I'm sure horndfl got flamed from that post. There are too many Pollyanna posters at that site. Mack himself isn't the problem, it's the coaches below him. Other than Akina (who I've heard good things about), the other coaches seem to be subpar, at a program like UT. I don't think many head coaches factor in with the X's and O's. However, Mack should have a little more of a 'tude much like Stoops does.
Of course there are, its a UT fan site. Just like there are pollyana posters here. Because its a rockets fan site But there's also good, critical discussion at both sites about the respective teams by intelligent posters who follow the team closely.
Ditto on Akina. I was talking to a guy I know (Hedgecock) who's a walkon at DB. Says Akina is badass, and knows a ton about football. Carl Reese was basically run out of LSU before Mack scooped him up as our DC. I think Bull Reese did a tremendous job in '98 of taking a poorly coached defense and teaching them how to hustle. However, his inability to make adjustments during a game has been exposed. The logical choice for Mack would have been to take Carl Torbush with him to Texas. Torbush, however, tried his hand at head coaching at UNC, and left the program a huge mess that John Bunting is cleaning up. Torbush is having a ton of success as DC at Alabama this year. There's been alot of talk about teams pursuing Greg Davis as head coach. Personally, I think it's garbage. Davis failed miserably as HC at Tulane. It seems like he's always too late to open up the offense. This year and last, we waited till after our annual loss to OU to start opening up the offense. It doesn't take a playbook the size of the Houston Yellow Pages to have a successful offense. You just have to be able disguise your plays better using different formations. It's not rocket science. One thing I'm almost certain of: Tim Nunez will be fired after this season, and McWhorter will take over as O-line and TE coach. Nunez has failed miserably, and will be the scapegoat this year. I have heard from several sources close to Mack that Nunez' job has been on the line since the beginning of the year. The lack of improvement on the O-line and the lack of player development will cost the man his job. It would be nice to use the vacant coaching spot to hire a Linebackers Coach. Maybe one that understands that the MLB should not mug the LOS against a 300 lb. offensive lineman. But that's another story. Ultimately, Mack's unconditional loyalty to his subordinates will cost him a chance at glory. He's on the brink of being mentioned in the same breath as DKR. He just has to seal the deal. Until then, Longhorn fans will continue to scrutinize every decision including his ill-fated decision to go with Chris Simms over Major Applewhite (my apologies to cat).
UNC had to choose between Torbush and Davis as their next head coach. Had they have chosen Davis, Torbush would've come to Texas with Mack. I remember his UNC defenses being pretty stout.
Definitely. Mack must realize that he's been given enough mulligans. Now is the time for him to change things up.
True, but I have long said that the day Mack is fired his OC will be GD. I would love it but seriously doubt that he will ever let any of his coords go.
Well, previous seasons do have some relevance when it's the same personnel. This year, I expected Roy to be healthy (he wasn't, but he wasn't in 2001 either), and Cedric didn't play at all in 2001. Those are two pretty big changes at the skill positions on offense. OU's returning 10 of 11 starters on defense, so it's likely they have similar strengths and weaknesses. In fact, the defense has had similar strengths for the last three years. Going back to the national championship season, pocket quarterbacks have never had success against OU. (Simms, Weinke, Applewhite) However, even in the championship season with the completely dominant defense, the team that had the most success moving the ball on OU was Kansas State with Jonathan Beasley, a very mobile quarterback, at the helm. I believe KSU averaged about 28 points per game against OU for that season. (I know they had 24 in the Big 12 game, and I think over 30 in the other) Compared to Florida State, who got shutout with the Heisman Trophy winner, and Texas who was down 42-0 before scoring, that's pretty good accomplishment.
For any other school, I would say yes. But listening to his comments, I think Mack doesn't think he's been given any mulligans. Plus, he and Dodds are tight. Dodds is about the bottom dollar, and 9 win seasons is fine for him. What needs to happen to put heat on Mack, is for the bigwig UT fans to say "9 wins is not enough. This is embarassing." Or, for the regular fans to stop buying season tickets. Until then, Mack will be secure. It's a tricky situation. But, if the reports of the sour look on Hicks face is true, maybe, a couple of more 9 win seasons breaks Mack's back.
