Afternoon Brewsky is Going Ugly Early

by GhostofBigRoy on Aug 22, 2008 5:04 PM CDT

While Friday afternoon may be a great time to get a head start on the weekend, it's also the last chance to fill your hungry belly full of Longhorns news before content slows to a trickle. Oh yeah, and if you can identify the bar from which I stole the slogan used in my title, you've got my respect. Restecp, even.

Conventional Wisdom, tantamount to food poisoning...

In my insatiable desire for news about the football team, I consume any article I can find. Even if its the same regurgitated conventional wisdom coming from several different sources. Yeah, that's right, in my hunger I consume regurgitated material. Gross, but like I said, I'm insatiable, even if it makes me sick.

Let me hop on my high horse here. Since access is limited this time of year, I read the same quotes with a minimal amount of thoughtful analysis in several places. Reporters write about the Q Package without even speculating about specifics, as your humble scribe endeavored to do. While such speculation certainly isn't within the purview of beat reporters, it definitely falls under the discretion of columnists like Kirk Bohls and Cedric Golden. Archaic newspaper are faring poorly in the current media climate, and no wonder, just check out the cool animations that ChrisApplewhite uses in his post. This is visual media for a visual world.

For someone who keeps up with the news as closely as I do, traditional newspaper content is just not enough. That's why I think blogs like this one and Barking Carnival are so valuable: they allow an outlet for creative thinkers who aren't constrained by conventional wisdom in how they think about or write about sports.

Mack Brown, you don't know how lucky you are...

Tim Griffin, the former San Antonio Express-News reporter, is now blogging about the Big 12 over on espn.com. It's worth taking a look at to keep up on Big 12 news, even though some have quibbled with his inclusion of Rashad Bobino on the list of top linebackers in the conference. Which he defends here after a reader accuses him of not doing any research.

A recent post ranks the best coaching jobs in the Big 12. Guess what? Longhorn fans won't be upset about this post:

1. Texas -- Unmatched facilities, tradition and fan support. And you get to live in Austin and make a lot of money to boot. It might be the best job in the country, although it does come with some steep expectations of success.

The Land Thieves to the north come in second, which reminds me of a revelation I had about Oklahoma versus Texas. The government gave Oklahoma away to anyone who wanted it (shortly before it blew away), but fought a war over Texas. 'Nuff said.

My word, what a cacophony of barking...

The boys over at Barking Carnival have put together their annual State of the Union posts for the Big 12, with only Texas yet to follow. It contains heavy doses of their typical irreverence and is highly recommended reading as a primer for the season. If they don't make you laugh out loud at least once a post, I'm sorry that you don't have a sense of humor. A highlight from the OU post:

In 2008, Bob Stoops will attempt to win his fourteenth Big 12 Title in ten years and that's reassuring to a fan base resigned to the notion that their life's achievements will always best be realized vicariously. Sooner Nation citizenship is more precious than a man's best acid-washed girbauds, lax child support laws, and primo tickets to the midget auto races in Enid.

...

As usual, Stoops will be dressed in a style known as Contemporary Flatlands Golf Prick, make outlandish projections about the quality of his team (captured so well last year by Henry James) and will go apeshit at the officials sometime around the coin flip. Something about that Stoops look of petulant contempt and perpetual grievance just says September to me.

Just be wary because there are lurking Sooners in the comment thread ready call Texas fans "whiners" for remaining unhappy about Auston English's unpenalized cheap shot on Colt McCoy in last year's game. If that doesn't boil your blood, you're not a real Texas fan. What also got my blood boiling was nobody rushing to help McCoy up a week after suffering a mild concussion. Imagine what would have happened if someone had gone after Vince Young like that. Maybe that's why opposing coaches think the Longhorn offense is "soft."

Some separation would be advised, boys...

Time is running down before the opener for separation to be established among the wide receivers, backfield, tight ends, and safeties. Mack Brown, who is always as positive as humanly possible, seems a little bit concerned.

On the receivers:

What we've really got is Quan (Cosby) and Jordan (Shipley) are doing a great job. They've had a tremendous camp. We're still looking for the other guy, and we've got to do it because we like to play with three wide receivers a lot. There's guys fighting for that position and we're not there yet.

...

There's a group. I think that's what happens with young guys, they hit that wall. You start thinking this is the guy, and then all of a sudden he drops ball for two days, then he misses this block, then he does that.

Brown describes both the fullback and tailback positions as being "unsettled," which could delay the development of an offensive identity, a struggle for last year's team and a significant factor in poor performances against Arkansas State, TCU, and Central Florida, not to mention losses like Kansas State.

On the tight ends:

Greg Smith has been a really good move to tight end because he's 295 pounds, he can move his feet, he made a nice catch tonight, and he can block. So he's done a good job. Blaine (Irby) continues to get better. We've played Ahmard Howard there some after Josh (Marshall) got hurt, he made a nice catch tonight. We're trying to cross-train again and get depth, that's really important to us.

On the young safeties and the challenge of FAU:

It's hard to test them like they're going to be tested with that noise and with a bunch that's as good at throwing the ball as Florida Atlantic...In watching the film, their quarterback's a great player, he's not a good player, and their skill guys are really good, and they've got an older group of offensive linemen, so they'll move the ball against anybody they play this year. That's why those safeties are going to have to come out being good, they're going to have to play older than they are.

On the team lacking the depth the coaches desire:

We're trying to find 22, and right now we don't have that. I'd say we're looking more at 14, 15 right now. One of the keys to our success has been depth. We don't have as many great players as everybody acts like we do.

Of all the quotes, I believe the last one is the most disturbing. There is no question that Texas has a lot of talent on the team, but it's largely unproven right now, and apparently is remaining so in practice. Expectations of success this year are based on an accelerated learning curve for the young players. After 20 practices, Mack Brown is indicating that it isn't accelerating quickly enough for as many players as he would like. And it could lead to much more interesting non-conference games than fans would like.

All comments, FanPosts, and FanShots are the views of the reader-authors who create them.

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Not to worry, Mack Daddy is calling his players out

I read that whole transcript by Mack, and I got the feeling he was calling the players out. He described them as “worn out” and as “good, not great,” and indirectly called out Malcolm Williams who is clearly the player who was running at the top of the #3 receiver competition a week ago (see “State of the Horns” and previous “Afternoon Brewsky” on the recommended posts) until he started making mental errors this week. Likewise with the 14 or 15 comment, making it clear that some who think they should be in the game won’t unless their play improves. For example, Mack specifically stated

if they can’t handle that in two-a-days, they sure can’t handle it in front of 100,000 people.

with specific reference to the secondary, but he easily could have meant the whole team.

The whole interview had an edge to it I don’t remember from last year. I checked some press releases at about the same time last year (Monday before the Arkie State game) and had no specific comments on how well the players were playing or how good they were, but instead had drivel like this from August 27, 2007.

The most important thing is either scoring offense or scoring defense, period. Our goal will be to score and to keep them from scoring…. As much as I have talked about running the ball and as important as it is, it is not as near important as… scoring on offense and making sure that we keep them from scoring.

I see a change in Mack from last year. Even he seems to have more intensity in the interviews and seems more interested in seeing improvement from a wider range of players.

by burnt in ny on Aug 22, 2008 7:36 PM CDT 0 recs

your argument makes a lot of sense

If Mack Brown was truly calling out his players, for which you make a good case, that is quite a departure from “Nice Mack.” I wrote about this recently:
http://www.burntorangenation.com/2008/8/4/583109/mack-brown-stars-as-two-fa
I mentioned that despite the elevated intensity on the sidelines late in the year, he was still protecting his players in the media. If you’re correct, burnt, then this is a new development in stride with the Mean Mack I concluded would have to come out “when the pads come out and the helmets start colliding.”
I’ve complained about a lack of information this time of year, which is expected. But, wow, that quote from Mack last year, talk about saying nothing at all.
In regards to your last paragraph, I really hope that’s true. Especially the last part is critical: he needs to realize, as PB noted in his Morning Coffee today, that he must play younger players because it’s just better for the players, for recruiting, and for the program’s long-term success.

by GhostofBigRoy on Aug 22, 2008 9:03 PM CDT 0 recs

Competition

I think Mack just wanted the players to keep playing hard, and these comments make them do so. If Mack came out and said how wonderful a player was doing and that the player was going to start the first game, the other players would let up a bit. Mack is just stating that the positions are still up for grabs, like everyone wanted!

by Longhorns84 on Aug 23, 2008 12:06 AM CDT 0 recs

Mack's comments

are pretty much the norm, in my view. I don’t read a lot into his post-scrimmage words, or into the ones quoted above from 8/27/07. Those are snapshots but not photo galleries of the whole picture. Yes, he was talking to some of the younger players with the good-one-day, not-the-next comment. I suspect the veterans do the same thing; Mack just knows it was one of those days and they’ll bounce back.

Remember this about Mack’s “website comments.” They are a prepared speech. Anything is OK if he wants to talk about it, and when he desperately wants to avoid saying something that’s exactly what gets printed. What irks me is print and electronic reporters (when they get the chance, and granted, it’s not often) not pursuing obvious topics and not challenging the coach when he talks around or issues a “says nothing” comment. Intelligent questioners know (1) what to ask and how, and (2) how to stay on an issue while not offending the source. Seems to me very little of this is done.

One of Mack’s comments really intrigued me, the one about “having 14 or 15 (presumably, set starters) right now.” He was speaking to squad depth and indicating 7-8 positions were, in some form, still up for grabs, and that you can’t do a depth chart until you first pick starters. Some of this “14 or 15” is, I believe, coachspeak for “We all know McCoy, Miller, etc., will be in there. Some of the others, we’d like guys to keep pushing hard because we think they can get better and we don’t want them to think they are starters until we’ve tried to maximize their effort and performance.”

I would guess the 7 or 8 he isn’t comfortable with to be a WR spot plus 1-2 subs there, RB, possibly TE, at least one safety, perhaps a DE (if Henry Melton’s hand injury makes him uncertain for the opener) and probably the 2-3 LB spots.

But his whine about depth rings hollow; NOBODY at this time of the year has much depth. The loss, for most teams, of 15 or more seniors strips away starters and key backups. EVERYBODY is searching for depth. Thing is, Mack is doing it largely with third- and fourth-year players. I can’t think of a first-year guy who figures prominently. The only second-year guys who figure into rotation spots are 2-3 WRs, Chiles, Irby, Hix, Whitaker, Huey probably, and the three redshirt freshmen at safety. Maybe Curtis Brown. Out of what figures as about 40 rotation players (starters, always-used subs, key backups) that’s a small number.

by edsp on Aug 23, 2008 1:52 PM CDT 0 recs

There is this consideration

which Mack may have been speaking to. More than a few players are not going to be making the first string and that is sure to cause some deep disappointments, at least momentarily.

This is not as dire as the cuts in pro football, but to young people who are not necessarily so emotionally mature, accepting the new status quo and still believing they are fighting for that first string status will be tough for more than a few. The true freshmen will also be going through the initial shock of school, of the other very real demands on their life. So, emotionally speaking, this will be a turbulent week for more than a few members of the squad. Even more so for those fighting for at least a second string berth, although third string in many instances is no insult or demotion (think the DBs, DEs, RBs or Sherrod).

So, the coach has to keep the kids’ heads up, keep them involved, keep them motivated and focused on FSU despite all the emotional turmoil. To me, this was addressed to the players and their parents more than the general public per se.

True, some players will be relieved and some will be jubilant, but hopefully they’ll be able to understand the greater scheme and share rather than demean their teammates. They have seemingly worked hard to elevate the sense of team this off-season and I’d hope that process will unify this team as well. Remember, in past years there hasn’t been this much openness and competition for position; there was no first team lording it over the others (what has happened at times in the more distant past). Those who didn’t make the posted first team still will have the opportunity in their play on the field to make it.

My hope is that by Friday night the team has coalesced, has put aside their individual concerns and wants, and fully understand that their next appearance is the most important as far as the team is concerned.

by whills on Aug 23, 2008 5:32 PM CDT up 0 recs