2021 Texas spring football thread

[Fud 9555]

Dunlap

Spoiler

- At least one poster last week whined commented about there not being a QB update in my practice report, post so here goes: there's not really much that's new to report and I can't just make things up. Casey Thompson should run out with the first group in the spring game, but all signs point to Hudson Card also getting at least some work with the ones in the scrimmage. Card has been working in with the first team on offense in the way that many other players have. We'll hit more on that "guys getting in with the ones"-stuff in a minute.



- Both QBs have had ups and downs and we've heard that a few down-moments were seen on Tuesday for the offense. Thankfully, those bad plays for the offensive side of course highlighted good play on defense. Last year's WR transfer, Brenden Schooler, has moved to safety and was credited with making some plays on Tuesday in coverage. Also, Jamier Johnson, the freshman early-enrollee CB, continues to be talked about much more than I had envisioned. He's had a great camp. I'll expect to see Schooler likely with the second group of safeties and who knows how the outside CB rotation with the ones might look in the game ...



- In fact, Johnson has been getting at least some work with the ones on defense in team drills following starting CB Josh Thompson's spring-period-ending injury last week. We get the feeling that new 2021 transfer Darion Dunn is likely to start in the spring game opposite D'Shawn Jamison at outside corner, but Johnson, and to a lesser degree, Kitan Crawford have made excellent cases for themselves once thrown into the fold.



- Just as a side note, since mentioning Jamison, a random tidbit is that he looks to be the staff's early favorite as primary punt returner. We'll see who the other candidates are in the game, but it's Jamison who gets mentioned first in that regard.



- I can't wait to see how LSU transfer EDGE defender Ray Thornton looks in the game. The general vibe you get about him is hard to really pin down. On one hand, he's the clear starter from all we can tell which says something. On the other, you get the feeling that he's having a nice enough spring, but not blowing anyone's hair back in such a way that would lead to gushing like we've heard at other positions. In short, it looks like we've taken a real cliff-dive from Joseph Ossai-level talent off the edge for the immediate future.



- C Rafiti Ghirmai has been sort of the "1b" in a 1a/1b rotation at the center position with Jake Majors, but we're hearing Ghirmai has been a little banged up lately. If he's unable to go Saturday, we're told No.71 Logan Parr would be the beneficiary of a lot of extra work, and he'll be an interesting player to get a longer look at, one year in at Texas, if this is the case.



- Speaking of the OL and injuries, it feels like Derek Kerstetter's level of involvement in practices is sort of being undersold. He's not going to play in the game, and he hasn't been a 100% participant this spring, but he HAS run full-speed drills in full pads. We have confirmed that much. Not all drills, but some seriously live contact drills in full pads. He's virtually healed already. He's been mixing in mostly at RT from what we're told at this time, but the offensive line is clearly an evolving unit. The same is true for WR Troy Omeire (not the lining up at RT part, the part about being very close to healthy) "They're basically good to go," one person said, but there is no need or reason the staff sees internally to push either player. The same cannot be said of DT T'Vondre Sweat who is missing spring ball. He'll need the rest of the spring and summer, but they anticipate he'll be fine well before fall camp.



- As the OL evolves, the starting group has stayed pretty static. LT Christian Jones, LG Denzel Okafor, C Jake Majors, RG Junior Angilau and RT Andrej Karic. However, there are "always guys rotating in" according to one source from recent practices. For example, Tope Imade has been rotating in at some times at right tackle, as has Kerstetter, as mentioned above. At left tackle, there have been first-team reps run with Jaylen Garth in there instead of Christian Jones. At left guard, instead of Denzel Okafor, Tyler Johnson has gotten some run at times. I was told by the source that he thought the staff "wants to see how guys look when they're thrown in like that."



If No. 77 is Garth, he sure looked the part getting thrown in with the first team on this Bijan Robinson run-play that was tweeted out by 2022 RB recruit Jaydon Blue (and holy crap, Jake Majors -- don't hurt 'em!!!):

 

 

 

[Irieguy 1059]

8 hours ago, markstanco said:

Yea, no ben crenshaw in that pic

Your intellect is truly stunning. 

[Fud 9555]

Has TFB not put anything out post Saturday's scrimmage, or did I miss it? 

[texifornia 57104]

Jamier Johnson being a hit at CB instead of the move-to-safety candidate that he was predicted to be would make that transition class feel a lot warmer and fuzzier.

[Steamboat1874 4085]

On 4/19/2021 at 10:02 PM, Machinator said:

Roschon leaving someone in the dirt

Those practice jerseys look so much better without the "TEXAS" on them.

We really need to lose that shit.

[BurntOrange&White 40010]

5 minutes ago, Steamboat1874 said:

Those practice jerseys look so much better without the "TEXAS" on them.

We really need to lose that shit.

They look like practice jerseys. The TEXAS on the front isn't the issue. It's the Longhorn logo, big 12 logo, and nike logo placements that are the big issue.

[Steamboat1874 4085]

17 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

They look like practice jerseys. The TEXAS on the front isn't the issue. It's the Longhorn logo, big 12 logo, and nike logo placements that are the big issue.

You are wrong.

Look at the other traditional powers.....USC, Notre Dame, Michigan, Penn State, Alabama, Ohio State...none of them have the name of their school on their jerseys  and you want to know why?

You know who they are as soon as you see them on the field.

We do not need that on our jerseys. Looks like junior college shit.

[BurntOrange&White 40010]

7 minutes ago, Steamboat1874 said:

You are wrong.

Look at the other traditional powers.....USC, Notre Dame, Michigan, Penn State, Alabama, Ohio State...none of them have the name of their school on their jerseys  and you want to know why?

You know who they are as soon as you see them on the field.

We do not need that on our jerseys. Looks like junior college shit.

Mentioning Ohio state when they continually use shit alternates doesn’t help your point. 

[Hookem2147 21355]

57 minutes ago, Fud said:

Dunlap

  Hide contents

- At least one poster last week whined commented about there not being a QB update in my practice report, post so here goes: there's not really much that's new to report and I can't just make things up. Casey Thompson should run out with the first group in the spring game, but all signs point to Hudson Card also getting at least some work with the ones in the scrimmage. Card has been working in with the first team on offense in the way that many other players have. We'll hit more on that "guys getting in with the ones"-stuff in a minute.



- Both QBs have had ups and downs and we've heard that a few down-moments were seen on Tuesday for the offense. Thankfully, those bad plays for the offensive side of course highlighted good play on defense. Last year's WR transfer, Brenden Schooler, has moved to safety and was credited with making some plays on Tuesday in coverage. Also, Jamier Johnson, the freshman early-enrollee CB, continues to be talked about much more than I had envisioned. He's had a great camp. I'll expect to see Schooler likely with the second group of safeties and who knows how the outside CB rotation with the ones might look in the game ...



- In fact, Johnson has been getting at least some work with the ones on defense in team drills following starting CB Josh Thompson's spring-period-ending injury last week. We get the feeling that new 2021 transfer Darion Dunn is likely to start in the spring game opposite D'Shawn Jamison at outside corner, but Johnson, and to a lesser degree, Kitan Crawford have made excellent cases for themselves once thrown into the fold.



- Just as a side note, since mentioning Jamison, a random tidbit is that he looks to be the staff's early favorite as primary punt returner. We'll see who the other candidates are in the game, but it's Jamison who gets mentioned first in that regard.



- I can't wait to see how LSU transfer EDGE defender Ray Thornton looks in the game. The general vibe you get about him is hard to really pin down. On one hand, he's the clear starter from all we can tell which says something. On the other, you get the feeling that he's having a nice enough spring, but not blowing anyone's hair back in such a way that would lead to gushing like we've heard at other positions. In short, it looks like we've taken a real cliff-dive from Joseph Ossai-level talent off the edge for the immediate future.



- C Rafiti Ghirmai has been sort of the "1b" in a 1a/1b rotation at the center position with Jake Majors, but we're hearing Ghirmai has been a little banged up lately. If he's unable to go Saturday, we're told No.71 Logan Parr would be the beneficiary of a lot of extra work, and he'll be an interesting player to get a longer look at, one year in at Texas, if this is the case.



- Speaking of the OL and injuries, it feels like Derek Kerstetter's level of involvement in practices is sort of being undersold. He's not going to play in the game, and he hasn't been a 100% participant this spring, but he HAS run full-speed drills in full pads. We have confirmed that much. Not all drills, but some seriously live contact drills in full pads. He's virtually healed already. He's been mixing in mostly at RT from what we're told at this time, but the offensive line is clearly an evolving unit. The same is true for WR Troy Omeire (not the lining up at RT part, the part about being very close to healthy) "They're basically good to go," one person said, but there is no need or reason the staff sees internally to push either player. The same cannot be said of DT T'Vondre Sweat who is missing spring ball. He'll need the rest of the spring and summer, but they anticipate he'll be fine well before fall camp.



- As the OL evolves, the starting group has stayed pretty static. LT Christian Jones, LG Denzel Okafor, C Jake Majors, RG Junior Angilau and RT Andrej Karic. However, there are "always guys rotating in" according to one source from recent practices. For example, Tope Imade has been rotating in at some times at right tackle, as has Kerstetter, as mentioned above. At left tackle, there have been first-team reps run with Jaylen Garth in there instead of Christian Jones. At left guard, instead of Denzel Okafor, Tyler Johnson has gotten some run at times. I was told by the source that he thought the staff "wants to see how guys look when they're thrown in like that."



If No. 77 is Garth, he sure looked the part getting thrown in with the first team on this Bijan Robinson run-play that was tweeted out by 2022 RB recruit Jaydon Blue (and holy crap, Jake Majors -- don't hurt 'em!!!):

 

 

 

OB refuses to even take advantage of the low hanging fruit so they build fake practice reports. Sark said last week they are splitting everyone up into two teams for the spring game so there won’t be a “QB who starts with the 1’s”

[Laga4 1270]

I'm liking the O'line reports from the coaches.  

They seem to be positive and realistic about the talent we have but not saying stuff like they are the best O'line they have ever been associated with. 

They might be a pretty functional unit this year.  

Edited April 21, 2021 by Laga4

[Fud 9555]

3 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

OB refuses to even take advantage of the low hanging fruit so they build fake practice reports. Sark said last week they are splitting everyone up into two teams for the spring game so there won’t be a “QB who starts with the 1’s”

Yeah, OB's is consistently the outlier of the sites irt practice stuff 

[Steamboat1874 4085]

8 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Mentioning Ohio state when they continually use shit alternates doesn’t help your point. 

They still do not put the name of their school on those.

[Machinator 32099]

IT

Spoiler

For your enjoyment, we’ve prepared for you notes stemming from the penultimate spring practice held Tuesday. We’ve mixed in some previous nuggets we’ve picked up as well.

— The defense had the better day as it typically does and won the two-minute drill work yet again. The defense has come out of the gates a bit slow in practice before dialing things up. That might be something to watch for in the spring game on Saturday.

— Luke Brockermeyer had a pick six. In the last 7-10 days, I believe that’s his fifth forced turnover in team play. He’s also one of the faster linebackers so he’s not just getting by on tired cliches. This pick came on a screen he read with Hudson Card at quarterback. Brockermeyer is playing through a banged up wrist.

— We asked about Jacoby Jones, just to go a little more in depth. We heard he’s a pretty average athlete or maybe slightly above, from an explosiveness standpoint, but he’s coordinated with good feet and continues to work against the offensive line. All too often in the past Texas fans have seen players accept being blocked. That’s not Jones. He pairs decent hands with a few pass rush moves. Solid repertoire of moves with a hint of power. Not a spectacular player but does a lot of little things well. ”The whole is greater than the sum of the parts” might apply here.

— The pros at the Saturday scrimmage noticed Ray Thornton. “Good athlete, physical, and technical. Practices hard. He’s going to have a big year.” Apparently there have been some big-time collisions between Thornton and pulling guards.

— There’s a well-known Texas-ex NFLer who thinks Brenden Schooler is the best safety on the roster. Schooler continues to turn heads and people are surprised at how quickly he transitioned back to safety. “He’s fast, doesn’t get tired, shows range, not afraid to hit — he brought it to Bijan a few times.”

— Tyler Owens is coming along. UT fans have been waiting to hear that. “If either of the second team safeties had to start, it wouldn’t be a problem.” We hear he’s working hard, also isn’t afraid to hit, and of course he’s fast. He’ll mess up but he’s going full speed (which means he can get out of a position in a hurry but you get what we mean).

— What about BJ Foster? He’s had a quiet spring. “He had a violent pass break up today and saved a touchdown. Got there right when the ball did and blew it up. There’s nothing wrong with him.”

— On offense Casey Thompson got the nod with the 1s. The coaches are mindful to be fair and make sure each guy gets an even chance to go with the 1s versus 2s. It’s much tougher quarterbacking the 2nd team offense against the 1st team defense. As mentioned, Card threw a pick on a screen, and Thompson should have been picked by a dropping linebacker. Apparently the defender was hit by a teammate right as he was securing the ball.

— Joshua Moore and Kelvontay Dixon have been making a few more contested catches of late. Dixon seems more dangerous after the catch. He has intent to break a tackle or make someone miss. Moore and Dixon have been on the field together quite a bit — it hasn’t been just one or the other. It was also said Marcus Washington is becoming more consistent in practice. Maybe some positive hints at receiver. The depth we’ve discussed a lot at defensive back is what needs to be created in the wide receiver room.

— Source made a special mention of walk-on receiver Travis West. “He makes a lot of catches with the 2s. Sort of the go-to guy on 2nd team. They knock the crap out of him but he just keeps coming.” Last year there were plenty in Moncrief who were surprised Kai Money was getting reps over West.

— Asked about tight ends. “Not targeted a ton. Wiley’s the best receiver and can make somebody miss, even at his size. Maybe not as physical initially off the ball as Brewer, but sticks with his block and uses length to his advantage.” There’s a lot more in the playbook as far as tight ends being used as receivers. The offense is still nailing down the basics.

— It appears there’s really only one unsettled position on the o-line, or at least that’s the case based on practice reps. Tope Imade split snaps with Andrej Karic again. If there’s one aspect across the board the o-line could take another step, it’s drive blocking, and Imade might offer some upside there. Does he have the foot quickness for pass pro? That’s the question. Word is the way Flood teaches pass pro helps the big guys out.

 

[Coelenterate Fuccboi 13119]

11 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Mentioning Ohio state when they continually use shit alternates doesn’t help your point. 

Hitting “submit reply” doesn’t really help your point most of the time but you still do it.

Edited April 21, 2021 by Coelenterate Fuccboi

[Hookem2147 21355]

7 minutes ago, Laga4 said:

They seem to be positive and realistic about the talent we have but not saying stuff like they are the best O'line they have ever been associated with.

When Herman said during fall camp in 2017 that should have been the biggest red flag in the world.

[BurntOrange&White 40010]

1 minute ago, Steamboat1874 said:

They still do not put the name of their school on those.

Yeah because I can tell this is Ohio state by them just “stepping on the field”

 

[markstanco 12612]

9 hours ago, TommyGufano said:

I guess that's why the tweet says they're at an event honoring him and not "hey look at our pic with Gentle Ben!"

Just re-read it, but this time without drinking wine. 

[texifornia 57104]

16 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Mentioning Ohio state when they continually use shit alternates doesn’t help your point. 

Ohio State's shitty alternates don't make their standard uniforms any less iconic. 

And yeah, TEXAS on the front, along with all the required patches, makes our jerseys look like NASCAR.

[Steamboat1874 4085]

5 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Yeah because I can tell this is Ohio state by them just “stepping on the field”

 

These still look better....

Than these.....

[Zeus 6126]

17 hours ago, Bevo said:

Flat Back motherfucker.

He didn't come here to play spellin' bee

[SydneyCarton 48172]

14 hours ago, Eggo said:

Why do you need both an outdoor field and a retractable roof indoor facility? Have you seen Austin real estate recently? 

Outside of the other comments on your post here, do you want to explain how the fuck the price of real estate matters in this equation if the University already owns the fucking real estate? Are you saying we're going to be priced out because of the cost of labor? By all means, help me understand. 

13 hours ago, Rimbo said:

aww fuckit

I'm ... I'm just not good at the whole skepticism thing when I keep hearing the things I know I need to be hearing.

I've been through... this is my 6th Longhorn head football coach, and all the coaches I've seen, all the bosses I've seen, all the orgs I've seen... I just keep hearing the things that I really, really want to hear:

1. Don't hire your friends. Hire the best.
2. Have a plan for continuous improvement.
3. Adjust the scheme to fit the personnel.

There are so many other things going right here... it's just... you see it in the player reactions. And yeah, maybe we don't win a national title early 2022, but maybe we do, you know what I'm sayin'?

Awww fuck I'm back on the sunshine fucking bandwagon all over again. God help me!

Finally. FINALLY the conditions have been met so you can return the your glory years of yore where you can blindly defend Greg Davis until you pass out or threaten to fight anyone who questioned the Charlie Strong hire. This will be a day long remembered. 

[SydneyCarton 48172]

1 hour ago, Fud said:

Dunlap

  Hide contents

- At least one poster last week whined commented about there not being a QB update in my practice report, post so here goes: there's not really much that's new to report and I can't just make things up. Casey Thompson should run out with the first group in the spring game, but all signs point to Hudson Card also getting at least some work with the ones in the scrimmage. Card has been working in with the first team on offense in the way that many other players have. We'll hit more on that "guys getting in with the ones"-stuff in a minute.



- Both QBs have had ups and downs and we've heard that a few down-moments were seen on Tuesday for the offense. Thankfully, those bad plays for the offensive side of course highlighted good play on defense. Last year's WR transfer, Brenden Schooler, has moved to safety and was credited with making some plays on Tuesday in coverage. Also, Jamier Johnson, the freshman early-enrollee CB, continues to be talked about much more than I had envisioned. He's had a great camp. I'll expect to see Schooler likely with the second group of safeties and who knows how the outside CB rotation with the ones might look in the game ...



- In fact, Johnson has been getting at least some work with the ones on defense in team drills following starting CB Josh Thompson's spring-period-ending injury last week. We get the feeling that new 2021 transfer Darion Dunn is likely to start in the spring game opposite D'Shawn Jamison at outside corner, but Johnson, and to a lesser degree, Kitan Crawford have made excellent cases for themselves once thrown into the fold.



- Just as a side note, since mentioning Jamison, a random tidbit is that he looks to be the staff's early favorite as primary punt returner. We'll see who the other candidates are in the game, but it's Jamison who gets mentioned first in that regard.



- I can't wait to see how LSU transfer EDGE defender Ray Thornton looks in the game. The general vibe you get about him is hard to really pin down. On one hand, he's the clear starter from all we can tell which says something. On the other, you get the feeling that he's having a nice enough spring, but not blowing anyone's hair back in such a way that would lead to gushing like we've heard at other positions. In short, it looks like we've taken a real cliff-dive from Joseph Ossai-level talent off the edge for the immediate future.



- C Rafiti Ghirmai has been sort of the "1b" in a 1a/1b rotation at the center position with Jake Majors, but we're hearing Ghirmai has been a little banged up lately. If he's unable to go Saturday, we're told No.71 Logan Parr would be the beneficiary of a lot of extra work, and he'll be an interesting player to get a longer look at, one year in at Texas, if this is the case.



- Speaking of the OL and injuries, it feels like Derek Kerstetter's level of involvement in practices is sort of being undersold. He's not going to play in the game, and he hasn't been a 100% participant this spring, but he HAS run full-speed drills in full pads. We have confirmed that much. Not all drills, but some seriously live contact drills in full pads. He's virtually healed already. He's been mixing in mostly at RT from what we're told at this time, but the offensive line is clearly an evolving unit. The same is true for WR Troy Omeire (not the lining up at RT part, the part about being very close to healthy) "They're basically good to go," one person said, but there is no need or reason the staff sees internally to push either player. The same cannot be said of DT T'Vondre Sweat who is missing spring ball. He'll need the rest of the spring and summer, but they anticipate he'll be fine well before fall camp.



- As the OL evolves, the starting group has stayed pretty static. LT Christian Jones, LG Denzel Okafor, C Jake Majors, RG Junior Angilau and RT Andrej Karic. However, there are "always guys rotating in" according to one source from recent practices. For example, Tope Imade has been rotating in at some times at right tackle, as has Kerstetter, as mentioned above. At left tackle, there have been first-team reps run with Jaylen Garth in there instead of Christian Jones. At left guard, instead of Denzel Okafor, Tyler Johnson has gotten some run at times. I was told by the source that he thought the staff "wants to see how guys look when they're thrown in like that."



If No. 77 is Garth, he sure looked the part getting thrown in with the first team on this Bijan Robinson run-play that was tweeted out by 2022 RB recruit Jaydon Blue (and holy crap, Jake Majors -- don't hurt 'em!!!):

 

 

 

 

39 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

OB refuses to even take advantage of the low hanging fruit so they build fake practice reports. Sark said last week they are splitting everyone up into two teams for the spring game so there won’t be a “QB who starts with the 1’s”

Came here to post this. My favorite part of Dunlap's "report" is that he has zero understanding of how the Spring game format is even going to work. Lets trust this guy for insight and sources...he can't even source direct quotes from the head coach. 

[Bevo14 8378]

26 minutes ago, Steamboat1874 said:

These still look better....

Than these.....

Yeah but these were the best

[BurntOrange&White 40010]

14 minutes ago, Bevo14 said:

Yeah but these were the best

Nope, sorry they have Texas on them. Dog shit 

[texifornia 57104]

19 minutes ago, Bevo14 said:

Yeah but these were the best

 

5 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Nope, sorry they have Texas on them. Dog shit 

The moment was great, the TEXAS-free jersey looks better. It's like saying Iowa State's all-blacks are their best uniforms because they play well in them.

Edited April 21, 2021 by texifornia

[Bevo14 8378]

1 minute ago, texifornia said:

 

The moment was great, the TEXAS-free jersey looks better. It's like saying Iowa State's all-blacks are their best uniforms because they play well in them.

Nope I slightly prefer it with Texas on the front. Wouldn't complain about either one though.  Both would be leaps better than the overcrowded nonsensical shit we have now.

[Royale with cheese 1467]

To paraphrase Honest Abe, "You can please all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can't please Surly any time." 

[Red Five 40895]

I could go either way on the Texas part. Get the rest of the clutter off and move the numbers off the shoulders. And for god's sake darken the longhorn logo on the helmet. 

[Machinator 32099]

(Scipio Tex) How Sark Will Grade The Spring QB Competition

Spoiler

While debates about who is more athletic between Casey Thompson and Hudson Card are fun offseason board fodder, their vertical leaps, 40 times, wiggle, quickness, ability to reset in the pocket, and their potential for improvisation will not decide this race.

No matter what public statements are used to justify the winning selection to media.

I don't blame Texas fans for these debates. First, it's the brief lull before the Spring game. Until we get live football to discuss, we're left musing whether the Longhorns should wear Burnt Orange capes and tassels (yes), the best stadium snack (peanuts), and band outfits (burn all polyester and 1976 styling).

More crucially, as Texas fans we've been trained that good quarterbacking means improvisation and creation outside of the structure of the offense. Vince Young. Colt McCoy. Sam Ehlinger (at his best). Simple offenses amplified by outstanding creative ability. "Make something happen, Vince!" More broadly, the college game rewards creative, athletic QBs as the band aid who can make a bad play call right. The good news is that Card and Thompson are both capable of making something happen outside the lines of the coloring book.

That's all a secondary or tertiary consideration for Sarkisian.

While Sark won't begrudge a QB who can scramble for a 1st down on 3rd and long and he'll be happy to exploit their feet in key moments or use mobility to fully unlock the outside zone/RPO series, this job will be decided by which QB throws accurately on time to the right guy in the right part of the numbers. Sark prefers a quick mind over quick feet.

Sark puts the creativity in the structure of his offense. He will scheme guys open. Not hope his athletes "make something happen." He's not counting on supreme athleticism and force of will to carry vanilla schemes - the Longhorn trademark of success post VY. Remember Sarkisian's own history of QB success: Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez, Cody Kessler, Mac Jones. These are not supreme athletes. Some of those names are well below average in overall athleticism. I think all of us weekend warriors felt a little better about ourselves after seeing Mac Jones shirtless at his pro day. Body by milk duds. But Jones sees the game like Kasparov on a chess board. And all of those men could throw a football accurately on time.

Picking a clear frontrunner in the 2021 QB race between Card and Thompson purely on traits or pedigree isn't Sark's mindset. He'll pick the guy that most opens up the offense for others with their feel, accuracy, and decision making.

Remember that Sark's very best athlete at the QB position - Washington's Jake Locker - was his most frustrating and ineffective QB. Let's be clear and read that for comprehension. That doesn't mean he dislikes athleticism. It just means it draws a shrug from him relative to accuracy, ball placement, processing speed, and mastery of the offense. If he can get those traits with athleticism, his opportunities to stress a defense only multiply. Just understand what's most valued.

One of Thompson or Card will break a 20+ yard run in the Spring game and draw oooohs and aaaahs. That play will be marked on the plus side of their ledger by staff (assuming the improv wasn't as the expense of hitting a wide open receiver downfield) but two quiet, efficient, accurate RPO throws will count for more. Those throws will draw more praise for the receivers from media and the common fan - the QB just serving as the conduit for Sark's offense.

And that's the whole point.

Your checklist for Saturday shouldn't be who looks more dynamic. Or who gives you chills. Look at who makes the offense go for everyone. John Stockton, not Allen Iverson.

Sarkisian addresses with scheme and play calling what Longhorns have tried to address with Superman. But he'll take Superman, too.

 

[Burt Macklin 19053]

1 hour ago, Machinator said:

— It appears there’s really only one unsettled position on the o-line, or at least that’s the case based on practice reps. Tope Imade split snaps with Andrej Karic again. If there’s one aspect across the board the o-line could take another step, it’s drive blocking, and Imade might offer some upside there. Does he have the foot quickness for pass pro? That’s the question. Word is the way Flood teaches pass pro helps the big guys out.

I still can't believe sources are consistently reporting Imade is getting looks at RT when he has bad feet for a guard.  I do think Flood is looking for better drive blocking.  His recruiting at Bama suggests he wants powerful blockers who have long reach and he values that over really good feet. Hand was the polar opposite. He very clearly valued good feet over power, which is why we didn't overlap much with A&M in OL recruiting when he was here. Guys like Karic and Kerstetter aren't great fits for what Flood wants, but they are good OL so it'll be interesting to see where Flood fits them in.

[TommyGufano 6021]

40 minutes ago, Red Five said:

I could go either way on the Texas part. Get the rest of the clutter off and move the numbers off the shoulders. And for god's sake darken the longhorn logo on the helmet. 

 

It was a bit odd to see em in white at home, but I'd say the look against Baylor this year was as good as it's gonna get, I suppose ymmv on the gloves

[Fud 9555]

15 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

I still can't believe sources are consistently reporting Imade is getting looks at RT when he has bad feet for a guard.  I do think Flood is looking for better drive blocking.  His recruiting at Bama suggests he wants powerful blockers who have long reach and he values that over really good feet. Hand was the polar opposite. He very clearly valued good feet over power, which is why we didn't overlap much with A&M in OL recruiting when he was here. Guys like Karic and Kerstetter aren't great fits for what Flood wants, but they are good OL so it'll be interesting to see where Flood fits them in.

He/they seems to value movement at the point of attack in outside zone over agility in pass pro, if it's one or the other; force defenses to give extra help in stopping Bijan to help set up the playaction game, perhaps?

Also apparently Imade looked good against Ossai in practice last year, which is why they're giving him a look at tackle in the first place 

[Burt Macklin 19053]

4 minutes ago, Fud said:

He/they seems to value movement at the point of attack in outside zone over agility in pass pro, if it's one or the other; force defenses to give extra help in stopping Bijan to help set up the playaction game, perhaps?

Yeah, another way I could’ve worded it might be displacement in the run game>pass pro/mirroring ability. Sark’s heavy usage of TEs and RPOs freezing edge rushers may have something to do with this too. 
 

5 minutes ago, Fud said:

Also apparently Imade looked good against Ossai in practice last year, which is why they're giving him a look at tackle in the first place 

I really struggle to imagine this being real, but it would be a very welcome surprise. 

[SydneyCarton 48172]

10 minutes ago, TommyGufano said:

 

It was a bit odd to see em in white at home, but I'd say the look against Baylor this year was as good as it's gonna get, I suppose ymmv on the gloves

Anyone who is a fan of having Stormtrooper uniforms, and I've increasingly had to defend ours versus all whites from other shitty teams, should enthusiastically support anything that reduces the contrasting colors on our whites. 

[Zeus 6126]

2 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

They look like practice jerseys. The TEXAS on the front isn't the issue. It's the Longhorn logo, big 12 logo, and nike logo placements that are the big issue.

Don't forget the 150th logo, bowl logo, captains logo

 

[Rimbo 26113]

3 hours ago, Fud said:

there's not really much that's new to report and I can't just make things up.

[Nope 3121]

12 hours ago, Machinator said:

 

Good to see Sark back on the banquet circuit 

[Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand 13587]

A football decal on a football helmet makes it look like a kid's Halloween costume.

*smashes beer bottle over random poster's head, runs away*

[Tex48 840]

19 minutes ago, Nope said:

Good to see Sark back on the banquet circuit 

If he isn't able to go out and recruit players, he should be going and recruiting more donors for the program so I see this as a win.  

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

27 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

I really struggle to imagine this being real, but it would be a very welcome surprise.

About a decade of watching OL coaches fall in love with measurables and potential to the exclusion of production for significant parts of entire seasons has jaded me to the possibility that the current OL coach isn’t doing the same.

There are more than a few UT sports content producers who pleasure themselves to thoughts of a pure meritocracy taking place in the football program while handling their units anew with each staff change, but, without fail,  actual humans with coaching titles continue to fall into the patterns of behavior that are associated with being actual humans. Notably, wanting to try large specimens at OT positions who have demonstrated an inability to compete therefor the entirety of their time on the 40 acres.

So Coach Flood has some nice skins on the wall, but any reports of lights suddenly coming on for Imade at tackle are met with more of an “Ok....sure” response than any semblance of optimism. I’ll put those thoughts up there in dubious bin with Angilau picking up a twist, Brewer being a serviceable TE or the goal posts aligning with the South end zone tunnel until I see some more proof during a game against actual competition.

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

2 hours ago, Machinator said:

(Scipio Tex) How Sark Will Grade The Spring QB Competition

John Stockton, not Allen Iverson.

I am completely on board with this method of evaluation. Gimme an insane completion percentage any day of the week. Unless it's VY day, but even then, we tend to forget that his last year here, he had an insane completion percentage, in addition to a string of opposing linebackers and safeties with broken ankles.

[msucolt45 4074]

Back in the early ‘60s the “Texas” (in black) was worn for pictures only. Those were to be sent home for newspapers, HS, and families purposes only.

Game pick from ‘63 OU game - no Texas on jersey.

[Wulaw Horn 19152]

17 minutes ago, Walden Ponderer said:

I am completely on board with this method of evaluation. Gimme an insane completion percentage any day of the week. Unless it's VY day, but even then, we tend to forget that his last year here, he had an insane completion percentage, in addition to a string of opposing linebackers and safeties with broken ankles.

This is true- but he was so dynamic and his WR were so wide open due to the defense having no answer for the zone read that it really didn't mean anything other than he could get the ball to a guy wide ass open.  
That's not a knock on VY- my favorite player ever so much as a testament to how scary he was with the ball making the game incredibly easy on offense.  

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

10 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

This is true- but he was so dynamic and his WR were so wide open due to the defense having no answer for the zone read that it really didn't mean anything other than he could get the ball to a guy wide ass open.  
That's not a knock on VY- my favorite player ever so much as a testament to how scary he was with the ball making the game incredibly easy on offense.  

I think the point Scipio was making is that Sark prefers to scheme guys wide-ass open rather than relying on recruiting freaks of nature whom you only see once in a lifetime.

[ousux 5602]

They look like practice jerseys. The TEXAS on the front isn't the issue. It's the Longhorn logo, big 12 logo, and nike logo placements that are the big issue.

Agreed, either have Texas or the logo on the front, not both..and move all the other flair to the shoulders or something if we cant lose it altogether.

[Wulaw Horn 19152]

10 minutes ago, Walden Ponderer said:

I think the point Scipio was making is that Sark prefers to scheme guys wide-ass open rather than relying on recruiting freaks of nature whom you only see once in a lifetime.

Sure. And he’s right. I was just riffing on the idea that VY was so amazing he created his own scheme unto

himself. 

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

Just now, Wulaw Horn said:

Sure. And he’s right. I was just riffing on the idea that VY was so amazing he created his own scheme unto

himself. 

Where's the "You're Goddamned Right" emoji?

[ousux 5602]

They still do not put the name of their school on those.

Because they don't have a strong, iconic name like Texas. Putting it on our jerseys pisses aggy off, good enough for me.

[Longhornlove 4884]

1 minute ago, Walden Ponderer said:

Where's the "You're Goddamned Right" emoji?

[Texasrocks 2149]

4 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Yeah because I can tell this is Ohio state by them just “stepping on the field”

Because of the douchiness emanating from them?