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Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (It's Prediction Time!)

Not every freshman performs the same.
Obviously players dont play the same... I'm saying it is not a preferable situation as the fanbase we are to have another true frosh thrust into a D1 starlit program which has been struggling... That's a poor argument asking for another guy who has only played in high school situations to come in start, when instead he can take a year and learn from Shane and then possibly push for the job next year.
 
Ok, enough pussyfooting around. It's time to step out onto a ledge and make some predictions.

For the better part of the last nine months, I've hemmed and hawed my way through the off-season, straddling the eight-win mark and unsure as to whether or not I should dare leap into the nine-win territory that so many glass-is-half-full folks have already dared to do. I've wanted to wait and get a read on this team through the August camp and now that it's game week, let's let it all hang out.

Prediction time.

1. The USC game is going to be a major moment in Shane Buechele's career.

The feeling within the program with its starting quarterback is that it has a player it can win with, but there are still questions about how he will respond when the kitchen starts to get a little hot. It's hard not to envision the Texas offense impressing on the stat sheet in the first two games of the season, but that week three game in Los Angeles is the one where we're really going to learn where Buechele is in his development as a college football player. This is his football team as the season begins, but Tom Herman is not going to wait on any of these quarterbacks, which means that if Buechele blinks early in the season, I believe we're going to see true freshman Sam Ehlinger get a chance to make this his team. It's up to Buechele to not blink in Los Angeles and if he pulls it off, I have to believe Herman's confidence and trust will be in the starting to be earned phase.

2. Sam Ehlinger will start a game this season.

It's just a hunch.

3. The running back position is going to be a revolving door all season.

There's enough talent in the running back room to win a lot of games in a lot of ways, but it seems like every single guy under Stan Drayton's watch is living play to play. I can see any number of backs on this team being stars for a day, but I don't see any that I believe will be stars for a season. This will be a week to week position.

4. Collin Johnson will have a very, very good, but not quite an all-world season.

I'm thinking 70 receptions for 1,140 yards and 10 touchdowns. The all-world monster season comes in 2018.

5. The right tackle position is going to frustrate everyone all season.

There just aren't any great answers right now. Cross your fingers and hope that Denzel Okafor can grow up on the fly.

6. Texas loses to USC by 10 points in September, but beats Oklahoma by 10 points in October.

My instincts tell me that this Longhorns team won't be quite ready for primetime in week three, but it will be by the time it gets to Dallas. This is going to be a Texas team that plays its best football down the stretch.

7. Malik Jefferson is an all-Big 12 selection as a junior, but doesn't quite reach all-American level production in what could be his last season in Austin.

This guy is a better football player than he was a year ago and he keeps making steady forward progress, but I'm not sure he's ready to be great yet. It hasn't happened yet.

8. Anthony Wheeler turns out to be the best player on the team that no one was talking about a week before the start of the first game.

I know ... I know ... I know ... I was on the "It's time to give Edwin Freeman some damn respect!" bandwagon a few weeks ago, but in the time that has passed, I've been told time and time again that Wheeler is the guy that will absolutely hold it down for the Longhorns in the middle of the field. Very quietly, he's emerged as a critical player for this team.

9. P.J. Locke has an all-American season.

Tom Herman will call Locke's parents on at least a half-dozen occasions this season to let them know that he's so very happy they got busy and created him when they did.

10. Texas will win nine games.

Even if they lose three of four out of USC, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and TCU, it seems like it comes down to whether you think this team beats West Virginia on the road in late November. I believe the start to the season will be good enough that...

11. Anthony Cook becomes a Longhorn.

So it is said, so let it be written.

No. 2 – A little birdie ...

44988308-Psst-Psst-A-little-birdie-told-me-that-someone-special-wants-this-image--Stock-Vector.jpg


a. The quarterback play was less than inspiring in the final week or so of camp. The efficiency wasn't where it needed to be and there were too many unforced errors. Neither Shane Buechele nor Sam Ehlinger really seized the moment that was allowed due to each other's inconsistency.

b. Going into the season, Buechele has the respect and admiration of his teammates. It hasn't completely translated to success on the field yet going into the season, but this team is all-in on believing in its sophomore quarterback.

c. John Burt started the week with the first-team and ended the week on the second-team. The competition at wide receiver never stops.

d. In the event that anyone was wondering, Connor Williams and Jake McMillon are a cut above everyone else on the offensive line. McMillon might not be on the level of Williams, but he's ahead of the entire rest of the pack.

e. Tristan Nickelson had a frustrating end of camp.

f. Davante Davis has not had the camp he needed to have to push for a prominent role.

g. Naashon Hughes has been rock solid at a minimum every day since camp started. He has not opened the door for Jeffrey McCulloch.

No. 3 – Texas Football Tweet of the Weekend ...

In case anyone missed it over the weekend, these are your captains, folks.



No. 4 – A story to think about with the quarterbacks ...

I've told this story countless times, but I thought in the wake of me expressing caution with the quarterback hyperbole going into the season, it was a good time to re-tell it.

Twenty-three years ago, I was working as an student assistant in the Texas SID office and answering the main phone in the office when John Mackovic walked into the office two days before the Oklahoma game.

The talk all week had been about redshirt freshman James Brown getting his first start in the Red River Classic.

After making small-talk with me for a few moments, Mackovic walked into another side of the office, where he was asked by someone in the SID office how Brown had looked in practice that week.

Mackovic replied that he had no idea what to expect because Brown might have been the worst practice quarterback he'd ever worked with.

Two days later, the legend of James Brown began and nothing that happened in that previous week of practice mattered even a little.

No. 5 – Buy or Sell …

BUY or SELL: First Herman complaint by an OB poster is on or before page 5 of the official Maryland Gameday thread?

(Buy) You know Orangebloods all too well.

BUY or SELL: Shane Buechele throws for 3+ TDs and 250+ yards against Maryland?

(Buy) I think he comes out looking quite sterling in the first two weeks of the season. The third game is the question.

BUY or SELL: The storm gets back over the Gulf by tomorrow night, the rain continues in Houston and east Texas, and all Austin hotel rooms are filled with refugees. Weather is predicted in Austin to include rain, squalls and possible lightning. The UT powers-to-be make the decision to cancel the game on Thursday.

(Sell) I think a cancellation is in the back of everyone's mind, but at this point I think the game will be played.

BUY or SELL: Tim Beck is a better play-caller in 2017 than Sterlin Gilbert was in 2016?

(Buy) Tim Beck is better than Sterlin Gilbert, at least at this side by side point in both of their careers.

BUY or SELL: Texas makes a positive wow play on special teams Saturday?

(Buy) The quickest way for this team to be much better than a season ago is in this third phase of the game and I'm expecting at least one game-one set of fireworks. At least one.

No. 6 – Stop what you're doing and watch this...

This is such a touching, personal moment that I almost feel like I'm intruding, but I'd hug Marquise Goodwin if I could.



No. 7 – Floyd Mayweather's signature moment...

So many thoughts running through my mind in the aftermath of Mayweather/McGregor on Saturday night, but the primary one might be whether the surreal nature of this particular proceeding allowed for one of boxing's all-time greatest champions to create a standout moment in what has been a dominant, but boring career.

Whatever Saturday night was, it sure as hell wasn't boring. The fact that the night ended with a surging Mayweather knocking out McGregor (in a premature stoppage by the ref, but whatever) in what will be his final fight created optics that he's aimed for over the last decade. Out of his 50 pro fights, this is going to be the one we remember over all the rest.

It's kind of hard to process what that means, but it seems real.

While I'm scattershooting on the fight ...

a. In his first pro boxing fight, McGregor went 10 rounds with the greatest boxer of an entire generation. While he was about to go down, he never actually hit the canvass. In fact, I had him down by a round going into the 10th (I gave him the first three rounds). He landed more punches in fewer rounds than Manny Pacquiao did and landed more punches per round than Canelo Alvarez. He proved to be a muse for Mayweather's most interesting fight. Call it a moral victory if you want, but McGregor was a winner on Saturday night.

b. McGregor had two big issues - stamina over 12 rounds and the fact that he hasn't yet figured out how to transfer his MMA power into boxing power.

c. Personally, I wasn't overly impressed with Mayweather, regardless of the rare finish. This isn't the same guy that dominated guys like Miguel Cotto and Alvarez. Rather than outclass him from the start, the gameplan was to wait for McGregor's legs to fail him. I'm not saying it's not smart, I'm saying it's not the most impressive set of optics. It's time to step away when it takes him 10 rounds to finish off a novice to the sport.

d. Things I missed in this fight: Jim Lampley, Roy Jones, Joe Rogan, a Buffer brother and Herb Dean/Big John McCarthy. I thought Showtime's coverage of the fight was garbage at every single turn outside of Paulie Malignaggi.

e. My favorite moment of the fight might have been when the referee lectured McGregor like an eight-year old in the middle of the ring.

No. 8 – Five more sports things ...

... I am completely unprepared for my upcoming fantasy football drafts.

... The Cowboys look like a team that is going to hug the .500 line all season long. I just don't think the personnel on defense is good enough.

... Dustin Johnson straight did the damn thing on the 18th hole and in sudden death against Jordan Spieth on Sunday. Props.

... EPL Weekend thoughts in a paragraph: Liverpool game me the warm and fuzzies on Sunday. The front three of Sadio Mane, Bobby Firmino and Mo Salah play some damn beautiful football. Extra-time has not been kind to the Spurs the last two weeks. Yikes. Mike Dean personally handed Man City two points on a platter. Man United continues to look like championship material.

... I just can't do the Little League World Series.

No. 9 – Game of Thrones Review: Season 7 (The Season Finale)...

c9lzmv4d3mgzpnyntz7s.jpg


Three predictions for tonight: The Wall comes down (duh). Dany and Jon get down. Sansa plays a role in Arya's death.

Ok, let's do this. Our final episode for the next 18 months or so.

*SPOILER ALERT!*

*SPOILER ALERT!*

*SPOILER ALERT!*

a. The Hound just has to poke the hornet's nest.

b. It's REUNION NIGHT!!!!

c. When you have dragons, you can make one hell of an entrance at parties.

d. LOL @ Euron. Dude just flat out bounced back to his islands. That might be the smartest ting anyone has ever done on this show.

e. Cersei Lannister did the right thing for the apparent right reason. Holy hell, I really didn't see that coming.

f. Wait, so Sansa went from punking Littlefinger to listening to his every word? That doesn't make sense.

g. That Theon/Jon scene was pretty powerful stuff.

h. The Theron redemption story continues on!

i. Chaos is a ladder... right up until Arya Stark cuts your throat.

j. So much for Cersei doing the right thing for the right reasons. That's our girl.

k. Well, I got one prediction right. Incest really is the worst of the problems the people in this show are dealing with. Let love be love.

l. That's not an Ice Dragon, that's Ice-Zilla!!!!!!

Oh, the wait until next season is going to be brutal.

*END OF SPOILER ALERT!*

*END OF SPOILER ALERT!*

*END OF SPOILER ALERT!*

No. 10 – And finally …

The state of Texas has been under attack all weekend at the hands of Mother Nature and there are so many lives that have been turned upside down. In this day and age of non-stop political battling, it has warmed my heart all weekend to see people go all out for their fellow man. It's a reminder that we're all on the same team.

God bless the state of Texas and all of its people.

We'll get through this together.


Floyd is no doubt one of the most talented people to ever enter the boxing ring, but the only defining moments he has ever had were going to prison, getting out of prison and fat signing day checks. THe reason this will be the fight everyone remembers is because every fight he has fought was the same- boring. Forget his boxing skills what he should be known as is one of the best marketing people in the world. How he got people to spend $700m on a fight that 100% of the people already new the beginning, middle and end to is beyond comprehension.
 
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Oh come on Wiz, go take a wiz. I'm not saying our offense was perfect by any means, but Shane wasn't the reason we were losing games last season. That offense (Baylor's offense basically) is about as simple simon as it comes. You have basically one read and that's all. Well, by the end of the season all the teams had taken the deep ball and the middle routes off the table. All we had left was the horizontal or flat routes or we could run the football (which is what we did). Shane was not our problem last season. To say otherwise is nonsense. Was the perfect? No, but for being thrown out there as an 18 year old true freshman with a make shift oline, (that held together as best as it could) he did pretty damn well. And I won't even begin to remind you of our defensive woes...Shane is going to do great this year and you and Ketch will never hear the end of it. Because people will remind you guys daily how little faith you've shown in Shane.

The data doesn't support your position.

I've been very clear about my feelings on our QB situation. This whole "you don't like Shane" monster has been manufactured by the group that requires blind faith (despite the data and film not supporting it 100%) in Buechele being the best option at his position for the next three years. It is similar in nature to the mob mentality with Charlie Strong and Tyrone Swoopes.

I assumed we'd all be mature enough to consider alternate outcomes, but I guess I still haven't learned my lesson. That's on me, not the mob.
 
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That's absolutely BS and you know it. There is no way their DB's (most all freshman by the way) that shut down or offset our physical advantage. You obviously don't know much about OSU's defense.

A) their two starting safeties are seniors, the corners are a sophomore and RS freshman.

B) Shane had a 59.4 QBR against OSU last season. Texas was held to 6 points over the final 37 minutes of play.

But I'm willing to learn all you'll teach me about their defense.
 
Obviously players dont play the same... I'm saying it is not a preferable situation as the fanbase we are to have another true frosh thrust into a D1 starlit program which has been struggling... That's a poor argument asking for another guy who has only played in high school situations to come in start, when instead he can take a year and learn from Shane and then possibly push for the job next year.

If you think he can compete for QB1 next season, don't you want him to get experience so you aren't sitting here next August saying, "the kid who might be better than his competitor is hindered because we didn't get him experience last year."
 
Tom Herman is the head coach. Let us all have growing faith in his decisions. Give absolute support to every player he sends onto the field wearing burnt orange. For they represent all of us and We Are Texas !!!!
 
A) their two starting safeties are seniors, the corners are a sophomore and RS freshman.

B) Shane had a 59.4 QBR against OSU last season. Texas was held to 6 points over the final 37 minutes of play.

But I'm willing to learn all you'll teach me about their defense.

@DKR-3rings is there a sign up sheet for the OSU defense class?
 
I think we are talking to different narratives. On the macro level, I think we can improve the team performance colllectively in ways that will positively impact the W/L record. At the micro level, offensively, I'm worried that certain defenses on the schedule will be able to contain an offense that needs numbers leverage to run the ball.

And I think both of those beliefs can coexist.

How many of those defenses do you see on the schedule, and is this issue not factored in the predictions in the 8/9 win range? If an offense couldn't be contained, and is combined with a good defense, (which I believe will happen), we'd be talking the Championship game, no?
 
Then guy came is 40 coming off a two year retirement lol. Floyd didn't box the first 3 rounds.

I usually don't agree with Xbee, but Floyd put on a clinic. What did he throw 20 something punches in the 1st 3 rounds? You think that was because of the dominance of McGregor, lol. Not once did Conor phase Floyd and at the end of the bout, Conor landed a total of 26% of his punches and Floyd was at 53%...typical Floyd fight, he played the 29 year old Conor like a 40 year old fiddle. Nothing Conor did was impressive actually and those first 3 or 4 rounds that Floyd was feeling him out, Conor rarely, if ever landed anything significant, everything was glancing or off Floyds gloves, complete dominance by Floyd with a perfectly constructed plan.
 
I usually don't agree with Xbee, but Floyd put on a clinic. What did he throw 20 something punches in the 1st 3 rounds? You think that was because of the dominance of McGregor, lol. Not once did Conor phase Floyd and at the end of the bout, Conor landed a total of 26% of his punches and Floyd was at 53%...typical Floyd fight, he played the 29 year old Conor like a 40 year old fiddle. Nothing Conor did was impressive actually and those first 3 or 4 rounds that Floyd was feeling him out, Conor rarely, if ever landed anything significant, everything was glancing or off Floyds gloves, complete dominance by Floyd with a perfectly constructed plan.
Why don't you ever agree with me?!
 
How many of those defenses do you see on the schedule, and is this issue not factored in the predictions in the 8/9 win range? If an offense couldn't be contained, and is combined with a good defense, (which I believe will happen), we'd be talking the Championship game, no?

4-5 defenses will make us beat them with execution (rather than just speed/strength).
 
Ok, enough pussyfooting around. It's time to step out onto a ledge and make some predictions.

For the better part of the last nine months, I've hemmed and hawed my way through the off-season, straddling the eight-win mark and unsure as to whether or not I should dare leap into the nine-win territory that so many glass-is-half-full folks have already dared to do. I've wanted to wait and get a read on this team through the August camp and now that it's game week, let's let it all hang out.

Prediction time.

1. The USC game is going to be a major moment in Shane Buechele's career.

The feeling within the program with its starting quarterback is that it has a player it can win with, but there are still questions about how he will respond when the kitchen starts to get a little hot. It's hard not to envision the Texas offense impressing on the stat sheet in the first two games of the season, but that week three game in Los Angeles is the one where we're really going to learn where Buechele is in his development as a college football player. This is his football team as the season begins, but Tom Herman is not going to wait on any of these quarterbacks, which means that if Buechele blinks early in the season, I believe we're going to see true freshman Sam Ehlinger get a chance to make this his team. It's up to Buechele to not blink in Los Angeles and if he pulls it off, I have to believe Herman's confidence and trust will be in the starting to be earned phase.

2. Sam Ehlinger will start a game this season.

It's just a hunch.

3. The running back position is going to be a revolving door all season.

There's enough talent in the running back room to win a lot of games in a lot of ways, but it seems like every single guy under Stan Drayton's watch is living play to play. I can see any number of backs on this team being stars for a day, but I don't see any that I believe will be stars for a season. This will be a week to week position.

4. Collin Johnson will have a very, very good, but not quite an all-world season.

I'm thinking 70 receptions for 1,140 yards and 10 touchdowns. The all-world monster season comes in 2018.

5. The right tackle position is going to frustrate everyone all season.

There just aren't any great answers right now. Cross your fingers and hope that Denzel Okafor can grow up on the fly.

6. Texas loses to USC by 10 points in September, but beats Oklahoma by 10 points in October.

My instincts tell me that this Longhorns team won't be quite ready for primetime in week three, but it will be by the time it gets to Dallas. This is going to be a Texas team that plays its best football down the stretch.

7. Malik Jefferson is an all-Big 12 selection as a junior, but doesn't quite reach all-American level production in what could be his last season in Austin.

This guy is a better football player than he was a year ago and he keeps making steady forward progress, but I'm not sure he's ready to be great yet. It hasn't happened yet.

8. Anthony Wheeler turns out to be the best player on the team that no one was talking about a week before the start of the first game.

I know ... I know ... I know ... I was on the "It's time to give Edwin Freeman some damn respect!" bandwagon a few weeks ago, but in the time that has passed, I've been told time and time again that Wheeler is the guy that will absolutely hold it down for the Longhorns in the middle of the field. Very quietly, he's emerged as a critical player for this team.

9. P.J. Locke has an all-American season.

Tom Herman will call Locke's parents on at least a half-dozen occasions this season to let them know that he's so very happy they got busy and created him when they did.

10. Texas will win nine games.

Even if they lose three of four out of USC, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and TCU, it seems like it comes down to whether you think this team beats West Virginia on the road in late November. I believe the start to the season will be good enough that...

11. Anthony Cook becomes a Longhorn.

So it is said, so let it be written.

No. 2 – A little birdie ...

44988308-Psst-Psst-A-little-birdie-told-me-that-someone-special-wants-this-image--Stock-Vector.jpg


a. The quarterback play was less than inspiring in the final week or so of camp. The efficiency wasn't where it needed to be and there were too many unforced errors. Neither Shane Buechele nor Sam Ehlinger really seized the moment that was allowed due to each other's inconsistency.

b. Going into the season, Buechele has the respect and admiration of his teammates. It hasn't completely translated to success on the field yet going into the season, but this team is all-in on believing in its sophomore quarterback.

c. John Burt started the week with the first-team and ended the week on the second-team. The competition at wide receiver never stops.

d. In the event that anyone was wondering, Connor Williams and Jake McMillon are a cut above everyone else on the offensive line. McMillon might not be on the level of Williams, but he's ahead of the entire rest of the pack.

e. Tristan Nickelson had a frustrating end of camp.

f. Davante Davis has not had the camp he needed to have to push for a prominent role.

g. Naashon Hughes has been rock solid at a minimum every day since camp started. He has not opened the door for Jeffrey McCulloch.

No. 3 – Texas Football Tweet of the Weekend ...

In case anyone missed it over the weekend, these are your captains, folks.



No. 4 – A story to think about with the quarterbacks ...

I've told this story countless times, but I thought in the wake of me expressing caution with the quarterback hyperbole going into the season, it was a good time to re-tell it.

Twenty-three years ago, I was working as an student assistant in the Texas SID office and answering the main phone in the office when John Mackovic walked into the office two days before the Oklahoma game.

The talk all week had been about redshirt freshman James Brown getting his first start in the Red River Classic.

After making small-talk with me for a few moments, Mackovic walked into another side of the office, where he was asked by someone in the SID office how Brown had looked in practice that week.

Mackovic replied that he had no idea what to expect because Brown might have been the worst practice quarterback he'd ever worked with.

Two days later, the legend of James Brown began and nothing that happened in that previous week of practice mattered even a little.

No. 5 – Buy or Sell …

BUY or SELL: First Herman complaint by an OB poster is on or before page 5 of the official Maryland Gameday thread?

(Buy) You know Orangebloods all too well.

BUY or SELL: Shane Buechele throws for 3+ TDs and 250+ yards against Maryland?

(Buy) I think he comes out looking quite sterling in the first two weeks of the season. The third game is the question.

BUY or SELL: The storm gets back over the Gulf by tomorrow night, the rain continues in Houston and east Texas, and all Austin hotel rooms are filled with refugees. Weather is predicted in Austin to include rain, squalls and possible lightning. The UT powers-to-be make the decision to cancel the game on Thursday.

(Sell) I think a cancellation is in the back of everyone's mind, but at this point I think the game will be played.

BUY or SELL: Tim Beck is a better play-caller in 2017 than Sterlin Gilbert was in 2016?

(Buy) Tim Beck is better than Sterlin Gilbert, at least at this side by side point in both of their careers.

BUY or SELL: Texas makes a positive wow play on special teams Saturday?

(Buy) The quickest way for this team to be much better than a season ago is in this third phase of the game and I'm expecting at least one game-one set of fireworks. At least one.

No. 6 – Stop what you're doing and watch this...

This is such a touching, personal moment that I almost feel like I'm intruding, but I'd hug Marquise Goodwin if I could.



No. 7 – Floyd Mayweather's signature moment...

So many thoughts running through my mind in the aftermath of Mayweather/McGregor on Saturday night, but the primary one might be whether the surreal nature of this particular proceeding allowed for one of boxing's all-time greatest champions to create a standout moment in what has been a dominant, but boring career.

Whatever Saturday night was, it sure as hell wasn't boring. The fact that the night ended with a surging Mayweather knocking out McGregor (in a premature stoppage by the ref, but whatever) in what will be his final fight created optics that he's aimed for over the last decade. Out of his 50 pro fights, this is going to be the one we remember over all the rest.

It's kind of hard to process what that means, but it seems real.

While I'm scattershooting on the fight ...

a. In his first pro boxing fight, McGregor went 10 rounds with the greatest boxer of an entire generation. While he was about to go down, he never actually hit the canvass. In fact, I had him down by a round going into the 10th (I gave him the first three rounds). He landed more punches in fewer rounds than Manny Pacquiao did and landed more punches per round than Canelo Alvarez. He proved to be a muse for Mayweather's most interesting fight. Call it a moral victory if you want, but McGregor was a winner on Saturday night.

b. McGregor had two big issues - stamina over 12 rounds and the fact that he hasn't yet figured out how to transfer his MMA power into boxing power.

c. Personally, I wasn't overly impressed with Mayweather, regardless of the rare finish. This isn't the same guy that dominated guys like Miguel Cotto and Alvarez. Rather than outclass him from the start, the gameplan was to wait for McGregor's legs to fail him. I'm not saying it's not smart, I'm saying it's not the most impressive set of optics. It's time to step away when it takes him 10 rounds to finish off a novice to the sport.

d. Things I missed in this fight: Jim Lampley, Roy Jones, Joe Rogan, a Buffer brother and Herb Dean/Big John McCarthy. I thought Showtime's coverage of the fight was garbage at every single turn outside of Paulie Malignaggi.

e. My favorite moment of the fight might have been when the referee lectured McGregor like an eight-year old in the middle of the ring.

No. 8 – Five more sports things ...

... I am completely unprepared for my upcoming fantasy football drafts.

... The Cowboys look like a team that is going to hug the .500 line all season long. I just don't think the personnel on defense is good enough.

... Dustin Johnson straight did the damn thing on the 18th hole and in sudden death against Jordan Spieth on Sunday. Props.

... EPL Weekend thoughts in a paragraph: Liverpool game me the warm and fuzzies on Sunday. The front three of Sadio Mane, Bobby Firmino and Mo Salah play some damn beautiful football. Extra-time has not been kind to the Spurs the last two weeks. Yikes. Mike Dean personally handed Man City two points on a platter. Man United continues to look like championship material.

... I just can't do the Little League World Series.

No. 9 – Game of Thrones Review: Season 7 (The Season Finale)...

c9lzmv4d3mgzpnyntz7s.jpg


Three predictions for tonight: The Wall comes down (duh). Dany and Jon get down. Sansa plays a role in Arya's death.

Ok, let's do this. Our final episode for the next 18 months or so.

*SPOILER ALERT!*

*SPOILER ALERT!*

*SPOILER ALERT!*

a. The Hound just has to poke the hornet's nest.

b. It's REUNION NIGHT!!!!

c. When you have dragons, you can make one hell of an entrance at parties.

d. LOL @ Euron. Dude just flat out bounced back to his islands. That might be the smartest ting anyone has ever done on this show.

e. Cersei Lannister did the right thing for the apparent right reason. Holy hell, I really didn't see that coming.

f. Wait, so Sansa went from punking Littlefinger to listening to his every word? That doesn't make sense.

g. That Theon/Jon scene was pretty powerful stuff.

h. The Theron redemption story continues on!

i. Chaos is a ladder... right up until Arya Stark cuts your throat.

j. So much for Cersei doing the right thing for the right reasons. That's our girl.

k. Well, I got one prediction right. Incest really is the worst of the problems the people in this show are dealing with. Let love be love.

l. That's not an Ice Dragon, that's Ice-Zilla!!!!!!

Oh, the wait until next season is going to be brutal.

*END OF SPOILER ALERT!*

*END OF SPOILER ALERT!*

*END OF SPOILER ALERT!*

No. 10 – And finally …

The state of Texas has been under attack all weekend at the hands of Mother Nature and there are so many lives that have been turned upside down. In this day and age of non-stop political battling, it has warmed my heart all weekend to see people go all out for their fellow man. It's a reminder that we're all on the same team.

God bless the state of Texas and all of its people.

We'll get through this together.
Great piece, Ketch. Especially the Goodwin and "God bless Texas and the U.S." video. Spent most of my life growing up in Houston, and now all of the houses I grew up in are underwater. I just can't wrap my brain around the devastation. It's surreal. I am 3 states away now but my heart is heavy and I pray for friends and family that are there throughout the day. My heart pours out to those in this catastrophe. I am constantly checking my phone for texts from people I haven't been able to reach. It puts life into perspective and keeps the important stuff important, and then everything else. God bless you all back home and I will keep praying for every one impacted by the storm. God bless, and Hook 'me!
 
4-5 defenses will make us beat them with execution (rather than just speed/strength).

Are you counting OU in that number? I'm thinking not since you discounted them in your earlier post, but I'm having a hard time coming up with 5 without them. USC, OSU, TCU.... who am I missing that concerns you? KSU or WV?
 
Are you counting OU in that number? I'm thinking not since you discounted them in your earlier post, but I'm having a hard time coming up with 5 without them. USC, OSU, TCU.... who am I missing that concerns you? KSU or WV?

Concern might not be the word I'd use. I think we'll be be able to find success against some of those defenses. My point was that a) there are a few teams that we can't just line up and beat because we are bigger/faster/stronger and b) those defenses play pretty efficient as top line units (as evidence by the data). WV and KSU were both top 35 defenses last season.
 
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I usually don't agree with Xbee, but Floyd put on a clinic. What did he throw 20 something punches in the 1st 3 rounds? You think that was because of the dominance of McGregor, lol. Not once did Conor phase Floyd and at the end of the bout, Conor landed a total of 26% of his punches and Floyd was at 53%...typical Floyd fight, he played the 29 year old Conor like a 40 year old fiddle. Nothing Conor did was impressive actually and those first 3 or 4 rounds that Floyd was feeling him out, Conor rarely, if ever landed anything significant, everything was glancing or off Floyds gloves, complete dominance by Floyd with a perfectly constructed plan.
ok. It was a 10-round clinic against a novice. Gotcha.
 
Great piece, Ketch. Especially the Goodwin and "God bless Texas and the U.S." video. Spent most of my life growing up in Houston, and now all of the houses I grew up in are underwater. I just can't wrap my brain around the devastation. It's surreal. I am 3 states away now but my heart is heavy and I pray for friends and family that are there throughout the day. My heart pours out to those in this catastrophe. I am constantly checking my phone for texts from people I haven't been able to reach. It puts life into perspective and keeps the important stuff important, and then everything else. God bless you all back home and I will keep praying for every one impacted by the storm. God bless, and Hook 'me!
Thanks for the kind words. We'll get through this together.
 
It's not when you find yourself wondering why people respect the Horned Frogs so much.

Anybody who respects the horn frogs for dominating Texas is a fool.

Texas was basically a blind 3rd grader getting beat up by the scrawny 5th grader.

It is not something to brag about.

Our magnificent victory was against the 4-8 Domers.
 
ok. It was a 10-round clinic against a novice. Gotcha.

A 29 year old "novice" in his physical prime vs a 40 year old who came out of retirement after 2 years. Dude per usual you are reaching to make an ignorant point, similarly to your dumbass rants on Twitter. The fight going 10 rounds is zero indication of Conor's skill or ability, Floyd controlled the entire fight per usual and obviously stuck to his plan.

It's time to step away because Floyd is 40, 50-0 and nothing more to prove. When your opponent throws 400+ punches and lands 26%, that in which never once stunned or phased Mayweather and Floyd landed 53% of his 300+ punches, that's domination, that's what Floyd does to everyone, and when Floyd started truly boxing and finding his angles it was over. You might want to trade in those boxing spectator "optics" your lens seems to be quite out of focus.

"Our game plan was to take our time, go to him, let him shoot his shots early and then take him out down the stretch,” said the 40-year-old Mayweather
 
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If you think he can compete for QB1 next season, don't you want him to get experience so you aren't sitting here next August saying, "the kid who might be better than his competitor is hindered because we didn't get him experience last year."

I think the smart move is to play Ehlinger early and often this year to make sure we have depth at QB down the line this year should Buechelle get hurt. We would then go into next year with 2 experienced QB's and possibly redshirt both Thompson and Rising to get some separation.
I expect to see Sam play in the opener unless we are in a dog fight.
 
A 29 year old "novice" in his physical prime vs a 40 year old who came out of retirement after 2 years. Dude per usual you are reaching to make an ignorant point, similarly to your dumbass rants on Twitter. The fight going 10 rounds is zero indication of Conor's skill or ability, Floyd controlled the entire fight per usual and obviously stuck to his plan.
Let';s
It's time to step away because Floyd is 40, 50-0 and nothing more to prove. When your opponent throws 400+ punches and lands 26%, that in which never once stunned or phased Mayweather and Floyd landed 53% of his 300+ punches, that's domination, that's what Floyd does to everyone, and when Floyd started truly boxing and finding his angles it was over. You might want to trade in those boxing spectator "optics" your lens seems to be quite out of focus.

"Our game plan was to take our time, go to him, let him shoot his shots early and then take him out down the stretch,” said the 40-year-old Mayweather
Novice is novice. Let's not pretend that he didn't bring a 0-0 record into that fight as a boxer.
 
Anybody who respects the horn frogs for dominating Texas is a fool.

Texas was basically a blind 3rd grader getting beat up by the scrawny 5th grader.

It is not something to brag about.

Our magnificent victory was against the 4-8 Domers.
Any Texas fan that doesn't respect TCU at this point isn't far from fool status.
 
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We report what is happening.

p.s. - Anwar never said that Swoopes was good. That's not what the reporting was based on.
He did say in the QB race Swoopes was ahead and it was not even close. Well we know how that turned out.

Stop cutting Buechele short. He is going to be very good. Also regarding Cook to be a Longhorn you might want to tell that to Suchomel as he still has him as a Buckeye.
 
If you think he can compete for QB1 next season, don't you want him to get experience so you aren't sitting here next August saying, "the kid who might be better than his competitor is hindered because we didn't get him experience last year."
I'm not saying he shouldn't play at all, I'm saying if he's thrust into the starting role it will be because our starter is playing poorly OR he's gotten hurt. Get him experience by all means, up big on Maryland and SJS or something like that.
 
He did say in the QB race Swoopes was ahead and it was not even close. Well we know how that turned out.

Stop cutting Buechele short. He is going to be very good. Also regarding Cook to be a Longhorn you might want to tell that to Suchomel as he still has him as a Buckeye.
This is where accuracy and context matters.

a. He didn't say Swoopes was ahead and it was not even close.

His incredibly high-level source said that. Anwar actually said he didn't really believe it and noted in that very report that he wasn't advocating such a decision.

b. I'm not cutting Buechele short. I have said he has Heisman finalist upside. Yet, that truth doesn't fit the narrative you've created in your mind.
 
This is where accuracy and context matters.

a. He didn't say Swoopes was ahead and it was not even close.

His incredibly high-level source said that. Anwar actually said he didn't really believe it and noted in that very report that he wasn't advocating such a decision.

b. I'm not cutting Buechele short. I have said he has Heisman finalist upside. Yet, that truth doesn't fit the narrative you've created in your mind.[/QUO
TE]

Anwar reported it just as I said in my previous post. THere is no such narrative. You are making shit up. You have been negative about Buechele for several weeks.
 
His incredibly high-level source said that. Anwar actually said he didn't really believe it and noted in that very report that he wasn't advocating such a decision.

I've been saying that ever since @Anwar Richardson dropped that nugget but nobody wants to hear that. Damn shame his source fed him a line of bullsh*t for whatever reason. Too many folks still want to hollar at him for it.
 
I've been saying that ever since @Anwar Richardson dropped that nugget but nobody wants to hear that. Damn shame his source fed him a line of bullsh*t for whatever reason. Too many folks still want to hollar at him for it.
Anwar caught a lot of hell over his statement whether his source told him that or not. If he did not believe it why did he report it to us? If I did not have faith in my source I would keep it to myself. Anwar is a good reporter but he won't ever live that one down just like Ketch will not live down 85%.
 
@DKR-3rings is there a sign up sheet for the OSU defense class?

Oh please smart ass, they were ranked 106 in total defense last season. I don't think our receivers are too worried about being shut down by them. They have 3 of their 4 corner's with little or no experience. We had 568 yards of total offense against them last year and Shane was 21 of 33 for 239 with 1 TD and 1 pick. I wouldn't say those were shut down type numbers for a defense. Good Lord, you act like they are Alabama. Nobody, and I mean nobody in the Big 12 has a defense capable of shutting down our receivers by their Physicality. That's a joke to even say that. Surely you're better than that...
 
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Anwar caught a lot of hell over his statement whether his source told him that or not. If he did not believe it why did he report it to us? If I did not have faith in my source I would keep it to myself. Anwar is a good reporter but he won't ever live that one down just like Ketch will not live down 85%.

If a source has been good (just speculating) then you go with it. It's not as if @Anwar Richardson and the rest of the staff were privy to hours and hours of watching fall practice. Honestly, not sure why some can't move past it.
 
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