When Charlie Strong arrived in Austin, he had a bit of a Texas A&M problem.
Fresh off the Johnny Manziel roller coaster ride into the nation’s most outrageously hyped conference, the Aggies had taken control of the recruiting muscle inside the state of Texas and were giving the appearance of a program on the verge of truly taking off for the first time in nearly 75 years (probation-fueled success, not counting).
From the moment he arrived, the thinking from yours truly was that in order for Strong to take the Longhorns back to Lone Star State supremacy, nothing less than a run off of significant on-field success in Austin would have to occur.
The new conference was too shiny. The barber shop inside the new elite-level facilities was too hip. The DJ’s music was too crunk. The swagcopter was just too swag.
Nothing less than Charlie Strong’s best would do.
Orrrrrrrrrrrrrr …
He could just wait for Kevin Sumlin to turn himself into a verb.
Like so-and-so had a really good thing going as the head coach of a major program until he “Sumlin’d” it all up and got fired or so-and-so won the lottery and was living on Easy Street until he or she pulled a Sumlin and lost it all.
Over the course of the last two seasons, Strong hasn’t been able to muster up much on-field momentum in the name of boosting recruiting, but my goodness, the coach who was supposed to be his chief nemesis has instead turned into his personal ATM for help on the recruiting highways.
Consider that it was a year ago last week when Sumlin pulled a Sumlin by gift-wrapping Malik Jefferson and the momentum that arrived with his commitment to Strong, taking a situation that was all but gift-wrapped for A&M and blowing it with a last-minute visit that was more insulting to the Jefferson family than it was reassuring. For whatever reason, Sumlin’s inability to communicate a message without turning the receiving party off proved to be his undoing. That the moment turned into a Sumlin prophecy more than a blip on the radar tells you all you need to know about where we are in the Sumlin era in College Station.
A year later, he essentially appears to be dead-coach stumbling, as every quarterback with which he seems to come into contact transfers, his team reportedly views him as distant, recruiting is going nowhere and the only thing that seems to be keeping him employed is one of the most ridiculous coaching contracts in sports.
Most wouldn’t have guessed this two months ago, but Strong would actually appear to have more job security than Sumlin and when you combine that with a barber shop that has a lot of unhappy patrons these days, it means Strong has a lifeline in critical head-to-head recruiting battles that wouldn’t otherwise exist.
Charlie Strong might not be a success yet in Austin, but he’s not Kevin Sumlin and at this exact moment, this truth seems to be as important as any message he can give in the living room of a recruit.
In a world where Strong has at least 99 problems, Kevin Sumlin ain’t one.
No. 2 – Breaking down what needs to happen in order to secure a Top 5-20 class …
With a little more than seven weeks to go until signing day, I thought I would go ahead and answer the question that everyone wants answered …
Will Texas sign a top 5, 10, 15, 25 or 50 class?
As it currently stands, the Longhorns have 12 commitments and rank No. 51 in the nation in the Rivals.com team rankings with a combination of zero five-stars, four four-stars and eight three-stars. By comparing the current Texas class against a three-year average from a variety of tiers, everyone should have a pretty good idea of what it will take to climb the rankings in the final seven weeks.
Top 5
2016: (Texas) 0/4/8 - 3.33 average - 1,105 points
2015: (Tennessee) 4/13/11 - 3.69 average - 2,647 points
2014: (Tennessee) 2/16/13 - 3.65 average - 2,600 points
2013: (Michigan) 1/16/9 - 3.63 average - 2,661 points
Three-year average: 2/15/11 - 3.66 average - 2,636 points
The path to the Top 5:
5 stars: (2) Allen offensive lineman Greg Little and another
4 stars: (11) Beaumont Central RB Devwah Whaley, Katy RB Kyle Porter, North Mesquite OL Jean Delance, Silsbee offensive lineman Patrick Hudson, New Orleans (Louisiana) St. Augustine DE D'andre Christmas-Giles, Cibolo Steele DE Mark Jackson, Manor DE/LB Erick Fowler, Houston Elsik LB Dontavious Jackson, Aldine Davis LB Jeffrey McCulloch, Manvel DB Deontay Anderson and Nacogdoches DB Brandon Jones
3 stars: (3) Southlake Carroll ATH Lil’Jordan Humphrey, New Orleans Brothers Martin TE Irv Smith and Belton OL Zach Shackelford
Conclusion: I don’t want to say this is impossible, but even if Texas won all of its major recruiting battles and was able to flip the foursome of Hudson, Jackson, Fowler and Smith, it likely still wouldn’t be enough to get into the top five of the Rivals rankings because there aren’t any five-star recruits on the horizon to take, which means the Longhorns would likely need another two or three four-stars to enter that type of territory and it’s hard to even come up with the names that would potentially fill those slots.
Top 10
2015: (Texas A&M) 1/11/10 - 3.4 average - 2,478 points
2014: (USC) 2/9/8 - 3.68 average - 2,220 points
2013: (Florida State) 2/9/9 - 3.57 average - 2,352 points
Three-year average: 2/10/9 - 3.55 average - 2,350 points
The path to the Top 10:
4 stars: (11) Beaumont Central RB Devwah Whaley, Katy RB Kyle Porter, North Mesquite OL Jean Delance, Silsbee offensive lineman Patrick Hudson, New Orleans (Louisiana) St. Augustine DE D'andre Christmas-Giles, Cibolo Steele DE Mark Jackson, Manor DE/LB Erick Fowler, Houston Elsik LB Dontavious Jackson, Aldine Davis LB Jeffrey McCulloch, Manvel DB Deontay Anderson and Nacogdoches DB Brandon Jones
3 stars: (5) Southlake Carroll ATH Lil’Jordan Humphrey, New Orleans Brothers Martin TE Irv Smith, Houston Westside DT Jordan Elliott, Waco cornerback Eric Cuffee and Belton OL Zach Shackelford
Conclusion: Perhaps it’s not an impossible task, but it’s going to require the same type of closing finish, which means the Longhorns have to win 80-percent of their final recruiting battles, while flipping at least four or five players from the likes of LSU, A&M and Michigan along the way. It would rank among the top finishes nationally in the entire country. Keep in mind that the lack of a five-star in the class would mean the Longhorns would probably need to add the likes of a D'andre Christmas-Giles and Deontay Anderson, in addition to the names above.
Top 15
2015: (Penn State) 0/11/14 - 3.44 average - 2,133 points
2014: (Oklahoma) 1/8/14 - 3.22 average - 2,110 points
2013: (Oklahoma) 0/7/14 - 3.17 average - 2,068 points
Three-year average: 0/9/14 - 3.28 average - 2,104 points
The path to the Top 15:
4 stars: (8) Beaumont Central RB Devwah Whaley, Katy RB Kyle Porter, North Mesquite OL Jean Delance, Cibolo Steele DE Mark Jackson, Houston Elsik LB Dontavious Jackson, Aldine Davis LB Jeffrey McCulloch, Manvel DB Deontay Anderson and Nacogdoches DB Brandon Jones
3 stars: (7) Southlake Carroll ATH Lil’Jordan Humphrey, New Orleans Brothers Martin TE Irv Smith, Houston Westside DT Jordan Elliott, New Orleans (La.) McDonogh 35 DT Stephon Taylor, DB Chris Brown, Waco cornerback Eric Cuffee and Belton OL Zach Shackelford
Conclusion: This feels like the kind of territory the Longhorns could end up in if they get on a run in the final seven weeks, but the required numbers are such that Strong and Co. would likely be better off trying to land two or three more four stars, so they don’t have to hit on almost all of the three-star prospects on their radar and then some.
Top 20
2015: (Arizona State) 0/7/15 - 3.26 average - 2,001 points
2014: (Texas) 0/6/15 - 3.17 average - 1,931 points
2013: (Miami) 0/9/8 - 3.44 average - 1,838 points
Three-year average: 0/7/13 - 3.29 average - 1,928 points
The path to the Top 20:
4 stars: (5) Beaumont Central RB Devwah Whaley, North Mesquite OL Jean Delance, Houston Elsik LB Dontavious Jackson, Aldine Davis LB Jeffrey McCulloch and Manvel DB Deontay Anderson/Nacogdoches DB Brandon Jones
3 stars: (7) Southlake Carroll ATH Lil’Jordan Humphrey, New Orleans Brothers Martin TE Irv Smith, Houston Westside DT Jordan Elliott, New Orleans (La.) McDonogh 35 DT Stephon Taylor, DB Chris Brown, Waco cornerback Eric Cuffee and Belton OL Zach Shackelford
Conclusion: See above. The path to a top-20 finish would probably look a little more like Miami in 2013 than Arizona State in 2015, which means the Longhorns would close on another five or six four stars, while landing slightly fewer three stars.
The bottom line
A top-20 finish seems like a good starting point for the discussion if you believe the Longhorns are going to close with a flurry, but I think it’s fair to ask whether the Longhorns truly have enough momentum to move into the area of the top 10. If it happens, it’ll mean that the current group of coaches Strong has assembled will deserve to rank among the best group of recruiters in the entire nation.
Do you trust that Texas is about to close on nearly every remaining target it has on the team’s recruiting board, because that’s what it’s going to take to finish in the top 10?
No. 3 – Talking quarterbacks …
I’m sure it must have been tempting for Charlie Strong to consider adding A&M transfer Kyler Murray to the fold, if for no other reason than to spike the ball in the face of Kevin Sumlin, but common sense says that adding Murray isn’t nearly as critical as adding someone to the 2016 quarterback mix.
In fact, adding someone who can potentially serve as an upgrade over Tyrone Swoopes and Jerrod Heard is Sterlin Gilbert’s most vital challenge upon arriving on the 40 Acres. Whether that someone is a JUCO kid or a graduate transfer, the need at the position is right now and not later on down the road.
Heck, you can make a strong case the Longhorns will have 2017 covered if they land a player like Trinity Valley CC’s Jerod Evans, who recently committed to Virginia Tech, as it would have Evans, Heard (Jr.), Kai Locksley (So.), Matthew Merrick (So.), Shane Buechele (RS freshman) and Sam Ehlinger (true freshman) on the roster going into the fall of 2017, which is when Murray would be eligible to play.
Even if you eliminated Locksley and Merrick from the equation, you’d still have some issues getting everyone in the quarterback meeting room reps who you want to give reps. What this really came down to is whether Strong and his coaches prefer Murray over Buechele because with a Murray transfer, it’s Buechele that would figure to lose the most practice reps as a byproduct.
And the answer to that question per Anwar Richardson is that they don’t.
That’s the reality of this situation.
Kyler Murray had his chance to be a Longhorn and he passed on that opportunity. Buechele and Ehlinger both committed to the burnt orange cause when it was desperately needed and their loyalty should and has been rewarded.
Texas needs someone right now, but those two players represent the long-term future.
No. 4 – Big Red Buzzsaw ...
Sometimes it’s just not your night.
With a national championship on the line and playing before the largest crowd to ever witness an NCAA volleyball match, the Texas Longhorns volleyball team found itself in front of a sea of red that would have made the crowd at the Rocky Balboa/Ivan Drago fight in Rocky IV blush.
Spurred on by the energy of 17,551, the Nebraska Cornhuskers used their support as jet fuel against a Texas team that had defeated the Huskers in five games in Austin earlier in the season and owned a five-game winning streak over its former Big 12 mate, meaning the Longhorns would need an elevated performance if they wanted to win the program’s fourth national championship.
The elevated performance never happened. The energy in the building and the play of the Huskers seemed to overwhelm the Longhorns at every critical moment in the match, which is how a potential national championship game for the ages turned into a three-game runaway.
I don’t know if Nebraska is a better team than Texas, but it played like a team of destiny in front of a crowd that treated each point as if winning the match might return the state to its former glory days on the gridiron, while Texas sort of just … blinked.
Perhaps no player on the Texas roster epitomized that on Saturday night more than Chiaka Ogbogu, who has dominated the competition all season, but finished the season in a championship setting with a .000 hitting percentage, while her four kills were negated by four errors.
That’s the kind of night it was for the Longhorns.
Texas played valiantly, but it never really matched what the Huskers brought to the party. Now the team will simply have to regroup and prepare to make another run for glory next season.
The hope has to be that if it can get back to the same situation in a year from now, the moment isn’t rigged against Texas like it was on Saturday night.
Sometimes in sports, it’s just not your night, a truth the Longhorns learned the hard way.
No. 5 – Buy or sell …
(As always, these are questions submitted by Orangebloods subscribers)
BUY or SELL: You have just as much concern in regards to our defensive play next year as you do about the offensive play?
(Buy) In case folks weren’t paying attention, the defense was the worst statistical unit in the history of the program, which means the defense could make tremendous strides in 2016 and still not rank among the top 40-60 defenses in the nation in most statistical categories. Yes, there’s a lot of young talent with which the defensive staff can work, but the Big 12 is going to be stacked next season on the offensive side of the ball, so the coaches need to make just as much progress in preparation as their players.
BUY or SELL: Charlie is waiting for the NFL season to end to snatch up Clint Hurrt to become CO-DC at Texas?
(Sell) Two things … unless Brick Haley leaves the program for another job, I expect the defensive staff to return intact and sources OB has spoken with have indicated that while he loves Hurtt, Strong does not believe that the landscape exists for him to make such a move.
BUY or SELL: A&M’s Jake Hubenak would have been the starting QB at UT last year if UT had offered him?
(Sell) There’s zero reason to believe at this point Hubenak would be an upgrade over Tyrone Swoopes or Jerrod Heard.
BUY or SELL: The only reason the Texas defensive staff is not getting fired is because it’s better recruiters than the offensive staff was because the product on the field is about the same or worse?
(Sell) This might drive you crazy, but I don’t get the sense that Charlie Strong believes he has any issues with his defensive staff. The vibe inside the 40 Acres is that this defense failed this season for personnel and youth issues, not anything related to the quality of the coaching staff.
BUY or SELL: Kyler Murray moves on to professional baseball?
(Buy) The smartest business decision he can make at this point is to turn his attention to baseball on a full-time basis. What’s the point of playing football if the best scenario has him playing for one season in 2017 before turning pro after his junior season in another sport? There’s a lot of fool’s gold in this discussion at this point.
BUY or SELL: Will Jay Norvell be on this staff in 2016?
(Buy) There continues to buzz inside the college football grapevine that the Longhorns will eventually turn elsewhere at the position, but I think the smart money is on his returning for the 2016 season.
BUY or SELL: The Horns will acquire more than two Aggie castoffs (recruits and members of current roster) as a result of the dumpster fire on Collie Station?
(Buy) I’m on the fence with this answer, but this seems completely reasonable.
BUY or SELL: The national championship game features Oklahoma vs. Alabama because of Baker Mayfield heroics and Michigan State's lack of offense?
(Sell) Mayfield is the second-best quarterback in this game and I’m not sure if it’s close. Give me Clemson and Alabama in the title game.
BUY or SELL: Episode VIII will be better than Episode VII?
(Buy) Watch out, Empire Strikes Back.
BUY or SELL: I'm in Germany for vacation and I cut the tip of my thumb off with an axe. Is my German experience now considered complete? Obviously I used beer to numb the pain?
(Sell) You know what needs to be done.
(Note: The following video opens up with a NSFW moment, but it was the only link to this scene of the movie I could find with decent quality.)
No. 6 – It’s a bird, it’s a plane … it’s a game-winning shot ...
The look on Shaka Smart’s face after Isaiah Taylor’s high-arching shot off the glass fell through the net to give Texas a late-night win on the road at Stanford told the entire story.
Despite ill-advised shots, a long scoring drought, critical missed free throws in the final minute, an awful turnover by a senior guard … somehow … someway … the Longhorns found a way to get out of Dodge with a win.
There will be games like this in the future, especially with Big 12 play looming in the coming weeks, but if every game at this point in the season presents teachable moments, Smart will be able to take the film of this game and make his team better for it.
Of course, when all hell is breaking loose around you in college basketball, it helps to have a guard who can take control of things and the Longhorns have that in Taylor, who returned home to the Bay Area and delivered one of his best performances in a Texas uniform, as he scored six of his team’s final seven points in the final 130 seconds of the game. When his final shot fell off the glass and into the net, Taylor had finished with 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting and six assists.
Perhaps he doesn’t have the broadest shoulders on the team, but he carried his teammates on Saturday night.
Now it’s time to get back to the gym and work on some of those areas that left Smart seemingly at a loss for words in the immediate aftermath of his team’s sixth straight win.
No. 7 – Lady Longhorns move to a perfect 10-0
I suppose there are multiple ways to view UT’s 61-50 win over a three-win Arkansas squad.
On one hand, the Longhorns showed up ready for business in the Big 12/SEC Challenge in Oklahoma City, as they opened up a 20-3 lead after the first quarter.
On the other hand, the Longhorns were outscored 47-41 over the final three quarters after opening up such a big lead.
Given this team’s flash of high quality throughout the opening stretches of this season and the fact that it’s probably not easy to maintain an A+ level of play against a bad team just before the holidays, I’m willing to cut Karen Aston’s team some slack if it turned off the on-switch after the first quarter and could never really get it flipped back on.
10-0 is 10-0.
The conference schedule begins in Morgantown in 10 days and nothing that happened today will represent more than a mediocre memory by the time the most important games of this season are played.
If anything, Aston will be able to coach her team a little harder this week than a 30-point win might have allowed for.
No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
… Scattershooting on week 15 in the NFL
a. Get ready for a 16-0 season from the Panthers. After taking a 35-7 lead on the NY Giants, the Panthers let the kids from Gotham score 28 unanswered points to tie the game and seemingly put the Panthers on the ropes, but Cam Newton simply marched his team down the field for the winning field goal and just like that the Panthers are 14-0 with only games at Atlanta and at home against Tampa Bay to go.
b. Cam Newton vs. the Giants: 25 of 45 for 340 yards and five touchdowns. Oh, and he rushed for 100 yards on eight carries.
c. Odell Beckham Jr. and Josh Norman won’t be spending the holidays together.
d. The Houston Texans are headed to the playoffs and Chuck Pagano is headed for a job as a checkout cashier.
e. I don’t care what any of you might say, Kirk Cousins is fool’s gold.
f. My goodness, how good would Kansas City be if it still had Jamaal Charles?
g. How many of you had Adrian Peterson going in a critical fantasy football game, only to see Jerrick McKinnon outscore him 14.6-6.3? Ouch.
h. I guess Brock Osweiler isn’t going anywhere. Sorry, Peyton, the Broncos don’t need you. Oh wait, maybe they do.
i. David Johnson has personally destroyed two of my fantasy teams this season.
… Rafael dos Anjos is a bad, bad dude. Careful, Connor. Just ask Cowboy, those kicks and punches are no joke.
… Junior dos Santos feels done as a championship-level fighter. He’s just playing for checks at this point.
… Welcome back, Nate Diaz.
… It’s about five months down the road, but we’re headed for a San Antonio/Oklahoma City showdown in the Western Conference semi-finals.
… We’re almost a third of the way through the NBA season and my Philadelphia 76ers are on pace to win three games.
… The Lakers need to start winning some damn games.
… Scattershooting on week 17 of the English Premier League
a.Jose Mourinho to Manchester United? Please make this happen. The Man U. fans chanting Mourinho’s name in the middle of a 2-1 loss to Norwich is perfect proof that this needs to happen. The world needs Mourinho in the EPL.
b. How much trouble is Louis Van Gaal in? Consider this paragraph from the London Telegraph’s game write-up…
“For United’s supporters, it was much less happy seasonal fare. But then you wouldn’t want Gaal organising your domestic Christmas. You can imagine what would happen. For a start, despite spending a fortune at the butcher’s, he’d serve up a load of under-cooked turkey. And in any place renowned for its decoration, he would turn everything immediately monochrome.”
That's hard-core.
c. The team that potentially lands Riyad Mahrez in the next transfer window might just be the team that wins the league this year. Mahrez has been the best player in the EPL this season.
Think Chelsea fans are going to hold a grudge over the loss of Mourinho for a while? Oh yeah...
d. I’m choosing to pretend that Liverpool didn’t even play this weekend. Good grief.
No. 9 – 70 Days Until Oscar Night ...
Thank you, super nerd icon J.J. Abrams.
It only took 32 years, but The Force Awakens is the film that Star Wars lovers have been waiting a generation for.
If I was to give it a three-word review, I’d simply say, “It was perfect.”
From a movie-going experience, I simply didn’t want it to end. The story could have gone on for another two hours and I wouldn’t have dared exit my seat. Meanwhile, in what I would describe as the first for me as a frequent inhibitor of movie theaters, once the movie ended, everyone remained in their seats, soaked up the experience and chatted for a while about everything that had occurred for the previous 136 minutes.
I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun watching a movie and I’ll probably go see it at least twice more while it’s in the theaters.
A few random notes before I go … (SPOILERS BELOW!!!!!!!!)
a. I’ve seen a few complaints that the movie pays too much homage to the original Star Wars movie, but I just didn’t feel that way at all while watching the movie. Maybe I’m just being too nostalgic, but you’ll have to forgive me for not nitpicking the movie for making parallels with the original story. I’m not worried that we’ll see a heavy pattern here.
b. Abrams nailed the casting. especially with Daisy Ridley and John Boyega. One of the things this movie was able to do that Episodes I-III couldn’t accomplish was making us truly care about the characters. It didn’t take me very long to fall in love with the characters Rey and Finn.
c. Speaking of Daisy Ridley, I hope she’s ready for the way her life is going to change because I think you can make a case right now she’s the baddest chick to ever grace a fan-boy flick, which means she’s going to be a life-long goddess for a lot of nerds all over the galaxy.
d. In regards to Kylo Ren removing his helmet, I think it speaks to an interesting layer to his character’s psyche, especially when compared to Darth Vader … he’s vain. Really vain. Unlike Vader, Kylo Ren revels in being himself in such a way that he wants people to see his face. Deep down, his grandfather was haunted by his behavior, which partly occurred out of absolute desperation. This new character is like a criminal who returns to the scene of a crime to admire his work.
e. In the event someone stumbles across this next point and it creates a spoiler that they don’t want to see, I’m going to speak in code when I tell you that I wasn’t prepared for Kylo Ren’s most heinous act. I probably should have seen it coming from a mile away, but it hit me a little like the Ned Stark moment in Game of Thrones. I understand why it had to happen, but damn, I wasn’t ready for it at all.
f. More Poe, please.
g. Am I crazy or has Luke morphed into a bad-ass looking old-man Jedi? The end of the movie was the definition of awesomeness.
My Current Oscars Leaderboard
Best Picture (based on movies I have actually seen)
1. Spotlight
2. Sicario
3. Room
4. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
5. Creed
Best Actor (based on the movies I have actually seen)
1. Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)
2. Michael B. Jordan (Creed)
3. Matt Damon (The Martian)
4. Michael Keaton (Spotlight)
5. Tom Hanks (Bridge of Spies)
Best Actress (based on the movies I have actually seen)
1. Brie Larson (Room)
2. Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
3. Emily Blount (Sicario)
4. Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Best Supporting Actor (based on the movies I have actually seen)
1. Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)
2. Jacob Tremblay (Room)
3. Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight)
4. Benicio del Toro (Sicario)
5. Sly Stallone (Creed)
Best Supporting Actress (based on the movies I have actually seen)
1. Joan Allen (Room)
2. Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina)
3. Rachel McAdams (Spotlight)
4. Tessa Thompson (Creed)
5. Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)
Best Director
1. Lenny Abrahamson (Room)
2. J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
3. Tom McCarthy (Spotlight)
4. George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)
5. Ridley Scott (The Martian)
No. 10 – And finally …
With just a few days until Christmas, I thought I’d like the great Frank Cross from the criminally underrated Scrooged have the final word.
“There are people who are having trouble making their miracle happen; there are people who don't have enough to eat, there are people who are cold, you can go out and say hello to these people. You can take an old blanket out of the closet and go to them and say 'Here!', you can make them a sandwich and say 'oh by the way, here!'”
“I get it now! Then if you GIVE, then it can happen, then the miracle can happen to you! It's not just the poor and the hungry, it's everybody's who's GOT to have this miracle! And it can happen tonight for all of you. If you believe in this spirit thing, the miracle will happen and then you'll want it to happen again tomorrow. You won't be one of these bastards who says 'Christmas is once a year and it's a fraud', it's NOT! It can happen every day, you've just got to want that feeling. And if you like it and you want it, you'll get greedy for it! You'll want it every day of your life and it can happen to you. I believe in it now! I believe it's going to happen to me now! I'm ready for it! And it's great! It's a good feeling, it's really better than I've felt in a long time. I, I, I'm ready. Have a Merry Christmas, everybody”
Fresh off the Johnny Manziel roller coaster ride into the nation’s most outrageously hyped conference, the Aggies had taken control of the recruiting muscle inside the state of Texas and were giving the appearance of a program on the verge of truly taking off for the first time in nearly 75 years (probation-fueled success, not counting).
From the moment he arrived, the thinking from yours truly was that in order for Strong to take the Longhorns back to Lone Star State supremacy, nothing less than a run off of significant on-field success in Austin would have to occur.
The new conference was too shiny. The barber shop inside the new elite-level facilities was too hip. The DJ’s music was too crunk. The swagcopter was just too swag.
Nothing less than Charlie Strong’s best would do.
Orrrrrrrrrrrrrr …
He could just wait for Kevin Sumlin to turn himself into a verb.
Like so-and-so had a really good thing going as the head coach of a major program until he “Sumlin’d” it all up and got fired or so-and-so won the lottery and was living on Easy Street until he or she pulled a Sumlin and lost it all.
Over the course of the last two seasons, Strong hasn’t been able to muster up much on-field momentum in the name of boosting recruiting, but my goodness, the coach who was supposed to be his chief nemesis has instead turned into his personal ATM for help on the recruiting highways.
Consider that it was a year ago last week when Sumlin pulled a Sumlin by gift-wrapping Malik Jefferson and the momentum that arrived with his commitment to Strong, taking a situation that was all but gift-wrapped for A&M and blowing it with a last-minute visit that was more insulting to the Jefferson family than it was reassuring. For whatever reason, Sumlin’s inability to communicate a message without turning the receiving party off proved to be his undoing. That the moment turned into a Sumlin prophecy more than a blip on the radar tells you all you need to know about where we are in the Sumlin era in College Station.
A year later, he essentially appears to be dead-coach stumbling, as every quarterback with which he seems to come into contact transfers, his team reportedly views him as distant, recruiting is going nowhere and the only thing that seems to be keeping him employed is one of the most ridiculous coaching contracts in sports.
Most wouldn’t have guessed this two months ago, but Strong would actually appear to have more job security than Sumlin and when you combine that with a barber shop that has a lot of unhappy patrons these days, it means Strong has a lifeline in critical head-to-head recruiting battles that wouldn’t otherwise exist.
Charlie Strong might not be a success yet in Austin, but he’s not Kevin Sumlin and at this exact moment, this truth seems to be as important as any message he can give in the living room of a recruit.
In a world where Strong has at least 99 problems, Kevin Sumlin ain’t one.
No. 2 – Breaking down what needs to happen in order to secure a Top 5-20 class …
With a little more than seven weeks to go until signing day, I thought I would go ahead and answer the question that everyone wants answered …
Will Texas sign a top 5, 10, 15, 25 or 50 class?
As it currently stands, the Longhorns have 12 commitments and rank No. 51 in the nation in the Rivals.com team rankings with a combination of zero five-stars, four four-stars and eight three-stars. By comparing the current Texas class against a three-year average from a variety of tiers, everyone should have a pretty good idea of what it will take to climb the rankings in the final seven weeks.
Top 5
2016: (Texas) 0/4/8 - 3.33 average - 1,105 points
2015: (Tennessee) 4/13/11 - 3.69 average - 2,647 points
2014: (Tennessee) 2/16/13 - 3.65 average - 2,600 points
2013: (Michigan) 1/16/9 - 3.63 average - 2,661 points
Three-year average: 2/15/11 - 3.66 average - 2,636 points
The path to the Top 5:
5 stars: (2) Allen offensive lineman Greg Little and another
4 stars: (11) Beaumont Central RB Devwah Whaley, Katy RB Kyle Porter, North Mesquite OL Jean Delance, Silsbee offensive lineman Patrick Hudson, New Orleans (Louisiana) St. Augustine DE D'andre Christmas-Giles, Cibolo Steele DE Mark Jackson, Manor DE/LB Erick Fowler, Houston Elsik LB Dontavious Jackson, Aldine Davis LB Jeffrey McCulloch, Manvel DB Deontay Anderson and Nacogdoches DB Brandon Jones
3 stars: (3) Southlake Carroll ATH Lil’Jordan Humphrey, New Orleans Brothers Martin TE Irv Smith and Belton OL Zach Shackelford
Conclusion: I don’t want to say this is impossible, but even if Texas won all of its major recruiting battles and was able to flip the foursome of Hudson, Jackson, Fowler and Smith, it likely still wouldn’t be enough to get into the top five of the Rivals rankings because there aren’t any five-star recruits on the horizon to take, which means the Longhorns would likely need another two or three four-stars to enter that type of territory and it’s hard to even come up with the names that would potentially fill those slots.
Top 10
2015: (Texas A&M) 1/11/10 - 3.4 average - 2,478 points
2014: (USC) 2/9/8 - 3.68 average - 2,220 points
2013: (Florida State) 2/9/9 - 3.57 average - 2,352 points
Three-year average: 2/10/9 - 3.55 average - 2,350 points
The path to the Top 10:
4 stars: (11) Beaumont Central RB Devwah Whaley, Katy RB Kyle Porter, North Mesquite OL Jean Delance, Silsbee offensive lineman Patrick Hudson, New Orleans (Louisiana) St. Augustine DE D'andre Christmas-Giles, Cibolo Steele DE Mark Jackson, Manor DE/LB Erick Fowler, Houston Elsik LB Dontavious Jackson, Aldine Davis LB Jeffrey McCulloch, Manvel DB Deontay Anderson and Nacogdoches DB Brandon Jones
3 stars: (5) Southlake Carroll ATH Lil’Jordan Humphrey, New Orleans Brothers Martin TE Irv Smith, Houston Westside DT Jordan Elliott, Waco cornerback Eric Cuffee and Belton OL Zach Shackelford
Conclusion: Perhaps it’s not an impossible task, but it’s going to require the same type of closing finish, which means the Longhorns have to win 80-percent of their final recruiting battles, while flipping at least four or five players from the likes of LSU, A&M and Michigan along the way. It would rank among the top finishes nationally in the entire country. Keep in mind that the lack of a five-star in the class would mean the Longhorns would probably need to add the likes of a D'andre Christmas-Giles and Deontay Anderson, in addition to the names above.
Top 15
2015: (Penn State) 0/11/14 - 3.44 average - 2,133 points
2014: (Oklahoma) 1/8/14 - 3.22 average - 2,110 points
2013: (Oklahoma) 0/7/14 - 3.17 average - 2,068 points
Three-year average: 0/9/14 - 3.28 average - 2,104 points
The path to the Top 15:
4 stars: (8) Beaumont Central RB Devwah Whaley, Katy RB Kyle Porter, North Mesquite OL Jean Delance, Cibolo Steele DE Mark Jackson, Houston Elsik LB Dontavious Jackson, Aldine Davis LB Jeffrey McCulloch, Manvel DB Deontay Anderson and Nacogdoches DB Brandon Jones
3 stars: (7) Southlake Carroll ATH Lil’Jordan Humphrey, New Orleans Brothers Martin TE Irv Smith, Houston Westside DT Jordan Elliott, New Orleans (La.) McDonogh 35 DT Stephon Taylor, DB Chris Brown, Waco cornerback Eric Cuffee and Belton OL Zach Shackelford
Conclusion: This feels like the kind of territory the Longhorns could end up in if they get on a run in the final seven weeks, but the required numbers are such that Strong and Co. would likely be better off trying to land two or three more four stars, so they don’t have to hit on almost all of the three-star prospects on their radar and then some.
Top 20
2015: (Arizona State) 0/7/15 - 3.26 average - 2,001 points
2014: (Texas) 0/6/15 - 3.17 average - 1,931 points
2013: (Miami) 0/9/8 - 3.44 average - 1,838 points
Three-year average: 0/7/13 - 3.29 average - 1,928 points
The path to the Top 20:
4 stars: (5) Beaumont Central RB Devwah Whaley, North Mesquite OL Jean Delance, Houston Elsik LB Dontavious Jackson, Aldine Davis LB Jeffrey McCulloch and Manvel DB Deontay Anderson/Nacogdoches DB Brandon Jones
3 stars: (7) Southlake Carroll ATH Lil’Jordan Humphrey, New Orleans Brothers Martin TE Irv Smith, Houston Westside DT Jordan Elliott, New Orleans (La.) McDonogh 35 DT Stephon Taylor, DB Chris Brown, Waco cornerback Eric Cuffee and Belton OL Zach Shackelford
Conclusion: See above. The path to a top-20 finish would probably look a little more like Miami in 2013 than Arizona State in 2015, which means the Longhorns would close on another five or six four stars, while landing slightly fewer three stars.
The bottom line
A top-20 finish seems like a good starting point for the discussion if you believe the Longhorns are going to close with a flurry, but I think it’s fair to ask whether the Longhorns truly have enough momentum to move into the area of the top 10. If it happens, it’ll mean that the current group of coaches Strong has assembled will deserve to rank among the best group of recruiters in the entire nation.
Do you trust that Texas is about to close on nearly every remaining target it has on the team’s recruiting board, because that’s what it’s going to take to finish in the top 10?
No. 3 – Talking quarterbacks …
I’m sure it must have been tempting for Charlie Strong to consider adding A&M transfer Kyler Murray to the fold, if for no other reason than to spike the ball in the face of Kevin Sumlin, but common sense says that adding Murray isn’t nearly as critical as adding someone to the 2016 quarterback mix.
In fact, adding someone who can potentially serve as an upgrade over Tyrone Swoopes and Jerrod Heard is Sterlin Gilbert’s most vital challenge upon arriving on the 40 Acres. Whether that someone is a JUCO kid or a graduate transfer, the need at the position is right now and not later on down the road.
Heck, you can make a strong case the Longhorns will have 2017 covered if they land a player like Trinity Valley CC’s Jerod Evans, who recently committed to Virginia Tech, as it would have Evans, Heard (Jr.), Kai Locksley (So.), Matthew Merrick (So.), Shane Buechele (RS freshman) and Sam Ehlinger (true freshman) on the roster going into the fall of 2017, which is when Murray would be eligible to play.
Even if you eliminated Locksley and Merrick from the equation, you’d still have some issues getting everyone in the quarterback meeting room reps who you want to give reps. What this really came down to is whether Strong and his coaches prefer Murray over Buechele because with a Murray transfer, it’s Buechele that would figure to lose the most practice reps as a byproduct.
And the answer to that question per Anwar Richardson is that they don’t.
That’s the reality of this situation.
Kyler Murray had his chance to be a Longhorn and he passed on that opportunity. Buechele and Ehlinger both committed to the burnt orange cause when it was desperately needed and their loyalty should and has been rewarded.
Texas needs someone right now, but those two players represent the long-term future.
No. 4 – Big Red Buzzsaw ...
Sometimes it’s just not your night.
With a national championship on the line and playing before the largest crowd to ever witness an NCAA volleyball match, the Texas Longhorns volleyball team found itself in front of a sea of red that would have made the crowd at the Rocky Balboa/Ivan Drago fight in Rocky IV blush.
Spurred on by the energy of 17,551, the Nebraska Cornhuskers used their support as jet fuel against a Texas team that had defeated the Huskers in five games in Austin earlier in the season and owned a five-game winning streak over its former Big 12 mate, meaning the Longhorns would need an elevated performance if they wanted to win the program’s fourth national championship.
The elevated performance never happened. The energy in the building and the play of the Huskers seemed to overwhelm the Longhorns at every critical moment in the match, which is how a potential national championship game for the ages turned into a three-game runaway.
I don’t know if Nebraska is a better team than Texas, but it played like a team of destiny in front of a crowd that treated each point as if winning the match might return the state to its former glory days on the gridiron, while Texas sort of just … blinked.
Perhaps no player on the Texas roster epitomized that on Saturday night more than Chiaka Ogbogu, who has dominated the competition all season, but finished the season in a championship setting with a .000 hitting percentage, while her four kills were negated by four errors.
That’s the kind of night it was for the Longhorns.
Texas played valiantly, but it never really matched what the Huskers brought to the party. Now the team will simply have to regroup and prepare to make another run for glory next season.
The hope has to be that if it can get back to the same situation in a year from now, the moment isn’t rigged against Texas like it was on Saturday night.
Sometimes in sports, it’s just not your night, a truth the Longhorns learned the hard way.
No. 5 – Buy or sell …
(As always, these are questions submitted by Orangebloods subscribers)
BUY or SELL: You have just as much concern in regards to our defensive play next year as you do about the offensive play?
(Buy) In case folks weren’t paying attention, the defense was the worst statistical unit in the history of the program, which means the defense could make tremendous strides in 2016 and still not rank among the top 40-60 defenses in the nation in most statistical categories. Yes, there’s a lot of young talent with which the defensive staff can work, but the Big 12 is going to be stacked next season on the offensive side of the ball, so the coaches need to make just as much progress in preparation as their players.
BUY or SELL: Charlie is waiting for the NFL season to end to snatch up Clint Hurrt to become CO-DC at Texas?
(Sell) Two things … unless Brick Haley leaves the program for another job, I expect the defensive staff to return intact and sources OB has spoken with have indicated that while he loves Hurtt, Strong does not believe that the landscape exists for him to make such a move.
BUY or SELL: A&M’s Jake Hubenak would have been the starting QB at UT last year if UT had offered him?
(Sell) There’s zero reason to believe at this point Hubenak would be an upgrade over Tyrone Swoopes or Jerrod Heard.
BUY or SELL: The only reason the Texas defensive staff is not getting fired is because it’s better recruiters than the offensive staff was because the product on the field is about the same or worse?
(Sell) This might drive you crazy, but I don’t get the sense that Charlie Strong believes he has any issues with his defensive staff. The vibe inside the 40 Acres is that this defense failed this season for personnel and youth issues, not anything related to the quality of the coaching staff.
BUY or SELL: Kyler Murray moves on to professional baseball?
(Buy) The smartest business decision he can make at this point is to turn his attention to baseball on a full-time basis. What’s the point of playing football if the best scenario has him playing for one season in 2017 before turning pro after his junior season in another sport? There’s a lot of fool’s gold in this discussion at this point.
BUY or SELL: Will Jay Norvell be on this staff in 2016?
(Buy) There continues to buzz inside the college football grapevine that the Longhorns will eventually turn elsewhere at the position, but I think the smart money is on his returning for the 2016 season.
BUY or SELL: The Horns will acquire more than two Aggie castoffs (recruits and members of current roster) as a result of the dumpster fire on Collie Station?
(Buy) I’m on the fence with this answer, but this seems completely reasonable.
BUY or SELL: The national championship game features Oklahoma vs. Alabama because of Baker Mayfield heroics and Michigan State's lack of offense?
(Sell) Mayfield is the second-best quarterback in this game and I’m not sure if it’s close. Give me Clemson and Alabama in the title game.
BUY or SELL: Episode VIII will be better than Episode VII?
(Buy) Watch out, Empire Strikes Back.
BUY or SELL: I'm in Germany for vacation and I cut the tip of my thumb off with an axe. Is my German experience now considered complete? Obviously I used beer to numb the pain?
(Sell) You know what needs to be done.
(Note: The following video opens up with a NSFW moment, but it was the only link to this scene of the movie I could find with decent quality.)
No. 6 – It’s a bird, it’s a plane … it’s a game-winning shot ...
The look on Shaka Smart’s face after Isaiah Taylor’s high-arching shot off the glass fell through the net to give Texas a late-night win on the road at Stanford told the entire story.
Despite ill-advised shots, a long scoring drought, critical missed free throws in the final minute, an awful turnover by a senior guard … somehow … someway … the Longhorns found a way to get out of Dodge with a win.
There will be games like this in the future, especially with Big 12 play looming in the coming weeks, but if every game at this point in the season presents teachable moments, Smart will be able to take the film of this game and make his team better for it.
Of course, when all hell is breaking loose around you in college basketball, it helps to have a guard who can take control of things and the Longhorns have that in Taylor, who returned home to the Bay Area and delivered one of his best performances in a Texas uniform, as he scored six of his team’s final seven points in the final 130 seconds of the game. When his final shot fell off the glass and into the net, Taylor had finished with 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting and six assists.
Perhaps he doesn’t have the broadest shoulders on the team, but he carried his teammates on Saturday night.
Now it’s time to get back to the gym and work on some of those areas that left Smart seemingly at a loss for words in the immediate aftermath of his team’s sixth straight win.
No. 7 – Lady Longhorns move to a perfect 10-0
I suppose there are multiple ways to view UT’s 61-50 win over a three-win Arkansas squad.
On one hand, the Longhorns showed up ready for business in the Big 12/SEC Challenge in Oklahoma City, as they opened up a 20-3 lead after the first quarter.
On the other hand, the Longhorns were outscored 47-41 over the final three quarters after opening up such a big lead.
Given this team’s flash of high quality throughout the opening stretches of this season and the fact that it’s probably not easy to maintain an A+ level of play against a bad team just before the holidays, I’m willing to cut Karen Aston’s team some slack if it turned off the on-switch after the first quarter and could never really get it flipped back on.
10-0 is 10-0.
The conference schedule begins in Morgantown in 10 days and nothing that happened today will represent more than a mediocre memory by the time the most important games of this season are played.
If anything, Aston will be able to coach her team a little harder this week than a 30-point win might have allowed for.
No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
… Scattershooting on week 15 in the NFL
a. Get ready for a 16-0 season from the Panthers. After taking a 35-7 lead on the NY Giants, the Panthers let the kids from Gotham score 28 unanswered points to tie the game and seemingly put the Panthers on the ropes, but Cam Newton simply marched his team down the field for the winning field goal and just like that the Panthers are 14-0 with only games at Atlanta and at home against Tampa Bay to go.
b. Cam Newton vs. the Giants: 25 of 45 for 340 yards and five touchdowns. Oh, and he rushed for 100 yards on eight carries.
c. Odell Beckham Jr. and Josh Norman won’t be spending the holidays together.
d. The Houston Texans are headed to the playoffs and Chuck Pagano is headed for a job as a checkout cashier.
e. I don’t care what any of you might say, Kirk Cousins is fool’s gold.
f. My goodness, how good would Kansas City be if it still had Jamaal Charles?
g. How many of you had Adrian Peterson going in a critical fantasy football game, only to see Jerrick McKinnon outscore him 14.6-6.3? Ouch.
h. I guess Brock Osweiler isn’t going anywhere. Sorry, Peyton, the Broncos don’t need you. Oh wait, maybe they do.
i. David Johnson has personally destroyed two of my fantasy teams this season.
… Rafael dos Anjos is a bad, bad dude. Careful, Connor. Just ask Cowboy, those kicks and punches are no joke.
… Junior dos Santos feels done as a championship-level fighter. He’s just playing for checks at this point.
… Welcome back, Nate Diaz.
… It’s about five months down the road, but we’re headed for a San Antonio/Oklahoma City showdown in the Western Conference semi-finals.
… We’re almost a third of the way through the NBA season and my Philadelphia 76ers are on pace to win three games.
… The Lakers need to start winning some damn games.
… Scattershooting on week 17 of the English Premier League
a.Jose Mourinho to Manchester United? Please make this happen. The Man U. fans chanting Mourinho’s name in the middle of a 2-1 loss to Norwich is perfect proof that this needs to happen. The world needs Mourinho in the EPL.
b. How much trouble is Louis Van Gaal in? Consider this paragraph from the London Telegraph’s game write-up…
“For United’s supporters, it was much less happy seasonal fare. But then you wouldn’t want Gaal organising your domestic Christmas. You can imagine what would happen. For a start, despite spending a fortune at the butcher’s, he’d serve up a load of under-cooked turkey. And in any place renowned for its decoration, he would turn everything immediately monochrome.”
That's hard-core.
c. The team that potentially lands Riyad Mahrez in the next transfer window might just be the team that wins the league this year. Mahrez has been the best player in the EPL this season.
Think Chelsea fans are going to hold a grudge over the loss of Mourinho for a while? Oh yeah...
d. I’m choosing to pretend that Liverpool didn’t even play this weekend. Good grief.
No. 9 – 70 Days Until Oscar Night ...
Thank you, super nerd icon J.J. Abrams.
It only took 32 years, but The Force Awakens is the film that Star Wars lovers have been waiting a generation for.
If I was to give it a three-word review, I’d simply say, “It was perfect.”
From a movie-going experience, I simply didn’t want it to end. The story could have gone on for another two hours and I wouldn’t have dared exit my seat. Meanwhile, in what I would describe as the first for me as a frequent inhibitor of movie theaters, once the movie ended, everyone remained in their seats, soaked up the experience and chatted for a while about everything that had occurred for the previous 136 minutes.
I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun watching a movie and I’ll probably go see it at least twice more while it’s in the theaters.
A few random notes before I go … (SPOILERS BELOW!!!!!!!!)
a. I’ve seen a few complaints that the movie pays too much homage to the original Star Wars movie, but I just didn’t feel that way at all while watching the movie. Maybe I’m just being too nostalgic, but you’ll have to forgive me for not nitpicking the movie for making parallels with the original story. I’m not worried that we’ll see a heavy pattern here.
b. Abrams nailed the casting. especially with Daisy Ridley and John Boyega. One of the things this movie was able to do that Episodes I-III couldn’t accomplish was making us truly care about the characters. It didn’t take me very long to fall in love with the characters Rey and Finn.
c. Speaking of Daisy Ridley, I hope she’s ready for the way her life is going to change because I think you can make a case right now she’s the baddest chick to ever grace a fan-boy flick, which means she’s going to be a life-long goddess for a lot of nerds all over the galaxy.
d. In regards to Kylo Ren removing his helmet, I think it speaks to an interesting layer to his character’s psyche, especially when compared to Darth Vader … he’s vain. Really vain. Unlike Vader, Kylo Ren revels in being himself in such a way that he wants people to see his face. Deep down, his grandfather was haunted by his behavior, which partly occurred out of absolute desperation. This new character is like a criminal who returns to the scene of a crime to admire his work.
e. In the event someone stumbles across this next point and it creates a spoiler that they don’t want to see, I’m going to speak in code when I tell you that I wasn’t prepared for Kylo Ren’s most heinous act. I probably should have seen it coming from a mile away, but it hit me a little like the Ned Stark moment in Game of Thrones. I understand why it had to happen, but damn, I wasn’t ready for it at all.
f. More Poe, please.
g. Am I crazy or has Luke morphed into a bad-ass looking old-man Jedi? The end of the movie was the definition of awesomeness.
My Current Oscars Leaderboard
Best Picture (based on movies I have actually seen)
1. Spotlight
2. Sicario
3. Room
4. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
5. Creed
Best Actor (based on the movies I have actually seen)
1. Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)
2. Michael B. Jordan (Creed)
3. Matt Damon (The Martian)
4. Michael Keaton (Spotlight)
5. Tom Hanks (Bridge of Spies)
Best Actress (based on the movies I have actually seen)
1. Brie Larson (Room)
2. Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
3. Emily Blount (Sicario)
4. Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Best Supporting Actor (based on the movies I have actually seen)
1. Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)
2. Jacob Tremblay (Room)
3. Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight)
4. Benicio del Toro (Sicario)
5. Sly Stallone (Creed)
Best Supporting Actress (based on the movies I have actually seen)
1. Joan Allen (Room)
2. Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina)
3. Rachel McAdams (Spotlight)
4. Tessa Thompson (Creed)
5. Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)
Best Director
1. Lenny Abrahamson (Room)
2. J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
3. Tom McCarthy (Spotlight)
4. George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)
5. Ridley Scott (The Martian)
No. 10 – And finally …
With just a few days until Christmas, I thought I’d like the great Frank Cross from the criminally underrated Scrooged have the final word.
“There are people who are having trouble making their miracle happen; there are people who don't have enough to eat, there are people who are cold, you can go out and say hello to these people. You can take an old blanket out of the closet and go to them and say 'Here!', you can make them a sandwich and say 'oh by the way, here!'”
“I get it now! Then if you GIVE, then it can happen, then the miracle can happen to you! It's not just the poor and the hungry, it's everybody's who's GOT to have this miracle! And it can happen tonight for all of you. If you believe in this spirit thing, the miracle will happen and then you'll want it to happen again tomorrow. You won't be one of these bastards who says 'Christmas is once a year and it's a fraud', it's NOT! It can happen every day, you've just got to want that feeling. And if you like it and you want it, you'll get greedy for it! You'll want it every day of your life and it can happen to you. I believe in it now! I believe it's going to happen to me now! I'm ready for it! And it's great! It's a good feeling, it's really better than I've felt in a long time. I, I, I'm ready. Have a Merry Christmas, everybody”
