Grading the Team's Performance-Week 7

Discussion in 'On The Field' started by Hpslugga, Oct 25, 2016.

  1. Hpslugga

    Hpslugga 2,500+ Posts

    [​IMG]

    Well it took 7 weeks, but now the people with the hard-ons for the offense now have a reason to *****. That 80-yard TD pass to Duvernay basically secured 3 of the 5 orange bars (the first 3), which caused the "separation" between the offense and the defense. Otherwise, equally ****** performance on both sides, and truth be told the ST weren't that much better. Half of orange bars there are basically "no disaster plays." Big whoop.

    Aside from that, there's probably 25 plays one could point to and label as a "lost opportunity," and one would be right. But see the thing is what separates the great teams from the 3-4 teams is the ability to put yourself in the position to capitalize on opportunities over and over. That's why Oklahoma is known as Tipped Pass U. That's why Alabama creates 21-point leads around 3-4 key plays. That's why, and I can't believe I'm saying this, Arkansas isn't completely winless with the outdated schemes they use. All of this comes from two things:

    1. Meticulous attention to detail. At Highland Park, the saying is "worry about the little things, because that will take care of the big things." I don't claim to be an expert on Texas' practice habits or what the coaches consistently preach, but when you've got a team that literally could have won this game on 25 different plays and they didn't secure a single one, something wrong is being done. Something is being overlooked and/or undervalued. It's little things like hustling through the echo of the whistle, lining up correctly, knowing the snap count on offense, watching the ball until you penetrate the LOS on defense. There's a reason the New England Patriots have basically owned the NFL for nearly two decades, and it sure as **** isn't because they've had the best players or the most exotic schemes. It's that they pride themselves on being extremists when it comes to tiny details. You give me 22 gym rats/film rats and I'll beat the **** out of your 4-5 star recruits that think they're better than they really are.

    2. The desire to succeed. If this were a restaurant that was being featured in Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, the first criticism he'd be screaming at the head chef after the disastrous first lunch would be "no passion, no care." And this doesn't apply to everyone. It just applies to guys who take plays off on defense when they don't get penetration when they know what play is coming. It's receivers who run lazy routes and/or drop the ball. It's linemen who pick up the wrong defender or easily allow a penetration from a normally un-assuming defender. It's kick return players who can't hold a block for more than half a second. It's giving up 3 ******* PAT blocks in a single half of football on middle rushes. This is not everyone, but enough people are guilty to the point where we see results like these. These things are the reasons why we saw a loss to Cal, a loss to OU, and a loss to these ******* clowns. These were all one-score games, and the OSU game wasn't that far away from it either. And it very much is a mental/character issue that's infected the team. How else can we explain that this team, a year removed from a pathetic record with an occasionally capable defense is now sitting on an equally pathetic record with a more-than-capable offense?
     
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  2. Dionysus

    Dionysus Idoit Admin

    Coaching.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  3. Sangre Naranjada

    Sangre Naranjada 10,000+ Posts

    So what you're saying is (and I think I have heard this somewhere else before) "they just have to get better".
     
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  4. BevoJoe

    BevoJoe 10,000+ Posts

    Solid post!! :hookem:
     
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  5. Hpslugga

    Hpslugga 2,500+ Posts

    Well yeah, but the thing is they have to want to. The coaches can play a role in that in one respect: present them with a product that they can buy into. They've not done so.
     
  6. Sangre Naranjada

    Sangre Naranjada 10,000+ Posts

    "We just have to get better" - it is such a generic statement that it can be used to address any real or perceived deficiency. You're stating the blindingly obvious without addressing anything of substance. So it makes for great coach speak in a presser unless of course it is still being used 2 1/2 seasons later.
     
  7. Horns11

    Horns11 10,000+ Posts

    I've had a hard time putting my mid-game thoughts into words other than the 4-letter variety during the Strong era. You hit this one out of the park. I keep saying "mental mistakes" all the time, but your version is more eloquent and perfectly shows what this team lacks. There really just isn't any accountability for holding players/coaches responsible for the little things that would win games.

    I really don't know how Mack or Carl Reese or Greg Davis or Will Muschamp dealt with these kinds of team flaws, but it sure seems they did a lot better than Strong and his makeshift staff of paycheck-cashers.
     
  8. ViperHorn

    ViperHorn 10,000+ Posts

    Is there a scout team? Seems like Strong says the D does the right things in practice with the 1's on 1's. If the O 1's are not running the opponent's O then this is wasted limited practice time.
     
  9. Hpslugga

    Hpslugga 2,500+ Posts

    Look, I understand you're frustrated but the thing is there aren't any specifics to address because the weaknesses are just endless. It's not for a lack of talent either. This team just isn't there mentally. And there not saying they're "stupid" or whatever, just that they're mentally checked out on their head coach. I want to take a moment to quote what Leach said about his team after week 2 of this year. They started 0-2 and he said to the media:

    "I've got receivers running routes that don't even resemble anything we teach. We don't tuck the ball and go straight upfield, we do all these stupid moves. We run out of bounds more than any team in the country. We're the easiest team in the country to tackle. Defensively, we don't run our feet on contact. We don't on offense either. We don't like to run and hit, and this is a game for running and hitting."

    That's basically where Texas is defensively. Offensively it's a different story but it's the same end result: inconsistent play that consistently misses opportunities.

    This is not about the coaches fixing an alignment/assignment on the white board, this isn't about whether to wear sweats or suits on the bus, and honestly it's not even about who should or shouldn't be 1st on the depth chart. This is about the fact that the head coach is losing his team. Talking about anything else is like putting a band aid on a broken leg.

    Two different categories. Muschamp would yell and scream at them, tell them how to correct the problem, and if they still couldn't perform to his standards he'd just get someone else. Reese and Davis never thought they ever did anything wrong and they would continue to do things as is, wholly ignoring their professional responsibilities, which is why both faded into complete obscurity.
     
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  10. ViperHorn

    ViperHorn 10,000+ Posts

    Some could learn a lot from this paragraph.
     
  11. Statalyzer

    Statalyzer 10,000+ Posts

    D should have gotten a check for forcing 3 turnovers.
     
  12. Hpslugga

    Hpslugga 2,500+ Posts

    You're right my bad. For some reason I was looking at the Texas stat column when looking for fumble stats.

    2 for 20 it is!
     
  13. Run Pincher

    Run Pincher 2,500+ Posts

    I agree with everything you said and you didn't say anything contradictory. I said wait til the offense plays a defense with a pulse then we can make a proper evaluation. Now we know what we really have. Gilbert has some good things and we've certainly improved, but we have a long way to go.

    At this point there are about 4 starters that deserve to wear the Longhorn uniform. The rest should be replaced with walk on's that will go out and and give it everything they have physically and mentally every play until the whistle blows. If we have to go recruit some students that are willing to go out and give a true 100% on every play then so be it. We're not going to win anything with our starters anyway.
     
  14. BevoJoe

    BevoJoe 10,000+ Posts

    I agree with Hpslugga. What we're seeing on the field is a team that has mentally checked out on the HC. When that happens, everything goes to hell, and there is almost nothing the coach or his staff can do to "fix" it. The talent is there, we have it on the field, but the minds are elsewhere.
     
  15. ComeOnHorns

    ComeOnHorns < 25 Posts

    Texas has terrible pursuit angles to the ball and when they arrive are in terrible position to make the tackle.
     
  16. SabreHorn

    SabreHorn 10,000+ Posts

    How would we know since few ever make a tackle?

    Has anyone ever compiled the number of missed tackles by Strong's defenses? That has to be another Longhorn record.
     
  17. Hpslugga

    Hpslugga 2,500+ Posts

    Tip of the iceberg
     
  18. Hpslugga

    Hpslugga 2,500+ Posts

    That's like counting the number of bullshits Trump has said on the campaign trail. They just keep coming and pretty soon you give up on counting.
     
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  19. Sangre Naranjada

    Sangre Naranjada 10,000+ Posts

    Now, see, they just doubled their effectiveness!
     
    • Like Like x 2
  20. dukesteer

    dukesteer 5,000+ Posts

    In sports you can't fire the team.
     
  21. BigBull

    BigBull 25+ Posts

    The difference between good ones and a great ones is that the great ones do all the little things that everyone hates to do. Yep, we got us a good team.
     
  22. Run Pincher

    Run Pincher 2,500+ Posts

    They can keep the water bottles filled.
     

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