Blasphemy???

S

SectionThree

500+ Posts
It has been pointed out earlier that we have whiffed on our
recruitment of some number one running back targets the
last few years. Could it be that our competition is using the
fact that Major is our running back coach? I know that the
"system" that we have been using could also be that thorn
but is the Major a liability in this particular area? For instance,
might Saban be currently using his knowledge of Major
working for him as a wedge against us getting Brown?
All's fair in love and war and football.
 
The recruits we missed out on have been for various reasons. The only one that was Major was D. Scott, which turned out to be a great miss. C. Michael was Mack's choice to not go after in favor of Whaley, so don't blame Major for that one. It'll be irrelevant after Mal Brown commits here.
 
Our inability to land the top back in the state of Texas goes back to the beginning of Mack's tenure. IMO it's a Mack-G Davis combo that has it's roots in the requirement for the back to do it all. The 17 year-old who is promised to be the guy and carry the rock from day 1 will flock to that coach and school. In order to play for Mach and GD you must (in order)
1) protect the QB, i.e. pick up the blitz consistently
2) protect the ball, i.e. don't fumble
3) be successful w/o the ball (run a successful route and catch the ball, be a decoy, block down field)
4) gain positive yardage when called to carry the ball.

Everyone Mack and GD recruits can do no. 4. It's 1,2,3 that takes reps and experience, and many guys aren't willing to do the required work and wait their time on the bench to get there. So they join a program where the order of importance is different.

This strategy and set of requirements were established long before Major was even a player for The University.
 
I think Mr. Scott had decided to go to Colorado regardless of whether we had Major or not. He just used it as an excuse in my humble opinion. It worked out good for us too.
 
Beef up the ooc schedule with some big time games ala Ohio State in 05' and 06' and i think we reel in some big time backs. They love the spotlight. What running back gets up for Rice all the freaking time or La-monroe!
 
I wouldn't go here either if I was only guaranteed around 150 carries as a "featured" back. There's only so much Ricky Williams, Ced Benson, and Jamaal Charles can do for your recruiting if you've switched the fundamental look of your offense.

It has a lot more to do with Brown and Davis than it does with Major. It's not like Rucker was a friggin beast of a running backs coach... the vast majority of yards by the end of his watch were off of zone plays.

If I were Saban, I'd just show a film of the national championship game to a potential running back recruit.
 
I don't think this is that hard a sell. Here's what they have to say and I'm sure they are:

1. The Colt McCoy era is over. We have to reinvent ourselves around the talent we have.
2. The reason we didn't run more during the Colt McCoy era was it didn't work because we didn't have as good a talent as you.
3. Look at the stable of premier offensive linemen we have in your recruiting class.
4. Look at our defense. It will be among if not THE best which will take some of the pressure of the offense.
 
as other posters have said, we were missing on top RBs prior to Major's arrival. It's the system we employed, hopefully that changes, somewhat, this season.
 
Yeah, we haven't exactly been running the power I formation too much. We have to sell the fact that we will be running a more balanced attack to attract the best running backs, and with crossed fingers, this may actually be the case, and we may actually get the runners we need to execute this plan.
 
It may not fit the theme of this thread but I'd like to point out that for the 2009 and 2010 recruiting classes Texas coaches evaluated Texas running back talent and chose the backs they wanted, Chris Whaley in 09 and Traylon Shead in 2010. Both backs are at Texas.
 
Those two are not whiffs just yet. 1 of the 2 could well be all Big12 in 2011. Considering the offense we ran last year it's impossible to even venture a guess at how Whaley would do in a power set with an OL coached to drive block... I believe we'll be fine at rb once the OL adjusts to the scheme.
 
While this issue has been a thorn in my side, ultimately I want to win. And we do under Mack and GD, so I've put it in it's place, which is an annoyance for me and not something that angers me.
The only loss in this era that still pisses me off is AD. His loss is equivalent to other huge ones like Billy Sims, Eric Dickerson.
For Mack's legacy, he really needs to close on a top back before he hangs 'em up.
Just for me, pretty please.
 
Since Major has been here, what back have we whiffed on in recruiting besides Scott? I can't think of one. For that matter since Mack has been here what back have we whiffed on other than Peterson and Scott? We have consistantly gotten the back we have targeted. Now if you differ from who the coaches have decided to go after that is a different story. The bottom line is we didn't whiff on backs like Michael or Calhoun we chose not to go after them. We probalby should have, but like I said that is an argument about evaluation not whiffing on who you are going after.
 
I get the original post. But the story is not so much about "whiffing" on recruits, because those recruits that are being referred to aren't even considering Texas in the first place.
 
In the 80s our women's basketball team lost a game that knocked us out of the NC. Clarissa Davis was in hs school and proved to be a real fan and came here to help us win an NC when she was a freshman. Unfortunately injuries hurt her the rest of her career or I think she would have been like Diana Taurasi.

AP was our guest at the 2003 OU game where we got whipped and decided even though he considered himself a UT fan to go to OU and win NCs. You have to take it with a grain of salt. A real UT fan would have wanted to come to UT and change that. Instead he took what he thought was an easy road to an NC and lost out on it. How unlike Clarissa who proved to be a real fan.
 
"my favorite adrian peterson stat 0-2" If your talking about games that he played in against Texas, he did win one in 2004 when Oklahoma won 12-0.
 
regardless of nicknames, I believe his initials are AP. Many players on the site are referred to by their initials. Good either way......
 
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