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If you look at the Mack Brown tenure I feel he also followed that same path of self destruction...big difference was that Mack did not realize the degree of devastation to recruiting, prioritization and team discipline after winning the Naitonal Championship in 2005, and when he did recognize it he was not allowed the time to regain control (assuming he would and could have, lets hope we do not repeat this pattern with Tom Herman).

Good read Paul. I enjoyed it. I was struck by the comment of not being allowed the time to regain control. I wonder if the $5 million annual salaries have destroyed the concept of patience in the fan base. We want results right away because while the team struggles the coach is being set for life. It's hard for normal people to relate to the disconnect between results and riches.
 
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^^^ Great post. Thoughtful and insightful... took me back in time.

I inherited "Darrell Royal Talks Football" paperback from my Dad years & years ago. Read it several times. Recommended reading for any serious Horn fan.

We can all learn a lot from what DKR wrote in 1964 re: his philosophy on football, his coaching, and him as a person. He was a man of great values, strength and integrity.


Games were primarily LOST and not WON

^^^^ This is so true!
 
DKR spoiled a lot of us that grew up during that era. My first game was 1959 vs aggy so I was there for nearly all of his time.

I know as much as I liked him at the time, I didn't realize just how good he was at every part of being a head coach. He really was good at all aspects of his job.
 
They also reported that whomever takes the job has to keep Bennett and Napier as coordinators. How are they supposed to bring in good coaching talent if the coach can't bring in their own guys
That is a very good question, horngal.

It made me wonder if Jerry Jones is now the Athletic coordinator there as well as the owner of the Cowboys. How can a coach be successful if his boss is cutting him off at the knees?
 
That is a very good question, horngal.

It made me wonder if Jerry Jones is now the Athletic coordinator there as well as the owner of the Cowboys. How can a coach be successful if his boss is cutting him off at the knees?

YES! You beat me to it. Jerry Jones... so much could be said but there is no doubt he undercuts his coaches.
 
degree of devastation to recruiting, prioritization and team discipline after winning the Naitonal Championship in 2005, and when he did recognize it he was not allowed the time to regain control (assuming he would and could have, lets hope we do not repeat this pattern with Tom Herman).

Perhaps this has already been addressed ... but we have to have something before we can lose it. Looks like we'll have to start with being top half in conference play next year as a goal ... then perhaps in '19 ... .750 ... challenge for the conference championship in '20?

Ah well ... there's always HF to air musings and what ifs.
 
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I wonder if the $5 million annual salaries have destroyed the concept of patience in the fan base.

Maybe, but also, only fans are expected to be loyal. Players and coaches aren't. But the fans are the ones paying. That's naturally going to produce impatience.
 
Maybe, but also, only fans are expected to be loyal. Players and coaches aren't. But the fans are the ones paying. That's naturally going to produce impatience.

And I think that goes back to what I was saying... we feel we are enriching these men and it's hard to sit there and watch a product that does not match the price.
 
As coaches salaries go up, ticket prices parking fees rise, coupled with subpar finishes, seem to be some of the causes for impatience and eventually frustration among the fans. The annually recurring failures on the field seem to be tied to folks seeking alternative activities instead of spending time and money to drive to Austin to see a game. Just my thoughts.
 
If you don't want to get started on him, then why vague out half a sentence about him where it's not at all obvious what you are talking about, such that it would prompt someone to ask "what about Hager?"
Sorry, got caught up with work/family and saw your post. Maybe have a bit of anger issues on some choices of players who get to wear the burnt orange and somehow start. Breckyn Hager, Dylan Haines, Blake Gideon, Reed Boyd (to name a few). Seem to get the popular vote because they're out there "giving it their all", but when lesser starred players (yes I believe in the rating system) come to Texas and get on the field, it's an indicator that things aren't really that rosy. I get it, they're out there doing their best, but it's because recruiting at their position has been weak enough to where they're the "best we have". I should be more supportive, and it's not really against them as individuals but every time I heard Gideon was the "quarterback of the defense", I'd throw up in mouth a little. When Mack hauled in that class back in 2002 (and with players got Simms and Redding choosing Texas before), it got where Texas was cherry picking Texas high schools. I guess I yearn for those days. I know I rambled a bit, but I'll close with the idea that I wanted Charlie to be the answer (especially on defense), but he couldn't handle the whole gig. Now Herman is here, and if I seem to be a homer for him, I sense/want that Royal/Brown type of "it" factor, so I'll fight for that ideal on this board. Again, sorry for the delay to your post and the vagueness of my original.
 
Sorry, got caught up with work/family and saw your post. Maybe have a bit of anger issues on some choices of players who get to wear the burnt orange and somehow start. Breckyn Hager, Dylan Haines, Blake Gideon, Reed Boyd (to name a few).

I liked those football players.
 
First of all, I'd cool the jets on assuming all these are leaving. Kids are angry and frustrated, and rumors start circulating and people start saying "yeah, me too..." - and who knows how many of these are valid? Wait to see who actually leaves to start saying there's a culture rot. Remember you're dealing with kids, who by definition are fickle. They're gonna say stuff when things aren't going well. We'll see if something comes of it, or if the rumors even have any truth to them.....

The people in the know say the coaches are working hard to get many of them to stay. We will see.
 
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Colt McCoy was a two-star. We all know how he worked out compared to Gilbert and Sims who were five-stars ranked number one in the country. Seams like Vince Young is the exception rather than the rule. Not to mention Mayfield (the shoe in for Heisman) was a walk-on at both Tech and Oklahoma. Count me in the group that doesn't give two figs at how many stars and cares more at how they are developed when in the program.
 
If you look at a list of 5 stars and then 5 years later find out what they're doing, I'd guess there were quite a few playing on Sunday's. Colt McCoy is an overachiever, but not an accurate indicator of success. You may scoff at a 5 star but you're more likely to get in that playoff thing they have going now if you have more than a couple of those 5 star dudes....
 
Colt also had Jordan Shipley and Quan Cosby to throw to throughout his career. I believe because of medical hardship and minor league baseball, both of these guys were in their mid 30s when they left Texas...... :-)
 
Colt McCoy was a two-star. We all know how he worked out compared to Gilbert and Sims who were five-stars ranked number one in the country. Seams like Vince Young is the exception rather than the rule. Not to mention Mayfield (the shoe in for Heisman) was a walk-on at both Tech and Oklahoma. Count me in the group that doesn't give two figs at how many stars and cares more at how they are developed when in the program.

EXACTLY!! The key is coaching, training players and knowing how to best utilize their strengths while minimizing the effects of their weaknesses. Putting these guys in position to succeed and developing their skills to be among the elite.

How often have we seen 5* talent fail and ride the pine for 4-5 years or transfer while a 3* player excels, is a starter and eventually a high to mid round draft choice in the NFL. Some coaches have a knack for evaluating talent and can see the raw skills in a player that can be developed to starter level, others can't and recruit based only on stars or so it seems. Therein lies a part of the formula for 6-6 or worse seasons.
 
So why only white guys?
I'll cya and say there's obviously white players who have speed stamina make great plays. The players named all made stellar plays from time to time, and were doing their best, but there were many times I wished they weren't on the field because the got burned on defense, missed tackles, etc at crucial times. Ok let's hear the Malik Jefferson references for 5 star failures, but Jefferson at least was in position to make the play. Slow doesn't do well on defense, and yes, I see Hager get burned regularly (when he's in). Feel like he's an every-third-down type of player.
 
Come to think of it, Marcus Griffin looked all world while his twin brother and others headed for the nfl were in the db backfield. The next year, you could see the fall off, he was out of position, missed tackles, got burned deep. Not a 4 star like his brother.
 
Yeah, he was a ballhawk at times, but he couldn't stick with anybody in coverage otherwise. I'll also still never understand why Erick Jackson was starting all year over Drew Kelson.
 
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