Texas Spring Football Thread

[billfromlaketravis 11407]

17 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

He's going to play because Wheeler has to sit out the 1st half.

Fing Pac 12 officials. 

 

[Rick Blaine 30]

1 hour ago, Ill said:

8:35 Tom Herman

27:25 Kris Boyd

39:00 Tim Beck

44:30 Chris Del Conte

1:02:09 Todd Orlando

1:14:32 Andrew Beck

 

The following is the text of those parts of the interview that I found particularly telling when it comes to last year's Tim Beck-called offense. You hear this and you say, "Herman gets it. He's got to have seen how bad Beck was fucking things up. Why in the hell didn't he step in earlier?"

Herman: And, and I think we’ve, we’ve got to get better at coaching them, too. We’ve got to figure out, you know, what we can do with them. We’ve got to narrow our focus. I think a little bit, coach, as you know, when you’re struggling, the first reaction is to grab-bag, is to just start grabbing at things—'well, maybe we can do this, and maybe we can do that, and maybe we can do this'—and the next thing you know, you have what I call a “book of plays” instead of a “playbook,” right? You have just a bunch of plays with no rhyme or reason, no system, no complements to each other. And so I think that was a big focus this offseason, was “This is what we believe in, this is what we think these guys can do, now that we know all of them, and we’re going to move to develop these guys in these areas.”

Neuheisel: What is the formula at Texas? Do you hav—are you a system guy? Do you believe—as you just said, you’ve got a playbook now—or is it about what the skillset brings to the table, and you lean the offense towards what they uniquely have?

Herman: I think it is imperative that you have some core beliefs: We’re going to run the football, we’re going to play-action pass, we’re going to be balanced on offense. We’re going to do most of it--I call ourselves, we’re a pro-spread, meaning all of our runs, routes, protections, everything, are concepts that you’ll see in the NFL; we just happen to do it from the shotgun, so you have to defend the quarterback-run element of it. And we don’t need a homerun hitter like Greg Ward or Braxton Miller. You can live with a singles or doubles hitter like Sam or Shane, or going back in my time, to Cardale or J T Barrett, you know, and you’ve just gotta keep those guys honest. So then you go, “OK, this is what we believe in. Now, what are we good at? What can we excel at, what do we maybe need a year or two to develop?” And so that’s where—and then the biggest thing too is, let’s get the playmakers on the field. Let’s get the ball into the hands of the guys who can make plays with it in their hands.   

 

Everything was going swimmingly and I was eating it up with a spoon until he dropped this little gem:

Herman: We believe in defense; we believe in balanced offenses, but I learned a long time ago that “balanced offense” doesn’t mean you’re going to run it for 200 and throw it for 200 a game. That’s not what that means. “Balanced offense” means you can win the game, and this—Gregg Davis, my mentor, who I was a GA for here 20 years ago—told me this: "You can win the game however the defense dictates that you have to win the game." So, if they’re loading the box to stop the run, you can throw it to beat ’em. If they’re playing a little soft in coverage because you’ve been having a little success throwing it, now you can run it to win the game. And so, that’s what we want to be offensively. 

"--Gregg Davis, my mentor," (OTIS! MY MAN!)

[ousux 5588]

Yeah, don't get too caught up in the GDGD was my mentor bullshit..

He's a corch Irving Meyers disciple even though he's now the enemy of his former master.

[Tyrone biggums 38]

That's the first mention of Christmas I've seen this spring. Hope he can provide some depth

[Machinator 32098]

 

[bschoolprof 6246]

Tim Beck quotes from 995:

tl;dr Beck sucks, but takes his emasculation like a pro.  

 

Texas offensive coordinator Tim Beck addressed the media for the first time since speaking before last year’s bowl game. Here are the highlights of his media availability:

- I asked Beck how he handled Tom Herman’s decision to call plays in the bowl game, and if he is comfortable with his current role. Beck said, “Well, I think it was one of those things that Tom just felt like [he wanted to do] to get involved in the game. We kind of collaborated quite a bit in that. I don’t know if it was direct. I didn’t take it that way. I didn’t take it like a direct we’re not going to do that. It was more like, ‘Hey. I can help. Let me get involved. Give me your eyes up there kind of deal.’ That’s just how I took it. Hey, I’m a professional here. Coach is the head coach, and he makes those decisions. My job is to go do whatever he asks me to do, as hard as I can do it, and that’s what I did.”

- In addition, Beck said there has not been a discussion this spring about Herman calling plays again.

- Beck on Herman understanding the offensive challenges after deciding to call plays: “There were probably situations through the course of the game that it was true for him. More like, ‘Now I know.' I think that could have been true. I’m pretty sure that was true for him during the course of the game.”

When asked to assess his quarterbacks, Beck said Sam Ehlinger and Shane Buechele play like older guys. Beck said both quarterbacks are calmer that last year. Meanwhile, Casey Thompson and Cameron Rising’s heads are swimming, according to Beck. However, Beck said he is impressed with the freshmen quarterbacks, and said they are talented and smart: “But when you get out here, and the bullets fly, they struggle a little bit.”

- Beck said if one quarterback runs away with the quarterback competition this spring, a starter could be named. He does not believe Texas needs to name a starting quarterback by the end of this spring.

- Beck said play-action could be a big part of this offense if Texas has success running the football.

- Herman added offensive line coach Herb Hand in the offseason, and Becks loves working with him. Beck described Hand as a positive guy who is knowledgeable.

- Beck said Hand has good thoughts about the run and pass game. Hand will have input in the game plan, but Beck noted offensive assistants share their ideas each week that implemented.

- Beck said the offensive line is a little older, have experienced a season with a new staff, and understand practice expectations. The coaches are able to focus on fundamental and technique since the foundation was laid last year.

- Beck said Jerrod Heard was forced to move around last year (quarterback to receiver), hindering his development. Heard has shown a lot of improvement this spring because he has been able to focus on one position, according to Beck.

- Devin Duvernay is playing harder and making big catches during practice, according to Beck.

- Beck said everyone can coach differently because the leadership within the team has improved: “If a guy doesn’t have good ball security, the players are on the player, not the coaches on the player. [That is when] your program, culturally, is getting to where it needs to be. There’s much more of that. Guys not running off the field. We got Lil’ Jordan (Humphrey) telling this player, ‘Hey, that is not what we do. Turn around, go back to hash and run off the field.’ That would have never happened last year. To have guys that are actually doing that, that’s good. It does change you a little bit because they’re policing themselves a lot more in some of the detail work.” 

- The biggest offensive goal this spring is running the football better, according to Beck. That is Beck’s greatest emphasis right now. Protecting the football is another important goal: “We were 5-1 when we won the turnover battle. We were 1-4 when we lost the turnover battle. The old adage of if you don’t hang onto to the football, you lose games is pretty real for us. Penalties. A lot of offensive penalties, especially in the fourth quarter. A lot of them. I want to say we had 52 offensive penalties, and I think 25 of them were in the fourth quarter just on offense.”

- Beck said they evaluated every running play and made tweaks this offseason to improve. That includes blocking schemes, reading defenses, alignment. In addition, Beck said having big tight ends this year will help the run game.

[bschoolprof 6246]

32 minutes ago, Rick Blaine said:

The following is the text of those parts of the interview that I found particularly telling when it comes to last year's Tim Beck-called offense. You hear this and you say, "Herman gets it. He's got to have seen how bad Beck was fucking things up. Why in the hell didn't he step in earlier?"

 

"get's it" is not really what I think of when I hear this. Gets it would have been avoiding an obvious and predictable outcome (that Joe Fan warned him about) in the first place.  

[Texas Flood 1356]

The hell did I miss?

[Topper13 3241]

13 minutes ago, Texas Flood said:

The hell did I miss?

"When God closes a door, he opens a dress." 

[DigglerontheHoof 21100]

Ah the ol Greg Davis "take what the D gives you" philosophy.  Unstoppable w/ VY at QB. 

[Machinator 32098]

Tim Beck post-practice quotes (4/5/18)

On the quarterbacks: I think the two older guys, Sam and Shane, you can tell they're older guys. They've gone through this. They've gone through spring, the system, the style of play, what we expect. They've gotten a chance to see the defense for a little bit. Probably a little more calm than last year. The two younger guys are swimming. I should say this. I am impressed. I like those guys. I think they're very talented guys. They're smart guys, but when it gets out here sometimes when the bullets fly you can see it struggles for them a little bit, all of it to marry into one. I like what they're doing. I do.

On if they want a starter by the end of spring: Again, if one guy runs away with it and clearly becomes a starter, I'm sure we'll feel that's the guy we're going to run maybe out there first. I don't know that we're sitting in there going we have to have a starter by the end of spring. I don't think that's the case at all. Certainly, fall camp, they've got to prove it, too.

On how the running game helps the QB: Obviously it takes some pressure and stress off those guys to have to feel like they have to make all the throws, all the plays, all the time versus whatever it is. If you're running game is working, you open up some things. You get some one on one matchups because teams will crowd the box a little bit more. We saw a lot of drop eight last year at times. They could double a lot of guys, too.

On if play action is big in this offense: It can be if you're having success running the football and play action pass those guys, certainly.

On if that's where Buechele is best: All the guys can do that. They're all good at doing it.

On working with Herb Hand: I love Herb, man. He's awesome. Real positive guy. Very knowledgeable. I love him. He's a typical line coach. Great coach, great person, too.

On the o-line with healthier bodies: Healthier bodies. Much like Shane and Sam, they're a little bit older. They've experienced a season and/or practice. They understand the tempo. They understand the physicality we're demanding. You're coaching them now more on technique and fundmanetals instead of everything. You see a lot of improvement in that area right now I think. Been very pleased with some of the guys up front.

On tight end: Really good. It's great having guys there. To look there and you see (Andrew) Beck there, Reese there, Max (Cummins) has been helping us there, big body guy. Cade (Brewer) obviously is rehabbing his surgery. He played a lot for us last year. That's an area that was a weak spot for us last year is actually a strong area for us right now.

On if slot WR fits Jerrod Heard's skill better and being able to focus on just one position this year: I think he's continually improving. Not fair to him, we've had to move him. He spent half the time in my room last year because of our injury situation and depth situation at quarterback. For him to be able to develop his game last year, he didn't have quite the opportunity that he has right now. You see a really big improvement in him in this short time just because he's playing one spot, which is helping him.

On Devin Duvernay: It's everything with him. I just think that he's playing harder. He's made some big catches for us right now. Understanding the game. Understanding the whole philosophy behind what we're trying to do and how we're trying to do it. Then you can coach guys to go out there and do it. I talk to our guys: "let us coach you." Don't resist and let us coach you. They've allowed us to do that. Even if we change some things, they've accepted it and moved on. It's been a very positive spring at this point.

On if they've changed how they coach the players in the second spring: The thing I see is the leadership better. If a guy doesn't have good ball security, the players are on the player. Not the coaches on the player. Those are signs that your program culturally is getting to where it needs to be. There is much more of that. Guys not running off the field, we have Lil'Jordan (Humphrey) telling this guy, this player "that's not what we do. Turn around, go back to the hash, run off the field." That would have never happened last year. To have guys that are actually doing that, that's good. It does change a little bit because they're policing themselves a lot more in some of the detail work, which it needs to be. The culture work. We're able to focus more on technique and fundamentals.

On handling not calling plays in the bowl game and his role now: I think it was one of those things where Tom felt like to get involved in the game, and we collaborated quite a bit in that. I don't know that it was a direct... I didn't take it that way. I didn't take it as a "we're not going to do that." It was more of a "I can help, let me get involved. Give me your eyes up there" kind of deal. That's just how I took it. I'm a professional here. Coach is the head coach. He makes those decisions. My job is to do what he asks me to do as hard as I can do it. That's what I did.

On if that's been discussed this spring: Not at all.

On how Hand will help in the game plan: Because he's been around, he's experienced, he's seen a lot of defenses. He's got good thoughts in the run game. He's got good thoughts in the pass game. He's been successful everywhere he's been as a coach. It's like all the guys. Derek (Warehime), Drew (Mehringer), Stan (Drayton), and Corby (Meekins), all those guys gameplan. This was never and has never been a one man show. It won't be a one man show. It doesn't operate like that on offense. Maybe defense might be different. I don't know. I don't sit in their meetings. On offense, it's not a one man show. It's a group collaboration from Coach Herman all the way down to our GAs and interns. If someone has a good idea and there's validation behind the theory, you can see it, there's rules and it looks good, and we feel like this thing can help us win, it goes in. We don't say "hey, that's a chalk for Herb Hand or Tim Beck or Coach Herman." Nobody cares. We just want to win.

On Herman saying he wanted to understand the offensive staff's frustrations in the bowl game: There were probably situations through the course of the game that was true for him. "Now I know. Now I know what it was like" I'm pretty sure that was true for him during the course of the game.

On if WR group is as good as it was last year: Those are good football players. They helped us win last year. I'm focused on the guys that are here. I think the guys that are here are getting better, and part of the experience is all of it. It's us coaching them. We know how to coach them better. We know these guys a little bit more. I think it's a combination of all that. I like the group. Obviously, we continue to look for depth to come in and fill because we lost some guys. That's going to be a big thing for those young guys coming in.

On what he needs to see in the spring game to know the offense is progressing: I think the first thing we said was we've got to run the football better. That was the first thing we did. We put an emphasis on that this spring to be a better running football team. That's probably number one for us, to make sure that gets accomplished.

On what's number two: There's a variety of different 2A's all the way down. Protect the football. We were 5-1 when we won the turnover battle. We were 1-4 when we lost the turnover battle. The old adage if you don't hang onto the football, you lose games is pretty real for us. Penalties. Lot of offensive penalties especially in the fourth quarter. A lot of them. I think we had something like 52 offensive penalties and 25 of them were in the fourth quarter just on offense.

On what the staff evaluated in order to run the ball better: We evaluated all the plays. We looked at them and tweaked some of them differently to help, whether it was a blocking scheme, a guy we might have read, an alignment, whatever it was, we kind of went through and said "how can we help our guys be in better positions to execute?" Plays. Obviously, when you have a tight end now or two, you actually have blocking surface there. Beck and Reese and Max Cummins, those are some big dudes now. They can set an edge for you. We didn't have that last year. It opens up some other things you can do in the run game because of that.

On Cade Brewer: Just rehabbing. Going through it. Doing well. There's been no major setbacks or anything with him. He's been working really hard.

On Kirk Johnson: He's been coming along. I think today was his first day where he could actually get out there and run around a little bit. Hasn't been in contact at all.

[kevwun 15716]

Orlando just speaks truth.  That was one of the better coach interviews I think I've ever read.

[Machinator 32098]

TFB practice notes: http://texas.thefootballbrainiacs.com/2018/04/open-post-weekend-april-6th-8th/

 

– Spring Practice Notes (4-5-18):

Depth Chart

1s…
QB: Sam Ehlinger
RB: Toneil Carter
X: Collin Johnson
Y: Jerrod Heard
Z: Devin Duvernay
TE: Andrew Beck
OL: Denzel Okafor – Patrick Vahe – Zach Shackelford – Derek Kerstetter – Elijah Rodriguez

DL: Breckyn Hager – Taquon Graham – Charles Omenihu
BLB: Jeffrey McCulloch
RLB: Malcolm Roach
MLB: Anthony Wheeler
NB: PJ Locke
CB: Kris Boyd, Davante Davis
BS: John Bonney
FS: Brandon Jones

2s / 3s…
QB: Shane Buechele/Casey Thompson/Cam Rising
RB: Daniel Young
X: Lil’Jordan Humphrey
Y: Walk-On
Z: John Burt/Davion Curtis
TE: Reese Leitao
OL: Samuel Cosmi – Walk-On – Elijah Rodriguez – Tope Imade – JP Urquidez

DL: Marquez Bimage – Gerald Wilbon – Jamari Chisholm/ D’Andre Christmas
BLB: Jeffrey McCulloch / Kyle Hrncir (what a last name)
RLB: Ayodele Adeoye
MLB: Demarco Boyd / Edwin Freeman
NB: Josh Thompson
CB: Anthony Cook, Kobe Boyce / Eric Cuffee, Donovan Duvernay
BS: Chris Brown / BJ Foster
FS: Caden Sterns / Montrell Estell

Injuries:

– RB Kyle Porter
– RB Toneil Carter (Green Jersey)
– RB Tristian Houston
– RB Kirk Johnson
– RB Cameron Townsend
– WR Jordan Pouncey
– TE Cade Brewer
– OG Mikey Grandy
– OG Patrick Hudson
– DT Chris Nelson (Green Jersey)
– DE Andrew Fitzgerald (Green Jersey)
– LB Gary Johnson
– LB Edwin Freeman
– DB Montrell Estell

Fast Five: We have additional notes on our donor board as usual. However, here are our “Fast Five” which we think you will particularly enjoy!

– There is good news and bad news at Slot. Good news is Jerrod Heard is the real deal. Makes great cuts, is catching the ball in traffic, and is winning battles. Bad news is he’s the only Slot not injured. Realistically they’ll put Lil’Jordan Humphrey behind him, but of the true slots there is only one healthy member.

– Right now it appears the passing game is… as I’ll put it… ironing out the kinks. They’ll have some moments of true brilliance and then moments where there is a miscommunication, a dropped ball, or an overthrow. It’s kinda like my golf game. Erratic as heck. I may shank my drive, but somehow I’ll end up with a bogey.

– Sam Ehlinger is looking much better. While his throws aren’t perfect and sometime overthrown, he is putting the ball in a good enough spot and doing so consistently. Shane Buechele has been working with the 1s some during practices, but not a whole lot.

– It seems I’m always mentioning Devin Duvernay because the improvement in his game is noticeable. He’s become a legitimate and reliable contributor. Also, Collin Johnson has all the skill in the world. If he could just be reliably consistent he’d be the first WR off the board in the 2019 draft.

– If anybody was worried there would be significant drop off after all of the talent left for the NFL, I’m here to calm you down. Even if Chris Nelson decides to follow some truly awful advice and transfer, Texas still has a legit defense. I’m truly surprised how well Texas was able to recover the talent on the field after Gary Johnson went down.

 

Edited April 6, 2018 by Machinator

[UT Lawnghorn 758]

2 minutes ago, Machinator said:

TFB practice notes

 

  Hide contents

 

– Spring Practice Notes (4-5-18):

Depth Chart

1s…
QB: Sam Ehlinger
RB: Toneil Carter
X: Collin Johnson
Y: Jerrod Heard
Z: Devin Duvernay
TE: Andrew Beck
OL: Denzel Okafor – Patrick Vahe – Zach Shackelford – Derek Kerstetter – Elijah Rodriguez

DL: Breckyn Hager – Taquon Graham – Charles Omenihu
BLB: Jeffrey McCulloch
RLB: Malcolm Roach
MLB: Anthony Wheeler
NB: PJ Locke
CB: Kris Boyd, Davante Davis
BS: John Bonney
FS: Brandon Jones

2s / 3s…
QB: Shane Buechele/Casey Thompson/Cam Rising
RB: Daniel Young
X: Lil’Jordan Humphrey
Y: Walk-On
Z: John Burt/Davion Curtis
TE: Reese Leitao
OL: Samuel Cosmi – Walk-On – Elijah Rodriguez – Tope Imade – JP Urquidez

DL: Marquez Bimage – Gerald Wilbon – Jamari Chisholm/ D’Andre Christmas
BLB: Jeffrey McCulloch / Kyle Hrncir (what a last name)
RLB: Ayodele Adeoye
MLB: Demarco Boyd / Edwin Freeman
NB: Josh Thompson
CB: Anthony Cook, Kobe Boyce / Eric Cuffee, Donovan Duvernay
BS: Chris Brown / BJ Foster
FS: Caden Sterns / Montrell Estell

Injuries:

– RB Kyle Porter
– RB Toneil Carter (Green Jersey)
– RB Tristian Houston
– RB Kirk Johnson
– RB Cameron Townsend
– WR Jordan Pouncey
– TE Cade Brewer
– OG Mikey Grandy
– OG Patrick Hudson
– DT Chris Nelson (Green Jersey)
– DE Andrew Fitzgerald (Green Jersey)
– LB Gary Johnson
– LB Edwin Freeman
– DB Montrell Estell

Fast Five: We have additional notes on our donor board as usual. However, here are our “Fast Five” which we think you will particularly enjoy!

– There is good news and bad news at Slot. Good news is Jerrod Heard is the real deal. Makes great cuts, is catching the ball in traffic, and is winning battles. Bad news is he’s the only Slot not injured. Realistically they’ll put Lil’Jordan Humphrey behind him, but of the true slots there is only one healthy member.

– Right now it appears the passing game is… as I’ll put it… ironing out the kinks. They’ll have some moments of true brilliance and then moments where there is a miscommunication, a dropped ball, or an overthrow. It’s kinda like my golf game. Erratic as heck. I may shank my drive, but somehow I’ll end up with a bogey.

– Sam Ehlinger is looking much better. While his throws aren’t perfect and sometime overthrown, he is putting the ball in a good enough spot and doing so consistently. Shane Buechele has been working with the 1s some during practices, but not a whole lot.

– It seems I’m always mentioning Devin Duvernay because the improvement in his game is noticeable. He’s become a legitimate and reliable contributor. Also, Collin Johnson has all the skill in the world. If he could just be reliably consistent he’d be the first WR off the board in the 2019 draft.

– If anybody was worried there would be significant drop off after all of the talent left for the NFL, I’m here to calm you down. Even if Chris Nelson decides to follow some truly awful advice and transfer, Texas still has a legit defense. I’m truly surprised how well Texas was able to recover the talent on the field after Gary Johnson went down.

 

 

"if Chris Nelson decides to follow some truly awful advice and transfer,"

This is the first non-IT source I've seen mention Nelson potentially transferring.  TFB seems to be the most reliable 9.95er so this isn't great news. I truly don't get it. The guy will get to play NT and be a focal point of hte defense. I don't see anyway him transferring gives him a better chance to be drafted. he's not a pass rusher; it's not like Orlando is misusing him. Hopefully he will see the light. I like our DL a lot with him here, without him, we start to look a little thin.

[Machinator 32098]

1 minute ago, UT Lawnghorn said:

"if Chris Nelson decides to follow some truly awful advice and transfer,"

This is the first non-IT source I've seen mention Nelson potentially transferring.  TFB seems to be the most reliable 9.95er so this isn't great news. I truly don't get it. The guy will get to play NT and be a focal point of hte defense. I don't see anyway him transferring gives him a better chance to be drafted. he's not a pass rusher; it's not like Orlando is misusing him. Hopefully he will see the light. I like our DL a lot with him here, without him, we start to look a little thin.

I said a few months ago the only reasonable explanation that I can think of is that he's homesick and never fully got over the coaching change. I bet he goes to USF to rejoin Charlie.

[closetojumping 62301]

23 minutes ago, UT Lawnghorn said:

"if Chris Nelson decides to follow some truly awful advice and transfer,"

This is the first non-IT source I've seen mention Nelson potentially transferring.  TFB seems to be the most reliable 9.95er so this isn't great news. I truly don't get it. The guy will get to play NT and be a focal point of hte defense. I don't see anyway him transferring gives him a better chance to be drafted. he's not a pass rusher; it's not like Orlando is misusing him. Hopefully he will see the light. I like our DL a lot with him here, without him, we start to look a little thin.

 

20 minutes ago, Machinator said:

I said a few months ago the only reasonable explanation that I can think of is that he's homesick and never fully got over the coaching change. I bet he goes to USF to rejoin Charlie.

Uh, yeah, man, that's exactly what's going to happen. Through indirect channels within the family, he's being pushed to give Uncle Chuckles another year. If Chris Nelson leaves, it's because of the beloved Sweet Chuck. That really amazing man who gave us the 3 worst fucking consecutive years in UT history who members of Nelson's circle remain convinced got screwed by Whitey.

[Machinator 32098]

1 minute ago, closetojumping said:

If Chris Nelson leaves

So it's not a done deal, yet?

[UT Lawnghorn 758]

5 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

 

Uh, yeah, man, that's exactly what's going to happen. Through indirect channels within the family, he's being pushed to give Uncle Chuckles another year. If Chris Nelson leaves, it's because of the beloved Sweet Chuck. That really amazing man who gave us the 3 worst fucking consecutive years in UT history who members of Nelson's circle remain convinced got screwed by Whitey.

So Brick stole Jordan Elliott and now Charlie/BJM might steal Nelson.  Awesome.  Thanks for the memories, Chuck. 

[UDontKnow 10439]

8 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

 

Uh, yeah, man, that's exactly what's going to happen. Through indirect channels within the family, he's being pushed to give Uncle Chuckles another year. If Chris Nelson leaves, it's because of the beloved Sweet Chuck. That really amazing man who gave us the 3 worst fucking consecutive years in UT history who members of Nelson's circle remain convinced got screwed by Whitey.

[Thiefery 4974]

If Nelson wants to leave, let him.  Over the past few seasons ,we've seen worst depth at other positions than 2018 DT. 

[1leggedduck 443]

I anticipate a lot of future NFL talent attributing much of their success to their time with Coach Orlando. He just seems like a guy who inspires you to work harder and do better. I hope we can keep him until we get back to the promised land.

[Thiefery 4974]

1 minute ago, 1leggedduck said:

I anticipate a lot of future NFL talent attributing much of their success to their time with Coach Orlando. He just seems like a guy who inspires you to work harder and do better. I hope we can keep him until we get back to the promised land.

If Kliff finally gets Axed this season in Lubbock, Bet they drive the brinks truck to Orlando's driveway in November/ Source to Chip Brown

[Machinator 32098]

Photos of yesterday's practice:

http://texassports.com/galleries/?gallery=4415

[Machinator 32098]

[1leggedduck 443]

4 minutes ago, Thiefery said:

If Kliff finally gets Axed this season in Lubbock, Bet they drive the brinks truck to Orlando's driveway in November/ Source to Chip Brown

If Herman gets his shit together and we start contending again, he may be able to do better. Besides, WTF would Teckh do with a decent defense? They wouldn't know how to act.

[1leggedduck 443]

God help us if Orlando ends up coaching another B12 team.

[thepop 4409]

4 minutes ago, Machinator said:

Photos of yesterday's practice:

http://texassports.com/galleries/?gallery=4415

Looks like Grandy is back at practice. Hudson also looks like a 40 year old man.

[rickyspub 801]

Has any of the newcomers lost his red helmet stripe?

[UT Lawnghorn 758]

9 minutes ago, thepop said:

Looks like Grandy is back at practice. Hudson also looks like a 40 year old man.

Where'd you see Grandy?

[Machinator 32098]

5 minutes ago, rickyspub said:

Has any of the newcomers lost his red helmet stripe?

I don't know, what has Bobby Burton been told?

[Elmer_Fudd 22149]

12 minutes ago, thepop said:

Looks like Grandy is back at practice. Hudson also looks like a 40 year old man.

That wasn't Grandy.

Edit: NM it may be, just doesn't look like him but it looks like #58 which is Grandy.

Edited April 6, 2018 by Elmer_Fudd

[TankedBevo 2482]

8 minutes ago, UT Lawnghorn said:

Where'd you see Grandy?

The photo was tagged as Grandy but I'm pretty sure it's Cosmi

[Hornius Emeritus 12445]

 

[rickyspub 801]

1 minute ago, Hornius Emeritus said:

 

Damn. It's a shame he can't run on his hands...

[UT Lawnghorn 758]

9 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

That wasn't Grandy.

Edit: NM it may be, just doesn't look like him but it looks like #58 which is Grandy.

 

2 minutes ago, TankedBevo said:

The photo was tagged as Grandy but I'm pretty sure it's Cosmi

Oh yeah, I see the one you're talking about. That looks like Cosmi to me, and he's #52, so that could be it instead of #58 but it's a little hard to tell. 

[DanTheHorn 4903]

Every time I listen to CDC I just love his attitude. Paraphrase:

 

1) "I was not here to show everyone who is boss. Coaches and athletes are the boss now we are about to put things into place that I want once I listened."

2) "Every time a coach ask for something I train my people to say yes sir as long it is within regulations and does not kill our budget. They do not have to check with me first."

[RomaVicta 29848]

38 minutes ago, 1leggedduck said:

I anticipate a lot of future NFL talent attributing much of their success to their time with Coach Orlando. He just seems like a guy who inspires you to work harder and do better. I hope we can keep him until we get back to the promised land.

Orlando deserves a head coaching shot at a good school, no doubt. I sort of wonder if his intensity may be better suited to coordinator than HC. I'm not saying that he will stay here in that capacity, but if Texas gets straightened out and returns to the top ten, his current gig as a widely hailed DC pulling down more than a million dollars a year would look pretty sweet to me. 

Edited April 6, 2018 by RomaVicta

[Machinator 32098]

IT team notes

 

TEAM

Someone noted recently that this has been a boring spring. I agree with that, and I think it's a good sign. Aside the intrigue of the offensive line, the roster is mostly set. Now it's about install, scheme, and execution.

I had a pretty encouraging conversation on Thursday. The offensive line has put together some solid practices and the running backs are finding a bit of room. The current line is Okafor-Vahe-Shackelford-Rodriguez-Kerstetter. I asked a source what will happen when Calvin Anderson suits up. "I don't know, but left tackles don't go to the bench." The implication there is Okafor will find a starting home elsewhere.

Both Toneil Carter and Daniel Young were noted for their hard running, even if there wasn't a lot of room. They run with effort and power. 

Much of what else I heard was carry-over from recent practices and recent posts I've made. 

The two best units on the team are secondary and the defensive line. It's no coincidence there's a lot of experience at each position.

One player who is breaking out is TaQuon Graham. He's very athletic for a nose, which should be the case considering he's only 280 pounds, but he's strong and plays pissed off. With Nelson still in 'no contact' status, he's received the bulk of his reps inside but he can still play outside if Hager or Omenihu need to be spelled.

Once source who has been around the three recent coaching regimes marveled at the mental readiness of Herman's recruits. He essentially stated, because of the way they prepare you're not going to find many busts in Herman's classes. It was said even if they miss on an athletic evaluation the mental side tends to compensate within reason. This led my source to more fawning over Anthony Cook and the other freshmen who have assimilated so quickly. 

Texas DB Josh Thompson suffered a stinger early in practice yesterday, but should be ok for Saturday's controlled scrimmage. The green jersey was only precautionary.

We hope to give you a robust scrimmage report tomorrow.

CHANCELLOR

Some are interested in who will replace Admiral McRaven so I ask around. 

Here are the important things to know:

- Some wanted Greg Fenves to assume the role and some don't, including Fenves. UT president is the marquee job within the system and he's at home there.

- The process of finding a new chancellor has barely begun. Anyone can put two and two together and mention Rex Tillerson but any names at this point are premature and probably self-serving. That isn't to say Tillerson is floating his own name.

- The goal here is almost like in the AD; to streamline and make the system more efficient. A hire will be made based on the ability to accomplish that. 

- The search should start heating up soon. The only name I currently give credibility to is already in the system. I'll keep that private for now.

Edited April 6, 2018 by Machinator

[Slacks 6807]

Quote

There's a variety of different 2A's all the way down. Protect the football. We were 5-1 when we won the turnover battle. We were 1-4 when we lost the turnover battle.

So, remember that "why do they work on the RB not fumbling so much" post?  Turnovers are the worst.

[Tex Pete 20248]

31 minutes ago, Snacks said:

So, remember that "why do they work on the RB not fumbling so much" post?  Turnovers are the worst.

As long as they spend extra time on the "Sam don't go full retard" part of practice.

[closetojumping 62301]

41 minutes ago, Hornius Emeritus said:

 

I'm sorry, but did anyone else triple check this to make sure we aren't being trolled. This feels like absurdist performance art or something. 

[Vertigo 20274]

57 minutes ago, 1leggedduck said:

God help us if Orlando ends up coaching another B12 team.

There is not another B12 job worth taking that may open up over the next year or two other than possibly Iowa St or WVU.  Now that he is up around $1.5 per year, he can sit back and wait on that perfect opportunity and I would think he will be in line for bigger schools than that.  

[Bodacious Bevo 3576]

2 hours ago, UT Lawnghorn said:

"if Chris Nelson decides to follow some truly awful advice and transfer,"

This is the first non-IT source I've seen mention Nelson potentially transferring.  TFB seems to be the most reliable 9.95er so this isn't great news. I truly don't get it. The guy will get to play NT and be a focal point of hte defense. I don't see anyway him transferring gives him a better chance to be drafted. he's not a pass rusher; it's not like Orlando is misusing him. Hopefully he will see the light. I like our DL a lot with him here, without him, we start to look a little thin.

Chip has been saying it too. Although he tends to get carried away and report half the roster as transfer candidates. 

The interesting part is he says Nelson might not have enough credits to graduate in May... as a graduating senior myself, I don't know how he doesn't have that figured out with a month left...

[OnAComputer 1405]

3 hours ago, UT Lawnghorn said:

"if Chris Nelson decides to follow some truly awful advice and transfer,"

This is the first non-IT source I've seen mention Nelson potentially transferring.  TFB seems to be the most reliable 9.95er so this isn't great news. I truly don't get it. The guy will get to play NT and be a focal point of hte defense. I don't see anyway him transferring gives him a better chance to be drafted. he's not a pass rusher; it's not like Orlando is misusing him. Hopefully he will see the light. I like our DL a lot with him here, without him, we start to look a little thin.

Since I wrote this, I guess I'll respond. He has had the advice given to him. I know that. From people close to the team, I've heard hey expect him to stay. I think he stays as well. I'm just saying if he does leave for whatever reason, Texas is fine. Not saying it happens.

[UT Lawnghorn 758]

40 minutes ago, OnAComputer said:

Since I wrote this, I guess I'll respond. He has had the advice given to him. I know that. From people close to the team, I've heard hey expect him to stay. I think he stays as well. I'm just saying if he does leave for whatever reason, Texas is fine. Not saying it happens.

When I wrote my piece, I assumed that info was coming from Super K. Now that I know you wrote it, I'll just disregard.

 

I kid. I kid.  I appreciate the info.  Crazy that he would even consider leaving.  Does anyone know if Toneil Carter's camp has quieted down about the transfer nonsense, or if he's at least not listening to them anymore?

[jdhorn92 1544]

15 hours ago, Topper13 said:

"When God closes a door, he opens a dress." 

Roger Sterling is a Surlyhorn?

[Nuge 1966]

2 hours ago, OnAComputer said:

Since I wrote this, I guess I'll respond. He has had the advice given to him. I know that. From people close to the team, I've heard hey expect him to stay. I think he stays as well. I'm just saying if he does leave for whatever reason, Texas is fine. Not saying it happens.

I don't want to believe that Nelson would pass up being the starter for his senior year at UT to transfer and sit out a year to play at S Florida.

It just doesn't make sense.  Most people transfer to get playing time when they've been passed on the depth chart.  He's the starting DT.

I'm mystified.

[Machinator 32098]

6 minutes ago, Nuge said:

I don't want to believe that Nelson would pass up being the starter for his senior year at UT to transfer and sit out a year to play at S Florida.

It just doesn't make sense.  Most people transfer to get playing time when they've been passed on the depth chart.  He's the starting DT.

I'm mystified.

I think the assumption is that he would finish his degree, then grad transfer. Don't know if he's on track to graduate, though.

[Nuge 1966]

1 minute ago, Machinator said:

I think the assumption is that he would finish his degree, then grad transfer. Don't know if he's on track to graduate, though.

Ah, thanks for the clarification. 

I have a feeling that Coach Herman's team is set for a better year than Coach Strong's.  We've seen how Coach Strong's year two goes.

[icanhazLHN? 18]

2 hours ago, UT Lawnghorn said:

When I wrote my piece, I assumed that info was coming from Super K. Now that I know you wrote it, I'll just disregard.

 

I kid. I kid.  I appreciate the info.  Crazy that he would even consider leaving.  Does anyone know if Toneil Carter's camp has quieted down about the transfer nonsense, or if he's at least not listening to them anymore?

I drive for Uber some weekends. Drove last night and gave Carter a ride from west campus to 6th. From the way he was talking, I would not peg him as a transfer candidate at all. I asked him if he was gonna take the starting job this year, he said it's already done and gave me the shhh.

Also had Burt and Kirk Johnson in my car last weekend. Couldn't get a lot of info out of them, but Burt did say they don't expect Herman to be calling plays this season and that Herman has lightened up quite a bit this year compared to last. Johnson said he is healthy now and he expects to have a better season than Foreman did in his last year and that he plans on getting drafted after this season. He's got the confidence thing going for him at least.