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Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (Talking Buechele, Carrington, Shaka and more...)

Each to his own and goodnight, thou great SJW.
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Quick Google: "Average High School Teacher Yearly Salary in Texas. High School Teachers earn a median salary of $53,310 per year. Salaries typically start from $40,680 and go up to $70,580."
And that's for nine months, right?
 
The movie is the lowlife's pity party. She was always a lowlife. Millions of people have been thru far worse without being a felon. Lap it up if you want.

Everyone but Tonya said she knew about the assault plan. She lied. What a shock.

Have you been thru far worse?
 
I can't make you feel for people who have received constant mental and physical abuse in their lives or begin to fathom why some do feel some sympathy for them, no more so than I can make you correctly review my comments on the quarterback discussion.

You really don’t get it, do you? I do sympathize with such people. In fact, I’ve given blood, sweat, tears and money to such people for the better part of my life. But my sympathy ends when abuse becomes justification for hurting others. So should yours.
 

"Longhorn sophomore QB Shane Buechele will undergo surgery on a torn adductor (hip)/abdominal muscle he sustained in the Texas Bowl. The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday, Jan. 18), he will begin treatments and rehabilitation soon after and he is expected to be ready to return in time for spring practice, which begins on Monday, March 5."

Texas Press Release on January 17

I am not a doctor and I sure as hell don't play one on TV.

Or the Internet for that matter.

I'm just a regular human that hopes he can apply common sense to as many situations as I possibly can. When I read this statement in my in-box on Wednesday, the common sense siren in my head started to blare for all of the wrong reasons.

Buechele had surgery on a torn adductor (hip)/abdominal muscle on Thursday and hopes to return to football activities in six weeks?

Why was my BS meter going off?

Well, as I've stated, I'm no expert on the subject, but a six-week timeline simply doesn't meet the timeline of most of the torn adductor (hip)/abdominal muscle surgeries that I've seen in the sports world in recent memory. For instance, UFC fighter Daniel Cormier was out of action for several months last year after undergoing the same surgery. Tim Howard was also sidelined several months last year when he suffered the injury in November of 2016.

Yet, while my memory was correct about similar injuries needing more than six weeks of recovery time, it turns out that my BS meter was wrong because a little homework on the matter revealed that if the press release statement might have leaned towards the most aggressive of recovery times, it isn't at all out of the question.

I came across a story on NOLA.com detailing the a torn adductor (hip) surgery that ex-Longhorn Kenny Vaccaro underwent last month and came across the following info from the Washington Orthopedics & Sports Medicine.

"Surgery for (adductor muscle strains) is rarely necessary.

"Avulsion injuries, in which the tendon is pulled away with its bony attachment, may require operative reattachment. Some cases of complete muscle tendon tears may require surgery. Repair involves an open incision over the site of injury and reattachment of the tendon origin, or suture repair of torn soft tissue. Surgery is also necessary in patients with chronic pain whose symptoms do not respond to conservative treatment.

From the same article, Charles W. Thomas (a General Surgeon with Southern Surgical Specialists in New Orleans) reported that, "Without operative intervention, up to three months of conservative treatment. After a procedure for a true sports hernia, anywhere from 3-6 weeks for recovery time."

After taking all of the information available on the subject, it seems like it's an injury that usually takes between 4-8 weeks to recover from before the rehab process really picks up. It's impossible to predict where Buechele's own recovery time will be, but it's reasonable to think that he will be coming out of the rehab process at the six-week mark and will be somewhat limited at the start of spring drills.

If Buechele is limited, an already very interesting Texas quarterback situation in the spring will become outright fascinating because it would then open the door for true freshmen Cameron Rising and Casey Thompson to receive reps with the second-team offense that they otherwise wouldn't get if Buechele is 100-percent healthy.

A healthy Buechele will likely share first- and second-team reps with Sam Ehlinger, but if he's limited at the start of camp and can't participate without limitations, Ehlinger would likely take all of the first-teams reps while Buechele is limited, while the freshmen would take the rest of the snaps.

For Rising and Thompson, this would be a huge opportunity to make an instant impression on a coaching staff begging for someone to make one. Typically, incoming freshmen are limited to scout team work throughout their first seasons in college and reps at the expense of older players with the first- or second-team offenses are limited.

Given the need for this program to get much better quarterback play, I'd bet on either Rising or Thompson or both getting an extended look, and thus receiving more second-team reps if they can show just a little that it is warranted.

Without making a mountain out of a molehill, I'm merely pointing out that the first week of camp will be headlined by the events at the quarterback position.

Oh, and in the process, most of us learned a little about the adductor surgery rehab process.

No. 2 – The value of Bryan Carrington ...


As the legend of Bryan Carrington has exploded into orbit over the last few weeks, especially since he took to the road this week with much fanfare as the interim 10th assistant coach, two things occurred to me.

a. Most Longhorns fans likely don't have any idea what he does when he's not acting 10th assistant coach.
b. Most Longhorns fans likely don't have any idea what kind of value he brings to the table on a per dollar basis.

Let's start with his current job - assistant director of athletics. As Jason Suchomel outlined earlier this week, Carrington is a do-everything-monster behind the scenes in recruiting. While most non-coaching staff members have a limited impact on the day-in and day-out success in recruiting based on the fact that everything they do is restricted to work from the office, Carrington has proven to be a critical piece of Tom Herman's recruiting puzzle. His ability to relate to the athletes Texas is recruiting allowed him to become a weapon this past week when he was released into the recruiting wild as the temporary 10th assistant coach.

You can make a case that Carrington is one of the five most important people in the entire program. Certainly top 10.

So, guess what I found out when did I little investigative work using the salaries database over at TexasTribune.com?

The median salary of the five assistant directors at Texas is $52,500 per year. Carrington makes a mere $35,805 per year, which ranks fourth among those that are listed with the same job title within the athletic department.

In an athletic department that broke $215 million in revenue last year, but had nearly that much money in expenses, Carrington’s return on investment has to be at the top of a short pile.

The Nick Sabans of the college football world, who are constantly looking to add more nuclear recruiting weapons to their already robust nuclear recruiting weapons artillery, will surely come calling at some point.

Texas needs to take every measure possible to make sure Carrington is a foundation piece for Herman's program.

Translation?
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No. 3 – Speaking of numbers I found interesting ...

According to the database on TexasTribune.com, here is what Tom Herman's staff earned in 2017.

* $767,950 (Todd Orlando)
* $511,703 (Tim Beck)
* $350,509 (Craig Naivar)
* $296,933 (Oscar Giles)
* $296,933 (Derek Warehime)
* $294,715 (Stan Drayton)
* $245,984 (Drew Mehringer)
* $220,796 (Corby Meekins)
* $209,376 (Jason Washington)

My biggest takeaway?

As Tom Herman's recruiting coordinator and one of his best position coaches, Jason Washington is vastly underpaid.
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No. 4 - A name to file away ...

On paper, this guy definitely feels like an improvement over the returning players. Make a call, Tom.


No. 5 – U-G-L-Y, you ain't got no alibi, you ugly ...

You could see the butt-kicking that Texas took from West Virginia on Saturday coming from a mile away.

The Mountaineers, a legit Final Four-level team, were riding a two-game losing streak and were desperate to save their Big 12 title hopes, while the Longhorns were coming off of one of the best performances of the Shaka Smart era. Anyone with a brain could see that Texas was unlikely to win in Morgantown BEFORE these dynamics were added to the match-up, but once the events from the last week unfolded the way they did, you couldn't help having the sense that Texas was hopeless entering the game.

My expectations for Texas was a double-digit loss.

My expectations for Texas was not one of the worst regular-season losses in the history of the school.

Considering the level of disgust by a large segment of the Texas fan base surrounding the Texas basketball program, and specifically Shaka Smart, it was the wrong time for an old fashioned mollywhopping, but an old fashioned mollywhopping the Longhorns received. Texas fans have every right to be angry today about the result from Saturday. You don't have to shut up when such a result takes place.

Yet, Smart and his team need to shake it off because Monday night's home game against Iowa State is the more important worry. As I wrote a week ago, it is imperative that Texas win two out of three in a three-game stretch that includes Texas Tech, West Virginia and Iowa State. As bad as Saturday afternoon was, the bottom line with this season and this team's needs didn't change. If the Longhorns beat the Cyclones, they will have accomplished what they needed to over an eight-day stretch.

A win on Monday will leave the team with an overall 13-7 record and a 4-4 mark in Big 12 play. While a 13-7 record isn't the goal of the program, it's far from a disaster.

The bottom line for this year's team is that it needs to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. That's the minimum level of success in any season for the Texas program. Once there, it can try to change a few narratives with a couple of wins. Is that likely? Probably not. Is it outside the realm of possibilities? Certainly not.

No. 6 – The elephant in the room ...
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In the aftermath of my writing that angry rant about the men's basketball team in the middle of one of its best performances of the season (and just hours after it was announced that Andrew Jones had been diagnosed with leukemia), it seems many of you have struggled to get beyond the two most memorable words from the column to the point that you can't wrap your mind around the actual message that was issued.

Clearly, this is my fault, as a good carpenter never blames his tools.

Therefore, let me circle back and reiterate my bigger picture thoughts in an effort to become as close to 100-percent clear as possible.

Ready?

1. Shaka Smart's overall body of work through two-plus seasons isn't remotely good enough. Period.
2. Last season wasn't poor, it was a disaster.
3. Shaka Smart isn't going to lose his job this year, especially if he gets this team into the Tournament.
4. Even if he makes the Tournament this year, there will be significant and deserved pressure to deliver more in year four.
5. If that doesn't happen and some serious steps forward aren't made, he's not likely going to make it in Austin much longer.

If those thoughts are believed to have been penned from Crazy-town, so be it, but if you're going to label me a citizen of Crazy-town, at least get my Crazy-town thoughts correct, instead of making assertions from Silly-town.

No. 7 – Buy or Sell …
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BUY or SELL: The 2018 Texas recruiting class finishes in the top four?

(Buy) Using the Rivals rankings, I'm going to say yes, but it's going to be close.

BUY or SELL: Texas signs a grad transfer QB?

(Sell) I think it's certainly possible, but with four quarterbacks on the roster, including two players with starting experience fighting for the job, I'm going to suggest that the smart money is on Texas not adding a quarterback.

BUY or SELL: Herb Hand is the next Greg Robinson? Among other reasons, he's there if it goes full Manny this season.

(Sell) I feel you, but I really believe Tom Herman is going to direct the offense this season in a way that is different than last season. I doubt he'll be involved in every play called, but I think he will be in control.

BUY or SELL: The Texas 2018 starting offensive line has three starters on it that are not currently on campus?

(Sell) I have the over/under at 1.5 and not 2.5.

BUY or SELL: Derek Warehime is demoted after NSD2 and a new coach is hired in his place?

(Sell) Until I hear something different from sources we trust, I believe that the 2018 coaching staff is in place. Our sources just aren't indicating that a major move is set to take place in the coming weeks or months.

BUY or SELL: The Aggies made a huge mistake thinking a guy named Jimbo and elderly Brewster will be able to successfully recruit against the Herman-machine?

(Sell) I'm going to wait and see how things go in the spring before grabbing the shovel to dig graves for these old-timers. That being said, I know where my shovel is. A good boy scout is always prepared.

BUY or SELL: If we land grad-transfer OL Calvin Anderson, your season win total prediction for next year goes up one game?

(Sell) Connor Williams might have been worth a win, but I think Anderson serves as a piece of a bigger puzzle.

BUY or SELL: After watching yesterday's basketball game vs. West Virginia, your unequivocal support for Shaka Smart is now equivocal?

(Sell) If anyone needs remaining:

unequivocal

[uhn-i-kwiv-uh-kuh l]

adjective
1.
not equivocal; unambiguous; clear; having only one possible meaning or interpretation:
an unequivocal indication of assent; unequivocal proof.
2.
absolute; unqualified; not subject to conditions or exceptions:
The cosigner of a note gives unequivocal assurance that it will be paid when due.

BUY or SELL: Texas makes the NCAA tournament?

(Buy) I'm going to give this team wins at home against Iowa State, Ole Miss, Kansas State, Baylor and Oklahoma State, which gets it to 17 wins. I think this team is capable of beating Oklahoma at home, Texas Tech in Lubbock, TCU if Fort Worth and Kansas State in Manhattan. Don't ask me why because it's nothing more than a hunch, but I think Texas will win one of these games in that group of three, which would get the team to 18 wins and likely get this team in. The wiggle room is slight, though.

No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …

... Go Patriots. Go Tom Brady. The heart and soul of every Dallas Cowboys fan is behind you for the next two weeks.

... Doug Pederson is 100X the coach that Jason Garrett wishes he was. Can you imagine Garrett making it work with Nick Foles? Yeah, me neither.

... For those of you that believe Tom Herman shouldn't call plays because Bill Belichick doesn't call plays, just know that Pederson calls the offensive plays for the Eagles and Mike Zimmer calls the defensive plays for the Vikings.

... I saw Nick Foles play in high school in person at least a half-dozen times. In a million years, I never thought he'd lead a team to a Super Bowl. Never. Props to the guy. He was sensational against the Vikings. Hell, better than sensational.

... My guess is that Rob Gronkowski had to be protected from himself once he was officially diagnosed with a concussion. I'd bet a hundy that if it had been up to him, he'd have gone back into the game.

... James Harrison is going to the Super Bowl as a Patriot.

... I had Danny Amendola as a state top-100 prospect back in 2004, but I think his only power five offer was from Texas Tech, which means that everyone outside of Mike Leach totally whiffed on this Patriots legend.

... I need the NBA to give me a seven-game series between the Warriors and the Rockets. Saturday night was fun.

... If the NBA season ended today, we'd get a LeBron James/Joel Embiid showdown in the first round. Yes, please.

... I'm still trying to process the Roy Halladay autopsy report. Morphine?

... Stipe Miocic is the truth, whether the UFC loves him as its heavyweight champion or not. He's the guy I always thought Cain Velasquez was going to be. Speaking of Velasquez, if he can get healthy, he's basically the only guy in the heavyweight division that Miocic hasn't taken care of. Velasquez just has to prove that he can get there.

... Someone call the Spanish authorities. I'm pretty sure Real Madrid committed a felony thus weekend against Deportivo La Coruña.

... Look, I think Alexis Sanchez is a wonderful player, but I'm not taking Anthony Martial off the pitch. Period.

... I want Sergej Milinković-Savić playing with Liverpool next season, much more so than Lemar. Put me on the record right now.

... Gareth Bale looked like the authentic Gareth Bale this weekend. man, that Real Madrid/PSG showdown in the Champions League is all kinds of fascinating and I have no idea which way it's going to go.

No. 9 – Updated Oscar rankings …
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My biggest take away from watching "I, Tonya" over the weekend?

Tonya Harding never had a chance.

I found myself feeling shame for all of my previous thoughts about Harding after absorbing how much physical and mental abuse she had suffered throughout her entire life, while coupled with a severe lack of education or steady support system around her. I'm not excusing all of her behavior by any means, but it's much easier to understand how we got to the places we've been to with her once you understand where she came from.

With the full context of her background, it was hard not to feel sympathy for her throughout the movie. She was an imperfect person from super-imperfect conditions and it's an American success story that she even climbed the ladders that she climbed. Yet, her fall from the top into the depths of despair could be seen from 100 miles away in retrospect.

I found myself leaving the theater hoping that she could just be happy inside her own skin and live a fulfilling life outside of everything she's ever known in the opening chapters of her life.

My updated Oscars rankings.

(Still need to see: All the Money in the World, Call Me By Your Name, The Florida Project, Phantom Thread, The Post and Roman J. Israel, Esq)

Best Picture

1. Lady Bird
2. The Shape of Water
3. Darkest Hour
4. I, Tonya
5. Get Out
6. The Disaster Artist
7. Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
8. Dunkirk
9. The Big Sick
10. Molly's Game

Best Actor

1. Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour)
2. James Franco (The Disaster Artist)
3. Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out)
4. Adam Driver (The Last Jedi)
5. Jeremy Renner (Wind River)

Best Actress

1. Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water)
2. Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird)
3. Frances McDormand (Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri)
4. Margot Robbie (I, Tonya)
5. Jessica Chastain (Molly's Game)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water)
2. Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri)
3. Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water)
4. Jason Mitchell (Mudbound)
5. Rob Morgan (Mudbound)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird)
2. Allison Janney (I,Tonya)
3. Holly Hunter (The Big Sick)
4. Carey Mulligan (Mudbound)
5. Kristin Scott Thomas (Darkest Hour)

Best Director

1. The Shape of Water (Guillermo del Toro)
2. Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird)
3. Jordan Peele (Get Out)
4. Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk)
5. Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049)

No. 10 – And Finally …

Don't turn away from this story. Educate yourself. Ask questions. Don't be afraid to think answers need to be demanded.





Martial definitely comes off the field for Sanchez. He could also play on the R side and take Mata off. Martial' best days are still ahead of him. He must have a better first touch and cut down the turnovers. That said, he is vastly improved over last year, and I'm glad he didn't go to Arsenal in this deal as Wenger wanted.
 
Martial definitely comes off the field for Sanchez. He could also play on the R side and take Mata off. Martial' best days are still ahead of him. He must have a better first touch and cut down the turnovers. That said, he is vastly improved over last year, and I'm glad he didn't go to Arsenal in this deal as Wenger wanted.

Martial, would come off the bench. He's a different player than Mata
 
surgery on a torn adductor (hip)/abdominal muscle

That press release is confusing. Adductors are not abdominal muscles...they run from your
pelvis down to the inside of your femur. So the, "hip/abdominal muscle" means what? He have
two areas of concern? I wonder why they didn't clear the release with a doctor before they used the words they used..
Go to Wikipedia and type in, "adductor muscles". Most good gyms have adductor machines...go try one
and you will know right away where this muscle group is located...they are not in your tummy.
 
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The heart and soul of every Dallas Cowboys fan is behind you for the next two weeks.

Lifetime Cowboys fan here. If the Patriots franchise never wins another game I will celebrate, celebrate, and celebrate. Even against the Eagles.
 
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I'm done being patient while we keep starting underclassmen QB's and losing. It's painfully apparent that you can win with underclassmen, even true Frosh QB's. Too many other schools do it with ease.

The only 2 things I'm concerned with are that we keep tackling the way this team has learned to tackle under Orlando, and at some point we acquire enough talent at O-Line to get through a season.

Maybe Ehlinger or Buechele will grow into consistent reliable QB's who can win games, or maybe we'll be starting more freshmen QB's next year. But I know if our O-Line doesn't drastically improve, it won't matter.
 
Really hoping TH signs a quality grad transfer QB. As much as I and pretty much everyone likes the kid, I have lost confidence that Shane will remain healthy enough over any given season to positively impact the team. And given Sam’s reckless playing style, I’d feel a lot more comfortable with an upperclassman as our backup QB, rather than another true freshman. Seems a near certainty that Sam misses some time next year due to injury.
 
Good stuff Ketch. The whole Michigan State Administration needs to be put in jail. No ifs, ands, or buts.
 
BUY or SELL: Texas signs a grad transfer QB?

(Sell) I think it's certainly possible, but with four quarterbacks on the roster, including two players with starting experience fighting for the job, I'm going to suggest that the smart money is on Texas not adding a quarterback.

- So we have two true freshmen QBs. That speaks for itself.

- Then we have one QB who is currently injured and has never been completely healthy during his two year career at Texas. Currently the guy is undergoing surgery. You detailed that injury above in depth.

- Then we have another QB who is a true sophomore....and while he is fun to watch, he also makes poor decisions in critical situations and has concussion issues.

That's not anywhere close to being an ideal situation. If Herman doesn't want to end up being in the same boat as Strong, he should be seriously looking around for an experienced hand.
 
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You just made up a lot of stuff inside your head just then, little of it based in reality.

Um, later in this very thread, a couple of posts down, you indicate that I’m confirming your approach from the other thread by using SJW. Are you really this dense?

Look, you type a lot of words. Maybe you have issues. Whatever. I like Shaka too. All I’m asking that you take ownership of what you actually say and admit when you get it wrong. Or accept that we can lose faith in a coach without being evil incarnate.

But rather you just SJW. Oh well.
 
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Really hoping TH signs a quality grad transfer QB. As much as I and pretty much everyone likes the kid, I have lost confidence that Shane will remain healthy enough over any given season to positively impact the team. And given Sam’s reckless playing style, I’d feel a lot more comfortable with an upperclassman as our backup QB, rather than another true freshman. Seems a near certainty that Sam misses some time next year due to injury.
I love Shane’s heart and will always remember his performance in the ND game. I hope Shane tries and excels in baseball for his sake and stays a Horn.
 
A few thoughts; The QB situation is still shaky. A grad transfer with experience would allow one of
the freshmen(maybe both) to redshirt before having to see the field. Even if only one redshirts, that gives some
"spacing" to the QB position.
Shaka is getting some slack for his poor performance so far because he's black. If he was white, the narrative would be "he doesn't relate to the kids" . Doesn't matter if he's green or purple, he has done a poor job so far.
He should be judged on the team's performance, nothing else, either plus or minus.
Ketch and I just don't like the same movies. Not even close.
Orangebloods can take a post about anything, anything at all , and turn it into a debate. Ketch seems to have
painted a target on his own back and I'm not sure how that happened. Maybe he now knows how Trump feels.
 
Besides Russell Wilson, how many grad transfer QBs have been successful at his new school?
 
Besides Russell Wilson, how many grad transfer QBs have been successful at his new school?
Everett Golson, Clint Trickett, Tyler Murphy, Andrew Hendrix, Greg Paulus, Garret Gilbert, Ben Mauk.
There may be more. A lot of them don't pan out , but some do. I think the PSU kid, Tommy Stevens would be
a good candidate to succeed and he's a real double threat guy.
 

"Longhorn sophomore QB Shane Buechele will undergo surgery on a torn adductor (hip)/abdominal muscle he sustained in the Texas Bowl. The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday, Jan. 18), he will begin treatments and rehabilitation soon after and he is expected to be ready to return in time for spring practice, which begins on Monday, March 5."

Texas Press Release on January 17

I am not a doctor and I sure as hell don't play one on TV.

Or the Internet for that matter.

I'm just a regular human that hopes he can apply common sense to as many situations as I possibly can. When I read this statement in my in-box on Wednesday, the common sense siren in my head started to blare for all of the wrong reasons.

Buechele had surgery on a torn adductor (hip)/abdominal muscle on Thursday and hopes to return to football activities in six weeks?

Why was my BS meter going off?

Well, as I've stated, I'm no expert on the subject, but a six-week timeline simply doesn't meet the timeline of most of the torn adductor (hip)/abdominal muscle surgeries that I've seen in the sports world in recent memory. For instance, UFC fighter Daniel Cormier was out of action for several months last year after undergoing the same surgery. Tim Howard was also sidelined several months last year when he suffered the injury in November of 2016.

Yet, while my memory was correct about similar injuries needing more than six weeks of recovery time, it turns out that my BS meter was wrong because a little homework on the matter revealed that if the press release statement might have leaned towards the most aggressive of recovery times, it isn't at all out of the question.

I came across a story on NOLA.com detailing the a torn adductor (hip) surgery that ex-Longhorn Kenny Vaccaro underwent last month and came across the following info from the Washington Orthopedics & Sports Medicine.

"Surgery for (adductor muscle strains) is rarely necessary.

"Avulsion injuries, in which the tendon is pulled away with its bony attachment, may require operative reattachment. Some cases of complete muscle tendon tears may require surgery. Repair involves an open incision over the site of injury and reattachment of the tendon origin, or suture repair of torn soft tissue. Surgery is also necessary in patients with chronic pain whose symptoms do not respond to conservative treatment.

From the same article, Charles W. Thomas (a General Surgeon with Southern Surgical Specialists in New Orleans) reported that, "Without operative intervention, up to three months of conservative treatment. After a procedure for a true sports hernia, anywhere from 3-6 weeks for recovery time."

After taking all of the information available on the subject, it seems like it's an injury that usually takes between 4-8 weeks to recover from before the rehab process really picks up. It's impossible to predict where Buechele's own recovery time will be, but it's reasonable to think that he will be coming out of the rehab process at the six-week mark and will be somewhat limited at the start of spring drills.

If Buechele is limited, an already very interesting Texas quarterback situation in the spring will become outright fascinating because it would then open the door for true freshmen Cameron Rising and Casey Thompson to receive reps with the second-team offense that they otherwise wouldn't get if Buechele is 100-percent healthy.

A healthy Buechele will likely share first- and second-team reps with Sam Ehlinger, but if he's limited at the start of camp and can't participate without limitations, Ehlinger would likely take all of the first-teams reps while Buechele is limited, while the freshmen would take the rest of the snaps.

For Rising and Thompson, this would be a huge opportunity to make an instant impression on a coaching staff begging for someone to make one. Typically, incoming freshmen are limited to scout team work throughout their first seasons in college and reps at the expense of older players with the first- or second-team offenses are limited.

Given the need for this program to get much better quarterback play, I'd bet on either Rising or Thompson or both getting an extended look, and thus receiving more second-team reps if they can show just a little that it is warranted.

Without making a mountain out of a molehill, I'm merely pointing out that the first week of camp will be headlined by the events at the quarterback position.

Oh, and in the process, most of us learned a little about the adductor surgery rehab process.

No. 2 – The value of Bryan Carrington ...


As the legend of Bryan Carrington has exploded into orbit over the last few weeks, especially since he took to the road this week with much fanfare as the interim 10th assistant coach, two things occurred to me.

a. Most Longhorns fans likely don't have any idea what he does when he's not acting 10th assistant coach.
b. Most Longhorns fans likely don't have any idea what kind of value he brings to the table on a per dollar basis.

Let's start with his current job - assistant director of athletics. As Jason Suchomel outlined earlier this week, Carrington is a do-everything-monster behind the scenes in recruiting. While most non-coaching staff members have a limited impact on the day-in and day-out success in recruiting based on the fact that everything they do is restricted to work from the office, Carrington has proven to be a critical piece of Tom Herman's recruiting puzzle. His ability to relate to the athletes Texas is recruiting allowed him to become a weapon this past week when he was released into the recruiting wild as the temporary 10th assistant coach.

You can make a case that Carrington is one of the five most important people in the entire program. Certainly top 10.

So, guess what I found out when did I little investigative work using the salaries database over at TexasTribune.com?

The median salary of the five assistant directors at Texas is $52,500 per year. Carrington makes a mere $35,805 per year, which ranks fourth among those that are listed with the same job title within the athletic department.

In an athletic department that broke $215 million in revenue last year, but had nearly that much money in expenses, Carrington’s return on investment has to be at the top of a short pile.

The Nick Sabans of the college football world, who are constantly looking to add more nuclear recruiting weapons to their already robust nuclear recruiting weapons artillery, will surely come calling at some point.

Texas needs to take every measure possible to make sure Carrington is a foundation piece for Herman's program.

Translation?
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No. 3 – Speaking of numbers I found interesting ...

According to the database on TexasTribune.com, here is what Tom Herman's staff earned in 2017.

* $767,950 (Todd Orlando)
* $511,703 (Tim Beck)
* $350,509 (Craig Naivar)
* $296,933 (Oscar Giles)
* $296,933 (Derek Warehime)
* $294,715 (Stan Drayton)
* $245,984 (Drew Mehringer)
* $220,796 (Corby Meekins)
* $209,376 (Jason Washington)

My biggest takeaway?

As Tom Herman's recruiting coordinator and one of his best position coaches, Jason Washington is vastly underpaid.
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No. 4 - A name to file away ...

On paper, this guy definitely feels like an improvement over the returning players. Make a call, Tom.


No. 5 – U-G-L-Y, you ain't got no alibi, you ugly ...

You could see the butt-kicking that Texas took from West Virginia on Saturday coming from a mile away.

The Mountaineers, a legit Final Four-level team, were riding a two-game losing streak and were desperate to save their Big 12 title hopes, while the Longhorns were coming off of one of the best performances of the Shaka Smart era. Anyone with a brain could see that Texas was unlikely to win in Morgantown BEFORE these dynamics were added to the match-up, but once the events from the last week unfolded the way they did, you couldn't help having the sense that Texas was hopeless entering the game.

My expectations for Texas was a double-digit loss.

My expectations for Texas was not one of the worst regular-season losses in the history of the school.

Considering the level of disgust by a large segment of the Texas fan base surrounding the Texas basketball program, and specifically Shaka Smart, it was the wrong time for an old fashioned mollywhopping, but an old fashioned mollywhopping the Longhorns received. Texas fans have every right to be angry today about the result from Saturday. You don't have to shut up when such a result takes place.

Yet, Smart and his team need to shake it off because Monday night's home game against Iowa State is the more important worry. As I wrote a week ago, it is imperative that Texas win two out of three in a three-game stretch that includes Texas Tech, West Virginia and Iowa State. As bad as Saturday afternoon was, the bottom line with this season and this team's needs didn't change. If the Longhorns beat the Cyclones, they will have accomplished what they needed to over an eight-day stretch.

A win on Monday will leave the team with an overall 13-7 record and a 4-4 mark in Big 12 play. While a 13-7 record isn't the goal of the program, it's far from a disaster.

The bottom line for this year's team is that it needs to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. That's the minimum level of success in any season for the Texas program. Once there, it can try to change a few narratives with a couple of wins. Is that likely? Probably not. Is it outside the realm of possibilities? Certainly not.

No. 6 – The elephant in the room ...
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In the aftermath of my writing that angry rant about the men's basketball team in the middle of one of its best performances of the season (and just hours after it was announced that Andrew Jones had been diagnosed with leukemia), it seems many of you have struggled to get beyond the two most memorable words from the column to the point that you can't wrap your mind around the actual message that was issued.

Clearly, this is my fault, as a good carpenter never blames his tools.

Therefore, let me circle back and reiterate my bigger picture thoughts in an effort to become as close to 100-percent clear as possible.

Ready?

1. Shaka Smart's overall body of work through two-plus seasons isn't remotely good enough. Period.
2. Last season wasn't poor, it was a disaster.
3. Shaka Smart isn't going to lose his job this year, especially if he gets this team into the Tournament.
4. Even if he makes the Tournament this year, there will be significant and deserved pressure to deliver more in year four.
5. If that doesn't happen and some serious steps forward aren't made, he's not likely going to make it in Austin much longer.

If those thoughts are believed to have been penned from Crazy-town, so be it, but if you're going to label me a citizen of Crazy-town, at least get my Crazy-town thoughts correct, instead of making assertions from Silly-town.

No. 7 – Buy or Sell …
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BUY or SELL: The 2018 Texas recruiting class finishes in the top four?

(Buy) Using the Rivals rankings, I'm going to say yes, but it's going to be close.

BUY or SELL: Texas signs a grad transfer QB?

(Sell) I think it's certainly possible, but with four quarterbacks on the roster, including two players with starting experience fighting for the job, I'm going to suggest that the smart money is on Texas not adding a quarterback.

BUY or SELL: Herb Hand is the next Greg Robinson? Among other reasons, he's there if it goes full Manny this season.

(Sell) I feel you, but I really believe Tom Herman is going to direct the offense this season in a way that is different than last season. I doubt he'll be involved in every play called, but I think he will be in control.

BUY or SELL: The Texas 2018 starting offensive line has three starters on it that are not currently on campus?

(Sell) I have the over/under at 1.5 and not 2.5.

BUY or SELL: Derek Warehime is demoted after NSD2 and a new coach is hired in his place?

(Sell) Until I hear something different from sources we trust, I believe that the 2018 coaching staff is in place. Our sources just aren't indicating that a major move is set to take place in the coming weeks or months.

BUY or SELL: The Aggies made a huge mistake thinking a guy named Jimbo and elderly Brewster will be able to successfully recruit against the Herman-machine?

(Sell) I'm going to wait and see how things go in the spring before grabbing the shovel to dig graves for these old-timers. That being said, I know where my shovel is. A good boy scout is always prepared.

BUY or SELL: If we land grad-transfer OL Calvin Anderson, your season win total prediction for next year goes up one game?

(Sell) Connor Williams might have been worth a win, but I think Anderson serves as a piece of a bigger puzzle.

BUY or SELL: After watching yesterday's basketball game vs. West Virginia, your unequivocal support for Shaka Smart is now equivocal?

(Sell) If anyone needs remaining:

unequivocal

[uhn-i-kwiv-uh-kuh l]

adjective
1.
not equivocal; unambiguous; clear; having only one possible meaning or interpretation:
an unequivocal indication of assent; unequivocal proof.
2.
absolute; unqualified; not subject to conditions or exceptions:
The cosigner of a note gives unequivocal assurance that it will be paid when due.

BUY or SELL: Texas makes the NCAA tournament?

(Buy) I'm going to give this team wins at home against Iowa State, Ole Miss, Kansas State, Baylor and Oklahoma State, which gets it to 17 wins. I think this team is capable of beating Oklahoma at home, Texas Tech in Lubbock, TCU if Fort Worth and Kansas State in Manhattan. Don't ask me why because it's nothing more than a hunch, but I think Texas will win one of these games in that group of three, which would get the team to 18 wins and likely get this team in. The wiggle room is slight, though.

No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …

... Go Patriots. Go Tom Brady. The heart and soul of every Dallas Cowboys fan is behind you for the next two weeks.

... Doug Pederson is 100X the coach that Jason Garrett wishes he was. Can you imagine Garrett making it work with Nick Foles? Yeah, me neither.

... For those of you that believe Tom Herman shouldn't call plays because Bill Belichick doesn't call plays, just know that Pederson calls the offensive plays for the Eagles and Mike Zimmer calls the defensive plays for the Vikings.

... I saw Nick Foles play in high school in person at least a half-dozen times. In a million years, I never thought he'd lead a team to a Super Bowl. Never. Props to the guy. He was sensational against the Vikings. Hell, better than sensational.

... My guess is that Rob Gronkowski had to be protected from himself once he was officially diagnosed with a concussion. I'd bet a hundy that if it had been up to him, he'd have gone back into the game.

... James Harrison is going to the Super Bowl as a Patriot.

... I had Danny Amendola as a state top-100 prospect back in 2004, but I think his only power five offer was from Texas Tech, which means that everyone outside of Mike Leach totally whiffed on this Patriots legend.

... I need the NBA to give me a seven-game series between the Warriors and the Rockets. Saturday night was fun.

... If the NBA season ended today, we'd get a LeBron James/Joel Embiid showdown in the first round. Yes, please.

... I'm still trying to process the Roy Halladay autopsy report. Morphine?

... Stipe Miocic is the truth, whether the UFC loves him as its heavyweight champion or not. He's the guy I always thought Cain Velasquez was going to be. Speaking of Velasquez, if he can get healthy, he's basically the only guy in the heavyweight division that Miocic hasn't taken care of. Velasquez just has to prove that he can get there.

... Someone call the Spanish authorities. I'm pretty sure Real Madrid committed a felony thus weekend against Deportivo La Coruña.

... Look, I think Alexis Sanchez is a wonderful player, but I'm not taking Anthony Martial off the pitch. Period.

... I want Sergej Milinković-Savić playing with Liverpool next season, much more so than Lemar. Put me on the record right now.

... Gareth Bale looked like the authentic Gareth Bale this weekend. man, that Real Madrid/PSG showdown in the Champions League is all kinds of fascinating and I have no idea which way it's going to go.

No. 9 – Updated Oscar rankings …
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My biggest take away from watching "I, Tonya" over the weekend?

Tonya Harding never had a chance.

I found myself feeling shame for all of my previous thoughts about Harding after absorbing how much physical and mental abuse she had suffered throughout her entire life, while coupled with a severe lack of education or steady support system around her. I'm not excusing all of her behavior by any means, but it's much easier to understand how we got to the places we've been to with her once you understand where she came from.

With the full context of her background, it was hard not to feel sympathy for her throughout the movie. She was an imperfect person from super-imperfect conditions and it's an American success story that she even climbed the ladders that she climbed. Yet, her fall from the top into the depths of despair could be seen from 100 miles away in retrospect.

I found myself leaving the theater hoping that she could just be happy inside her own skin and live a fulfilling life outside of everything she's ever known in the opening chapters of her life.

My updated Oscars rankings.

(Still need to see: All the Money in the World, Call Me By Your Name, The Florida Project, Phantom Thread, The Post and Roman J. Israel, Esq)

Best Picture

1. Lady Bird
2. The Shape of Water
3. Darkest Hour
4. I, Tonya
5. Get Out
6. The Disaster Artist
7. Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
8. Dunkirk
9. The Big Sick
10. Molly's Game

Best Actor

1. Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour)
2. James Franco (The Disaster Artist)
3. Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out)
4. Adam Driver (The Last Jedi)
5. Jeremy Renner (Wind River)

Best Actress

1. Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water)
2. Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird)
3. Frances McDormand (Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri)
4. Margot Robbie (I, Tonya)
5. Jessica Chastain (Molly's Game)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water)
2. Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri)
3. Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water)
4. Jason Mitchell (Mudbound)
5. Rob Morgan (Mudbound)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird)
2. Allison Janney (I,Tonya)
3. Holly Hunter (The Big Sick)
4. Carey Mulligan (Mudbound)
5. Kristin Scott Thomas (Darkest Hour)

Best Director

1. The Shape of Water (Guillermo del Toro)
2. Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird)
3. Jordan Peele (Get Out)
4. Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk)
5. Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049)

No. 10 – And Finally …

Don't turn away from this story. Educate yourself. Ask questions. Don't be afraid to think answers need to be demanded.





It has already started. Freshman quarterbacks reign. Every year it is the same thing. We are not going to win big if we have a freshman quarterback start a game. They make mistakes. For some reason sports reporters think it makes good copy so it continues to pop up. Freshman quarterbacks should redshirt and be given a chance to mature. It would be best for the team and best for the quarterback.
 
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My biggest take away from watching "I, Tonya" over the weekend?

Tonya Harding never had a chance.

I found myself feeling shame for all of my previous thoughts about Harding after absorbing how much physical and mental abuse she had suffered throughout her entire life, while coupled with a severe lack of education or steady support system around her. I'm not excusing all of her behavior by any means, but it's much easier to understand how we got to the places we've been to with her once you understand where she came from.

With the full context of her background, it was hard not to feel sympathy for her throughout the movie. She was an imperfect person from super-imperfect conditions and it's an American success story that she even climbed the ladders that she climbed. Yet, her fall from the top into the depths of despair could be seen from 100 miles away in retrospect.

I found myself leaving the theater hoping that she could just be happy inside her own skin and live a fulfilling life outside of everything she's ever known in the opening chapters of her life.
I grew up surrounded by Tonya Hardings. Maybe all of DC will watch it, and the light bulb will go off, and they'll realize the issues related to poverty & dysfunction are far more a result of a lack of quality parents than a lack of money. If you have loving, nurturing parents that push education & encourage you..........the sky is the limit. If you don't, it's a really low ceiling, and few will be lucky to break through it.
 
You really don’t get it, do you? I do sympathize with such people. In fact, I’ve given blood, sweat, tears and money to such people for the better part of my life. But my sympathy ends when abuse becomes justification for hurting others. So should yours.
I don't think you fully understand my position. You couldn't be making that any clearer. When J Tull is liking your point, you're making a shitty point.
 
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