Let us just assume for a moment that Texas quarterback Tyrone Swoopes will start against Notre Dame.
It is a thought many Texas observers still cannot fathom. Most are holding out hope Shane Buechele will be awarded the job, and Swoopes will be back in that nice 18-Wheeler package where he does not have to worry about defensive pressure or overthrowing receivers. The conspiracy theorists will finally be able to say, “I told you so,” and everyone can move past this month’s meltdown to the overreaction that will inevitably occur in September.
Many are holding out hope that even if Swoopes is named the starting quarterback, Buechele will receive plenty of playing time against Notre Dame, too. Of course, when Strong announced Swoopes would start last season's opening game, he said Jerrod Heard would “get enough snaps in” prior to that game. According to Alex Dunlap, Swoopes finished with 46 snaps and Heard had six. When the day is done, maybe there is an equal distribution of reps, and the starting quarterback will just be a token title.
However, what if Swoopes receives extended playing time?
Resist the urge to give a sarcastic response for a moment. There will be plenty of time for that.
As a guy who declared Shane Buechele should be named Texas’ starter after the spring game, I have been trying to figure out how Swoopes can succeed at quarterback this season. We have all seen the young man struggle throughout the past two seasons. On the surface, it is hard to believe there is any way Swoopes can be a better quarterback. It would be easier for Texas coach Charlie Strong to name Buechele his starter, restore order, and possibly buy himself another season by starting the freshman.
Nevertheless, here are some reasons why Texas might be able to win with Swoopes:
Shawn Watson was not that good: You cannot tell the “Tyrone Swoopes Story” without a heavy dose of the Watson. Sure, the saga began when former coach Mack Brown burned Swoopes’ redshirt freshman season, but the real story is Watson. One thing everyone can agree on is the former offensive coordinator was not that good at Texas. He had success at Louisville, but could not duplicate those achievements with the Longhorns.
Watson’s system was difficult to learn and operate. The quarterback was forced to make too many decisions. As everyone knows, the more simplistic a system is, the more success a team will have. Instead, if the passing game was working, Watson would abandon it and go to the run. If the run game was working, he would go to the pass.
This is the same guy who mysteriously went to a no-huddle offense in the final minutes against UCLA in 2014, resulting in a quick three-and-out, and ultimately costing Texas that game. Swoopes completed 24-of-34 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns in the 20-17 loss.
By the way, during Swoopes’ incredible performance against Iowa State that season, it was Watson who was angry at his quarterback during a long completion to John Harris. Even if he tried to spin it afterwards and say he was just excited, we all know Watson was emotional because he believed Swoopes threw the ball to the wrong receiver.
Heck, I am sure everyone has their own fond memories of Watson.
If we can all agree that Watson was not a good fit at Texas, here is my second point ...
Sterlin Gilbert is better than Watson: Sure, he has never called a play at Texas, but it is hard to imagine Gilbert’s offense will be worse than what we witnessed the past two years.
Gilbert has installed an offense that has been easier for players to learn. The reason why Buechele has been able to compete for a starting position is because of Gilbert’s simplistic offense. Instead of having to read an entire defense, quarterbacks only have to analyze one side of the field. A simplistic offense can potentially make Swoopes into a much better quarterback. Swoopes has always struck me as a guy who needed to get into a rhythm to have success. Having to throw quick passes, followed by the occasional deep throw, should help Swoopes. Under Gilbert’s coaching, Dane Evans, a former three-star prospect, was ranked seventh in the country in passing (329.8 ypg) and 25th in efficiency (151.3) last season. If Gilbert can get the most out of Evans, it is hard to believe he will fail with Swoopes.
In addition, Gilbert will coach from the sidelines this season. Watson preferred to coach from the box, which I never understood. Every coach has their own preference, but when it comes to quarterbacks, especially young guys, I believe a good coach is face-to-face on the sidelines and coaching them up. Whenever Swoopes makes a mistake, Gilbert will be there to encourage his quarterback and prevent him from sulking.
Sure, Swoopes has a reputation for hanging his head low at times, but when you consider all the negative comments he receives from the Longhorn fan base, can you blame him? Even if everyone is waiting for Swoopes to fail, he will have a coach encouraging him to be successful.
Swoopes has a run game: Maybe this is beating a dead horse, but there is not a single Longhorn observer who did not question the running back rotation last season. After it became clear D’Onta Foreman should carry the workload, he was still forced to share the carries with Johnathan Gray. Well, that will no longer be an issue.
Chris Warren and Foreman – I hear they are called the Smash Brothers – are good enough to ease Swoopes’ workload as a quarterback. If you go back and listen to any of Strong’s press conferences this offseason, whenever he is asked about this year’s offense, he always talks about the run game. Every key to success revolves around Warren and Foreman. He even praised freshman running back Kyle Porter during Saturday’s press conference. Why? Strong is a defensive coach, and his ideal offense is not one that is throwing hail mary’s like a Madden game. Instead, Strong prefers to win time of possession on the ground, while limiting turnovers. Last year’s victory against Baylor – minus the defensive issues – is exactly what a defensive coach wants. Simple reads and a strong running game could benefit Swoopes this season.
Talent at receiver: John Harris had a spectacular senior season. Jaxon Shipley continued the family tradition at Texas. Daje Johnson definitely had his moments. Marcus Johnson was always money against Oklahoma. Nothing against those guys at all.
Now let us mention John Burt, Collin Johnson, Jerrod Heard (still getting used to this), Armanti Foreman, Devin Duvernay, Jacorey Warrick, Lorenzo Joe, Dorian Leonard and Lil'Jordan Humphrey. Go ahead and throw in Jake Oliver for fun.
When Swoopes is asked to throw, he has playmakers who can turn a 3-yard catch into a 20-yard gain – or more. If you remember any of those jump ball passes to Harris, it is easy to envision him having more success with Johnson and Burt. Swoopes has been known to overthrow open receiver, but Duvernay might be fast enough to catch passes that are 10 yards deeper than they should be.
Last season, Tulsa’s Keyarris Garrett, was second in the country in receiving yards (1,451) and receiving yards per game (120.9 ypg), and tied for ninth in receptions (88). Receiver Josh Atkinson was just short of 1,000 receiving yards with 932. I get the feeling this group of Texas receivers will eventually be better college players than Garrett and Atkinson. Having playmakers around Swoopes can help him succeed.
Playing Experience: Not all experiences are good ones. If playing experience automatically equaled success, Kansas would never have a losing football program. It is possible to play a long time and still not be good. How many times have you attended Senior Day at Texas and wondered who the hell are most of those players?
Dustin McComas had an excellent quarterback breakdown in his column on Wednesday, and I thought his comments about Swoopes’s experience were very accurate: “Swoopes enters his senior after appearing in 28 games, and he’s attempted 490 career passes. Tough road and neutral environments aren’t unfamiliar to him. Sure, all of that experience hasn’t been sunshine and puppies, but having two full seasons-plus of experience absolutely matters.”
The season opener against Notre Dame will be a defining moment for Strong. If he wants to start a senior, playing Swoopes makes plenty of sense. Swoopes is used to playing in front of big crowds. He has taken a college hit before. Nobody knows for sure how Swoopes might respond during a game, but his experience can be beneficial in week one.
Yeah, I know.
You still want Buechele.
Just know if it does not happen, there is a chance Swoopes will finally be successful.
Funniest Thing You Will See This Week
Sports On A Dime
1. Jadeveon Clowney, stop teasing Texans fans with a great preseason performance. We all know Clowney has talent. Until he can play 16 games in a season, Texans fans should be cautiously optimistic.
2. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expressed his disappointment for not going after Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch in this year’s draft, but his second choice seems to be working out just fine. Sure, it is just the preseason, but rookie quarterback Dak Prescott looks like a solid NFL quarterback right now. Prescott might make a few rookie mistakes if he has to play this season, but at least Cowboy fans finally have hope if Tony Romo sustains an injury.
3. If I was still on the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee, Jones would get my vote. He has done too many things for the sport to be bypassed. However, I am very lukewarm on former commissioner Paul Tagliabue. He may have helped the sport grow, but Tagliabue seemingly ignored the concussion risks his players faced during that time span.
4. Dallas running back Alfred Morris, who rushed for 85 yards on 13 carries, including a 15-yard TD run in the first half against Miami, has been pretty solid during the preseason. It will be interesting to see if Dallas holds on to Darren McFadden, or tries to deal one of its backup running backs prior to this season.
5. I am usually indifferent when it comes to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, but he has gone mad with power. Demanding Pittsburgh Steelers veteran James Harrison, and Green Bay Packers Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers speak to him – during the preseason – because of a recanted report by Al-Jazeera is a bully move. Everyone knows the NFLPA is a weak organization, but Goodell is spiking the ball harder than Rob Gronkowski right now.
6. However, thank you Aaron Rodgers for this quote on Goodell’s power: “We have nobody to blame but ourselves because we had the opportunity in the CBA to make some legitimate changes to that," Rodgers said Wednesday on the "Jim Rome Show." "I think there's probably too much pressure to come back to a deal when we had all the power on our side and that was something we should have had negotiated into the CBA, because this shouldn't be someone who is judge, jury, and executioner.” The NFLPA continually complains about a contract they signed. Blame DeMaurice Smith, not Goodell.
7. This is hard to dispute:
8. Usain Bolt.
Nothing else needs to be said.
9. Ryan Lochte? Of all his jackass stunts in Rio, the worst was hopping on a plane back to the United States and leaving his boys behind to face police interrogation. Of course, I have low expectations for any guy who dyes his hair.
10. Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz III? When do we begin the countdown?
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