I agree the linebacking situation should be much improved this year. And I think we have great, albeit young, talent in the secondary. Blaine Irby has good potential to stretch the field.

However, you take quite the stretch to assume the running backs will be better fits for the system than Jamaal. BTW, Jamaal didn’t seem to have much problem hitting the holes in the second half of the season when he finally gained his confidence. Jamaal was our best offensive weapon last season. If Fozzy or Vondrell can run a 10.2 please let me know. Otherwise, I’m going to wait and see before I agree that the running game will be better this year.

else hoping Hales gets some shots at carrying the ball this year? I think Vondrell and Whit are more than capable, and if they are planning a committee approach anyway, why not free up some carries for Desean. He reminds me a little of Noel Devine.

Isn’t Hales coming in as a WR instead of RB? I know “The Run” illustrates his running ability but I was just under the impression he was coming in as a wideout.

DB is Defensive Back which includes S’s. You mean CB. I wouldn’t bring it up but you did it twice.

I think the changes on the defensive side of the ball will be entirely determined by the the addition of Boom. If we’re better at LB and DB it’ll be because of scheme and not personnel. Next year, you can claim personnel (since the Dbacks will be the kind of grizzled vets that want to buy a Waffle House after graduation).

Losing JC is not an upgrade. I appreciate the I Have Cancer- Let’s Celebrate attitude, but JC would have been a Heisman front runner as a Senior and that can’t be replaced by a black Scot and a guy named after an orange Muppet.

Losing the JerBeast is also a blow. Not only do we lose a dual sponsor of the NCAA BabyDaddy Club, but we also loose a game changer in the check down for Colt. The jury is still out on Irby, he caught two balls last year. The one against Oklafaggot was a good play- and that’s really it, so don’t tell me all about how Irby is the next owner and founder of Wendy’s, cause that’s like comparing Phillip Payne to Roy Williams.

I don’t think J.Finley should be mentioned in the same sentence (or referenced to) Roy Williams.

All I’m saying is that anybody who chooses to go pro and gets drafted in the 3rd+ round is a “me” player, and the team is better off without them.

Fozzy will have a way more productive career at UT than Jamaal. I had great expectations for Jamaal and J.Finley, and they did not meet them.

I did mean CB and not DB…sorry!

Yes Charles had huge numbers the second half of the season, but every carry was “all or nothing” most of the time. Are y’all so quick to forget how terrible he was playing up till the NU game? Many of you were calling for his head after OU. JC had big time yards against OSU, Nebraska, TxTech, AzSt. Definately not the best defenses we saw all year. I like JC explosiveness, but perhaps a little consistency 3-4 yards pop is better than 20, -5, 4, -2, 3, 0, 20…....I mean we didnt even trust him on the goal line.

And Jermichale Finley, I really have no idea why everyone was on his n*ts all the time. He wasn’t as fast as everone thought, had a nice OU game…Thats it. Did he ever explode? Did you ever say, don’t worry finley will get that crucial first down? He was just ok. And he just disappeared in the offense. all hype if you ask me.

If the OL is healthy and strong, with good depth, the offense will do well.

If the OL is not strong, then we can pull out the Bowie knives and go to it.

However, cutting up 84 could be good practice til then.

j-mike had all the talent in the world but was never even close to david thomas.

Please explain to me what kind of logic makes Texas better without Vince Young, and how me saying something about Jamaal Charles and J.Finley has anything to do with Vince Young (stupid statement). Texas is still trying to replace Vince Young, while Texas will be rolling next year without Jamaal Charles and J.Finley.

Yeah..and Colt McCoy is going have the most passing yard too..big deal. I think we can all agree that he isn’t anywhere near the best QB in Texas history. I’m not saying Jamaal isn’t good though, I just had big expectations for him. He said he was going to make Texas fans forget about Adrian Peterson..cmon!

Stats don’t really mean anything in college.

I ‘ll take David Thomas over Finley anytime.

If J. Finley and Charles stayed another year, they would both be making A LOT more money to bring home to their families. The both of them would have been better players also if they stayed. They would also would have a degree to fall back on if the football thing doesn’t work out, so they can have a career to support their families. So, thats a bad defense for them. I could see if they were first round picks and got Vince Young money!

I tend to agree. Granted losing Charles and Finley may hurt a little at the start, but I think the guys coming up are going to do more than OK. Vondrell is from my hometown, and the kid is a tough and strong runner with some good speed (not JC speed, but good speed). Irby will do fine taking over for Finley (he was to selfish). The LB’s have to be better and a lot quicker, and the CB’s and S will improve as well I think.

Charles almost lost the national championship game for us. He fumbled that pass, and the refs called it an incomplete pass (thank god). I think Jamaal Charles is good…not great. Romance Taylor was way more important than him that year.

Jamaal really only had 3 good games last year: Oklahoma State, Nebraska(4th qtr), and Arizona State..If he was as great as y’all say, he would have more good games than 3.

The run agaist ou in 2005 was great!

In the past 25 years, only ONE Texas TE has been drafted higher than J-Mike Finley and that was David Thomas after exhausting his eligibility.

Yr…..D.Thomas…....J.Finley

1st… .9 for 105…......31 for 372
2nd..14 for 219….....45 for 575
_____
Tot….23 for 324…....76 for 947

J-Mike had exponentially better production, inspite of Davis keeping him in to cover for an inexperienced O-Line.

I think Irby has great potential but I’m personally more intrigued to see how much Josh Marshall progresses this spring/summer. Not expecting much, but curious nonetheless.

You guys would have to admit, no matter how much you like JC, that you almost had a heart attach every time he was hit with the ball. Kind of like every time Colt threw a pass during the KSU game. I will miss Jamaal, but you just have to move on and assume that we will be able to put it together next year behind what looks to be an excellent (and getting better) offensive line.

As far as JF goes, I loved that guy. But UT has always put good TEs on the field, serviceable at the least, and I am thinking that Irby and maybe Marshall will fill in admirably this year.

If anything I would be more concerned about Davis this year. That KSU game really took a couple of years off my life . . . and I had to watch it at a freaking wedding.

I don’t think a 100 yard game is a great accomplishment in college when your playing teams like Arkansas State, Rice, Central Florida, Baylor, Iowa State, and Texas Tech. Jamaal Charles should of had 1000 yards on the season against these teams alone.

I do think Jamaal Charles is good. The point of this post was to show my opinion that Texas will be fine this year without him and J.Finley.

I do think the RB’s and TE’s will be as/more productive than JC or JF.. The RB’s may do it as a team (rotating), but I don’t think there will be a drop off. The TE’s have the same situation.