With spring football for the 2023 Texas Longhorns set to conclude this week, a fascinating debate took place this weekend on Orangebloods.
Was Orangebloods, and especially yours truly, too harsh in its reporting of current third-year starting quarterback Quinn Ewers last year?
I'd suggest that it's a debate worth having for a number of reasons, the least of which isn't the discussion of what everyone should expect in terms of day-in and day-out coverage from a site completely dedicated to reporting on the ins and outs of everything that takes place inside the Texas football program.
Inside of that conversation are a number of underlying questions.
What are you paying for as a consumer? What are you not paying for? What is fair to players? Does the fairness to the players change based on the age and experience of the player? What are the lines that shouldn't be crossed, if any?
When looking back through the previous 6-9 months, the main point of contention with regards to our reporting on Ewers mostly focuses on a few specific items.
1. The reporting that there were concerns from within the program during the pre-season over the level of commitment from Ewers to his craft.
2. Any constructive criticism or discussion about Ewers' play on the field during the season.
At the root of one side of the discussion is the feeling that as a teenager last fall, Ewers wasn't much different than the average teenager that comes through the program as a quarterback. Did Ewers not quite have the level of commitment needed as a young player when compared to what you'll find from more experienced players? Sure, but shouldn't that be expected to some degree? Why bring any of it up in the first place from a reporting standpoint?
All fair questions.
After all, it's completely fair to acknowledge that the level of coverage for 2024 incoming quarterback Trey Owens won't be the same as what Ewers and incoming freshman quarterback Arch Manning have faced or will face upon their arrivals to the Texas program. Not all situations are the same or treated the same.
Yet, from my view of the discussion, the devil in this discussion is in the details or dare I say... the nuance... of the discussion.
Unlike Ewers, Owens won't arrive and immediately be expected to be the starting quarterback for a program that is both trying to climb out of a decade-plus long abyss and among the most covered by local and national media in the entire country. Owens won't immediately be involved in one of the bigger quarterback battles in the sport. On top of those two points, he also won't arrive with expectations that he'll play so well from the moment that he arrives as the starter, that he'd likely only be on campus for two seasons before heading into the NFL Draft, a sentiment so often discussed that it entered the discussions of the recruitment of Manning.
Although it doesn't really impact my personal view of how I cover players on the team, there are those that believe the fact that Ewers entered the program making more money through NIL than anyone else in the program is an element that also changes the way he's treated from a coverage standpoint.
Bottom line - I'd contend that context is everything in this discussion.
Is Ewers the same as every other young player in the program?
Not really. Quarterbacks get treated differently. Look at Manning. Not even Ewers had to deal with the public spotlight than Manning dealt with as a prospect, as photos of him taking visits to colleges became its own cottage industry. A simple shot of him standing on a street corner on an unofficial visit led to countless shares and comments on social media. His name gets mentioned during Final Four coverage by Jim Nantz as the front man of the program before he's ever played a down.
Is that fair? Should it be that way?
Those are fantastic philosophical questions and they are worthy of being asked.
People want answers. People want to know how things look in practice. People want to know why progress is slow if progress is indeed slow. If there are concerns, people want to know about the concerns.
Or do they? Some don't. Some never want to hear about anything that could even slightly be perceived as negative. Some believe in a bunker mentality that makes anything perceived as negative as something that should never be whispered. Some only want to hear the positives.
As a reporter, I can tell you that I'm only interested in correctly telling the story as it unfolds in real time. The fact that Ewers was absolutely expected to emerge as the starting quarterback in 2023 absolutely impacted the degree of focus that was on him. From my perspective, his place as the likely starting QUARTERBACK made the discussions surrounding him different than everyone else because the player in his role, regardless of age, is the most important player in the program.
Therefore, if there are multiple rumblings from well-placed sources about the level of commitment in real time about the most important player in the program, I'm not doing my job as a reporter if I go out of my way to suffocate the information because it's not all smiles and rainbows. My job is to simply report what is happening and why people with knowledge of the situation believe it is happening.
I'd also strongly point out that it goes both ways. Ewers has received a ton of extremely positive praise on the heels of reports that he's increased his commitment in the off-season, highlighted by his staying home during spring break to work on his craft instead of hitting the beach in Cabo without a playbook in hand.
A year ago, he praised when he played well and a focus of attention when he didn't. That's the way college football works. If Caleb Williams has any struggles at all this season, it'll be discussed at far stronger levels than any struggles by any other player in the USC program. The same will be true for OU's Dillon Gabriel. Or probably Chandler Morris at TCU.
The same intensity in following is his progress is partly what creates significant dollars in NIL that were earned before he ever played.
This isn't show fairness, its show business. I'm not insensitive to the insensitivity of such a statement, I'm can't pretend that in a world where where the things that happen with the most well-known, most discussed and highest=paid athletes in the school are going to be given free passes with regards to intense monitoring and discussion.
It's not hyperbole to say that Sarkisian's program somewhat hangs in the balance of Ewers' success this season. The pressure is going to increase significantly coming out of year three if Ewers flinches in the face of expectations this year.
Good or bad, young or old... if you're the starting quarterback at Texas, all eyes are going to be on you. It's a responsibility that comes with a lot of conditions. It's not all fun all the time. Ask Vince Young. Ask Chris Simms. Ask Colt McCOy. Ask Sam Ehlinger.
I know there's a side out there that believes that the non-fun stuff is unfair. I hear them. I see them. I acknowledge them.
But, people are never going to stop wanting to know as much as possible about what's going on with the starting quarterbacks of major college football programs. More than ever before, this isn't a sport of amateurism. It's one that comes with a major spot light at all times, especially for starting quarterbacks.
That spotlight doesn't turn on and off based on convenience. It never gets turned off over feelings, fairness or fanatical emotion.
From this perspective, that's the ultimate bottom line.
Were we too harsh of Ewers?
I think that's unfair based on all of the discussed context.
Were we intense in the coverage of Ewers?
Of course. I'd say we've probably been intense with regards to the coverage of the starting quarterback since the beginning of this site back in 2001.
If all of this is too much, maybe this sport isn't for you because I can tell you one thing that is perhaps the truest remark in this entire opening section of this week's column...
The intensity will not decrease as the Texas football program heads into the SEC in the next 16 months.
No. 2 - Talking running backs...
Two months ago, I subscribed to the thinking that the Texas running game pecking order would look a little something like this:
1. Jonathon Brooks
2. CJ Baxter
3. Keilan Robinson
4. Jaydon Blue
5. Savion Red
Two months later, I'm not so sure what to think. The combination of Brooks missing much of spring, while Blue has spent most of his time with the first-team offense and Baxter has mixed in with the 1s and the 2s.
Meanwhile you have to remind ourself that Robinson was actually the lead back in the Alamo Bowl and I'm not sure what we should all expect out him from a usage standpoint. Not to be forgotten, Red has had a good enough spring that's fair to wonder whether he can carve out a role as the kind of situational back that we haven't seen much in a Sarkisian offense at Texas.
If there are roughly 400 rushing attempts and another 60 or so receptions in the passing game to split among the Texas running backs this season, it's hard to guess how those touches will be divided among the five Texas running backs.
A year ago, Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson split carries at a 73.5%/26.5% rate and although we know that Sarkisian expects to have a 1,000 yard back this season and tends to feature his No.1 guy at a very high rate in the name of creating that projection, is there a definite 200-carry back on this team?
I don't see it. That doesn't mean that a 200-carry back doesn't exist. It just means my naked eyes doesn't see someone that gets that kind of volume yet.
If I had to guess, I'd probably say it looks like this: Brooks (150 carries), Blue (110 carries), Baxter (100 carries), Robinson (30 carries) and Red (15 carries).
Meanwhile, did you know that Keilan Robinson was the team's fourth leading receiver in 2022 with 20 receptions, while Bijan Robinson was 5th on the team with 19 receptions. The smart money probably has Robinson taking a large portion of those available receptions. I'd pencil him in for 30-35 catches this season, which leaves another 25(ish) to split among the rest of the backs. It might be as simple as Baxter and Red split up the majority of those available reps, while Brooks and Blue split a small minority of those passing game touches.
I can't tell if I'm close or if all of the uncertainty has me completely missing the boat.
No. 3 - Texas Football in the last two years in a nutshell ...
In a game where seasons are often defined by incredibly small margins, it's hard not to notice when looking at the scoring data from last two seasons how different Texas becomes in the fourth quarter when compared to the fother quarters.
For instance, take a look at the scoring by quarter in year one under Sarkisian.
Texas was such a strong team in the first half (+67), especially in the first quarter (+38) and then the strength of the play in terms of scoring drops after halftime (-17), especially in the fourth quarter (-28).
The data isn't a total match in year two, but there are a couple of trends.
Once again, Texas was fantastic in the first half of games (+131). Hell, it was even really good in the third quarter over 14 fames (+48). Yet, when the clock strikes midnight and the fourth quarter begins, Texas was outscored (-9) in the final 15 minutes of its 13 games.
Specifically, in its five losses last season, Texas was outscored by 22 points in the fourth quarter.
If Texas can just improve its play in the fourth quarter next year against the toughest teams on its schedule to the point that it's a push instead of a deficit, it's hard to imagine Texas not playing in the Big 12 Championship game.
No. 4 - Scattershooting on a few things coming into the spring game ...
... I'll definitely be keeping a close eye on Saturday on the running game reps and usage with both the first- and second-team offenses. It might not tell us everything, but it's likely to tell us a few things worthy of taking mental notes over.
... I'd really like to see Justice Finkley have a strong day. He's such an easy kid to root for, but it doesn't feel like he's been surging over 15 workouts at the edge position. It would be nice to see him end things with a bang.
... Speaking of Finkley, I wonder if he might be headed back to a back-up spot at the other end position behind Barryn Sorrell by the time the season starts. Personally, I think that's his best position.
... If Cedric Baxter keeps making plays in the passing game as a receiver, as he did on Friday in the most recent scrimmage, I wonder who the coaches will lean towards in the passing game between him and Savion Red as it relates to the No.2 pass-catching threat behind Keilan Robinson. The coaches really like Red, but I wonder if Baxter isn't the more dangerous threat.
... Prediction - I think we'll see some version of the deep throw that Ewers made to Isaiah Neyor early in the last year's spring game on Saturday. Maybe a spring rollout to the right with AD Mitchell playing the roll of Neyor.
... Did you know that the two top defensive tackles on the roster (Byron Murphy and T'Vpndre Sweat) combined for only 5.5 tackles for loss and one sack. It's not something I find myself worrying about, but those two have to create a lot more havoc this year than they did a year ago.
... Take Jaylan Ford's four interceptions away from the defensive unit and the returning members of the defense only had four interceptions among them. Meanwhile, the Longhorns were able to strip the ball nine times last season, but Texas defenders only fell on the ball four times. One way or another this is a team that needs to create more game-changing plays.
No. 5 - It's hard not to like Duncanville's Colin Simmons ...
This was my favorite recruiting Tweet from the weekend. The older I get, the more I seem to notice the guys going out of their way to be good people on top of being great on the field.
No. 6 - Three weeks through conference play...
The Longhorns really could have used a sweep this weekend over Kansas State and if not for Saturday's creaky performance by the bullpen, it would have happened.
Still, two out of three represents an important step forward.
With three road series remaining on the conference calendar (Baylor, TCU and KU), things are shaping up nicely for a conference championship run, which would certainly help in the quest to host a playoff regional.
In three weeks, the Longhorns will take on second-place TCU in a three-game series in Ft. Worth, but before those games are played, the Longhorns get six games against the two worst teams in the Big 12 (Baylor and Oklahoma). Taking four of those six games is a necessity, but taking five of six would really set the Longhorns up well going into that series against the Horned Frogs.
No. 7 - Holy Mother of Athletic Freaks ...
If you find yourself with some free time this week, feel free to check out this 45-year old Monday Night Football game between the Oilers and Miami Dolphins.
It's Earl at arguably this all-time best, as he rushes for 199 yards and four touchdowns ,while Howard Cosell, Dandy Don and Frank Gifford call the action.
It's a pretty awesome watch.
No. 8 – BUY or SELL …
(Sell) I think the Longhorns would love to find that kind of player, but I can't imagine that someone that's a legit insurance policy will...
a. become available in May
b. Choose to come to a situation where he's a back-up for the upcoming season.
There's definitely a need for improved tight end depth and Texas might eventually find some help in the Portal for the 2024 season, but I'm not sure it happens in the next month.
(Sell) The spring game just doesn't seem to be as big of a deal as it used to be.
(Buy) It's going to be close and I might be wrong to project that it happens, but I like Xavier Worthy and Ja'Tavion Sanders to definitely go beyond 500 yards and I'll take AD Mitchell and Jordan Whittington to both be somewhere in the 500-600 range.
(Sell) Scrambled with cheese on top. Honestly, if we're going to go that route, let's just make an omlet.
(Sell) At some point along the way, he's almost certain to have a performance you'll want to throw away. Even Colt and VY at their peaks had a clunker every once in a while. I'm not expecting Ewers to be Superman, even if I do expect him to be improved.
(Sell) I think I'd go Hudson.
(Sell) Give me 30ish.
(Buy) Boy, they better. I don't want to be around here if they don't.
(Buy/Sell) I think we just might see a linebacker addition to help shore up some depth, but I'm less sure that an edge player good enough to scoop up will be available.
(Sell) Not even a little bit.
(Buy) We know they need to lose three just to get below the 88. They'll need a couple more if they want to do any Portal shopping.
(Sell) I think Xavier Worthy gets there in the passing game, but I'm not ready to say that Texas definitely has a 1,000-yard back.
No. 9 - Scattershooting on anything and everything ...
... The Masters never quite reached the stratosphere for me this weekend outside of Phil Mickelson's Sunday round of 65. Credit to Jon Rahm for most keeping it drama-free throughout his Sunday round. At the end of the day, the Tournament just kind of felt like it was on cruise control.
... Brooks Koepka will probably have a sleepless night or two this week. Maybe it's unfair to say he choked away this major, but it definitely slipped through his fingertips.
... Mickelson finishing second at the age of 52 is some kind of accomplishment.
... Bring on the NBA playoffs. It's about damn time.
... Liverpool/Arsenal was probably quite the watch for the neutral soccer fan on Sunday, but from my perspective it bothers me that it took Arsenal starting some stuff 30 minutes into the game for Liverpool to invite itself to the contest. Why did it take a cheap shot or two to brig out the best in Liverpool's game? Well, at least we know that the Reds still have that inside of them.
... Austin FC looks like a team that had a fluke season last year and is now nothing short of average at best. It really, really, really needs Sebastian Driussi to wake up and for the defense to get it together.
.... Arsenal better get a point against Man City when they play in a couple of weeks or they are going to lose the title. Trust me, I've seen this act before.
... Odell Beckham to the Ravens sounds like a failure waiting to happen. Just a hunch. The dude rurns 31 this season, is coming off a major injury and hasn't had a 1,000-yard season since 2019 and hasn't had more than 1,052 yards since 2016. Other than that, yeah, I'm sure he'll be worth every bit of that 15 million. Woof.
... Luke says he's happy in Dallas. I suppose that's that....
... I had no idea what happened at UFC287 until I looked it up about an hour ago. It completely slipped past me. Looks like I might have missed a banger.
No. 10 - The List: Ray Charles Top 10 ...
Sometimes you just need some Ray Charles in your life.
Here's how it breaks down for me.
Five iconic covers: Let It Be , Song For You , Eleanor Rigby , Ring of Fire and Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Five country favorites: Worried Mind , How Long Has This been Going On . What Am I Living For , You Feel Good All Over and Do I Ever Cross Your Mind
Five more that I love: Hard Times , Sinner's Prayer , Come Live With Me , Here We Go Again and How Long Blues
Last five songs out: Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying , Unchain My Heart , Am I Blue , Drown in My Own Tears and Sinner's Prayer
10. Come Back Baby
One of my personal favorites that I simply refused to leave off the list because he's just pours every ounce of his soul into this track.
9. I Can't Stop Loving You
When Ray cut the Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music album back in 1962, country music changed forever.
8. Mess Around
I'm just not sure you can have a top 10 list of Ray without having this song somewhere on the list. Sometimes the classics are the classics.
7. Seven Spanish Angels
One of the most beautiful country songs ever recorded. It's two of the all-time greats working together in a pretty magical collaboration.
6. You Don't Know Me
One of my personal favorites. There's a place deep down in his soul that he draws from on a song like this and I'm not sure anyone has ever done it better.
5. I Got a Woman
Ray's very first hit back in 1954. Chew on that for a moment, as the song turns 70 next year and it still blazes all these years later. Incredible.
4. Night Time is the Right Time
An entire generation of white kids was introduced to Ray when the Huxtable family performed this in an anniversary episode of The Cosby show.
3. Hit the Road Jack
There are few songs in our modern pop culture that are more iconic than Ray's version of this Percy Mayfield original. There's just a raw fierceness to the relationship between Charles and Maggie Hendricks in song.
2. What'd I Say
The moment when gospel and blues and sex were all rolled into one. Ray closed virtually every show of his career with this one, so if someone wants to argue it should be No. 1 on the list, hey, I get it. The bottom line is that if I was stranded on an island and could only listen to one Ray Charles song for the rest of my life, there's a different song that I simply must choose.
1. Georgia on My Mind
You could put this song on a 24-hour loop and every time I'd hear it would still feel like the first time. Ray Charles was meant to sing that song the way Michelangelo was meant to paint in the Sistine Chapel. I don't really know what else to say other than the song is absolute perfection.
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