There are certain people among you who have gotten so fixated with hatred toward one coach you are missing a hell of a season. If we can find a way to get past the pokes at home in 2 weeks.....
1- we will be back to back big 12 champs for the first time since 2008.....and only the second time in the Stoops era that we've had a 2 or more year run (a 3 year run 2006-2008.)
2- we will go undefeated in conference for the first time since 2004 and only the 3rd time in the Stoops era. 200, 2004.......2016?
3- we have upgraded everything....the stadium, the scoreboard, the practice facility, the athletic dorms.
4- we are looking at the possibility of our first top 5 recruiting class in 5 plus years.
5. We are again the top team in the big 12 region without much argument.
Think back to 2014. We had a 4 loss season. We had only 1 conference title in the last 6 years and were losing recruits left and right to Baylor, TCU, and A&M as well as Texas, and even OSU.
We have made an amazing turnaround but all some of you can focus on is the defensive coordinator and your misguided hatred of him. Yards and scoring are up everywhere. The rules of the game simply don't allow defensive dominance very often. I saw Littleton Sooner who has bitched about the coaches since at least 2003 talking about how our defense was bad last year too because Clemson put up yards/points. Maybe he missed the title game where Clemsonqt put up more yards and points against Alabama. They suck too I guess.
As to this years defense. Look at recent history. We really were not a program on the rise for a number of years leading into the last couple. Our recruiting has been off. Our facilities were 2nd rate. We had become a stale brand. As a result our talent on that side of the ball simply isn't very deep or experienced. You come into this season losing 5 guys who had been the stars of your defense....striker, tapper, Sanchez, Alexander, bond. Then have those guys replacements go down in droves....add even more injuries to the backups of the backups at key spots. Look at who is missing or has been at key moments.
Tay Evans...some of you thought he'd be an upgrade to Alexander.
Charles Walker....arguably our best DL in the last few years.
Matt Damon....DL starter.
Romar....DL starter for 2 years
Marquis Overton.....who would be playing a ton this year if not starting
Amani Bledsoe....our best DL recruit, who would be becoming a difference maker by this point
Jordan Evans....missed all of the scoring drives but 1 against WVU.
Miciah Quick.....the best looking CB we've rolled out opposite Thomas in terms of coverage.
That's basically a 2 deep in the front 7 missing from a really good defense last year. And the talent on that side of the ball was down from the down years anyway. That is your problem. It isn't scheme. It isn't position coaching, It's a problem with depth. But classes like 2016 and 2017 classes are addressing that. Our talent is improving....get them some experience, and depth for competition and to address injuries and you will see better D.....but it isn't going to look like 1985. Football isn't the same sport as it was then.
Yeah but Mike Stoops created that problem right. Did he? He came back to a program going nowhere in 2012, without a league title in 4 years. A win Saturday and we will have won 3 of 5 since his return. With success on the field, recruiting is improving. We are really only in our 3rd year of a commitment to the 3-4 scheme. We are just starting to get recruits to fill it ready to play. Our DB coach is in his 2nd year, and is getting better talent back there.....give some time to get them experience and you might have something. Our OLB recruiting is on the rise Caleb Kelly is a starter. We have another top 100 kid coming in this year and a couple more guys who look like freak a athletes. Our ILB class this year has as many 4* guys in it as we've had in the last 5. We have a new DL coach who has managed to hold this thing together with bubblegum, he is an OU lifer from Houston. Think maybe he can turn on field success into better DL recruiting in Texas? We have a nice young nucleus there too with guys like Overton, lampkin, gallimore and Bledsoe....all Sophie next year. Keep adding players around that core and you have something.
Bottom line....things are going in a great direction overall. It is sad that so many of the fans on this board get fixated on the challenges and can't enjoy a really nice stretch. As someone who has been an OU fan for 50 years, those teams of the early 70s came on the heals of some pretty average teams in the 60s. The team's of the mid 80s came on the back of some really average early 80s teams. No one saw 2000 coming after a decade of horrible football in Norman. Bob Stoops teams have had ups and downs. His MO has been to stay stable, and make tweaks when they become absolutely necessary....and as a result we have had lulls....but have stayed competitive for nearly 20 years.. But we gave up 579 yards against WVU in a 28 point road win, and 800 against tech, in yet another double digit win. Fire Mike and fire Bob if he won't fire Mike!!!! Somebody has to be fired because they made you nervous when WVU cut the lead to 13 Saturday! Thank God Bob Stoops and Castigleone aren't the short sighted reactionary that some of you are.
1- we will be back to back big 12 champs for the first time since 2008.....and only the second time in the Stoops era that we've had a 2 or more year run (a 3 year run 2006-2008.)
2- we will go undefeated in conference for the first time since 2004 and only the 3rd time in the Stoops era. 200, 2004.......2016?
3- we have upgraded everything....the stadium, the scoreboard, the practice facility, the athletic dorms.
4- we are looking at the possibility of our first top 5 recruiting class in 5 plus years.
5. We are again the top team in the big 12 region without much argument.
Think back to 2014. We had a 4 loss season. We had only 1 conference title in the last 6 years and were losing recruits left and right to Baylor, TCU, and A&M as well as Texas, and even OSU.
We have made an amazing turnaround but all some of you can focus on is the defensive coordinator and your misguided hatred of him. Yards and scoring are up everywhere. The rules of the game simply don't allow defensive dominance very often. I saw Littleton Sooner who has bitched about the coaches since at least 2003 talking about how our defense was bad last year too because Clemson put up yards/points. Maybe he missed the title game where Clemsonqt put up more yards and points against Alabama. They suck too I guess.
As to this years defense. Look at recent history. We really were not a program on the rise for a number of years leading into the last couple. Our recruiting has been off. Our facilities were 2nd rate. We had become a stale brand. As a result our talent on that side of the ball simply isn't very deep or experienced. You come into this season losing 5 guys who had been the stars of your defense....striker, tapper, Sanchez, Alexander, bond. Then have those guys replacements go down in droves....add even more injuries to the backups of the backups at key spots. Look at who is missing or has been at key moments.
Tay Evans...some of you thought he'd be an upgrade to Alexander.
Charles Walker....arguably our best DL in the last few years.
Matt Damon....DL starter.
Romar....DL starter for 2 years
Marquis Overton.....who would be playing a ton this year if not starting
Amani Bledsoe....our best DL recruit, who would be becoming a difference maker by this point
Jordan Evans....missed all of the scoring drives but 1 against WVU.
Miciah Quick.....the best looking CB we've rolled out opposite Thomas in terms of coverage.
That's basically a 2 deep in the front 7 missing from a really good defense last year. And the talent on that side of the ball was down from the down years anyway. That is your problem. It isn't scheme. It isn't position coaching, It's a problem with depth. But classes like 2016 and 2017 classes are addressing that. Our talent is improving....get them some experience, and depth for competition and to address injuries and you will see better D.....but it isn't going to look like 1985. Football isn't the same sport as it was then.
Yeah but Mike Stoops created that problem right. Did he? He came back to a program going nowhere in 2012, without a league title in 4 years. A win Saturday and we will have won 3 of 5 since his return. With success on the field, recruiting is improving. We are really only in our 3rd year of a commitment to the 3-4 scheme. We are just starting to get recruits to fill it ready to play. Our DB coach is in his 2nd year, and is getting better talent back there.....give some time to get them experience and you might have something. Our OLB recruiting is on the rise Caleb Kelly is a starter. We have another top 100 kid coming in this year and a couple more guys who look like freak a athletes. Our ILB class this year has as many 4* guys in it as we've had in the last 5. We have a new DL coach who has managed to hold this thing together with bubblegum, he is an OU lifer from Houston. Think maybe he can turn on field success into better DL recruiting in Texas? We have a nice young nucleus there too with guys like Overton, lampkin, gallimore and Bledsoe....all Sophie next year. Keep adding players around that core and you have something.
Bottom line....things are going in a great direction overall. It is sad that so many of the fans on this board get fixated on the challenges and can't enjoy a really nice stretch. As someone who has been an OU fan for 50 years, those teams of the early 70s came on the heals of some pretty average teams in the 60s. The team's of the mid 80s came on the back of some really average early 80s teams. No one saw 2000 coming after a decade of horrible football in Norman. Bob Stoops teams have had ups and downs. His MO has been to stay stable, and make tweaks when they become absolutely necessary....and as a result we have had lulls....but have stayed competitive for nearly 20 years.. But we gave up 579 yards against WVU in a 28 point road win, and 800 against tech, in yet another double digit win. Fire Mike and fire Bob if he won't fire Mike!!!! Somebody has to be fired because they made you nervous when WVU cut the lead to 13 Saturday! Thank God Bob Stoops and Castigleone aren't the short sighted reactionary that some of you are.
