The Texas Longhorns' Five Most Valuable Players in 2010

i would argue Mason Walters is a legitimate HM/6th Man for this list, only because he’s the only starter than can fill in at all 5 OL spots. he goes down, and we are screwed. who do we have?
Britt Mitchell? oh shit, he’s already playing…

I’d put Matthews third and drop the other two down a notch, not because Williams or Hix are any less indispensable than you argued, but because I think Matthews’ role in this offense is that critical. With him, this offense hits on all cylinders and has the potential to become a real weapon. Without him, the scheme the offense wants to run unravels.

Matthews is what Blaine Irby was two years ago. When Irby went down, the offense out of necessity morphed into the pass-heavy incarnation we’ve seen since then. I don’t want to see Gilbert have to operate that system. It wouldn’t be pretty.

Oh, and if Matthews and Gilbert both stay healthy this year, Matthews tears some shit up. That boy’s de troof.

The situation you’ve described at DT has been true the last 3 seasons. 2008, we lose Roy Miller, we’re screwed. 2009, we lose Lamarr Houston…well Acho spins down more and maybe we cope but we lose our consistent interior pressure and best lineman.
2010, we lose Randall…we’re screwed. It’d have been nice if Derek Johnson, Calvin Howell, Taylor Bible, Ashton Dorsey, or DeAires Cotton were physically ready to occupy space in the middle but that didn’t happen. Yes I know DJ isn’t on the team.
I can’t believe we’ve escaped a critical DT injury the last 2 years but I’m crossing my fingers for another lucky one. I’m betting, also, that they frequently relieve Randall in passing situations to avoid him wearing out in the pass rush and becoming injured.
Teams that cut block him illegally should be treated with repeated illegal hits until they get the message. 60 yards in penalties would be well worth protecting that asset.

I’m betting they already will use an RB or TE/HB to chip guys coming at Hix. He’s solid in protection but he can’t handle a Von Miller without frequent help. Hix goes down and you could have tackles on both sides that are unequipped to handle good edge rushers. Mad Dog needs to get to work with the big men on campus. The offensive tackles need to be bulking up the base and the defensive tackles need to be doing pilates, yoga or whatever he uses for flexibility. Plus some heavy conditioning drills.

Hopefully in a year or two both positions will have adequate depth where injury risks don’t threaten a season. How does the rest of the Big 12 live?

Scip —

In 2008 before we coached the aggression out of him, as you often note, David Snow played center late in the season and acquitted himself very well. We thought—again—maybe we had found our next Lyle Sendlein.

I think Snow still has the potential to be a very fine center and I am not sure we have anyone else who quite fits that bill.

Where do you put him on your list?

I would love for Malcolm Williams to be on your list… but it’s a damn shame that he’s just another guy. Your words: “…six or seven that can play and none of them is a dominant player.”

It would sure be better if one of them was.

Final note — No one has covered Longhorn pre-season as well as you have over the past two weeks. Including the 2009 or 2008 versions of you. It really has been great.

Any thoughts on why the national media seems to ignore Aaron Williams as a certified badass?

He really gets no love pre-season, which is a prerequisite to claiming the Thorpe award – I mean the estimable douchetards at collegefootball news rank him the 11th best pro prospect at corner in the country – yes, that’s right, he’s effectively at the same draft grade as Blake Gideon in their glazed, unknowing eyes. That’s after the same guys rank Texas as the 2nd best defense in the country.

Granted it’s just probably a sign of their unique ignorance, since it’s the same crew of idiots who ranked Taylor Mays as their all-american safety last season over Earl Thomas, but other previews I’ve read tend to have basically no clue as to Williams either.

They’re not who you think they are.

They are who we thought they were! And we let ’em off the hook!

Can’t argue with your top 5 in terms of who we can’t afford to lose. If there’s a wild-card spot for MVP I’m giving it to Justin Tucker. Who knows if we can’t afford to lose him (maybe Will Russ comes in and does fine), but if any of your 5 go down, then we’ll need the clutch FGs we’ve been taking for granted. In a few games, we’ll probably need them anyway.

Without opining on whether he should be included in the list, what exactly is Gideon’s importance to the defense/team? The staff clearly felt that the mental aspect of his game more than overcame his physical limitations. We have had much more physically gifted safeties riding the pine while Gideon was on the field.

What exactly would his absence do to the defense? I’d like to think not much, but the fact that he is still starting tells me the staff disagrees. Thoughts?

Like TKO, I move Barrett Matthews up to #3 behind no-brainers GG and Randall. Barrett having a healthy, productive year makes the new running scheme better and opens up the secondary for the WR’s. The lack of production from a TE the last 2 years makes Colt’s performance all the more remarkable.

Agree completely that Aaron Williams is on the list. Offenses largely avoid him moving them away from things they like to do and setting up our other defenders to make plays. Even with that, AW still makes plays (e.g. key INT’s vs. OU and Baylor).

Agree with Hix but you could almost say the same about other OL given the lack of depth there and the uncertainty re: Allen’s health.

I have to agree with all these picks. I don’t know if the ranking matters but since this site is for discussion I decided to nitpick some.

I think I would put Hix at #2 just because on D we have deep strength at DE and I think we have more physically/mentally ready players at DT than OT. Plus if Hix is hurt then the OL gets shifted all around which messes with the continuity of the unit.

That would put Randall at #3. Then I would jump Matthews up to #4 just because I trust the D more than the O plus as you have said Matthews is the only TE with his skill set and greatly affects what we are wanting to do with scheme. Aaron is an MVP just because he is so good. His loss would affect the defense greatly but we our secondary I think would still be a strength though not as other-worldly strong.

Could we pair Hix with Huey as 4a and 4b?

I wouldn’t say Huey’s that important due to the fact that guard depth is pretty decent, basically anybody who backs up the tackle spots (or even the center spot) could probably also back up the guard spots, so accordingly you have Huey, Allen, Ashcraft as the frontliners, Trey Hopkins, who the coaches rave about, also in the mix. Walters is versatile enough to play guard, and then in a pinch, you could convert Porter, Kelly etc.

Jones, seconded. Scip’s output, both quality and quantity, has been incredible.

Arriviste, it’s a few reasons. One, Earl Thomas was our star last year so he got all the pub. See Aaron Ross the year after Michael Huff. Two, Williams plays primarily in the nickel so he’s not considered a starter in the eyes of many. When national writers think UT cornerback, they recall the outside corners. Three, he doesn’t have an awesome name like “Major Wright.” I think there’s like 6 Aaron Williams in college football right now.

I’d also have to put Sam Acho as 5b on this list, if indeed he is planning on spinning down to DT 30-40% of the time. He may be replaceable at end, but if he’s going to line-hybrid for us, that’s an important player.

By the end of the season Mike Davis might be in this top 5.

I generally agree w/ the post at every point except Matthews. Are we certain he can block effectively? I don’t ask this out of doubt, but out of the dread certainty that we’ll be seeing Greg Smith in the game much more often than Barret Matthews, and I assume the reason given will be “blocking.” So if he’s not even going to get half the snaps if healthy (tell me I’m wrong, tell me I’m a fool, please set me straight) then how can he be one of the top 5?

Of course, I say this not having a person I’d consider a suitable replacement. Cody Johnson if he does what we think he is capable this season and gets a shot to perform. Malcolm Williams, perhaps, because despite his inability to shelve his Orlando Jones costume from The Replacements, he at least is a threat to be respected. Can’t imagine rolling out Kirkendoll, Chiles, and Goodwin as our primary bled for the program type of WR set.

“We have had much more physically gifted safeties riding the pine while Gideon was on the field.”

Who were the much more physically gifted safeties last year? Scott was ineligible, Wells was a liability, Vacarro was a true freshman who didn’t always know where to be, and Brewster is less athletic than Gideon.

He is? Jesus.

Thanks for the new SI/ EA Sports/ Mudhole/ and now Scip preseason MVP list. Nervous and hoping to see an update to this post at the end of the year w/ all 5 staying healthy. If not, then create a 2011 list w/ all 5 MVP’s we can’t afford to lose as GD.

“Without Matthews, the offense plays 9 on 11 with another TE in the game or we’d revert back to last year’s stale pass-happy offense running four wide.”

Stale? Let me choose from one of my Greg Davis defense macros (think I’ll use Ctrl-Alt-F6 this time) and belittle you on belittling our pass-happy offense from last year. Don’t you know we won all but one of our games?

Now to find my macro for the rolling eyes emoticon …

Brown-Brown-White
I downloaded this video. NSFW.

Great list. I wouldn’t argue any of them. From what I’ve been hearing about our offensive scheme for this season, I think Matthews would be #3 on my list. The practice reports seem to indicate the other H-back/TEs are not on the same level. I cringe at the thought of going back to 4 wide sets if he goes down.
Of the 5 on the list, I’m least worried about losing Williams. There is no doubt that he is the best player on our defense (arguably our entire team), but if he goes down our DB situation goes from “the elite amongst the elite”… to just “very good”.

Before I read the post, but after I read the title, I thought:

“Gilbert, Kheeston Randall, Aaron Williams… er… Hix, maybe… I guess Malcolm Williams based on desperate need and the proven Williams build quality. ’Cause the Williams Corporation turns out a fine product. See also Roy, Ricky, et al.”

This suggests a recruitment policy based partly on surname brand strength.

I think Magnificent Bastard is exactly right. Particularly at the beginning of the year, Tucker better be nails because I don’t see our offense scoring points early.

Fortunately, I don’t see anyone scoring a lot of points on our defense either. Hence the kicker better be as automatic as Tiger Woods in a room full of cocktail waitresses.

“2. Kheeston Randall”
Not so sure about this one. Primarily because I’m not sure if there’s an OL in the conference good enough to capitalize even if he did go down.

“5. Barrett Matthews”
Can’t lose what you haven’t yet had in the first place. In theory, he could still be another long line of not useful TE’s at UT. I know what he’s looked like in practice. Cameron Kenney looked all-world in practice. Caught everything thrown at him, ran good routes, etc. Then he played other teams, and looked dumbfounded like Trips after his kid poured him a three finger glass of bourbon when he specifically asked for two fingers of single malt scotch.

TKO / hopeful -
 
I’m almost persuaded.
 
Nickel -
 
Good points all. I’m less inclined to play Randall in garbage time than Gilbert, frankly.

 jones -
 
Thanks, man. I think Snow is important, but he’d probably check in around #11 or 12. Porter looked OK to me and Mason Walters can play center too. It’s easier to disguise a problem closer to the ball on OL.
 
Arriviste -
 
I learned a long time ago that the game of football is just a big blur of color to most people, most of all the media. As you point out, preseason hype is imperative for awards, because most media people essentially duplicate their post season list from their preseason list at positions like OL and DB. And they rely solely on stats to evaluate skill players. What’s maddening is when fans who should now better parrot their “evaluations.”
 
Magnificent -
 
Great contribution with Justin Tucker. He really might be a Top 10 guy, but from what I hear Will Russ is kind of a stud. And maybe we have another Ryan Bailey tucked away somewhere. OR SHIT WE JUST GONNA GO FER IT!
 
lazer -
 
We value Gideon a lot for reasons I discussed in my DB Mid Camp report. That written, if he went out, we’d have an athletic upgrade but a greater likelihood of miscommunication and busts. We might play simpler coverages etc. He’d be missed, but we’d be fine.
 
Monahorns -
 
Fair enough. Thanks for playing.
 
Kenneth -
 
Arriviste gives my answer.
 
nordberg -
 
If he is, that bodes very well for our year.
 
Sydney –
 
Yes, he can block. I watched him in the Spring game. That was also what he was known for in high school. Barrett will get more than half of the snaps. I expect him to catch 35+ balls too. He and Smith will share the field and when we go with one TE, it’s going to be Barrett more often than not. I don’t really buy into Williams as a must have Top 5 guy. Cody has a feel of real importance, but I’m still in wait and see mode.

Don’t agree at all on Hix, IMO he is as replaceable as they come.

All the others look solid, though I’d “prefer” a wait-and-see approach on Matthews. I’ll also offer up Sam Acho because he’s the team leader on defense, will get looks at DT, and he’s really, really freaking good. Yet again, nobody gives Curtis Brown respect, despite similar ramifications to the loss of A.J. Wiliams.

1. Garrett Gilbert
2. Kheeston Randall
3. A.J. Williams
4. Sam Acho
5. Barrett Matthews/Curtis Brown

Patron -
 
Well played.

UTomlinson -
 
Good argument on Williams. You may be right.

Nate -
 
By that logic, Kenny Stills or Ronnell Lewis would be no loss to you? And our long line of UT TEs under Brown are guys like Thomas, Finley, Scaife, and Lewis who were all Big 12 performers, 3 of them still kicking it in the NFL. The TE retardation is a recent phenomenon of lazy recruiting and horrible luck.
 
As for Kheeston, that’s a very bare cupboard behind him. And there’s no doubt in my mind that OU, NU, TT, and KSU could exploit it. Texas Tech is going to be able to run the ball. People will understand that soon enough.

Good list. Because my opinion of Hix is so low, that is the only one I dispute. I think we have a few guys that could step in right away and be a liability. Glad to see you include Matthews. You are right, the whole thing goes out the window, if he is hurt.

Ronnell Lewis is a known quantity. We’ve seen him wreck shit in the Sun Bowl and on special teams. I’m not sure we beat KU so handily if he hadn’t caved in Dez Briscoe’s chest on the opening kick return. I wouldn’t put him in the same category. But Kenny Stills? Yes, I would argue if he went down for the season right now, it’s no loss. If it’s three games later and he’s 19-235-3, then it’s a loss.

And you rightly called me out re: the tight ends. I was referring to the seemingly seven or eight scholarships presently being pissed away on TE’s who do nothing. Just weird to have a line of useless guys when almost every kid in Texas right now WANTS to go to Texas.

I find it interesting that you’re more bullish on OU than I am. Don’t get me wrong, we only need one or two good breaks to be a MNC contender this year. But look at our recent track record with luck. As for being able to exploit a weakness on UT’s d-line, let me put it this way: in 2009, prior to the worst of the rash of OL injuries, we couldn’t punch it in with 4 tries inside the 5 against IDAHO STATE. When it comes to OU’s offensive line, I’m from Missouri.

Gilbert, by far, is the least we can afford to lose. Of the 5 listed up top, Matthews is the most interesting one to talk about.

For teams that are committed to a balanced threat between rushing and passing, the TE is the fulcrum for versatility used to create deception and run/pass mismatches. When we’ve had capable TE’s, special things tend to happen.

In the undesired event we had to revert back to pass happy four wide sets, there is some possibility it would be more effective this year than last, even without Shipley. Referencing a point made by Scip the other day, the key becomes not whether you have an automatic go to star, but rather how much better is your 3rd or 4th best receiver than their 3rd or 4th best DB? That’s where having a remodeled John Chiles and talented Mike Davis enter this year’s new equation. Indications are that Gilbert can put the ball in places where Colt was limited, which further bulids an advantage.

I bet Mike Davis is a dominant receiver by the end of the season. Just a feeling. . .

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