Chris Simms needs to be benched. Now. Let the better QB end his career at UT properly. Up until now, I've given Simms the benefit of the doubt. He wasn't being used properly. They were "saving the playbook". He was learned. He had earned his starting spot. Whatever, he hasn't learned a damn thing. 40 Passes, less than 200 yards, 4 interceptions?!? That's just ridiculous. The one returned for a TD was understandable, but the other 3 were simply a lack of common sense. When your reciever is covered short and open deep, THROW THE BALL OVER HIS SHOULDER, NOT BEHIND HIM!! All 3 of his interceptions he couldn't get the ball past the underneath defenders. What good is a powerful arm if you don't use it? On 3rd and 10, the 2 yard pass is your third or fourth option -- not the first damn option, especially when the receiver is covered. This is not complex stuff. I won't say Applewhite would have won this game -- who knows what would have happened. But there's no way he could have done any worse, and he has a history of doing better (when he was the clear-cut starter). In 5 games this year, Simms has one (?) completed pass over 40 yards to the best receiving corps in college football -- he has no clue how to throw deep. Applewhite's defining college moments will always be his last minute drives against A&M and Nebraska (twice) - big games, big plays. This will be Simms' defining moment. 3 Straight Passes, 3 Straight Interceptions. The inability to make good decisions. What makes it worse is that there's a QB sitting on the bench that excels in exactly what Simms can't do. Simms doubters have said this from day 1 -- Applewhite makes the plays when he needs to. Simms has never done it. It's time to go with the player who knows what he's doing and knows how to read defenses. On a happy note, kudos to the defense. Holding OU to 200 yards and 7 points is absolutely phenomenal. Too bad the coaches & QB refuse to use our amazing receiving corps.
I don't feel like arguing this again, so I'm not. I know I'm outnumbered on this one. I still wouldn't trade Simms for any other QB in the country... it was the OU defense and Greg Davis that cost the offense, not Chris Simms. Go back and look at Chris Weinke in the National Championship last year for some evidence. He was also shut down by the OU defense... does he suck?
BTW, to make it clear, I'm not second-guessing the decision to start Simms. I don't know all that went into the decision, or how the practices looked, or anything behind-the-scenes. I'm just saying that Simms has now had the chance to perform, and he just hasn't been able to do it. Whatever happened already, now's the time to bench him.
<B>Go back and look at Chris Weinke in the National Championship last year for some evidence. He was also shut down by the OU defense... does he suck?</B> Last year was a different team -- this defense is just not as good as that one (yet -- they are improving, in my opinion). Every team thus far has managed to score on OU -- except us. Look at Elle Roberson and his receivers, versus Simms and our receivers. They scored 37. We scored 3.
I'm with the Cat on this one... Greg Davis blew the play callin in this game... man, Zero-U's ROy Williams is awesome...wish we had him on our side...
shanna, we shouldnt bench simms, he needs preparation for next yr it wasnt his fault we lost the game, he overall played well, i personally think greg davis needs to open up our offense, we have the talent to kill anyone in the country but he plays it too close to the vest also how can you compare k states game vs this one, two completely diff styles, theirs was offensive ours defensive; its possible OU relaxes with a 21 pt lead also simms wasnt the one who cost us the game, he wasnt perfect but he did fine overall and putting major in wont help I want to get the growing pains out now, not keep waiting each yr
Our inability to establish a running game and questionable offensive play-calling resulted in the loss. Not Simms. Applewhite probably would've ended up like Hybl, on the sideline nursing an injury.
<B>simms wasnt the one who cost us the game, he wasnt perfect but he did fine overall and putting major in wont help </B> I disagree. Not only was he not perfect, but he was not good. He threw 40 passes for 200 yards. That's absolutely HORRIBLE, especially with this set of receivers. He had players going to middle/deep routes. Simms chose the 2 yard passes. The only time he threw deep or over the middle was when there was no backup receiver 2 yards away to throw to. That's just bad decision-making. I don't know if he can't see down the field or if he just doesn't trust himself (apparently, with good reason based on his few deep throws today), or what it is, but he's not doing the job. He's had two good games in his career: A&M last year and Houston this year. Teams should play the best players -- and he's not it. We can keep blaming this on play-calling all we want. Bottom line is that when Applewhite played, he made the deep plays and moved the ball -- especially in critical situations and in close games. Simms doesn't. We've had horrible play-calling for 4 years now. That's not something unique to Simms. It's amazing how much benefit of the doubt Simms gets. I honestly don't see how Simms could have been much worse than he was today. Simms can lead us in a blowout, but he has shown no ability to do so in a big/close game. I'd like to win games this year rather than waiting for next year again.
The answer to their problems is Sloan Thomas. Play him more and there will be better results if they give him more touches. Y'all realize he is my friend.
<B>Y'all realize he is my friend.</B> Really? That actually is something I noticed this year. He just hasn't been played that much. He's one of our studs, but Tony Jeffery and Shanahan seem to get more playing time (or least more catches/throws-to). He'd be a primary receiver on many teams out there. Does he have problems with it? Or is he handling pretty well? Just curious for inside info
OU was deliberately playing to take away the deep ball. Often times, given the current play called the only reciever open was on the short pattern. The only time he threw deep over the middle was when deep over the middle was called, and that play was usually smothered by the OU defense. That medium pass voer the middle was open all day long, yet that was rarely called. Of course, having zero running game and sporadic blitz pick-up didn't help matters any.
We can keep blaming this on play-calling all we want. Bottom line is that when Applewhite played, he made the deep plays and moved the ball -- especially in critical situations and in close games. When did he play a defense comparable to the OU defense this year? Oh yeah, the OU defense last year. And by the time he left the game, we were down 28-0. You're comparing Applewhite against generally average defenses to Chris Simms against the best defense in the country. Simms can lead us in a blowout, but he has shown no ability to do so in a big/close game. I'd say he did pretty damn good in the Oregon game... or was that his fault that Roy and BJ dropped those three touchdowns? That's absolutely HORRIBLE, especially with this set of receivers. He had players going to middle/deep routes. I'm looking at the game tape right now, and the middle and deep routes were covered well by OU almost all game long.
shanna, major started last yr it became 28-0 within minutes, now let me apologize im not happy we lost, but blaming it solely on simms or vasher is WRONG, plus do you want to win in the future: NEXT YR there is NO MAJOR, so we might want to get simms battle tested for our tough schedule next yr Simms threw 2 picks that mattered-the one i didnt like was our best scoring shot he underthrew it in the end zone, but i feel davis is a part of it, the o line and rbs are all in this- they need to throw down field with more conviction, give him protection and find the holes-this is connected to davis as we shouldve used screens etc
<B>shanna, major started last yr it became 28-0 within minutes, now let me apologize im not happy we lost, but blaming it solely on simms or vasher is WRONG</B> It's not solely Simms. However, you play the players that give you the best chance to win. Applewhite gives you that. If we could replace Greg Davis tomorrow, we should. We can't, and we won't, so lets focus on the people that are sucking. If Victor Ike doesn't perform, he gets benched. If Simms doesn't perform, why shouldn't he be benched? By the way, it wasn't 28-0 within minutes. It was 14-0 at the end of the 1st Quarter. The difference between last year and this year was that our defense couldn't hold OU last year. Both QB's led us to 0 points in the first quarter. If you want to look at last year vs. this year, Simms played an entire game and led us to 3 points. If we scored the 14 pts we did last year under Applewhite, we win. The argument for Simms has always been that he has the potential to be better than Applewhite. He led our vaunted offense to <B>three</B> points in a game. He's not better than Major, and he won't be better anytime this year. Why is he starting? <B>plus do you want to win in the future: NEXT YR there is NO MAJOR, so we might want to get simms battle tested for our tough schedule next yr </B> Wasn't that why we played Simms last year too? At some point, we have to play for this yera. I want to win <B>now</B>. Next year will take care of itself. Applewhite took ONE game (KSU) to learn how to play a college offense. In his 3rd or 4th game, he led us over Nebraska in Omaha. Simms has started 10+ games now and has yet to learn it. Whether he ever will is a good question. It's time to try something different, or we're going to get beaten by a very good Colorado team. <B>Simms threw 2 picks that mattered-the one i didnt like was our best scoring shot he underthrew it in the end zone, </b> The problem is that all 3 of his picks (not including the TD pick) fit his standard procedure. He aimed at one receiver, threw to him no matter the coverage (bad throws didn't help). He hasn't learned a damn thing. <B>I'd say he did pretty damn good in the Oregon game... or was that his fault that Roy and BJ dropped those three touchdowns? </B> Good? Maybe. 4 Interceptions in that game isn't really great though. He's now at 6 TDs, 6 INTs this year -- last year he had more INTs than TDs. I'm not sure that fits ANY definition of good at any level.
Gotta go with Shanna here. Both teams played extremely well. Honestly, what really stood out were about 5 passes (before that last 2 INTs) that sould have been BIG, and they were lousy passes. Simms might have been rushed on 1, but thats all. The rest SHB first downs or huge plays, a couple looked like TDs. Also, after he throws 1 and especially if he throws 2 INTs, you know its all over. He still loses composure. I'm not a Simms basher. He has great potential. Our play calling was not aggressive, but maybe thats because they know what happens to Chris when he throws INTs. Anyway, this is our team and these are our coaches. The coaches picked Simms to start. I accept that and the loss, and I will continue to support Chris and the coaches. Chris will get much better. Go Horns!
I have to say. . . after a miserable afternoon, it warms my heart to find my feelings about today's game so affirmed by most of what is being said here. shanna, almost everything I've read from you in my time on the board has been spot-on, but I have to disagree with you here. chris simms did not lose the game today, and major applewhite would not have been one bit better. Texas lost this game because of greg davis. Texas lost this game because Texas does not gameplan to try to dominate with the run. rather, Texas gameplans to try to run just enough to let greg davis call a ridiculously overstuffed diet of pass plays. major applewhite wouldn't have been able to execute that asinine, straight-across-the-line-of-scrimmage pass that davis calls again and again any better than simms did. I don't think chris simms is to blame for this loss. I don't even think mack brown is to blame for this loss, at least not directly. I think greg davis is to blame for this loss. one thing that is worth mentioning about major applewhite and his success is that almost the entirety of it came when he had ricky freaking williams in the backfield with him. it is amazing how good a passer you can become when you have a running back like that helping to scare the daylights out of the defense. when you don't even plan to run all over a team, you put your quarterback in a spectacular position to fail. somewhat like the astros this past week, the Horns played scared on offense today. if I see one more F-ing 1-yd. receiver screen, I'm going to cut my wrists. that is the worst play ever designed, and it seems to be greg davis' favorite play. we run it about 15 times a game. we played scared when we didn't allow cedric benson on the field for even one play. now, am I saying that benson would've been enough to win the game? probably not. but if you've played him significant time in every game leading up to this one, why wouldn't you play him in this game? because you're scared. and scared teams don't win games. neither do teams that are unable to run the ball. I think each of simms' interceptions [except the very first one] were caused by him trying to force a big play, knowing that they weren't going to make any sustained drives since his offensive coordinator forgot that running the football is allowed. I realize that davis is the offensive coordinator that brown picked, but I still have to give credit to brown for the Horns' effort this afternoon. more than gameplanning [which I believe to be the responsibility of the coordinators], I think it's the head coach's responsibility to make sure his team is ready to play mentally. and I think the Horns were ready to play mentally, which is kind of incredible given what they got last year. watching them lose today made me sick because I don't feel like the players lost. I am convinced Texas has the more talented players. but they were undone by a r****ded offensive gameplan. benching simms now is the wrong thing to do because, like someone else already said, we are now playing for next year's national championship. we need simms to get as much experience as he can get. everyone recognizes that he's getting better, and that's what happens when you're allowed to play without fear of getting yanked every time your team falls behind. young quarterbacks throw interceptions. that's the learning curve. look at peyton manning's rookie season in the nfl. the change Texas needs to make is at offensive coordinator. we will never win a national championship with this offensive scheme. RUN THE DAMN BALL!!
I'm venting a lot here so forgive me if I ramble but: I love Major and I'm all for benching Simms. Major's heart and mind are something that Chris will never have. Coach Brown probably feels the same way. But, Mack also has the future to keep in mind. Look at it from Coach Brown's standpoint. I'm sure Mack knows that Major gives him a better chance at winning now, particularly big games. However, he also knows the implications of playing Major instead of Simms. It is every college football player's dream to go to the NFL. What happens when your program signs the #1 HS QB, the son a an NFL quarterback, who has obvious talent and potential, you play him, then you bench him, and then he goes undrafted? Your entire recruiting recruiting base will now look at your national-championship-winning, neighboring rival at little closer, even though you early recruited and got a verbal commitments from them. Not that losing to them doesn't do that also, but can you imagine the big-time talent that would just overlook Texas if the above scenario were to play out? Let's look at next year (although I hate saying that phrase because it always seems like it's about next year): No more Major. If Chris gets benched now, he has to regain his confidence and then learn from his mistakes next season instead of this season. If that were to happen, and Chris performs like he did today next season, it is a possibility (although highly unlikely) that he would go undrafted. Most probably he would just drop like a rock. If he doesn't go 1st round, our program will be blamed. So what does Coach Brown do? Then best scenario was kicked around a little this offseason, but it's much too late: Redshirt Simms. Play Major and Mock. Instead he is kind of forced to take his lumps now and hope that Simms will eventually reach his potential. I, along with every other Longhorn, am waiting for Simms to step up. While at the game today, during the 1st two of Texas' 4th quarter drives, I yelled "Let's go Chris, this is what you were brought here to do!" Yet, he continued to play with blinders on. Playcalling did handcuff him, but he had his opportunities. So, in conclusion, I, like every other Longhorn, am completely and utterly frustrated. We kicked the sh*t out of the Sooners for 3.5 quarters and still lost. Not even because of the .5 quarter that we didn't play well. It was just 6 or 7 plays that went OU's way that did it for them. Their punting game was great (freaking Vasher wtf were you thinking catching that duck?). Their defense was stout when it needed to be. Their offense caught us by surprise with that option BS and that f*cking shovel pass still caught us a few times. Our defense was awesome except for some over-pursuit at the end. So did Texas lose because of Simms? It was a team loss, no one player dictated the outcome today. If anyone is to blame, it falls on the head coach. But can you really fault him? Again, his team played better than the other team on the field today, except for a key few plays. That is on the players. However, one thing that really makes me mad is that I felt like our coaches called plays like we were trying not to lose instead of trying to win. That and we stopped running Ivan Williams down their throat. He was getting decent yardage in the 1st half. Why stop? It seemed like we got desparate early in the 2nd half and played forced and rushed. Finally, do I have an answer or even a suggestion for my beloved Longhorns? No, I don't. Mack is doing a great job. I support my 'Horns 100% no matter who is playing or calling the plays. If Mack thinks Greg Davis is the man, then so be it. It's just heartbreaking to see Texas lose when they are more talented and play better than their opponent.
