Switzer show on WWLS (last night)

[picasso]

anyone catch it last night? second time for me, good stuff.
he made me feel a lot better about the game and the team. of course he said the obvious penalties and turnovers hurt badly but also gave Texas their due and looked at the positives we had.
Switzer said he always used Texas as a measuring stick to see if he could beat or compete with Nebraska every year. he stated we and Texas are still the 2 best teams in the league, the Big 12 is not very good and he's not yet sold on Missouri.

he also spoke about the impact the Texas game had on recruiting. Texas will always fill their sack and he reminded us that we just lost to players Mack recruited when we were winning 65-13.

we lost momentum on a few occasions and didn't get enough out of our 2nd quarter dominance.

it's always interesting to hear Switzer's perspective. for all the ribbing he gets from other fans that guy sure knows his football.

[TUSooner]

anyone catch it last night? second time for me, good stuff.
he made me feel a lot better about the game and the team. of course he said the obvious penalties and turnovers hurt badly but also gave Texas their due and looked at the positives we had.
Switzer said he always used Texas as a measuring stick to see if he could beat or compete with Nebraska every year. he stated we and Texas are still the 2 best teams in the league, the Big 12 is not very good and he's not yet sold on Missouri.

he also spoke about the impact the Texas game had on recruiting. Texas will always fill their sack and he reminded us that we just lost to players Mack recruited when we were winning 65-13.

we lost momentum on a few occasions and didn't get enough out of our 2nd quarter dominance.

it's always interesting to hear Switzer's perspective. for all the ribbing he gets from other fans that guy sure knows his football.

Even Barry lost some to tejas... didn't he?

[sooner518]

Even Barry lost some to tejas... didn't he?
he would never do such a thing!

[Taxman71]

Losses hurt more in the short term when when you could have or should have won, but for mistakes such as penalties and unforced turnovers, of which we had plenty. However, knowing that our program isn't down, just young and needing improvement gives hope for the future.

If we got beat down by a truly better team, talent and coaching-wise, I would not have felt as bad on Saturday, but would feel alot worse about the future.

Hopefully, these young players will learn the same lessons we learned in 1999 and come out strong in 2007.

[The Preach Man]

Losses hurt more in the short term when when you could have or should have won, but for mistakes such as penalties and unforced turnovers, of which we had plenty. However, knowing that our program isn't down, just young and needing improvement gives hope for the future.

If we got beat down by a truly better team, talent and coaching-wise, I would not have felt as bad on Saturday, but would feel alot worse about the future.

Hopefully, these young players will learn the same lessons we learned in 1999 and come out strong in 2007.


exactly!!!!!

Our program is still one of the best in the country. were just not THE best right now but that's the nature of the sport. People seem to forget that 7 national championships over the last 100 years or so averages out to less than one a decade.

[picasso]

he also said simply that we're just not as good as we'd like to be right now.

[BIG_IKE]

I caught some of it too. What he speaks is true. It does not matter HOW good Texas beats us or we beat them as far as recruiting goes. The bottom line is there are too many Blue chips in Texas and if they wanna play big time football for a good team close to home they only have a few choices...

Texas, OU, or LSU. Texas can't get them all. There will always be plenty for us or them regardless. Texas produces almost 300 Div. 1A scholarship players a YEAR. OU is ALWAYS gonna get our fair share.

Looking back at our 5 years of dominance UT got the better recruits before, during and after then and it meant nothing. We kicked their butts with 3 and 4 star players when they were loaded with parade all americans. It means NOTHING.

Desire, Discipline and Nuts win games and we displayed none of those Saturday, plain and simple.

[Taxman71]

The most accurate thing Switzer said was that Venables (and Wilson for that matter) just aren't coaching as talented players as Mike Stoops and Chuck Long did. We took for granted that Donte Nicholson and Brodney Pool never let a running back get past them (despite an occassional long pass play). I love Rufus, Birdine and Co., but do they compare to Tommie Harris, Teddy, TRRW, Strait, Dusty, Woolfolk etc. right now? No way. Yet, we still played great defense for all but 2 drives in the 3rd quarter.

As for the offense, we just need to eliminate mistakes and quit stopping good drives. Every turnover on Saturday likely cost us points (were on the whorn side of the field) or directly gave the whorns points (lateral). Plus, we had multiple "turnovers by penalty" (scoring drives turned into punts due to penalties). These mistakes cost us much more than the margin of victory and explain why we felt a little deflated at half despite having the lead.

You just can't give that many points away to a good team (#7 going in to the game), especially when the other team played virtually 100% mistake-free football.

[AzianSooner]

well, the 2000 championship caliber were all recruited while OU was down.. really down.

It doesn't make sense to me. Those guys played like champ. Compete with every one and scare of no one.

[TexasLidig8r]

I
Looking back at our 5 years of dominance UT got the better recruits before, during and after then and it meant nothing. We kicked their butts with 3 and 4 star players when they were loaded with parade all americans. It means NOTHING.



As posted on this website, the recruiting rankings have been:

Scout:
2006 - Texas 3 Oklahoma 7
2005 - Oklahoma 5 Texas 13
2004 - Oklahoma 7 Texas 10
2003 - Oklahoma 3 Texas 14
2002 - Texas 1 Oklahoma 2

Rivals:
2006 Texas 5 Oklahoma 9
2005 Oklahoma 3 Texas 20
2004 Oklahoma 8 Texas 10
2003 Oklahoma 3 Texas 15
2002 Texas 1 Oklahoma 7

[Partial Qualifier]

That 2003 class pretty much vaporized, didn't it?

[washington's fave]

If it is as everyone thinks - OU should always win every battle against Tejas - then Switz would have won 16 National championshios and every OU/Tejas game. But as reality shows it is not easy to win every game and Tejas will win their share of games. OU will always get their fair of Texas high school talent because Texas has enough talent to fill a lot of rosters every year.

I will now wash my mouth out with soap and pray 50 Hail Mary's.

[PDTsooner]

It not the losing I mind so much but seeing the Texas players wanting it more, hitting harder/being more agressive and just playing to win. It seems we have switched roles and it ****es me off.

[ashley]

If you will check you will see that I have been saying the same thing. It is easy for a coach to see. I am certainly no Coach Switzer but I coached for 35 yrs.

[stunandun]

In regards to the class of 2000 talent, I believe that if we quit chasing the all the top recruits and replace them with players that grew up wanting to play for OU (especially top Oklahoma talent), players with heart, players with guts, some of the 8 man football guys who go both ways...thats what you had in 2000.

[Stitch Face]

some of the 8 man football guys who go both ways

Keep it in the locker room...:O

[BIG_IKE]

In regards to the class of 2000 talent, I believe that if we quit chasing the all the top recruits and replace them with players that grew up wanting to play for OU (especially top Oklahoma talent), players with heart, players with guts, some of the 8 man football guys who go both ways...thats what you had in 2000.

Who fit this description on the 2000 team????
I recall a bunch of hard hitting Texans on that team..

[OU Adonis]

Even Barry lost some to tejas... didn't he?

Barry's Record vs Texico : 9-5-2 (63%)

[SOONER44EVER]

I still say we need to replace some of the "athletes" we have with "football players".

[tommieharris91]

Players from Texas fill rosters for Big 10 and Pac 10 schools, much less the Big 12. If we can still get our two 5-star players a year we'll be able to beat Texas 2 out of every 3 years, maybe more often. I think that can still be done while we're "down"

[Desert Sapper]

Who fit this description on the 2000 team????
I recall a bunch of hard hitting Texans on that team..

Rocky Calmus...Nuff Said

Cory Heinecke
JT Thatcher
Michael Thompson
Bubba Burcham
Barry Holleyman
Kory Klein
Jeremy Wilson-Guest
Scott Kempenich
Roger Steffen
Frank Romero
Trent Smith

and so on...

I think your memory might be a little skewed. By my memory, OUr hardest hitters on that team were Roy Williams and Rocky Calmus. One was from Oklahoma. The other wasn't from Texas.

[Fraggle145]

:rolleyes:
It not the losing I mind so much but seeing the Texas players wanting it more, hitting harder/being more agressive and just playing to win. It seems we have switched roles and it ****es me off.

chizik will be gone soon enough... I dont care which side you are on that man is a great coach.

[Crucifax Autumn]

Regardless of where they are from, future sooners have to have pride and respect for the program.

Anyone on defense has to LOVE to make a bone-crunching hit AFTER promising to deliver one and anyone on offense has to LOVE embarrassing a defense that promised the same.

[BIG_IKE]

Rocky Calmus...Nuff Said

Cory Heinecke
JT Thatcher
Michael Thompson
Bubba Burcham
Barry Holleyman
Kory Klein
Jeremy Wilson-Guest
Scott Kempenich
Roger Steffen
Frank Romero
Trent Smith

and so on...

I think your memory might be a little skewed. By my memory, OUr hardest hitters on that team were Roy Williams and Rocky Calmus. One was from Oklahoma. The other wasn't from Texas.

True,
and I think Teddy Lehman is from Oklahoma also...the point I was making is that most of the key players were not from Oklahoma...

like Quentin Griffin, Everage, Strait, Thatcher, Huepel, TRRW, Woolfolk...

[BIG_IKE]

Regardless of where they are from, future sooners have to have pride and respect for the program.

Anyone on defense has to LOVE to make a bone-crunching hit AFTER promising to deliver one and anyone on offense has to LOVE embarrassing a defense that promised the same.

I agree....I think pride in the team comes from coaching and the attitudes of upperclassmen the new players are exposed to. You have plenty of Sooners who grew up Longhorn fans and ended up with scholarships to OU and played their butt off for OU.

Sooners who grew up Texas fans but got scholarships to OU...

Adrian Peterson
Paul Thompson
Malcolm Kelly
Tommie Harris

to name a few...

I think it all falls back on the coaches though. Peterson even said, he grew up a Longhorns fan but came to OU because they DEVELOP PLAYERS...Have we lived up to our end of the deal?

[Desert Sapper]

True,
and I think Teddy Lehman is from Oklahoma also...the point I was making is that most of the key players were not from Oklahoma...

like Quentin Griffin, Everage, Strait, Thatcher, Huepel, TRRW, Woolfolk...

Not to nitpick, but JT Thatcher was from Norman.

We always have players from other places, but that year the majority of our starters were from Oklahoma. I don't know if that is because Blake recruited in-state really well, because we couldn't get the premier Texas kids, or just because it worked out that way. Whatever the reason, those kids bought into the system, they were blue collar, and they brought it all in every game.

[Desert Sapper]

I think it all falls back on the coaches though. Peterson even said, he grew up a Longhorns fan but came to OU because they DEVELOP PLAYERS...Have we lived up to our end of the deal?

In AD's case I would say yes. He is a much more complete player than he ever would have been if he went to UT. A big part of that is his attitude, but our coaches are not afraid to make corrections and offer constructive criticism, especially to the biggest playmakers on the team. That's the difference. He would have been 'turned loose' and 'allowed to play his game' at Texas, but he wouldn't be the complete player that he will be when he leaves OU. The NFL likes RBs who know how to block and can catch out of the backfield. They want team guys that can take criticism. The last two big-time backs out of UT have shown their true colors of late.

[BIG_IKE]

In AD's case I would say yes. He is a much more complete player than he ever would have been if he went to UT. A big part of that is his attitude, but our coaches are not afraid to make corrections and offer constructive criticism, especially to the biggest playmakers on the team. That's the difference. He would have been 'turned loose' and 'allowed to play his game' at Texas, but he wouldn't be the complete player that he will be when he leaves OU. The NFL likes RBs who know how to block and can catch out of the backfield. They want team guys that can take criticism. The last two big-time backs out of UT have shown their true colors of late.

The last 2 big backs out of UT were weedheads too :P

[soonerthanu]

True,
and I think Teddy Lehman is from Oklahoma also...the point I was making is that most of the key players were not from Oklahoma...

like Quentin Griffin, Everage, Strait, Thatcher, Huepel, TRRW, Woolfolk...
Since we are nitpicking TRRW was not from texas

[BIG_IKE]

Since we are nitpicking TRRW was not from texas

I never said he was. I just said he was not from Oklahoma.

[soonerthanu]

Whops sorry reading comp kicks my ***.

[goingoneight]

I think Bob already shifted his eyes back in state after Boo nabbed Zac Taylor, among other Oklahoma athletes. 2006 had a lot of Texas players, but just as many homers as well, and so far, I'm impressed with Gresham (I think eventually he'll shift over to complement Kelly as another wideout with Joe John playing so well...)... and I haven't really paid attention to the rest of them yet. I've been busy watching the best defense of the Stoops era yet get their asses handed to them. Decent game against UT, coulda been better, but that's the Bob way, a shut out ain't enough... :D

[OUmillenium]

In regards to the class of 2000 talent, I believe that if we quit chasing the all the top recruits and replace them with players that grew up wanting to play for OU (especially top Oklahoma talent), players with heart, players with guts, some of the 8 man football guys who go both ways...thats what you had in 2000.

EXACTLY right! Plus mix in a batch of Texas players snubbed by UT! Good post