Ladies and gentlemen of Orangebloods, the glass is still half full.
In the aftermath of this Longhorn team falling into Charlie Strong territory in the win/loss department, it's important to not lose sight of the bigger picture.
This program is making tangible strides forward, even if it hasn't learned how to finish opponents and win games.
As I wrote a week ago in this very column, the Longhorns have their guy at quarterback, which is the most important check mark that needed to be made in this entire season.
It's important to state these truths from the start because some folks lose track of the nuance of a discussion any time it gets a little critical of components inside a college football program. It's just too personal for some, which means they react like a mom protecting her baby.
All things considered, Tom Herman and his staff have done a very good job in year one, especially when you consider all of the areas inside this program that needed addressing.
It's one of the reasons why 24 hours after writing that members of the Texas offensive coaching staff were stealing money on Saturday that I regret it. In retrospect, there was a better way to point out that there are a number of areas on that side of the ball that are major concerns for very important reasons without writing something that might feel personal, especially when there are a lot of ways to judge a college football coach's work outside of what happens on Saturdays.
What I'm going to attempt to do in this column is address the areas of concern that continued to emerge on Saturday in a way that goes a little deeper than the initial discussion on Saturday afternoon.
No. 2 – The elephant in the room ...
Let's start with the offensive line.
This team currently is living out its worst-case scenario from a personnel standpoint and we run the risk of mutilating a dead horse if we emerge from every game singing to the rafters about the state of this position.
That being said, let me defend this group's play a little yesterday.
While it wasn't good, it was competent in spurts and this offense still didn't have anything going for it outside of living and dying off of its freshman quarterback's ability to create on the fly.
Frankly, it's lazy to simply point at the offensive line as the source of this unit's offense because it willfully ignores so many other issues that require inspection.
We're seven games into this season and I don't see a single player that is emerging in the home-stretch outside of the quarterback, who is still going to have freshman moments in his freshman season. That's just science.
Is it Denzel Okafor's fault that Collin Johnson, a player that Tom Herman claimed he was taking responsibility over when it came to getting him more involved, has fallen off a cliff? Is it Zach Shackelford's fault that Armanti Foreman leads the team in touchdown catches, but can't get game reps over guys with no touchdown catches? Is it the fault of Connor Williams' injury that the idea of an added wrinkle by the Texas coaching staff seems to be running more power runs with a quarterback that it claims it needs to ask less of?
Yes, the offensive line is a war zone, but don't let it cover your eyes for everything that is and isn't going on.
No. 3 – The improvement on offense across the board is missing ...
Seriously, name a single offensive player other than Sam Ehlinger who is emerging more than halfway through this season.
Not a running back. Not a wide receiver. Not really a tight end, although Cade Brewer might be low-key emerging.
However, if the only player we can come up with is a freshman, who caught one pass for 15 yards on Saturday, I feel like we're indirectly making my point stronger in the process.
When Texas takes the field next week, I don't know of a single running back that can be trusted. I used to think Collin Johnson could be trusted, but with Reggie Hemphill-Mapps banged up, is there a receiver that anyone can count on to make a play against Baylor?
There are five games left for progress to be made, but it's lacking everywhere nearly 60-percent into the season.
No. 4 - Playing time questions ...
What's happening in the area of snap distribution is borderline maddening.
Armanti Foreman is in the top two at his position in terms of snaps against USC and Iowa State, but can't get on the field at the expense of players making almost zero plays in the next three games?
Collin Johnson was a top five player on the field against USC, but has been rendered moot and is losing snaps, even after Herman claimed he was so important to the offense that he was personally getting involved more in his development?
Chris Warren hasn't earned the trust of the staff through seven games, but the running backs that Herman claims he wants to see more of are barely playing at a position begging for more help.
Meanwhile, the team's best offensive players often aren't on the field in the game's biggest plays.
These are absolutely the things that a well-paid staff is supposed to have a handle on, but I see more guessing than anything. In fact, Tom Herman has admitted that he doesn't have the answers because if he did, the problems would be fixed.
No. 5 – About that offensive identity ...
This killed me yesterday.
The Texas coaches seemed to have quit on running the football with the backs after not using any of them in the running game until ... they get into a first-and-goal situation at the 10-yard line and then use the banished position on consecutive run plays, which left the team facing a third and goal from the five-yard line, which was not converted.
I suppose the argument can be made that the coaches were trying to catch Oklahoma State off-guard by tricking their way into the running game, but to this naked eye it looked like the offense didn't know who it wanted to be as the field got smaller.
It's funny to think that there were people wondering if the staff was saving all of the imagination in the offense for the Oklahoma game when it seems pretty clear that this team doesn't really do imagination on the offensive side of the ball in 2017. The same Wildcat package that jump-started the offense earlier in the season has seemingly disappeared forever. Meanwhile, the Texas passing game seems limited to playing in a 15-yard phone booth by design, which is understandable because of the line, but gives this group no wiggle room from play to play because it's too sloppy to think that it can go 80 yards over a dozen plays very often.
This team is dying for big plays and after John Burt made a monster play after-the-catch in the first half, how many times did they repeat the process of getting him in that same type of space again?
Again, some of this stuff can be attributed to the war zone offensive line situation, but an elite offensive coaching staff finds a way to help its team score points.
That isn't happening most weeks.
No. 6 - Where this leaves Tom Herman going into 2018 ...
Obviously, the last five games of the season will matter significantly, but it seems like we're heading into an off-season that could look similar to the one we all lived through in 2015.
Tom Herman is going to stand by all of his assistants. Period. Ride or die, baby.
That means the fan base will go into next season wired exactly like it was when Shawn Watson returned for his second season as an offensive coordinator, which means that if there's a single performance from the offense like yesterday's played in year two, folks won't be kind.
I'm of the opinion that when this season ends, Herman needs to audit his coaching staff very seriously and make sure he feels like he has the best possible coaches in all areas of this team, comfort through association be damned. Strong failed to do so and it proved to be a fatal flaw.
Herman was hired to make history at Texas, not repeat it.
No. 7 – In case that felt like too much negativity …
Here are things to feel really good about going into Baylor week ...
* Todd Orlando has been everything everyone thought he would be. Texas has one of the top five defensive coordinators in the country in control of that side of the ball. He gives Texas a chance to win in every game it plays the rest of the way out.
* Malik Jefferson is playing the second-best brand of linebacker that this school has seen in the last 30 years. Only Derrick Johnson has been better than the Jefferson we're seeing impact every single game. He played like a wild-man against Oklahoma State.
* Gary Johnson staying in the line-up makes this defense even better.
* The much-maligned Texas secondary won its match-up against a much-loved on Oklahoma State wide receiver unit in a big, big way. That includes Kris Boyd, who Oklahoma State wanted to attack, but couldn't find any business on Boyd's side of the field. Meanwhile, Holton Hill is having the best season of any Texas cornerback since ... Aaron Ross in 2006? Seriously, think about it. Only Carrington Byndom has been a first-team All-Big 12 player at cornerback for the Longhorns since 2006.
* Michael Dickson is so good that it's a shame he wasn't on the 2005 team. He's worthy of it.
No. 8 – Buy or Sell …
BUY or SELL: Tim Beck will be the offensive coordinator in 2018?
(Buy) I just don't see Tom Herman pulling the plug on the guy, given the circumstances of this season.
BUY or SELL: Sam's interception against OSU and fumble against USC collectively are the worst turnovers by one player in the history of Texas football?
(Sell) Chris Simms had at least a half-dozen in his career.
BUY or SELL: Texas is a legitimate threat to lose to 0-7 Baylor this week?
(Buy) Texas is a team learning how to win. It should not be taken for granted.
BUY or SELL: A realistic expectation for next year is eight wins. Why? Because our offense is the worst ever and it won't turn around in one year.
(Sell) I have no earthly idea what is reasonable going into next year at this point.
BUY or SELL: My liver survives the 2017 season unscathed?
(Sell) The TCU game looms in two weeks.
BUY or SELL: Sam is the starter if we lose against Baylor due to offensive performance?
(Sell) Apparently, it's What Have You Done For Me, Yesterday Week in Austin.
BUY or SELL: You miss the days of Greg Davis?
(Sell) YOU miss the days of Greg Davis. Tell the truth.
BUY or SELL: Holton Hill is playing his final season at Texas?
(Sell) I reserve the right to change my mind on this.
BUY or SELL: All things considered this is the best 3-4 team you can remember. Man, that hurt to type.
(Sell) I don't remember any 3-4 teams.
No. 9 – If I had a vote that counts ...
1. Alabama
2. Penn State
3. Georgia
4. TCU
5. Wisconsin
6. Clemson
7. Oklahoma
8. Ohio State
9. Oklahoma State
10. Notre Dame
No. 10 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
* Nothing is more big-boy in baseball than beating the Yankees in a game seven. Congrats, Houston. Go finish the deal and show everyone that tanking for a few years can be a winning strategy. Here's hoping the Sixers can pull off what the Astros are.
* Jose Altuve is just incredible. That is all.
* James Franklin is the guy Texas thought it was getting in Charlie Strong. What he's done at Penn State is nothing short of amazing.
* Posted without comment:
* Joe Thomas' streak of consecutive plays stretching back to his rookie season in 2007 ended at 10,363, which might be the greatest stat in the history of the NFL. Just wow.
* I have no idea what to think of Zeke Elliott the person, but he is some kind of football player. The question I was asking myself on Sunday was whether he is better than Herschel Walker in his prime? I think so, but man, it's close.
* I miss the days when beating the 49ers meant something as a Dallas fan.
* I've lost my touch as a fantasy football manager. It might be time to hang up the cleats.
* I'm in a little bit of a funk as a Liverpool fan right now. I love Jurgen Klopp, I absolutely love him. However, the team's decision to not improve its back line in the transfer period is maddening. As it stands, this team lacks alpha-males.
* Until proven otherwise, Gary Patterson remains the best college football coach in the state of Texas. The Horned Frogs are getting better each week.
* With its season on the line, Oklahoma scored 32 second-half points in Manhattan to win coming from behind. That's impressive.
* Man City and Tottenham are a different level of class than the rest of the EPL.
* The end of the MLS season was a hell of a lot of fun. Sorry, FC Dallas.
*I'm #TeamEricWynalda for the head of USA soccer.
