First off, I was at the Cotton Bowl yesterday to witness the massive disappointment that was the RRS. I just kept thinking we would pull off a Tennessee style comeback, and it never materialized for many reasons.
I gave it a night before I tried to collect my thoughts and give a nuanced critique of the loss / state of the program.
I was talking with a buddy on the drive home and asked a simple question to him and both of our fiances... Do you think Bob Stoops can win another national title at OU? A resounding "no" was the answer I got. Now keep in mind these people are rational OU fans not negative-nelly, nothing-is-good-enough types. Very level-headed.
So I began to wonder, if the consensus may be that Stoops will never win another national title (or seriously compete for one, IMO) does it become imperative that he be shown the door in the next 2 seasons? Where do we go from here?
Personally, I really admire Bob Stoops as a human being. I think he has done so much in the community and obviously is one of the 3 best coaches in our storied program's history. I do feel like he is a man of high character and with some recent exceptions, has been a very consistent winning coach for our program. I don't have the stats on hand, but since he became HC in 1999 we have never had a losing season / missed a bowl game. Very, very few programs can make that claim. I think EVERY one of us would have taken that plus 8 conference titles and a national title when the program needed a new head coach following the 1998 season.
Conversely, I strongly believe the game has changed a lot since he became HC. Recruiting especially seems to be different with the advent of social media. I hope the facility upgrades will give recruits a little more to consider when they have to pick a college. No matter what anyone says to the contrary, Bob is loyal to a fault. So much so that it hurt the program when guys like Kittle/Kish/ Mike Stoops were hired / brought back. He did stop emphasizing recruiting effort and ability for a period a few years ago. I think he always thought "We'll get who we are supposed to get. Look at our record, we'll coach 'em up. We'll win with or without X player." We started slipping in recruiting rankings and coaches like BJW, Shipp, Patton and Kittle were allowed to operate and collect big checks while either not recruiting efficiently and effectively or by throwing out units that were wholly unprepared to play at a championship level. Those chickens (especially along the OL) are coming home to roost. I think it did show some guts to make changes last offseason. Unfortunately for us, one of those changes just called the plays that physically dominated us at the point of attack.
I do not think Bob Stoops will win another national title (or get us to the playoffs even) as HC at OU. So what do others think? What do we hope the program can become in the future? Are we resigned to many consecutive 7-5 to 9-3 purgatory seasons until Stoops decides he really doesn't want to do this any more? I don't know where to go. Just that I am personally ready to delve into that conversation. I have high expectations for our program. No, that doesn't mean a national title every year. But, it does mean hiring the best assistants and demanding results from those you employ. It means having a team that is prepared, physically and mentally, for every game. It means not letting a former baby d*ck program like Baylor embarrass us on national TV multiple years in a row. I am pretty disgusted in the effort and game planning from yesterday against a very limited, mistake-prone archrival. I guess, "at the end of the day", I don't think Bob Stoops is the guy to return this program to true glory and championship level football. So it's very hard to say, but I just don't want this program I love to fall into a Bobby Bowden / Frank Beamer / Phil Fullmer type of slide. Perhaps a new perspective and clean slate might be what the program needs to get back to the top.
I gave it a night before I tried to collect my thoughts and give a nuanced critique of the loss / state of the program.
I was talking with a buddy on the drive home and asked a simple question to him and both of our fiances... Do you think Bob Stoops can win another national title at OU? A resounding "no" was the answer I got. Now keep in mind these people are rational OU fans not negative-nelly, nothing-is-good-enough types. Very level-headed.
So I began to wonder, if the consensus may be that Stoops will never win another national title (or seriously compete for one, IMO) does it become imperative that he be shown the door in the next 2 seasons? Where do we go from here?
Personally, I really admire Bob Stoops as a human being. I think he has done so much in the community and obviously is one of the 3 best coaches in our storied program's history. I do feel like he is a man of high character and with some recent exceptions, has been a very consistent winning coach for our program. I don't have the stats on hand, but since he became HC in 1999 we have never had a losing season / missed a bowl game. Very, very few programs can make that claim. I think EVERY one of us would have taken that plus 8 conference titles and a national title when the program needed a new head coach following the 1998 season.
Conversely, I strongly believe the game has changed a lot since he became HC. Recruiting especially seems to be different with the advent of social media. I hope the facility upgrades will give recruits a little more to consider when they have to pick a college. No matter what anyone says to the contrary, Bob is loyal to a fault. So much so that it hurt the program when guys like Kittle/Kish/ Mike Stoops were hired / brought back. He did stop emphasizing recruiting effort and ability for a period a few years ago. I think he always thought "We'll get who we are supposed to get. Look at our record, we'll coach 'em up. We'll win with or without X player." We started slipping in recruiting rankings and coaches like BJW, Shipp, Patton and Kittle were allowed to operate and collect big checks while either not recruiting efficiently and effectively or by throwing out units that were wholly unprepared to play at a championship level. Those chickens (especially along the OL) are coming home to roost. I think it did show some guts to make changes last offseason. Unfortunately for us, one of those changes just called the plays that physically dominated us at the point of attack.
I do not think Bob Stoops will win another national title (or get us to the playoffs even) as HC at OU. So what do others think? What do we hope the program can become in the future? Are we resigned to many consecutive 7-5 to 9-3 purgatory seasons until Stoops decides he really doesn't want to do this any more? I don't know where to go. Just that I am personally ready to delve into that conversation. I have high expectations for our program. No, that doesn't mean a national title every year. But, it does mean hiring the best assistants and demanding results from those you employ. It means having a team that is prepared, physically and mentally, for every game. It means not letting a former baby d*ck program like Baylor embarrass us on national TV multiple years in a row. I am pretty disgusted in the effort and game planning from yesterday against a very limited, mistake-prone archrival. I guess, "at the end of the day", I don't think Bob Stoops is the guy to return this program to true glory and championship level football. So it's very hard to say, but I just don't want this program I love to fall into a Bobby Bowden / Frank Beamer / Phil Fullmer type of slide. Perhaps a new perspective and clean slate might be what the program needs to get back to the top.
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