In 2000, when OU played in several close games down the stretch but won them all, Stoops and Co. were the toast of the town. They could do no wrong. Seasons are made by making plays at critical times. The 2000 Sooners made them, so the coaches were genious. "Oh no...Stoops is going to the NFL" was the common fear among Sooner lovers. My how times have changed.
OU lost Saturday because it made too many stupid penalties with a young OL, and had two key defensive lapses in the 3rd quarter. The 5 turnovers, while not all of them costing points, didn't help either. And I'm not sure which game you guys were watching, but the one I saw included a very balanced attack. First play of the third quarter, hand it to AD. If he takes it the distance, Wilson is a genious. If he gets 5-6 yards, good call. If he gets stuffed, terrible call. On 2nd down, OU threw to Clapp, who dropped it. Bad coaching? PT overthrew a wide open Gresham in the third qtr down 4. Complete it and we aren't even talking. Down 11, they still had a chance to get back into it, but a great third down throw by PT was fumbled by Iglesias. Darn coaches. Look people, Texas made the plays when it had to and OU didn't. PERIOD. If any coach can be blamed for a shky call, it's Venenables, who admitted being impatient when calling a man coverage with DJ on Sweed while UT had 3rd and long.
I don't have all the answers, but coaching isn't the problem with this squad right now in my opinion. It's a defense with no difference makers at DT and a secondary playing with no confidence. Should the coaches be blamed for the current QB scenario? Perhaps, but Bomar was recruited by the world and turned out to be a head case.
OU has had a run of bad luck. If it were not for officials, the Red River loss would be their first in 11 games. I didn't hear the Switzer interview, so I can't comment on it. But people, the sky is not falling in Norman. They have one loss to a top 10 team and another to a top 20 team. If they run the table or lose one more, then everbody will be back to toasting the coaches for a great turnaround. Remember, before calling for coaching heads, think John Blake. It helps me, too.
Ain't this a blast? There's nothing better than college sports, unless it's talking point and counterpoint in the process.
Switzer is king, but even he had a few shaky seasons in the midst of his era.
I will admit that I am sick of watching young QB's making a difference all over the landscape (see Arkansas, Texas, etc...), while OU can't seem to get one that will allow us to forget about White. Not knocking Thompson, as he's played well. The coaching staff needs to earn all those $$$$ and go get a juco QB or a big time HS QB that can play well next season.
I think coach Patton (OU OL coach) needs to come to practice with a pea shooter and use it on any player guilty of a false start.
If Venables and Wright call any more man coverages on third and infinity, and it's not Reggie Smith doing the covering, then I'm gonna turn the TV off. This is especially true if the opposing WR and/or QB are any good...at all.
second, i appreciate the "heads up" on texas -vs- nebraska. i'm going to load up. based on your history of picking winners this year, i should be able to pay off the mortgage. do you realize that all of the people who played the contest last week beat you?
seriously, mack brown and his staff were not bad coaches when ou was winning 5 str8, and stoops and co. are not bad coaches now. truthfully, the greatest coaches in the game made bad decisions at times, and the worst coaches can make great decisions. the fun part is talking about the good and the bad...agreeing and disagreeing as we are now.
switzer was no doubt a great motivator and recruiter, which made him a great coach. but when saturday rolled around, the guys wearing the jocks made the difference. when sooner magic dripped all over nebraska in lincoln in 1987, barry switzer didn't have a thing to do with it. some guy named keith jackson made the best catch in the history of that storied rivalry and a kicker named lasher finished the deal.
in the end, it takes good players making good plays and avoiding too many bad plays to win football games. it takes a sprinkle of luck to win them all. of course, most championship teams have a stud or two as well. a team can go from playboy to alterboy (ok, bad analogy) in one game (see auburn) or in one year. tis the reason college football is so great.
i need to seek help. i just can't force myself to type a short message. when my fingers get rolling, they are hard to stop. guess i'm bogged down in blogville.
what a week, my friends. after five consecutive winning weeks, my selections went 3-6 last week, which begs the question, why am i betting 9 games in one week? who do i think i am, the fat quack? my locks held up about as well as the ones on mark mangino's refrigerator. i still don't think this proves much about the big 12 north, however. the wins by nebraska and missouri are slanted by turnovers and/or bad calls. and hey, what's up with baylor?
hey picker, we all have our bad streaks. mine happened in college on a street i won't name. just keep putting out trash for picks, as i'm half-way to the prize tier. course, i haven't been lighting up the picks myself, but a 1 or 2 pick victory is fine with me.
i have a few questions myself.
is madonna still alive?
was the picker on some sort of illegal supplement when he left the chicago bears out of his "new" super bowl picks in this mornings article?
if mike stoops and brent venables were bonnie and clyde, is brent bonnie?
why does the media continually make a fuss about nba players assaulting the public? isn't this common place now?
has rasheed wallace stopped crying yet?
will ou break .500 in hoops this season?
with texas a&m having 40% of the big 12 preseason hoops team, are they really a threat to the rest of the conference?
could osu's defense stop a clock if it didn't have batteries?
ok, i'm finished.
