Living And Dying With Colt McCoy
by Peter Bean on Jun 25, 2007 10:53 AM CDT
in Texas Longhorns Football
Email
PrintYou know how we all have our handful of points we like to beat mercilessly into the ground? Like, HornsChamp's got his scheduling gripes. EyesOfBevo thinks the short-yardage blocking has left a lot to be desired. And so on?
I've certainly got my own. Chris Ogbonnaya reminds me of Priest Holmes. Quan Cosby may approach the receptions record this year. Robert Joseph is ready to break out as a star in the secondary.
Today, in case you've missed my scattershot notes on this point, I lay out my big one for 2007: Texas lives and dies with Colt McCoy.
As the summer winds on and August approaches, the same handful of points will be debated endlessly by Texas fans this year.
How will the secondary perform?
Can we get more consistent play from the linebackers?
Can we fix the short-yardage running game?
The answers to each of those questions will be important in determining the outcome of the 2007 season, but not, I'm going to argue, as important as the passing game.
Picture, thousand words, etc:
The red boxes indicate Colt's down games (as defined by QB rating). To sum:
Ohio State His first real game, against one of the nation's very best teams in 2006, with coaches unsure what he's capable of. Colt struggles, Texas is handily defeated.
Nebraska Colt goes into Memorial Stadium, fights through a snowstorm, delivers one of the greatest TD throws I've ever seen (to Limas Sweed, for 50 yards, as he's obliterated on a blitz), and gets Texas into last-second, game-winning field goal range. We lose that game with a lesser quarterback.
Texas A&M Colt listens to overbearing father, plays through pain, is ineffective, and Texas loses.
And that's it. Three games in which Colt struggled, with Texas going 1-2. Texas' other loss, to Kansas State, helps illustrate the point, as well. A healthy McCoy marches the 'Horns down the field for an opening drive touchdown (McCoy 4-4, 51 yards). McCoy gets hurt, Snead comes in, the offense isn't as effective, the team collapses as a whole, etc.
(Non-Texas fans, pointing to the 45 Wildcat points, like to argue that the Kansas State loss was due to a failure on defense. Longhorn fans know better. The defense was abysmal, but the 'Horns lost because of two fumbles (Charles, Young), a blocked punt, and erratic passing from Snead. With McCoy, Texas scores 46+. Whatever it would have taken, Colt had it. No doubt in my mind.)
((While we're gettin' parenthetical, Aggies like to point to their 200+ yards rushing in chest thumping their win, saying it was the Texas defense which lost the game. Again, Longhorn fans know better. The Aggies deserve credit for their outstanding afternoon rushing the football, and for taking advantage of McCoy's weaknesses, but there's no chance in hell that 12 points wins that football game if Colt is 100%. Hell, it took a tremendously weak pass interference penalty to keep Texas from 14 points. Which would have won the game.))
So, what's the point of all this? I'm just starting to beat my war drum - Texas will sink or swim with Colt McCoy's health and effectiveness. With new faces on the offensive line, the running game, important as it is, will need to feed off the passing game. (Which is fine. It's a mistake to think you can only open up the pass via the run; the opposite is true, as well.)
The pass defense simply can't be any worse than it was in 2006, statistically speaking.
Provided Texas enjoys better luck with injuries, the linebackers, too, can't help but improve. I'm even coming around to the idea that this can be a team strength this year. Shoot me, I'm an optimist.
All told, I'm sold on the idea that the wins will come to the degree that Colt performs well. Which means that the pass blocking in general, and Tony Hills in particular, are far more important than anything else. That, and Greg Davis' willingness not to get overly-caught up in an "establish the run at all costs" mindset. If he sees thinks like I do (and the evidence from last year indicates he does), his gameplan will work quite the opposite - spreading the field, using Colt-to-Quan/Finley as his running game of sorts, while stretching the field with Sweed and Shipley. Once teams get tired of that particular form of punishment, there ought to be ample room for Charles and Co. to scamper about.
Adjust your mindsets, Longhorn fans. Ricky Williams, Cedric Benson, Vince Young, and a stacked offensive line are all out. Colt McCoy and the best receiving corps in school history are in.
Used properly, and remaining healthy, that's a BCS Bowl-bound offense.
--PB--
59 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
comments
You make some good points, but I'm not convinced that the situation is as dire as last year. We don't know how poorly or how well Harris and/or Chiles will play if they are needed. We can expect some rookie mistakes, but for all we know they could come out and be impressive. The schedule this year isn't exactly the most difficult.
Hopefully, Mack learned from last year, and will get at least one of them some PT early in the season. He won't feel the need to get Colt as much time as possible on the field like he did last year.
I had forgotten about that ridiculous pass interference call during the Aggie game. "Tremendously weak" is an understatement. I couldn't believe that one - although Sweed has gotten pretty skilled at getting away with a little shove here and there.
pretty much what I was thinking
I think Mack and co. are considering it a high priority to get Chiles/Harris ready and playing time. I don't know how they'll be used, but Mack's not going to be counting on Colt and Colt alone. I think the progression of Chiles/Harris will be huge for Texas' success this year.
Damn, is football here yet?
I thought Sweed was getting away with offensive
pass interference for most of the season, ala Rashaun Woods.
He was just finally called on it against A&M.
It wasn't a weak call, btw. Ask any ref, "If the receiver hits the defensive back in the facemask while trying to jockey for position to catch the ball, is it interference?" and see what they say.
subject
I haven't seen a clip of that play since that game, but I remember thinking it was a pretty bad call at the time... They'd have to call offensive PI on every play if they're going to call that kind of thing...
It was ticky-tack
And you're right - even if you COULD interpret it as illegal, you'd never bother or there'd be penalties all too often.
Bad call.
Not the reason we lost, but bad call.
safety issues
as long as I can hit people in the back when the play's already over...
Found the video on YouTube
And the rules:
http://www.ncaa.org/library/rules/20...
While not directly to the facemask, I can see that Sweed does makes contact with the defenders helmet just below the ear piece.
The rules do not specifically call out no hands while jockeying for position in the pass interference section, but if the rule is interpreted as you say it is, then I can see where this call comes from.
One thing to note is that the defender initiates contact on the play and continues to make contact during the entire play, including when the ball is in the air.
can you tell us what page number the rule is?
i'm too lazy to sift through all the language.
by littlevisigoth on Jun 25, 2007 5:05 PM CDT up reply actions
wow
he did make contact with the defender's helmet, after the defender tried to make sweet love to him the entire play. I agree, even worse than I remembered.
Complete crappola
Two guys fighting for the ball. The WR tries to get free from the DB hanging on him and gets the call.
Beerslut is just a big bowl of wrong on that call.
As a Texas fan I can take comfort knowing the only time A&M could scratch and claw a win was with the QB hurt and the ref being blackmailed by Fran with compromising pictures.
I have to agree, of course . . .
. . . but isn't it usually the case that a team wins and loses with QB play?
That's why we were all so worried going into '06. We didn't have a QB we could count on. I don't know about you guys, but McCoy was a complete surprise to me. I thought all summer we were gonna have to go with the VHT Snead. I was a little bugged that he didn't get the job. I was even more bugged that he didn't get more work as the season went on. You'd think Mack would want more insurance against just the type of event that happened at KState.
We are dependent of McCoy, but perhaps not as much as some other teams around the country. As BeerGut pointed out, Mizzou doesn't have much more than Chase Daniel. TTech might be in trouble without Harrell. QB play is critical almost everywhere. At least we have good talent on the rest of the team and two promising if untested backups at QB.
by Arby A on Jun 25, 2007 1:30 PM CDT reply actions
Yes
A fair point, though what I mean that the HIGH END of our expectations is tied to McCoy. This can be a 12-win team if we gun it with a healthy McCoy.
In one way CM is like VY
The whole Longhorns team will feed off it's confidence in Colt McCoy's ability to making plays that keep drives alive and win games. This just like what we saw from Vince Young, his play instilled confidence that no matter what the score is he would make the play that would turn the tide(That was palpable even to fans watching on TV).
That was true at the end of the season last year which can explain why the total team effort sags when CM was out or injured.
On your explanations for the KSU and A&M losses
you're going to 'if' yourself to death
IF McCoy was healthy, we'd have scored 46+
IF McCoy had been healthy, we'd have scored more than 12 points, etc.
texas rushed for 70 yds total in the game. I went back and looked at the 11 play, game-opening drive for texas. Out of 11 plays, you ran the ball 6 times. 4 of those 6 runs, you either pulled or trapped on the play. 2 of those 6 you either base-blocked or zone blocked. On those two plays, you were stopped for a loss and no gain.
If Colt was healthy, do you think it would have made Greg Davis call the running game better?
it sucks
to have to be in a position to think "what if", but for those that watched CM play throughout the season, it was clear that he did not have anything on his passes and did not have any confidence moving around the pocket. it stands to reason that better quarterback play could have made a big difference in how this game plays out. who knows, maybe with more points on the board and more pressure on their offense, A&M puts the ball in the air more and McGee proves us all wrong with his ability to pass and the Aggies still win (not my guess, but i'll leave it in play). the point is (as shown by the stats), Colt was not himself and it's just plain ignorance to attribute that ENTIRELY to the Aggie defense. pointing to an ineffective running game completely ignores the point of the post, and shrugging off the speculation on how a healthier Colt McCoy could have swung the result of the game is just shielding your eyes to the obvious.
by littlevisigoth on Jun 25, 2007 4:57 PM CDT up reply actions
and btw
Why is everyone so high on Limas Sweed?
I know he led the team in total receiving yards and yds per reception, but I still think he's only the 2nd best WR on the team, at best.
Billy Pittman is a bad ass, as he showed in 2005.
If McCoy would throw to him like Vince did, he'll have an all-conference and possibly All-American season.
Sweed
Why wouldn't we be high on Sweed?
Seriously, what a silly question. Nor is it a knock on BP to like Sweed.
It's gonna be a long summer if you try to nitpick every point, Beergut.
(BP could work on his route running, if you must know.)
BP is a good reciever
but that just shows how much depth UT has at that position.
Sweed is bigger, faster and stronger than Pittman, and has grown into his roll as a #1 option receiver. What is it about him that you don't like?
seriously, not trying to nitpick, but you did ask
I'll give you bigger and stronger, but I've never thought Sweed was all that fast. Watching them play, I'd say Pittman would win any footrace between the two of them.
Anyone know what their respective 40 times are?
Sweed's not the fastest
And probably not as fast as BP, but...
As someone put it - forget where - "Sweed plays fast with pads on."
Guy burns on the deep routes. Throw in the 6'5" frame and ever-improving receiver skills, and he's hands down better than Pittman.
With that said, I do think Pittman's got more than we saw last year. Probably part new QB, part a bit of an off year for him (Ohio State fumble, anyone? That, and the number switch on his jersey, seemed to doom him from the onset...)
BP was #5 with VY
Inexplicably switched to #2 prior to last season.
Simms had it, then... gosh, can't recall anyone on the '05 title team having it.
B-Carter!!
That would be Brian Carter, the rarely-used receiver who came up HUGE in the 4th quarter TD drives in the '06 Rose Bowl.
Also Aaron Harris wore #2 on defense
I just thought I'd throw that in just in case anybody had forgotten. He was pretty good, I thought, and was instrumental in the '04 Rose Bowl. We've had so many totally awesome players that we sometimes forget the merely incredible ones (like Larry Dibbles and Dusty Renfro among countless others).
BTW, Brian Carter made a boatload of critical catches againts USC, tOSU, TTech and others.
by Arby A on Jun 27, 2007 1:31 PM CDT up reply actions
You can't be serious
I can admit that I might be wrong. But I can't be convinced that Phil Steele is wrong.
Pittman was very off last year, for whatever reason. Maybe it was his number change to #2. I don't know. He made some fantastic catches in '05. But Sweed was huge in '05 and '06. He and Finley made great catches out of bad freshman passes all year. Pittman made some great plays. He is very good. But Sweed is better.
by Arby A on Jun 25, 2007 4:44 PM CDT up reply actions
seriously dude....you should work for ESPN
because all you do is take whatever position a majority of people have and disagree with it to the point that no one buys what you're saying anymore because it's just part of your schtick. i hear they pay big bucks for people like that at the WWL. disagreeing with every single thing doesn't make you a thoughtful critic, it makes you annoyingly omnipresent. pick your battles, man.
Pittman had an off-year stats-wise last year compared to the previous year because he was to Vince what Quan Cosby is to Colt. Quan and Colt have a great relationship just as Pittman and Vince did. If the receivers had been switched and Quan had the great relationship with Vince, and Pittman had the great relationship with Colt, you'd be sitting here claiming that we were overlooking Quan because he proved he was awesome first. Quan and Pittman are both great over-the-middle-type receivers. Just because Pittman proved it first doesn't mean he's better or he's somehow getting screwed.
I personally think Limas has a lot to do to improve to a point where he'll be a good NFL receiver (like figuring out how to go over the middle and run good routes), but as a college WR used to stretch the field and make catches on deep balls, he's one of if not the best in the country. It's a different skill set than what makes Pittman and Quan valuable.
I don't purposely try to take a contrarian stance
on everything. It just so happens I disagree.
When I keep seeing people saying, Sweed, Sweed, Sweed, Sweed, I wonder why no one talks about Pittman, so I asked.
Pittman and Cosby are slot receivers, Sweed is a flanker, so I'd hope they'd have different skill sets :-p
Came off a little different
As posed, it was, "Why's everyone so high on Sweed?" And then he's immediately contrasted to BP.
Anyway, that's been addressed above. No harm, no foul.
With that said, I think I like Quan over BP. But that's another post.
Limas Sweed in the UT record books
Top touchdown receptions (single season)
- Roy Williams ______________________________________12 (2002)
- Limas Sweed ______________________________________11 (2006)
Top touchdown receptions (career)
- Roy Williams ____________________________________36 (2000-03)
- Limas Sweed ____________________________________16 (2004-06)
He's also #8 in career receptions (102), and #10 in career receiving yards (1539)
Our Rushing attack was off last year
But, it is interesting to see some of the teams that rushed even worse than we did.
Rank Team Yards Record
34 Texas 2114 10-3
37 Wisconsin 2102 12-1
38 Florida 2240 13-1 
44 Wake Forest 2099 11-3
47 Auburn 1927 11-2
53 Brigham Young 1845 11-2
68 Southern Cal 1664 11-2 -
72 Notre Dame 1634 10-3
82 Hawaii 1651 11-3
90 Virginia Tech 1474 10-3
92 Boston College 1469 10-3
One of these teams was the NatChamp and another is picked to win the MNC this year. Notice that all these teams had as good a record as Texas, or better.
Incidentally, TTech was 112th and Baylor was 119th (that is, last in Div1).
by Arby A on Jun 25, 2007 5:32 PM CDT reply actions
Seems to me...
That ya'll got a helluva a QB in Colt. My only worry is I'd like to see him get up faster and not deflate after monstrous hits like that one in the A&M game. Seemed like he was scared the whole game.
by Willy Mac on Jun 25, 2007 5:57 PM CDT reply actions
You have to understand
He was a week and a half removed from a nasty stinger. Getting up was much more of a task for him at that point than, say, you getting off the couch to get a beer while watching the game. I'm certainly not saying he was, but could you blame him if he was playing scared? He couldn't lift his arm for Christ's sake.
And I'm going to take this space to weigh in on the Sweed/Pittman/Cosby debate. Sweed is the obvious #1. He's hands down better than either of the other 2 receivers. Beergut, you can point to any statistic you want. I can pull statistics to prove that ND should have been in the title game given enough time. Statistics don't really prove anything.
But Quan is my guy. I'd rather the ball go to him than Pittman, if not Sweed. He's just a workhorse and a fighter. I haven't seen a receiver fight for yardage like that in quite some time.
What were expectations?
As I look back, statistically, to 2006, I found that your Texas pass offense was 8.7% better than what your opponents in the B12 were allowing.
That score ties for 4th (w/ Nebraska) in the B12, based on B12 games only. With a freshman QB, was that better or worse than anticipated?
I was really afraid we would stink
McCoy was far and away better than I thought he would be.
by Arby A on Jun 27, 2007 1:36 PM CDT up reply actions
The offense is what it is
Keep the ball in Colt's hands, let him pitch it around and put JC out in space.
The running game will happen, but Davis should run everything through that milk drinking assasin's right arm.
It's funny, because this is the type of offense we (ok, mainly me) would love to have seen Simms run, but he couldn't. Now we have a guy who can stick it in someone's ear with a blinfold on, the reicevers to boot -- and all anyone can talk about is a bad running game.
The short-yardage will happen. They've added a fullback and Ogby-one. McGee and company are low pad leg churning guys.
They can get yards on the ground, but I'll take the Playstation points through the air.
Ogby-one?
does that have any significance EOB? or have you just given up trying to spell Ogbonnaya?
either way, i like it.
I can never remember the spelling of his
I'm hoping my enthusiasm for him rubs off on the field.
Maybe I'll get a bobble-head made of him to decorate my desk.
I don't think the problem was lack of a true FB
As I pointed out before, the problem is Davis' playcalling in the run game. You can have a power run game without a FB. Contrary to popular belief, the FB doesn't make the power run game; the OGs and OTs do.
If your OL gels and Davis actually does a good job with the playcalling, your power run game will be fine.
Agree here completely
I've not been including an FB on my depth chart projections; it would be, frankly, a waste of resources.
The problem's solution is not with an I-set power formation in which we lead with a fullback.
God I worry when people start calling for that.
When Lokey was blocking
as a fullback they were much more succesful in 3rd down situations.
I didn't like it, because it was a gimmick -- but it is hard to deny that a good lead blocker would help avoid QB sneaks and the RB getting stoned.
RE: "the RB getting stoned"
Wow, you are really putting the ball on the tee here. Let the tired jokes and puns begin...
Also, thanks to your earlier post, I am now calling for T-shirts using the phrase: Milk Drinking Assasin
Just make sure
to spell "Assassin" correctly if you're going to put it on a t-shirt...
I'd sure like to see . . .
. . . what Ogbonnaya can do with the first string OLine blocking for him. All we have seen so far from him is mop-up duty along with the other third-teamers. He might actually be good, but we wouldn't know it.
by Arby A on Jun 27, 2007 1:41 PM CDT up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
