Texas turns the Table
Because of the events in Philadelphia, I pretty much ignored in this space the Texas 2nd half dismantling of Oklahoma to string their second straight win together in this series. As I said on the radio on Monday, this just serves to demonstrate that the winds of change are always blowing in sports, and nothing lasts forever. Bob Stoops and Oklahoma had Mack Brown owned and there appeared to be no change in sight after the 12-0 win in 2004. Now we see how wrong that is.
That is why it is funny to read emails from both sides of the Red River who insist that since Colt McCoy is only a freshman, this insures us that Texas will win the next 3. First off, how anyone assumes that McCoy is now unbeatable is drunk. He is ok. And Oklahoma will figure something out at QB soon. But more than anything, just look at how this series rolls. Nothing lasts forever.
The happiest man in the world has to be Mack Brown. How much has his life changed in the last 24 months?
I will be interested to see any statistical studies of Stoops vs. Brown and who has the better run going at their school as it stands now if anyone has one to send to me.
Ortiz vs. Shamrock
The UFC showed a marquee battle on free TV last night as Ortiz/Shamrock 3 went down on Spike TV. Don’t congratulate the UFC for offering this on free TV, because none of us would have bought it. Ortiz/Shamrock 2 was exactly the same as Ortiz/Shamrock 3. Shamrock has been called the World’s most Dangerous Man, but since I have followed MMA, he has been a joke. He has lost 6 of his last 7 fights, and at the age of 42 surely has not been dominant in years. In fact, the last time he strung together consecutive wins was 1996! Why they needed a 3rd fight is a mystery to me given that Ortiz handily won the first two.
Anyway, I am touchy about calling for retirements, given my boy is facing it daily from every dope with a keyboard nationwide, but surely this is it for Shamrock. In MMA fighting, old fighters get killed.
As for Tito Ortiz, he is a bad man. I really find myself liking him, and cannot wait to see Chuck Liddell – Tito Ortiz in December. That could be a classic.
Links:
Colt McCoy is the man …
Quarterback Colt McCoy was reminded first thing Monday morning how big it is for a Texas signal caller to beat Oklahoma.
"When I walked into class, everybody stood up and clapped," McCoy said.
McCoy guided the Longhorns to a 28-10 victory over OU on Saturday, becoming just the fifth freshman quarterback in UT history to achieve that feat.
That accomplishment might have impressed his government classmates, but it apparently didn't impress his professor. McCoy still had to take his scheduled exam.
A mind game: Texas coach Mack Brown said his team's toughest challenge this week, as it prepares to face Baylor, will be to move on psychologically from the Oklahoma game.
"Everybody's sore, everybody spent a lot of emotion," Brown said. "We can't let that game hang around until Tuesday."
This tidbit ought to help: Baylor and UT are the only Big 12 South teams left unbeaten in conference play, meaning Saturday's game is for South Division supremacy.
Ortiz pounds Shamrock …
Tito Ortiz heard the excuses. After his first fight with Ken Shamrock he heard all about the knee injury that did not let Shamrock fight up to his full potential. And he surely heard the boos and taunts after his 78-second dismantling of “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” this past July. The only thing he heard after Tuesday’s fight was the adoring cheers of a crowd once again in love with the former UFC light heavyweight champion.
In an eerily similar sequence to their July bout, Ortiz secured a takedown and went to work early in the first round with his trademark scalpel-like elbows. After softening Shamrock up, Ortiz went to the heavy artillery, riddling his archrival with a series of punches that relieved the veteran of his faculties.
Shamrock’s referee of choice, “Big” John McCarthy, was there to rescue the fallen fighter at the 2:23 mark of the first round. As Shamrock lay prone on the mat, his right leg stiff and protruding into the air, Ortiz climbed the cage in celebration before breaking out his “grave digger” celebration.
Philadelphia with record TV numbers …
Terrell Owens' return to Lincoln Financial Field generated big TV ratings locally for the Fox network.
The Eagles' 38-24 win over Owens and the Dallas Cowboys was the all-time highest-rated regular-season game for Fox, which has been broadcasting NFL games since 1994.
Sunday's game had a 40.1 rating and a 64 share here, which meant it was seen in 1,179,000 households in the area and nearly two-thirds of the sets in use were tuned in.
Before that, the regular-season game with the highest rating for Fox in Philadelphia was the Eagles' 17-7 win over Arizona on Nov. 6, 1994, which drew a 38.4 rating.
After using Brett Favre as a piñata, Gregg Easterbrook keeps typing …
Stat of the Week No. 8: Since losing Randy Moss as a target, Daunte Culpepper has averaged 0.7 touchdown passes per game. In the three previous years, he averaged 1.8 touchdown passes per game.
Terrell Owens Humiliation Analysis: Drew Bledsoe threw toward Owens 13 times. The results: two interceptions, three dropped passes, three receptions for 45 yards, no touchdowns. On both interceptions, the ball was underthrown and Owens, rather than fight to break up the pass, passively watched it get picked off. After the second interception Owens passively watched, he screamed at teammates and assistant coaches on the sideline. The guys on the sideline were not the ones who could have broken up the pass. Actual Owens statement at the postgame press conference: "Maybe I need to work harder."
Insider says Josh Howard may become an issue …
Best player in camp. So far? It's Josh Howard, hands down. He has been sharp and aggressive as ever and looks game-ready already.
Those are all promising developments for the Mavs, given that Howard and management remain far apart on a contract extension that has to be completed by Oct. 31 to prevent the 26-year-old from becoming a restricted free agent in July.
If the situation has unsettled Howard, you certainly can't tell on the floor, where coach Avery Johnson apparently is planning to put the ball in his hands more. That's a role Howard last handled at Wake Forest, mere months before the first major letdown of his career: slipping to No. 29 in the 2003 draft.
"Coach wants me to be a point forward," Howard said. "I've got three plays I keep in my head so I can make sure everybody's in the right spot."
As for the contract stalemate, Howard said: "It's kind of wishy-washy with me. Some days I don't even think about it, and some days I wonder what's going on. If it doesn't happen this year, hopefully next year."
When asked whether he has abandoned hope that an extension can be hammered out by Halloween, Howard added with a hopeful grin: "You never know. You know how Cubes [Mark Cuban] is. Depends on how he feels."
USA Today Ink for the Corso bit …
Those images of Detroit Tigers fans and players celebrating their American League Division Series victory against the New York Yankees on Saturday were the most memorable of the weekend. But when I see some twit waving a lewd sign about Lee Corso during College GameDay, you have to wonder. ESPN's college football show is supposed to be the model. Here's hoping those extra cops don't become permanent.
This Addicting game might ruin your day …
Is Steve-O drunk? - 1:19
Sweet Caroline at Fenway – 1:54
second and still slightly gay
ReplyDeleteBTW, I went to a Nats game this summer and they do the sweet caroline bit there too
Third, and bi-sexual???
ReplyDeleteWatch out, SMU's QB might whip your arse.
ReplyDeletemaybe steve-o needs to ne picke don for being an idiot... more than drunk?
ReplyDeleteAlso, could have cut out about an minute and a half of the Caroline vid, but that's not Bob's fault.
I agree with TMQ on Farve's record quest, but if Packer's fans are OK with him wasting their time chasing stats, then he's earned the right to waste the time doing it. I just think he could find a way to chase stats on a better team if he still cared about winning.
"Watch out, SMU's QB might whip your arse."
ReplyDeleteOnly if you stalk him.
ok.. now is the time for OU/tx thoughts...
ReplyDeleteLike I have said before, Sooner is now facing the reality of the post-Jason White run. We take for granted just how great that Sooner team was, and the NFL talent that it had on the field. It is too bad that it didnt translate in a win over USC, but I digress.
We had the team with the NFL running back and the 5th year senior QB right? Right.
We had the team with more at stake in winning the game right? Right.
So what happened?
You can say what you want about not being prepared (valid), careless mistakes that are not a Stoops trademark (valid), horrible mental awareness on the field about catching a pass BEHIND THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE and not realizing it (valid) but this is simple...
We have Paul Thompson at QB, and Longhorn has Colt McCoy. Period.
The Bomar dismissal has set OU back 3 years. THompson is what he is. Average. Colt McCoy is what he is, good with potential to be great. Great QB's know how to consistently read defenses and throw strikes to their open receivers. Great QB's know what is happening on the field before the play even takes place. Great QB's protect their receivers with throws that maximize the receiver's ability to make a big play after the catch. Paul Thompson does none of this. He locks on to receivers too much, he can only complete a pass when he is running away rather than staying in the pocket, I can go on and on.
Our staff is being outcoached by UT's staff also.
You can sum up what happened Saturday by simply looking at OU's first possession in the second half after receiving the kickoff.
OU has the momentum going into halftime.
Texas has had time to sit and rest and gameplan for the second half.
The Texas fans have had time to make a beer run and reload before the second half, so you know its going to be loud again after OU took the Texas crowd out of the game before halftime.
OK. WE know this. WE know that Texas is refocused to bring the thunder at the start of the second half. So what does OU do??
1st down: run up the middle (no gain)
2nd down: run off tackle (no gain)
3rd and 12: obviously a passing down, incomplete.
Punt on 4th, short field for TX, McCoy to Sweed, bam!! Lead has changed, momentum has changed, the Texas side of the Cotton Bowl is shaking, and we are in red alert mode. (Not good if you are Paul Thompson as I mentioned earlier).
Unbelievable. It is time to knock on every door from Norman to California to find good players to take the reigns for the Sooners because Mack is winning every category right now in Austin land and we better make up some ground quick or we could be looking at 3 more losses the second week of October going forward.
Do the Red Sox fans think that is fun or cool? Cause they look like douches out there. I hate the Sox. And the Yankees.
ReplyDeleteLet's not even start pondering whether McCoy is good to great, he still needs a few notches in his belt.
ReplyDeleteSweet Caroline? What a bunch of homos! Can't they think of any cooler song? I guess not in the northeast.
ReplyDeleteBetter than Cotton Eye Joe or whatever crap they're throwing down at the Ballpark.
ReplyDeleteYou got me, cotton eye joe is way worse.
ReplyDeleteI don't really care about UT, but for some reason I really hate OU. For some reason OU seems to be more popular in Dallas. So I really enjoyed seeing this on www.woot.com ( a dallas based company)
ReplyDeleteisn't the UFC just an outlet for latent homosexuality?
ReplyDeleteI like McCoy and he is going to be a great quarterback for UT.
ReplyDeleteThe key now (well for next season) for UT is to rebuild there players in the trenches, because players like Okam are gonna go to the league I think.
Guess what? I didn't go to UT, but I root for the Longhorns!!!! If you can't stand it, you can go "F" yourself! OU still SUCKS!
ReplyDeleteAnon at 12:46
ReplyDeleteWhat brought that on? Perhaps you were responding to yesterday's post?
Andy...
Like Sturm says, I think we'll resolve our QB issue fairly soon. If Texas could recruit VY in the middle of a five game losing streak to us, surely we can find a nice QB.
And like Sturm also says, this series tends to run in cycles. It's Texas' turn.
Does Neil Diamond get royalties from the Red Sox every time they play that song?
ReplyDeleteThe Jewish Elvis has GOT to be rolling in the dough!
brandon @ GSR-
ReplyDeleteyou must remember, Bob is a moron!
Brandon @ GSR,
ReplyDeleteYes, I was responding to the post from yesterday.
Yes OU will definitely have at least one great QB recruit coming their way in the next year or two. There's no question.
ReplyDeleteAs far as UT needing to rebuild in the trenches, there's no problem there. Frank Okam is only the first of many in a depth chart stacked with ridiculous linemen -- not to mention those on the way in the pipeline. The offensive line is just as well-situated with Ulatoski, Webb, Burnette, and others waiting for their chance to be the next All-America prospects (and Tray Allen, etc. in the future).
Texas is right in the middle of a 5 year upswing. The trick will be to manage things when the pendulum starts heading south again.
Hey Bob, if you want some real man on man action, check out some of the late-night clubs on Cedar Springs.
ReplyDeletegod we need a stars game...and I guess bob didnt watch the mavs game last night....
ReplyDeletesmall correction - Jevan Snead.
ReplyDeletefaster, stronger, younger ....I hope Texas can avoid Simms/Applewhite II.
brad,
ReplyDeletedoesn't postseason baseball and pro football trump hockey and preseason basketball....doesn't watching paint dry trump hockey and preseason basketball.
Texas will lose 2 of those 5 QB's to transfers, even with Chiles going to WR as planned. If Harris switches to DB or WR, they might only lose one.
ReplyDeleteMy best guess is that they'll lose Snead and Harris. I wish Snead was the redshirt freshman and McCoy was the true freshman, Jevan has all the tools and has shown that he knows how to use them. He'd be pretty scary with another year in the offense.
Brantley has stated publicly (and emphatically) that he wants to redshirt. The only way we keep Snead in the mix, in my opinion, is to give him a true chance to win the job from McCoy this Spring. But if he does, Colt may transfer.
Anyway, I'm not in the camp that necessarily thinks this QB logjam is a "good problem" to have. I'd hate to lose someone like Snead only to see Brantley not pan out, etc. As well as Colt has played, I'm afraid he doesn't bring the athleticism that UT will need. Without the spectacular physical tools that Chiles, Harris, and Snead bring, McCoy can only transcend if he somehow evolves into a Peyton Manning-like QB genius. Unfortunately, that's kind of a once-in-every-three-generations type of evolution.
Athleticism in quarterbacks is highly overrated. You really don't have to move at all. Just ask Parcells.
ReplyDeletemccoy won't even be the starting qb for the horns next year!
ReplyDeleteand how dare anybody question the greatness of the cotton-eyed joe!
Brantley will be the Longhorns starting QB in 2 or 3 years, but in the meantime, it'll come down to who wins the QB competition next Spring. If Colt wins out again, Snead will likely depart. It'll be unfortunate for Texas fans, but you can't expect him to sit behind McCoy and then Brantley later and never see the field in his college career.
ReplyDelete