Swoopes is all on the coaching staff. There are plenty around here who saw his low ceiling in his play last year. It was his soft mentality and lack of intangibles that practice and experience can't improve in a QB. Not to mention Watson was pegged a lame duck by the fanbase from the day he was snuck in as the play-caller. These decisions are on Strong. Makes you wonder where we'd be if Strong had any decent foresight to name Heard the starter before summer. And to have at least prepared him with the lions share of starter snaps in summer. It wouldn't have beat ND or TCU, but we'd likely be 1-3 or 2-2 and less humiliated in those losses. Didn't I hear somewhere that a tie goes to the younger player. The Spring game I watched was at least a tie at QB, but actually more in Heard's favor. Bottom line is only CS couldn't see Watson was a death sentence for the offense. And most fans knew Heard was a gamer, winner type with special skills that would help negate a leaky OL. We all knew Swoopes would be toast if pressured. Bottom line is Strong deserves all the blame for setting the offense back by trusting Watson and Swoopes with its fate. I don't blame either Watson or Swoopes for trying their best and failing at a crucial position that should've never been given to them by the head coach.
I thought Heard played in the ND game for a few plays until a wave of ND linemen washed him out to sea. I say that game was a bust because they didn't know how bad the OL was going to be which also meant they didn't how bad the DL was going to be. The early reports all indicated improvement, but I guess it was like a late preseason NFL game where guys look good until you realize they're playing against scrubs. That said, Ridgeway looks like he's returning to form and the young OL look like they could be the real deal. The right side now makes the gaping hole in the Titanic appear to be a small trickle of a leak. They're gonna need a lot of bootlegs or help from both TE's and RB's until they can get Perkins back.
There's no doubt without Perkins even Boykin would be in trouble behind our OL. I'm at a loss at how much of a drop-off he is. It honestly looks like Hutchins hasn't practiced a down in his life and doesn't even try to block his man. Is Perkins declared out for OU already?
