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Ketch's 10 Thoughts From The Weekend (A total free-for-all)

Couple things:

I. I could see your point about Ewers potentially having bad days ahead if
  1. Texas had an O-Line that looked anything like the one they had last year in pass protection.
  2. If Ewers had shown any sign of emotional fragility on the field.
  3. If Texas had a monsters row of tough defenses on the schedule.
As far as I can tell, our O-Line has been about as good as it gets in pass protection and Ewers is very calm and patient in the pocket. Even going against one of the best defenses in college football with a pass rusher being touted as a potential Heisman winner, the O-line clearly got the best of that match-up. Even after Quinn makes a wtf play, he seems to erase it completely from his memory by the start of the next play.

II. Texas' schedule for the remainder of the season is a bit overrated and there's no freaking way that TCU or Oklahoma State will finish the season in the top 10. The toughest team that either of them have faced up to this point is an average Baylor team, which is likely a 7 or 8 win team this year. Sure, they both have dynamic QB's which give them the ability to win any game, but they both are absolutely horrible in pass defense, ranked 110th and 126th out of the 131 teams in the FBS. Do you think either of these teams are capable of forcing Quinn into one of the bad games that you think he has in store this season?

If Texas can remain healthy, the only concern that I see for this team for the remainder of the season is their inability to contain mobile dual threat qb's that are fairly good at passing the ball. That issue will make TCU, OSU and Kansas and Kansas State somewhat dicey propositions, but I'm not sure that TCU or OSU will be able to stop Texas' offense. The only reason Tech beat Texas is that their defense is actually pretty decent and they were playing against Texas' second string QB, who was playing injured.
 
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I’m not sure how this VY discussion has evolved but from my perspective, he’s the greatest college football player ever….playing the most important position and was a man against boys at the collegiate level.

With a decent enough supporting cast, there would be no stopping VY regardless who’s coaching. Now the coaches helped assimilate a strong support cast which they deserve credit for….but to suggest VY’s success was related to coaching is a stretch. If good coaching is just realizing what a special talent he is to give him the keys to Rolls Royce, then so be it.

Coaching, over the long run, will always trump any player…but within a snapshot of time, freakish talent can trump coaching…it’s the reason recruiting is so important…the reason OB came to exist.
 
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yeah. that's the guy. could have been a really good te at Texas.

here's what Brian Harsin said about him recently ..

Bryan Harsin reflects on Blaine Irby, the double-pass on the 10th anniversary of Texas' win at Texas A&M​


https://www.on3.com/college/auburn-...iversary-texas-longhorns-win-texas-am-aggies/

looks like he works for AmEx these days ..

https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaine-irby-038ab361
He would have been an excellent player, but Sanders is just in a different class.
 
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Thatx silly. It’s only because college lasts 4 years, sometimes 5 but for anybody great only 3 years.

There is literally only a tiny window to see the progress of a QB in college. I have shown multiple times when a college QBs progression was radically changed by either a change in philosophy or a change in coaches. Any decent scientist could extrapolate that to all the QBs and let’s be honest players, who were short chanted by their coaching staff. You just don’t know about it because there is no time for them to show their talent elsewhere.

You think Bijan was utilized to his fullest?

Do you honestly believe that Bijan has show what he could do behind a team that was hitting on all cylinders? Of course not. In effect the coaching staff through having a really bad Oline or offensive play limited what his final production was going to be.
It's really not silly. I mean... just rattle off the names of everyone not named Saban that has won a national title in the last 25 years.

Gene Chizik would still be coaching if Cam Newton could be his quarterback every season.
 
Couple things:

I. I could see your point about Ewers potentially having bad days ahead if
  1. Texas had an O-Line that looked anything like the one they had last year in pass protection.
  2. If Ewers had shown any sign of emotional fragility on the field.
  3. If Texas had a monsters row of tough defenses on the schedule.
As far as I can tell, our O-Line has been about as good as it gets in pass protection and Ewers is very calm and patient in the pocket. Even going against one of the best defenses in college football with a pass rusher being touted as a potential Heisman winner, the O-line clearly got the best of that match-up. Even after Quinn makes a wtf play, he seems to erase it completely from his memory by the start of the next play.

II. Texas' schedule for the remainder of the season is a bit overrated and there's no freaking way that TCU or Oklahoma State will finish the season in the top 10. The toughest team that either of them have faced up to this point is an average Baylor team, which is likely a 7 or 8 win team this year. Sure, they both have dynamic QB's which give them the ability to win any game, but they both are absolutely horrible in pass defense, ranked 110th and 126th out of the 131 teams in the FBS. Do you think either of these teams are capable of forcing Quinn into one of the bad games that you think he has in store this season?

If Texas can remain healthy, the only concern that I see for this team for the remainder of the season is their inability to contain mobile dual threat qb's that are fairly good at passing the ball. That issue will make TCU, OSU and Kansas and Kansas State somewhat dicey propositions, but I'm not sure that TCU or OSU will be able to stop Texas' offense. The only reason Tech beat Texas is that their defense is actually pretty decent and they were playing against Texas' second string QB, who was playing injured.
VY is the best player I've ever seen in college football... he was surrounded by future NFL players... had the best OL in school history in front of him...

and even he could go to College Station in 2005 and play a somewhat poor game.

It happens.
 
Yes and if this is an emerging team like many believe then the defense has to pick up the offense when the off games happen.
That really is the key... can the rest of the team pick up the slack when a down game happens?
 
He would have been an excellent player, but Sanders is just in a different class.
In my lifetime, Finley was the most athletic TE the Horns have had. He had multiple b-ball scollies including Arizona too. He was a freak.
David Thomas was the most dependable, particularly in key situations/games, which moves the needle tremendously (10 receptions for over 100 yards in NC).

Sanders and Finley would be close for me in terms of athleticism. If Sanders can match or exceed David Thomas’ dependability factor over the remainder of his tenure on the 40, he could go down as #1. He could.

Also, I loved Bo Scaife. Loved him and really will always wonder what his career could have looked like if he didn’t have his injuries.
 
In my lifetime, Finley was the most athletic TE the Horns have had.
He was a freak as a leaper, but that's pretty much it. He wasn't a guy that got from point A to point B with elite burst and explosion.
 
8-4 still feels correct to me.
@stillwater and @manhattan will be tough, and QE still hasnt made a true road start.

This defense is taking strides but we have tough offenses coming up and if the O makes a mistake or two we could lose really any game left on the schedule.

Having said all that though, the arrow is pointing up.
 
VY is the best player I've ever seen in college football... he was surrounded by future NFL players... had the best OL in school history in front of him...

and even he could go to College Station in 2005 and play a somewhat poor game.

It happens.
You may be right about Quinn having a bad day or 2 but I just don't think he's any more likely to have those bad days than say a Spencer Sanders or an Adrian Martinez and he has a much better supporting cast around him than those guys do. I agree that VY was the best college player that I've ever seen, but he was nowhere near as advanced in the passing game as Quinn appears to be. It was the threat of the QB run that typically opened things up for VY in the passing game and if a team was proficient at handling that, they could force him into doing things that he may not have been as good at.
 
8-4 still feels correct to me.
@stillwater and @manhattan will be tough, and QE still hasnt made a true road start.

This defense is taking strides but we have tough offenses coming up and if the O makes a mistake or two we could lose really any game left on the schedule.

Having said all that though, the arrow is pointing up.
bingo
 
You may be right about Quinn having a bad day or 2 but I just don't think he's any more likely to have those bad days than say a Spencer Sanders or an Adrian Martinez and he has a much better supporting cast around him than those guys do.

I didn't remotely come close to suggesting that those two players (or any others) wouldn't have some valleys, themselves.
 
@Ketchum Surprised Cook didn’t make the second CB spot. He’s been fantastic from my perspective this season. Granted I haven’t watched a second of a K State game this season.
 
I didn't remotely come close to suggesting that those two players (or any others) wouldn't have some valleys, themselves.
I'm not suggesting that you did. My point was that I don't think Ewers will have bad games because of his inexperience. The guy looks like he's been playing on the college level for 3 years and as Sark was saying, he appears to be pretty much unbothered by the circumstances surrounding him. Much like Bryce Young and CJ Stroud last season, Quinn will probably have many more days where he looks like he should be in NY in December than days where he struggles.
 
I'm not suggesting that you did. My point was that I don't think Ewers will have bad games because of his inexperience. The guy looks like he's been playing on the college level for 3 years and as Sark was saying, he appears to be pretty much unbothered by the circumstances surrounding him. Much like Bryce Young and CJ Stroud last season, Quinn will probably have many more days where he looks like he should be in NY in December than days where he struggles.

He's played 7 quarters of football. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.
 
He's played 7 quarters of football. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.
Don't think I've stated anything different. I've just seen enough in those 7 quarters to tell me that this guy won't go through a bunch of growing pains. I guess we'll need to let the passage of time settle this. Either you will be proven right or me, Anwar and numerous others that agree with us will be.
 
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Don't think I've stated anything different. I've just seen enough in those 7 quarters to tell me that this guy won't go through a bunch of growing pains.

No one said he'd go through a bunch of growing pains.
 
VY is the best player I've ever seen in college football... he was surrounded by future NFL players... had the best OL in school history in front of him...

and even he could go to College Station in 2005 and play a somewhat poor game.

It happens.
Was that the game where he tried to reach out and put the ball into the end zone - and someone slapped it out of his hand for a fumble - when he was stopped on a quarterback sneak?
 
Was that the game where he tried to reach out and put the ball into the end zone - and someone slapped it out of his hand for a fumble - when he was stopped on a quarterback sneak?
13 of 23 for 162 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 INT

19 yards rushing on 11 attempts. zero touchdowns.

Fumbled twice, lost one.
 
That will likely change at various times this season.
Sure it will, but you can easily take the "half-full" vs "half-empty" approach by recognizing that he has looked pretty darn fantastic sans a couple of throws in the time he's played.

It doesn't get any tougher than playing the #1 team in the country with the Heisman-winning QB in front of a huge global audience and making it look easy. Young didn't equal Ewers' passing stats until Q4 in that game, and Quinn went out in Q1. Seems decent.
 
Sure it will, but you can easily take the "half-full" vs "half-empty" approach by recognizing that he has looked pretty darn fantastic sans a couple of throws in the time he's played.

I don't view my take as half-full or half-empty.

More like matter of fact.

He's been sensational thus far. Stating that something that happens to 98% of quarterbacks will probably happen to him isn't coming from subjective place.
 
He was a freak as a leaper, but that's pretty much it. He wasn't a guy that got from point A to point B with elite burst and explosion.
Ketch - based on the trusty ole internet, I did some research on size/speed.

JF - 6’5, 240-247
JS - 6’4, 250-260 (higher end to my naked eye)

40 times look the same too…
JF 4.67 - 4.82
JS not sure…saw one that said 4.67 but curious what OB has on file.

I’m not sure there’s anything conclusive in this other than JF is taller and thinner…and given those b-ball programs that pursued JF, I’d still be inclined that JF is more athletic.

Neither has blazing speed…

Sanders looks like an NFL TE and due to his weight and solid build (he looks 15 pounds heavier than JF…though muscle weight) he should be a better blocking TE. I know he has amazing hands as we’ve all seen some highlight reels of his demonstrating that.
All that to say, I’m a huge JS fan. Huge. Since the Bama game I’ve been suggesting he’ll end up being our biggest mismatch of any offensive weapon. I can’t wait to see some jump balls on the end zone to him…and we will.

I think we’re splitting hairs on who’s more athletic…for now though, Finley and DThomas are still my all-time fave TE’s…hopefully I have a different choice in two years though :)
 
Ketch - based on the trusty ole internet, I did some research on size/speed.

JF - 6’5, 240-247
JS - 6’4, 250-260 (higher end to my naked eye)

40 times look the same too…
JF 4.67 - 4.82
JS not sure…saw one that said 4.67 but curious what OB has on file.

I’m not sure there’s anything conclusive in this other than JF is taller and thinner…and given those b-ball programs that pursued JF, I’d still be inclined that JF is more athletic.

Neither has blazing speed…

Sanders looks like an NFL TE and due to his weight and solid build (he looks 15 pounds heavier than JF…though muscle weight) he should be a better blocking TE. I know he has amazing hands as we’ve all seen some highlight reels of his demonstrating that.
All that to say, I’m a huge JS fan. Huge. Since the Bama game I’ve been suggesting he’ll end up being our biggest mismatch of any offensive weapon. I can’t wait to see some jump balls on the end zone to him…and we will.

I think we’re splitting hairs on who’s more athletic…for now though, Finley and DThomas are still my all-time fave TE’s…hopefully I have a different choice in two years though :)
Sanders is a more explosive player after the catch IMO. He's a guy you can throw a hitch to and he can take it 50. I never really thought of Finley like that.. and if we're being really honest.... Finley had some effort issues in college.
 
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I’ll give you that on Finley (though it has nothing to do with athleticism…that was something often said about Roy Williams too).

In terms of the value I put on a TE, it’s really two main things (excluding blocking)
- can you get open
- are you dependable to make a tough catch

No TE is likely to outrun a DB so I’m not putting as much stock in “burst” as you are. That said, I do think JS has more ability to brutally make someone pay for trying to bring him down.

We’re splitting hairs. I hope Sanders goes down as #1 TE for Texas. This whole message board would love that.
 
I’ll give you that on Finley (though it has nothing to do with athleticism…that was something often said about Roy Williams too).

In terms of the value I put on a TE, it’s really two main things (excluding blocking)
- can you get open
- are you dependable to make a tough catch

No TE is likely to outrun a DB so I’m not putting as much stock in “burst” as you are. That said, I do think JS has more ability to brutally make someone pay for trying to bring him down.

We’re splitting hairs. I hope Sanders goes down as #1 TE for Texas. This whole message board would love that.
Sanders is already a better player at Texas than Finley ever was.
 
Sanders is already a better player at Texas than Finley ever was.
Now you've gone full on tilt with that comment...as Sanders basically played ZERO time (at TE) last year thus is a year behind Finley so far....thankfully for Sanders, in this context, he has potentially three more seasons to exceed Finley being Finley left after his Soph year to be a 3rd round draft pick.

Going back to talent, Finley was District MVP in hoops and ran track (4 x 200m relay and triple jump).

Here's from our friend Wikipedia about Finley:
Finley attended Diboll High School in Diboll, Texas where he not only started at tight end, but also played defensive end, wide receiver, safety, punter and kicker.[1] As a high school senior he was named first-team 3A all-state by the Texas Sports Writer Association and second-team by the Associated Press.[1] He was also named first-team all-district as a junior. Finley also holds a number of records at Diboll including 36 receptions for 878 yards.[1] He also holds the record for receiving touchdowns with 13.[1] In addition to football, he also played on the basketball team, where he was a district most valuable player,[1] and ran track, where he was a member of the Diboll 4 × 200 metres relay (1:34.59), and a triple jumper (39 ft 10 in).[2]

Coming out of high school, Finley was ranked as a four star prospect by Rivals.com.[3] He stood at six feet four inches tall and weighed 210 pounds. He ran a forty-yard dash in 4.6 seconds.[3]

Finley received scholarships from Texas, Arizona, Houston, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech.[3]

College career[edit]​

Finley chose to play at Texas and received a redshirt during his freshman year in 2005.[4]

As a redshirt freshman, he played in all 13 games and started four of them when the Longhorns came out in two tight-end sets.[4] He caught passes in 10 games and broke the school freshman tight end record for receptions at 31 and had 371 yards and three touchdowns.[4] At the end of the year, Finley was named an honorable mention Freshman All-American team.[4]

Continuing on into his sophomore season, Finley started all 13 games at tight end. On October 6, 2007, Finley broke the school record for receiving yards by a tight end in a 28-21 loss against Oklahoma when he caught four passes for a career-high 149 yards.[4] He finished the season with 45 receptions for 575 yards and two touchdowns. His performance earned honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference honors from the league's coaches and media.[5]

On January 8, 2008, Finley announced he would forgo his junior and senior seasons of eligibility to enter the NFL by declaring himself eligible for the 2008 NFL Draft. Longhorn head coach Mack Brown said "Finley finished his career ranked among the most productive receiving tight ends in school history and handled himself well both on and off the field during his time at Texas."[6]

From the brief review I did of Sanders, "texassports.com" bio just says "he played basketball too." I'm sure the guy was good, but can't imagine he had Finley's accolades.

I feel like you're making me out to be a non-Sanders guy here, which I'm not. I'm a huge fan and like I said before, I said post-Bama that he'll be our best mismatch by the end of this season if not sooner...but to say he's done more than Finley so far is just flat out craziness. Potential = subjective. To date = factual.
 
Now you've gone full on tilt with that comment...as Sanders basically played ZERO time (at TE) last year thus is a year behind Finley so far....thankfully for Sanders, in this context, he has potentially three more seasons to exceed Finley being Finley left after his Soph year to be a 3rd round draft pick.

Going back to talent, Finley was District MVP in hoops and ran track (4 x 200m relay and triple jump).

Here's from our friend Wikipedia about Finley:
Finley attended Diboll High School in Diboll, Texas where he not only started at tight end, but also played defensive end, wide receiver, safety, punter and kicker.[1] As a high school senior he was named first-team 3A all-state by the Texas Sports Writer Association and second-team by the Associated Press.[1] He was also named first-team all-district as a junior. Finley also holds a number of records at Diboll including 36 receptions for 878 yards.[1] He also holds the record for receiving touchdowns with 13.[1] In addition to football, he also played on the basketball team, where he was a district most valuable player,[1] and ran track, where he was a member of the Diboll 4 × 200 metres relay (1:34.59), and a triple jumper (39 ft 10 in).[2]

Coming out of high school, Finley was ranked as a four star prospect by Rivals.com.[3] He stood at six feet four inches tall and weighed 210 pounds. He ran a forty-yard dash in 4.6 seconds.[3]

Finley received scholarships from Texas, Arizona, Houston, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech.[3]

College career[edit]​

Finley chose to play at Texas and received a redshirt during his freshman year in 2005.[4]

As a redshirt freshman, he played in all 13 games and started four of them when the Longhorns came out in two tight-end sets.[4] He caught passes in 10 games and broke the school freshman tight end record for receptions at 31 and had 371 yards and three touchdowns.[4] At the end of the year, Finley was named an honorable mention Freshman All-American team.[4]

Continuing on into his sophomore season, Finley started all 13 games at tight end. On October 6, 2007, Finley broke the school record for receiving yards by a tight end in a 28-21 loss against Oklahoma when he caught four passes for a career-high 149 yards.[4] He finished the season with 45 receptions for 575 yards and two touchdowns. His performance earned honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference honors from the league's coaches and media.[5]

On January 8, 2008, Finley announced he would forgo his junior and senior seasons of eligibility to enter the NFL by declaring himself eligible for the 2008 NFL Draft. Longhorn head coach Mack Brown said "Finley finished his career ranked among the most productive receiving tight ends in school history and handled himself well both on and off the field during his time at Texas."[6]

From the brief review I did of Sanders, "texassports.com" bio just says "he played basketball too." I'm sure the guy was good, but can't imagine he had Finley's accolades.

I feel like you're making me out to be a non-Sanders guy here, which I'm not. I'm a huge fan and like I said before, I said post-Bama that he'll be our best mismatch by the end of this season if not sooner...but to say he's done more than Finley so far is just flat out craziness. Potential = subjective. To date = factual.
Finley was just a pretty good college player.

In his last game against Texas A&M, I was told he graded lower than any player had ever graded under Mack.
 
Now you've gone full on tilt with that comment...as Sanders basically played ZERO time (at TE) last year thus is a year behind Finley so far....thankfully for Sanders, in this context, he has potentially three more seasons to exceed Finley being Finley left after his Soph year to be a 3rd round draft pick.

Going back to talent, Finley was District MVP in hoops and ran track (4 x 200m relay and triple jump).

Here's from our friend Wikipedia about Finley:
Finley attended Diboll High School in Diboll, Texas where he not only started at tight end, but also played defensive end, wide receiver, safety, punter and kicker.[1] As a high school senior he was named first-team 3A all-state by the Texas Sports Writer Association and second-team by the Associated Press.[1] He was also named first-team all-district as a junior. Finley also holds a number of records at Diboll including 36 receptions for 878 yards.[1] He also holds the record for receiving touchdowns with 13.[1] In addition to football, he also played on the basketball team, where he was a district most valuable player,[1] and ran track, where he was a member of the Diboll 4 × 200 metres relay (1:34.59), and a triple jumper (39 ft 10 in).[2]

Coming out of high school, Finley was ranked as a four star prospect by Rivals.com.[3] He stood at six feet four inches tall and weighed 210 pounds. He ran a forty-yard dash in 4.6 seconds.[3]

Finley received scholarships from Texas, Arizona, Houston, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech.[3]

College career[edit]​

Finley chose to play at Texas and received a redshirt during his freshman year in 2005.[4]

As a redshirt freshman, he played in all 13 games and started four of them when the Longhorns came out in two tight-end sets.[4] He caught passes in 10 games and broke the school freshman tight end record for receptions at 31 and had 371 yards and three touchdowns.[4] At the end of the year, Finley was named an honorable mention Freshman All-American team.[4]

Continuing on into his sophomore season, Finley started all 13 games at tight end. On October 6, 2007, Finley broke the school record for receiving yards by a tight end in a 28-21 loss against Oklahoma when he caught four passes for a career-high 149 yards.[4] He finished the season with 45 receptions for 575 yards and two touchdowns. His performance earned honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference honors from the league's coaches and media.[5]

On January 8, 2008, Finley announced he would forgo his junior and senior seasons of eligibility to enter the NFL by declaring himself eligible for the 2008 NFL Draft. Longhorn head coach Mack Brown said "Finley finished his career ranked among the most productive receiving tight ends in school history and handled himself well both on and off the field during his time at Texas."[6]

From the brief review I did of Sanders, "texassports.com" bio just says "he played basketball too." I'm sure the guy was good, but can't imagine he had Finley's accolades.

I feel like you're making me out to be a non-Sanders guy here, which I'm not. I'm a huge fan and like I said before, I said post-Bama that he'll be our best mismatch by the end of this season if not sooner...but to say he's done more than Finley so far is just flat out craziness. Potential = subjective. To date = factual.
Bro, you and I would have been studs at 3A. Sanders was a man VS boys in 5A & 6A games at Ryan where they won state 2 out of 3 years.
 
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