There really is no easy way to say this. The majority of Texas football fans are not ready for this topic. Some of you may need to sit down. This might be the perfect time to grab your favorite beverage. Others may want to read this column when you are in a better mood after church service.
You have been warned.
Many Texas fans are wondering who will win the quarterback battle this offseason. There will be five players competing for the open spot. Each person will have an opportunity to show offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Sterlin Gilbert he deserves to start this season. It appears to be a wide-open quarterback battle, and there is no telling which candidate will start against Notre Dame in the season opener.
However, Tyrone Swoopes is the man to beat in the quarterback competition at Texas.
Before you skip down to the comments to drop a four-letter bomb, or accuse Geoff Ketchum and me of having a weird crush on Swoopes, let me clear up a few things.
I am not saying Swoopes will win the job.
I am not saying I believe Swoopes is better than Jerrod Heard.
This is not an attempt to discredit Shane Buecehle, Kai Locksley, or Matthew Merrick.
Instead, this is just a factual statement before spring practice begins on March 7.
Swoopes is currently the man to beat because many within the building believe he is good enough to run Gilbert’s offense. Many see Swoopes as the quarterback with the least amount of risk heading into Strong’s must-win season. They believe Gilbert’s offense is a good match for Swoopes because it does not require a lot of thinking. Gilbert’s offense is simpler than Shawn Watson system, which should help Swoopes.
After hearing those thoughts from a source, my question was similar to the response you are having right now.
Can’t the same thing be said about Heard?
The immediate response I received was Heard still needs to mature.
Heard is viewed as a very talented player, but people within the building want to see him work harder during the offseason. After a record-breaking performance during the Cal game, Heard did not put in the extra hours of work needed to be maintain that success, according to more than one person inside the building. Opposing teams adjusted to Heard, and he regressed throughout the season. In the end, Swoopes was the quarterback of record when Texas defeated Baylor in the season finale.
Locksley is another person who needs to mature. Last season, Locksley became frustrated by his lack of playing time, especially after Heard struggled, and believed he deserved a shot. When it did not occur, Locksley’s negative reaction landed him in Strong’s doghouse. Locksley did not travel with the team to Iowa State, and his mysterious disappearance toward the end of last season was actually a message by this staff for him to tighten up. Considering Locksley has been working hard since the season ended, it appears he got the message. The redshirt quarterback must prove he is mentally ready if he wants an opportunity this season.
Obviously, quarterback Shane Buechele is in the mix, but it is hard to know how a freshman will react under the lights. Meanwhile, Matthew Merrick needs to earn the trust of this staff.
Which brings us back to Swoopes.
Again.
Swoopes is becoming the ex you always take back because you believe things are going to change. He might just keep a seat warm until another quarterback emerges this offseason. However, do not be surprised if Swoopes receives a long look during spring practice. There is no way to equally divide practice reps among five quarterbacks, which means the five-way battle will probably narrow down to three quarterbacks fairly quickly. Swoopes is the quarterback many people inside the building believe might emerge as the No.1 guy.
The one positive attribute Swoopes finally has is confidence. Former play-caller Jay Norvell ran the 18-wheeler package for Swoopes, which allowed him to have consistent success on the field. Swoopes compiled 12 rushing touchdowns by running over opponents and feeding off fan energy last season. Instead of hanging his head in disappointment, Swoopes pounded his chest with pride. That confidence is expected to carry over during the offseason.
Nobody knows who will emerge as the top quarterback this spring.
If it ends up being Swoopes, just know you were warned.
Louisville accusations
My phone has not stopped ringing since last night. Sunday began for me after receiving a text message at 5 a.m., followed by a second wave of calls about Strong’s alleged actions when he coached at Louisville.
Let us start with the easiest part, which is Jonathan Blue has taken the gloves off when it comes to Tracy Blue, his wife. The information was leaked in an effort to obtain leverage against his wife during their divorce case. Louisville is a no-fault divorce state, but the husband’s attorney is requesting information that a judge has not agreed to.
So far, there are a lot of insinuations from one side, but nothing from Tracy Blue or Strong. The odds we will ever hear anything from them are very slim. You can expect Tracy Blue’s attorney to express their dissatisfaction to the judge about this information being released, and request this proceeding to be sealed. Strong could release a statement through UT this week, or just let this storm pass over. There is a possibility this might be the last time we hear anything specific about the case.
However, this is not the last time anybody will talk about the situation.
This is definitely not the kind of accusation Strong wants out there. Nobody knows what occurred, but he is going to get judged, regardless. At this point, there is nothing that can be done to stop the finger-pointing and constant mentions of the five core values. Pandora's box is officially open.
To me, this situation is a family matter that needs to be handled internally. I will let Strong, his family and their attorney sort of this situation before rushing to judgment.
Funniest Thing You Will See This Week
Sports On A Dime
1. I am going to assume Shaka Smart’s team needed to get a bad loss out of its system against Baylor on Saturday. Baylor was more aggressive than Texas, which was a little surprising considering the effort we have witnessed from the Longhorns this season. Texas needs to play better consistently in order to make a conference tournament run in March.
2. The hiring of Hardee McCrary as Texas’ High School Relations Director shows how committed Strong is to finding staff members with in-state ties. Strong has a staff full of guys who are extremely connected in Texas, and winning this season will help the Longhorns capitalize on their relationships.
3. Ladies and gentleman, here is Melvin Lee, your new favorite 5-foot-5 high school basketball player:
4. There have been a lot of notable NFL players who have announced their retirement this offseason. Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller retired on Friday, joining Jared Allen, Marshawn Lynch, Charles Woodson, Jerod Mayo, Justin Tuck and Rashean Mathis. Woodson is definitely a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Allen finished with 136 sacks, but Simeon Rice had 122 in his career, plus a Super Bowl ring. To be fair, Rice played with Warren Sapp, arguably the greatest player to ever play that position. Allen may get in eventually, but I am not sure it occurs five years from now
5. Roger Goodell made $34.1 million in 2014, a decrease from the $44.2 million he previously earned. Goodell is winning in every sense of the word. Owners take care of Goodell because he helps them earn Brink’s truck kind of money. Goodell gets paid a lot of money to be the bad guy, and no matter how many fans hate him, he is not going anywhere.
6. The NFL Scouting Combine begins this week, and we will eventually hear about guys who failed their drug test in Indianapolis. I have never understood why athletes would risk millions and smoke weed before the most important job interview of their lives, but there will be a few dumb athletes who do not care. Those guys deserve ridicule for their stupidity.
7. Does anybody remember when Randy Gregory failed his drug test at the combine, had a ton of red flags, but Dallas decided to take a risk on him anyway? Enjoy that four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, Mr. Gregory.
8. Speaking of the combine, I have said this before, but do not buy into the hype that any athlete’s draft stock will rise or fall based upon their combine performance. It just is not true. Every general manager I spoke with as an NFL writer had his draft board set before the combine. Teams use the combine to get medical information on athletes and conduct player interviews. Game film is what really matters to NFL teams. Do not believe the hype.
9. The best part of Bellator MMA on Friday may have been Mike Tyson’s commentary during Derek Campos’ knockout victory against Melvin Guillard:
10. Thank you Kimbo Slice for reminding me that your best fights occurred in the backyard years ago. That “fight” between Slice and Dada 5000 was like watching … I have never seen anything that bad. After the fight, Kimbo said he was hungry? Kimbo should take up thumb wrestling, assuming he doesn’t get tired after one minute.
