TJ + PJ = No J
July 3, 2006
As a journalist coving the Texas Longhorns, it is my obligation to also cover the Detroit Lions and the Toronto Raptors. The Lions seem to have a penchant for selecting Texas Exes in the NFL Draft, the most recent being OT Jonathan Scott, who brings total up to an impressive five Longhorns. In fact, the Lions have had Longhorn fans’ attention since Shaun Rogers led all NFL defensive linemen with 97 tackles (62 solos) his rookie season in 2001.
Now, another northern team, the Toronto Raptors, has been adopted as a favorite of the orange-blooded faithful. This past week, the Raptors acquired former Longhorns T.J. Ford and P.J. Tucker through a trade and the draft, respectively. These two moves work towards a dramatic change in the offense, as Ford is the perfect point guard for a drive-and-dish high speed offense and if there’s one thing that Tucker knows how to do, it’s finish. However, with the primary scoring option for Toronto being power forward Chris Bosh, Ford and Tucker do not bring something that the Raptors are sorely missing: shooting.
In his two seasons at Texas, T.J. Ford had an uncanny ability to drive the ball and create, but the weakness that stood out, other than his height (the Raptors have the diminutive Ford amusingly listed as six feet tall), was his three-point shooting ability.
Ford shot only 22.8% behind the arc, which gave defenders a chance to sit back to prevent him from driving. Ford has made improvements to his shot, hitting 40 of 125 (32%) three-point shots in his career. He is astoundingly has better shooting statistics in the NBA than he does in college, but is still a ways off.
As for Tucker? Well…let me put it this way, he only took four three-pointers while at Texas (he did make two of them, though).
Regardless, there is youth and talent on this roster. So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at next year’s Toronto Long…I mean Raptors.
Projected starting line-up:
PG – T.J. Ford
SG – Mo Peterson
SF – Joey Graham
PF – Chris Bosh
C – Rasho Nesterovic
Position analysis:
Point Guard – By far the deepest and youngest position on the team. Sitting being Ford as Jose Calderon, Andre Barrett and Alvin Williams. Williams is 31, but Ford, Calderon and Barrett are all 24 or young and have yet to reach their full potential as NBA point guards. This is especially true of Ford, who’s development has been delayed as he spent a year and a half recovering from a spinal cord injury, but his addition also does the most to completely change the way the offense is run. He’s a point guard in the truest sense as his greatest ability is distributing the ball and his speed should be a great asset to Toronto. With the addition of Ford, last year’s starter, Mike James, will likely leave through free agency.
Shooting Guard – The only real shooting guard on the roster is Mo Peterson. Peterson averaged 16.8 ppg for the Raptors last season, but more to the point, shot 40% from behind the three-point line and with the probable departure of James, will be the team’s only big-time deep threat. The 28 year-old Peterson is talented, but in the NBA has never been looked to as the main scoring option and is by no means an up-and-comer. The lack of depth behind him will mean Peterson will probably be asked to make the big three early and often.
Small Forward – Tucker will come off the bench at small forward behind former Oklahoma State star Joey Graham. Graham was the Raptors first round pick in 2005 and only played 19.7 minutes per game, but is now going to be expected to step up. He was a fairly polished coming out of college, but expect Tucker to get plenty of playing time as Graham settles into the starting role.
Power Forward – The most important position philosophically for the Raptors. All of the moves they have made are intended to build the roster around Bosh, especially T.J. Ford. Toronto hopes Ford can get the ball down low to the big man and let him work. At only 21, Bosh averaged 22.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks and is set for a breakout year. Sitting behind Bosh will be No. 1 draft pick Andrea Bargnani, whom the Raptors are hoping will develop into a Dirk Nowitzki-type player. Could Bargnani become the shooting threat they’re missing? Possibly, but right now he’s about as raw as they come.
Center – On June 21st, the Raptors acquired Rasho Nesterovic for Matt Bonner and Eric Williams and a second-round pick in 2009. It’s a risky move considering the 30-year-old Nesterovic has $23.5 million and three years left on his contract, but Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo said he brought in Nesterovic primarily to address the team’s needs on the defensive end of the floor. Pape Sow from Cal State Fullerton (originally Senegal) will be the back-up. Sow averaged 3.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per game last season.
In the end, Ford and Tucker are great additions to a Toronto squad loaded with potential. The Raptors are young, talented and fast, but they are still are big shooting threat away from the NBA playoff team, much less contend for a championship.
While they develop, Texas fans will certainly be keeping an eye on the Ontario city.
Hey…isn’t Ricky Williams in Toronto as well? Ross Lucksinger
He exists! I swear!
June 30, 2006
Jordan Spears Shipley - his college bio reads as follows:
FRESHMAN (2004)
Redshirted.
REDSHIRT FRESHMAN (2005)
Missed all 12 games due to injury.
…woo.
This stands in stark contrast to Shipley’s high school resume, which is one of the most loaded in the history of the sport:
2004 Parade All-American. 2003 Old Spice “Red Zone” National Player of the Year by USA Today. 2003 3A Texas Player of the Year by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. 3A Offensive Player of the Year by the Texas Sports Writers Association.
264 career catches for 5,424 yards and 73 TDs. For those of you scoring at home, that’s the second most receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in the history of high school football in the United States. Ever.
But with a torn ACL in 2004 and a season-ending hamstring injury in 2005, we had yet to see him play a down for the Longhorns. So, when the 2006 Spring Jamboree rolled around, one of the biggest questions was whether or not were going to see this mythical creature known as Jordan Shipley. The smoke cleared from the tunnel and out trotted, wearing No. 8, a 6-foot, 185-pounds-soaking-wet receiver. Clearly, this could not be the same Shipley we’ve heard about over and over again. But it was.
He blazed past Longhorn DBs. He ran perfect routes. He caught everything thrown at him (including a ball tipped behind him that he still, somehow, managed to slide and catch).
Who is this guy?
This is the guy Vince Young nicknamed ‘ESPN’ for his highlight-reel catches. This is the guy who, according a source at Texas, nailed down the starting flanker job…as a true freshman. This is the guy who makes his teammates stop and stare.
“It's fun when the whole team wants to stop practice just to clap for him, so we did,” said Mack Brown. “More than anything else, they know what kind of competitor Jordan is and he's finally well."
Soon enough, we all will know what kind of competitor he is. But regardless of whether or not Shipley will live up to the hype that has steadily piled up over the last two years, I can assure you of one thing: he does, in fact, exist. Ross Lucksinger
Taylor's Trouble
June 27, 2006
A strong argument can be made in support of suspended RB Ramonce Taylor’s decision to train with the Texas football team during voluntary summer workouts, but I’m going to make one against it.
I’ll put it succinctly and then present my case: any player charged with ‘state felony’ drug possession while concurrently dismissed from the program for academic reasons should not participate in workouts with his former teammates, voluntary or otherwise, until he is re-instated by his head coach.
You’ll recall that RT was officially “excused” from the team in early March to concentrate on academics, but was charged less than two months later with possession of no more than four pounds of marijuana following a late-night altercation at a Bell County pecan farm.
From my perspective, the language that Mack Brown used in his press release following Taylor’s arrest was more distancing of this particular situation than the head coach has used in similar situations (which, thankfully, have been few-and-far-between) during his nine-year tenure. Brown made it clear that RT had already been “excused” from the team at the time of the arrest. His statement concluded: “We are aware of the recent incident, and we will follow it as the legal system runs its course. At this time, we will not consider re-instating him to the team.”
I understand not only has RT denied that the ‘substance’ belonged to him but that he has also refuted any awareness that the contents were inside his vehicle in the first place. (Else, why would he contact law enforcement officers to report the broken window following the fight?). We all understand that RT is innocent until proven guilty, and that he is determined to prove his innocence. For a number of reasons, I hope this turns out to be the case.
I understand, as Inside Texas reported last week, that RT may be making genuine attempts to restore his relationship with former teammates. I understand that the entire episode may be a wake-up for RT, and that he has taken strides toward maturity and responsibility.
I also understand that one does not necessarily have to be a current member of the Texas football program to participate in summer voluntary sessions. After all, several Texas State players were part of last summer’s Longhorn drills.
No one is suggesting that The University should be heartless and unforgiving of any student-athlete who has walked a mile in Taylor’s cleats.
I am suggesting, however, that if RT is truly taking the high road, then the most appropriate stance would be for him to: assure his teammates of his commitment to full re-instatement (with all the inherent expectations and responsibilities) and to assure his teammates of his commitment to a voluntary individual summer workout – apart from them, but with them in mind – with the intent that he return in peak physical condition.
The Austin Police Department mentioned Taylor as a possible suspect in a December 10 incident in the city’s Sixth Street entertainment district as well as a possible suspect in an assault involving a handgun on September 4. No charges were filed in either incident, but the current drug-possession charge marks the third time during the past year that Taylor’s name has been splashed across the headlines. A Texas squad, needing to fill the leadership void resulting from QB Vince Young’s decision to forego his final year of eligibility, should not be saddled with this type of distraction.
Taylor can affect his pre-season physical conditioning and, more important, his personal edification apart from his former teammates’ voluntary workouts. He should come back to the team only when Mack Brown says he can. Bill Frisbie
Look to the Past
June 26, 2006
"History doesn't always repeat itself. Sometimes it just screams, 'Why don't you listen to me?' and lets fly with a big stick." -- John W. Campbell Jr.
For success in the future, you must understand the past and learn from it. This is as true in sports as it is in life and one of the reason’s Mack Brown is such a successful coach.
I spoke with former Texas Longhorn and Denver Bronco Dan Neil recently and Neil, who played under John Mackovic, said that Mackovic didn’t look to those who had built the football program at Texas. Be it intimidation, apathy or obstinate stubbornness, Mackovic did little to get the former coaches and players involved with the program. Brown has been the complete opposite.
Former players and coaches are welcomed with open arms. Once Brown arrived, Earl Campbell’s face could be seen around the University. James Street teamed up with Brown for a golf tournament. Former lettermen are invited to all practices and they have reunions and outings organized by Brown. Darrell Royal was suddenly present at press conferences, offering words of wisdom to reporters and players and championing Coach Brown’s work. Brown embraced the University of Texas from the very beginning and the University has embraced him in turn.
This is not just a great experience for the architects of the program, but it also has taught many lessons to Brown as well. His close relationship with Royal has had a great deal of influence on his development as a coach. Royal was always in his ear, talking about the program and letting Brown know that the national championship was coming. This sends an important message to the current players as well. They’ll always have a place here and he’s the kind of coach that they’ll go out and fight for.
I was inspired to write this blog because I’m sitting at Posse East right now and Coach Royal and Coach Brown are sitting at the next table down having lunch (Brown walked in using a cane. He says his knee replacement surgery went well but he’s gonna be a little slow getting around for a bit). The two’s embrace is not just an indication of their friendship, but also of the appreciation Brown holds for the history of Texas football. Without this, the national championship would not have been possible. Ross Lucksinger
Fab Five
June 21, 2006
Every powerhouse Division-I program, year-in and year-out, has in its arsenal at least a couple players who -- though they have never taken a collegiate snap -- enjoy breakthrough years and become almost indispensable to the team's success. This season, Texas has a handful of playmakers who are prime candidates for conference Newcomer of the Year honors.
The last time these guys played in an actual game was in high school. But the Burnt Orange crystal ball says the Big 12's top Newcomer in 2006 will be a Longhorn. So will the Defensive Freshman of the Year and, quite possibly, the league's top offensive freshman as well. And it will be one of the following Fab Five:
RS-freshman TE Jermichael Finley
When I first laid eyes on Finley in Texas uniform, I had the same reaction when I first saw Vince Young strolling across Denius Field on the first day of August Camp in 2002. Both are physical specimens. The most surprising 'redshirt' of 2005, in my opinion, was Finley. I really thought that when Bo Scaife completed his eligibility (after, what, eight seasons?) that Finley would factor into last season's rotation. Now, Texas should reap the rewards of his year in the system. Texas can continue to do all it has previously done with the two-TE sets, while Finley has the speed, strength and versatility to line-up in multiple spots as did David Thomas.
The media guide lists Finley at 6-5, 220 pounds but OC Greg Davis told me at the end of spring that J-Mike now tips the scales at muscled-up 242. Seems like nearly every post-practice session last spring, either a player or a coach extolled the virtues of Jermichal Finley. He lived up to the hype in Aprils' Orange-White scrimmage, leading all receivers with 73 yards on four receptions and notching the only TD reception of the evening.
"Jermichael caught everything that we threw at him," Mack Brown said at the end of spring football.
This August, the primary thing that coaches will throw at Finley are the blocking assignments. There's still some learning curve, and maybe a little attitude adjust, as a former 3A First-Team WR adjusts to life at TE.
In other words, coaches know what Finley can do with his hands. Soon, so will the rest of the Big 12.
RS-freshman MLB Roddrick Muckelroy
The most surprising redshirt of 2005, according to Brown, was Muckelroy. Brown thought the former 4A First-Team All-Stater was ready to contribute last fall but allowed Co-DC Gene Chizik to make the call. Horn fans (and presumably several thousand Aggies) remember Muckelroy's vicious hit that leveled RB Jervorski Lane in the 2005 Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star Game. Muckelroy was a four-year starter at Hallsville and is now ready to leave his imprint on the Longhorn program.
Muckelroy's name was mentioned early-and-often throughout the spring as someone who showed-up on a daily basis. The RS-freshman led all tacklers with seven, including one TFL, in the Orange-White scrimmage. He finished the spring as MLB Rashad Bobino's primary backup, but don't be surprised if a) Muckelroy nudges Bobino for the starting job or b) one of the two slides over to provide depth at WLB. (the last week of spring drills Chizik was cross-training his linebackers to play all three spots).
Muckelroy would have been the most highly touted up-and-comer this past spring had it not been for...
True freshman SLB Sergio Kindle
I don't think I've ever eagerly anticipated the first collegiate snap of any Longhorn defensive player as I do Kindle's. His high school coach told Inside Texas that there is no way to keep Kindle off the field this fall...on offense. The consensus First-Team All-American is the only Texas player to earn all-state honors at both linebacker and running back. Kindle will be the first true freshman to see Game Day action and it will come before half-time in the September 2 home-opener. Kindle will make first-team SLB Robert Killebrew a better player. Killebrew told me this spring that he has never seen a high school player with Kindle's stature (6-4, 225) and raw gifts; he said that he knows he could lose his starting spot to a true freshman. Kindle has that kind of upside. Reportedly, the biggest hit of spring football was when Kindle collided with RB Henry Melton, stopping the H-Train at the LOS. Look for Kindle to continue the Longhorn tradition of laying claim to Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year accolades.
RS-sophomore Jordan Shipley
God bless Jordan Shipley.
Ship may be the hardest-working and most positive young man in all of D-I football. If there is any justice in the college football world, the injuries that have delayed his career for consecutive seasons are behind him.
Two years ago, the inside buzz during August Camp was that Ship had nailed down the stating FL job. He had never missed a single game, let alone an entire season, with an injury prior to the torn right ACL in 2004. I asked Mack Brown (a while back) if Shipley's follow-up surgery (conducted in September, 2005) would help in terms of the NCAA granting a medical hardship year in addition to his redshirt season in 2005. "I think so," Brown said. He obviously would not want to publicly presume what the NCAA ought to do in Shipley's case, but I suggested that if Oklahoma's Dusty Dvorecek could get a medical hardship for anger management, then Shipley should be able to get one for a hamstring and clean-up work related to his torn ACL. "I'm not going there," Brown laughed.
I talked to Shipley after the Orange-White scrimmage about his extensive rehab: he believed he had been "100 percent" physically recovered for quite some time but the mental aspect had finally come around during the latter part of spring football. That night's scrimmage was his first live football since December, 2003.
Crisp routes, amazing footwork, Velcro hands and speed-to-burn: it's still there. As long as he looks both ways before crossing the street, Ship will start making up for lost time in about 10 weeks.
True freshman QB Jevan Snead
None of the three freshman QBs are expected to be game-savers in order for Texas to be BCS Bowl-bound in December; at least two will play in every game this year. But one must emerge as the most consistent in protecting the ball and getting it into the hands of his playmakers. I believe Davis wants the QBs playing entirely within themselves, and have them deferring most of the play-making function to more seasoned teammates and that their production would be relatively nondescript if they were not occupying this particular position at this particular program while trying to fill the cleats of one of the most celebrated QBs in college football history. In short, it gets ya noticed.
I think uber-intelligent Sherrod Harris will got a shot, but even Colt McCoy's and Jevan Snead's brief tenure still puts them ahead of the learning curve. It's their position to lose.
I've just felt all along that, by season's end, Snead will be the one taking the field with the first-team offense. It could be that I've paid too much attention to the giddy, post-practice comments about Snead's arm strength. (Davis must have heard it prior to his statement last April that "arm strength is over-rated. Accuracy is more important, and both quarterbacks are extremely accurate."
Or, it could be I have a suspicion that a QB who competed at a 4A program (like Stephenville) has a better chance of making the transition to big-time D-I football. Or, it could be the typical bias toward the second-string QB. Or, it could be the way Snead engineered the only two TD drives in the Orange-White game, the determined way he ran the zone read and the presence he seemed to have in managing the huddle.
McCoy, Harris and Snead are fantasic young men off-the-field. I like McCoy a lot and I think Texas can win with him. Call it a hunch that Snead will be the one primarily directing the offense on-the-field by the time the Aggies come calling.
Three for the Show
June 19, 2006
Who will be Texas' Top Three playmakers in 2006?
In an age of parity, the difference between championship-caliber Division-I football teams and the indistinguishable slew of also-rans is generally determined by whether a program possess three big-time playmakers. At least, that's what NFL scouts told Mack Brown a couple of seasons ago. So, who are the Big Three Longhorns indispensable to the team's title defense in 2006?
Yeah, yeah: it's a team game. And there are nothing but "co-starters" at every position at the Forty Acres these days. If a reporter asks Mack Brown about a particular athlete, the response is usually a litany of love directed at every player at that spot.
But consider this a bowl full of Chicken Soup for the Football-starved Soul: one man can still make a difference.
Obviously, no team-oriented player or coach underestimates the impact that, say, a one-for-the-ages QB like Vince Young had on the program. It's just that NFL scouts have said the teams still contenting for the national championship by late-season are those with at least trio of difference-makers. These are the go-to guys capable of making just the right play at just the right time, shifting the momentum and steering the squad toward a 'W' during evenly-contested games in which the outcome was still very much in doubt.
The good news for Horn fans, during the post-VY era, is that it's difficult to narrow the 2006 team to just three play-makers. My list does not include either true freshman or redshirted players who have never played a collegiate snap. (My projected list of the Top Three Breakout Newcomers is on tap for later this week).
So, here we go:
RB Jamaal Charles
Five games into 2005, JC was on his to way the most productive season ever by a Longhorn freshman RB. He broke Texas freshman rushing records for a debut game (135 yards against UL-Lafayette), for a starting assignment (189 yards against Rice) and against OU (116). In fact, his 80-yard scoring run against the Sooners was the longest run by any Longhorn in the history of the Red River Rivalry and the second-longest ever by a UT freshman.
But then Charles would play nearly half the season with a flat tire after suffering an ankle injury against the Sooners. How limiting was the injury? Consider this: he had just 67 yards and no TDs on 16 carries (4.2 ypc) during a three-game stretch following the injury. He had 811 yards on 103 totes (7.9 ypc) and 11 TDs during the other ten contests. He also emerged as a where-did-this-come-from? receiving threat with six clutch, drive-sustaining catches to help secure the win at Ohio State.. . By year's end, Charles led all Texas RBs with 878 yards and 11 TDs on 103 carries on the way to Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors. Currently, he is one of the few sophomores to make the 'Watch List' for the Maxwell Award, honoring the nation's top player.
In short, Charles is college football's best second-string RB. Selvin Young, if healthy, will likely trot onto the field with the Ones during the September 2 home-opener (and, certainly, one week later against the Buckeyes) primarily because: a) Mack Brown still prefers upperclassman and b) Charles must do a better job of securing the football. In so many words, that's why Brown said Young got the start against USC. Charles didn't help his cause by fumbling in the first quarter and then committing another turnover on the opening series in April's Orange-White Game.
Even so, Charles is the type of big, explosive back that Brown wants carrying the rock. Regardless of the early-season depth chart, Charles will split carries with Young. The sophomore's inaugural campaign was an sign of things to come.
SS Michael Griffin
If ‘offense sells tickets and defense wins games', then Michael Griffin is a difference-maker who is also worth the price of admission. Rewind your Rose Bowl DVD to about seven minutes remaining in the first half and USC threatening to add to its 7-3 lead. The Trojans are on the cusp of the red zone when QB Matt Leinart lofts what looks like a perfectly timed 25-yard TD strike just inside the left pylon at the goal line. One could argue that Griffin's INT was the most critical play of the first half. With closing-speed that still looks plenty fast even when my DVD is on slow-mo, Griffin comes down with one foot in-bounds and robs SC of what looked like a sure thing. The Big Mo shifts decisively in Texas' favor until halftime as the Horns reel off a pair of TDs.
Griffin gave us a sneak preview of his game-turning theatrics when he helped break open a tight ballgame at Colorado in 2004. Early in the third quarter, Griffin forced a turnover and came up with a pick on consecutive CU possessions; the effect was to jumpstart the offense on the way to a 31-7 route. The team's leading tackler (124) in 2005 will make the shift from FS to try to fill the cleats of Thorpe Award winning SS Michael Huff. No one should be surprised to see Griffin hoisting the same hardware this December.
You could almost put several names in a hat and randomly draw the third nominee, and we'd still be in good hands. DT Frank Okam, for example, is the next big thing (in more ways than one) on what should be Texas' finest defensive front in more than 20 years. And how could you go wrong with BP: 'Big Play' Billy Pittman. The explosive receiver averaged 22.1 ypc (No. 2 nationally) but was particularly productive in 2005's biggest games. Against Oklahoma and four Top 25 teams, Pittman caught 19 passes for 520 yards (27.4 ypc). All five of his TD grabs last season came in these games. I will also admit a personal bias toward FL Quan Cosby. In addition to being the fast flyer on the team (4.37), Cosby is about as mature and as personable of a young man you could ever hope to meet. Cosby came into his own during the latter part of 2005: he recorded three catches for 25 yards during his first eight games before notching 245 yards and two TDs on 12 receptions during the final five outings.
But my choice for Texas' third big-time playmaker for 2006 is SE Limas Sweed.
In a sense, Sweed's already laid claim to the designation following his game-winning TD grab with 2:37 remaining at Ohio State. That critical catch in Columbus was the shot of confidence that Sweed needed to ignite his career. He finished his RS-sophomore season as the team's second-leading receiver on the way Honorable Mention All-Big 12 honors. Another reason for picking Sweed is that his name has been mentioned as one of this year's team leaders. That designation typically stems from a player taking additional ownership in the program and from the confidence of knowing his example will be backed-up on the field.
The only question is how early and often OC Greg Davis will look to the long-ball with freshmen QBs. There were no deep patterns completed during the Orange-White Game last April, even though Davis said his personal preference is to go long once or twice per quarter. The flipside is that, during the early going, there won't be an experienced TE functioning as a safety valve. If lightning strikes twice against Ohio State, Seed will have a hand in it. He came into his own in 2005; at the very least, we can expect him to use that 6-5 frame against smaller DBs to improve on his 36 catches (for 545 yards and five TDs) last season. Bill Frisbie
Best Wishes
June 18, 2006
The Texas Longhorns faced a lot of challenges this season. As a very young team, they looked to what veteran leadership they had. One of the most important of those leaders was junior outfielder Carson Kainer. Kainer was able to provide that leadership because of his experience performing in the clutch. In his sophomore season, 17 of his 31 RBI came with two outs as he batted .352 with runners in scoring position while also hitting .315 with runners on base. This past season, he hit .364 and a team-leading 66 RBI.
Now, Kainer is facing a challenge of his own. Not long after the Horn’s loss to N.C. State, Kainer’s doctor informed him that he was in need of a kidney transplant. Kainer was born with chronic renal failure, meaning his kidneys are unable to clean toxins and waste products from his blood. He has had the use of only one kidney since his childhood.
Kainer is a great guy to watch play, to interview and to get to know. He’s always been incredibly easy to talk to, as well. Just listen to the Texas Baseball Roundtable for an indication. During my sit down with Kainer, Junior 1B Chance Wheeless and Senior OF Hunter Harris, Carson was by far the most talkative of the three.
I asked Longhorn’s head coach Augie Garrido for his thoughts on Carson, and he had this to say:
“Carson has been the starting left fielder since he was a freshman here and he has continued to improve and he is one of the driving forces and leadership forces on the team. He has become extremely consistent in his approach from beginning to end.”
Here’s hoping this isn’t the end of his career. Not only do I hope the surgery is successful, but that he’ll quickly be able to find his way back onto the baseball diamond so he can play the game he loves. According to Garrido, Kainer steps up in the face of challenges:
“As a high school player he was ahead of the curve, but so is everyone who gets in this environment. Here they find players who are older and better than they are physically. But he’s pushed himself past the other players with his work ethic, his attention to detail, his development, his leadership skills. He’s pushed himself back to the top. When he goes to the next level, he’s going to be faced with some of the same challenges, but he certainly did solve that problem here.”
Now he’s facing his biggest challenge yet…but I have no doubt he’ll overcome it, just as he has overcome every one laid before him. Ross Lucksinger
When Does Texas Have to Settle the QB Situation?
June 13, 2006
Expecting Texas to have a clear-cut starter at QB by the September 2 home opener? Not so fast, my friend. Offensive Coordinator Greg Davis recently said the QB situation may not even be settled when Ohio State comes calling. Does it matter?
"We probably won't know the outcome until we get into the season next year," Davis said, before adding, "I don't know that we'll be there for North Texas or even for Ohio State."
I think part of the reason Davis made the statement was to stem the barrage of media questions he has received on the subject since, well, 4 p.m., January 8. (The approximate conclusion to Vince Young's press conference announcing his decision to forego his final year of eligibility). In essence, Davis said there will not be resolution at QB until we are at least well into August Camp. Besides, there are now three QBs on the Forty Acres participating in voluntary summer workouts. Why discard Sherrod Harris from the mix when he, after all, has taken as many collegiate snaps as Colt McCoy and Jevan Snead? (Recall that Harris informed Inside Texas a couple of weeks ago that coaches told him to have the mindset that he could redshirt or he could even start). There was no reason to declare a winner in this derby prematurely.
But it begs the question about whether a loaded team -- a squad that should be two-deep across-the-board by the time the Buckeyes come calling -- has enough seasoned talent to extend its win streak to 22, and beyond, if there isn't clarity about the starting QB. There are multitudes of folks (mainly the ones wearing Scarlet and Gray) who insist that Ohio State wins that game in Columbus last year if their QB situation was solidified. My subjective view is that, once the whistle blew, the Longhorn D had as much to do as anything else with un-settling the Buckeye QB situation. Yet, the fact remains that the starting Texas QB gets about two-thirds of the reps during game week. Plus, he gets more of the game plan, according to Davis. This past spring, both QBs had equal number of snaps. McCoy worked exclusively with the Ones during the first two weeks of spring football, but then Snead worked with first-team toward the end of the spring.
It would important to name a clear-cut starter, Davis continued, because of the leadership inherently associated with that position. To that I would add it is, obviously, "important" to every season, but not incumbent upon the success of the start of the 2006 season.
The topic dove-tails into last week's blog on team leadership. No, the team leader does not necessarily have to be the QB. Nor does he have to display a loud, in-your-face persona. (Mack Brown said the 2004 Rose Bowl champ was the quietest team he's ever had. The flip-side is that some members of the Texas baseball team attributed their shocking early exit in the NCAA post-season to a lack of vocal leadership). Last week, I referenced the unsettled QB situation in 2003 in the discussion on team leadership. It may not have been the primary factor for the 4-2 start (including the worst-ever loss to OU in series history and the only home loss of this millennium) but it certainly was a contributor.
The larger problem in 2003 was an overall lack of senior leadership; it was so pronounced that key Longhorns vowed to overcome leadership void the following year. But the unsettled QB situation in 2003 filtered into the leadership vacuum in several ways: RB Cedric Benson publicly groused for more carries and privately lobbied for Vince Young as the starting QB. The drop-back passing game from QB Chance Mock suited SE Roy Williams and FL B.J.Johson just fine and, together, they would speak not only of the change of scheme but also the change of cadence and trajectory when a new QB rotated into the lineup. It imploded on that miserable second Saturday in October before coaches settled on one QB and his so-called featured plays.
A fundamental difference between the 2003 season and Mack Brown's ninth year in Austin is a very fine line: a very fine offensive and defensive line, that is. The starting QB will have the assurance that he is protected by the best O-line that Brown has ever put on a field in 20-plus years as a head coach; the QB also knows that few opponents will be able to run on what should be Texas' best defensive front since 1983. What's more, Texas can run the same offense with McCoy and Snead. That was not the case three years ago when the offensive identity shifted with whoever was lined up behind center. And now, all three are developing the kind of chemistry and timing with WRs that proved invaluable during the national championship season.
Come August, Davis said coaches will base their decision on which QB "is the most consistent, who takes care of the ball the best, who makes the most things happen with his feet, because both are accurate throwing the ball." McCoy's redshirt season obviously gave a better grasp of the offense, particularly with the reads and the hot routes, Brown told me at the end of the spring. One question that will not be answered before September is which QB best handles the intensive public pressure "because it's different here for a quarterback," Brown added.
My experience with the freshmen QBs (all three of them) is that they are solid, intelligent, courteous young men. They are mature and poised beyond their years; they are precisely the kind of student-athletes you want wearing the Burnt Orange. But my personal bias is that coaches should pick one and stick with him. It's my bias because I believe it's typically a preference among offensive players.
There is little doubt in my mind that McCoy trots onto the field this September 2. Snead will play but McCoy gets most of the snaps simply because we all know how Brown covets experience (albeit limited experience, in this case). My gut-level feeling, however, is that Snead gradually works himself into the starting role.
"We feel like both of them can win for us right now," Brown concluded at the end of spring football.
And, right now, that's the bottom line. Bill Frisbie
Who’s No. 1?
June 8, 2006
Ah yes, the classic spring argument. In previous years, there have been little question as to who deserves the top spot at the beginning of the college football season or, if so, the debate is typically limited to two or three teams. This year, the field is as wide open as it has been in recent memory, with as many as eight to ten teams with a legitimate claim on the No. 1 ranking.
The Texas Longhorns would have certainly had a stranglehold on the top of the mound if Vince Young had returned. But the departure of a single player has dropped the Horns to as low as No. 7 in some major preseason polls. As astounding as that may be, a drop of some sort may be legitimate as Young was able to quite literally will Texas to a number of wins. It will be up to Texas to prove that there was much more to their national title run than one man.
So, who to choose? Who to select amongst this cluttered log jam at the top?
Well, as a rule, for me to place a team in the top spot, they must have two things: a great defense and a great O-line. Heavy emphasis is usually placed in having experience at the quarterback position, but teams have on many occasions won the national championship in a QB's first year in the starting spot, but champions almost always have a lockdown defense and an offensive line that makes everything happen. It doesn’t matter how good your running back is if there are no holes for him to run through. Applying these requirements to six of this year’s title contenders, we find very few actually remaining.
A team that is carrying tons of hype into this coming football season (and, indeed, almost every season) is the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The sports media seems to be consistently searching for a reason to place the Golden Domers in college football’s elite and, thanks to Charlie Weis, they finally have a reason. Because they will be returning eight starters to one of the top offenses in the country and have an offensive line that will be manned by five seniors, Notre Dame is going to live up to much of that hype that surrounds the team. They also return nine starters on defense, but they are nine starters from a defense that was ranked 103rd against the pass and will continue to give up chunks of yards this season. They’re out.
OU is another team that brings considerable firepower to the show. Their D is going to be one of the absolute best and Adrian Peterson is finally healthy again. But, the Sooners return only a single starter an already abysmal…and I mean abysmal offensive line. Bomar will continue to look inconsistent and will be blamed, I imagine unfairly, for Oklahoma’s offensive woes. Next.
USC only two starters to their O-line, but it was a great unit. The new starters will have time to develop before the toughest part of the Trojans schedule, but will lack the power, quickness and experience of last year’s and the guys they will be blocking for aren’t as talented as the nearly unstoppable backfield of Matt Leinart, LenDale White and Reggie Bush. The defense will be solid with Lawrence Jackson anchoring the D-line, but the defense was the weakest part of the 2005 squad and lost many key contributors, especially in the backfield. However, the potential of the new players the Trojans ability to replace parts put USC at No. 2 in my preseason poll. Close, but no cigar.
Texas probably has the best defense and offensive line combination of these teams. Kasey Studdard, Lyle Sendlein and Justin Blalock return to one of the nation’s best units and the defense, despite losing Michael Huff and Rod Wright will actually be better than last years. The problem, though, is quarterback. I did say that first year starters have had plenty of success in college football…but they’re almost never freshmen who haven’t taken a single college snap. Combine that with the rotation at the position that will likely exist for the first part of the season and Longhorn fans are in for a bit a bumpy ride until a leader emerges. I’d place Texas third.
That, of course, brings us to the Ohio State Buckeyes, the second opponent this season for the said Longhorns. Ohio State's offensive line was a strong point last season and they'll be returning their center, right guard and right tackle to an offense that was running like a well oiled machine by the end of the season. The problem is that the strongest point for the Buckeyes last season was their defense, from which they lost a crippling nine starters. While they're not exactly putting scrubs in the place of A.J. Hawk and the nation's No. 5 scoring defense, they will be starting six sophomores on D. An inexperienced quarterback vs. and inexperienced defense makes for an interesting matchup in Austin on September 9th, but it also keeps either team from taking the top spot.
Eliminating these teams, we end up with a very unexpected result: The West Virginia Mountaineers.
Please, hear me out. West Virginia shocked the country last year with their 38-35 win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and did it with a young team. Quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton were both freshmen last year and form a dynamic, and now experienced duo. The Big East Champs also bring back their top three receivers and all three interior linemen, including All-American center Dan Mozes. On defense, West Virginia brings back seven lettermen D-linemen to a three man front. There is also experience across the board returning to an already solid defense, in which there is a junior or senior at every starting position save one, free safety, which is manned by redshirt freshman Quinton Andrews, whom WVA coach are raving about. The Mountaineers also have very few obstacles on their way to the Fiesta Bowl due to a very weak schedule (as a side note, I hate when analysts use schedule to determine rank, I’m simply pointing out another reason why I think West Virginia, of all teams, will end up in the BCS championship game).
West Virginia shock the world when they won the Sugar Bowl last year. They’ll do it again when they win the national championship this season. Ross Lucksinger
Who Are The Leaders?
June 7, 2006
Who's the leader of the pack? The Longhorn pack, that is. A title defense may depend on it.
Vocal leadership. Team chemistry. The kind of intangibles that are ideally forged during springs and summers as every college football team annually re-invents with the change of seasons. So, do the 2006 Longhorns have it yet? Who are the take-charge guys now that voluntary summer workouts are on-tap?
Various members of the sports media (including Inside Texas) weekly raised the issue of 'team leadership' during spring football. The reason we broached the subject so early-and-often was that so much was made of it during the national championship run. Coaches repeatedly said the ripple effects of the team leadership that the likes of Vince Young and Rodrique Wright brought to the team, starting with voluntary summer workouts, were so pronounced that it could not be separated from the team's national championship run. In short, that glorious January night in Pasadena was forged on Denius Fields this time last year.
If you want to see the effects of a ridiculously talented but relatively leaderless Longhorn squad, you only have to look back to 2003. That team had SE Roy Williams, RB Cedric Benson, FL B.J. Johnson, WLB Derrick Johnson and a RS-freshman QB by the name of Vince Young. The 10-3 record that season would be enviable at most schools, but The University-of-by-God-Texas is not most schools. That team posted lopsided wins over Nebraska and Texas A&M; it notched thrilling comebacks against Texas Tech and eventual Big 12 camp Kansas State. But it also suffered the worst loss in series history against OU, got pushed around for the only home loss of this millennium against Arkansas and then mailed-in a disinterested Holiday Bowl loss to Washington State. The 2003 team had too many chiefs and not enough leaders; it resulted in a kind of a turf war between Williams and Benson. No small part of that was the indecision the coaches displayed at QB, and the resultant lack of a consistent offensive philosophy, until there were already two losses at mid-season.
That's why Benson and Wright determined that things would be different in 2004. Benson, of course, quit baseball and joined Wright in contacting teammates to join them in summer sessions. The immediate effect was that approximately 60 percent of all scholarship players participated in voluntary workouts in 2004. The summer before the championship season, those sessions included virtually every Longhorn. In late July, Wright shook his head in amazement when he told me that there were about 80 Longhorns (including the incoming freshmen) consistently participating in summer workouts. For the first time, players could conduct 11-on-11 drills, night after night after night. By that time, it was VY's team.
And, so, inquiring minds want to know: who's the leader of the pack in 2006?
Who is this year's Vince Young, who scrawls on an athletic complex whiteboard the imperative "Whoever wants to beat Ohio State, meet me at 8 p.m."
Who are this year's Wright and Benson, who called M.I.A. teammates and questioned why they skipped out on early-morning windsprints?
During the spring, the responses seemed as indecisive as they were well rehearsed. In essence, upper classmen responded that "everyone" on the team is a leader. Coaches added that new leadership tends to emerge during the spring and summer. From a Burnt Orange perspective, you hope they're right.
Texas has the talent to straight-away win at least 10 or 11 games every year. The only thing is that they're playing 13 or 14 games these days, and the difference between an undefeated or a respectable one-loss season and, say, 10-3, is the kind of in-your-face, refuse-to-lose leadership that the past two Texas teams possessed and the 2003 team lacked.
No one questions that team leadership is foundational. The only question is which current Longhorn(s) is assuming the mantle of team leader. (The problem is that when "everyone" is leader, no one truly is.)
By way of answer...
...Justin Blalock was a name frequently associated with last year's team leaders, and we're told that Blalock continues to flex his leadership muscle. We've all seen what a firebrand Kasey Studdard is. The thought, now, is that it would serve the team well if that in-your-face intensity was directed across-the-board rather than strictly among the O-linemen. When I pressed QB Jevan Snead to go beyond the team-mantra that "everybody" is a leader, he specifically mentioned SE Limas Sweed as one he saw as a team leader. (Snead also expressed gratitude for the leadership, and help, he received from QB Colt McCoy.)
It was also interesting to me that, during my periodic conversations with this year's true freshmen, that nearly every one of them mentioned linebacker Sergio Kindle as someone with whom they had been in frequent contact. (In other words, they'd been on phone with other future teammates, but Kindle was functioning as a point-of-contact for all of them.)
I also know that, following the spring game, Co-Defensive Coordinator Gene Chizik began to take aside certain players (just as he did last year) in whom he had detected leadership tendencies. His intent was a crash course in leadership training, and how that must also translate to off-the-field conduct. (Robert Killebrew spoke of private meetings with Chizik pertaining to, among other things, channeling his natural aggression in more constructive ways.)
Bottom line: there are leaders on this Longhorn team. Some are still emerging, and we'll know more as the summer progresses past these early, easily-motivated days through the dog days; few are likely to be as vocal as Young or Benson. And the issue may even linger until a firm decision is made at QB. Bill Frisbie
Destiny Denied
June 5, 2006
If my memory serves me, one of the first Longhorn baseball games I covered for Inside Texas was an NCAA Regional Tournament game back in 1996. What's the significance of that date? Well, it was the last time before Sunday, when N.C. State ended UT's season with a 6-3, elimination game win over the Horns, that Texas failed to advance out of a post-season series at the Disch.
The stat sounds formidable, but that's only part of the story. In 1997 and '98, the Horns didn't have an opportunity to advance out of an Austin Regional because there was no Austin Regional. Matter of fact, there was no NCAA Tournament for those teams, Augie Garrido's first on the Forty Acres.
Texas returned to the NCAA Tournament in 1999, falling in the Houston Regional before returning to the Disch in 2000 (via a somewhat improbable Regional win at Arizona State) for Super Regional play. That series win over Penn State and resulting berth in the CWS, despite a quick two-and-Q exit, marked UT's return to national competitiveness, which manifested itself two summers later with the Horns' national championship win over South Carolina. Beginning with the '00 trip to Omaha, the Horns made five trips in six seasons, and four straight beginning with the '02 title team and bookended with last year's championship squad. What a reversal from the slide that started in Cliff Gustafson's final years and bottomed out in Garrido's second season.
Given that four-year run, it almost seemed ordained that, come this June, Texas would again be on the road to Omaha. As we are all painfully aware, it was not to be. But what should not be lost in the expectation, fueled by continued success, and now the disappointment of 'failure', is the incredible nature of the Horns' four-year run. Four straight final four appearances, including two titles and a runner-up finish! It's not unprecedented -- Texas made five-straight CWS appearances from 1981-85, winning the title in '83, finishing second in '84 and '85 and tying for third in '81 and '82, while USC (an incredible five straight titles from '70-'74) and LSU (winning five titles in nine years from '91-'00), among others, had amazing runs of success -- but the difficulty of the accomplishment is not easily conveyed till, well, what we saw this past weekend at the Disch. It's hard as heck to come up with the plays, post-season game after post-season game, year after year, that result in a trip to Omaha, much less four straight with two titles.
Did I expect this year's team to make it again, somehow, some way, even after the Saturday loss to Stanford? And am I disappointed that the Disch fell silent a week early this year (aside from the welcome sound of renovation)? And did I have to cancel Omaha hotel reservations yesterday afternoon? Well, yes, yes and yes. But that's the expectation level that the great Longhorn teams of the last four years have created. Saying that it looked easy is not the right description. It appeared, it appeared... destined. Great players and great coaches create that type of atmosphere, even when, like Saturday and Sunday, the bounces aren't in your favor, the magic not in Orange and White.
The Longhorn program has been here before. Great runs can end. But I'm not going to say, "Great run, guys," because that would imply that it is indeed over. Let's remember those four straight trips to Rosenblatt, and how blessed we as Longhorn fans are for those accomplishments, and let's also consider this a one-year aberration. Then there's next year. And perhaps, again, destiny. Clendon Ross
Joe Blowhard
June 1, 2006
Joe Theismann on ESPN radio earlier this week:
“I don't ever want to be mentioned in the same breath as Ricky Williams as a football player. He's a disgrace to the game. The man doesn't deserve to play football. He should go on with his life and treat his drug addictions or go do whatever he wants to do. He's been suspended from the National Football League on multiple occasions. Doesn't anybody have any class anywhere?"
No, Joe, apparently they don’t. Or more specifically, you don’t.
Theismann also went on a second station, The Fan 590 out of Toronto, and continued his lambasting of Williams.
“To think they would stoop to this level to sell tickets, to bring someone in who is not worthy of playing professional football. He has insulted professional football players, he has insulted the game of professional football.”
Yeah, real classy, Theismann.
Aside from the unnecessary nature of the comments, he’s targeting one of the least offensive players who has violated league policies. You’re going to tell me that Ricky is less deserving to play football than the cheaters, liars, spouse abusers, and other criminals that are allowed to play in the NFL?
This wouldn’t have even been and issue in the 70’s. Do not forget that in Theismann’s day they did not have the drug testing in the NFL that they have today.
Worst of all, Theismann should be one of the most understanding people of Ricky’s situation. While not having a drug problem of his own (that we’re aware of), his son did. In late 2002, Theismann's son pleaded guilty to a felony charge of dealing cocaine and a misdemeanor charge of possessing drug paraphernalia in an Indiana court. Joseph W. Theismann, then 31, was sentenced to a 10-year suspended prison term, placed on probation and fined $2,500.
I seriously doubt he considers his son a disgrace. It would be sad if he did because as Joseph’s father, he needs to be as supporting as possible in these tough times.
And, Williams has been caught using a less serious drug (according to our legal system).
Williams tested positive the first three times for using marijuana (it still has not been revealed what drug was used the fourth time), yet harder drugs are used every day by NFL players. The irony is that the NFL’s testing policy actually pushes athletes towards harder drugs. The THC in weed is detectable in a habitual user’s system for up to 84 days after the last use, compared to one to three days for a habitual cocaine user (the ranges are dependant on amount and frequency of use, metabolic rate, body mass, age, overall health, and urine pH. For more info, go to the National Institute of Drug Abuse website).
The difficulty of detection, coupled with the large amounts of disposable income that many NFL players have, make cocaine and other harder drugs exceptionally tempting, but also something that Williams, by all indications, has avoided. In fact, then man who crushed Theismann’s leg and ended his playing career allegedly used cocaine.
Williams did have a response to Joe’s comments when asked about it by a reporter the Canadian paper “The Globe and Mail,” but it was not a fiery retort that would be entirely justified in the situation.
"He's got his opinion and I respect that opinion," Williams said. "He's said negative things about me in the past. He says some remarks that are offensive and then when he [is going to broadcast] one of our games, he comes to apologize and say 'I'm sorry.' And I'm sure next year when he's doing one of our games, he'll come up and apologize again. But I understand it's his job to say things."
(Original article)
So don’t worry Joe. You won’t have to worry about me mentioning you…and Ricky Williams in the same breath. He’s currently handling himself a lot more professionally than you are. Ross Lucksinger
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