My Post-Miami Rant (long)

[westcoast_sooner]

I follow Kentucky basketball, mostly because my wife graduated from there, and they have a great tradition, like OU has in football. And I subscribe to one of their message boards, and contribute from time to time.

Until recently, I always held a smug opinion of most Sooner fans as being mostly reasonable. After a loss, there would be typical server slowdowns as fans would vent their frustrations to the online community, but the tone of the posts would usually turn positive within a few days, certainly as we would approach the next game, hoping for a quick turnaround. Not like the UK fans, who would are famous for blaming everyone from the head coach to the players all the way down to the guy that sells popcorn in the stands for any given Wildcats' loss. I understand the passion, believe me, but many wanted to fire Gillispie after his first game loss to a no name program.

The tone in the last few days here since the Miami loss has been more like a UK crowd, than the upbeat Sooner fanbase that I'm used to.

After last year's record setting pace, we all expected that the 2009 Sooners would simply re-load and would be in a position to make another run at the NCG once again this January. I just don't think there was any way, in hindsight, that those expectations were realistic.

Even had both Sam and Gresham stayed healthy, this team has issues with the OLine, and the receiving corps. The Brody Eldridge experiment against BYU should have been a warning, as when Gresham went out days before the opener.

The starting OL seems to be improving a little, but are still inexperienced and it will take a long time for these guys to really gel into a cohesive mature line that can both pass protect, and run block against anyone.

Most of the receivers haven't been consistent enough. The one go-to guy is now out for 2-4-6 weeks. But to try and replace two receivers that played as well as Manny and Iggy with guys that rarely had a ball tossed their way, well, the odds of immediate success aren't terribly good.

And then, we've had a 2 year starter Heisman trophy winning QB go down, the best TE in the country be lost for the season, and now our best WR go down. The guys that have stepped in have done OK - but they play as well as they can given the circumstances.

And when we lost those two games, we start looking for someone to blame - like the UK fans. For the record, Gillispie looked like a good hire. And what Tubby Smith left them in terms of talent was nothing short of atrocious. There were no seniors, two juniors and everyone else were freshmen and sophomores. The team was lucky enough to make it to the NCAA that year, then lost in disappointing fashion in the NIT last season - sparking Gillispie's firing.

The Cats got their man in Calipari, who recruited one of the best teams ever. We won't know until they take the court how that will work out.

My point is basically this. Given this set of circumstances, this offense will struggle all year. No sense blaming the coaching staff for the personnel on the field. We can be critical about play calling and scheme, but these guys have showed up and played hard and have lost two games by a total of two points.

Given the circumstances a lot of us thought that the D would carry us til Sam got back. I think the reality is that they play real well, though there are some glaring holes. One guy out of position on one play can cost us a game. These guys will also struggle at times, but they'll keep us in games til the offense gets it together.

I think we'll start seeing week to week improvement like we did in 2005. It will be painful to watch at times, and there will be more losses, probably. But we're Sooner fans.

[SoonerNate]

The defense is only as strong as the rest you give them. I'm mad as hell at Wilson's play calling at trying to stall that game out and putting it on our D. The old Bob tried to Win games.
Miami's secondary IS THEIR WEAKNESS and our coaches said screw it, let's win it on D and run it every first down.

I can't tell you how many times the OU fans in the crowd had their arms up in desperation saying WTF?????????

Again, MAKE ADJUSTMENTS.

[prrriiide]

The defense is only as strong as the rest you give them. I'm mad as hell at Wilson's play calling at trying to stall that game out and putting it on our D. The old Bob tried to Win games.
Miami's secondary IS THEIR WEAKNESS and our coaches said screw it, let's win it on D and run it every first down.

I can't tell you how many times the OU fans in the crowd had their arms up in desperation saying WTF?????????

Again, MAKE ADJUSTMENTS.

But their DL is a strength, and it was having its way with our OL like Svengali and a virgin. And who was LJ supposed to throw it to? Kenney stepped up, and as soon as he did the Miami DC adjusted and took that threat away. Pooh? The only thing he has proven so far is that hitting him in the hands is not a guarantee. Brody has a broken finger. Caleb has been hit-and-miss.

I think they could have shown a lot more imagination in the runs called, but calling runs was exactly right for the most part. Draw on 3rd & 18 wasn't KWs finest moment, but some of the runs were working, and some of the short dump passes to the RBs were working. But throwing downfield wasn't a reasonable option, because it was even odds that the pass gets tipped and picked.

I think everyone is aware that our offense has been gutted like a fried trout. That's why I am more forgiving towards KW than I am BV. Our D at 100% should not be giving up plays like we did Saturday.

[beer4me]

Until recently, I always held a smug opinion of most Sooner fans as being mostly reasonable. After a loss, there would be typical server slowdowns as fans would vent their frustrations to the online community, but the tone of the posts would usually turn positive within a few days, certainly as we would approach the next game, hoping for a quick turnaround.

Part of what you are seeing is generated from the coaching staff itself.

By that I mean that during the spring/summer we heard over and over again how good this OL and the defense was going to be.

I suspect a lot of the coach speak was driven by the media saying how we rebuilt the OL from all the losses this year so they had to say how the sky was not falling.

That this OL would be fine and maybe better than last years in some areas.

They also (along with the media) saying how this defense was going to be much improved from last year.

Then the season rolls around and guess what. The OL sucks right now, maybe they will get better but they have problems right now. They don't know their assignments half the time.

But worse than that is they do not play with any discipline for example the first 3 plays of the season this year started with the yellow linen. And it still is flying.

People keep defending the defense and throwing out stats about how they are ranked this and that. For sure they are better than last year without a doubt.

But yet they keeping breaking down at critical times when they need the stops the most they don’t get them.

When the game is on the line and OU could win the game in spite of how the Offenses is playing if the defense would make a critical stop. They don't then the other team scores to win the game.

The stats don't mean a dang thing at that point. The only stat that counts is "did the defense allow one less point than the offenses generated".

To be sure the offense is partly to blame for that because they can’t keep the defense off the field long enough and cannot make the key plays at critical times.

But remember that Bob during his first years here used to say "it is the defense's job to get itself off the field".

And to say this for everyone that’s going to throw it out for the eleventy billionth time. Yes we have had key injuries with Sam, Gresh, and the loss of MB.

And yes RR is not the same as before his injury as can be said of a couple of more players.

But the bottom line is we are pumped up from what the staff tells us and we think we are much better than we really are. And then couple that with the fact good teams step up in adversity and other players step up maybe they are not as good as the one’s they are replacing but when their time comes to step up to the plate and don’t do a very good job that raises two thoughts.

ONE: this is OU this is not North Texas our staff recruited these players so they should be much better than they are playing, or maybe they were not as good as the staff led us to believe.

TWO: given all the above and things are still not coming together and the players are actually as good as they were trumpeted to be but still things aren’t working then the only thing left is coaching.

So it leaves everyone with a critical eye bewildered and asking questions, but the ones that never see anything wrong have a simple out as well, “we have had so many injuries and that is the only reason we are having problems plus we are the only team in the country that has played a tough schedule”.

[Lott's Bandana]

Did we lose to Kentucky too?







:rolleyes:

[cheezyq]

The defense is only as strong as the rest you give them.

Tell that to the 2000 Ravens defense.