"A FEW MINUTES WITH ANDY ROONEY"

If Andy Rooney were alive today, what
would he have to say about Coach-Speak?
It might go something like this:

 

Ever notice how college football coaches never answer a question without using a cliche or generic coach-speak these days?  I have.  I'm curious, when did the health of a running back or the name of a starting quarterback become a matter of national security?  Politicians could learn a thing or two from listening to some of these coaches.  In fact, after listening to one particular head coach address the media and answer questions...I felt pretty certain that I now knew less about his team than I did before he started. One coach even refused to discuss who he thought his punter would be.  Instead he offered that it was still a tight competition and that he felt no pressure to name a starter at this time.  I had a hard time deciding what was worse, the fact that he wouldn't answer, or that someone cared enough to ask.  I don't really even like kickers, do you?

One thing I have noticed is that almost all coaches like to have something to 'go back to' in the offseason.  Basics are probably the most popular choice.  You can be sure that any team that was bad the previous year has spent a lot of time getting 'back to basics.'  Other frequently mentioned 'go back to' subjects include the fundamentals, the X's & O's and the ever popular, 'back to what made us successful in the past.' Seems to me they should have never left that one to begin with. Don't you agree?

I've also noticed that 'going back to' can sometimes require a board of some type.  Some coaches will tell you they 'went back to the drawing board,' while others prefer 'going back to the chalk board because that wasn't the way we drew it up.'  Another oldy but goody is game film.  All coaches want to 'go back and look at the film, find their mistakes and fix them.'   Makes me wonder why they didn't do that during the season last year? Maybe the film projector was broken.  They should get that fixed if that was the case.

One thing I was surprised to learn was how much geometry was involved in coaching. If you can't talk in circles, I don't think you are allowed to coach. "We need to circle the wagons and figure some things out," "the problem is we have been running around in circles," "it always seems to circle back to one thing, taking care of the football," "I have been round and round with this issue".  Then there is my favorite, the task of 'circling the date on your calendar.' This is when you pick out one of the teams that kicked your ass the previous year and make a big deal about it by circling the date you play them this year.   I found it interesting that you can only pick one date to circle. I'm not really sure why that is, are you?  Maybe they don't want the really bad teams having a messy looking calendar. What do you think?
 
And what does it mean to give 110% anyway? I had no idea that the maximum amount of effort one could give was subject to inflation, did you?  Coaches want everything you've got, all you got and all you have to give.  They want your maximum effort, your 2nd and 3rd effort, then any extra effort you might still be hiding somewhere. You have to play till the whistle blows; the full 60 minutes, then when the game is over...you need to make sure you left it all out there on the field.  That paragraph made me tired just writing it.

I'm puzzled by what level is needed for a coach to be happy. They always want someone to step it up, take the next step, take it to the next level, to elevate their game.  Coaches can also be really confusing at times, wouldn't you agree? They want you to play smart, but you need to quit thinking and just react.  They want you to learn from your mistakes, but it is important to have a short memory.  You need to play with reckless abandon, but you can't be out of control.  I think sometimes you have to be a little bit schizophrenic to be a good football player.  Have we already talked about this? 

If you're like me, then you have probably noticed that head coaches are an aggressive bunch.  Everything is a battle, a war, a fight.  The game is played in the trenches, on a battle field or in a hostile environment.  This makes me sad.  This is supposed to be college football.  Let's keep the violence where it belongs...in kid's video games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. 

New head coaches are the most curious to me...they have a lot to do.  First, they have to change some things.  Got to change the culture, the attitude, the mindset, the way things are done and the way that we will go about our business.  If there is a new head coach, then there is a lot to learn. Players are going to be learning how to win, new terminology, a new system, all of which is being taken in by their new mind set.  Is it any wonder that a new coach will tell you that his team is still trying to find itself, or is trying to figure out who they are? They need to find a therapist if you ask me.

Lastly, no coach-speak cliche summary would be complete without pointing out the importance of taking it one day at a time, one game at a time.  All injuries are day to day...and all evaluations are made by sitting down at the end of the day. Coaches want you to bring your A game every day, be consistent day in and day out...but don't get too excited about one game...because it is a long season. I've just about had enough of this preseason coach talk haven't you? We won't have to hear the same ole worn out lines once the season starts...right?

Hello, everybody, this is Brent Musburger with my pardner, Kirk Herbstriet." "Folks, let me tell ya, we got a dandy for you tonight." "Let's go down and check in on the sidelines with my good friend Jack Arute"


Just the opinion of one mildly interested guy

The Overweight Armchair Sooner

Buddy Putty

OKLAHOMA'S KNIGHT IN UNDER ARMOUR

OKLAHOMA SOONERS

2013 Predicted Conference Finish: 1st

SOONERS @ A GLANCE

HEAD COACH: Bob Stoops (Entering 15th season / 149-37)
STADIUM: Owen Field @ Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (82,112) / Norman, OK
2012 RECORD: 10-3 (8-1)
   HOME:   4-2
   AWAY:    5-0
   DALLAS: 1-1
BOWL GAME: Yes, run rules by A&M 41-13 in Cotton Bowl 
RETURNING STARTERS: 11
   OFFENSE: 7
   DEFENSE: 4
OKLAHOMA ANGST: O: new quarterback D: improve, front 7 depth.  Restore home invincibility
KEY GAME: There are several you could choose, Texas of course, but I will go with TCU @ home on October 5th. Trap game for Sooners with Texas game a week away...If OU is looking ahead, talented Frogs could make the Sooners pay.
2013 vs. TEXAS: Red River Rivalry: Saturday, October 12th

DID YOU KNOW?

That this is the first time since 2007 that the Sooners had a competition at QB for the starting job?  Going into that year, Keith Nicols, Joey Halzle, and a kid named Sam Bradford battled for the job, with the redshirt freshman Bradford ultimately prevailing.  Can history repeat itself? Now that, would be Sooner Magic!

THE HEART WANTS WHAT THE HEART WANTS

While the bottom line might be that this is a homer pick, the truth is that I tried, even wanted, to pick anyone but the Sooners...I really did.  To me, the Big 12 Conference looks to be wide open and for the taking this year. In my opinion, there aren't any great teams in the conference this year, but the overall depth of quality teams seems to be higher than I ever remember. I wouldn't be surprised to see any one of 5 maybe even 6 teams win the Big 12 this year.  Since each team had flaws, question marks or weaknesses to coincide with their strengths....the tie goes to the heart...so I picked Oklahoma.  Besides, as Brian Bosworth once said..."Orange makes me sick."

OKLAHOMA'S KNIGHT IN UNDER ARMOUR

When news came out of Norman that Trevor Knight had been named the starting QB for the Sooners, it made me smile...not just a little smirk smile...I'm talking about one of those smiles that makes the rest of the world wonder what you been up to kind of smiles.

That is not a knock against Blake Bell. I'm sure Blake is a great kid, respectful to his elders, gives back to the community and would stop to help a small kitten out of a tree.  In fact, if Blake had won the QB competition, I would be just as excited to support him as I am Trevor...but I wouldn't be smiling, I would be wondering...

Bob Stoops has never been known for his warmth with the media.  Hell, I would rather knife fight O.J. Simpson than be the poor sideline reporter who has to stop Bob on his way to the locker room and ask him a question.  I would venture to guess that Stoops doesn't trust many outside of his inner Sooner circle either, media most especially...and in this day of internet, iPhone cameras, twitter and idiot blog writers, who can really blame him.  But it seems Bob has taken the secrecy of things up a notch or two since fall practice began...and I would bet the reason behind it would almost have to be the QB competition.
 
All practices have been closed and no coach or player has been allowed to comment on the QB situation.  To follow the QB race through the various OU internet sites, is to put your faith in hearsay, innuendo or the word of someone who is probably three or four removed from the actual source. But people like me listen and read anyway...and what I have continually heard from the very beginning was that Blake Bell, whose job it seemingly was to lose, was doing just that.

While Stoops always insisted that it was an open competition between all QB, including true freshman Cody Thomas who just arrived on campus this summer, it was always thought to "really" be just a two man race between sophomore Kendal Thompson and Blake Bell.  Most people, like myself, just thought Trevor Knight was being included in the talk as a courtesy, you know, 'a just in case he is listening'...'don't want to hurt his feelings kind of thing.'  So when Thompson went down with the foot injury, it was then assumed that Bell would be the starter. 

I would argue that there are few pressure situations in sports bigger than the one felt when competing for the starting quarterback position.  The QB is the most vital position on the team...he is the straw that stirs the drink...and because of that, everyone has a vested interest in who that QB is.  Seldom does vested interest come without an opinion; so as a result, everyone from Head Coach to assistant kicking-tee fetcher has an opinion on who they think should be the QB.  Not to over-simplify it, but picking the QB that earned it on the field goes a long way in avoiding a lot of problems. Well, duh, you might be thinking. But it isn't always that easy...and that is why I am smiling like Jesse James driving the train instead of wondering.

Stoops didn't make the safe choice, the expected choice, which would have been Blake Bell.  Stoops didn't care about experience, how many stars you had on rivals.com when you were recruited...he cared about who played the best.  He cared about the message it sent his team...that if you perform the best, you will play.  He cared about the team respecting the one that will lead them.  Stoops made the only choice he could...he picked the kid that won the job. 

Notice I haven't said Stoops made the right choice...that is yet to be determined.  Maybe Kendal Thompson was the front runner and gets the chance to win the job when he is healthy soon...or maybe Trevor get's out in front of 80,000+ and wet down both legs...but I doubt it.  He has already felt more pressure than a stadium full of idiots, newspaper columnist and uninformed internet want-to-be's like me could ever create...he had the pressure of earning the respect of his peers and the opportunity to lead them...he had to earn the chance to be the QB of the Oklahoma Sooners.

Congratulations, Trevor.  Go get 'em.  The Sooner Nation is rooting for you...at least until you lose a game.  Just kidding...but not really.

Just the opinion of one mildly interested guy

The Overweight Armchair Sooner

Buddy Putty

Administrative Notes:

This is my annual disclaimer...if you know of anyone who would like to be added to The OAS distribution list, please forward their e-mail to buddyputty@aol.com
Conversely, if you would like to be removed from the list, please email me as well.


Look for a more complete 2013 Oklahoma Sooners team preview from The OAS later today

OFFENSE IS AN OKLAHOMA STATE OF MIND



OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS

2013 Predicted Conference Finish: 2nd

COWBOYS @ A GLANCE:

HEAD COACH: Mike Gundy (entering 9th year /67-35)
STADIUM: T Boone Pickens Stadium (60,000) / Stillwater, OK
2012 RECORD: 8-5
    HOME: 6-1
    AWAY: 1-4
NEUTRAL / BOWL 1-0
2012 BOWL GAME: Yes, Defeated Purdue 58-14 in Heart of Dallas Bowl
RETURNING STARTERS 13
    OFFENSE: 7
     DEFENSE: 6
COWBOY CONUNDRUM’S: Address kicking game & defense...especially DE and corner
KEY GAME: Oct 5th Kansas State in Stillwater. OSU needs this early home win if they are to make a run at the Big 12 Title
2013 vs. OU: Nov. 30 Bedlam - Stillwater, OK

DID YOU KNOW?

That OSU has a 15-8 career record in bowl games? That winning percentage is tops among schools with at least 20 bowl appearances.

TWO’S COMPETITION, THREE’S A CROWD

The Good…

Last year, Mike Gundy surprised everyone by naming true freshman Wes Lunt as the team’s starting QB. Lunt played very well early but injured his leg in the third game of the season, thus opening the door for red-shirt freshman J.W. Walsh. Walsh, evidently sensing a trend, was consequently hurt and was replaced by the guy he had replaced, the aforementioned Lunt. Two games later Lunt, got lit up, suffering a concussion that put him on the shelf. Enter Clint Chelf, (no relation), junior quarterback from Enid, OK. Chelf, listed third on the depth chart behind the two younger QB’s, was frustrated with his being put on the back-Chelf. Feeling sorry for him-Chelf, Clint almost quit the team…a decision that no doubt would have left him second guessing him-Chelf. After talking with teammates, Clint sat him-Chelf down, took a long look at him-Chelf in the mirror and decided that quitting at this point, would be a Chelf-ish thing to do. A few days and a Lunt concussion later, Chelf is suddenly the starter, a status that he retained through the end of the season…and punctuated with a Heart of Dallas Bowl MVP award.   In a matter of weeks the Enid native went from the brink of quitting to having an MVP on his top-Chelf of his trophy case. (OK, sorry.  I probably went a little overboard with the Chelf puns, but sometimes I just crack my-Chelf up)

But success can bring its own set of problems. If Wes Lunt doesn’t bang up his leg and get his bell rung...then there is a pretty good chance that:
-Clint Chelf doesn’t throw for 1,588 yards and 15 touchdowns and win MVP of some bowl I have never heard of.
-J.W. Walsh doesn’t throw for 1,564 yards and 13 touchdowns and I don’t waste 45 minutes of my life trying to come up with Walsh puns
-The Oklahoma State Cowboys don’t have 'too much of a good thing' at the quarterback position

With OSU having three capable QB’s vying for one QB spot…two talented guys were going to be outside the huddle looking in.  It was thought that at least one of the three would transfer...that turned out to be Lunt.

With Lunt unpacking in Champaign, Illinois…the QB battle this fall will come down to the drop-back style of Clint Chelf or the dual threat option style of J.W. Walsh…but if last year is any indication, either one can run Gundy’s system and run it well.

THEY GO BY O-STATE FOR A REASON

The Bad...

 

The Oklahoma State offense has been one of the best in the country over the last few years. The Oklahoma State defense, well, did I mention how good the OSU offense was?

 

The Pokes defense was just plain bad last year no matter the opponent, but when the competition stepped up, the OSU defense checked out...giving up a whopping 47.6 points a game.  Pistols firing?  If so, it was most likely the sound of the OSU defense shooting themselves in the foot.   The Poke defense couldn't get off the field on 3rd downs and rarely took the ball away from the opposing offense...two stats that really don't mean much, unless of course, your goal is to keep the other team from scoring.

 

With the offense that OSU employs, they don't need to have a Steel Curtain type defense in order to win the Big 12...but they will need more than the Jane Curtain type defense they rolled out there last year.

 

The Ugly...

I don't care what shade it is... Burnt, Halloween, Carrot, Princeton, Pumpkin or Tennessee...if it's Orange, then it's ugly. 

 

The schedule is a big bonus for OSU in regards to conference play.  The Cowboys get Kansas State, TCU, Baylor and Oklahoma all at home.  If they can adequately replace the key components of their kicking game; if the defense can force some turnovers and find a way to occasionally get off the field without the accompaniment of the other teams fight song...then OSU should find themselves in the hunt for the Big 12 Championship...a title that might just cause a little Bedlam. 

Just the opinion of one mildly interested guy

The Overweight Armchair Sooner

Buddy Putty



A NOD TO THE FROGS...YOU KNOW THE NOD

                                                                                        

TCU HORNED FROGS

2013 Predicted Conference Finish: 3rd

Horned Frogs at a glance:
Head Coach: Gary Patterson (entering 13th season /record of 116-36) 
Stadium: Amon G Carter Stadium (45,000) / Fort Worth, TX
2012 Record 7-6 (4-5)
   Home  2-4
   Away   5-1
   Neutral Site/Bowl 0-1
2012 Bowl Game: Yes. Lost to Michigan State 17-16 in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl played in Tempe, AZ
Returning Starters: 13
     Offense         5
     Defense         8
Frog Warts: Stop being their own worst enemy.  2013 is off to a bad start already...The frogs have already lost an all conference lineman and a starting linebacker.
Key Game: @ Tech September 12th.  First conference game it is important for the Frogs to win this one, since two of next three Big 12 games are road trips to the state of Oklahoma.
2013 vs OU: TCU visits Norman on October 5th

 

DID YOU KNOW?

That TCU played 16 true freshmen last fall....which was tops in the nation.  By contrast, TCU only had 11 scholarship seniors on the roster.

I was just about a year ago that Gary Patterson and I had an early dinner together at a place here in Ft Worth called Hoffbrau. OK, well, maybe some of that isn’t totally true...I wasn’t actually with Coach Patterson, and we didn’t actually eat dinner together, but we were both at Hoffbrau at the same time about a year ago.

I was sitting at an otherwise empty bar when he came in and plopped down two seats to my right about 4:00 one afternoon. As he settled into his chair he gave me ‘the nod’…you know the nod….it’s that single down then up head motion that an important person gives to a not so important person. If the nod could speak, it would say something like “Look, I can tell by the way you are staring at me that you are either retarded and / or recognize who I am, but please don’t be a moron and try to talk to me.” So,  hard as it was too do, I didn’t.

Over the next 15 minutes, I figured out why Coach Patterson had chosen to sit in one of the two chairs to my right, when there were about 15 open to my left…I was the happy hour version of a left guard. I was meant to be a barricade, but it didn’t work. The next 14-18 people that entered the bar area, were on the coach like a Kardashian on a twinkie. He couldn’t get more than two bites in a row of his smothered steak without someone interrupting him with some such version of “Coach, I don’t mean to interrupt your dinner, but I just wanted to tell you what a great job you’re doing. I think you are the best”.

After coach finally finished dinner, autographed a menu for one of the waitresses and paid his tab, he rose from his barstool to leave. I decided to give him the nod…you know the one… it’s that single down then up head motion that an unimportant person gives an important person when they know they aren’t supposed to talk to that important person. But I guess the coach didn’t recognize it, because instead he looked at me and said, “What’s the deal? Why are you the only person in Hoffbrau that didn't tell me how great I am?” Then he laughed and walked out.

When I asked for my tab a couple crown on the rocks later, Amber told me that the coach took care of it. Said I was the only one who didn’t interrupt his dinner and he appreciated it. “Pretty cool, huh?” she said. I just smiled…and then I gave her the nod…you know the one...

2012 Frog First in Big 12

Depending on whom you ask, TCU's first season in the Big 12 could be viewed as either a disappointment, a success or both. The Frogs were crippled by injuries, hampered by youth, and staggered by the loss of their QB Casey Pachall to suspension. The fact that TCU was able to hold it together and finish with a winning record against Big 12 competition, speaks to the character of this team and their coach. But there also could be a case made for 2012 being a pretty big disappointment. The suspension of Pachall, the home loss to Iowa State after starting the season 3-0, and a 56-53 triple over-time loss to Texas Tech at home were all things that could lead one to argue that the Frogs let a more memorable season get away.  In my opinion, the 2012 TCU season was more success than failure.  Despite a plethora of obstacles, the Frogs finish with a winning record and a bowl bid.  They got a young core of players playing time and experience that will serve them well this year and next and last but not least... they beat Texas, in Austin, for the first time since 1967.
 
Truth be known, predicting TCU to finish third in the Big 12 in 2013, might be a little ambitious, or maybe a year early. In light of the fact that the Frogs are still very young, have already lost a starter on each side of the ball and have a schedule that requires visits to Norman, Stillwater and Manhattan this year...a middle of the pack conference finish wouldn't be much of a stretch to imagine.  But two words keep me from believing middle of the pack when it comes to TCU: Gary Patterson.  I'm not sure that any coach in the country, save Saban at Alabama, means more to their program than Patterson does TCU.

Call it the Patterson effect, but I am taking a flyer on TCU this year to surprise some people.  I just hope one of those they surprise isn't the Sooners. TCU comes to Norman to play OU on October 5th.  If you have to come to Norman, this is a pretty good spot on the schedule to do it.  With the Texas game on deck for the Sooners, TCU might be able to catch OU making the mistake of looking ahead.

TCU has won in Norman before.  In 2005 the Sooners were breaking in a red-shirt freshman QB when they lost the season opener to TCU.  Gary Patterson would love to do it again to Bob Stoops and the Sooners.  If it were to happen, I would fully expect Patterson to give Stoops a nod as they left the field...you know the nod...it’s that single down then up head motion that a winning coach gives to the losing coach. If the nod could speak it would say something like..."Hey, Bob...aren't you going to tell me how great I am?" 

 
     TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson 

 

 

 

 

Just the opinion of one mildly interested guy

 

The Overweight Armchair Sooner

 

Buddy Putty

IS MACK'S MOUTH WRITING CHECKS HIS ASH CAN'T CASH?

 

                                                                          

 TEXAS LONHORNS

2013 Predicted Conference Finish: 4th

LONGHORNS @ A GLANCE:
Head Coach: Mack Brown
Stadium:  Darrell K Royal- Texas Memorial Stadium (101,851) / Austin, TX
2012 Record  9-4 (5-4)
   Home 4-2
   Away 4-1
   Neutral / Bowl 1-1
Bowl Game; Yes, defeated Oregon State 31-27 in Alamo Bowl
Returning Starters 19
   Offense 10
   Defense 9
Longhorn Laundry List: Install new hurry up offense, address LB position and pray that kicking game doesn't lose a game or two
Key Game K-State @ home 9/21
2013 vs. OU: October 12th @ Cotton Bowl / Dallas

DID YOU KNOW?
Texas has been the nation's third most successful team since Mack Brown took over in 1998, having won 150 games over those 15 seasons.  Boise State (162) and Oklahoma (150) are the only two with more wins over that same span.

"Our team is at a different point now, we're an older football team, we get it"
     "This will be the best team we have had in three years."
          "2013 is the season we have been pointing too, this is our year."
               "Now we got to shut up and do it"
                    -Texas Head Coach Mack Brown

For the Texas Longhorns, the time is now...right now...this year...this season.  There are no more excuses to fall back on; mediocrity can no longer be justified.  Changed have been made, cohesiveness has been found and all things adrift have been righted. The young have aged, experience has been gathered and an identity has been found. Yes, Mack, now comes the hard part...you have to shut up and do it.
While it may look like Mack didn't do himself any favors by verbally painting himself into a corner with his 'win in 2013 or bust attitude,' the fact of the matter is, the expectations of Longhorn fans already had him placed there.

Longhorn fans are not just tired of being patient; they are also tired of being embarrassed.  Since the Longhorns loss to Alabama in the 2009 title game, the Horns have gone a very pedestrian like 22-16.  Included in that 3 season stretch was:

- The 5-7 meltdown of 2010. After starting out 3-0, the Longhorns would lose 7 of their next 9, resulting in their first losing season since 1997.  Five of those losses were at home, including an embarrassing 28-21 loss to Iowa State, their first ever to the Cyclones.
-The demise and transfer of Garrett Gilbert. Gilbert, from nearby Austin Westlake, was the 2008 USA Today POY, and top ranked QB in the class of 2009.  He was expected to the franchise QB after Colt McCoy left, but never came close to meeting those expectations and subsequently transferred to SMU.
-Three straight losses to Oklahoma, the last two by a combined score of 118-38.

There are those in the national media that agree that this is the year that Brown and the Longhorns return to national prominence...and I will admit that there are quite a few reasons to agree...things like:

1. 19 returning starters
2. What could be the best stable of RB's in the country
3. Their entire offensive line returns
4. What should be one of the best secondary's in the country
5. A defensive line that might be the Big 12's best

No team, outside of Tuscaloosa at least, is without its weaknesses, the Longhorns included.  They have two good, possibly great receivers, but I question whether they have the depth at the position that they are going to need in order to run the hurry-up offense Applewhite wants to employ this year.  The LB position was a big problem last year, and while they get their best LB Jordan Hicks back from injury, I am skeptical that they are much improved in that area.  The Texas kicking game is dreadful; Texas fans can only hope that the kicking game doesn't cost them a game...or more.

But the reason given by most as to why the Horns are the favorites in the Big 12 and should be included in the national title conversation...is the very reason I think they shouldn't.  That reason is their quarterback, David Ash.

Why is everyone so excited about David Ash?  I realize I am an obsessed Sooner fan, but I really tried to take a step back and be objective about this...here is what I came up with:

What is being said:  Texas & TCU have an advantage over the rest of the Big 12 because they are the only two teams with returning QB that have extensive experience.
What The OAS says: I will agree that having a returning starting QB has some advantage to it, but unless that QB is great, the advantage is minimal. In my opinion, David Ash was the 10th best QB in the Big 12 last year.  That's right, 10th. WVA, OU, Baylor, KSU, Texas Tech and TCU (Pachall) all had better QB's than Ash last year....and Oklahoma State had three that I would have taken over Ash. I'm not saying Ash completely sucks, but if 9 other QB's in the conference hadn't run out of electives to enroll in, David Ash is not a why, he is a why not.

What is being said:  David Ash is more mature, is showing signs of being a leader and is poised to take the next step.
What The OAS says: OK, maybe so.  But while I guess it is a better sign to see your QB be more of a leader during the offseason than if he wasn't, the measure of a QB will come only when the season starts. For a QB to be an effective leader, he has to not only be good, but he has to be good in the big ball games.
It is a statistical fact that QB's make their biggest improvement between year one and year two of being a starter.  David Ash's big improvement last year from 2011 shows he is no exception.  If that theory hold true, then it is not unrealistic to believe that the David Ash of last 2012, is pretty much the David Ash you should expect to see in 2013.  That has to be a little unnerving for Texas fans, because this is the "much improved" David Ash of last year:

-An 8-5 record as a starter. (12-6 career)
-In the 5 losses Ash had 1 touchdown pass vs 7 interceptions
-The 8 wins came against teams with a combined record of 46-56...with none of the teams Texas beat winning more than 8 games (Alamo opponent Oregon State won 9).
-He lost to OU by 42.  Actually when Ash came out of the game, the Longhorns had score 8 points...NONE of which were scored by Ash and the offense. It was Case McCoy who came in and engineered two trash touchdown drives to make the score a more 'respectable' 63-21.  Speaking of McCoy...
-Ash played so poorly against 1-11 Kansas that he was benched. If not for Chase McCoy leading the Longhorns back with 14 late 4th quarter points, the Horns would have suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in school history.

So while it is true that Ash's stats were much better in 2012 than in 2011, his stats against the better teams in the conference still sucked.

I guess what bothers me, is that everyone seems to be basing their Ash exuberance on the fact that he is a year older and for the way he rallied Texas to victory over the Oregon State Beavers in the Alamo Bowl.  Hell, if growing older and 'licking Beavers,' is all it takes to get people excited in Austin, then why don't they just name Matthew McConaughey as the Longhorn QB.  (With any luck, my mother won't get that joke.)

I would also argue that some of Ash's experience will be offset by the new hurry up offense that Applewhite and the Horns are implementing this year.  That change seems strange to me, since the strength of the Texas offense would seem to be their rushing attack.  While there is no law that says you can't run the ball out of the hurry up, usually the way that offense is most effective, is to tire out the opposing defense by throwing the football.  Teams can struggle with the transition to a hurry up offense...so a lot is riding on Ash being much improved this year...if not, the new offense might just be playing into the opposing teams hands, and I mean that literally.

 

With 19 returning starters, Texas should be good this year.  But I don't see them being great unless David Ash's performance improves dramatically against the top opponents on the Longhorn schedule.  I guess I am skeptical of that improvement being enough to get the Horns over the top.

 

Mack Brown says this is David Ash's team.  With no excuses to fall back on, Mack better hope Ash is the 'real McCoy' this season, because if he isn't, David Ash's team might have a new head coach next year. 

 

Just the opinion of one mildly interested guy

 

The Overweight Armchair Sooner

 

Buddy Putty

BAYLOR BEAR-ING FRUIT OF BRILES LABOR

BAYLOR BEARS

2013 Projected Conference Finish: 5th

 

 

BEARS @ A GLANCE:

 

HEAD COACH:  Art Briles (entering 6th season 33-30)

STADIUM: Floyd Casey Stadium 50,000 / Waco, TX

2012 RECORD  8-4 (4-5)

   HOME                                  5-1

   AWAY                                  1-4

   COWBOYS STADIUM/BOWL    2-0

BOWL GAME: Yes, beat #17 UCLA in the Holiday Bowl

RETURNING STARTERS:  13

   OFFENSE   6

   DEFENSE   7

BEAR ESSENTIALS:  Must improve the defense. In the games against Texas & West Virginia, the Baylor offense scored 113 total points (avg 56.5 ppg) and lost

KEY GAME @ K-State Oct 12th. The Wildcats want revenge for last year's loss in Waco that possibly cost KSU a berth in the BCS Championship game.  The winner of this early game helps themselves big-time in the Big 12 race.

 

2013 vs OU: November 7th - Waco.  The Sooners last trip to Floyd-Casey

 

DID YOU KNOW?

That this is the last season for the Bears at Floyd-Casey Stadium their home since 1950?  After this season, Baylor will move into their new $250 million home on the Brazos.  The new facility will hold 45,000, with 39 suites, 74 semi-private boxes, 1200 outdoor club seats and a designated student section that holds 6700 Baylor undergrads.

 

 

 







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BEAR-LY RECOGNIZABLE

 

I'm not going to lie to you, I don't care for Waco, Texas...and I feel pretty certain that the feeling is mutual.  I mean let's face it, any place that strongly frowns on drinking and dancing, probably won't be thrilled with too many of the other traits that come standard with Buddy Putty.  With all of that in mind, I decided a long time ago to do us both a favor and spend as little time in Waco as possible.  Hey, The OAS is nothing, if not reasonable, right?  But if having fun is hard to do in Waco, then winning football games there would have to rate as...

 

In my opinion, anyone who took the Baylor head football coaching job was basically committing career suicide.  Baylor is a small private school...a little orphan Andy compared to the big, rich and powerful Daddy Warbucks' like A&M and Texas.  Waco would be a tough sell if it was in Malibu, but being stuck half-way between Dallas and Austin, and little more than an hour from College Station, was like being in the Bermuda Triangle of recruiting.  If for some reason a top recruit passes on the two state heavy-weights, there are still 6 other Division I schools just in Texas that Baylor has to compete with to sign a top talent.  Throw in perennial poachers of Texas talent like OU, OSU and LSU and you could see where Baylor might be a tough place to build a program.  In fact, if you ask the four guys who tried to do it following Grant Teaff's retirement in 1992 they might call the task...impossible.

 

(Queue the music please)...But then Baylor hired Art Briles.  The turnaround that Briles has orchestrated in Waco is very Bill Snyderesque. While most would agree that Baylor hadn't become quite the joke that the KSU program Snyder took over was, the Bears were certainly 'knock-knocking' on the door of it.

 

What kind of turnaround job has Art Briles done at Baylor?

These were the facts before Briles arrived- from 1996-2007 (12 seasons):*usa today college football report

1.  Baylor won only 35 games total
2.  Won only 11 conference games
3.  Played in zero Bowl Games
4.  Produced only 3 All-Americans
5.  Had only 3 players taken in the NFL draft. Not first round, the entire draft!

 

These are the facts since Briles took over in 2008 (5 seasons)

1. Baylor has won 33 games
2. Has won 17 conference games
3. Has won 2 bowl games
4. Has produced 13 All-Americans, including a Heisman Trophy winner
5. Has had 14 players taken in the NFL draft.

Art Briles is building the Baylor program for the long haul.  His background as a Texas high school football coach has served him well in the state's recruiting circles.  He has an offensive system in place that hardly lost a beat after RG3 graduated.  Most importantly, he has the backing of the big donors and the powers that be in Waco...to build the facilities necessary for him to compete with the big schools. 

Under Briles guidence, Baylor is no longer the football doormat of the Big 12 Conference; or a team that conference powers can annually chalk up as a W...just ask OU in 2011 and #1 ranked K-State last year.  But before Baylor can talk championship, conference or otherwise, they will need to play some better defense. 

 

2013 Baylor Bears

Downside...the defense doesn't improve and Bryce Petty doesn't turn out to be the projected star QB that everyone thinks he is...Baylor falls to 6-6 and the second division of the Big 12.
Upside: Defense causes turnovers, and the Baylor offense rolls behind the legs of Heisman RB candidate Lache Seastruck and the arm of QB Petty to a 10-2 / 11-1 season...
Reality: I think 8-4 and 5th in conference is the call for the 2013 Bears. 

There is no doubt about the fact that things in Waco are good these days when it comes to Baylor football.  There is a new stadium on the Brazos, a Heisman in the trophy case, and a spirit of hope and anticipation about Baylor Bear football not seen in some time, if ever.  Art Briles has changed the culture and attitude of those in the Baylor program which has resulted in the program being viewed differently by those outside of it. Yes, Art Briles has made it fun to be a Baylor Bears fan....now if he could only do something about Waco.

Just the opinion of one mildly interested fan

The Overweight Armchair Sooner

Buddy Putty

BACK TO THE FUTURE

KANSAS STATE WILDCATS

Predicted 2013 Conference Finish 6th

 

 

WILDCATS @ A GLANCE:

 

HEAD COACH: Bill Snyder (Entering 22nd Seasons / 178-85-1)

STADIUM: Bill Snyder Family Stadium (50,000) / Manhattan, KS

2012 RECORD  11-2 (8-1)

   HOME  7-0

   AWAY  4-1
BOWL GAME: Yes, BCS Fiesta Bowl / Lost to Oregon 35-17

RETURNING STARTERS 10

   OFFENSE    8

   DEFENSE    2
WILDCAT WANTS: Settle of new QB, replace most of defense
KEY GAMES: Everyone will find out about the Wildcats early as they start conference with games: @ Texas, @ OSU and home against Baylor.
2013 vs. OU: The Sooners travel to Manhattan to play KSU on Saturday, November 23rd.

 

DID YOU KNOW?

That K-State is 316-530-1 without Bill Snyder...170-85-1 with the purple windbreaker on the sideline.

Kansas State Head Football Coach and
Miracle Worker - Bill Snyder
The real Wizard of Oz?

WHY 6TH PLACE?

Good question. Picked to finish no better than 6th in most 2012 pre-season polls, the Kansas State Wildcats went on to finished 8-1 last year and capture the Big 12 title and a Fiesta Bowl berth...
But I look for the Wildcats to be more in the middle of the pack this year with a new QB and having to replace 9 of 11 starters on defense.  They have solid o-line and RB's, so QB won't be asked to be hero, but I see a step back this year.  That being said, with no team in the conference having a returning star QB, makes this years Big 12 race a wide open one that anyone, including K-State could win.

BACK TO THE FUTURE

No, I can assure you that Bill Clinton isn't still in the Oval Office, doing whatever he claims he didn't.  The movie Titanic isn't up for best picture last year, which is fitting, since this story involves a ship that has been righted, not one that sinks.  You might still be using Windows 98, but it is hardly brand new to the market place. I can also promise you that sadly, Frank Sinatra and Roy Rogers are still gone and that unfortunately, Sonny Bono isn't out of the woods.  But if watching the Kansas State Wildcats last season took you on a journey back in time to say 1998, well, that is certainly understandable; because just like back in 1998 the 2012 Wildcats were certainly...'Gettin' Jiggy with it."  Damn, that white haired old man in the purple jacket can coach....still.

BILLVILLE

It is not by coincidence, that in order to get to Manhattan, Kansas you have to turn off I-70 and take the Bill Snyder highway into the city limits.  The only reason that the football stadium at Kansas State says Bill Snyder Family Stadium is that it's namesake insisted on adding Family to the name.  There is also a Bill Snyder Street, a Bill Snyder Center and even future plans to rename Manhattan: Snyder, Kansas. OK, OK, I was making that last part up, but I don't think many people in Manhattan would mind if they did.  Yes, K-State head football coach Bill Snyder is that popular...but then, miracle workers usually are.

In his first stint as the head football coach at Kansas State University, (1988-2005) Bill Snyder did the impossible...he turned K-State into a winner. What Snyder accomplished was the equivalent of transforming Rosie O'Donnell into a super-model...like making Warren Beatty humble or Salt Lake City a party town.  How bad was it before he got there you didn't ask?

B.S. (before Snyder) the Wildcats went 137-445-18 (.301 winning percentage) from 1935-1988, with only 5 winning seasons during that 54 years span...which is to say they won about as often as I eat tofu.  Want some real perspective on how bad the program was? The five winning seasons they had over that 54 year span was three less than the eight winless seasons they had over the same.  Wow. 

Enter Bill Snyder. Snyder found a way to recruit good athletes to a school that was literally out in the middle of nowhere...the closest major airport a 130 miles away.  He also sold kids on coming to a school that had no tradition at all, unless you count being the worst college football program in the nation as a tradition. But the key thing Snyder did was bring in the kids that nobody else was recruiting and coach them up.  A look at the Bill Snyder coaching tree shows that his philosophy must have had some merit: 8 former assistant coaches have gone on to coach at major universities, including both Stoops brothers, Mark Mangino (KU), Jim Leavitt (South Florida),  Dana Dimell @ Wyoming and Bret Bielema who was at Wisconsin and now @ Arkansas.

Snyder stepped down in 2005, following two seasons in which the Wildcats had gone 9-15.  The resignation was thought to be the best thing for all parties involves, with many questioning Snyder's ability to coach at a high level anymore.

The school hired Ron Prince.  It is said you never want to follow a coaching legend, a credo that OU's Gary Gibbs might agree with...but Ron now has the dubious distinction of both following and preceding a legend...amazingly, the same legend.  After 3 controversial years and a declining win-loss record under Prince, K-State made a change. Bill Snyder, the same man many in Manhattan had decided couldn't coach anymore, was hired to clean up the mess that was K-State football....again. 

As the title of Shania Twain's 1998 hit single would suggest...Bill Snyder is "Still The One" in Manhattan, KS.  From the looks of it, they better start building something else they can name after him, because it doesn't look like Bill Snyder has run out of miracles just quiet yet.

Just the opinion of one mildly interested guy

The Overweight Armchair Sooner

Buddy Putty







DEFENSE IS OFFENSIVE IN MORGANTOWN

WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS

2013 Predicted Conference Finish: 7th

 

 



MOUNTAINEERS @ A GLANCE:

Head Coach: Dana Holgorsen (entering 4th season / 17-9)
Stadium: Milar Puskar Stadium (60,000) / Morgantown, WVA
2012 Record:    7-6 (4-5)
   2012 Home            5-3
   2012 Away              2-2
Bowl Game: Got taken to the cleaners by Syracuse 38-14 in the Pinstripe Bowl
Returning Starters:   11
   Offense:     4
   Defense:     7
Mountaineer Musts: Settle on a QB / reload at WR and lure their defense out of the witness protection program

2013 vs. OU: The Mountaineers come to Norman on Sept. 7th (Game 2)

Key Swing Game: Texas Tech October 19th - Morgantown.  Winner of this game improves chances at snagging a second-tier bowl game.

DID YOU KNOW?...

That these are actual laws in the state of West Viginia?

1.  It is legal for a male to have sex with an animal as long as it weighs less than 40 lbs.
2. It is legal to beat your wife as long as it is done on the courthouse steps, in public and on Sunday.
3. No children may attend school with the smell of 'wild' onion on their breath.

2012 WVA 5.0

 

For Dana Holgorsen and the West Virginia Mountaineers, year one as a member of the Big 12 Conference was quiet a rollercoaster ride.  A tale of two seasons that was a lot of things, but boring certainly wasn't one of them.

The Mountaineers came out of the gate like Kasey Kahne in his #5 Quaker State Chevrolet.  After five games, the Mountaineers, led by QB and Heisman candidate Geno Smith, seemed to be hitting on all five cylinders.  They were 5-0 for the first time in five seasons, ranked #5 in the AP Poll and coming off a victory over Texas in Austin that undoubtedly had WVU fans high-fivin' on 6th Street.  But the fast start was a mirage and the house of cards that was the 2012 Mountaineer season would soon tumble...leaving those high-fivin' fans in need of a fifth of whiskey.

Defense takes the fifth...

 

There is an old adage in baseball that states: good pitching beats good hitting, which is why some of the best hitters in baseball still fail nearly 70% of the time. 
 
In hockey, it is possible for an 8th seed to ride a hot goalie to a Stanley Cup, as evidenced by the 2011-2012 LA Kings.  During their run to the cup they beat the 1st, 2nd and third seeds behind the incredible net-minding of Jonathan Quick.

In the NBA, most of the past championships were won with a big man like Russell, Jabbar, Malone, Parrish, Olajuwon, Shaq or Duncan playing defense in the middle.  Recently, teams have proven you don't have to have the dominant man in the middle to win a title...but what do Michael, Kobe and LaBron all have in common besides multiple rings and a recognizable first name moniker?  All three have been named to the NBA's First-Team All -Defensive team. 

Then there is football, where the saying goes: offense sells tickets, defense wins championships.   The WVU offense had been rolling, but the early success that resulted in a 5-0 record, was over-shadowing the fact that the WVU defense was taking it in the proverbial five-hole....giving up almost 500 yards a game.  All I can say is, I hope that ticket sales were good.

West Virginia will have to replace
record setting QB Geno Smith

2012 WVU -5.0

 

The Mountaineer offense was one of the best in the nation last season, especially throwing the football. The problem was the only team better at moving the ball thru the air is whoever the Mountaineers were playing each week.

Starting with Texas Tech on October 13th, the Mountaineers woul* lose five in a row, and six of their next 8.  *uring that WVU five game losing streak the Mountaineer *efense gave up an average of 553 yar*s and 49.5 points a game.  WVU gave up 662 yar*s and 50 points at home to the Sooners, a game they lost *espite scoring 49 points and having 336 yar*s rushing from Tavon Austin.  Sorry about the missing D's.  I just figured if WVU wasn't going to play any D, then why should I?

You have heard of a hurry-up offense, but in 2012, WVU had a hurry-up defense.  They let the other team score so fast that the WVU offense got tired of being on the field.  The Mountaineer defense was OK on third-downs, because rarely did the other team face one.  When I was in Morgantown last year, one WVU fan told me..."I think we play a lot of nickel defense, because that is about all we are worth."  Ouch.

From 5-0 to 5-5 and now needing to win out to even be bowl eligible...the Mountaineers rallied to beat Iowa State and Kansas to receive a birth to the Pinstripe Bowl.

For 2013, I could have easily had WVU ranked lower than this, but ultimately settled for 7th.  The defense almost has to be better, doesn't it? But better in this case isn't saying much.  To not finish in the bottom third of the Big 12, they will need to be a whole lot better.  Offensively, they have to replace their QB and almost all of the production that came from the WR position is gone....but I don't worry about that as much with Dana Holgorsen at the helm.  WVA will move the ball and score some points...but will it be another season of playing make-it-take-it, or will the Mountaineers play some defense this year?  Mountaineer fans, keep that fifth of whiskey within reach...

Just one mildly interested guy's opinion

The Overweight Armchair Sooner

Buddy Putty

 

RED RAIDERS COME HOME AGAIN

TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS

Projected 2013 Conference Finish: 8th

RED RAIDERS @ A GLANCE:

Head Coach: Kliff Kingsbury (1st Year)
Stadium: Jones AT&T Stadium (60,862)/ Lubbock, TX
2012 Record: 8-5 (4-5)
   2012 Home 4-2
   2012 Away 4-3* (lost to Baylor in Dallas)
2012 Bowl Game: Meineke Car Care Bowl / Beat Minnesota 34-31
Returning Starters 15
   Offense 6
   Defense 9
Players to watch: Coach Kliff Kingsbury not a player
Key Games: October 19th @ WVA…winner of this game probably makes a bowl game and climbs out of bottom third of Big 12
2013 vs. OU: October 26th in Norman

Did You Know?

Both my parents and my Aunt Kay and Uncle Clark went to school @ Texas Tech. My dad played football there for two seasons and my uncle was on the swim team. I attended Texas Tech football camp in 1977 after my 6th grade season. Head Coach Rex Dockery was evidently not impressed since I left without a scholarship offer. Any wonder he was fired soon after?


My dad @ Texas Tech.
Looks like he might have a
mouth full of Lubbock water! 

THERE OUGHT TO BE A SIDESHOW ACT

FOR FREAKS LIKE ME

I will say this about the athletic department at Texas Tech University…they aren’t scared to take a chance on hiring somebody. It’s almost like they put a cardboard sign in the bottom corner of a window at the athletic offices that says: The eccentric, controversial, inheriting, out of favored and unwanted need apply.

Over the last few years the athletic department has hired a want to be pirate (Leach), a tyrant (Gillispie), a dictator (Knight), a descendant (Pat Knight) and a slapper (Tuberville). Hell, I say why stop there? Just hire grumpy (Bill Parcells) and sleazy (Lane Kiffin) and give Betty White a call and they would have the antithesis of an iconic fairytale. They could call it ‘Betty White and the Seven Remorse’s.’

But that didn’t happen. Instead of a sideshow act they went for character…instead of an exotic gamble they invested in a solid foundation. Less short term fixes, more long term solution. Instead of losing their minds, they finally used their heads. Kirby Hocutt decided enough is enough and decided to cut his losses. Goodbye Billy Gillispie, good-bye drama. Damn, would have been fun.

Kirby Hocutt was named Athletic Director at Texas Tech in 2011. The sign on his door and title on his business cards will confirm that to be his position, but only because it would take a highway billboard to define his real job description. To be successful, Hocutt is going to have to be a Mediator, a Therapist, a Good Will Ambassador, a Fundraiser and a Hand-Holder. Hocutt’s job is to not only restore order to the Tech Athletic Department, but also to reunite a Tech fan base that has been fractured since the firing of Mike Leach.

After a slow start…it looks like Hocutt might be getting it right.

NOTHING SAYS HOME LIKE ONE OF YOUR OWN

Hocutt’s first hire as new AD was basketball coach Billy Gillispie. Gillispie had been out of coaching two years after Kentucky fired him in 2009. Hocutt said he saw an opportunity for Tech to have the kind of success Gillispie brought to UTEP and Texas A&M. “But you know what? It didn’t. It didn’t work out and what you do is you stand back and you reassess the situation and you learn from it and you move forward,” Hocutt said

Whatever lesson Hocutt learned must have hit home…literally. Hocutt has hired four other head coaches since the ill-fated BG fiasco. Three of the four hires had one major thing in common…they were former Red Raiders coming home. Baseball coach Tim Tadlock, who played for the Red Raiders in 1990 and 1991, was hired in June 2012, and Candi Whitaker, who played under former Lady Raiders coach Marsha Sharp in 2001 and 2002, was hired last month. The only non-former RR was basketball coach Tubby Smith, a man whose integrity and character is tough to challenge. But no hire has been more therapeutic to the Red Raider Nation than bringing back former QB Kliff Kingsbury.

Texas Tech is a place and culture that is different from others. Tech will never have the money or resources to compete with fellow in state schools like Texas & Texas A&M. Unless you are from west Texas, Tech can seem isolated and distant. Nor would I imagine Lubbock, TX as being a dream destination for most recruits…unless of course they like water that taste like shit and a climate that might include wind, heat, cold and sand all in the same day. That being said, I have never met a single person who went to school there that didn’t love it and make it sound like the greatest place ever. Hmmm, The OAS is kind of slow sometimes, but I am starting to understand….maybe it takes one to know one…

The hiring of Kingsbury has been applauded by both those he has worked under and nationally; but more importantly it has been well received by the Red Raider Nation. It has brought back a level of trust among those that became disillusioned with things when Mike Leach, Tech’s all-time winningest coach, was fired in 2009. To Tech fans it doesn’t matter that he is only 34 or that he has never been a head coach before. It doesn’t matter if he hasn't thrown a chair across a court or wears an iconic sweater. They could care less about whether he like pirates or whether he is the son of a Hall Of Famer…all they know is he is one of them…their son…a Red Raider. Welcome Home Kliff, just remember… don’t drink the water.

Just the opinion of one mildly interested guy

The Overweight Armchair Sooner (The OAS)

Buddy Putty