If I was coach for a day

by EYESofBEVO on Jul 10, 2007 1:43 PM CDT Comment 15 comments

3 things/changes I would implement before the start of the season.

This is kind of like Bruce Almighty w/ the power of god, but you wield the power of Mack Brown instead.
Who knows, maybe some of these will actually happen and I'll look like a sage.

Changes that need to be made.

I'll start with the most controversial. Move Sergio Kindle to RB. It seems like anyone that has gotten a peak of Kindle, 3rd hand comments from coaches -- and what we've seen so far would indicate Kindle may not pan out at LB. Sure this a premature knee jerk reaction, but its the offseason. As head coach I would wait and see if he shows any progress through the summer, maybe even the first game and then pull the plug on his defensive days if things aren't clicking. It isn't like Sergio is an LB or die type player. He was an all-world RB in high school. We caught a glimpse of his potential in the Alamo Bowl and I like to see what he can do. RB is the easiest position to learn and transition. Wasting another sub par performance year at LB would be a shame.

Mix up the secondary with young and old. It never ceases to amaze me how Mack can reload the DBs by slapping another round in the lineup each season. I go in to every season thinking, "so and so will never be as good as the last guy." Wrong. Akina deserves all the credit, but Mack and his staff do an excellent job of developing DBs in to primetime players.

For years I ragged on my favorite whipping boys Huff and C. Griffin and look how they turned out. Hell, Griffin may even be the best D player on his new NFL team. Who saw Ross as a future Thorpe winner in 05? Not me.
So I say give the older guys a chance, because recent history proves they are going to be solid -- but mix in the young guys at safety and sub at corner.

Make GD pass the ball to JC more. Not just screens either, but hit him on routes and out in space. Is it me or did he look like the fastest player on the team with that wheel route against Iowa? Why did GD wait an entire season for that? He should still run the ball, but increase his touches with more activity in the passing game. If GD refuses, I will fire him......or maybe not.

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#3

Definitely agree with this point. Charles is a much more effective runner in space than he is in between the tackles. We can take advantage of this by moving him around more and hitting him out of the backfield (kind of like our version of Reggie Bush).

Let our other running backs churn out yardage inside.

by Jason Mayer on Jul 10, 2007 1:49 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Ditto

Is it weird that the JC Wheel Route is the only play I can remember from the Alamo Bowl?

The kid can obviously run solid routes, and is dangerous in open space. It might be best to split his time 50/50 between RB & Ramonce's old receiver position.

by Shake on Jul 10, 2007 3:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

in which i get mad at fast white football players

that was indeed an unbelievable play. One of the more perfectly executed routes/passes i've ever seen from Texas.

my memory extends to a couple other plays though: the aaron ross interception in the end zone when marcus griffin got beat badly (one of those 2 will be back next year...the wrong one...). also, i remember a certain white wide receiver running past our entire secondary repeatedly. jerk.

by billyzane on Jul 10, 2007 4:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

#1

I'm not opposed to putting Kindle in at RB, but where are you getting this information about his not being a good linebacker?

BTW he has a wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_...

by SelimSivad on Jul 10, 2007 2:58 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Not that he isn't good

but hasn't locked up a starting job yet and is still in "project" phase. Apparently he is still struggling to learn the D.
It isn't a knock on Kindle -- but maybe he is better suited to play RB.

Cats and dogs sleeping together.

by EYESofBEVO on Jul 10, 2007 3:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

#3

I cant decide if I agree with passing to JC more. While the wheel route looked great, and I think they should use it more, my question is how much are we going to need him for pass blocking?

JC is a very good pass blocker, and with our young line we may need him doing that.

With the depth and talent we have a receiver, I don't think it is a net plus to pull one of them to put in a blocking tight end or full back just to get JC running deep routes.

In summary, I agree with #3 only if the 5 linemen can block well enough to give JC time to run a route from the backfield. I don't agree with pulling a receiver to put JC in a slot position or add extra pass blocking.

by Wells on Jul 10, 2007 4:39 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

jc

Not everything for him has to be a designed route like the wheel route. It can be as simple as having him stay in to block and then releasing in the flat or across the middle on a delayed drag route.

In other words, nothing real elaborate, just the opportunity to get him more touches in open space.

by Jason Mayer on Jul 10, 2007 4:45 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think that already happens

remember one of the main complaints from the OSU game last year was that we were throwing too may passes to the RB in the flat.

by Wells on Jul 10, 2007 4:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah

but that was back when the coaches were concerned about Colt's lack of experience - the passing game was a huge question mark, so they tried the pseudo-running game (pass horizontally, run from there).

It might work better now that Colt is considered a threat to throw downfield.

by SelimSivad on Jul 10, 2007 5:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

If JC releases out of the backfield . . .

. . . it forces defenders to stay up instead of dropping back and covering Sweed and Pittman. Just the threat of JC in the open field changes the defense in ways that even Finley can't. In the event that you actually do throw JC the ball, he has only 4 or 5 guys to beat instead of 11. That's a big advantage for a runner as good as JC. That doesn't mean you can throw to him 15 times a game. But if you do it 5 or 6 times it really puts a crimp in the defense.

by Arby A on Jul 10, 2007 10:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

my two cents

#1
Isn't Kindle 6'4? I dont think having a big back is such a good idea considering our young o-line. And he doesnt have the body type of Ron Dayne or Melton. Hes too tall. As much as we need a physical, bruising runningback, I dont think Kindle is an option here. Plus, we are not too stacked on LBs. I think majority of them battled injury throughout last season. And I think he commits himself to learn the playbook, he can beat out Derry or something.

#2
I definitely agree with you on this. I remember Ross getting his butt whipped by Jarrett in the Rosebowl game (granted Jarrett is an All-American and Ross was a nickel back then, but still). Now, I can "hope" palmer and foster can emulate their predecessors. Although I am not very sold on these two. But I was wrong about Ross, so who knows? But I would try to find me a good free-safety and nickel backs. Texas is always going to have hard-hitting SS, which is great. But I think the good pass defense must feature a good FS and backups

#3
I cannot stand Davis simply because he is too predictable. I know he has won many games for us, but I am certain most of the UT fans are frustrated at his ultra-conservative play calling. I would definitely tell Davis to start mixing things up a bit. For instance, when D gets an INT, everyone in the stadium knows that Davis is going to call something deep on the next play. It's supposed to catch them off-guard or something (still amazes me that opposing D-coordinators dont catch this and it works like 90% of the time)
Plus, I would re-vamp the running game by calling a tad bit complicated block schemes than "hey grab whoever is in front of you and push." To me, JC and Ogbonnaya are pretty decent running backs, and we dont have to abandon our running game. So, how about some misdirection plays? counters? traps?

by hookemkp on Jul 10, 2007 6:10 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I would install the Hook & Ladder and Statue of Liberty plays, just so we can use them against OU. ("You got Zabransky'd!!") No seriously, I would diversify the playbook. Include some fakes/trick plays, something to mix in with our bread & butter plays.
I would not rely too much on Colt's running the ball (i.e. the Zone Read). After re-watching some VY Rose Bowl plays in slow-motion, I kept thinking, "Colt McCoy will never make that play." If you want to run those, put in Chiles or Harris.
Be prepared for blitzing defenses. There are plays designed to take advantage of an aggressive defense, right? I often wondered last year why they weren't doing that.

P.S. If I were Jeff Fisher, I would find a way to acquire David Thomas from the Patriots.

by SelimSivad on Jul 11, 2007 11:51 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs