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SL Xpress

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Everything posted by SL Xpress

  1. Always remember there's nothing easier in this world than spending someone else's money.
  2. Thinking about Switzer rooting for a team reminds me of watching his coach's shows back in the day. Coaches' shows were invariably boring as all get out. Slocum's, for example, were about as fun as watching paint dry. But Switzer was one hell of an entertainer. He'd be watching the highlights like it's live and his comments could affect the outcome, just like a fan. Probably the same charisma he used to fuck Larry Lacewell's wife and to get Eve to eat the apple.
  3. I didn't like hiring an assistant. His track record at Washington and USC was a little underwhelming. The problem is, Dabo Swinney, Nick Saban, and Urban Meyer kind of sucked all the oxygen out of the room by dominating the national championship game. LSU money whipped Brian Kelly, and USC did the same with Lincoln Riley. I wanted Texas to do something similar, like what you're talking about with Jim Harbaugh. The first two seasons I questioned the approach of hiring Sarkisian. Now I look at my past self as a dumbass. It turns out it was a great hire at a great time. I love how Sarkisian has built his staff. I love the resources that have been put at his disposal. One of my favorite interviews of Sarkisian is where he goes through Carroll's and Saban's career at their stops and compares it to his journey at Texas. I'm pretty sure it was 3rd and Longhorn's interview with him. Anyway, I couldn't be more happy with where we are now. I know a lot of us feel that way.
  4. So a paleolithic human tribe is scratching out an existence, foraging for food, killing wounded animals, following herds, with what would be considered a horrific infant mortality rate. They're competing against a nearby tribe for resources. Which tribe ends up existing into the next generation, and the generation after that? The tribe with the well balanced leader, with great work life balance, little ego, who wants peace and harmony? Or the tribe with the leader who wants to annihilate all opposition, who demands obsessive devotion to no quarter. Who regularly calls out the manhood of members of the tribe when they're not sufficiently ruthless? There is something very basic in us, cultivated over tens of thousands of years, that rewards the most ruthless among us. There is also something in the rest of us that recognizes that, and tends to want to team up with that kind of leader, because we feel like he has the best chance to win so we can pass down on genes to the next generation and the generation after that as well. If ruthlessness didn't serve some kind of real purpose, it would have ceased to exist long ago. The truth is, the ruthless among us tend to win, because they want it more, and they're willing to do things to accomplish victory the rest of us end up not having the appetite for. "Winning isn't everything. It's the only thing." "Winners go home and fuck the prom queen." Being successful isn't all about being ruthless. It's about being able to identify talent, cultivate it, make it loyal. It's about having resilience. About making other people believe in you. But there are times when a certain sense of ruthlessness trumps other qualities. I would guess that every single one of the most successful football coaches in the history of the game had a certain amount of ruthlessness about him. John Wooden certainly did, who was mentioned above. Labels like sociopath, narcissist, etc. are helpful. But all of these are on a spectrum. Heck, dysfunction (I can't tell you how much it bothers me that's been misspelled twice now in this thread) is on a spectrum. I would argue by definition a successful head coach is not dysfunctional in a clinical sense of the word. These are qualities that have always existed, that modern psychology has now put a label on to make it more easily identifiable and analyzed. But all of these qualities contributed to the human race existing as the species it is right now, otherwise they would have died out. We too easily want to throw out these qualities as harmful or destructive, as if people who exhibit them should be erased from the gene pool, when that's not actually possible. If I'm in a contest where extinction is the penalty for losing, I will gladly take the most ruthless psychopath to be my leader. Better for the opponent to face extinction rather than me. At the end of the day, that instinct for survival is what we're tapping into with any confrontation or challenge. It may not seem like the outcome is of that kind of importance, but the person who is able to convince themselves on some level that what is in front of them is an existential threat has an edge on someone else who is not able to do that, all other things being equal. I don't want an Art Briles level of sociopathy to be the head coach at Texas. But I do want a certain amount of single mindedness that winning is critical for their job security and emotional well being. It's not the only quality that's important. But it is important. I like Steve Sarkisian as a person, at least what I see from him. But I do not need to. I need him to win at a very high level without embarrassing the university while doing so. There's the video out there of him screaming at the official, "Don't fucking touch me." It's probably my favorite Sarkisian clip. I also liked the psychopathic smile and snarky attitude he answered Kirk Bohls with when asked about red zone deficiencies in a recent press conference. Nice Guy Steve is fine, but I like a little asshole rolled in there, too. Which is not to say coaches shouldn't be judged for crossing lines. I was and am in favor of Chris Beard getting fired. I thought it was horse shit when Tom Herman hired Casey Horny on the staff. But there's a lot of behavior that many of us would classify as abusive that's meant to bring out the best in each individual player and the team as a whole. A lot of that is how the world actually works, particularly in highly competitive environments. Probably my favorite movie on this dynamic is Whiplash, because it shows the titular villain in the worst light, and then at the end of the movie it turns out the methods worked. Band of Brothers shows something similar. More than anything, we get the same behaviors and the same mindsets because they work.
  5. Good point. I know better. I couldn't help myself.
  6. My overall point remains that there are issues at Ohio State that were not handled at the AD level. They're not going away. If the same circumstances were to occur at Texas we would not react to it in the same way the Ohio State fan base has. It's one data point among a myriad of them. Bjork is making a series of odd moves as the AD this offseason. I question whether the Ohio State athletic department is in competent hands that will keep them on their current trajectory. And that's still a huge bump in salary to depart a position that you're allegedly dead set to leave in any case. It's not just more money to leave. It's a 40% pay raise to move to another program.
  7. I get that. He still got paid $3.1 million to take the job at Penn State. If he was so miserable it shouldn't have cost a $900k bump in salary to get him. He's not entertaining offers if there's more zen in the staff room. But Ohio State didn't exactly try to golden handcuff him there, either. Regardless of the reasons, there's an identifiable issue when your ace defensive coordinator leaves for an annual in conference opponent with a $900k bump in salary while the AD is demonstrably trying to cut costs around the athletic department. There are all kinds of narratives that are going to come out of that. To me it would behoove you not to believe every single one of them. Again, if Pete Kwiatkowski left for...say...Georgia...I would have a serious problem with that. I realize that's not apples to apples, but if OU is the analog to Michigan, there's not a great analog for Penn State. A program that is very talented that we beat every year with a head coach who can't win the big game. All I know is if another SEC program hired him away I'd be really pissed and wonder what is going on in the program. Instead the borg that's the Ohio State fan base just shrugs it away and says we have NFL defensive master mind Matt Patricia. Profit!
  8. Ohio State will need to figure out what they want to do with NIL long term. Currently Bjork wants to hold the line with payroll costs, and that's simply not doable and still maintain a championship level team. They're getting outspent right now for the 2026 recruiting class in ways they weren't the last few years. They also got money whipped for Jim Knowles. Penn State shouldn't be able to do that to Ohio State for a lateral move. It's like if Pete Kwiatkowski got hired by another SEC school as their DC. We'd all be wondering wtf? I don't think that happens if Gene Smith were still the AD.
  9. I appreciate all the comments on this thread observing the litany of mythology the OSU fan base has about their team. I remember them being the same way in 2005 prior to that game. There's a culture thing going on there. As far as Arch Manning "tapping out" I've seen several references to him suffering a concussion in the Cotton Bowl on the 8 yard run and unwilling to go back out on the field, unlike the tough Quinn Ewers who was obviously the better quarterback anyway because Manning couldn't beat him out for the starting job. Also, it's a common refrain that anything Texas did well in the game last year is dismissed as "and we still beat them by 14 points!" Never mind that 7 came on a fluke screen pass that if we just put the guy on the ground the half is over. I consider that a worse mistake than the scoop and score that put the game out of reach. Look, the better team won that day. Ohio State earned the victory. But acting as if the game was a blowout and dismissing anything Texas did well as something OSU was easily able to overcome is simple lunacy. I don't believe Ohio State will be able to run consistently on Texas fielding a light box with 6 defenders close to the line of scrimmage. I believe Texas will be able to field the safeties in umbrella coverage again. There's going to be tight windows in coverage just like there were last year. If Sayin can make those throws the way Howard did, more power to them. I do not believe that's going to be the case. I also think too much importance is being put on this game. I think it's natural, but to me the more important aspect for both teams is how much do they improve from this game to their next legitimate opponent - Washington for Ohio State and Florida for Texas. Both teams are going to have to improve to reach their season ending goals, and unlike 2005, this isn't an elimination game. It's an awesome barometer for both squads. But for entertainment purposes I'm hoping for a beatdown so I can watch the Ohio State fan base completely crumble. I also want to watch the rest of the games that day, and that's going to be difficult if I've smashed all my electronics watching a defeat.
  10. Phil Fulmer, Lloyd Carr, Larry Coker, Gene Chizik, Les Miles, Jimbo Fisher. Orgeron is probably worse than all of those. Maybe Coker or Chizik are worse. It doesn't matter. All of those are mediocre head coaches, in my opinion. Coker, Chizik and Orgeron are flat out not good.
  11. It has been astounding. There's no other program - and I mean not one - who has consistently made good hires. I would start with Woody Hayes rather than Paul Brown. Paul Bixler and Wes Fesler weren't exactly amazing. And unlike other programs that put together amazing runs, it's been a series of hires. Hayes coached for 28 years, but after that it's Cooper at 13, Tressel 10, Bruce 9, Meyer 7, and now Day in his 7th season. Programs like Penn State under Paterno, Nebraska under Devaney/Osborne, or FSU with Bobby Bowden had super long streaks with one or two coaches, but once they were forced into the game of having to make successive hires, they get into the same problems other blue blood types have. Some of them like USC and Texas make several subpar hires, and the record reflects it. And it's not like the hiring process is always smooth sailing. Tressel in particular, it seemed like they looked at every one but him until finally they needed a yes and knew he would give them one. I guess Meyer was lucky, but he seemed like a complete slam dunk at the time after his successes at Utah and Florida, he was available, and Ohio State seemed like one of the very few jobs he'd actually accept. I don't think Ohio State was taking much of a chance there. I thought Cooper was a great hire, too, even if he ended up being a bit of a disappointment for his Michigan and big game struggles. Being a major program in a football crazed state - I'd also add having a healthy population base, unlike say Nebraska - has helped, and yes, luck has been a factor, but regardless of the reasons, I find it a remarkable and unprecedented streak in college football. One that I'm envious of, quite frankly.
  12. Technically, we're observably not. I don't know. I feel in a lot of ways UT was on the leading edge of commercializing college sports in the 80s and 90s. I watched as the gameday experience became more and more about what sponsor we could graft on for a few more bucks, so the athletic department could show they were raising revenue year after year - their source for job security in ways success on the football field never mattered. We sold our soul in half a dozen ways. We named the field after Joe Jamail for a huge donation. At least it was from a legendary alum, but it still bothered me some. I realize we've walked that back. I'm glad we don't have a corporate sponsor for the stadium, but I feel like it's just a matter of time. I saw an article today from The Athletic on how much college expenses and revenue have risen from 2005 to 2023 based on FOIA records. They did a survey of schools, with 3 from the SEC, 3 from the Big 10, 3 from the ACC, 3 from the Big 12, and a few others. It basically said what I've been saying for years, which is we're nowhere near the top of the scales, and that it's not sustainable. But the only thing that's really going to bring it under control - either the rabid search for new revenue sources, or the escalation of expenses - is some kind of federal legislation, or the collapse of the industry. Maybe both. I feel good about UT's ability to weather wherever all this goes, but I'm concerned about what the future of college football is going to entail.
  13. I feel quite confident Texas gets the benefit of the doubt. When we were down, both in 1984-97 and 2010-2022, members of the media in general practically openly rooted for us to be relevant again. Nonetheless, some media people enjoy feeling like they're puncturing the balloon more than others, Kirk Bohls style. My perception is that when it comes to Texas, Josh Pate is one of those.
  14. So I just watched this: And yes, he does pick Texas, but he ends it with that weird segment about Texas losing to Washington, Georgia 2x, and Ryan Day. Never mind he beat Saban in Tuscaloosa by double digits. Beat Michigan in Ann Arbor. Beat Dabo Swinney. None of those count according to Pate. Every coach at every level - every great player, too - has this onus on them that until they win a championship they haven't won a championship, yet. That's not about Texas, and it's not about Sarkisian. Ryan Day was hearing it prior to last year. And if Texas falls short this year - which they very well might - we'll hear some version of that refrain all offseason. Shoot, BurntOrange&White will make a few dozen posts on it on this board all by himself. This is a reflection of it. Sarkisian has Texas in a place where they should be a part of the conversation every year right now. You have to have a few breaks go your way to win it all, but before that you have to be in the conversation. As long as Sarkisian is the head coach and locked into his job, I feel confident Texas is going to be right there. So we just have to be patient as fans until our number comes up. I'm excited as a fan to be able to watch the journey. Pate's comments are chum in the water for the anti Texas folks out there. He's feeding his audience what they want to hear even while he picks Texas to win. He wants it both ways.
  15. I'm just going by the times I've listened to him. You know how it is. People love to hedge their bets by talking about both sides of something, so they can always later say they were right.
  16. I have no room to talk about other people's long winded delivery.
  17. I don't listen to Finebaum, either. The worst Texas is going to go this year is 9-3. He was talking about a meltdown type of season. It was an obvious anti hype take, which...fine. But compared to his takes for teams like OU and A&M, both of whom he hyped up that don't have nearly the talent advantage, it sounded absurd. It felt like a take made for clicks, which is certainly part of the business model, but not something I get excited about. There are certain talking heads who enjoy throwing out anti Texas takes. Tim Brando is a big one. Josh Pate seems to be another. There are other guys who seem to go out of their way to give Texas the benefit of the doubt. Joel Klatt has always seemed to be that way to me. I'd put Greg McElvoy in that category as well, lately. There are a lot of more neutral guys out there - the amount of content on social media regarding college football is pretty much endless. I tend not to gravitate towards people who seem to enjoy taking shots at Texas. If that makes me a raging pussy, I don't mind being called that. To me it would be masochistic and self hating to go seeking that kind of content.
  18. I'm pretty sure he's paid by TexAgs to come on their show on a regular basis. He had a great interview with Steve Sarkisian from 3 months ago. It's definitely worth a listen. I can't stand him usually, though. If I get very desperate for more college football talk I'll click on him. There's so much content out there, that usually doesn't happen, but every now and then. His takes on Texas during SEC media days were absurd. It was all about what happens if Texas has a bad season this year. How bad will the wheels come off in Austin? It sounded like Aggie propaganda to me.
  19. That's a "No no no no...yes!" play. BTW, glad Ehlinger is Longhorn.
  20. My imagination is telling me Goosby is just fine. I just wanted to get this out there to reassure everyone. When I bug the shit out of people about the topic who know more than I do, the most credible ones either tell me they don't know, it's day to day, or I send them into a panic because there are times I know more than they do, even if this isn't one of them. This is after getting reassured for the better part of two weeks that everything is fine, nothing to see here. "His Dad tells me he's fine and will play against Ohio State." That's Tuesday. Then it's "It looks iffy." "Should I pray?" "Couldn't hurt." I think my human need for drama is getting fed here, too. I'm so wound up about the start of the season all these emotions have to go somewhere, even if it's completely unproductive. Goosby's health is what my brain has decided to fixate on. The rest of me is simply along for the ride. The truth is it's going to be whatever it's going to be. We have another week of this. I can't wait for the game to get here and to watch this team on the field, regardless of Goosby's situation. I do hope it's something he's able to shake off at some point in the season. I do believe that's the case, whatever is going on.
  21. Technically they'd be better off not getting the touchdown there. Just run out the clock. If you give the ball back to KSU they have a chance at an onside kick. Just to be clear, I don't think it matters. Avery Johnson is their quarterback. They're not getting two scores in this amount of time.
  22. I actually think he's pretty good. I don't want to, but I like his radio show.
  23. Yes, I wasn't really directing the statement at you. You were more the foil for a comment on college football in general this offseason.
  24. Just to remind you, they're in Ireland.
  25. You only say that because you're on a Texas site. That's not a knock on you as a Tech fan, BTW. That's a gibe at college football fans in general this offseason.
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