Far be it from me to admonish my fellow Hornfans for acting absurdly or bitching too much. Nonetheless, perusing the boards, reading the notes to the editor, watching TV, listening to the radio, and discussing UT with people at the water cooler the past few days has really confused me. I mean, seriously, what is there, really, to be this violently upset about? Examining the issues, I don't see it. We won 10 games for the 1st time in 6 or 7 years. We were in every game till the end. The team showed up to play every week. We beat the teams we should have beaten every week. We played without incidents off the field and without making a spectacle on it. People can argue the schedule was weak, but big ******* deal. We can only beat who we play. We finished with the #1 defense in college football. They played well in every game and only look to get better next year. We produced a 1st team All-American. We produced several 1st round picks. We saw two fish absolutely light things up when they were in the ball game. We redshirted 16 of the 19 or so scholarship players who signed. We redshirted an entire O-Line class. We redshirted an entire DB class. We saw improvements in coaching at some frustrating positions. Nunez seems to be doing a better job. Davis, while sucking *** against OU, had us in position to win against CU and all of the other teams. I have a hard time bitching about Davis for the 2nd CU game. Brown showed up every week. He had the players emotionally prepared for every game and we all saw it on the field each week. More importantly than anything else, we were sitting at the final table when the final deck of cards were dealt. We were in position for a bid to go play for it all (although UTenn may have passed us anyway) during the last week of the season. Yes, we lost the game that would have gotten us there, but we had a shot. I'm of the opinion that this program is still going up, rather than planing out or heading down. I see no reason why we honestly may not be at the final table every year. If we're there, the cards are eventually going to fall our way. Isn't that what we asked for at the beginning of the year? To be at the final table? That was my position. Thus, I cannot truly ***** about what's been a pretty damned fun season. Does the loss really change how much fun the past 5-6 weeks have been? I don't think so. Should the loss affect our excitement in playing a solid UW team in a good bowl that will played on prime time? I don't think so. We are victims of watching the bar being raised and still surpassing that bar with our expectations. Frankly, it's unhealthy. We should take some time out to examine what we've seen this year. We should take some time out to be happy about the program. This has been a fun trip and it's not over. We're very far from where we need to be, but we're getting closer. Bitching, booing, moaning, etc. None of that is helping a thing. Picking a QB and mercilessly flaying him is not doing anyone any good. We all watched the game. We all know he didn't meet his or our expectations. He's facing enough ******** from the media to last him a lifetime. Nailing him on the radio, the board, or the paper is not helping matters. We should be looking forward to this next game, rather than behind at the last one. It's a big game. If we win, we shed a lot of monkeys on our collective back. Top 10 season, a bowl win (outside of Texas, even), a win over a good team, etc. There's plenty to look forward to and get excited about. This board is not exactly a representation of the UT fanbase as a whole. More or less, we are the most rabid of the constituency. As a side effect, as a group, we're usually the most knowledgable on the workings of the program and so forth. I can obviously name some examples to the contrary, but you get the idea. It's not this board I'm nearly as annoyed with, although, it has been pretty annoying at times this week. I'm really worried about Joe UT Fan. He's fighting mad this week and can't really even think about why, other than "that damned Mack Brown and Chris Simms". I've run into a few of them. My question to them has been "Where did you honestly expect to be, going into the final week of the season?". The answer is usually "Getting a shot to play for it all.". Well, we got that. Didn't work out, but we got that. This team and staff hung their balls out there and they gave it a shot. I always have a hard time finding an argument when I rebut with that. It's hard to fault a team for giving it their all and coming up short. Even most of the idiots out there will agree with that. Now the media, that's an entirely different, and altogether more pliable, breed of cat. Win in SD and they'll more or less shut up. Anyway, just some rambling thoughts for the board. Any points with or to the contrary of the statements above are appreciated. Hook'em
Absolutely right. Well said. And there are many times between the twilight of Akers and the dawn of Brown when I would not have agreed with your points.
Great post. I wish we could get that through some people's thick heads, but alas, some people are just a waste of good air.
dfl...I realize how good we have it. And I believe a lot of other people do to. Here's to many more years of Mack Brown and his continueing the proud, winning tradition of Texas Football. Hook'em!!!!!!!! Beat the hell out of the Huskies!!!!!!
Amen - great post! I couldn't have said it better myself. What we need is a standard response to the "Joe UT Fan" complaints... something more effective than "shove it up your *** and become a real fan."
Thanks for this post! Sometimes when I go into a depressive state of mind, I don't always look at the bright side of things and or the things that have been accomplished! But this is a impressive group of young men, and it should only get better! I'm a definite optimist, only way to live your life- not in denial, but optimistic if a bright future is just around the corner! The Horns are here, and our time is at hand! Lets enjoy it and ignore the doomsayers and those damn aggies and sooners- they're just trying to change their focus from their own programs since they are going down! Hook'em
Great post Horndfl, I work will several of the people you mentioned, including one who was very proud of the fact that he was booing at Texas Stadium. I'm going to tell them to read your post. Hookem
Winning 9+ games year in, year out OR having occasional seasons going 4-7 losing to Baylor... Good post.
The problem with Joe Fan, and trying to get Joe Fan to act rationally after a close loss to a top ten team, is that Joe Fan is a frontrunner by nature. He's the fan that follows UT casually and only gets serious when he sees Texas in the Top 5, or Texas in a Big 12 Championship game. The bar for Joe Fan has never been raised because Joe Fan only gets on the bandwaggon when the bar is at its highest point. Thus, Joe Fan has absolutely no perspective when handling adversity. He's the guy that thinks Texas has had the #1 recruiting class 5 years running and Mack Brown started Chris Simms because he made a deal with Phil. The most frustrating part about being a Longhorn fan is Joe Fan, IMO. It's a no-win situation for the true orange-blood, because if we win the whole enchilada, he says he's been there through thick and thin...and if we lose like we did last Saturday, he makes the real fans look like jackasses.
horndfl, I have grown to respect your opinion. A clear concise statement of the reality of the situation. It seems that emotions get the best of us sometimes, but clear heads prevail. I, for one, think the next few years of our program look like they could produce some of the finest college football teams I've ever seen.
Caller to Ed Clements at about 7:50 tonight: "We had a horrible season." That's exactly why I'm trying to avoid radio and get my fill of Texas football here on HornFans... Great, insightful posters with reasonable and optimistic takes. I agree with you, dfl. It was tough to lose Saturday night, but there is no doubt that we're at "the table" now. And a quick trip over to the recruiting board helps me realize we'll be there for a while.
This is probably the best post I have read in 2-3 months. I realized the other day that I was pissed off that we were finishing the regular season (+1) at 10-2. What a great freaking feeling!!!! After I calmed down and looked back, I realized what a great season we had. The analogy about being at the final table when the final hand was being dealt was awesome. I am damn proud to be a Longhorn. Wouldn't give it away for anything. Hook 'Em!!!!
We're there. It's as simple as that. Now, we just need those one or two plays that win it all for us. Ed Reed grabs a deflected interception, and the Va Tech receiver drops the 2 pt. conversion. Miami is in the Rose Bowl. If we get those two plays, we are undefeated and in the Rose Bowl. Our time will come, and it will be soon. We are there. And we are going to be "at the final table" every year for the foreseeable future. That's an awesome feeling.
Well done Horndfl. In the past, other programs that consider themselves challengers to the throne have come close, only to slam into the wall, or spaz out (i.e. Florida, Nebraska, Florida St., Alabama, Penn St., Tennessee, etc.) The list goes on, and yeah - we are in there too. It just hurts to experience it again. I cannot express the pride I felt watching this team in the fouth quarter this weekend. Simms bad game was only part of the obstacles that this team had to overcome. The dropped touchdown pass; the penalties; the loss of Williams and Benson would have destroyed most teams. We had as many turnovers as CU in the first game. They lost 41-7. We almost pulled this son of a ***** out. I still feel we have the better team. Thank you for your take dfl. Hook 'Em.
Terrific post. This is one that should make it to the Classics. When we look back five years from now, we will all see year 2001 as when Mack Brown's Longhorns truly arrived. I see nothing but great times ahead for the UT program.
Thanks, dfl. You know I share the view. Haven't seen a perfect season from any team this year (Miami fans, remember the first 58 minutes of the Boston College game before speaking out), and ours was fun to watch. I played goalie on a soccer team for a while. This week I've thought often about how many losses I was credited with (all of them, because, after all, "I" gave up the goal), and how many wins I was credited with (1 or 2 out of hundreds of games, because it rarely came down to penalty kicks). No single player loses a team game--and this team never quit. I can't ask for much more than that.
That was extremely well said and needed. Thank you. Trips Left, I totally agree with your point as well. I posted a month and a half ago, when OU was riding their 20 game winning streak, that the Sooner fans that were really enjoying that streak were the ones still left at the end in the Cotton Bowl in 1998 on the short end of 38-3. You could say the same thing for our fans and 63-14. I'm not saying if you left that game early that you are a bandwagon fan, but you know the ones still there at the end are hardcore fans. I think that represents most of the people on this board.
