Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (It's not just that the D gave up 50... )
- Thread starter Ketchum
- Start date
Hearing he will not allow Bedford to be his personal albatross. I fully expect him to take over the defense. If it doesn't happen, he deserves whatever happens from there.
Malcolm Roach and Breck Hager?
His quarterback rating was 68.8, he threw two picks and his team scored 19 points.
Philip Rivers posted a 97 rating against the same defense at Arrowhead just a week ago and led his team to 27 points.
a. Mexicans love Canelo. 51K showed up for that fight.- I'm over the Pac 16. Anybody who had to travel all day back from Cali after three hours of sleep agrees.
- Today's press conference will be interesting.
- Louisville's defense made FSU look like a JV team. Can't recall ever seeing FSU get beat down like that - ever!
- Canelo is trying to be the modern day Mayweather by avoiding Triple G. Floyd had cross over appeal and people cared about him outside of boxing (crazy family, money, women, etc.). Nobody cares about Canelo outside of watching him in real fights.
- I see your reverse jinx via Twitter worked in fantasy football this week
b. I don't know what reverse jinx you're talking about.
The offense actually produced points when Swoopes came out. That was at the time Texas had a double-digit lead. The game really turned on Buechele's interception after the safety.
Key points to remember:
On third OC in year three, not Chuck's fault
Turning over almost entire staff, not Chuck's fault
Defensive woes despite plenty of talent, not Chuck's fault.
Somehow losing to mediocre Pac-12 team that basically doesn't play defense, not Chuck's fault.
On third OC in year three, not Chuck's fault
Turning over almost entire staff, not Chuck's fault
Defensive woes despite plenty of talent, not Chuck's fault.
Somehow losing to mediocre Pac-12 team that basically doesn't play defense, not Chuck's fault.
Every pass swoopes made was completely awful he was throwing the ball 300 mphs at receiver then he threw that int when I thought Texas was going to try and put the game away.
You only really have the UTEP game as your measuring stick with those guys. I'm not going to crown Strong the guy who finds chicken salad in the chicken coop till I see a couple of seasons with the pair of those guys.
Damn I'm tired of the "Mack couldn't identify or develop talent, while Chuck finds hidden gems and develops them into NFL prospects" BS. Mack had all-Americans galore, and the NFL is/has been full of his recruits, especially from his early years, but including players from his down (8-4, 9-3) later years. Charlie's early years all blurr into forgettable wins and horrendous losses, one on another, with an occasional win over OU surrounded by 7-50 and 0-23 embarrassments. Maybe the off week will magically transform the vaunted defense from a farce to a force, but he hasn't shown me shite yet.
Oh, he wasn't great, but his presence in the first half wasn't the undoing.
Need to watch the game and not just look at stats. He needs to clean up the int's, but a lot of people forget he is only played 9 games. He will get better. Offensive line is shit and db's know he has to get the ball out quick so they are hanging on the receivers knowing the ball is coming.
Yea true maybe the coaches shouldnt have let him pass just run the 18 wheeler up and down the field they probably couldn't have stopped that much either.
Sounds like your decision was made up about him prior to ever seeing him suit up as a Texan. Which is fine. Texans are 2-0 and that's all I really care about. He will get better.
Clearly true...just hate it for Bedford. Never should have been hired as DC, but never good to see one of ours getting ripped up like he is. Deserved but it still makes me cringe.
QB rotations drive me bat shit insane. This and not running the damn ball more when backs are popping chunk yardage all night. It's nit picking with 43 points on the board but what's a post on this site without some form of bitching?
Never, ever underestimate Aggie's f*k up skills. However, I stand united with the College Station liquor store community and hope he stays.
I don't have my mind made up, I just suspect he's not an elite player at his position and never will be. Nothing about his performance yesterday was top-notch. The game was won with the Texans defense.
Has a lot of Flacco in him, but I agree that I don't think he will be elite. His accuracy will keep him from the top tier of Qb's. But being above average is something I will take.
@Ketchum do you think Charlie's reputation as an elite defensive coach is a bit overstated? His reputation was built at south Carolina and florida during the ground and pound era of the SEC. I've always been of the belief that SEC defenses during that era were so good because they were playing against SEC offenses. It seems to me that he still hasn't figured out how to defend the spread/air raid offenses. Just a thought.
(Photo courtesy of Hookem.com)
Less than 24 hours following the Strawberry Canyon Disaster, I find myself less focused on the fact that Texas gave up a 50-cent piece on the defensive side of the ball as much as the way it happened.
Let’s face it, college football is a sport that has been trending towards high-scoring offense for years and there are going to be games in almost every season when an 80+ point shootout will break out that would make an old school coach like Darrell Royal blush. Hell, for the last nine months, I’ve had this game circled on the calendar as a possible trouble spot on the Texas schedule because of the fact that Texas has been shaky on the road under Charlie Strong and Cal has just enough going for it on offense to make a coin-flip shootout possible.
A 50-43 type game was always a possibility, especially if Cal quarterback Davis Webb got super hot, so even those of us who were drinking the burnt orange Kool-Aid after an exciting 2-0 start knew what loomed over the California hills on Saturday night.
I think we all understand that there are going to be nights when the defense struggles. Loud and clear, right?
What is very, very, very hard to understand is a defense in its third year under the same defensive coordinator that looks like it hadn’t practiced a day all season or spent any time preparing for its opponent.
The Longhorns weren’t just bad on defense against the Bears. The unit was like an abomination of abominations.
The tackling was abysmal. The communication was awful. The play-making was nonexistent. The awareness to what Cal liked to do on offense was atrocious. It didn’t matter which players played because the entire unit at every level looked like worst of the bad Texas Tech defenses.
Yes, Alabama gave up 43 points on Saturday against Ole Miss, but at no point did anyone watching that game feel like the unit was incapable of the very bare basics of defensive football, a truth that cannot be found in this current Vance Bedford defense.
Five times in the last 15 games the Longhorns have played, the Texas defense has given up at least 45 points. Which means that one out of every three times the team plays, the offense needs to score almost as many points as the 2005 national championship offense averaged just to have a chance to win the game.
Enough is enough.
One of the reasons Charlie Strong was hired was the promise that he would bring elite defensive play to the table, which was desperately needed after the final years of the Mack Brown era featured some of the worst defenses in school history. Of course, what has replaced those awful defenses are at times even worse defenses and it can’t keep continuing or everything that Strong has built in less than three years runs the risk of being wasted.
My guess is that Strong will not risk this rare opportunity of having a job of this stature by letting someone else decide his fate. Whether it’s announced or not, I expect him to take over the defense right now.
Not tomorrow. Not after the Oklahoma State game. Now.
No more meetings with the offense for Strong, just fixing a broken side of the ball that is more dear to his heart because if we base our judgments on what we’ve seen, he’s already waited too long.
In theory, there’s only one elite defensive coach on this staff and it’s not Strong’s defensive coordinator.
No. 2– About all that burnt orange Kool-Aid consumption ...
Not all was lost for the team and the program on Saturday night, despite the dreadful state of the defense.
The reality is that the Longhorns still play in the Big 12 and at this very moment, that means Texas plays in the worst power five conference in the country and there’s no reason to believe that there’s any true class at the top of the Big 12 standings.
Oklahoma is very mortal. Oklahoma State is very mortal. Baylor is very mortal. TCU is very mortal. The entire league bleeds like Clark Kent in Superman II when he decides to get into a scuffle with a truck driver.
Nobody wants to hear it in the aftermath of an awful night of Texas football, but a conference championship and a major bowl game are still readily available for this team if it can continue building. From week to week, we’re going to see a lot of shootouts in this conference, so just go ahead and buckle up because there’s a lot of football left to be played.
No. 3– Charlie’s impact on the Louisville depth chart ...
As I watched Louisville dismantle Florida State on Saturday, I found myself wondering how much of the success this team was enjoying this season was related to Charlie Strong’s work as a recruiter and evaluator before leaving for Austin.
It turns out that his fingerprints are still all over that program, as 12 current Louisville starters are guys he brought into the program. Before you ask, no, he had nothing to do with Lamar Jackson.
Here’s a look at the Louisville starting line-up, with Strong’s recruits listed in bold.
Offense
LT 74 Geron Christian (6-6, 314, So., Ocala, Fla.)
LG 50 Khalil Hunter (6-4, 304, Sr., Orlando, Fla.)
C 61 Tobijah Hughley (6-3, 294, Sr., Lexington, Ky.)
RG 56 Kiola Mahoni (6-3, 308, Sr., East Paolo Alto, Calif.)
RT 72 Lukayus McNeil (6-6, 315, So., Indianapolis, Ind.)
HB 18 Cole Hikutini (6-5, 248, Sr., San Francisco, Calif.)
TE 89 Keith Towbridge (6-5, 265, Sr., Toledo, Ohio)
QB 8 Lamar Jackson (6-3, 204, So., Pompano Beach, Fla.)
RB 23 Brandon Radcliff (5-9, 209, Sr., Miami, Fla.)
FB 46 Lamar Atkins (5-11, 236, Sr., Miami, Fla.)
WR 2 Jamari Staples (6-4, 195, Sr., Lineville, Ala.)
WR 17 James Quick (6-1, 180, Sr., Louisville, Ky.)
WR 7 Reggie Bonnafon (6-3, 208, Jr., Louisville, Ky.)
Defense
DE 14 Drew Bailey (6-3, 285, Jr., Orlando, Fla.)
DT 97 DeAngelo Brown (6-0, 310, Sr., Savannah, Ga.)
DE 90 De’Asian Richardson (6-3, 335, Jr., Jacksonville, Fla.)
OLB 99 James Hearns (6-3, 248, Jr., Tallahassee, Fla.)
ILB 55 Keith Kelsey (6-1, 236, Sr., Gainesville, Fla.)
ILB 32 Stacy Thomas (6-1, 232, Jr., Miami, Fla.
OLB 92 Devonte Fields (6-4, 242, Sr., Fort Worth, Texas)
CB 15 Trumaine Washington (5-10, 180, Jr., Miami, Fla.)
S 25 Josh Harvey-Clemons (6-5, 228, Sr., Valdosta, Ga.)
S 22 Chucky Williams (6-2, 210, Jr., Hialeah, Fla.)
CB 10 Jaire Alexander (5-11, 188, So., Charlotte, N.C.)
No. 4– Scattershooting on the Longhorns ...
… I said it a few times and I’ll keep saying it, bring Tyrone Swoopes into the game in the red zone when the ball is inside the five-yard line. Bring him in for third and one. The rest of the game snaps need to be going to Shane Buechele. I really don’t know what the coaches were trying to accomplish at times last night with the rotation of the two.
… Through three games this season, Malik Jefferson has made one tackle for loss, forced zero fumbles and generally hasn’t been an impact player. One of the first things Charlie Strong needs to do when taking over the defense is get his best player going.
... Jefferson has three more tackles than Chris Nelson through three games.
… As a starting safety, Dylan Haines has recorded five tackles and done little else in two games. No pass breakups. No plays that led to turnovers. No tackles for loss.
… Michael Dickson averaged only 43.5 yards per punt on Saturday with two of his four kicks downed inside the 20-yard line. He good.
… Is Anthony Wheeler playing at the highest level of anyone on the defense? Off the naked eye test, he looked like UT’s best defender against Cal at the very least.
… After finishing my work last night at a little before three in the morning, I’m ready to let the Pac-16 idea die. I don’t really care to do that ever again.
No. 5 – Buy or sell …
BUY or SELL: The Cal loss is worse than the Iowa State loss as this is year three and the talent now on the defensive side of the ball?
(Sell) Texas didn’t even compete in Ames last year.
BUY or SELL: Texas gives up 50+ points again this season?
(Buy) The data suggests that it will happen or nearly happen before the end of week five.
BUY or SELL: Texas will be 2-3 after the OU game? And OB will be in epic meltdown mode?
(Sell) I think Texas recovers from this loss with a win in Stillwater.
BUY or SELL: This loss is more about Texas being out talented by Cal, than it is Texas being outcoached by Cal?
(Sell) Cal does not have superior talent.
BUY or SELL: Brandon Jones forces his way into a starting spot by the bowl game?
(Buy) The sooner, the better.
BUY or SELL: The failure to challenge the critical catch where the Cal receiver clearly did not control the ball through to the ground is on the coaches in the box and not the ones on the field?
(Sell) Where was the replay official and what the hell was he doing?
BUY or SELL: The Big 12 is the worst match-up for a Charlie Strong defense out of all P5 conferences?
(Buy) Almost everyone has a bastard version of a high-powered college offense at the very least.
BUY or SELL: This loss hurt some of UT's recruiting momentum?
(Sell) I don’t think the Cal loss will impact recruiting at all.
BUY or SELL: If Sterlin Gilbert leaves, Charlie doesn't have enough political capital left to get another rebuild year with two new coordinators.
(Sell) It depends on how the rest of the season goes, an element you left out of the wording of your question.
BUY or SELL: Coach Strong is a great evaluator of player talent but a horrible evaluator of coaching talent?
(Buy) Truer words might have never been written.
No. 6 – College Football randomness ...
… Alabama led 48-30 with less than four minutes left in the game and then had to hold on for dear life. Something weird seems to happen late in the fourth quarter with Nick Saban teams.
… Oklahoma was never really in that game against Ohio State. There was just a difference in class on the field in Norman on Saturday night.
… I wonder what the folks on Iowa message boards were saying about Greg Davis this weekend?
… After falling behind 21-7 at Colorado, Michigan went on a 38-7 run to close the game. Jim Harbaugh has something cooking in Ann Arbor.
… Notre Dame is just a team. Nothing will ever wipe away the job Texas fans had in that game, but the shine is somewhat off.
… Kevin Sumlin might just keep his job.
… Lamar Jackson or Teddy Bridgewater? Who you taking as a college player? As good as Bridgewater was as a player, he never looked better than Jackson looked in that destruction of Florida State. My goodness, that team looked awesome on Saturday.
… Stat of the Week: This one leaves a mark.
No. 7 – Dak boy is good!
I just can’t say enough about the kind of revelation Dallas rookie quarterback Dak Prescott has been to this forever pessimistic fan.
After expecting nothing of him when he was drafted, he’s made the 2016 Cowboys season interesting and on Sunday he took it one step further by making it a joyous day in leading the Cowboys from behind in the fourth quarter to win at Washington.
His final line: 22 of 30 for 292 yards, zero turnovers and a 103. 8 rating.
Are you kidding me? I’m just going to enjoy the ride.
No. 8 – Confessions of a fantasy football owner …
**** Warning: NSFW****
No. 9 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
… Scattershooting on week two in the NFL…
A. It wasn’t artistic, but that 19-12 win over the Chiefs counts every bit as much as the pretty ones if you’re the Texans. That was the Brock Osweiler I expected to see in a Houston uniform, but as long as he keeps throwing the ball to Deandre Hopkins, things will be all right.
B. If you’re ever going to travel to play New England on three days rest, Thursday night is the night for the Texans.
C. Fozzy Whittaker rushed for 100 yards against San Francisco and will probably be the lead guy while Jonathan Stewart is out with an injury. Time to pick him up through fantasy waivers.
D. The Giants defense is the real deal.
E. Corey Coleman is a bad dude.
F. Justin Tucker is worth every penny the Ravens pay him.
G. Jameis Winston had the same kind of day on Sunday that his Seminoles had on Saturday.
… Cameron Rupp has 15 home runs this year for the Phillies and 49 RBI.
… The post-season is almost here.
… I paid zero attention to Canelo Alvarez’s fight in Dallas this weekend. It’s either GGG or a snorefest right now.
… Happy 18th birthday, Christian Pulisic. See you at Anfield soon.
… Scattershooting on the Premier League week five …
A. Kevin de Bruyne plays soccer like he’s writing a love sonnet.
B. Oh, Jordan Henderson, I love you.
C. Man City is pretty f’ing good.
D. West Ham looks like a broken team at the moment.
E. Trouble in paradise already, Jose?
No. 10 - And finally …
Must-read from the weekend.
Everything you wrote about Texas was again, spot-on (2 in a row!). I do not know if I care about anything else. That display of "defense" had me beyond upset. I do not think I have even seen a high school team blow so many assignments. Also, why should we not be able to expect, after the first blown assignment, that the defensive backs are set down and their coach goes over how to cover the wheel route and when two receivers switch places as the play develops? And, should they not already know how to do this switch? The defensive backs looked completely lost and the safety was almost always in the middle of the field and not able to help out on either sideline, even when there was no receiver in the middle of the field! I "know" Bedford cannot be this incapable in coaching or is this his idea of how to use defensive backs? Their is zero doubt that Texas Tech defensive backs would have performed better than ours did and what the hell does that say?! That "defense" was inexcusable!!! Is it possible to put Charlie Strong on the spot, and not let him off, until one of you get an answer at his press conference to this joke of a defense? Charlie's remarks, after the game, seem to demonstrate his abject abysmal knowledge of the dumpster fire that is HIS defense.
I am not going to defend the the defensive or offensive game plans because I think they were both flawed, but I think everybody is over reacting a touch. As Alex was saying in the podcast this was a very difficult road game for such a young team, being so far from home and so late ate night. Cal and Davis Webb played extremely well and seemed to have an edge in intensity. This is a good Cal team that lost barely on the road to an San Diego State team with the second longest win streak in the FBS with possibly the best running back. Let's step back and say this might be the best offense we play all year and not quite hit the panic button. Vance Bedford is a solid Coach and doesn't deserve to lose his job over this, but hopefully this will shake him up enough to change is philosophy on playing some of the younger guys. I would have felt much better seeing Brandon Jones, Deshon Elliott, Holton Hill and Kris Boyd making communication-mental errors oppose to watching a group of upper classmen stink it up one last time. No offense to these guys, but Jason Hall, Dylan Haynes and Sheroid Evans can no longer be defended for being on the field as being the leaders of the defense because they are not they are the holes.
The problem was not at qb. He played fine. What worries me is their inability to score td's in the red zone.
Hows this for spin the catch hopkins made that was an instant replayed and ruled a non td which was total bs. Jus that one catch changes his qb rating to an 83. U don't watch hard to judge.
Look this is not complicated. In CS's first year the defense was decent. Of course some of those players are now playing on Sunday. After Mack left and the assistant coaches with him, several DL recruits backed out. So we are thin on experienced DL. The LBs and DBs still do not look good. Many are in their 2nd year. Something is wrong with preparation, scheme and effort. Get it fixed or get a new DC.
Hey, slightly above average is an QB upgrade in Houston and might get them to the cusp of the AFC championship game.
