2/28/07

 

Mac Brown has put together a staff of coaches and a team of recruits that have left many college football programs scratching their heads and taking notes. Brown has the best winning percentage of any coach in Longhorn history (.809) with a record of 93-22, the Horns lead the NCAA with six straight 10 (or more) win seasons for the 7th year in a row, and not to mention, a 7th consecutive finish with a national ranking of 13th or better. Confused with all of the numbers yet? Well there is more, now on to the recruiting class. The Longhorns signed twenty-four prospects, with twenty-three of those signatures coming from the cream of the crop out of Texas. Twelve of the top nineteen prospects signed with the Longhorns. Oklahoma and Texas A&M both were limited to five commitments from player's ranked in the state of Texas top fifty. What does all this mean? To say the least, the University of Texas football program is a well-oiled machine and look for them to be contenders for many years to come.

This season the longhorns welcome Larry Mac Duff, a new comer to the coaching staff that will take over the role of assistant head coach/co-defensive coordinator. Mac Duff was in the NFL last season as a special teams coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. Unfortunately, up to this point, that is all we have heard about him. But there is more. Does anyone remember the "Desert Swarm?" If not, allow me to refresh your memory. In the early 1990's the Arizona Wildcats led the nation in scoring defense and finished 2nd in total defense allowing a mere 8.9 points a game. The defensive coordinator was MacDuff and in that time span was named Athlon Magazine's National Assistant Coach of the Year. In 1997-00 he was the special teams coordinator for the New York Giants and had the pleasure of coaching Ron Dixon who became the first player in NFL history to return two postseason kickoffs for touchdowns during the Giants Super Bowl run in 2000. Did I forget to mention he is also skilled in pass defense? Something the Longhorns desperately need.

There has been a lot of speculation among UT fans about MacDuff and his credentials but there is nothing to worry about. Gene Chizik is a brilliant coach and will go on to do great things at Iowa State, but he was a bad fit for Texas. MacDuff is a better match for the scheme that Brown has in mind.


***Mac Duff's defenses produced a number of high profile players including two 1989 first-round NFL picks in tackle Anthony Smith and linebacker Chris Singleton, Thorpe Award winner Darryll Lewis in 1990, Outland Trophy and Nagurski award winner Rob Waldrop in 1993, and Lombardi Award finalist and NCAA sack champion Tedy Bruschi in 1994 and 1995. Five Wildcats were named Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year during his tenure, including Bruschi in 1995, Waldrop in 1993, Lewis in 1990, Dana Wells in 1988 and Chuck Cecil in 1987. Linebacker Sean Harris was a two-time first-team all-league selection in 1993 and 1994 as was strong safety Brandon Sanders in 1994 and 1995.
***Source CNN/ESPN


Spring Training Update:
Unfortunately there is another quarterback controversy, accept this time it's for the #2 spot. Red shirt freshman Sherrod Harris and true freshman John Chiles are battling it out and for the most part know one really knows which one will get the nod. Recent reports say Chiles has taken a slight edge over Harris, which is a bit surprising given the fact that Harris has been in the system for a year now. Apparently Chiles can throw a mean deep ball. Either way if Colt goes down don't be surprised to see one of the back up's excel. In other words, no worries if McCoy goes down.

Jamaal Charles has decided to forgo indoor track and concentrate on bulking up. Charles has gained 12 pounds and wants to be a full time back and try to carry the load in the running game. His focus? Running inside the tackles, which is something he needs to do if he wants to have a NFL career. With the current offensive scheme he will need to take advantage of every carry. Colt, Sweed, Pittman, and Finley will be the focal point in the coming season. After the year he had last
year Jamaal knows he has to produce next season.

Drew Kelson is moving to the safety position and in my opinion that is a horrible decision. I personally think that the coaching staff is jumping to conclusions from losing 3 starters in the secondary. But then again, with the recruiting class and amount of bulk on defense this change could be a result of too much depth. There is not a college football squad in the NCAA that can match UT when it comes to 'quality' depth on defense. The only problem is youth. Most of them are too young to assume a full time position at this point and the longhorns have so many skilled players with different talents and abilities. That is why Mac Brown likes to use a package system instead of a starting line up. Whatever situation the horns get themselves into, they have a defensive package set and ready for action. There is no such thing as a "bench warmer" if you are a member of the UT defense. Everyone is a starter.

If a starter on defense goes down whoever replaces him might be of equal or greater talent. In fact, a case can be made that Texas has more standout young defensive players coming up through the ranks than at any other time in recent memory. At this point I don't think they know what to do with all of them. That's just how deep they are. Once again, don't look for the longhorns to fall off of the map anytime soon. They have a ton of talent for years to come.



Recruiting update:
Southlake Carroll junior quarterback Riley Dodge and junior running back Trace Newton both have committed to Texas. Dodge and Newton helped lead Carroll to its third consecutive Class 5A state title in 2006. Both plan to graduate early later this year. Newton finished with 136 carries for 1,040 yards during the regular season and scored 11 touchdowns. Dodge was The Associated Press Class 5A Offensive Player of the Year and the EA Sports National Junior Player of the Year. He finished the regular season second among 5A area passers, completing 150 of 228 passes for 2,459 yards and 32 touchdowns. He also had 103 carries for 876 yards and 11 touchdowns.



Bet on the Longhorns (if you are in Vegas):
***Texas has lost only seven road games in Mack Brown's nine-year tenure and two of those came from his first three games at UT.
***source (ESPN)



Longhorns in the Draft:
The Longhorns have 11 players in the upcoming NFL draft….well, 10 if you don't count Ramonce Taylor. What round will they go? What team? Here is what I think.

Round 1
Pick 22 -Dallas Cowboys – Aaron Ross
If Anthony Henry moves to FS look for Ross to stay in Texas.
Pick 26- Philadelphia Eagles – Michael Griffin
Pick 29 – Baltimore Ravens – Justin Blalock

Round 2
Pick 34 – Detroit Lions – Tim Crowder
Redding and Crowder together…things could get ugly.
Pick 58 – New Orleans – Tarell Brown

Round 3
Pick 84 – St Louis Rams – Selvin Young
Pick 92 – New England Patriots – Ramonce Taylor
He would have been a future 1st rounder and heisman candidate if he could have stayed out of trouble.

4th Round
Kasey Studdard

5th Round
Lyle Sendlein

7th Round
Brian Robinson
(if he goes at all, I think he will end up in free agency along side
Greg Johnson)


In the next article:
More recruiting updates and a in depth look at spring training. Who will be switching positions and will any starters from last year lose their spot? The answer is yes.

if you have any questions or comments please send them to
bobbywilcoxrose@gmail.com

 

2/4/07

 

Overview of the off-season:

 

The Texas Longhorns are racking up some excellent verbal commitments in the off-season, with OT Tray Allen and WR John Chiles all but certain to wear the burnt orange next year. The horns have gathered 11 verbals from some of the most highly recruited players in the nation. Leave it to Mac Brown to once again use his masterful skills to lure in a remarkable core of freshman, some of which will be immediate starters. If Christian Scott (S) decides to commit to Texas, not only will it help a depleted secondary, but it will also correspond with what the UT basketball team has done by starting a highly touted interior of young talent, but on this side it will be DB's.  

 

Offense:

 

Jamaal Charles might be the odd man out. Greg Davis is set on McCoy and the core of receivers he has at his disposal. Brown wants lean on the passing game and the longhorns will more than likely progress towards an aggressive air attack after a few games. Expect deeper throws and longer routes. Remember these names. Sweed (WR1), Pittman (WR2), and Finley (TE1). All are top notch and opposing defensive coordinators are going to have a hard time deciding how to shut down the Texas offense. Defensive schemes set to stop the longhorns next year are basically going to be this. Hit McCoy as often as possible, and which of the three receivers do we let run loose? Shutting down the Texas trio will be virtually impossible. Either take your chances in man-to-man, and suffer the consequence of allowing Sweed and Pittman to beat you deep. Or go with a zone coverage, which will allow Finley work his magic. Not to mention the receivers they have doing clean up duty with Shipley, Cosby, and Jones. I expect Texas to start the season a more run based team in order to get the offense adjusted. Once Colt and the receiving core get into their comfort zone, probably by game 2 or 3, Brown will give Davis the nod to cut the receivers loose and let McCoy take over. Charles will have a good year, but if he is going to get 1000yds he will need a lot of long runs. Melton will be used in short yardage situations and might see some time at FB.

 

Defense:

 

The Secondary is the only concern. They are young and inexperienced but extremely talented. Texas might have three of the fastest starters at the LB position with Killebrew being the stand out on the defensive side of the ball next year. Mack Brown has a variety of packages he likes to use in certain situations. That just goes to show how deep and gifted the Texas defense is. Although it may hurt the draft status of a few players, very few colleges have the depth and capability to do what the longhorns can do on D. They will struggle against the pass and destroy any opposing running attack. Look for more zone coverage and zone blitz packages to help the secondary.

 

Summary:

Texas will be contenders well through mid season but will fall short at the end of the season. A BCS bid is possible but the inability to stop the pass will kill the chance for the longhorns to compete for the national title.

 

 

Predictions:

Ranking - beginning of the season

#8

 

 

2007-2008 Schedule (and prediction):

 

09/01   ARKANSAS STATE       W
09/08    TCU                                     W

09/15    at Central Florida              W
09/22     RICE                                   W
09/29    KANSAS STATE             W
10/06     vs. Oklahoma (Dallas)^    W
10/13    at Iowa State                      W
10/20     at Baylor                             W
10/27    NEBRASKA                       W
11/03     at Oklahoma State             W
11/10    TEXAS TECH                    L
11/23    at Texas A&M                   L

 

 

Another late season slump will cut the longhorns short of going to the National Championship. I do however think that they will be in the Big 12 Championship.

 

Big 12 Championship:

Texas vs Nebraska                        W

 

Depending on how things work out Texas might get a BCS bid. The schedule is too weak at the beginning of the season and gets tougher towards the end. Late season losses will knock anyone out of contention for a BCS bid and the longhorns will face that again next year. Texas had to come from behind too many times last season, look for the same next year.

 

 

1/18/06

 

First of all I would like to congratulate the Florida Gators and their fans on winning the National Championship. Second, I admit it. I bought into the Ohio State hype like the majority of the country did. But in my defense let me also say that by picking Ohio, not only a safe bet, it was the most logical choice. I still do not buy into the SEC, I feel as if it is pure propaganda. However, the Gators are a great team and after watching the championship game I must say that I underestimated them. Florida is a well-coached team and they walked into that stadium prepared and confident. Congrats!

 

I am currently preparing my next article on the Texas Longhorns that will include scouting information and some news on what the guys will be up to in the off season. Until then I have prepared a mock draft (1 ^st round) that includes some of the Horns. Remember, this is an article on the longhorns. I don't dissect every player. Try to also keep in mind that this is a preliminary mock draft. Pre combine so to say. After the Combine I am sure there will be some changes and I will put another mock draft out, and then again before draft day. These are my opinions and I do not claim to be Mel Kiper. Feel free to send me your comments and suggestions at bobbywilcoxrose@gmail.com