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Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (When Herman is 100-percent humanized...)

Ketchum

Resident Blockhead
Staff
May 29, 2001
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ee0e3a40b744e2eebc3b4d949eaa9055x.jpg

There's something about Texas head coach Tom Herman that I don't know that I've ever fully considered until this weekend.

What's that, you ask?

Well, let's start at the beginning, which for me was reading Statesman writer Brian Davis's story on Herman from this weekend, which mostly featured a look at Herman's life inside the mostly quarantined world of the Coronavirus.

There was the juggling act of raising three kids in three different schools (one in kindergarten, another in the sixth grade and the oldest is a sophomore in high school) in a world where no one is supposed to go outdoors. His 16-year old daughter gets to see her boyfriend because ... well ... she's 16 and sometimes you're just trying to keep your head above water as a parent. A couple of dogs were roaming around the Herman Zoo as well. Oh, and they are working their way through Tiger King on Nexflix.

It was all ... sooooooooo .... relatable.

That could be just about anyone of us on Orangebloods right now.

Before the article was concluded, I was reminded that Herman's life story includes his father losing his life at the age of 52 while living in a homeless shelter. Herman went on the record about seeing his mom in an abusive relationship.

These important details really brought his charitable actions from earlier in the week, when he gave money to the Central Texas Food Bank, Front Steps of Austin, The Boys and Girls Clubs, and Meals on Wheels, into a much sharper picture.

It was all ... sooooooooo ... likable.

As someone that has given Herman mostly rave remarks for the way he's handled the media since arriving at Texas, it occurred to me how little Herman has let us inside his human bubble for most of the time he's been in Austin. While he'll often enjoy the back-and-forth, give-and-take from the media that covers him, there's often a bit of a frigid disconnect between him and seemingly anyone that isn't inside that locker room with him on a daily basis.

For instance, I didn't realize his oldest kid was in high school. Truthfully, it's none of my business, but it's such a reminder of the life Herman lives that exists beyond the 40 Acres and how much of it weren't mostly clueless over. This is a dude that is not only trying to figure out how to manage a football program from remote, but he's got to deal with having a teenage daughter ... that is dating a boy ... during a pandemic!

As the father of a six-year old girl, let me just say for him the thing that he couldn't say out loud to anyone other than his wife, "NO! NO GOD PLEASE NO! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

200.gif


For a guy that constantly gets associated with MENSA and weirdly not always in the most positive of ways, Davis’s story did more to turn him into a human being that we could all connect with than every press conference he's ever done since taking the job added together

Also, can we also take a moment to appreciate the awesomeness around the fact that Davis sometimes appears to be a trigger for Herman during occasional press conferences and yet he somehow got some of the most revealing and humanizing details of Herman's life with his family that we've ever seen.

Some of that credit has to go to Davis. Some of it has to go to the Coronavirus for creating these odd set of circumstances that has Herman setting teleconferencing meetings in an effort to talk to his coaches. Some if it simply has to come down to Herman putting the forcefield down and letting us into his life, if even just a smidge.

Of course, Herman came to Texas to coach football. He is under no obligation to offer up so much as a smidge of his personal life if he doesn’t want to. Not every head coach in any sport is going to be Steve Kerr. Most are going to be something closer to Bill Parcells.

Believe me, I get it.

All I'm trying to say is that while it's not within our rights to ask him to give that piece of his soul to us in any way with any sort of regularity, I have to point out how much I think it helps his Q-rating on those times when he does.

It's when he's most real.

There's a complex, fascinating personal side of Herman that exists, but the reality is that he's probably a lot more like the rest of us than the alternative. An occasional reminder of this truth will rarely be a bad idea when it almost always reveals validation for him having some really positive components that have nothing to do with football.

Being likable can carry a ton of value or a variety of reasons.

Too often, a coach like Herman can only be viewed by some through the prism of the salary he makes, or the number of wins he has in a season or whether he's won or lost against Oklahoma. Yet, he cuts. He bleeds. He's got a life that's every bit as upside down as the rest of us at the moment.

A big part of Herman's job is messaging. If he's ever able to harness the occasional vulnerable side of himself into the big picture messaging of the program that he's responsible for, it will elevate him as a recruiter and as someone that speaks to the moms of recruits and season ticket holders every time he's in front of a microphone, it has a chance to elevate his entire brand.

Maybe we'd get sick of seeing such a side of him every day. Maybe we'd punish him for it after a bad loss because people are jerks way too often. Too much of anything can lead to bad things, right?

But, just an occasional open book to remind of us of how relatable he is, especially when he is so good at it when he lets the moment go there?

Deep down, you get the sense from Herman that while he'll never be a perfect egg, he's still a good egg, and in a world where we don't see enough good eggs, showing us that side of himself will never be wrong.

In fact, I'd go so far to say that letting the burnt orange world into his heart a little was just the thing the burnt orange world needed because a feel-good story about the head football coach was just what the doctor ordered.


No. 2 - Just one more thing about Sam's rib injury ...

No, I'm not going to dive back into that subject matter head first because I don't want to give it the dead mule treatment, however ....

I do want you to look at two sets of numbers.

Here's a look at the game efficiency ratings for Ehlinger through the first four weeks of the season heading into the team's bye week:

vs. La Tech: 169.4
vs. LSU: 165.7
vs. Rice: 208.6
vs. Oklahoma State: 195.7

Those aren't Joe Burrow numbers, but they aren't far off, either. What's important to know about the timeline with Ehlinger's rib injury is that when he first injured it, it wasn't treated as a serious injury by anyone in the program. It wasn't until the next game until Ehlinger was injured enough that the injury evolved into a situation that needed to be managed. By the time Texas got to the bye week and Ehlinger was able to rest the injury without the luxury of not having to play a game that week, it had turned into a problem.

Now, let's take a look at the next four games following the bye week:

at West Virginia: 122.2
vs. Oklahoma: 114.8
vs. Kansas: 172.1
at TCU: 99.1

It wasn't until the final two games of the season against Texas Tech and Utah that Ehlinger posted a single game rating that was as high as any that he had posted in the first four game of the season outside of the Kansas game in week seven. Every other performance in weeks No. 5-11 fell below the marks established in games No. 1-4.

I'm not telling you that this all points to the ribs as much as I'm reminding you that there were some clear marker lines on the Texas schedule a year ago when Ehlinger's performance started to slow and it coincides right after Ehlinger was bothered enough by the injury to miss practice, if even just a little.

No. 3 - Hudson Card's lost advantage ...


You might have seen this discussed in Anwar's Sunday Pulpit, but I wanted to discuss the nuance associated with the battle that will take place between freshman quarterbacks Hudson Card and Ja'Quinden Jackson.

As the president of the Card Fan Club here in Austin, I've been quite vocal in the last nine months or so that the combination of the following advantages would play in his favor in a battle that could end up deciding who starts in 2021 or 2022, depending on numerous factors:

* As an early enrollee, Card would have the advantage of taking a huge amount of reps, including some with the second-team offense on days when Sam Ehllinger might be resting. For a guy that already has significantly more passing game reps than Jackson upon his arrival in college, having an entire spring head-start just felt like a massive leg up.

* Jackson's own injury questions coming off the knee surgery that ended his high school career.

Depending on just how much Card could take the baton and run with it in the spring, the battle between Card and Jackson could have been over before it ever truly had a chance to begin.

Yet, with the loss of spring practice for perhaps forever, Card's one-semester lead on Jackson has been significantly marginalized. A month ago, Jackson stood to enter workouts in the fall a clear fourth on the pecking order, if for no other reason than his starting line, but he'll be much closer to a co-No. 3 than a clear No. 4 when football likely picks up again ... whenever it picks up again.

Get your popcorn ready because this will be one hell of a battle once the participants begin to fully engage.

No. 4 - About Shaka ...

Here's a hypothetical for you.

Let's say Shaka Smart finishes second in the Big 12 in 2020-21 and UT concludes the season with its first Sweet Sixteen appearance since a Texan was in the White House.

With two years and more than seven million left on his deal, what would you do? Extend him? Hold tight end let him play out another year on the deal, while potentially risking him while his Q-rating rises again nationally?

I'm guessing most of you would scream bloody murder at the notion of extending him right at the point the years on his deal would reach a level that could make it easier to dismiss him, but what would it take for you to feel comfortable with an extension of Smart?

I don't know that I have a good answer.

No. 5 - Story-time with Uncle Ketch ...


Earlier this week, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees announced that his family was giving away $5,000,000 in an effort to help feed seniors and children on a daily basis during the Coronavirus pandemic.

I couldn't help but be reminded of the time I was interviewing Brees outside of the Westlake High gymnasium in a hallway during January of 1997.

During our conversation, Brees started talking about his decision to back away from fully exploring his upside in baseball in the name of pursuing the optimal levels possible in football. Yet, after winning a state title in 1996 he was left with nothing but offers from Kentucky and Purdue.

He was so broken up about it. Tears filled his eyes. He suggested that if he had played baseball instead of football, he'd have better college options on the baseball side of things. As much as he'd allow himself to be angry, he was pretty angry about it all, although I didn't get the sense that he was sharing a lot of it with others.

All these years later, it's almost impossible to imagine Brees being marginalized as a football player. Most will probably never know how close he was to mentally wanting to move on.

About a week later, he visited Purdue and his entire outlook about his options seemed to change and the Brees that would eventually become a two-time Heisman finalist, a Super Bowl MVP and a future Hall of Famer found liftoff.

Twenty-three years later, I'm still writing about him.

No. 6 – BUY or SELL …

BUY-SELL.gif


College football will still be played this fall.
(Buy) I just believe there's too much money to be lost if there isn't. All of college athletics would be turned upside down if a college football season is missed. I'm not sure that any of us can fully grasp the collateral damage of such an event.

Is it possible that the college football season could be played but televised only, no fans in the stands? Only Saturday games and all player would be checked to be cleared Friday?
(Buy) At this point, I think there's a better chance that we do see games without crowds perhaps than we see games with crowds. It's less than ideal, but it's the safest way to deliver the television product, which is critical.

Assuming no football games this fall (just for this question, don't freak out), the NCAA and/or the Big 12 will make allowances for schools to have additional players on scholarship, make allowances for on-line tutoring/classes, eventually make allowances for on-line coaching for players over the summer, allow players to toll their eligibility for a year and make other necessary concessions to keep the sport going.
(Buy) Everyone will eventually get this stuff right, even if it takes some time.

CDC isn’t the AD we all thought he was hired to be, he doesn’t seem to have much of a stomach for hiring and firing.
(Sell) That feels a little unfair. Let's see how he handles the women's basketball job.

You will read 3 or more books during this quarantine.
(Sell) I feel like such a heathen.

This list of top 5 Texas Football games/outcomes of the last 30 years:
1. ‘05 vs. USC
2. ‘96 vs. Nebraska
3. ‘11 vs. Aggy
4. ‘08 vs. OU
5. ‘04 vs. Michigan

(Sell) Personally, I'd swap out the 2011 game against A&M and replace it with the 1995 game against the Aggies, as that game ended an era of dominance by the Aggies, while the other merely ended the rivalry. I might also rank the 1996 game against the Aggies and the 2005 game against Ohio State over the 2011 game.

My list might look like this:

1. 2005 vs. USC
2. 2004 vs. Michigan
3. 1996 vs. Nebraska
4. 2008 vs. Oklahoma
5. 2005 at. Ohio State
6. 1995 at Texas A&M
7. 1996 vs. Texas A&M
8. 1998 at Nebraska
9. 2018 vs. Georgia
10. 2011 vs. Teas A&M

Texas has a top 10 2021 class which is better than it would have with Texas talent because of Covid-19?
(Sell) I think Texas will/would have a top-10 class in 2021, with or without the Rona.

JQJ has a greater than 50% chance to beat out Thompson and Card and be the starter in either 2021 or 2022.
(Sell) I'm still taking Card. I think Yurcich is going to love him.

Sam Elingher was a better high school QB prospect than Hudson Card?
(Sell) As the person who first rated Ehlinger as a high-level prospect, I have to admit that I have Card rated higher as an incoming prospect, mostly because I believe he has a special arm talent.

Carol killed her millionaire husband
(Buy) Yup. And high-stepped from the 10-yard line on her way into the end zone.

EPL will actually finish the season this summer ... with or without fans.

secondary ... this tarnishes the amazing season that Pool had.
(Buy) I believe the season will be finished for the same reasons why I believe the college football season will be played ... TV revenue. As it relates to Liverpool, we're talking about a team that has played 29 matches this season and won 27 of them, while losing only once. It's an all-time great team that I'm not expecting to be all-time great whenever the season does pick back up, which will impact the way we ultimately remember this team on historical levels.

No. 7 - Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind ...

... I find myself very thankful that the NFL has no soul and wouldn't cancel it's off-season if the world ended. I've continued to appreciate the content it’s given all of us to digest. This is all a little like being a drug addict and being asked to quit cold turkey. The NFL off-season is our slow withdraw out of what we're used to doing.

... Never thought I'd get the feelings over a place-kicker addition, but I like the signing of Greg Zuerlein by the Cowboys. The bleeding needed to stop at kicker. I also dig the signing of Dontari Poe.

... How many fights would Pete Rose be involved in if the 1970 version of himself played in 2020?

... Whatever happened to DePaul basketball?

... Jon Jones just can't stop being Jon Jones.

No. 8 - Three Things I did in Quarantine this week ...

a. Yes, I watched Tiger King and as I said on Twitter on Saturday afternoon, it's like someone hooked me up to a 4+ hour IV drip of a Jerry Springer Show Mixed Tape. I can't say I feel good at all about myself for finishing the series. I just feel really icky.

b. Watched a bunch more of ER (moved into season two), including the episode that is remembered for launching George Clooney into the realm of movie stars. I have to admit, upon the first review in at least a decade, Clooney's performance is out of this world good.


c. In a continuation of my Kenny Rogers kick, I went down the rabbit-hole of reaction videos of people reacting to Rogers performing "Lady" for the first time (here, here, here and here). Most of them weren't even great, but I just kept watching them.

No. 9 - The List: Top 10 All-Time Texas Bad Asses ...

Motivated by a Buy or Sell question from last week that pitted ex-Texas players in boxing matches against other ex-Texas players, I thought I would come up with my list of the top 10 absolute bad-ass sonofaguns that ever walked the 40 Acres. I'm talking about first guys off the bus type of stuff. Dark Alley type stuff. Kicking ass on spring break type of stuff.

A lot of this is based on legend as much as anything else. I also included one basketball player because it felt like listing his name was warranted, considering he probably scared anyone on the 40 Acres as much as any football players during the last 20 years.

10. P.J. Tucker
9. Britt Hager
8. Shaun Rogers
7. Tony Brackens
6. Steve McMichael
5. Casey Hampton
4. Don Talbert
3. Diron Talbert
2. Quentin Jammer
1. Shane Dronett

No.10 - And finally...

Dogs are the best.
 
Thanks, Ketch! Just wondering...have you heard anything about Karen Aston’s contract?
 
Thanks @Ketchum I agree that the EPL season will finish in some form or fashion, even if it shouldn’t. Just give Pool the trophy, no relegation and bring up Leeds and west brom.

But EPL $$$ talks. Just like the NFL.
 
Anecdote on PJ Tucker. Ran into him at Bike Barn in West Universiry place in HOUSTON a couple of days ago. I had a mask and gloves on while buying a bike for my wife so she could ride with me during the isolation. I didn’t want to bother him (just like I treat other “celebrities”). So as I walked by him our eyes met and I just said Hook ‘em. His face lit up and he said with a big smile “Hook em!”. Nothing else was said. He’s a badass and one of my favorite Longhorns.
 
ee0e3a40b744e2eebc3b4d949eaa9055x.jpg

There's something about Texas head coach Tom Herman that I don't know that I've ever fully considered until this weekend.

What's that, you ask?

Well, let's start at the beginning, which for me was reading Statesman writer Brian Davis's story on Herman from this weekend, which mostly featured a look at Herman's life inside the mostly quarantined world of the Coronavirus.

There was the juggling act of raising three kids in three different schools (one in kindergarten, another in the sixth grade and the oldest is a sophomore in high school) in a world where no one is supposed to go outdoors. His 16-year old daughter gets to see her boyfriend because ... well ... she's 16 and sometimes you're just trying to keep your head above water as a parent. A couple of dogs were roaming around the Herman Zoo as well. Oh, and they are working their way through Tiger King on Nexflix.

It was all ... sooooooooo .... relatable.

That could be just about anyone of us on Orangebloods right now.

Before the article was concluded, I was reminded that Herman's life story includes his father losing his life at the age of 52 while living in a homeless shelter. Herman went on the record about seeing his mom in an abusive relationship.

These important details really brought his charitable actions from earlier in the week, when he gave money to the Central Texas Food Bank, Front Steps of Austin, The Boys and Girls Clubs, and Meals on Wheels, into a much sharper picture.

It was all ... sooooooooo ... likable.

As someone that has given Herman mostly rave remarks for the way he's handled the media since arriving at Texas, it occurred to me how little Herman has let us inside his human bubble for most of the time he's been in Austin. While he'll often enjoy the back-and-forth, give-and-take from the media that covers him, there's often a bit of a frigid disconnect between him and seemingly anyone that isn't inside that locker room with him on a daily basis.

For instance, I didn't realize his oldest kid was in high school. Truthfully, it's none of my business, but it's such a reminder of the life Herman lives that exists beyond the 40 Acres and how much of it weren't mostly clueless over. This is a dude that is not only trying to figure out how to manage a football program from remote, but he's got to deal with having a teenage daughter ... that is dating a boy ... during a pandemic!

As the father of a six-year old girl, let me just say for him the thing that he couldn't say out loud to anyone other than his wife, "NO! NO GOD PLEASE NO! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

200.gif


For a guy that constantly gets associated with MENSA and weirdly not always in the most positive of ways, Davis’s story did more to turn him into a human being that we could all connect with than every press conference he's ever done since taking the job added together

Also, can we also take a moment to appreciate the awesomeness around the fact that Davis sometimes appears to be a trigger for Herman during occasional press conferences and yet he somehow got some of the most revealing and humanizing details of Herman's life with his family that we've ever seen.

Some of that credit has to go to Davis. Some of it has to go to the Coronavirus for creating these odd set of circumstances that has Herman setting teleconferencing meetings in an effort to talk to his coaches. Some if it simply has to come down to Herman putting the forcefield down and letting us into his life, if even just a smidge.

Of course, Herman came to Texas to coach football. He is under no obligation to offer up so much as a smidge of his personal life if he doesn’t want to. Not every head coach in any sport is going to be Steve Kerr. Most are going to be something closer to Bill Parcells.

Believe me, I get it.

All I'm trying to say is that while it's not within our rights to ask him to give that piece of his soul to us in any way with any sort of regularity, I have to point out how much I think it helps his Q-rating on those times when he does.

It's when he's most real.

There's a complex, fascinating personal side of Herman that exists, but the reality is that he's probably a lot more like the rest of us than the alternative. An occasional reminder of this truth will rarely be a bad idea when it almost always reveals validation for him having some really positive components that have nothing to do with football.

Being likable can carry a ton of value or a variety of reasons.

Two often, a coach like Herman can only be viewed by some through the prism of the salary he makes, or the number of wins he has in a season or whether he's won or lost against Oklahoma. Yet, he cuts. He bleeds. He's got a life that's every bit as upside down as the rest of us at the moment.

A big part of Herman's job is messaging. If he's ever able to harness the occasional vulnerable side of himself into the big picture messaging of the program that he's responsible for, it will elevate him as a recruiter and as someone that speaks to the moms of recruits and season ticket holders every time he's in front of a microphone, it has a chance to elevate his entire brand.

Maybe we'd get sick of seeing such a side of him every day. Maybe we'd punish him for it after a bad loss because people are jerks way too often. Too much of anything can lead to bad things, right?

But, just an occasional open book to remind of us of how relatable he is, especially when he is so good at it when he lets the moment go there?

Deep down, you get the sense from Herman that while he'll never be a perfect egg, he's still a good egg, and in a world where we don't see enough good eggs, showing us that side of himself will never be wrong.

In fact, I'd go so far to say that letting the burnt orange world into his heart a little was just the thing the burnt orange world needed because a feel-good story about the head football coach was just what the doctor ordered.


No. 2 - Just one more thing about Sam's rib injury ...

No, I'm not going to dive back into that subject matter head first because I don't want to give it the dead mule treatment, however ....

I do want you to look at two sets of numbers.

Here's a look at the game efficiency ratings for Ehlinger through the first four weeks of the season heading into the team's bye week:

vs. La Tech: 169.4
vs. LSU: 165.7
vs. Rice: 208.6
vs. Oklahoma State: 195.7

Those aren't Joe Burrow numbers, but they aren't far off, either. What's important to know about the timeline with Ehlinger's rib injury is that when he first injured it, it wasn't treated as a serious injury by anyone in the program. It wasn't until the next game until Ehlinger was injured enough that the injury evolved into a situation that needed to be managed. By the time Texas got to the bye week and Ehlinger was able to rest the injury without the luxury of not having to play a game that week, it had turned into a problem.

Now, let's take a look at the next four games following the bye week:

at West Virginia: 122.2
vs. Oklahoma: 114.8
vs. Kansas: 172.1
at TCU: 99.1

It wasn't until the final two games of the season against Texas Tech and Utah that Ehlinger posted a single game rating that was as high as any that he had posted in the first four game of the season outside of the Kansas game in week seven. Every other performance in weeks No. 5-11 fell below the marks established in games No. 1-4.

I'm not telling you that this all points to the ribs as much as I'm reminding you that there were some clear marker lines on the Texas schedule a year ago when Ehlinger's performance started to slow and it coincides right after Ehlinger was bothered enough by the injury to miss practice, if even just a little.

No. 3 - Hudson Card's lost advantage ...


You might have seen this discussed in Anwar's Sunday Pulpit, but I wanted to discuss the nuance associated with the battle that will take place between freshman quarterbacks Hudson Card and Ja'Quinden Jackson.

As the president of the Card Fan Club here in Austin, I've been quite vocal in the last nine months or so that the combination of the following advantages would play in his favor in a battle that could end up deciding who starts in 2021 or 2022, depending on numerous factors:

* As an early enrollee, Card would have the advantage of taking a huge amount of reps, including some with the second-team offense on days when Sam Ehllinger might be resting. For a guy that already has significantly more passing game reps than Jackson upon his arrival in college, having an entire spring head-start just felt like a massive leg up.

* Jackson's own injury questions coming off the knee surgery that ended his high school career.

Depending on just how much Card could take the baton and run with it in the spring, the battle between Card and Jackson could have been over before it ever truly had a chance to begin.

Yet, with the loss of spring practice for perhaps forever, Card's one-semester lead on Jackson has been significantly marginalized. A month ago, Jackson stood to enter workouts in the fall a clear fourth on the pecking order, if for no other reason than his starting line, but he'll be much closer to a co-No. 3 than a clear No. 4 when football likely picks up again ... whenever it picks up again.

Get your popcorn ready because this will be one hell of a battle once the participants begin to fully engage.

No. 4 - About Shaka ...

Here's a hypothetical for you.

Let's say Shaka Smart finishes second in the Big 12 in 2020-21 and UT concludes the season with its first Sweet Sixteen appearance since a Texan was in the White House.

With two years and more than seven million left on his deal, what would you do? Extend him? Hold tight end let him play out another year on the deal, while potentially risking him while his Q-rating rises again nationally?

I'm guessing most of you would scream bloody murder at the notion of extending him right at the point the years on his deal would reach a level that could make it easier to dismiss him, but what would it take for you to feel comfortable with an extension of Smart?

I don't know that I have a good answer.

No. 5 - Story-time with Uncle Ketch ...


Earlier this week, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees announced that his family was giving away $5,000,000 in an effort to help feed seniors and children on a daily basis during the Coronavirus pandemic.

I couldn't help but be reminded of the time I was interviewing Brees outside of the Westlake High gymnasium in a hallway during January of 1997.

During our conversation, Brees started talking about his decision to back away from fully exploring his upside in baseball in the name of pursuing the optimal levels possible in football. Yet, after winning a state title in 1996 he was left with nothing but offers from Kentucky and Purdue.

He was so broken up about it. Tears filled his eyes. He suggested that if he had played baseball instead of football, he'd have better college options on the baseball side of things. As much as he'd allow himself to be angry, he was pretty angry about it all, although I didn't get the sense that he was sharing a lot of it with others.

All these years later, it's almost impossible to imagine Brees being marginalized as a football player. Most will probably never know how close he was to mentally wanting to move on.

About a week later, he visited Purdue and his entire outlook about his options seemed to change and the Brees that would eventually become a two-time Heisman finalist, a Super Bowl MVP and a future Hall of Famer found liftoff.

Twenty-three years later, I'm still writing about him.

No. 6 – BUY or SELL …

BUY-SELL.gif



(Buy) I just believe there's too much money to be lost if there isn't. All of college athletics would be turned upside down if a college football season is missed. I'm not sure that any of us can fully grasp the collateral damage of such an event.


(Buy) At this point, I think there's a better chance that we do see games without crowds perhaps than we see games with crowds. It's less than ideal, but it's the safest way to deliver the television product, which is critical.


(Buy) Everyone will eventually get this stuff right, even if it takes some time.


(Sell) That feels a little unfair. Let's see how he handles the women's basketball job.


(Sell) I feel like such a heathen.



(Sell) Personally, I'd swap out the 2011 game against A&M and replace it with the 1995 game against the Aggies, as that game ended an era of dominance by the Aggies, while the other merely ended the rivalry. I might also rank the 1996 game against the Aggies and the 2005 game against Ohio State over the 2011 game.

My list might look like this:

1. 2005 vs. USC
2. 2004 vs. Michigan
3. 1996 vs. Nebraska
4. 2008 vs. Oklahoma
5. 2005 at. Ohio State
6. 1995 at Texas A&M
7. 1996 vs. Texas A&M
8. 1998 at Nebraska
9. 2018 vs. Georgia
10. 2011 vs. Teas A&M


(Sell) I think Texas will/would have a top-10 class in 2021, with or without the Rona.


(Sell) I'm still taking Card. I think Yurcich is going to love him.


(Sell) As the person who first rated Ehlinger as a high-level prospect, I have to admit that I have Card rated higher as an incoming prospect, mostly because I believe he has a special arm talent.


(Buy) Yup. And high-stepped from the 10-yard line on her way into the end zone.


(Buy) I believe the season will be finished for the same reasons why I believe the college football season will be played ... TV revenue. As it relates to Liverpool, we're talking about a team that has played 29 matches this season and won 27 of them, while losing only once. It's an all-time great team that I'm not expecting to be all-time great whenever the season does pick back up, which will impact the way we ultimately remember this team on historical levels.

No. 7 - Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind ...

... I find myself very thankful that the NFL has no soul and wouldn't cancel it's off-season if the world ended. I've continued to appreciate the content it’s given all of us to digest. This is all a little like being a drug addict and being asked to quit cold turkey. The NFL off-season is our slow withdraw out of what we're used to doing.

... Never thought I'd get the feelings over a place-kicker addition, but I like the signing of Greg Zuerlein by the Cowboys. The bleeding needed to stop at kicker. I also dig the signing of Dontari Poe.

... How many fights would Pete Rose be involved in if the 1970 version of himself played in 2020?

... Whatever happened to DePaul basketball?

... Jon Jones just can't stop being Jon Jones.

No. 8 - Three Things I did in Quarantine this week ...

a. Yes, I watched Tiger King and as I said on Twitter on Saturday afternoon, it's like someone hooked me up to a 4+ hour IV drip of a Jerry Springer Show Mixed Tape. I can't say I feel good at all about myself for finishing the series. I just feel really icky.

b. Watched a bunch more of ER (moved into season two), including the episode that is remembered for launching George Clooney into the realm of movie stars. I have to admit, upon the first review in at least a decade, Clooney's performance is out of this world good.


c. In a continuation of my Kenny Rogers kick, I went down the rabbit-hole of reaction videos of people reacting to Rogers performing "Lady" for the first time (here, here, here and here). Most of them weren't even great, but I just kept watching them.

No. 9 - The List: Top 10 All-Time Texas Bad Asses ...

Motivated by a Buy or Sell question from last week that pitted ex-Texas players in boxing matches against other ex-Texas players, I thought I would come up with my list of the top 10 absolute bad-ass sonofaguns that ever walked the 40 Acres. I'm talking about first guys off the bus type of stuff. Dark Alley type stuff. Kicking ass on spring break type of stuff.

A lot of this is based on legend as much as anything else. I also included one basketball player because it felt like listing his name was warranted, considering he probably scared anyone on the 40 Acres as much as any football players during the last 20 years.

10. P.J. Tucker
9. Britt Hager
8. Shaun Rogers
7. Tony Brackens
6. Steve McMichael
5. Casey Hampton
4. Don Talbert
3. Diron Talbert
2. Quentin Jammer
1. Shane Dronett

No.10 - And finally...

Dogs are the best.



Also,

What about James Thomas?!?! Between those shoulders and his overhand right, I actually thought of him before PJ. And I love me some PJ.

 
Good stuff. I knew the Talbert brothers for a few years when they came down to south Texas to dove hunt. Diron still hated Roger Staubach years later and would tell stories around the camp fire about all the dirty things they use to do and have done during the glory years of Cowboys vs Redskins. Dude still looked like he could whip some ass in his late 60’s.
 
ee0e3a40b744e2eebc3b4d949eaa9055x.jpg

There's something about Texas head coach Tom Herman that I don't know that I've ever fully considered until this weekend.

What's that, you ask?

Well, let's start at the beginning, which for me was reading Statesman writer Brian Davis's story on Herman from this weekend, which mostly featured a look at Herman's life inside the mostly quarantined world of the Coronavirus.

There was the juggling act of raising three kids in three different schools (one in kindergarten, another in the sixth grade and the oldest is a sophomore in high school) in a world where no one is supposed to go outdoors. His 16-year old daughter gets to see her boyfriend because ... well ... she's 16 and sometimes you're just trying to keep your head above water as a parent. A couple of dogs were roaming around the Herman Zoo as well. Oh, and they are working their way through Tiger King on Nexflix.

It was all ... sooooooooo .... relatable.

That could be just about anyone of us on Orangebloods right now.

Before the article was concluded, I was reminded that Herman's life story includes his father losing his life at the age of 52 while living in a homeless shelter. Herman went on the record about seeing his mom in an abusive relationship.

These important details really brought his charitable actions from earlier in the week, when he gave money to the Central Texas Food Bank, Front Steps of Austin, The Boys and Girls Clubs, and Meals on Wheels, into a much sharper picture.

It was all ... sooooooooo ... likable.

As someone that has given Herman mostly rave remarks for the way he's handled the media since arriving at Texas, it occurred to me how little Herman has let us inside his human bubble for most of the time he's been in Austin. While he'll often enjoy the back-and-forth, give-and-take from the media that covers him, there's often a bit of a frigid disconnect between him and seemingly anyone that isn't inside that locker room with him on a daily basis.

For instance, I didn't realize his oldest kid was in high school. Truthfully, it's none of my business, but it's such a reminder of the life Herman lives that exists beyond the 40 Acres and how much of it weren't mostly clueless over. This is a dude that is not only trying to figure out how to manage a football program from remote, but he's got to deal with having a teenage daughter ... that is dating a boy ... during a pandemic!

As the father of a six-year old girl, let me just say for him the thing that he couldn't say out loud to anyone other than his wife, "NO! NO GOD PLEASE NO! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

200.gif


For a guy that constantly gets associated with MENSA and weirdly not always in the most positive of ways, Davis’s story did more to turn him into a human being that we could all connect with than every press conference he's ever done since taking the job added together

Also, can we also take a moment to appreciate the awesomeness around the fact that Davis sometimes appears to be a trigger for Herman during occasional press conferences and yet he somehow got some of the most revealing and humanizing details of Herman's life with his family that we've ever seen.

Some of that credit has to go to Davis. Some of it has to go to the Coronavirus for creating these odd set of circumstances that has Herman setting teleconferencing meetings in an effort to talk to his coaches. Some if it simply has to come down to Herman putting the forcefield down and letting us into his life, if even just a smidge.

Of course, Herman came to Texas to coach football. He is under no obligation to offer up so much as a smidge of his personal life if he doesn’t want to. Not every head coach in any sport is going to be Steve Kerr. Most are going to be something closer to Bill Parcells.

Believe me, I get it.

All I'm trying to say is that while it's not within our rights to ask him to give that piece of his soul to us in any way with any sort of regularity, I have to point out how much I think it helps his Q-rating on those times when he does.

It's when he's most real.

There's a complex, fascinating personal side of Herman that exists, but the reality is that he's probably a lot more like the rest of us than the alternative. An occasional reminder of this truth will rarely be a bad idea when it almost always reveals validation for him having some really positive components that have nothing to do with football.

Being likable can carry a ton of value or a variety of reasons.

Two often, a coach like Herman can only be viewed by some through the prism of the salary he makes, or the number of wins he has in a season or whether he's won or lost against Oklahoma. Yet, he cuts. He bleeds. He's got a life that's every bit as upside down as the rest of us at the moment.

A big part of Herman's job is messaging. If he's ever able to harness the occasional vulnerable side of himself into the big picture messaging of the program that he's responsible for, it will elevate him as a recruiter and as someone that speaks to the moms of recruits and season ticket holders every time he's in front of a microphone, it has a chance to elevate his entire brand.

Maybe we'd get sick of seeing such a side of him every day. Maybe we'd punish him for it after a bad loss because people are jerks way too often. Too much of anything can lead to bad things, right?

But, just an occasional open book to remind of us of how relatable he is, especially when he is so good at it when he lets the moment go there?

Deep down, you get the sense from Herman that while he'll never be a perfect egg, he's still a good egg, and in a world where we don't see enough good eggs, showing us that side of himself will never be wrong.

In fact, I'd go so far to say that letting the burnt orange world into his heart a little was just the thing the burnt orange world needed because a feel-good story about the head football coach was just what the doctor ordered.


No. 2 - Just one more thing about Sam's rib injury ...

No, I'm not going to dive back into that subject matter head first because I don't want to give it the dead mule treatment, however ....

I do want you to look at two sets of numbers.

Here's a look at the game efficiency ratings for Ehlinger through the first four weeks of the season heading into the team's bye week:

vs. La Tech: 169.4
vs. LSU: 165.7
vs. Rice: 208.6
vs. Oklahoma State: 195.7

Those aren't Joe Burrow numbers, but they aren't far off, either. What's important to know about the timeline with Ehlinger's rib injury is that when he first injured it, it wasn't treated as a serious injury by anyone in the program. It wasn't until the next game until Ehlinger was injured enough that the injury evolved into a situation that needed to be managed. By the time Texas got to the bye week and Ehlinger was able to rest the injury without the luxury of not having to play a game that week, it had turned into a problem.

Now, let's take a look at the next four games following the bye week:

at West Virginia: 122.2
vs. Oklahoma: 114.8
vs. Kansas: 172.1
at TCU: 99.1

It wasn't until the final two games of the season against Texas Tech and Utah that Ehlinger posted a single game rating that was as high as any that he had posted in the first four game of the season outside of the Kansas game in week seven. Every other performance in weeks No. 5-11 fell below the marks established in games No. 1-4.

I'm not telling you that this all points to the ribs as much as I'm reminding you that there were some clear marker lines on the Texas schedule a year ago when Ehlinger's performance started to slow and it coincides right after Ehlinger was bothered enough by the injury to miss practice, if even just a little.

No. 3 - Hudson Card's lost advantage ...


You might have seen this discussed in Anwar's Sunday Pulpit, but I wanted to discuss the nuance associated with the battle that will take place between freshman quarterbacks Hudson Card and Ja'Quinden Jackson.

As the president of the Card Fan Club here in Austin, I've been quite vocal in the last nine months or so that the combination of the following advantages would play in his favor in a battle that could end up deciding who starts in 2021 or 2022, depending on numerous factors:

* As an early enrollee, Card would have the advantage of taking a huge amount of reps, including some with the second-team offense on days when Sam Ehllinger might be resting. For a guy that already has significantly more passing game reps than Jackson upon his arrival in college, having an entire spring head-start just felt like a massive leg up.

* Jackson's own injury questions coming off the knee surgery that ended his high school career.

Depending on just how much Card could take the baton and run with it in the spring, the battle between Card and Jackson could have been over before it ever truly had a chance to begin.

Yet, with the loss of spring practice for perhaps forever, Card's one-semester lead on Jackson has been significantly marginalized. A month ago, Jackson stood to enter workouts in the fall a clear fourth on the pecking order, if for no other reason than his starting line, but he'll be much closer to a co-No. 3 than a clear No. 4 when football likely picks up again ... whenever it picks up again.

Get your popcorn ready because this will be one hell of a battle once the participants begin to fully engage.

No. 4 - About Shaka ...

Here's a hypothetical for you.

Let's say Shaka Smart finishes second in the Big 12 in 2020-21 and UT concludes the season with its first Sweet Sixteen appearance since a Texan was in the White House.

With two years and more than seven million left on his deal, what would you do? Extend him? Hold tight end let him play out another year on the deal, while potentially risking him while his Q-rating rises again nationally?

I'm guessing most of you would scream bloody murder at the notion of extending him right at the point the years on his deal would reach a level that could make it easier to dismiss him, but what would it take for you to feel comfortable with an extension of Smart?

I don't know that I have a good answer.

No. 5 - Story-time with Uncle Ketch ...


Earlier this week, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees announced that his family was giving away $5,000,000 in an effort to help feed seniors and children on a daily basis during the Coronavirus pandemic.

I couldn't help but be reminded of the time I was interviewing Brees outside of the Westlake High gymnasium in a hallway during January of 1997.

During our conversation, Brees started talking about his decision to back away from fully exploring his upside in baseball in the name of pursuing the optimal levels possible in football. Yet, after winning a state title in 1996 he was left with nothing but offers from Kentucky and Purdue.

He was so broken up about it. Tears filled his eyes. He suggested that if he had played baseball instead of football, he'd have better college options on the baseball side of things. As much as he'd allow himself to be angry, he was pretty angry about it all, although I didn't get the sense that he was sharing a lot of it with others.

All these years later, it's almost impossible to imagine Brees being marginalized as a football player. Most will probably never know how close he was to mentally wanting to move on.

About a week later, he visited Purdue and his entire outlook about his options seemed to change and the Brees that would eventually become a two-time Heisman finalist, a Super Bowl MVP and a future Hall of Famer found liftoff.

Twenty-three years later, I'm still writing about him.

No. 6 – BUY or SELL …

BUY-SELL.gif



(Buy) I just believe there's too much money to be lost if there isn't. All of college athletics would be turned upside down if a college football season is missed. I'm not sure that any of us can fully grasp the collateral damage of such an event.


(Buy) At this point, I think there's a better chance that we do see games without crowds perhaps than we see games with crowds. It's less than ideal, but it's the safest way to deliver the television product, which is critical.


(Buy) Everyone will eventually get this stuff right, even if it takes some time.


(Sell) That feels a little unfair. Let's see how he handles the women's basketball job.


(Sell) I feel like such a heathen.



(Sell) Personally, I'd swap out the 2011 game against A&M and replace it with the 1995 game against the Aggies, as that game ended an era of dominance by the Aggies, while the other merely ended the rivalry. I might also rank the 1996 game against the Aggies and the 2005 game against Ohio State over the 2011 game.

My list might look like this:

1. 2005 vs. USC
2. 2004 vs. Michigan
3. 1996 vs. Nebraska
4. 2008 vs. Oklahoma
5. 2005 at. Ohio State
6. 1995 at Texas A&M
7. 1996 vs. Texas A&M
8. 1998 at Nebraska
9. 2018 vs. Georgia
10. 2011 vs. Teas A&M


(Sell) I think Texas will/would have a top-10 class in 2021, with or without the Rona.


(Sell) I'm still taking Card. I think Yurcich is going to love him.


(Sell) As the person who first rated Ehlinger as a high-level prospect, I have to admit that I have Card rated higher as an incoming prospect, mostly because I believe he has a special arm talent.


(Buy) Yup. And high-stepped from the 10-yard line on her way into the end zone.


(Buy) I believe the season will be finished for the same reasons why I believe the college football season will be played ... TV revenue. As it relates to Liverpool, we're talking about a team that has played 29 matches this season and won 27 of them, while losing only once. It's an all-time great team that I'm not expecting to be all-time great whenever the season does pick back up, which will impact the way we ultimately remember this team on historical levels.

No. 7 - Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind ...

... I find myself very thankful that the NFL has no soul and wouldn't cancel it's off-season if the world ended. I've continued to appreciate the content it’s given all of us to digest. This is all a little like being a drug addict and being asked to quit cold turkey. The NFL off-season is our slow withdraw out of what we're used to doing.

... Never thought I'd get the feelings over a place-kicker addition, but I like the signing of Greg Zuerlein by the Cowboys. The bleeding needed to stop at kicker. I also dig the signing of Dontari Poe.

... How many fights would Pete Rose be involved in if the 1970 version of himself played in 2020?

... Whatever happened to DePaul basketball?

... Jon Jones just can't stop being Jon Jones.

No. 8 - Three Things I did in Quarantine this week ...

a. Yes, I watched Tiger King and as I said on Twitter on Saturday afternoon, it's like someone hooked me up to a 4+ hour IV drip of a Jerry Springer Show Mixed Tape. I can't say I feel good at all about myself for finishing the series. I just feel really icky.

b. Watched a bunch more of ER (moved into season two), including the episode that is remembered for launching George Clooney into the realm of movie stars. I have to admit, upon the first review in at least a decade, Clooney's performance is out of this world good.


c. In a continuation of my Kenny Rogers kick, I went down the rabbit-hole of reaction videos of people reacting to Rogers performing "Lady" for the first time (here, here, here and here). Most of them weren't even great, but I just kept watching them.

No. 9 - The List: Top 10 All-Time Texas Bad Asses ...

Motivated by a Buy or Sell question from last week that pitted ex-Texas players in boxing matches against other ex-Texas players, I thought I would come up with my list of the top 10 absolute bad-ass sonofaguns that ever walked the 40 Acres. I'm talking about first guys off the bus type of stuff. Dark Alley type stuff. Kicking ass on spring break type of stuff.

A lot of this is based on legend as much as anything else. I also included one basketball player because it felt like listing his name was warranted, considering he probably scared anyone on the 40 Acres as much as any football players during the last 20 years.

10. P.J. Tucker
9. Britt Hager
8. Shaun Rogers
7. Tony Brackens
6. Steve McMichael
5. Casey Hampton
4. Don Talbert
3. Diron Talbert
2. Quentin Jammer
1. Shane Dronett

No.10 - And finally...

Dogs are the best.

Where the Red Fern Grows.
 
Not sure what a list of bad asses means since none of our best players made the list, but imo Diron does not belong on it. I was in school when Diron, Barney Giles and Pete Lammons beat up the kid at the Villa Capri and DKR and Larry Franks' dad, the Dean of Men at the time, swept it under the rug. He was out of bounds at Texas for sure, but he was not even a very good player. He improved enormously once he was being paid.
 
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Too many stories about PJ Tucker and not even football players wanting a piece of him for him not to be on this list. That combined with his golden gloves background make me think he might be higher than 10th on the list. Great list though.
 
Absolute failure if we make the S16 and extend Shaka. One decent season in 6 doesn’t warrant that, especially considering the fact we’ve done it once when it was unwarranted.
 
Last edited:
ee0e3a40b744e2eebc3b4d949eaa9055x.jpg

There's something about Texas head coach Tom Herman that I don't know that I've ever fully considered until this weekend.

What's that, you ask?

Well, let's start at the beginning, which for me was reading Statesman writer Brian Davis's story on Herman from this weekend, which mostly featured a look at Herman's life inside the mostly quarantined world of the Coronavirus.

There was the juggling act of raising three kids in three different schools (one in kindergarten, another in the sixth grade and the oldest is a sophomore in high school) in a world where no one is supposed to go outdoors. His 16-year old daughter gets to see her boyfriend because ... well ... she's 16 and sometimes you're just trying to keep your head above water as a parent. A couple of dogs were roaming around the Herman Zoo as well. Oh, and they are working their way through Tiger King on Nexflix.

It was all ... sooooooooo .... relatable.

That could be just about anyone of us on Orangebloods right now.

Before the article was concluded, I was reminded that Herman's life story includes his father losing his life at the age of 52 while living in a homeless shelter. Herman went on the record about seeing his mom in an abusive relationship.

These important details really brought his charitable actions from earlier in the week, when he gave money to the Central Texas Food Bank, Front Steps of Austin, The Boys and Girls Clubs, and Meals on Wheels, into a much sharper picture.

It was all ... sooooooooo ... likable.

As someone that has given Herman mostly rave remarks for the way he's handled the media since arriving at Texas, it occurred to me how little Herman has let us inside his human bubble for most of the time he's been in Austin. While he'll often enjoy the back-and-forth, give-and-take from the media that covers him, there's often a bit of a frigid disconnect between him and seemingly anyone that isn't inside that locker room with him on a daily basis.

For instance, I didn't realize his oldest kid was in high school. Truthfully, it's none of my business, but it's such a reminder of the life Herman lives that exists beyond the 40 Acres and how much of it weren't mostly clueless over. This is a dude that is not only trying to figure out how to manage a football program from remote, but he's got to deal with having a teenage daughter ... that is dating a boy ... during a pandemic!

As the father of a six-year old girl, let me just say for him the thing that he couldn't say out loud to anyone other than his wife, "NO! NO GOD PLEASE NO! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

200.gif


For a guy that constantly gets associated with MENSA and weirdly not always in the most positive of ways, Davis’s story did more to turn him into a human being that we could all connect with than every press conference he's ever done since taking the job added together

Also, can we also take a moment to appreciate the awesomeness around the fact that Davis sometimes appears to be a trigger for Herman during occasional press conferences and yet he somehow got some of the most revealing and humanizing details of Herman's life with his family that we've ever seen.

Some of that credit has to go to Davis. Some of it has to go to the Coronavirus for creating these odd set of circumstances that has Herman setting teleconferencing meetings in an effort to talk to his coaches. Some if it simply has to come down to Herman putting the forcefield down and letting us into his life, if even just a smidge.

Of course, Herman came to Texas to coach football. He is under no obligation to offer up so much as a smidge of his personal life if he doesn’t want to. Not every head coach in any sport is going to be Steve Kerr. Most are going to be something closer to Bill Parcells.

Believe me, I get it.

All I'm trying to say is that while it's not within our rights to ask him to give that piece of his soul to us in any way with any sort of regularity, I have to point out how much I think it helps his Q-rating on those times when he does.

It's when he's most real.

There's a complex, fascinating personal side of Herman that exists, but the reality is that he's probably a lot more like the rest of us than the alternative. An occasional reminder of this truth will rarely be a bad idea when it almost always reveals validation for him having some really positive components that have nothing to do with football.

Being likable can carry a ton of value or a variety of reasons.

Two often, a coach like Herman can only be viewed by some through the prism of the salary he makes, or the number of wins he has in a season or whether he's won or lost against Oklahoma. Yet, he cuts. He bleeds. He's got a life that's every bit as upside down as the rest of us at the moment.

A big part of Herman's job is messaging. If he's ever able to harness the occasional vulnerable side of himself into the big picture messaging of the program that he's responsible for, it will elevate him as a recruiter and as someone that speaks to the moms of recruits and season ticket holders every time he's in front of a microphone, it has a chance to elevate his entire brand.

Maybe we'd get sick of seeing such a side of him every day. Maybe we'd punish him for it after a bad loss because people are jerks way too often. Too much of anything can lead to bad things, right?

But, just an occasional open book to remind of us of how relatable he is, especially when he is so good at it when he lets the moment go there?

Deep down, you get the sense from Herman that while he'll never be a perfect egg, he's still a good egg, and in a world where we don't see enough good eggs, showing us that side of himself will never be wrong.

In fact, I'd go so far to say that letting the burnt orange world into his heart a little was just the thing the burnt orange world needed because a feel-good story about the head football coach was just what the doctor ordered.


No. 2 - Just one more thing about Sam's rib injury ...

No, I'm not going to dive back into that subject matter head first because I don't want to give it the dead mule treatment, however ....

I do want you to look at two sets of numbers.

Here's a look at the game efficiency ratings for Ehlinger through the first four weeks of the season heading into the team's bye week:

vs. La Tech: 169.4
vs. LSU: 165.7
vs. Rice: 208.6
vs. Oklahoma State: 195.7

Those aren't Joe Burrow numbers, but they aren't far off, either. What's important to know about the timeline with Ehlinger's rib injury is that when he first injured it, it wasn't treated as a serious injury by anyone in the program. It wasn't until the next game until Ehlinger was injured enough that the injury evolved into a situation that needed to be managed. By the time Texas got to the bye week and Ehlinger was able to rest the injury without the luxury of not having to play a game that week, it had turned into a problem.

Now, let's take a look at the next four games following the bye week:

at West Virginia: 122.2
vs. Oklahoma: 114.8
vs. Kansas: 172.1
at TCU: 99.1

It wasn't until the final two games of the season against Texas Tech and Utah that Ehlinger posted a single game rating that was as high as any that he had posted in the first four game of the season outside of the Kansas game in week seven. Every other performance in weeks No. 5-11 fell below the marks established in games No. 1-4.

I'm not telling you that this all points to the ribs as much as I'm reminding you that there were some clear marker lines on the Texas schedule a year ago when Ehlinger's performance started to slow and it coincides right after Ehlinger was bothered enough by the injury to miss practice, if even just a little.

No. 3 - Hudson Card's lost advantage ...


You might have seen this discussed in Anwar's Sunday Pulpit, but I wanted to discuss the nuance associated with the battle that will take place between freshman quarterbacks Hudson Card and Ja'Quinden Jackson.

As the president of the Card Fan Club here in Austin, I've been quite vocal in the last nine months or so that the combination of the following advantages would play in his favor in a battle that could end up deciding who starts in 2021 or 2022, depending on numerous factors:

* As an early enrollee, Card would have the advantage of taking a huge amount of reps, including some with the second-team offense on days when Sam Ehllinger might be resting. For a guy that already has significantly more passing game reps than Jackson upon his arrival in college, having an entire spring head-start just felt like a massive leg up.

* Jackson's own injury questions coming off the knee surgery that ended his high school career.

Depending on just how much Card could take the baton and run with it in the spring, the battle between Card and Jackson could have been over before it ever truly had a chance to begin.

Yet, with the loss of spring practice for perhaps forever, Card's one-semester lead on Jackson has been significantly marginalized. A month ago, Jackson stood to enter workouts in the fall a clear fourth on the pecking order, if for no other reason than his starting line, but he'll be much closer to a co-No. 3 than a clear No. 4 when football likely picks up again ... whenever it picks up again.

Get your popcorn ready because this will be one hell of a battle once the participants begin to fully engage.

No. 4 - About Shaka ...

Here's a hypothetical for you.

Let's say Shaka Smart finishes second in the Big 12 in 2020-21 and UT concludes the season with its first Sweet Sixteen appearance since a Texan was in the White House.

With two years and more than seven million left on his deal, what would you do? Extend him? Hold tight end let him play out another year on the deal, while potentially risking him while his Q-rating rises again nationally?

I'm guessing most of you would scream bloody murder at the notion of extending him right at the point the years on his deal would reach a level that could make it easier to dismiss him, but what would it take for you to feel comfortable with an extension of Smart?

I don't know that I have a good answer.

No. 5 - Story-time with Uncle Ketch ...


Earlier this week, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees announced that his family was giving away $5,000,000 in an effort to help feed seniors and children on a daily basis during the Coronavirus pandemic.

I couldn't help but be reminded of the time I was interviewing Brees outside of the Westlake High gymnasium in a hallway during January of 1997.

During our conversation, Brees started talking about his decision to back away from fully exploring his upside in baseball in the name of pursuing the optimal levels possible in football. Yet, after winning a state title in 1996 he was left with nothing but offers from Kentucky and Purdue.

He was so broken up about it. Tears filled his eyes. He suggested that if he had played baseball instead of football, he'd have better college options on the baseball side of things. As much as he'd allow himself to be angry, he was pretty angry about it all, although I didn't get the sense that he was sharing a lot of it with others.

All these years later, it's almost impossible to imagine Brees being marginalized as a football player. Most will probably never know how close he was to mentally wanting to move on.

About a week later, he visited Purdue and his entire outlook about his options seemed to change and the Brees that would eventually become a two-time Heisman finalist, a Super Bowl MVP and a future Hall of Famer found liftoff.

Twenty-three years later, I'm still writing about him.

No. 6 – BUY or SELL …

BUY-SELL.gif



(Buy) I just believe there's too much money to be lost if there isn't. All of college athletics would be turned upside down if a college football season is missed. I'm not sure that any of us can fully grasp the collateral damage of such an event.


(Buy) At this point, I think there's a better chance that we do see games without crowds perhaps than we see games with crowds. It's less than ideal, but it's the safest way to deliver the television product, which is critical.


(Buy) Everyone will eventually get this stuff right, even if it takes some time.


(Sell) That feels a little unfair. Let's see how he handles the women's basketball job.


(Sell) I feel like such a heathen.



(Sell) Personally, I'd swap out the 2011 game against A&M and replace it with the 1995 game against the Aggies, as that game ended an era of dominance by the Aggies, while the other merely ended the rivalry. I might also rank the 1996 game against the Aggies and the 2005 game against Ohio State over the 2011 game.

My list might look like this:

1. 2005 vs. USC
2. 2004 vs. Michigan
3. 1996 vs. Nebraska
4. 2008 vs. Oklahoma
5. 2005 at. Ohio State
6. 1995 at Texas A&M
7. 1996 vs. Texas A&M
8. 1998 at Nebraska
9. 2018 vs. Georgia
10. 2011 vs. Teas A&M


(Sell) I think Texas will/would have a top-10 class in 2021, with or without the Rona.


(Sell) I'm still taking Card. I think Yurcich is going to love him.


(Sell) As the person who first rated Ehlinger as a high-level prospect, I have to admit that I have Card rated higher as an incoming prospect, mostly because I believe he has a special arm talent.


(Buy) Yup. And high-stepped from the 10-yard line on her way into the end zone.


(Buy) I believe the season will be finished for the same reasons why I believe the college football season will be played ... TV revenue. As it relates to Liverpool, we're talking about a team that has played 29 matches this season and won 27 of them, while losing only once. It's an all-time great team that I'm not expecting to be all-time great whenever the season does pick back up, which will impact the way we ultimately remember this team on historical levels.

No. 7 - Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind ...

... I find myself very thankful that the NFL has no soul and wouldn't cancel it's off-season if the world ended. I've continued to appreciate the content it’s given all of us to digest. This is all a little like being a drug addict and being asked to quit cold turkey. The NFL off-season is our slow withdraw out of what we're used to doing.

... Never thought I'd get the feelings over a place-kicker addition, but I like the signing of Greg Zuerlein by the Cowboys. The bleeding needed to stop at kicker. I also dig the signing of Dontari Poe.

... How many fights would Pete Rose be involved in if the 1970 version of himself played in 2020?

... Whatever happened to DePaul basketball?

... Jon Jones just can't stop being Jon Jones.

No. 8 - Three Things I did in Quarantine this week ...

a. Yes, I watched Tiger King and as I said on Twitter on Saturday afternoon, it's like someone hooked me up to a 4+ hour IV drip of a Jerry Springer Show Mixed Tape. I can't say I feel good at all about myself for finishing the series. I just feel really icky.

b. Watched a bunch more of ER (moved into season two), including the episode that is remembered for launching George Clooney into the realm of movie stars. I have to admit, upon the first review in at least a decade, Clooney's performance is out of this world good.


c. In a continuation of my Kenny Rogers kick, I went down the rabbit-hole of reaction videos of people reacting to Rogers performing "Lady" for the first time (here, here, here and here). Most of them weren't even great, but I just kept watching them.

No. 9 - The List: Top 10 All-Time Texas Bad Asses ...

Motivated by a Buy or Sell question from last week that pitted ex-Texas players in boxing matches against other ex-Texas players, I thought I would come up with my list of the top 10 absolute bad-ass sonofaguns that ever walked the 40 Acres. I'm talking about first guys off the bus type of stuff. Dark Alley type stuff. Kicking ass on spring break type of stuff.

A lot of this is based on legend as much as anything else. I also included one basketball player because it felt like listing his name was warranted, considering he probably scared anyone on the 40 Acres as much as any football players during the last 20 years.

10. P.J. Tucker
9. Britt Hager
8. Shaun Rogers
7. Tony Brackens
6. Steve McMichael
5. Casey Hampton
4. Don Talbert
3. Diron Talbert
2. Quentin Jammer
1. Shane Dronett

No.10 - And finally...

Dogs are the best.


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@Ketchum two things.

First - "Here's a hypothetical for you.

Let's say Shaka Smart finishes second in the Big 12 in 2020-21 and UT concludes the season with its first Sweet Sixteen appearance since a Texan was in the White House."

I truly do not see that happening unless Shaka changes a hell of a lot.

Second - A list of bad-asses without Nobis is insane.
 
The Shaka part of this writeup can’t be real life. Talking about an extension........I mean come on man!

There is absolutely nothing Shaka could do next year that would make me feel comfortable with extending him.

He is terrible and should be fired. Since CDC doesn’t appear to care about winning I guess I will have to settle for letting Shaka play out his contract while he continues to bury UT basketball into a further ditch.

I blame Carole Baskin for all of this.
 
People need to get used to the idea that Shaka's gonna be here for quite a while.

I don't think it takes a run to the Sweet 16, I could see CDC giving him an extension for making the tournament and winning just 1 game.

The bar is sooooooo damn low.
 
Gabe Muoneke would like to talk to you about you bad ass list.
 
The Shaka part of this writeup can’t be real life. Talking about an extension........I mean come on man!

There is absolutely nothing Shaka could do next year that would make me feel comfortable with extending him.

He is terrible and should be fired. Since CDC doesn’t appear to care about winning I guess I will have to settle for letting Shaka play out his contract while he continues to bury UT basketball into a further ditch.

I blame Carole Baskin for all of this.

I don't agree about CDC not caring about winning...he was presented with an impossible situation this year in terms of making a coaching change...the coronavirus pandemic pretty much eliminated any chance of conducting a successful hiring process.

Regarding Shaka, I think he has revealed his true self...he is an incredibly nice person who relates well on a personal level with his players, but he does not seem to possess the authority needed to get the best from his players. He is a beta personality when you need an alpha.

The possible addition of Greg Brown is interesting...he appears to be the type of player who could carry a team, and that may happen next year. If it does, however, I think that will be fool's gold...
 
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