Roll the dice and keep Orlando/Beck needs to go YESTERDAY

For the first part of the season, our offense looked great and our defense was terrible. In the last 3 games, our defense has improved and our offense has regressed.

It does appear youth and injuries were a big factor for the defense. Despite TERRIBLE offensive play, a lot of offensive drives ending on punts and a lot of time on the field, our defense has held our last 3 opponents (all winning bowl teams) to 24 points or less. There has been improvement on the defensive side of the ball and individual improvement among the players. I am actually okay with rolling the dice and letting Orlando return next year.

Beck needs to be gone yesterday. We do not adjust. We run the exact same few plays now that we ran against Louisiana Tech. Starting with TCU, our last four opponents have figured out all of our plays and know what is coming. Our predictable offense is now becoming Shawn Watsonesque. Tim Beck makes Greg Davis look like a genius. Beck needs to be fired NOW, before the Tech game and Herman needs to assume control of the offense for the rest of the year (or promote Larry Fedora for the rest of the year). It is clear that Herman's offensive success at Houston was attributable to Applewhite running that show.

Herman needs to either 1. promote Larry Fedora from analyst to offensive coordinator; 2. rehire Applewhite; or 3. hire a competent offensive coordinator other than those two. There are many out there better than Beck.

I can live with bringing Orlando back. However, Beck and possibly every offensive coach other than Herb Hand needs to go. Herman also needs to hire a special teams coordinator.

Those are my thoughts for Herman's path to move forward.

While on paper I still believe we should beat Tech, I have cancelled my plans to go to Austin next week, scalp tickets at Scholz's and go to the game. I cannot take anymore of the Herman game management + Beck play calling/lack of adjustment making + bad Ehlinger play (which is greatly due to the poor play calling/coaching). It just is not worth it. Beck has got to go now.

 

If Orlando would change up his scheme he might have a place here.

Beck and whoever else running this offense needs to go. If Herman sits tight and sticks with this vanilla offense and porous defense then he needs to hit the road.

 

Beck has to go. The nonstop throws behind the line of scrimmage, drop back QB sneaks and third down plays well before the line to get are terrible. The offense is so predictable.

 

Agreed.

 

Orlando needs to go.

Keep Beck for recruiting if he will take a demotion. Problem is we don't know who is responsible for the offense. Who calls the plays? According to Tom, it's a committee or some such nonsense.

We need two new coordinators that have the backing or approval from CDC.

 

I just posted my theory which is similar to your post but opposite opinions. I hadn't seen your thoughts but I think we are on the same general line of thought.

 

Herman OK's all play calls, and OK's all game plans...The Offensive problem is much bigger than Beck !!!!! Orlando has impressed me the last couple games since he has brought four to the LOS and came with some sense with his blitz package and stunts.. Keep Orlando ditch Beck and allow Herman to chew gum and blow bubbles.

 

I agree ... and it doesn't seem to matter what the situation is.

down by 21 ... 10 minutes left in the game and we're lolly-gagin around like we have an entire half of football.

You've gotta find paydirt THREE times, including the time THEY have the ball ... just to get into OT and you're snapping the ball with <10" on the play clock and the game clock is running.

that's when I knew we'd surrendered.

How does Baylor get QB pressure with only 3 down linemen rushing????

 

1. Fire Beck.

2. Hire Applewhite

 

Many times Sam had time to throw but held the ball too long, got sacked or left the pocket to run and was stopped prior to regaining the LOS--a sack.

Sam seemed locked on his receivers today (and last week for that matter), was not seeing open receivers that were 2nd and 3rd options.

Baylor's defense is pretty good, well disciplined.

 

Orlando has to go too. He still didn't scheme Baylor to attack all their weaknesses. He is sloppy.

Herman needs to go too. But at least get rid of Beck and Orlando.

 

He's had a couple of decent games, but I don't think that makes up for the record setting performances his defense gave up. He's not cut out for Big XII offenses, imo.

Sorry, but he needs to bounce.

 

Our D is what cost us the lsu game and ou. The team seems less confident and less aggressive after that. Both need to go but probably just TO will actually happen.

 

Really, both of them should be shown the door. Therein lies the rub. Firing both is really bad and keeping one is the lesser of two evils.

Tom Herman sowed the seeds of his own failure, just like Charlie Strong did, by bringing in not 1, but 2 deadbeat coordinators just because he was “comfortable” with them.

Elite coaches Do not have “Comfy” relationships with their staffs. They hire coordinators to challenge the status quo and those coordinators know they’re only around as long as they get results.
But the good ones will come anyway because championships and the good coaching tree.

who will come at this point? The Tom Herman coaching tree is sn evolutionary dead end.

 

@WorsterMan I am with you on this plan!

 

Is Applewhite available to be an OC? He wasn't much as a HC but he did have a good mind for the O.

 

No on Major as any kind of replacement coach!! Haven’t we been down that road? Complete overhaul of staff needed!! We got the$ just wish we could get Kyle Shanahan to be head coach!!

 

Major did better with Case McCoy and less everyone else on offense than Beck is doing with what he is working with. Major was only OC one year, never had a spread QB which was needed for his system, never was able to run his system (due to having to use Case) and still performed better than Beck. Major did pretty damn well on offense at U of H as both an OC and a HC. U of H's offense did not look like what we have seen three years at Texas. As HC at U of H, his defensive coordinator hire left a lot to be desired.

 

Larry Fedora is available because he works for us.

 

Larry Fedora is a part of this shot show we see today.

There are two possibilities.

- his input as analyst influenced the gameplay lan, but it sucked and failed to get results
- he has failed to influence the gameplan

If Fedora gets the OC position it will just be a “comfort hire” and the needle won’t move.

 

He is an offensive analyst for Alabama (his second stint with Saban).

 

I have watched Larry Fedora's offense. Nothing about yesterday was Larry Fedora's offense. In fact, yesterday looked like a hardheaded Beck refused to listen to input from ANYONE and apparently Herman was not critical of the game plan before or during the game either.

 

The OC is directly responsible for the game plan. He takes in what the other offensive coaches and offensive analysts put out, but ultimately the OC decides what is practiced and what goes on during the game. The HC can "question and advise", but since it is the OC's responsibility his biases and theories generally rule.

 

Nah. Been there done that.
Wasn't impressed.
In fact I directly blame him for Ash having to leave football.

 

A big fan of bringing Applewhite back. There are many good reasons that Saban hired Major after Houston let him go. Major was a smart and creative gamer and brought all of that to the table as an O coordinator. We lack creativity and everyone knows what is coming.

Herman could make this call today!

 

Oh and if we are not going to cut bait with Herman and Pitt lets Narduzzi go (which they won't this year)- pick Pat up as D coordinator fast!

 

Applewhite would be a re-tread hire and I agree with all of this except re: Ash.
He had the sad task of playing behind our inferior offensive lines and was concussed out of the game of football. Sad. The kid deserved better.

 

There are a lot of good points being made here by my fellow posters. But the bottom line is we really do not know the root of the coaching problem on offense. I would suggest that any team holding another B12 team to yesterday’s point total should be able to win if they have a decent offense.

Other teams seem to play faster than Texas on offense; because they have faster players or they make better use of their players? Their quarterbacks throw to open receivers, throw better deep balls and have more time to throw. They have game breaking running backs who get good holes to run through, receivers who run open routes as opposed to recievers having to fight with the defender for every catch. Who on this offense will play at the next level? Texas high school quarterbacks and receivers are found throughout the NFL and have one thing in common, they did not play at UT. OU will provide the NFL with a ton of skill players before Lincoln is done and how in the hell is Tom gong to recruit against that? Not very well!

What is the answer? Build a state of the art coaching staff for the offense to recruit and develop high school recruits from the most talent rich state for high school players. Don’t look back for past coaching successes but hire the brightest most innovative coaches available. Keep the old if they fit. Fire them if they do not. And, get out of the way. I thnk offensive schemes in the Big XII do not sync with Tom’s game. He may fit better in the Big 10, with one exception, he does not have those type of players.

When managers let poor performance problems exist over time, they become the problem. It is Tom’s job to fix!

 

I agree with the rest of the post ... but this is still football. Do NOT forsake the defense like Mackovic did.

Offense sells tickets. Defense wins championships. How many years in the 80s were we ever anything because of two things ... fairly solid defense and a kicker.

9-7 wins were not unusual ... and they were as valid as 50-49.