Venables in his darkest hour.

[delhalew]

Thanks for being a Sooner!

http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/sportspost.aspx?Venables_always_was_fun_to_be_arou nd_but_during_his_darkest_hour_he_was_at_his_best/12-13826

[OUmillenium]

solid

[VA Sooner]

Good article. Hadn't seen it... thanks for sharing.

[TUSooner]

It's a lot easier to criticize people when we don't think of them as real human beings. Nice little article.

[SoonerMarkVA]

Thanks for posting that. I can't imagine what all that was like. I have nothing but the best wishes for Venables.

[badger]

I think a lot of those that were critical of Brent this season forgot how emotional he was after Austin's death:(

Here's a reminder if you've forgotten:
http://newsok.com/multimedia/video/951141556001

[Taxman71]

I am a little undecided. One one hand, the defense has fallen off since Mike departed and some level of change was due. However, OU's defense was at its best when Mike and Brent shared duties (Brent with the front 7, Mike with the secondary). I wonder if our success in the early 2000s was largely due to both guys sharing the DC duties and devoting more attention to a smaller group. Clearly, Mike was spread too thin at Arizona as HC to manage the defense as he previously did.

[3rdgensooner]

Podcast of BV interview with Toby Rowlands from this morning:

Link (http://sportstalk1400.podomatic.com/player/web/2012-01-19T06_58_11-08_00)

[delhalew]

I've always liked Brent's attitude. I may not enjoy our D getting torched, but that is separate issue from Brent's character and devotions to the Sooners.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

We all(hopefully) wish him well. I'm quite appreciative that he didn't go to WVU, or anyplace else in the Big 12.

[Curly Bill]

I've never disliked or been critical of BV the person. By all accounts he's a quality individual. It was BV the DC that I wasn't real taken with.

[badger]

Podcast of BV interview with Toby Rowlands from this morning:

Link (http://sportstalk1400.podomatic.com/player/web/2012-01-19T06_58_11-08_00)
Summary and transcript here. (http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/sportspost.aspx?Emotional_Venables_offers_details_ about_his_decision_to_leave_Oklahoma/12-13830)

Of note:

- Bob was still gonna have Brent be in charge of D.
- Bob was trying to put together a financial compensation package comparable to what Clemson offered.
- Was the one who suggested Mike return to OU and was "thrilled" that he was.
- Said he will always consider Norman home and that his children are all "Normanites."

[delhalew]

With Brent leaving, he, Mike, and Bob won't be able to play good cop, bad cop, drooling psychopath cop...have fun deciding which is which.

[badger]

With Brent leaving, he, Mike, and Bob won't be able to play good cop, bad cop, drooling psychopath cop...have fun deciding which is which.

We'll find someone... wonder if Ron Stoops wants to upgrade from Youngstown State? :D

[En_Fuego]

http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l607/MOXN/WellBye-1.jpg

[Curly Bill]

http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l607/MOXN/WellBye-1.jpg

Hey! That's my line!

[LVSOONER15]

Great article. Best of luck to BV.

[delhalew]

I hope get someone who can pull off that, my head is gonna pop, bulging vein, I'm birthing a new hemorroid look Brent was so good at.

[Jason White's Third Knee]

Hire Brent Venables!

[Flying Scotsman]

Good Luck, Brent! & Thx for the good memories!

[StoopTroup]

Hey! That's my line!I was gonna say that about this....


- Bob was still gonna have Brent be in charge of D.

But Badger's summary Transcript kind of did it for me.

[StoopTroup]

I think a lot of those that were critical of Brent this season forgot how emotional he was after Austin's death:(

Here's a reminder if you've forgotten:
http://newsok.com/multimedia/video/951141556001

Great point. Brent was a Sooner through and through. That interview this morning when he nearly got emotional kind of showed that side of him again.

I'm gonna miss him.

[Chiliman]

Thanks for everything Brent. You will be missed greatly.

[Soonerjeepman]

agreed...he was a good coach..loved his enthusiasm...he'll be missed but we'll survive..we are OU! Wish him the best for his career/family....who knows, one day he may come back as HC...(I see that before going to ksu....)

[Hotrod3157]

Good luck Brent in all your future endeavors

[BeaSooner]

From what I have seen, Coach Venables gave 100% to this program and he did it with dignity and class. To me, he will always be a Sooner and have my respect.

[LASooner]

The 2000 game against Kansas State in October was my favorite display of the Mike/Brent machismo. Brent looked like he wanted to hit somebody without a helmet on.

[En_Fuego]

Sorry For The V

[sooneredaco]

Hire Brent Venables!

Hey... I see what you did there!

[sooneredaco]

Season hasn't even started and I already want BV back

[SoonernAR]

Stand up guy and a great person, but the D needed a different direction I still believe.

[soonerloyal]

I think everyone who expects Mike to be some sort of program savior and for Venables' exit to fix what's ailing us are going to be slightly disappointed with their predictions.

Hope I'm off-base, but I'm just sayin'...

[StoopTroup]

Stand up guy and a great person, but the D needed a different direction I still believe.

We just replaced our Offensive Coordinator. Now....after the 2008 loss to phlorida...fans were screaming for Wilson to leave. Now....instead of firing him....Kevin got a head Coaching job and Josh Heupel and Jay Norvell were inserted to take his place as Co-Coordinators after Wilson left OU on December 7th 2010.

Now...the new Guys get one Season to turn things around and are basically thrown a #1 Ranking as soon as they replace Wilson. We end up losing 3 games and since we can't just fire our New Offensive Co-Coordinators we hire Mike Stoops who got fired at Arizona to assist (Not Replace) Brent Venables. Now OU Fans lose their ****ing Minds and evidently Brent Venables felt it too. Mike comes in to help and Brent gets a financial offer that OU can't match because they just picked up Mike and we lose our Defensive Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach.

It's OK to believe we needed a different direction but we have just watched Bob change both his Offensive and Defensive Coordinators in one year. We had already moved in a different direction with Wilson leaving and we gave Venables one Season to adjust? Sure he's been here and he knows Josh but we could have been 12-1 or 13-0 if we hadn't lost Ryan Broyles, Dom Whaley and not had Travis Lewis and others injured.

Sure....we have all spoken about things that maybe could have changed this or would have changed that....but all those things aren't made up. The injuries were real and the folks who replaced them in the line up didn't play at the same caliber they did. The Coaches we have IMO were adequate and even though there were a few visible mistakes by them....there were some really awful bad beats that our players were part of. Some have even left the program (Brandon Williams) and others may have watched a possible NFL Career disappear. (DeJuan Miller).

Just my opinion but we would have been better off having Brent Venables here next Season and given Mike at least one year getting to not only know the players and Staff but fitting back in with the Staff. If we allowed Venables to move onto Clemson over some money...I think it was a mistake for us. If there was no way Brent would have been happy staying at OU as he was feeling if he didn't leave....he might lose any chance of becoming a Head Coach later.....then I believe we did a bad job of convincing him that he was wrong about that.

I surely hope that Bob, Josh, Jay and Mike are able to have us winning the Big XII Championship next year and at least playing in a BCS Game.

Anything less would be a disappointment IMO as we could have definitely done better if he hadn't lost Brent.

We have now replaced the entire OU Coaching Staff's Offensive and Defensive Coordinators in the last year and we should be on our way towards a much better Seasons Outcome if we indeed made the right decisions.

What I'm afraid of is that we are now going to struggle next year and then we will be one to two years out before we are prepared to compete for a National Championship. I base this on the fact that like many say....Defense wins Championships and we have just replaced our Defensive Schemes and now our Players will be trying to figure out Mike's new approach instead of improving on Brent's Defense that they have been working so hard to grasp.

If I'm wrong then we win #8 and that's something I can definitely live with should they prove me wrong.

[Salt City Sooner]

We just replaced our Offensive Coordinator. Now....after the 2008 loss to phlorida...fans were screaming for Wilson to leave. Now....instead of firing him....Kevin got a head Coaching job and Josh Heupel and Jay Norvell were inserted to take his place as Co-Coordinators after Wilson left OU on December 7th 2010.

Now...the new Guys get one Season to turn things around and are basically thrown a #1 Ranking as soon as they replace Wilson. We end up losing 3 games and since we can't just fire our New Offensive Co-Coordinators we hire Mike Stoops who got fired at Arizona to assist (Not Replace) Brent Venables. Now OU Fans lose their ****ing Minds and evidently Brent Venables felt it too. Mike comes in to help and Brent gets a financial offer that OU can't match because they just picked up Mike and we lose our Defensive Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach.

It's OK to believe we needed a different direction but we have just watched Bob change both his Offensive and Defensive Coordinators in one year. We had already moved in a different direction with Wilson leaving and we gave Venables one Season to adjust? Sure he's been here and he knows Josh but we could have been 12-1 or 13-0 if we hadn't lost Ryan Broyles, Dom Whaley and not had Travis Lewis and others injured.

Sure....we have all spoken about things that maybe could have changed this or would have changed that....but all those things aren't made up. The injuries were real and the folks who replaced them in the line up didn't play at the same caliber they did. The Coaches we have IMO were adequate and even though there were a few visible mistakes by them....there were some really awful bad beats that our players were part of. Some have even left the program (Brandon Williams) and others may have watched a possible NFL Career disappear. (DeJuan Miller).

Just my opinion but we would have been better off having Brent Venables here next Season and given Mike at least one year getting to not only know the players and Staff but fitting back in with the Staff. If we allowed Venables to move onto Clemson over some money...I think it was a mistake for us. If there was no way Brent would have been happy staying at OU as he was feeling if he didn't leave....he might lose any chance of becoming a Head Coach later.....then I believe we did a bad job of convincing him that he was wrong about that.

I surely hope that Bob, Josh, Jay and Mike are able to have us winning the Big XII Championship next year and at least playing in a BCS Game.

Anything less would be a disappointment IMO as we could have definitely done better if he hadn't lost Brent.

We have now replaced the entire OU Coaching Staff's Offensive and Defensive Coordinators in the last year and we should be on our way towards a much better Seasons Outcome if we indeed made the right decisions.

What I'm afraid of is that we are now going to struggle next year and then we will be one to two years out before we are prepared to compete for a National Championship. I base this on the fact that like many say....Defense wins Championships and we have just replaced our Defensive Schemes and now our Players will be trying to figure out Mike's new approach instead of improving on Brent's Defense that they have been working so hard to grasp.

If I'm wrong then we win #8 and that's something I can definitely live with should they prove me wrong.
According to Brent himself, OU did pretty much match CU's offer.

multi-year opportunity with virtually the same amount of money that Clemson was offering.
http://blog.newsok.com/ou/2012/01/19/transcript-brent-venables-talks-to-toby-rowland-on-sports-talk-1400-am-the-ref/

[delhalew]

According to Brent himself, OU did pretty much match CU's offer.

http://blog.newsok.com/ou/2012/01/19/transcript-brent-venables-talks-to-toby-rowland-on-sports-talk-1400-am-the-ref/

That part has been real difficult for ST to grasp.

[ashley]

I am a little undecided. One one hand, the defense has fallen off since Mike departed and some level of change was due. However, OU's defense was at its best when Mike and Brent shared duties (Brent with the front 7, Mike with the secondary). I wonder if our success in the early 2000s was largely due to both guys sharing the DC duties and devoting more attention to a smaller group. Clearly, Mike was spread too thin at Arizona as HC to manage the defense as he previously did.

Our pass defense back then had more to do with the players and noy playing spread team like OSU and Baylor.