2022 Fall Camp: Drippin'

[Burt Macklin 19000]

7 hours ago, TheMailBox357 said:

Ian Boyd just dropped a breakdown of the open practice footage on YouTube

  Reveal hidden contents

Scouting the open practice

Ian Boyd•8/18/22

Open practices are often like spring game scrimmages. Steve Sarkisian knows he can’t count on discretion from observers, or that it won’t be spied out by opposing teams, so they keep things really simple. However, you can’t hide how well your team executes the most basic concepts of their playbook.

It’s also not really worthwhile to go out and practice many things which aren’t fundamental components of your system. If a defense is running a pattern-matching coverage in an open practice, you can safely assume they plan to run it during the season. Doesn’t make much sense to practice something complicated you don’t plan to count on during the season.

As it happens, Texas did run some pattern matching coverages during the open practice and ran them with a degree of precision which would lead you to believe they weren’t throwing them out there for the first time. There were definitely moments where you had to feel sympathy for the quarterbacks trying to compete with each other against tight coverage.

A careful watch of the open practice, such as I was able to get, revealed a number of interesting things about the passing offense and defense for the 2022 Longhorns.

 

Diverse defense

I was struck by how the defense played the 7on7 segments almost strictly in quarters. The first few snaps featured pretty basic quarters and then they mixed in a few different varieties, including Gary Patterson’s favorite trips coverage. Their execution was pretty tight as well, like one of TCU’s teams before they melted down at the end of Patterson’s tenure.

The single-high coverages I’ve expected to see play a greater role were also present in the full team drills. They’d spin the safety down over the tight end pretty often, especially against 12 personnel formations geared toward the run. It looked like a more holistic, complete defensive package with multiple single-high and two-high options to keep offenses guessing and allow the defense to disguise and play to different matchups.

There was a good deal more match quarters than I would have expected though and it appears to be the main base defense. Their execution of the coverage is unquestionably making life difficult for the quarterbacks. They’re matching everything pretty tight, save perhaps for the field corner who will play off, and the safeties are definitely employing the Patterson approach of lining up with depth and playing flat-footed until the offense has committed (don’t go until you know).

The linebackers look pretty mobile and comfortable as well, overall this defense looks miles from where they were a year ago trying to execute modern pass defense.

A potential hang-up for fans is that their approach isn’t particularly aggressive against the run. The Stars (nickel position) are emphasizing coverage and the solution to the run game is to hang on up front and hope the cavalry (safeties) don’t allow anything to get out of hand. However, the safeties aren’t backpedaling near so often so they do arrive before long. The defense also has plenty of single-high coverages which drop a safety down and can outnumber the run game.

Pass protection

Things look different when there’s a true left tackle on the edge. Kelvin Banks just moves differently and the geometry and physics don’t care that he’s a true freshman. He cuts off angles, fends off pass-rushers with length, and has the sheer size to avoid being run through. You can’t control the battle with him as a pass-rusher, you have to really set him up and he recovers more easily than a typical tackle.

In general, pass protection is an obvious concern for the Longhorns, but the left side pairing of Kelvin Banks and Hayden Conner is actually better than they’ve had in a while in terms of pure ability. The right side is much trickier and Sark has some interesting calculus to do in choosing his lineup. Christian Jones still gets beat on inside moves and simply doesn’t move naturally going backwards like Banks can. However, he’s a third-year starter and quietly a good run blocker.

You’d think they could move him to guard and get results but have shown zero interest up to this point in doing so. Perhaps because they’d like to leave guard open for promising freshmen who wouldn’t be ready to play tackle. They could replace him with a better pass protector like Andrej Karic or more natural setter like Cam Williams, who like Banks is just a different looking football player. In the former example, they lose some quality in run blocking and in the latter they may be trading out predictable busts for unpredictable busts. If Jones will consistently execute his assignments provided you don’t leave him in 1-on-1s in space, maybe that’s a good thing for this line over a less steady right tackle who’s a better player. Or maybe not. How ready is Williams?

The pass-rush seems a little more hopeful every day. The defensive tackles are pretty solid at pushing the pocket, the coverage is forcing quarterbacks to hold the ball, and they may be able to find a winning player at Edge between Ovie Oghoufo, DeMarvion Overshown, or even Ethan Burke. The Westlake freshman keeps his feet moving constantly, has length to engage with tackles, and some real burst he employs in a few different pass-rush moves.

The quarterback battle

They ran both 7on7 style drills and 11on11 drills in this scrimmage. The 7on7 drills were actually generally 3on2, 4on3, etc. They’d only run them to half the field, giving the quarterbacks reps in reading a single side passing concept and throwing against coverage. At times they’d line up with a running back and a receiver, or two receivers, a tight end and a receiver, etc. It gave them a chance to make progressions on a variety of concepts against a variety of coverages.

The results here were really quite one-sided. After an early pick to a robbing safety, Hudson Card showed a decisive trigger and he clearly knew what he was looking at. Quinn Ewers really struggled to get a clear read and rarely got his throws out with the right timing. He was picked a few times and had few completions.

The 11on11 drills told a similar story but were better for Ewers than the pure passing drills. Just in terms of executing a dropback passing game with a three-step drop and progression, this battle really isn’t close. Hudson Card has the far greater familiarity with these concepts and consequently has better timing and accuracy, provided the pocket isn’t completely demolished.

On the play-action as well, the common narratives of Ewers as a decisive and aggressive passer relative to gun-shy Card don’t really hold up. Ewers has some unreal ability throwing the ball but he’s not consistently on time yet with his reads. Good match quarters with safeties sitting on the hash marks is pretty unforgiving if you’re not throwing the ball on time. Ewers did show the expected knack for executing long throws off single reads and he also seems comfortable with different crossing patterns.

The danger comes when he locks into a read and it isn’t there. Plan B often devolves into a sack or an interception.

In both the 7on7 portion and later in the 11on11 portion, Card hit touchdown passes on post routes off flood concepts.

It’s an awful lot like “spear” but instead of having a deep crosser from across the field, the slot runs a corner route. The quarterback reads the the free safety. If he hangs back on the post route then the corner route is generally there whether the nickel tries to carry it or not. If the safety takes the corner route, or just stays flat-footed long enough, then the post will get behind him if the quarterback throws it well. It’s a great concept for attacking quarters coverage and Card nailed the timing by reading the safety on both scoring strikes.

Card generally knew where to go with the ball even if a read was cloudy, or he could make something happen with the scramble, but his ball security was alarming at times.

Presumably Ewers would be most comfortable if allowed to regularly work off play-action and get a lot of his throws in with concepts drawn up for him and carefully practiced throughout a week. If protected well enough with the gameplan and a running game, you could see his arm doing a lot of damage. However, Card would also be effective within such a friendly context and would allow for a much fuller approach due to his greater comfort within the system.

The battle still comes down to whether or not Sark feels Ewers can be hurried along in the missing pieces of development to be a consistent starter or if he’ll need to start building the gameplans around a more developed player in Card. Overall this practice made clear Texas has certainly added some talent to the roster, but being in year two in the system may prove to be the biggest boost for the coming season.

 

Based on Ian's open practice breakdown, seems like Card is the guy. Especially after just reading Chip Brown's report.

Stop right there and delete your post next time. 

 

[CashMcCoy 3199]

Boyd is an even bigger Cardsucker than Nahlin

[BurntOrange&White 39717]

@immamacfor reporting post can we get an “Ian Boyd content” option?

[Hank_Hill 18533]

Only if we can get one for “BO&W sucking CTJs peen again” also

[BurntOrange&White 39717]

Just now, Hank_Hill said:

Only if we can get one for “BO&W sucking CTJs peen again” also

Yeah you’re so mad he’s going to write a paragraph to you about this comment. At least don’t be a pussy and tag @closetojumping

[Hank_Hill 18533]

3 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Yeah you’re so mad he’s going to write a paragraph to you about this comment. At least don’t be a pussy and tag @closetojumping

Reported

[Tex-19 2869]

1 hour ago, closetohumping said:

If he has an idea it feels like it would be Ewers.  

What makes you think that?

[FloridaHorn 4735]

Just now, Tex-19 said:

What makes you think that?

Just a crazy idea he had.

[mvlonghorns 285]

17 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Yeah you’re so mad he’s going to write a paragraph to you about this comment. At least don’t be a pussy and tag @closetojumping

CTJ has open disdain for you, yet you go around tagging him constantly and trying to act like his best friend. Your reply is utterly incoherent because you have no defense. That shit is sad dude. 

[closetohumping 17408]

5 minutes ago, Tex-19 said:

What makes you think that?

Card is the older incumbent.  If it were him he’d already announce.   I think he wants Ewers to be the guy as he’s probably done with card.  He’s keeping hope alive for card because he doesn’t want Malik to be backup just yet

[LTtxfan 49017]

 

[CowtownHorn 5126]

Edited August 18, 2022 by CowtownHorn

[BurntOrange&White 39717]

12 minutes ago, mvlonghorns said:

CTJ has open disdain for you, yet you go around tagging him constantly and trying to act like his best friend. Your reply is utterly incoherent because you have no defense. That shit is sad dude. 

I’m like pretty positive the only disdain he has on this site is for future man. 

[ztejas 43287]

Sark is all about establishing the run and then taking the top off (or using the run to misdirect and get guys wide open). It's neat that Card has good footwork and hits intermediate passes at a higher clip but we aren't running an air raid. We need someone that can hit guys downfield - especially under duress. 

It's possible (and I'd guess pretty likely) that Neyor's injury threw a wrench into things. With a healthy Neyor - I don't see any way you can keep Ewers on the bench. Without Neyor, Card may seem like a slightly more logical choice, but I still think that when you consider the personnel that we're going to have around the QB that putting Ewers back there is going to result in more points on the board. 

All that said - sometimes you need to hold a guys feet to the fire and naming Card the starter and having him start the first two games could potentially be what Ewers needs. The problem is that I'm not sure if Ewers is the type of guy to respond to that type of motivation. 

I'm totally fine with throwing Quinn into the deep end and letting him figure out how to swim. I'm also okay with making him earn it a bit more. I don't particularly trust Sark to get this 100% right - but as I alluded to earlier - I also think that we're going to be better at almost every facet of the game outside of the QB position (and yes I'm plenty aware that a lot of the vagina-itchers here disagree with that assumption). 

I also think that we're either going to suck again (7-5 is sucking afaic) and I'll begin work on finding a new hobby or we're going to end up being pretty damn salty and will put together something between 11-3 and 9-5. 

Fuck me is it September 3rd yet?

And if anyone gives a shit

Edited August 19, 2022 by ztejas

[futureman 22424]

20 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

I’m like pretty positive the only disdain he has on this site is for future man. 

yeah because I beat him in an open forum in front of god and the world.  and because he’s a small, fat, slow pussy he put me on ignore and has been on the run ever since. 

[Texasrocks 2125]

59 minutes ago, Hank_Hill said:

Only if we can get one for “BO&W sucking CTJs peen again” also

It's not just BO&W, you just described a big chunk of the recruiting board.

1 minute ago, futureman said:

yeah because I beat him in an open forum in front of god and the world.  and because he’s a small, fat, slow pussy he put me on ignore and has been on the run ever since. 

You also just described a big chunk of the recruiting board.

[Atticus 3925]

18 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Sark is all about establishing the run and then taking the top off (or using the run to misdirect and get guys wide open). It's neat that Card has good footwork and hits intermediate passes at a higher clip but we aren't running an air raid. We need someone that can hit guys downfield - especially under duress. 

It's possible (and I'd guess pretty likely) that Neyor's injury threw a wrench into things. With a healthy Neyor - I don't see any way you can keep Ewers on the bench. Without Neyor, Card may seem like a slightly more logical choice, but I still think that when you consider the personnel that we're going to have around the QB that putting Ewers back there is going to result in more points on the board. 

All that said - sometimes you need to hold a guys feet to the fire and naming Card the starter and having him start the first two games could potentially be what Ewers needs. The problem is that I'm not sure if Ewers is the type of guy to respond to that type of motivation. 

I'm totally fine with throwing Quinn into the deep end and letting him figure out how to swim. I'm also okay with making him earn it a bit more. I don't particularly trust Sark to get this 100% right - but as I alluded to earlier - I also think that we're going to be better at almost every facet of the game outside of the QB position (and yes I'm plenty aware that a lot of the vagina-itchers here disagree with that assumption). 

I also think that we're either going to suck again (7-5 is sucking afaic) and I'll begin work on finding a new hobby or we're going to end up being pretty damn salty and will put together something between 11-3 and 9-5. 

Fuck me is it September 3rd yet?

If Ewers can hit the deep ball as consistently as everyone has alluded to, it unlocks Worthy in ways that he wasn't last year. A healthy Neyor just makes that more of a threat. Worthy did just fine without Neyor. Now, we have 3 TEs who are big time receiving threats and another guy in Helm who can find open spaces chain moving situations. 

Those threats are enough when you pair them with a potentially improved OL and Bijan/Brooks. Maybe not enough against Bama, but enough for most other opponents. The defense just needs to be good enough to take some pressure off the O. Ewers shouldn't be passing more than 25 times a game unless he really gets going.

Edited August 19, 2022 by Atticus

[Deej 76599]

Surly:

[Longhornlove 4779]

I see improvement across the board in most areas on this team except kicking game.

OFFENSE

LT- future all American , drastic improvement

LG- We may see a slip here

C- A year stronger, wiser and should be better

RG- Could be better or a wash, we certainly have many more options to see how it turns out.

RT- C. Jones at minimum should be better there than what we saw last year.

TE- drastic improvement I n pass catching threat at minimum.

WR- Overall, a significant improvement if healthy

RB- maybe the best RB room in the country, we have at least 3 guys that would start at most teams in our conference if not 4.

QB- You would think a year older Card would be better than a thumbless passer from a year ago if it isn't the chosen one.

 

DEFENSE

DT- more depth, older, stronger, wiser and hopefully more aggressive scheme 

Edges- This is the big one, I just don't know. Promising new young talent.

LB- Upgrade with Tuck, DMO playing outside and a much improved Ford that we saw at the end of last season. No more walk on starter.

Safety- More athletic and no more converted receiver or lazy no effort entitled bitch.

CB- Looks to be a significant improvement with scheme and talent.

 

Edited August 19, 2022 by Longhornlove

[TexEx15 17493]

6 minutes ago, Longhornlove said:

I see improvement across the board in most areas on this team except kicking game.

OFFENSE

LT- future all American , drastic improvement

LG- We may see a slip here

C- A year stronger, wiser and should be better

RG- Could be better or a wash, we certainly have many more options to see how it turns out.

RT- C. Jones at minimum should be better there than what we saw last year.

TE- drastic improvement I n pass catching threat at minimum.

WR- Overall, a significant improvement if healthy

RB- maybe the best RB room in the country, we have at least 3 guys that would start at most teams in our conference if not 4.

QB- You would think a year older Card would be better than a thumbless passer from a year ago if it isn't the chosen one.

 

DEFENSE

DT- more depth, older, stronger, wiser and hopefully more aggressive scheme 

Edges- This is the big one, I just don't know. Promising new young talent.

LB- Upgrade with Tuck, DMO playing outside and a much improved Ford that we saw at the end of last season. No more walk on starter.

Safety- More athletic and no more converted receiver or lazy no effort entitled bitch.

CB- Looks to be a significant improvement with scheme and talent.

 

Get this sensible bullshit out of here. This is Surly where shit is perpetually fucked. 

Edited August 19, 2022 by TexEx15

[Hookem2147 20935]

OB War Room (cover your eyes @BurntOrange&White)

Spoiler

In one of the more shocking sentences that I'm ever going to write, it appears that Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is leaning towards naming third-year sophomore Hudson Card as his starting quarterback against La-Monroe. 

When Sark said on Thursday that he has a "pretty good idea" of who he will name, he was talking about Hudson per more than a half-dozen sources with knowledge of the situation. 

This is where we are 16 days away from the season-opener.

Could things change? Yes. Is it likely at this point? 

 

The current state of things is such that the players involved and those close to the players seem to know the score. But, I think we've all learned to never say never. 

So, how has this happened?

To put it as simple as possible, Ewers just isn't ready to be the starter from the mental side of things at the position. 

He's not as advanced in front of the chalkboard inside of the quarterback room as he needs to be. What the coaches want from him at the position isn't showing up on the field. Basically, he's a work in progress and there's a feeling inside the program that only now is he truly learning the importance of being an all-in performer with regards to devotion to the playbook and learning every angle of the offense.

On the other side of the equation, Card is an all-in guy from a playbook and study habits perspective, and then being able to explain it all in meetings with coaches.

Both players have committed turnovers throughout the last two weeks, but when it comes to understanding the ins and outs of what is expected from the quarterback position, Card apparently has a large lead.

Is this final? No. Could something happen in the next few days to completely change the current momentum? It seems unlikely, but not impossible.

There is a scrimmage on Saturday and it's not impossible to think that Ewers could have such an overwhelming performance that it change the trajectory of the battle. Yet, as Sark said on Thursday, "he's got a pretty good idea" of what he's going to do. He certainly didn't indicate that the battle was in a position where Saturday would dictate his decision. 

I'll be honest with you when I tell you that if we thought Ewers was a single performance away from winning the job, I wouldn't be writing this report. Knowing the arrows that will almost certainly come my way, I'd just kick the can down the road and tell you to wait until Saturday.

Yet, the depth of our sourcing on Thursday and the messaging coming from it is such that writing this first section of the War Room is unavoidable. It would be a complete disservice to all of you for us to live in Pretend-Land for a few days because we still have Tyrone Swoopes/Shane Buechele night-sweats.

The bottom line is that our sourcing, which is deep and varied, was openly talking about this like it was a done deal or something close to that.

A few more notes about the quarterbacks to pass along...

a. As it relates to Ewers, I've heard that he understands that there's an added commitment to the mental side of his craft that is needed and that he's committed to improving.

b. Card has a lot of support in the locker room, including some key veteran pieces of the offensive puzzle. The kid has kept his head down and just kept grinding away when a lot of people thought he should have hit the road and entered the Transfer Portal. Having the job in week one won't mean that he still has it in week 12, but I didn't think it was possible he could win this job. That dude has earned my respect. 

c. I don't expect Ewers to run from the competition, even if he's fully aware that he'll soon be taking second-team reps until further notice. One source on Thursday thought that this might simply delay his overall college plans by a year, but there was a good attitude about it all.

d. Another source with knowledge of the competition deadpanned on Thursday afternoon that winning the job might be the worst thing that could happen to either player because of the looming Alabama game.  

e. At the end of the day, we're truly at the starting line of this quarterback discussion and not the finish line. Both players understand what each need to do moving forward. Both know that poor execution in games is going to lead to the other player likely getting on the field.

Maybe, just maybe don't set the furniture on fire.

 

[Fud 9546]

4 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

OB War Room (cover your eyes @BurntOrange&White)

  Reveal hidden contents

In one of the more shocking sentences that I'm ever going to write, it appears that Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is leaning towards naming third-year sophomore Hudson Card as his starting quarterback against La-Monroe. 

When Sark said on Thursday that he has a "pretty good idea" of who he will name, he was talking about Hudson per more than a half-dozen sources with knowledge of the situation. 

This is where we are 16 days away from the season-opener.

Could things change? Yes. Is it likely at this point? 

 

The current state of things is such that the players involved and those close to the players seem to know the score. But, I think we've all learned to never say never. 

So, how has this happened?

To put it as simple as possible, Ewers just isn't ready to be the starter from the mental side of things at the position. 

He's not as advanced in front of the chalkboard inside of the quarterback room as he needs to be. What the coaches want from him at the position isn't showing up on the field. Basically, he's a work in progress and there's a feeling inside the program that only now is he truly learning the importance of being an all-in performer with regards to devotion to the playbook and learning every angle of the offense.

On the other side of the equation, Card is an all-in guy from a playbook and study habits perspective, and then being able to explain it all in meetings with coaches.

Both players have committed turnovers throughout the last two weeks, but when it comes to understanding the ins and outs of what is expected from the quarterback position, Card apparently has a large lead.

Is this final? No. Could something happen in the next few days to completely change the current momentum? It seems unlikely, but not impossible.

There is a scrimmage on Saturday and it's not impossible to think that Ewers could have such an overwhelming performance that it change the trajectory of the battle. Yet, as Sark said on Thursday, "he's got a pretty good idea" of what he's going to do. He certainly didn't indicate that the battle was in a position where Saturday would dictate his decision. 

I'll be honest with you when I tell you that if we thought Ewers was a single performance away from winning the job, I wouldn't be writing this report. Knowing the arrows that will almost certainly come my way, I'd just kick the can down the road and tell you to wait until Saturday.

Yet, the depth of our sourcing on Thursday and the messaging coming from it is such that writing this first section of the War Room is unavoidable. It would be a complete disservice to all of you for us to live in Pretend-Land for a few days because we still have Tyrone Swoopes/Shane Buechele night-sweats.

The bottom line is that our sourcing, which is deep and varied, was openly talking about this like it was a done deal or something close to that.

A few more notes about the quarterbacks to pass along...

a. As it relates to Ewers, I've heard that he understands that there's an added commitment to the mental side of his craft that is needed and that he's committed to improving.

b. Card has a lot of support in the locker room, including some key veteran pieces of the offensive puzzle. The kid has kept his head down and just kept grinding away when a lot of people thought he should have hit the road and entered the Transfer Portal. Having the job in week one won't mean that he still has it in week 12, but I didn't think it was possible he could win this job. That dude has earned my respect. 

c. I don't expect Ewers to run from the competition, even if he's fully aware that he'll soon be taking second-team reps until further notice. One source on Thursday thought that this might simply delay his overall college plans by a year, but there was a good attitude about it all.

d. Another source with knowledge of the competition deadpanned on Thursday afternoon that winning the job might be the worst thing that could happen to either player because of the looming Alabama game.  

e. At the end of the day, we're truly at the starting line of this quarterback discussion and not the finish line. Both players understand what each need to do moving forward. Both know that poor execution in games is going to lead to the other player likely getting on the field.

Maybe, just maybe don't set the furniture on fire.

 

So Ketchum is reporting that birdies are telling him rumors with a bunch of caveats that things could change and aren’t final that Sark might name Card the starter soon, and it’s not impossible that Ewers could change things by playing better  

Edited August 19, 2022 by Fud

[ztejas 43287]

3 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

OB War Room (cover your eyes @BurntOrange&White)

  Reveal hidden contents

In one of the more shocking sentences that I'm ever going to write, it appears that Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is leaning towards naming third-year sophomore Hudson Card as his starting quarterback against La-Monroe. 

When Sark said on Thursday that he has a "pretty good idea" of who he will name, he was talking about Hudson per more than a half-dozen sources with knowledge of the situation. 

This is where we are 16 days away from the season-opener.

Could things change? Yes. Is it likely at this point? 

 

The current state of things is such that the players involved and those close to the players seem to know the score. But, I think we've all learned to never say never. 

So, how has this happened?

To put it as simple as possible, Ewers just isn't ready to be the starter from the mental side of things at the position. 

He's not as advanced in front of the chalkboard inside of the quarterback room as he needs to be. What the coaches want from him at the position isn't showing up on the field. Basically, he's a work in progress and there's a feeling inside the program that only now is he truly learning the importance of being an all-in performer with regards to devotion to the playbook and learning every angle of the offense.

On the other side of the equation, Card is an all-in guy from a playbook and study habits perspective, and then being able to explain it all in meetings with coaches.

Both players have committed turnovers throughout the last two weeks, but when it comes to understanding the ins and outs of what is expected from the quarterback position, Card apparently has a large lead.

Is this final? No. Could something happen in the next few days to completely change the current momentum? It seems unlikely, but not impossible.

There is a scrimmage on Saturday and it's not impossible to think that Ewers could have such an overwhelming performance that it change the trajectory of the battle. Yet, as Sark said on Thursday, "he's got a pretty good idea" of what he's going to do. He certainly didn't indicate that the battle was in a position where Saturday would dictate his decision. 

I'll be honest with you when I tell you that if we thought Ewers was a single performance away from winning the job, I wouldn't be writing this report. Knowing the arrows that will almost certainly come my way, I'd just kick the can down the road and tell you to wait until Saturday.

Yet, the depth of our sourcing on Thursday and the messaging coming from it is such that writing this first section of the War Room is unavoidable. It would be a complete disservice to all of you for us to live in Pretend-Land for a few days because we still have Tyrone Swoopes/Shane Buechele night-sweats.

The bottom line is that our sourcing, which is deep and varied, was openly talking about this like it was a done deal or something close to that.

A few more notes about the quarterbacks to pass along...

a. As it relates to Ewers, I've heard that he understands that there's an added commitment to the mental side of his craft that is needed and that he's committed to improving.

b. Card has a lot of support in the locker room, including some key veteran pieces of the offensive puzzle. The kid has kept his head down and just kept grinding away when a lot of people thought he should have hit the road and entered the Transfer Portal. Having the job in week one won't mean that he still has it in week 12, but I didn't think it was possible he could win this job. That dude has earned my respect. 

c. I don't expect Ewers to run from the competition, even if he's fully aware that he'll soon be taking second-team reps until further notice. One source on Thursday thought that this might simply delay his overall college plans by a year, but there was a good attitude about it all.

d. Another source with knowledge of the competition deadpanned on Thursday afternoon that winning the job might be the worst thing that could happen to either player because of the looming Alabama game.  

e. At the end of the day, we're truly at the starting line of this quarterback discussion and not the finish line. Both players understand what each need to do moving forward. Both know that poor execution in games is going to lead to the other player likely getting on the field.

Maybe, just maybe don't set the furniture on fire.

 

Honestly - fuck it - let's ride. 

If he shits the bed again we have a plan B. 

Feels a little Mock/VY '03. 

[SarksJuggs 1106]

I’d rather Ewers start without knowing the playbook than watch Hudson Card shit his pants half a second into a play again. 

[BigHornedLurker 1897]

3 minutes ago, Fud said:

So Ketchum is reporting that birdies are telling rumors him with a bunch of caveats that things could change and aren’t final that Sark might name Card the starter soon, and it’s not impossible that Ewers could change things by playing better  

Well I guess that settles it. It's Ewers 

[ChickenNuggets 1611]

1 minute ago, SarksJuggs said:

I’d rather Ewers start without knowing the playbook than watch Hudson Card shit his pants half a second into a play again. 

why would you want a quarterback that doesn't know the playbook?

[Neonmoon 38127]

6 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

He's not as advanced in front of the chalkboard inside of the quarterback room as he needs to be.

Who the fuck believes this nonsense? 

[Nope 3112]

2 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

Who the fuck believes this nonsense? 

Card

[WinningIsHard 4018]

44 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

I’m like pretty positive the only disdain he has on this site is for future man. 

 

you should get a thesaurus and prepare for an absolute metaphorical ass raping. To claim he only hates one poster is like daring that mother fucker to lose his shit. 
 

[Vertigo 20273]

26 minutes ago, Longhornlove said:

I see improvement across the board in most areas on this team except kicking game.

OFFENSE

LT- future all American , drastic improvement

LG- We may see a slip here

C- A year stronger, wiser and should be better

RG- Could be better or a wash, we certainly have many more options to see how it turns out.

RT- C. Jones at minimum should be better there than what we saw last year.

TE- drastic improvement I n pass catching threat at minimum.

WR- Overall, a significant improvement if healthy

RB- maybe the best RB room in the country, we have at least 3 guys that would start at most teams in our conference if not 4.

QB- You would think a year older Card would be better than a thumbless passer from a year ago if it isn't the chosen one.

 

DEFENSE

DT- more depth, older, stronger, wiser and hopefully more aggressive scheme 

Edges- This is the big one, I just don't know. Promising new young talent.

LB- Upgrade with Tuck, DMO playing outside and a much improved Ford that we saw at the end of last season. No more walk on starter.

Safety- More athletic and no more converted receiver or lazy no effort entitled bitch.

CB- Looks to be a significant improvement with scheme and talent.

 

LG wont be a slip, they moved Angilau to C to get Conner on the field. 
 

C wont necessarily be better. I think Majors is what he is, he had lost his job before injury to Angilau.

RG will be better. Hutson and Campbell are both upgrades.

RT will not be better until Williams overtakes Jones. Jones is still a liability in pass pro and is at his ceiling.

Edited August 19, 2022 by Vertigo

[Hookem2147 20935]

I wanted and expected Ewers to win the job, but I was in favor of not just handing it to him. He needed to show mastery of the playbook of a complex offense and adjust to the speed of the college game. I also believe that this completion was set up for favor Ewers and he just needed to take advantage of it. When it got past the first scrimmage and a starter still wasn’t named despite Sark saying he wanted an accelerated timeline, it was time to start saying hmmm. I don’t believe it’s the end of the world but I also don’t think Card went out and won the job as much as Ewers just wasn’t able to full advantage of the opportunity.
 

The guy hasn’t thrown a pass in a live game since December of 2020. I think he’ll be fine and will eventually take over, but this stuff takes time. Which I know we are all good at waiting.

[BurntOrange&White 39717]

If it is Card who is the next HC we hire?

[Fondren & Main 6675]

1 minute ago, BurntOrange&White said:

If it is Card who is the next HC we hire?

Phatterson.

[ztejas 43287]

3 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

I also believe that this completion was set up for favor Ewers and he just needed to take advantage of it.

Not buying that. Quit being a weirdo about it. If you're a Card fan just say so. 

[USNALonghorn 5024]

1 minute ago, BurntOrange&White said:

If it is Card who is the next HC we hire?

Nick Saban 

 

/ducks

[Gene Parmesan 3993]

Just now, BurntOrange&White said:

If it is Card who is the next HC we hire?

The OC of a the next national champion. So Bill O’Brian because we all know it’s the OC who is responsible for success. 

[OB3 3608]

Why have I never heard about this 

[Sir Ulrich 5187]

So even though Card knows the playbook in and out he's still throwing just as many picks as Ewers (and 4 fumbles in the scrimmage)? Sounds like Card is a bad fit for the scheme if he still can't execute. As for Quinn I'm gonna continue to beat yall down with my Mahomes comparison. Here's an article from 2020 talking about his lack of skill in reading the defense. Some guys are just gamers and can just go out and perform. 

https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2879589-chiefs-qb-patrick-mahomes-says-he-didnt-learn-to-read-defenses-until-last-year.amp.html

[UncleSonny 6564]

5 minutes ago, Vertigo said:

LG wont be a slip, they moved Angilau to C to get Conner on the field. 
 

C wont necessarily be better. I think Majors is what he is, he had lost his job before injury to Angilau.

RG will be better. Hutson and Campbell are both upgrades.

RT will not be better until Campbell overtakes Jones. Jones is still a liability in pass pro and is at his ceiling.

Agree except change Williams, not Campbell at RT. Sounds like that may happen pretty soon too. 

[LTtxfan 49017]

3 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

If it is Card who is the next HC we hire?

 

[Vertigo 20273]

1 minute ago, UncleSonny said:

Agree except change Williams, not Campbell at RT. Sounds like that may happen pretty soon too. 

Yeah, was a typo.

[BurntOrange&White 39717]

4 minutes ago, OB3 said:

Why have I never heard about this 

Interesting tweet. You know who else is currently roommates?

[Longhornlove 4779]

6 minutes ago, Vertigo said:

LG wont be a slip, they moved Angilau to C to get Conner on the field. 
 

C wont necessarily be better. I think Majors is what he is, he had lost his job before injury to Angilau.

RG will be better. Hutson and Campbell are both upgrades.

RT will not be better until Williams overtakes Jones. Jones is still a liability in pass pro and is at his ceiling.

RT will be better than last year IMO, maybe only slightly but I believe to be better especially depth wise. I'm making the assumption that Majors made improvements, I don't think that is a stretch. I didn't see any issues with him in there Tuesday. I thought I said RG would be an improvement....whatever, you get the drift. My point is, overall, there is a significant talent infusion on both sides of the ball.

[Hookem2147 20935]

5 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Not buying that. Quit being a weirdo about it. If you're a Card fan just say so. 

I signed a petition on this site 8 months ago to help get Ewers here!

[TheMailBox357 213]

20 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

OB War Room (cover your eyes @BurntOrange&White)

  Reveal hidden contents

In one of the more shocking sentences that I'm ever going to write, it appears that Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is leaning towards naming third-year sophomore Hudson Card as his starting quarterback against La-Monroe. 

When Sark said on Thursday that he has a "pretty good idea" of who he will name, he was talking about Hudson per more than a half-dozen sources with knowledge of the situation. 

This is where we are 16 days away from the season-opener.

Could things change? Yes. Is it likely at this point? 

 

The current state of things is such that the players involved and those close to the players seem to know the score. But, I think we've all learned to never say never. 

So, how has this happened?

To put it as simple as possible, Ewers just isn't ready to be the starter from the mental side of things at the position. 

He's not as advanced in front of the chalkboard inside of the quarterback room as he needs to be. What the coaches want from him at the position isn't showing up on the field. Basically, he's a work in progress and there's a feeling inside the program that only now is he truly learning the importance of being an all-in performer with regards to devotion to the playbook and learning every angle of the offense.

On the other side of the equation, Card is an all-in guy from a playbook and study habits perspective, and then being able to explain it all in meetings with coaches.

Both players have committed turnovers throughout the last two weeks, but when it comes to understanding the ins and outs of what is expected from the quarterback position, Card apparently has a large lead.

Is this final? No. Could something happen in the next few days to completely change the current momentum? It seems unlikely, but not impossible.

There is a scrimmage on Saturday and it's not impossible to think that Ewers could have such an overwhelming performance that it change the trajectory of the battle. Yet, as Sark said on Thursday, "he's got a pretty good idea" of what he's going to do. He certainly didn't indicate that the battle was in a position where Saturday would dictate his decision. 

I'll be honest with you when I tell you that if we thought Ewers was a single performance away from winning the job, I wouldn't be writing this report. Knowing the arrows that will almost certainly come my way, I'd just kick the can down the road and tell you to wait until Saturday.

Yet, the depth of our sourcing on Thursday and the messaging coming from it is such that writing this first section of the War Room is unavoidable. It would be a complete disservice to all of you for us to live in Pretend-Land for a few days because we still have Tyrone Swoopes/Shane Buechele night-sweats.

The bottom line is that our sourcing, which is deep and varied, was openly talking about this like it was a done deal or something close to that.

A few more notes about the quarterbacks to pass along...

a. As it relates to Ewers, I've heard that he understands that there's an added commitment to the mental side of his craft that is needed and that he's committed to improving.

b. Card has a lot of support in the locker room, including some key veteran pieces of the offensive puzzle. The kid has kept his head down and just kept grinding away when a lot of people thought he should have hit the road and entered the Transfer Portal. Having the job in week one won't mean that he still has it in week 12, but I didn't think it was possible he could win this job. That dude has earned my respect. 

c. I don't expect Ewers to run from the competition, even if he's fully aware that he'll soon be taking second-team reps until further notice. One source on Thursday thought that this might simply delay his overall college plans by a year, but there was a good attitude about it all.

d. Another source with knowledge of the competition deadpanned on Thursday afternoon that winning the job might be the worst thing that could happen to either player because of the looming Alabama game.  

e. At the end of the day, we're truly at the starting line of this quarterback discussion and not the finish line. Both players understand what each need to do moving forward. Both know that poor execution in games is going to lead to the other player likely getting on the field.

Maybe, just maybe don't set the furniture on fire.

 

I had to chuckle at this paragraph:

b. Card has a lot of support in the locker room, including some key veteran pieces of the offensive puzzle. The kid has kept his head down and just kept grinding away when a lot of people thought he should have hit the road and entered the Transfer Portal. Having the job in week one won't mean that he still has it in week 12, but I didn't think it was possible he could win this job. That dude has earned my respect. 

 

Ketch was the #1 UT talking head back in the Winter/Spring promoting the idea that Card should just enter the portal & don't bother competing with Ewers for the QB1 job. Fuccing moron.

Anyways based on this article, can we now assume all the talk last season about how Casey Thompson was a hard worker watching film & studying the playbook was probably not an exaggeration?

[Mo Horn 8808]

Quote

13 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

I wanted and expected Ewers to win the job, but I was in favor of not just handing it to him. He needed to show mastery of the playbook of a complex offense and adjust to the speed of the college game. I also believe that this completion was set up for favor Ewers and he just needed to take advantage of it. When it got past the first scrimmage and a starter still wasn’t named despite Sark saying he wanted an accelerated timeline, it was time to start saying hmmm. I don’t believe it’s the end of the world but I also don’t think Card went out and won the job as much as Ewers just wasn’t able to full advantage of the opportunity.
 

The guy hasn’t thrown a pass in a live game since December of 2020. I think he’ll be fine and will eventually take over, but this stuff takes time. Which I know we are all good at waiting.

 

Agree 100%. Ewers is way more talented but the job requires more than just talent. I've refrained from the who should start argument, but I wanted Ewers to win because he's the better pure QB, but if he can only run a small percentage of the offense then that's not going to cut it. We're not winning the conference this year, regardless of who the QB is, but I do think we'll be better and win a bowl game. If Ewers takes this the right way we will be better in the long run. I do think he'll play and might even be the starter before the end of the year. 

Edited August 19, 2022 by Mo Horn

[Sawbonz 27447]

17 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

I wanted and expected Ewers to win the job, but I was in favor of not just handing it to him. He needed to show mastery of the playbook of a complex offense and adjust to the speed of the college game. I also believe that this completion was set up for favor Ewers and he just needed to take advantage of it. When it got past the first scrimmage and a starter still wasn’t named despite Sark saying he wanted an accelerated timeline, it was time to start saying hmmm. I don’t believe it’s the end of the world but I also don’t think Card went out and won the job as much as Ewers just wasn’t able to full advantage of the opportunity.
 

The guy hasn’t thrown a pass in a live game since December of 2020. I think he’ll be fine and will eventually take over, but this stuff takes time. Which I know we are all good at waiting.

Didn’t you claim last year to know players on the team and no one liked Casey?

[Thatguy 8541]

16 minutes ago, OB3 said:

Why have I never heard about this 

   With the right filter this would look like a picture from the 60s.

[Coelenterate Fuccboi 13010]

I’m here for the meltdown.

I don’t know shit about fuck regarding the “QB competition”.  I’m sure Ewers could have failed to ever pick up the playbook, just be here for NIL, played on his phone during practice, and this board would insist he start because we’re so desperate to saved from our misery that we’ve convinced ourselves he’s the best man for the job before ever suiting up. Oh, and so much money was paid, he has to start…

I hope this ship gets turned around, but we’re looking at either starting Card or a guy who can’t seem to prove  he’s better than Card, behind an OL that looks to be filled with freshmen, and a defense… well, we know what we have to look forward to there.

This is going to be an interesting season, one way or another. Get your liquor cabinets stocked boys and girls!

 

 

[Hookem2147 20935]

1 minute ago, Sawbonz said:

Didn’t you claim last year to know players on the team and no one liked Casey?

That wasn’t a big secret at the time and certainly isn’t now.