UNDRAFTED Tony Jefferson ...

[ourichie]

Just 2 picks vs Dallas. I cant believe he wasn't drafted

[8timechamps]

Just 2 picks vs Dallas. I cant believe he wasn't drafted

No doubt. The best thing TJ can do is kick *** this year. and make the Cardinals (or some other team) pay for not drafting him (literally...they would have probably locked up his rights for 4 years if he had been drafted. Since he's an UFA, he has a one year deal if he makes the team).

It is still amazing to me that he went undrafted (but it was a very deep safety class).

[JiuJitsuSooner]

He was all over the field, had a couple nice open field tackles as well..

[Scott D]

measurables

[Curly Bill]

Wasn't there a question about his speed going into the draft? At any rate the dude was always a good football player for us so I hope he makes it big.

[CatfishSooner]

T. Jeff.!

[Collier11]

He is still a very longshot to make the Cardinals considering all of the money they are giving the Honey Badger

[BieberFever]

Honey Badger was getting smoked.

[CatfishSooner]

He is still a very longshot to make the Cardinals considering all of the money they are giving the Honey Badger Think someone else may give him a shot?

[salth2o]

Honey Badger was getting smoked.

Of course he was...that's how he rolls.

[Al Gore]

It appears that Honey Badger plays "high risk" "high reward". That would work in college but it is going to be tough in the NFL. I did not watch all the game but I did see him try to jump the ball a few times and got burned. NFL qb's can place the ball in tight windows and the wr's are taller, faster and stronger than the SEC.

[Al Gore]

I forgot this....
SEC speed :les:

[Widescreen]

wr's are taller, faster and stronger than the SEC.
That's just crazy talk.

[Al Gore]

That's just crazy talk.
....it's the ketosis from the low carb diet.

[Collier11]

Think someone else may give him a shot?

I think he is showing that he can play, I think the Cardinals have 5 safeties for 3 slots from what I have read so he still has a shot. Maybe at the least he can play his way onto a practice squad. It just makes me sick that he could've still been playing college but he made his choice

[Al Gore]

I would think they would keep 4 and have the 2 backups play special teams?

[Collier11]

if they can make an impact on STs...

[bluedogok]

measurables
Wes Welker didn't have "them" either....just shows how it should just be one factor, not the factor in most scouting departments.


Of course he was...that's how he rolls.
He probably prefers bowls, rolling is a bit more difficult.

[8timechamps]

He is still a very longshot to make the Cardinals considering all of the money they are giving the Honey Badger

Yep. It's not looking good for Javon Harris either. Jefferson needs to move ahead of either Jonathon Amaya or Marijuana Badger. If he keeps performing the rest of pre-season, I think he could be on the 53 man roster. If not, it's possible he gets picked up by another team. At the very least, TJ will be on a practice squad somewhere in the league.

It's too bad he didn't stick around for another year, but what can you do now?!

[Widescreen]

I'd love to know why he decided to leave early. He definitely would have known going in that his draft prospects were pretty bad. And I don't get the feeling his family was in some kind of financial difficulty. I guess he was just tired of school or he didn't like the way things were heading.

[Collier11]

I have heard (unconfirmed) that he didn't like Mikeys D, but that is hard to believe considering he was a 1st Team AA by one publication under Mikey

[Al Gore]

I heard he had a 3rd round rating...

[Collier11]

well there were rumors about his attitude that could have messed his draft up, and that he didn't have a good 2nd half of the year last year

[BoulderSooner79]

I have heard (unconfirmed) that he didn't like Mikeys D, but that is hard to believe considering he was a 1st Team AA by one publication under Mikey


well there were rumors about his attitude that could have messed his draft up, and that he didn't have a good 2nd half of the year last year

Did anyone on D have a good 2nd half of last year? I think there was good reason not to like Mikeys D by any of the players - especially TJ. Tony made a lot of big plays for us for 2.5 seasons. I don't think he suddenly got slow and stupid for his last few games.

[Collier11]

well he went undrafted, that gives some credence to the attitude issues I suppose

[8timechamps]

well he went undrafted, that gives some credence to the attitude issues I suppose

Sure does make you wonder if there was some truth to that rumor. And even if there wasn't, was the rumor itself enough to turn teams off?

[Collier11]

I have a good friend from this board who is quite connected and according to him, there were a lot of odd issues concerning TJ, ill leave it at that

[8timechamps]

I have a good friend from this board who is quite connected and according to him, there were a lot of odd issues concerning TJ, ill leave it at that

Interesting. I have a source "inside" myself, but I never bothered to ask about the TJ deal. While I wouldn't mind knowing, at this point I'm just as good letting it go.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

TJ wanted out of here.. and that round grade doesn't mean squat because there was probably 100 guys who received that same grade.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

And even though these games provide for excitement for us, they don't mean much as far as someone making the team..If the pre season games were important, they wouldn't be fighting to cut the PS games down..By what the teams want, the pre season games would already be finished.

What they see every day in practice will decide who makes the roster..and it's been kind of up and down for him in practice.

[Widescreen]

TJ wanted out of here..

Do you know what his issues were? Was it just Mike?

[starclassic tama]

even aside from the possible attitude issues or whatever, down the stretch last year it seemed he had forgotten how to make a form tackle and was content diving at guys feet. not to mention he had no business running the 40 yard dash if his hamstring or ankle were iffy. it's much better to have scouts just assume you run in the high 4.5's than to run a 4.75 which is a giant red flag for an NFL safety.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Do you know what his issues were? Was it just Mike?

More than just Mike..I posted about this somewhere back in the middle of last season, so I am sketchy on the details..But 2 players were concerned about training techniques that led to injuries and were going to leave early no matter what..

[badger]

More than just Mike..I posted about this somewhere back in the middle of last season, so I am sketchy on the details..But 2 players were concerned about training techniques that led to injuries and were going to leave early no matter what..

This is something that has been brought up on numerous occasions, not specific to any season or player, but that OU's strength and conditioning leads to injuries, or doesn't do enough to prevent injuries.

Is this just Internet grumbling, or is there anything legit to those concerns?

[Collier11]

I have felt the same way about this discussion for years and years and years, Stoops makes millions of dollars based on his ability to coach a bunch of young men. If he felt like something was not being handled right with the way they are trained, he would put an end to it. JMHO

[stoops the eternal pimp]

I've talked to several players over the years with varying opinions..

[badger]

I have felt the same way about this discussion for years and years and years, Stoops makes millions of dollars based on his ability to coach a bunch of young men. If he felt like something was not being handled right with the way they are trained, he would put an end to it. JMHO

I am more convinced of this mindset after this past offseason too, where Stoops seemed to finally relent and make some much-needed coaching changes. Before now, Stoops seemed to rely on other schools hiring to get rid of all of the coaches the Internet ragged on (most notably Chuck Long)

[PLaw]

I have felt the same way about this discussion for years and years and years, Stoops makes millions of dollars based on his ability to coach a bunch of young men. If he felt like something was not being handled right with the way they are trained, he would put an end to it. JMHO

Agreed, but let's see what happens if the D lays another egg this season. With Mike's first stint in Norman, it was all wine and roses. Last season, there were a couple of games that were total travesties. If that continues, then there is no way I ever see Bob showing Mike the door. Now, he may promote him to assistant HC or HC in waiting, but not the door.

Boomer

[PLaw]

This is something that has been brought up on numerous occasions, not specific to any season or player, but that OU's strength and conditioning leads to injuries, or doesn't do enough to prevent injuries.

Is this just Internet grumbling, or is there anything legit to those concerns?

Perception is stronger than fact. Regardless of whether Schmitty's approach may lead to injuries, the mere fact that the buzz is out there from current and former players is a concern. And, that certainly doesn't help on the recruiting trail.

Boomer

[BieberFever]

Bob doesn't have the nuts to bring in a new S&C coach.

Weird how OU wins a NC with a bunch of over achievers who were only under Schmitty for a year or two and since then can't seem to avoid the injury bug. However when you are playing for NC nobody cares about what is said about the S&C coach but start dropping off seasons like they have then those whispers become roars

[badger]

Weird how OU wins a NC with a bunch of over achievers who were only under Schmitty for a year or two and since then can't seem to avoid the injury bug.

Hmmm... (http://espn.go.com/magazine/vol4no01sooners.html)


The first conditioning session began at 6 a.m. By 5:40 there were already more than a dozen players lined up at the indoor practice facility. They were eager, but they were mulch for Schmidt. Halfway through the warmup -- the warmup -- players staggered toward the nearest wall to throw up. Schmidt and his assistants couldn't believe it, nor could OU's maintenance staff. "The janitors weren't that happy with us those first few days," says assistant strength coach Scott Bird. When the players reported for the next day's session, dozens of garbage cans lined the vomit wall, courtesy of those janitors. Players threw up after lifting weights. They threw up after agility drills. They threw up after sessions in the nearby sand pit. They threw up after sprinting down the field harnessed to weighted sleds. They threw up after running the 73 steps at Memorial Stadium.

I can't believe I found that article link after 12+ years, but I think it's important to note that it was well documented how out of shape our team was before Stoops/Schmitty arrived. It's as good of a read now as it was then, if you have a few minutes

[Widescreen]

I didn't notice that that was from 2001. I was getting extremely concerned as I read that. I even thought "that's the crap that happened back when Stoops took over. How could we be back in that shape again?" Catastrophe averted.

[badger]

I didn't notice that that was from 2001. I was getting extremely concerned as I read that. I even thought "that's the crap that happened back when Stoops took over. How could we be back in that shape again?" Catastrophe averted.

The reason I remembered that article was because it was the first major media story I read about Stoops' Sooners back when I still lived in Wisconsin. Since then, haven't seen too many notable ESPN magazine articles on the Sooners... there was an AD "next" feature after his froshie OU year, and a North Texas feature on them preparing for their OU opener under their HS coach (Todd Dodge, I think?), that's about it

[8timechamps]

This is something that has been brought up on numerous occasions, not specific to any season or player, but that OU's strength and conditioning leads to injuries, or doesn't do enough to prevent injuries.

Is this just Internet grumbling, or is there anything legit to those concerns?

Interesting point badj, for all of the "buzz" about Schmidt, has any former player ever actually come out and said anything on record? I'm trying to think of any, and I can't come up with a single guy.

It's one thing if former players are going on record about the severity of the training program, it's another if it's just rumored and the internet took that and ran with it.

[Collier11]

When these guys get to the NFL, they would have no reason not to blast Schmitty if it was an issue and I have never heard that. He also has a reputation as one of the best in the biz

[birddog]

NM

[OkieThunderLion]

Wasn't there a question about his speed going into the draft? At any rate the dude was always a good football player for us so I hope he makes it big.

Yes, he was a 4.75 guy from the minute he stepped on campus. Really good player though. Such an odd early entry (he knew what he ran), unless he just hated school.

[OkieThunderLion]

I heard he had a 3rd round rating...

Possibly true. Because the NFL advisory board didn't know his speed. They are just guessers like everyone else.