unlike most on this site

Discussion in 'On The Field' started by andyhorn, Jul 29, 2015.

  1. andyhorn

    andyhorn 25+ Posts

    i feel pretty good about our qb situation for many years to come. First of all, Swoopes and Heard are not true freshman with Swoopes playing most of a season. I think He has it upstairs and will play smart with determination. They both have running skills which go with our new offense. Heard is really fast and i cant wait to see him play. Then we have Kai who is a coaches son which we all know means alot. He has serious skills. Then comes in Buechele, the real star of them all, and now the kid from westlake who has two more seasons to get better and to grow. If one goes down we have good depth which feels like a nice warm fire on a cold day. Its been a long time since we had a qb situation like this. I'm happy....now about our OL...but i have a feeling more good lineman are going to sign this year.
     
  2. NJlonghorn

    NJlonghorn 2,500+ Posts

    I'm not quite where you are yet, but I'm optimistic that things are looking up.
     
  3. WorsterMan

    WorsterMan SEC here we come!!

    It is natural to be optimistic about our team / players potential going into a new season.

    However, we are coming to a critical junction with the right now for the QB position on this team. The Swoopes & Heard show trial starts August 7th. Evidence will be presented, questions will be asked, there will be much deliberation and a final verdict will be rendered on or before Sept. 5th.

    Unfortunately, I am more in the camp hoping for good things than genuinely feeling optimistic about a full Swoopes transformation from last season... we will see.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    Last edited: Jul 29, 2015
  4. Horns11

    Horns11 10,000+ Posts

    There's a difference between feeling confident about skill sets and being confident about our QB on-field play and leadership versus Notre Dame. And I'm probably the biggest Buechele homer out there, and look forward to his arrival (sooner rather than later). But that doesn't mean I trust the "offensive changes" and up-tempo stuff, because a certain OC has been a Big 12 pariah for years. Nor do I trust the mental abilities of the guys we currently have, otherwise we would have seen some different choices made on the field (not just the Spring Game).
     
    • Like Like x 1
  5. Brad Austin

    Brad Austin 2,500+ Posts

    I'll believe it when I actually see TS show the intangibles a successful QB needs to beat formidable defenses. To this point, including the Spring Game, no such proof. Some of these qualities I just don't think can be learned through reps and experience.

    When the feet hit the fire, talent and experience rarely carry the day alone. Determination, will, and unwavering confidence play a big part in overcoming mounting odds. TS needs to show us all he has those traits when things get dicey.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  6. Desperado

    Desperado 1,000+ Posts

    Always optimistic, but the realist in me says our current QB situation is maybe a notch or two above dreadful. Swoopes was the deer in the headlights all season last year. Very little seemed to click. Spring game showed little, if any, improvement. Heard, while it appears he has the talent, is untested. A school like Texas should never have the lack of talent at QB the way we do now. Lockesley and Buchelle appear to be improvements but they're 1-2+ years away from helping.
     
  7. beer_dog

    beer_dog 100+ Posts

    I think that some are hoping TS fails so Heard will get his chance. Even if TS succeeds there will always be that small percentage of people how want him to fail base on last season only.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  8. Brad Austin

    Brad Austin 2,500+ Posts

    That percentage is tiny I'm sure. If TS succeeds, the Texas Longhorns succeed. We all want that result. Swoopes has done nothing to make anyone dislike him as a person. There's just a large segment of fans who are tired of losing, and desire a highly capable QB to lead us out of the darkness. If TS steps up and reverses that trajectory, he'll have all the support he needs.

    But as of now we can only judge his performance and potential off what we've seen. Even the most recent viewings (TCU, Arky, and Spring Game) have done nothing to show he's got "it". Some believe he's missing important QB intangibles needed to beat top defenses in the conference.

    Trust me, if TS plays well enough at Notre Dame to keep Heard on the bench all day, I'm all for it. It's just my opinion that Heard gives us the better chance at finding those needed QB intangibles once he gets his feet wet.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  9. ProdigalHorn

    ProdigalHorn 10,000+ Posts

    I'm feeling better about the pipeline in general, from the standpoint that we're less and less dependent on one guy panning out. I don't know where we'll be this year, but I suspect that at the very least, we'll have one or two guys that can be solid to stellar against mediocre and worse defenses. If Ty can take the next step and gain some confidence, I think he can be an asset this year.

    I've learned from experience to ignore any hype for a player that's never seen the field, so I really don't get why anyone would "hope" for Ty to fail just to see Heard come in. as far as I'm concerned, right now Heard is a guy who beat up on a bunch of high school kids and has done nothing against college competition... so let's give him a chance to grow and get some experience before we decide what he's going to be.
     
  10. NBHorn7

    NBHorn7 Pimp Daddy

    Swoopes is certainly no true freshman, since he is entering his junior season at UT.

    He really needs to step up this year. I don't think anybody cares who gets the job done, as long as the offense starts clicking.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  11. Horns11

    Horns11 10,000+ Posts

    I don't think anyone "hopes" for Swoopes to fail, much like no one "hoped" Simms would throw another pick against OU. It just happens and then you start thinking about options.

    I was watching last year's WVU game on LHN the other day, and the thing that struck me about the QB play the most was that it only worked when there was some basic call on a basic down and single man coverage. I think I could count the number of plays on one hand where Swoopes had to improvise or come up with a changed play, and then we had success on that down. His turnovers were sick. Not sick good. Sick like vomit.

    If J-Gray hadn't sparked so well early in that game, we easily would have lost and missed bowl season. That's how bad the 2nd half was.
     
  12. 1leggedduck

    1leggedduck 1,000+ Posts

    Swoopes will be playing in a more familiar offense this season. That should help with the decision making issues. If it doesn't, he needs to sit down and let Heard take the wheel. If that turns out to be a lateral move, we're screwed for awhile. If Swoopes can run this offense, great. If not, there really needs to be swift and decisive action. If Heard is a turnover machine, I doubt we have any viable 3rd option, for at least a year. Locksley will have had 0 snaps against a non orange college defense. Merrick doesn't officially join the team with this class, unless he gets a scholly. Both Swoopes and Heard appear to have the physical tools, and they don't have to be top 5 QBs to effectively run a spread offense. So, while I am optimistic that either Swoopes or Heard will get it done, if they should both flame, it will be a long and agonizing season. Maybe Locksley will be the unexpected freshman phenom and ESPN will be all up in his arse. That's just delicious orange sunshine.

    So while I'm generally an optimist, I would have to say it's judicious to keep your optimism somewhat guarded, until we see the #1 and #2 quarterbacks perform on the field against quality defense. In other words, the first game of the season against ND. Beyond the 2015 season, the future is very bright.
     
  13. Desperado

    Desperado 1,000+ Posts

    Unfortunately, with the exception of a few plays last year, you can say the exact same thing about Swoopes.
     
  14. rickysrun

    rickysrun 2,500+ Posts

    I don't think anyone here knows **** about ****. Actually, I'm confident in that assessment.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  15. Everyone has high hopes in training camp. Not me! Until we get a legit OC, we'll do the same ol song and dance.
     
  16. aUTfan

    aUTfan 2,500+ Posts

    how can anyone disparage this staff at all after their first season? i don't understand, this staff had near nothing to work with on offense. It would be similar to trying to race in the indy race with a stock car off the show room floor vs. race ready indy car. i mean seriously it is going to take a few years to know if Watson can get it done. His offense at lowly Louisville was good enough to whip mighty Florida among many other schools they faced. We should see some improvement this year but im not expecting miracles, i don't even expect the record to change much but im hopeful maybe some luck will fall our way and we will see a lot of positive things happen and a much better record.
     
  17. Wideawake

    Wideawake 100+ Posts

    I think Hornfans has been fair and balanced on the qb situation. Now Watson - well he didn't do himself many favors with the performance of his unit in the bowl game. That is the lasting impression for the off season.
     
  18. Golden Steer

    Golden Steer 250+ Posts

    Quote "how can anyone disparage this staff at all after their first season"

    Because the team gained 59 yards in a bowl game, against a 6-6 team.

    59 yards. I've seen fumbles picked up and run for more yards than that.

    In my 35 years of watching football, I've not seen a more pitiful offensive performance in a bowl game than that. And that was the 13th game of the season - plenty of time to figure out a way to score more than 7 points and gain more than a yard a minute of playing time.

    Please don't try to tell me that a 6-6 Arky team was some sort of world beating, should be playing in the NFL, best .500 team ever. They finished dead last in the SEC West.

    And actually, this time last year, the prevailing wisdom on this board was "We have the talent", I kept reading over and over again. "We just need the disciple that Strong is putting in. Now look out!!" That lasted till the second half of BYU, when the team gave up 4 straight TD's on the way to some 41 point embarrassment, unfortunately not the last embarrassment of the season.

    The highlights of the season were a win against W VA, which make Charlie so happy he crowd surfed, and a good win at OSU, which signified the start of nothing, as the combined scores for the rest of the year were 17-79.

    Texas finished the year 90th in passing yards, 101st in rushing yards, and 109th in points for, while only playing 6 ranked teams out of 13 games.

    I think just about anyone can disparage this staff. They did nothing last year of any merit. Maybe, hopefully, possibly, they started building the foundation of a program - we'll see. So far, they have actually accomplished nothing, as their losing record indicates.
     
    • Like Like x 5
    Last edited: Jul 29, 2015
  19. Horns11

    Horns11 10,000+ Posts

    Well, they might not have been world beating, but they were a handful of plays away from 10-2, in my opinion at least.

    I'm with you on the crowd surfing. The WVU game was downright ugly from about the 7-minute mark of the second quarter until the final whistle, yet the team was pumped up enough over "upsetting" a team that shouldn't have been ranked. My comments on this thread were mocked, but once TCU rolled around, no one was talking about how much the team loved Charlie Strong any longer. Just about how much we sucked. There was no big November reason to celebrate like the team/fans thought there was.

    The offensive identity needs a serious overhaul, and I think announcing to the world during recruiting season that we're switching to "up-tempo" is just a smokescreen and an opportunity for Watson to go watch tapes of innovative OC's and see what he can do to be less embarrassing. There's only so much a great defense can do to keep you in games. Having untested or mediocre QBs compounds the issues created by the coaching staff.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  20. BevoJoe

    BevoJoe 10,000+ Posts

    My take:
    Defense - cautiously optimistic
    Special teams - cautiously optimistic
    Offense - mostly pessimistic due to subpar OLine play and the uncertainty at QB

    My main Concern: another year where early improvement gives way to regression and a disastrous season ending.

    Even if the D plays as well overall as last year, they can't be expected to hold when the O can't move the ball consistently and has too many 3-and-outs, and STs give up field position with opponents starting on average at midfield.

    The WW Factor (Watson and Wick) - they got their mulligan last year, but not this year. I expect better offensive production, with a running attack that is explosive and not implosive and a passing game less the picks, sacks and turnovers especially on the opponents goal line. Another dismal display by the O again this year, then changes in those two positions should be expected.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  21. 1leggedduck

    1leggedduck 1,000+ Posts

    And that's fair...
     
  22. Detective Shilala

    Detective Shilala 2,500+ Posts

    I am not sure what you would call "We have the talent" but prevailing wisdom is not it.
    At this time last year we were coming off of a season in which we had zero NFL draft picks, and we were paper thin at the most important positions on the field, or extremely green at others.
    If any one was optimistic at this time last year, they were deluding themselves, qualifying it heavily with a lot of wishful thinking like "if we don't have injuries" or "if we have a bunch of freshman step up" and stuff like that.
    It only took fall camp suspensions and one game's worth of injuries to dispel "We have the talent" .
    There are still some deluded among us who believe we match up or better any team when it comes to talent but they are living in the past.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2015
  23. Detective Shilala

    Detective Shilala 2,500+ Posts

    And to get back to the topic,

    I bet TS will show some marginal improvement due to the competition at QB, a year of experience, plus the new uptempo from Watson (which may only be marginally better game plan than last year IMO)
    My thoughts are that TS' ceiling is low, though, and marginal improvement may be all we can expect.

    Heard is a complete unknown to me. If he takes over, he may be the spark the team needs to play with an edge, but he will probably also cost us a game or two that we should have won.

    I think 2015 is going to be another rebuilding year. My hope is just that we'll end the season as a dangerous team on the rise, that no one wants to play by season end. As opposed to going back to sleep like we did at the end of last year.
     
  24. BevoJoe

    BevoJoe 10,000+ Posts

    • We have "talent", but it is raw and untested (no game experience for the newbees)
    • Slow start this year, stronger finish and may leave some teams stunned and crying in their beer at year end
    • Biggest concerns OLine, QB, Spec. Teams. These must improve and be functioning as a unit by mid-season as the latest. Otherwise mediocre maybe a poor year again.
    • I've read a lot of "talk" by our new guys, so now its time to back it up and show the fans, us, something.
     
  25. LikeMike

    LikeMike 500+ Posts

    10-2??? What you been smokin? Optimistic?? I'm a realistic optimist. That means I've been reading the BS every summer on this site about undefeated and best ever, or the next Vince with two grains for salt (even though I do still read them). SO: Heard showed nothing in the Spring Game, our starter has shown very little in an entire season and the D got wore out by 10 minutes into the second half of most games.
    If we find a QB, we could go 9-3 (optimist). More likely we see a modest amount of improvement in the offense and go 7-5(realist). One more building year. And, the fans are shouting for a change in OC and maybe head guy. Most likely a long season. Please show me how I am wrong.
     
  26. gahornphan

    gahornphan 500+ Posts

    If someone had told me the beginning of last season that TCU, a team that the previous year had finished 4-8, would share the Big 12 championship and Trevone Boykin, who had 7 Tds and 7 picks in that 4-8 season would end up 4th in the Heisman balloting last year and be a favorite this year, I would have said they were crazy.
    So yeah. Anything is possible.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  27. utempire

    utempire 1,000+ Posts

    Was amazed at how accurate early on TS was up to the mid range throws. Hopefully he becomes a student of the game and is mentally prepared and ready at all times. His long range throws need real improvement from last year and I expect that he will be much improved this year. We need a breakout season from a QB in order for the rest of the team to succeed. I'm optimistic during the season until there's reason to not be.
     
  28. moondog_LFZ

    moondog_LFZ 5,000+ Posts

    gahornphan.
    That's how I look at it.
    :hookem:
     
  29. BevoJoe

    BevoJoe 10,000+ Posts

    FWIW: I watched the 2014 Kansas - Horns game on LHN last night. QB play was not good in that game. Swoopes fumbled the ball away on the Kansas goal line (just like against Baylor), was indecisive on passes, off target on passes, ran like he was afraid to get hit, the oline missed assignments and penalized costing a TD, drives stalled. The defense had a good game and got a shut out, but it was Kansas. Very ugly win. Later in the season when they played like that against much better teams.....well, you know the rest of the story.

    After watching, there is no way for the team to go really except to improve on O overall and that is the big "?" mark.
     
  30. WorsterMan

    WorsterMan SEC here we come!!

    I re-watched that game last night as well and every point you stated is dead on. It was an UGLY win against a terrible team. After watching it I thought to myself there is no where for this team, especially the O, to go but up. The question is, will they and by how much?
     
    • Like Like x 1
    Last edited: Aug 5, 2015

Share This Page