Glass half empty, glass half full thread

[doc longhorn]

I'm a half full kind of guy.  I think it is just as easy to be optimistic as it is to be negative.

So, lets take a look at the football program and what we have to look forward to this year.

Years of medical training and organization leads me to itemize data points.  So....

1.  The entire team, not including this years signing class, has matured one year more.   This is a good thing - especially as it applies to our OL and DL - the core units of our offensive and defensive success.

2.  OL - we have two All Americans returning with the reports that Hodges, Perkins and, yes, a true freshman are performing above average already.

3.  TE - IMO, we have a potential All Conference TE in Blueitt - he carries a mean streak, he is huge, fast and has soft hands.  We be good here.

4.  WR's - we have two VERY tall WR's in Burt and Johnson - who can run like the wind and jump like impalas.

5.  Slot - this is Formans year but watch out for LoJo.

6.  RB's - Warren and Foreman, behind our great OL, will strike fear into every DC's plans for defense.  Both are potential All Conference and, yes, maybe even All American candidates.

7.  QB - Swoopes will start - like the senior QB he is.  Heard will play and, if he shows out, will assume the starters role - until he doesn't.  Watch out for Merrick.  Buechele will RS, like he damn well should.

8.  Gilbert - his offense will start to click about the 3rd game and, at that point, we could very well go undefeated.  His offense will bring out Swoopes and Heard similar to what it did for Boyles at TCU.  That's my prediction.  Without critical injuries, Gilberts offense could wind up being a juggernaut - ala Baylor.

9.  DL - there are no Ridgeways, but Hughes is damn close.  This is our thinnest unit, but it ain't bad.

10.  LB - Really?  Who opened the gates to the zoo?  There are nothing but animals here.  Deep, deep, deep in talent and speed.  All that is needed is experience and the Baylor's, OU's and TCU's will be sick of them.

11.  DB's - maybe the best unit in the conference.  Headhunters all with speed and a desire to kill someone.  Arguably the strongest unit on the team.

12.  S's - Hall will start, maybe, but Elliot will eventually move him out.  Our safeties are good enough not to worry about them.

Charlie Strong - knows defense and is trusting his offense to Gilbert.  I like Strong's chances to stay at UT for 10+ years.

Negatives?  All schools have weaknesses - even Alabama.  We are no exception and we know QB and the DL are the great unknowns.  We also know they both have to come though for us to win 10+ games.

Friends, I know we have been burnt before, but I think we re looking at an exciting year this year - really exciting.

I like our chances.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

I'm a half full kind of guy.  I think it is just as easy to be optimistic as it is to be negative.

So, lets take a look at the football program and what we have to look forward to this year.

Years of medical training and organization leads me to itemize data points.  So....

1.  The entire team, not including this years signing class, has matured one year more.   This is a good thing - especially as it applies to our OL and DL - the core units of our offensive and defensive success.

2.  OL - we have two All Americans returning with the reports that Hodges, Perkins and, yes, a true freshman are performing above average already.

3.  TE - IMO, we have a potential All Conference TE in Blueitt - he carries a mean streak, he is huge, fast and has soft hands.  We be good here.

4.  WR's - we have two VERY tall WR's in Burt and Johnson - who can run like the wind and jump like impalas.

5.  Slot - this is Formans year but watch out for LoJo.

6.  RB's - Warren and Foreman, behind our great OL, will strike fear into every DC's plans for defense.  Both are potential All Conference and, yes, maybe even All American candidates.

7.  QB - Swoopes will start - like the senior QB he is.  Heard will play and, if he shows out, will assume the starters role - until he doesn't.  Watch out for Merrick.  Buechele will RS, like he damn well should.

8.  Gilbert - his offense will start to click about the 3rd game and, at that point, we could very well go undefeated.  His offense will bring out Swoopes and Heard similar to what it did for Boyles at TCU.  That's my prediction.  Without critical injuries, Gilberts offense could wind up being a juggernaut - ala Baylor.

9.  DL - there are no Ridgeways, but Hughes is damn close.  This is our thinnest unit, but it ain't bad.

10.  LB - Really?  Who opened the gates to the zoo?  There are nothing but animals here.  Deep, deep, deep in talent and speed.  All that is needed is experience and the Baylor's, OU's and TCU's will be sick of them.

11.  DB's - maybe the best unit in the conference.  Headhunters all with speed and a desire to kill someone.  Arguably the strongest unit on the team.

12.  S's - Hall will start, maybe, but Elliot will eventually move him out.  Our safeties are good enough not to worry about them.

Charlie Strong - knows defense and is trusting his offense to Gilbert.  I like Strong's chances to stay at UT for 10+ years.

Negatives?  All schools have weaknesses - even Alabama.  We are no exception and we know QB and the DL are the great unknowns.  We also know they both have to come though for us to win 10+ games.

Friends, I know we have been burnt before, but I think we re looking at an exciting year this year - really exciting.

I like our chances.

Hope you're having a great spring, Doc and that your wife has gotten your hands dirty by now.

I'll comment on some of your points, most all of which I agree with.

1. "The entire team, not including this years signing class, has matured one year more"  . . . This is true and I'll add that last year we saw something we haven't seen in sometime. Swagger from our talented frosh and sophomores. Enthusiasm and desire. The coming class will only bring more of that, insuring that the youth/excitement/talent movement continues.

5. Slot – "watch out for Lo Jo." No kidding. He should see the field, often. We only got glimpses of him last year but enough to see he's the kind of gutty player I want on the field.

9. DL – "not bad" . . . based on what we've seen so far since Charlie has been here, its safe to say we do get the most out of our DTs and DEs. Of the young ones coming in, 1-2 of them will be good enough to be in the rotation. I think this ends up being a strength for us.

12. S' – I think this might be the best group of safeties we've had in 15 years. Between Elliott, Hall and now Jones, we've got serious talent here.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

I want to be optimistic, but my enthusiasm is definitely tapered if we trot Swoopes out there to start against ND.

 

[primal defense]

Where did you get the "Watch out for Merrick?"  Everything I've read he's either fourth or fifth in the pecking order.

 

[doc longhorn]

Where did you get the "Watch out for Merrick?"  Everything I've read he's either fourth or fifth in the pecking order.

Just sayin.  There is more to this than meets the eye (or blogs that don't know diddly).

 

[doc longhorn]

I want to be optimistic, but my enthusiasm is definitely tapered if we trot Swoopes out there to start against ND.

Damn,man, you really carry a grudge.  Do you think he has a club foot or something? 

 

[streettopeschel]

Years of watching football has told me I don't know shit. I've seen pre-season Top 10 teams finish with losing records (2010). I've seen preseason unranked ascend to #1 (1977)

I get excited every year. Some years we exceed expectations, some we don't. I celebrate the successes and piss and moan over the failures.

2016 will be interesting because it will determine whether Charlie turns the corner to a successful tenure or perhaps gets fired. We don't get THAT dynamic often.

Ready for September with a glass.

 

[Rotty22]

personally, i think the key is the QB play.  consistent success at this position and we score points and rest our defense.  3 and outs kill our defense.

 

[Grandpa Zorro]

The glass is half empty or half full depending on whether you are drinking or pouring...

That being said, I am thinking this will be a good year.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

Damn,man, you really carry a grudge.  Do you think he has a club foot or something? 

"Carry a grudge"?

No, I just haven't seen Swoopes demonstrate any real confidence or competency in the passing game. You're welcome to attach links or provide game footage that proves me wrong though. I'm okay with Ty as a short-yardage specialist. Not as an every down starter.

 

[doc longhorn]

"Carry a grudge"?

No, I just haven't seen Swoopes demonstrate any real confidence or competency in the passing game. You're welcome to attach links or provide game footage that proves me wrong though. I'm okay with Ty as a short-yardage specialist. Not as an every down starter.

I agree the last really good QB we have had was Colt McCoy.  I'm including David Ash in the group of poor to mediocre QB's as well.  I was never a big fan of Ash, but he was a plodder and that helped.

But how great would Colt have been without Jordan Shipley, Quan Cosby or David Thomas?  Sure Colt could deliver the pill, but it's nice to have receivers that could catch everything in their area code. 

Swoopes and Heard have never had anyone close to being the receivers they were - except Jaxon when Swoopes was a true freshman.  And he caught a lot of his passes.

Now there is no way I am comparing Swoopes to Colt - that's ridiculous.  But Swoopes is now a senior and, that alone, means he has scads of experience behind him - in practices if nothing else.  Even a derp like Case McCoy beat OU and aggy - with 5 years of experience in practices.

I don't expect TS to burn up the world at QB, but you go with what you have.  Football is not a one man show.

 

[North Texas Golfer]

"Carry a grudge"?

No, I just haven't seen Swoopes demonstrate any real confidence or competency in the passing game. You're welcome to attach links or provide game footage that proves me wrong though. I'm okay with Ty as a short-yardage specialist. Not as an every down starter.

I am really interested to see what Gilbert can do with either Swoopes or Heard because I really believe that neither of them have had the opportunity to work with someone the caliber of Gilbert. What we saw over the past 2 years from a QB development standpoint was as next to nothing as you can get and that's almost enough for me to totally discount the QB play we have seen the past 2 years. 

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

I am really interested to see what Gilbert can do with either Swoopes or Heard because I really believe that neither of them have had the opportunity to work with someone the caliber of Gilbert. What we saw over the past 2 years from a QB development standpoint was as next to nothing as you can get and that's almost enough for me to totally discount the QB play we have seen the past 2 years. 

I hope you're right.

Both Swoopes and Heard have the physical tools, but it's their decision-making and execution that has lacked. Was the Watson offense "too complex"? Maybe, but we'll find out this season. Easy to blame former coaches about things; players, game plan, motivational techniques, etc.

 

[North Texas Golfer]

I agree the last really good QB we have had was Colt McCoy.  I'm including David Ash in the group of poor to mediocre QB's as well.  I was never a big fan of Ash, but he was a plodder and that helped.

But how great would Colt have been without Jordan Shipley, Quan Cosby or David Thomas?  Sure Colt could deliver the pill, but it's nice to have receivers that could catch everything in their area code. 

Swoopes and Heard have never had anyone close to being the receivers they were - except Jaxon when Swoopes was a true freshman.  And he caught a lot of his passes.

Now there is no way I am comparing Swoopes to Colt - that's ridiculous.  But Swoopes is now a senior and, that alone, means he has scads of experience behind him - in practices if nothing else.  Even a derp like Case McCoy beat OU and aggy - with 5 years of experience in practices.

I don't expect TS to burn up the world at QB, but you go with what you have.  Football is not a one man show.

When you really think about it, Swoopes really doesn't have "scads of experience". Yes, he is a senior but he should be a junior. He had his redshirt wastefully burned in a year that benefited him in no way whatsoever. He started the next year behind an offensive line that was flat out awful with no running game and average at best wide receivers. Last year he started one game and played the rest of the year in a special package that did not help at all to develop as a true QB. Bottom line, the coaching he received the past 2 years was questionable at best.  

 

[North Texas Golfer]

I hope you're right.

Both Swoopes and Heard have the physical tools, but it's their decision-making and execution that has lacked. Was the Watson offense "too complex"? Maybe, but we'll find out this season. Easy to blame former coaches about things; players, game plan, motivational techniques, etc.

Admittedly I don't have a clue of what kind of recruit that Dane Evans, the QB at Tulsa, was coming out of high school but his stats at Tulsa paint an interesting story.

Here are his stats for his first 2 years.

2013    84 of 195 43.1%     4 td-10 int   162.4 ypg   112.12 QBR

2014  256 of 462 55.4%   23 td-17 int   258.5 ypg   120.88 QBR

Enter Gilbert

2015  305 of 485 62.9%   25 td-8 int     333.2 ypg   151.63 QBR

I've got to believe Gilbert had a lot to do with how good Dane Evans was in 2015. 

 

[North Texas Golfer]

Admittedly I don't have a clue of what kind of recruit that Dane Evans, the QB at Tulsa, was coming out of high school but his stats at Tulsa paint an interesting story.

Here are his stats for his first 2 years.

2013    84 of 195 43.1%     4 td-10 int   162.4 ypg   112.12 QBR

2014  256 of 462 55.4%   23 td-17 int   258.5 ypg   120.88 QBR

Enter Gilbert

2015  305 of 485 62.9%   25 td-8 int     333.2 ypg   151.63 QBR

I've got to believe Gilbert had a lot to do with how good Dane Evans was in 2015. So yes, I believe coaching can have both a positive or negative effect. 

 

[doc longhorn]

When you really think about it, Swoopes really doesn't have "scads of experience". Yes, he is a senior but he should be a junior. He had his redshirt wastefully burned in a year that benefited him in no way whatsoever. He started the next year behind an offensive line that was flat out awful with no running game and average at best wide receivers. Last year he started one game and played the rest of the year in a special package that did not help at all to develop as a true QB. Bottom line, the coaching he received the past 2 years was questionable at best.  

With an improved OL, RB's, decent receivers and the expectation of opposing defenses to stack the box, it's not unreasonable to expect a QB to complete more than 60% of his passes.

I think all of us are concerned whether or not Swoopes or Heard can achieve this.

If they can, we will be a serious contender for the conference championship.

 

[Duke C #11]

Over the years, I've seen plenty of players who came alive during their senior year, so I will reserve judgment on TS. I do think he will be the starter vs. ND. After that, who knows?

 

[primal defense]

Just sayin.  There is more to this than meets the eye (or blogs that don't know diddly).

Sounds like your pulling this out of your ass. :wacko: I guess that's better than watch out for Trey Holtz.