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Texas AD Chris Del Conte

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Mittens
Mittens

No CR:  

Penche Gringo
Penche Gringo

Here you go

JFKFC
JFKFC

Fortunate?!? There are 2 sports that matter: Football & Men's basketball. CDC's hires for both have been absolute abortions. 

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SHOOTER12

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On 9/26/2018 at 2:32 PM, MrPhlegm said:

Lulz, you seem stupid. If you stand in front of me you better enjoy being deaf because I got hearing loss from rock and roll and computer impact printer noise and I am loud very loud. Tinninitis fuck yeah!

Oh and expect to get whacked upside the head during crucial plays cause I get excited and wave my crutches around pretty violently. Square steel tubing crutches. 8a94d7c07f94557edeb8fe5bce2cb7c7.gif

I would then take off my prosthesis and proceed to "kick" you about the head with it......

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Ricky Butler

Ricky Butler 2692

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That Del Conte quote at the end of Max Olson's article in The Athletic ($$$) is getting me all kinds of pumped up. The reckoning is coming bitches.

 

 https://theathletic.com/685460/2018/11/30/texas-longhorns-football-chris-del-conte-tom-herman-big-12-championship/

 

Quote

 

Now it’s time to embrace the next phase. When they get everybody aligned and everything righted, Texas football has the potential to be a power its foes hate and fear in equal measure. Getting it fully loaded and operational is going to take more time. But that’s the goal.

If they can get this right, Del Conte says, he has a word for what’s coming next: “A reckoning.”

 

 

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GringoSalado

GringoSalado 1651

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1 hour ago, Ricky Butler said:

That Del Conte quote at the end of Max Olson's article in The Athletic ($$$) is getting me all kinds of pumped up. The reckoning is coming bitches.

 

 https://theathletic.com/685460/2018/11/30/texas-longhorns-football-chris-del-conte-tom-herman-big-12-championship/

 

 

Anybody w/ a sub wanna post that article?

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Ricky Butler

Ricky Butler 2692

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41 minutes ago, GringoSalado said:

Anybody w/ a sub wanna post that article?

 

 

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Texas football is not yet back, but this is how it’s getting there

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By Max Olson Nov 30, 2018comment-icon.png 34 save-icon.png

AUSTIN, Texas — For Andrew Beck and his fellow seniors, playing in a Big 12 Championship Game is exactly what they signed up for when they chose Texas. Everything that has preceded this? Not so much.

Back when Beck committed to the Longhorns, Mack Brown was still in charge. Offensive guard Patrick Vahe and receiver Jerrod Heard jumped on board in 2013, too. They’re now the only players left from the end of that era. For Beck, now a fifth-year senior and All-Big 12 tight end, arriving at this ending is bittersweet to say the least.

During his five-year run, the Longhorns have a 32-30 record. They’ve had three head coaches. They’ve had four athletic directors. The trio has played for six offensive coordinators and five defensive coordinators, been trained by four strength coaches and have learned from 25 more assistant coaches. While everything around them changed constantly, they stuck around. Now all their sweat equity is being rewarded.

“We were talking about it as older guys, just imagining where we came from to where we are now,” Beck said. “It’s kinda exciting. That being said, we don’t wanna just show up on Saturday and say, ‘Hey, we’re here.’ ”

But at least they are finally here. Texas’ return to the Big 12 title game this weekend can mark the end of a chapter for this program. A miserable period of turbulence that officially began in 2010 with a loss to Alabama, a nearly decade-long run of disarray, may have finally reached its conclusion. This 9-3 season has been the kind of needed step forward that suggests their most frustrating days should be behind them.

Whether or not they upset No. 5 Oklahoma yet again, the Longhorns appear poised to earn a ticket to the Sugar Bowl, their most significant bowl berth since that fateful trip to Pasadena to play for a national championship. For head coach Tom Herman, this season presents proof that the plan is starting to pay off.

He says his Texas rebuild is probably ahead of schedule now as he closes out Year 2. He says this team has overachieved to get this far. He has a tendency to irk people by saying stuff like that, because the Longhorns have always had four- and five-stars throughout this decade and thus no room for excuses. But this decade is proof it takes much more than talent to contend.

And this conference title game, this grand opportunity, stands at the intersection of Texas has been and where it’s heading.

“I think you see the trajectory, you see the progress,” Herman said. “Winning is really hard. Really, really hard. And winning this game will be extremely hard. Winning the bowl game will be hard. Winning games next year will be hard.”

Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte watched most of Texas’ rollercoaster run through this decade from afar up at TCU.

From his previous vantage point in Fort Worth, he saw Texas’ tumultuous years as fairly common in the ecosystem of college football. He’s been in it long enough to expect ebbs and flows. He points out the Sooners went through it in the 1990s before Bob Stoops arrived. USC, Notre Dame and Michigan have had their difficult downturns, too.

“For us, we just had more turmoil in such a short period of time,” Del Conte said. “People have turmoil in their program, but not in such a short four- or five-year period where it’s like, ‘Holy cow.’ It would’ve taken any program to their knees. It just buckled us a little bit. That’s the difference. Because a brand like this, it just buckled you for a moment. Now you see the uptick.”

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Del Conte recognizes the trials Texas has been through in recent years and is bullish on the coming years. (Getty Images)

The leaders of this Texas team survived that stretch of going from Mack Brown to Charlie Strong to Herman. They were around to witness AD DeLoss Dodds be succeeded by Steve Patterson, Mike Perrin and now Del Conte. They’ve hung in through hard and bizarre times. And it’s no wonder that, once everything finally started to settle down, they started winning again.

For Herman and his squad to contend again, they had to confront a long list of question marks this offseason. They’ve impressively answered nearly all of them.

The obvious one first: The Longhorns needed improved quarterback play. They have for a long time. Sam Ehlinger put up 34 total touchdowns and just four interceptions while putting together the best season by a Texas QB since Colt McCoy. The offensive line that protects him needed to solidify and shine. Herman hired Herb Hand away from Auburn and pulled off a quick fix. They’ve been remarkably healthy, too, with four linemen logging at least 11 consecutive starts.

And that fix helped resolve their need for a more potent run game, which got a noticeable boost from freshman Keontay Ingram and grad transfer Tre Watson. It’s not the most explosive rushing attack, but it’s much more effective. And the fan base’s gripes about playcalling have subsided, too, now that Herman is more involved.

Texas’ defense needed to replace four starters who are now in the NFL. They did. They asked a freshman safety to take over for Thorpe Award finalist DeShon Elliott. Caden Sterns won Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year. They asked freshmen to handle the kicking and punting duties, too, and the rookies came through.

And most of all, Texas needed to finish. That was the buzzword used all year long, the word the players and coaches kept uttering while straining in workouts or breaking from huddles. Ever since their offseason program began in January, strength coach Yancy McKnight reminded them of the four 2017 games — USC, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech — they led in the fourth quarter and lost.

Texas is where they are today because, as all these puzzle pieces began to fit together, they figured out how to finish. They’ve played in nine close games this season, games that could have gone either way. And they’re the only Power 5 team with six wins by one-score margins.

“We’re not good enough right now to blow anybody out,” Herman said. “But we’re just good enough to beat anybody.”

He’s proud that they’re currently with culture, with toughness and physicality and playing smart. And that was always the plan. Just because they went 7-6 last year, he says, didn’t mean the plan was broken. It just needed more. More buy-in and development. More time and trials. More continuity and repetition. Every member of Herman’s first staff returned for 2018. Given where this program has been, you really can’t put a price on that.

“I can’t stress enough this is the first time in five years that Texas has had the same offensive system in back-to-back years,” Herman said. “I mean, why did Sam Ehlinger get so much better? Well, he knows the offense that much better. Why did the run game get better? Well, we’ve been running the same thing over and over and over again.”

The season-opening loss to Maryland and the season-changing upset of Oklahoma were equally defining moments. The former required them to loosen up, buckle up and trust that this season could still be special if they just shoved all-in. The latter required them to stomach a late 21-point comeback from the Sooners, keep calm and grind out a winning drive.

“Momentum meets preparation,” Del Conte said, “and the rest is history.”

Now the challenge is maintaining the momentum. What will it take to make Big 12 title games the norm?

The next step in the plan is a project with a $190 million price tag, the long overdue south end zone expansion that will completely redo and reimagine their football facility. Herman and his coaches move out of Moncrief-Neuhaus Athletic Center this spring to clear the way for construction. When it’s all completed in 2021, Del Conte envisions they’ll set the new standard as “the bell cow” for others to follow.

“Oh it’s gonna be awesome,” Del Conte said. “It’s gonna be mucho bueno.”

 

UT’s System BOR has approved the $175 million South End Zone project. “I can’t thank President Fenves, Chris Del Conte and the Board of Regents enough. This project will give us a facility that’s unrivaled in the country. It’s exciting to be moving forward with it.” – Tom Herman

 
937 people are talking about this
 
 
 

 

Del Conte has studies that show their top-25 caliber peers started seriously investing in football facilities back in 1998. Texas did not. He calls their current digs “archaic.” He’s not wrong. He jokes that the current setup is akin to trying to recruit the world’s best scientists using 1950s Bunsen burners and chemistry sets. He asks every head coach in Texas’ athletic department to deliver top-10 finishes and intends to give them everything they need to get it done.

“Our expectations do not match our facilities,” Del Conte said. “They will. But they currently do not.”

Texas’ recruiting does match its expectations. Herman has a top-five ranked class for the second year in a row, according to the 247Sports Composite. Herman said Thursday he expects roughly 20 of their 22 pledges to sign Dec. 19. Most of this class was locked up before the season even began, the commits buying into the program’s potential. It’s the 2020 class that will be impacted by this 9-3 season. This staff is no longer just selling hope.

The core of young players this run is built upon is already shining, too. A total of 18 players who signed with Herman have earned starts this season, including nine true freshmen.

“It’s just a matter of time,” Del Conte said. “This is a great step, this year. But it’s gonna be based on the recruiting classes you bring in, a compound effect. You really need three really, really good recruiting classes to see the fruits of your labor.”

With Kyler Murray and Will Grier moving on, and likely three new head coaches moving in, the Big 12 can be Texas’ for the taking in 2019 if the program stays pointed in the right direction. There will be a brand new list of question marks. This time, they’ll have to replace most of their defensive starters and possibly junior receivers Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Collin Johnson if they elect to go pro. Still, the season ahead is clearly the time to make a move.

Ehlinger, the long-sought solution at quarterback, is still only a sophomore. He gets to make two more of these runs. And he is resolute that they’re ready. They have the talent, he says. They have the coaching. They have the buy-in. If they want to keep chasing championships, they must pour even more into this process.

“I think this is what the standard should be for the University of Texas football program moving forward,” Ehlinger said.

Del Conte brings up the old saying displayed in Texas’ weight room: “The pride and winning tradition of the Texas Longhorns will not be entrusted to the weak nor the timid.” The brand here, he argues, is never the hunter but the hunted. And you better embrace the pressure that comes with that. The players who made it through this difficult decade have had to confront that more than most.

“The University of Texas is not for everybody,” Del Conte said. “It’s not. There are great people that would wilt under this pressure because they’re not prepared for the opportunity.”

Now it’s time to embrace the next phase. When they get everybody aligned and everything righted, Texas football has the potential to be a power its foes hate and fear in equal measure. Getting it fully loaded and operational is going to take more time. But that’s the goal.

If they can get this right, Del Conte says, he has a word for what’s coming next: “A reckoning.”

 

 

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Hamttx

Hamttx 419

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The conversation between CDC and Herman this week will be intense if he is what I think he is.

As I have said in other threads there is now enough data for CDC to point to specific behavior that he will ask Herman to find a way to correct. Everything from his sideline demeanor, to finding a way to put the Zack Smith saga behind him. Stop with the OK cool shit. And move past it.

Herman is a good coach. But he wears his emotions on his sleeve. He worries about things he can’t control, and he is a pinball machine during the flow of the game. Which is amazing that it doesn’t appear to impact Sam. Who can smile even under the most difficult of circumstances. 

For Herman to succeed at Texas he must find a way to become more of the CEO type we eventually hated in Mack. If not for the team, for Tom’s health.

He is not one of the boys. He is in a leadership position. And throwing your hands in the air screaming we’re all going to die when something goes to hell does not reassure the troops. Staying calm and following the plan is far more effective. 

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DigglerontheHoof

DigglerontheHoof 21186

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On 11/30/2018 at 4:47 PM, Ricky Butler said:

That Del Conte quote at the end of Max Olson's article in The Athletic ($$$) is getting me all kinds of pumped up. The reckoning is coming bitches.

 

 https://theathletic.com/685460/2018/11/30/texas-longhorns-football-chris-del-conte-tom-herman-big-12-championship/

 

 

Yeah, let's get a few olinemen who aren't complete punching bags first....

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Tex Pete

Tex Pete 20342

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1 hour ago, ChickenSandwich said:

He and other Athletic Directors need to put out that they think Georgia should not be in over a one loss conference champion. You already have ESPN politicking for the SEC. Change the narrative and make them address it. 

Fuck OU. I hope they get locked out. 

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Godzillatron

Godzillatron 292

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He needs to go nuclear over the abysmal officiating in our conference. If they act like he’s crazy, just show bowlsby the clips of yearerday’s Announcers deriding our conference’s officiating inconsistency and some of the bad calls yesterday as well.

He seems pretty responsive to Twitter. Perhaps we should all start asking him asking the Big12 officiating there?
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The People’s Elbow

The People’s Elbow 707

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Posted (edited)
On 12/2/2018 at 2:56 AM, Hamttx said:

The conversation between CDC and Herman this week will be intense if he is what I think he is.

As I have said in other threads there is now enough data for CDC to point to specific behavior that he will ask Herman to find a way to correct. Everything from his sideline demeanor, to finding a way to put the Zack Smith saga behind him. Stop with the OK cool shit. And move past it.

Herman is a good coach. But he wears his emotions on his sleeve. He worries about things he can’t control, and he is a pinball machine during the flow of the game. Which is amazing that it doesn’t appear to impact Sam. Who can smile even under the most difficult of circumstances. 

For Herman to succeed at Texas he must find a way to become more of the CEO type we eventually hated in Mack. If not for the team, for Tom’s health.

He is not one of the boys. He is in a leadership position. And throwing your hands in the air screaming we’re all going to die when something goes to hell does not reassure the troops. Staying calm and following the plan is far more effective. 

The fuck? We finished 7-2 and second in the conference, and are in the fucking Sugar Bowl for a chance to get to 10 wins in Herman’s second year. All this after a seven win season in his first and a handful of five and six wins under Strong.

Are you saying Herman’s behavior held us to underachieve this year? Considering the trajectory, what in the world problem is all of these words solving?

Edited by The People’s Elbow
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ChingoHorns

ChingoHorns 115

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1 hour ago, The People’s Elbow said:

The fuck? We finished 7-2 and second in the conference, and are in the fucking Sugar Bowl for a chance to get to 10 wins in Herman’s second year. All this after a seven win season in his first and a handful of five and six wins under Strong.

Are you saying Herman’s behavior held us to underachieve this year? Considering the trajectory, what in the world problem is all of these words solving?

He wants zero emotion on the sideline. Yeah players will love playing for a coach like that. 

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