OU's biggest problems past two years??

[Collier11]

1. Lack of Attitude, teams used to be afraid to play OU
2. Lack of Focus! The way we played D against Texas shows me that the coaches have the guys in the right place to make the plays, we just dont focus-how does that get fixed???
3. Lack of Creativity-Im not looking for quadruple reverses or the option, but Stoops coached teams used to be so creative at fakes, blitzes and just overall play calling. I think Kevin wilson is doing a great job, but we dont throw anyone off anymore, remember 4th down option to Q with Huepel in big 12 titel game. I see teams all over the country with crazy blitzes and we continue to run the same ol zone blitzes all the time.


What do you guys think???? We have way too much talent to be struggling like we have the past year and a half

[StoopTroup]

I think the biggest problem is ...

We didn't go undefeated the last two years.

For many Sooner Fans....

It would seem that is the only fact they care about.

I think that you have to consider what OUr Team has been through this year and just look at the facts.

1) We lost to 1 Top 10 and 1 top 25 Team.
2) Both losses were on the road.
3) It's still possible to see OUr Seniors play in a good Bowl Game.
4) Iowa State this weekend should be a very good game for us to get back on track.
5) The last two years we've struggled at the QB position and the Coaches are limited as to what they can do.
6) The QB position being weak has put lots of pressure on the running game.
7) OUr Defense has been burned at one cornerback position for about three years now.
8) If Bob doesn't get one of his young QB's in some gametime this year...the QB position will be in doubt again next year.

[SoonerRoads]

There are lots of critics who would say that we don't have the talent base that we have had in the past. I heard a lot of that this past week. I disagree. I think we have plenty of talent. Except for the mental miscues and errors in fundamentals, we held Texas for a half. In fact, even as poorly as we played, if you take away what will be forever known as "the lateral", and getting beat deep twice in the second half(three plays out of the entire ballgame), we actually held Texas the entire game and played good enough to win. So what is our biggest problem? I suggested this in another post and will say it again, I believe that it is a coaching problem. Mental errors and errors in fundamentals, as well as a lack of focus, are a direct result of a lack in the coaching department. I am a BIG Bob Stoops fan, but he is only as good as his Assistant Coaches. I suggest we need to do a better job recruiting assistant coaches. And yes, we need help in the secondary and that as well as QB should be a focus of our recruiting right now. But except for those two plays against Texas, our Defense, overall, played pretty well most of the time. So, the talent is there. Anytime we hold Texas to 100 yards less in total offense than we had and we lose, it will always come back to the mental errors and those things that are coachable. 6 fumbles, three that we lost, and two interceptions against almost any team you play will be a recipe for losing.

I believe that Coach Stoops needs help from his Assistant's more than anywhere else.
Boomer Sooner!

[BIG_IKE]

1. The talent we have is not as great as we HYPE IT UP to be, then when the results arent like we expect we get puzzled like right now.

2. We have NO DEPTH

3. We have no FIRE

4. We act like the Bush Administration when it comes to our Sooners. We think Stoops in never wrong, we think we ALWAYS have the most talented guys, we dont hold anyone accountable. Stoops is a HUMAN...his 11-7 record vs. ranked teams as of late should be drawing a little interest. But hey...Stoops is Bush and we are his loyal supporters ..

[MarylandSooner]

I think the biggest thing I notice is playing with an attitude of not trying to lose instead of playing to win, which we displayed early on in Coach Stoops tenure. I think Coach Stoops might need to start bringing back those Sooner Hero's of the past like he did when he first got here so the players can understand what Sooner Football is all about which is winning, and that nothing less can be accepted. It seems like when he used to have the BOZ and those guys on the sideline for games the players just seemed to take all that history in and wanted to do nothing but kick but. We need to get back to the "Kick but kind of Attitude".

[Jason White's Third Knee]

1. Turnover ratio
2. Special teams (field position)
3. Defensive intensity (form tackles or big hits)

[CU Sooner]

1. The defense isn't as aggressive in the secondary, we used to always play within 3-4 yards of the receiver and jam him. Now we aren't even in the picture sometimes and when we do get close we don't jam them. That's where we got a lot of TO's, making plays, now we wait for qb's to make mistakes instead of forcing him into the mistake. Our secondary used to have everyone guessing now our secondary is the only one guessing.

2. No creativity on offense. Every game this year starting the second half it is run AD. I think we rely too much on AD. The other part of that is we don't run him outside enough, it is always up the middle. You look at the majority of his long runs and it is on pitch plays or stretch plays and he can make the cut.

Overall, I'd say it's the cycle of football. All this talk about Bob can't win big games and we just don't have the talent we used to reminds me of 81, 82, and 83. Everyone was saying it's time for Barry to leave, he's just not getting it done. It's not that bad, it was only 10 years ago that we had 3 wins.

[Blues1]

We are Spoiled - Have been in the past - We are Now - and mostly likely we be in the Future...!!!

Just think what it must be Like to be a Die hard Kansas Fan.....

Keep Rockin'

[bstuff1979]

I think the biggest problem (and sorry if someone has already mentioned this) is coaching turnover at the skill positions as well as the higher ups. How can any team expect to stay consistent when your coaches are only around for a couple of years? Certainly, there are other issues. I'm not a huge fan of sticking to the base defense (4-3) when you're facing obvious mis-match issues early on in the season with mobile qb's. I'm mystified as to why there's no run option at qb with Thompson, despite the depth issues at qb. All in all, I think the team has played rather well considering the offseason. The sore points are, and yes, I am captain obvious, on the front seven on D and that's what leads me to believe that it's got to be skill position coaching. Isn't there a new d-line coach this year? Or at least fairly new?

[Scott D]

you forgot an apparent 'Lack of Intelligence and Reason' from a portion of the fanbase as well.

[westcoast_sooner]

Just think what it must be Like to be a Die hard Kansas Fan.....



They have die hard fans in Kansas??? Who knew....

[The Maestro]

Fire, focus, resolve, intensity...

Buzz words that really suck. No offense to any of you that used them...you learned it from the media. How about just catching a friggin' break or two? Sure, some of those are self-created (see first play of Oregon game where Latimer has a ball in his hands and drops it) and some are just bad luck (see what should have been last significant play of Oregon game!!!).

I say we just let the season play out. Two scrimmages get us to 5-2 and then the fun begins again. At Mizzou (hopefully unbeaten), at aTm (nail in Fran's coffin), Tech at our place (after further review, I say we whip their ***!!!) and at OSU (always fun to put them in their rightful place). Not to mention with these games could be a decent bowl. If we go 11-2 based on what we faced before the season I think most people will call it a great year.

The team is focused, has fire, they've got resolve and they will be intense.

Now go make plays.

[Jason White's Third Knee]

They have die hard fans in Kansas??? Who knew....

Well, aren't they all dead? They all died hard, right?

[soonerinabilene]

nobody has been the obvious leader like calmus and lehman were. rufus is great, and i am not dogging on him at all, but it just seems like he isnt the leader on d in the mold of the two mentioned above or cody or dvoracek.

[FlatheadSooner]

Last Year:
* Offensive Line
* Freshman QB
* DB's

This Year:
* Fundemental Tackling Skills
* Penalties & Turnovers
* DB's

[william_brasky]

2003 Recruiting Class

[boomer214]

^^^^^ 8 or 9 guys left from that class ^^^^^^^^

[stoops the eternal pimp]

instant replay

[Jdog]

1. Lack of Attitude, teams used to be afraid to play OU
2. Lack of Focus! The way we played D against Texas shows me that the coaches have the guys in the right place to make the plays, we just dont focus-how does that get fixed???
3. Lack of Creativity-Im not looking for quadruple reverses or the option, but Stoops coached teams used to be so creative at fakes, blitzes and just overall play calling. I think Kevin wilson is doing a great job, but we dont throw anyone off anymore, remember 4th down option to Q with Huepel in big 12 titel game. I see teams all over the country with crazy blitzes and we continue to run the same ol zone blitzes all the time.


What do you guys think???? We have way too much talent to be struggling like we have the past year and a half


I agree
It's Focus & Attitude - Ck out the 00, 01, 02, 03, and 04 “season's” videos on youtube - wow!!!!!

I also agree with your statement about Creativity - I heard someone on the Animal last week say that "Leach was creative, but that he was only here in 99" - they must have forgotten that Mangino kept enough of Leach's plays in his 2000 playbook to keep opposing D's confused.

Now I hear people talk about how this year's talent is weaker than in the past especially on defense - but before this season I was led to believe that we had the talent (and maybe a couple of all Americans) on a defense that includes AhYou, Alexander, Birdine, Granger, Latimer, Pendleton, Pleasant, Smith, Thibodeaux, and Walker?
I guess I got caught up in the hype and thought that these guys were better than they've proven to be.

I can't wait for people to start saying "wait til next year"

[TexasSooner01]

I think the biggest problem is ...

We didn't go undefeated the last two years.

For many Sooner Fans....

It would seem that is the only fact they care about.

I think that you have to consider what OUr Team has been through this year and just look at the facts.

1) We lost to 1 Top 10 and 1 top 25 Team.
2) Both losses were on the road.
3) It's still possible to see OUr Seniors play in a good Bowl Game.
4) Iowa State this weekend should be a very good game for us to get back on track.
5) The last two years we've struggled at the QB position and the Coaches are limited as to what they can do.
6) The QB position being weak has put lots of pressure on the running game.
7) OUr Defense has been burned at one cornerback position for about three years now.
8) If Bob doesn't get one of his young QB's in some gametime this year...the QB position will be in doubt again next year.


I agree! I couldn't of said it better!

[CatfishSooner]

some bad luck
lack of intensity
and missed tackles.

[Stitch Face]

The lack of any players named Jason White has been difficult as well.

[Collier11]

If we go 11-2 based on what we faced before the season I think most people will call it a great year.

The team is focused, has fire, they've got resolve and they will be intense.

Now go make plays.


I completely agree with what you say here and I understand when some say that OU fans are spoiled because we dont go undefeated each year, this is so true!! That being said, if we do win out and go 11-2 and go to a bcs game or the cotton bowl, I still feel like if we continue playing as we have that there is something different about this years team compared to others. I feel like im watching the Rose Bowl team which isnt bad at all, but it was still different. Anyone see what Im saying???

[PLaw]

1) Lack of Focus - Players way to concerned about making an ESPN highlight than sound fundamentals and assignment football.

2) The missing recruiting class of 2003. These kids would be the leaders on this team.

3) High turnover of assitant coaches and resulting recruiting impact. You have got to have some continuity.

4) Wilson's inability to develop an O-line,

5) Stoops / Long inability to recruit a QB without Leach. Hopefully, Heupel will buck this trend.

6) A level of confidence shattered by 52-19, 35-7, and 45-12. Certainly, I don't expect the Sooners to win every game, but the trend is alarming. I do expect Stoops and Co. to show up for big games. Big Game Bob has left the house largely impacted by (3) above.

I'm sure it's more complex than these issues, but mojo has left the house and the trend line is worrisome.

Boomer Sooner