It's almost here. Just a few more days until we have us some UT FB. I love that Charlie keeps most of the practices closed so there are fewer distractions for the players and coaches. I hate that Charlie keeps most of the practices closed denying us daily first hand updates from the media. There are lots of big questions to be answered this spring: What is Gilbert's GO going to look like? Who will take the helm? Will the OL be better? Who will fill the LB spots? Which of the EE's will emerge as starters? Will I finally win the lottery and be able to afford cosmetic surgery? So, let's get ready to rumble!!!
For me, the most fun will be watching: 1) Who will be the front runner(s) for QB? 2) Who will start the spring game at OL and who will be the primary back-ups? GO OFFENSE!!!!!
The answer is no you will not win the lottery, so you will have to find another way to pay for that initial cosmetic surgery toward the sex change. As for spring practice, there are many important questions but THE primary question to me is Gilbert's new offense and who will be THE best trigger man to make it go.
The real questions are how much of the "new" offense and will we see a new QB at the spring game? I suspect the offense that will be shown will be a very basic spread as there is no reason to give the competition all summer to prepare for Texas and Gilbert's tweaks. The QB will be more interesting and in an indirect way will be a signal as to what will be expected in the offense. Don't be surprised to see Heard getting the majority of playing time. That could be the decision or just a rouse to keep people guessing.
Well, if Heard gets beat out, i doubt very seriously its going to be before the summer....except for Kai, i think he would be the only one that could beat Heard out since hes been on campus working out the same as Heard.
New OC. Fresh eyes on the QB spot. No vested interest in one player over another. All bets are off. That said, I doubt they'll even declare a leader during the Spring. But also, I am not betting on Heard to be the starting QB by the end of the Summer.
The funny thing is almost none of these questions will be answered this spring.....or we won't be informed of very many of them......We won't know what the offense will look like till the ND game. Anything you see will be very vanilla in the spring game and in any public practices....
I am one of those that likes vanilla ice cream, particularly when it is home-made. Hope the new offense is not as cold as ice cream. Godz40, you are the King of Gifs for Hornfans. I enjoy them almost as much as home-made ice cream. That Aggie Meltdown one is my favorite.
2016 Quarterback Analysis [Last season Jerrod Heard] proved to be an elite runner, finishing second on the team with 556 yards on the ground. Heard has legitimate dual-threat ability, something not present on the Forty Acres since David Ash was healthy. That skillset can be further taken advantage of if Heard can make significant strides as a passer. Simply put, Heard has to make better decisions. Too many times last season he took sacks that ruined field position, ran out of bounds for negative plays to get the offense behind the chains and, at times, forced balls and made questionable throws that resulted in turnovers. Based on his words and how he talks about both quarterbacks in a press conference setting, Strong seems to prefer Heard. When things are going well for the Longhorns the “juice” Heard brings to the field is something his teammates feed off of and can get the ball rolling. How far along will the young quarterbacks be by the time spring ball is over? Kai Locksley and Matthew Merrick have a one-semester head start on Shane Buechele, but all three will learn a new offense at the same time and everyone in the room will have to adjust to a new scheme, new terminology and a new way of being coached. It’s not crazy to think Locksley or Buechele could eventually emerge as the guy, particularly Buechele, who seems to have a lot of the skills necessary to run the offense Sterlin Gilbert is going to install in the coming weeks. The biggest offensive X-factor in the program could be Locksley, a player who is not only going to compete for the quarterback job but might be one of the most gifted wide receivers at Texas if he's moved. [If Heard wins the job over Swoopes], Heard is going to be expected to play fast and improve as a decision maker and a facilitator if he’s going to hang onto the starting role. Locksley needs to have a surge similar to what Heard experienced last spring if he’s going to stay in the mix and hold off Buechele, who has to make his presence felt and put pressure on everyone else in the room to elevate their play. [Full 247 article]
If we don't have a number 1 and number 2 QB named by the end of Spring we will suck again. We cannot go into Fall camp wasting snaps on four or five QBs. We must narrow it to top three and have them ranked before Fall camp. In choosing the top three we MUST give all of them a real chance to win the job...not just Lockley, Heard, Swoopes. Buechelle and Merrick must be given the same chance as the others. No stone unturned. Swooped has had his chance and has shown he can't throw accurately, and even after a couple of years doesn't show good decision making skills. Heard has the tuck and run syndrome, and that will be difficult to break. We need to look at Lockley, Merrick, and Buechele first, and settle for Heard if we have to.
It seems to me this will be a tough job; you're installing a new offense and simultaneously hoping one of five quarterbacks will seize the job. I wonder if the quick study type is ultimately the long-term answer though. Is that a given? Somebody might know where to throw the ball but doesn't have the arm strength... patience, which is in short supply at this point, will be needed...
If they don't have the arm strength they shouldn't be considered. This is the Baylor style offense. It doesn't take a genius. They won't have to be a quick study. Recognize coverage and pull the trigger.
"Recognize coverage" That's all mental... nobody said genius, but that takes lots of film study. I don't think it's so easy until you have lots of reps...
Defense will be the biggest issue outside finding a QB. We have to fix our front 7. Our Swiss cheese DL was our biggest problem, allowing teams to gash us and forcing us to hang our DBs out to dry.
2016 Running Back Analysis The season-long performance by [D'Onta] Foreman and what Chris Warren was able to do over his final two games makes running back arguably the strongest position group on either side of the ball heading into 2016. Both backs failed to get a high volume of carries (only 166 of Texas’ 529 rushing attempts). Perhaps the biggest reason was because they both were unable to make it through a whole season healthy. The sample of the production from both backs suggests that if they can manage to get themselves to the stadium in game day ready to roll they’ll do some damage. It will be a big offseason for both to ensure they arrive for preseason practice in top form. Foreman has had to work for everything he’s earned in his football career, and he’s earned the right to be the leader of the pack. Texas needs more players like Foreman who are self-starters and carry a constant chip on their shoulder. He is going to be put in a position to set the tone and challenge everyone in the room now that he’s the veteran of the group. If he succeeds there’s no reason why Texas should not have one of the better backfield stables in the Big 12. The Longhorns don’t have another back like Kirk Johnson. We only caught a glimpse of what the young California product is capable of as an ankle injury against Texas Tech ended his true freshman season. The plan when Johnson was recruited was for the offensive staff to use similarly to how the Rams used Marshall Faulk... If Johnson can bring a multi-faceted dynamic to the offense on a consistent basis it will give Sterlin Gilbert a game-breaking skill position player, something the Longhorns did not have enough of last season. But nobody really knows how Warren or Johnson will hold up with having a significant amount of responsibility put on their respective plates compared to last season. Both backs have a lot to prove before anything can be said for certain about either of them. [Full 247 article]
I substituted the orginal video's stupid pimpish "music" with something I recorded with my band, The Hunker Downers. I think you'll enjoy it.
I won't be shocked if Swoopes ends up the starter. If he grasps the concept of the new offense he could be what Giblet is looking for and give the rest of the qb cast a year to sort itself out. Swoopes may ultimately be more valuable coming in and running the 18 wheeler, but we could use Kai for that. Swoopes also seems to play better in the hurry up offense. But I agree, that position will really be the most interesting to watch this spring and it's really good to have a real competition for the position.
That was GREAT and the music apropos! (Being a Deutscher, I love music by J.S. Bach especially Toccata and Fugue in D minor on the organ.) ....and by the way.....
TS has go tot get a LOT more accurate on his long balls. Not very many were even close to be being on target last season.
Agreed. He probably has the strongest arm to throw the long ball and being able to stretch the field is a major component of the Gilbert offense. But Swoopes has not shown the needed accuracy in throwing down the field. Maybe with the over-learned repetitions required in practice, the consistency will come. We can hope.
