Tom Wort

[Ruf/Nek7]

Per OU Nation on facebook, is reportedly leaving OU.

[Soonerjeepman]

wow..as a SR...weird. Good luck/best wishes to him if true.

[instigator]

Probably not true, but good luck to him. I hope he has a great life. He probably didn't need to see the field again anyway.

[cleller]

That's pretty strange. Doesn't sound like good news.

[goingoneight]

He's pondered giving up football for awhile now. I seriously doubt he's leaving due to playing time. The competition to play at OU right now is absolutely terrible.

[NorthernIowaSooner]

His playing time has noticeably decreased. There was a chunk of the Cotton Bowl where I wondered if he was hurt since he wasn't out there.

[zeke]

When he first showed up at OU I thought he was gonna be the next Rocky Calmus, I was wrong. Seems like a good guy but just didnt pan out as a good LB.

Good luck to him.

[goingoneight]

I wish him well. He's done as much as he can. Sometimes injuries catch up to you early in life.

[Ruf/Nek7]

When he first showed up at OU I thought he was gonna be the next Rocky Calmus, I was wrong. Seems like a good guy but just didnt pan out as a good LB.

Good luck to him.

Man I wished that came true. Calmus is my all time favorite football player.

[boomersooner28]

Did we play any LB's? Our LB play was terrible this year.

[Ground_Attack]

I don't even remember seeing a LB the last half of the season.

[CatfishSooner]

Do we have any LBs that redshirted?

[PLaw]

When he first showed up at OU I thought he was gonna be the next Rocky Calmus, I was wrong. Seems like a good guy but just didnt pan out as a good LB.

Good luck to him.

I think Tom is a victim of a really screwed up scheme by D-coordinators.

Bummer

[PLaw]

Did we play any LB's? Our LB play was terrible this year.

How can your LB play be terrible when you run a base 4-0-7??

Just sayin'

Bummer

[Ground_Attack]

That and he likes to dance with offensive lineman

[OkieThunderLion]

I think Tom is a victim of a really screwed up scheme by D-coordinators.

Bummer

I'd say.

[MyT Oklahoma]

Sorry to hear this if its true. Wish him the best with whatever he choses.

[colleyvillesooner]

Cause when he does play, he gets caught up in the wash more than my underwear.

[jk the sooner fan]

I think Tom is a victim of a really screwed up scheme by D-coordinators.

Bummer

and a lack of speed

[Sooner in Tampa]

Maybe it's just me, but I think our LB's took a serious step back since Mike brought his buddy with him from Arizona...

It wouldn't surprise me if Wort left, eveything I have heard and read...he was pretty miserable this year

Good Luck to him in whatever he aspires to be

[Curly Bill]

The dude wasn't very good. Losing him may not help us, but it doesn't hurt much either. We could find someone walking the halls that can get themselves blocked and stay blocked just as well as Wort did.

[oudanny]

I thought he checked-out about mid-season. I wish him well whatever he does.

[Ruf/Nek7]

The demise of Wort was the exposed during the K state game. Klein picked on wort because of his inability to cover a slot receiver coming across the middle. Mike countered this by playing Shannon more since he has more speed and better coverage skills.

The scheme Mike ran is a simple Dime scheme in which you have a 4-1-6 alignment and that 1 needs to be able to both fill a gap and cover a receiver. Wort, was not that guy. The flaw in the 4-1-6 alignment is that the additional OL can easily get to the LB and allow the RB all the room he needs to run up the middle. The only way to stop that is to have outstanding DL to fill gaps and get off blocks. Harris and Jefferson were used to step up and stop the run too which didnt always work because neither knew how to properly pursue a RB in open field to save their lives.

IMO, we need to adapt the 3-4 defense to counteract the spread or run more Nickel sets and not go 100% man coverage.

[sooneron]

So has there been anything substantiated as to his leaving?

[hvhurricane]

The demise of Wort was the exposed during the K state game. Klein picked on wort because of his inability to cover a slot receiver coming across the middle. Mike countered this by playing Shannon more since he has more speed and better coverage skills.

The scheme Mike ran is a simple Dime scheme in which you have a 4-1-6 alignment and that 1 needs to be able to both fill a gap and cover a receiver. Wort, was not that guy. The flaw in the 4-1-6 alignment is that the additional OL can easily get to the LB and allow the RB all the room he needs to run up the middle. The only way to stop that is to have outstanding DL to fill gaps and get off blocks. Harris and Jefferson were used to step up and stop the run too which didnt always work because neither knew how to properly pursue a RB in open field to save their lives.

IMO, we need to adapt the 3-4 defense to counteract the spread or run more Nickel sets and not go 100% man coverage.

I don't like to bag on the players, but Wort was exposed long before the KSU game. He just isn't very good. I am amazed at our lack of depth at LB. BV should be embarrased at the state he left the LB corps in at OU. I feel bad for the kid because he can't do the things that you need to do to be successful. He seems to work hard. I hope he sticks it out and stays with the team, but I hope we can find someone who can fill that void next year.

[cvsooner]

All kinds of tweets saying Wort is declaring for the draft. So, there it is.

Jake Trotter has confirmed. Wort looked into transferring but didn't like his options. So...doesn't want to play under the current terms.

[NorthernIowaSooner]

So has there been anything substantiated as to his leaving?

Looks like it.

http://newsok.com/oklahoma-football-linebacker-tom-wort-will-bypass-senior-season-declare-for-nfl-draft/article/3744511

http://espn.go.com/blog/colleges/oklahoma/post/_/id/18281/source-ous-tom-wort-to-enter-nfl-draft

[sooneron]

UDFA

[Breadburner]

You have to heart to play at the next level......

[nighttrain12]

If Sam Bradford and Adrian Peterson can declare early for the NFL draft, then .... oh wait, never mind.

[Biggnick15]

LMFAO at wort declaring for the draft. I hope for his sake he changes His mind and works on getting better or transfers to a D-2 school. Dude has zero chance to get drafted.

[OkieThunderLion]

The guy graduated.

I have no problem with him moving on to the next phase of his life.

[TXBOOMER]

He has a much better chance of getting drafted for the Vietnam war than the NFL. But good luck to him.

[8timechamps]

I can't imagine his draft grade came back too good. I'm thinking this was a "you may want to go ahead and enter the draft this year, because you're probably not going to see the field much (if any) next year" kind of conversation with Stoops.

I'll always be thankful that Tom wanted to be a Sooner, and chose OU. I hope he goes on to do great things in life.

Good luck Tom!

[nighttrain12]

Yes, congratulations on getting his degree. He should be able to use it to get a job .... outside of football.

[cvsooner]

I don't understand the hate. Jeeze. Dude is 20 times better at linebacker than most of us will ever be, even if he's not ideal. He's played through injury, he's done everything he's been asked to do, worked his tail off, has been nothing but a great kid for the university, he's earned his degree, and he recognizes that he doesn't factor into the game plan for next year. C'mon...at least give him some credit.

[70sooner]

THIS!~ ^^^^^^^

He's a Sooner and always will be.

[Jason White's Third Knee]

Unreal. More dickheaded posting by the OU fanbase. Yep. He has had better years. I never saw him show a lack of effort and he never got in trouble.

Thanks to Tom Wort for being a great representative for OU. BOOMER!!!

[murray1430]

I think with a better interior defensive line he would have been better. Without the D line requiring a double team the linebackers are going to get blocked by the offensive line. Look at Teo in the natl champ game. Bama's o line was able to get to him because they could man block 1st level and get up to the 2nd level. If Wort would have had a better d line in front of him it would have been different. He wasn't bad at linebacker.

[Curly Bill]

I haven't seen anyone say he wasn't a good guy, or that they hate him, he just wasn't a very good football player.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

what's interesting to me is the defensive coaches now realize they made a mistake with their linebacker game planning and said they want to change it next year...took how many games to figure that out?

[odontia]

I wish Tom all the best. I will always remember his tip and interception at a critical moment of the Florida State game in 2011.

[MyT Oklahoma]

what's interesting to me is the defensive coaches now realize they made a mistake with their linebacker game planning and said they want to change it next year...took how many games to figure that out?

Not soon enough obviously. LOL

[MyT Oklahoma]

I wish Tom all the best. I will always remember his tip and interception at a critical moment of the Florida State game in 2011.

Same here. The man wanted to be a Sooner and was. I wish him the best.

[thecrimsoncrusader]

We should never bash former or current Sooners unless they are Jimmy Stevens. It's always OK to bash kickers and punters.

[badger]

We should never bash former or current Sooners unless they are Jimmy Stevens. It's always OK to bash kickers and punters.

Jimmy had a little gut on him :)

Tom Wort had a bright red mohawk :)

[PrideMom]

He already has his degree, can't blame him to want to go on.......

[Ruf/Nek7]

Unreal. More dickheaded posting by the OU fanbase. Yep. He has had better years. I never saw him show a lack of effort and he never got in trouble.

Thanks to Tom Wort for being a great representative for OU. BOOMER!!!

My thoughts exactly. This goes hand in hand with the pussies wanting to retire their accounts because they are pissed off about a bowl loss....**** em. SOONER!

[nighttrain12]

He already has his degree, can't blame him to want to go on.......

It's just kind of weird he is not coming back for his Senior year. He has no real chance of making an NFL roster so he should have just said he got his degree and wants to get a job out in the real world. None of this declaring for the NFL draft non-sense.

[Soonerjeepman]

yeah, I don't see him making it but good luck going for it.

[tulsaoilerfan]

what's interesting to me is the defensive coaches now realize they made a mistake with their linebacker game planning and said they want to change it next year...took how many games to figure that out?

13 evidently

[sooneron]

There's hate, then there's being realistic. First, it came a little bit of a shock to me that he was leaving. It came as a bigger shock that he was declaring for the draft. I wish him well. I hope he totally makes me look like I have no idea about football by succeeding at the next level. I like the kid, but his form was often in doubt (head down, not up looking at the target), he's not quick and he's undersized. I have always wanted him to take that next step and have a lights out season. He never did. Loved his fire and how much he liked OU, but I don't see the nfl in his future. Good for him on the graduating part. Good luck, Tom.

[TXBOOMER]

Why do people care if players get criticized on this board? These guys are not kids. They are grown men. When I was 22 I had been in the Marine Corps for 4 years and served a tour in Desert Storm. These guys get special treatment, get the hot chicks because they play ball at OU. I don't hate them for that, I respect it. Good for them. But if they under perform and people throw a little criticism their way, a little check of the ego never hurt anyone.

[Scott D]

Good kid, just took too many cues on how to play linebacker from Travis Lewis.

[starclassic tama]

Good kid, just took too many cues on how to play linebacker from Travis Lewis.
the two aren't even remotely comparable. travis lewis took a lot of crap, but he was a really good player

[Soonerus]

Why do people care if players get criticized on this board? These guys are not kids. They are grown men. When I was 22 I had been in the Marine Corps for 4 years and served a tour in Desert Storm. These guys get special treatment, get the hot chicks because they play ball at OU. I don't hate them for that, I respect it. Good for them. But if they under perform and people throw a little criticism their way, a little check of the ego never hurt anyone.


I agree, it is not like they are 14 year olds...but as long as I have been on this board that has been the mantra of many posters here...

[JLEW1818]

Why do people care if players get criticized on this board? These guys are not kids. They are grown men. When I was 22 I had been in the Marine Corps for 4 years and served a tour in Desert Storm. These guys get special treatment, get the hot chicks because they play ball at OU. I don't hate them for that, I respect it. Good for them. But if they under perform and people throw a little criticism their way, a little check of the ego never hurt anyone.

Perfectly said

[8timechamps]

Why do people care if players get criticized on this board? These guys are not kids. They are grown men. When I was 22 I had been in the Marine Corps for 4 years and served a tour in Desert Storm. These guys get special treatment, get the hot chicks because they play ball at OU. I don't hate them for that, I respect it. Good for them. But if they under perform and people throw a little criticism their way, a little check of the ego never hurt anyone.

I don't mind the criticizing of the players, but there is a point that it becomes nonsense. It's one thing to say "Harris blew that play with terrible tackling", it's another to say "Harris sucks, he's worthless, he needs to leave and never come back". I fully expect player criticism anytime there is a discussion about a game, but there are ways to do that without being a complete moron.

I don't know what you did in Desert Storm, but I'm sure you weren't filmed at the most critical moments of your job, and I'm also sure your performance wasn't discussed ad nauseam on an internet message board (and ripped by a lot of people that never once tried, or had the ability to do your job).

Like I said, criticism isn't a problem, so long as it's warranted and reasoned.

[Scott D]

the two aren't even remotely comparable. travis lewis took a lot of crap, but he was a really good player

he was a very talented player, there is a difference.

[hvhurricane]

Since he already has his degree, he should try to transfer to another school and play out his senior year.

[StoopTroup]

I'll bet he's preparing for the Combines and will try and make a Statement there if he gets an invite.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Since he already has his degree, he should try to transfer to another school and play out his senior year.

He tried that route..The places he wanted to go(ie Clemson) didn't have a spot for him.