Wilson says OU offense is ‘soft’
By Justin Harper
The Oklahoman
NORMAN - When Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops closed the remainder of preseason practice to the public, he said the offense would be working on some new things that didn’t need to be in open view of everyone.
Apparently, the offense is actually doing some old things. And crowd or no crowd, offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson doesn’t like what he’s seeing to this point.
“Last year in preseason, we had a sloppy camp,”
Wilson said after the first of Tuesday’s two practices. “We started the season as a sloppy offense. We need to stop being sloppy and start being a tough, fundamentally sound football team so we can have a chance to have a great season.”
After digesting the first six practices,
Wilson offered a three-word assessment of the Sooner offense.
“
We’re real soft,” he said.
And the solution to that problem?
“We get not as soft,”
Wilson said. For means of clarification,
Wilson wasn’t calling any players wimps or citing a lack of effort or desire.
“Toughness means playing smart,” he said. “Toughness doesn’t mean you run out and hit somebody. Toughness means you’re smart enough to focus, get the plays, get the adjustments, react to the defense and play physical football.
“Me saying we’re soft, we need to be tough enough mentally as we’re playing football as a young offense. That’s where we’re waiting to see who we can and can’t count on. Not a lack of, ‘We can’t hit,’ or that kind of deal. But are we tough enough to play, play after play?”
There is a bit of a learning curve to consider. For starters,
Wilson is in his first season of having autonomous authority over the offense, having shared duties with
Chuck Long the previous four seasons. And, of course, the dismissal of would-be starting quarterback
Rhett Bomar sent
Paul Thompson back behind center after he spent the spring as a receiver. Also, the offensive line is young and something of a work in progress.
Nevertheless,
Wilson wasn’t offering excuses for his players on Tuesday - nor accepting any from them.
“We’re sloppy,” he said. “We’re still in camp, playing some young guys, but we have some old guys who need to be better.”
Thompson shared one of Wilson’s adjectives.
“We were sloppy,” he said. “I don’t know if it was because it was the first day of two-a-days or what. Just all around, we weren’t clicking like we’ve been clicking. It’s something we have to learn from. We’ll get in and watch film this afternoon and correct it.”
One area
Wilson doesn’t have a complaint with is the effort. It’s more often the result.
“We practiced hard today,”
Wilson said. “But there’s a difference in practicing hard and practicing tough, where you’re getting better. We practiced hard, but we were sloppy. And that needs to get out of our football.”
Another factor in the offensive struggles could be attributed to
Thompson having to adjust to expanding defensive looks he’s facing.
“They have been throwing some different things out there than they did the first couple days, but I’ve been able to pick up on it pretty well,” the senior said. “And I’m getting more and more comfortable with every practice. That’s going to help things a lot.”
Several players from the offense, tailback
Adrian Peterson among them, left practice without speaking to the media, explaining
Wilson instructed them not to. However, whether that was a miscommunication or perhaps a directive to specific players, several members of the offensive unit granted interviews.
OU will next allow media access on Friday. By then,
Wilson hopes to have some answers.
“It’s not that we won’t hit or are afraid or that kind of deal,” he said. “It’s the ability to mentally play tough football. If you know what you’re doing, every play, as hot as it is, you’re a tough player. And that’s where we’re trying to challenge. “It’s what I kept saying all summer, with a young offense, you don’t know who you can count on, because mentally you don’t know how tough they are. Throw them out in that environment and see how tough they are.”
Originally Posted by pgagolfpro77
