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GoldAppleCorps

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Everything posted by GoldAppleCorps

  1. Somewhere, a Tech punt gunner just broke into a cold sweat.
  2. Tough news. I really believed this kid had all the skills to be a legend. However, I'm certain that collapsing on the field while Jordan McNair's obituary was still current clarifies priorities. A Longhorn Life and a long one, to you Big Pat!
  3. That was my takeaway from this article. The CEO of 247 doesn't know the difference between 'insure' and 'ensure'?
  4. Jalen Hurts has good enough skills to get by. If I'm OU (much like I am at Texas), I'm wondering what my 4 new starters on my OL are going to look like. Anyone remember what an offense featuring a powerfully strong running QB, a fantastic RB, and a "not quite on the same page most of the time" OL looked like?
  5. With an OC being the "eye in the sky" and rapid communications to the sidelines, the static defense is an automatic liability. If you line up and stop moving, the opposing offense knows exactly what you're about to do. Modern offenses have pieces on the field at all times to attack your weakness. The only way to give yourself a chance is to be shifting up until the snap - thus forcing the offense to play together in "real time" - diagnosing the defense and their individual responsibilities while the play is running. The Texas defense needs a fireplug in the middle to cause a roadblock (thank you, Poona Ford). Running up the A gap is the easiest play in football, and must be stopped with pure mass. After that, Todd Orlando just asks, "What kind of athlete are you?". Take the 10 best ones and start sorting them out. You may line up as a DE, but your actual responsibility may be to rapidly drop to cover a hook. The putative ILB might be an outside pass rusher - to be replaced by a deep safety now covering the inside gap. This is why Tom Herman wants a dominant TE. That's not really a non sequiter. Tight Ends get to cheat the rules. If every OL could block or catch a pass, football would be an insanely different game. As it stands, the TE alone is allowed to block (thus wanting a DE to match him) or run a passing route (usually needing a fleeter LB or stealing a S for coverage). In the cat and mouse game going on, the TE can scramble up everyone's coverages by doing both on the same play. Even catching a 10 yard pass puts him in the world of DBs - usually too small to effectively tackle him. Finding a true multi-skilled TE is rare. However, his presence demands a defense's focus.
  6. Having him sign financial aid papers and likely enroll in classes today was a big first step. Today is the 4th day of the spring semester and the official "add/drop" end. After today, you'd need special dispensation from the registrar to enroll in a class. If you're not enrolled as a student, you're not on the team. If he signed an aid package, my guess is he's got his class schedule. He would then be an official student for the spring semester. After this, it gets murky, and anyone who tells you they're "certain" about what's going to happen is only following their heart. USC released him from his LOI, but this literally makes zero difference. LOI's are only interesting until classes start and you're enrolled. Classes started at USC, and he was enrolled in them. He can likely un-enroll from USC without academic penalty, but (to quote U.E. McGill) the NCAA is a little more hard nosed than that. Essentially, the NCAA considers him to be a student at USC for the spring semester the same as if he transferred in May. He will need a waiver to gain immediate eligibility, and there really aren't any comparable incidents to compare. Officially, you need to claim some sort of compelling circumstance for a waiver. Justin Fields transferred to tOSU, and is claiming that a racial incident on a baseball field caused him undue hardship at UGA. The general consensus is that this stands a good chance of satisfying the NCAA, and earning a waiver. If that's the threshold (and I'm not belittling the severity of racial abuse at all), then it seems that some unrelated incident (I wouldn't use the "my coach left" argument - it happens all the time) might be proffered to prevent 1 week from costing him an entire season. I'm gruntled that the NCAA is well known for its rapid, fair, consistent, and common sense responses - and not being the least bit capricious and arbitrary.
  7. If school has already started, and he's started classes, then we've moved beyond NLI. Tuition money has already been used on scholarship.
  8. I'm sure you know this, but it can be a one-way street or a two-way street. If the player wants to put his name in the portal, he can do it any time he wants, with or without anyone else's permission or notification. However, the default position is that, from the moment his name is in the portal, he's essentially off the team. His financial aid will continue through the current semester, but won't renew for the next one. He can't have any contact with the team or use the specific facilities like a player. In addition, the current coaches can no longer contact him. That's the default position, because with agreement, the player and the coach can waive any or all of these stipulations. Texas did that with each player they placed in the portal. The prospective transfers were allowed to continue with the team, and the players allow the coaches to still work with them. When this happens, the only real world change is that other teams can now have their recruiters contact the player.
  9. I dont see why just about every backup these days doesn't enter the portal. Keep your options open. If you dont like them then stay put. Entering the transfer portal CAN HAVE (if your current school chooses) permanent consequences. The default position is that any student entering his credentials into the portal immediately loses his scholarship and access to his current team. Essentially, it ends your affiliation with your current school and allows coaches to contact you. Of course, you still have to abide by any "sitting out" penalties. It's not necessarily that easy. I say "necessarily" because these penalties can be completely dismissed if the current school agrees. I'm hoping this is Texas' position on almost every request. Texas is a "name" school, and gets interest from everyone. Let's just accept that players buried on the depth chart are going to look around. This isn't ideal, but it's gonna happen. I want Texas to have a reputation of making it easy to do, so that Texas gets 1st crack at their skill set. With the current set, no one is going to have 3 starters ready to go on their QB bench. Embracing the "new normal" and optimizing it is the way to go.
  10. He has everything needed to be an elite NFL receiver. He did not get a chance to show it consistently this season because the Texas offense was still figuring out where all the pieces would fit. If he'd stayed another year, he'd be near the top of the receiver boards. A lot goes into being a collegiate athlete. It's another year of books, classes, conditioning, etc. plus another season playing "for free". I don't know what his overall situation is. I wish the NFL would let kids wait until the beginning of March to declare. The exhaustion right after the season finishes is too easy to simply want to earn a paycheck for that work. LJH put the Longhorns on his back and moved the whole program up a couple of notches. We'll always be grateful, and wish him the best of luck.
  11. When you're unsure of your coverage reads, these are the exact type passes that put your heart in your throat. Deep balls mean you've got to find a safety or nickel that went over the top. A mistake ends up being a 40 yard punt type turnover. In close, where the money is made, everyone is a candidate. Did the ILB rotate over? The DE drop and become a robber? An extra safety spin down? Anyone could be in that passing lane, and the only one between a defender and the endzone is the QB and some hapless Guard on swing duty. Goof that one up, and they're playing the fight song. Fromme is a perfectly cromulent QB. He can make textbook reads and textbook throws by using textbook mechanics. The Texas Defense handed him a Tijuana Bible and asked him to freelance. With essentially 3 turnovers to open play, he got put in the worst possible situation - needing to change the momentum without benefit of an overpowering run game.
  12. I love linemen that embrace the nasty. To paraphrase GS Hartman, "It is a hard heart that kills.". It's a thankless position where you live in the weight room preseason, and on the trainer's table during it. The only way you can endure it is if you honestly enjoy slamming people into the ground. The thought of someone pushing you over has to infuriate you. Connor Williams and Poona Ford had it. It's been too long and too far between at Texas over the last decade.
  13. How much misdirection did UGA run during the regular season? You can't just decide to add those plays if you don't have a grounding in them. You end up with pulling tackles tripping over centers and WRs fumbling the hand off exchanges. Their defense tried to add pass rushing wrinkles, and ended up getting tied in knots.
  14. The Texas defense suffered this exact confusion in both games against UMd. Once you start thinking instead of playing, you're finished. Thanks, Sushi, for all your work. Learning to watch things like this really increases my understanding of football. PS: Watch Sam Cosmi work this play. From leaving his stance, to the short, choppy tap steps he takes (always keeping his base firm), and working hand over hand across his assigned target until he reaches position - then working downfield picking out n-ary level defenders to block. When fans see a QB that can't find open receivers or RBs who can't gain ground, in reality it's the OL that aren't up to the task. Herb Hand, Yancy McKnight, and the incredible dedication by guys who only hear their number called for penalties enable this type of production.
  15. LJH creates value just by walking between the numbers. At that point, he's committed to being in the play. Sounds obvious, but it gives the opposing DC fits. Now, he has to choose the group he wants to use to defend, and he has to stick with it. Is LJH coming on as a RB? WR? When he lines up adjacent to Collin does the safety help? Which one? If he's with Devin and a TE, who takes the speedster and how will you play the power? Both, one, or neither could block. He isn't overly fast, but he's fast enough that the DBs trying to tackle him after the catch just bounce off. Before the catch, he's like a power forward posting on a guard. Even when there's a defender near him, he's still open. Grabbing the 60 yard bomb is nice, but what really runs an offense is the guy you look to on 3rd and 7. After an incomplete pass and a rushing attempt, that 1st down looks lovely. Another season in the training room, and another year playing with a fully developed offense and a QB that knows how to use his toys will have the NFL talent scouts making plans.
  16. Frankly, this is what I'd hoped would happen (obviously). Playing body on body, UGA would still be the more physical team. However, Big 12 offenses are built, schematically, to create 1 on 1 matches all over the field and exploit any point where they're superior or win their battle. To counter that Orlando's Texas defense is a master of disguise. They move, shift stunt, loop, feint, fake, etc to hide their formation. A QB can't just simply set his protection at the start. The OL has to react in real time, as do the backs and ends. A 320 Georgia OL can dominate our 290 LB DE, but can't handle the looping DE that disappeared and was replaced by two DBs - each going different directions. In the meantime, the DE has dropped into shallow zone or found the A gap that the Center vacated. The seasonal game film of our defense was just slightly different from what we actually did. Credit Todd Orlando for the tweaks, and the players for implementing it. There were several instances where Fromme simply missed (badly) wide open receivers. I believe that stemmed from indecision about where the coverage truly was. The Texas defense capitalized on several turnovers, but could have had 3 more with better focusness.
  17. Don't rush an ms paint man. Rush an ms paint man, ya get rotten ms paint.
  18. It's hard to hurry KSU's QB because they're a Big 12 anomaly that doesn't pass as much. KSU lives off developing underappreciated talent into a precise power team. They don't hold or false start. They try to win by smashing out 3 yards per play on the ground, wasting time, and letting the opponent screw up. It's more effective than you'd think, and it lets a smaller school frustrate the more pedigreed league colleagues. Since most of their offense is basically student body right or left, it's tough to flush their QB. Against Maryland, the Texas defense was missing a ton of its backline. These are the players that are supposed to flow in and out of gaps to make the defense an unpredictable dynamic entity. Maryland ran a ton of jet sweeps and tosses that flatly confused the replacements. When the defense dialed up pressure, Maryland ran right by it. Truly not their finest moment. Lots of Big 12 teams avoid pass rush pressure by speeding up the play. With so many receivers in the pattern, the QB simply decides where he's going pre-snap. Since he's in the shotgun, there's no need to drop back. If the play is a slant or back-shoulder fade, he takes the snap and rips off a pass. Against an identified mismatch, this can be practically impossible to defend. I've maintained throughout these posts that the Big 12 posts gaudy scores and stats because the league prioritizes players that use the entire length and width of the field to implement offensive strategies that leave defenses unable to cover everyone within the boundaries of the rules of football. The SEC is primarily an NFL style league emphasizing physical strength against physical strength, running the ball to set up opportunistic passing plays in a style that controls the field and the clock. Usually, out of conference games pit overmatched also-rans against top of the table contenders where nothing real is explored. Georgia certainly is a contender and belongs in the CFP tier. Texas didn't earn that distinction, but hopefully could be thought of as a representative contender. I'm eager to see these style against each other!
  19. Really, in the Big 12, the physical attributes are only a small part of the equation. Every Big 12 defense comes to stop the pass. Great WRs recognize the defense they're seeing, and understand their role in putting those defenses in conflict. A deep post where the CB has safety help over the top is not open. Therefore, it's the secondary receiver's job to angle his route such that the safety must decide to sprint to the middle and cover the in, run to the boundary and help with the fly, or stay home to bracket the post. Of course, the QB makes it all work. His eyes will make that secondary help defender hesitate or lean the wrong way. After finding the receiver drawing 1 on 1 coverage, it's a simple (!) matter of tossing a perfectly placed ball either in front of the receiver so that it drops over his shoulder into his basket or to his back shoulder. Either way, the defender is going to be on the wrong side of the receiver by design. Big 12 defenses try to stop this silliness with a pass rush. If you give a Big 12 team time to develop a route, someone will get open. Now, Georgia has an OL to be envied. Texas would obviously counter this by using numbers - that is, sending more defenders than the OL can block from unexpected and non-obvious gaps. This makes me wonder about Georgia's dynamic play calling. Does Georgia come to the line ready to either run or pass? In the Big 12, we like to count defenders in the box and switch to run or pass depending on the math. I'm expecting Texas to almost always have a ton of defenders in the box, then have some, none, or all of those defenders rearrange themselves at the snap. This will be an attempt to prevent UGA from running ISO's and stretches for 5 yards a clip. Todd Orlando has a lot of tweener players on his roster, and I'm sure he's coming up with new and interesting ways to deploy them. Any QB trying to freelance after the snap will probably need to chase down an INT.
  20. So we'd be fools to play one on one. Let's not do that. If the Texas defense has anything, it's the ability to bring a lot of really fast players from oddball angles and gaps. We're not going to get one DL to outright beat his man in front, so we'll need to bring two or three. After shifting around the 4i-0-4i set, just have everyone else feint at gaps, jump around, and generally be moving before the snap. When the ball is snapped, make the OL figure out who's blocking whom. Let the QB figure out what the coverage is, and even which players are doing the covering. The object is to have one OL blocking air, two blocking the same guy, and two defenders running free in the backfield. With 5OL plus a TE, that's six chances per play for someone to miss an assignment. In reality, Georgia's offense is going to score. The object should be to make it take a while, run plays, and hope that the rust from the layoff coughs up holding penalties, the aforementioned missed blocking assignments, or other mistakes to put UGa behind the chains. I'm thinking this game should look like our historical tilts with the Cornhuskers of yore. Score on offense, take advantages of luck on defense, and try to make the Bulldogs play from behind.
  21. You know those conditioning drills where the entire unit had to run again if one member pulled up at 98 yards on a 100 yard sprint? This is where we find out why. Conditioning is largely psychological. You're eager and spirited in the 1st quarter rushing the passer and chasing the swing passes. In the 4th quarter, when Texas is running its 85th play of the game, it feels like you're doing it with iron boots on. Mentally, there's a bear on your shoulders. You've been conditioned not to quit, but no one would blame you for being exhausted, right? That's when the Texas coaches remind their players about August. They paid their dues then. They can remove fatigue from their head because they know they did the work. Fatigue is not an excuse. They may get out talented, but they won't get out worked.
  22. So you're saying that what we do well on offense is exactly what UGa doesn't do well on defense? Coaches like running inside because is does everything you want to do in a football game. It reduces opportunity for turnover, is simple, and allows you to control the clock. However, here in Big 12 land, we know there's no sense in controlling the clock until there's less than 5 minutes left in the game. Over 5 minutes, there's still plenty of time for 3 changes of possession and 2 TDs! Of course, now we're talking about execution. Those pop passes where Sam overthrows Beck wide open in the middle after a fake, or those flare screens where the WR either misses the football, or his buddy misses a block, are just wasted downs. I continue my excitement about testing the relative differences in conference styles represented in this game!
  23. Playing in the Big 12, you rapidly get used to the idea that "1 on 1 is open" - especially when your WR is a power forward like LJH. The ability for Big 12 QBs to consistently drop balls in stride over the top of a receiver or place it exactly on a back shoulder at the boundary (and the receiver's training to expect it there and run that route) means a defensive secondary has to provide either help or the threat of help everywhere on the field. It's setups like this that make for a good bowl game. We'd contend that Big 12 defenses look poor compared to the SEC due to the otherworldly abilities of the QBs and WRs that the State of Texas' football programs turn out. They would claim that their offenses are equally talented, but the legendary SECSECSEC speed of their defenses negates those weapons. Usually, a top tiered Big 12 offense would only play an also-ran SEC team during non-con, if at all. We just never get to test this in a live fire exercise. Texas isn't the top Big 12 offense. There's zero reason, though, for them to run head first into a brick wall defense begging them to play within 3 yards of the LOS. Trying to allocate resources against Johnson, LJH, Duvernay, Beck, and Watson is tough for any defense. Your write up reminds me of our game against Baylor. I've seen Baylor play more than just about anyone else here. With pressure in his face, the QB panics and runs. When a defense does the "rush 3 drop 8", you're just allowing the receivers to run until they find an opening.
  24. This is what bowl season should be about. You build a college football team to win your conference. In the early Big 12 days, you weren't winning the conference unless you beat Nebraska's Big Red Machine. Stopping that option meant heavy DL and massive LB. 5-2, 4-3, and 4-4 were normal defensive formations. Then Leach and OU unleashed this crazy, run the small guys everywhere terror. It left those hulking LBs helpless. Obviously, we know that today's Big 12 requires lots of DBs and preferably hybrid players that can spin down from safety to LB, then LB to DE. Georgia is built for that Bama offense. Now, Alabama does many things at an A+ level, but they'd prefer to run the ball. Smart is, well, smart and knows defenses have to stop the run first. He recruits his defense with the bodies to do that. I guarantee you he's not happy thinking about Johnson, Humphrey, Duvernay, and Watson on the field at one time. Controlling the A gaps is impressive, but useless when there's a 6' 6" receiver running the seam. Being a 300Lb DL is a great run stopper, but they tend to wither when asked to pass rush 50+ times. Coming out of your stance, slogging into an OL, pushing around, then getting near the QB one second too late, then turning around, digging in, and doing it again is vomit inducing. They're just not used to playing the game 20 yards at a time. Georgia is a dominating team rightly ranked in the Top 5. Texas is rightly the underdog, and will need to show its toughness to have a chance. However, a good bowl game should highlight the differences between conference styles. Texas/UGA should be a perfect example of that.
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