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2020 Texas Offseason Thread: Herman's Hail Mary


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10 hours ago, satyanash said:

DT Ta'Quon Graham … Either Graham has everyone fooled, or this guy is set to have a long-awaited breakthrough/breakout season as a three-technique defensive tackle. Or he’s simply a guy who works his ass off, is a weight room freak, and definitely has the respect of his teammates as a vocal leader. More than one source said with Graham moving out of the 4i defensive end in Todd Orlando’s 3-4 and moving to the three-technique in Chris Ash's 4-3, people are going to see Graham's weight room freakiness combined with improved use of his hands to finally make the kind of plays he’s wanted to make (but was restrained by eating up double teams in the 4i or slanting into a gap to help set up a blitz).

@Burt Macklin

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11. TEXAS

9484593.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offs

(Photo: Icon Sportswire, Getty)

Projected final record: 9.5-3.1

The word: Can Texas win the Big 12 this fall? ESPN's FPI is projecting at least two losses coming at LSU and to Oklahoma with another potentially happening at Oklahoma State. Following a full coaching staff makeover, this is make or break time for Tom Herman, who enters his fourth season knowing all eyes will be glued to Austin to see if the Longhorns are Big 12 title material and then some. Chris Ash inherits a defense that largely underachieved last season for various reasons and will continue the development of Joseph Ossai and Caden Sterns, two leaders on that side. The most important player for Texas is quarterback Sam Ehlinger. This team's championship hopes ride on his shoulders. If he can stay healthy, new OC Mike Yurcich believes the sky is the limit for this offense.

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1 hour ago, LTtxfan said:

11. TEXAS

9484593.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offs

(Photo: Icon Sportswire, Getty)

Projected final record: 9.5-3.1

The word: Can Texas win the Big 12 this fall? ESPN's FPI is projecting at least two losses coming at LSU and to Oklahoma with another potentially happening at Oklahoma State. Following a full coaching staff makeover, this is make or break time for Tom Herman, who enters his fourth season knowing all eyes will be glued to Austin to see if the Longhorns are Big 12 title material and then some. Chris Ash inherits a defense that largely underachieved last season for various reasons and will continue the development of Joseph Ossai and Caden Sterns, two leaders on that side. The most important player for Texas is quarterback Sam Ehlinger. This team's championship hopes ride on his shoulders. If he can stay healthy, new OC Mike Yurcich believes the sky is the limit for this offense.

Im not surprised this what they’re predicting, but man if we go 9-3 and either don’t play in the CCG or lose it, it’s gonna be dark times. That would be such a huge letdown for the culmination of both Sams’ last year and the peak talent level of the 2018 class.
 

We’d then go into a rebuilding year with no expectations, a lot of discontent players, and probably still being stuck with Herman as the HC for next year. 

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curious for those in the know and following.  In a non covid normal world, since spring practice  what would the team be doing/ allowed to be doing during this time?  anything organized or all player ran?    in our alternate F'd up world what have these guys been doing to get into footbal shape?

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1 hour ago, Dbeasy said:

Nick Saban is watching film right now.

what does Jimbo have to do with this?  Looch already told us Nick is inside his panic room knowing Jimbo is a big problem. Has no choice but watch aggy game tape throughout this pandemic. 

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The LSU Model worked well in the 2019 season, and there's no reason why it won't work for 2020 (if there is a 2020).

I don't give a fuck whether we "impose our will" (the MensaTom version) on our opponents, or not. Having more points on the scoreboard at game's end is the ultimate imposition of will, and that is what we should be doing.

It's up to MensaTom to understand that some games are won through sheer physical dominance on one or both sides of the ball, but there will always be at least a few that require creating a versatile game plan that allows us to find and exploit opponents' weaknesses during the game, while also allowing us to respond to their (unforeseen) discoveries of our weak areas. Such game plans have not been in evidence so far, but perhaps the new staff will be able to work with our Head Coach to provide that ability.

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4 minutes ago, Hmmm said:

Had no idea Herman's dad died in a homeless shelter at an early age.  Gives me some perspective on his character.

 

Yeah...

"Thomas Joseph Herman Jr. died alone in a homeless shelter in Cincinnati. A worker made the discovery, walked into the $10-a-day room and found the 52-year-old’s lifeless body on the floor.

His son, Thomas Joseph Herman III, and wife, Michelle, were the ones who located the shelter and paid the small bill for modest meals, a humble cot and relative safety from the outside world.

Still, too many years of life as a rolling stone and bouts with alcoholism and drug abuse eventually claimed the life of Herman’s estranged father. That first-hand experience with poverty, disease and the tragedy it can beget played a pivotal role in shaping the Texas football coach.

He kisses his players. Proudly and routinely proclaims his love for them. Hopes to be, if needed, a trusted and worthy male figure in their lives.

https://www.expressnews.com/sports/college_sports/longhorns/article/With-football-on-hiatus-Texas-coach-Tom-Herman-15210545.php 

 

Memory of his homeless father's death helps drive Herman giving

https://247sports.com/college/texas/Article/Texas-Longhorns-football-Tom-Herman-father-death-homeless-charitable-donations-145741555/

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Texas getting good feel for new DC Chris Ash

AUSTIN — The new defensive coordinator’s intensity can be felt even through the virtual realm.

It’s been months since any Longhorn has met in person with Chris Ash, hired last December to replace fired DC Todd Orlando. Still, his passion for the game is palpable.

“Coach Ash, he’s a smart guy,” linebacker Joseph Ossai said. “He loves to work. He’s a very intense at times, but he just he wants to improve, and he wants to get better. He wants to talk football. He wants to live football. He wants to breathe football.”

The team did get some opportunities to meet with Ash before the novel coronavirus pandemic forced a campus-wide shutdown and the cancellation of spring practice. But for weeks and weeks, communication has been limited to Zoom meetings, phone calls and texts.

Despite the distance, Ossai feels he’s gotten a good feel for what Ash and Texas’ three new defensive assistants will expect this season.

“It’s fresh ideas ... and those are always good,” said Ossai, who will be utilized as a pass rusher more this season. “There are new techniques, you know, and some of them are a little similar, but they’re definitely also different. And you appreciate that, you appreciate learning it and the process of getting to where you want to go. I like that and their style of teaching.”

Caden Sterns fancies himself a film buff. So when the week’s set of film studies aren’t enough, he reaches out to Ash.

“I’ve hit him up frequently to get some extra film sessions in,” Sterns said. “He’s always available. They’re (the staff) taking this serious, and we’re treating this as if we’re all together on campus right now. But he has been amazing.

“I probably deal with him a decent amount throughout the week to watch film and he’ll still call us and check in on us to make sure that we’re all good. So he’s definitely been there for us.”

Ash, along with new cornerbacks coach Jay Valai, linebackers coach Coleman Hutzler and co-defensive line coach Mark Hagen, have kept close tabs on their new batch of players. So far, coaches and players have seemed to mesh well.

All parties involved expect big things this season. And given Ash knows what’s required of a defense to win a national title — he won one as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator in 2014 — the Longhorns have every reason to trust the new guy, even if he can be a bit much at times.

“They’re very focused,” Ossai said. “And maybe it’s because they’re just coming in, I don’t know, I have to spend more time with them. But they’re very focused on what they want to do, and they’re just trying to get all of us to jump on board with them and be in the same mindset as them.”

Sterns added: “Coach Ash is top notch. And I feel like this year is going to be pretty special year.”

 

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/college/article/Despite-distancing-measures-Longhorns-getting-15276907.php

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I just cannot even taste the Kool-Aid this year. I feel like I have been in orange colored glasses saturation mode for the past 5 seasons or so in terms of off season fluff pieces and coach speak.

Show it on the field. (if they even get to this fall), show it vs LSU & OU. Quit being a stubborn dipshit running the exact same QB run on 4th down every time. Or running stupid plays at the goal line that take points off the board trying to show how smart you are.

CV19 really is the luckiest thing that happened for Herman as it has removed a TON of pressure from him and in effect given him a free season.

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31 minutes ago, BrazilHorn said:

 

CV19 really is the luckiest thing that happened for Herman as it has removed a TON of pressure from him and in effect given him a free season.

Agreed.  You can also put Smart and Pierce in place of Herman and it still applies.  I haz a sad.

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56 minutes ago, BrazilHorn said:

I just cannot even taste the Kool-Aid this year. I feel like I have been in orange colored glasses saturation mode for the past 5 seasons or so in terms of off season fluff pieces and coach speak.

I mean every outlet for every team puts out fluff pieces in the offseason. That’s just how it works. I also wouldn’t characterize Charlie’s last two years as full of orange colored glasses by anyone. 
 

56 minutes ago, BrazilHorn said:

CV19 really is the luckiest thing that happened for Herman as it has removed a TON of pressure from him and in effect given him a free season.


I don’t really think this is true. If he has a disappointing season, UT will likely be able to find the money to move on. Plus, the 2021 team is going to be a huge drop off in talent, so even if he survives 2020 with a bad year, he’s still pretty much sealed his own fate.
 

Maybe Covid delays the inevitable by a year, but if he doesn’t win big this season, he’s going to lose his dream job. 

Edited by Burt Macklin
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On 5/13/2020 at 9:26 AM, Red Five said:

Look, this shit is pretty easy when you've got a roster with 50 NFL guys, and an all-time great at QB. We actually invented that model in 2005. 

Good point.  And in re-watching some of those games lately, it's amazing how often that group of guys also struggled... at least the year before.

The 2004 team, for example, barely beat a 5-6 Arkansas team, got shut out by OU, almost lost to freakin' Kansas, played 5-6 Missouri close, and, of course, won a classic in the Rose Bowl.  A couple of plays/points here and there against Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Michigan and we're talking possibly a different mindset for the 2005 team.

Could be the Covid, but I keep telling myself I will take this season with a different, possibly, more laid back perspective since I've revisited 2004.  Well, I tell myself that knowing full well I'll turn into a raging little bitch at the first sign of trouble.

 

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38 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

I mean every outlet for every team puts out fluff pieces in the offseason. That’s just how it works. I also wouldn’t characterize Charlie’s last two years as full of orange colored glasses by anyone. 
 


I don’t really think this is true. If he has a disappointing season, UT will likely be able to find the money to move on. Plus, the 2021 team is going to be a huge drop off in talent, so even if he survives 2020 with a bad year, he’s still pretty much sealed his own fate.
 

Maybe Covid delays the inevitable by a year, but if he doesn’t win big this season, he’s going to lose his dream job. 

I just see CDC giving TH this year no matter what happens. So many excuses built in for failure going into the season. He already extended Smart in spite of how poor he has done. I don't think CDC is a guy who leans into hardcore performance mgmt. Look at all the talk about how the athletic department was going to be truly changed let Plonsky still here and plenty of the fat in the department as well.

I think Herman could completely shit the bed and he gets this year (assuming it gets played) as he can play "new system/no time to install card" etc

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