What The Heck Was Gundy Thinking?
11/20/2009 11:16:00 AM
Just when you think Mike Gundy's finally become "a man," as he claims, he hauls off and pulls a rookie-like stunt that could have cost his Oklahoma State football team a BCS bowl bid.
Riddle me this: How can a football coach have no clue 11 games into a season who's the best back-up quarterback on his team?
Yet that's what happened Thursday night at Boone Pickens Stadium. It was apparently obvious to everyone but Gundy and his offensive assistants that Alex Cate wasn't going to get it done against Colorado and Gundy needed to pull Cate and give Brandon Weeden a shot.
Cate had one pass intercepted by the Buffs, and would have had three more if the CU secondary could hold onto the ball. That pick was the only Cate pass that anyone caught all night, although one of his receivers did drop one he should have caught.
Yet, Gundy stubbornly stuck with Cate the entire first half. I don't blame Cate for struggling; the redshirt junior has seen very little action in his OSU career. He had no body of work that suggested Gundy should start him over Weeden.
But I certainly blame Gundy for embarrassing his player and putting his team in serious danger of losing a game to one of the Big 12's worst teams. I wonder if ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews hadn't asked Gundy at halftime if he was considering a quarterback change that it would have even dawned on him that something had to be done?
In the little time that Weeden had played this season, he showed a command for the Cowboys' offense. The 26-year-old former pro baseball player tossed two touchdown passes against Grambling earlier in the year.
As late as Thursday morning on his weekly radio show, Bill Haisten, the Tulsa World's excellent OSU beat writer, was insisting that Gundy was making a mistake with Cate because Weeden had clearly demonstrated he was the better of the two.
After having his butt stuck on the Pokes' bench during a frustrating first half, Weeden finally got his chance in the third quarter and saved Gundy's butt from what would have been a deserved chewing and kicking by OSU supporters who were screaming and kicking at their TV screens as Gundy steadfastly stuck with Cate.
I'm not even going to get into Gundy's highly questionable play-calling and decision-making performance against the hopeless Buffs. Gundy can be grateful that CU helped him with several clueless personal-foul penalties and Weeden being ignored the first half by coming out and playing brilliantly in the 31-28 win.
Hopefully, Gundy apologized after the game to his team and thanked the Cowboys for having the fortitude to overcome both the inspired Buffaloes and their own stubborn head coach.
OU, OSU, Big 12 Bowl Update
11/13/2009 2:01:00 PM
The bowl prospects for Oklahoma and Oklahoma State still hold plenty of promise, depending on how the Sooners and Cowboys fare in their final three games.
A Cotton Bowl official confirmed in an e-mail this week that “OU is certainly still on our team selection board.”
A Fiesta Bowl official confirmed in a Thursday e-mail that “if OSU is BCS eligible, we will certainly give them full consideration.”
The Cotton Bowl apparently is 5-4 OU’s best hope. The Sooners will have to win out and improve to 8-4 to return to the site where their season got off to a horrible start with a loss to BYU and quarterback Sam Bradford going down with a shoulder injury for the first time.
The 2010 Cotton Bowl will be held Jan. 2 at 1 p.m. at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
One factor that could help OU is that the Big 12 Conference championship game will be held in the same stadium (aka JerryWorld) on Dec. 5.
If Texas does the expected and wins the Big 12 title, the Cotton Bowl wouldn’t be interested in taking the conference runner-up, the North Division champion, because it had played in the stadium less than a month earlier.
So even though Nebraska defeated the Sooners last week, OU would be more attractive to the Cotton Bowl’s selection committee if it’s 8-4. OU also defeated Kansas State, another team that could represent the North in the title game.
If Texas advances to the BCS title game, the Fiesta Bowl is not required to take the second-best team in the Big 12. So a 10-2 OSU team isn’t a lock for its first BCS bowl bid.
At 10-2, and probably even 9-3, OSU would get first dibs on the Cotton Bowl if the Cowboys get snubbed by the BCS. That would mean OSU won the Bedlam game and OU at 7-5 would probably be headed to the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on Jan 2, 2010 at 8 p.m.
Another thing to remember is that six wins doesn’t automatically make a team bowl eligible. For example: Kansas State (6-4) and Texas Tech (6-3) need seven wins.
K-State can count only one of its two wins over Division II teams (UMass and Tennessee Tech). Texas Tech’s win over North Dakota also doesn’t count toward bowl eligibility.
The Big 12 has seven bowl contracts. That expands to eight if a league team makes it to the BCS title game.
OSU, Texas and Nebraska are the only Big 12 teams currently bowl eligible. OU, Texas A&M, Iowa State, Kansas and Missouri each need one more victory. All the conference teams still have a shot, including Colorado (3-6) and Baylor (4-5).
There are 34 bowl games this season. Navy has already accepted a bid to the Texas Bowl, so 67 spots remain open. There are 43 teams already bowl eligible, and 61 more have a chance to make it. And the records for 16 teams have already eliminated them from consideration.
Some OU fans have asked if the Sooners could reject a bowl bid if they finish a disappointing 6-6. No, they can’t. The Big 12’s bowl contracts mean schools have to fill those slots if eligible.
The Big 12 bowl affiliations in order of selection rights include: Cotton, Holiday, Alamo, Sun, Insight, Independence and Texas.
OU-Nebraska in 2012 could have a different look
11/11/2009 8:58:00 AM
A final thought or two on the Oklahoma-Nebraska fiasco last Saturday in Lincoln.
OU could long rue the day it blew an opportunity at what should have been a Sooner victory if the offense had even been mediocre when it counted. How many times does a team lose when it holds its opponent to seven first downs and makes the opposition punt 11 times?!
Because of the Big 12’s scheduling format, the storied OU-Nebraska series won’t resume until the 2012 season. By that time, Cornhusker coach Bo Pelini will have a team stocked with the type of players he needs for his system.
NU insiders said Pelini still isn’t all that infatuated with some of the players he inherited from the Bill Callahan era. Those players apparently are too soft to adapt to Pelini’s demanding, hard-nosed approach. Playing hurt is a new concept to them.
Yes, Pelini did inherit All-World defense tackle Ndamukong Suh. But Suh was contributing very little until Pelini got a hold of him last season and has turned him into potentially the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.
Suh has said Pelini is the major reason he decided to return for his senior season instead of leaving early for the NFL. He was aware of Pelini’s track record of developing defensive players when he was an assistant (he made LSU’s tackle Glenn Dorsey a No. 5 overall pick), and thought he could benefit from another year under Pelini’s guidance.
Suh’s development under Pelini has been remarkable. So remarkable, that the Cornhusker senior is now a heavy favorite to sweep many of the post-season awards that seemed destined for OU defensive tackle Gerald McCoy in the preseason.
Because of its location, sparse population and difficult winters, recruiting to Nebraska has always been the No. 1 challenge for a head coach. Now it’s up to Pelini to prove his staff can continue to bring in top talent like Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne.
If he does, the Nebraska team OU faces in 2012 will be a balanced, tough unit that isn’t reliant almost totally on the defense like the team that upset OU, 10-3.
That means coach Bob Stoops and his staff must continue signing blue-chip recruits and improve their evaluation process. As Tulsa World OU beat writer John Hoover pointed out in an excellent article on Wednesday, the Sooners whiffed on several offensive linemen in recent years, which has created a huge problem this season.
The OU-Nebraska contest in 2012 could carry national title implications like it did for so many years. Like always, it will come down to how the Sooners and Cornhuskers recruit between now and then.
A road trip tip for OU fans headed to Lincoln
11/6/2009 6:31:05 PM
If you're an Oklahoma fan looking for a place to go in Lincoln before Saturday night's game, you might want to checkout Barry's Bar and Grill, which is three blocks south of the stadium and across the street west from the Lincoln Journal-Star.
The venerable bar is owned by two Journal-Star sportswriters – Ken and Ryly Jane Hambleton.
But that isn't why I'm suggesting you check out their joint, which is always a happening place on game day.
Rumor has it that this bar has the perfect name, because it looks like Barry's is going to host Barry Switzer and some of his former players who are in Lincoln to be honored at halftime.
Again, it's a rumor, but "The King" reportedly has reserved a table at Barry's for 10 people starting about three hours before the game.
Switzer loves Nebraska fans and the feeling is mutual. So it should be a blast if he shows up. Good luck getting in!
A little bit about a lot......
11/6/2009 4:55:00 PM
Cleaning out the notebook as we await another Oklahoma-Nebraska football game. . .
Overlooked because of all World Series and high school eligibility news this week was the irony in Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes getting suspended for attempting to gouge the eyes of a Georgia running back.
If you recall, a few months after Florida beat Oklahoma in the BCS title game last January, it was Spikes who said OU was the dirtiest team he'd ever played.
I can guarantee you that Spikes' dirty play last Saturday didn't go over looked in the coaches' offices at OU.
Former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne had some interesting things to say when he appeared on The Sports Animal radio show (97.1fm) this week with Al Jerkens, Pat Jones and myself.
Osborne said it was one the hardest things he's ever done in his life when he had to tell Buffalo coach Turner Gill that he wasn't going to hire him to replace Bill Callahan.
Gill, the former Cornhusker quarterback and assistant coach, remains one of Osborne's closest friends and favorite players. Osborne was in Gill's wedding, and hired him after Gill gave up a professional baseball career after a few seasons in the minors.
Although Gill has done an excellent job reviving a horrible situation at Buffalo, Osborne said he decided to hire Bo Pelini because the Nebraska defense was in shambles after Callahan's reign of error.
He also feared that if Gill struggled at the outset, angry Nebraska fans would say he only got the job because of Osborne, and the Hall of Fame coach didn't want Gill to endure that situation.
Insiders contend Osborne's grown concerned that Pelini once again is having trouble managing his temper during games, and has become boorish in his press conferences. Pelini reportedly has been on a rampage in the coaches' offices ever since the Huskers lost back-to-back home games to Texas Tech and Iowa State.
The fiery Pelini's behavior is the exact opposite of the way Osborne acted on the field and with the media in his 25 years of coaching the Huskers and winning three national titles.
I can tell you from first-hand knowledge that Osborne could get angry with sportswriters and let you know about it. But he did it in one-on-one situations instead of in front a bunch of media members or thousands of NU fans.
So the Dez Bryant soap opera is finally over at Oklahoma State. Unless the NCAA knows something the rest of us don't, it should be ashamed of itself for its obvious goal of making an example out of Bryant.
Suspending Bryant for the rest of his junior season for lying seems way too harsh a penalty for a white lie.
Now Bryant's headed to Tampa, Fla., to work out and get ready for the NFL draft. No one thought he would come back in 2010 for his senior season, but it sure would have been fun to watch him play this season for the Cowboys.
Let me see if I have this right: Spikes is suspended one game for trying to blind an opposing player, and Bryant is suspended for almost and entire season for telling a lie when he was scared out of his wits when he had to face NCAA investigators?
The NCAA didn't even get involved in the Spikes affair. To Spikes' credit, he suspended himself for the entire game this weekend after Florida coach Urban Meyer suspended him for the first half (way to be a tough taskmaster, coach).
So welcome to the wonderful world of the NCAA, the all-powerful, self-important organization who often acts like it doesn't have a clue.
State's football fans need some love
10/30/2009 2:19:00 PM
A large portion of the football fans in this state could use one big collective hug.
Be it on the high school or college level, this season has been one big disaster after another. It’s certainly been as strange as any I can remember in the 25 years I’ve lived in Oklahoma and covered sports.
From the sad situations with Sam Bradford at Oklahoma (season-ending injury), Dez Bryant at Oklahoma State (season-ending suspension) and Mike Bryan at Tulsa (life-altering loss of his father), to the shocking and disheartening revelations of cheating at two of the state’s most storied high school programs, Jenks and Booker T. Washington, it’s been one bummer after another since the end of summer.
If you have Bob Stoops acknowledging that he’s an OSU fan, you start to understand what a long, strange journey it’s been so far.
On Tuesday, when I asked Stoops if it’s fair to say he’s an OSU fan this weekend, he said: “Oh, fair to say? Sure. A bad fan, but I’ve gotta be one.”
The OU coach needs OSU to upset No. 3 Texas on Saturday for the Sooners to have a realistic shot of gaining at least a piece of the Big 12 South Division championship. The Longhorns’ 16-13 win in the Red River Shootout left Stoops and the Sooners in the uncomfortable position of needing help for other teams.
I can only hope the problems at Jenks and Booker T., are isolated instead of the tip of the iceberg. I also wish for Mike Bryan’s sake that he can help TU make a late-season run that results in a C-USA championship and makes the late Ricky Bryan even prouder of how his heartbroken son has handled this difficult situation.
An OSU win over No. 3 Texas would be a much-needed boost for both the Cowboys and the Sooners. If both teams can continue to win, their final regular-season contest on Nov. 28 in Norman will be overflowing with excitement and anticipation into both sides.
No matter the records, Bedlam Week is always thrilling and uplifting. But the lead up to a Bedlam brawl that has Big 12 and national implications could provide the feel-good, group hug that a whole lot of football folks could use right now.
Can OU Root For OSU?
10/24/2009 9:08:00 PM
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Hard to believe, and even harder for Oklahoma to accept, but the Sooner Nation needs to unite for one week and become huge fans of the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
OU kept its hopes for at least a share of the Big 12 South Division title alive here Saturday with a 35-13 win over Kansas.
Now the Sooners need bitter-rival OSU to find a way to upset No. 3 Texas when the Longhorns visit Boone Pickens Stadium on Halloween Night for a showdown that will feature all sorts of ramifications.
An OSU win means the Sooners could at least share the division title if they win out, including a Bedlam win over the Cowboys in Norman in the final regular-season game of the season.
Just like last season, there could be a three-way tie in the South. Under the aforementioned scenario, OU, OSU and Texas could all finish 7-1 in the league race.
Or, if someone else could join OUSU and upset the Tea-sippers, Bedlam could come down to OSU trying to win the South race outright and the Sooners fighting for a tie.
Sure, it's still a long shot for OU. But the Sooners wouldn't have had any shot at all if they had lost to a KU team that was primed to pull an upset.
OU coach Bob Stoops is now 11-0 the week after the emotional Red River Shootout with Texas. With the Sooners standing 3-3 and coming off a difficult, mind-numbing loss to the hated Longhorns, it would have been easy from them to toss it in and go through the motions against the Jayhawks.
But the Sooners demonstrated they have too much pride to quit. And because they did, they still have a chance to produce a successful end to a season that started in shocking fashion.
But to do it, they'll need a little help from their new best friends in Stillwater.
Bad Luck Bob
10/17/2009 7:29:00 PM
DALLAS – Big Game Bob has morphed into Bad Luck Bob.
Go ahead and rip Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops for his inability to win big games like he did earlier in his 11 seasons coaching Sooner football.
But even Stoops' harshest critics have to admit this season has been tainted by one unlucky break after another.
At one point in Saturday's 16-13 loss to Texas, three of the four All-Americans who returned to play at OU this season instead of going to the NFL, were on the sideline hurt.
Stoops' luck started to go sour when tight end Jermaine Gresham was lost for the season with a knee injured in fall camp.
Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Sam Bradford missed three games after a shoulder injured in the season opener. After re-injuring the shoulder in the first quarter of the Red River Shootout, Bradford is almost assuredly done for the season and probably his OU career.
All-American offensive tackle Trent Williams joined Gresham and Bradford on the sideline for a spell yesterday with a leg injury.
That left defensive tackle Gerald McCoy as the only of the "Big Four" still healthy. And McCoy played his butt off, leading a defense that almost won the game on its own.
Williams eventually returned to the game. But as good as he is, his NFL-type talent isn't enough to hold up the rest of a mediocre offensive line.
Earlier this season, I asked Stoops if he believed in being jinxed.
"No, I don't," Stoops said. "But I could use some good luck."
Perhaps Bad Luck Bob's fortunes will change. But he's running of games to keep this season from being one of the most disappointing in his tenure at OU,
Yo, Sam, I was kidding
10/14/2009 8:49:00 AM
When Sam Bradford was talking about his friendship with Texas quarterback Colt McCoy at Tuesday’s press conference, I asked Oklahoma’s fourth-year junior quarterback if he might follow the example of his good buddy and return for his senior season.
“I don’t know, said Bradford. “Maybe.”
I was joking. But some OU fans will take Bradford’s answer as a hopeful sign he’ll be playing for the Sooners in 2010.
There is no way Jose.
I took a lot of heat from readers last November by predicting Bradford would return to OU for the 2009 season instead of taking the millions he could make as a high first-round NFL draft choice. Not surprisingly, none of those new best e-mail friends who suggested I was nuts commented on my sanity when Bradford announced in January that he’d be a Sooner again this season.
As confident as I was with that prediction, I’m 100 times more certain in proclaiming there is absolutely no way he’ll be in a Sooner uniform in 2010. Even after injuring the shoulder on his throwing arm in the opener against BYU, Bradford is still projected by many to be the No. 1 overall pick in next spring’s NFL Draft “depending on his health.”
There was zero chance of Bradford sticking around Norman another season before he was hurt. Now that the injury apparently has some NFL officials concerned about the damage done to the shoulder and if his slender body makes him injury prone, there is a less-than-zero chance that Bradford will make Landry Jones sit on OU’s bench another season.
It’s highly questionable if OU’s below-average offensive line can help keep Bradford healthy. So he could be running for his life and his future as a multi-millionaire the rest of the season. But if he isn’t hurt and blows away scouts at the NFL Combine, owners and general mangers will fall madly in love with him all over again.
Come January, Bradford could use the title of a recent movie when he calls a press conference to announce that he’s “Gone Baby Gone.”
Bradford's big gamble
10/9/2009 11:55:00 AM
Now that Sam Bradford had decided to “take one for the team” and attempt to make a comeback Saturday against Baylor, we can only hope and pray it’s the right decision.
As I wrote in a column earlier this week, I think Sam is taking a huge risk because he’s confirmed that he may need surgery on his damaged shoulder after the season.
Now that he’s damaged good, Bradford will face intense scrutiny from NFL scouts. But the Sooners’ fourth-year junior quarterback is still one of the top prospects in the 2010 NFL draft.
Former Cleveland Browns general manager Phil Savage told veteran college football writer Tom Dienhart of Yahoo!sports.com that Bradford’s talent still makes him a rare commodity.
“The NFL always is looking for good quarterbacks,” Savage told Dienhart. “There just aren’t enough to go around.
“He (Sam) may have been the top pick in last year’s draft. I know a lot of teams liked him better than (Matt) Stafford and (Mark) Sanchez. Bradford is an accurate thrower and a better athlete than you think. Now, the question will center around the physical part.”
Exactly. That’s why I believe Bradford’s taking a huge gamble. It’s admirable that he wants to try and help OU turnaround a season that appears headed for a big ditch. But who'll be there for him if he doesn't strike it rich in the NFL? Yeah, he has an insurance policy. But it won't pay anywhere near what he can make as the No. 1 pick.
I think anyone who puts this OU season ahead of Bradford's long-term football future is being selfish.
But, most of all, I think Sam should do what he wants to do. He’s earned that right. And it looks like his body has healed enough to allow him to pursue some unfinished college business.
Hopefully, his future will remain as bright as his past.
Father Bradford knows best
10/2/2009 2:02:37 PM
Sam Bradford, top, and Landry Jones |
Kent Bradford might get his wish after all.
When OU coach Bob Stoops announced Thursday afternoon that Sam Bradford wouldn’t start at quarterback this Saturday at Miami, the immediate thought was that the Sooner junior should also sit out next week’s game against Baylor.
I don’t know if OU can beat Miami without Bradford, but the Sooners won’t need their Heisman Trophy winner to whip Baylor Oct. 10 on Owen Field.
That would mean Sam would have two more weeks to heal his damaged shoulder before the Oct. 17 Red River Shootout with Texas in Dallas.
And that’s exactly what Kent Bradford said he prefers. As I wrote in my
previous blog, Sam’s father told CBSSports.com senior writer Dennis Dodd
that he’d like to see his son rest that wounded wing a bit longer.
“If I’m totally honest as his dad,” Kent Bradford told Dodd, “I’m like, well, if they think he’s fine now, just to be on the safe side why don’t we add two weeks (of additional rehab) here?”
Kent got at least one more week with Thursday’s announcement that Landry Jones would start for the Sooners against the Hurricanes. And it won’t be surprising if he get his wish for a second week.
The latest from one inside source is that it's "not likely" that Bradford will even suit up for the Miami game.
Bradford's injury apparently hasn't hurt him in the upcoming NFL Draft. ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., still has Bradford listed as the No. 1 overall prospect for the 2010 draft on his latest list. Kiper also ranks OU's injured tight end, Jermaine Gresham, as the No. 17 overall pick.
Bradford's big gamble
10/1/2009 10:18:00 AM
Now that Sam Bradford had decided to “take one for the team” and attempt to make a comeback Saturday against Baylor, we can only hope and pray it’s the right decision.
As I wrote in a column earlier this week, I think Sam is taking a huge risk because he’s confirmed that he made need surgery on his damaged shoulder after the season.
Now that he’s damaged good, Bradford will face intense scrutiny from NFL scouts. But the Sooners’ fourth-year junior quarterback is still one of the top prospects in the 2010 NFL draft.
Former Cleveland Brows general manager Phil Savage told veteran college football writer Tom Dienhart of Yahoo!sports.com that Bradford’s talent still make him a rare commodity.
“The NFL always is looking for good quarterbacks,” Savage told Dienhart. “There just aren’t enough to go around.
“He (Sam) may have been the top pick in last year’s draft. I know a lot of teams liked him better than (Matt) Stafford and (Mark) Sanchez. Bradford is an accurate thrower and a better athlete than you think. Now, the question will center around the physical part.”
Exactly. That’s why I believe Bradford’s taking a huge gamble. It’s admirable that he wants to try and help OU turnaround a season that appears headed for a big ditch.
But, most of all, I think Sam should do what he wants to do. He’s earned that right. And, happily, it looks like his body has healed enough to allow him to pursue some unfinished college business.
ESPN's influence on OU and TU football
9/25/2009 8:50:54 AM
It's not surprising to learn ESPN played a significant role in setting up the highly anticipated Oklahoma-Miami game on Oct. 3. Powerful TV executives getting their way has become a way a life in college football.
The Miami Herald reported ESPN came up with the two-game, home-and-home between the Sooners and the Hurricanes “several years ago” and successfully pitched it to both schools.
ESPN also wields the power when it comes to setting the start time. OU fans who are trying to make plans for next week's game will have to wait until after this weekend's results to find out if ESPN decides to telecast the game at 2:30 p.m. or 7 p.m. A lot will depend on the outcome of the Miami at Virgina Tech contest on Saturday.
ESPN has become a major powerbroker in both the regular-season and postseason, where it has helped create several bowl games by subsidizing them.
Tulsa’s schedule this season is proof positive that ADs will listen when ESPN calls to gauge their interest in moving games if the self-proclaimed “Worldwide Leader In Sports” will kick in some extra bucks and televise the games to a national audience.
Because of ESPN, the Golden Hurricane agreed to play games on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday this season instead of sticking with the traditional Saturday format.
ESPN obviously likes TU. The giant cable network attempted to set up a Tulsa at South Carolina contest in 2010. The Hurricane was willing to do it until AD Bubba Cunningham pulled off one of the biggest scheduling coups in TU history when Notre Dame agreed to host the Hurricane next season.
With Oklahoma State and Notre Dame set for 2010, TU decided against adding a third BCS team to the schedule and opted out of the South Carolina game. Southern Mississippi replaced TU and will play the Gamecocks.
Speaking of South Carolina, ESPN’s influence can work both ways. Just ask Mississippi.
The allure of an ESPN appearance often compels ADs and coaches to move games to odd dates and times just so their teams can get the national exposure.
That’s why Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt agreed to travel to Columbia, S.C., to face the Gamecocks just five days after playing a home game. Back when Nutt signed off on that switch, he had no way of knowing his team would be hit hard by the flu.
The ESPN-driven plan blew up in the fourth-ranked Rebels’ faces Thursday night with they lost to South Carolina, 16-10. After achieving its highest ranking in nearly four decades, Ole Miss is now 0-1 in the Southeastern Conference and destined to take a big dive when the Top 25 polls are released next week.
ESPN is great for fans who crave to watch the college game 24/7, and ADs who need the extra cash and publicity. But its power often comes with a price for players and coaches.
Stoops: "Thanks a lot, Herby"
9/17/2009 8:55:25 AM
Bob Stoops might want to reconsider calling Kirk Herbstreit a good friend.
The Oklahoma coach and the ESPN analyst are Ohio natives who have developed a solid friendship over the years. Herbstreit, who played quarterback at Ohio State, has even participated in the annual bocce tournament in Youngstown, Ohio, which is a fundraiser put on by the Stoops brothers for their high school.
But Herbstreit didn’t do his buddy any favors with a comment he made this week in a radio interview with The Sports Animal (97.1fm).
In an attempt to support Stoops and make the point that OU’s season isn’t over because of a season-opening loss to BYU, Herbstreit said: “You (Sooners) got a gimme last week against Idaho State, another gimme this week against Tulsa again, with all due respect, and then a bye week.”
Stoops’ message to Herbstreit might be: “Gimme a friggin’ break.”
Forget bulletin-board material. An educated guess would conclude that fiery TU coach Todd Graham has blown Herbstreit’s quote up into huge letters and plastered it throughout the locker room so his players have it imbedded in their minds by the time they head to Norman for Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. contest.
Herbstreit obviously hasn’t done something Stoops has – watched tape of TU opening the season with impressive road wins over Tulane and New Mexico.
TU has the talent and experience to make life miserable for OU. And now, thanks to Herbstreit, Graham already has the pregame speech he needs to get the Hurricane players psyched out of their helmets when they hit Owen Field.
Too bad Thunder doesn't get it like the Jaguars
9/16/2009 4:07:44 PM
Jacksonville Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver obviously “gets it” in an area where the Oklahoma City Thunder ownership group doesn’t have a clue.
Weaver told the Associated Press he would seriously consider doing whatever it takes to select Florida quarterback Tim Tebow in the 2010 NFL Draft. A native of Jacksonville, Tebow won the 2007 Heisman Trophy and has the Gators chasing a third national championship in the last four seasons.
After the Jags lost 17,000 season-ticket holders from last season, Weaver is hoping Tebow can restore fan interest and sell a bunch of tickets.
“Star power is incredible, and Tebow is an iconic figure,” Weaver told the AP.
Sound familiar? Oklahoma City produced a once-in-a-lifetime, incredible basketball superstar in Blake Griffin. As a sophomore at OU last season Griffin became a national sensation and the consensus pick as Player of the Year.
While many wisely implored Thunder management to do whatever it took to get the No. 1 pick away from the Los Angles Clippers so OKC could keep Griffin home, those pleas were ignored by a smug front office which, we’ve been told ad nauseam, has a boy wonder basketball genius with all the answers.
A real man of hoops genius would have found a way to keep Kevin Durant and add Griffin.
Prediction: Some day, and it isn’t that far off, the Thunder will be desperate to find an iconic figure to help fill its empty seats. The same kind of emptiness the Thunder will experience when it plays an exhibition game in T-Town on the same night Tulsa hosts Boise State in a huge college football game.
(Hey, here's an idea wise guys: Give Tulsa a regular-season game instead of continuing to pawn useless exhibition "games" off on our city.)
Will it be too late to go after Griffin (aka "The Next Big Thing?") when he becomes an unrestricted free agent? A better question might be: Why would Griffin want to return to OKC after the Thunder brass didn’t have the brass to find a way to keep home in the first place?
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