Ketch's 10 Thoughts From The Weekend (Grading the Hires and so much more)

[SR60]

c. This roster isn't within a 10-foot pole of the team Mack inherited IMO.

you might be right however if Robinson comes on next year like Ricky especially his last season under Mack a 9 win season is possible.

that duplicates Mack's win total year one and set the tone moving forward.

the 1997 team had talent, they just quit on Mackovic. his arrogance cost him. and he didn't learn a thing from it as his disastrous and short tenure at Arizona proved. that team didn't just quit on him, they revolted.

 

[SR60]

deserthorn1955 said:


Sark starts the 2022 season with at least 5 scholarship QBs.

(Sell) That feels almost impossible to expect.

also might be too many roosters in the hen house. if you have that many one likely flies the coop.

Texas QBs will have no less than 4 games with at least a 230 QB efficiency rating next season with Sark calling plays.

(Sell) Whatchu talkin bout, Willis?

agree, might be too much to expect in year one. later .. probably.

MikeCorleone said:


The program gets full Spring and August practices.

(Buy) Absolutely.

let's hope so, in fact let's hope every program does. that hurt Herman somewhat with two new coordinators but no one got a full spring last year. this year it's even more critical for UT because it's all new from the top down.

Rider54 said:


A lot of us had BIG problems with the RB rotation this past year, and to a somewhat lesser extent with the WR rotation. These are the two positions where Sark kept coaches from the old staff. You foresee this being an issue again in 2021 because of the assistants involved in these two positions?

(Sell) I don't think the rotation will be an issue at all.

agree. say what you want about Herman not playing Robinson as much as some would like he was a true frosh and despite his obvious talent that's a big leap from high school to a big time Power 5 program.

also Sark will rotate because you have to, keep players fresh and avoid wearing them out before the money quarter. and avoid injury from fatigue.

Linebackers/Co-Defensive Coordinator (Jeff Choate)

The single best fact about Choate I can find as a coach: Nearly landing the Boise State head coaching job this month says all you need to know about how his work at Montana State has been perceived in Big Sky country.

Final thought: Choate might be my favorite hire on the entire staff just because Sarkisian took a head coach that was getting better head coaching looks and turned him into a position coach. Personally, I think Choate ranks as one of the best position coaches in the entire Big 12.

agree. his record at Montana St. (which i had to look up as i don't follow D2 ball) is exactly the kind of quick turnaround from 4-7 to 11-4 in four years that gets big looks from the big programs. this past season didn't have a lot of churn especially in the Power 5 but you keep that up and it won't be long before the major programs come calling.

might be the best pure coach on the new staff.

 

[more_bourbon]

Hank Aaron in his “crime”?

Racist.

 

[ryano013]

@Ketchum You can save this one for the next 10TFW. B/S a.) The floor for this coaching staff is Tom Herman's tenure. b.) The ceiling for this coaching staff is Mack Brown's 04-09. Which do you favor at the moment?

 

[Ketchum]

Exactly. Plus, I was more interested in how Flood did as a position coach than a head coach because there is so much more duties involved being the top guy. He’s had an incredible progression to where he his now that places the odds of being successful at Texas in his favor.

Sidenote- How would you think this staff relates to the one Sark had at USC? They obviously recruited really well and I wonder if the staff compares favorably. Sark’s background suggest that he believes you live or die on the recruiting trail and that has me really excited.

Sark's original staff at USC had a LOT of his UW staff with him. IT doesn't really compare IMO.

 

[Ketchum]

you might be right however if Robinson comes on next year like Ricky especially his last season under Mack a 9 win season is possible.

that duplicates Mack's win total year one and set the tone moving forward.

the 1997 team had talent, they just quit on Mackovic. his arrogance cost him. and he didn't learn a thing from it as his disastrous and short tenure at Arizona proved. that team didn't just quit on him, they revolted.

The Big 12 as a whole was much stronger at the top back in 1999.

 

[Ketchum]

It's funny to hear you get personal by (so far) calling me ridiculous, shallow and dismissive about my opinions that I have facts for on this thread given your recent history. It also boggles my mind that you bring up Schiano as another reason to not give Flood credit (which I thought of but didn't bring up) and then immediately refute yourself......

As far as letting me be dismissive....please. If you want to skip down the street in joy about the hires, feel free. I'm going to take a more cautious approach this time because I see recency bias in these Bama hires that I HOPE work out. And if they do, I'll be happy as hell.

It's funny to me that you couldn't name a single specific grade that I gave that you disagreed with, which is what I asked you to do, if you could.

Excuse me while I skip down the street while dismissing you as short-sighted and incapable of hanging with me in the conversation.

 

[mbaeten]

Worn Down

Need Good news.....


Ketch,
I just do not hear much emphasis on the o-line (especially over the next two years).
It just seems like we always overlook this area.
To me, almost everything works (or can work a lot better or cover up a few things) when you have a GOOD o-line play.
Flood had a lot of very HIGH caliber personnel already on the Alabama team to work with.
He also had a hell of a lot easier route to signing 4-5 star personnel in the two years there.
Come on..... Alabama's track record & Saban basically signs the personnel itself.
I thought we heard almost the same stuff about Hand as we are hearing about Flood.
Without a winning track record, stud o-line personnel already in house, , history of signing stud o-line personnel, the next two years may be brutal.
Hiring a new op-line coach and spreading some pixey dust will not transform the o-line within the next two years .... just seems far reaching....
We will have a new QB and he will need a bit more time in the pocket this year.
I just see a brutal two years minimum on the offensive side - with the new QB scrambling around with minimal time ....
Over the recent years watching the o-line play - the glass is half empty, not half full.
Need some kool-aid ....

 

[Ketchum]

Worn Down

Need Good news.....


Ketch,
I just do not hear much emphasis on the o-line (especially over the next two years).
It just seems like we always overlook this area.
To me, almost everything works (or can work a lot better or cover up a few things) when you have a GOOD o-line play.
Flood had a lot of very HIGH caliber personnel already on the Alabama team to work with.
He also had a hell of a lot easier route to signing 4-5 star personnel in the two years there.
Come on..... Alabama's track record & Saban basically signs the personnel itself.
I thought we heard almost the same stuff about Hand as we are hearing about Flood.
Without a winning track record, stud o-line personnel already in house, , history of signing stud o-line personnel, the next two years may be brutal.
Hiring a new op-line coach and spreading some pixey dust will not transform the o-line within the next two years .... just seems far reaching....
We will have a new QB and he will need a bit more time in the pocket this year.
I just see a brutal two years minimum on the offensive side - with the new QB scrambling around with minimal time ....
Over the recent years watching the o-line play - the glass is half empty, not half full.
Need some kool-aid ....

I think there is emphasis. It's talked about a lot.

I think the mergence of Karic and Majors eased some concerns, but this group lacks depth and high end talent.

Texas is looking at at least one OL in the portal and I would guess more if they can bring in someone they think can be an immediate starter.

 

[60rocks]

It's funny to me that you couldn't name a single specific grade that I gave that you disagreed with, which is what I asked you to do, if you could.

Excuse me while I skip down the street while dismissing you as short-sighted and incapable of hanging with me in the conversation.

Didn't even see you ask that in the thread but....as I've stated, regardless of the exact grade number you assign, I want to see the Alabama guys operate outside of the nest and away from the average results they've had elsewhere before anointing them saviors. I could care less about your grade because in the end, every situation is different. You can be an B student in one high school and the valedictorian at another. Parents move kids to easier schools all the time to better their class rank....
Aggy had better recruiting while Banks was there....they were average on the field while he was there. Flood had 3 OL go to the league in 10 years at Rutgers, Schinao was the dude there anyway. He was assistant OL coach in the league before being let go in 2 years. Who knows what happened in these situations. Since then, Saban has handed these guys 4 and 5 star guys every year.

I'm done with this discussion and you're not going to change my mind. I don't come here for your opinion (or I would've left after you called out our former players during the racial unrest we found ourselves in last year).....I pay for recruiting news, practice reports, rumor mill and the occasional restaurant recommendation or laugh.

Let it go.

 

[SR60]

The Big 12 as a whole was much stronger at the top back in 1999.

i'd agree with that. in the late 90's ZerOU was a train wreck under John Blake. Texas was solid under Mackovic until it all fell apart on him in 97 and at the least there was A&M under Slocum, Nebraska still winning big with Osbourne and K State emerging with Bill Snyder as a top program. might be forgetting a few but that's at least 4 teams that regularly contended for the SWC/Big 12 title.

in the 2000's it turned into the UT ZerOU game every year.

R. C. Slocum was a class act. never could understand why A&M forced him out.