Most likely to wish his jock had a full back.
I think this might be an obvious one, but Lonnie. Nobody shits themselves more readily in the face of pressure- both literal and figurative. I truly hope this trait is a thing of the past but it's his fourth year starting and, fool me once...
Most simultaneous high fives/head nods/smiles inspired.
Dom Whaley. He's a great story, sure. But moreover he's a fucking hardass. He's got that awesome combination of avoiding tackles but also knowing the right time to sound the truck horn and get 4 extra yards at the expense of a DB. Some backs run around, some run over, but the best know how to and when to do both.
"Celebrity" roaming the sideline who most needs to start buying a ticket again.
Toby Keith. Mostly because I think he looks like such a douche. Plus I have to explain to anyone I'm watching a game with here who he is and why he's on the sideline. Which is flimsy at best: "Why is he on the sideline?" me: "He's from a town near Norman and he's country music singer." "This gets you sideline access for life?" me: "I guess so" (head shaking).
Game I briefly entertained the idea of attending before I realized I didn't want to end up like Ned Beatty
A lengthy award title to be sure, but apt. West Virginia. I am always hopeful for games that are somewhat near NYC to attend (read: rare). I thought Morgantown might be an option but realized that I'd probably wind up in a shed with a car battery attached to my nipples and some 70 year old man licking my cheek.
I think that's about it for this year's Steamers. Mitch covered the high points which is really the MF award at this point since Old Steady is still TBD. Not to oversell it, but Tony winning it twice is huge and we both think he's going to have a really awesome year.
I'm so fucking pumped for football it's not even funny, and I'm glad that the next posts will be about actual games. On a small side note, our next post will be number 100. Hard to believe, but also somewhat sad since it's taken us 3 seasons to get here. Anyway, let's get to some real game action now and hopefully make a run this year.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
The 2012 Steamers
Or some official awards name TBD.
With an eye towards kickoff let's do some prognosticating on all things Sooner football 2012.
The 2012 MFer
Let's start big here. This award has been around for years and now of course t-shirts are even made. This is the granddaddy of them all. No joke, the MFer has our utmost respect. The MFer is a leader on the football field, he's the lynchpin of the defense, he hits hard, he makes opponents gameplan around him. He is, above all else, the guy who makes plays that make you say, "Did you see [Blank] Mother Fuckin [Blank]?!"
For the first time in Mitch-Navin MFer history we have our first 2-time MFer recipient in Tony MF Jefferson (alluded to here byNostradamus Navin). Other award winners surely were deserving of two or possibly three-time status. But Tony separated himself from a fairly tight field last year and this year there simply is nobody worthy (on paper) of taking his place. This does not mean he wins by default. It says something about his play that nobody is close enough to make a case.
So congratulations Tony!
The 2012 Old Steady
Here's where things get shaky. In fact, Navin and I have deliberated and we're going to puss out. Not entirely but we can't reach a consensus on this one so we are deferring to week 3 or 4 to make our decision. Hey, it's our blog and our awards so it's our rules. As far as I'm concerned there are only two awards that need a consensus. MFer and Old Steady. So until we have them they are unannounced.
I will attempt to sate our readerships appetite for a selection by guessing that Old Steady will ultimately come from the group of Dom Whaley, Kenny Fuckin Shitbag Stills, David King, Tom Wort, Corey Nelson, Demontre Hurst or Aaron Colvin. Happy?
Here are some awards that are completely open to our whims.
The Memorial Matt "Gas Rag" McCoy Award for the defensive player who gets torched a little too readily.
The award goes to... Tom Wort
We're humans. We hate giving this award out. But inevitably somebody on the defense is going to stick out like a sore thumb in a bad way. Last year Gabe Lynn snatched it from Javon Harris in one of the most hotly contested races in Gas Rag Award history.
Both Harris and Lynn will see plenty of action this year as well so they are by no means out of the picture. But Tom Wort sometimes looks like he's seeing a forward pass for the first time. If Jayden Bird sees significant action he instantly steals the award.
Perhaps it isn't fair to select a Linebacker. But to that I say quit telling me how awesome they are in pass coverage, or better yet, quit making them cover slot receivers running skinny posts in obvious passing situations.
Offensive Newcomer of the Year
To Trey Metoyer. The Wide Receiving unit needs a hero to replace Ryan Broyles and nobody has enjoyed the offseason ballyhoo more than Metoyer.
Defensive Newcomer of the Year
It's Chuka Ndulue by default. He's the only starter who didn't take significant snaps last year. The only other starting option is RJ Washington who is a Senior. As mentioned in previous posts, Julian Wilson or Gary Simon could also emerge here.
Most Head Scratching Depth Chart Move (View Depth Chart Here)
The omission of Roy Finch everywhere except kickoff returns. I honestly don't know how this guy starts every season in the doghouse. First I read a report the other day that he's moved to slot receiver. I thought it was a joke even though he has been used there. But he's not listed in the top 2 at any WR position. At Running Back he's not listed in the top three.
He was the second leading rusher last year and he only played six games. He was honorable mention all Big 12. When he touches the ball everyone in the stadium holds their breath. It's inexplicable.
Update: Supposedly Finch doesn't play because due to subpar QB protection blocking. Flimsy at best.
Most Likely to have Mike Stoops Living in His Earhole
So many choices here. I'm going with Gabe Lynn. He's starting at the Nickel and is going to be heavily relied on it seems. It really could be anyone in the secondary and they may wind up taking turns like everyone did last year with Soggy Box's number 12.
Most Divisive
Easy: Landry. No one will divide any fanbase quite like this guy. Each side feeds off each other too so it will only get worse. Look, he's a solid Quarterback. He's a lock to give you 60+% completion and 4,500 yards passing. He's competent OK? But if the Sooners are down with one last chance with the ball. Is he going to put the team on his back and win the thing?
Most Likely to Have Kickers Tits
You know. They guy whose moobs poke out below his shoulderpads. This year it's this guy. Eric Hosek (It would be a lock if he spelled his name Erik though).
Most Likely to Get My Father-In-Law Hot and Bothered During Pre-Game Stretch
My father in law likes to get to his seat early to watch the boys stretch. I'm half kidding and I'm cheating a little because I know him too well but my father-in-law goes ape-shit over the "length" and athleticism of Jordan Phillips.
What other categories should we have?
With an eye towards kickoff let's do some prognosticating on all things Sooner football 2012.
The 2012 MFer
Let's start big here. This award has been around for years and now of course t-shirts are even made. This is the granddaddy of them all. No joke, the MFer has our utmost respect. The MFer is a leader on the football field, he's the lynchpin of the defense, he hits hard, he makes opponents gameplan around him. He is, above all else, the guy who makes plays that make you say, "Did you see [Blank] Mother Fuckin [Blank]?!"
For the first time in Mitch-Navin MFer history we have our first 2-time MFer recipient in Tony MF Jefferson (alluded to here by
So congratulations Tony!
The 2012 Old Steady
Here's where things get shaky. In fact, Navin and I have deliberated and we're going to puss out. Not entirely but we can't reach a consensus on this one so we are deferring to week 3 or 4 to make our decision. Hey, it's our blog and our awards so it's our rules. As far as I'm concerned there are only two awards that need a consensus. MFer and Old Steady. So until we have them they are unannounced.
I will attempt to sate our readerships appetite for a selection by guessing that Old Steady will ultimately come from the group of Dom Whaley, Kenny Fuckin Shitbag Stills, David King, Tom Wort, Corey Nelson, Demontre Hurst or Aaron Colvin. Happy?
Here are some awards that are completely open to our whims.
The Memorial Matt "Gas Rag" McCoy Award for the defensive player who gets torched a little too readily.
The award goes to... Tom Wort
We're humans. We hate giving this award out. But inevitably somebody on the defense is going to stick out like a sore thumb in a bad way. Last year Gabe Lynn snatched it from Javon Harris in one of the most hotly contested races in Gas Rag Award history.
Both Harris and Lynn will see plenty of action this year as well so they are by no means out of the picture. But Tom Wort sometimes looks like he's seeing a forward pass for the first time. If Jayden Bird sees significant action he instantly steals the award.
Perhaps it isn't fair to select a Linebacker. But to that I say quit telling me how awesome they are in pass coverage, or better yet, quit making them cover slot receivers running skinny posts in obvious passing situations.
Offensive Newcomer of the Year
To Trey Metoyer. The Wide Receiving unit needs a hero to replace Ryan Broyles and nobody has enjoyed the offseason ballyhoo more than Metoyer.
Defensive Newcomer of the Year
It's Chuka Ndulue by default. He's the only starter who didn't take significant snaps last year. The only other starting option is RJ Washington who is a Senior. As mentioned in previous posts, Julian Wilson or Gary Simon could also emerge here.
Most Head Scratching Depth Chart Move (View Depth Chart Here)
The omission of Roy Finch everywhere except kickoff returns. I honestly don't know how this guy starts every season in the doghouse. First I read a report the other day that he's moved to slot receiver. I thought it was a joke even though he has been used there. But he's not listed in the top 2 at any WR position. At Running Back he's not listed in the top three.
He was the second leading rusher last year and he only played six games. He was honorable mention all Big 12. When he touches the ball everyone in the stadium holds their breath. It's inexplicable.
Update: Supposedly Finch doesn't play because due to subpar QB protection blocking. Flimsy at best.
Most Likely to have Mike Stoops Living in His Earhole
So many choices here. I'm going with Gabe Lynn. He's starting at the Nickel and is going to be heavily relied on it seems. It really could be anyone in the secondary and they may wind up taking turns like everyone did last year with Soggy Box's number 12.
Most Divisive
Easy: Landry. No one will divide any fanbase quite like this guy. Each side feeds off each other too so it will only get worse. Look, he's a solid Quarterback. He's a lock to give you 60+% completion and 4,500 yards passing. He's competent OK? But if the Sooners are down with one last chance with the ball. Is he going to put the team on his back and win the thing?
Most Likely to Have Kickers Tits
You know. They guy whose moobs poke out below his shoulderpads. This year it's this guy. Eric Hosek (It would be a lock if he spelled his name Erik though).
Most Likely to Get My Father-In-Law Hot and Bothered During Pre-Game Stretch
My father in law likes to get to his seat early to watch the boys stretch. I'm half kidding and I'm cheating a little because I know him too well but my father-in-law goes ape-shit over the "length" and athleticism of Jordan Phillips.
What other categories should we have?
Oklahoma Sooners 2012 Schedule Preview
It's opening week and the nadir of hope and optimism. Time to foist the crimson-est of crimson colored glasses onto your chubby happy cheeks.
On the eve of their epic quest for glory, let us take a walk through this rainbow filled glen and look ahead at each opponent the Sooners will annihilate.
September 1st, 2012 at University of Texas - El Paso
The last time the Sooners played a Mike Price coached team it was a PlayStation performance for the defense in the Rose Bowl against Washington State. Virtually every unit on offense and defense needs to work the kinks out. I, like everyone else, am keenly interested to see how the defense looks.
September 8th, 2012 Florida A&M
I heard tell that the famous Florida A&M band was not making the trip to Norman for this one. Hopefully it's an ugly, vicious rumor. Else, why schedule this one? I suppose it will satisfy the blood thirst. Also, it will make me pop a vein in my forehead to see the empty seats in the student section.
September 22nd, 2012 Kansas State
This will be a decent test I suppose. If nothing else the Sooners should be tuned up by this point and good and healthy.
October 6th, 2012 at Texas Tech
Revenge Game. Tech always is a tough place to play. There's something about that Tommy Tuberville I just don't like. He's got an arrogance like he's playing chess vs. checkers since he came from the SEC. In short, he's a jerkoff and I hope we shit down their throats.
October 13th, 2012 Texas, at Dallas
Not worried. As long as Mack is suckling on the teat of some pre-Madonna QB's Mama and promising playing time for her blond-hair blue-eyed kiddo the Sooners have this in the bag.
October 20th, 2012 Kansas
Charlie Weis inherits what might possibly be the largest dearth of talent in Division 1 (or whatever it's called today). A perfect tune-up for Notre Dame.
October 27th, 2012 Notre Dame
This is one of the most highly anticipated non-conference games that I can remember. Every one and their dog has this date circled on the calendar as the "game they are going to". I hate giving any credit to Notre Dame (backhanded compliment alert!) because they are so overrated but the name still does carry massive cache'. Also, the Sooners have a hard time against them. Sooner Magic has historically been trumped by the Luck of the Irish. There are only two (!) home games worth a shit this year and this is the first.
November 3rd, 2012 at Iowa State
Potential letdown game after the whipping of the Irish. One thing Iowa State does is play hard. The Sooners will be a battle-tested fine tuned machine by now though. This is also the point in the season where, in recent years, the Sooners have been undefeated but still manage to come out flat. It is the bane of my existence and I do not want to see it this year.
November 10th, 2012 Baylor
Revenge game. I also have to believe that a Robert Griffin the 3rd-less Baylor team is a neutered Baylor team. Also, the defense can not be nearly as porous as last year. Plus it's at home. Plus it's a revenge game. Also, it's at this point in the season when I start thinking Brent Venables needs to be fired. Looking forward to not worrying about that.
November 17th, 2012 at West Virginia
Well everyone thinks this one will be huge. It will almost certainly have a deep conference impact. Of course there is also the novelty of West Virginia's entrance into the Big 12. You couldn't pay me to travel to Morgantown as a fan of the visiting team. As an Oklahoman we can make fun of about 5 states. West Virginia tops the list.
November 24th, 2012 Oklahoma State
All roads to glory lead home. Revenge game. Cowboys fans are drinking the Kool-Aid hard by already trying to convince themselves that their true Freshman Quarterback has all the skills (plus he's a better athlete) than 28 year old Brandon Weeden. I also overhead someone trying to seriously assert that some WR (really the name is irrelevant) is better in all phases of the game than Justin Blackmon. Puff Puff Give you HIGH motherfucker.
PS this is the other home game that's worth pissing on.
December 1st, 2012 at Texas Christian
TCU's roster got decimated by some hard working Christians on the roster had their highly profitable pot-ring busted. But they need to be taken seriously. Especially when they are the only thing standing in the way of perfection.
Up next we'll discuss the 2012 MFer award and we'll throw a few team oriented predictions out there as well.
On the eve of their epic quest for glory, let us take a walk through this rainbow filled glen and look ahead at each opponent the Sooners will annihilate.
September 1st, 2012 at University of Texas - El Paso
The last time the Sooners played a Mike Price coached team it was a PlayStation performance for the defense in the Rose Bowl against Washington State. Virtually every unit on offense and defense needs to work the kinks out. I, like everyone else, am keenly interested to see how the defense looks.
September 8th, 2012 Florida A&M
I heard tell that the famous Florida A&M band was not making the trip to Norman for this one. Hopefully it's an ugly, vicious rumor. Else, why schedule this one? I suppose it will satisfy the blood thirst. Also, it will make me pop a vein in my forehead to see the empty seats in the student section.
September 22nd, 2012 Kansas State
This will be a decent test I suppose. If nothing else the Sooners should be tuned up by this point and good and healthy.
October 6th, 2012 at Texas Tech
Revenge Game. Tech always is a tough place to play. There's something about that Tommy Tuberville I just don't like. He's got an arrogance like he's playing chess vs. checkers since he came from the SEC. In short, he's a jerkoff and I hope we shit down their throats.
October 13th, 2012 Texas, at Dallas
Not worried. As long as Mack is suckling on the teat of some pre-Madonna QB's Mama and promising playing time for her blond-hair blue-eyed kiddo the Sooners have this in the bag.
October 20th, 2012 Kansas
Charlie Weis inherits what might possibly be the largest dearth of talent in Division 1 (or whatever it's called today). A perfect tune-up for Notre Dame.
October 27th, 2012 Notre Dame
This is one of the most highly anticipated non-conference games that I can remember. Every one and their dog has this date circled on the calendar as the "game they are going to". I hate giving any credit to Notre Dame (backhanded compliment alert!) because they are so overrated but the name still does carry massive cache'. Also, the Sooners have a hard time against them. Sooner Magic has historically been trumped by the Luck of the Irish. There are only two (!) home games worth a shit this year and this is the first.
November 3rd, 2012 at Iowa State
Potential letdown game after the whipping of the Irish. One thing Iowa State does is play hard. The Sooners will be a battle-tested fine tuned machine by now though. This is also the point in the season where, in recent years, the Sooners have been undefeated but still manage to come out flat. It is the bane of my existence and I do not want to see it this year.
November 10th, 2012 Baylor
Revenge game. I also have to believe that a Robert Griffin the 3rd-less Baylor team is a neutered Baylor team. Also, the defense can not be nearly as porous as last year. Plus it's at home. Plus it's a revenge game. Also, it's at this point in the season when I start thinking Brent Venables needs to be fired. Looking forward to not worrying about that.
November 17th, 2012 at West Virginia
Well everyone thinks this one will be huge. It will almost certainly have a deep conference impact. Of course there is also the novelty of West Virginia's entrance into the Big 12. You couldn't pay me to travel to Morgantown as a fan of the visiting team. As an Oklahoman we can make fun of about 5 states. West Virginia tops the list.
November 24th, 2012 Oklahoma State
All roads to glory lead home. Revenge game. Cowboys fans are drinking the Kool-Aid hard by already trying to convince themselves that their true Freshman Quarterback has all the skills (plus he's a better athlete) than 28 year old Brandon Weeden. I also overhead someone trying to seriously assert that some WR (really the name is irrelevant) is better in all phases of the game than Justin Blackmon. Puff Puff Give you HIGH motherfucker.
PS this is the other home game that's worth pissing on.
December 1st, 2012 at Texas Christian
TCU's roster got decimated by some hard working Christians on the roster had their highly profitable pot-ring busted. But they need to be taken seriously. Especially when they are the only thing standing in the way of perfection.
Up next we'll discuss the 2012 MFer award and we'll throw a few team oriented predictions out there as well.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
2012 Season Preview
Well, this is just about wrapping up our preseason stuff. Which is only a slightly poorer grade of horseshit than our regular season stuff. We've both covered the offseason, the offense, and the defense. So now it's time to make a few predictions and take a look at the year ahead.
The schedule starts off fairly light. UTEP and Florida A&M lead off the season. Those both appear to be tune-ups and opportunities to puff our chests out a bit. No one really expects either of those to be a game. However, I think anything less than complete annihilation of the two schools will leave the collective assholes of Sooner nation so tight you couldn't pull a needle out of them with a tractor.
Next up is Kansas State as the meat between bye-week sandwich-bread. I'm not upset about playing a pretty strong KState team at home. I think that bodes well for the Sooners, and the two weeks off couldn't be better as we should be rested for the OU/texas game on October 13. UT looks really solid on D this year, but have yet find a QB. They may be one dementional with a strong running attack, which we usually thrive against those types of offenses. In short, me rikey.
KU follows for what amounts to a scrimmage and/or tune-up before Notre Dame comes to town. The Irish bring all the hoopla and hype the average person associates with the storied program, however they also bring very little to back that up in recent years. That said, they're always talented and they may be ranked fairly high when we play them. That plus the fact that historically we've sucked against them, isn't great. I'm certainly glad it's at home.
Conference play from there on out is pretty tough. At a better than normal Iowa State game could smell like letdown. At WVU will be really a tough game, probably the hardest we'll play all season. This could be a top-10 showdown with the conference title on the line. I need to poop.
Finally, we close the home schedule out with OSU who is starting a freshman at QB. I hope we have a shitload of revenge on our minds after getting thrashed by them last season. Then we go to TCU to finish things out. It's going to be a tough road, and with all of the question marks that Keith and I spoke about previously, we've got to have a lot of things come together to run the table. Here's hoping they do.
Offensive player of the year.
Dom Whaley. End of discussion.
Defensive player of the year.
Tony Jefferson. I think Mikey has him playing like an animal, and he thrives at his "true" position.
I'm not going to lie, I'm pumped but nervous for this season. I feel as though my expectations are lower than they normally are. Hopefully the team is feeling as down-to-earth as I am about the season and it motivates them to stay focused. I can't predict a season record, but I'll certainly be making a pick each week.
Back soon with the MF and Old Steady "piece"
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
The schedule starts off fairly light. UTEP and Florida A&M lead off the season. Those both appear to be tune-ups and opportunities to puff our chests out a bit. No one really expects either of those to be a game. However, I think anything less than complete annihilation of the two schools will leave the collective assholes of Sooner nation so tight you couldn't pull a needle out of them with a tractor.
Next up is Kansas State as the meat between bye-week sandwich-bread. I'm not upset about playing a pretty strong KState team at home. I think that bodes well for the Sooners, and the two weeks off couldn't be better as we should be rested for the OU/texas game on October 13. UT looks really solid on D this year, but have yet find a QB. They may be one dementional with a strong running attack, which we usually thrive against those types of offenses. In short, me rikey.
KU follows for what amounts to a scrimmage and/or tune-up before Notre Dame comes to town. The Irish bring all the hoopla and hype the average person associates with the storied program, however they also bring very little to back that up in recent years. That said, they're always talented and they may be ranked fairly high when we play them. That plus the fact that historically we've sucked against them, isn't great. I'm certainly glad it's at home.
Conference play from there on out is pretty tough. At a better than normal Iowa State game could smell like letdown. At WVU will be really a tough game, probably the hardest we'll play all season. This could be a top-10 showdown with the conference title on the line. I need to poop.
Finally, we close the home schedule out with OSU who is starting a freshman at QB. I hope we have a shitload of revenge on our minds after getting thrashed by them last season. Then we go to TCU to finish things out. It's going to be a tough road, and with all of the question marks that Keith and I spoke about previously, we've got to have a lot of things come together to run the table. Here's hoping they do.
Offensive player of the year.
Dom Whaley. End of discussion.
Defensive player of the year.
Tony Jefferson. I think Mikey has him playing like an animal, and he thrives at his "true" position.
I'm not going to lie, I'm pumped but nervous for this season. I feel as though my expectations are lower than they normally are. Hopefully the team is feeling as down-to-earth as I am about the season and it motivates them to stay focused. I can't predict a season record, but I'll certainly be making a pick each week.
Back soon with the MF and Old Steady "piece"
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Oklahoma Sooners 2012 Defensive Preview
For the better part of a decade the eyes of Sooner Nation have been focused on the offensive side of the football. Year after year the tempo rose, the weapons amassed and scoring was off the charts. It was always assumed the defense would be competent enough and close enough to the championship levels of 2000 to keep opponents under 30 points. The thinking went, and rightly so, that the Sooner offense could score 30 in its sleep.
For the first time in years the hopes of a Sooner championship rest squarely on the defense. For the first time in a long while, the defense offers the best reasons for hope and optimism heading into the season. And for the first time in nearly a decade, Mike Stoops is stalking the Sooner sidelines.
To reiterate: Mike Stoops is back coaching the defense.
Stoops wasted little time making changes. Things are going to be simpler. Tony MF Jefferson is moving to Free Safety where he can patrol the secondary. It's always a good idea to have your best player be in a position to wreak havoc.
The loss of last year's most consistent defender, Jameer Nelson, stings but the Corner combo of Demontre Hurst and Aaron Colvin will still be the league's best. Colvin is poised for a breakout year. Demontre also speaks highly of Sophomore "Mayor" Julian Wilson. Stay tuned there.
Javon Harris and Gabe Lynn spent much of 2011 locked in a duel to claim the memorial Matt "Gas Rag" McCoy trophy. Lynn's contributions in the Texas Tech game were especially unwelcome.
Up front there has been some upheaval. Stacy McGee (Senior, 14 starts) has been suspended. David King will now spend more time inside rushing from the 3 Technique (football term). King was underrated in 2011 and could wind up anchoring the D-Line. RJ Washington has never lived up to the hype and he seems a bit pissed about it. Hopefully this translates to improved play on the field.
To quote the Longshoremen from Major League, "Who are these fuckin guys" sums up the rest of the D-Line. Mitch Tate, Charles Tapper and Chaz Nelson sound more like an Ivy League Coxed Pair Rowing team than Defensive Ends. Chuka Ndulue and Mike Onouha are battling for spots on the all-name team as well as for playing time at Defensive End.
Usually there are guys who feel like 8th year seniors (See: Jamarkus "Booger" McFarland) but Linebacker Jayden Bird breaks the mold. I figured he was a Junior at best but he's a Senior. Who knew? Tom Wort' s son is already being recruited but he could wreak havoc this year if he can keep from tearing a knee ligament. (Aside: How is Tom Wort a Junior and Jayden Bird a Senior? Doesn't seem right) Corey Nelson needs to live up to his potential.
And really you guys, potential is what we have to go on with the defense to start this campaign. It's all hope and optimism, raibows and unicorns. There is some quality talent and memories of crushing defenses from the early 2000's but there are some real questions on the defensive line.
My feel is that a positive attitude adjustment will by itself shave a touchdown off opponents scoring average and in the grand scheme that could be enough to make a run. If the attitude results in a bunch of baby-eaters running around with their hair on fire then so much the better. I welcome the opportunity to yell at my television in a good, nee great way.
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner!
For the first time in years the hopes of a Sooner championship rest squarely on the defense. For the first time in a long while, the defense offers the best reasons for hope and optimism heading into the season. And for the first time in nearly a decade, Mike Stoops is stalking the Sooner sidelines.
To reiterate: Mike Stoops is back coaching the defense.
Stoops wasted little time making changes. Things are going to be simpler. Tony MF Jefferson is moving to Free Safety where he can patrol the secondary. It's always a good idea to have your best player be in a position to wreak havoc.
The loss of last year's most consistent defender, Jameer Nelson, stings but the Corner combo of Demontre Hurst and Aaron Colvin will still be the league's best. Colvin is poised for a breakout year. Demontre also speaks highly of Sophomore "Mayor" Julian Wilson. Stay tuned there.
Javon Harris and Gabe Lynn spent much of 2011 locked in a duel to claim the memorial Matt "Gas Rag" McCoy trophy. Lynn's contributions in the Texas Tech game were especially unwelcome.
Up front there has been some upheaval. Stacy McGee (Senior, 14 starts) has been suspended. David King will now spend more time inside rushing from the 3 Technique (football term). King was underrated in 2011 and could wind up anchoring the D-Line. RJ Washington has never lived up to the hype and he seems a bit pissed about it. Hopefully this translates to improved play on the field.
To quote the Longshoremen from Major League, "Who are these fuckin guys" sums up the rest of the D-Line. Mitch Tate, Charles Tapper and Chaz Nelson sound more like an Ivy League Coxed Pair Rowing team than Defensive Ends. Chuka Ndulue and Mike Onouha are battling for spots on the all-name team as well as for playing time at Defensive End.
Usually there are guys who feel like 8th year seniors (See: Jamarkus "Booger" McFarland) but Linebacker Jayden Bird breaks the mold. I figured he was a Junior at best but he's a Senior. Who knew? Tom Wort' s son is already being recruited but he could wreak havoc this year if he can keep from tearing a knee ligament. (Aside: How is Tom Wort a Junior and Jayden Bird a Senior? Doesn't seem right) Corey Nelson needs to live up to his potential.
And really you guys, potential is what we have to go on with the defense to start this campaign. It's all hope and optimism, raibows and unicorns. There is some quality talent and memories of crushing defenses from the early 2000's but there are some real questions on the defensive line.
My feel is that a positive attitude adjustment will by itself shave a touchdown off opponents scoring average and in the grand scheme that could be enough to make a run. If the attitude results in a bunch of baby-eaters running around with their hair on fire then so much the better. I welcome the opportunity to yell at my television in a good, nee great way.
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner!
Defense
Well, as hard as it is to believe, it's officially game week for the 2012 season opening week. If it's possible, this has sort of snuck up on me. Predictably, we're behind on our preseason posts, with D still left, season preview/predictions and awards: MF and Old Steady. That means a pretty full plate of posting this week. So with all of that ahead, it's time to look at the defense.
It was a big offseason with the return of Mike Stoops and subsequent departure of Brent Venables. I think it's safe to say that Sooner Nation is pleased with this coaching change for the most part. I know I am. I've been saying for years that the D hasn't been the same since Mikey left the first time. Now the question is can he restore the dominance that the Sooners exhibited during his first tenure. I certainly hope so, I can't help but feel that at the very least the prospect of regressing is low. A lot has been made out of Mike "simplifying" the defensive scheme in order to allow guys to make plays without over-thinking. So, instead of making every down a chess match, we'll instead use our athleticism to fly to the ball and roll heads? Umm, yes please. However, the scheme and coaches can only do so much, so let's take a peek at who'll most likely be on the field.
Secondary
Here we find, arguably, our best unit on defense. With incumbent MF'er Tony Motherfuckin' Jefferson moved to FS full time and anchoring this unit, it looks strong. Javon Harris is back and starting at SS. While he did have a penchant for looking like a gas-rag at times last year, he still played pretty well for the most part and has a good amount of experience. Outside is Demontre Hurst and Aaron Colvin (sliding over to CB from Safety) bringing both experience and good amount of skill. I like both of these guys. There are a couple of frosh getting some mention, and don't be surprised to Julian Wilson getting a good amount of PT. Gabe Lynn is currently penciled in at the nickel man, and is my current holder of the Matt McCoy memorial gas-rag title. He was burned early and often last year, and looked both lost and completely overmatched making his exodus to the pine rather hasty. He appears our weakest piece of an otherwise solid secondary. I doubt his leash will be very long, and also suspect his ears are permanently ringing from being screamed in. I'm hoping one of the young guys steps up and deems him unnecessary.
LB
The linebacking corps is decent, but not as tough as the DBs. Tom Wort returns to anchor the middle. While relatively solid last year, he sometimes got so preoccupied with removing someone's head (good) that he missed tackles/assignment altogether (bad). Hopefully, he can keep his emotions in check and be content to make the solid plays and not worry about the spectacular. Also, worth noting is that with the departure of Travis Old Steady Lewis to the NFL, Wort will now be responsible for making the on-field calls. He is backed up by Jaydan Bird who, surprisingly (to me anyway) is actually a Sr. to Wort's Jr., but nonetheless he played well last year when Wort missed time. On the outside is Corey Nelson, who looked solid, if underwhelming, last year. He apparently fell out of favor in the Spring but has been good in fall camp and looks to break out this season. On the other side is Joseph Ibiyouloeroue (fuck it), who is good enough to go unnoticed most of the time, if that makes sense. This group is good not great, and I'll take that for now. Hopefully though, they'll emerge and at least one or two of them will step forward to become real stars at a position where OU usually has someone hard.
DLine
This is probably the biggest question mark on D, and that's not really a good thing. In keeping with the current norm of suspending players with no timetable or reason given, Stacy McGee is suspended indefinitely. Not going to lie, this hurts a little. He's a projected starter in the middle. Now, they'll be sliding David King over from end and that means more PT for a youngster on the outside. I'm not sure why Casey Walker, who played quite a bit and pretty well I thought last year, didn't just slide in there, but maybe that says a lot about him. Jamarkus McFarland is slotted to start the other DT spot. He's been solid but sort of an underachiever. To his credit however, he looked like a bust at one point and has made himself into a solid starter. The aforementioned King is probably our best DL and will be tough in the middle with his pass rushing skills, but may have difficulty plugging up the run inside. The losses on the outside of Frank Alexander and Ronnell Lewis really hurts. Freshman Charles Tapper is getting touted, but is unlikely to fill the slots without getting owned a few times. Chuka Ndulue has been talked about a lot as well, hopefully he lives up to the hype. RJ Washington finally gets the chance to prove himself on the outside. I think he'll struggle until McGee comes back and allows King to slide back outside. With King on the otherside it'll give O-lines more to think about and free up Washington more. It's a lot of uncertainty to be sure. Hopefully the young guys step up, and the vets step forward to solidify the defensive front.
Well, like offense, it's not exactly sunshine and lollipops on defense. However, we look solid and have some legit players returning. The biggest losses are DE and OLB. But, we tend to reload rather than rebuild and hopefully the first couple of tune-up games get us stabilized and ready for conference play. I think Mike will have them ready, and he'd better because as we've proven, you can't consistently outscore the good teams and it's hard to win when you need your offense to score 40+ every week. I'm as excited for the defense as I've been in a while. Let's hope we reestablish our dominance nationally on defense. Less than a week to the season kickoff.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
It was a big offseason with the return of Mike Stoops and subsequent departure of Brent Venables. I think it's safe to say that Sooner Nation is pleased with this coaching change for the most part. I know I am. I've been saying for years that the D hasn't been the same since Mikey left the first time. Now the question is can he restore the dominance that the Sooners exhibited during his first tenure. I certainly hope so, I can't help but feel that at the very least the prospect of regressing is low. A lot has been made out of Mike "simplifying" the defensive scheme in order to allow guys to make plays without over-thinking. So, instead of making every down a chess match, we'll instead use our athleticism to fly to the ball and roll heads? Umm, yes please. However, the scheme and coaches can only do so much, so let's take a peek at who'll most likely be on the field.
Secondary
Here we find, arguably, our best unit on defense. With incumbent MF'er Tony Motherfuckin' Jefferson moved to FS full time and anchoring this unit, it looks strong. Javon Harris is back and starting at SS. While he did have a penchant for looking like a gas-rag at times last year, he still played pretty well for the most part and has a good amount of experience. Outside is Demontre Hurst and Aaron Colvin (sliding over to CB from Safety) bringing both experience and good amount of skill. I like both of these guys. There are a couple of frosh getting some mention, and don't be surprised to Julian Wilson getting a good amount of PT. Gabe Lynn is currently penciled in at the nickel man, and is my current holder of the Matt McCoy memorial gas-rag title. He was burned early and often last year, and looked both lost and completely overmatched making his exodus to the pine rather hasty. He appears our weakest piece of an otherwise solid secondary. I doubt his leash will be very long, and also suspect his ears are permanently ringing from being screamed in. I'm hoping one of the young guys steps up and deems him unnecessary.
LB
The linebacking corps is decent, but not as tough as the DBs. Tom Wort returns to anchor the middle. While relatively solid last year, he sometimes got so preoccupied with removing someone's head (good) that he missed tackles/assignment altogether (bad). Hopefully, he can keep his emotions in check and be content to make the solid plays and not worry about the spectacular. Also, worth noting is that with the departure of Travis Old Steady Lewis to the NFL, Wort will now be responsible for making the on-field calls. He is backed up by Jaydan Bird who, surprisingly (to me anyway) is actually a Sr. to Wort's Jr., but nonetheless he played well last year when Wort missed time. On the outside is Corey Nelson, who looked solid, if underwhelming, last year. He apparently fell out of favor in the Spring but has been good in fall camp and looks to break out this season. On the other side is Joseph Ibiyouloeroue (fuck it), who is good enough to go unnoticed most of the time, if that makes sense. This group is good not great, and I'll take that for now. Hopefully though, they'll emerge and at least one or two of them will step forward to become real stars at a position where OU usually has someone hard.
DLine
This is probably the biggest question mark on D, and that's not really a good thing. In keeping with the current norm of suspending players with no timetable or reason given, Stacy McGee is suspended indefinitely. Not going to lie, this hurts a little. He's a projected starter in the middle. Now, they'll be sliding David King over from end and that means more PT for a youngster on the outside. I'm not sure why Casey Walker, who played quite a bit and pretty well I thought last year, didn't just slide in there, but maybe that says a lot about him. Jamarkus McFarland is slotted to start the other DT spot. He's been solid but sort of an underachiever. To his credit however, he looked like a bust at one point and has made himself into a solid starter. The aforementioned King is probably our best DL and will be tough in the middle with his pass rushing skills, but may have difficulty plugging up the run inside. The losses on the outside of Frank Alexander and Ronnell Lewis really hurts. Freshman Charles Tapper is getting touted, but is unlikely to fill the slots without getting owned a few times. Chuka Ndulue has been talked about a lot as well, hopefully he lives up to the hype. RJ Washington finally gets the chance to prove himself on the outside. I think he'll struggle until McGee comes back and allows King to slide back outside. With King on the otherside it'll give O-lines more to think about and free up Washington more. It's a lot of uncertainty to be sure. Hopefully the young guys step up, and the vets step forward to solidify the defensive front.
Well, like offense, it's not exactly sunshine and lollipops on defense. However, we look solid and have some legit players returning. The biggest losses are DE and OLB. But, we tend to reload rather than rebuild and hopefully the first couple of tune-up games get us stabilized and ready for conference play. I think Mike will have them ready, and he'd better because as we've proven, you can't consistently outscore the good teams and it's hard to win when you need your offense to score 40+ every week. I'm as excited for the defense as I've been in a while. Let's hope we reestablish our dominance nationally on defense. Less than a week to the season kickoff.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Another Offense Look-See
Well, after what Mitch put up a couple of days ago, these two previews are a bit like the blog equivalent of Hendrix opening for Escape Club. Nonetheless, I'm giving it a go with as little research as possible. Although, Mitch did his best Doomsday Mcgoo impression with his preview, I too have some doubts/questions/concerns.
QB
As I may or may not have mentioned, I'm not a fan of Lonnie Jones. With that in mind, it's telling that he's one of the reasons for optimism with this offense. I agree with Keith that two weeks at The Greatest QB Camp in the History of the World will not do much to change him. Supposedly he's moving better and he has improved his ability to "make plays" on the run. Everything is relative, and the ability of Lonnie to outrun his own farts would be viewed as a great improvement. I'm not sure mobility was his biggest problem last year, as he generally had ample time to throw (for a normal QB). It was his inability to find anyone other than "Option 1" and "the defense" that seemed to be his downfall. That said, moving may actually be a factor this year as the O-line looks to be a real unknown at this point. Blake Bell became everybody's favorite Sooner last year as he was the first Sooner in a while that could run when everyone knew damn well what was coming. Not sure if he can pass or not, but it'd be real feather in his cap if he could. Drew Allen, who knows really?
O-line
While losing Habern definitely hurts, it hurts more at LG than it does at Center as Ikard is a lateral move at worst, and might even be an upgrade. With the C locked down, that only leaves question marks at (looks at notebook) every other position on the line. There is limited experience at best. Despite the dressed up platter of shit the coaches are serving, signs point to them not having much confidence themselves. I recently heard (heard=read somewhere obscure/inaccurate) that there is a possible plan of having Lane Johnson backing up both T positions and rotating in and out. Either this is incredibly forward thinking or, as common sense tells us, a total lack of a good option at either position. This does not bode well for our offensive line production.
RB
This leads us to the next point of how the running game will fare. With a poor offensive line protecting a QB with all of the coolness of an angry chimp, there appears to be little motivation to not stack the box. This will make it tough to run the ball. Luckily, this is one position where we have some real talent. Whaley was an absolute man-child prior to breaking his ankle, and if he's even close to what he was before he's a genuine game changer. He'll keep defenses honest and hopefully afford some time to complete some forward passes. While Dom is the best option, Finch and Clay are both legit as well. Finch continues to make "wow" plays, and honestly I don't know if anyone looks like they give more effort play-in-play-out than Roy. Brennan Clay was an all-world recruit and while he's maybe been underwhelming with that thought in mind, he's been consistently solid and always seems to get a few yards. This doesn't even include some new guys that I've never heard of and am too lazy to look up, that are probably supposed to be awesome.
WR
Finally, there is probably no position on the field that has been talked about more this offseason than WR (in a bad way). We've all heard about the offseason troubles/suspensions etc. But even after all of that this looks like a talented group, if unproven. The Penn State guy certainly has size, and is probably going to be our punt-returner as well which he's supposedly great at. Stills, as Mitch alluded to, is living up to the Fuckin' Shitbag hype in all of its incarnations. I really don't know what to make of the young guys, but Bester seems like he might be real shifty fuck that could be exciting. Also, Metoyer is earning some ridiculous hype by supposedly not having dropped any passes in the spring. First, hard to believe as there is no qualifier with that claim. So none ever, not even fucking around in the front yard of his house? I don't know, seems like horse shit. Besides, even if it's true it really doesn't mean shit, not jack fucking shit. However, I'm hard at the prospect of him coming in and really being a stud.
K
I'm not wasting my time with kicker. Every kicker, at every program, at every level, in the history of time "spent the offseason working every day to get stronger and more accurate, and it's all paid off and they're all hitting the ball better than they ever have, and it's just popping off of their foot, and they're routinely splitting the uprights from 75 yards". Who fucking cares? Just make kicks from 40 and in and don't shank PAT's. Cool? Cool.
So?
I'm nervous about the O. We've got talent no doubt, but we're weak at the foundation and that shit gets exposed against good defenses. Couple a weak line with QB not known for his decisions under duress and you've got problems. Hopefully we can run the ball well enough to buy some time, and hopefully Mike Stoops makes enough of a difference that we don't need 38 points to win every game. I'm ready to start playing some games, I've had enough Berry Trammel "good-ole-days" puff pieces to make me stab my neck.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
QB
As I may or may not have mentioned, I'm not a fan of Lonnie Jones. With that in mind, it's telling that he's one of the reasons for optimism with this offense. I agree with Keith that two weeks at The Greatest QB Camp in the History of the World will not do much to change him. Supposedly he's moving better and he has improved his ability to "make plays" on the run. Everything is relative, and the ability of Lonnie to outrun his own farts would be viewed as a great improvement. I'm not sure mobility was his biggest problem last year, as he generally had ample time to throw (for a normal QB). It was his inability to find anyone other than "Option 1" and "the defense" that seemed to be his downfall. That said, moving may actually be a factor this year as the O-line looks to be a real unknown at this point. Blake Bell became everybody's favorite Sooner last year as he was the first Sooner in a while that could run when everyone knew damn well what was coming. Not sure if he can pass or not, but it'd be real feather in his cap if he could. Drew Allen, who knows really?
O-line
While losing Habern definitely hurts, it hurts more at LG than it does at Center as Ikard is a lateral move at worst, and might even be an upgrade. With the C locked down, that only leaves question marks at (looks at notebook) every other position on the line. There is limited experience at best. Despite the dressed up platter of shit the coaches are serving, signs point to them not having much confidence themselves. I recently heard (heard=read somewhere obscure/inaccurate) that there is a possible plan of having Lane Johnson backing up both T positions and rotating in and out. Either this is incredibly forward thinking or, as common sense tells us, a total lack of a good option at either position. This does not bode well for our offensive line production.
RB
This leads us to the next point of how the running game will fare. With a poor offensive line protecting a QB with all of the coolness of an angry chimp, there appears to be little motivation to not stack the box. This will make it tough to run the ball. Luckily, this is one position where we have some real talent. Whaley was an absolute man-child prior to breaking his ankle, and if he's even close to what he was before he's a genuine game changer. He'll keep defenses honest and hopefully afford some time to complete some forward passes. While Dom is the best option, Finch and Clay are both legit as well. Finch continues to make "wow" plays, and honestly I don't know if anyone looks like they give more effort play-in-play-out than Roy. Brennan Clay was an all-world recruit and while he's maybe been underwhelming with that thought in mind, he's been consistently solid and always seems to get a few yards. This doesn't even include some new guys that I've never heard of and am too lazy to look up, that are probably supposed to be awesome.
WR
Finally, there is probably no position on the field that has been talked about more this offseason than WR (in a bad way). We've all heard about the offseason troubles/suspensions etc. But even after all of that this looks like a talented group, if unproven. The Penn State guy certainly has size, and is probably going to be our punt-returner as well which he's supposedly great at. Stills, as Mitch alluded to, is living up to the Fuckin' Shitbag hype in all of its incarnations. I really don't know what to make of the young guys, but Bester seems like he might be real shifty fuck that could be exciting. Also, Metoyer is earning some ridiculous hype by supposedly not having dropped any passes in the spring. First, hard to believe as there is no qualifier with that claim. So none ever, not even fucking around in the front yard of his house? I don't know, seems like horse shit. Besides, even if it's true it really doesn't mean shit, not jack fucking shit. However, I'm hard at the prospect of him coming in and really being a stud.
K
I'm not wasting my time with kicker. Every kicker, at every program, at every level, in the history of time "spent the offseason working every day to get stronger and more accurate, and it's all paid off and they're all hitting the ball better than they ever have, and it's just popping off of their foot, and they're routinely splitting the uprights from 75 yards". Who fucking cares? Just make kicks from 40 and in and don't shank PAT's. Cool? Cool.
So?
I'm nervous about the O. We've got talent no doubt, but we're weak at the foundation and that shit gets exposed against good defenses. Couple a weak line with QB not known for his decisions under duress and you've got problems. Hopefully we can run the ball well enough to buy some time, and hopefully Mike Stoops makes enough of a difference that we don't need 38 points to win every game. I'm ready to start playing some games, I've had enough Berry Trammel "good-ole-days" puff pieces to make me stab my neck.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
Friday, August 17, 2012
2012 Oklahoma Sooners Offensive Preview
Not to put too blunt a point on it but this 2012 iteration of the Sooners offense has a lot of issues. In fact, there are so many problems here that it's inexplicable that this team could be ranked in the preseason top 5 of the coaches poll (a fact that also shows how ridiculous preseason polls are).
The Cliff's notes version is that Dom Whaley, the Sooners leading rusher, is coming back from a snapped ankle, leading receiver and safety blanket extraordinnaire Ryan Broyles is in the NFL, a former Quarterback is starting at Left Tackle, a two-year starter at Guard is gone along with a two-year starting Center. Oh, and no Tight End on the roster has ever started a collegiate game.
The Good
If you believe experience is the end-all-be-all then might I offer you a helping of Landry Jones? Lonnie brought the lost to Christ during the offseason and even got married. Now he and his beloved can have sex "walk of shame" free. I don't know how but he managed to find time to work on his game as well. According to my father-n-law, whose crimson-colored glasses make mine look like cheap trinkets, Lonnie went to a QB Guru to fine tune his skill set. The Guru said Lonnie had the best skills he'd ever seen.
That's all well and good but foot work and arm motion in skeleton drills does not make a dynamic Quarterback. Lonnie's three year problem is that if he's calling Red-Green Zulu Go and the defense doesn't give him Red-Green Zulu Go a thick fetid stew leaks out of the seat of his football pants.I am unconvinced the Guru fixed this in a weekend summer camp.
But, he has started 37 career games and that's 37 more than all the other QB's on the roster combined. He should be able to complete 60% of his passes and he should have a good running game to back him up.
Ah, the running game. This unit could have been a five-headed monster if not for the transfer of Brandon Williams. The Sooners return Dom Whaley (Cinderella story. Outta nowhere), one helluva beast-man before getting injured against K-State last year. Roy Finch proved capable of carrying the load (when given the chance), Trey Millard might be the best of the bunch if Josh Heupel can flip past page 3 of the playbook and Brennan Clay makes Chris Brown look electric.
Now bear with me here but what the Sooners have is four distinct running styles, each effective (Whaley - Over, Under, Around and Through; Finch - Jitterbug with power; Millard - Beast Mode with speed to match; Clay - 3 feet and a cloud of dust). Successful offenses keep opposing defenses guessing. The Sooners have the pieces in the backfield to keep defenses guessing. But can they keep from hiding good players on the bench (Finch) or "going to the well one too many times" (a la running 90 straight times against Texas)? In short, they'll have to.
There's also the Belldozer whose QB draw went from desperate shtick to inexplicably unstoppable. I hope the Sooners don't have to rely on this maneuver to near the extent they did in 2011, but, in keeping with the "keep-em-on-their-toes" theme, whatever it takes is what you do.
I will also make obligatory mention of Tress Way and Michael Hunnicut who bring pretty strong legs to the kicking game.
Interesting fact: As of this writing the Sooners have 6 Fullbacks and 5 Quarterbacks on the roster. Millard has all the fullback carries over the last two years with 48 total carries. This makesperfect no sense
The Bad
The Sooners have one unsuspended player who has caught a pass in a game from Lonnie. That's Kenny Fuckin Shitbag Stills. He was supposed to be the bell cow after the devastating Ryan Broyles injury. Instead, he went from Kenny Fuckin Shitbag (fist pump, high five) to Kenny Fuckin Shitbag (clinched teeth, disappointing head shake).
Trey Franks and Jaz "Hands" Reynolds are of course back in the fold. This is huge and cannot be underestimated because newcomer Trey Metoyer was going to be the unproven great hope to give Lonnie someone legitimate to throw to. Elsewhere in the Wide Receiver corp is Freshman Sterling Shepard. Recruiting fanboys will tell you Shepard is better than Ryan Broyles. Anyone who says this to you should be kicked in the groin repeatedly. But he could be quite helpful, particularly at the start of the season. Justin Brown also comes over from Penn State. He's started 30 games and is described as a possession guy which is the dating equivalent of being described as having a fun personality.
The Ugly
Let's get the more palatable item out of the way first. No Tight End on the roster has caught a football in a D1 college football game. Geneo Grissom is the only one who's name I've ever heard. He played in six games last year at Defensive End.
Why is this a somewhat palatable, ugly problem for the Offense? Two reasons. First, since Jermaine Gresham left, Tight End has been an often overlooked offensive weapon (I'm looking at James Hanna, now turning heads for the Dallas freaking Cowboys). If you don't actually use the position anyways, who cares? Second, the Offensive Line is in flux and this trumps all.
Ben Habern (Two-year starting Center) had to quit the game of football. Senior Tyler Evans tore his ACL on the first day of practice. Lane Johnson, a Quarterback turned Tight End turned Defensive End, turned O-Lineman (Right Tackle last year) is the Left Tackle. Gabe Ikard moved from Guard to Center. Adam Shead, Daryl Williams and Bronson Irwin have played.
Experience and depth on the O-Line are now major issues. If you're reading one of the most obscure football blogs on the Internet (thank you), I don't have to tell you how important the Offensive Line is to the success of a football team. If this unit has issues the Sooners are fucked on offense.
So to recap...
Offensively, the Sooners have a shaky at best offensive line to run block for a quality group of Running Backs who will ostensibly set up a four year SI poster boy Quarterback who hopefully has enough time to throw to a handful of talented receivers (who may or may not be suspended).
Boomer to the motherfuckin' Sooner!
The Cliff's notes version is that Dom Whaley, the Sooners leading rusher, is coming back from a snapped ankle, leading receiver and safety blanket extraordinnaire Ryan Broyles is in the NFL, a former Quarterback is starting at Left Tackle, a two-year starter at Guard is gone along with a two-year starting Center. Oh, and no Tight End on the roster has ever started a collegiate game.
The Good
If you believe experience is the end-all-be-all then might I offer you a helping of Landry Jones? Lonnie brought the lost to Christ during the offseason and even got married. Now he and his beloved can have sex "walk of shame" free. I don't know how but he managed to find time to work on his game as well. According to my father-n-law, whose crimson-colored glasses make mine look like cheap trinkets, Lonnie went to a QB Guru to fine tune his skill set. The Guru said Lonnie had the best skills he'd ever seen.
That's all well and good but foot work and arm motion in skeleton drills does not make a dynamic Quarterback. Lonnie's three year problem is that if he's calling Red-Green Zulu Go and the defense doesn't give him Red-Green Zulu Go a thick fetid stew leaks out of the seat of his football pants.I am unconvinced the Guru fixed this in a weekend summer camp.
But, he has started 37 career games and that's 37 more than all the other QB's on the roster combined. He should be able to complete 60% of his passes and he should have a good running game to back him up.
Ah, the running game. This unit could have been a five-headed monster if not for the transfer of Brandon Williams. The Sooners return Dom Whaley (Cinderella story. Outta nowhere), one helluva beast-man before getting injured against K-State last year. Roy Finch proved capable of carrying the load (when given the chance), Trey Millard might be the best of the bunch if Josh Heupel can flip past page 3 of the playbook and Brennan Clay makes Chris Brown look electric.
Now bear with me here but what the Sooners have is four distinct running styles, each effective (Whaley - Over, Under, Around and Through; Finch - Jitterbug with power; Millard - Beast Mode with speed to match; Clay - 3 feet and a cloud of dust). Successful offenses keep opposing defenses guessing. The Sooners have the pieces in the backfield to keep defenses guessing. But can they keep from hiding good players on the bench (Finch) or "going to the well one too many times" (a la running 90 straight times against Texas)? In short, they'll have to.
There's also the Belldozer whose QB draw went from desperate shtick to inexplicably unstoppable. I hope the Sooners don't have to rely on this maneuver to near the extent they did in 2011, but, in keeping with the "keep-em-on-their-toes" theme, whatever it takes is what you do.
I will also make obligatory mention of Tress Way and Michael Hunnicut who bring pretty strong legs to the kicking game.
Interesting fact: As of this writing the Sooners have 6 Fullbacks and 5 Quarterbacks on the roster. Millard has all the fullback carries over the last two years with 48 total carries. This makes
The Bad
The Sooners have one unsuspended player who has caught a pass in a game from Lonnie. That's Kenny Fuckin Shitbag Stills. He was supposed to be the bell cow after the devastating Ryan Broyles injury. Instead, he went from Kenny Fuckin Shitbag (fist pump, high five) to Kenny Fuckin Shitbag (clinched teeth, disappointing head shake).
Trey Franks and Jaz "Hands" Reynolds are of course back in the fold. This is huge and cannot be underestimated because newcomer Trey Metoyer was going to be the unproven great hope to give Lonnie someone legitimate to throw to. Elsewhere in the Wide Receiver corp is Freshman Sterling Shepard. Recruiting fanboys will tell you Shepard is better than Ryan Broyles. Anyone who says this to you should be kicked in the groin repeatedly. But he could be quite helpful, particularly at the start of the season. Justin Brown also comes over from Penn State. He's started 30 games and is described as a possession guy which is the dating equivalent of being described as having a fun personality.
The Ugly
Let's get the more palatable item out of the way first. No Tight End on the roster has caught a football in a D1 college football game. Geneo Grissom is the only one who's name I've ever heard. He played in six games last year at Defensive End.
Why is this a somewhat palatable, ugly problem for the Offense? Two reasons. First, since Jermaine Gresham left, Tight End has been an often overlooked offensive weapon (I'm looking at James Hanna, now turning heads for the Dallas freaking Cowboys). If you don't actually use the position anyways, who cares? Second, the Offensive Line is in flux and this trumps all.
Ben Habern (Two-year starting Center) had to quit the game of football. Senior Tyler Evans tore his ACL on the first day of practice. Lane Johnson, a Quarterback turned Tight End turned Defensive End, turned O-Lineman (Right Tackle last year) is the Left Tackle. Gabe Ikard moved from Guard to Center. Adam Shead, Daryl Williams and Bronson Irwin have played.
Experience and depth on the O-Line are now major issues. If you're reading one of the most obscure football blogs on the Internet (thank you), I don't have to tell you how important the Offensive Line is to the success of a football team. If this unit has issues the Sooners are fucked on offense.
So to recap...
Offensively, the Sooners have a shaky at best offensive line to run block for a quality group of Running Backs who will ostensibly set up a four year SI poster boy Quarterback who hopefully has enough time to throw to a handful of talented receivers (who may or may not be suspended).
Boomer to the motherfuckin' Sooner!
Friday, August 3, 2012
2011-2012 Offseason Review
I
scrapped the first draft of my Offseason Review. You see, a key offseason
development was the dismissal from the football team of Jaz "Hands"
Reynolds, Trey Franks, Kameel Jackson and Quentin Hayes. I must admit, I
didn't realize Quentin Hayes was dismissed. I barely knew he was on the team.
He's that good.
Two days ago, the Sooners announced three of the four have
been reinstated (Kameel Jackson, he of the prematurely
announced transfer to Texas A&M being the
lone exception), although all three are still suspended indefinitely.
I imagine they'll come back (At least Jaz Hands and Franks) after the opener at
UTEP when it will become painfully obvious that a team with perennial title
hopes cannot win said title with a system Quarterback and no experience at the
Wide Receiver position.
Oh,
and on that note, what else could put more pressure on Lonnie, Coach Josh
Heupel and the rest of the Sooner offense? Why the return of Mike Stoops!
Nothing
has the groins of Sooner faithful swolt like the return of Mikey. The love-hate
relationship with Brent Venables is over and, so too, hopefully, the
bend-but-don't-break defense that the Sooners have come to rely on over the
years. I believe the final straw may have been Venables and Willie Martinez
(also gone) architecting the Robert Griffin III Heisman Highlight Reel in Waco
(I'm a glutton for punishment and watched the re-airing of this one a few weeks
ago. To call the defense sieve-like is an insult to kitchen implements, or really anything, with gaping holes).
The
return of Mike does, of course, bring it's own level of pressure and
expectations but this is Oklahoma and nothing but a title is ever really
sufficient. In this case, nothing short of the baby-eating, sure-tackling,
ears-pinned-back mentality that accompanied the dismantling of Florida State
for that national title in 2000 will suffice.
So,
as I say, no pressure or expectations.
There
were also some offseason roster moves. I happen to be of the mind that if a
player has contributed exactly nothing to the football team, that player has
taken exactly nothing off the table by not joining the team. I don't think
armchair recruiting gurus feel the same but they can go kick rocks.
One such player that failed to qualify academically is JC WR Courtney Gardner. I'm sure
this has nothing to do with the return of Jaz Hands and Franks. Will Latu, an
offensive lineman also couldn't make the grade.
What
hurts the most is the loss of Ben Habern who called it quits after dealing with nech issues since high school. Habern had started 30 games in his
career at Center and was preseason All Big 12 this year as well. That stings and will come back to haunt. Book it.
Next,
Navin and I will go over the offensive side of the football for the 2012
Sooners. Obviously, it will be chock full of "insider only" info so
you'll want to check and/or set your RSS feed accordingly.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Back indeed!
As the summer winds down we once again find ourselves on the
cusp of another season of college and, more specifically, Sooner football.
Mitch and have decided to get into the spirit a little earlier this year and do a
few offseason posts to whet the rabid appetite(s) of Steamroller fandom.
Earlier in the year (read: Jan. 21) we bantered back and
forth via email about some of the big changes occurring in Norman as they
pertained to football. We had grand intentions of making these thoughts
available to the public but, predictably, were far too lazy to do so. As a
result they sat buried in the vaults of the internet, until now! If the idea of
opening heretofore unseen vaults spawns memories of Geraldo Rivera’s famous opening of Al Capone’s vaults in the 80’s (and it’s doubtful it does), the
similarities will be even more eerie when you read on and discover that, like
Capone’s vaults, little of value or interest was inside.
Our original intent was to present a sort of
point/counterpoint discussion of what went on. What follows is the integration
of my thoughts (in italics) about points Mitch brought up. What I hope will
follow are Mitch’s thoughts on those and a couple of more points that I have
come up with (or whatever he wants) in the almost 7 months since we originally did this. Enjoy…
•
Brent Venables looks really weird
bedecked in Clemson digs.
Yes Keith, Brent Venables, does look weird in Clemson gear. (hard hitting point)
•
I think he will dominate the ACC.
He'll feel like he's playing checkers again.
I’m not totally sure he'll dominate in the ACC, but I imagine
he'll look a lot better. The obvious here is that the ACC is a much weaker
conference, and he certainly won't face the talent level both of players and of
offensive coordinators here. The flip, is he'll certainly have less talented
defensive players to work with. It'll be interesting, and I'm sure I'll follow
that story closely for about 30 seconds next fall.
•
I think his OU legacy will grow over
time. He did a fine job really against some of the most sophisticated offenses
in the country.
I'm sure you're right about his legacy growing, people generally
remember most things in a light that shines on the highlights and leave the bad
things in the shadows. For me, it will be tough to forget getting torched via
the pass regularly and failing to make any sort of adjustments during the
game.
•
My groin stretched out of its snail
shell with the news of Mikey coming back. His attitude alone will make the
Defense something to be feared again. As it should be.
As you know, since I was quite vocal about it for roughly the
last 6 years, I've clamored for the return of Mike Stoops since it became
evident that the defense just wasn't the same without him. My offseason with
list included three things (in this order): 1) hire Mike Stoops (and let him
run the defense), 2) Lonnie go pro, 3) get rid of Venables. As Meatloaf says...
·
If it's possible for expectations at
OU to be ratcheted up I think this does it. You've been to the top of the
mountain with Mike so, to me, it seems all the more real than recent years.
Like, every year your goal is to win a championship and in recent years it felt
more like bluster.
As for expectations, I couldn't agree more. In the past few
seasons (not including 2008) the national title hopes have obviously been
there, but I constantly felt like I was waiting for the collapse. Very few
times did we look dominant, particularly defensively, when the title was still
a realistic possibility. Granted we haven't won it since 2000, but we've only
(ONLY!, who am I?) been to one since Mikey left or since his work/players were
still in place, and let's be real we went in 2008 because of Sammy and the
offense. Now that Mike is back, I personally am expecting a much improved
defense and I highly doubt I'm the only one in Sooner nation with that
sentiment.
Past success certainly doesn't guarantee it in the future, but
it's often a strong predictor. That said, much has changed since Mike was here
last. First of all, the conference has gotten stronger top to bottom (I think),
there are fewer door mats now. Offenses are much better now than they were. The
Big 12 is probably the nations foremost conference when it comes to employing
the "we'll outscore you" strategy to winning. Not coincidentally, the
SEC is lauded because it employs the (notably more effective) "we'll shut
you down" strategy which wins national championships. Also, let's not
forget, the cupboard isn't exactly overflowing right now. Yes, we've got
talented guys returning but we also (lost) some seriously fucking good players
on D. Put all that together with enormously bigger expectations and the
accompanying pressure and it's going to be, in my opinion, a much bigger
challenge than it was previously.
All of this isn't to say that things won't change. I think we'll
game plan better with Mike and more importantly I think he's capable of making
those critical in-game adjustments that Venables clearly wouldn't (less likely)
or couldn't (more likely). Also, not to say there wasn't any talent on campus
when the Stoops brothers first came to town, but probably less than any
time since, and I think our 2000 defense has to be considered the best of the
Stoops era. This makes me very excited and feel funny "down
there".
· Something really awful must have gone on in the locker room this
season in terms of attitude. To speak two coaching changes, an unprecedented
firing tells me something was way off kilter. That said, I can't decide if this
revelation makes Bobby's job this season one of his best in a weird way or one
of his worst. For the time being I'm sold on it being his worst.
Interesting point about the locker room turmoil. Those kinds of
things, which are usually impossible to see as an outsider, will shred a team.
I hadn't really thought of it much until you pointed it out but it makes sense.
Another strong predictor of shit happening off the field is an underachieving
team, which I think we can agree this was.
I see what you mean about the perspective of this being Stoops
best job, but I can't at all agree with that. I think it has to be his worst.
Turmoil or not, his job is to get coaches and players in an appropriate frame
of mind to win every Saturday. This clearly didn't happen last season. When
players check out from being a teammate like their supposed leader, Old Steady,
allegedly did (admittedly, I think I heard this from you, and it's possible I
even dreamt it) the coach has to correct that immediately. Nobody wants to go
above and beyond or stick their neck out, particularly in the heat of
competition, for someone they think is a complete asshole.
OK Mitch, your turn. I want your take on the following:
· The suspension/dismissal/reinstatement of the WR
trio who did something mysterious that was evidently serious enough to warrant
all of that.
·
What newcomers/freshman do you think will make
us seriously hard at one, or hopefully many, point(s) this year?
·
How many veins will Lonnie force to break in my
head while screaming this season? Related question: at what point will Sooner
Nation begin demanding Blake Bell full time?
·
Will Dom Whaley return as the total badass he
was prior to breaking his ankle?
·
How many times will you "feed the geese" in the
month of August with thoughts of football season’s eminent return?
An auspicious debut to the season for sure, as I took about as lazy of an approach as I could. Nonetheless, the ball is in your court my quick witted cohort.
The Steamroller is Back!
We're back mothercrunks! It's been Hawaiian shirts and boat drinks for me all offseason but now I'm ready to hit it hard here at the steamroller. Navin and I are looking to "tackle" the following topics prior to the kickoff of the 2012 Sooner campaign, so stay tuned and check back often.
Offseason Review
Offense Preview
Defense Preview
Conference/Season Preview and Predictions
 |
| The hopes of the Sooners ride on this mustachioed young man |
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