Shannon looks better than Wort...

I wonder if Wort may have been punished by Bob for saying they weren't being physical in practice or something like that. I know Bob was ask about that by the media and it seemed to make him mad.

 

I get the impression that Wort is so concerned about playing technique sound that he is thinking too much and not making plays.

 

Time and time again I've watched plays run right up the gut and Wort simply doesn't shed the block to make the tackle.

I started noticing it since last year. and it hasn't changed.

5-0

 

Yea Shannon looked pretty good yesterday. I think Wort may take that as a challenge and step up.

 

Agree Totally!

 

I've never liked Wort and Shannon looked much better. I hope Wort is permanently out of a job. I don't dislike the guy but he's just not very good, and if it's because he's playing out of position at Mike then move him, but I really think he's just not any good at shedding blocks and making plays.

 

the only time I've seen him play to his potential was against Texas

 

Did you guys see that play where Wort was approaching a receiver that was awaiting a floater screen that took all day to get there and he just threw a shoulder at him instead of wrapping up? The receiver should have been dropped for a loss, but ended up getting about 12 yards. Every peewee player has been taught to wrap up, but for some reason we still see Sooner defenders do this. Its like they can't raise their arms above their shoulders. Drives me insane!

 

It's not hard to figure. Shannon's playing better than the veteran. It happens. Ask Allen Patrick.

 

The problem is sort of this, but not all of it. It really starts with Travis Lewis and Reynolds before him (since Wort is similar to Reynolds pre-injury). Lewis and Reynolds were the best linebackers I've seen at OU in terms of making plays when they were clean (meaning no one blocks them) up there with the 85-88 crew. The problem was that they were the absolute worst I've ever seen if they were blocked. It was fairly close to 100% clean and 0% if blocked.

This is workable if your DL is good enough that the OL can never send a blocker to the second level (meaning both DTs and one DE force a double team) OR if your DL forces the double team by occupying them and not rushing the QB. Well, as you can see, we have neither of those with the exception of the occasional DE (which can be blocked just as effectively by scheme and distance). Thus as our DT talent has nosedived from good to bad, our linebackers saw more and more blockers. The more blockers they saw, the less effective they were. The less effective they were, the more our secondary had to come up for run support. The more our secondary had to come up for run support, the more susceptible they were to getting beaten over the top.

 

He was outstanding against Florida State both years we played, too. Just depends on who you match up well with, I guess. I remember Brent starting TRRW at SLB when we played FSU and all the critics were thinking "WTF?"

 

This had more to do with the suckage of their offensive staff than our players. As I stated above, if your main scheme is not to block our linebackers they will destroy you. If you send someone out to block them they will chicken fight with him until the play is over. About 1/2 the teams we play insist on doing THEIR schemes instead of tweaking them to attack OUR weaknesses.

 

I don't think I've given that much thought since Travis left. I was just glad to see his Cheer-leading self promoting self, graduate and go on to become the guy he thought he was.

I like Tom. I think he has more passion than Lewis did. I don't think we have had but 5 guys with the passion that guys like Boz did since Bob came to Norman.

Calmus, Lehman, Marshall, Reynolds and of course Austin Box.

You make some great points.

 

I think you need to correct your statement a little bit. Up until this year, he had more passion. Guys with passion don't jog on the field. Just watching the guy, he plays like he doesn't want to be here anymore. Remember he'd been with BV for a lot of years. Having him "kicked out" by MS returning may have affected him more than we know.

 

Yeah....

I wonder what's going on? I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt as I don't think passion leaves you but not being healthy does seem to have an effect on guys. I wonder if he is about to lose his starting position?

I felt we kept Lewis in to long so he wouldn't get hurt in the draft. I'm not sure we are helping guys by keeping their health a secret and pulling them?

 

Interesting observation, and something I haven't thought about until I read this.

My mother and I were in a discussion about Wort's lack of.... enthusiasm... for lack of a better term during the first quarter of the game yesterday. I knew there had been something off about his play this year and this just might be the explanation behind it.

 

He might still be butt hurt about Venables leaving.......

 

Or hurt. He spent a good part of last year injured and playing for Lewis.

 

Maybe The Warrior needs to have a chat with him....lol

[video=youtube;7UoqBh-1N5E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UoqBh-1N5E[/video]

 

Which has nothing to with his play this year....