It's been a long and winding road for the Sooners to get to this point. A couple of tough losses on the road, some shaky confidence at the QB position and in the entire defense and then redemption (and the driver's seat in the Big 12 South at the hands of the Cowboys. It didn't hurt either that texas had a season for the ages. In a bad way.
And now, the game the Sooners live for. During skeleton drills in the Summer and two-a-days in the fall, the goal is always to get to this game. It's for this reason, I believe, that the Sooners historically implode in their bowl games. The mountain has already been climbed, the goal already achieved.
That's why my confidence is sky high for this one. OU has some serious momentum. This is what Bobby lives for. Enjoy this one Sooner fans. The next game is a glorified exhibition and the Sooners will approach it accordingly. Today is trophy day.
Two other key points of off-field intrigue that will make this a great game. The Stoops and Pelini's go way back. There is no ceiling to how much they want to beat each other and do so in a surgical like manner. Also, it's the last time OU and Nebraska will play for a conference title. This fact is lost on no one.
On the field this one pits the best offense against the best defense. What more could you ask for? I believe the Sooners will be able to score some points. I think we get "Home Landry" today. What will the Nebraska offense bring to the table what with being without Taylor Martinez? Will the Sooners D bring the same effort they gave in Stillwater last week?
Of course the D is going to be ready to play. It's the Stoops v Pelini corollary. I expect to see lots of PA (Play Action to the layperson) and misdirection to keep the aggressive Nebraska D off balance. I also expect to see lots of Nebraska fans dressed like douchebags. I digress.
The Picks
Offense
Mini-limb, quasi hunch here. I'm going Kenny Fuckin' Shitbag Stills. I think the Sooners have a couple of surprises in store using ol' Kenny. He's been a little quiet lately. Perhaps, too quiet. Hmm, hmmm?
Defense
Well, I'm not sure if Nebraska has a threat outside of Roy Helu Jr. Suffice it to say, stopping him should be of the highest priority. That means the Linebacking crew needs to bring their lunchpails. I believe they will. The Oklahoman says Ronnell Lewis needs to step up. I'm tempted to go with Austin "Soggy" Box. But I have to go with the best of the bunch, Travis "Old Steady" Lewis. I think his name will get called a lot tonight.
The Score
Well, I can't see the Huskers D holding the Sooners under 21 points if the Sooners play like it's a home game (which they should). I can't see the Husker offense doing a whole lot without Taylor Martinez. But some average Wide Receiver will probably be a thorn in the Sooner side much of the game and go all-world. I hope not. I like the Sooners pretty comfortably.
OU 28, Nebraska 14
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Nebraska
Well, I'll be honest I never thought we'd get here after the A&M loss. In all fairness, however, my cowriter laid out the course plan in one of his earlier posts that we'd, predictably "back door" our way into this game. Prophetic in that we did precisely that. Now, let's hope we take his prediction one step further and win this game (we'll stop there as I don't want to shit ourselves in the bowl game).
Last week, throwing a large middle finger in the face of history, Mitch and our good buddy Robbie (aka Robert Parish Powell, aka RP, aka RPP, aka Stinkfinger, ok I made up the last one), marched up to the Bedlam game and, guessing by the final score, enjoyed themselves. I couldn't not have been more shocked that we won that game. It had all the makings of being a historic embarrassment for us. I forgot one factor though, that OSU shits themselves in larger (and presumably smellier) quantities in big games even more than we do. Whatever, we won and we are now heading down the highway to Dallas for the Big 12 title, a trip to a BCS bowl, and a party of blowjobs given out by the self-esteemless daughters of oil men on the line.
Nebraska is good, particularly on defense. Their offense was also pretty prodigious early in the season. But, there best offensive player and catalyst little t-mart (if you don't know Dave Chappelle show, then that was lost) is hobbled and playing is a question mark at this point. I expect we'll see him, but how much and how effective he is will go a long way to determining their productivity. They are also missing their best receiver, forgot his name, which will hurt. They can run the ball quite well however. In fact, everyone is touting them as one dimensional. If true, that bodes well for us, particularly since the one dimension is running. What no one seems to mention is that our defense isn't that great.
The other side of the matchup is our best unit, offense, vs their best unit, yep you guessed it, defense (looking at a pulitzer here with this hard hitting report). Seems to me that by and large, good defense trumps good offense which sucks. The "experts" though, think that we'll score enough and they will have no offense without martinez. I'm less convinced, they'll score no doubt about it. I just hope we can pressure that frosh a bit into making a couple of boners (old timey meaning, not hard dick, still hilarious though). If we can, I think that will be the difference.
Offense
At the risk of getting predictable, I'm going with Broyles again this week. Hold on, hold on, let me explain. You see DeMarco doesn't appear to be full strength, and that might make one think that Roy Finch will have a big day. DeMarco will play some though, and enough that I think Finch won't bust out enough to win this award. I refuse to go with Landry. That leaves, Broyles as the guy. He was snubbed on the All-America team in spite of leading the fucking country in multiple receiving categories. If I were him, that would piss me right off.
Defense
Who the fuck knows really? It could be anyone, and more likely it could be no one that stands out on defense this week. With that in mind, I'm going with a hopeful pick more than one I expect I guess. I'm going with Austin "soggy" Box. I would love to see him bust up run plays all night, pressure the QB a bit and make a play or two in the passing game.
I think this game will be an ugly affair. Grinding, frustrating and old school battling between two schools that made that famous. I think it's cool that we're playing Nebraska in the last season of the Big 12 as it currently exists for the championship. That said, I hope we kick the shit out of them, but I doubt it. I don't think Bo Pelini's hat could get any more "casual" on the back of his head. That sentence had absolutely no bearing on anything else in this "piece" but I felt like throwing it in there because he looks like such a fucking cumdumpster wearing it that way. I think we'll fall behind early in this one, just a hunch. But, I think we'll come back in it and pull it out. I think it will be ugly, but I'll take a win any way I can get it. Sooners take this one, and the conference, 24-20.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.
Last week, throwing a large middle finger in the face of history, Mitch and our good buddy Robbie (aka Robert Parish Powell, aka RP, aka RPP, aka Stinkfinger, ok I made up the last one), marched up to the Bedlam game and, guessing by the final score, enjoyed themselves. I couldn't not have been more shocked that we won that game. It had all the makings of being a historic embarrassment for us. I forgot one factor though, that OSU shits themselves in larger (and presumably smellier) quantities in big games even more than we do. Whatever, we won and we are now heading down the highway to Dallas for the Big 12 title, a trip to a BCS bowl, and a party of blowjobs given out by the self-esteemless daughters of oil men on the line.
Nebraska is good, particularly on defense. Their offense was also pretty prodigious early in the season. But, there best offensive player and catalyst little t-mart (if you don't know Dave Chappelle show, then that was lost) is hobbled and playing is a question mark at this point. I expect we'll see him, but how much and how effective he is will go a long way to determining their productivity. They are also missing their best receiver, forgot his name, which will hurt. They can run the ball quite well however. In fact, everyone is touting them as one dimensional. If true, that bodes well for us, particularly since the one dimension is running. What no one seems to mention is that our defense isn't that great.
The other side of the matchup is our best unit, offense, vs their best unit, yep you guessed it, defense (looking at a pulitzer here with this hard hitting report). Seems to me that by and large, good defense trumps good offense which sucks. The "experts" though, think that we'll score enough and they will have no offense without martinez. I'm less convinced, they'll score no doubt about it. I just hope we can pressure that frosh a bit into making a couple of boners (old timey meaning, not hard dick, still hilarious though). If we can, I think that will be the difference.
Offense
At the risk of getting predictable, I'm going with Broyles again this week. Hold on, hold on, let me explain. You see DeMarco doesn't appear to be full strength, and that might make one think that Roy Finch will have a big day. DeMarco will play some though, and enough that I think Finch won't bust out enough to win this award. I refuse to go with Landry. That leaves, Broyles as the guy. He was snubbed on the All-America team in spite of leading the fucking country in multiple receiving categories. If I were him, that would piss me right off.
Defense
Who the fuck knows really? It could be anyone, and more likely it could be no one that stands out on defense this week. With that in mind, I'm going with a hopeful pick more than one I expect I guess. I'm going with Austin "soggy" Box. I would love to see him bust up run plays all night, pressure the QB a bit and make a play or two in the passing game.
I think this game will be an ugly affair. Grinding, frustrating and old school battling between two schools that made that famous. I think it's cool that we're playing Nebraska in the last season of the Big 12 as it currently exists for the championship. That said, I hope we kick the shit out of them, but I doubt it. I don't think Bo Pelini's hat could get any more "casual" on the back of his head. That sentence had absolutely no bearing on anything else in this "piece" but I felt like throwing it in there because he looks like such a fucking cumdumpster wearing it that way. I think we'll fall behind early in this one, just a hunch. But, I think we'll come back in it and pull it out. I think it will be ugly, but I'll take a win any way I can get it. Sooners take this one, and the conference, 24-20.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Bedlam...Nuff Said
I have good news. I visited the oracle this morning and the oracle says OU victory. By oracle, I mean I had one of the most fulfilling shits in recent memory. Pretty much a courtesy wipe and a lingering feeling of bliss (at least half an hour) in my gut. Had it been a scatalogical nightmare (read: double-digit wipes) I'd have a sense of doom.
There are other signs that should make Sooner fans feel good. Both Desmond Howard and Lee Corso picked OSU. Desmond Howard might be the dumbest "analyst" on television. Lee Corso is, as we all know, a jinx and blithering asshat.
On GameDay this morning, the tension within the OSU crowd was palpable. They stood, stone silent as the crew made their picks. There were signs saying, "No Poke Choke". Okay, when your legacy is choking and you feel compelled to make a sign trying to reverse-jinx said legacy, it tells me your head is in a bad place.
My broham, Navin, is in full-bore Doomsday McGoo mode. This always lifts my spirits.
Finally, this is one of those rare occasions where the Sooners find themselves in the underdog role. The theme of this week has been that the OSU offense is unstoppable, the Sooner defense is a sieve. OSU is at destiny's doorstep. This is the biggest game in the history of their program. This is already the winningest season in their program's history (chortle). So Bobby and the Sooners have a chance to, A) silence critics by beating a top-10 team on the road B) said top-10 team is an in-state rival, C) a trip to the Big 12 Championship is on the line and D) the week's conversation has been nothing other than this is OSU's championship to lose, not OU's chance to win.
I think the Sooners will be "focused".
There are two keys to the game (from a Sooner perspective and that's all we're interested in). First, can Landry Jones not crap his jock? Dear please God say yes. Two, can the Sooner D-Line get to Weeden? He does not like to run. In theory, this should bode well for the Sooners.
The Picks
Offense
On offense I can not justify picking anyone other than DeMarco Murray. I just can't. The man is on a mission and today that mission is to make Cowboy fans remember this as the game where DeMarco Murray ran roughshod up and down the field and ripped our collective hearts out.
Defense
I'm sticking with my theory and picking the best player on that side of the ball. I'm with Navin. That player is Tony Jefferson. I want to pick someone on the D-Line. I want to pick someone like Casey Walker because my father-in-law says he's back and will be a tremendous help. But this is not the day to step out on a very slender limb. I have to go with our best here.
Conclusion
I'll be in attendance with my main man Robbie. I hope our karmic levels are high. If the Sooners win I cannot wait to feel the hopes and dreams of 55,000 poke fans vanish into the ether. If the Sooners lose I'll make my escape quickly whilst some pencil-dicks get maced by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol as they try to take down the goalposts. Dear God let the Sooners win.
Final Score: OU 38, OSU 31
Boomer to the motherfuckin' Sooner
There are other signs that should make Sooner fans feel good. Both Desmond Howard and Lee Corso picked OSU. Desmond Howard might be the dumbest "analyst" on television. Lee Corso is, as we all know, a jinx and blithering asshat.
On GameDay this morning, the tension within the OSU crowd was palpable. They stood, stone silent as the crew made their picks. There were signs saying, "No Poke Choke". Okay, when your legacy is choking and you feel compelled to make a sign trying to reverse-jinx said legacy, it tells me your head is in a bad place.
My broham, Navin, is in full-bore Doomsday McGoo mode. This always lifts my spirits.
Finally, this is one of those rare occasions where the Sooners find themselves in the underdog role. The theme of this week has been that the OSU offense is unstoppable, the Sooner defense is a sieve. OSU is at destiny's doorstep. This is the biggest game in the history of their program. This is already the winningest season in their program's history (chortle). So Bobby and the Sooners have a chance to, A) silence critics by beating a top-10 team on the road B) said top-10 team is an in-state rival, C) a trip to the Big 12 Championship is on the line and D) the week's conversation has been nothing other than this is OSU's championship to lose, not OU's chance to win.
I think the Sooners will be "focused".
There are two keys to the game (from a Sooner perspective and that's all we're interested in). First, can Landry Jones not crap his jock? Dear please God say yes. Two, can the Sooner D-Line get to Weeden? He does not like to run. In theory, this should bode well for the Sooners.
The Picks
Offense
On offense I can not justify picking anyone other than DeMarco Murray. I just can't. The man is on a mission and today that mission is to make Cowboy fans remember this as the game where DeMarco Murray ran roughshod up and down the field and ripped our collective hearts out.
Defense
I'm sticking with my theory and picking the best player on that side of the ball. I'm with Navin. That player is Tony Jefferson. I want to pick someone on the D-Line. I want to pick someone like Casey Walker because my father-in-law says he's back and will be a tremendous help. But this is not the day to step out on a very slender limb. I have to go with our best here.
Conclusion
I'll be in attendance with my main man Robbie. I hope our karmic levels are high. If the Sooners win I cannot wait to feel the hopes and dreams of 55,000 poke fans vanish into the ether. If the Sooners lose I'll make my escape quickly whilst some pencil-dicks get maced by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol as they try to take down the goalposts. Dear God let the Sooners win.
Final Score: OU 38, OSU 31
Boomer to the motherfuckin' Sooner
OSU
I'm typing this on my phone so it's going to be short and to the point. I have a terrible feeling about this. I think our defense is going to need to play far and away their best game. I think Landry is likely to set the single game record for fullest pants in the shit category. But, predictably I think we will win it.
Offense
I think landry does, in fact, make some dumb plays and miss some open receivers. However I think he does enough that Ryan Broyles is my player of the game. I think Broyles puts a rest to the Blackmon argument with a huge day.
Defense
Over here I like Tony Jefferson. I think he really becomes an OU star. Big stage, I think he makes some big plays both against the pass and coming up against the run.
Now I know everyone and their brother sees this as a shootout. I however think it will be lower scoring. OU wins 21-17.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.
Offense
I think landry does, in fact, make some dumb plays and miss some open receivers. However I think he does enough that Ryan Broyles is my player of the game. I think Broyles puts a rest to the Blackmon argument with a huge day.
Defense
Over here I like Tony Jefferson. I think he really becomes an OU star. Big stage, I think he makes some big plays both against the pass and coming up against the run.
Now I know everyone and their brother sees this as a shootout. I however think it will be lower scoring. OU wins 21-17.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
OU vs. Tech Post-Mortem and OU vs. Baylor
I'm about to write the easiest "piece" in the history of football. The only thing making it difficult is that I'm so drunk every sentence takes me about 10 minutes to hammer out.
I failed to write a column leading up to this Texas Tech game. If you co-write this blog you already know this. If you don't, then I'm just taking up 0's and 1's on the "Interwebs" and wasting my e-breath.
Had I written an OU-Tech pregame it would have said something about how Landry Jones (no nicknames; Solidarity) was certain to throw for 400+ yards and who knows how many touchdowns. Well, he had 5. Big fucking deal. I would have said DeMarco would be steady as a rock and how the defense would get some sacks and get some turnovers. Well, they did. Of course they did. It's a fucking joke how this team is all-world at home and first class pant-shitters on the road. I couldn't even enjoy this game because every time something positive happened I couldn't help but say to myself (or, because I may or may not have been inebriated, to every one in my purview), "OF COURSE THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE WE ARE AT HOME, NOT ON THE FUCKING ROAD!"
It's so easy to predict it's sickening. The Sooners can beat anyone by two touchdowns at home. I'd love to make it a challenge and look forward to the road games coming up (Baylor, OSU) but it's not so much an anticipatory adventure as much as a fucking crapshoot.
Oh well, on to bigger and better things.
Baylor should be as close to a home game on the road as Texas is at the Cotton Bowl. I mean, all bets are off if the Sooners don't show up for this one. But Robert Griffin III is quite capable and to call us shaky on the road is like calling Tony Parker foolish for cheating on Eva Longoria.
But who gives a shit because you know why? I'm going to New York City to watch this one with my buddy and fellow co-blogger Navin. I could not be more pumped. I COULD NOT BE MORE PUMPED!
We'll be enjoying some adult beverages at a hole-in-the-wall, Sooner-themed bar in Manhattan where we'll, together, get to witness an OU road-game bed-wetting. Innocent bystanders might not be ready for the scene, even New Yorkers.
I'd like to say we'll have the wherewithall and inclination to do something maxo-zune-dweebie like co-blog or live blog the game and our experiences. But we are not assholes so unless something really strange happens (probably won't because we'll be so sober) don't count on it.
Quick picks before I hit the road.
Offense
It can only be one of four players. DeMarco, Ryan Broyles, Kenny Fuckin Shitbag Stills or Roy Finch. I feel like I pick DeMarco every week so he's out. Ryan Broyles only sets records at home because Landry gets confused when he isn't wearing a red jersey. So he's out. Ditto Kenny Fucking Shitbag. Roy Finch might not get on the field. Coaches Stoops and Wilson will explain it away like the Baylor scheme wasn't right for him or something nonsensical. Nonetheless, I'm stealing a page out of Navin's playbook and picking Roy.
Defense
Another crapshoot. Obviously someone is going to have to shadow Robert Griffin III. So whoever that is makes for a good candidate. But that person is probably a LB. That means Tom Wort (fuck no) and Travis Lewis (becoming the pick du jour a la DeMarco on offense). Shit. Well, I guess I'll go with Jamelle Fleming. Demontre Hurst never gets opportunities and Griffin III will throw to someone so it's Fleming by default.
The Score
Well, let's see if the Defense can defend the middle of the field. Let's see if they can keep Griffin III from running roughshod all day long. Let's see if the offense can keep from stepping on their own dicks. Of course I'm hopeful. But then of course I'm delusional.
OU 35 Baylor 21
I failed to write a column leading up to this Texas Tech game. If you co-write this blog you already know this. If you don't, then I'm just taking up 0's and 1's on the "Interwebs" and wasting my e-breath.
Had I written an OU-Tech pregame it would have said something about how Landry Jones (no nicknames; Solidarity) was certain to throw for 400+ yards and who knows how many touchdowns. Well, he had 5. Big fucking deal. I would have said DeMarco would be steady as a rock and how the defense would get some sacks and get some turnovers. Well, they did. Of course they did. It's a fucking joke how this team is all-world at home and first class pant-shitters on the road. I couldn't even enjoy this game because every time something positive happened I couldn't help but say to myself (or, because I may or may not have been inebriated, to every one in my purview), "OF COURSE THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE WE ARE AT HOME, NOT ON THE FUCKING ROAD!"
It's so easy to predict it's sickening. The Sooners can beat anyone by two touchdowns at home. I'd love to make it a challenge and look forward to the road games coming up (Baylor, OSU) but it's not so much an anticipatory adventure as much as a fucking crapshoot.
Oh well, on to bigger and better things.
Baylor should be as close to a home game on the road as Texas is at the Cotton Bowl. I mean, all bets are off if the Sooners don't show up for this one. But Robert Griffin III is quite capable and to call us shaky on the road is like calling Tony Parker foolish for cheating on Eva Longoria.
But who gives a shit because you know why? I'm going to New York City to watch this one with my buddy and fellow co-blogger Navin. I could not be more pumped. I COULD NOT BE MORE PUMPED!
We'll be enjoying some adult beverages at a hole-in-the-wall, Sooner-themed bar in Manhattan where we'll, together, get to witness an OU road-game bed-wetting. Innocent bystanders might not be ready for the scene, even New Yorkers.
I'd like to say we'll have the wherewithall and inclination to do something maxo-zune-dweebie like co-blog or live blog the game and our experiences. But we are not assholes so unless something really strange happens (probably won't because we'll be so sober) don't count on it.
Quick picks before I hit the road.
Offense
It can only be one of four players. DeMarco, Ryan Broyles, Kenny Fuckin Shitbag Stills or Roy Finch. I feel like I pick DeMarco every week so he's out. Ryan Broyles only sets records at home because Landry gets confused when he isn't wearing a red jersey. So he's out. Ditto Kenny Fucking Shitbag. Roy Finch might not get on the field. Coaches Stoops and Wilson will explain it away like the Baylor scheme wasn't right for him or something nonsensical. Nonetheless, I'm stealing a page out of Navin's playbook and picking Roy.
Defense
Another crapshoot. Obviously someone is going to have to shadow Robert Griffin III. So whoever that is makes for a good candidate. But that person is probably a LB. That means Tom Wort (fuck no) and Travis Lewis (becoming the pick du jour a la DeMarco on offense). Shit. Well, I guess I'll go with Jamelle Fleming. Demontre Hurst never gets opportunities and Griffin III will throw to someone so it's Fleming by default.
The Score
Well, let's see if the Defense can defend the middle of the field. Let's see if they can keep Griffin III from running roughshod all day long. Let's see if the offense can keep from stepping on their own dicks. Of course I'm hopeful. But then of course I'm delusional.
OU 35 Baylor 21
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Tech
In light of last weeks game, I'm pretty discouraged in this one. Mitch wrote an excellent piece giving a good look into some questions that have to be asked by Sooner nation. The two of us have discussed at length the struggles of OU in big games over the last several years. Hell, this wasn't even a "big" game last week in the sense that no one really expected A&M to be terribly competitive, let alone kick our ass.
It used to really piss me off that the national media gave us no respect when being discussed among the national title contenders. I hated that we were always dubbed as lucky, or a tier below the big SEC teams. Now, I just tend to nod my head and agree. Why would I continue to let it bother me? We haven't really won many (any?) games the last five years against teams that were equally talented or better than us. When talent is taken out of the equation, that leaves coaching to blame.
For a time in the last few years it looked as if we were unmotivated, that our players looked as if they felt that just by showing up to the stadium and playing they would win the game. Someone either gave them that idea, or failed to dispel that myth. Now, we just look inept. Predictable play calling (if I'm sitting on my sofa guessing the correct play we are about to run more than I'm not, I'm pretty sure a professional coach is getting quite a few more of those right than I am), players out of position, poor tackling, and repeatedly failing to defend or execute something that has been working all night (read: cannot adjust) are the consistencies in our game that make me want to, first: scream and carry on, and second: give up.
It's not even a pattern any more, it's the epitome of our football team. Every. Single. Year. Sure, we will out-gun people to 8 or 9, maybe 10 wins every year, but without something changing we won't win championships, and we will fail to underperform under the brightest lights. The times when Joe CasualFan is watching, and that's where reputations are made. We are like the NCAA basketball team that bombs away from 3 point land, runs the floor and beats people 110-99. Sure, they will often get to 20-24 wins, make the tourney and even make a run perhaps. But, when the shots don't fall or even if they do and they face a balanced team that plays solid defense they lose.
So I ask, are we content to continue to win these 8,9,10 games each season, maybe some conference championships and then get hammered by a legit team, AT THE MOST? Then sprinkle in some Missouri and A&M games in between those "good" seasons and be disappointed? Looking back to the 90s, it's easy to say yes. But I say that the tradition of this football program demands more. Yes, I like to be in the discussion annually, but I want to be the powerhouse again. I want to be the team that does more with less, or at the very least fulfills potential (it could be argued that the 2000 championship team was the least talented of the Stoops era). Nothing in sports is more frustrating and anger-provoking than underachieving. And underachieving is directly on the shoulders of the coaching staff. Period.
Oh yeah, Tech.
Offense
I'll be honest, I don't much like Landry Jones (that's right, I can't even enjoy a nickname anymore with this guy) anymore. I'm already hoping the Blake Bell era starts now. However, as I alluded to last week Dr. Jekyll is likely to show up at home. Also, hopefully Kevin Wilson remembers to look at his playbook this week rather than staring at his "Up The Gut" tattoo on his left forearm. With that in mind, I'm sure that Jones will be a world beater today and pass like he's the second coming of Warren Moon in the Run-And-Shoot (old school). So, I'm going with Ryan Broyles. I refuse to honor Landry (damn straight it's an honor), and somebody has to catch the ball as well. Broyles in this one.
Defense
This is even harder, but I'm looking to the future again today and I think that Tony Jefferson (is it too early to dub him MF?) does some big things today. I like him for a pick and plenty of passes defended.
I think OU wins this one, it's a home game after all, and then I think our season really goes down the toilet with road games (against decent teams no less) the next two weeks. The plus, Mitch and I will be watching it together. A prospect that has me more than a little excited. Final score this week, 35-21.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.
It used to really piss me off that the national media gave us no respect when being discussed among the national title contenders. I hated that we were always dubbed as lucky, or a tier below the big SEC teams. Now, I just tend to nod my head and agree. Why would I continue to let it bother me? We haven't really won many (any?) games the last five years against teams that were equally talented or better than us. When talent is taken out of the equation, that leaves coaching to blame.
For a time in the last few years it looked as if we were unmotivated, that our players looked as if they felt that just by showing up to the stadium and playing they would win the game. Someone either gave them that idea, or failed to dispel that myth. Now, we just look inept. Predictable play calling (if I'm sitting on my sofa guessing the correct play we are about to run more than I'm not, I'm pretty sure a professional coach is getting quite a few more of those right than I am), players out of position, poor tackling, and repeatedly failing to defend or execute something that has been working all night (read: cannot adjust) are the consistencies in our game that make me want to, first: scream and carry on, and second: give up.
It's not even a pattern any more, it's the epitome of our football team. Every. Single. Year. Sure, we will out-gun people to 8 or 9, maybe 10 wins every year, but without something changing we won't win championships, and we will fail to underperform under the brightest lights. The times when Joe CasualFan is watching, and that's where reputations are made. We are like the NCAA basketball team that bombs away from 3 point land, runs the floor and beats people 110-99. Sure, they will often get to 20-24 wins, make the tourney and even make a run perhaps. But, when the shots don't fall or even if they do and they face a balanced team that plays solid defense they lose.
So I ask, are we content to continue to win these 8,9,10 games each season, maybe some conference championships and then get hammered by a legit team, AT THE MOST? Then sprinkle in some Missouri and A&M games in between those "good" seasons and be disappointed? Looking back to the 90s, it's easy to say yes. But I say that the tradition of this football program demands more. Yes, I like to be in the discussion annually, but I want to be the powerhouse again. I want to be the team that does more with less, or at the very least fulfills potential (it could be argued that the 2000 championship team was the least talented of the Stoops era). Nothing in sports is more frustrating and anger-provoking than underachieving. And underachieving is directly on the shoulders of the coaching staff. Period.
Oh yeah, Tech.
Offense
I'll be honest, I don't much like Landry Jones (that's right, I can't even enjoy a nickname anymore with this guy) anymore. I'm already hoping the Blake Bell era starts now. However, as I alluded to last week Dr. Jekyll is likely to show up at home. Also, hopefully Kevin Wilson remembers to look at his playbook this week rather than staring at his "Up The Gut" tattoo on his left forearm. With that in mind, I'm sure that Jones will be a world beater today and pass like he's the second coming of Warren Moon in the Run-And-Shoot (old school). So, I'm going with Ryan Broyles. I refuse to honor Landry (damn straight it's an honor), and somebody has to catch the ball as well. Broyles in this one.
Defense
This is even harder, but I'm looking to the future again today and I think that Tony Jefferson (is it too early to dub him MF?) does some big things today. I like him for a pick and plenty of passes defended.
I think OU wins this one, it's a home game after all, and then I think our season really goes down the toilet with road games (against decent teams no less) the next two weeks. The plus, Mitch and I will be watching it together. A prospect that has me more than a little excited. Final score this week, 35-21.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Boob, You've Got Some 'Splainin To Do
There's a wispy tuft of smoke coming out of the hole that was once the site of the Oklahoma Sooners 2010 football season. The title hopes, the expectations, the dreams of number eight are all obliterated. Evaporated also, if it wasn't already, is the Legend of Big Game Bob.
I'm just trying to pick up the pieces from this one. Is it all Bob's fault? Possibly not, probably so. All roads lead back to him. He's ultimately responsible for allowing Kevin Wilson to call no less than 12 plays inside the 5 yard line, all runs up the gut, without scoring a touchdown. I have no idea if stats are kept on situations such as, "timeouts called on special teams situations" but the Sooners surely lead the nation.
Of course there are dropped INT's. The right play being called with a player being just out of position (this happens a lot according to Bobby) or just poor execution. The fake field goal was a beautiful pass and an inexcusable drop.
But the clock management (or lack thereof), the play calling, the shuffling of four scholarship kickers (four!), the timeouts spent on punts, the terrible play on the road or in bowl games (outside of the Big 12 Championship which proves the point). The evidence is starting to pile up.
Our buddy Travis raises an interesting point. You know how alcoholics or anyone else facing addiction can never get help until they take ownership of the problem? Well, this team has a problem. And until the coaching staff, most notably Coach Stoops, takes ownership of the problem (real ownership, not coach-speak) this is going to get worse and worse. An impeccable home record has long placated Sooner Nation and made it easy to ignore the fact that the Sooners are barely over .500 on the road since 2006. OU will pistol-whip Texas Tech next week and all could be forgiven.
The bottom line is that this OU-A&M game was the worst combination of clock management and play calling at the end of a ball game that I have seen in the Stoops era. The mistakes in the fourth quarter and the slow starts on the road are becoming epidemic. If not an epidemic, at least the trademark of this football team.
This coaching staff needs to really take a look at itself. Bob might need to make some tough decisions. There are a lot of things going on that point towards coaching.
That said, Lonnie is a Grade-A pant-shitter on the road. This is a major problem. The offensive line is terrible and he does them no favors by running out of the pocket and into the pass rush. Also, why the hell does a progression not exist? Is it because the O-Line can't protect, Lonnie is too dumb to do it, or there is only 1 eligible receiver per play? I need to know dammit. Why is the defense god-fucking-awful on 3rd down? Why is a collection of clearly talented players, who are intelligent (they really don't do scratch-your-head dumb things on defense), always leaving the middle of the field wide open?
I wish there was a bright spot to this game. There wasn't. That was a terrible loss in all phases. 27 first downs, 3 failed fourth and goals. There were probably no less than 20 plays run in the red zone with no points scored. Yet another kickoff return given up for touchdown (keep in mind Stoops coaches special teams). There was a period in the 3rd where the Sooners scored 17 unanswered and the momentum shifted, players had some swagger and guys were making plays. The missed fake killed it. But for a brief moment in time, the "12th" man were creaming their collective shorts.
Credit A&M for making plays and for a spirited defensive effort (although it's bullshit the same guy can go down injured 5 times and basically give a tired Aggie defense a rest). But the Sooners are their own worst nightmare. The coaches were a nightmare in this game. Until they recognize this get used to it. OU will win at home, have a .500 shot on the road. They'll backdoor their way into the Big 12 Championship, probably do well and complete barf on themselves if the bowl game is played after January 1st.
I'm just trying to pick up the pieces from this one. Is it all Bob's fault? Possibly not, probably so. All roads lead back to him. He's ultimately responsible for allowing Kevin Wilson to call no less than 12 plays inside the 5 yard line, all runs up the gut, without scoring a touchdown. I have no idea if stats are kept on situations such as, "timeouts called on special teams situations" but the Sooners surely lead the nation.
Of course there are dropped INT's. The right play being called with a player being just out of position (this happens a lot according to Bobby) or just poor execution. The fake field goal was a beautiful pass and an inexcusable drop.
But the clock management (or lack thereof), the play calling, the shuffling of four scholarship kickers (four!), the timeouts spent on punts, the terrible play on the road or in bowl games (outside of the Big 12 Championship which proves the point). The evidence is starting to pile up.
Our buddy Travis raises an interesting point. You know how alcoholics or anyone else facing addiction can never get help until they take ownership of the problem? Well, this team has a problem. And until the coaching staff, most notably Coach Stoops, takes ownership of the problem (real ownership, not coach-speak) this is going to get worse and worse. An impeccable home record has long placated Sooner Nation and made it easy to ignore the fact that the Sooners are barely over .500 on the road since 2006. OU will pistol-whip Texas Tech next week and all could be forgiven.
The bottom line is that this OU-A&M game was the worst combination of clock management and play calling at the end of a ball game that I have seen in the Stoops era. The mistakes in the fourth quarter and the slow starts on the road are becoming epidemic. If not an epidemic, at least the trademark of this football team.
This coaching staff needs to really take a look at itself. Bob might need to make some tough decisions. There are a lot of things going on that point towards coaching.
That said, Lonnie is a Grade-A pant-shitter on the road. This is a major problem. The offensive line is terrible and he does them no favors by running out of the pocket and into the pass rush. Also, why the hell does a progression not exist? Is it because the O-Line can't protect, Lonnie is too dumb to do it, or there is only 1 eligible receiver per play? I need to know dammit. Why is the defense god-fucking-awful on 3rd down? Why is a collection of clearly talented players, who are intelligent (they really don't do scratch-your-head dumb things on defense), always leaving the middle of the field wide open?
I wish there was a bright spot to this game. There wasn't. That was a terrible loss in all phases. 27 first downs, 3 failed fourth and goals. There were probably no less than 20 plays run in the red zone with no points scored. Yet another kickoff return given up for touchdown (keep in mind Stoops coaches special teams). There was a period in the 3rd where the Sooners scored 17 unanswered and the momentum shifted, players had some swagger and guys were making plays. The missed fake killed it. But for a brief moment in time, the "12th" man were creaming their collective shorts.
Credit A&M for making plays and for a spirited defensive effort (although it's bullshit the same guy can go down injured 5 times and basically give a tired Aggie defense a rest). But the Sooners are their own worst nightmare. The coaches were a nightmare in this game. Until they recognize this get used to it. OU will win at home, have a .500 shot on the road. They'll backdoor their way into the Big 12 Championship, probably do well and complete barf on themselves if the bowl game is played after January 1st.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
A&M
Mitch, excellent work as always. I agree that our prospects of winning on the road have never been as shaky as this season (possibly last season I guess). I of course blame Lonnie, but Mitch is probably more accurate in laying most of the blame on the defense. I however, stand by assertion that Lonnie does in fact need to shoulder a fair percentage of the blame for our road woes. Never have the Sooners, at least in the Stoops era, had a more predictably Jekyll and Hyde QB. Hybl is most closest comparison but the difference there was he was just as likely to pee all over the center's ass at home as he was on the road and vice versa. Lonnie can almost assuredly get on the SI Heisman watch list every week after a home game and back right off of it following a road game. Let's hope Mr. Hyde doesn't fully appear today and we get more Jekyll than we're used to seeing out of the lad on the road.
I too am quite nervous about this game. Then again, I'm nervous before every game but our penchant for sitting on the visitors sideline and feverishly tugging our semi-firm chubbies to no avail has me worried we will similarly embarrass ourselves today. This certainly isn't the trap game that Missouri was but then again, A&M has beaten us more than once since the Eisenhower administration and as such will be far less likely piss all over themselves if they beat us.
I think we do enough today, I always think we will do enough to win. I agree with Mitch that we are poised for a patented run of good defense to be capped with a bowl (get it? like a bowl game? zing!) of diarrhea (fun word to type by the way, try it, diarrhea). A&M is rejuvenated and their switch at QB seems to have paid dividends early. Although it might be addition by subtraction. In any event, our D will need to play much better than we have been on the road to win today. On to the picks and small item of house keeping.
I too am quite nervous about this game. Then again, I'm nervous before every game but our penchant for sitting on the visitors sideline and feverishly tugging our semi-firm chubbies to no avail has me worried we will similarly embarrass ourselves today. This certainly isn't the trap game that Missouri was but then again, A&M has beaten us more than once since the Eisenhower administration and as such will be far less likely piss all over themselves if they beat us.
I think we do enough today, I always think we will do enough to win. I agree with Mitch that we are poised for a patented run of good defense to be capped with a bowl (get it? like a bowl game? zing!) of diarrhea (fun word to type by the way, try it, diarrhea). A&M is rejuvenated and their switch at QB seems to have paid dividends early. Although it might be addition by subtraction. In any event, our D will need to play much better than we have been on the road to win today. On to the picks and small item of house keeping.
Semi-Related Side Note
I feel obligated to explain the moniker fuckin shitbag for Kenny Stills. Details are hazy but the story I heard was that in pregaming the Iowa State via telephone (as we do weekly) I suggested that Kenny Stills have a nickname of fuckin shitbag. Many laughs were had and that sealed it. I had consumed somewhere between 1 and 26 beers and as a result remember 0% of this conversation. However, upon hearing the retelling I found it quite hilarious so it's likely that I did the same during its conception. However, rest assured that we hold Stills in the highest regard and have "nothin but love" for him, as the kids say. It is the most endearing use of fuckin shitbag imaginable. In all likelyhood this paragraph was written in vain as it is predicated on the assumption that someone apart from the two of us reads this waste of bandwidth.
Offense
I cannot, out of respect to myself, pick Lonnie here. He has been mediocre at his peak on the road, and the offensive equivalent of a gas-rag at his lowest. This makes it difficult to pick Broyles also, as he is notably handicapped by his dependance on Lonnie to get the ball. As a result I'm going with someone from the backfield, and while I do agree that I think DeMarco will be a manchild back there today, I'm going with Roy Finch. I sure love to watch him play, he has honestly made me say wow on more than one occasion. His open field running speaks for itself, but his ability to break tackles inside is something to behold and quite unexpected out of someone of his stature.
Defense
Mitch's post now makes two straight weeks that one of us has reluctantly gone with our MF pick as DPG (Defensive Player of the Game, not Disrespectful Pounding of the Gash). Also, to be clear, I didn't mean to imply there is better pick on defense for MF just that he isn't as spectacular as our picks normally are (e.g. Roy Motherfuckin Williams, Tommie Motherfuckin Harris, Gerald Motherfuckin McCoy etc.). I honestly don't have a feeling on this one, I'd love for Mitch to be right. I think I'm going with Jeremy Beal for the hell of it. A couple of sacks would be nice, particularly if we don't have to bring 12 men to do it.
I think we put up more points than 28, I'll say 38, but I also think we give up more than 14. I'll say 24. We take it, on the road no less, 38-24.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
OU vs. A&M
Last Saturday the Sooners, predictably and thankfully, took care of bidness. At home (as usual) Lonnie looked all-world and the defense looked like it ate babies for breakfast. Of course they did. It was a home game.
Well today the big question is, "Can the Sooners put together a complete game on the road or will they look like assholes again?" On paper, this one presents a tremendous opportunity to do the former. A&M sucks but they are a more notable name than, say, Texas Tech, Baylor, K-State et al. A&M of course is the home of the 12th man even though that means less than ever. So, while A&M sucks, their cache' would make a victory look bigger than it is.
The worry is that A&M put in some guy named Tannehill last week, replacing the worst QB in the Big 12, Jerrod Johnson, and the Aggie offense showed signs of life. Of course the revived offense was playing a beleaguered Tech defense but still. Do they have newfound confidence? Will they play hard for Mike Sherman, the worst coaching hire in the last 5 years of the Big 12?
I'm scared shitless of early A&M offensive success combined with "Road Shaky" Lonnie. This is the worst case scenario. The best case scenario is seeing the Four-Headed Monster of DeMarco (now on a first name basis with Sooner Nation), Ryan Broyles, Kenny "Fuckin Shitbag" Stills and Roy Finch wreak havoc whilst the Sooner defense beats up on an unimaginative and stagnant Aggie offense.
I would love to favor the latter option and be able to say with no reservations that the Sooners will beat that ass today but I can't. The Sooners have shown that they are nothing less than shaky and completely untrustworthy away from Owen Field. So it goes.
On with the picks.
Offense
DeMarco is the leader of this team. He's the face of the franchise, the captain, Everybody's All American, etc. This Sooner team needs a statement win on the road, not for the national rankings so much as for their own psyche. DeMarco is the man who can put the team on his shoulders and deliver the goods. I can't even consider anyone else here.
Defense
Texas is the only game I've felt confident in my pick. Every other week it's like throwing darts. Navin nailed it last week when he said the Quinton M.F. Carter pick might be the worst of the M.F. era. But who should it have been? Nobody stands out on a weekly basis. We might need to come to grips with the fact that this Sooners defense could be the worst of the Bobby Stoops era. I need to go back and look to see when I predicted I would start calling for Brent Venables job. It happens every year about this time. Be on the lookout for inspired performances by the D from now through the Big 12 Championship. Then prepare yourself for the inevitable pant-shitting on national television that will define what ever bowl the Sooners land in. All that said I guess I'll pick Quinton M.F. Carter here. I mean, I haven't watched much tape of A&M but they seem to be more run-heavy than any other team in the conference. That means Q can help in the box and lay the lumber. Possibly. Hell I don't know. Quinton M.F. Carter is my defensive player of the game dammit.
The Score
I'm going to say the Sooners struggle to score points but they do halfway decent and A&M hits on some big plays early. I of course like the Sooners.
OU 28, A&M 14
Well today the big question is, "Can the Sooners put together a complete game on the road or will they look like assholes again?" On paper, this one presents a tremendous opportunity to do the former. A&M sucks but they are a more notable name than, say, Texas Tech, Baylor, K-State et al. A&M of course is the home of the 12th man even though that means less than ever. So, while A&M sucks, their cache' would make a victory look bigger than it is.
The worry is that A&M put in some guy named Tannehill last week, replacing the worst QB in the Big 12, Jerrod Johnson, and the Aggie offense showed signs of life. Of course the revived offense was playing a beleaguered Tech defense but still. Do they have newfound confidence? Will they play hard for Mike Sherman, the worst coaching hire in the last 5 years of the Big 12?
I'm scared shitless of early A&M offensive success combined with "Road Shaky" Lonnie. This is the worst case scenario. The best case scenario is seeing the Four-Headed Monster of DeMarco (now on a first name basis with Sooner Nation), Ryan Broyles, Kenny "Fuckin Shitbag" Stills and Roy Finch wreak havoc whilst the Sooner defense beats up on an unimaginative and stagnant Aggie offense.
I would love to favor the latter option and be able to say with no reservations that the Sooners will beat that ass today but I can't. The Sooners have shown that they are nothing less than shaky and completely untrustworthy away from Owen Field. So it goes.
On with the picks.
Offense
DeMarco is the leader of this team. He's the face of the franchise, the captain, Everybody's All American, etc. This Sooner team needs a statement win on the road, not for the national rankings so much as for their own psyche. DeMarco is the man who can put the team on his shoulders and deliver the goods. I can't even consider anyone else here.
Defense
Texas is the only game I've felt confident in my pick. Every other week it's like throwing darts. Navin nailed it last week when he said the Quinton M.F. Carter pick might be the worst of the M.F. era. But who should it have been? Nobody stands out on a weekly basis. We might need to come to grips with the fact that this Sooners defense could be the worst of the Bobby Stoops era. I need to go back and look to see when I predicted I would start calling for Brent Venables job. It happens every year about this time. Be on the lookout for inspired performances by the D from now through the Big 12 Championship. Then prepare yourself for the inevitable pant-shitting on national television that will define what ever bowl the Sooners land in. All that said I guess I'll pick Quinton M.F. Carter here. I mean, I haven't watched much tape of A&M but they seem to be more run-heavy than any other team in the conference. That means Q can help in the box and lay the lumber. Possibly. Hell I don't know. Quinton M.F. Carter is my defensive player of the game dammit.
The Score
I'm going to say the Sooners struggle to score points but they do halfway decent and A&M hits on some big plays early. I of course like the Sooners.
OU 28, A&M 14
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Colorado
I'll be honest, I'm having trouble getting my heart in this one. After beating us last week, Mizzou is shitting all over themselves in Nebraska right now. This basically confirms that the entire offseason was built around the theme, "Ruin Oklahoma's Season". Content with that result MU will likely proceed to lose 2-3 more games adding ammunition to the media's already loaded pistol that we aren't for real. In all fairness, we aren't for real. Our defense is piss poor.
I want to say that we'll have revenge on our mind this week after losing last week and losing at Colorado a few years back. However, that's really a pipe dream. I imagine us coming out feeling entitled and going through the motions. I don't think we will pound these guys as much as I would like that. With the collective "vibe" here at the Steamroller officially being set on disgust, I move on to the picks.
Offense
I don't really know who to pick here, but I'm certainly not going with Lonnie. I'm beginning to have a strong distaste for the lad who appears physically incapable of playing in the clutch or anytime on the road. I hope for his sake that after he graduates he's never faced with needing to pray a busload of children off of an icy cliff because that's a certain tragedy and will likely bring in to question his ability to spread the gospel. I'm rambling, but suffice it to say that I'm fed up with him and the ministry plans only add to my general dislike for him. In that light, I am going to go with Roy Finch this week. I think he gets a serious taste of the football this week and I think he shines under the home lights.
Defense
If I was unsure on the offensive side of the ball who to pick, I'm fucking baffled here. Nobody seems to step up, and Quinton Carter is quickly flying up to the top of most egregious MF award winners in our history. He's solid, but he hasn't dropped my jaw in some time. Although, on this defense solid basically is as good as it gets so maybe he's the right choice. What the hell, I'm going with him this week. Just decided it in this last sentence. I like him for a pick and shitload of tackles.
I hate the multigenerational Hawkins attack as it beat us in embarrassing fashion the last time we met. I think they'll throw the playbook at us. But I imagine the talent discrepancy is too much for them to overcome on the road. I think we unimpressively win this at home. Like Mitch, I'm not confident and I think if it were in Boulder I'd be more worried. I think we do enough to win, Sooners take it 27-17.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
No Longer on Suicide Watch, Ready for Colorado
I don't have what it takes to revisit what happened in Columbia last week. Two reasons for this. First, I drank myself to bolivian and details are mercifully sketchy. Two, I don't watch game tape of losses. Let's just forget it and move on to what might be the most poorly attended home game in the Bob Stoops era (It's trick-or-treat night and the game won't be over until midnight). I'm hoping that at the very least some sluttily dressed co-eds decide to show for some pregame revelry.
I don't care if there are only 10 people there though, the Sooners better have a fire lit under their collective asses. Redemption is the only cure for yet another mistake-riddled offensive effort and an adjustmentless (pretty sure I just made this up) defensive gameplan on national television. Why do we use the national stage to play like assholes (Big 12 Championship games excepted)?
I'm scared nonetheless. Colorado is like a cornered and wounded dog. Perhaps more lapdog than Pit Bull but still. You never know what a team with a coach on the hotseat and nothing to lose is capable of. The good news is, of course, the game is in Norman. Also, Coach Dan Hawkins's son Cody is at QB. He sucks (even if he led the Buffs to victory in Boulder a few years back). These are advantages that cannot be overstated.
The Picks
Offense
I don't necessarily like a Lonnie pick here but I'm going to do it anyway. He needs to get back on track and fast. As we said at the beginning of the season, he's the key to the whole thing. Lots of things can happen around the country and the Sooners need a Lonnie that's right in the head the rest of the way. If I had to pick somewhere other than Lonnie I'd say Roy Finch only because I'm fully plugged in to that hype machine.
Defense
I was going to say I hope it's someone from the secondary but I think it's more important for someone from the line to, you know, maybe touch the quarterback this week. I'll say Jeremy Beal then because he's the only real choice here. He needs to set the tone and be the leader of that unit.
The Score
I'm just not real confident about this one. Still, I don't see how Colorado can hold our offense down at home (of course I didn't think we could shit ourselves to the extent we did last week either). Who knows what kind of defensive effort there will be. These guys should be so much better than the 80th ranked defense in the country. It makes no sense to me. Still, that's what they are. I imagine the coaching staff hung out in the shoulder pads of that whole group this week though and maybe they'll be eager to prove they aren't terrible. Of course I'm the biggest homer ever so I'm assuming the best in all cases.
OU 35 Colorado 17
I don't care if there are only 10 people there though, the Sooners better have a fire lit under their collective asses. Redemption is the only cure for yet another mistake-riddled offensive effort and an adjustmentless (pretty sure I just made this up) defensive gameplan on national television. Why do we use the national stage to play like assholes (Big 12 Championship games excepted)?
I'm scared nonetheless. Colorado is like a cornered and wounded dog. Perhaps more lapdog than Pit Bull but still. You never know what a team with a coach on the hotseat and nothing to lose is capable of. The good news is, of course, the game is in Norman. Also, Coach Dan Hawkins's son Cody is at QB. He sucks (even if he led the Buffs to victory in Boulder a few years back). These are advantages that cannot be overstated.
The Picks
Offense
I don't necessarily like a Lonnie pick here but I'm going to do it anyway. He needs to get back on track and fast. As we said at the beginning of the season, he's the key to the whole thing. Lots of things can happen around the country and the Sooners need a Lonnie that's right in the head the rest of the way. If I had to pick somewhere other than Lonnie I'd say Roy Finch only because I'm fully plugged in to that hype machine.
Defense
I was going to say I hope it's someone from the secondary but I think it's more important for someone from the line to, you know, maybe touch the quarterback this week. I'll say Jeremy Beal then because he's the only real choice here. He needs to set the tone and be the leader of that unit.
The Score
I'm just not real confident about this one. Still, I don't see how Colorado can hold our offense down at home (of course I didn't think we could shit ourselves to the extent we did last week either). Who knows what kind of defensive effort there will be. These guys should be so much better than the 80th ranked defense in the country. It makes no sense to me. Still, that's what they are. I imagine the coaching staff hung out in the shoulder pads of that whole group this week though and maybe they'll be eager to prove they aren't terrible. Of course I'm the biggest homer ever so I'm assuming the best in all cases.
OU 35 Colorado 17
Digging Through the Shit We Just Stepped In
Well, last week fucking sucked. As much as I had a bad feeling about it, I didn't want that feeling to be founded. It all but ends our national championship hopes and really changes the feel for a season that was beginning to have a pretty good one. Credit Missouri, they played a good game and didn't make many mistakes. Certainly not as many as we did in continuing our trend of the last few years and putting our worst foot forward on the biggest stage. Big Game Bob is about as current as a Mondale Ferraro campaign bumpersticker. I don't know that I can think of anyone who so solidly earned a nickname only to do a complete 180 in their career. Anyway, we've more or less discussed this before it just gets pretty old. I'm not sure what is tougher, having expectations that are never lived up to or having no expectations and exceeding them. I guess being a contender is the outwardly better way to go and probably what I would ultimately pick. Attending OU during the John Blake era makes it hard to want the alternative. However, as a Royals fan I almost get a sick pleasure out of expecting to lose, it's the fantasy of someday being relevant and it being that much sweeter. I guess the thing that bothers me the most is that I know we have the talent to win these games (OU I mean) and yet I expect to lose, or at the very least escape. I could run around this circle all day, but I'll cut it off here.
As for the game itself, we picked the worst possible week (and least survivable game) to play our worst game of the season. We knew we would get their best shot and while we weathered the early storm, we played to our season form and did absolutely nothing defensively in the fourth quarter. The fact that we were even in the game (leading in fact!!) after the turnovers, drops, missed field goals etc. is testament to the talent discrepancy between our teams. We absolutely should have won...but we didn't. The good news is this game reminds me a of a very specific game between the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers in 1997. Denver was good that year, damn good in fact and so were the Steelers. However, in the general public's mind there was a general consensus that Denver was superior (I'm a huge Broncos fan). Denver played a road game late in the season with home field advantage on the line in Pittsburgh. Denver played generally terribly that game. There were key drops on 3rd downs, turnovers and all sorts of uncharacteristic shit that they did in the game and ended up losing. I knew, just knew, they were better than the Steelers. So later that season in the playoffs, Denver went back to Pittsburgh with the AFC championship on the line. I had absolutely no doubt they were going to win that game. I couldn't fathom another mistake riddled performance like I'd seen earlier in the season. Of course Denver went on to win that game and the Super Bowl.
I'm not saying that OU is 1998 Denver, or even the league relative equivalent of this year. I just have that same feeling and have had all week. The feeling that if we were to meet them down the road we would beat them. I guess the point of this long digression is that I hope Missouri wins out, and we do too because I'd love to get a chance to stomp their nuts in the Big 12 title game and I think that is exactly what would happen.
As for Missouri, good for them that they finally won a big one, as for all of the rampant shit talking, it's telling that the biggest win in their program history came in their 7th game of the year (I had to get a dig in, fuckers).
One final positive note, how about Roy Finch? I now see why the coaches couldn't wait to get him back. While not our most consistent or best back by any stretch, he's instantly the most electrifying and biggest home run threat. That's no small feat when your putting him up against Murray. The future may not be this season for OU, but these young guys that are playing now certainly make it look promising. Now if we could just get the middle of our D-Line fixed.
I'll be back this afternoon for a look at Colorado, I just wanted to get this up before we move on.
As for the game itself, we picked the worst possible week (and least survivable game) to play our worst game of the season. We knew we would get their best shot and while we weathered the early storm, we played to our season form and did absolutely nothing defensively in the fourth quarter. The fact that we were even in the game (leading in fact!!) after the turnovers, drops, missed field goals etc. is testament to the talent discrepancy between our teams. We absolutely should have won...but we didn't. The good news is this game reminds me a of a very specific game between the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers in 1997. Denver was good that year, damn good in fact and so were the Steelers. However, in the general public's mind there was a general consensus that Denver was superior (I'm a huge Broncos fan). Denver played a road game late in the season with home field advantage on the line in Pittsburgh. Denver played generally terribly that game. There were key drops on 3rd downs, turnovers and all sorts of uncharacteristic shit that they did in the game and ended up losing. I knew, just knew, they were better than the Steelers. So later that season in the playoffs, Denver went back to Pittsburgh with the AFC championship on the line. I had absolutely no doubt they were going to win that game. I couldn't fathom another mistake riddled performance like I'd seen earlier in the season. Of course Denver went on to win that game and the Super Bowl.
I'm not saying that OU is 1998 Denver, or even the league relative equivalent of this year. I just have that same feeling and have had all week. The feeling that if we were to meet them down the road we would beat them. I guess the point of this long digression is that I hope Missouri wins out, and we do too because I'd love to get a chance to stomp their nuts in the Big 12 title game and I think that is exactly what would happen.
As for Missouri, good for them that they finally won a big one, as for all of the rampant shit talking, it's telling that the biggest win in their program history came in their 7th game of the year (I had to get a dig in, fuckers).
One final positive note, how about Roy Finch? I now see why the coaches couldn't wait to get him back. While not our most consistent or best back by any stretch, he's instantly the most electrifying and biggest home run threat. That's no small feat when your putting him up against Murray. The future may not be this season for OU, but these young guys that are playing now certainly make it look promising. Now if we could just get the middle of our D-Line fixed.
I'll be back this afternoon for a look at Colorado, I just wanted to get this up before we move on.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Missouri
Well, here we go in Columbia tonight. I really have a bad feeling about this one and have had all week. I think this is our toughest game all season, more than Texas even strictly because it's on the road. Also, even though Cincy might as well have been a road game, technically that was a neutral site making this our first true road game. If you caught Gameday this morning the crowd looks to be for real (that was the biggest gameday turnout I can remember) and a day of pouring fuel (in this case: beer) on the fire will only make it that much rowdier. I think that Lonnie will struggle, and I think we will make some mistakes in the hurry up that you can credit the crowd for. I hope we can survive, because I absolutely can't envision handing them a beat down like we have in recent years.
All of that said, everyone has been talking all week about Mizzou's defense being number 2 and the matchup of that and our offense. No one seems to be mentioning our defense versus their offense. I think our defense is rounding in to form, and I think that is what will allow us win this game. Gabbert has been good but streaky, if we can force a couple of turnovers our offense will build on that momentum and that's the way we will get our points and keep them off of the field. I think we win today, because I always do, but I think we will struggle tremendously to pull this out. On to the picks...
Offense
I think today, as I've said roughly 1000 times, Lonnie will struggle. I see him turning the ball over at least once and for that reason I can't go with him (with that in mind, if he proves me wrong and takes over, then we win this one hands down). I think DeMarco has been talked about a lot this week, and I think he is the key to victory. I think the mix up of Mossis "my dog" Madu and Roy Finch takes a little pressure off DeMarco and as a result I think he adds to his TD record and carries us. I like DeMarco to break 100 on the ground and to make a few big catches out of the backfield. In doing so I think he emerges in the national spotlight some.
Defense
This is a huge road game, the sort of game that makes new stars (see: Tony Jefferson) and cements a players legacy. In that vein, I think it takes a veteran out there to really take over, block out all of the crowd and emotion, and dominate. I'm going with Travis "Old Steady" Lewis to have a big night. I think he quietly makes a dozen tackles, and not so quietly forces at least one turnover. He's ready, he's our most consistent defender, and he will step up.
I can't quit thinking back to the last time we went up to Mizzou, a game I attended with Mitchy, and how lucky we were to get out of there with a win. That team had Brad Smith who essentially owned us. They don't have a singular weapon like that now, but they are balanced, and for the first time in my memory they have a defense that seems half interested in stopping people. Those factors compounded with what I predict will be an absolutely insane crowd make this game a huge trap for us. There has been little of Mizzou's typical moronic smack talking, so I'm not sure we have the fire under us that we should (really hope I'm wrong there). However, as I said before, I think our defense carries us in this one and we win a low scoring affair late 17-14. I'm shitting bricks, but I have faith in our guys to step up in this one and shut rotten fuckfaces like Stewart Mandel and Desmond Howard (Corso kiss of death not withstanding) up. Let's destroy these shit fucks.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.
All of that said, everyone has been talking all week about Mizzou's defense being number 2 and the matchup of that and our offense. No one seems to be mentioning our defense versus their offense. I think our defense is rounding in to form, and I think that is what will allow us win this game. Gabbert has been good but streaky, if we can force a couple of turnovers our offense will build on that momentum and that's the way we will get our points and keep them off of the field. I think we win today, because I always do, but I think we will struggle tremendously to pull this out. On to the picks...
Offense
I think today, as I've said roughly 1000 times, Lonnie will struggle. I see him turning the ball over at least once and for that reason I can't go with him (with that in mind, if he proves me wrong and takes over, then we win this one hands down). I think DeMarco has been talked about a lot this week, and I think he is the key to victory. I think the mix up of Mossis "my dog" Madu and Roy Finch takes a little pressure off DeMarco and as a result I think he adds to his TD record and carries us. I like DeMarco to break 100 on the ground and to make a few big catches out of the backfield. In doing so I think he emerges in the national spotlight some.
Defense
This is a huge road game, the sort of game that makes new stars (see: Tony Jefferson) and cements a players legacy. In that vein, I think it takes a veteran out there to really take over, block out all of the crowd and emotion, and dominate. I'm going with Travis "Old Steady" Lewis to have a big night. I think he quietly makes a dozen tackles, and not so quietly forces at least one turnover. He's ready, he's our most consistent defender, and he will step up.
I can't quit thinking back to the last time we went up to Mizzou, a game I attended with Mitchy, and how lucky we were to get out of there with a win. That team had Brad Smith who essentially owned us. They don't have a singular weapon like that now, but they are balanced, and for the first time in my memory they have a defense that seems half interested in stopping people. Those factors compounded with what I predict will be an absolutely insane crowd make this game a huge trap for us. There has been little of Mizzou's typical moronic smack talking, so I'm not sure we have the fire under us that we should (really hope I'm wrong there). However, as I said before, I think our defense carries us in this one and we win a low scoring affair late 17-14. I'm shitting bricks, but I have faith in our guys to step up in this one and shut rotten fuckfaces like Stewart Mandel and Desmond Howard (Corso kiss of death not withstanding) up. Let's destroy these shit fucks.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.
OU vs. The Mizz
I'll spare you the drama. I feel confident about this one. Not in a PlayStation domination sense but OU is the better squad. They have been tested both by the road and the competition. So yes, Mizzou is good, Columbia will be tough. But I believe Mizzou has more pressure on them. Or, they will be affected more easily by it. This will, in turn, lead to mistakes (dba turnovers). And turnovers, as any mouthbreather can attest, is the difference in games like this.
I do worry that the confidence Mizzou has in their defense could work in their favor if they have success early and they become buoyed by the crowd. The Mizzou offense could have some success against the OU defense. In fact, I'm certain they will.
Let's be real though. The OU offense is dynamic. I don't care how good Mizzou's defense is (and remember they have played NO ONE) they can't cover everyone on every play. Maybe OU won't run roughshod up and down the field all night but they will have their own share of success.
The question for OU's defense is whether or not they can get in Blaine Gabbert's head. If the D can't hit him can they at least make him rush his throws? It's not like Mizzou's offense is revolutionary. It isn't a one-off a la Air Force. Stopping Mizzou will come down to discipline in the secondary. Fortunately, the 2010 Sooner D seems to be pretty damn disciplined.
This game will be a bit of a shootout but OU is the better team across the board. I can't envision the Sooners getting rattled to the degree that the game gets out of reach. As the clock winds down and the pressure ratchets up, OU will show the value of having been there done that. Plus, the road team has the advantage of being afforded the "nothing to lose" mentality. So tell me in all seriousness how Mizzou wins?
The Picks
Offense
Losing DeJuan Miller for the season sucks. He was really coming into his own as a valuable possession receiver. Cameron Kenney will be replacing him and I'd love to tell you that Sooner Nation has confidence in him but I can't. This is a pretty big dropoff. Rather than Kenney stepping up (which is possible and would be awesome) I see Kenny "Fucking Shitbag" Stills stepping up. So I'm picking him for my offensive player. I would pick DeMarco Murray (and I'm sure he'll be quite deserving) but that's quickly becoming the easy way out.
Defense
I'm going with budding superstar and current badass, Tony Jefferson. All season long he's been beyond solid but this week he'll be in the running for Big 12 Player of the Week. He's going to be all over the place feasting on the spread offense. I'm feeling very good about this.
The Score
It's going to be close. There's going to be a lot of Offense. But in the end the Sooners come through.
OU 35 Mizzou 31
I do worry that the confidence Mizzou has in their defense could work in their favor if they have success early and they become buoyed by the crowd. The Mizzou offense could have some success against the OU defense. In fact, I'm certain they will.
Let's be real though. The OU offense is dynamic. I don't care how good Mizzou's defense is (and remember they have played NO ONE) they can't cover everyone on every play. Maybe OU won't run roughshod up and down the field all night but they will have their own share of success.
The question for OU's defense is whether or not they can get in Blaine Gabbert's head. If the D can't hit him can they at least make him rush his throws? It's not like Mizzou's offense is revolutionary. It isn't a one-off a la Air Force. Stopping Mizzou will come down to discipline in the secondary. Fortunately, the 2010 Sooner D seems to be pretty damn disciplined.
This game will be a bit of a shootout but OU is the better team across the board. I can't envision the Sooners getting rattled to the degree that the game gets out of reach. As the clock winds down and the pressure ratchets up, OU will show the value of having been there done that. Plus, the road team has the advantage of being afforded the "nothing to lose" mentality. So tell me in all seriousness how Mizzou wins?
The Picks
Offense
Losing DeJuan Miller for the season sucks. He was really coming into his own as a valuable possession receiver. Cameron Kenney will be replacing him and I'd love to tell you that Sooner Nation has confidence in him but I can't. This is a pretty big dropoff. Rather than Kenney stepping up (which is possible and would be awesome) I see Kenny "Fucking Shitbag" Stills stepping up. So I'm picking him for my offensive player. I would pick DeMarco Murray (and I'm sure he'll be quite deserving) but that's quickly becoming the easy way out.
Defense
I'm going with budding superstar and current badass, Tony Jefferson. All season long he's been beyond solid but this week he'll be in the running for Big 12 Player of the Week. He's going to be all over the place feasting on the spread offense. I'm feeling very good about this.
The Score
It's going to be close. There's going to be a lot of Offense. But in the end the Sooners come through.
OU 35 Mizzou 31
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
OU - ISU Hangover/Recap
Well, well, well, if it isn't our old friend Doomsday McGoo. I couldn't be more happy to see you. All is right in the universe.
The battle with Mizzou is going to be a huge test, no doubt. The Tigers bandwagon will be taking on new riders all week and this is a service to OU. I love how this is shaping up. The Sooners are healthy, confidence is sky high and everyone knows what is at stake. We'll hear nothing other than glowing reports of high energy, competitive practices and that the boys are ready to compete in a great way.
But before we set our sights on Saturday let's briefly recap the clinic that left Iowa State suckling hind teat.
Congrats to DeMarco Murray for passing Steve Owens for the all-time touchdown record. That is amazing. Murray is in rarefied air and, maybe it's just me, it seems like he's done all this fairly quietly. You'll get no argument from me that he's a badass. He broke a 40 year old record, overcame an injury plagued career and still has half a season left to add to his legacy. But if you polled Sooner fans would DeMarco make the list of top 5 OU running backs? Would people put him ahead of Billy Sims, Steve Owens, Joe Washington, AD, Greg Pruitt, BillyVessels, etc? He belongs somewhere in that group.
What of the gaudy numbers put up by Lonnie and Ryan Broyles? Lonnie 30-34 for 334 and half of those balls going Broyles's way for 182. Good grief. Iowa State sucks okay. But any Sooner fan should be quite pleased with anything that might give Lonnie as much confidence as possible. And what can you say about Broyles save that he's a badass.The ball he caught in traffic and the diving touchdown reception were both world class.
Roy Finch has something special. It's hard to compare him to anyone after a handful of carries but if I had to say anyone it would be Noel Devine. Finch is short and built like a brick shithouse. Lean more than a bowling ball. He has jets and gets to the second layer quickly. Then he's shifty and can finish with power. Considering he's been out 8 weeks with a foot injury he performed quite ably. Needless to say the future is bright.
Now on to Mizzou.
The battle with Mizzou is going to be a huge test, no doubt. The Tigers bandwagon will be taking on new riders all week and this is a service to OU. I love how this is shaping up. The Sooners are healthy, confidence is sky high and everyone knows what is at stake. We'll hear nothing other than glowing reports of high energy, competitive practices and that the boys are ready to compete in a great way.
But before we set our sights on Saturday let's briefly recap the clinic that left Iowa State suckling hind teat.
Congrats to DeMarco Murray for passing Steve Owens for the all-time touchdown record. That is amazing. Murray is in rarefied air and, maybe it's just me, it seems like he's done all this fairly quietly. You'll get no argument from me that he's a badass. He broke a 40 year old record, overcame an injury plagued career and still has half a season left to add to his legacy. But if you polled Sooner fans would DeMarco make the list of top 5 OU running backs? Would people put him ahead of Billy Sims, Steve Owens, Joe Washington, AD, Greg Pruitt, BillyVessels, etc? He belongs somewhere in that group.
What of the gaudy numbers put up by Lonnie and Ryan Broyles? Lonnie 30-34 for 334 and half of those balls going Broyles's way for 182. Good grief. Iowa State sucks okay. But any Sooner fan should be quite pleased with anything that might give Lonnie as much confidence as possible. And what can you say about Broyles save that he's a badass.The ball he caught in traffic and the diving touchdown reception were both world class.
Roy Finch has something special. It's hard to compare him to anyone after a handful of carries but if I had to say anyone it would be Noel Devine. Finch is short and built like a brick shithouse. Lean more than a bowling ball. He has jets and gets to the second layer quickly. Then he's shifty and can finish with power. Considering he's been out 8 weeks with a foot injury he performed quite ably. Needless to say the future is bright.
Now on to Mizzou.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Navin Absent Pre-ISU: Shame of the City
I'm not sure what city I've referred to there, but if you get the loose (and obscure) movie reference there, then I guess it would be LA. I'm sheepishly showing my face here again after neglecting to post a pregame ISU breakdown. However, if the results are any indication I may never do one again. We absolutely destroyed ISU. I didn't get to see the game, solidifying speculative reports that I am indeed a shitty fan. I'm not sure how much it meant to dismantle ISU, but it was certainly nice to run away with one that we should have, rather than let them hang around all afternoon. Evidently the debut of Roy Finch was pretty promising, and the big 3 on offense came to play in what seems as though it was their most collectively complete performance this season. Now that I've served you a tall glass of ice cold crimson kool-aid, let me drop a brown in it.
Mizzou will be an extremely tough crowd. Being a native of the Show-Me state I'm familiar with the fan-base...generally a pretty fair weather crowd. That said, when the weather is good they come out strong and will be extremely loud and extremely hostile. As I predicted last week, this looks to be our toughest test yet. With Mizzou at #11 in the BCS currently and with ESPN bringing GameDay to Columbia for the first time this game is poised to derail our run at a conference and (dare I say) national title. Hopefully our defense has truly tightened things up as it appears they did last Saturday. If not, I don't think we win this game. We will absolutely struggle to score points, Lonnie will turn the ball over, and running the ball will be extremely difficult. Their collective hair will be on fire, especially if we are punting early. I've got a really bad feeling about this one. I'm not saying I think we can't win, or that we'll lose, but it's going to be a very different game than last week. Stakes are extremely high, we're wearing that #1 bullseye and Mizzou is much better defensively than the teams we destroyed in 2007 and 2008. More to come this week, but I hope we spent part of our off-week preparing for these guys. We'll need everything we can get.
Doomsday McGoo: The Return.
Mizzou will be an extremely tough crowd. Being a native of the Show-Me state I'm familiar with the fan-base...generally a pretty fair weather crowd. That said, when the weather is good they come out strong and will be extremely loud and extremely hostile. As I predicted last week, this looks to be our toughest test yet. With Mizzou at #11 in the BCS currently and with ESPN bringing GameDay to Columbia for the first time this game is poised to derail our run at a conference and (dare I say) national title. Hopefully our defense has truly tightened things up as it appears they did last Saturday. If not, I don't think we win this game. We will absolutely struggle to score points, Lonnie will turn the ball over, and running the ball will be extremely difficult. Their collective hair will be on fire, especially if we are punting early. I've got a really bad feeling about this one. I'm not saying I think we can't win, or that we'll lose, but it's going to be a very different game than last week. Stakes are extremely high, we're wearing that #1 bullseye and Mizzou is much better defensively than the teams we destroyed in 2007 and 2008. More to come this week, but I hope we spent part of our off-week preparing for these guys. We'll need everything we can get.
Doomsday McGoo: The Return.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
OU - Iowa State
I couldn't give two craps about this game. Iowa State blows. Ames is probably the least attractive destination in the Big 12. I would never travel to see a game there.
I suppose there are a couple intriguing story lines. Much ballyhooed RB Roy Finch will be playing today. Someone on the team (too lazy to try to find it) said that his moves are Reggie Bush-esque. That sound you heard was the button flying off the front of my pants. A new weapon for the offense? Yes please.
The other thing we need to see is some attitude. The boys are fresh off a bye and huge win. They are in control of their own destiny. There is no excuse for not being "up" for this game. Even if it is Iowa State.
One last note on the Cyclones. When I went to the Big 12 basketball tournament a couple of years ago I had the misfortune of seeing the ISU cheer squad up close. Holy smokes was that a roster of fug. I couldn't believe a Division 1 program from a premier conference could have so little "talent".
On with the picks.
Offense
I'm riding the DeMarco train. I am a believer. He's got to be feeling confident after the texas game and now with the young pup Finch pushing him, I see him going off again today. I certainly am enamored with the idea anyways. I'm kind of feeling a kick return also.
Defense
I don't have a strong feeling on anyone here. I'll go with Travis "Old Steady" Lewis. He'll get his usual tackle numbers but perhaps he gets an INT or a fumble recovery.
Conclusion
The Sooners need to play with some fire and show they understand where they are on the college football landscape (contending for the GD title). They need to throttle these losers. And I believe they will. It's TCB Saturday for the Sooners.
OU 52, ISU 17
I suppose there are a couple intriguing story lines. Much ballyhooed RB Roy Finch will be playing today. Someone on the team (too lazy to try to find it) said that his moves are Reggie Bush-esque. That sound you heard was the button flying off the front of my pants. A new weapon for the offense? Yes please.
The other thing we need to see is some attitude. The boys are fresh off a bye and huge win. They are in control of their own destiny. There is no excuse for not being "up" for this game. Even if it is Iowa State.
One last note on the Cyclones. When I went to the Big 12 basketball tournament a couple of years ago I had the misfortune of seeing the ISU cheer squad up close. Holy smokes was that a roster of fug. I couldn't believe a Division 1 program from a premier conference could have so little "talent".
On with the picks.
Offense
I'm riding the DeMarco train. I am a believer. He's got to be feeling confident after the texas game and now with the young pup Finch pushing him, I see him going off again today. I certainly am enamored with the idea anyways. I'm kind of feeling a kick return also.
Defense
I don't have a strong feeling on anyone here. I'll go with Travis "Old Steady" Lewis. He'll get his usual tackle numbers but perhaps he gets an INT or a fumble recovery.
Conclusion
The Sooners need to play with some fire and show they understand where they are on the college football landscape (contending for the GD title). They need to throttle these losers. And I believe they will. It's TCB Saturday for the Sooners.
OU 52, ISU 17
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Schedule Glance
Before I get too worked up for this ISU game on Saturday, I thought I'd do a brief (see: half-assed) look ahead at what we have left on the schedule and try to identify which games I think will be our toughest.
We start the second half of the schedule against ISU at home. I think we may come out a tad rusty but I think we have enough to beat these guys even with a little rust. They've shown they can score some points which doesn't necessarily bode well in light of our wont to give up points, but I'm really hoping that our defense starts to solidify this week and we can win one where the fan base's collective assholes might be relaxed enough to let out a popcorn fart in the fourth quarter. I think that Colorado and Tech are very winnable seeing as they are at home (and they aren't that good). Further, I think we'll win down in A&M this year as well. Traditionally a tough place to get a win, Kyle Field has not been the tough out it used to be in recent years.
The stumbling blocks I see are Mizzou first and foremost. For whatever reason these guys act like beating us is the end goal for every football team at any level. Plus, we've had struggles winning at their place in the past (read: Chris Chester fake field goal TD catch) when the disparity in talent was greater than it is now. Plus, they've been left with a pretty shitty taste in their mouth as we've dismantled them at our place and in the Big 12 game when Chase "fatty" Daniels led the best Mizzou team in decades against us. We haven't even beaten ISU yet and this one scares me. Doomsday McGoo is already fully geared for this one.
I think that the Baylor and OSU games are also scary. Baylor is quite a bit better than they usually are and possess precisely the type of QB we generally can't stop. Not looking forward to that one at all from a game standpoint. However, coming in from the good mojo network, I recently learned I'll be sitting down with my co-author (presumably over many beers) to watch this one together. That alone has me anticipating this game more than any other at this point. Finally, OSU is always tough, they always are harder to play us than we are them, it's at their place, they have some talent etc. etc. I never feel great about that game, but if they remain unbeaten until we play them (unlikely) it will be on in Stoolwater and we will have to weather a serious storm.
All in all, we've got a pretty tough road ahead despite everyone in the media assuming we're cake walking to the Big 12 game. It's not an easy road by any stretch and 4 of the 7 are on the road where we haven't been great lately. I hope the young guys are figuring it out and we get the weak points buffed out in anticipation of the stretch run. People are talking about us having played the toughest schedule in country of the remaining unbeaten teams up to now, I think it's a fair argument. In that vein, I can only imagine the clamoring that is already starting about how we're getting screwed and should be ranked higher etc. Bottom line, is we've got a long way to go and so does everyone else. We are (at least) three very tough games and four games that aren't easy away from even getting a shot at the conference title. Let's whip ISU this weekend and then get ready for a tough trip to Columbia.
More about ISU before the game this weekend.
We start the second half of the schedule against ISU at home. I think we may come out a tad rusty but I think we have enough to beat these guys even with a little rust. They've shown they can score some points which doesn't necessarily bode well in light of our wont to give up points, but I'm really hoping that our defense starts to solidify this week and we can win one where the fan base's collective assholes might be relaxed enough to let out a popcorn fart in the fourth quarter. I think that Colorado and Tech are very winnable seeing as they are at home (and they aren't that good). Further, I think we'll win down in A&M this year as well. Traditionally a tough place to get a win, Kyle Field has not been the tough out it used to be in recent years.
The stumbling blocks I see are Mizzou first and foremost. For whatever reason these guys act like beating us is the end goal for every football team at any level. Plus, we've had struggles winning at their place in the past (read: Chris Chester fake field goal TD catch) when the disparity in talent was greater than it is now. Plus, they've been left with a pretty shitty taste in their mouth as we've dismantled them at our place and in the Big 12 game when Chase "fatty" Daniels led the best Mizzou team in decades against us. We haven't even beaten ISU yet and this one scares me. Doomsday McGoo is already fully geared for this one.
I think that the Baylor and OSU games are also scary. Baylor is quite a bit better than they usually are and possess precisely the type of QB we generally can't stop. Not looking forward to that one at all from a game standpoint. However, coming in from the good mojo network, I recently learned I'll be sitting down with my co-author (presumably over many beers) to watch this one together. That alone has me anticipating this game more than any other at this point. Finally, OSU is always tough, they always are harder to play us than we are them, it's at their place, they have some talent etc. etc. I never feel great about that game, but if they remain unbeaten until we play them (unlikely) it will be on in Stoolwater and we will have to weather a serious storm.
All in all, we've got a pretty tough road ahead despite everyone in the media assuming we're cake walking to the Big 12 game. It's not an easy road by any stretch and 4 of the 7 are on the road where we haven't been great lately. I hope the young guys are figuring it out and we get the weak points buffed out in anticipation of the stretch run. People are talking about us having played the toughest schedule in country of the remaining unbeaten teams up to now, I think it's a fair argument. In that vein, I can only imagine the clamoring that is already starting about how we're getting screwed and should be ranked higher etc. Bottom line, is we've got a long way to go and so does everyone else. We are (at least) three very tough games and four games that aren't easy away from even getting a shot at the conference title. Let's whip ISU this weekend and then get ready for a tough trip to Columbia.
More about ISU before the game this weekend.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
The OU-texas Post-Coital Embrace
Now let's not start sucking each others popsicle's just yet. The toppling of texas was a fine win. Sure, the Sooners are 5-0 and it's true they might have their most difficult games already behind them. It's also true that championship teams (there's that word) must also avoid key injuries and have its fair share of luck. We must remember the season is far from over, there's lots that can happen.
However, come October 16th, the next time the Sooners take the field, the college football world will have been shaken up. I don't mean to pretend to be Nostradamus, that's just the way things work. The Sooners play host to a perpetually hapless Iowa State team at night at Owen Field and, afterward, the Sooners will be undefeated and still in control of their own destiny. The Sooners will be a bona fide contender (!).
How about that Sooner Magic? Thank goodness it has reared its glorious head because the Sooners seem to be hell bent on giving games away. The fake kick? I wouldn't make that call on the PlayStation. What about the inability to execute a time-wasting, game clinching drive? Hell, how about a time-wasting first down or two? I won't give Lonnie too much grief for the fumble because he was trying to make a play but damn, every Sooner player, coach and fan nearly took a simultaneous shit it when that ball came loose. The 2010 Sooners are nothing if not dramatic.
On to the Game Balls/Helmet Stickers/Cheers/Cups-on-the-Butt/Post-Coital Embrace etc.
To DeMarco Murray for once again carrying the load and for getting himself penciled in for my Offensive POG pick for the Big 12 Championship (may the Sooners be so fortunate to go) and whatever bowl game we play. I did not realize how close DeMarco was to becoming OU's all-time touchdown's leader. Pretty amazing and rarified air. I have a feeling DeMarco will go down as one of the most underrated Sooners of all time. But that's another post.
To DeJuan Miller. Each week he has two or three grabs that always seem to move the chains, change the momentum or come at key times. Saturday was his best yet. He's realizing his potential. I'm proud of him and I'm not sure why. I know nothing about him beyond his clutch catches and uniform number. Cameron Kenney we hardly knew ye.
To Jeremy Beal. Five tackles, two sacks and forced fumble. Also, he made Navin and I infinitely (okay, somewhat) less douchey by validating our Defensive POG picks and my defensive breakdown "piece".
To James Winchester for recovering the Aaron Williams muff (snicker) and providing the obligatory Sooner player "upside-down hookem" (see also Lehman, Teddy and Jones, Kejuan et al).
To Aaron Williams for muffing the punt.
To Mack Brown for always bringing unintentional comedy to an otherwise tense, violent affair. I can't wait for the time texas is flagged for a blatant hold and Mack bursts a vessel in his forehead. It will be glorious.
Enjoy the off week.
However, come October 16th, the next time the Sooners take the field, the college football world will have been shaken up. I don't mean to pretend to be Nostradamus, that's just the way things work. The Sooners play host to a perpetually hapless Iowa State team at night at Owen Field and, afterward, the Sooners will be undefeated and still in control of their own destiny. The Sooners will be a bona fide contender (!).
How about that Sooner Magic? Thank goodness it has reared its glorious head because the Sooners seem to be hell bent on giving games away. The fake kick? I wouldn't make that call on the PlayStation. What about the inability to execute a time-wasting, game clinching drive? Hell, how about a time-wasting first down or two? I won't give Lonnie too much grief for the fumble because he was trying to make a play but damn, every Sooner player, coach and fan nearly took a simultaneous shit it when that ball came loose. The 2010 Sooners are nothing if not dramatic.
On to the Game Balls/Helmet Stickers/Cheers/Cups-on-the-Butt/Post-Coital Embrace etc.
To DeMarco Murray for once again carrying the load and for getting himself penciled in for my Offensive POG pick for the Big 12 Championship (may the Sooners be so fortunate to go) and whatever bowl game we play. I did not realize how close DeMarco was to becoming OU's all-time touchdown's leader. Pretty amazing and rarified air. I have a feeling DeMarco will go down as one of the most underrated Sooners of all time. But that's another post.
To DeJuan Miller. Each week he has two or three grabs that always seem to move the chains, change the momentum or come at key times. Saturday was his best yet. He's realizing his potential. I'm proud of him and I'm not sure why. I know nothing about him beyond his clutch catches and uniform number. Cameron Kenney we hardly knew ye.
To Jeremy Beal. Five tackles, two sacks and forced fumble. Also, he made Navin and I infinitely (okay, somewhat) less douchey by validating our Defensive POG picks and my defensive breakdown "piece".
To James Winchester for recovering the Aaron Williams muff (snicker) and providing the obligatory Sooner player "upside-down hookem" (see also Lehman, Teddy and Jones, Kejuan et al).
To Aaron Williams for muffing the punt.
To Mack Brown for always bringing unintentional comedy to an otherwise tense, violent affair. I can't wait for the time texas is flagged for a blatant hold and Mack bursts a vessel in his forehead. It will be glorious.
Enjoy the off week.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
OU - Texas
It's hard to believe we're already here. I've been to this game in person exactly one time. It was the same 1996 contest that Navin waxed so poetically about in his post. For some reason when I enrolled at OU the athletic office sold me a seat to the game right there on the spot. I found myself on the 50 yard line about two rows up and behind the texas bench. When James Allen won the game in overtime my euphoria was matched only by the girth of my prodigious boner (I'm a steed). As I was leaving the Cotton Bowl I met up with some Sig Ep bretheren and we proceeded to heckle relentlessly in the faces of every texas fan we came across. To the victors go the spoils.
Nowadays I rarely go down to Dallas as I've come to realize I can get drunk in front of my or a friends television and sleep in my own bed afterwards all whilst spending about $500 less. Don't hate, we're in a recession. So that's what I'll be doing today. Hanging out with about 30 other die hard Sooner fans at TFrye's house (allegedly the new King of New York).
If you want proof that any asshole can have both a blog, an opinion and not a clue, I offer you this. I also know very little about texas. You know why? I hate them. I have better shit to do with my time than cruise the Interwebs for stats, facts and figures related to those assholes. Trust me, there's plenty of texas people out there who will all too eagerly tell you how awesome they are. In short I have nothing solid to base my feelings of this contest. I stand wobbily on Crimson Colored Glasses.
Here's the deal. The Sooner offense has just enough weapons that Lonnie won't have to take too many chances. In theory this should mean less opportunities for interceptions. Also, knocking on wood here, the Sooners haven't fumbled the ball yet. Everybody knock on wood again please. So, even against a stout defense, I like our chances. Look for lots of short to intermediate throws from Lonnie. Look for lots of throws to the Trey Millards and Trent Ratteree's of the offense and especially look for creative ways to get the ball to Ryan Broyles so he can get the ball in open space. He'll expose the texas D for the terrible tacklers they are (based on no basis of fact, but I'm sure of it because they are texas and they fellate one another at practice).
What are the Sooners going to do on defense? I'm glad I asked. I think they do everything possible to make Garrett Gilbert beat them. I can't remember a texas Quarterback who struck less fear in the hearts of Sooner Nation. This is telling when you consider the storied history of effeminate texas quarterbacks. All day long it's base Nickel packages, stuffing the run and making Gilbert make plays. I think the Sooners get two, maybe three INT's.
Also, I'm truly going to be disappointed with anything less than Florida State type intensity out of the D. Really, it should easily exceed it. In a perfect world this lends itself to 60 minutes of flying to the football like your hair is on fire. The lack of same has been the bane of this Sooner D in every other game. They fix that today.
The Picks
Offense
The burden is heavy on Lonnie but he has the best weapon for either team. For that reason I'm picking the weapon, Ryan Broyles. I really think they try a lot of different things to get him the ball and he lays waste to the texas D. Broyles is a Norman native, he's no longer wide-eyed and he knows probably better than anyone what this game means. I now have a chub.
Defense
Navin, you really had me on the edge of my seat. I was pretty confident we would arrive at the same conclusion. Of course it happened. Look, I don't need to go through all the options because Navin did that quite ably. Jeremy Beal is going to wreak havoc on Gilbert and the texas O-Line. Whoever has him (again, too lazy and indifferent to look up the names of any texas O-Linemen) will have his hands on his hips with shoulders sagging. No bullshit. Jeremy Beal is going to own.
The Conclusion
This isn't going to be 7-3 or 63-3. I don't see it as a defensive struggle either. The Sooner offense is better. When they want to, the Sooner D can be as good as anyone. I cannot believe they won't be jacked today. I like Sooners (obviously).
28-14
Boomer to the motherfuckin' Sooner
Nowadays I rarely go down to Dallas as I've come to realize I can get drunk in front of my or a friends television and sleep in my own bed afterwards all whilst spending about $500 less. Don't hate, we're in a recession. So that's what I'll be doing today. Hanging out with about 30 other die hard Sooner fans at TFrye's house (allegedly the new King of New York).
If you want proof that any asshole can have both a blog, an opinion and not a clue, I offer you this. I also know very little about texas. You know why? I hate them. I have better shit to do with my time than cruise the Interwebs for stats, facts and figures related to those assholes. Trust me, there's plenty of texas people out there who will all too eagerly tell you how awesome they are. In short I have nothing solid to base my feelings of this contest. I stand wobbily on Crimson Colored Glasses.
Here's the deal. The Sooner offense has just enough weapons that Lonnie won't have to take too many chances. In theory this should mean less opportunities for interceptions. Also, knocking on wood here, the Sooners haven't fumbled the ball yet. Everybody knock on wood again please. So, even against a stout defense, I like our chances. Look for lots of short to intermediate throws from Lonnie. Look for lots of throws to the Trey Millards and Trent Ratteree's of the offense and especially look for creative ways to get the ball to Ryan Broyles so he can get the ball in open space. He'll expose the texas D for the terrible tacklers they are (based on no basis of fact, but I'm sure of it because they are texas and they fellate one another at practice).
What are the Sooners going to do on defense? I'm glad I asked. I think they do everything possible to make Garrett Gilbert beat them. I can't remember a texas Quarterback who struck less fear in the hearts of Sooner Nation. This is telling when you consider the storied history of effeminate texas quarterbacks. All day long it's base Nickel packages, stuffing the run and making Gilbert make plays. I think the Sooners get two, maybe three INT's.
Also, I'm truly going to be disappointed with anything less than Florida State type intensity out of the D. Really, it should easily exceed it. In a perfect world this lends itself to 60 minutes of flying to the football like your hair is on fire. The lack of same has been the bane of this Sooner D in every other game. They fix that today.
The Picks
Offense
The burden is heavy on Lonnie but he has the best weapon for either team. For that reason I'm picking the weapon, Ryan Broyles. I really think they try a lot of different things to get him the ball and he lays waste to the texas D. Broyles is a Norman native, he's no longer wide-eyed and he knows probably better than anyone what this game means. I now have a chub.
Defense
Navin, you really had me on the edge of my seat. I was pretty confident we would arrive at the same conclusion. Of course it happened. Look, I don't need to go through all the options because Navin did that quite ably. Jeremy Beal is going to wreak havoc on Gilbert and the texas O-Line. Whoever has him (again, too lazy and indifferent to look up the names of any texas O-Linemen) will have his hands on his hips with shoulders sagging. No bullshit. Jeremy Beal is going to own.
The Conclusion
This isn't going to be 7-3 or 63-3. I don't see it as a defensive struggle either. The Sooner offense is better. When they want to, the Sooner D can be as good as anyone. I cannot believe they won't be jacked today. I like Sooners (obviously).
28-14
Boomer to the motherfuckin' Sooner
OU-Texas
Well, if you're reading this blog then you not only write half of it, but you know this is a huge game today. For the first time this season I'm not wearing down a good drunk from the night before, so let's see if the quality changes for better or worse. Every year this one is amazing. Well, for the last decade + or so anyway. My first OU-Texas was in 1996, we were mired in the John Blake era and were basically not even a shell of our former greatness. Texas was ranked high, and we hadn't won a game yet. When James Allen plunged across the goal line tallying the go ahead and clinching score (give Blake this much credit, he only beat two teams that year OSU and Texas, I'm just saying if you had to pick two...), I basically went as apeshit as you might expect a drunk 18 year old to. Anyway, my point with that little jaunt down mammary lane is that it doesn't really matter that Texas has looked weaker than usual (it isn't as if we've been dominant either), this game will be extremely tough. I know Stewart Mandel (read: total fuckface and person I'd be most likely to take an unprovoked assault charge over) thinks this one will be similar to last season's 16-13 defensive struggle, but I kind of feel the opposite for no real reason other than I hate his guts. I think Texas has a really good defense and a really bad offense. I think we have above average (but not dominant) of both. How that matches up I'm not really sure, but I think like most years it will be each team just trying answer the other. The fact that I'm sure we'll give up some big ones, makes me think (hope) that we answer with some big ones. In that vein, I think we'll each score some points here and, as fans, we'll endure some sloppy periods as well.
I've only personally seen Garrett Gilbert play a portion of one football game, the national championship of last season. He looked overmatched, and at times like he wanted to cry. Sadly, he held back the tears. While I'll certainly miss the images of Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley wrestling shirtless with short cut-offs in a meadow with biceps glistening eventually collapsing into a sweaty, spent heap (editors note: this may or may not have actually happened), I've been pretty encouraged by Gilbert era so far. He managed to not throw any picks against Rice and Wyoming, but threw three against Tech and one against UCLA, leaving him with 4 TD's and 4 picks on the season. I'm hoping that we add to the latter column today. Additionally, he's been somewhat proned to the sack. In (very) limited time last year, he was sacked twice, and this year he's been sacked five times. I'm not sure if that speaks more to the O-line or the fact that he can't make a decision. Probably some of both, but given that they don't run the ball extremely well I'm hoping we can dominate the front today, at least on defense.
I know in past seasons we've had some slow starts defensively (not this slow mind you) and things have rounded into form when conference play starts, I'm hoping for that same pattern this year. I don't know for a fact (and am waaay to lazy to actually look) that we've ever been ranked so low defensively, but it certainly doesn't feel like it, and I don't know that it bodes well. For all of our struggles and inconsistency from Lonnie, the defense worries me far more. We've put up plenty of points to win every week, obviously, but have given up way too many (and at bad times) to be comfortable late in any game save one. Publicly it seems that the company line is everything is fine, when most definitely it is not fine. We've not been able to prevent anyone from running or passing the ball. Allowing teams to access their entire playbook doubles their capabilities (save yourself, I did the math) than if we could at least shut down the run. We absolutely have to fix one of the two, preferably both, today. On to the picks...
Offense
While Broyles and DeMarco have been amazing, as Mitch so aptly pointed out yesterday (by the way, an in-season position by position breakdown of our offense? Really? That's the kind of hard hitting journalism that will get you out of the blogosphere and into print. While I'm writing shit that my mom might hang on the fridge next to my hand-tracing/turkey painting, Mitch is actually writing material of value. In short, stop making me look bad. My self esteem is closer to the ground than Mack Brown's knees on a recruiting trip, skeet skeet), I think Texas has the talent on defense to take those two guys away from us on most downs. As a result, somebody else has to step up. While I love Stills and Madu, I think I'm heading back down the road to Lonnie this week. Texas absolutely wants, nee defies him to beat them. While he's been inconsistent at best, I think today he gets his shit together. I like Kevin Wilson & Co., to get him rolling early with short slants, screens and dumps out of the backfield to get him in a groove like we saw in the FSU game. Lonnie seems to really have a confidence issue (read: not what you want in a QB), but when it's up he can really play well. I like for him to roll early and hit some guys not named Broyles
Defense
Though Mitch and I haven't actually discussed this yet, I have a gut feeling that we are going to pick the same guy here. After reading his column yesterday, I think we're on a similar page. I've had my defensive pick all week and with game day upon us, my mind is steadfast. The secondary has been up and down, and while it has shown glimpses we just haven't had enough glimpses for me to pick someone from that position set. I know Travis "Old Steady" (it's official now) Lewis will have his typical game, 10-12 tackles no flash, although he's played in enough of these now I briefly gave him consideration for this award in that I think he'll be pumped up. No, I think our player of the game will come from the front. Stacy McGee showed enough last week that I'm fired up about him now, but he's still inconsistent. Frank Alexander, one of my favorite players for whatever reason, will be everywhere today...but still doesn't do quite enough to make me pet his naughty bits. In this one I like Jeremy Beal. Beal made some comments this week that lead me to believe he will be ready to put a foot in the collective ass of Texas. I think he and Gilbert will become acquainted to the chagrin of young Gilbert. I love Beal in this one for at least two sacks, and a slew of disruptions/tackles/hate fucks.
As I alluded to earlier, I think some points will be scored in this one. I also think Stoops is tired of the racket that we are now owned by Texas. Texas is on their heels a bit, but with something to prove. We've been struggling...and hearing about it ad nauseum. I like us to do enough in this one that we pull it out and go into the by-week unbeaten and firmly in the drivers seat for the conference. Final score today 37-33 in favor of the Sooners. Let's go out and get these miserable fucks.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
I've only personally seen Garrett Gilbert play a portion of one football game, the national championship of last season. He looked overmatched, and at times like he wanted to cry. Sadly, he held back the tears. While I'll certainly miss the images of Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley wrestling shirtless with short cut-offs in a meadow with biceps glistening eventually collapsing into a sweaty, spent heap (editors note: this may or may not have actually happened), I've been pretty encouraged by Gilbert era so far. He managed to not throw any picks against Rice and Wyoming, but threw three against Tech and one against UCLA, leaving him with 4 TD's and 4 picks on the season. I'm hoping that we add to the latter column today. Additionally, he's been somewhat proned to the sack. In (very) limited time last year, he was sacked twice, and this year he's been sacked five times. I'm not sure if that speaks more to the O-line or the fact that he can't make a decision. Probably some of both, but given that they don't run the ball extremely well I'm hoping we can dominate the front today, at least on defense.
I know in past seasons we've had some slow starts defensively (not this slow mind you) and things have rounded into form when conference play starts, I'm hoping for that same pattern this year. I don't know for a fact (and am waaay to lazy to actually look) that we've ever been ranked so low defensively, but it certainly doesn't feel like it, and I don't know that it bodes well. For all of our struggles and inconsistency from Lonnie, the defense worries me far more. We've put up plenty of points to win every week, obviously, but have given up way too many (and at bad times) to be comfortable late in any game save one. Publicly it seems that the company line is everything is fine, when most definitely it is not fine. We've not been able to prevent anyone from running or passing the ball. Allowing teams to access their entire playbook doubles their capabilities (save yourself, I did the math) than if we could at least shut down the run. We absolutely have to fix one of the two, preferably both, today. On to the picks...
Offense
While Broyles and DeMarco have been amazing, as Mitch so aptly pointed out yesterday (by the way, an in-season position by position breakdown of our offense? Really? That's the kind of hard hitting journalism that will get you out of the blogosphere and into print. While I'm writing shit that my mom might hang on the fridge next to my hand-tracing/turkey painting, Mitch is actually writing material of value. In short, stop making me look bad. My self esteem is closer to the ground than Mack Brown's knees on a recruiting trip, skeet skeet), I think Texas has the talent on defense to take those two guys away from us on most downs. As a result, somebody else has to step up. While I love Stills and Madu, I think I'm heading back down the road to Lonnie this week. Texas absolutely wants, nee defies him to beat them. While he's been inconsistent at best, I think today he gets his shit together. I like Kevin Wilson & Co., to get him rolling early with short slants, screens and dumps out of the backfield to get him in a groove like we saw in the FSU game. Lonnie seems to really have a confidence issue (read: not what you want in a QB), but when it's up he can really play well. I like for him to roll early and hit some guys not named Broyles
Defense
Though Mitch and I haven't actually discussed this yet, I have a gut feeling that we are going to pick the same guy here. After reading his column yesterday, I think we're on a similar page. I've had my defensive pick all week and with game day upon us, my mind is steadfast. The secondary has been up and down, and while it has shown glimpses we just haven't had enough glimpses for me to pick someone from that position set. I know Travis "Old Steady" (it's official now) Lewis will have his typical game, 10-12 tackles no flash, although he's played in enough of these now I briefly gave him consideration for this award in that I think he'll be pumped up. No, I think our player of the game will come from the front. Stacy McGee showed enough last week that I'm fired up about him now, but he's still inconsistent. Frank Alexander, one of my favorite players for whatever reason, will be everywhere today...but still doesn't do quite enough to make me pet his naughty bits. In this one I like Jeremy Beal. Beal made some comments this week that lead me to believe he will be ready to put a foot in the collective ass of Texas. I think he and Gilbert will become acquainted to the chagrin of young Gilbert. I love Beal in this one for at least two sacks, and a slew of disruptions/tackles/hate fucks.
As I alluded to earlier, I think some points will be scored in this one. I also think Stoops is tired of the racket that we are now owned by Texas. Texas is on their heels a bit, but with something to prove. We've been struggling...and hearing about it ad nauseum. I like us to do enough in this one that we pull it out and go into the by-week unbeaten and firmly in the drivers seat for the conference. Final score today 37-33 in favor of the Sooners. Let's go out and get these miserable fucks.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
Friday, October 1, 2010
Pre-texas Thoughts
I'm trying to come up with this week's Players of the Game. In the biggest games it stands to reason a team's best players should prove it. This got me to wondering, "Who is the best player on this Sooner Defense?"
For the Sooner Offense, it's a debate between two players. DeMarco or Ryan Broyles. DeMarco because he can line up anywhere, be a legit big-target receiver or, just as easily, he can put his hat down and power for 3 or 4 yards when you need it. He is the bell-cow of the offense and make no mistake. Broyles is by far the most electric home-run threat. I don't think many people could get a hand on him in flag football. His moves are filthy in a Two Girls, One Cup kind of way. Both contribute on special teams also. So, taking the easy way out, I'll say DeMarco is the MVP and Broyles is the best player.
It's impossible to identify the Alpha Male on Defense. Through 4 games it's tough to identify the best player in each unit (Line, Linebacker and Secondary). In the ultimate team sport this is probably a good thing. On defense in particular this could be a great thing but only if the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. I'm not sure that's what we have here.
Let's break it down by group:
Defensive Line
Probably the easiest group to dissect. Jeremy Beal was on the short list for 2010 MF'er and he's showing that the consideration was well deserved. But at any given time guys like Stacy McGee and David King have really stepped up. McGee's continual improvement is going to be critical the rest of the way. Real talk.
Linebackers
Since Ronnell has been moved to DE and hasn't been on the field much anyways this is a two-man race twixt Tom Wort and Travis "Old Steady" Lewis. And in my mind I would say Tom Wort is the guy who jumps out on tape. But, I'm a mouth-breathing clod with a high BAC (*See chart below) when I'm watching the games so it was easy for me to overlook Old Steady. Quietly he's leading the team in tackles and has an INT to boot. Stats aren't everything but it certainly indicates Old Steady is doing his job, "In a great way" as Coach Stoops would say.
Secondary
This group is the biggest clusterfuck but in a good way. Obviously Quinton M.F. Carter has been doing his thing. But Tony Jefferson is a badass. Navin's right that he is on the 2011 M.F. watchlist. And I'll tell you who else is coming on is that Jonathan Nelson. Against Utah State he really tried to make his case to become 2010's Gasrag McGee. But since he's become a bit of a force. Jamell Fleming is the guy teams really like to pick on but he has 6 pass break ups and for the most part is playing pretty well. With a gun to my head I'd say Jefferson (Reminder: True Frosh) is the best but I'd certainly listen to arguments.
I think I know who I'll take for Defensive POG but I'll reveal that later.
*I looked up this chart and got a real good laugh. I'd say I watch most games in the .11 to .20 range.
.11 to .20 Behaviors
For the Sooner Offense, it's a debate between two players. DeMarco or Ryan Broyles. DeMarco because he can line up anywhere, be a legit big-target receiver or, just as easily, he can put his hat down and power for 3 or 4 yards when you need it. He is the bell-cow of the offense and make no mistake. Broyles is by far the most electric home-run threat. I don't think many people could get a hand on him in flag football. His moves are filthy in a Two Girls, One Cup kind of way. Both contribute on special teams also. So, taking the easy way out, I'll say DeMarco is the MVP and Broyles is the best player.
It's impossible to identify the Alpha Male on Defense. Through 4 games it's tough to identify the best player in each unit (Line, Linebacker and Secondary). In the ultimate team sport this is probably a good thing. On defense in particular this could be a great thing but only if the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. I'm not sure that's what we have here.
Let's break it down by group:
Defensive Line
Probably the easiest group to dissect. Jeremy Beal was on the short list for 2010 MF'er and he's showing that the consideration was well deserved. But at any given time guys like Stacy McGee and David King have really stepped up. McGee's continual improvement is going to be critical the rest of the way. Real talk.
Linebackers
Since Ronnell has been moved to DE and hasn't been on the field much anyways this is a two-man race twixt Tom Wort and Travis "Old Steady" Lewis. And in my mind I would say Tom Wort is the guy who jumps out on tape. But, I'm a mouth-breathing clod with a high BAC (*See chart below) when I'm watching the games so it was easy for me to overlook Old Steady. Quietly he's leading the team in tackles and has an INT to boot. Stats aren't everything but it certainly indicates Old Steady is doing his job, "In a great way" as Coach Stoops would say.
Secondary
This group is the biggest clusterfuck but in a good way. Obviously Quinton M.F. Carter has been doing his thing. But Tony Jefferson is a badass. Navin's right that he is on the 2011 M.F. watchlist. And I'll tell you who else is coming on is that Jonathan Nelson. Against Utah State he really tried to make his case to become 2010's Gasrag McGee. But since he's become a bit of a force. Jamell Fleming is the guy teams really like to pick on but he has 6 pass break ups and for the most part is playing pretty well. With a gun to my head I'd say Jefferson (Reminder: True Frosh) is the best but I'd certainly listen to arguments.
I think I know who I'll take for Defensive POG but I'll reveal that later.
*I looked up this chart and got a real good laugh. I'd say I watch most games in the .11 to .20 range.
.11 to .20 Behaviors
- Over-expression
- Emotional swings
- Angriness or sadness
- Boisterousness
- SuperHuman Feeling
- Decreased Libido
- Reflexes
- Reaction time
- Gross motor control
- Staggering
- Slurred speech
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Did it help us or hurt us that Texas lost?
Saturday was another close one, still another victory. I hope we're building up some of that "know how to win close ones" stuff that people talk about. It feels more like we've been surviving though. I'm getting pretty tired of everyone ramming it up our asses in the fourth quarter. Even FSU got a TD against us in the fourth, albeit a garbage time score on the last play of the game. If we can't put away Cincy, Air Force, or Utah State for chrissakes, then conference opponents are going to win at least one that way if we don't get it fixed. Not to mention teams will never feel out of the game, which makes it that much harder on us if we're truly getting someones best shot for four entire quarters. Anyway, I did a little research and crunched the numbers, and what I came up with is that Mitch is absolutely correct: 4-0 is better than 3-1. Which is why I asked the question that I did to open this column.
The Sooner fan in me has an ingrained love for watching Texas lose. I'd love it if they lost every game of the season. But let's be honest, that would take a lot of the fun out of beating them (remember when we used to do that? Check your almanacs) and it would remove a marquee win from our schedule. Although, it seems that playing piece of shit teams week in/week out, winning a bullshit conference with no real contenders several years in a row, and getting up for the 1 or 2 decent teams you play each season (much easier to do than if you play them every Saturday) and winning those games earns you serious national title consideration (see: Boise State et al). Whoa, back on track here. If we manage to beat Texas this weekend then we've beaten a top 25 team and that's about it. In fact depending on how we win they may fall out all together. Then you start hearing talk of how we we scraped by the teams we should have rolled over and didn't play anyone in conference. If it comes down to a three team race of unbeatens (unlikely, I admit), that is a real turd in our collective punch bowl. Outside of all of that nonsense, do we now play a Texas team already thirsty for our blood but with the added incentive of "something to prove"? If we lose to Texas this year, it won't be like others where we lost to a top 5 team, and if we win out and they stumble we'll be right back in it. Our hole may already be dug (take that sentence and run with it).
In hindsight I guess I should have titled this, "Texas Losing: Bad for Sooner Nation". Hey, go fuck yourself I'm not a journalist.
The Sooner fan in me has an ingrained love for watching Texas lose. I'd love it if they lost every game of the season. But let's be honest, that would take a lot of the fun out of beating them (remember when we used to do that? Check your almanacs) and it would remove a marquee win from our schedule. Although, it seems that playing piece of shit teams week in/week out, winning a bullshit conference with no real contenders several years in a row, and getting up for the 1 or 2 decent teams you play each season (much easier to do than if you play them every Saturday) and winning those games earns you serious national title consideration (see: Boise State et al). Whoa, back on track here. If we manage to beat Texas this weekend then we've beaten a top 25 team and that's about it. In fact depending on how we win they may fall out all together. Then you start hearing talk of how we we scraped by the teams we should have rolled over and didn't play anyone in conference. If it comes down to a three team race of unbeatens (unlikely, I admit), that is a real turd in our collective punch bowl. Outside of all of that nonsense, do we now play a Texas team already thirsty for our blood but with the added incentive of "something to prove"? If we lose to Texas this year, it won't be like others where we lost to a top 5 team, and if we win out and they stumble we'll be right back in it. Our hole may already be dug (take that sentence and run with it).
In hindsight I guess I should have titled this, "Texas Losing: Bad for Sooner Nation". Hey, go fuck yourself I'm not a journalist.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
4-0 is Better than 3-1. Just Ask Texas. Hey Speaking of...
I don't know what to make of this team yet (still). If I wasn't such a die-hard and could just casually watch the games I'd probably enjoy this team a lot more. They clearly have some pluck. They make the plays when necessary which is a huge plus. They seem to give up big plays at the worst times which sucks. But in the end, they eek these things out. And, it appears, lady luck, nee Sooner Magic, appears to be with this team.
To wit, the play that Jonathan Nelson made on the Cincy Wide Receiver who was running unabated to the endzone was pluck. JN never gave up, timed his punch perfectly and made what wound up being a game saving play. When that same Cincy receiver later muffed (tee-hee) a punt inside his own 10 maybe that was some Sooner Magic.
The Defense still needs work but they make a hell of a lot of plays. There are a lot of newcomers making an impact; Tony Jefferson, Stacy McGee, Tom Wort, Aaron Colvin (possibly). The offense has enough, ultimately, to score some points.
I might have a heart attack at some point but as long as we win who gives a shit.
PS- It's OU-Texas week and it'd be a lot more awesome if texas hadn't choked on each other's cocks last week. Oh I'm sure they'll be all "fired up" after that embarrassment, eager to show the world the real texas. But they've been exposed. Garrett Gilbert sucks. The defense is not as good as the past. Mack Brown is still an asshole.
I really, really feel good about this one. Crimson Colored Glasses are in full effect.
Getcha a taste:
To wit, the play that Jonathan Nelson made on the Cincy Wide Receiver who was running unabated to the endzone was pluck. JN never gave up, timed his punch perfectly and made what wound up being a game saving play. When that same Cincy receiver later muffed (tee-hee) a punt inside his own 10 maybe that was some Sooner Magic.
The Defense still needs work but they make a hell of a lot of plays. There are a lot of newcomers making an impact; Tony Jefferson, Stacy McGee, Tom Wort, Aaron Colvin (possibly). The offense has enough, ultimately, to score some points.
I might have a heart attack at some point but as long as we win who gives a shit.
PS- It's OU-Texas week and it'd be a lot more awesome if texas hadn't choked on each other's cocks last week. Oh I'm sure they'll be all "fired up" after that embarrassment, eager to show the world the real texas. But they've been exposed. Garrett Gilbert sucks. The defense is not as good as the past. Mack Brown is still an asshole.
I really, really feel good about this one. Crimson Colored Glasses are in full effect.
Getcha a taste:
Saturday, September 25, 2010
The Award for "Worst Blogger in September - Sport or Group (In Season)" Goes to:
Me.
Real quick like:
Offensive POG: Lonnie
Defensive POG: Jamelle Fleming
Final Score: 30-13
Real quick like:
Offensive POG: Lonnie
Defensive POG: Jamelle Fleming
Final Score: 30-13
Cincinnati
Well, our first road game of the season comes at a semi-neutral site. Hopefully that bodes well for our team that, as everyone knows, sucked a giant cock on the road last year. Our QB was sub-par at best on the road and that includes the Stanford game which everyone assumed was Lonnie turning the corner. As we now know, like a Cinemax late movie Lonnie can tantalize us but for the most part leaves us wanting more. I definitely like the fact that the two time reigning Big East champ has gotten off to a pretty shitty start this season. While it doesn't help our resume all that much to win this necessarily, we've got plenty of tests down the road that it doesn't matter really either. And thanks to the crack reporting of the Oklahoman I've learned that after football Lonnie wants to be a minister (not to mention I've walked a mile in the kicker's cleats, really Carlson? See man, it's clever because a kicker doesn't just wear shoes he wears cleats. I hope that Jenni Carlson gets exposed as the center piece in a 2 on 1 pig roast with Berry Tramel slipping his tattered cock from under his tweed jacket and turtle neck in the back, and Jake Trotter sweating his fat ass off on the other end gagging her. I'm drunk). While I can't think of a worse job than spreading the word of the good book, I'm willing to give him a pass only because we're stuck with him as our QB. I really don't care if he prays our way to victory, as long as we win. As for our opponent, they allegedly have a lot of talent, if not injuries, on the offensive skill positions. However, by all accounts their offensive line is shit. I'm not positive but I think they lead the country in sacks allowed. Which, gets me rock hard thinking of Frank Alexander and Beal pummeling their passer early and often. I feel like our defense might get exposed a little early, but unlike last week I think (hope) that we lock it down in the second half. I honestly don't know much about their defense, but it's somewhat moot if Lonnie can't find and hit our open receivers. Our run game has been slow to get going, mostly because teams can stack up for it while Lonnie flounders. Let's hope that we change that today and hit some big plays.
Offense
This week I really like our run to get going. I think Lonnie struggles enough that he doesn't really earn this award. But, and here's the kicker, I think that Mossis (my dog) Madu comes to play today. I think that DeMarco will get his, but Madu has been poised to break out as the 2 in our 1-2 punch running game. He looked salty against FSU, and in spite of an uninspiring performance last week, I think he's breaks at least two big ones today. I think the oft talked about O-line rotation gets rolling and opens some holes. I like the idea of this very much.
Defense
On this side of the ball, I'm going with the vogue pick of late. I really like Tony Jefferson (true frosh no less) to do something big today. This guy feels like he might be the real deal. I'm already fully in his camp, and he's got future MF'er all but tattooed on his face. I like him to force at least one turn over today, and make two more plays that make us feel funny "down there".
Overall, I'm pretty fired up about this game. Two of Mitch and I's closest buddies are out visiting me and so far our itinerary for the day has us getting lunch and then holing up in a bar and watching this game (amongst others). It's not often living in NYC that I get to watch the game with legit Sooner fans who know the team and I couldn't be much more fired up about that prospect. As a result, I think we bring it today, but with the caveat that Cincy will be ready. Like most weeks this game was circled for them a while ago. But, unlike most games this one was probably circled for us too as it's our first road test. I think it's a good game, and they hang with us better than either of us would like. But, as always, I think we do enough to go into Red River unbeaten. I like the Sooners in this one shutting them down late and winning 28-17. Again, we don't necessarily impress anyone but we continue to win. Let's get these fucksticks.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
Offense
This week I really like our run to get going. I think Lonnie struggles enough that he doesn't really earn this award. But, and here's the kicker, I think that Mossis (my dog) Madu comes to play today. I think that DeMarco will get his, but Madu has been poised to break out as the 2 in our 1-2 punch running game. He looked salty against FSU, and in spite of an uninspiring performance last week, I think he's breaks at least two big ones today. I think the oft talked about O-line rotation gets rolling and opens some holes. I like the idea of this very much.
Defense
On this side of the ball, I'm going with the vogue pick of late. I really like Tony Jefferson (true frosh no less) to do something big today. This guy feels like he might be the real deal. I'm already fully in his camp, and he's got future MF'er all but tattooed on his face. I like him to force at least one turn over today, and make two more plays that make us feel funny "down there".
Overall, I'm pretty fired up about this game. Two of Mitch and I's closest buddies are out visiting me and so far our itinerary for the day has us getting lunch and then holing up in a bar and watching this game (amongst others). It's not often living in NYC that I get to watch the game with legit Sooner fans who know the team and I couldn't be much more fired up about that prospect. As a result, I think we bring it today, but with the caveat that Cincy will be ready. Like most weeks this game was circled for them a while ago. But, unlike most games this one was probably circled for us too as it's our first road test. I think it's a good game, and they hang with us better than either of us would like. But, as always, I think we do enough to go into Red River unbeaten. I like the Sooners in this one shutting them down late and winning 28-17. Again, we don't necessarily impress anyone but we continue to win. Let's get these fucksticks.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Phew. No Shit.
Those were the last two texts exchanged by us after Saturday's game. I'm glad we won, sure. But I'm disappointed that it was that close and even more disappointed in the way it happened. I know that they are like no one else we face, and the option is still a great offense, and all sorts of other horse shit that I couldn't give a fuck less about. The bottom line is we should have won and we did, but we shouldn't have let them back in the game in fourth quarter. I can see them getting some yardage and points, but to let them rally for 14 in the final quarter is unnerving to say the least. After they scored that first touchdown the D should have really buckled down. Credit them for doing what almost no one else has done at our place during the Stoops era: run it up our ass. It shouldn't have to come down to a clutch third down pitch and catch from Lonnie to Stills. But it did, and we held on.
Speaking of Stills, Mitch I really liked that pick and while I'm not sure I'd hand him the player of the game he played his way into the discussion and given the first two weeks I'd call your prediction genius. It's certainly seemed as though he's improved each week and I'm sure the fact that he bailed us out on the last play will build some confidence with Lonnie. I like him to continue to break out.
Finally, I'm not sure I like the way Stoops and Ronnel Lewis seem to be verbally sparring a bit through the Oklahoman. First of all, Lewis had some balls to even try that shit. Second of all, I can't believe Bobby played that game instead of just putting a foot straight up his ass in practice. Whatever, it doesn't really matter I suppose. I hope that amends are made and that is the last we hear of that distraction.
Three and 0 and looking forward to the game this weekend in Cincy. I hope we get back on track defensively and Lonnie remembers not to take the #2 train to brown town in the back of his jockey's just because he didn't get to sleep in his dorm room last night. More on that game later in the week.
Speaking of Stills, Mitch I really liked that pick and while I'm not sure I'd hand him the player of the game he played his way into the discussion and given the first two weeks I'd call your prediction genius. It's certainly seemed as though he's improved each week and I'm sure the fact that he bailed us out on the last play will build some confidence with Lonnie. I like him to continue to break out.
Finally, I'm not sure I like the way Stoops and Ronnel Lewis seem to be verbally sparring a bit through the Oklahoman. First of all, Lewis had some balls to even try that shit. Second of all, I can't believe Bobby played that game instead of just putting a foot straight up his ass in practice. Whatever, it doesn't really matter I suppose. I hope that amends are made and that is the last we hear of that distraction.
Three and 0 and looking forward to the game this weekend in Cincy. I hope we get back on track defensively and Lonnie remembers not to take the #2 train to brown town in the back of his jockey's just because he didn't get to sleep in his dorm room last night. More on that game later in the week.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
OU - Air Farce
Navin, I really like what you've done here. Might I say drunk writing is a strong suit. As much as I want to agree with everything you say I'll try to shake it up a bit for the benefit of our vast and ever expanding readership.
First let's tackle this Brave or Sooner business. Who gives a shit? This conversation, if it ever needed to take place, should have happened sometime during the Summer. Berry Tramel was too busy writing puff pieces about the glory days of Bud and Barry. I think he has so little access to the locker room that he has to write about stuff like this when there is actual football to discuss. All I know is today will probably be the loudest home of the Sooners yet. I'm indifferent because I'm usually sucking down beers in the parking lot whilst this is going down. But don't judge me. I'm a patriot.
I'm excited to see this razzle dazzle Triple-Option for the Teens (or whatever this decade winds up being called). The Sooners have spent time preparing for it in the offseason and this spells trouble for Air Force. Oh they'll make some play I'm sure but Brent Vanables always says that discipline is the key to beating the option. So far, the 2010 Sooner D has shown it can be quite disciplined. If they play disciplined today then watch out the rest of the season. This D will be for real and will certainly be conference-championship caliber (that's right, already looking ahead).
Offense
I like the Lonnie pick. I really do. But I'm going to go with a bit of a dark horse here in Kenny Stills. He took a big leap from the Utah State game to the FSU game and I see another step today. I sense that this guy can make people miss in the open field and that Lonnie can give him some opportunities today. The WR rotation seems to be set but if the law firm of Broyles, Kenney and Kenny can collectively have some confidence built up by next week that will be huge.
Defense
After reading over the last two weeks that the base package for the Sooners this season will be the Nickel and how this means less playing time for Ronnell Lewis in comes an Air Force team that will take the Sooners out of their base package for most of the game. So, I'm going out on a limb and presuming Ronnell will see more time today and so I'm picking him. Some big hits will keep the crowd bloodthirsty.
The Result
Sometime in the first three or four drives the Sooner D will look shaky and probably give up some points. But no worries as they settle down and depth and athleticism win the day. Lonnie has a fine day and that helps the ground attack also. The Sooners have no problems scoring. I like the Sooners here 35-14.
Boomer to the motherfuckin' Sooner
First let's tackle this Brave or Sooner business. Who gives a shit? This conversation, if it ever needed to take place, should have happened sometime during the Summer. Berry Tramel was too busy writing puff pieces about the glory days of Bud and Barry. I think he has so little access to the locker room that he has to write about stuff like this when there is actual football to discuss. All I know is today will probably be the loudest home of the Sooners yet. I'm indifferent because I'm usually sucking down beers in the parking lot whilst this is going down. But don't judge me. I'm a patriot.
I'm excited to see this razzle dazzle Triple-Option for the Teens (or whatever this decade winds up being called). The Sooners have spent time preparing for it in the offseason and this spells trouble for Air Force. Oh they'll make some play I'm sure but Brent Vanables always says that discipline is the key to beating the option. So far, the 2010 Sooner D has shown it can be quite disciplined. If they play disciplined today then watch out the rest of the season. This D will be for real and will certainly be conference-championship caliber (that's right, already looking ahead).
Offense
I like the Lonnie pick. I really do. But I'm going to go with a bit of a dark horse here in Kenny Stills. He took a big leap from the Utah State game to the FSU game and I see another step today. I sense that this guy can make people miss in the open field and that Lonnie can give him some opportunities today. The WR rotation seems to be set but if the law firm of Broyles, Kenney and Kenny can collectively have some confidence built up by next week that will be huge.
Defense
After reading over the last two weeks that the base package for the Sooners this season will be the Nickel and how this means less playing time for Ronnell Lewis in comes an Air Force team that will take the Sooners out of their base package for most of the game. So, I'm going out on a limb and presuming Ronnell will see more time today and so I'm picking him. Some big hits will keep the crowd bloodthirsty.
The Result
Sometime in the first three or four drives the Sooner D will look shaky and probably give up some points. But no worries as they settle down and depth and athleticism win the day. Lonnie has a fine day and that helps the ground attack also. The Sooners have no problems scoring. I like the Sooners here 35-14.
Boomer to the motherfuckin' Sooner
Air Force
OK, So I was out pretty late last night and honestly I think I'm still drunk. That's probably irrelevant. Air Force comes to Norman today, and by all accounts they've perfected the option and are likely to run it straight up our ass all day long. Well, I have no doubt they'll get their yards but I don't think they're going to destroy us with it. Granted, they've ran it on some pretty good teams and have hung around with a few teams they probably have no business hanging around with. Basically their lack of really talented players have forced them to figure out one thing they can do (the option) and then just keep doing it until they've nearly perfected it. However, while Air Force has played almost everyone competitively the last few years since Fisher (dingle) DeBerry retired/fired/quit (whatever he did, because really, who cares?), I think that playing a legit title contender on the road (not to mention that they currently maintain the nations longest home winning streak) may be a bigger challenge than they're used to. Of course this is the biggest game of their careers and as such we will get their best shot. In that vein, I'm guessing we see a little deviation from their bread and butter early with some play action and some deep shots down the field attempting to catch us with only the run game in mind. But, unlike most of the nonconference schools we play, they are not going to abandon what they normally do in order to fake punt their way to a moral victory. Which is why I like us in today's game. I definitely think they'll get some yards on the ground. In fact, I think they'll get a good chunk more than we're A) used to giving up and B) going to allow by any other team. I imagine there will be moments where the Sooner faithful are pretty pissed off at the fact that we can stop the option. However, I think we will also blow them up a few times more than that and really take it to them defensively.
Also, I know Stoops wants it really to be home of the "brave" at the end of the national anthem but I frankly don't give a shit who we're playing, I'm a big fan of stirring up the home crowd any way we can (even if that move was bitten off of a number of NFL teams, the Chiefs who I might hate more than Texas have been doing that shit since the early 90s). So let's hope the crowd today wasn't terribly distorted by our absolute dismantling of FSU last week, and stay in it even if we don't necessarily do what we want when we want on every single play. I love a game like last week as much as anyone, but to have the expectation that it will happen every week is absolutely ridiculous (possible even ridonkulous, sp?). On to the awards.
Offense
This week I really like Lonnie again, I know this makes two weeks in a row but I'm feeling him and if he can put together two starts in a row like last weeks', then I think that sets him up well to be supremely confidant (what we need) in a tough first road game. I think Air Force spends all of their time in practice playing against an offense that essentially runs the ball (nearly) every down. As such, I think they do a nice job of limiting our run game (clearly our weak point, in spite of the Utah State game). Our O-line hasn't been opening up serious holes since 2008 (possibly the most experienced/best offensive line of the Stoops era, oh and a future #1 overall pick to think about in regard to the passing game), and I don't think we figure that out with this team for at least another couple of weeks and that is being optimistic. As such I think we'll be dedicated to the run game today, as always, but I don't see it really catching fire and I think we'll be able to throw it. Especially if Cameron Kenney really has stepped up into the number two receiver role. I like Lonnie for 300+ and 3 TD's again.
Defense
When facing a team that runs at all costs it seems obvious to pick someone in the front 7 to have a big week. I think guys will up there, and we may even have a Ronnell Lewis sighting in our base set, but I think they are good enough at doing their thing that they will have the guys up front accounted for on a fairly regular basis. That's why I'm going with my second repeat of the young season and picking Quinton (motherfuckin') Carter. I think he's flying around, coming up on blitzes and run support in general. They'll be feeling pretty good getting the front guys accounted for only to have necks broken by a full steam QC hitting the holes faster than their RB's. I like him for 10 tackles today and a forced fumble. That's right, I'm being that specific, so you can suck it.
As for the final score, I like us in this one and I think we'll get a hot start. However, I for some reason feel like the offense might still a bit in the middle of the game. So, I think they'll hang around more than anyone wants them to. I think we'll pull away late and hopefully make the score look like we destroyed them for the benefit of the pollsters who only look at box scores. I like the final to be 36-17. I'm ready to destroy these rotten bitches.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
Also, I know Stoops wants it really to be home of the "brave" at the end of the national anthem but I frankly don't give a shit who we're playing, I'm a big fan of stirring up the home crowd any way we can (even if that move was bitten off of a number of NFL teams, the Chiefs who I might hate more than Texas have been doing that shit since the early 90s). So let's hope the crowd today wasn't terribly distorted by our absolute dismantling of FSU last week, and stay in it even if we don't necessarily do what we want when we want on every single play. I love a game like last week as much as anyone, but to have the expectation that it will happen every week is absolutely ridiculous (possible even ridonkulous, sp?). On to the awards.
Offense
This week I really like Lonnie again, I know this makes two weeks in a row but I'm feeling him and if he can put together two starts in a row like last weeks', then I think that sets him up well to be supremely confidant (what we need) in a tough first road game. I think Air Force spends all of their time in practice playing against an offense that essentially runs the ball (nearly) every down. As such, I think they do a nice job of limiting our run game (clearly our weak point, in spite of the Utah State game). Our O-line hasn't been opening up serious holes since 2008 (possibly the most experienced/best offensive line of the Stoops era, oh and a future #1 overall pick to think about in regard to the passing game), and I don't think we figure that out with this team for at least another couple of weeks and that is being optimistic. As such I think we'll be dedicated to the run game today, as always, but I don't see it really catching fire and I think we'll be able to throw it. Especially if Cameron Kenney really has stepped up into the number two receiver role. I like Lonnie for 300+ and 3 TD's again.
Defense
When facing a team that runs at all costs it seems obvious to pick someone in the front 7 to have a big week. I think guys will up there, and we may even have a Ronnell Lewis sighting in our base set, but I think they are good enough at doing their thing that they will have the guys up front accounted for on a fairly regular basis. That's why I'm going with my second repeat of the young season and picking Quinton (motherfuckin') Carter. I think he's flying around, coming up on blitzes and run support in general. They'll be feeling pretty good getting the front guys accounted for only to have necks broken by a full steam QC hitting the holes faster than their RB's. I like him for 10 tackles today and a forced fumble. That's right, I'm being that specific, so you can suck it.
As for the final score, I like us in this one and I think we'll get a hot start. However, I for some reason feel like the offense might still a bit in the middle of the game. So, I think they'll hang around more than anyone wants them to. I think we'll pull away late and hopefully make the score look like we destroyed them for the benefit of the pollsters who only look at box scores. I like the final to be 36-17. I'm ready to destroy these rotten bitches.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Semirolled
Hey Navin see what I did there? I combined Seminoles and Rolled (as in, the Sooners Rolled over the Seminoles). We didn't even discuss this beforehand. Our title-writing is without peer.
I have to give you serious "props" for nailing two out of two Offensive POGs. I thought it was the best game of Lonnie's career. Hopefully this portends good things and not that Sooner Nation is in line for a season long roller coaster ride. "Stache - The Ride" doesn't sound fun even for a Tuesday night at Buddy's in KC.
Also, the O-Line was phenomenal. Lonnie had all day and they opened up some nice holes. It was an awesome showing by that whole group.
On Defense what can you say other than everything that the Sooners did poorly last week they did well this week. The tackling was solid (again), the seconday got their hands on a lot of balls and Navin is right, the Christian Ponder for Heisman campaign got derailed, "In a great way". It's still early but I think this defense could be something special. As a unit they seem to be smarter than team's past. They are in position, fundamentally sound and even the young guys seem to have a veteran presence. I'm definitely excited for the 2010 Sooner Defense.
As far as Ronnell Lewis as 2010 M.F.er we were spot on. We (rightly) rationalized that an M.F.er cannot be named on hype. This isn't a preseason Watch List. The award is based on known commodities and thus far, Quinton M.F. Carter is proving himself worthy. He's Steady Eddy in the Secondary.
Speaking of, my Quinton M.F. Carter t-shirt is finally being delivered today. Our long national nightmare is over.
I told you I was going to try to do better than last week's Photo Essay. Well, I shot some video because you were asking about the crowd. I was hoping to get some of the pregame crowd stuff but copious beers at the tailgate made us late to our seats.
This will probably get chosen for Sundance or something:
I have to give you serious "props" for nailing two out of two Offensive POGs. I thought it was the best game of Lonnie's career. Hopefully this portends good things and not that Sooner Nation is in line for a season long roller coaster ride. "Stache - The Ride" doesn't sound fun even for a Tuesday night at Buddy's in KC.
Also, the O-Line was phenomenal. Lonnie had all day and they opened up some nice holes. It was an awesome showing by that whole group.
On Defense what can you say other than everything that the Sooners did poorly last week they did well this week. The tackling was solid (again), the seconday got their hands on a lot of balls and Navin is right, the Christian Ponder for Heisman campaign got derailed, "In a great way". It's still early but I think this defense could be something special. As a unit they seem to be smarter than team's past. They are in position, fundamentally sound and even the young guys seem to have a veteran presence. I'm definitely excited for the 2010 Sooner Defense.
As far as Ronnell Lewis as 2010 M.F.er we were spot on. We (rightly) rationalized that an M.F.er cannot be named on hype. This isn't a preseason Watch List. The award is based on known commodities and thus far, Quinton M.F. Carter is proving himself worthy. He's Steady Eddy in the Secondary.
Speaking of, my Quinton M.F. Carter t-shirt is finally being delivered today. Our long national nightmare is over.
I told you I was going to try to do better than last week's Photo Essay. Well, I shot some video because you were asking about the crowd. I was hoping to get some of the pregame crowd stuff but copious beers at the tailgate made us late to our seats.
This will probably get chosen for Sundance or something:
Monday, September 13, 2010
Semolition
Ha! Get it? It's like I mixed demolition with Seminole! Whew, with those snappy titles I'll beating off suitors with both hands...er, nevermind. Anyway, that was a ball stomp in its purest form. Aside from the first drive of the game for FSU, we absolutely dominated in all phases of the game. We single handedly ended Chris Ponder's Heisman campaign. I would have never guessed it would be that lopsided, hell not even Sunshine and Lollipop's Mitchell guessed it would be that bad (although he was much closer to being right than I was). I thoroughly enjoyed the game and hope it sets the tone for the season. I also hope the Lonnie we saw Saturday is more true to form than the one we saw in week 1. He looked really good and only really missed on a couple of balls that I can think of off hand. Defensively, that was a totally different team out there. Good pressure, and even better downfield coverage. The return of Frank Alexander (see: 2 sacks) was huge, and I don't think I'd be the only one to say that Tony Jefferson looks as though he may be the real deal.
Mitch, what was the crowd like on Saturday? It seemed solid on TV, but then it's easy to be pumped when the team is imposing it's will on the other team in all phases.
From the pat myself on the back and effectively jinx myself out of ever predicting anything accurately again category (not the snappiest title for a category), this is the second week in a row that I confidently say I predicted the offensive player of the game nearly to a statistical T. One could even make a case that I nailed defense too, but Travis Lewis was rather quiet in getting 6 tackles and a pick. Lonnie dominated and really the only thing I missed was that he didn't throw the pick I thought he might. Though Kenny Stills teased me with a couple of early grabs, Cameron Kenney stepped up for the time being as our top second option at WR. In addition to some nice catches and a TD, his block downfield sprung James Hanna on his TD grab. We'll see if he's really figured it out or if it's a repeat of last season where seemingly every week someone new was poised to break out.
Air Force is unique challenge, so much so that according to the Oklahoman, we actually took some time in fall camp preparing for them (precious time not even afforded to the likes of Texas or FSU). They currently lead the nation in rushing (generally what we excel at stopping), and I'm sure they'll get some yards but I think we'll be ready. Of course, I'll get into that more later in the week. For now I'm enjoying this drubbing for the next couple of days. I'm hoping we keep building and getting better.
Finally, as the season plays out in it's early stages, I'm becoming increasingly glad we didn't name Ronnell Lewis MF'er. While he absolutely murdered that poor fellow on that kick return, he's largely been absent from anything meaningful. Part of that is because we seldom run the base 4-3 these days. While it's a bummer he's not in, I'm guessing if he was truly dominating the coaches would find a way to get him out there regardless of the set. On the flip side, Quinton led the team in tackles this week and has generally been a dominant force. I'm pretty damn fired up.
Mitch, what was the crowd like on Saturday? It seemed solid on TV, but then it's easy to be pumped when the team is imposing it's will on the other team in all phases.
From the pat myself on the back and effectively jinx myself out of ever predicting anything accurately again category (not the snappiest title for a category), this is the second week in a row that I confidently say I predicted the offensive player of the game nearly to a statistical T. One could even make a case that I nailed defense too, but Travis Lewis was rather quiet in getting 6 tackles and a pick. Lonnie dominated and really the only thing I missed was that he didn't throw the pick I thought he might. Though Kenny Stills teased me with a couple of early grabs, Cameron Kenney stepped up for the time being as our top second option at WR. In addition to some nice catches and a TD, his block downfield sprung James Hanna on his TD grab. We'll see if he's really figured it out or if it's a repeat of last season where seemingly every week someone new was poised to break out.
Air Force is unique challenge, so much so that according to the Oklahoman, we actually took some time in fall camp preparing for them (precious time not even afforded to the likes of Texas or FSU). They currently lead the nation in rushing (generally what we excel at stopping), and I'm sure they'll get some yards but I think we'll be ready. Of course, I'll get into that more later in the week. For now I'm enjoying this drubbing for the next couple of days. I'm hoping we keep building and getting better.
Finally, as the season plays out in it's early stages, I'm becoming increasingly glad we didn't name Ronnell Lewis MF'er. While he absolutely murdered that poor fellow on that kick return, he's largely been absent from anything meaningful. Part of that is because we seldom run the base 4-3 these days. While it's a bummer he's not in, I'm guessing if he was truly dominating the coaches would find a way to get him out there regardless of the set. On the flip side, Quinton led the team in tackles this week and has generally been a dominant force. I'm pretty damn fired up.
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