Game Day Thoughts – Week 7
Published: 10/17/2008 4:38 PM
Last Modified: 10/17/2008 4:38 PM
Trooper Taylor easily could have been on the other Boone Pickens Stadium sideline Saturday. Ponder that for a second.
Last December, Taylor was a hot commodity in the coaching business. Newly-hired Baylor coach Art Briles offered Taylor the Bears' offensive coordinator position and the chance to return to his alma mater. Tennessee, where Taylor was the Vols' running backs coach in 2004 and 2005 and wide receivers coach in 2006 and 2007, considered Taylor for its offensive coordinator position.
Of course, as you know now, Oklahoma State made its pitch to Taylor last December that he accepted. The first-year OSU wide receivers coach/co-offensive coordinator has been a smash hit already in Stillwater. The number of chest bumps he gives to his receivers, quarterback Zac Robinson, and a few defensive backs gives an indication of that. So does the production of his receivers and the accountability he demands from those receivers.
While his energetic enthusiasm he has for the game and young men is evident, his attention to detail is not lost on his players or his boss, Mike Gundy. The receivers typically are the last off the practice field every day. Those post-practice sessions can be described as family chats, a father-figure imparting wisdom and lessons to his adopted sons to make them better players on the field and better young men off the field.
Gundy first encountered Taylor when both were on the Baylor coaching staff in 1996. There was a family atmosphere among that coaching staff at Baylor. Even though he already had an offer in hand from his alma mater and easily could have waited around at Tennessee to see if a promotion awaited, Taylor accepted Gundy's job offer days before Christmas last year to join OSU's staff.
Taylor to this day cites the family atmosphere among the staff and players Gundy has created in Stillwater as a major reason for his decision. It is safe to say Taylor has been a welcomed addition to his new family.
Besides keeping tabs on how many chest bumps Taylor gives out, here are three things I'll be watching closely in Saturday's homecoming game against Baylor:
***The after effect: How will the Cowboys respond after last week's attention-grabbing victory at Missouri? That was a big victory last week against the Tigers, but it means little if business is not attended to successfully against the Bears.
***Getting Griffin: The insertion of Robert Griffin into the lineup at quarterback provided a positive spark for Baylor's offense. The freshman has not thrown an interception at all and the Bears offense has committed only one turnover the past five games. Containing Griffin is the key to stopping the Bears.
***Who we thought they were: It's been exactly two years since former Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green's infamous postgame rant that stated the Chicago Bears "were who we thought they were." Well, these Baylor Bears are still perceived to be a lower rung Big 12 team, while OSU's perception is now of a possible Big 12 contender. Let's see if both teams are who we thought they were after this game.
---Matt Doyle
Written by
Bill Haisten
Sports Writer
