MANDEL on this year's SOONERS...

[OUster]

just in case you are actually working at work and not looking at internet sport's sites...Mandel's most recent blurb about the upcoming year's Sooner's...enjoy!

Cut and paste if it doesn't linky...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/stewart_mandel/07/19/mailbag/index.html

[XingTheRubicon]

How come Oklahoma is getting so much respect before the season? By "so much," I mean top-five or better. Seems to me everyone still drinks the Bob Stoops Kool-Aid despite the Kansas State (2003), LSU (2003), USC (2004), and TCU (2005) debacles, not to mention losing to Oklahoma State twice and last year's Texas game.
--Howard (Mr. proud of 1 out of 6) Katz, Fort Worth, Texas

I'm guessing from the Texas dateline that Howard isn't exactly the most impartial critic of Mr. Stoops. While many of those losses were indeed embarrassing, they also happen to represent most of the small number of games he hasn't won in the past five years. So Stoops must be doing something right. That said, I have been surprised by the near-universal belief out there that the Sooners are going to jump right back into national title contention following an 8-4 finish last year season. Part of that is probably due to the fact there are no clear-cut favorites in '06, but it also shows a heck of a lot of faith in Stoops, considering these Sooners aren't nearly as proven as their predecessors from earlier this decade.

Obviously, there are a lot of reasons OU looks good on paper. First and foremost, the Sooners have a running back who gained nearly 2,000 yards as a freshman. Kind of a big plus. They return seven starters from the nation's fourth-best rushing defense, including a pair of ends, Calvin Thibodeaux and C.J. Ah You, who combined for 17 sacks last year; a third, Larry Birdine, who was ahead of both on the depth chart last year before missing the season with a torn biceps; and a preseason All-America linebacker, Rufus Alexander. This is a defense that held high-flying Oregon to 14 points in the Holiday Bowl. Not too shabby.

If you're picking Oklahoma to win the national title, however, you're making at least two rather large assumptions: That an offensive line, with just one returning starter, won't struggle out of the gate like it did last year, and that second-year QB Rhett Bomar will be able to handle more responsibility. Adrian Peterson is Adrian Peterson, but there's only so much he'll be able to do if his line can't block for him and/or defenses don't fear the passing game. I'm not saying it can't happen, but I do find it interesting that Stoops, who was starting to take on some of mentor Steve Spurrier's cockiness back in '03-04, recently said he's "not comfortable" with this year's No. 1 endorsements.




Did Stoops say he was "not comfortable" with being projected so high? I must have missed that one.

[NormanPride]

Did Stoops say he was "not comfortable" with being projected so high? I must have missed that one.

He always says stuff like that. His usual line is something like "I don't pay attention to that stuff" but he might have let an "I'm not comfortable with calling this team the best in the nation" if you take it out of context. I don't think he said it as an indicator that this team will suck as much as he just doesn't like the idea of being #1 without earning it.

[CincySooner]

if you'll remember, Stoops downplayed our preseason #1 ranking in 2003 also.

something along the lines of not understanding how a team can be #1 when the QB had so little game experience.

[Soonerman08]

You are intellectually distorted, not to mention uninformed. Pete Carroll doesn't go for fourth-and-two, Vince scores from anywhere. Those morons who are making noise are just as stupid as you are, Mandel. The problem was that Pete used the wrong formation to go for the fourth down. USC should be national champs again. The game was badly called, mistakes galore. Bad officiating. It was not only given away by uncharacteristic play by SC, but taken away by the officials and Mack Brown's childish behavior. SC will be back, Texas won't.
-- Dr. Frank Hernandez, La Quinta, Calif.

I'm just trying to determine which is the scariest part of this e-mail.

1. That Frank is still so rabidly bitter and, I think we can all agree, a rather sore loser, nearly seven months after the fact.

2. That he's so worked up about this that he somehow failed to notice that the comment of mine he was responding to defended Carroll.

3. That the man is a doctor!




I got a good kick out of this one, thought it was rather humorous. That old man is whining like a little girl.

[Snrfn4ever08]

You are intellectually distorted, not to mention uninformed. Pete Carroll doesn't go for fourth-and-two, Vince scores from anywhere. Those morons who are making noise are just as stupid as you are, Mandel. The problem was that Pete used the wrong formation to go for the fourth down. USC should be national champs again. The game was badly called, mistakes galore. Bad officiating. It was not only given away by uncharacteristic play by SC, but taken away by the officials and Mack Brown's childish behavior. SC will be back, Texas won't.
-- Dr. Frank Hernandez, La Quinta, Calif.

I'm just trying to determine which is the scariest part of this e-mail.

1. That Frank is still so rabidly bitter and, I think we can all agree, a rather sore loser, nearly seven months after the fact.

2. That he's so worked up about this that he somehow failed to notice that the comment of mine he was responding to defended Carroll.

3. That the man is a doctor!




I got a good kick out of this one, thought it was rather humorous. That old man is whining like a little girl.
i'm telling you, from all the stuff i've seen posted from usc fanboards and stuff like that, they act like it's the end of the world.

[Soonerman08]

i'm telling you, from all the stuff i've seen posted from usc fanboards and stuff like that, they act like it's the end of the world.



Must be a professor at 'SC. :D

[Landthief 1972]

Must have gotten his PhD in sunbathing, or maybe boardwalk rollerblading. :D

[GottaHavePride]

Well, he obviously didn't get the doctorate in washing sand out of vaginas, because he clearly sucks at that.

;)

[Octavian]

If you're picking Oklahoma to win the national title, however, you're making at least two rather large assumptions: That an offensive line, with just one returning starter, won't struggle out of the gate like it did last year, and that second-year QB Rhett Bomar will be able to handle more responsibility. Adrian Peterson is Adrian Peterson, but there's only so much he'll be able to do if his line can't block for him and/or defenses don't fear the passing game. I'm not saying it can't happen, but I do find it interesting that Stoops, who was starting to take on some of mentor Steve Spurrier's cockiness back in '03-04, recently said he's "not comfortable" with this year's No. 1 endorsements.

sounds like a pretty fair assessment to me.


Did Stoops say he was "not comfortable" with being projected so high? I must have missed that one.

Yeah, he was asked if he "was comfortable" with a preseason #1 ranking and he said no. I think it was from a Tulsa World interview a few weeks ago when Bob was there.

He said something along the lines that this was a young team w/ a lot of potential but nothing was going to be given to them and they still have a lot to prove. Basically, he said they need to earn it.