Mondays With Mack

I agree that the best advice ever is just not to do the Horns down. Absolutely loved that part! He really classed up the joint.

You nailed it. The redudancy of the questions is annoying but Mack’s answers almost always come off refreshing and entertaining. Not a lot of talking points, mostly just talking themes. Smarter than the last two presidents we’ve endured no doubt.

One thing that struck me is that he’s always recruiting. Mentioning that we have 50 plus players in the league and access to NFL agents, scouts, and player personnel that is second to none in the college game.

The programs in great hands, and as fans, we owe the man a tremendous debt of gratitude.

Things like this make me long my undergraduate years, you know back when we were supposed to accept being beaten by Rice.

If I was Tony Hayworth I might just try to pay Mack Brown a cool billion to work for me for the next year or so.

I think i’d believe literally anything that came out of that man’s mouth.
“These are not the droids you’re looking for”.
Okey dokey, move along!

Things I learned:

1. Mack lost the Satan hungry hippo match.

2. Texas ditched the P16 for the B12-2 in exchange for the NCAA putting the hammer to dirty programs.

Bitches must be smote.

Having records on every car owned by the players just leaves me dumbstruck.

Just wanted to thank you for summarizing all of his appearances. I couldn’t watch on tv, and I haven’t had time to chase down the different espn clips online. The commentary is also a nice value add.

“We have a bill of sale and a contract on record for every car owned by our players.”

Damn. This man has it all thought out. I mean all of it.

I suppose if you were in his shoes, and walking around with such a large target on your back (don’t you know that EVERYONE would like to nail Texas to the wall), you’d know how critical it is to head-off potential problems before they start.

There are many personality types out there. For every person that likes to bend the rules, there are people like me and my dad who are absolutely completely uncomfortable if we feel like we’re apart of anything shady. I imagine there are recruits out there that like the fact that they can come to Texas and know that if they keep their nose clean, there are rules and guidelines in place to keep them from getting wrapped up in somebody else’s mess. Maybe you don’t get to drive a Benz in college, but smart kids won’t take the chance in messing up their NFL dream by driving one.

Now, if a kid is going to break into somebody’s house on purpose, that’s his own fault. Getting arrested is another subject all together.

I would have no problem whatsoever if we doubled Mack’s salary to $10 mil/year. The man is solid gold.

Re agents, look what Mack did. In a general way, he turns the spotlight on coaches who collude with agents when players break the rules. But instead of casting aspersions, he gives a specific example of what he does to verify that players’ cars are clean: “We have a bill of sale and a contract on record for every car owned by our players.”

He just served up a litmus test that could easily be applied to all programs targeting one of the most historically appealing gifts siphoned to pigskin toting teenagers -a hot set of wheeelz.

Instead of citing what others are doing wrong with the bile that involves, Mack simply demonstrates what he is doing right to create pressure on others. Hopefully these reporters and others pick this up and advance it with questions to other coaches about whether or not and why they employ this safeguard a way of engaging ‘the agent problem’.

That’s what I’m thinking, triple.
“C’mon, there’s no way we could have known!”
“Mack Brown would have known.”

Mike And Mike

I’ve never understood why a simulcast of a radio show is believed to be good television, but here’s four hours of it.

I for one like my humor and incite served up with all the subtlety of an anvil to the face. Subversion and wit are overrated.

Golic starts nearly every sentence with “And again……” Not only is it a verbal crutch, but it’s a warning that he’s about to get redundant (or continue to be so).

Greenberg is a professional and doesn’t let the air go dead, nor does he timewaste with stupid inside jokes that the listener doesn’t get (Houston local sports talk is terrible at this). However, Greenberg will caveat you to death (e.g. "I know you may not agree with me, and Lord knows I’ve been wrong before, but my opinion is, and it’s a strong opinion, others may not feel this strongly (and Golic knows how opinionated I can be), that it would behoove a certain athlete, one who I don’t want to call out by name, (because who likes being called out by name?) that……

I just can’t get past what a metrosexual pansy Greenburg is.

Appreciate this post. I am at work, but knew he was going to be on Sports Nation. Had no idea he was going on the offensive. Couldn’t be more grateful to have Mack Brown as our HC.

Mack just gave the NCAA an “industry standard” test for monitoring players’ vehicles. Once again, we’re the Joneses.

Horncasting -

I’m going to assume that was a tongue-in-cheek joke, but just in case you are serious…

You know that shit is all Kay-Fab don’t you? Just like in professional wrestling, radio personalities will participate in character fabrication to add scope and entertainment value to what they are selling. It fills airtime. It provides endless cheap laughs. The best of them never break kay-fab in the public eye. If you’ll notice, half of Mike & Mike’s live spots (or pre-recorded “live spots”) involve this charade of Golic being a jock and Greenberg being a dandy.

Only saw the Cowherd interview, but I think it was the best I’ve ever seen Mack. Every answer had substance and was pure gold. Mack sometimes gives a perfect political answer that leaves you with nothing, but not today.

Unless I heard wrong, not only did he say they knew what cars the kids drove, but that they had contracts on where they lived too to make sure they weren’t living above their means.

If anything fishy comes up, they have a sit down with the kid and get the answers so we don’t look clueless if the NCAA does come calling.

This should give them more time to figure out where Trent Richardson spent his $30,000, but I haven’t heard any answers yet.

Skip Bayless is beyond terrible. Mack should never have to be in the same room as him.

Nero-

I’m going to assume that was a tongue-in-cheek joke, but just in case you are serious…

You know wrestling is real, right?

Mack is an absolute genius. It’s days like today that make me not to eager for the torch passing to take place.

I once got turned down by Peyton Manning’s wife. It was the nicest go to hell ever. Mack has the ability to nicely tell someone to fuck off. It’s a gift.

There is no doubt all that agent/coach speak was directed towards Tuscaloosa. Wonder what Trent Richardson’s “aunt” bought him to drive.

Even if Greenburg isn’t “kay-fabbing”, wouldn’t he still be a pansy metrosexual?

Nero – I was being serious. Find it hard to believe that is all manufactured – clearly exaggerated for the show though. I have no idea so take your word for it and change my response to “I just can’t get past what a metrosexual pansy Greenburg’s character is”.

Horncasting – I agree that to an extent, that is his base personality.

Magnus – the ten year-old me thought the Royal Rumble was the penultimate sporting event to the Superbowl.

Love that Mack is for an 8 team playoff and pressuring the dirty coaches. The more college football is cleaned up, the better it is for Texas.

Mack has had his thin-skinned moments, but when you look at his cumulative performance over the years, he’s one of the smoothest cats out there.

He was thin-skinned until he won the MNC.

Mack Brown presented in a ScipioTex frame. Off season can’t get much better than that. Thanks for the report and reportage.

Great stuff Scipio.

BUT…. you missed him on College Football live. He was on the panel! It was him, Andre Ware, & Kurt Fowler. Great Texas-centric half hour.

First segment was on expectations for this years team. How Gilbert will be different than Colt. How we most resemble the 08 team to Mack. He also said that goal #1 for the team is to win 10 games. Nice.

Second segment had more of the agent focus. He mentioned that Texas spends 12 days a year talking to the kids about the issue.

Third segment was the What If feature. What if the game of the century was NOT moved to December?

I missed alot of the details. Make sure to check it out. You can see the re-run on ESPNU in the morning. They replay it every 30 minutes from 5-7am CST.

Great stuff!!!

Oh yeah… they also asked him about Dez Bryant and hazing. Also about Kindle. Great half-hour. You won’t want to miss it.

On sportscenter Mack essentially said that had we helped create a Pac 16 that the 4 Super Conferences Era would have started right then. He also said he believed that it will happen “in our lifetime,” and that as far as he was concerned it is not a good thing.

He intimated that regional rivalries would wither away. Mack also believes that when we get to the 4-team super conference, the idea (myth?) of the under dog getting a shot at winning it all will be gone and that the game will be poorer for it.

He gave full voice to the Colt McCoy = Drew Brees theory and reiterated that he is expecting both Colt and Vince to to Super Bowl winning QB’s before they are through.

“Mack talks to Vince Young weekly. The "so-called brawl." Well, a guy did a Horns down to him. You just shouldn’t do that. Mack’s body language and expression says – Vince Young was put on earth to smite bitches. If you don’t want to get smited, don’t be a bitch around him.”

I’m sorry, but I love that shit.

“Vince Young was put on earth to smite bitches. If you don’t want to get smited, don’t be a bitch around him.”
Somewhere, someone needs a signature. Here it is.

I only caught the last few minutes of the college football live segment, but Mack was sporting a black longhorn polo. I believe it was part of the Muschamp collection. Anyway, best Mackspeak was when he was asked about Dez Bryant and he said if coudl give Dez some advice it would be to offer to carry around Romo’s pads.

They tried to get him to say what he thought would have happened if Colt hadn’t gotten hurt and he started with a way too PC answer (both sets of fans got cheated, Colt didn’t get to finish they way he envisioned), but then finished with, “the first five plays sure were going the way we wanted”. Which I took to mean “Bitches were beginning to be kicked”.

The way he subtly called out coaches, while also intimating we don’t turn people in was just perfect.

I’m dying to use “smite bitches” in conversation now. Yey, new drunken challenge!!

honestly, is anyone actually offended by the “horns down”?
 I know they are trying to be offensive, but isn’t that what bevo would look like if he was about to gore you?
course if vince wants to get in some barfights… i say that builds character

Thanks for this. I missed the interviews today.

I love how he drops “we have 52 plaers in the NFL right now…”

Y’all know what “smote” is?
                   
I smite, you smite, he smites,
we done smote!
                   
To smite is to go upside the head!
                   
Because sometimes, brothers and sisters,
that’s the only way!

If there is a better coach in knowing how to use the media to one’s advantage, I have not seen him. Comparing Brown to Mizzou’s own Gary Pinkel – who equates interacting with the media as something akin to being a member of Focus on the Family, forced by the barrel of a gun to engage in a three way with Janet Reno and Donna Shalala – provides a stark contrast.

“Well, a guy did a Horns down to him. You just shouldn’t do that.”
You also shouldn’t be trying to big-time the manager/owner of a club while you are IN HIS CLUB acting like a complete douche to every employee of the club. Especially when you already have a distinct history of mental instability whilst in the league. I suspect Mack mentioned something along these lines to VY, but it’s not exactly good radio banter.

Bob Stoops said they used to have a “bill of sale” for every car their players owned until the NCAA told them they could no longer associate with the dealership (Big Red) where the records were forged, er, I mean kept.

Here’s the video with Josh Elliott:

http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/14547/video-mack-brown-on-texas-football

Nate…I won’t be an apologist for some of the missteps Vince has made since entering the league, but “distinct history of mental instability,” is not the correct way to put it.

ESPN ran with that stupid suicide story, which had no basis in reality, and now Sooners everywhere can point to that, grab their crotch, spit, and say “Gee gawlee, that there Vince Young wants to off his seff…what a idiot.”

The altercation was ill advised, of course, the point of this post was how well Mack handled it, and how awesome it was that it seemed like a legitimate response even though we all know Mack probably reprimanded him pretty good over the phone ( in a loving grandpa way of course).

Whoa, I’ve been out of touch for a few days. I know Trent Richardson plays for Alabama. Is the NCAA looking at him? Is that what Saban is so hot about?

I did a quick search, but didn’t find anything.

Tremendous write-up. Thanks!

Mizzou99 – I don’t think it bothers a lot of people but it’s just stupid. ou seems to be the one that adopted it earliest so I really don’t mind when they do it. It’s when the bama qb that had minimal impact on the MNC does it as soon as the clock strikes 0:00 where it seems classless. When Baylor fans do it it’s laughable.

sorry, my last post was directed at wisconsinhornybadger.

Cowherd is a lot smarter than most of his peers. That is a low bar but there it is. He gets Mack and gets Texas. He also did the funniest Deliverance-themed bit about OU after the Big Red scandal came out.

I don’t know if OU was the first to do the ‘upside down ’hook ’em’. Notre Dame did it following the 1/1/71 Cotton Bowl game. That is the day I knew what shell-shocked meant.

On 1/2/70, we were 30-0. We were undefeated during the 1970 regular season, and played miserably in the Cotton Bowl game to lose to Notre Dame. The ‘classy’ Irish were doing the upside down Hook ’em all over the stadium. It made me very happy to to know that I had witnessed one of their fans the night before sitting in the middle of downtown Dallas, crying like a baby because he had dropped his last fifth on the sidewalk and his party was over.

Of course, if we didn’t let it irritate us, they would probably quit doing it. Just a thought.