Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (A different kind of Texas quarterback discussion ...)
- Thread starter Ketchum
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Come on Ketch, don't get trolled like that. It's your job to spend all day brainstorming and then writing your opinions. Your TTFTW gets tons of reads and elicits hundreds of posts. You've done your job. Defending yourself only encourages more haters.
Every guy that pays for a subscription to hate on your articles is another paid subscriber. The joke's on him.
And on the 6th day of May, Ketch writeth nary a word about the European, weenie, quasi-sport of soccer... and it was good.
Heres a good recent article on the whole thing with Meyer saying he’s going to be honest to Burrow and his family and give them the answer. Buckeye fans are basically saying that Urban isnt going to try and pull a fast one over on Burrow’s dad who is a well respected college defensive coordinator at the University of Ohio.
https://www.landof10.com/ohio-state/ohio-state-football-urban-meyer-joe-burrow-owe-answer-2018
Lebron is taller, faster, stronger and an overall more superior athlete. The game has never seen an athlete like him. That's what our eyes are seeing.
But to answer your question, Michael was better at putting the ball in the basket and playing defense.
I think we overrate the past a little too much at times. I tink you are giving the "old" NBA too much credit.
He woulkd have been an even bigger alien in the 80s than he is now.
My favorite part of the cokumn was the random picture I included in section 9 that none one person has mentioned because my column is often so weird that it didn't seem out of place.
I don't know that Mike was as good of a defender than LeBron, whose defense has forever been underrated. They aredifferent kinds of defenders, but Mike's presence alone didn't scare the shit out of people. LeBron's does.
Yes. In other words, basketball.
It's funny when people claim Lebron is a better basketball player than Jordan.
Re the need for QB play, the issue is compounded by Herman's system being so QB dependent. I wish I saw it differently but I don't think Herman's guy is on campus yet.
Context matters.
When Ash was a young player, the bar was Colt/VY and the quest for national titles.
It wasn't that he hadn't been good, it's that the quest was for him to be great and he never got a chance to truly develop into what he could become,although I do think he had some limitations that would have probably help him back from ever being great.
Yet, as we've learned in the last decade, being very good can be pretty f'ing great.
I like 7b as well! Big surprise that you noticed it and even bigger that you posted it. She looks great in a Longhorn uniform and has the potential to be an immediate difference maker for Karen Aston.
No, I think they lose in overtime, regardless.
There's two sides to this theory, with one being the purely sports karma side that you never celebrate a victory before it's truly over, and anytime you do, your team loses as a result.
The 2nd and more legitimate side is that Philly had the arena going bonkers and all the momentum going into overtime after Marco hit that shot. They lost all of that during the 15 minute confetti clean up stage. By the time overtime began, the crowd and the Boston players had a chance to forget about what happened at the end of the game.
Ash couldn't put points on the board. He had an uncanny knack for missing passes on 3rd downs and killping drives. His play was not as pretty as his stats. I seem to remember his lack of putting points on the board leading to him being benched for McCoy, who managed to score. Think about that - He couldn't keep McCoy off the field.
Yup. ASH'S athleticism gave the coaches a reason to develop a special package to feature his running ability.
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He certainly had all the physical tools to be great {height, weight, strength, NFL arm, accuracy, bruising runner & fast}, but yeah, not sure he would've ever developed the mental make-up and or Alpha Dog {a la Vince or Colt} in him to be great.
Too bad we never found out for sure. I know it broke Ash''s heart when he had to cash it in prematurely. I imagine he's moved on by now, and is no longer tormented by "If only...." and knows there's a lot more to life than football, as well as other & more important ways to be "successful."
Unless you’re someone that just counts rings it’s possible he could be. It’s not an answerable question outside pure opinion. We will never really know. At worst I think it’s 1-a and 1-b. Lebron is really fvcking good. The gap isn’t that wide outside just counting rings where if you do that Bill Russell has to be the best ever
Simmons was a lost cause, which meant the team was playing 4 on 5 basketball with Marco as the chief playmaker.
That's not where we want to be.
He was still a puppy in 2012. Perspective in full context is important. He had a better true sophomore season than Colt McCoy had a third-year sophomore season.
Ash and Buechele have a very similar issue in not being able to harness their skills after two reads.
Best 10 Thoughts ever! President Austin was perfect end to it!
Let's talk about the quarterback play for the Longhorns for a moment in a way that doesn't dive into the normal Texas quarterback discussion.
For one day, let's not focus on who will be the Texas quarterback, but the form the Longhorns truly need to demand from the position if the program wants to contend for a Big 12 championship. Frankly, I think the data reveals some legitimate reasons for optimism for Texas fans going into a season with so much uncertainty at the most important position in the entire sport by a healthy margin.
Let's begin the discussion in earnest with a look at the quarterback ratings of every Big 12 champion since the turn of the decade, otherwise known as the moment the Texas program fell into the abyss:
2017 Baker Mayfield (OU): 198.9
2016 Baker Mayfield (OU): 196.4
2015 Baker Mayfield (OU): 173.3
2014 Bryce Petty (Baylor): 157.8
2014 Trevone Boykin (TCU): 161.6
2013 Bryce Petty (Baylor): 174.3
2012 Landry Jones (OU) 144.6
2012 Collin Klein (KSU): 149.2
2011: Brandon Weeden (OSU): 159.7
2010: Landry Jones (OU): 143.8
When looking at the data, a few things stand out ...
a. My goodness, Baker Mayfield. I cannot even quite wrap my head around his level of play for the Sooners in each of the last two seasons, as he's been at least 20 points better than any quarterback in the history of the conference.
When Vince Young departed Texas following the 2005 season, he was the No. 1 player in the country in passing efficiency at 163.9, which was exactly 35 points behind what Mayfield posted 12 seasons later.
b. With Mayfield's numbers in the equation, the average between 10 quarterbacks over eight seasons is 166.0, but if you eliminate the historically obscene Mayfield from the last two seasons, the number drops to 158.0.
c. There's a definite uptick over the last five seasons (2013-2017) from the previous three (2010-12). The lowest quarterback rating since 2013 was Bryce Petty's 157.8, while three of the four previous quarterbacks from 2010-12 posted sub-150 ratings.
It seems pretty easy to point out that the quarterback play inside the league from the last five seasons was simply significantly better than when the likes of Landry Jones and Collin Klein were the quarterback bell cows on championship teams, with all due respect to both players, who were excellent college football players. Yet, it's fair to ask whether the 2018 season in the Big 12 will follow in the footstep of the tremendous quarterback play of recent years or drop into the territory comprised of mostly mere mortals.
Consider the number posted by the returning starting quarterbacks in the Big 12 last season:
Will Grier (West Virginia) 162.7
Zach Smith (Baylor) 118.9
Peyton Bender (Kansas) 108.5
Carter Stanley (Kansas) 104.5
Those were the only returning quarterbacks in the Big 12 last season with enough attempts to qualify in the NCAA passer standings according to the official Big 12 website. If you're wondering about the Longhorns, Sam Ehlinger posted a 124.2 rating, while Shane Buechele posted a 126.8 rating, respectively.
Outside of West Virginia, who might have a first-round draft pick on its hands with Grier, every program in the Big 12 is facing major uncertainty at the position, which means it's very possible that we'll see a starting quarterback on a championship team with a quarterback rating closer to Klein's than Petty's, let alone Mayfield's.
So, what does Texas need from its quarterbacks, considering it has had only one quarterback in the last eight seasons come close to the numbers Landry Jones posted at the position? Well, I'd contend that if you could take it to the bank right now that the Longhorns could get the production David Ash posted as a sophomore in 2012, the Longhorns could very well be playing in the Big 12 championship game in six months.
Ash's numbers that year?
2,699 yards. 8.5 yards per attempt. 19 touchdowns. 8 interceptions. 153.3 rating.
Not great, but supremely rock solid and certainly good enough if the team surrounding him holds up its end of the bargain.
The question Texas has on its hands is whether it can get its quarterbacks up to the level of David Ash rock-solid?
Luckily for the Longhorns, it's a question that nine out of the 10 teams in the Big 12 are asking themselves at this very moment.
No. 2 - Elephant in the Room ...
We're not even going to recognize the Oklahoma offense of the last few years with Mayfield no longer pulling the strings.
Those words aren't aimed as some sort of insult towards the players fighting for the position in the wake of his departure as much as it's a nod to just how spectacular one of the best quarterbacks in college football history truly was.
It's not hyperbole to point out just how different of a team the three-time defending champions of the league would have looked without its member of the Avengers leading the charge. Mason Rudolph is arguably the best quarterback Mike Gundy has ever coached and he was nearly 30 points behind Mayfield in efficiency rating.
Basically, a reset button has been hit on the entire league.
No. 3 - Question I simply cannot answer today ...
West Virginia's Will Grier is clearly the choice at the first-team quarterback position when the media and coaches announce their pre-season All-Big 12 teams, but who in the hell do you vote in for the second-team spot?
Someone that has never played or someone that has played, but played poorly?
No. 4 - Attention, Texas offensive coaches ...
When David Ash posted that 153.3 rating back in 2012, his average yards per attempt was a healthy 8.5.
Last year, Ehlinger and Buechele posted marks of 7.0 and 6.6, respectively.
Those numbers are absolutely woeful and speak to an offense without a healthy passing game plan. A program directed by a head coach with an offensive background must do better. Period. It can't just be that the quarterbacks have to be better. It's everyone.
No. 5 - Introducing, your new starting running back ...
Confession time.
I wasn't really blown away by the prospect of Tre Watson signing with the Longhorns when the possibility was first mentioned. On some level, we're talking about a guy that couldn't win a job at Cal.
Yet, as time has rolled on, the spring game has taken place and I've done a little more studying on the guy outside of just looking at stats and recalling what he looked like in a glance against Texas, I've taken about a 167-degree turn on the guy for the following reasons.
a. He's a totally different type of running back than the guys that the Longhorns currently having on campus. Honestly, he reminds me of the type of running back that typically gains 1,200 all-purpose yards for Texas Tech on an annual basis. He's less of an every-down back and more of a guy that you give the ball to 15-18 times a game, including at least five or six in the passing game in a variety of ways. You want this guy in space as much as possible and that's not exactly the first thing you say about Toneil Carter or Daniel Young. His arrival diversifies the skill set of the position immediately.
b. I can't explain the situation at Cal, but this kid is talented. As I mentioned, Watson can make guys miss and he can make plays in a variety of roles. He kind of reminds me of a poor man's Hodges Mitchell, who would have been an even better college player than he already was if he had arrived 20 years later to the college game than he did.
Bottom line - I think the Texas football team just acquired a player that could prove to be critically important for this team. If he's healthy and not on the field on every third down passing situation that the team has this year, the coaches won't be doing their jobs right.
No. 6 – Time to enjoy the rest of life ...
Former Texas great Michael Griffin will officially announce his retirement on Monday after signing a one-day contract with Tennessee.
He'll depart the game as a player with 10 NFL seasons under his belt, two Pro Bowl appearances, 912 tackles and 25 career interceptions.
A case can be made that for all of the great defensive backs the Longhorns have developed in the last two decades, only Earl Thomas can claim to producing a better NFL career than the former Austin Bowie star.
Once upon a time, a long time ago, I remember pulling Griffin aside after a basketball game for an interview and telling him I thought he was one of the best players in the state of Texas. With no offers on the table at the time, I remember Griffin essentially telling me he thought I was full of crap. What transpired out of his athletic career is probably beyond what he once thought possible, but it happened and I have to admit that he's one of my favorite players to follow while covering the Longhorns.
Even when he called me out on the Orangebloods message boards once for a comment I made about his brother Marcus in a scrimmage, I always loved the fact that he had a brain, opinions, cultivating world views and wasn't afraid to be a person first, and a football player second.
Here's hoping the game didn't take too much from his mind, body and soul, and that the rest of his years are even better the ones spent playing football. Hey, he's going to have more time for his dogs moving forward and I'm guessing he'll love that.
No. 7a – Getting it done in Lubbock ...
Pitching concerns be damned, the Texas baseball team had one objective this weekend, win its series in Lubbock against its gorilla-ball inspired opponents.
By hook or crook, just win the damn thing because with a path towards a conference title on its way to being closed, positioning itself for a possible regional hosting position is paramount in this final regular-season homestretch.
Damn if they didn't pull it off.
After trading haymakers in the opening two games, Sunday's game turned into a back and forth affair and this team deserves a lot of credit for picking itself up off the canvas, surviving some a scary bases-loaded situation and rallying to declare victory over a top-10 opponent on the road.
Without getting too caught up in the result, a case can be made that the last three days are a defining moment of the regular season. Yes, future days in the post-season will define the season as a whole because that's what truly defines seasons around here, but if this team finishes its business in the coming weeks, the result in Lubbock could lead this team hosting a regional to begin the post-season.
So, yeah, taking two out of three this weekend was pretty big.
Now make sure you don’t screw around next weekend and lose the feather in your cap that was obtained this weekend.
No. 7b – This is big ...
I don't care that Danni Williams is a left-handed three-pointing shooting guard senior grad transfer that not only immediately gives Karen Aston an offensive weapon she dearly needs.
I mean.. it's not that I don't care. Of course, it's more than noteworthy when a second-team All-SEC player transfers to another school.
But, let's not bury the lede here.
Danni Williams has spent her entire college career in College Station surrounded by people that loath all things burnt orange. Like they hate the University of Texas more than they hate themselves.
Yet, with a chance to decide her own future, she basically turned to every Aggie she's ever known and essentially said, "Holla! You'd be here too, if you could be. Don't trip."
The people in that town will never forgive her. She's forever be seen as the worst kind of traitor in their eyes, which means I've never even seen her play and I already know that she has more guts than anyone else in the Texas athletic department.
You go, girl. Go get you some buckets.
No. 8 – Buy or Sell …
BUY or SELL: Todd Orlando is not coaching at Texas in 2020?
(Buy) I have to think a head coaching offer will come in one of the next couple of years.
BUY or SELL: .Texas wins a conference title in the next 3 years?
(Buy) Total leap of faith.
BUY or SELL: “Blueberries" will be the safe word for the podcast?
(Buy) From now on, the safe word for the TicketCity Podcast is blueberries.
BUY or SELL: The Official visit blows DeMarvin Leal away; and he flips to the good guys?
(Sell) I just don't have enough information yet to make that kind of claim. Stay tuned.
BUY or SELL: NaNa is a Horn later this month?
(Buy) If you're even (coming into the final official visit), you're leaving.
BUY or SELL: When you started Orangebloods, you had no idea of the community that would develop, which makes this message board the wonderful train wreck that it is?
(Sell) This is exactly what I had in mind when I started Orangebloods. You have to remember that Hornsfans.com was the 2,000-pound gorilla of the Texas online world when this site first started and not only was its traffic out of this world, but they had about a dozen boards for all topics. I knew that if Orangebloods was going to separate itself in terms of a community, it needed to be different, which is why I streamed all of the traffic to our premium board, while allowing off-topic posts at the same time, which was a major turnoff for some people in the launch of the site. However, I trusted that a board with free-flowing thought on all topics with a ton of UT football talk inside of it (and limited moderation outside of some basic ground rules) would do very well. It's probably more of a train wreck than I imagined, but I imagined quite a train wreck back in 2001.
BUY or SELL: Though the reasons for the lack of NFL prospects comparatively from the state of Texas is a multi-factor issue, two of the largest factors are the proliferation of spread offenses in the state (which rewards the ability to operate well in space, a skill that is not as valuable at the pro level) and the advanced development in our state’s high school programs (which results in kids getting closer to their top skill level more quickly and having less room for improvement later - which also leaves some kids with higher ceilings but a slower development path behind and undiscovered).
(Buy) There are lots of reasons, as you stated, but buy.
BUY or SELL: At least one RB (anyone) has 500+ rushing yards this year?
(Buy) It might be close, though.
BUY or SELL: Barring injuries, I can borrow 100k from this Russian guy I know and bet Texas win total over 7 for 2018?
(Buy) Definitely yes, if you're including the bowl game. Otherwise, I'd be careful with the Russians.
No. 9 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
... My eyes tell me that LeBron James is the greatest basketball player I have ever seen and my brain tells me that it's blasphemy to say such a thing. Considering we use championships as the defining bar in these conversations, he'll probably never receive the true glory he deserves, but I've never ... ever ... ever ... seen anything like LeBron. None of us have.
... I'm not happy with what's happened to Ben Simmons and the Sixers in falling behind 3-0 to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, but the team (and especially Simmons) haven't quite been ready for the stage they’re on. In time, Simmons will be better for suffering through the worst basketball of his career, but it sucks at the moment.
... The Warriors/Rockets showdown is about a week away. Let the glorious basketball begin.
... Dez Bryant is experiencing some humble days right about now, I'm guessing. Is there any market for him at all? Honestly, I'm a little surprised the Packers haven't taken a flyer on him.
... Wait, so the Kentucky Derby was this weekend?
No. 10 – And Finally …
This made me quite emotional on Sunday morning. I have twins that are four. Trust me, you won't see anything better all week than this video.
