Crossfire with McPhaul - 03/12/2014

[HornSports Staff]

 

 

STEVE PATTERSON'S EMAIL ON THE DKR SOUTH ENDZONE EXPANSION

 

Many of you have been asking about the expansion of the south endzone. Below is a statement relased by Texas AD Steve Patterson:

 

As we continue to plan for the future of UT Athletics and work to provide a superior gameday experience for all our fans and stakeholders, we have begun the initial stage of studying a potential stadium project to complete the south end of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

 

The project is conceptual at this point. Any further planning will depend on a variety of factors to be studied over the next several months. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has been retained to assist UT Athletics in evaluating elements of the potential project, including the addition of new premium seating and additional club areas. As part of their research, PwC will be engaging with Longhorn Foundation members through a survey and interview process to collect input related to potential new seating options and naming rights opportunities for Texas Football.

 

We genuinely appreciate the many ways in which you support UT Athletics. Thank you for your participation during this process.

 

Hook 'em, Horns!

 

Steve Patterson

Men's Athletics Director

 

COACHES ON THE MOVE

 

Former defensive back coach Duane Akina has agreed in terms with Stanford and will be joining David Shaw's staff in Palo Alto.

That leaves Running Backs Coach Larry Porter and Wide Receivers Coach Darrell Wyatt as the only two coaches that have not found a landing spot as of now. Expect them to be picked up somewhere sooner rather than later...

 

 

CROSSFIRE Q & A

 

Q) Do we get Turner?

A) If I was a betting man, I would bet on Texas. Texas gets the last visit so, that bodes well for us.

 

Q) Is this Augie's last year?

A) It has been discussed but, I don’t think Augie has made a final decision.

 

Q) What the devil is going on a Texas A&M with all the arrest?

A) When boosters are running the program and not the head coach, there is little or not accountability.

 

Q) How do you think the Texas BB Team is going to do in the Big 12 Tourney and the Nat playoffs (MARCH MADNESS)

A) Don’t get me to lying. I can no longer predict which Texas team is going to show?

 

Q) Why can't we get the real time broadcast of the games (Basketball/baseball/football) while in the stadiums, with no time delay? Seems like we have grown up with watching sports on TV and it seem that it would add to the fun and knowledge of what is going on in the game.

A) Interesting question and one I don’t have an answer for. Let me see what I can find out and I will share in next week's Crossfire.

 

Q) Still most curious about attrition. How many? And who are the probables?

A) I placed the over under at 8 but, could me more when the spring football wraps up. Some kids have been notified that their services will not be needed for spring practices so; we should start hearing a few names once spring football starts. Some other kids that are on the bubble will be allowed to participate in spring ball and will announce their intentions to transfer after the orange & white game.

It is better that I don’t speculate on the names.

Q) Since we are into a somewhat quiet period, I think it would be interesting to do a Crossfire conversation with a couple of high school coaches to hear what they think of the program, their comments on who they thought would get the UT job and what they think of Coach Strong so far (anonymously, of course).

A) Alright, let me see if I can get Coach Todd Dodge of Marble Falls and another former Texas player that is now coaching HS ball.

 

Q) One thing I am wondering is what the coaches are doing on a daily basis now.

A) Preparing for the spring practices.

 

Q) What gets the attention of the position coaches and the head coach after signing day and before spring practice?

A) Laying the ground work for the next recruiting class and preparing for the junior days.

 

Q) Who is the favorite to win the Big 12 next year and why? Who is the dark horse? Who will win "Coach of the year"?

A) At this time I’m going to say that OU, Baylor and Texas all have a shot at the Big12 title next year.

A) My dark horse would be any team Bill Snyder coaches so, that would be KSU.

A) Charlie Strong or Kliff Kingsbury.

 

Q) What do you make of William Wilkerson's report on the tops athletes in the state and how they felt about Texas this year?

A) It is no secret that Texas is playing catch up. Let Charlie get a season under his belt and I beat Texas will once again be the choice program in the state.

 

Q) Thoughts on Heard going to spend some time this spring break with the QB guru George Whitfield ?

A) It tells me that Heard is serious about honing his craft. It is refreshing to see a kid forgo the spring break parties his senior year to prepare himself for the next level.

 

Q) Following "Hell Week", which players have shown the most improvement and which players stood out to the coaches/staff?

A) Both QB’s Ash & Swoopes made some noise. It’s too bad Leroy Scott broke team rules because he was really impressing the coaching staff. All the running backs, Brown, Bergeron, Gray and Johnson have been stellar in the offseason. Texas is stacked at the running back position. Another area of team strength is going to be the defensive line. Brown & Reed have taken on a leadership and the young pups like S. Davis & B. Cottrell should give Texas some depth we have not had recently.

 

Q) We have "Cameron Crazies" and "Erwin Lazies"! What are the thoughts for the new/perspective basketball arena as to a much greater home court advantage and moving the "blue hairs" (I am one.) up and the students’ courtside (1st 10 rows) around the arena?

A) I’m hearing the arena will be more intimate as far as the seating goes so, that alone should benefit for home games. Moving the “blue hairs” is going to tricky. Keep in mind these “blue hairs” is where the majority of the season tickets are sold.

 

Q) What are your predictions for our defense this fall? YPG, PPG, & ranking in the Big 12 & nationally?

A) Good Gravy I was hoping to get to see them perform this spring before I was asked this question. I will go out on a limb and predict that Texas will have the top ranked defense in the B12 this year.

 

Q) Who would be possible candidates to replace Augie if he was to not return next season?

A) Those close to the program believe Texas pitching coach Skip Johnson is going to inherit the job once Augie decides to step down.

 

Q) Wayne Graham, Rice, has wanted the UT job since he was the HC at San Jacinto JC. He was really miffed when the UT job was given to Augie because Graham campaigned hard for it.

He is an excellent BB coach and has won where ever he has been - however, he must be getting close to 75 by now. His chances at UT are done.

A) Coach Graham would have been an excellent selection. At 75, you got to believe that Coach Graham will retire at Rice.

 

Q) Is Geoff Ketchum Mr. Taylor Duck?

A) No comment. Mr. Taylor Duck has been banned on HornSports.

 

Q) You have always had quite the following on Orangebloods, why don’t you post there anymore?

A) I have been banned on Orangebloods.

 

Q) Who are your favorite Longhorn writers/reporters?

A) Chip Brown, Sean Adams, Scipio and Jesus Shuttlesworth are always a great read.

Honorable mentions would go to Eric Nahlin, Jason Suchomel and Jeff Howe when it comes to recruiting news and updates.

 

Q) Will the media be allowed to attend and report on spring football?

A) Emails have been sent to the parents of the football team that practices will be closed so, I doubt they are going to let the media attend.

Friends of Bevo will still be able to attend some practices so; Hornsports should receive some informative reports.

 

Q) Will Charlie Strong have a weekly show on LHN like Mack did? Will LHN do similar programming now that Mack is gone?

A) Yes he will. As a matter of fact, I can see Charlie Strong and Steve Patterson taking the LHN to the next level.

 

Q) Why is it taking till the middle of the summer to get The Longhorn Network on Dish when all they need to do is flip a switch?

A) I don’t think all the particulars on how they are going to package the LHN have been decided at Dish?

 

Q) Who are the cant miss prospects in the 2015 class?

A) Tagging anyone as a can’t miss is dangerous these days. You really know how the kids are going to respond once they get on campus. Presently Texas does not have a 2015 commit that I would feel comfortable labeling as a cant’ miss prospect.

 

Q) Will the quarterback position battle be an open one or is there already a favorite?

A) The whole team has bought into that every position is open for battle. David Ash is the odds on in favorite but, every second teamer is just one play away from being the starter.

I believe our QB depth chart will look like this: Ash, Wittek, Swoopes & Heard. Granted that Wittek ends up at Texas.

 

Q) How is Gray progressing from his achilles injury?

A) Johnathan is ahead of schedule. Texas is loaded at RB so, there is absolutely no reason to rush him back. Selfishly I hope he redshirts so, we can have him on campus a few more years.

 

Q) First, just a suggestion: It is not a good experience when we respond to your question request an get no-response. My thoughts if you could list the question with a simple response: we acknowledge your question but cannot answer at this time because..... We will or won't keep it on file. Of the 31 players who sustained an Achilles tendon rupture, 21 (64%) returned to play in the NFL at an average of 11 months after injury. In the three seasons following their return, those 21 players saw significant decreases in games played and power ratings compared to the three seasons preceding the injury.

A) Dually noted and I’m sorry that happened.

 

Q) Do we know of any quality RBs that have rehabed a torn Achilles and returned to dominance? I can't think of any off hand, only those with ACLs. Mirroring the above question regarding J Gray.

A) Of the 31 NFL players who sustained an Achilles tendon rupture, 21 (64%) returned to play in the NFL at an average of 11 months after injury. In the three seasons following their return, those 21 players saw significant decreases in games played and power ratings compared to the three seasons preceding the injury. None of these players were running backs.

Furthermore, in the reviewed 21 NFL skill players who returned to play, there were significant decreases in games played per season (11.67 games per year pre-injury versus 6.17 games per year post injury) when averaged over the three seasons before the injury and the three seasons after the injury.3 There were also decreases averaging nearly 50% in power ratings of the returning players for the three seasons after the injury compared to the three seasons before the injury. These data indicate that even in players able to return to their former level of play, the quality of play may suffer permanently.

 

Q) 1. ok darryl, let's be frank here... am i the only one that seems to think that there is a small but yet very ominous cloud, suddenly hanging over the "erwin center"? i mean think about it... we all certainly would want to send coach barnes as many accolades as possible, as per this momentous season... but let's face it, this season is really no better than the last. (not really). therefore, how dare the "myles turner" camp present a subtle threat (please make certain that "barnes" is back next season or else) that shall in the very least... cause a bit of consternation amongst us fans. soooooo, my question is... is it an absolute guarantee that "myles turner" shall grace the "40 acres" upon next season? aaaaaaand, should he decide to grace the illustrious confines of lawrence kansas... what on earth shall we do as per the "big Vii" coach of the year "rick barnes"... head off into another season upon a wing and a prayer? will "patterson" really stand for such "in your face ambiguity" in regards to the current status as per his head basketball coach? an "ominous cloud" indeed!

A) Monarch, my man. I spell my name the same way Darrell Royal spelled his.

I don’t think Turner camp was threatening us. The Turners have every right in seeking the stability of the coaching staff at the schools they are considering. Keep in mind that basketball coaches actually coach in practice opposed to head football coaches that oversee practices. Barnes has more one on one interaction with his players in one week than Coach Brown had all year. No matter how you look at Barnes, you can’t release a coach that won the Coach of the Year award in his conference. Barnes was put on notice before the season started and in my opinion, responded accordingly.

 

Q) Any knowledge on how the SEC cheats in the large cash deals?

A) Read up on how Auburn pulled it off with Cam Newton or how LSU pulled it off with Claiborne.

 

Q) What did Leroy Scott do?

A) Broke team rule #420.

 

Q) And what are his chances to stay on the team?

A) I’m not sure but, the kid had an outstanding offseason.

 

Q) What is Augie doing to improve the run production? Totally impressed with the fielding and pitching.

A) I don’t think it is so much of what Augie is doing but, the kids are responding in close games a lot better than they did last year.

Our pitching has been NAILS.

 

Q) True or False: Perry's pain I'm the ass regent Wallace Hall's kid rejected by UT admissions?

A) True and the kid had a very decent private school transcript. The kid will probably end up at Harvard.

 

Q) What will our base defensive alignment b... 4-3, 5-0 or 3-4?

A) From what I have been told, the staff is going to look at the 4-3 & 3-3 and see what best fits the personnel. I think we will see plenty of both.

 

 

CONVERSATION WITH FRIEND OF BEVO

 

Me: How are you?

 

FOB: Been busy but, all is well.

 

Me: Any thoughts on “Hell Week”?

 

FOB: Boy they pushed the hell out of those kids and credit the kids for responding the way they did.

 

Me: So, no one threw the towel in?

FOB: You had some kids that did not finish drills but, no one threw a tantrum and walked off.

 

Me: I told our members that the over under on the attrition was around eight. Do you think that is correct?

 

FOB: I would say that is in the ball park. Like I mentioned before, the staff has meet with those they don’t think they have a chance to see the field and some of those kids responded well in the workouts.

 

Me: So are you saying that some of those kids are going to be allowed to stay on the team?

FOB: There is that possibility that some of the kids might have reserved the right to retain their scholarship but, they may become frustrated with the lack of reps they receive in spring ball.

Although this staff challenged the team in a manner they have never been challenged before, they are pleased with the effort they received.

 

Me: Are they going to challenge them in spring practices too?

 

FOB: Since we are installing a new offense & defense, the team is going be challenged in the classroom so, they can maximize the practice time on the field. In other words, the staff is going to be able to recognize those that are not retaining the playbook very quickly and their reps will be limited until they get it down.

 

Me: Is the staff excited about the talent at their disposal?

 

FOB: Darrell, they are. They really believe they will compete in every game they play and as I have said before, this staff is not conceding s%^t.

 

Me: Is this going to be a very physical spring?

 

FOB: It certainly is. The staff is well aware of the tackling issues this team has had and this one area the coaches believe is going to improve dramatically.

 

Me: Switching topics on you. What do you think about Rick bringing home the B12 coach of the year award?

 

FOB: As you know, before this season Rick had a big ole bulls- eye on his back but, Rick delivered this year.

Rick deserved the award. I just hope Rick & can get this team out of the first or second round this year. The talent is there. Hopefully we will get some good match ups.

 

Me: I’m hearing from some very good sources that Myles Turner is a lock for Texas?

 

FOB: Texas is sitting in the catbirds seat right now. Let’s hope we don’t screw this one up like we did with Julius Randle.

 

Me: What seed do you think we land?

 

FOB: 5^th thru 7^th seed. I tell you what; we have the best chance to win the B12 tourney than we have in a very long time.

 

Me: I feel the same way since Kansas’ big man is out for two weeks.

 

FOB: That can’t hurt but, remember Ridley ate his lunch in Austin.

 

Me: Everyone keeps asking me if this is Augie’s last year?

 

FOB: I get that question all the time too. I’m being told that a decision has not been made one way or the other. If Augie does well this year, it will be his choice. The thing about Augie is he will be ready to step down if he can’t deliver some type of hardware this year. It’s not going to be like the Mack Brown saga where we have to force him into retirement.

 

Me: Any news on Bev Kearney?

 

FOB: She does not have a prayer. There will be no settlement.

 

Me: That’s all I got now. I am going to see you at the spring game.

 

FOB: Yes, I will stop by your tailgate and say hello but, I can’t stay long.

 

Me: That’s ok, I will holler at you next week. Thanks again for the time.

 

FOB: My pleasure Darrell.

[Lukus Alderman]

First!

[Joe's Generic Horn]

I got silver. Nice report

[monarch]

...perfection!...

 

we are currently experiencing the "slow season" darrell... but it seems that this has not adversely affected "crossfire" in the very least. oh, and about your "name", sometimes, i see others spelling it "darryl"... and it seems to just stick in my head.

 

therefore, from now on... i shall treat it as "royalty"!

Edited March 12, 2014 by monarch

[Embrey]

Thanks for taking all the questions! Great Crossfire

[Coach840]

Great read, will Scott make it back on the team, really thought he would contribute

[ATX89]

I'm interested to hear more about Estelle and Daje. Seems like OB and 247 think Daje and Estelle remain in a very precarious situation regarding their status overall.

[GetHooked]

The coaches know we had tackling problems last year.

 

The coaches have already informed a few players that they are not in the plans going forward.

 

There are players that are on the bubble.

 

THEN I READ STUFF ON THE VARIOUS SITES THAT......

 

The coaches haven't watched tape on the players because they don't want any pre-conceived ideas.

 

Am I missing something here?

[SlickStreet]

The coaches know we had tackling problems last year.

 

The coaches have already informed a few players that they are not in the plans going forward.

 

There are players that are on the bubble.

 

THEN I READ STUFF ON THE VARIOUS SITES THAT......

 

The coaches haven't watched tape on the players because they don't want any pre-conceived ideas.

 

Am I missing something here?

I'm assuming they at least heard about the tackling woes the last seasons. It was better once GR took over Diaz's role, but the last few years have been pretty lame in that area

[Sirhornsalot]

Excellent Crossfire, Darrell. I enjoyed that.

[marathon]

I missed the Leroy Scott news or forgot.

 

Is he off the team right now trying to earn his way back or is he working out with the team but in the doghouse?

[Topstarr]

Loved the report this week and I do believe that we will be in every football game this year including, "the playoffs".

[MikeV73]

I am a physical therapist, agree that gray should redshirt next season. Achilles injuries are intense, and the recovery is slow and controlled to allow adequate healing and strengthening of the repair and surrounding tissue. Ballistic movements required by running backs, cutting/sprinting/jumping, are heavy stressors to the Achilles and the muscle-tendon junction. Stressing the repair too early if he is not at 100% could lead to re-injury or injuries to other areas compensating for a weakened region. I hope he takes a year off, regains his full abilities if able, and comes back strong for year two of the Strong regime. On the other hand, high level athletes always recover quicker than the rest of us due to being in superior conditioning prior to injury, and they have access to rehab facilities and professionals around the clock. Wishing him the best, he is a talented and classy kid! That extra year off could equate to bigger NFL dollars later if he avoids a subpar season at less than full throttle play next season, or a possible re-injury.

[Bear19]

I would still like to know what Scott did to break a rule. You gave a rule number but I have no idea what rule that is.

[MikeV73]

I would still like to know what Scott did to break a rule. You gave a rule number but I have no idea what rule that is.

 

420 is a reference to weed, google it for more clarity. This isn't Colorado my fellow Horns!

[Bear19]

Thanks Mike. Figured as much.

[GARCH]

Some good content this week

[UTPhil2006]

Q) Is this Augie's last year?

A) It has been discussed but, I don’t think Augie has made a final decision.

 

IMO, if he makes it to the CWS he'll probably step down. Augie is a gamer, he doesn't want to go out on a low note, and anything but Omaha is a low note for him.

 

Q) Who would be possible candidates to replace Augie if he was to not return next season?

A) Those close to the program believe Texas pitching coach Skip Johnson is going to inherit the job once Augie decides to step down.

 

As you've said the job is Skips to lose. I'd put it around 80-90%. And he deserves it.

 

Q) Wayne Graham, Rice, has wanted the UT job since he was the HC at San Jacinto JC. He was really miffed when the UT job was given to Augie because Graham campaigned hard for it.

He is an excellent BB coach and has won where ever he has been - however, he must be getting close to 75 by now. His chances at UT are done.

A) Coach Graham would have been an excellent selection. At 75, you got to believe that Coach Graham will retire at Rice.

 

I can assure you, 75 or not, there is less than 0% chance Graham would come here. Augie would literally coach til his death to prevent that, and those feelings are widely shared.

 

Q) Who are the cant miss prospects in the 2015 class?

A) Tagging anyone as a can’t miss is dangerous these days. You really know how the kids are going to respond once they get on campus. Presently Texas does not have a 2015 commit that I would feel comfortable labeling as a cant’ miss prospect.

 

IMO if I had to pick one it would be Jefferson.

 

Q) What is Augie doing to improve the run production? Totally impressed with the fielding and pitching.

A) I don’t think it is so much of what Augie is doing but, the kids are responding in close games a lot better than they did last year.

Our pitching has been NAILS.

 

Hitting will improve with AB's. We're only about 60 AB's in for Clemens, McGuire, Barrera, Gurwitz. Shaw and Felts have stepped up as a fantastic replacement while the Freshmen get acclimated to the speed of the college game/better pitching. Ben has shown great strides from Year 1 to 2 as I expected. CJ will get better but as of right now he reminds me of Pedro Serrano.

[Horn78]

Good stuff McP.I can't wait to see how much a difference just the change in attitude this staff creates is going to mean. And thanks for the call this afternoon. Pretty cool.