Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (Let's have an honest talk about where things stand...)
- Thread starter Ketchum
- Start date
Herman is hard nose. He thinks winning football means tough football, and so that's the By-God-Way it will
be played at Texas. When that way works, it earns legend status (Alabama, long-ago Texas A&M)..when
the recruits can't live up to it, all the positions suffer. Sam is plenty good enough, but he's in a constipated (for him)
system that does not adjust well to on-board personnel. Often the players on the field are the toughest, not the best.
I'm always amazed at the speed and athleticism of our opponents, wondering where our similar players are..
Well, they're sitting on the sidelines because they are not Herman tough, they're only gifted. He desperately needs
to hire coaches who will stand up to his dogma...not likely to happen.
be played at Texas. When that way works, it earns legend status (Alabama, long-ago Texas A&M)..when
the recruits can't live up to it, all the positions suffer. Sam is plenty good enough, but he's in a constipated (for him)
system that does not adjust well to on-board personnel. Often the players on the field are the toughest, not the best.
I'm always amazed at the speed and athleticism of our opponents, wondering where our similar players are..
Well, they're sitting on the sidelines because they are not Herman tough, they're only gifted. He desperately needs
to hire coaches who will stand up to his dogma...not likely to happen.
We have been hungover the last two times for this game.
Of course, huge mistakes in both played a part.
The assistants are on one year contracts. All CDC has to do is not approve new ones. I wouldn’t underestimate CDC.
@Ketchum Whatever happen to Duane Akina? Does UT still have a good relationship with him as a possibility to return? When he was our DB coach we always had All pro CB, Safeties and our special teams were the best in nation for blocked kicks and TD returns.
It’s so disappointing to see our 4 and 5 star CB, safeties not developing into elite future NFL prospects.
It’s so disappointing to see our 4 and 5 star CB, safeties not developing into elite future NFL prospects.
@Ketchum I agree with most of what you said, but I have to wonder, is the head coaching job at Texas as great as we all think it is? I mean it seems to me that if it were, why did we make the last two hires we did. The only thing with that is hindsight is always 20/20. But I have to wonder are we making this job more or at least better than it really is. Maybe we are just looking through burnt orange glasses. Maybe Im just bummed and pissed right now.
Before we get very far into this column, let's make sure we stress a very important point - no one is screaming "Fire!" in a crowded theater.
That's not to say that there's not currently a fire in the theater because there is. We can all see the flames.
We're just not going to panic. If there's anything we've all become accustomed to over the last decade it’s damn fires inside the theater of the Texas football program. Basically, we've all unknowingly become volunteer fire-fighters without ever meaning to do so. So, instead of acting like a bunch of rookies, we're going to exit the current 6-4 theater like a bunch of professionals that have been around a fire or 10 as followers of all things burnt orange.
So, let's talk about the fire with the understanding that because we all survived Charlie Strong, we can survive anything.
We good? We ready? Everyone got their favorite beverage handy?
With two regular-season games to go in the 2019 season, the Longhorns are 6-4 and unlikely to play another game this season that the rest of the nation pays any attention to. A 7-5 record feels like a very real possibility. So is 8-4. So is 6-6.
The bottom line is that Tom Herman wasn't hired to be 6-4 in his third season in charge of things, let alone a 6-4 team that lacks the kind of discipline that should carry it across the weekly finish line against average football teams or a team that has so few definitive positive things occurring inside of it that not a single assistant coach has any legitimate job security heading into the off-season.
Three years into this thing and heading into year four, there are three elephants in the room that need be addressed.
1. There will be staff changes in the off-season.
Change is coming. It's just a matter of how much change takes place. Herman has prided himself on having staff continuity, but that's only a good thing if each member of the staff is performing at an elite level. Otherwise, you're just bringing back the same average power five coaches from the previous year with your fingers crossed that everything we're all seeing with the naked eye isn't true.
Whatever changes Herman makes to his staff, he should probably understand the stakes involved. Chris Del Conte and all of the various support systems in place will make sure that Herman has as much money as he needs to hire whomever Herman identifies as the group of people that can help flip the momentum back towards Herman's favor.
Here's the deal though ... you only get to do this once at a place like Texas. You get one get out of jail card, unless you have a mountain of accomplishments and goodwill stored up. Rarely do you get a third chance to correct one of the truly critical decisions you're tasked with making as the CEO of a college football program that pays more than six million per year for elite-level production and decision-making.
2. Herman has lost some of the Texas fan base
Del Conte and other Texas athletic officials will beg Texas fans to hold the rope and maintain full belief in Herman, pointing to injuries as the biggest reason for this season's problems.
The problem is that if you have actually taken the time to watch the team play all season, you'll know that it's incredibly disingenuous to suggest that injuries have been a bigger problem than the litany of other issues that exist, from terrible game-management to poor preparation to one confounding dumb action/decision after another.
While the majority of the Texas fan base will continue to hope that Herman grows into the coach he was hired to be, I'd suggest that a majority of Texas fans will also be taking a wait-and-see attitude going into year four and very little tolerance will exist if another wasted season occurs. It's a group that has seen the banana-in-the-tailpipe trick far too many times to voluntarily sign up for a repeat affair if it feels like it’s been to the circus and seen that kind of show before.
In the meantime, the type of Texas fan that patrols the Internet is likely going to be pretty cranky until the pain goes away.
It's going to be a tense next 10 months or so.
3. Recruiting is going to be tricky
A couple of months ago, Herman owned 2020/2021 recruiting at levels that have been rarely seen in the history of the state.
A lot of that was connected to the positive outlook following a Sugar Bowl win in January, but the failures of this season will create some doubt in the championship message that Herman and his staff have been selling since he arrived. As long as Herman's project is on an upward trajectory, the recruiting was always going to be outstanding.
That the momentum is mostly dead and there are serious questions about the trajectory of the program will make things more complicated moving forward.
Every school that recruits against Texas will point to the questionable trajectory and the fact that Herman could be coaching for his Texas career in 2020 as its main talking point against the Longhorns in recruiting.
Making things more problematic is that Herman is still competing against the most competitive recruiting landscape I've seen in 25 years of covering recruiting in the state of Texas. Oklahoma and Texas A&M will continue to be major thorns in UT's side, but LSU's rise this season will make the Tigers a much bigger problem in 2021 recruiting.
While the Longhorns could still sign a top-10 class in 2020 and have a tremendous start in 2021, things are about to get much tougher.
To put it frankly, the worst thing that can happen for the Longhorns in recruiting is for seeds of doubt to be successfully planted in the minds of the best prospects in the state of Texas because that's the kind of thing that can't be fixed overnight. It'll take the type of wins that Texas hasn't had at all this season and if those types of wins don't occur in 2020 pretty quickly (see at LSU and Vs. Oklahoma), Herman could find himself in real trouble.
Overall, we're suddenly at a critical moment in Herman's tenure. This isn't gossip. This isn't overreacting. This is real talk.
Herman has a huge contract that the school will hesitate to ever have to swallow, but that contract cannot and will not protect him from the court of public opinion, both with supporters and recruits.
We can all see the fire, so don't bother trying to argue that the only thing that's on fire is the candle that was lit to light up the room.
Everyone around here knows what a program in flames looks like. Herman's program isn't in out of control flames, but a call to the fire department is about to be made and we can all see it.
No. 2 - Let's talk about Sam ...
No one has been a bigger supporter of Sam Ehlinger than I have. At times, I've probably been too eager of a hype man.
Yet, with two games remaining in his junior season, it's time to make a confession of sorts - Ehlinger hasn't been as good as most of us thought he would be.
The expectation for Ehlinger is that he would take the next step in his progression this season, which would make him an elite-level college player, but that hasn't really come close to happening.
A year ago, Ehlinger posted a 146.8 quarterback efficiency number. This year? Through 10 games, he's at 150.8, which ranks behind Baylor's Charlie Brewer and Iowa State's Brock Purdy. In fact, Ehlinger is currently tied with Texas Tech's Jett Duffey in quarterback efficiency, and Duffy is Tech's back-up quarterback.
The simple fact is that he's been far too inconsistent this season to register as an elite player. Some of it is has to be connected to the injuries he's dealt with this season, but some of it also has to be connected to the fact that he's been pretty inconsistent as a player since his freshman season.
It has to remain a possibility that we all overreacted to Ehlinger's performances against Oklahoma and Georgia last year to such a degree that we lifted him into a status that he truly hasn't earned yet, which is scary because the entire premise of this program being ready to challenge for elite-level status was tied to the theory that it had an elite-level quarterback directing the show.
If it turns out that Ehlinger is merely going to be a very good college quarterback over the next 14 games or so, the rest of his supporting cast will need to pick up the slack, which has been problematic this season and one of the reasons this team is 6-4.
No. 3 - Five Players I'm Still Thinking About 24 Hours Later ...
Devin Duvernay - What will this team do next season to replace him? Is Jake Smith ready for this type of role? He better be because without Duvernay this season, we might be looking at a 3-7 or 4-6 team.
Brennan Eagles - This kid's talent practically oozes all over the field, but so does his own bouts of inconsistency. On one play, he'll create the spectacular and on the next he'll let a ball hit his hands and skip to the ground. It's basically 50-50 on any ball thrown his way. He's going to be an incredibly important player next year and Herman has to figure out how to get the best out of him because it's not currently occurring.
Collin Johnson - If Johnson is healthy and plays on Saturday, the Longhorns win the game. I'm convinced of that.
Jeffery McCulloch - I'm still kind of stunned that he let Juwan Mitchell take his job. How can a kid with all that talent go four full seasons without ever finding the light switch?
DeMarvion Overshown - Whoever coaches the defense next year is going to love working with this kid. He's a season away from being a true difference-maker.
No. 4 - A few thoughts on Texas basketball ...
a. My belief in this team has dropped over the course of the last week following the inspiring road win over Purdue, mostly because of choppy performances against California Baptist and Prairie View A&M. On the bright side, the Longhorns didn't lose either of those games, but on the bad side I can't say that I felt like I watched a team this week that I felt like was heading for a future Sweet 16 spot in March.
b. Texas keeps getting really good looks from three-point range, but just isn't making enough of them. I suppose I'm more likely to be encouraged by the quality of good looks than I am despondent by the lack of makes.
c. Will Baker was the No. 28 player in the country last year. I've yet to see anything from him in four games that supports that ranking. It's still very early in his career, but I was expecting more from him than this.
d. Courtney Ramey has been so up and down through four games that I wonder if he'd be more comfortable playing with the football team.
No. 5 - The Texas volleyball team deserves your adoration ...
Ho-hum, another two games this week for the Texas volleyball team and two more three-set beatdowns to teams in the Big 12 that can't hang.
I'm going to say this every week, but @TexasVolleyball is a must-follow on Twitter.
If you know nothing about the team, here's a few important bullet points.
* Freshman Skylar Fields is one of the best freshmen in the country, as she ranks second in the Big 12 in hitting performance. Basically, she's the one that will make you go, "Oooooh!"
* Senior Micaya White is probably the All-American on the team.
* Sophomore Jhenna Gabriel is the social media star of the group.
It's time to give them your support. Unlike some other sports around here, they won't let you down.
No. 6 - If I had a vote that mattered ...
1. LSU
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Georgia
5. Alabama
6. Oregon
7. Oklahoma
8. Utah
9. Penn State
10. Minnesota
No. 7 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) The contract that Herman is signed to will make me say yes to 2021 unless the 2020 season goes off the rails. Texas doesn't want to be Florida State.
(Sell) I think he just played that last offensive series by the book instead of leaning on what his offense had actually been able to do well in Ames. One of the real frustrating aspects of Herman's coaching is that he seems stuck in-between being a new-age coach or an old-school coach with his decision-making and game-management.
(Sell) I see a loss in Waco and a win over Tech at this point.
(Sell) It's one of the best jobs in America, even if it is also one of the most difficult jobs at times.
(Sell) Great question. He simply hasn't earned the benefit of the doubt.
(Sell) I can't get behind hiring someone as disgustingly immoral as Urban. I'd prefer to keep my soul.
(Buy) Of course, Manny Diaz is asking this question ... of course.
(Sell) It's close, but I'd have to Lincoln Riley, Matt Rhule, Mike Gundy, Les Miles and Matt Campbell ahead of him.
(Buy) You nailed it.
(Sell) That will never, never, never happen.
(Buy) You never specified whether it would be football or not, so in the other sports you might have to trust.
No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
... Even though Baylor led Oklahoma 28-3, I think I always believed the Sooners would win that game.
... I really don't know what to say about the Tua Tagovailoa situation other than he needs to start putting his future first and the Alabama football team second.
... Is there any way Joe Burrow can lose the Heisman at this point? We might be looking at a historic runaway.
.... I kind of want to believe in Michigan, but I know better.
... Goodness gracious, Baltimore beat the hell out of the Texans. Lamar Jackson was emphatically the best player on the field.
... It was a good day for the Cowboys to say the least. If the Boys had taken care of their business last week, we'd be talking about a two-game lead in the division. Nevertheless, today was a good day.
... I don't want to say anything nice about Dak because if I do, he'll have a terrible game next week, but he was pretty good today.
... Jamies Winston is just terrible.
No. 9 - The List: Top 10 George Strait songs ...
I know this one will cause some arguments.
10. Ocean Front Property
9. Baby Blue
8. All My Exes Live in Texas
7. I Cross My Heart
6. Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind
5. The Cowboy Rides Away
4. You Look So Good in Love
3. The Fireman
2. The Chair
1. Amarillo by Morning
No. 10 – And Finally ...
Speaking of King George, I really can't believe that they didn't make a Pure Country 2.
I like a lot of what you had to say in this thread but I think you are giving in to the negative posters on several points.
First - This team doesn't have many seniors or juniors and those that are true juniors should have been red-shirted.
That leaves red-shirt sophomores from the transition class of 2017, true sophomores from the class of 2018, red-shirt freshmen from the class of 2018 and Freshmen from the class of 2019. Some of these freshmen are being red-shirted for the good of the team.
Second - If you look at Alex's projected rosters for 2020, the team will have most of the team back for the next two years.
Third - Herman will hire coaches that he couldn't have hired as a new coach at the Texas level. He can now as he has proven he can win and he is loyal to his staff.
Those are facts. Now for my opinions.
Herman is a great CEO and he needs some help from his staff and I think he will make the right decisions and go with them.
I think because we overachieved in 2018 we expected too much from this young team. However this young team fought hard even when they were down and could have quit.
Our coaches are good men that are trying to make our players better football players, but more importantly, better men. They could be better coaches but they are good men and they deserve our respect.
@Ketchum Geoff, why would an elite coordinator come to work for Tom now?
He has no track record of developing assistant coaches, and he’s a dead man walking.
CTH missed his get out of jail free card last year. That’s when he should’ve fired Warehime and Beck… Coming off of sugar bowl victory. It’s too late now.
He has no track record of developing assistant coaches, and he’s a dead man walking.
CTH missed his get out of jail free card last year. That’s when he should’ve fired Warehime and Beck… Coming off of sugar bowl victory. It’s too late now.
Texas is still as good a job as any of the others. You have to keep something in mind.
when we hired Charlie we didn’t have an AD, so any top guy we faked to had no idea who he worked for. That is a factor here.
When we hired Herman again we didn’t have a true AD. Mike Perin was a successful guy, and very good man but everyone knew he was a placeholder and really not made for the job
Also we didn’t really have a search everyone in the country went in to Herman’s last year at Houston knowing he was 80-85% chance he was going to Texas. Had he shocked the world and went to LSU we had no plan B. It was Herman or oh ****. So in short we don’t know who would or wouldn’t take the job because we haven’t had a real search since Mack Brown.
Before we get very far into this column, let's make sure we stress a very important point - no one is screaming "Fire!" in a crowded theater.
That's not to say that there's not currently a fire in the theater because there is. We can all see the flames.
We're just not going to panic. If there's anything we've all become accustomed to over the last decade it’s damn fires inside the theater of the Texas football program. Basically, we've all unknowingly become volunteer fire-fighters without ever meaning to do so. So, instead of acting like a bunch of rookies, we're going to exit the current 6-4 theater like a bunch of professionals that have been around a fire or 10 as followers of all things burnt orange.
So, let's talk about the fire with the understanding that because we all survived Charlie Strong, we can survive anything.
We good? We ready? Everyone got their favorite beverage handy?
With two regular-season games to go in the 2019 season, the Longhorns are 6-4 and unlikely to play another game this season that the rest of the nation pays any attention to. A 7-5 record feels like a very real possibility. So is 8-4. So is 6-6.
The bottom line is that Tom Herman wasn't hired to be 6-4 in his third season in charge of things, let alone a 6-4 team that lacks the kind of discipline that should carry it across the weekly finish line against average football teams or a team that has so few definitive positive things occurring inside of it that not a single assistant coach has any legitimate job security heading into the off-season.
Three years into this thing and heading into year four, there are three elephants in the room that need be addressed.
1. There will be staff changes in the off-season.
Change is coming. It's just a matter of how much change takes place. Herman has prided himself on having staff continuity, but that's only a good thing if each member of the staff is performing at an elite level. Otherwise, you're just bringing back the same average power five coaches from the previous year with your fingers crossed that everything we're all seeing with the naked eye isn't true.
Whatever changes Herman makes to his staff, he should probably understand the stakes involved. Chris Del Conte and all of the various support systems in place will make sure that Herman has as much money as he needs to hire whomever Herman identifies as the group of people that can help flip the momentum back towards Herman's favor.
Here's the deal though ... you only get to do this once at a place like Texas. You get one get out of jail card, unless you have a mountain of accomplishments and goodwill stored up. Rarely do you get a third chance to correct one of the truly critical decisions you're tasked with making as the CEO of a college football program that pays more than six million per year for elite-level production and decision-making.
2. Herman has lost some of the Texas fan base
Del Conte and other Texas athletic officials will beg Texas fans to hold the rope and maintain full belief in Herman, pointing to injuries as the biggest reason for this season's problems.
The problem is that if you have actually taken the time to watch the team play all season, you'll know that it's incredibly disingenuous to suggest that injuries have been a bigger problem than the litany of other issues that exist, from terrible game-management to poor preparation to one confounding dumb action/decision after another.
While the majority of the Texas fan base will continue to hope that Herman grows into the coach he was hired to be, I'd suggest that a majority of Texas fans will also be taking a wait-and-see attitude going into year four and very little tolerance will exist if another wasted season occurs. It's a group that has seen the banana-in-the-tailpipe trick far too many times to voluntarily sign up for a repeat affair if it feels like it’s been to the circus and seen that kind of show before.
In the meantime, the type of Texas fan that patrols the Internet is likely going to be pretty cranky until the pain goes away.
It's going to be a tense next 10 months or so.
3. Recruiting is going to be tricky
A couple of months ago, Herman owned 2020/2021 recruiting at levels that have been rarely seen in the history of the state.
A lot of that was connected to the positive outlook following a Sugar Bowl win in January, but the failures of this season will create some doubt in the championship message that Herman and his staff have been selling since he arrived. As long as Herman's project is on an upward trajectory, the recruiting was always going to be outstanding.
That the momentum is mostly dead and there are serious questions about the trajectory of the program will make things more complicated moving forward.
Every school that recruits against Texas will point to the questionable trajectory and the fact that Herman could be coaching for his Texas career in 2020 as its main talking point against the Longhorns in recruiting.
Making things more problematic is that Herman is still competing against the most competitive recruiting landscape I've seen in 25 years of covering recruiting in the state of Texas. Oklahoma and Texas A&M will continue to be major thorns in UT's side, but LSU's rise this season will make the Tigers a much bigger problem in 2021 recruiting.
While the Longhorns could still sign a top-10 class in 2020 and have a tremendous start in 2021, things are about to get much tougher.
To put it frankly, the worst thing that can happen for the Longhorns in recruiting is for seeds of doubt to be successfully planted in the minds of the best prospects in the state of Texas because that's the kind of thing that can't be fixed overnight. It'll take the type of wins that Texas hasn't had at all this season and if those types of wins don't occur in 2020 pretty quickly (see at LSU and Vs. Oklahoma), Herman could find himself in real trouble.
Overall, we're suddenly at a critical moment in Herman's tenure. This isn't gossip. This isn't overreacting. This is real talk.
Herman has a huge contract that the school will hesitate to ever have to swallow, but that contract cannot and will not protect him from the court of public opinion, both with supporters and recruits.
We can all see the fire, so don't bother trying to argue that the only thing that's on fire is the candle that was lit to light up the room.
Everyone around here knows what a program in flames looks like. Herman's program isn't in out of control flames, but a call to the fire department is about to be made and we can all see it.
No. 2 - Let's talk about Sam ...
No one has been a bigger supporter of Sam Ehlinger than I have. At times, I've probably been too eager of a hype man.
Yet, with two games remaining in his junior season, it's time to make a confession of sorts - Ehlinger hasn't been as good as most of us thought he would be.
The expectation for Ehlinger is that he would take the next step in his progression this season, which would make him an elite-level college player, but that hasn't really come close to happening.
A year ago, Ehlinger posted a 146.8 quarterback efficiency number. This year? Through 10 games, he's at 150.8, which ranks behind Baylor's Charlie Brewer and Iowa State's Brock Purdy. In fact, Ehlinger is currently tied with Texas Tech's Jett Duffey in quarterback efficiency, and Duffy is Tech's back-up quarterback.
The simple fact is that he's been far too inconsistent this season to register as an elite player. Some of it is has to be connected to the injuries he's dealt with this season, but some of it also has to be connected to the fact that he's been pretty inconsistent as a player since his freshman season.
It has to remain a possibility that we all overreacted to Ehlinger's performances against Oklahoma and Georgia last year to such a degree that we lifted him into a status that he truly hasn't earned yet, which is scary because the entire premise of this program being ready to challenge for elite-level status was tied to the theory that it had an elite-level quarterback directing the show.
If it turns out that Ehlinger is merely going to be a very good college quarterback over the next 14 games or so, the rest of his supporting cast will need to pick up the slack, which has been problematic this season and one of the reasons this team is 6-4.
No. 3 - Five Players I'm Still Thinking About 24 Hours Later ...
Devin Duvernay - What will this team do next season to replace him? Is Jake Smith ready for this type of role? He better be because without Duvernay this season, we might be looking at a 3-7 or 4-6 team.
Brennan Eagles - This kid's talent practically oozes all over the field, but so does his own bouts of inconsistency. On one play, he'll create the spectacular and on the next he'll let a ball hit his hands and skip to the ground. It's basically 50-50 on any ball thrown his way. He's going to be an incredibly important player next year and Herman has to figure out how to get the best out of him because it's not currently occurring.
Collin Johnson - If Johnson is healthy and plays on Saturday, the Longhorns win the game. I'm convinced of that.
Jeffery McCulloch - I'm still kind of stunned that he let Juwan Mitchell take his job. How can a kid with all that talent go four full seasons without ever finding the light switch?
DeMarvion Overshown - Whoever coaches the defense next year is going to love working with this kid. He's a season away from being a true difference-maker.
No. 4 - A few thoughts on Texas basketball ...
a. My belief in this team has dropped over the course of the last week following the inspiring road win over Purdue, mostly because of choppy performances against California Baptist and Prairie View A&M. On the bright side, the Longhorns didn't lose either of those games, but on the bad side I can't say that I felt like I watched a team this week that I felt like was heading for a future Sweet 16 spot in March.
b. Texas keeps getting really good looks from three-point range, but just isn't making enough of them. I suppose I'm more likely to be encouraged by the quality of good looks than I am despondent by the lack of makes.
c. Will Baker was the No. 28 player in the country last year. I've yet to see anything from him in four games that supports that ranking. It's still very early in his career, but I was expecting more from him than this.
d. Courtney Ramey has been so up and down through four games that I wonder if he'd be more comfortable playing with the football team.
No. 5 - The Texas volleyball team deserves your adoration ...
Ho-hum, another two games this week for the Texas volleyball team and two more three-set beatdowns to teams in the Big 12 that can't hang.
I'm going to say this every week, but @TexasVolleyball is a must-follow on Twitter.
If you know nothing about the team, here's a few important bullet points.
* Freshman Skylar Fields is one of the best freshmen in the country, as she ranks second in the Big 12 in hitting performance. Basically, she's the one that will make you go, "Oooooh!"
* Senior Micaya White is probably the All-American on the team.
* Sophomore Jhenna Gabriel is the social media star of the group.
It's time to give them your support. Unlike some other sports around here, they won't let you down.
No. 6 - If I had a vote that mattered ...
1. LSU
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Georgia
5. Alabama
6. Oregon
7. Oklahoma
8. Utah
9. Penn State
10. Minnesota
No. 7 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) The contract that Herman is signed to will make me say yes to 2021 unless the 2020 season goes off the rails. Texas doesn't want to be Florida State.
(Sell) I think he just played that last offensive series by the book instead of leaning on what his offense had actually been able to do well in Ames. One of the real frustrating aspects of Herman's coaching is that he seems stuck in-between being a new-age coach or an old-school coach with his decision-making and game-management.
(Sell) I see a loss in Waco and a win over Tech at this point.
(Sell) It's one of the best jobs in America, even if it is also one of the most difficult jobs at times.
(Sell) Great question. He simply hasn't earned the benefit of the doubt.
(Sell) I can't get behind hiring someone as disgustingly immoral as Urban. I'd prefer to keep my soul.
(Buy) Of course, Manny Diaz is asking this question ... of course.
(Sell) It's close, but I'd have to Lincoln Riley, Matt Rhule, Mike Gundy, Les Miles and Matt Campbell ahead of him.
(Buy) You nailed it.
(Sell) That will never, never, never happen.
(Buy) You never specified whether it would be football or not, so in the other sports you might have to trust.
No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
... Even though Baylor led Oklahoma 28-3, I think I always believed the Sooners would win that game.
... I really don't know what to say about the Tua Tagovailoa situation other than he needs to start putting his future first and the Alabama football team second.
... Is there any way Joe Burrow can lose the Heisman at this point? We might be looking at a historic runaway.
.... I kind of want to believe in Michigan, but I know better.
... Goodness gracious, Baltimore beat the hell out of the Texans. Lamar Jackson was emphatically the best player on the field.
... It was a good day for the Cowboys to say the least. If the Boys had taken care of their business last week, we'd be talking about a two-game lead in the division. Nevertheless, today was a good day.
... I don't want to say anything nice about Dak because if I do, he'll have a terrible game next week, but he was pretty good today.
... Jamies Winston is just terrible.
No. 9 - The List: Top 10 George Strait songs ...
I know this one will cause some arguments.
10. Ocean Front Property
9. Baby Blue
8. All My Exes Live in Texas
7. I Cross My Heart
6. Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind
5. The Cowboy Rides Away
4. You Look So Good in Love
3. The Fireman
2. The Chair
1. Amarillo by Morning
No. 10 – And Finally ...
Speaking of King George, I really can't believe that they didn't make a Pure Country 2.
Blah blah blah! Could only read about 1/4 of this crap before I threw up in my own mouth. Herman is not the guy! Move on now and save us some time and misery!
We were behind 7-0 right off the bat and it felt like we were behind 100-0. This Herman team is hard to watch.
PREDICTABLE is an understatement!
Coming off an amazing Sugar Bowl victory we are ready to fire Tom? He literally inherited a dumpster fire when Charlie Strong left. We had some major issues.
We win that LSU game early this year...this board would be tripping over itself to give Tom a 5 year extension not the 2 year one that he got. The momentum from an LSU win would have had a spillover effect to the rest of the season. I think we'd be sitting undefeated and in the hunt for a playoff. We have toughness but the program doesn't have the grit yet to get past setbacks. It was a season defining loss.
Go check out the Georgia message board after their seemingly season ending loss. They were ready to fire Kirby and their coordinators. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for UGA they've been in this position a lot and they chose to stay the fight. They had a better response to the adversity of an early season loss than we did. Now they have a chance to make the playoffs. Psychology is huge in sports.
Injuries have hurt tremendously (Does anyone think Sam was healthy this season? Let alone our entire secondary!) but I think we put all of our eggs in that LSU basket and we have not looked like the same team since. And, then the injury bug reared its ugly head. Yes, one game can change the psychology of a program as does losing key players on a very young defensive unit looking to take an even bigger step back after winning a big game over Georgia.
The "We're Back" psychology took a big beating that night. Again, just think about this...one year after a Sugar Bowl victory the entire board is already looking for a replacement to Tom?
Yes, I am disappointed and pissed. Yes, he's arrogant. Yes, I hate not taking the points and going for what seems like every 4th down. And, yes, I question the game management. And, yes, I hate is stupid press conference responses. However, he didn't go from winning the Sugar Bowl to a firing. Was that luck? I suppose we all believe that UGA didn't show up that night?
Throwing Tom overboard on this forum does NOT help our recruiting. Parents and recruits do read this site. Regardless of what we do in terms of coordinators I fully expect that Tom will be gone if he doesn't perform next season.
And, I am pretty certain that everyone on this board will expect 10 wins minimum and a conference championship. Possible with Sam back and a healthy team. However, if he doesn't win 10 games and a conference championship is it the right decision to fire him/buy him out?
I am ready to admit there is smoke but not a fire yet. The recruiting class was on pace to be one for the books and now we have defections. Yes, that is concerning and absolutely sucks. My orange colored glasses and cup full mentality says we can course correct and win out and keep the majority of the commits...and go into next year hungry and ready for redemption. Hook'em!
PS- I am not Tom's ghost writer. Just a blind optimist I suppose!
We win that LSU game early this year...this board would be tripping over itself to give Tom a 5 year extension not the 2 year one that he got. The momentum from an LSU win would have had a spillover effect to the rest of the season. I think we'd be sitting undefeated and in the hunt for a playoff. We have toughness but the program doesn't have the grit yet to get past setbacks. It was a season defining loss.
Go check out the Georgia message board after their seemingly season ending loss. They were ready to fire Kirby and their coordinators. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for UGA they've been in this position a lot and they chose to stay the fight. They had a better response to the adversity of an early season loss than we did. Now they have a chance to make the playoffs. Psychology is huge in sports.
Injuries have hurt tremendously (Does anyone think Sam was healthy this season? Let alone our entire secondary!) but I think we put all of our eggs in that LSU basket and we have not looked like the same team since. And, then the injury bug reared its ugly head. Yes, one game can change the psychology of a program as does losing key players on a very young defensive unit looking to take an even bigger step back after winning a big game over Georgia.
The "We're Back" psychology took a big beating that night. Again, just think about this...one year after a Sugar Bowl victory the entire board is already looking for a replacement to Tom?
Yes, I am disappointed and pissed. Yes, he's arrogant. Yes, I hate not taking the points and going for what seems like every 4th down. And, yes, I question the game management. And, yes, I hate is stupid press conference responses. However, he didn't go from winning the Sugar Bowl to a firing. Was that luck? I suppose we all believe that UGA didn't show up that night?
Throwing Tom overboard on this forum does NOT help our recruiting. Parents and recruits do read this site. Regardless of what we do in terms of coordinators I fully expect that Tom will be gone if he doesn't perform next season.
And, I am pretty certain that everyone on this board will expect 10 wins minimum and a conference championship. Possible with Sam back and a healthy team. However, if he doesn't win 10 games and a conference championship is it the right decision to fire him/buy him out?
I am ready to admit there is smoke but not a fire yet. The recruiting class was on pace to be one for the books and now we have defections. Yes, that is concerning and absolutely sucks. My orange colored glasses and cup full mentality says we can course correct and win out and keep the majority of the commits...and go into next year hungry and ready for redemption. Hook'em!
PS- I am not Tom's ghost writer. Just a blind optimist I suppose!
Brandon Jones, Caden Stearns, Anthony Cook, D’Shawn Jamison, BJ Foster come to mind.
This! And we all knew the play calling before it happened. Pathetic and predictable!
I agree. CDC isn’t gonna keep standing in front of the bus for a guy he didn’t hire. Nor should he
That is a fair point. How do you think,Ketch, this affects our pitch to recruits? Is LHN really a venue for players to profit off of the new rules?
Pretty much agree unless he reaches some pretty specific goals in 2020.
We're gonna let Herman go 7-5 or 8-4 and open up the new stadium in 2021?
And monkeys might fly out of my butt.
Don’t need LHN just boosters. If they don’t limit rule (which will be legally difficult to do) will just be a bidding contest between alumni for players.
I’m suggesting that putting employees on one year contracts probably doesn’t result in motivated employees. Employees want to know they are valued. One year deals say the opposite. Then CDC extends their boss. Not a good look.
Before we get very far into this column, let's make sure we stress a very important point - no one is screaming "Fire!" in a crowded theater.
That's not to say that there's not currently a fire in the theater because there is. We can all see the flames.
We're just not going to panic. If there's anything we've all become accustomed to over the last decade it’s damn fires inside the theater of the Texas football program. Basically, we've all unknowingly become volunteer fire-fighters without ever meaning to do so. So, instead of acting like a bunch of rookies, we're going to exit the current 6-4 theater like a bunch of professionals that have been around a fire or 10 as followers of all things burnt orange.
So, let's talk about the fire with the understanding that because we all survived Charlie Strong, we can survive anything.
We good? We ready? Everyone got their favorite beverage handy?
With two regular-season games to go in the 2019 season, the Longhorns are 6-4 and unlikely to play another game this season that the rest of the nation pays any attention to. A 7-5 record feels like a very real possibility. So is 8-4. So is 6-6.
The bottom line is that Tom Herman wasn't hired to be 6-4 in his third season in charge of things, let alone a 6-4 team that lacks the kind of discipline that should carry it across the weekly finish line against average football teams or a team that has so few definitive positive things occurring inside of it that not a single assistant coach has any legitimate job security heading into the off-season.
Three years into this thing and heading into year four, there are three elephants in the room that need be addressed.
1. There will be staff changes in the off-season.
Change is coming. It's just a matter of how much change takes place. Herman has prided himself on having staff continuity, but that's only a good thing if each member of the staff is performing at an elite level. Otherwise, you're just bringing back the same average power five coaches from the previous year with your fingers crossed that everything we're all seeing with the naked eye isn't true.
Whatever changes Herman makes to his staff, he should probably understand the stakes involved. Chris Del Conte and all of the various support systems in place will make sure that Herman has as much money as he needs to hire whomever Herman identifies as the group of people that can help flip the momentum back towards Herman's favor.
Here's the deal though ... you only get to do this once at a place like Texas. You get one get out of jail card, unless you have a mountain of accomplishments and goodwill stored up. Rarely do you get a third chance to correct one of the truly critical decisions you're tasked with making as the CEO of a college football program that pays more than six million per year for elite-level production and decision-making.
2. Herman has lost some of the Texas fan base
Del Conte and other Texas athletic officials will beg Texas fans to hold the rope and maintain full belief in Herman, pointing to injuries as the biggest reason for this season's problems.
The problem is that if you have actually taken the time to watch the team play all season, you'll know that it's incredibly disingenuous to suggest that injuries have been a bigger problem than the litany of other issues that exist, from terrible game-management to poor preparation to one confounding dumb action/decision after another.
While the majority of the Texas fan base will continue to hope that Herman grows into the coach he was hired to be, I'd suggest that a majority of Texas fans will also be taking a wait-and-see attitude going into year four and very little tolerance will exist if another wasted season occurs. It's a group that has seen the banana-in-the-tailpipe trick far too many times to voluntarily sign up for a repeat affair if it feels like it’s been to the circus and seen that kind of show before.
In the meantime, the type of Texas fan that patrols the Internet is likely going to be pretty cranky until the pain goes away.
It's going to be a tense next 10 months or so.
3. Recruiting is going to be tricky
A couple of months ago, Herman owned 2020/2021 recruiting at levels that have been rarely seen in the history of the state.
A lot of that was connected to the positive outlook following a Sugar Bowl win in January, but the failures of this season will create some doubt in the championship message that Herman and his staff have been selling since he arrived. As long as Herman's project is on an upward trajectory, the recruiting was always going to be outstanding.
That the momentum is mostly dead and there are serious questions about the trajectory of the program will make things more complicated moving forward.
Every school that recruits against Texas will point to the questionable trajectory and the fact that Herman could be coaching for his Texas career in 2020 as its main talking point against the Longhorns in recruiting.
Making things more problematic is that Herman is still competing against the most competitive recruiting landscape I've seen in 25 years of covering recruiting in the state of Texas. Oklahoma and Texas A&M will continue to be major thorns in UT's side, but LSU's rise this season will make the Tigers a much bigger problem in 2021 recruiting.
While the Longhorns could still sign a top-10 class in 2020 and have a tremendous start in 2021, things are about to get much tougher.
To put it frankly, the worst thing that can happen for the Longhorns in recruiting is for seeds of doubt to be successfully planted in the minds of the best prospects in the state of Texas because that's the kind of thing that can't be fixed overnight. It'll take the type of wins that Texas hasn't had at all this season and if those types of wins don't occur in 2020 pretty quickly (see at LSU and Vs. Oklahoma), Herman could find himself in real trouble.
Overall, we're suddenly at a critical moment in Herman's tenure. This isn't gossip. This isn't overreacting. This is real talk.
Herman has a huge contract that the school will hesitate to ever have to swallow, but that contract cannot and will not protect him from the court of public opinion, both with supporters and recruits.
We can all see the fire, so don't bother trying to argue that the only thing that's on fire is the candle that was lit to light up the room.
Everyone around here knows what a program in flames looks like. Herman's program isn't in out of control flames, but a call to the fire department is about to be made and we can all see it.
No. 2 - Let's talk about Sam ...
No one has been a bigger supporter of Sam Ehlinger than I have. At times, I've probably been too eager of a hype man.
Yet, with two games remaining in his junior season, it's time to make a confession of sorts - Ehlinger hasn't been as good as most of us thought he would be.
The expectation for Ehlinger is that he would take the next step in his progression this season, which would make him an elite-level college player, but that hasn't really come close to happening.
A year ago, Ehlinger posted a 146.8 quarterback efficiency number. This year? Through 10 games, he's at 150.8, which ranks behind Baylor's Charlie Brewer and Iowa State's Brock Purdy. In fact, Ehlinger is currently tied with Texas Tech's Jett Duffey in quarterback efficiency, and Duffy is Tech's back-up quarterback.
The simple fact is that he's been far too inconsistent this season to register as an elite player. Some of it is has to be connected to the injuries he's dealt with this season, but some of it also has to be connected to the fact that he's been pretty inconsistent as a player since his freshman season.
It has to remain a possibility that we all overreacted to Ehlinger's performances against Oklahoma and Georgia last year to such a degree that we lifted him into a status that he truly hasn't earned yet, which is scary because the entire premise of this program being ready to challenge for elite-level status was tied to the theory that it had an elite-level quarterback directing the show.
If it turns out that Ehlinger is merely going to be a very good college quarterback over the next 14 games or so, the rest of his supporting cast will need to pick up the slack, which has been problematic this season and one of the reasons this team is 6-4.
No. 3 - Five Players I'm Still Thinking About 24 Hours Later ...
Devin Duvernay - What will this team do next season to replace him? Is Jake Smith ready for this type of role? He better be because without Duvernay this season, we might be looking at a 3-7 or 4-6 team.
Brennan Eagles - This kid's talent practically oozes all over the field, but so does his own bouts of inconsistency. On one play, he'll create the spectacular and on the next he'll let a ball hit his hands and skip to the ground. It's basically 50-50 on any ball thrown his way. He's going to be an incredibly important player next year and Herman has to figure out how to get the best out of him because it's not currently occurring.
Collin Johnson - If Johnson is healthy and plays on Saturday, the Longhorns win the game. I'm convinced of that.
Jeffery McCulloch - I'm still kind of stunned that he let Juwan Mitchell take his job. How can a kid with all that talent go four full seasons without ever finding the light switch?
DeMarvion Overshown - Whoever coaches the defense next year is going to love working with this kid. He's a season away from being a true difference-maker.
No. 4 - A few thoughts on Texas basketball ...
a. My belief in this team has dropped over the course of the last week following the inspiring road win over Purdue, mostly because of choppy performances against California Baptist and Prairie View A&M. On the bright side, the Longhorns didn't lose either of those games, but on the bad side I can't say that I felt like I watched a team this week that I felt like was heading for a future Sweet 16 spot in March.
b. Texas keeps getting really good looks from three-point range, but just isn't making enough of them. I suppose I'm more likely to be encouraged by the quality of good looks than I am despondent by the lack of makes.
c. Will Baker was the No. 28 player in the country last year. I've yet to see anything from him in four games that supports that ranking. It's still very early in his career, but I was expecting more from him than this.
d. Courtney Ramey has been so up and down through four games that I wonder if he'd be more comfortable playing with the football team.
No. 5 - The Texas volleyball team deserves your adoration ...
Ho-hum, another two games this week for the Texas volleyball team and two more three-set beatdowns to teams in the Big 12 that can't hang.
I'm going to say this every week, but @TexasVolleyball is a must-follow on Twitter.
If you know nothing about the team, here's a few important bullet points.
* Freshman Skylar Fields is one of the best freshmen in the country, as she ranks second in the Big 12 in hitting performance. Basically, she's the one that will make you go, "Oooooh!"
* Senior Micaya White is probably the All-American on the team.
* Sophomore Jhenna Gabriel is the social media star of the group.
It's time to give them your support. Unlike some other sports around here, they won't let you down.
No. 6 - If I had a vote that mattered ...
1. LSU
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Georgia
5. Alabama
6. Oregon
7. Oklahoma
8. Utah
9. Penn State
10. Minnesota
No. 7 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) The contract that Herman is signed to will make me say yes to 2021 unless the 2020 season goes off the rails. Texas doesn't want to be Florida State.
(Sell) I think he just played that last offensive series by the book instead of leaning on what his offense had actually been able to do well in Ames. One of the real frustrating aspects of Herman's coaching is that he seems stuck in-between being a new-age coach or an old-school coach with his decision-making and game-management.
(Sell) I see a loss in Waco and a win over Tech at this point.
(Sell) It's one of the best jobs in America, even if it is also one of the most difficult jobs at times.
(Sell) Great question. He simply hasn't earned the benefit of the doubt.
(Sell) I can't get behind hiring someone as disgustingly immoral as Urban. I'd prefer to keep my soul.
(Buy) Of course, Manny Diaz is asking this question ... of course.
(Sell) It's close, but I'd have to Lincoln Riley, Matt Rhule, Mike Gundy, Les Miles and Matt Campbell ahead of him.
(Buy) You nailed it.
(Sell) That will never, never, never happen.
(Buy) You never specified whether it would be football or not, so in the other sports you might have to trust.
No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
... Even though Baylor led Oklahoma 28-3, I think I always believed the Sooners would win that game.
... I really don't know what to say about the Tua Tagovailoa situation other than he needs to start putting his future first and the Alabama football team second.
... Is there any way Joe Burrow can lose the Heisman at this point? We might be looking at a historic runaway.
.... I kind of want to believe in Michigan, but I know better.
... Goodness gracious, Baltimore beat the hell out of the Texans. Lamar Jackson was emphatically the best player on the field.
... It was a good day for the Cowboys to say the least. If the Boys had taken care of their business last week, we'd be talking about a two-game lead in the division. Nevertheless, today was a good day.
... I don't want to say anything nice about Dak because if I do, he'll have a terrible game next week, but he was pretty good today.
... Jamies Winston is just terrible.
No. 9 - The List: Top 10 George Strait songs ...
I know this one will cause some arguments.
10. Ocean Front Property
9. Baby Blue
8. All My Exes Live in Texas
7. I Cross My Heart
6. Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind
5. The Cowboy Rides Away
4. You Look So Good in Love
3. The Fireman
2. The Chair
1. Amarillo by Morning
No. 10 – And Finally ...
Speaking of King George, I really can't believe that they didn't make a Pure Country 2.
Loved the George Strait list. I think you nailed it.
I also agree with you and EM. I think he has to part with Beck and bring in his Brady or Riley, who can add creativity and tempo to a very nuts and bolts RPO offense and truly coach up the QB. Although I still think the guy is a decent DC, I think at this point he'll probably have to part with TO just for PR purposes. Then after he hires his two coordinators/assistant head coaches, let them keep the assistant coaches they want to keep and get rid of those they want to replace.
Hook'em
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Tom Herman is one of the top 5 best coaches in the Big 12 currently???
(Sell) It's close, but I'd have to Lincoln Riley, Matt Rhule, Mike Gundy, Les Miles and Matt Campbell ahead of him.
_______________________________________________________
In year three, if UT leadership believe that baylor, isu, kansas and osu have the edge in coaching you absolutely have to make a change. I'd argue TCU does as well. That puts Herman at 7 in a very meh conference. Inexcusable and hiring top coordinators may not fix that.
Tom Herman is one of the top 5 best coaches in the Big 12 currently???
(Sell) It's close, but I'd have to Lincoln Riley, Matt Rhule, Mike Gundy, Les Miles and Matt Campbell ahead of him.
_______________________________________________________
In year three, if UT leadership believe that baylor, isu, kansas and osu have the edge in coaching you absolutely have to make a change. I'd argue TCU does as well. That puts Herman at 7 in a very meh conference. Inexcusable and hiring top coordinators may not fix that.
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I'm not expecting us to beat Baylor...but if we do beat them, I won't be surprised because I agree with you. Think about it...here we are unranked in year 3 of the Herman era and if we beat a ranked Baylor it will be an upset that we beat them. Before this season started I did not think that would be possible...but here we are!!!
I'm burned out talking about the mess that is our football team but you are way underestimating the affect that the crappy play calling and scheme is having on Sam and our offense in general. We need to open it up the next couple games and just throw the ball all over the place. 2 to 1 pass/run ratio. Enough of this conservative garbage like the first half yesterday. Talk about hand cuffing our offense.
As for George's list. I'd put Troubadour and She'll Leave You With a Smile on there in place of at least a couple on there. I could come of with quite a few others if I thought long enough about it. He has so many great ones. I know Baby Blue has great meaning but it's kind of a boring song. Maybe I've just heard it too many times.
As for George's list. I'd put Troubadour and She'll Leave You With a Smile on there in place of at least a couple on there. I could come of with quite a few others if I thought long enough about it. He has so many great ones. I know Baby Blue has great meaning but it's kind of a boring song. Maybe I've just heard it too many times.
Went Saturday. Twas fun to see a well coached talented team win. Those girls good.
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Durant part of a group bidding for WNBA expansion team in Austin...- Latest: Her costar in the beaver picture
