Will we recognize next years football team?

Discussion in 'On The Field' started by hornarama, Feb 16, 2022.

  1. hornarama

    hornarama 100+ Posts

    Don't know what the prevailing sentiment is, but I feel like a big reset button is being pushed for the next season. Yes, I know there are still many questions, and we have a long way to go improving line play and shoring up overall defensive talent. Somehow, I'm still feeling optimistic although my definition of optimism may be different from others (8-4, 9-3, with some (low prob) chance of better). In terms of recognizing the team, I'm more about the feel of the team, in terms of discipline(less penalties), less 3 and outs, more consistent explosiveness, and not a completely porous defense. I guess it won't be hard to have a more fun team than last year, but I really think we could have some fun especially on offense next year.
     
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  2. Sangre Naranjada

    Sangre Naranjada 10,000+ Posts

    If they come out of the tunnel wearing orange pants and capes I am pretty sure I will recognize them.

    If they play more disciplined football, and display a higher football IQ, I might fail to recognize them no matter what the uniforms look like.
     
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  3. Handler

    Handler 1,000+ Posts

    They will be the 6-6 team we know and loathe.. But we will see progress, be supportive and have another great recruiting class. It will be on like donkey kong in 2024! SEC Champs!
     
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  4. Horns11

    Horns11 10,000+ Posts

    It's hard to tell right now, because unless we improve in the trenches on either side of the line, everything will "seem" very similar to 2021. Including possibly the final record.

    We can see if the OL or defensive front improve over the course of the season, but it'll be too late for games like Bama and OU. If we're still rotating around guys and flopping at allowed sacks or easy running gains for the opponent by the Baylor game, my guess is that we might even have a worse record than 2021.

    While I'd say our chances of having an "A&M-style" upset over Bama at home are 1-in-20, it'd probably be because of things like forced turnovers or great individual plays by Worthy/Robinson. But we're going to witness some serious deficits along the line.

    I think the defense will still "seem" porous at times, but even if it actually is an improvement from 2021, people won't recognize it because they'll focus on final scores. Same thing with penalties: we're bound to have a heavily-penalized team again next season, but it's because of playing younger guys and not because we're lacking improvement.
     
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  5. ViperHorn

    ViperHorn 10,000+ Posts

    A lot of truth 11. However, the offensive slide started when Thompson was injured. Up until then, he was making good decisions and good throws. Afterward, not so much, and things went downhill quickly.

    On the defensive side, I said that hiring a DC with no Big XII experience was a mistake. All of those non-Big XII DC's see the Big XII as pass-happy, and all you have to do is drop 7 or 8 back, mix zone and M2M, and you will be fine. WRONG. You have to stop the run first and turn the other guy into a one-dimensional offense. As someone said earlier, PK's credentials are there. His mistake was not reaching out for help. Now he is in a position of extreme weakness, trying to play catch-up with Peterson looking over his shoulder.
     
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  6. CreakyHorn

    CreakyHorn 500+ Posts

    I respectfully beg to disagree. PK has been successful wherever he was. As someone mentioned before, he probably didn't just forget how to coach. He has a year learning his team, and some new recruits. Let's give him a chance.
     
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  7. dukesteer

    dukesteer 5,000+ Posts

    Many forget that after Rice & Tech last year, many of us believed that Texas possessed an explosive and virtually unstoppable offense. This, even with the OL deficiencies. That assessment was validated in Dallas, until the thumb happened. That injury dramatically changed the season.

    As Viper mentioned, Thompson was absolutely developing into a force. The injury changed everything. That, and the worst defense imaginable.

    I expect that the product we put on the field in September will be superior to what we had in 2021, with one perhaps huge exception…initially. That being QB. We just don’t know how it will play out.

    Not seeing the Spring, and not knowing what other puzzle pieces will be added between now and September, I am expecting a 9-3 season. 10 + wins wouldn’t shock me, nor would only 8. Less than 8 would be a real bummer, and raise the question: Have we really evolved much?

    The D has to be better, doesn’t it? Same with the O-line. I also believe that Ewers will be everything we hoped he would be. But the question is, when? It won’t be Game 1.
     
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  8. caryhorn

    caryhorn 5,000+ Posts

    I don’t think KU will hang 50+ on the Horns next year. And we’ll have a winning record. It’s gonna be fun seeing all the new players growing into a team.
    Disciplined? Smart? Beat ou? Win the B12?
    :popcorn: :idk: :hookem2:
     
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  9. caryhorn

    caryhorn 5,000+ Posts

    Although I’m skeptical, I hope you’re correct. If PK and Patterson put an above average D on the field, we will have a much improved record.
     
  10. ProdigalHorn

    ProdigalHorn 10,000+ Posts

    One of the things I've been reminding myself of is that down the stretch, even with bad offensive line play, the fact that we had one go-to receiver was a real problem. Lots of drops, lots of guys who couldn't get open even when the QB had time to throw. I still think that the offense left a lot on the table even with bad o-line play, and with improved receivers this year - plus a healthy JW which I think hurt us a lot more than we may have realized at the time - I think we'll see improvements and more consistency on offense. If the line improves as well, I think we're back in business on offense. But I guess we'll see!
     
  11. WorsterMan

    WorsterMan SEC here we come!!

    I think most of us view this injury as a turning point in the season. No injury and Horns hang on to beat ou - the team would have a big win while gaining some confidence for the remainder of the season.

    This may not have made up for the defensive lapses and all of the late squandered leads, but i suspect the Horns would have won at least 1 to 3 more games out of the 6 in a row that were lost.... finish the season at least 7-5 or 8-4.

    I was too optimistic last August. I am optimistic pre-spring camp thanks to all the off season changes Sark made and the very good recruiting haul. However my optimism for 2022 will be very tempered.
     
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  12. BevoJoe

    BevoJoe 10,000+ Posts

    Overall, I believe the D will have it's moments. The O should be better since we will have two QBs that have high potential, and one who seems to crater under heavy pressure. Last year we had a QB that played with an injured throwing hand and the other was pretty good at times and rather poor other times. I don't expect we win the conference, but we should see a better finish, 8-4 is doable, the floor is 7-5 and a trip to a minor bowl. Whatever happens, hopefully it's better than what we saw in 2021. AND . . . NO MORE LOSSES TO KANSAS, DAMINT!!
     
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  13. AC

    AC 2,500+ Posts

    I think 8-4 is likely. 9-3 is possible. I doubt the regular season is better than 9-3. This team has to learn how to win, regardless of the recruiting. This is a complete reset in terms of culture. It will take longer based on that. I see us having a very good offense and a close to average defense. I hope QB play is good. Don't sleep on Murphy, he could surprise us! Maybe Card improves enough to beat out Ewers. I don't know.
     
  14. ViperHorn

    ViperHorn 10,000+ Posts

    If Manning chooses Texas the QB room will be different after the season if for no other reason than Murphy switching positions (like RoJo). I cannot see a QB room of Card, Ewers, and Manning.
     

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