Strategy is overrated

Great piece.

I’m so glad I can consistently read great football analysis from all points of view: the sunshine homer, the never-happy homer, and the objective eye.

Your points about Thomas really makes me worry he’s going to jump early for the NFL. I hope to God he stays another year. Are we going to lose a lot of players to the draft early this go-around, do you think?

It’s also interesting to think of your write-up in terms of our recruitment. The fans are quick to jump on Mack & co. for letting certain players slip through the cracks, or not pursuing more players of a higher rating or out-of-state. But I think we’re so very not privy to the staff’s barometers and standards… they’ve really done a great job lately of picking guys that are team players and always willing to give it their all.

Also incredible is Mack’s penchant for finding diamonds in the rough. Look at what Muschamp has been able to do with the raw, yet unfocused, talents of our defense in two years. We’ve got several guys out there playing to a level we never expected, or who were written off long ago. It’s incredible, and really inspiring even outside the lens of football.

Can you go back in time and send this to Mackovic?

Also this works because “we’re texas”. This would be a lot harder if you didn’t have the pick of players or couldn’t afford these coaches (or at some schools afford these players)

Mike Leach has been teaching and preaching this since his early days at OU. That’s why he only runs about a dozen different plays and rarely uses a trick play. He has been able to win consistently with low rated recruits, walk-on’s and the occasional 4-star guy, because he coaches his players to “just do their job”.

You’re spot on when you say that the individual players talent is just a tool to help him execute his assignment better.

I’m worried about losing Thomas as well, but I don’t think there is any precedent for a red shirt sophomore safety leaving early.

It depends a lot on what position NFL teams peg him as. He might be suited best for free safety. If that’s the case he won’t be drafted as high.

Lots of talk since August around Belmont of Earl leaving but his size is a bigger concern than most fans think. He does not project as an every down safety at this size. He will gain the necessary weight in time but we will wish him well if the NFL tells him 1st round….which I do not see as of today.

I enjoyed the read and agree with a lot of it.

In regard to Thomas and those musing about his NFL prospects, I don’t see how he gets around a low 1st round grade, at best, after this year. “That’s probably not going to improve.”. Ok. This will be an emotional decision and those can go any which way. If the guy decides that he can come back and be the top safety off the board in 2011’s draft, which is not a stretch to think about, then maybe he let’s Mays and Wright and a few other guys leave ahead of him. Probably wishful thinking, but it’s how I see it.

In regard to your point about FSU, I couldn’t help but laugh. So WRs just grow on trees and can be fashioned out of any ol’stud athlete, but FSU started sliding when they started losing talented WRs? Same thoughts, more or less, about Shipley and Cosby.

I understand what you’re pushing out there in regard to “everything old is new again” regarding scheme and nothing having really changed, but innovation & adaptation basically drive evolution, whether in football or anything else. Even if they’re just rearrangements of scheme. I guess I’d be blown away if someone invented something new and different beyond the foward pass and the handoff.

TXinDC -

I have to respectfully disagree with you.

There is no one on our defense playing better than their respective recruiting rankings, other than the Acho brothers. IMO, they are merely playing up to them.

Texas has gone exactly how their recruiting classes have gone. They were stellar in 01-02, and we won the NC. We had a couple years that were way off, and we saw them in 06, and 07. Then we saw a resurgence with the classes involving the guys we have now.

I can’t see Thomas leaving after this year. If he were in the Berry/Mays mold, then sure, but he’s too small to be a prototypical NFL safety. I think the injury problems that have plagued Bob Sanders may lower Earl’s draft status enough that he sticks around for at least another year.

Terrific piece. I found myself nodding along and then asking, “But what about the defense?”, then you had me covered there as well. Nice work.

p -
Fair enough; I was under the impression that we had a few defensive players languishing on the depth chart until Muschamp came around. I’ve only started following recruiting in the past year or so, so I’m not too familiar with how heralded or otherwise our current players were coming into UT.

“There is no one on our defense playing better than their respective recruiting rankings, other than the Acho brothers.”

Muckelroy sure as shit is.

There’s still a bit of chicken & egg element here.

Would our running game be better if we had more misdirection, trapping, pulling and play action? Thus making our players look better? It’s frustrating knowing that the offense still has untapped potential. I don’t feel that way about the defense.

I think NC State or South Carolina has had a couple of safeties leave early as third year sophomores (Ko Simpson?) and it worked out poorly. With Earl’s size, he could win the Thorpe and still not do better than the end of round 1, and I see him more as a round 2 or 3 kind of guy right now (even if he gets a round 1 grade).

I expect he will do what Muschamp advises, and I think that means he comes back next year.

Blake Gideon has four picks on the year. What was he, a two star?

Colt plays in an offense less complicated than the one they run at Southlake Carroll, yet he’ll probably graduate as the most accurate QB of all time, and the winningest. Why? Because Jordan Shipley and Quan Cosby know where to be, and they don’t drop passes.

Not being as well versed in the technicalities of football as others here, I ask this, since I think it’s true.

Is the reason McCoy doesn’t throw downfield much because he doesn’t have a receiver he trusts, other than Shipley, to be where he is supposed to be on a 15-yard-plus route?

I’m an old, grizzled Texas fan. I do not like all this talk about how we are coasting to Pasadena and such. This team needs to keep its edge. To some extent a team feeds off the attitude of its fans. Fans should not give off a “we’re the shit” vibe until we at least win the Big12.

Malcolm is the answer to our 15 yard plus routes, if this offense is going to succeed and actually be multiple and even think of moving the ball on bama or florida its going to happen because malcolm will be able to stretch the field against single coverage.. On a post yesterday I read that it was no accident that both big plays in the passing game went to malcolm, and thats exactly right, he is the answer to making our offense go from 5 yard patterns and slants, to actually making shit happen…

Colt needs to let malcolm move in with him and shipley or hell take the boy fishing with him, they need to do something, because we all know that whoever we play from the SEC will do the exact game plan that OU did, blanket shipley and bring the house because they won’t respect the run, and the secondary will play everything in front of them because we don’t do anything outside of a 10 yard box.

These next few games will go along way in building his relationship with colt and working on our play action offense. Hopefully these things will be done in the first half of these games though – because if GG isn’t throwing the ball 15 to 20 times a game from here on out I will truly be pissed off, I don’t wanna see him throw three screen passes and then hand off 7 times against UCF, BAYLOR and KU, I want to see gilbert wrecking shit with his arm if that means we score 70 points a game so be it.

Bob Stoops has always recruited for athletic talent first and then found a role for their abilities. Now that Texas has first pick of the talent in the state, Stoops is getting the leftovers. Talent is number one as this article points out. Talent can win even if GD is managing it.

Guy: “I do not like all this talk about how we are coasting to Pasadena and such. This team needs to keep its edge.”

The fact that the Goon Squad said, “We could’ve played better” on Saturday should be reassurance enough that this team will not rest on its laurels. Worry all you want about the blase fanbase, but I think this team and the coaches won’t lose the edge you’re speaking of.

TXinDC- Your right on, I think our loss in lubbock as horrible as it was, might have been the best thing that has ever happened to this team and our coaching staff (outside of vince young of course), every day this team realizes how awful it felt to be left out of the title game because of that one game, and they know how important it is to decide your own destiny and just win…. No team in the country could have wanted this season more than UT, nobody could have worked harder or had more motivation than this squad, This team really is taking it one game at a time, We as a fan base might have our bags packed for pasadena but they are focused on Florida Atlantic/ UCF

To take the last two posts and merge them, I think we should all be most concerned with GD not realizing he’s got 3 or 4 games to really scrimmage his offense into a better unit. We know Coach Boom and the Boom Squad are going to be bringing it. If GD starts playing “we’re going vanilla/we’re not showing everything” we’ll know we’re in for a tough hall when (if?) we get to the title game. Because this offense may be starting to gel, but they’ve got a long way to go if they’re gonna beat Fla./Ala.

“All the best teams do different things, but they have on thing in common…they execute”.

This is not news, when I was a kid Woody Hayes and Vince Lombardi were dominating with teams that were not innovative but did execute superbly.

When I watch the horns O, often I don’t get the impression that I am watching a well oiled machine. Quite often I see Colt scrambling around, not throwing on time but finally somehow unleashing an awesome pass to a WR who makes a great catch.

The key to Mack’s success is how he handles people. Managing these very young super stars must be like herding cats. Mack is able to instill a sense of family so that individuals will sublimate themselves to the team. The root of Mack’s success is his character.

There’s a valid point here, but strategy can also be used to make a decent team play WAY over its head. Exhibit A: 2002 Oklahoma Sooners. This was NOT a great football team. The defense got punked by anyone who could throw over the top. Jason White was busy blowing out his other knee. So, OU went to an offense that was Quentin Griffin (he of 6 TD’s in one RRS) and 10 tackling dummies. That group won the Big 12 title and a Rose Bowl. The next year OU became a pure vertical passing team with no running game of which to speak.

“Now that Texas has first pick of the talent in the state, Stoops is getting the leftovers.”

No, Stoops went nationwide and is still getting great talent. If historic recruiting trends hold, Jeffcoat will head to USC and White will head to OU.

Here is a sampling of other teams who had better gameplans than Greg Davis: White Oak Fighting Gophers; Austin Junior Varsity; Waco Sonic Store Number 23 Powderpuff C League…

I think being smaller than Bob Sanders will definitely hurt his draft stock. He’s a second day dude and probably has a LOT more to gain by staying on the 40 for two more years. He would leave a legend and would likely never have to look too hard for a job again. We take care of those guys.

I do find it a little hard to swallow when folks claim we run offenses less complicated that HSs. I can only assume you’re using hyperbole. I think we can vastly improve the offense, but let’s be realistic. Every once in a while, GD makes some pretty good playcalls – I am thinking specifically of Jordan deep over the middle that just missed in the first half. If Colt doesn’t sail that pass it looks like a brilliant call.

I think that’s half of GD’s problem – he spends too much time setting up the big plays and not enough running a 6 yard counter play on 1st down.

Oh, and part of the reason we don’t throw vertical is Colt’s arm strength. He really seems to struggle getting the ball more than 30 yards down field.

Nate, Jeffcoat has said that he wants to go to a school with a good program and with good academics. That kinda narrows the field.

No, Stoops went nationwide and is still getting great talent. If historic recruiting trends hold, Jeffcoat will head to USC and White will head to OU.

I agree completely, but it still appears Texas has beaten OU comfortably in the past two recruiting classes at this point. And that’s true even if White ends up at OU and Texas doesn’t add anyone else to this class. OU, unlike Texas, can afford to lose some head-to-head battles in the state of Texas, because they have a larger recruiting base. They just can’t afford to lose as many battles as they’ve been losing.

Stupid question, but would any team select Thomas and put him at corner?

Oh yeah, if Texas adds Jeffcoat and Hicks on top of Bible, Wilson, Jackson et al, and is able to retain Muschamp for at least the immediate future… good night.

NFL Draft Scout has Thomas listed as a FS/CB prospect. No grade but they think very highly of him. He is allegedly taller than Sanders at 5’09"-10" but I am not sure I believe that. He is smaller tough – 197 to Sanders 207.
They list Thomas as a 4.45, which I am guessing is a combine 4.5, and probably a second day corner.

action: It does narrow the field. You’ve got to look at schools where all the players actually stay eligible. That’s how I narrowed it down to USC.

nordberg: If UT signs Jeffcoat, it would signal an absolute sea change in Mack Brown’s willingness and ability to close on the blue chips late in the season. That said, the only way UT loses Muschamp is if a HUGE opening comes up before Mack Brown retires.

As for the argument about Earl Thomas, apply the Curtis Lofton equation to it, and remember that a new collective bargaining agreement goes in after this draft.
1) Does Thomas have anything else to learn about his position?
No. As accurately described, he is an eraser. He is in position pretty much all the time, and he makes great plays in space on runners and in coverage.
2) Are Thomas’ weaknesses the kind that can be improved with another year in college?
No. Another year at UT isn’t going to make him taller or bigger. If he’s a 2nd round pick this year, he’s a second round pick next year. Not having to compete with Taylor Mays and Eric Berry doesn’t mean Thomas will move up.
3) Are there any extenuating circumstances?
Yes. A 2nd round draft pick won’t be worth nearly as much next year. Thomas could move into the bottom half of the first round of the 2011 draft and still not have improved his financial position at all.

nordberg-

Muck does his job. He is in the right place at the right time. Physically, he isn’t spectacular. He is no DJ, Patrick Willis, or Ray Lewis type talent. I think we were so used to bad linebacker play, that we forgot what it was supposed to look like. That being said, if you were to ask Florida to trade Spikes for him, what would the answer be?

I think Muck is the 2nd best LB in the Mack era at Texas, for whatever that’s worth. No one is claiming he’s Ray Lewis or even Brandon Spikes, so I’m not sure where you’re going there.

Nate:
“That said, the only way UT loses Muschamp is if a HUGE opening comes up before Mack Brown retires.”
Like, say, Michigan, Florida St., or Georgia?

Nate -

Stoops going nationwide and losing recruiting supremacy in Texas are two sides of the same coin. He’s smart enough to understand the following simple equation: top talent + keeping top talent from your most significant rival > top talent alone. Rationalize all you want, but OU’s most effective recruiting strategy is and always will be to win the balance of power within a 250-mile radius of Dallas.

nordberg-

Nothing malicious. To me Muck plays like a 3star senior should, when the DC consistently calls the right play. We don’t ask him to do a lot, just tackle down hill. He has the freedom of not having to come off of too many blocks to do so.

That being said, can you imagine what DJ would have been like with Muschamp as his DC? Or the entire 05 secondary?

“Nate:
"That said, the only way UT loses Muschamp is if a HUGE opening comes up before Mack Brown retires."
Like, say, Michigan, Florida St., or Georgia?”

Michigan – just got RichRod. There is no way they can afford to buy him out after only 2 years

Florida St. – Not sure this is that great of a job anymore. After Bowden leaves, the cupboard will be totally bare

Georgia – I think even the most die-hard Georgia fan would admit that this is and has always been considered a rebuilding year for UGA. That is what happens when you are playing a 5th year senior at QB. You are grooming another Matt Stafford or Aaron Green to come in and start for 3-4 years.

“Michigan – just got RichRod. There is no way they can afford to buy him out after only 2 years”

Doesn’t have to be now. Watch what happens if they go 4-8 in 2010.

and georgia is ready to sell the farm for muschamp i’d guess

If we win it all this year I think it’s Muschamp’s team in 2010.