taking responsibility for failure and never making excuses is a mentality that is taught because it works. Don’t worry about anything else. Do your job. Support your teammates, or co-workers, or family to the best of your ability. Taking responsibility is taught because it is what gets the best results. Blaming circumstances, or other people never gets better results. So, take responsibility and don’t make excuses. It isn’t about being right, it is about what works and what is in your best interest.
In that definition of responsibility reasons and excuses do not matter. It reflects how you go about your life, and your work.
That said, when talking about Texas football we are fans. We are on the outside looking in. We CAN see circumstances which impact results. Sometimes those circumstances explain why there was a failure, sometimes not. Sometimes it is a partial explanation, other times completely unrelated.
What I object to is the broad definition of any circumstance as an excuse – or as a complete justification. Each must be discussed individually.
It is nuanced. That is the point.
- Texas did lose a lot of players that made up recent recruiting classes. Does that explain anything? If so, how much of what? Who, or what was the cause of that circumstance?
- Texas clearly has depth issues that have made dealing with injuries difficult. Does that explain anything? What? Is it because of the attrition from recent recruiting classes, or development?
- Clearly not everyone on the team has bought into the new direction. What does that explain, if anything? What is the cause, and how is that corrected?
- Apparently, much of the team was sick before a recent game? I guess that is true, I can’t really know. Would that explain anything?
We could continue that list all day. I don’t have all the answers. I really only mean to suggest that believing there is one single issue, or one place to point a finger and place blame is not realistic.
- This is not all on the players.
- This is not all on the current coaches.
- This is not all on the previous coaching staffs.
This is an unholy mess.
It is being honest about those circumstances and understanding them that will be the key to moving forward. Not just one of them, but all of them.
I hope Steve Sarkisian is the right guy to get this fixed. I don’t want to imagine a world in which he proves that false. I hope he is honest with himself during evaluations, stays true to his core vision, and builds something better.
As the song says, Steve…
When focused on the truth at hand, the critics try to make you bland
But they don’t understand what they don’t know
9. Ain't No Sunshine
I don’t think that enough has been made of the significant contribution by the Longhorns of 2020.
A 4th year starting QB, now on an NFL roster in Sam Ehlinger. Replaced by a QB with a great arm and virtually zero experience thrown into a new system, and a guy playing with an injured throwing hand for most of the season.
A pass rushing LB/DE in Joseph Ossai. Replaced by…..OK, you tell me.
An NFL LT in Sam Cosmi. Replaced by Christian Jones, a kid who hardly saw the field previously.
An NFL safety in Caden Sterns. Replaced by a former WR.
And the list goes on. Consider who would be the replacement for Juwan Mitchell, Brennan Eagles, Jake Smith, Tarik Black, Ta’Quon Graham….
Definitely no sunshine without those guys. I listed nine guys specifically and I would say that 2021 Texas is equal or better in one of those spots.
All teams have attrition and lose players to the NFL (you hope). That is not the issue. The issue is having the depth to replace those moving on without a drop in productivity.
I’m a little tired of hearing about CTH and his record at Texas. He would have failed miserably with this group – which would not have included Worthy. He left a mess. While this coaching staff has been far from perfect, they are not responsible for how we got here. Only how we find a way to move forward.
10. I'm Your Ice Cream Man
It is difficult to be calm in the face of a season this disappointing. People generally react to disappointment with hot takes. I hope that my efforts to avoid hot takes, kind of be your ice cream man, and stay calm may have helped just a little.
Again, I completely understand that it doesn’t work for everyone. I have frequently struggled myself during a streak of seven, uh, I mean six straight losses.
I just can’t let myself take football so seriously that it becomes stressful. When it starts feeling that way I start trying to think about why and usually end up calmer…if I am honest with myself instead of throwing things at the television.
I appreciate OBers allowing me to post my thoughts this way. It truly does help to calm me, even though it does nothing to change results.
