State of the Texas Program: What srr50 Believes

Thanks meat.

I have been known on occasion to howl at the moon.

I’ve always been amazed how analysts always give coaches credit for their players’ production, yet never give players credit for their coaches’ production. It’s not like Vince was national high school player of the year or anything. It’s not like Colt’s and Shipley’s dads were head coaches or anything. Of course it was Greg Davis’s brilliance that was the reason for our prior offensive success, not the 19 offensive players currently on NFL rosters. Jesse Palmer and Craig James are morons; always have been.

De nada. But…

I’m sick and fucking tired of you calling me meat.

Is next year Mack’s last either way the season goes?

Why’s he calling you meat? Your the one driving the Porsche……

“Your shower shoes have fungus on them. You’ll never make it to the bigs with fungus on your shower shoes. Think classy, you’ll be classy. If you win 20 in the show, you can let the fungus grow back and the press’ll think you’re colorful. Until you win 20 in the show, however, it means you are a slob.”

Right now, we are not the slob. We are the fungus.

How dumb does Mack think we are?

“I thought we’d come out of the national championship game okay. It seemed like there was a hangover. I said from the first scrimmage of the year that I didn’t see what I wanted, and at Rice I walked out of there mad. There were some things that were flawed. That’s what I’ve got to figure out – what we missed. That’s the coaches’ job. That’s my job. Why didn’t they play with emotion early? Why didn’t we play better? Why didn’t we score points like we had? Why did we give up too many big plays on defense? Why was our kicking game inconsistent when we had really good players, and I thought it would be the best we’d ever had? Those are the things that are puzzling and will be on my shoulders to look at.”

Apparently, he did not come out of the MNC game ok. Why the hell did he keep rolling out the same, tired, formula week-in/week-out if he didn’t like what he saw? One thing about it, srr50 and most Barkers are not afflicted with the Abilene Paradox. But they sure have a bad case brewing over at Moncrief-Neuhaus. Mack had better figure out how to buy some jet fuel because that Mad Dog peanut oil is just plain peanut oil.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_iGdiYO7gI

The systemic issues I see are an old, complacent coaching staff whom the game has passed by. This is most acute on offense and in S&C. We need a thorough house cleaning in both areas. In terms of personnel, Mack should replace everyone but Muschamp, Major, Giles and Akina. Let the real games begin.

I still want to nail Susan Sarandon.

Would. Obviously.

How long can Mack afford to wait to announce “The Fix” without impacting recruiting any more than it has already been impacted?

What srr50 says, and I’ve followed this program for 47 years.

Lurker,

Listening to the post-game. Mack said he’d get to work on things Monday. Apparently he really felt we would win this game and go to a bowl game so he hadn’t prepared for it.

I guess having arguably the worst season in over 50 years and being paid 5 million dollars didn’t inspire him to start making decisions/plans with any expediency — like this weekend. He’s got a tough job after all…..

How long can Mack afford to wait to announce "The Fix" without impacting recruiting any more than it has already been impacted?

I assume Mack has been spending a lot of his sleepless nights going over all possible scenarios, but still I doubt any announcement has to be timed for any recruiting purposes.

Most kids have more than enough self-esteem to believe that they are exactly what Texas needs to turn it around.

I don’t doubt that Mack needs a couple of days to decompress.

I for one would like to have all the Black Friday-Post Thanksgiving-Family issues to just go away by 1:30 so I can spend a little quality time with Verne Lundquest and Gary Danielson.

Is that too much to ask for?

“I for one would like to have all the Black Friday-Post Thanksgiving-Family issues to just go away by 1:30 so I can spend a little quality time with Verne Lundquest and Gary Danielson.”

WAR EAGLE! Beat the living snot out of snooty.

Some good thoughts there. One caveat: the Big 12 is much stronger this year than usual. There will be five teams around the top 15 (OU, Nebraska, OSU, Missouri, A&M) on Sunday. That’s not a bad conference at all. And Baylor isn’t too shabby either. Compare that to last season when Texas and Nebraska were the only teams that finished the season ranked (and only because of Nebraska’s bowl performance), and this year is looking pretty good.

And you’re right, all the other teams seem to be moving in the right direction. Texas is heading in the wrong one.

Ordinarily I would root for Bama to lose, but I want the BCS to blow up. We need TCU or Boise in the title game. Roll Tide!

But nordberg, her “skills are fading with age.”

I’d just like to say that I’ve met srr50, and he’s a great dude. Every bit the golf prick he’s made out to be and the most underrated barker.

Blake B., the Big 12 was the best conference in the world in ’08.

I don’t think any changes will be made before the banquet. I hope I’m wrong.

‘veigner, you’re probably right about the banquet. Mack’s too soft to cut them loose before that, even though the ones who need to go don’t deserve to be honored with a banquet.

Greg is coming back. The sooner everyone comes to grips with that thought the better. Am I the only one that noticed the “over the top” fellating of Davis last night by the broadcast crew?As long as people are buying gear, going to game, and funneling money to the program, Dodds could care less about the product on the field and Mack will be allowed to protect his best buddy Greg.

You want change, hit them where it hurts. If not, then don’t expect anything other than a sacrificial lamb or two (Tim Nunez anyone?)

5 Mil Mack will work on the long list of award recipients for the Banquet and “coach” whoever he has picked(I assume Bill Little) to replace Cleve as his designated introducer(puffer) before sitting down with Sally after a round or two of golf to decide who stays, goes or is reassigned.

To me, this offseason is going to show us what Muschamp is all about. If Mack doesn’t cut the rot and clean house on offense, and WM stays, then he has NO flex. If he truly is the HCIW, then his decisions must be carefully considered. By allowing only superficial sacrifices and sticking around, he either lacks serious conviction or he is complicit in the mismanagement of the program. I don’t want our HC associated with either of those statements. Who better to judge an offensive’s strengths and weaknesses but the man who’s job it is to evaluate and gameplan against those very attributes? I’ve sometimes wondered throughout this season if he is given any voice at the table when discussing the state of our offense. Could any of the highlights/lowlights come from his second guessing? Wouldn’t we want a guy standing up for what he believes in if its for the good of the team, political consequences be damned? Did he let us unfold without a fight? Did he contribute to the erratic and disorganized approach by playing devil’s advocate or outright 2nd guessing?

Of course, if the obvious choices aren’t made, and he bails, then I’ll be one of many with little to no patience with Mack and his staff in Uno Uno.

“Listening to the post-game. Mack said he’d get to work on things Monday. "

And you know what he needs to do? He needs to sit down at his computer the first thing Monday morning and type out his letter of resignation. Really, all of the failings of the program which only became fully evident this year, ultimately are his failings and there just is no way to avoid that conclusion.

Really, all of the failings of the program which only became fully evident this year, ultimately are his failings and there just is no way to avoid that conclusion.

To you, perhaps.

How the shit do they honor this team with a banquet? Just have a keg party for SAcho instead.

Auburn loses today and wins next week they’ll still go. That’s how fucked up this system is.

You’re probably right, Savage. But the more the hypocrisy of the system is exposed, the better chance we’ll have of building support for a playoff.

I think the sleeplessness is coming from Mack trying to figure how to fix things without changing his staff or anything else that he is historically fond of doing.

Auburn loses today and wins next week they’ll still go. That’s how fucked up this system is.

Boise State says Hi!

I want TCU or Boise or both. After reading death to the bcs I just don’t think it’ll happen. I hope I’m wrong.

If Alabama just plays out the string and never lets Auburn in the game, there is no way a 1-loss Auburn team — with a SEC win over a meh South Carolina Squad — jumps an unbeaten TCU and/or Boise State.

Emory Blake just scores for Auburn. We didn’t want him, either.

Nebraska 2001 disagrees.

I’m pretty sure it was Ghandi who said “a society is judged by how it treats the elderly, animals, and obsolete football coaches.” I would have expected James and Palmer last night, as well as Bellmont in the future, to say the same things whether Davis is gone or not.

I just don’t think there’s much point in parsing what gets fed to the media. It’s called “shitcanning with dignity.” I don’t think we’re going to know what happens until it happens.

I’d be interested if Steve could further expand on his comments. If cosmetic changes – and I think we’re in for more than that to some degree at least – aren’t a cure (and I agree) then what form of change would it take to really reset this program? I certainly have opinions, but I’m more interested in your take.

A minor point in the grand scheme, but I think the absoluteness with which we treat JUCOs is now a mistake. We could certainly use a QB and DT (or two) who could come in ready to contribute immediately. We tend to choke on it for 2-3 years when we miss on a player evaluation. I don’t believe every kid finds his spot by his freshman or sophomore year, but we also need to recognize when to cut our losses (not running a kid off per se, but neither do we need to play him week in week out).

Gardzilla, your comment is exactly what I was thinking and, I believe, points to a very important issue that isn’t getting much play (an article on the would be great from the BC… wink wink)

The benefit of the HCIW arrangement is that it is suppose to provide program stability when there is a HC transition. However, with the current state of our program, there really isn’t much to hand off to Muschamp at this point other than a from-the-ground-up rebuilding project. The culture, the players, the coaches, S&C… everything needs a drastic upgrade. And that fact pretty much defeats the purpose of the having a HCIW arrangement in the first place.

If the off season passes us by and Mack hasn’t made some major changes (OC, S&C, OL coaching, WR coaching, and all of the above that we’ve discussed on this thread over the course of the season), Muschamp should be livid and look to HC somewhere else (UGA definately, if the job is open). This will be a tough sell, as I know for a fact that Mrs. Muschamp and the family love Austin, are tired of moving around, and really want Will and the family to have some sort of stability.

However, if WM is that fiery, decisive leader that we think he is, there is no way he should want to stay at UT (even with all of the resources, cash, and prestige the job comes with) if there isn’t major accountability within the coaching staff for a season such as this. A true winner and leader would never allow himself to mire in a culture of such complacency. Doing such points to one of two possibilities: either he isn’t the man that we think he is, or he’s willing to prostitute his core principles for the sake of being HCIW. Under either scenario, I don’t really want him coaching our boys. That’s not the type of leader that impacts young men for the better. And that’s sure as hell isn’t the type of man that should be representing the University.

I really do fear that Mack won’t be making the sweeping changes we’re all hoping for. It’s just not in his nature. He’s too much of a politician. His extreme loyalty and likability is what has made him such a successful coach and recruiter over the entirety of his career. I don’t see anything, even a 5-7 bowl-less season, changing that. But we already know exactly who Mack Brown is. So perhaps, this off season will really serve to tell us more about Will Muschamp than anyone else.

Oh well. At least the basketball team is looking like a sweet 16 squad.

Black Scholes:

I’d love to hear more of your opinions on the matter as well.

Personally my basic premise is that if we are serious about this HCIW I assume there is a transition system in place. I assume it includes honest discussions between Mack, Will, Deloss and President Powers. We as fans don’t need to know a timetable, but there has to be at least a tentative one in place.

It seems to me that part of the problem this year may be a schism within the staff, That can be somewhat understandable because if there is a transition in the near future, there has to be some conflict about how to adress the present adversity long-term.

It isn’t just about the offensive scheme (although that certainly is a part of it), but it is also about the overall philosophy going forward. If we really want to commit to a downhill running game we need to change our recruiting at certain positions. We need to change coaching and practice patterns, we need to change what is being emphasized in strength and conditioning.

We need to change the entire mindset of the program. You can do that by bringing in new blood, but, again I assume that those changes have to be a consensus decision.

Will Muschamp, like both of his most recent predecessors at DC, will be quick to catch the first train out of town.

Dr. UCLA-Longhorn said:

“I really do fear that Mack won’t be making the sweeping changes we’re all hoping for. It’s just not in his nature. He’s too much of a politician. His extreme loyalty and likability is what has made him such a successful coach and recruiter over the entirety of his career. I don’t see anything, even a 5-7 bowl-less season, changing that. But we already know exactly who Mack Brown is. So perhaps, this off season will really serve to tell us more about Will Muschamp than anyone else.”

Well put. However, the more I think about Mack, the more enigmatic he seems. He has appeared so haggard and distraught this season that he looks more like a coach who has been losing for years and is on his way out than a coach whose team recently played for a national title. One would think that his past successes would have insulated him more psychologically from the disappointment of this season. I think more could have been done with this team but, despite all his talk of taking action, Mack has been in a state of paralysis the entire season. He is dodging big decisions and is becoming increasingly rigid . Something is not all right with him, and I can’t believe that it’s just a function of the team’s performance this year.

I know this seems like a post you would find on texags but I encourage you to believe me.
 From a member of the Longhorn Foundation Advisory Council, “Mack and Muschamp aren’t getting along, at all.”
Unfortunately that is all I know.

From a member of the Longhorn Foundation Advisory Council, "Mack and Muschamp aren’t getting along, at all."

It’s hard to imagine how they could be. But Bobby Burton says they’re getting along swimmingly. Of course, Bobby makes money by kissing Mack’s ass, so there’s that.

In speaking to a long time customer, and graduate of UNC, he said that what we are experiencing with Coach Brown is eerily similar to what the fanbase experienced in Mack’s last year(s) at Chappell Hill. There was a growing uneasiness with Mack “not getting it done”. Of course they were not playing for national championships, but all the same, it is interesting to hear that perspective. Nigh, is the end near?

I’m glad Mack made us a lot of money and got us recruits back in 1997, when we needed it. I appreciate him for that. Sincerely, and very much.

Hasn’t the game changed since then? Everything about the game is newer and more aggressive. If there’s one theme starting to develop at UT football, it’s this: aged. Deloss, Mack, Bill Little, Greg Davis. Muschamp and Applewhite and Giles are the only things resembling the new era of college football.

We’ve never lost to both Baylor and A&M at home in a season until now.

We haven’t lost five home games since 1956.

Stoops has six conference championships in the last 10 years, and may get a 7th. He’s also played for four natl championships in those 10 years. Mack has two conf championships in his 27-year HC career.

REPEAT: *Mack Brown has two conference championships in his 27-year career as a head coach.*

Is this acceptable as the Texas Longhorns football standard?

REPEAT: *Mack Brown has two conference championships in his 27-year career as a head coach.*

I used to post this repeatedly, back when he had ZERO conference championships in 20-22 years as a head coach. Almost nobody gave a shit, I was labeled a hater, and conference championships were pooh-poohed as meaningless. A coach who aspires to greatness and can’t win his own league isn’t much of a coach, IMO. Especially one with the resources and advantages Mack has.

Meanwhile, echeese is posting possibilities for us making a bowl over at 24/7. I guess he’s hoping GD can still redeem himself with a victory over Bumfuck U.

I agree with srr50, but need to add that Mack has basically just left this program worse than he found it. It is Mack’s coaching system that is systemically flawed. There were a large group of us pointing this out before VY came along. And it is well documented that one Tim Brewster’s recruiting skills were what actually improved this program. MB has always been a good recruiter, but he put almost no effort in getting VY. Also the rise of a Colt 3 star to turn into being so incredibly good was not expected by anyone. So MBs system has been bult on his recruiting ability (and the edge being at UT gives him in that area) and the coaches he brought in. Now everybody knows that GD has dragged UT down for years, and after this year there is no way to hide that fact. S&C has always sucked since MB has been here. MB apparently is one of those CEOs that surrounds himself with yes men, and those who aren’t yes men learn to keep their mouths shut if they want to keep a job. That is the kind of atmosphere that is guaranteed to end badly ,and it has. IMHO MB should retire because I don’t believe he has the drive to do what it takes to turn this program around ( as in having tghe sense to hire coaches who aren’t personal friends and actually stay out of their way, while still holding them accountable for performance).

magnus: IMO, srr50 has never been underrated.

REPEAT: *Mack Brown has two conference championships in his 27-year career as a head coach.*

I used to post this repeatedly, back when he had ZERO conference championships in 20-22 years as a head coach. Almost nobody gave a shit, I was labeled a hater, and conference championships were pooh-poohed as meaningless. A coach who aspires to greatness and can’t win his own league isn’t much of a coach, IMO. Especially one with the resources and advantages Mack has.

I have to defend Mack here. Sure, everyone would like him to have won more conference championships. But if you’re going up against Bobby Bowden during an all-time run, and Bob Stoops winning at the same rate — a peer, if you will — you are going to have a tough time getting to the top of the heap.

I’m not saying there is a complete pass — you can’t let OU hang 60 on you twice without it being considered anything other than a slap in the face. But, he did bring UNC back from nothing to everything but FSU, and did rebuild Texas from the foundation as well, and pretty darn quickly. And Tulane — another ground-up job — wasn’t in a conference.

Mack has basically just left this program worse than he found it.

[John McEnroe]“You cannot be serious!”[/John McEnroe]

Me and my three ticket stubs from the Rose Bowl disagree. Maybe you should read srr50’s posts about the pending TV network deal then reconsider.

I’ve gone on record saying that if GD is on the sideline during Spring Practice and Muschamp is not, then I’m mailing in my season tickets. (Not in ashes, a la Scip, but perhaps after being visited by my dog after one-too-many Snausages.) But Mack has at least deserved the right for fans to hold fire until after he makes whatever decisions he is going to make.

Bob, UNC isn’t Texas. And Stoops isn’t nearly as great as we made him. There is no excuse for him having three times as many conference titles as Mack.

Hey, we are still The Joneses.

We just paid our head coach $1 million per win. What other program has the means to do that without breaking the bank?

Just got home from a high school game. Sat next to a guy who knows Jaxson Shipley. Says he is rethinking his commitment to UT. Lovely……

As long as there are fans and boosters who, like cincinnatus, are accepting of two conference championships in 27 years as an acceptable standard for a Texas Longhorns head football coach, the program will slide and slide deep.

For me personally, that is too low of a standard.

Just got home from a high school game. Sat next to a guy who knows Jaxson Shipley. Says he is rethinking his commitment to UT. Lovely……

Wow, if true.

Bob, UNC isn’t Texas.

Who said it was? But you can’t fling the “two conference championships in 27 years” if you don’t consider the circumstances. Mack didn’t win a couple in the ACC because Bowden was chewing up everybody, not just Mack.

And Stoops isn’t nearly as great as we made him. There is no excuse for him having three times as many conference titles as Mack.

Are you seriously claiming that OU was/is not a worthy competitor to Texas?

Re: Jaxon – I don’t buy that for a second.

Wonder what Case McCoy thinks of this season? I bet he texts Jaxon Shipley weekly, if not daily.

Susan Sarandon…… Yes……. That woman gotta big butt…… something I can hit with a car antenna ….

Black Scholes said: I think the absoluteness with which we treat JUCOs is now a mistake.

Disagree. It’s not just “now” – I think it’s always been a mistake. JuCo is a perfect place to park potentials who can’t make it to your show for whatever reasons, for a little seasoning and growth – without counting against your schollimit – and those who pan out can be a big help in a year or two. It’s also a place to find kids who’ve been parked by someone else or who’ve gone there on their own.

Bob in Houston said: I have to defend Mack here.

I don’t. Mack’s (almost literally) dogged devotion to his buddies Greg, Cleve, and FatDog may give him a few “Attaboy!” certificates, but – as much as I appreciate loyalty – when your dogs go from shitting on the front porch to shitting on the dining table… that’s a real “Aw Shit!”, and we all know that it only takes one “Aw Shit!” to wipe out a thousand “Attaboy!”. It’s time for some new dogs. I’m not saying they have to be put down, but they do have to be put outside. If Mack refuses to do that, then he needs to live outside with them.

TXStampede said: How dumb does Mack think we are?

Ten wins. Tennn winnns. Sign the check. Tennn winnns. Signnn the checkkkk. Good, gooodddd. Sleep nowwww. Your eyes are so tiredddd. Your eyelids are sooo heavvvvy. Tennn winnns. Sleep. Sleeep. Sleeeeppppp.

srr50 said:Auburn loses today and wins next week they’ll still go. That’s how fucked up this system is.

Boise State says Hi!

You didn’t stay around for the whole speech, did you? What Boise actually said was “Hi… ackk acccckkkkkk aaarrgggghhhh uhhh… (thumping noises, followed by silence)”

Now what? Froggies smelling Roses, maybe even sniffing Xtal Balls?

T Man said: REPEAT: *Mack Brown has two conference championships in his 27-year career as a head coach.*

Both obtained under the direction of future NFL quarterbacks with teams featuring (someone help me here and fill in the total number) other future NFL players, and none in the first 80% of his HC years. But… now that he’s finally learned how, does it make good sense to change channels?

Somebody put a plug of PCP in Tex Long’s Thanksgiving turkey.

How much of a raise will the coaches be getting after this season?

Seems like they get one every year.

Are you seriously claiming that OU was/is not a worthy competitor to Texas?

I’m seriously claiming it’s absolutely fucking ridiculous that Stoops is about to win his 7th conference title, while Mack (Texas) has two. Texas should win their conference more than anyone else. If they don’t, they should get a new coach. Period.

Blueshorn said: Texas should win their conference more than anyone else.

Aha… Doctor Tom was right – it IS Texas’ conference. Thought so.

While watching tOSU absolutely dismantle the Michiganders, I checked up on Coach Sweatervest – ten years, seven Conference titles. I was going to write something clever, but there’s really no need.

@sizzlechest: plenty turkey but no PCP, just old-fashioned idleness brimming over.