Let's Email
by PB @ BON
on Feb 21, 2008 9:01 PM CST
in Football
Every now and again, enough reader emails come in on topics worth exploring publicly that I'll put a post together for the site. This is one such time. As always, you can email me any time with questions or comments. I'll never use someone's full name in a post unless they explicitly okay it.
--KL--
I have noticed a little bit, but I have a theory to explain it: political season. It's a leap year, which means we're choosing a new President, and that inevitably means the entire country sinks into a 12-month state of PMS. People get bitchy, become antagonistic, and start looking for the worst in one another.
Even if we can and should blame the politicians for our woes, two points for our little burnt orange sanctuary.
The first rule of Burnt Orange Nation is that you don't talk about politics. Ever. Bottom line? You like Texas, and I like Texas. I don't really give a sh-t whether you like or dislike tax cuts or welfare reform.
The second rule of Burnt Orange Nation is that you look at how people talking about politics "discuss" what's important to them... and do exactly the opposite. Disagreements are fine. Disagreeing rudely is not. Recall the community guidelines for a refresher.
And for God's sake, lighten up. It's stressful enough worrying about Greg Davis' next game plan. Least we can do is all live and die with these teams as friends.
--Paul R.--
Oh, Paul. I'll be honest, I'm holding on to my blankie and rocking back and forth on this one.
Honestly, I'm not totally sure what Shepard's thinking right now, but I do know that he's not coming to this Saturday's Junior Day so that he can go take a look at LSU. My concern is not so much that he prefers LSU to UT - we know that's not true - it's that we haven't yet offered him as a quarterback.
With Jarrett Lee at LSU, it's not like the situation there is so competitive-free that he'd choose them over us on those grounds. Rather, the issue is whether we offer him a shot at QB at all.
Let's assume that Mack gets it together and offers Shep a spot at QB. My feeling is that eliminates LSU from the picture, but the team I can't get out of the back of my mind is a Terrelle Pryor-less Michigan. If Texas offers Shepard a shot to compete for QB, I can't see him choosing LSU or the West Coast offense of Mike Sherman. But I can see him saying yes to Rich Rodriguez.
To recap:
- Mack's gotta offer this kid at QB. Like, yesterday.
- Watch out for Michigan.
It's clear how much Shepard wants to stay home and come to Texas, but that Rich Rodriguez run-based spread is tailor made for his talents. Something to think about, anyway.
My fingers and toes remain crossed. I love this kid.
How amazing has this offseason been? After the terrible loss in College Station, it's been nothing but all that we wanted to see. Even the D-Scott recruitment, which didn't work out, was good. I liked Mack going for him, even if it didn't turn our way. But everything else, from the bowl workouts to the coaching moves, has been incredibly exciting and has renewed a lot of energy in me as a fan. I think I'd lost some of that the past two years as I tried to relive the Vince magic.
--LW--
You know, I hadn't quite thought about it this way until your email, but you're onto something here. Remember in Groundhog Day how Phil Connors goes on date after date with Rita, getting closer and closer until, finally, he gets it just right and they have the Perfect Day? That was Texas under Mack Brown, leading up to and culminating in the 2005 National Championship with Vince Young.
In the movie, of course, Phil wakes up the next morning and has to start all over, but he finds how extraordinarily difficult it is to recreate that perfect day. He's tasted the perfection and he knows how it's supposed to go, but it feels forced as he tries to make it happen again. Eventually, after stumbling mightily, he bottoms out, frustrated as never before.
Was that not Texas from January 5th, 2006 through the 2007 Texas A&M game? We knew the magical feeling, we still felt the buzz from the perfect season, but we could not flip on a switch and just recreate that VY magic. And Lord did we finally hit rock bottom.
So what's next? After bottoming out, Phil Connors finally made those critical changes that allowed him to escape his haunting past. And I'll be damned if it doesn't seem like Mack Brown similarly bottomed out this Thanksgiving but used that to make some of the hard changes that may just lead him back to the top.
Hey, maybe I was wrong that life can sometimes be like a Hallmark card. Maybe - even better - it can be like the movies.
I'm with you, Lonnie. I'm excited. And a pathetically romantic soul.
--PB--
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I don't mean to doubt, but...
I have never seen hard evidence that Shep was only offered as an athlete. I remember a diary which stated that as the title, but it was nowhere to be found in the linked article.
Did I miss something? Can someone help me out by showing me where Shep or a coach said that?
gracias
by BigTexBD on Feb 21, 2008 9:26 PM CST 0 recs
What do you mean by hard evidence?
From everything I can tell about this situation, Shep was prepared to commit to Texas if Texas was prepared to commit to giving him a fair shot at quarterback. It's pretty clear from what I can gather that we told him, basically, "We want you, though we can't guarantee you'll get a shot at quarterback. We're not sure the numbers (on the depth chart) look good in that regard. But we want you."
Which is to say that to fix this we should tell him not only that we want him but that he'll get to compete for the job.
Which begs the question: did we promise Garrett Gilbert we would not do that?
I can't say I know for sure.
by PB @ BON on
Feb 21, 2008 10:45 PM CST
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OK, thanks
That's kind of what I inferred, too, but I just never read or heard anywhere that Mack or Shep himself said he was offered only as an athlete. No one involved with the situation clearly said anything about what happened in that regard.
Shep said that he wouldn't mind being a receiver or DB so long as he was given a fair shot at the starting QB position. If it's true that Mack said "We're kinda set with Gilbert, so we want you to change positions if you become a 'Horn" then he's doing the team and Shepard a serious disservice.
by BigTexBD on
Feb 22, 2008 12:18 AM CST
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Thank the Lord for politics-free zones
I used to be what most would consider a political junkie. Then, when dealing with an incredibly difficult pregnancy, I was told to avoid all stress at all costs.
So for almost a year, I had to avoid newspaper headlines and political talk. Being a political junkie, I have strong opinions on these things, and get way too worked up about them.
I've been slowly returning to the land of the living since the New Year, but have learned an interesting thing about myself. YES, I'm a political animal. But NO, I don't need to feed on it every day. It just stresses me out. I'll still vote, contact my congressman, put signs in my yard, and maybe even work for a candidate. But I won't feed the freak-outs.
BON has been a refuge for my little gray cells. If I need to ruminate on something, I can read about recruiting or DJ's missing jump shot ... much less stressful than the Middle East and marginal tax rates. Thank you all for keeping it politics-free, deeply burnt orange and FUN.
by EddieTheAlbinoSquirrel on Feb 21, 2008 10:12 PM CST 0 recs
just an offhand concern.
does anyone think that there is any possibility that the changes enforced before the bowl game were in the mindset of mack brown a sort of band-aid effect? as in, he only saw the drastic coaching style changes as a quick fix to end the season on a high note and not bottom out in embarrassment? I don't necessarily agree with this line of thought, but as a Texas fan i'm naturally inclined to cynicism. I'm hope the Muschamp hire pushes this reasoning out the window but until I see results, I'm still a skeptic.
unfortunately, I'll be in Peru all next fall trying to catch games via live stream in a peace corp tent so chances of seeing how things turn out are leaning towards nil.
by UTrumbo on Feb 21, 2008 10:39 PM CST 0 recs
That's the big fear
Like the heart attack survivor who changes his diet for six months before relapsing.
But the spring is the time for optimism. We've got plenty of time left to worry.
by PB @ BON on
Feb 21, 2008 10:42 PM CST
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Re: Couple of Things
- Politics. Most of my early teenage years I would bicker with everyone who would listen about politics. I was convinced that people who didn't think similarly when it came down to how to run a country/business/school/farm/etc. could not get along. Then I discovered football, and the wonderful way you can ignore anything that divides people and just sit down watch the good guys beat the hell out of OU. There are few arguments that a couple of beers, steaks, and an OU/A&M ass kicking will not cure. Making BON politics-free is a tremendous decision, and makes this community seriously the friendliest online community I've ever experienced. Makes me proud to be a Longhorn.
- Offseason. The hallmark of a good offseason? Friends from A&M getting defensive about theirs with no provocation on my part. I tend to get excited every offseason in anticipation, but this year, probably because my namesake (Kindle) will finally get some PT, feels different.
by pleaseplaykindle on Feb 22, 2008 3:43 AM CST 0 recs
I don't know, PB
I really think this could be Lyndon LaRouche's year and now you're killing my buzz man...
by Kahuna on Feb 22, 2008 6:52 AM CST 0 recs
Ode To The Off-Season Phil Connors Style
When Chekhov saw the long off season, he saw an off season bleak and dark and bereft of hope. Yet we know that the off season is just another necessary step towards another title run. But posting here among the BONers of Burnt Orange Nation and basking in the irony of your wit and wisdom, I couldn't imagine a better fate than a long and hillarious off season.
LW, call me in two months when the happy-happy-joy-joy is gone and you're so hard up for college football that you find yourself curled up in the fetal snortin' lines off a Rose Bowl DVD while begging imaginary Lou Holtz to come back..."come back Lou, I don't care if you spit on me, just come back."
The Off Season...you think ya love it no, wait'll you survive it.
by 54b on Feb 22, 2008 8:51 AM CST 0 recs
PS...Chekhoh was right.
by 54b on
Feb 22, 2008 8:52 AM CST
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Re:
If the first rule of Burnt Orange Nation is that you don't talk about politics, then isn't the second rule of Burnt Orange Nation is that you don't talk about politics!
by jc25 on Feb 22, 2008 9:27 AM CST 0 recs
Couple of things
1.) Tension seems to be less than it was during football season, other than a certain douche bag that can not understand the genius of Bomzilla. The basketball team is flying high and even the biggest Mack Brown haters are feeling good about his last two hires.
2.) If Mack feels deep down after evaluating Shepard that there is no way he will see significant playing time if he plays QB at Texas, do you think he should lie to the kid to get him to come to UT?
by Wells on Feb 22, 2008 9:35 AM CST 0 recs
Re: #2
See, from where I'm sitting, Mack can't - or at the least shouldn't - make that evaluation. If the kid wants to compete for QB, by God, let him. He's clearly athletic enough to give him every fair chance. Mack can't promise he'll win a QB job, but to determine - now - that we're not even gonna let him try is a mistake, I think.
by PB @ BON on
Feb 22, 2008 10:07 AM CST
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We don't know what Mack said behind closed doors
Here is what when know:
"Coach (Mack) Brown said Russell, ‘We really love you and we want to go to school here, but it’s a weird situation with all the quarterbacks,’" Shepard said. "He let me know it’s kind of weird bringing in two highly rated quarterbacks."
None of that say he will not get a fair chance, but if you are in Mack's shoes and Russell asks you point blank, what are my chances of playing QB at Texas, I think you have to be honest.
by Wells on
Feb 22, 2008 10:17 AM CST
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Agree that you have to be honest
What I'm saying is the only reasonable honest answer should be, "I have no idea what your chances are, Russell. We'll give you a fair shot; what you do with it, and what the others you're competing against do with their shot, will determine if you get to play QB. I can't promise you anything else except a fair chance to compete."
Now, if Mack doesn't intend to give him a fair chance, then he should be honest. I'm just suggesting that's not the approach I'd take.
by PB @ BON on
Feb 22, 2008 10:22 AM CST
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I think it all depends
On if it is true that he has no idea.
For example if Sergio Kendall came in and said "I really want to go to UT, but I want to be a running back first, and if that does not pan out I will be happy playing LB." As a coach you say sure, we will give you a shot. But if he then asks you what are my chances of playing RB for UT, could you honestly say "I have no idea"? I think that is a lie of omission if you know there is about a 95% chance he is going to end up at LB.
by Wells on
Feb 22, 2008 10:45 AM CST
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Agree
Just hard for me to imagine the coaches being so certain about someone with Shepard's talent not being able to cut it.
by PB @ BON on
Feb 22, 2008 11:14 AM CST
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I think Thornton Mellon said it best...
"You don't lie to recruits, you lie to girls."
Mack probably told Jevan Sneed he could play QB too...he just left out the "for Texas" part.
by 54b on
Feb 22, 2008 12:38 PM CST
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Hypothetical.....
Let me start this by saying I am a huge fan of Colt McCoy.
If our defense had stepped up against K-State in 2006 and we had left Manhattan with a win 42-??, there would have been mad Jevan Sneed love in Longhorn Nation.
In this case, given his injury, do you think Colt would have started against A&M? I don't.
If Jevan Sneed had started against A&M, do you think the result would have been a 7-12 loss? I don't. You take a healthy Jevan Sneed riding the momentum of a hypothetical win in Manhattan where we put 42 points on the board and factor in home field advantage against A&M, I think we could have scored more than 12 points to win the game.
Now we're going to the Big XII Championship 11-1 with hopes of back-to-back BCS National Championships. Jevan Sneed just saved our ass in Manhattan and defeated the Aggies. Colt has had 3 weeks to rest. Who starts?
Hooray! Hypothetical, what if fun!!!
Oh dear, I better follow 54b's advice and put down the Rose Bowl DVD and the razor blade. Only 189 days to go!!!
by 16thLonghorn on
Feb 22, 2008 2:09 PM CST
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You sir are the lemon...
and I the paper cut.
Just a lovely hypothetical and one we've probably all thought about at one time or another...I think Sneed might have made a difference in the A&M game regardless of the K-State outcome, but I won't take this "what if" any further because our defense has absolutely mailed it in. I think a better hypo would be, "what if Chizik's brain wasn't in Ames and what if Chisik hadn't hung his DB's out to dry all season long and what if we hadn't recruited a bunch of linebackers who couldn't start for a middle school?"
IMO, the 2001 Big XII Championship is still the worst loss in the Mack Brown era, but the 2006 A&M loss is probably the most frustrating...and people here will hate me for saying this, but I really think that game symbolizes the limitations of Mack Brown's ability and the prowess of one Bob Stoops. Stoops would have figured out a way to regroup and win that game, but Mack couldn't do it...you just don't lose to your rival at home on Senior Day. It's unexcusable.
Only time will tell if Mack made the right descision going with Colt over Sneed, not just for that A&M game, but for that season as a whole.
Think happy thoughts.
by 54b on
Feb 22, 2008 3:51 PM CST
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Want to qualify that Mack remark
While I think Stoops is a little better than Mack when it comes to adjusting when he's got injuries to key players, I do think Mack is one hell of a coach and his ability to keep his teams together and rebound after huge losses is remarkable.
by 54b on
Feb 22, 2008 4:42 PM CST
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While I also appreciate that...
... about Mack, I would like it if he didn't have to use that skill so damned much.
by Horn Brain on
Feb 23, 2008 12:52 AM CST
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OMG, No Doubt, Peter!
PB, you notice some community tension around BON of late? What's the deal?
--KL--I have noticed a little bit, but I have a theory to explain it: political season. It's a leap year, which means we're choosing a new President, and that inevitably means the entire country sinks into a 12-month state of PMS. People get bitchy, become antagonistic, and start looking for the worst in one another.
Man, our Capitol Steps forum on LN has blown UP in the last week, and even gotten pretty hostile, at times - and Obama seems to be getting most of the Pub:
Obama - Messiah treatment? 274 Replies
Debate in Austin 151 Replies
Texas Republicans: Vote Dem. In Primary! 82 Replies
Who should you vote for? 339 Replies
Republicans have caught Obama Fever 70 Replies
Barrack Obama Selma Speech 88 Replies
by Squirrel on Feb 22, 2008 9:57 AM CST 0 recs
I noticed
I'm staying on the sidelines... Gotta keep my blood pressure in check. March Madness is coming.
by PB @ BON on
Feb 22, 2008 10:04 AM CST
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