badger
12/13/2006, 07:55 PM
Paul: Which Sooner defense was the best in yout tenure?
SportsNation Barry Switzer: That's a difficult question. The best of the 70s was the 74 team. It had four or five guys that started in the NFL. We led the nation in defense in scoring. At the same time, it was a great offensive team. We were an undefeated national champion. But my teams of the 80s, we had really good LBs and DLs. We led the nation in three consecutive years. That was a great, great group. I'm splitting hairs. '74 dominated the 70s.
tarek Fawaz Trinity,florida: Do you think the sooners will win another national championship before the end of this decade ? ofcourse football
SportsNation Barry Switzer: That's hard to pick anyone to win in the next three years. There are 5 or 6 schools that always have a chance. The problem I have with saying yes is that Oklahoma doesn't have a QB. Their recruitment this year will determine what they have at QB. That position is bare right now.
Burr (NJ): Hey Coach. If you were coaching the team that had the number 1 overall pick this year, who would you take?
SportsNation Barry Switzer: I would have taken Reggie Bush. I was watching the Saints-Cowboys game the other night. I'm watching the game and I can't hear the sound, but I watch them flip the ball to Bush and he takes it to the house. Who would I take this year? First, I haven't studied the draft. It's hard for me as a straight coach to give an answer if I haven't studied it. But first, you start with the QB. You have to have a good quarterback. I don't know how good the pro's think Quinn is. I can go with who the newspaper says is the best, but I don't have the evaluation done.
Scott (Greenville, SC): Hey Coach, we always hear about recruiting wars. Is there one war for a player that sticks out in your mind as being tougher than others?
SportsNation Barry Switzer: No. They're all tough. When you come down to the end, it's usually you and another school, especially for a blue chip player. Today, they're all recruiting the same players. Geographically, Texas is recruiting the same players that Oklahoma is recruiting. Today, kids committ early and most stay with their committments. So, the battle is early rather than late. The recruiting is still intense. If you have a 6-month waiting period is a long time. There was a guy that had committed with Michigan State, but then Smith left and the kid recommitted to Oklahoma. Earl Campbell was between me and Texas. We thought we were going to get him and he went to Texas.
Ben (TX): How does Adrian Peterson compare to some of the great running backs you had the opportunity to coach while at OU? (i.e. Owens, Pruitt, Washington, Simms, etc.)
SportsNation Barry Switzer: I think I've had better inate runners, better make you miss backs. But he's a big powerful back like Billy. I've always been partial to smaller backs. The Barry Sanders of the world. Emmitt Smith. Peterson's a tall back. He's big. He gets punished a lot in college. I've seen him take a lot of punishing hits. He's going to have to make them miss and not take as many hits. He'll be a high draft choice, because he has tremendous speed. I've seen him play a lot and the only knock I have is I don't know how good a blocker he is. That's the most important thing in the NFL, is to protect the QB on every down.
Mac (Virginia): Coach, Do you stay in touch with Brian Bosworth?
SportsNation Barry Switzer: Yes I do. In fact, I talked to Brian two or three days ago. He was in Oklahoma for a charity event. He's not the Boz anymore, he's bald. He's still acting. He's done some TV. My wife's talent agency represents him.
Adam (NYC): What team do you see to be the front runner for next season?
SportsNation Barry Switzer: The same teams. They'll all be in the hunt. You can name them. The top 5 to 10 teams that are there this year. It depends on the QB position. Having the type of talent at the skill positions helps. The Big 12 is down this year, I didn't it was very good this year. The SEC is going to be there with someone. USC is going to reload, you know that. They have too much talent base.
BJ Carmel, NY: Coach, Do you think we will ever see an option offense in the National Championship again?
SportsNation Barry Switzer: No one's running it. You could, you could take Tom Osborne's playbook from the 90's and dominant. If I were coaching again, that's what I would do. Tom's teams were lined up just like USC's. USC lines up with a QB under center with a fullback and tailback. But Osborne lined up the same and attacked the defense.
SportsNation Barry Switzer: There aren't many deciples of the option out there.
Gentry - Las Vegas: Coach - you've been in the biggest games in College and the NFL... if you could go back and coach in only one. with your knowledge today - what would you pick?
SportsNation Barry Switzer: I will give you two examples. I'd go back to two I lost. I go back to '78 against Nebraska. We fumbled 9 times and lost. I would go back to that and eliminate my mistakes. In the pro game, I would go back to '94 in San Francisco. We fumbled the ball 5 times. We only had 2 offensive snaps and were down 21-0. That was a disaster. We created that and no coach had a thing to do with that. We preached to them not to make mistakes. If we win that one, we win the Super Bowl.
Kevin Boston, MA: Would you ever consider coaching again?
SportsNation Barry Switzer: I would consider it. I would consider the pro game. College is so taxing. It's a different mission and goal in life. You're developing men for the rest of their lives. Pro football isn't like that. I want to deal with men. That's the difference in the games.
David Miami, Ok.: Would it be possible to have the bowl games and a playoff? Perhaps do a playoff between the National Championship game and Super Bowl Sunday? Thanks...
SportsNation Barry Switzer: I don't think it's a far-fecthed idea. I've seen several different systems. But it will never happen until you settle the issues. The money issue. How is the money distributed and how we handle the bowls. They don't want to disrupt the bowls system. The time issue during the month of December. The bowl structure could be set up such that you have your bowl system to arrive with a champion. It would bring in tremendous revenue.
Waylon( Virginia Beach, VA): Coach, What type of relationship to you have with coach stoops? Does he ever come to you for advise?
SportsNation Barry Switzer: Excellent. He embraced the tradition of Oklahoma. He reached out to us and made us feel comfortable in our own home. He's not concerned with the past. We present no threat to him. He's a very talented individual.
Luke (Nashville): Coach what did you think of all the hoopla espn made last year about USC being the greatest team of all time? I think the 95 Huskers would have dominated them and so would some of those great teams you had in the 70s and the 1985 team
SportsNation Barry Switzer: Well, I had some great Oklahoma teams but our best teams couldn't beat Miami. But I had a lot of consistently great football teams. '95 Nebraska, I think is truly one of the great football teams. USC '04, instead of last year, I think was better than '05. But that's just my opinion.
justin (the valley) : I know in your book you describe some pretty funny recruiting stories. what is your most memorable recruiting experience?
SportsNation Barry Switzer: I have a lot of them. You recruit for 30 years, you have many many pop in your mind. I called Billy Simms. He was the top running back in American when he came out of high school. He was working a service station in Texas. At halftime of a ball game, everyone does the same thing, but you have to have an edge to show him you care, I walked into the lockerroom in 1974. We're leading and there's not much to say to the team. I see a pay phone on the wall. I go over and borrow a nickel and put it in the phone. I dial up the station and I tell the boy on the phone that I need to talk to Billy. Billy's pumping gas and his friend runs out and says Coach Switzer is on the phone. He runs in and I talked to Billy for 20 minutes on the phone. He hears the official walk up to me and tell me that it's time to get back on the field. I hang up and we end up in a rout. I call him that night and we had a good laugh about it.
SportsNation Barry Switzer: It's a great game. We've got the greatest America's sport, college football.
SportsNation Barry Switzer: That's a difficult question. The best of the 70s was the 74 team. It had four or five guys that started in the NFL. We led the nation in defense in scoring. At the same time, it was a great offensive team. We were an undefeated national champion. But my teams of the 80s, we had really good LBs and DLs. We led the nation in three consecutive years. That was a great, great group. I'm splitting hairs. '74 dominated the 70s.
tarek Fawaz Trinity,florida: Do you think the sooners will win another national championship before the end of this decade ? ofcourse football
SportsNation Barry Switzer: That's hard to pick anyone to win in the next three years. There are 5 or 6 schools that always have a chance. The problem I have with saying yes is that Oklahoma doesn't have a QB. Their recruitment this year will determine what they have at QB. That position is bare right now.
Burr (NJ): Hey Coach. If you were coaching the team that had the number 1 overall pick this year, who would you take?
SportsNation Barry Switzer: I would have taken Reggie Bush. I was watching the Saints-Cowboys game the other night. I'm watching the game and I can't hear the sound, but I watch them flip the ball to Bush and he takes it to the house. Who would I take this year? First, I haven't studied the draft. It's hard for me as a straight coach to give an answer if I haven't studied it. But first, you start with the QB. You have to have a good quarterback. I don't know how good the pro's think Quinn is. I can go with who the newspaper says is the best, but I don't have the evaluation done.
Scott (Greenville, SC): Hey Coach, we always hear about recruiting wars. Is there one war for a player that sticks out in your mind as being tougher than others?
SportsNation Barry Switzer: No. They're all tough. When you come down to the end, it's usually you and another school, especially for a blue chip player. Today, they're all recruiting the same players. Geographically, Texas is recruiting the same players that Oklahoma is recruiting. Today, kids committ early and most stay with their committments. So, the battle is early rather than late. The recruiting is still intense. If you have a 6-month waiting period is a long time. There was a guy that had committed with Michigan State, but then Smith left and the kid recommitted to Oklahoma. Earl Campbell was between me and Texas. We thought we were going to get him and he went to Texas.
Ben (TX): How does Adrian Peterson compare to some of the great running backs you had the opportunity to coach while at OU? (i.e. Owens, Pruitt, Washington, Simms, etc.)
SportsNation Barry Switzer: I think I've had better inate runners, better make you miss backs. But he's a big powerful back like Billy. I've always been partial to smaller backs. The Barry Sanders of the world. Emmitt Smith. Peterson's a tall back. He's big. He gets punished a lot in college. I've seen him take a lot of punishing hits. He's going to have to make them miss and not take as many hits. He'll be a high draft choice, because he has tremendous speed. I've seen him play a lot and the only knock I have is I don't know how good a blocker he is. That's the most important thing in the NFL, is to protect the QB on every down.
Mac (Virginia): Coach, Do you stay in touch with Brian Bosworth?
SportsNation Barry Switzer: Yes I do. In fact, I talked to Brian two or three days ago. He was in Oklahoma for a charity event. He's not the Boz anymore, he's bald. He's still acting. He's done some TV. My wife's talent agency represents him.
Adam (NYC): What team do you see to be the front runner for next season?
SportsNation Barry Switzer: The same teams. They'll all be in the hunt. You can name them. The top 5 to 10 teams that are there this year. It depends on the QB position. Having the type of talent at the skill positions helps. The Big 12 is down this year, I didn't it was very good this year. The SEC is going to be there with someone. USC is going to reload, you know that. They have too much talent base.
BJ Carmel, NY: Coach, Do you think we will ever see an option offense in the National Championship again?
SportsNation Barry Switzer: No one's running it. You could, you could take Tom Osborne's playbook from the 90's and dominant. If I were coaching again, that's what I would do. Tom's teams were lined up just like USC's. USC lines up with a QB under center with a fullback and tailback. But Osborne lined up the same and attacked the defense.
SportsNation Barry Switzer: There aren't many deciples of the option out there.
Gentry - Las Vegas: Coach - you've been in the biggest games in College and the NFL... if you could go back and coach in only one. with your knowledge today - what would you pick?
SportsNation Barry Switzer: I will give you two examples. I'd go back to two I lost. I go back to '78 against Nebraska. We fumbled 9 times and lost. I would go back to that and eliminate my mistakes. In the pro game, I would go back to '94 in San Francisco. We fumbled the ball 5 times. We only had 2 offensive snaps and were down 21-0. That was a disaster. We created that and no coach had a thing to do with that. We preached to them not to make mistakes. If we win that one, we win the Super Bowl.
Kevin Boston, MA: Would you ever consider coaching again?
SportsNation Barry Switzer: I would consider it. I would consider the pro game. College is so taxing. It's a different mission and goal in life. You're developing men for the rest of their lives. Pro football isn't like that. I want to deal with men. That's the difference in the games.
David Miami, Ok.: Would it be possible to have the bowl games and a playoff? Perhaps do a playoff between the National Championship game and Super Bowl Sunday? Thanks...
SportsNation Barry Switzer: I don't think it's a far-fecthed idea. I've seen several different systems. But it will never happen until you settle the issues. The money issue. How is the money distributed and how we handle the bowls. They don't want to disrupt the bowls system. The time issue during the month of December. The bowl structure could be set up such that you have your bowl system to arrive with a champion. It would bring in tremendous revenue.
Waylon( Virginia Beach, VA): Coach, What type of relationship to you have with coach stoops? Does he ever come to you for advise?
SportsNation Barry Switzer: Excellent. He embraced the tradition of Oklahoma. He reached out to us and made us feel comfortable in our own home. He's not concerned with the past. We present no threat to him. He's a very talented individual.
Luke (Nashville): Coach what did you think of all the hoopla espn made last year about USC being the greatest team of all time? I think the 95 Huskers would have dominated them and so would some of those great teams you had in the 70s and the 1985 team
SportsNation Barry Switzer: Well, I had some great Oklahoma teams but our best teams couldn't beat Miami. But I had a lot of consistently great football teams. '95 Nebraska, I think is truly one of the great football teams. USC '04, instead of last year, I think was better than '05. But that's just my opinion.
justin (the valley) : I know in your book you describe some pretty funny recruiting stories. what is your most memorable recruiting experience?
SportsNation Barry Switzer: I have a lot of them. You recruit for 30 years, you have many many pop in your mind. I called Billy Simms. He was the top running back in American when he came out of high school. He was working a service station in Texas. At halftime of a ball game, everyone does the same thing, but you have to have an edge to show him you care, I walked into the lockerroom in 1974. We're leading and there's not much to say to the team. I see a pay phone on the wall. I go over and borrow a nickel and put it in the phone. I dial up the station and I tell the boy on the phone that I need to talk to Billy. Billy's pumping gas and his friend runs out and says Coach Switzer is on the phone. He runs in and I talked to Billy for 20 minutes on the phone. He hears the official walk up to me and tell me that it's time to get back on the field. I hang up and we end up in a rout. I call him that night and we had a good laugh about it.
SportsNation Barry Switzer: It's a great game. We've got the greatest America's sport, college football.