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Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (This is who Bob Stoops is...)

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....
Bedford's salary was a total Charlie Strong hook-up.
 
I'm not sure how valuable our defense's experience is seeing as how many players didn't seem to develop and others regressed.
 
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.
 
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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....
 
You're literally ignoring specifics and the fact that he has protected abusers at every turn.

Why?

Because one guy hasn't been arrested in a few years and does a little radio?

"Your mistake, in my opinion is rooted in the notion that unacceptable behavior is tolerated and allowed to continue unchecked."

That's not tribal thinking. That is what is and has happened.

Let me repeat, Stoops protects and enables men who rape, kidnap, punch, push down stairs and drag women by the neck. Because if football. Not because he is a social worker that can make them better men.

You are part of the problem because you are enabling the behavior through a fairy tale set of thoughts that spin the reality that even a guy like Dvoracek has been in trouble numerous times with the law, but is somehow a symbol for keeping these abusers in the program.

I'm a guest here. I intend to conduct myself, for the most part, as non-intrusive to the fan base. I'm here because this board has interesting off topic subjects and it's a way to stay in touch with Austin. I mean, I did go to school down there.

I engaged this conversation because, in my opinion, an egregiously wrong assessment of Stoops as a person was presented as fact. I engaged this conversation because, in my opinion, demonizing a competitor serves no constructive purpose.

I consider myself nowadays to be somewhat affiliation neutral. However, I have lived a couple of blocks from where OU holds spring and fall camps for forty years now. I'm close enough to understand what goes on here. The real Stoops runs a program of distinction both on and off the field. I thought about answering with player by player specifics, which can be done, but frankly it's pointless to continue to argue.

It's time for me to exit this conversation, but I'll pose this final question. If you must assign blame for the inevitable problems that occur in all programs, are fans identifying with a sports team as way to vicariously experience success and folks making money off the game not the real enablers?
 
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 don;t think Boren spends five minutes thinking about any of this.
 
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I engaged this conversation because, in my opinion, an egregiously wrong assessment of Stoops as a person was presented as fact. I engaged this conversation because, in my opinion, demonizing a competitor serves no constructive purpose.
?
a. What's wrong about the assessment? How did I misrepresent Bob Stoops

b. You believe Stoops is the victim here, do I have that right?

[QUOTE="Normanite, post: 8132983, member: 1280"I consider myself nowadays to be somewhat affiliation neutral. However, I have lived a couple of blocks from where OU holds spring and fall camps for forty years now. I'm close enough to understand what goes on here. The real Stoops runs a program of distinction both on and off the field. I thought about answering with player by player specifics, which can be done, but frankly it's pointless to continue to argue.[/QUOTE]
"The real Stoops runs a program of distinction both on and off the field."/QUOTE]

GTFO. By all means, go player by player and defend his years of protecting these abusers.

The truth of the matter is that you've provided zero substance at all in trying to defend the point you're trying to defend.

If you could do it, you would have already done it. Instead, you just wrote four paragraphs of empty words. So, yes, your presence here is pointless.
 
a. What's wrong about the assessment? How did I misrepresent Bob Stoops

b. You believe Stoops is the victim here, do I have that right?

[QUOTE="Normanite, post: 8132983, member: 1280"I consider myself nowadays to be somewhat affiliation neutral. However, I have lived a couple of blocks from where OU holds spring and fall camps for forty years now. I'm close enough to understand what goes on here. The real Stoops runs a program of distinction both on and off the field. I thought about answering with player by player specifics, which can be done, but frankly it's pointless to continue to argue.
"The real Stoops runs a program of distinction both on and off the field."/QUOTE]

GTFO. By all means, go player by player and defend his years of protecting these abusers.

The truth of the matter is that you've provided zero substance at all in trying to defend the point you're trying to defend.

If you could do it, you would have already done it. Instead, you just wrote four paragraphs of empty words. So, yes, your presence here is pointless.[/QUOTE]

Whoa, getting a little hostile there, brother.

I'm content for you to have the last word. If I post anything at all, I'll stay away from football. This one was just an irresistible matter of honor. I don't mind challenging injustice. Obviously, you don't either. We just disagree on this one.
 
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.

Have you guys expounded on this at all? I've read this a couple of times, but never seen what the deal was. Just personality conflicts or they didn't take to the new guy for some reason?
 
Number 4 sure sheds a light on how opposing coaches are and will be recruiting against Texas--" ‘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 also points to the fact that the firing of Charlie Strong will be something Herman will have to overcome, and the way to do that is to win. I would not expect Herman's first class at Texas to be anything to shout about based on what we are seeing so far. The ghost of Charlie Strong will take awhile to shoo away.

Actually his quote is not correct. It is not the University of Oklahoma. It's Oklahoma University... That's why it is OU... So there's that...
 
I hope you appreciate that I'm attempting to challenge your thinking on a societal level. I don't know the background of your formed opinions. I don't know you. I don't know your triggers. I'm certainly not trying to provoke you over team affiliation. Nevertheless, In my opinion, your thinking is wrong minded.

For context, I spent four years in Austin studying philosophy and criminology. I still love Austin and UT for the most part. I moved to Norman after we had our first child and I needed someone to pay me to work. Oil and gas was the ticket. I really don't care for Stoops personally, but that's more the occasional frustration with the role of sports in our educational system, the emphasis, the money, the privilege, etc. Nevertheless, I grudgingly acknowledge that whatever he works with gets better over time. His teams get better over the course of a year. The people under his direction become better people over their time in the program. Being in town over the duration of his coaching tenure, it's incontrovertible.

As for second chances, It's a violent sport. It's a violent sport that we embrace for it's ability to entertain us. It's a violent sport we tolerate for economic gain. Often, it is a sport best performed by aggressive people, maybe in some cases by aggressive people lacking the best influences in their life. Do we not have some obligation to give the guys a chance, to teach them proper conduct, to allow them to become better people. Teaching and betterment is not enabling. It's socially beneficial and morally sound. It's the purpose of education and mentoring. If someone proves irredeemable, or resistant to expectations, fine, you get rid of them. Your mistake, in my opinion is rooted in the notion that unacceptable behavior is tolerated and allowed to continue unchecked. In a lot of cases, that's just tribal thinking which influences others with the wrong information.
You neglected to mention that the victim is truly the person that deserves a second chance. She is/was a student at OU as well and has had to deal with her face being broken in four places, public ridicule, exhorbitant medical bills, etc. Your mistake, in my opinion is that unacceptable behavior has been properly dealt with and there is an obvious history of said behavior going unchecked. Mixon wasn't suspended, he was allowed to redshirt, my guess is that is closer to enabling than it is teaching and betterment. Stoops is an enabling piece of shit and every media outlet needs to enlighten everyone until his ass and every other enabler are flushed.
 
I'm content for you to have the last word. If I post anything at all, I'll stay away from football. This one was just an irresistible matter of honor. I don't mind challenging injustice. Obviously, you don't either. We just disagree on this one.
I mean... no hostility, feel free to defend all of those situations.
 
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“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 ...

todd-orlando.jpg


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.

While it wouldn't poll #1, Darlene Love's masterpiece is indeed the greatest Christmas song of all time. I may listen to it 5 more times this Christmas season. Makes an aging man feel young again.

Great report on Stoops and OU. While Bob Stoops may not be in Barry Switzer's league as a cheating recruiter, he's certainly in the league with Art Briles in enabling shameful behavior towards women. I love the Texas-OU rivalry like everyone else, but it may be time to draw the line on basic decency and call the OU Administration on the carpet. Courageous reporting (again) Geoff. Too few sports reporters are willing to dig into the sordid disgrace of athletes beating up women.
 
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I mean... no hostility, feel free to defend all of those situations.
@Ketchem
i would like to hear Normanite's response, and address it to the girl's father. Please justify Stoops' actions to him on how it was okay to have his daughter reputation drug through the mud, jaw wired together, and jit's ok.
 
I mean... no hostility, feel free to defend all of those situations.
@Ketchem
i would like to hear Normanite's response, and address it to the girl's father. Please justify Stoops' actions to him on how it was okay to have his daughter reputation drug through the mud, jaw wired together, and jit's ok.
@Normanite

We're still waiting. We've taken down our hostility pitchforks.

By all means...
 
@Normanite

We're still waiting. We've taken down our hostility pitchforks.

By all means...

I really did want to be baited back into this, especially since we are making different arguements. You make the argument that since Stoops plays guys with problems in their past, he is, by definition, a bad guy. I'm making the argument that on balance, in the absence of repeated problems, it's better for society for these guys to be in an organization and become better people.

Nevertheless, I'll work something up on your point later today.
 
I really did want to be baited back into this, especially since we are making different arguements. You make the argument that since Stoops plays guys with problems in their past, he is, by definition, a bad guy. I'm making the argument that on balance, in the absence of repeated problems, it's better for society for these guys to be in an organization and become better people.

Nevertheless, I'll work something up on your point later today.
Bad guy is your choice of words.

I said he is a protector and enabler of violent men that kidnap, (allegedly) rape, punch, drag down stairs and generally abuse women and that a half-dozen examples exist over the course of seven years or so to prove it.

That would be the sentence you'd need to refute.
 
Last edited:
Ill be honest, I was hoping to hear scoop on Brewster rather than Stoops.
 
Bad guy is your choice of words.

I said he is a protector and enabler of violent men that kidnap, rape, punch, drag down stairs and generally abuse women and that a half-dozen examples exist over the course of seven years or so to prove it.

That would be the sentence you'd need to refute.

Yes, I know. No problem. Now that word, Rape? I'm not aware of a rape. Enlighten me on that circumstance.
 
“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 ...

todd-orlando.jpg


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.


Exactly what I wrote concerning Stoops, and the Oklahoma "crew," when the Mixon tape came out last week. Despicable, disgusting and no excuse, period.
 
Yes, I know. No problem. Now that word, Rape? I'm not aware of a rape. Enlighten me on that circumstance.
It's what was alleged of Frank Shannon when he was suspended for a year.

"The Oklahoman obtained the Title IX report before it was sealed by a judge, and having read it, I can tell you that the real victim isn’t Shannon. In the report completed by OU’s Sexual Misconduct Office, some compelling testimony is provided by the trained sexual assault nurse examiner who examined the alleged victim. She had an abrasion consistent with blunt force trauma in an area that the examiner indicated is “one of the most common locations of injury in sexual assault.”
 
Perhaps, @Normanite, you can list what the ceiling is for Stoops that can't be broken. Is it murder? Or is there no proof that he would kick a guy off the team for murder if he's a five-star?
 
On The Ticket this morning, some prototypical OU fan (and spare) co-host (sitting in for the regular hosts who are on vacation) was making all the usual and customary excuses and justifications and defenses that we've all heard from their disgusting ilk for decades.

"Everybody does it / This happens everywhere."

"People are just selectively outraged."

"This was 2 years ago - why are people only getting crazy about it now."

"If you kick every young kid who makes a mistake off of big time college football teams, we'd all be watching Harvard play Yale."

"Who hasn't made a mistake at that age."

"There would be no big time college football if we kicked kids like Mixon out of school."

"These kids have been idolized and catered to their whole lives."

"Nothing should happen now to anyone because all this went down 2 years ago, and nothing happened then."

Many of those are either direct quotes or very close paraphrases of his quotes. I eventually had to turn it off as my BP was rising uncomfortably.

So basically with OU, it's business as usual. Rinse wash repeat. Like Ketch said, that's just who Stoops is.

And that's what Boren is. And that's what Castiglioni is. And that's what OU is. I said in another thread that this is their identity. They all like it, revel in it, admit it and defend it at any cost. They absolutely love the "us against the world" routine - it's always been the primary fuel for their fire.

Remember, these are people who idolize a man like Switzer.

The level of DGAF is higher in Norman than anywhere else in the sports universe. There is no floor to their collective depravity.

Personally, I can't wait until we no longer share conference air with those disgusting effing dirtbags.
 
It's what was alleged of Frank Shannon when he was suspended for a year.

"The Oklahoman obtained the Title IX report before it was sealed by a judge, and having read it, I can tell you that the real victim isn’t Shannon. In the report completed by OU’s Sexual Misconduct Office, some compelling testimony is provided by the trained sexual assault nurse examiner who examined the alleged victim. She had an abrasion consistent with blunt force trauma in an area that the examiner indicated is “one of the most common locations of injury in sexual assault.”
Never heard that before. From memory, the girl involved was a girlfriend. Who is the quote from?
 
Part One

Perhaps an interesting aside, perhaps not, but I wore a burnt orange shirt to work today as a reminder to do this. I'm viewed with considerable suspicion and draw comments when I do that. I'll even find myself occasionally running the Texas fight song in my head. I'm not entirely sure why that stuck since I was more of a hippie than a football fan during my time in Austin. Nevertheless, I'm not really conflicted. Until my recent change to more neutrality, I've always been an OU fan.

OK, Yes, Stoops will bring in players with troubling issues in their past. In my mind, the two real head scratchers were Chaisson and a WR named Josh Jarboe

You've already written about the Chaisson. Regardless of that disturbing event, Chaisson had numerous advocates back home. He was from a "good" family that owned several car dealerships. The staff was convinced to give him a shot. Within 3 months, he showed to have problems and was removed from the team. Bad actor, removed from the team.

Jarboe was as hyped as any recruited OU WR. Toward the end of his senior year he was found with a gun in the trunk of his car (handgun, I think) in the school parking lot. It wasn't a crime. They brought him in anyway. Within a month he made a utube video rapping about gun violence. He was removed from the team immediately. Perceived bad actor, removed from the team.

In my mind, those two players present the best examples of people that should never have been brought in, but they were. In both cases, when their behavior proved the incidents in their past were not anomalous, they were removed.

Why does Stoops take these chances. Come on, he does it to get talented players and win games. In fairness, he has more successes than failures. In any case, they do remove players from the program when they are perceived as dangerous and/or do not meet expectations. (I'll get to Mixon in part two or three, if I make it that far. I mean, seriously, you guys do have the whole mob mentality thing working pretty strong)
 
Never heard that before. From memory, the girl involved was a girlfriend. Who is the quote from?
How could you have never heard of this before and dare to have a complete opinion, telling me that I'm the one who is wrong.

Have you never heard of the Franklin Shannon situation?

Maybe you should do a tad more homework before coming into a discussion with someone that has done his homework.
 
Part One

OK, Yes, Stoops will bring in players with troubling issues in their past. In my mind, the two real head scratchers were Chaisson and a WR named Josh Jarboe
I would contend there are more than two. I would contend that the fact that Dede Westbrook's two arrests were hidden all these years is proof of.

a. That fact.
b. His should be on your list.

Part One

You've already written about the Chaisson. Regardless of that disturbing event, Chaisson had numerous advocates back home. He was from a "good" family that owned several car dealerships. The staff was convinced to give him a shot. Within 3 months, he showed to have problems and was removed from the team. Bad actor, removed from the team.

You have to be kidding me, right? I don't give a shit what family you come from. There are some things that outweigh "numerous advocates".

This was one of the situations and your comment about him being removed three months after they let him in to find out if he was too good of a football player to throw off the team is proof of a point not your own. He was a violent criminal that OU helped, according to his lawyer, set the terms for his legal punishment.

Jarboe was as hyped as any recruited OU WR. Toward the end of his senior year he was found with a gun in the trunk of his car (handgun, I think) in the school parking lot. It wasn't a crime. They brought him in anyway. Within a month he made a utube video rapping about gun violence. He was removed from the team immediately. Perceived bad actor, removed from the team.
You understand there's literally no instance of any conduct being too poor to accept, right? There is no case.

In my mind, those two players present the best examples of people that should never have been brought in, but they were. In both cases, when their behavior proved the incidents in their past were not anomalous, they were removed.

What about the cases that happen once they are on campus? Those matter just as much. How about accepting a guy like Green-Beckham that an SEC school said was too much of a character risk?

In any case, they do remove players from the program when they are perceived as dangerous and/or do not meet expectations.
Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Triple times.

See Dvorack. See DGB. See Shannon. See Westbook. See all of these cases.

Jesus Christ.
 
Part two

This begins the argument for Stoops' policy as not only acceptable, but socially righteous.

Dusty Dvoracek. Why was he not perceived as a bad actor and removed?

He got in a fist fight with a personal friend (not a random person, not a teammate) on Main Street. His friend acknowledged his part in the incident and walked away from wanting to make more of it. Incidents preceding that event? A few squabbles with teammates, please, that never happens?
The result, they read him the riot act, put him on the "one more and your out" leash and they had him attend anger management therapy. No more problems and now he has a a family with kids and a highly commercial radio show. That's a whole lot better for him and for society.

Dorial Green - Beckham. Why was he allowed in?

Obviously because he could play, but he was interviewed and accepted as a start over. His problems occurred at Missouri. He never had a problem here. He developed into a respected leader on the scout team. His time here gave him a chance to redeem himself. The staff didn't walk away from him after they knew he couldn't play at OU. He was drafted and plays in the NFL. So, no one gives him a second chance and he ends up with no real opportunity and perhaps ultimately in jail (the social theory of crime from UT at work here). That's a better result for society?

Frank Shannon. Why did he return?

I'm not sure what to do with this. The "what" of his issue owas not discussed much past the general background of a "he said - she said" deal with a girlfriend.
I can tell you he was dismissed from the team. Since he had a credible side to the story, they allowed him to come back to finish school. They didn't do that for competitive reasons. He started back as third team. I think he did end up playing some due to injuries. Bottom line, they stuck with him and allowed him to finish school. In my mind, that's positive action by a staff

To make the point, we've accepted certain "rehabilitation projects" in our company. Why, for their skills obviously. Expectations are discussed, but honestly, it's not really necessary. The ones we accept know why their last job didn't work out. They are anxious to start over clean. Sure there's more risk, but much more often than not, it works out fine. It works out for the employee and the company gets better. Same concept really

Westbrook and Mixon in Part three
 
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How could you have never heard of this before and dare to have a complete opinion, telling me that I'm the one who is wrong.

Have you never heard of the Franklin Shannon situation?

Maybe you should do a tad more homework before coming into a discussion with someone that has done his homework.

I know it's an odd notion, but I do have a company to run. I don't spend all of my time studying OU football.

Since you have done the homework, who made the quote you posted. It's obviously not from the Oklahoman. Who is quoted is relevant to any response
 
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.
I retract most of my post. I was thinking we should be looking at a Power 5 DC somewhere, someone with more experience in a big conference, but then I pulled the defensive team stats for this year and there was Houston in the Top 12 of scoring defense. Now, would I have liked to find someone from the Big 10 or SEC who was already a DC... maybe, but I'll admit that I wasn't giving Orlando as much credit as he deserved.

As for the other Herman hires, it seemed like the recurring theme was "blah, blah, blah, tons of upside/potential/ceiling, could be great" but very few Power 5 conference skins on the wall. Maybe I just had my hopes up that we'd be stealing more established guys.

Lastly, I'll admit I was really hoping for a 5 star home run from Little or a Kyle Allen was following Herman. Maybe my expectations were out of whack.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think he's done ANYTHING wrong, but I was hoping to steal some headlines and I don't think we've done that at all yet.
 
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