GoldAppleCorps

The points have been very well covered here. Maybe we'd be talking differently if this were a player at a position with no depth, but I hope not. Stupid actions should have consequences. On a more practical note, I'd like to address the wisdom of chambering a round and THEN PUTTING A WEAPON IN YOUR WAISTBAND. Josh, c'mon man!

We're going to have to acknowledge that hits to the head will end football. Right now, the sport of American football is under the microscope as causing severe brain injuries that can cripple a person for life. Insurers are terrified that this is the next asbestos or similar payout. They don't want to underwrite football and its risks. Football is responding by eliminating, to every degree possible, hits to the head and head area. If the sport did nothing, it would be trivial for a plaintiff to say, "They knew it caused problems, yet they allowed it to continue!". Intent of the player doesn't matter. Football at all levels has to show focus on removing head contact from the game, or else the game will evaporate overnight. Foster did not "target" the head, but he hit it pretty good. It was a football play, and he'd do it 10 out of 10 times again. It's an unfair punishment to the player, but we're going to have to simply accept that players unlucky enough to be placed in that position will be ejected. Otherwise, our saturdays will be spent watching "Fortnight".

If the coaching staff is still liking Duvernay in the slot, that tells me they think the OL can pass protect long enough to develop his routes effectively. If that's the case (and Sam can consistently put the ball on target), this would become a very dangerous offense.

No. There's a strong chance he knows what he's talking about. I just ramble as I see fit. None of my ravings may ever come to pass, but whaddya want for nothin'?

and this is what has me optimistic. Almost every sports organization has Jake Fromm heralded as the best NFL ready QB everrrrrr. I don't have the intellect to argue with that. I do know that, even with a month to prepare and all the film you could possibly want, the Texas defense had him absolutely addled. In the end, he just started flinging (perfectly thrown and very pretty) footballs in the vague direction of the sideline. He was missing wide open receivers. It's obvious to me that Todd Orlando doesn't play defense fairly. The SEC QBs are taught via textbook how to read and attack a standard NFL ready defense. Todd's boys swim around pre-play, then attack like piranha fish in a 70's schlock film when the ball is snapped. The offense might be schooled in how to run routes perfectly and the QB might know how to attack a given alignment, but Orlando's schemes defy teaching. You're just going to have to figure it out as best (and as quickly) as you can once the ball is snapped.

Baylor has decent skill position players and one or two superior defenders. They have lots of growth potential, which is code for saying they have holes. They practiced and conditioned this summer like everyone else. There were a lot of "if the OL improves" and "if the secondary gets better", coupled with "when we find a pass rush" after last season. Yes, the players could get better. However, Charlie Brewer was running for his life, keeping the team moving through sheer force of will and taking too many body breaking hits while doing it. It's tough for me to verbalize a credible reason why the OL or other protection will be different this season. If you give the Baylor offense a moment to operate, they're lethal. My advice is not to do that. It isn't hard to disrupt it. They have to get into the 30 point range to have a shot at winning. Against quality teams, that's a tall order. As someone who's watched Baylor plenty over the last 20 years, I can't immediately tell you who gets the ball if Charlie Brewer isn't in the game. Executive Summary: Baylor is a good but not great team. Too many stars have to align to hope for a special season, but it's possible.

Devin Duvernay is a perfectly cromulent option at slot. The slot plays off the LOS, so a physical nickel or LB can't get a face-to-face jam on him at the snap. When the ball is snapped, Devin's going to be sprinting unimpeded. This is important, because he's essentially racing the pass rush. If he gets downfield faster than the defense can get to the QB, then he's almost always going to be 1 on 1 with a deep safety. Here's the ugly secret - if the deep safety's initial cut is to cover, Devin fades to the outside. If he initially cuts to support, Devin bends inside. Either way, if Sam and Devin see the same thing, the safety is helpless. The key here is "racing the pass rush". Last season, even as fast as Devin is, the OL couldn't reliably hold up against a pass rush long enough to spring him. This limited everything. LJH rode to our rescue by being a tough matchup who could win contested balls in traffic. The slot in our offense shouldn't be doing that, but thank Bevo he was there to do it. The lack of downfield threat (primarily caused by not-quite-good-enough pass protection) kept the defenders close to the LOS. Any time Ingram broke through the line on a run, he was sure to find 3 more defenders waiting for him within 7 yards. The compact nature of our offense simply prevented any long gains. Right now, the Texas WR room has an embarrassment of riches. Not only talent, but diverse talent. Speed. Size. Catch radius, etc, it's all there. If Herb Hand does his job, the receivers will get their time in the press conferences.

If this is working correctly, he runs out of the slot in an effort to get deep as quickly as possible. Not simply in an exact straight line (there's rules about pulling a shaded safety away from help, etc), but largely in a straight line. Obviously, a defense has to honor this. The safeties have to get over. The LBs (or Nickels) have to cover. That straight line speed, even if the ball doesn't come his way, widens the open spaces for other receivers or RBs to enter and catch easier passes. If the play is a draw or other run, then the players running with Duvernay are 20 yards down field and spread out by the time they react, rather than 7 yards and watching the RB. Much more likely the RB eludes those tackles en route to a big gain. Duvernay's speed is a luxury that takes the top off of a defense, but only if the OL protects long enough for him to get there. That's why LJH was a better option last season. The defense wasn't going to be spread out enough by the time Sam had to throw the ball.

A slot receiver typically cannot be jammed at the LOS because he's lined up a yard deeper. If Duvernay's game is still speed, having him in the slot changes a ton about how a defense would have to align. Putting him in motion would force someone to go with him or tell the QB where the zones are. After the snap, he's largely free to run unimpeded on whatever his route is without fighting past an "in your face" defender. Devin in the slot is a luxury for a fully effective offense. It presupposes Sam will have time to let the routes develop. When that happens, he can pull a defense apart by sending the secondary deeper than what they can cover - thus creating holes all over the field for other receivers. When Texas did not have the talent to pass block effectively, Duvernay was a wasted position since the defense knew he wasn't going to have the play time to get deep. LJH was a much better option to catch passes in traffic near the LOS. Keeping a defense that close to the line also prevented Texas from having 40+ yard scoring plays. If the defense knows they have to be ready to defend a 50+ yard pass, they'll be stretched enough that Ingram or Whittington can run through and around them.

We're riding sky high (and with good reason) off the Sugar Bowl win over UGA. There's a strong temptation, then, to eye LSU as just a "not quite as good as Georgia, plus we're at home" team. The parallels are certainly there, however its worth remembering that Texas took UGA out of its comfort zone early with turnover and a knee-down punt that set up short fields. The game tape indicates that Texas was at least UGA's equal throughout the game player v player, but the early miscues tore a lot of Georgia's playbook out. I mention that because of exactly what sushi brought us. Ball security is a must. I'm gruntled that we have an elder leader in Sam who will be able to take the emotion out of the game and play calmly. Early points and a hot start might be hard to come by, but a temptation to press for the spectacular could put us in UGA's position. While LSU's offense consists of whatever they think about at the moment, their defense is the real deal. Schemes are one thing, but the talent and speed available are matched by very few. LSU is comfortable matching their athletes against yours on defense.

I was a part time computer tech at The Logic Approach on South Lamar at the time, whilst continuing my labors as a CS student. I was listening on the radio, and got mad when they sent Phil out. No one could kick straight on into that fresh gale. Surely, letting James heave one to the endzone stood a better chance. Everything went dead silent once Phil kicked it. Then I heard, "It's goooooooooooooood!!!". I swear it took 5 seconds to register in my brain!

I vote Zach Shackelford as the most important non-Sam player. I may even consider him for the most important player period. By "important", I'm giving a lot of weight to "not replaceable with our current roster". I believe this OL has a real chance at being special. I can articulate how different combinations of players would work, but they all revolve around a healthy, experienced C. Orlando's defense is a big guy causing a traffic jam at the point of attack, and a whole lot of other guys swarming. The swarming is specific. In our last two season openers, we've had some brand new players on the field having some, "Wait, was my job the curl or the flat?" moments. The constant suspensions and injuries for last season's opener thrust a lot of talented newbies on the field. Yes, Texas is replacing 8 "starters" on the defensive side. However, "starters" is only a label. There's a healthy rotation of players at every position who have seen game action and been part of this defense. We shouldn't be playing defenders who are still learning the playbook.

You just cannot scheme around a bad OL. You still have to run plays and hope for the best, so you can try to limit the damage, but the OL is like an engine block. All the flashy, high powered toys just don't work at all if the block is bad. Texas fans can relate fully to the above description of the LSU OL. Suspect talent. Injuries to that talent. No continuity and constant replacements. Even when some talent is trained up, there's always a hole that the opposition targets ruthlessly. We spent many games hoping to get close enough for a FG at the end of a 19-17 game where the defense had gutted it out, but the offense wore a hole in the middle of the field. Texas is replacing several OL members. However, this is the first time that I can actually verbalize a real plan for rotations and combinations without including "he was pretty good last year in high school, so I think he'll be OK". Spring practice and summer workouts are there for a reason. It sounds like LSU had plenty to work on. Perhaps they found something. However, switching from power ISO with a bad line to quick strike with a bad line just means you're punting faster.

Only guy on the roster whose girlfriend was faster than him.

Orlando's D uses the defense's main (practically only) advantage to its maximum - the fact that they don't have to be set at the snap! OC's like to sit up high and read the defense. They radio down to the sideline, hand signals (or other bizarre placards) occur, the QB makes a check, and the play is run. Orlando likes to set his line up, then wait and have everybody run someplace else! The QB is left on his own to figure it out looking across the LOS at a bunch of facemasks. It's almost impossible to do on the fly! Now, imagine you're the Center, trying to set your protection or scheme. There's a large DT right in front of you (0-tech), or staggered just off your shoulder (1-tech). Outside of that, there's just a bunch of motion. Are those Safeties spun down to blitz? LB's? Is a DE at the 4i-tech? Why are 3 players over the same gap? Should we slide protect? Keep the RB in or swing? Bring the TE in tight? Ack! Everyone moved again! When everyone on the field, except the biggest and strongest, is capable of playing sideline to sideline, you can do this sort of stuff. It doesn't matter if they're playing against an OT. They just run around him, or occupy him so their buddy can flash by. It's the same concept as the spread offense, just on defense. The difference is, if the opponent gets it wrong, they get to hear "Texas Fight!" played. "Take the shortest route to the (ball). Arrive in ill humor." -Bobby Clarke (sort of)

The Texas/UGA game was a classic, but wasn't played that way. UGA made a LOT of mistakes in the 1st quarter that forced them into a different game than they wanted. Be fair, though, Texas had a great deal to do with those "mistakes". They didn't occur in a vacuum. The final margin is indicative of the fact that Herman rightly still did not trust his offense. On this, he and I agree. He had a dangerous opponent that lacked the ability to score quickly on the ropes. He chose to ride the fortune earned in the 1st half through the 4th quarter by playing smart possession ball and not risk giving UGA easy points. It was the same strategy attempted against OU. The difference is that OU can (and did) score quickly. Texas caught a series of bad breaks and the Sooners capitalized on each one instantly (Sooner Magic isn't just a catch phrase). They certainly had the talent and firepower to do it. Fortunately for Texas, we got one last opportunity. Unlike the Sooner game, the UGA game was never in serious doubt.

The problem is that the X's and O's here are very relevant. Texas' defense doesn't line up and hit you. Only a couple of defenders have single roles. The DT will rarely drop into pass coverage. His role is to gum up the center point of attack. Everyone else, though, might do one of several things at any given moment. The calling card of a dominant Big 12 defense isn't size. It's speed. Texas, on defense, might have 10 guys crowding the LOS at any point pre-snap. After the snap, who knows where they'll be? A DE, LB, and S may have stood near a single gap. One, two, three, or zero players might attack that gap at the snap. The others may have strafed the line, covered other gaps, or dropped. Since every other gap is going to have the same questions, the OL has to figure it out in real-time. With a "run first" mentality, the offense frequently encounters unusual skill set defenders in unexpected places. It is inadvisable to pass in freelance mode against this defense. There's always someone who can sprint across the entire field faster than your pass can find the ground. Texas will attack the experienced LSU defense by spreading them out. Even with its emphasis on the run, the Texas offense is designed to create and exploit mismatches. UGA killed themselves by lining up and staying put. When that happens, every offensive player will recognize an audible and hot read. You'll see small shifts in the location of TEs (call them H-backs if you'd like), RBs and WRs to realign into stacks or inline power. If the defense doesn't counter, then the schematic advantage is with the offense. That's the theory. Texas is replacing nominal 8 starters. That sounds a lot worse than it is. "Starter" in this defense is an archaic term. Think of the Texas defense as one or two strong fat guys and a whole bunch of guys between 240 and 200 lbs. They're all just speedy, strong athletes who attack a space. When everyone's on the same page, that speed, strength, and range means Texas can supply primary and supporting players everywhere on the field simultaneously. However, if one or two don't get the rotation right, big gaps emerge. Texas hasn't had a world-class OL in a decade. With all the hoopla surrounding Sam last season, he was still papering over some less than ideal OL play. This season's OL has a chance to be dominant, however the only proof is when they're beaten on by an angry opponent. If they're the real deal, then Texas will be able to show off its high powered weaponry by mixing gigantic receivers with speedy slots and RBs. If they're still a "work in progress", then Texas will once again be limited to a close ground game with occasional timed passes in an attempt to drive back a pressing defense. Nothing is a foregone conclusion yet, offseason be cursed!

Precisely! If you're talking about the massive OU punch on Jason White, the OU QB had the ball palmed in one hand, wagging it around like a loaf of bread. Derrick hooks his waist with one arm, then throws a right uppercut at the ball, obviously punching it free! A brilliant power move by a dominant LB! If Jason had secured the ball against his body high on his chest, Derrick would have only made a devastating hit to bring up 4th down - preserving the ability to punt. Instead, it set Texas up with a short field.

High and tight! Under non-extreme circumstances, there is NO EXCUSE for not carrying a football properly with one hand over the end, pressed high against the chest and tight within the forearm. Any defender trying to tackle you will choose between securing your body at the waist or ripping at the ball - thus missing the tackle entirely. Upon threat of contact, the off hand goes over the top. If you feel the ball shift, go down immediately! We can always run the next play - provided we maintain possession on THIS play! Yes, there are circumstances. 4th and <whatever> where reaching the ball out to break the plane or gain the 1st down are critical. In that case, you risk it obviously. However, outside of those special circumstances, all players on both offense and defense should know how, train, and be expected to carry the ball properly and securely.

I think the UGA comparison is apt. They're bigger and stronger than Texas. They have to be, because they were designed to compete with 'bama. If both teams stood still on the field and played 1970's NFL style ball, LSU would win by 2 TDs. Of course, that's not what's going to happen. Texas moves. A lot. On offense and defense. Watch the Sugar Bowl replay and see how often Georgia's defense lined up and just waited. You're basically giving Sam and Shack time to find your weakness (every defensive scheme has them). Success wasn't guaranteed because football plays are still won by players winning battles, but it allowed Texas to maximize its chance for success on any given play. Conversely, on defense, Texas never showed its true intention before the snap. If they did that, Big 12 offenses would shred them. A couple of large DL would drop anchor, an edge rusher would move around, and 8 other speedy guys would find some gaps to stand near. At the snap, or just before, everyone starts moving. Both the OL and QB will need to find their schemes in real time. I was afraid that UGA's OL was simply going to be able to dictate terms irrespective of Texas' schemes. Early miscues trashed that game plan (if it were ever there), and they couldn't adapt to Plan B against an inscrutable Texas defense. LSU was very one-dimensional last season, largely by necessity. They have hopes of adding a more dangerous passing game this season, so we'll see how that progresses. The Texas secondary is a tough school to learn in, though. It's the offseason, so anything's possible. Also, an OL doesn't play on paper. They only show their mettle when beaten on by a hostile defense. However, if Cosmi and Braun hold down the left side like I'm thinking, Sam could have Colt and Vince levels of time behind that line. When that happens, football becomes really easy for the rest of the team.

This is a "F the offseason" article. No real reason to flag it in itself. Now, running by the student section or the Texas bench doing it should be flagged just from a game management perspective. "Throw it up, let 'em see it / So they can know how you G it / If they hatin', so be it!" -Bun B

The US gave as good as they got in that game. They should have had at least 2 goals by HT. That's on a purely physical level. On a soccer level, their inability to counter the change in game strategy introduced at HT by Mexico is very concerning! With extra pieces, Mexico and the US could get arguably better. The concern, though, is that playing the CONCACAF Gold Cup final is a lot like playing the MAC Championship. It still doesn't mean you're ready for the big boys. The next USMNT game is in October against Cuba. 2022 qualifying is around the corner. I know it's difficult to work around club seasons in international windows, but I'd really like to see some more games scheduled against contenders. We're at the "learn by taking your lumps" stage. I'm still irritated that I can't find a left back that can be described better than "didn't do too bad".

I guess there's no arguing with that dazzling insight and acumen. Thank you for sharing your wit and wisdom.