Q1: When has Mack Brown most struggled as a head football coach at Texas?
A1: When he's gotten defensive and let outside perception get under his skin.
Q2: When has Mack Brown been most successful at Texas?
A2: When he's readily confronted weaknesses and expressed hunger for improvement.
If you agree with my answers to those two questions, Mack's recent exchange with reporters over the lack of production from running backs might cause you to tense up a little. From Cedric Golden's Friday column:
"Rice wasn't a good running team except for the quarterback, and I know we don't accept quarterback runs,'' he said Monday, tossing a fair amount of sarcasm into his weekly meeting with the media...
When a reporter asked whether tight end Blaine Irby's season-ending knee injury might lead to more runs from the I-formation — using a fullback to do the tight end's job — Brown quipped: "The next coach (at Texas) is going be an (I-formation coach). I'm going to tell DeLoss (Dodds) to hire someone who is going to run the I because you need explosive runs out of one back. We don't want our quarterback rushing more than our running back."
C'mon now, Mack. Stay steady. Even if you believe the tailback situation will come together or Colt will keep running for 7 yards per carry... stay hungry. Assume there's a lot of distance between where the team is now and where it needs to be.
Stay. Hungry.