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Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (One more quarterback column)

I knows it's preseason and small sample size, but Brock hasn't really looked Hops way much. Whether by design to avoid unnecessary injury or him just reading what the defense gives him. He won't have close to the year he did last year due to the weapons around him.
So, he finally has a quarterback that can get him the ball and now he's going to fall by the wayside? No way. He's going big.
 
You have any idea how many national championships I've won in ncaa football 13? A bunch! That alone qualifies me as an authority on what the guy getting paid 5 million a year to coach this team should do! ;)
let's not make football rocket science. It's not.
 
Maybe... but it doesn't really matter.

Doesn't matter? Odd response. If Tyrone Swoopes is a QB who very well projected to be a dynamic senior able to lead us to 9/10 wins then I'd say it's a slam-dunk you start him over Buechele. But I think one has to be fool to project that. The very real possibility that this team's ceiling THIS season is with Buechele at the helm. We have to start cleaning this up THIS season, not '17. And if Swoopes were the guy to get us far down that road then he should be the guy. But I don't think anyone outside apparently perhaps than the only two decision-makers that matter belives that.
 
depends on how the seven look and the five would look.
After reading my post and yours again, "Magic number" can mean a couple of things. It could mean the number he needs to stay and it could mean the number of wins that make up his ceiling here at Texas. Cringe worthy either way....
 
And then there was Greg McElroy.
Saban is a witch. His teams are big-time outliers.

Consider last year's Final Four in college football.

Clemson (DeShaun Watson)
Oklahoma (Baker Mayfield)
Michigan State (Connor Cook)
Alabama (Jake Coker)

Three of the four were led by arguably its best quarterback ever or its best quarterback play in the last decade or so (in the case of Oklahoma)
 
Doesn't matter? Odd response. If Tyrone Swoopes is a QB who very well projected to be a dynamic senior able to lead us to 9/10 wins then I'd say it's a slam-dunk you start him over Buechele. But I think one has to be fool to project that. The very real possibility that this team's ceiling THIS season is with Buechele at the helm. We have to start cleaning this up THIS season, not '17. And if Swoopes were the guy to get us far down that road then he should be the guy. But I don't think anyone outside apparently perhaps than the only two decision-makers that matter belives that.
I'm saying it doesn't matter because I believe the default position needs to be based on what's best in the long-term future.
 
I'm just telling you how it's played out. Last year was Hop and a bunch of spares. Now the Texans have legitimate weapons to use. I see 1,200 and 10tds.
He's still the war daddy on that team. More like 120 receptions for 1,500 yards and 12 touchdowns.
 
I feel like we have prepared you greatly for this season. If you don't know, perhaps that's on purpose...

I think you have limited access but the most among all outlets. That's not your fault, I think CS and obviously, the team is very tight lipped about everything.

Great job as always
 
"College football is all about special quarterbacks. When you have one, anything is possible and when you don’t, you usually spend way too much time trying to convince yourself it’s not about them when you know damn well that it is. As inadequate as the Texas offensive line was in 2009 (and man, it was inadequate), that truth didn’t matter too much with Colt McCoy leading the charge.

All of this is incredibly relevant because Strong isn’t likely to have one of these double-digit win seasons until he has himself a quarterback who carries around a wallet that reads “Bad MF”.

. . .

Trying to win the Big 12 without high level quarterback play is like taking the stairs up 30 stories when others are taking the elevator. All of the other elements in the program just aren’t going to mean much until the quarterback question has a real answer… and we’re not there yet."​


I think this confuses two concepts slightly. You need production from your QB, but you don't need an elite talent or an NFL early round pick type in the way Strong has (thus far) needed one.

Who are the recent Big 12 champion QBs?

2015 Baker Mayfield (likely mid to late round pick?)
2014 Bryce Petty (4th round pick)
2014 Trevone Boykin (undrafted)
2013 Bryce Petty
2012 Landry Jones (4th round pick)
2012 Collin Klein (undrafted)

The hope is that we will finally be one of those programs that can have a productive offense without needing an experienced early round NFL caliber talent in order to make it happen. Kind of like you see several of every single year in the Big 12.

If so, I think Buechele isn't less talented or less capable of being a Bad MFer than those names I listed above. The big caveats being that (a) we haven't seen it yet on the field and (b) he's a true freshman.
None of those guys were close to playing for it all, other than Mayfield last year, and he was in the Heisman discussion. Sure, you can win the conference without elite QB play, but you almost always need it to play for a National Title.

Other than Nick Saban led teams, here are the QB's who've played for a title since 2005.

2005- Vince Young(Heisman finalist and 1st rounder) and Matt Leinart(Won a Heisman and 1st rounder)

2006-Chris Leak/Tim Tebow(won a Heisman) and Troy Smith(won Heisman)

2007- Matt Flynn(7th rounder but is still around the league) and Todd Boeckman.

2008- Tebow(Won a Heisman) and Sam Bradford(won Heisman)

2009- Saban and Colt McCoy(Heisman Finalist)

2010- Cam Newton(Heisman) and Darron Thomas(dynamic college player in Oregon System)

2011- Saban and LSU(terrible game that should have never happened)

2012- Saban and Everett Golson

2013- Jameis Winston(Heisman) and Nick Marshall

2014- Marcus Mariota(Heisman) and Jones

2015- Saban and Deshaun Watson(will probably win Heisman or at least be a finalist)

So, of the 22 QB's that have played for a title since 2005, nearly half of them either won a Heisman or were a finalist. Honestly, outside of Boeckman, Golson, Marshall, and Jones.... The rest of the QB's were great college players.

Bottom line, if you don't have a coach named Nick Saban, you need an exceptional player at QB to get to a title(which should be our ultimate goal).
 
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I think I'm okay with starting Swoopes on Monday. For better or for worse, he does have actual experience in a college game, so I think he is less likely to drop the first snap or throw a early pick 6 than is Buechele.
 
11am.

who knows?
Shows on LHN schedule, already set it to record. Looks like All 22 may be back, either that or they suddenly decided to show repeats this game week. LHN also has their pre-game and post-game shows Sunday, don't know who's on it though.
 
I think I'm okay with starting Swoopes is less likely to drop the first snap or throw a early pick 6 than is Buechele.
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I think you have limited access but the most among all outlets. That's not your fault, I think CS and obviously, the team is very tight lipped about everything.

Great job as always
I don't view us as having limited access at all. We have better access now than when Mack was around.
 
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Joke all you want. Liverpool has played three road games thus far, two against Top 4 teams from a year ago, and it has outclassed all three on their pitches. The points will come.

Hell, one of these days they'll even get to play at home.

I'm not joking just pointing out your contradiction.
 
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For having creative writing block, this was a helluva insightful and concise piece, but maybe that just because i agreed with everything you said.
 
Agree 100% with #2, and have said the same thing - invest in SB now, reap the benefits next year and beyond. It's not too difficult, actually. Even if you experience a few bumps along the way. But I think the roster is talented enough for Shane to get us a 7-5 regular season with a chance at 8 in the bowl.
 
I think you could ruin Shane by starting him so early against a great team. Better for him to gain some experience and start against UTEP where he can have success versus losing his first start and possibly getting hurt. If Swoopes can't get it done, then bring in Shane, but our odds of beating ND with a freshman QB are extremely low. We have a better chance of winning with Swoopes. Trust the coaches. They'll start the right one. Seems like no one on OB has any trust that the coaches know what their doing. Swoopes is capable of having a big game, Shana is not at this point.
 
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Early prediction ND 30-17, we have a missed FG at some point in the game. Hope I am wrong.
 
I'm saying it doesn't matter because I believe the default position needs to be based on what's best in the long-term future.

I think that you are right about SB being the future and needing to play early and often this year, but with a 12 game season (13 we hope) that can be accomplished even if Swoopes starts the first game. Getting him ready for '17 and playing Swoopes against ND are not mutually exclusive. Why make something either or when you don't have to?

People are focusing way to much on who starts the first game. SB can be brought along without throwing him to the wolves. Perhaps a slower introduction to D1 football better accomplishes the goal of him being ready for '17 than a quick one.
 
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I think that you are right about SB being the future and needing to play early and often this year, but with a 12 game season (13 we hope) that can be accomplished even if Swoopes starts the first game. Getting him ready for '17 and playing Swoopes against ND are not mutually exclusive ideas.

People are focusing way to much on who starts the first game. SB can be brought along without throwing him to the wolves. Perhaps a slower introduction to D1 football better accomplishes the goal of him being ready for '17 than a quick one.
What's surprising to me is that OB is already prepared to sacrifice the whole season and go 7-5 when Swoopes has the physical tools to get us a Big12 championship. Why not at least give him a chance, even if you think the odds are low.? Shane still has 12 games that he can start this year. Let's not throw away the season before it even starts.
 
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None of those guys were close to playing for it all, other than Mayfield last year, and he was in the Heisman discussion. Sure, you can win the conference without elite QB play, but you almost always need it to play for a National Title.

Other than Nick Saban led teams, here are the QB's who've played for a title since 2005.

2005- Vince Young(Heisman finalist and 1st rounder) and Matt Leinart(Won a Heisman and 1st rounder)

2006-Chris Leak/Tim Tebow(won a Heisman) and Troy Smith(won Heisman)

2007- Matt Flynn(7th rounder but is still around the league) and Todd Boeckman.

2008- Tebow(Won a Heisman) and Sam Bradford(won Heisman)

2009- Saban and Colt McCoy(Heisman Finalist)

2010- Cam Newton(Heisman) and Darron Thomas(dynamic college player in Oregon System)

2011- Saban and LSU(terrible game that should have never happened)

2012- Saban and Everett Golson

2013- Jameis Winston(Heisman) and Nick Marshall

2014- Marcus Mariota(Heisman) and Jones

2015- Saban and Deshaun Watson(will probably win Heisman or at least be a finalist)

So, of the 22 QB's that have played for a title since 2005, nearly half of them either won a Heisman or were a finalist. Honestly, outside of Boeckman, Golson, Marshall, and Jones.... The rest of the QB's were great college players.

Bottom line, if you don't have a coach named Nick Saban, you need an exceptional player at QB to get to a title(which should be our ultimate goal).


Good info but it makes me wonder. For the most part, did they win heismans because they were great players or because they were on great teams surrounded by superior players??
 
Scary thought Ketch w/your Garret Gilbert reference. I hope the best for Sam in a speedy FULL recovery. We're going to need him on the 40.

I also agree with your QB thoughts - go w/the unknown youth and let him grow. This season's W/L's isn't likely going to flux that much w/Swoopes or Shane. He's going to play, so a R/S is out of the question. May as well throw him into the fire and let him grow up fast.
All Y'all, not just 40, do understand that we play at least 12 games this season, right? So if he doesn't start against Notre Dame, the biggest bonfire until OU, Charlie has wasted his EE Freshman year because he isn't fire tested? Let's see - about 80 offensive plays per game x 12 games = 960 plays, give or take a few. But out of about 1000 plays, if he isn't QB for the first 3 against ND we must hate on the coaches and boo Tyrone? Sheesh! Guys, the QB with the most potential isn't always the best in a particular set of circumstances. In Sterlin I trust, until proven otherwise.
 
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