Some of your questions answered.
- Thread starter JConXtsy
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Here's one more question to Riley:
You spent 7 seasons at Texas Tech as a player and coach. Texas Tech has never had championship caliber defenses to go with its high scoring offenses. Tech's trademark, as far as I'm concerned, is arena-style football where defense seems virtually ignored.
Question: how much will you stress defense at OU ? I'm fully aware that it's almost impossible to have a shut-down defense in the wide open style of offense in the Big 12, but OU cannot expect another championship until its defenses start at least better containing opponents' offenses by making more critical stops and reducing the number of big plays against them.
You spent 7 seasons at Texas Tech as a player and coach. Texas Tech has never had championship caliber defenses to go with its high scoring offenses. Tech's trademark, as far as I'm concerned, is arena-style football where defense seems virtually ignored.
Question: how much will you stress defense at OU ? I'm fully aware that it's almost impossible to have a shut-down defense in the wide open style of offense in the Big 12, but OU cannot expect another championship until its defenses start at least better containing opponents' offenses by making more critical stops and reducing the number of big plays against them.
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Yeah, definitely the burning question.
I've never understood the disparity in coaching offense and defense. I would think an offensive guru would be so, because they understood defenses and their deficiencies. In understanding defensive deficiencies, wouldn't you then know how to tweak a defense to give the offense fits?
But then you look at the NFL, and the defenses there are largely more successful. It makes me believe that it's not so much coaching as it is having the talent. That's why I always say it's my belief that offense is about coaching. You can take a bunch of chumps and have them run complicated schemes that will confuse a defense - Texas Tech. Defense, however, is more about having the talent that doesn't get confused and has a natural inclination to anticipate a developing play.
I wish we could solve our defensive problems by just finding the right guy, but the right guy is probably going to be successful just because he's an excellent recruiter.
Don't think there will be a more important question than this going forward. If Riley brings the full-on Texas Tech approach to OU, then I would be very concerned about his overall future as OU's head coach.
Here's hoping that there's some truth to the whole metaphorical "coaching tree." If so, Lincoln has a couple of good defensive minds to have learned from. We all know Bob's history, but take a look at Ruffin:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruffin_McNeill
Riley certainly has witnessed some good defenses.....last year against Ohio State and 2015 against Clemson.
Ohio State had a pick-6 and yielded only two offensive touchdowns and Clemson kept OU scoreless in the second half, giving up only 17 points.
Hope he saw how good a defense must be to play for a championship.
Well and let's hope he has a more open mind that one of his mentors....Mike Leach. Leach saw plenty of vicious OU defenses during the early 2000's, and it never affected his thinking towards his own defenses. I have a feeling Bob took this into account when he felt Riley was the man for the job.
Well BR, this is exactly what worries me. Bob Stoops thought Mike Stoops was good enough to keep him around. Makes me wonder if this thought process will have Lincoln thinking the same. Time will tell.
I see Mike Stoops as the Elephant in the Room. Let's say that there is no Improvement in the D he puts on the field, and it continues to cost us Wins. Riley recognizes that Little Bro' is the weak link. Then what? Would he, understandably, be hard pressed to put the hammer down on Mike, creating a possible 'Biting the Hand that Feeds You' Scenario?
Bob was only able to move Mike from the sidelines, to the booth. Would Riley be able to take that to the next level, and move him out the door?
Bob was only able to move Mike from the sidelines, to the booth. Would Riley be able to take that to the next level, and move him out the door?
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If Riley is truly the highly respected and highly qualified young coach everyone is raving about, he should be given free reign to do whatever he feels right in improving his team and his staff, regardless of in-house politics. Mike Stoops and every other coach should be treated equally.
Let's see how OU's new defensive alignment, as well as OU's inexperienced younger defensive players, do before purging Mike Stoops, at least for one more year.
OU could lose 3-4 games this year, yet have better defensive numbers than it has the past 5-6 seasons....a bit like the 2009 defense that played through a season of at least 15 significant injuries that resulted in a 5-loss season. That year, OU gave up only 189 points. Imagine what the Oklahoma teams from 2010-2016 could have done with that kind of stingy defense. Not to mention the 2008 team that allowed 45 points against Texas.
You think the Sooners are going to lose 3-4 games? Which games are you predicting loses? Which players are you predicting not being in the line up? Bob Stoops left a loaded team and 10-2 is the worst I could see happening.
I'm predicting 12-1 with a playoff spot.
Boomer Sooner
I'm not going to place an L on the tOSU & Texas games, but I'm not prepared to toss up Ws either. Although... I do feel the Defense will most likely field the most talented team the Sooners have had in years. But many are young. That alone could cost them at least one game. Beating Texas suddenly has relevance now.
Pryor,
I said OU .....COULD.....lose 3-4 games.
Unless I'm mistaken, OU lost Perine, Mixon and Westbrook (40% of its offense) and its best linebacker in Evans and NT Jordan Wade, S Ahmad Thomas and DE Austin Roberts.....plus DE Amani Bledsoe is out until mid-season for taking some form of a PED. How well the very talented young players will come together and play as a unit is unknown right now.
I don't expect a 3 or 4 loss season, but many questions about this team must be resolved. Plus, there are away games with Texas in Dallas and Ok-State....and a dangerous game vs K-State in Manhattan, seven days after Texas.
This team could go 11-1...or 8-4...or 9-3, depending on so many factors.
That's what makes CFB the money sport at the highest level; it's maddening unpredictability and we all do love it so.
Coach McNeil has a master's degree in counseling to go with some success as both an assistant coach and interim coach. He's low key and loved by his players.
His hiring my also help recruiting in the South for OU....and this time, McNeil would have Oklahoma's resources and facilities to help sway recruits. He did not have these at East Carolina.
His hiring my also help recruiting in the South for OU....and this time, McNeil would have Oklahoma's resources and facilities to help sway recruits. He did not have these at East Carolina.
I'm excited about the Ruffin hiring. In his short stint at Texas Tech, he took them from about the worst defense in the Big XII to one of the better ones although that was short-lived since his time there was also short-lived.
And I don't know how much you all read into this line in the Riley interview... it was posted yesterday, so my guess is that he already knew he was hiring Ruffin when he answered this way, but he definitely alludes to the idea that he's not scared to make more coaching changes:
Riley - "I would say the staff; getting them all going in the direction we want to go, which in a lot of ways is very similar to what we've been doing. There have been a few changes and I'm sure there will continue to be a few. But just making sure they were all in alignment with what we wanted and understood the direction we wanted to go. "
And I don't know how much you all read into this line in the Riley interview... it was posted yesterday, so my guess is that he already knew he was hiring Ruffin when he answered this way, but he definitely alludes to the idea that he's not scared to make more coaching changes:
Riley - "I would say the staff; getting them all going in the direction we want to go, which in a lot of ways is very similar to what we've been doing. There have been a few changes and I'm sure there will continue to be a few. But just making sure they were all in alignment with what we wanted and understood the direction we wanted to go. "
Mike will have to have a very successful defense this season if he's to be kept on board. And even that may not be enough.
As for the success of a defense: it starts on the line. It's what has separated us from the Clemson's and Ohio State's. You have to have a stud that demands a double team. Two of them these days. We've also lacked an aggression in play calling as of late. Soft coverages. Rare blitzing.
The Big XII is a slow death defensively if you choose to play it safe. Give up anything between the 20s and hope for the best in the redzone.
As for the success of a defense: it starts on the line. It's what has separated us from the Clemson's and Ohio State's. You have to have a stud that demands a double team. Two of them these days. We've also lacked an aggression in play calling as of late. Soft coverages. Rare blitzing.
The Big XII is a slow death defensively if you choose to play it safe. Give up anything between the 20s and hope for the best in the redzone.
Successful is relevant though. Are we talking Top 25 defense nationally? Top 3 in the Big XII? 3rd in the Big XII might only be 50th in the nation, but I could certainly imagine guys like the Stoops brothers beating their chests about having one of the "top defenses in the conference" when responding to reporters asking why it's so bad.
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