If Charlie Strong was the president of the United States, a lot would be made of the initiatives installed through his first 100 days in office, a prism through which everyone could gauge just how much of an impact he'd made in the earliest stages of his tenure in office.
Because the Texas football job is infinitely more difficult than running the nation, I decided to give him a few more weeks before attempting to take score of what has been accomplished since the changing of the guard on the 40 Acres this year.
On Monday's national holiday, Strong will have officially been in office for 141 days and during that time we've seen him in action across a number of different areas of the program, from directing his team through its first set of spring workouts to tackling recruiting in four different recruiting cycles (2014-17) to hitting the state on a 10-city introduction barnstorming campaign.
We've seen the worker-bee in Strong come out in full-force, although about the only thing we haven't yet seen is him coach in an actual game … but those are coming. With the conclusion of the spring evaluation period this month, I thought now would be as good of a time as any to review exactly where strong has guided the program in this honeymoon portion of his tenure in Austin.
It's the 141-day review.
Team Building
Ironically, if there was a slightly hidden area of concern for Strong coming into the program, it was probably in the one area that everyone assumed that he'd have the easiest time with … winning over the team.
One of the biggest secrets about the failure of the Mack Brown Era at the very brutal end was his actual popularity within the team. While the program was in dire need of change, Brown made a point to consistently deliver home the goods when it came to personally connecting with his players within the structure he'd created when he first arrived, which was forever coined "family atmosphere" by almost every prospect that every visited Austin on a recruiting trip.
These types of details can come across as hokey to outsiders, but the players in the Texas locker room were willing to lay it on the line, even if they were no longer laying it on the line at an elite-level.
"People don't really know this, but the players on the team really didn't like the assistant coaches that much," a team source with connections to several players said this week. "I don't think the players felt like the coaches were trying as hard as they were because they felt like they had checked out at times. What I mean by that is that the assistant coaches didn't really have active roles with the team. A lot of the players thought that the assistant coaches on the team didn't care about them away from football, but they always viewed Mack as someone that was the complete opposite. Maybe it was a little bit of a good cop/bad cop routine, but there weren't many tears cried when the assistant coaches departed, but the kids really felt like they had let Mack down. They genuinely cared for him."
If the Longhorn program had been a crime scene on the day Strong arrived, there most definitely would have been blood all over the place. In addition to the popular and historic head coach being forced out of town in front of the entire college football world, Strong's arrival also triggered immediate concern within the ranks of the players, especially after the team's initial meeting with Strong could hardly be described as cuddly.
As Strong tried to implement the foundation of his own program in place, the ability to build trust from the players he was inheriting was further complicated by the perception among some players that Strong was looking to run a lot of them off.
"It didn't help that everyone was reading on Orangebloods that so-and-so was going to be thrown off the team or forced to transfer," the team source said. "We all thought that a bunch of people were going to be packing their bags. It got into some heads and I don't think it really stopped being an issue for some of the guys until after the spring."
Within the trickiness of the new landscape that Strong was suddenly working within, the new head coach never flinched from a core set of principles that his team would forever follow … or else. The immediate mandates were non-negotiable.
Players will live together. Academics are not an option. Your conduct on- and off-the field matters. If any of the basics were too much for any particular player on the team to handle, it was made clear that he can be replaced with someone that can handle Strong's core basics. Make no mistake about it, the players had no disillusions about Strong's vision for the program, they just couldn't always believe that he had such a serious interpretation of his rules.
Perhaps Strong's most important move within the program centered on his sudden availability
"The thing about Coach Strong is that he's kind of his own good cop/bad cop at the exact same time," the source said. "One of the things that is different about him from Mack is that it always feels like he's around. His door is open to the players and he means it. With Mack, you kind of needed a reason to ever go see or talk to Mack, but he's different when it comes to that stuff. There are really not any excuses if you have issues with anything he says because his door is open for conversation."
It's too early to know what any of this means in the grand scheme of things, but in a very short amount of time, Strong has been able to grab the attention of his players and keep it, as evidenced by the fact that there doesn't appear to be nearly as many departures from the team this off-season as initially expected. No clearer example can be cited than the improved academics from those that have shown a lack of accountability in the classroom and the buying-in approach of players that had once been program malcontents.
Overall, Strong is doing exactly what a top-of-the-line college coach does … he's making the program his by any means needed. That he seems to possess a much more controlled velvet touch than many scouting reports from Louisville indicated has been an absolute plus.
Of course, it's May. The true impact of this legwork behind the scenes won't be known until the fall.
Recruiting
When Charlie Strong arrived in Austin, he did so with a reputation of being a good, but probably not elite recruiter.
It's too soon to know whether that reputation is earned or unfair, but there's little question at this point that he's fearless.
In a conversation that is more nuanced than most fans that follow college football will ever know, Strong has changed the dynamics within the program at every turn, while installing a number of philosophical objectives.
I. Multi-year recruiting focus
The single biggest change in the college game over the last half-dozen years has been the evolution of football recruiting, which is much more similar to what is seen in college basketball than what used to exist within its own game.
Gone are the days when you can focus on a single recruiting class in a single year, which was a pastime that Mack Brown held onto almost until the very end, and in its place is an art-form that requires more planning and attention to detail than ever known prior to the last few years.
Any head coach that arrived in Austin would have been forced to deal with this brave new world of recruiting, but Strong has proven to be a head coach that has a strategy for the multi-year recruiting that includes the juggling of freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors at all times. While it remains to be seen whether Strong's planning and strategy will prove to provide the yearly fruit everyone desires, the fact that he understands the reality of the complicated tasks of running a program like Texas as it relates to recruiting is an important key step.
II. Going Out of State
The Longhorns have gone East and the Longhorns have gone West. The Longhorns have gone North and the Longhorns have gone South.
One of the grim realities that Mack Brown was forced to learn the hard way over the years is that relying almost solely on in-state prospects to sustain the program is practically a death sentence because the state just isn't producing talent at all positions at an elite, NFL talent producing level.
It's going to take some time before the fruit of this new labor will be tasted, but the recent win over the likes of Alabama and Tennessee for the commitment of New Mexico prep quarterback Zach Gentry provided a little equity for those that were looking for some sort of return on their new faith in out of state pursuits.
III. Evaluation
Charlie Strong believes in a certain kind of kid around which he wants to build his program and those details that make that certain kind of kid can't always be found in recruiting rankings.
While Strong is also recruiting most of the super blues as rated by the recruiting services, he's also sent his staff into all corners of the state and country in an effort to form their own opinions and insights on the kids that they are recruiting. One of the positive implications of the Longhorns searching for their own players independent of what anyone else thinks is the fact that a number of kids that they targeted before any other major program are now receiving offers from schools all over the country.
When the Texas staff offered Rowlett defensive end Charles Omenihu in February, he was totally under the radar in the minds of most schools that recruit this state and now he has offers from the likes of Florida, LSU, Notre Dame and Oregon. The same spike in interest is also true for offensive tackle Toby Weathersby, San Jose Valley Christian running back Kirk Johnson and a host of others.
Unlike the old days, the Longhorns have become like E.F. Hutton … when they make an offer, other schools listen.
Media Relations
This is one that probably needs to be revisited in earnest with the start of the football season, but from my perspective Strong has handled the media demands of his new position quite well, which is ironic because when he arrived in Austin, his dealings with the media were considered one of the major concerns that his detractors sited as a potential problem.
Two important things regarding this issue standout:
a. Strong isn't some sort of recluse that won't meet his responsibilities.
b. He isn't consumed by what is said or written about his team.
The last point is probably the most important aspect of this particular conversation, as the previous Longhorn regime was so obsessed with what was written on the Internet that staff meetings regularly started with discussions about the things that were written about the team, which created a forever uneasy atmosphere for those that worked within the program.
Whereas I always felt like Mack Brown obsessed over what was written about him online, especially on Orangebloods, I haven't sensed that Strong cares at all. Perhaps when you're always busy with real work inside the program, time doesn't exist to sweat the small stuff.
Fan Relations
One of the few areas of criticism that Strong received in the first two months in his new gig was his decision to close practices to the fans and media this spring.
On one hand, everyone understands the coaches wanting to close ranks in the midst of their first spring with the players in the program, but on the other hand you had a fan-base that has had very few bones tossed its way over the course of the last few seasons.
Considering the battling factions within the fan-base over the course of the last 12 months and the fact that there were some in the UT community that were slow to warm up to the idea of Strong as coach, opening up practices would have been a great goodwill gesture.
Well, whatever issues you might have had with the closing of practices was completely offset with a barnstorming tour of the state from April 21 through May 19, as Strong visited ever corner of the state. I'm talking the Metroplex, Houston, Tyler, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, the Rio Grande Valley, El Paso, Midland/Odessa, Amarillo, Beaumon and beautiful Waco.
The task was grueling, but the rewards were plentiful.
. Overall
Other than the ability to snap his fingers in an effort to solve the program's quarterback conundrums, you'd have to give Strong high marks for what he's been able to do in the early stages of his time in Austin.
Of course, some of this won't matter at all if the team goes off the rails this season, but so far I'm not sure you could have asked for more than Strong has given the program.
So far after 141 days, so good.
No. 2 - A good carpenter never blames his tools …
Let me begin this section with an apology.
A week ago in this very column, I started what I hope will be a fairly revealing analysis of the good, bad and ugly of recruiting rankings, all with the anticipation that all of us will have learned insights about the process that will make us better recruiting observers once when we come out of the exorcize.
Except I nearly lost you from the start. There were too many numbers, too little focus on the things that truly stood out to these eyes after doing all of the research and … well … there was just too much stuff and not enough of a payoff for the reader. When the process was over, it seemed as if more people were convinced that I was merely trying to act as a honk for the rankings and that simply wasn't the intended goal. Not. At. All.
Therefore, let me say it again … I'm sorry. The professor isn't doing a good job of teaching if the class ends and none of his students have learned anything because of his methods of instruction. So, I'm going to give this a go again this weekend with the hopes that a new delivery process will make this a more interesting piece of this column.
Originally, the hope was to make this chapter of the analysis a complete breakdown of all things related to defensive line rankings, but it became pretty clear about five hours into my research that I needed to narrow the focus or run the risk of an overload of information. Eventually, I decided to keep this week's piece dedicated to the results of my analysis that centers on charting the NFL development of every defensive tackle that Rivals has rated from 2004-11, both nationally and inside the state of Texas.
I make you two promises.
a. This will be more interesting presentation.
b. The results will not be universally flattering for those of us that make rankings.
With all of that being said, let's take a look at the top five things to know about the evaluation of defensive tackles rankings using the last eight mostly completed recruiting cycles (2004-11) and the last seven NFL Drafts (2008-14).
.
1. The basic national results are what you would expect them to be.
On the national level, there weren't a lot of real surprises, as the elite-level national prospects on the Rivals scale competed favorably with the numbers we've seen among the quarterbacks from last week's study and the all positions breakdown from the last two NFL Drafts.
2. My recruiting theory about low four-stars and high-three stars takes hold.
It was at this time last year while going through the first set of related analytical pieces that I first theorized that the most underrated and under-appreciated prospect in the recruiting is the Rivals.com high three-star rated (5.7) prospect, while the most overrated and over-appreciated prospect in recruiting is the Rivals.com low four-star rated (5.8) prospect … a point that is usually more fact than theory when discussing players at various positions from the state of Texas.
What the data from this week's data proved once again is that there's a clear separation point from the 6.1, 6.0 and 5.9 marks in the rankings process from every other recruiting tier, which means that either Rivals is ranking too many players as four-star prospects or there needs to be a clear distinction made in discussions that there is a much weaker class of four-stars in existence at a lot of positions. While the quarterback data from last week didn't quite reflect this point that much, the defensive tackle data showed that the low four-stars were outperformed in terms of producing NFL drafted players at margins that range from 2.5-5X, while actually underperforming versus the performance of the mid-three-star prospect (5.6).
3. Unexplainable Lone Star State Failure.
You know all the angst that recruiting junkies in the state of Texas have about the lack of quality tight ends that can be found on a yearly basis inside state borders? Yeah … well … heads are probably going to explode after this section.
Of the 202 prospects that Rivals.com labeled "defensive tackles" from 2004-2011, only three have emerged as NFL Draft prospects in any of the last seven NFL Drafts (2008-14). T.H.R.E.E.
More amazing than that, all three of those players were Texas Longhorns (Frank Okam, Roy Miller and Kheeston Randall).
More amazing than that, not a single player rated below a four-star was drafted.
That's not to say that the state of Texas only had three players from the state that emerged as NFL drafted defensive tackles because the actual number of players that fit into our parameters is six, but only three were actually rated as defensive tackles. Michael Brockers was a four-star (5.8) strong-side defensive end, while Earl Mitchell was a three-star (5.6) running back and Ziggy Hood was a three-star (5.5) weak-side defensive end.
These are incredible abnormal numbers and it suggests that if a school wants to find an NFL-level defensive tackle, the top two or three players in the state of Texas each year are probably the only ones you need to mess with and if you're committed to using the in-state ranks as your only true source of talent at the position, you're probably going to have some issues at some point.
4. Where are these players coming from?.
The final piece of data analysis that I wanted to show you in this week's column deals with the origin of NFL drafted defensive tackles within the Rivals.com rankings system with the hopes that it'll change the prism through which you view recruiting the defensive tackle position.
The bottom line is that much of the elite collegiate talent that translates into NFL talent is developed from the bodies of prospects that we're rated as defensive tackles coming out of high school. When you consider that two out of five NFL drafted defensive tackles hail from other positions coming out of high school, the importance of coaching and development (especially within elite-level strength and conditioning program) cannot be stressed enough.
No.3 - Excuse for me to use my favorite Redd Foxx gif …
For a moment this weekend, things were looking up for the Texas baseball program.
After impressively taking the first two games in the Big 12 Tournament by a combined 11-3 score, the Longhorns were a win away from advancing to the Tournament Championship and quite possibly putting themselves in a position to host a regional next week. As it turned out, the Longhorns were exactly six outs away from potentially accomplishing those feats when the mojo changed.
Texas was singled and walked to death in the eighth inning against Oklahoma State, which only added to the spotlight on the uninspiring offense that did little to match the inspiring performance from Nathan Thornhill.
Rain delays, more offensive ineptitude, mental mistakes and more of the like over the course of the rest of the day left the Longhorns on the outside looking in for both the Big 12 Tournament Championship Game and regional hosting possibilities, which causes a legion of Longhorn baseball fans to feel like this for hours on end …
No. 4 - The Return of Serge …
It's amazing what having Serge Ibaka on the floor meant for Oklahoma City on Sunday night.
His return coupled with the addition of Reggie Jackson into the starting line-up suddenly made the thunder look like the uber-athletic force that we've seen the Spurs struggle with over the last three years.
Honestly, the series feels completely different after tonight and some will now say that the series won't officially start until one of these two teams wins on the others floor, but I'll make this bold proclamation right now…
Game four is everything. If Oklahoma City evens this thing up at 2-2, I think they are going to take the series.
No. 5 - A star is born at UFC173…
Honestly, I'm still stunned.
Of all the things I expected to see when I forked over $60 for UFC173 this weekend, the idea that T.J. Dillashaw would kick the ever-living-crap out of Renan Barao like he stole something from his mama was about the farthest thing from my radar.
In fact, my expectations going into the fight were that this fight wouldn't be close and that Barao would win in a first- or second-round knockout. The. End.
To quote the great Jack Buck, "I don't believe what I just saw."
Wow. Wow. Wow.
In a performance that Joe Rogan called the best he's ever seen in an Octagon (something that this novice thought during the fight as well), Dillashaw emerged as not only the best bantamweight on the planet in the destruction of the man some believed was the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, but he evolved instantly into a must-see-at-all-times fighter in the process. For five straight rounds, he stalked the champion down without fear, even when it was clear that he could have moonwalked for five minutes in the fifth round and still walked away as the new champion.
Man, I've seen Dillashaw fight several times and I just never saw that coming, but I'm glad I did watch because it was exhilarating. That performance was why we fork over our hard earned dollars … the chance to see something like that.
Like I said, a star was born on Saturday night.
A few more UFC173 scattershots…
… Joe Rogan is a master at is craft and one of the most underrated color men in all sports. His passion and knowledge of the game truly enhances the value of every broadcast in which he participates. Who would have thought the guy from Fear Factor would ever be that guy?
… Daniel Cormier d-o-m-i-n-a-t-e-d Dan Henderson and all I can tell you is that watching Cormier in the Octagon bores me to tears. If he ever wins a championship, he'll sell dozens of pay-per-views as a main-card draw.
… Robbie Lawler is probably another fight away from another title shot against Johny Hendricks because you'd have to think the winner of Tyron Woodley/Rory McDonald next month gets the next shot for the belt, but Lawler dominated Jake Ellenburger, who never really looked like he belonged in the Octagon with Lawler. I'm just not sure who you put him up against next … maybe Matt Brown.
… You'll have to excuse me but I had no interest in watching a single replay of Jaime Varner's ankle injury. That took an amazing amount of guts to fight through that entire first round.
… My updated UFC pound-for-pound Top 10:
1. Jon Jones
2. Cain Velasquez
3. Demetrius Johnson
4. Anthony Pettis
5. Jose Also
6. Ronda Rousey
7. Chris Weidman
8. Johny Hendricks
9. Alexander Gustafsson
10. Benson Henderson
No. 6 - Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
… Rory Mcllroy is never getting engaged again. EVER. My man chased the field down from seven strokes back on the final day of the tournament to emerge as the victor of the BMW PGA Championship. Rumble, young man, rumble.
… If you missed the Adonis Stevenson/Andrzej Fonfara fight on Showtime over the weekend, do yourself a favor and check it out this week because it was one of the better fights I've seen in the sport thus far this year. There was little question that Stevenson won the fight, but the last five rounds of the fight were incredibly fascinating, especially considering this was Stevenson's debut on Showtime. Personally, I didn't think Stevenson was nearly as impressive in front of the home crowd as I've seen him and I felt like there was a different vibe in his corner before the opening bell ever sounded. Regardless, it was cool to see him in a bit of a two-way slugfest.
… The Indiana/Miami series ended the moment the Pacers couldn't close the deal at home in game two.
... I napped through today's Phillies game, which means that as far as I'm concerned the Josh Beckett no-hitter never happened.
… The French Open started this weekend. Come on, Rafa!
No. 7 - Game of Thrones Preview: Season Four, Episode Eight
Thanks a lot Memorial Day. You caused my favorite TV show to take the week off from things, which is incredibly asinine and frustrating when you consider what awaits us on the other side of episode eight this season.
COME ON, HBO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you know that I watched Showtime in your place this week and I'm now all-in on Penny Dreadful. You made me do it.
In the meantime, here are the questions I'm looking for answers to in the next three weeks.
1. Are The Hound and Arya ever actually going to get anywhere this season or are they in the middle of their own Better Caul Saul-like spin-off? Is The Hound going to miss his brother's big fight? When is Arya ever going to see any of her family again, well… when is she ever going to see any of her family before they've been butchered by Walter Fray and Roose Bolton?
2. Speaking of the Stark girls, it felt like Sansa started the process of completing her Anakin Skywalker turn last week when she pimp-slapped the breast-feeder and sucked face with Littlefinger. You can sense that she's about to make the turn complete when she bails out Littlefinger in front of whomever is left to speak for The Flying Aunt, who is no longer available to testify on her own behalf. My god, she's going to become Cersei.
3. Will Littlefinger close the deal with Sansa before she finds out that she still has a living husband?
4. What bad ass way is the Red Viper going to end The Mountain's existence?
5. What in the hell does Tyrion do and what does he say if he's set free? He sure as hell can't stay in King's Landing after his outburst in court.
6. Will Tywin's head explode if his dwarf son gets over on him in such a fashion/
7. Will Jorah walk in on Daenerys getting it on with any of the help?
8. How long will Ghost remain locked up?
9. When are we going to see Stannis actually do something?
10. What about this guy?
No. 8 - Pop goes the culture because the culture goes pop …
… Hottie of the Weekend (possibly NSFW): Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Serves Up Some Skin
… There's a new No. 1: Maxim got this one right.
… 2Pac's last words: "F You"
… Awesome parenting: Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith Under Investigation By Child Services After Photo Of Daughter Goes Viral
… Overnight sensation: Mallory Edens Bikinis on Instagram
… Nooooooooo: Gwyneth Paltrow's Kids Caught Eating Fast Food!
… Old and new: Katy Perry And Madonna And Some Intergenerational Bondage
… Miley Link of the Weekend: Miley Called BS On Jennifer Lawrence's Oscars Story
No. 9 - The List: Steve Earle (Listen Via Spotify)
After two years of requests, I finally accepted the Steve Earle challenge.
Despite novice knowledge of his material over the years, I attacked the challenge all week, listening to every studio album and almost every live album he's recorded.
I hope I did the Earle fans proud.
Last five songs out: [/I]
10. Johnny Come Lately
The Orangebloods universe has spoken.
9. The Devil's Right Hand
One of three songs from the Copperhead Road album to make the list.
8. I Don't Want to Lose You Yet
A favorite of mine from his 2000 album Transcendental Blues.
7. My Old Friend The Blues
One of the first songs I listened to this week that I knew would be in the top 10 as soon as I heard it.
6. Nowhere Road
The best and most memorable song off of his Exit O album.
5. Fearless Heats
One of three songs from the Guitar Town album that make the list.
4. The Mountain
If OB poster and Steve Earle soul-mate William Arnot tells me this song is his personal No.1, then it needs to be on the list. Hell, I'll sneak it into the top five.
3. Goodbye
I think a case can be made that Train A Comin' is his second best album and I'm absolutely in love with this song from the album.
2. Copperhead Road
The signature song on his signature album.
1. Guitar Town
In a close competition, I'm always going to lean to songs that I've danced to at Dallas Night Club if we're talking country music. This was a Wednesday night special.
Archives List
Blues/Jazz: Listen via Spotify )
Classical: Listen via Spotify)
Country: Listen via Spotify )
Electronic: Listen Via Spotify
Funk: Listen Via Spotify (Part II ? After Hours))
Metal: Listen Via Spotify
Pop: Listen via Spotify )
Punk: Listen via Spotify)
Random: My Number 1's on Spotify
Rap: Listen via Spotify),
R&B: Listen via Spotify)
Reggae: Listen via Spotify)
Rock: Listen via Spotify )
and Listen via Spotify )
No.10 - And finally…
This post was edited on 5/27 11:53 AM by Ketchum
