This isn't a fire thread but....

[madillsoonerfan5353]

Does anybody feel like Stoops might be to comfortable? To me he has lost his SWAGGER! When the last time we ran a fake field goal or fake punt, two years ago in Lubbock?

[JLEW1818]

fake punt, last year against texas

Gresham missed block.


we tried a surprise onside kick against WV

[Boomer38Sooner]

also a surprise onside kick against Texas A&M in 2006

[starclassic tama]

these threads get so old. every time we lose a game we have lost our swagger. maybe the other team just scored more points than we did?

[Crucifax Autumn]

I think tama took the swagger and hid it under his bridge.

[madillsoonerfan5353]

these threads get so old. every time we lose a game we have lost our swagger. maybe the other team just scored more points than we did?

Thats how it goes, you score less you lose! Just asking questions!

[nighttrain12]

We were missing our #1 QB for 2 quarters, that was the problem, not the coach.

[madillsoonerfan5353]

fake punt, last year against texas

Gresham missed block.


we tried a surprise onside kick against WV

I forgot about this out of blind rage!! I'm talking about like in '04 against Mizzou! Fake field goal for the go ahead TD!!!

[Okiemofo]

Once in awhile it comes down to poor coaching and lack of attitude from the players. Just maybe something like that contributed to the loss and not so much because of Stoops's lack of swagger. BUT... yes I think you might be able to connect the dots with what you're suggesting. Used to be Stoops was unpredictable at certain times. Now doesn't seem like he is as focused on those things.

[madillsoonerfan5353]

I mean in the early 2000's it seems like he was playing to win, now its seems we play not to lose! And it's not just Stoops all the coaches!

[Curly Bill]

We were missing our #1 QB for 2 quarters, that was the problem, not the coach.


...and we looked really awesome before we lost Sam right? :P

[Curly Bill]

Would the correct term be: fat and happy?

Just asking. :D

[madillsoonerfan5353]

...and we looked really awesome before we lost Sam right? :P

Thank you! The O looked the same all night from sec 109!!!

[Curly Bill]

Only someone without a clue, or a fetish for our coaches, would argue there wasn't serious coaching blunders in the game, and apparently leading up to the game.

[JLEW1818]

I forgot about this out of blind rage!! I'm talking about like in '04 against Mizzou! Fake field goal for the go ahead TD!!!

yup, that was another Bob Stoops... not the Stoops we have now.....

[tulsaoilerfan]

Would the correct term be: fat and happy?

Just asking. :D

What's Mangino got to do with this discussion?:D

[SoonerStud615]

I thought the "wild sooner" with Bradford in the slot was ballsy.

[tulsaoilerfan]

I thought the "wild sooner" with Bradford in the slot was ballsy.

We need more off the wall stuff like that, although i'm not sure i like any of our QB's lined up in the slot; what happened to reverses? Do we have any screen passes? Play action? Seems like we went into the BYU game thinking our vanilla offense would be enough to win

[MyT Oklahoma]

I forgot about this out of blind rage!! I'm talking about like in '04 against Mizzou! Fake field goal for the go ahead TD!!!

I think you meant 2002 in Columbia, right? It was a great call in that I was there and it was the difference that night.

[rainiersooner]

Only someone without a clue, or a fetish for our coaches, would argue there wasn't serious coaching blunders in the game, and apparently leading up to the game.

Fetish, as in sexual fetish?

For what it's worth, I have more of a problem with our game planning than the coaching per se. Maybe that's six and one half dozen the other. I think the coaches coach our players very well on the fundamentals...I think that they don't put out players in the best position to win...or rather, the times when we have lost, it is because the coaches have not put them in the best place to win.

[sooner59]

Stoops probably hasn't changed as much as you might think. A lot may have to do with players thinking they are better than they are. Conservative play-calling doesn't help, though. But when gamble like Stoops does once in a while........you win some, you lose some. I don't blame him for not converting the fake punt against Texas, nor do I blame him for going for it on 4th and goal against Florida. Did I agree with the play-calling? No. But that was Kevin Wilson, not Bob. We just need to play like the world is against us......like we are "supposed" to lose. That seems to work.

[primetime43]

Where is that mentality we had against Bama this decade? Do whatever you have to do to win the dang game! I.e. Renaldo Works not being denied on that game winning drive, or the fake punt to Michael Thompson. Those players played with a chip on their shoulders whereas today it seems we are a little too soft. I never once saw someone on Saturday that had any urgency to win the game. It's on the players as much as it is the coache's. Stoops can't play for these guys.

[jduggle]

Fetish, as in sexual fetish?

For what it's worth, I have more of a problem with our game planning than the coaching per se. Maybe that's six and one half dozen the other. I think the coaches coach our players very well on the fundamentals...I think that they don't put out players in the best position to win...or rather, the times when we have lost, it is because the coaches have not put them in the best place to win.

I'm sorry... there were too many penalties and too many turnovers last weekend. Penalties and turnovers are the hallmarks of a poorly coached team.

[NOVSooner]

Where is that mentality we had against Bama this decade? Do whatever you have to do to win the dang game! I.e. Renaldo Works not being denied on that game winning drive, or the fake punt to Michael Thompson. Those players played with a chip on their shoulders whereas today it seems we are a little too soft. I never once saw someone on Saturday that had any urgency to win the game. It's on the players as much as it is the coache's. Stoops can't play for these guys.

All the points on this thread is valid except maybe the we lost b/c sam was out and not on our coaches. this post though, +1. you look at renaldo, teddy, rocky, roy, etc. what they had is what is lacking now, to me. maybe we need to bring them all in for a "pep talk" soon

[jduggle]

All the points on this thread is valid except maybe the we lost b/c sam was out and not on our coaches. this post though, +1. you look at renaldo, teddy, rocky, roy, etc. what they had is what is lacking now, to me. maybe we need to bring them all in for a "pep talk" soon

What they "had" were Mike Leach and Mike Stoops.

[CaliBornSoonerBred]

What they "had" were Mike Leach and Mike Stoops.

Leach was only here for the 99' season but I agree about Mike. He had a way with the D that brought confidence and swagger but it showed in a great way on the field. There's no denying our poor 3rd and long results with dropping into a soft zone damn near every time. The D played great against fla and byu but we can't expect to win games scoring 13 and 14 points against higher level opponents. I'm sick of all the bashing but play calling seems to be a reoccurring theme of points in the game in which we all know are follies. The conservative mindset of the play calling feels like we are indeed playing not to lose rather than playing to win. Venables and KW are great coaches with normally good schemes and game plans but for some reason we fold like a blanket on short yardage situations on O and 2nd and 3rd and long on D. That to me is play calling when it's a consistent thing we see.

This IS a championship calliber defense that will be a big reason we stay in games this year. Let's just hope the O line settles down because there are weapons galore on offense if they can do just an above average job. Let's see our stable of 1,000 yd backs run wild and try to stretch the field with the speedsters we do have at receiver.

[bcgvh]

To me it seems that we don't seem too motivated out there...you see the other teams out there jumping around and fired up, whereas we look like we just came from a funeral. EVERY GAME needs to be like Texas Tech last year!!! That's the way it used to be anyways...

[sooneron]

You guys do realize that in that 02 Mizz game we NEEDED the fake because Brad Smith was singlehandedly running all over our Mike Stoops defense. Right?

[ratherthanlater]

Maybe the swagger problem is with us as fans....Here is a definition I found for swagger. ----How one presents himself to the world, the ability to handle a situation with a sense of calm and uncanny grace. The ability to maintain a healthy level of self-confidence without appearing arrogant.---
Looking at some of the posts on this board since saturday night and talking to fans, I didn't see much of a sense of calm and uncanny grace. As for the ability to maintain self-confidence without appearing arrogant, we have failed. Look at the score predictions. Look at the reaction to the loss. Hell any loss. We expect to win them all. As much as I hate to say it but it's not going to happen. That is the difference between us and teams like OSU. We lose and it's a big deal. They win and it's a big deal. I just got confused and forgot where I was going with this. :) Anyway. BOOMER!

[goingoneight]

It just rained shat on us the other night unfortunately. OUr identity on offense was completely in shambles with injuries, turnovers and silly mistakes. Take this for instance... While we were admittedly overrated, we had some 25 yards in false starts alone. We're talking a 29-yard field goal right down the middle FTW without those.
DeMarco would have been close to 100 yards if not for holding penalties if I heard correctly on the post game report. There's 42 yards we'd love to have had. Don't get us started on the "what ifs" when it comes to the two fumbles lost. There could have been as much as 6 easy points, possibly even two TDs if we held onto the ball.

It was clearly gonna be ugly after about two series of offense for us, but it's not like we were god-awful and the mistakes made weren't correctable. You can win a lot of games with the defense we played the other night so long as you correct the some 65 yards in penalties up front and hang onto the damn ball.

So it clearly wasn't a 65-10 massacre, but nobody can say that we *could not* have gotten through Arlington say... 20-14 and at worst... MAYBE fallen to #5 or 6.

[okiewaker]

Sometimes to me it don't seem like the players play like they are inspired. It don't seem like they are playing for a coach they would run through a brick wall for like they used to. I don't know, maybe it's just me. Who took our stoops and replaced him with this imposter. JMO

[cvsooner]

I'm sorry... there were too many penalties and too many turnovers last weekend. Penalties and turnovers are the hallmarks of a poorly coached team.

Oh, so the national championship 1975 Sooners with eight lost fumbles against Kansas in a 20-3 shellacking were a poorly coached team? The same basic team that went 10-0-1 in 1973 and 11-0 in 1974? Were they poorly coached?

Sometimes, no matter what, it ain't just your night. What was frustrating about Saturday is they just weren't that far away from winning, even with the mistakes.

I've been around sports and high level entertainers, and I've seen it time and again where everything's great in rehearsal or practice and then when the time comes...it ain't there.

The problems the Sooners had Saturday were fixable. They will be fixed. The team will be better. They'll win more games than they lose.

Idaho State is in for a beating for the ages.

[madillsoonerfan5353]

You guys do realize that in that 02 Mizz game we NEEDED the fake because Brad Smith was singlehandedly running all over our Mike Stoops defense. Right?

Thats what I'm saying we went for the win, not just to tie the game! We need that SWAGGER from OUr coach once again! That kind of stuff snowballs, and it starts at the top.

[A-M]

...and we looked really awesome before we lost Sam right? :P

I do agree with you on this. Even with Sam in, we looked like we didn't know what we were doing a lot of the time.

[MyT Oklahoma]

Oh, so the national championship 1975 Sooners with eight lost fumbles against Kansas in a 20-3 shellacking were a poorly coached team? The same basic team that went 10-0-1 in 1973 and 11-0 in 1974? Were they poorly coached?

Sometimes, no matter what, it ain't just your night. What was frustrating about Saturday is they just weren't that far away from winning, even with the mistakes.

I've been around sports and high level entertainers, and I've seen it time and again where everything's great in rehearsal or practice and then when the time comes...it ain't there.

The problems the Sooners had Saturday were fixable. They will be fixed. The team will be better. They'll win more games than they lose.

Idaho State is in for a beating for the ages.

23 to 3 and yeah that game sucked but not the Sooners.

[SoonerLB]

We lost by ONE stinking point to a very good football team with a very good QB. If the ONE player we could ill afford to lose hadn't gone down, I firmly believe we would have won that game. Yeah, we didn't look that good, but the loss of Sam cast a pall over the team that it couldn't get out from under. It's history, time to move on and take care of business, and I hope I'm not wrong in thinking this team has both the character and ability to do so.

[A-M]

We lost by ONE stinking point to a very good football team with a very good QB. If the ONE player we could ill afford to lose hadn't gone down, I firmly believe we would have won that game. Yeah, we didn't look that good, but the loss of Sam cast a pall over the team that it couldn't get out from under. It's history, time to move on and take care of business, and I hope I'm not wrong in thinking this team has both the character and ability to do so.

I guess we will find out in the next few weeks. Only time will tell, cause I sure don't know if they do or not. And if they don't, then we will have to wait till next season because I don't think any of us who have been watching OU football for our whole life will become an OSU fan over this season. I know I won't!!!

[Intown]

Shame Shame Shame

It's been almost a week.

There is a big, really big difference between a critic and a fan. If your a fan, then act like it.

[A-M]

Shame Shame Shame

It's been almost a week.

There is a big, really big difference between a critic and a fan. If your a fan, then act like it.

Before you start telling me what a fan should be, maybe you need to look up the word 'fan' and see what it means. I can be an enthusiast spectator of OU football and still say they played a really bad game last week, whick they did.

[ashley]

I mean in the early 2000's it seems like he was playing to win, now its seems we play not to lose! And it's not just Stoops all the coaches!

Have you been on Mars for the last twelve months.

[ashley]

Oh, so the national championship 1975 Sooners with eight lost fumbles against Kansas in a 20-3 shellacking were a poorly coached team? The same basic team that went 10-0-1 in 1973 and 11-0 in 1974? Were they poorly coached?

Sometimes, no matter what, it ain't just your night. What was frustrating about Saturday is they just weren't that far away from winning, even with the mistakes.

I've been around sports and high level entertainers, and I've seen it time and again where everything's great in rehearsal or practice and then when the time comes...it ain't there.

The problems the Sooners had Saturday were fixable. They will be fixed. The team will be better. They'll win more games than they lose.

Idaho State is in for a beating for the ages.
You must know a little about football and athletic performance.