The days of true dual-threat QBs leading the Horns' football teams to Conference titles and MNCs appear to be over.
Outstanding QB leaders such as Bobby Layne, Duke Carlisle, James Street, Eddie Phillips, James Brown and Vince Young (all of whom were UT quarterbacks who could run with the football effectively on designed running plays, and also completed key passes with all the chips on the table for the Horns) epitomize the advantages on the football field that a true dual-theat QB can bring to the team -- however, apparently the benefits of that approach (which have been underscored in Florida's' past two MNC seasons by dual-threat QB Tim Tebow) no longer are valued at The University of Texas ...
... where we apparently are looking, instead, for those QB prospects who are effective passers, and also possess (we hope) enough mobility to make what Mack calls "impromptu" runs on some occasions when the pass receivers are covered (an approach which is distinguished from that utilized with a true dual-threat QB, who is an effective passer and also can contribute as a viable running threat not only on "impromptu" scrambles, but also on our "designed" running plays).
The question for some of us in the Horns' camp is whether the current recruiting standard (which appears to produce only "passing QBs" in our recruiting classes) is high enough to get The University of Texas football program over the top when it comes to winning Conference titles and, possibly, MNCs.
In that regard, the Horns have won two Conference football titles since the Big-12 Conference was inaugurated in 1996 -- one of those Conference titles was won with James Brown at QB (and he actually was the player who was intended to carry the football on the famous fourth-and-inches play vs. Nebraska in the Conference championship game -- and that running threat worked, when the Huskers' defense tried to stop James Brown from running ... and, instead, he pulled up on the play and threw the football successfully to a wide-open receiver, Derek Lewis), and the Horns' other Big-12 Conference football title was won with Vince Young at QB.
That is a significantly better record for the Horns (in terms of winning Conference titles, not to mention the 2005 MNC) with true dual-threat QBs (as distinguished from passing QBs) ... just as Texas also has won its other MNCs (in 1963, 1969 and 1970) with true dual-threat quarterbacks, who were viable running threats -- on "designed" running plays -- that added misdirection and unpredictability to our running-game scheme.
James Brown was not "another Vince" ... but James Brown did lead to the Horns to a Big-12 Conference football championship. Russell Shepard may or may not be "another Vince" ... but, in the 2009 recruiting class, Shepard was the highest-ranked QB prospect in the State of Texas by most, if not all, of the "national" recruiting services.
Are the leading QB candidates in the 2010 recruiting class (from the Horns' perspective) considered to be better QB prospects for The University of Texas football program than national-level blue-chippers such as true dual-threat QB prospects Russell Shepard (LSU), Tyrik Rollison (Auburn) and Cody Green (Nebraska) from the 2009 recruiting class -- any of whom could have been recruited alongside GG this year and then redshirted in the 2009 football season?
The bottom line, at the moment, arguably is that the "passing QBs" under Mack & Greg at Texas (i.e., Major, Chris, Chance and Colt) never have led their teams to a Conference title. They currently are 0-9 in that department. And yet our recruiting philosophy at this point appears to be focused on recruiting more passing QBs -- with no true dual-threat QB prospects being recruited to compete at UT with those passing-QB prospects.
Here is an observation from Darrell Royal -- made during the Horns' 1970 MNC season, but perhaps still germane today:
"You can talk about your drop-back passers and your pro prospects all you want to, but it takes some kind of athlete to run our team the way Eddie Phillips does. It takes an athlete to read the option, make the handoff, keep and run as well as he does, or make the pitch and then throw a block. You take the guys with the stats. I want Eddie."
Yes, times have changed since then, but the only two Big-12 Conference titles won by the Horns (in this era) have come with UT football teams led by true dual-threat QBs.
So, why are we no longer recruiting any true dual-threat QBs at The University of Texas?
Hook 'em.
Outstanding QB leaders such as Bobby Layne, Duke Carlisle, James Street, Eddie Phillips, James Brown and Vince Young (all of whom were UT quarterbacks who could run with the football effectively on designed running plays, and also completed key passes with all the chips on the table for the Horns) epitomize the advantages on the football field that a true dual-theat QB can bring to the team -- however, apparently the benefits of that approach (which have been underscored in Florida's' past two MNC seasons by dual-threat QB Tim Tebow) no longer are valued at The University of Texas ...
... where we apparently are looking, instead, for those QB prospects who are effective passers, and also possess (we hope) enough mobility to make what Mack calls "impromptu" runs on some occasions when the pass receivers are covered (an approach which is distinguished from that utilized with a true dual-threat QB, who is an effective passer and also can contribute as a viable running threat not only on "impromptu" scrambles, but also on our "designed" running plays).
The question for some of us in the Horns' camp is whether the current recruiting standard (which appears to produce only "passing QBs" in our recruiting classes) is high enough to get The University of Texas football program over the top when it comes to winning Conference titles and, possibly, MNCs.
In that regard, the Horns have won two Conference football titles since the Big-12 Conference was inaugurated in 1996 -- one of those Conference titles was won with James Brown at QB (and he actually was the player who was intended to carry the football on the famous fourth-and-inches play vs. Nebraska in the Conference championship game -- and that running threat worked, when the Huskers' defense tried to stop James Brown from running ... and, instead, he pulled up on the play and threw the football successfully to a wide-open receiver, Derek Lewis), and the Horns' other Big-12 Conference football title was won with Vince Young at QB.
That is a significantly better record for the Horns (in terms of winning Conference titles, not to mention the 2005 MNC) with true dual-threat QBs (as distinguished from passing QBs) ... just as Texas also has won its other MNCs (in 1963, 1969 and 1970) with true dual-threat quarterbacks, who were viable running threats -- on "designed" running plays -- that added misdirection and unpredictability to our running-game scheme.
James Brown was not "another Vince" ... but James Brown did lead to the Horns to a Big-12 Conference football championship. Russell Shepard may or may not be "another Vince" ... but, in the 2009 recruiting class, Shepard was the highest-ranked QB prospect in the State of Texas by most, if not all, of the "national" recruiting services.
Are the leading QB candidates in the 2010 recruiting class (from the Horns' perspective) considered to be better QB prospects for The University of Texas football program than national-level blue-chippers such as true dual-threat QB prospects Russell Shepard (LSU), Tyrik Rollison (Auburn) and Cody Green (Nebraska) from the 2009 recruiting class -- any of whom could have been recruited alongside GG this year and then redshirted in the 2009 football season?
The bottom line, at the moment, arguably is that the "passing QBs" under Mack & Greg at Texas (i.e., Major, Chris, Chance and Colt) never have led their teams to a Conference title. They currently are 0-9 in that department. And yet our recruiting philosophy at this point appears to be focused on recruiting more passing QBs -- with no true dual-threat QB prospects being recruited to compete at UT with those passing-QB prospects.
Here is an observation from Darrell Royal -- made during the Horns' 1970 MNC season, but perhaps still germane today:
"You can talk about your drop-back passers and your pro prospects all you want to, but it takes some kind of athlete to run our team the way Eddie Phillips does. It takes an athlete to read the option, make the handoff, keep and run as well as he does, or make the pitch and then throw a block. You take the guys with the stats. I want Eddie."
Yes, times have changed since then, but the only two Big-12 Conference titles won by the Horns (in this era) have come with UT football teams led by true dual-threat QBs.
So, why are we no longer recruiting any true dual-threat QBs at The University of Texas?
Hook 'em.
