2016 Season Running Thread
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8 wins and a bowl victory is a good start. I wouldn't expect them to compete for a conference title with a freshman QB. Even at 8-4, a ton of armchair QB's will be calling for his head.
Texexspur, I think you're right and wrong at the same time. Allow me to explain:
If we lose 4 games to, let's say, ND-OU-Baylor-TCU, and in each loss we were in the game until the final moments--- he keeps his job.
If we get "50-7" or "24-0" or "35-7" type losses, then YES-- people will be calling for his head, and justifiably so.
I've stated in here on numerous occasions that though I hate losing more than I like winning, it's a helluva lot easier to swallow a loss to a highly ranked team where we showed effort all the way to the final whistle. Did the Cal loss suck a$$ and swallow? Yes it did. But did we SEE improvement? Of course we did. Sadly, all the improvement we saw was ripped asunder after the TCU debacle. Then we jump up and beat OU and all that was pooped on after the historically embarrassing loss to Iowa freaking st.
I'm hoping ND will be a competitive game. But if the domers roll in here and go rip sh!t riot on us, this camper won't be happy.
If we lose 4 games to, let's say, ND-OU-Baylor-TCU, and in each loss we were in the game until the final moments--- he keeps his job.
If we get "50-7" or "24-0" or "35-7" type losses, then YES-- people will be calling for his head, and justifiably so.
I've stated in here on numerous occasions that though I hate losing more than I like winning, it's a helluva lot easier to swallow a loss to a highly ranked team where we showed effort all the way to the final whistle. Did the Cal loss suck a$$ and swallow? Yes it did. But did we SEE improvement? Of course we did. Sadly, all the improvement we saw was ripped asunder after the TCU debacle. Then we jump up and beat OU and all that was pooped on after the historically embarrassing loss to Iowa freaking st.
I'm hoping ND will be a competitive game. But if the domers roll in here and go rip sh!t riot on us, this camper won't be happy.
I like Strong very much. THIS staff is like the one that SHOULD have been here Day 1. Watson and all the other coaching hires were on Strong. Some of the guys who think Strong has done no wrong are the same ones bitching that Dylan Haines is starting which is very odd. I believe this is the year Texas starts the rise back up. But like clob said the thrashings have got to stop and losing to teams that Texas should not lose to is another. If this Texas team wins against the good teams it better not lose to the bad teams or I won't be happy.
But I think this is the year Texas gets it going. The Dline has me worried and of course QB but everywhere else should be very strong.
But I think this is the year Texas gets it going. The Dline has me worried and of course QB but everywhere else should be very strong.
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This is from a 2018 Sachse quarterback recruit Jalen Mayden:
On how he enjoyed the spring game:
“Good! I wish I could have seen more of the offense, but it got shut down early.”
His thoughts on the new offense:
“I like it a lot. It reminded me of my High School. I like how they used the wide receivers and spread them out to the sidelines. I would like to see the quarterback be more active in the offense. They definitely have a good group of wide receivers though."
On if he got to talk to the coaches:
“Yeah, I talked with Coach Strong. We talked about spring ball, and he told me what he wanted to see out of me this year. Coach Gilbert told me he was going to check me out in the spring. He’s going to come up to Dallas to watch me, like really watch me. He wants to come to really focus on me and evaluate me.”
On if he talked with any players at the game:
“Yeah, I talked with (Charles) Omenihu. He went to my rival school, so I know him pretty well. I also talked with Shane (Buechele). I just told him good game and he told me they looked sloppy and need to get better.”
^^^^^ This makes me more happy than the good stats and good play I watched him display on Saturday. Even though it was his first real taste of live action and he played well, he wasn't happy or satisfied with his and the teams performance. I like that attitude a lot. If he can develop, continue to build on his brief success, and add some weight I think we got ourselves a good one boys!
On how he enjoyed the spring game:
“Good! I wish I could have seen more of the offense, but it got shut down early.”
His thoughts on the new offense:
“I like it a lot. It reminded me of my High School. I like how they used the wide receivers and spread them out to the sidelines. I would like to see the quarterback be more active in the offense. They definitely have a good group of wide receivers though."
On if he got to talk to the coaches:
“Yeah, I talked with Coach Strong. We talked about spring ball, and he told me what he wanted to see out of me this year. Coach Gilbert told me he was going to check me out in the spring. He’s going to come up to Dallas to watch me, like really watch me. He wants to come to really focus on me and evaluate me.”
On if he talked with any players at the game:
“Yeah, I talked with (Charles) Omenihu. He went to my rival school, so I know him pretty well. I also talked with Shane (Buechele). I just told him good game and he told me they looked sloppy and need to get better.”
^^^^^ This makes me more happy than the good stats and good play I watched him display on Saturday. Even though it was his first real taste of live action and he played well, he wasn't happy or satisfied with his and the teams performance. I like that attitude a lot. If he can develop, continue to build on his brief success, and add some weight I think we got ourselves a good one boys!
"And he wasted his first 2 years of establishing a system on Watson/Wickline. That was 100% his fault..." Was it really HIS fault... or maybe Patterson wasn't willing to put the Money out there to pay for a real OC... and Patterson was allowed to Micromanage since UT was in the middle of a transition at President so there was no oversight on the kinds of things he was doing or not doing. Didn't Strong talk to Herman and several other OC candidates?... Maybe per Patterson he couldn't put a decent offer out there to even try to get him or any other decent OC... I think the problem was still present at the end of the first season. He couldn't make a change if he didn't have the support Financially or Professionally of his AD. Though, I do think he let the Bickering between Watson and Wickline go on too long. But I put some if not all the blame on Patterson for Penny Pinching Strong and the Football Program too much and for a lack of leadership that hindered Strong from bringing in good assistants that are worthy of Texas and the "Cash Cow" that the Football Program is to the University. In addition, the cluster that was in progress at the time with the transition of AD and President was not helping the situation. I think it took getting a True Texas AD and a President that was open minded and willing to take a hard look at the situation to allow and help guide Strong to make a change... and to make a good change... along with re-establishing a True Direction for the Football Program and Hell... as far as that's concerned... the entire Athletic Department. Plus when you look at all the additional things that Patterson did that tied Strong's hands behind his back... I feel that his coaching tenure really didn't begin until Perrin and Fenves got together to give Strong and The Program the Genuine Support that University of Texas Football deserves. Just my 2-cents from the outside looking in. Peace.
Really? So are we back to the Patterson wouldn't let him hire Chad Morris line? Because as we all know for a coach to turn around a program he should be given millions of dollars to hire an OC. Otherwise Strong isn't really getting a fair shake. That would have been an unprecedented amount to spend on an OC, but somehow we have twisted that into thinking that into Patterson handcuffing Strong.
Why didn't Strong just hire Gilbert from the get go? Because he didn't know what he was doing on offense. That's on him. Could have hired Lincoln Riley from the get go as well. He ran the Chad Morris buyout up the flag pole and that was justifiably shot down by Patterson, and then he went to his old pal Watson. It was always going to be Watson that is on Strong.
Why didn't Strong just hire Gilbert from the get go? Because he didn't know what he was doing on offense. That's on him. Could have hired Lincoln Riley from the get go as well. He ran the Chad Morris buyout up the flag pole and that was justifiably shot down by Patterson, and then he went to his old pal Watson. It was always going to be Watson that is on Strong.
Maybe I am mistaken, but didnt the administration semi cock-block Strong when it came to hiring assistants etc which cost him the ability to get who he wanted in the beginning? I seem to recall a lot of feet dragging etc going on by the guys whowrite the checks... i could be wrong though
The only story I know of regarding coaching hires is of the Chad Morris situation which was a justifiable cock block imo. If there are other instances I'm open to be enlightened.
Patterson was a shitty AD, and did things that were a detriment to the program, but I don't think that resets Strong's clock. I think the main detriment to the program were very poor offensive staff hires, and Strong has culpability in that arena.
Let's also not forget Chad Morris would have likely been one and done here. He was a proven commodity so he would have got the same offers whether he had success year 1 or not. It was well known that he was considered the top OC and pretty next in line for a HC gig. I don't even think that would have been a smart hire if it was an option to buy him out.
Patterson was a shitty AD, and did things that were a detriment to the program, but I don't think that resets Strong's clock. I think the main detriment to the program were very poor offensive staff hires, and Strong has culpability in that arena.
Let's also not forget Chad Morris would have likely been one and done here. He was a proven commodity so he would have got the same offers whether he had success year 1 or not. It was well known that he was considered the top OC and pretty next in line for a HC gig. I don't even think that would have been a smart hire if it was an option to buy him out.
IDK... what was UT paying for Watson and what are they paying for Gilbert?... was Strong given the flexibility to negotiate a contract above what Watson was willing to come here for. look at the Wickline mess. Shouldn't Texas/Patterson just have ponied-up to prevent the ill feelings and distractions that caused... and YES... The coach of the University of Texas should be given the Financial support that allows him to compete for anyone or anything... just as all of the Top Five Programs and Coaches are given... and not to have support taken away from him and the Program to the point where it appears to be "less than" what any of the top Programs are... especially to recruits which are the life blood of the program. I think Strong has done a terrific job in the recruiting area in spite of having to overcome the Chaos, lack of leadership and lack of Financial support that has happened over the last few years. Think what it would have been like if he could've gotten a Morris or a Herman or Hell even a Riley... What is OK paying him... is it what UT was Paying Watson?... Maybe I'm wrong... IDK... so maybe you can enlighten me. But I know that had Strong had the kind of Support that Mack had... Things could've been and probably would've been quite a bit different.
...i.e... like they are now that he has that kind of support... jus sayin...
Goddamn, I loved reading that. Shane won't be satisfied with anything short of perfection.
That attitude has been missing from this program for a long time, but a number of the young guys seem to think along these lines.
The best thing Patterson did was hire Strong and Smart, but he did not do everything he could to support them as coaches after the hire.
Sources said football coach Charlie Strong, who saw his and his coaching staff’s personal ticket allotment cut from eight to four last year, fought to increase the salaries of his eight quality control coaches from $24,000 to $50,000 after last season. Texas has among the lowest salaries in the Big 12 for its quality control coaches – even behind last-place football finisher Kansas ($45,000). Strong’s request was denied by Patterson, and six of Texas’ eight quality control coaches who had built relationships with the rest of the staff, left to find better paying jobs, the sources said.
_____
Patterson fired longtime sports information director John Bianco, who had been at Texas 23 years and was trusted by football coach Charlie Strong – without consulting Strong, sources said. “Bianco and his wife totally hit it off with Charlie and his wife,” said one source close to the situation. “Charlie doesn’t trust very easily. But he trusted John, because John always had Texas and Charlie’s best interests at the forefront.” Sources said Patterson plans to bring in someone from the NBA to head up communications for UT athletics and to hire Bianco’s replacement as sports information director in charge of football.
_____
He has refused to settle a lawsuit filed by Oklahoma State seeking $593,000 from football assistant Joe Wickline over a contract buyout. “The University of Texas is not a party to the suit,” Patterson has said repeatedly, adding it is a dispute between Wickline and his former employer. As a result, Strong, Wickline and assistant Shawn Watson have been deposed by Oklahoma State lawyers in a case that drags on toward a trial in Payne County, Oklahoma.
http://www.scout.com/college/texas/story/1556266-hd-exclusive-ad-patterson-facing-heat
Hook 'em
Sources said football coach Charlie Strong, who saw his and his coaching staff’s personal ticket allotment cut from eight to four last year, fought to increase the salaries of his eight quality control coaches from $24,000 to $50,000 after last season. Texas has among the lowest salaries in the Big 12 for its quality control coaches – even behind last-place football finisher Kansas ($45,000). Strong’s request was denied by Patterson, and six of Texas’ eight quality control coaches who had built relationships with the rest of the staff, left to find better paying jobs, the sources said.
_____
Patterson fired longtime sports information director John Bianco, who had been at Texas 23 years and was trusted by football coach Charlie Strong – without consulting Strong, sources said. “Bianco and his wife totally hit it off with Charlie and his wife,” said one source close to the situation. “Charlie doesn’t trust very easily. But he trusted John, because John always had Texas and Charlie’s best interests at the forefront.” Sources said Patterson plans to bring in someone from the NBA to head up communications for UT athletics and to hire Bianco’s replacement as sports information director in charge of football.
_____
He has refused to settle a lawsuit filed by Oklahoma State seeking $593,000 from football assistant Joe Wickline over a contract buyout. “The University of Texas is not a party to the suit,” Patterson has said repeatedly, adding it is a dispute between Wickline and his former employer. As a result, Strong, Wickline and assistant Shawn Watson have been deposed by Oklahoma State lawyers in a case that drags on toward a trial in Payne County, Oklahoma.
http://www.scout.com/college/texas/story/1556266-hd-exclusive-ad-patterson-facing-heat
Hook 'em
I think you are mistaken if you think Strong couldn't have hired a coach like Gilbert from the get go. First of all Gilbert would have been cheaper than Watson at day 1. OU pays Lincoln Riley less than we paid Watson, and Riley was a more established coach than Gilbert. Strong's only success as a head coach came with Watson at his side. He was in no way not bringing him over. The OC search was a charade.
No coach gets an unlimited budget, Strong being forced to work in the confines of one of the largest budgets out there is not handcuffing him. What coach gets 5 million dollars to buy out an OCs contract? It's pretty well documented that he didn't really know what he was doing with his initial offensive hires. He's at least hopefully fixed that issue, but those wasted years are on his shoulders.
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I think a big part of hiring Watson was Strong being somewhat naive about the offensive culture of the B12 and how fast it is. I believe he made the right hire after his "adjustment period" There is not much to nit pick with the new OC as of yet.
Wasn't Watson paid something like 700 grand to be OC?? That would hire a good OC. I don't think there could have been much worse of an OC than Watson and I said that from the first second till he left. How is that on Patterson? Does not make sense. Texas should not have had to pay Wicklines contract out either...that is on Wickline and his agent and Strong to iron out in negotiations.
I believe an up and comer Texas HS coach would have been a WAAAAAY better hire than Watson.
Watson was paid top level OC money here. The idea that Strong was on a mom and pop budget for his coaching hires is a huge stretch. There was never an OC search. Strong transplanted pretty much the entire Louisville staff. He was never going to leave Watson as the odd man out.
Thankful, we can now look past that issue. In Sterling I trust.
No one cares about the salary of QC coaches. When the point was he could have hired whatever OC he wanted.
And Strong had a huge part in the Wickline ordeal. Mainly that he hired him to allegedly call some plays and then he never did let him call plays. He let his boy Watson do that. Hence the whole start of the OSU lawsuit.
Patterson is a douche. Did a lot of douchey things. But he hired two good coaches and he did empower them to hire whatever support staff they wanted under about the highest budget in the NCAAs.
Ok... y'all have helped enlighten me... BTW... we're all on the same side here... but what's the answer to my questions?.. So Watson was at $700,000.00... How much is UT paying Gilbert and How much is Riley being paid. Plus... at the time I agree... I thought Watson was a mistake... from the beginning.. I never said anything about a Blank Check to Strong but Patterson never even allowed Strong to enter the conversation with Big Time OC's. Gilbert was not a Hot Commodity yet... and yes Strong was Naïve about Offenses in The Big 12. But you can't place blame fully on Strong. The people that he would rely on to guide him were unceremoniously dismissed... by Patterson... and Patterson wasn't giving him any type of guidance or leadership during his transition into a new culture and new type of Football League.You certainly can't degrade an entire staff and budget cut a program to less than what the worse program is in league and expect to compete with the Programs that don't have those kind of limitations. It was a Perfect Storm of crap as far as I'm concerned... and it appears that with the coming together and leadership of Perrin and Fenvas... the mending of some relationships including with Texas High School Coaches and from what I have read... some consultation with Dodds and Mack... along with the Patience and willingness to change from Strong... Texas appears to be on the rebound... How accurate is Hornosaurus?... this seems to explain a lot.
Sources said football coach Charlie Strong, who saw his and his coaching staff’s personal ticket allotment cut from eight to four last year, fought to increase the salaries of his eight quality control coaches from $24,000 to $50,000 after last season. Texas has among the lowest salaries in the Big 12 for its quality control coaches – even behind last-place football finisher Kansas ($45,000). Strong’s request was denied by Patterson, and six of Texas’ eight quality control coaches who had built relationships with the rest of the staff, left to find better paying jobs, the sources said.
_____
Patterson fired longtime sports information director John Bianco, who had been at Texas 23 years and was trusted by football coach Charlie Strong – without consulting Strong, sources said. “Bianco and his wife totally hit it off with Charlie and his wife,” said one source close to the situation. “Charlie doesn’t trust very easily. But he trusted John, because John always had Texas and Charlie’s best interests at the forefront.” Sources said Patterson plans to bring in someone from the NBA to head up communications for UT athletics and to hire Bianco’s replacement as sports information director in charge of football. _____
He has refused to settle a lawsuit filed by Oklahoma State seeking $593,000 from football assistant Joe Wickline over a contract buyout. “The University of Texas is not a party to the suit,” Patterson has said repeatedly, adding it is a dispute between Wickline and his former employer. As a result, Strong, Wickline and assistant Shawn Watson have been deposed by Oklahoma State lawyers in a case that drags on toward a trial in Payne County, Oklahoma.
Agreed. We could argue all day about what Mack or Strong or Patterson shoulda, woulda, coulda done. Many of us were not on board with Watson or how we were duped in to him coming here.
Sterling is a completely different breed from Watson. Thankfully. And we can talk about that all day.
I love the make up of this staff. I believe it is on the right track. I actually like Gilbert better than the air raid loving Cumbie that was offered first. I think Texas was lucky he stayed at TCU and got the 2nd choice.
Agreed on preferring Gilbert. Higdon actually said that Strong preferred Gilbert all along but gave the appearance of pursuing Cumbie first to appease some restless BMDs. Apparently his intention all along was to go veer-and-shoot over Air Raid. Don't know whether that's the whole truth, but it seems plausible, at least, given Strong's oft-stated preference for an offense grounded in a punishing running game.
I understand that coaches use the media for a variety of reasons, and they may not be laying everything on the table. With that said, plenty of team's name the starting QB in the Spring. Why? Becaus it's foolish to split snaps, or worse, have the eventual starting QB taking second team snaps in the fall. Also, since Buchele is a freshman, naming him the starter would probably clear up roles in summer work outs.
Note today in his teleconference, Strong said that Fans would eventually get to see Buchele, but he did not know how early. I'm not professing to know what his motivation is, I'm just saying based on what I have seen from him before, he is risk adverse to a fault on offense, and his words make it seem as if he is still leaning toward putting Swoopes in v ND if Swoopes shows him anything in practice.
I think it's settled in the eyes of Sterlin, but imagine for a moment you're charlie. This season is make or break for him. How comfortable would you feel as a coach knowing you're trotting out an 18 year old to play the most important position on the field in arguably the most important season of his coaching career.
Your job, your livelihood, your very reputation rests in the hands of someone who's not even old enough to buy beer. It's sometimes difficult for people to remain objective in that situation. They prefer age and experience over youth and performance. I assure you if this were charlie's first year, he'd have already named SB the starter.
Your job, your livelihood, your very reputation rests in the hands of someone who's not even old enough to buy beer. It's sometimes difficult for people to remain objective in that situation. They prefer age and experience over youth and performance. I assure you if this were charlie's first year, he'd have already named SB the starter.
A lot more comfortable than trotting Swoopes out there again. In a perfect world, Buechele would redshirt. But in my eyes, Swoopes is not an option, especially if you are coaching for your career.
Swoopes is Strong's offense's version of Haines. Smart, works hard and has good to outstanding moments but ultimately isn't capable of winning games. He's a good kid that you want to see do well, but as a coach I used to work with once said, "those good kids will get you fired".
This.
You'd think Strong would have figured out the last 2 years that Swoopes will not be getting anyone a winning season. Heck he figured it out after game 1 last year and went to an unseasoned Heard. And for a good portion of last season that was where we had our success.
Why not do it again and toss in the younger guy who can actually play in games over the seasoned guy who looks like he is in more control during practice (he should be, the other guy should be buying clothes for his SR prom right now)?
Totally agree in an ideal scenario Buechele would RS. But this is far less than an ideal scenario. I'd start Buechele with Heard backing him up and Swoopes in 18 wheeler packages. Unfortunately, I bet we get more Swoopes mixed in even more than just short yardage. I see him taking some full drives here and there. At least early in the year. And if Buechele gets hurt, I bet we get a mix of Heard/Swoopes.
Not a bad idea. I'd like to see Swoopes in more than just short yardage, though. I'd play to his strengths, including packaged runs and an occasional long ball. For that to work, though, you can't be so predictable about it.
Would like to see Kai switch positions, or transfer (again), unless somehow his attitude has dramatically improved. You can't have malcontents.
And plenty of teams aren't potentially starting sub-200-lb. true freshmen at QB. So who cares?
Nothing needs to be "cleared up" for summer workouts. It's more likely than not that our skinny true freshman QB is going to be unavailable at some point during the season. We need both Swoopes and Heard to become as proficient in this offense as possible. It would be pure idiocy to undercut any motivation they have to work their asses off over the summer by telling them in April that they're out of the running for the starting job. Shane's not the complacent type, but there's also zero point in telling him right now that the competition is over. Competition forces players to work harder.
Strong also said a starting QB would be named well in advance of our first game, so the fretting over snap distribution in fall camp is a bit premature. Also, I'm not sure how you think football practice works, but all three QBs are going to get practice time. Gilbert has been given total control over implementing his offense. He'll assign snaps in the way he believes will maximize his offense's chances for success in the fall. That might not line up exactly with your perspective as a fan, but you might consider that he knows what he's doing, having installed this offense several times before.
Again, you understand that Gilbert and Strong are of the same mind on all of this, right? And you also understand that Strong has given Gilbert has complete control of his offense, including who gets to be the starting QB, right?
When you understand that Strong and Gilbert want their QBs to prepare thoroughly and to push each other through unsupervised summer workouts, given the significant probability that Buechele will miss some game time next time, Strong's (and Gilbert's) words make perfect sense.
Ok, so to boil this down, you are convinced that Strong and Giblert intend to start Buchele but want the back ups to work hard. I am not convinced of this.
See above when someone said "Swoopes is Strong's Haines", and where someone else discussed starting an 18 year old. I think Strong is very hesitant with Buchele and I think his words are evidence of that. I hope I am wrong, and I hope he sees that starting Swoopes is more of a risk than starting Buchele. If nothing else maybe all the hype around Buchele won't leave him much of a choice.
I don't think there is any hesitation, the best player plays. There is simply no reason for them to go public. The team has already lifted Shane on their shoulders and they're prepared to fight for him. That's awfully damn mature for a kid that is suppose to still be in HS. This kid was raised by a professional athlete, he knows what it takes to be successful and he has the abilities. Sterling has his man.
If you paid attention over the last 2 years, Heard really wasn't ready and there really wasn't very much separation between Heard and Swoopes. These are the things Strong was saying, all along.
'I would not be afraid to start him at all'...Strong
If you paid attention over the last 2 years, Heard really wasn't ready and there really wasn't very much separation between Heard and Swoopes. These are the things Strong was saying, all along.
'I would not be afraid to start him at all'...Strong
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