Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (This is who Bob Stoops is...)
- Thread starter Ketchum
- Start date
People on this board are sharp, witty, know almost errrthing, and are never wrong. Which makes comparing their absolutes to a bucket of cow dung seem foolishly easy. In the end (no pun intended
), the difference is the bucket. (and you know who you are...)
Regardless of whom is hired as coaching staff and support personnel; in the PC - socially conscious - social justus warrioring - environmentally sensitive world of today, I'm just gonna have to trust a guy that steps in and says " hello, now STFU". No disrespect to any of the fine analysts on the board.
At 55 y.o., 5'8" and 190lbs, I "should be" the perfect point guard for the Longhorns. But, I'm not. How does a P5 team not have a PG?
), the difference is the bucket. (and you know who you are...)Regardless of whom is hired as coaching staff and support personnel; in the PC - socially conscious - social justus warrioring - environmentally sensitive world of today, I'm just gonna have to trust a guy that steps in and says " hello, now STFU". No disrespect to any of the fine analysts on the board.
At 55 y.o., 5'8" and 190lbs, I "should be" the perfect point guard for the Longhorns. But, I'm not. How does a P5 team not have a PG?
Last edited:
-------“He’s still going to Oklahoma. We were working in conjunction with Oklahoma with these negotiations to make sure they would be comfortable with him going to the university and participating in the program.”
Michael Cristalli (May 5th, 2009)
Who is Michael Cristalli, you might be asking?
Well, he was the lawyer for former Oklahoma player Justin Chaisson back in 2009 in a case that involved Chaisson being charged with (among other things) assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment and battery with domestic violence.
According to the Las Vegas Sun, these were the details from the police report:
“According to a police report, on March 17, Chaisson forced his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend into the back seat of his sport utility vehicle in a coffee shop parking lot.
The victim told police Chaisson punched her in the ribs and drove her into the desert where he pulled her from the car. She said he then put a screwdriver to her neck and threatened to kill her until two of her friends pulled up on the scene and he forced her into his car again.
According to the police report, the incident ended when one of the two friends called 911 and Chaisson told his ex-girlfriend to exit his vehicle at a storage facility.
The attack on his girlfriend occurred on March 17th, 2009. Forty-nine days later, with the help of Oklahoma University, according to his lawyer, he pleaded no contest to four gross misdemeanors, instead of the felony charges initially brought against him.
Five weeks later, he was able to enroll at Oklahoma.
Much has been made over the weekend about the handling of current Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon, but for those that have questions about Bob Stoops’ decision-making and handling of the situation, you need to know something … this is who he is. Stoops is an enabler and protector of young men who commit violent crimes and actions, usually against young women.
Stoops is the guy who protected standout defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek after he put a friend of his into the hospital following a bar fight. According to the Daily Oklahoman, it was not the first allegation of violent behavior for Dvoracek. Or the second. Yet, not only did Stoops stand by his guy, he worked to get him a medical redshirt and named him one of the captains of the team the following season.
Stoops is the guy who was willing to let former linebacker Franklin Shannon return after being suspended for a season after the school investigated a sexual assault charge through a Title IX investigation. The alleged victim did not press charges, but the Daily Oklahoman reported that the investigation turned up such damaging evidence against Shannon that the investigation panel voted for Shannon to be expelled, only to have OU’s vice president for student affairs lower the punishment because he thought it was too severe. Of course, Shannon was back on the field as soon as Stoops could get him there.
Stoops is the guy who wanted to give shelter to former five-star wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham after Missouri booted him from the program following an incident involving his girlfriend, which reportedly included him allegedly two-hand shoving her down a flight of stairs. Charges weren’t pressed, but only because the victim refused to press charges in an effort to protect Green-Beckham’s pro career. Text messages from his girlfriend’s phone reported that Green-Beckham “dragged her from the apartment by the neck”
Stoops is the guy who told us this week that he knew nothing about star wide receiver Dede Westbook’s two domestic abuse arrests prior to enrolling at Oklahoma, while telling everyone in the same breath that the OU background checks are as good as it gets.
Yes, Stoops is also the guy who saw the video of Mixon breaking a woman’s face and thought that a redshirt year was the kind of punishment that was appropriate for the action.
This is Bob Stoops, a defender, protector and enabler of violent, dangerous men, who often abuse women without remorse, whether they might have kidnapped, raped, punched or shoved a woman down the flight of stairs.
This is also who Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione is, as he’s been there backing Stoops every step of the way since day one. Same with OU president David Boren.
This is who they are.
This is not my opinion. This is their record. It’s there for everyone to see it, if they want to. There’s no need to even speculate on what else might have happened that we’re not aware of (see Dede Westbrook) because, well, how many examples do you need?
Stoops might not be Art Briles, Castiglione might not be Ian McCaw and Boren might not be Ken Starr , but collectively they would appear to place the same exact value on a woman’s safety.
Zero.
No. 2 – Todd Orlando takes the big stage ...
With the conclusion of Houston’s season on Saturday in a loss to San Diego State in the Las Vegas Bowl, new Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando can now officially embark on the biggest job of his coaching career.
For the first time in his career, he also walks into what amounts to a heat lamp of a spotlight.
As the former defensive coordinator at UConn, Florida International, Utah State and Houston, Orlando has built a reputation around college football that suggests the 44-year old coach’s next job will be of the head coaching variety. Over the course of the last three weeks, I’ve spoken to NFL personnel people, college coaches, media … you name it … they’ve all essentially said the same thing - he’s big time.
“I think he was Houston’s Tom Herman on defense,” one NFL scout told me this week. “What Herman is to the Houston offense, Orlando is that guy for the defense. As soon as he took over that side of the ball, it was instantly better. His game-planning for the biggest challenges on Houston’s schedule always impressed me, especially when you consider that he has a bunch of no-name guys if you don’t include that big monster (freshman defensive tackle Ed Oliver) he had this year. The defensive coordinator job at Texas will not be the best job of his career.”
Like I said, those who have followed his career absolutely gush about him and I don’t get the sense that Herman so much as gave two seconds of thought to hiring anyone else, barring Orlando getting the Houston job.
Yet, for all of those words above, you get the sense that there won’t be a more polarizing hire this offseason for the new Texas head coach than the man that instantly becomes the highest-paid coordinator in the Big 12 and one of only two coordinators from non-SEC schools scheduled to make a million dollars in 2017.
Texas fans dream at night about its school spending big dollars on assistant coaches like Will Muschamp, Gene Chizik and Bryan Harsin, with more than a few asking Santa for someone like Tim Brewster this holiday season.
Whether it’s fair or not, a large number of Texas fans will believe that Herman could have gone out and spent big dollars on the elite of the elite of defensive coaches and instead he gave that money to his guy, whether he was the best possible hire or not. They will look at his resume and ask why the Longhorns are settling for someone that has never coached in a power five conference. They’ll look at Houston’s 2016 schedule and wonder if a million dollars buys you what it used to buy you when you consider that Orlando’s defense gave up a combined 128 points in losses to Navy, Memphis and San Diego State.
Every coach will tell you there’s pressure at every job they take, but taking the Texas job is a different kind of pressure than Orlando has ever known before … just ask Charlie Strong. There won’t be a honeymoon in 2017 for Orlando if he even has a single Navy, Memphis or San Diego State performance on the books in his first season.
That being said, there’s a lot of good news and just a little bit of bad news for him as he enters his new job.
The bad news is that he doesn’t get to bring Oliver with him and there’s not a single player on his roster that comes close to being what Oliver is on a football field.
The good news is that he inherits the greatest collection of talent he’s ever worked with in his entire career. The sum of Strong’s defense never added up to a quality defense, but the individual parts are quite enticing.
Junior defensive end/linebacker Breckyn Hager and junior linebacker Malik Jefferson were second-team all-Big 12 selections this season. Sophomore defensive lineman Malcolm Roach didn’t win Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honors, but he probably should have. Junior cornerbacks Holton Hill and Davante Davis were honorable mention all-Big 12 players as true freshmen. Outside of Paul Boyette, Dylan Haines and Bryce Cottrell, the defense returns everyone (11 total starters).
Not only does Texas have the best collection of defensive talent in the Big 12, but after a ton of growing pains in the last two seasons, it also brings experience on the field to the table as well.
All that’s left now if for the program to actually have a good defense.
Welcome to Austin, Coach Orlando. No pressure.
No. 3– Scattershooting on the Longhorns ...
… Every single starting cornerback that new defensive backs coach Jason Washington worked with at Houston earned All-American Conference honors over the course of the last two years. When you consider the unhappiness that many in the program had with first-year defensive backs coach Clay Jennings in 2016, the addition of Washington has to be music to the ears of Holton Hill, Kris Boyd and Davante Davis. Washington might not have a huge reputation as a recruiter, but if he can tap into the talent he has at his disposal in Austin the way he was able to in Houston, he might very quietly be one of the most important new additions to the program because getting the most of these secondary pieces is crucial.
… This is a couple of weeks old, but Pro Football Focus released its All-Big 12 team and some of the names/notes were really interesting.
Here's what was said about sophomore Connor Williams, who was named first-team offensive tackle: "Williams made our first team All-American list, as the sophomore was the best tackle in the country this season. The only time Williams allowed his quarterback to be knocked to the ground was in the final game of the season when he allowed one sack. He also had an 83.6 run block grade, fourth in the NCAA."
Others to make the team were Malcolm Roach (second-team edge rusher), Poona Ford (second-team interior defensive lineman), Jason Hall (second-team safety), Michael Dickson (first-team punter) and Brandon Jones (first-team special teams)
Here's what was said about Jones as a special teamer: "Jones was tied for the conference-lead with nine solo tackles on special teams coverage. He also drew a couple penalties and was rarely out of position."
… I believe that Tyrone Swoopes can be an NFL tight end, if for no other reason than Blake Bell is currently an NFL tight end.
No. 4 – Recruiting, recruiting and more recruiting …
… I’m not shocked that Walker Little picked Stanford, but I am somewhat shocked that he closed up shop in December before at least taking an official visit to Texas in January. Whether Tom Herman and his staff’s visit was great, good, average, bad or terrible, the bottom line is that as soon as that visit was completed, Little made the decision that he didn’t want to hear the Texas sales pitch again or bother with another visit. In the end, he didn’t really give Herman and Co. much of a chance and that is by choice. Perhaps that simply speaks to his love for Stanford more than anything else and if the Cardinal represented a home to him, then good for him for making the choice closest to his heart and head.
… The situation involving high three-star defensive tackle Zack McKinney of Weatherford is fascinating to say the least. After telling Orangebloods that he was set to commit to the Longhorns on an official visit in January, he committed to Oklahoma about 12 hours later.
Check out some of the quotes he provided to SoonerScoop.com:
"The Houston staff is the new Texas, when they were there, if you would have talked to me a week ago, that was the school I wanted to go to," McKinney said. "Me and coach Thibs [Calvin Thibodeaux] we (have talked) off and on but a few days ago we started back talking and everything. I had to come down and make a decision.
"(When) I talked to my father who was like ‘look one school is established and the other is not'. Going to Texas, (their staff) is from a smaller conference, it’s a new staff. If they don’t come in and don’t do what people think they are going to do, they are going to get fired just like Charlie Strong did. On OU’s side Bob Stoops has been there for 17 years, just won his 10th Big 12 championship, it’s established, it’s The University of Oklahoma. It says itself right there.
"It’s just a true statement, it’s an established program."
… Bremond athlete Roshauud Paul, who is committed to Texas A&M and just finished one of the best prep careers of any player in the history of the state and was offered by the Longhorns on Friday, reminds me of former Longhorns wide receiver Billy Pittman as a college prospect.
… San Antonio Reagan offensive lineman Derek Kerstetter might be a three-star prospect (committed to Oklahoma State) that you've never heard of, but he might also be the best prospect in the city of San Antonio this year. Texas offered on Friday. Just something to put in the back of the brain if his recruitment gets interesting next month.
… With Walker Little’s commitment to Stanford, I’m of the opinion that North Shore defensive end K'Lavion Chaisson might be the most important non-committed in-state prospect on the board for the Longhorns not named Marvin Wilson. Speaking of Wilson, I wonder why he keeps mentioning that Texas isn’t showing him much attention. That can’t be right, can it?
No. 5 – Buy or sell …
BUY or SELL: Texas overpaid for Todd Orlando, and we can now refer to him as The Todd?
(Sell) Not if Orlando is the guy Texas wanted. If it was all about money, it sounds like Houston would have paid him more than the amount Texas is going to pay him. If adjusted for market value and inflation, he’s probably set to make the going rate of coordinators at top-level programs.
BUY or SELL: Eno Benjamin commits to the good guys?
(Buy) He would have been an early Texas commit if the Longhorns had ever offered and made him a priority under Strong.
BUY or SELL: Herman recruits a top-15 class in 2017?
(Sell) I still think it has a chance to be a borderline top 20 class if Herman takes 20+ in this class, but I’m not sure there will be enough TNT in the class to get it to that level in the rankings.
BUY or SELL: We flip at least three major (high three star or better) prospects in the last week into signing day?
(Buy) I’d probably have sold your question if the bar had been low-four stars, instead of high three-stars.
BUY or SELL: Texas athletics is going to get money whipped for money whipping?
(Buy) I’ll let this tweet do the talking.
BUY or SELL: The Texas players will hoist Herman in the air if they beat USC or OU?
(Sell) I think the era of the crowd surf has ended in Austin.
BUY or SELL: The hiring of Tom Herman has actually turned out to be less "splashy" than perhaps most had originally expected?
(Buy) It’s still very early, but there’s probably a little truth to that, depending on your definition of splashy and your level of expectations, realistic or not. Seriously, I’m not sure what people were expecting him to accomplish in his first three weeks, but the delusional are gonna delusional. It’s what the delusional do.
BUY or SELL: This is going to be an uneventful month and a half?
(Sell) Uneventful?
BUY or SELL: Based on a few subtle comments that you have posted, it is fair to say that Charlie the man and Charlie the public image are conflicted?
(Buy) I’ve seen the sausage being made in the last three years and it looks like most of the other sausage I’ve seen made over the last 20 years. There are no saints in major college athletics.
BUY or SELL: Tom Cruise's character in a Few Good Men is the best movie lawyer ever.
(Sell) Jack Nicholson's character might be the best person to ever take the stand in a movie, but I’ll lean Gregory Peck (Atticus Finch), Joe Pesci (Vincent Gambini) and John Payne (Fred Gailey) off the top of my head.
No. 6 – If only Texas was a Volleyball school …
Texas didn’t win a national championship this weekend in volleyball, which made the season somewhat of a disappointment, because when the bar is set as high as it is in Jerritt Elliott’s program, only winning the whole damn thing makes for a truly standout season.
Consider that Elliott has taken his teams to seven Final Fours in the last eight years.
SEVEN.
Consider that Elliott’s teams have either won or played for the national championship four times since 2009.
Consider the following final rankings of his teams since 2008, going backwards from this season: 2nd, 2nd, 5th, 3rd, 1st, 4th, 4th, 2nd and 4th.
Basically, the Longhorns have emerged as the Atlanta Braves from the 90s and early 00s, as the single title in the last nine years overshadows what otherwise would be recognized as a dynasty.
Eventually, Elliott will get his second title, if for no other reason than his girls knock on the door on an annual basis. Along with men’s swimming, Elliott’s program is the standard by which all other athletic programs are measured and for the most part, no one comes close.
Take a long look at the Texas volleyball program. That’s what greatness looks like.
No. 7 – Looking at Texas hoops through a vacuum …
If we can forget for a moment that Shaka Smart’s team is currently 5-5 and headed into what could be a murderous Big 12 schedule, I thought there was more good than bad on the floor for the Longhorns in a loss to Arkansas on Saturday in H-town.
For starters, I thought it was the best performance my eyes have seen from this team all season. If you take away the hideous free throw situation (Texas was 19 of 32 from the line, while the Razorbacks went 29 of 31), the Longhorns were the better team all afternoon.
Arkansas is a quality basketball team and this probably should have been a double-digit win for the Longhorns.
Tevin Mack’s evolution continued with a 20-point, 12-rebound game, arguably the best of his career.
Jerrett Allen played the best 33 minutes I’ve seen out of him at any point this season, especially in the first half when it seemed like he was everywhere on the floor.
Andrew Jones was another guy that played well, contributing 17 points and seven assists.
Yet, as is always the case with this team this year, you can’t tell the story without a “but” in the sentence. As an example, this was a game Texas should have won, but once again poor execution in the final minutes (along with the free throw discombobulation) was too much to overcome.
Outside of the vacuum, it’s entire the story of the season thus far.
No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
… Rest in peace, Brock Osweiler Era in Houston. I just don’t know how you can turn back from that moment, especially in light of Tom Savage leading the team to a comeback win in the final minutes. What a relief Sunday must have been for Texans fans to move away from a forever raining cloud, but I would warn everyone about going overboard on Savage. When this season is over, this team has to make some big decisions and pretty good shouldn’t be the goal. Rick Smith still having a job kind of blows my mind.
… Rest in peace, Philadelphia Eagles season. Eagles tears are the sweetest tears.
… Aaron Rodgers gonna Aaron Rodgers. After all of the questioning of him this season, the dude has a 101+ quarterback rating and is carrying his team towards the playoffs. Man, we have to start appreciating this guy while he’s still close to his prime.
… The Giants are starting to scare me. I do not want to see them in the playoffs.
… How in the hell did the Chiefs steal defeat from the jaws of victory at home against the Titans? Take a bow, Andy Reid, that was special.
… Blake Bortles is officially a coach killer.
… I thought Houston looked like a team that was ready to see its season end on Saturday against San Diego State. I can’t say that I blame it.
.... Congrats, Donnel Pumphrey.
… I miss Sam Hinkie. Bring him back.
… I miss Tim Duncan. Bring him back.
… Please Hammer, don’t hurt’em.
… One of these days, Demarcus Cousins is going to be on a team not named the Sacramento Kings. God help that team.
… I might not like it one bit, but there’s no denying that Chelsea has been in amazing form the last two months. It’s not always pretty, but it's effective. The rest of the EPL has to hope this team cools off at some point, preferably soon.
… Bad week for Arsenal to say the least. Man City probably deserved to win on Sunday, but Leroy Sane was offsides, period.
No. 9 – This and That ...
… I haven’t purchased a single Christmas present yet.
… Thing that annoys me that might just be a me issue: People who put up Christmas lights in a half-ass way. If you’re going to put lights up, don’t just take a strand of lights and throw them on a bush or on the ground in a way that makes it look like you started something but never finished. Be better than that.
… Rest in peace, Zsa Zsa.
… Sign that the apocalypse is upon us...
… I absolutely loved Jessica Chastain in Miss Sloane. It was like watching Russell Westbrook pull off a triple-double.
… Casey Affleck is a superstar in Manchester by the Sea. He’ll probably win an Oscar for the performance. Yet, this sketch on Saturday Night Live might be his best work.
Best Picture
1. Arrival
2. Manchester by the Sea
3. Miss Sloane
4. Moonlight
5. Hell or High Water
6. Sully
7. Allied
8. Birth of a Nation
9. Queen of Katwe
10. Snowden
Best Actor
1. Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
2. Tom Hanks (Sully)
3. Chris Pine (Hell or High Water)
4. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Snowden)
5. Nate Parker (Birth of a Nation)
Best Actress
1. Jessica Chastain (Miss Sloane)
2. Amy Adams (Arrival)
3. Marion Cotillard (Allied)
4. Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)
5. Madina Nalwanga (Queen of Katwe)
Best Supporting Actor
1. Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
2. Andre Holland (Moonlight)
3. Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
4. Aaron Eckhart (Sully)
5. Hugh Grant (Florence Foster Jenkins)
Best Supporting Actress
1. Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)
2. Naomi Harris (Moonlight)
3. Gugu Mbatha Raw (Miss Sloane)
4. Lupita Nyong’o (Queen of Katwe)
5. Aja Naomi King (Birth of a Nation)
Best Director
1. Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)
2. Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)
3. Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
4. David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water)
5. John Madden (MIss Sloane)
No. 10 - And finally …
With all due respect to Mariah, I give you the best Christmas song of all-time.
Ketch,
Great article. This needs to be posted as a free article so some of the national media can see the trends here. The guy is win at all costs and doesn't give a crap about the victims.
Great comment as the kids we are currently recruiting have not seen Texas really be successful in the last 6 or 7 years. Since most of the readers on this site are 40 years and older we remember Texas' greatness and domination; but we must remember we have been down so long we really need to establish that success again before we get high school football players attention. We maybe great in our minds; in their minds we are not Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, etc. We will need to be patient and let our football program grew to its former greatest.
How OU has escaped media scrutiny and accountability is beyond me. But much of college football is a cesspool anyway. Win at all costs has replaced teaching kids to compete with integrity.
Not many coaches left that are true role models.
Not many coaches left that are true role models.
Did we overpay for Orlando given his resume? Was Houston really going to be the 3rd non-SEC school to pay a coordinator $1m?
Very good but kind of reminds me of Sully. The same way they have to stretch out the landing scene to give length to a thin story line, Ridge has to stretch out the battle scenes to give length to its own story line. Beautifully filmed!
Sounds like I seriously need to catch up on the movie watching!
My last couple weeks have been consumed by planning Elf on the Shelf shennanigans
My last couple weeks have been consumed by planning Elf on the Shelf shennanigans
A very successful trial lawer friend says that Travolta in A Civil Action is the best portrayal of the legal profession in his opinion.
MM in A Time to Kill weren't bad.
MM in A Time to Kill weren't bad.
It's like the dad was reading from the OU recruiting hand book.
“He’s still going to Oklahoma. We were working in conjunction with Oklahoma with these negotiations to make sure they would be comfortable with him going to the university and participating in the program.”
Michael Cristalli (May 5th, 2009)
Who is Michael Cristalli, you might be asking?
Well, he was the lawyer for former Oklahoma player Justin Chaisson back in 2009 in a case that involved Chaisson being charged with (among other things) assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment and battery with domestic violence.
According to the Las Vegas Sun, these were the details from the police report:
“According to a police report, on March 17, Chaisson forced his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend into the back seat of his sport utility vehicle in a coffee shop parking lot.
The victim told police Chaisson punched her in the ribs and drove her into the desert where he pulled her from the car. She said he then put a screwdriver to her neck and threatened to kill her until two of her friends pulled up on the scene and he forced her into his car again.
According to the police report, the incident ended when one of the two friends called 911 and Chaisson told his ex-girlfriend to exit his vehicle at a storage facility.
The attack on his girlfriend occurred on March 17th, 2009. Forty-nine days later, with the help of Oklahoma University, according to his lawyer, he pleaded no contest to four gross misdemeanors, instead of the felony charges initially brought against him.
Five weeks later, he was able to enroll at Oklahoma.
Much has been made over the weekend about the handling of current Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon, but for those that have questions about Bob Stoops’ decision-making and handling of the situation, you need to know something … this is who he is. Stoops is an enabler and protector of young men who commit violent crimes and actions, usually against young women.
Stoops is the guy who protected standout defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek after he put a friend of his into the hospital following a bar fight. According to the Daily Oklahoman, it was not the first allegation of violent behavior for Dvoracek. Or the second. Yet, not only did Stoops stand by his guy, he worked to get him a medical redshirt and named him one of the captains of the team the following season.
Stoops is the guy who was willing to let former linebacker Franklin Shannon return after being suspended for a season after the school investigated a sexual assault charge through a Title IX investigation. The alleged victim did not press charges, but the Daily Oklahoman reported that the investigation turned up such damaging evidence against Shannon that the investigation panel voted for Shannon to be expelled, only to have OU’s vice president for student affairs lower the punishment because he thought it was too severe. Of course, Shannon was back on the field as soon as Stoops could get him there.
Stoops is the guy who wanted to give shelter to former five-star wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham after Missouri booted him from the program following an incident involving his girlfriend, which reportedly included him allegedly two-hand shoving her down a flight of stairs. Charges weren’t pressed, but only because the victim refused to press charges in an effort to protect Green-Beckham’s pro career. Text messages from his girlfriend’s phone reported that Green-Beckham “dragged her from the apartment by the neck”
Stoops is the guy who told us this week that he knew nothing about star wide receiver Dede Westbook’s two domestic abuse arrests prior to enrolling at Oklahoma, while telling everyone in the same breath that the OU background checks are as good as it gets.
Yes, Stoops is also the guy who saw the video of Mixon breaking a woman’s face and thought that a redshirt year was the kind of punishment that was appropriate for the action.
This is Bob Stoops, a defender, protector and enabler of violent, dangerous men, who often abuse women without remorse, whether they might have kidnapped, raped, punched or shoved a woman down the flight of stairs.
This is also who Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione is, as he’s been there backing Stoops every step of the way since day one. Same with OU president David Boren.
This is who they are.
This is not my opinion. This is their record. It’s there for everyone to see it, if they want to. There’s no need to even speculate on what else might have happened that we’re not aware of (see Dede Westbrook) because, well, how many examples do you need?
Stoops might not be Art Briles, Castiglione might not be Ian McCaw and Boren might not be Ken Starr , but collectively they would appear to place the same exact value on a woman’s safety.
Zero.
No. 2 – Todd Orlando takes the big stage ...
With the conclusion of Houston’s season on Saturday in a loss to San Diego State in the Las Vegas Bowl, new Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando can now officially embark on the biggest job of his coaching career.
For the first time in his career, he also walks into what amounts to a heat lamp of a spotlight.
As the former defensive coordinator at UConn, Florida International, Utah State and Houston, Orlando has built a reputation around college football that suggests the 44-year old coach’s next job will be of the head coaching variety. Over the course of the last three weeks, I’ve spoken to NFL personnel people, college coaches, media … you name it … they’ve all essentially said the same thing - he’s big time.
“I think he was Houston’s Tom Herman on defense,” one NFL scout told me this week. “What Herman is to the Houston offense, Orlando is that guy for the defense. As soon as he took over that side of the ball, it was instantly better. His game-planning for the biggest challenges on Houston’s schedule always impressed me, especially when you consider that he has a bunch of no-name guys if you don’t include that big monster (freshman defensive tackle Ed Oliver) he had this year. The defensive coordinator job at Texas will not be the best job of his career.”
Like I said, those who have followed his career absolutely gush about him and I don’t get the sense that Herman so much as gave two seconds of thought to hiring anyone else, barring Orlando getting the Houston job.
Yet, for all of those words above, you get the sense that there won’t be a more polarizing hire this offseason for the new Texas head coach than the man that instantly becomes the highest-paid coordinator in the Big 12 and one of only two coordinators from non-SEC schools scheduled to make a million dollars in 2017.
Texas fans dream at night about its school spending big dollars on assistant coaches like Will Muschamp, Gene Chizik and Bryan Harsin, with more than a few asking Santa for someone like Tim Brewster this holiday season.
Whether it’s fair or not, a large number of Texas fans will believe that Herman could have gone out and spent big dollars on the elite of the elite of defensive coaches and instead he gave that money to his guy, whether he was the best possible hire or not. They will look at his resume and ask why the Longhorns are settling for someone that has never coached in a power five conference. They’ll look at Houston’s 2016 schedule and wonder if a million dollars buys you what it used to buy you when you consider that Orlando’s defense gave up a combined 128 points in losses to Navy, Memphis and San Diego State.
Every coach will tell you there’s pressure at every job they take, but taking the Texas job is a different kind of pressure than Orlando has ever known before … just ask Charlie Strong. There won’t be a honeymoon in 2017 for Orlando if he even has a single Navy, Memphis or San Diego State performance on the books in his first season.
That being said, there’s a lot of good news and just a little bit of bad news for him as he enters his new job.
The bad news is that he doesn’t get to bring Oliver with him and there’s not a single player on his roster that comes close to being what Oliver is on a football field.
The good news is that he inherits the greatest collection of talent he’s ever worked with in his entire career. The sum of Strong’s defense never added up to a quality defense, but the individual parts are quite enticing.
Junior defensive end/linebacker Breckyn Hager and junior linebacker Malik Jefferson were second-team all-Big 12 selections this season. Sophomore defensive lineman Malcolm Roach didn’t win Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honors, but he probably should have. Junior cornerbacks Holton Hill and Davante Davis were honorable mention all-Big 12 players as true freshmen. Outside of Paul Boyette, Dylan Haines and Bryce Cottrell, the defense returns everyone (11 total starters).
Not only does Texas have the best collection of defensive talent in the Big 12, but after a ton of growing pains in the last two seasons, it also brings experience on the field to the table as well.
All that’s left now if for the program to actually have a good defense.
Welcome to Austin, Coach Orlando. No pressure.
No. 3– Scattershooting on the Longhorns ...
… Every single starting cornerback that new defensive backs coach Jason Washington worked with at Houston earned All-American Conference honors over the course of the last two years. When you consider the unhappiness that many in the program had with first-year defensive backs coach Clay Jennings in 2016, the addition of Washington has to be music to the ears of Holton Hill, Kris Boyd and Davante Davis. Washington might not have a huge reputation as a recruiter, but if he can tap into the talent he has at his disposal in Austin the way he was able to in Houston, he might very quietly be one of the most important new additions to the program because getting the most of these secondary pieces is crucial.
… This is a couple of weeks old, but Pro Football Focus released its All-Big 12 team and some of the names/notes were really interesting.
Here's what was said about sophomore Connor Williams, who was named first-team offensive tackle: "Williams made our first team All-American list, as the sophomore was the best tackle in the country this season. The only time Williams allowed his quarterback to be knocked to the ground was in the final game of the season when he allowed one sack. He also had an 83.6 run block grade, fourth in the NCAA."
Others to make the team were Malcolm Roach (second-team edge rusher), Poona Ford (second-team interior defensive lineman), Jason Hall (second-team safety), Michael Dickson (first-team punter) and Brandon Jones (first-team special teams)
Here's what was said about Jones as a special teamer: "Jones was tied for the conference-lead with nine solo tackles on special teams coverage. He also drew a couple penalties and was rarely out of position."
… I believe that Tyrone Swoopes can be an NFL tight end, if for no other reason than Blake Bell is currently an NFL tight end.
No. 4 – Recruiting, recruiting and more recruiting …
… I’m not shocked that Walker Little picked Stanford, but I am somewhat shocked that he closed up shop in December before at least taking an official visit to Texas in January. Whether Tom Herman and his staff’s visit was great, good, average, bad or terrible, the bottom line is that as soon as that visit was completed, Little made the decision that he didn’t want to hear the Texas sales pitch again or bother with another visit. In the end, he didn’t really give Herman and Co. much of a chance and that is by choice. Perhaps that simply speaks to his love for Stanford more than anything else and if the Cardinal represented a home to him, then good for him for making the choice closest to his heart and head.
… The situation involving high three-star defensive tackle Zack McKinney of Weatherford is fascinating to say the least. After telling Orangebloods that he was set to commit to the Longhorns on an official visit in January, he committed to Oklahoma about 12 hours later.
Check out some of the quotes he provided to SoonerScoop.com:
"The Houston staff is the new Texas, when they were there, if you would have talked to me a week ago, that was the school I wanted to go to," McKinney said. "Me and coach Thibs [Calvin Thibodeaux] we (have talked) off and on but a few days ago we started back talking and everything. I had to come down and make a decision.
"(When) I talked to my father who was like ‘look one school is established and the other is not'. Going to Texas, (their staff) is from a smaller conference, it’s a new staff. If they don’t come in and don’t do what people think they are going to do, they are going to get fired just like Charlie Strong did. On OU’s side Bob Stoops has been there for 17 years, just won his 10th Big 12 championship, it’s established, it’s The University of Oklahoma. It says itself right there.
"It’s just a true statement, it’s an established program."
… Bremond athlete Roshauud Paul, who is committed to Texas A&M and just finished one of the best prep careers of any player in the history of the state and was offered by the Longhorns on Friday, reminds me of former Longhorns wide receiver Billy Pittman as a college prospect.
… San Antonio Reagan offensive lineman Derek Kerstetter might be a three-star prospect (committed to Oklahoma State) that you've never heard of, but he might also be the best prospect in the city of San Antonio this year. Texas offered on Friday. Just something to put in the back of the brain if his recruitment gets interesting next month.
… With Walker Little’s commitment to Stanford, I’m of the opinion that North Shore defensive end K'Lavion Chaisson might be the most important non-committed in-state prospect on the board for the Longhorns not named Marvin Wilson. Speaking of Wilson, I wonder why he keeps mentioning that Texas isn’t showing him much attention. That can’t be right, can it?
No. 5 – Buy or sell …
BUY or SELL: Texas overpaid for Todd Orlando, and we can now refer to him as The Todd?
(Sell) Not if Orlando is the guy Texas wanted. If it was all about money, it sounds like Houston would have paid him more than the amount Texas is going to pay him. If adjusted for market value and inflation, he’s probably set to make the going rate of coordinators at top-level programs.
BUY or SELL: Eno Benjamin commits to the good guys?
(Buy) He would have been an early Texas commit if the Longhorns had ever offered and made him a priority under Strong.
BUY or SELL: Herman recruits a top-15 class in 2017?
(Sell) I still think it has a chance to be a borderline top 20 class if Herman takes 20+ in this class, but I’m not sure there will be enough TNT in the class to get it to that level in the rankings.
BUY or SELL: We flip at least three major (high three star or better) prospects in the last week into signing day?
(Buy) I’d probably have sold your question if the bar had been low-four stars, instead of high three-stars.
BUY or SELL: Texas athletics is going to get money whipped for money whipping?
(Buy) I’ll let this tweet do the talking.
BUY or SELL: The Texas players will hoist Herman in the air if they beat USC or OU?
(Sell) I think the era of the crowd surf has ended in Austin.
BUY or SELL: The hiring of Tom Herman has actually turned out to be less "splashy" than perhaps most had originally expected?
(Buy) It’s still very early, but there’s probably a little truth to that, depending on your definition of splashy and your level of expectations, realistic or not. Seriously, I’m not sure what people were expecting him to accomplish in his first three weeks, but the delusional are gonna delusional. It’s what the delusional do.
BUY or SELL: This is going to be an uneventful month and a half?
(Sell) Uneventful?
BUY or SELL: Based on a few subtle comments that you have posted, it is fair to say that Charlie the man and Charlie the public image are conflicted?
(Buy) I’ve seen the sausage being made in the last three years and it looks like most of the other sausage I’ve seen made over the last 20 years. There are no saints in major college athletics.
BUY or SELL: Tom Cruise's character in a Few Good Men is the best movie lawyer ever.
(Sell) Jack Nicholson's character might be the best person to ever take the stand in a movie, but I’ll lean Gregory Peck (Atticus Finch), Joe Pesci (Vincent Gambini) and John Payne (Fred Gailey) off the top of my head.
No. 6 – If only Texas was a Volleyball school …
Texas didn’t win a national championship this weekend in volleyball, which made the season somewhat of a disappointment, because when the bar is set as high as it is in Jerritt Elliott’s program, only winning the whole damn thing makes for a truly standout season.
Consider that Elliott has taken his teams to seven Final Fours in the last eight years.
SEVEN.
Consider that Elliott’s teams have either won or played for the national championship four times since 2009.
Consider the following final rankings of his teams since 2008, going backwards from this season: 2nd, 2nd, 5th, 3rd, 1st, 4th, 4th, 2nd and 4th.
Basically, the Longhorns have emerged as the Atlanta Braves from the 90s and early 00s, as the single title in the last nine years overshadows what otherwise would be recognized as a dynasty.
Eventually, Elliott will get his second title, if for no other reason than his girls knock on the door on an annual basis. Along with men’s swimming, Elliott’s program is the standard by which all other athletic programs are measured and for the most part, no one comes close.
Take a long look at the Texas volleyball program. That’s what greatness looks like.
No. 7 – Looking at Texas hoops through a vacuum …
If we can forget for a moment that Shaka Smart’s team is currently 5-5 and headed into what could be a murderous Big 12 schedule, I thought there was more good than bad on the floor for the Longhorns in a loss to Arkansas on Saturday in H-town.
For starters, I thought it was the best performance my eyes have seen from this team all season. If you take away the hideous free throw situation (Texas was 19 of 32 from the line, while the Razorbacks went 29 of 31), the Longhorns were the better team all afternoon.
Arkansas is a quality basketball team and this probably should have been a double-digit win for the Longhorns.
Tevin Mack’s evolution continued with a 20-point, 12-rebound game, arguably the best of his career.
Jerrett Allen played the best 33 minutes I’ve seen out of him at any point this season, especially in the first half when it seemed like he was everywhere on the floor.
Andrew Jones was another guy that played well, contributing 17 points and seven assists.
Yet, as is always the case with this team this year, you can’t tell the story without a “but” in the sentence. As an example, this was a game Texas should have won, but once again poor execution in the final minutes (along with the free throw discombobulation) was too much to overcome.
Outside of the vacuum, it’s entire the story of the season thus far.
No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
… Rest in peace, Brock Osweiler Era in Houston. I just don’t know how you can turn back from that moment, especially in light of Tom Savage leading the team to a comeback win in the final minutes. What a relief Sunday must have been for Texans fans to move away from a forever raining cloud, but I would warn everyone about going overboard on Savage. When this season is over, this team has to make some big decisions and pretty good shouldn’t be the goal. Rick Smith still having a job kind of blows my mind.
… Rest in peace, Philadelphia Eagles season. Eagles tears are the sweetest tears.
… Aaron Rodgers gonna Aaron Rodgers. After all of the questioning of him this season, the dude has a 101+ quarterback rating and is carrying his team towards the playoffs. Man, we have to start appreciating this guy while he’s still close to his prime.
… The Giants are starting to scare me. I do not want to see them in the playoffs.
… How in the hell did the Chiefs steal defeat from the jaws of victory at home against the Titans? Take a bow, Andy Reid, that was special.
… Blake Bortles is officially a coach killer.
… I thought Houston looked like a team that was ready to see its season end on Saturday against San Diego State. I can’t say that I blame it.
.... Congrats, Donnel Pumphrey.
… I miss Sam Hinkie. Bring him back.
… I miss Tim Duncan. Bring him back.
… Please Hammer, don’t hurt’em.
… One of these days, Demarcus Cousins is going to be on a team not named the Sacramento Kings. God help that team.
… I might not like it one bit, but there’s no denying that Chelsea has been in amazing form the last two months. It’s not always pretty, but it's effective. The rest of the EPL has to hope this team cools off at some point, preferably soon.
… Bad week for Arsenal to say the least. Man City probably deserved to win on Sunday, but Leroy Sane was offsides, period.
No. 9 – This and That ...
… I haven’t purchased a single Christmas present yet.
… Thing that annoys me that might just be a me issue: People who put up Christmas lights in a half-ass way. If you’re going to put lights up, don’t just take a strand of lights and throw them on a bush or on the ground in a way that makes it look like you started something but never finished. Be better than that.
… Rest in peace, Zsa Zsa.
… Sign that the apocalypse is upon us...
… I absolutely loved Jessica Chastain in Miss Sloane. It was like watching Russell Westbrook pull off a triple-double.
… Casey Affleck is a superstar in Manchester by the Sea. He’ll probably win an Oscar for the performance. Yet, this sketch on Saturday Night Live might be his best work.
Best Picture
1. Arrival
2. Manchester by the Sea
3. Miss Sloane
4. Moonlight
5. Hell or High Water
6. Sully
7. Allied
8. Birth of a Nation
9. Queen of Katwe
10. Snowden
Best Actor
1. Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
2. Tom Hanks (Sully)
3. Chris Pine (Hell or High Water)
4. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Snowden)
5. Nate Parker (Birth of a Nation)
Best Actress
1. Jessica Chastain (Miss Sloane)
2. Amy Adams (Arrival)
3. Marion Cotillard (Allied)
4. Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)
5. Madina Nalwanga (Queen of Katwe)
Best Supporting Actor
1. Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
2. Andre Holland (Moonlight)
3. Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
4. Aaron Eckhart (Sully)
5. Hugh Grant (Florence Foster Jenkins)
Best Supporting Actress
1. Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)
2. Naomi Harris (Moonlight)
3. Gugu Mbatha Raw (Miss Sloane)
4. Lupita Nyong’o (Queen of Katwe)
5. Aja Naomi King (Birth of a Nation)
Best Director
1. Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)
2. Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)
3. Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
4. David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water)
5. John Madden (MIss Sloane)
No. 10 - And finally …
With all due respect to Mariah, I give you the best Christmas song of all-time.
Great war room. Thanks for the stoops summary.
And, I may adopt this as my sig line: "... the delusional are gonna delusional. It’s what the delusional do."
GM
Seems like we overpaid, and the other Herman hires seem less splashy than what we were hoping for, and the recruiting news seems underwhelming compared to what I was hoping for.
BUT, if he wins, then I couldn't care less about any of this. If he wins with class, then all of this is just background noise.
a. Overpaid by how much? He was already making a half mil a year at UH and I would bet that would have paid at least 775K to retain him. Can you imagine how big of a win that would have been for them?
b. The other Herman hires are mostly unknown, but which guy are you throwing back? After researching them all last week, I don't see a lot of weak choices.
c. He has half a staff and has been recruiting for three weeks, one of which was in the dead period. Not even Mack was turning kids over in three weeks and he might be the best that ever lived.
Weren't we paying Bedford 750K? I'll take my chances on this guy, considering it's a 33% increase. We could do a lot worse. As for OC we just need someone to organize, hopefully we don't pay that person a ton....
My opinions only, we are underpaying Orlando.... in his interview he says flat out his goal is to be a head coach (in a P5 no doubt).... he has a perigee and he has meticulous detail attention just like Herman. What seems to be the issue that everybody here on OB overlooks is that organization, planning for every situation, and practice practice practice are the hallmarks of what Herman, and Orlando and Meekins all bring to the table..... Strong was a coach that was disorganized, unprepared and unsure... but now that is all behind us and now we have what we need to be successful. What is the value? My opinion is that we pay them and turn them loose and let them recruit, organize, prepare, and practice... and we see how it plays on the football field in September. Then bitch about who is overpaid or not.
Also @Ketchum ... don't you know David Boren is sitting in his ivory tower (built by the WPA) and is watching Baylor and the dollar signs mounting up over their Title IX and thinking, "Norman, we have a problem."
I read that Baylor is currently on the hook for a potential payout of $228 MM over their scandal... not counting Briles piss ass suit....
I read that Baylor is currently on the hook for a potential payout of $228 MM over their scandal... not counting Briles piss ass suit....
