Let's face it....

[boomersooner2001]

We have not been the same team since Leach/Mangino/M. Stoops left.

With Leach/Mangino, we were creative, explosive, unpredictable on offense.

With Mike Stoops, we were intimidating, smashmouth, pin our ears back, come get some on defense.

And as much as I hate to say this, cause I hate more than anything to bash coaches, with Wilson and Venables, OU will continue to lose more games to they BYU's, Miami's, West Virginia's, and Boise State's of the world.

I have really tried since I've been a member on this site to stay away from the "coach bashing", but after the same ol', same ol' that we say last night, this is the only conclusion I can come up with.

[OUmillenium]

Injuries on offense have been Wilson's only saving grace this year.

Can't say the same for Venables. If our defense was as good as the coaches led us to believe, the media leads us to believe (not you Trabor), and what I truly think our talent level is, then we would have stopped BYU's go ahead drive but we "bust" instead. Just like we "busted" some deep coverage last night.

I think Venables confuses our d at times and keeps them from pinning their ears or playing natural, instinctive football. We also fail to cover deep TE routes, and shallow TE routes on 3rd down for that matter. Shipley might torch us for 200 yds.

[Okla-homey]

On the O, perhaps, just maybe, we should have considered making an overture to Gus Malzahn before he left the state. He's had great success. Some call his style of play gimmicky, but there's no disputing his offenses put up incredible numbers, irrespective of whether or not the QB is a passing stud.

[StoopTroup]

On the O, perhaps, just maybe, we should have considered making an overture to Gus Malzahn before he left the state. He's had great success. Some call his style of play gimmicky, but there's no disputing his offenses put up incredible numbers, irrespective of whether or not the QB is a passing stud.

After the oSu game last year a friend of mine and I had the opportunity to directly ask Bob that exact question Homey.

His response? Kevin isn't going anywhere.

[IronHorseSooner]

At the time, he was the toast of all Offensive Coordinators, so Coach Stoops wouldn't be in the market for another OC. Coach Stoops is one of the most loyal people to his coaches and players that anyone could meet. In the past, I believe that he helped others get jobs behind the scenes to move them along. We do the same thing in the military. If someone isn't cutting it, we look for another position for them, convince them it is in their best interest, and replace them with new blood. Guys like the Mikes (Leach and Stoops) and Sumlin were all moves to help them in their careers. It should speak volumes that a guy like Sumlin was offered an HC job before his boss! Furthermore, look at comprable programs around the country (SUC & FLA come to mind) where their assistants are going like hotcakes.

[ashley]

We have not been the same team since Leach/Mangino/M. Stoops left.

With Leach/Mangino, we were creative, explosive, unpredictable on offense.

With Mike Stoops, we were intimidating, smashmouth, pin our ears back, come get some on defense.

And as much as I hate to say this, cause I hate more than anything to bash coaches, with Wilson and Venables, OU will continue to lose more games to they BYU's, Miami's, West Virginia's, and Boise State's of the world.

I have really tried since I've been a member on this site to stay away from the "coach bashing", but after the same ol', same ol' that we say last night, this is the only conclusion I can come up with.
We were a much better team last year than back then.

[BoulderSooner79]

I'm one those always looking for a silver lining, and I fully expect that losses are going to happen - I don't expect BCS title runs every year. But I have to agree that KW goes into conservative mode when we get challenged and it is frustrating. It was grating how Herbie was heaping tons of love on the Miami OC about his play design and play calling. But the reason it was so grating was because it was true. Our D is better than their D, but their O was better equipped for the challenge by their staff.

So where is a possible silver lining here? I guess I see more games like this coming and I hope it causes our coaching staff to re-think some things. I predicted that our D would keep us in every game this year and it would be up to our offense to produce at critical times. So far, that is true and our O has failed. There is probably more games like BYU and Miami to come and if we win a couple of those, it will go a long way for the program for the next couple of years. Landry Jones is going to be a very good QB and this schooling he is getting is going to be rewarded with a better player next season - that should also be the case for other returning players.

[boomersooner2001]

We were a much better team last year than back then.

Stats wise, yes. Results no. Yes, we won the conference champ. but we lost the two big games, away from Norman, that we shouldn't have.

Against Texas, we have the lead only to fold in the 4th quarter, because of the stupid a** over the middle stuff that has always beaten us since BV took over.

Against Florida, we should have been up 21-7 at halftime, until KW, went into his shell, and couldn't call the right play to put us in the endzone, not once, but twice, while inside the 3 yard line.

[westbrooke]

Maybe I'm in the minority on this one, but I think we're unnecessarily glorifying Mangino just a bit. Yeah, he won a championship, but think hard about that one. Personally, I give Heupel more credit for that than Mangino. Mangino rolled into a ball the following year when White went down just like Wilson rolled up without Bradford. Hybl proved to be a capable, if not Heisman-level, quarterback, but Mangino stuck training wheels on him to finish that season out. Remember that epic defensive performance against Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl? Sure you do. Remember how badly our offense sucked in that game?

Leach was legitimately creative and innovative, as we've continued to see at Tech. Mangino has had success as a head coach, which I think has added some luster to his time here that he didn't necessarily earn. It's popular to pick on Long and Wilson here, but they gave us some prolific offenses.

I'm not in the head hunting business, so no calls for BV's job here, but he just hasn't given us a defense on par with what Mike Stoops gave us. I think the success of our offense under Long and Wilson has masked a lot of BV's problems, and on those occasions our offense has failed, it makes it all the more glaring.

[rawlingsHOH]

We have not been the same team since Leach/Mangino/M. Stoops left.

With Leach/Mangino, we were creative, explosive, unpredictable on offense.

With Mike Stoops, we were intimidating, smashmouth, pin our ears back, come get some on defense.

And as much as I hate to say this, cause I hate more than anything to bash coaches, with Wilson and Venables, OU will continue to lose more games to they BYU's, Miami's, West Virginia's, and Boise State's of the world.

I have really tried since I've been a member on this site to stay away from the "coach bashing", but after the same ol', same ol' that we say last night, this is the only conclusion I can come up with.
Seriously, are you on earth?

Mangino was creative, explosive, unpredictable? He was damn near run out of town after our 2001 offensive performance.

[Jacie]

Mangino has and continues to do something I did not think he could: win at Kansas.