I think the only way he gets fired this season is with a loss to Kansas. Odds are already pretty good that they're not going to a bowl. It's certainly probable that they lose the last 3 (T@WVU, Tech, @ Baylor). He bought enough good will to weather a non-bowl season but not one that includes a shutout by Iowa St and a loss to possibly the worst team in college football at home.
Probably true, but I don't believe he deserves it. There are a lot of coaches who would not have guided the team to shut out loss to Iowa State. And I also don't just forget about TCU. People all claimed we had so little talent we couldn't possibly do any better against TCU. Well, we beat OU. Fluke or not, we surely had enough talent to not lose to ANY team 30-0 in the first quarter. Strong had the right resume, but it just isn't working out. Problem is his wonderfully negotiated contract will cost us too much to can him at this point.
Also, saying he only has to beat Kansas to stick around is setting the bar so d*mn low. It seems it is actually challenging to lose to Kansas this year. They suck.
Firing coaches after two years before they were even able to recruit and build their program is a gigantic red flag for potential future coaches and recruits. No reason for a kid to commit to Texas with that kind of instability, and no reason for a coach with other good options - and there will be plenty of good vacancies this offseason - to come to Texas.
That's the conventional thought. I don't know if it's wrong. I don't even know if Coach Strong is that terrible. Stuff just doesn't add up. The only thing that's adding up is all of the embarrassing losses. And none of the explanations make sense besides the coaching. There's that old analogy - if you're going the wrong way on the highway, does it make more sense to give that incorrect route more time? Or is it better to just correct it immediately? All that recruiting, etc. is going to be sh#tty until we start winning regardless. And I have a feeling that if the "best job in college football" and a $5M+ salary is offered, our coaching vacancy will be as attractive as any other.
Is it the best job in college football if you might get fired before you even get a chance to do what you were hired to do? There will be other jobs like USC available too. And let's not forget that there's still some question as to whether Strong was really the first choice two years ago, or if lots of other guys turned them down - meaning it may not be quite as clear that people will jump at it. Coach Strong is like Lunhow with the Astros. He was brought in to essentially burn down the whole thing and start over. That takes time. I think I've been pretty consistent in saying that I have no idea if he's a good coach or can succeed at Texas. But once you commit down that path, you have to let it play out. Year 2 is clearly not as good as anyone hoped - but like the Astros, he was really hired for year 4 or 5. He's not a guy that's going to put in some crazy offensive scheme and have an overnight turnaround. Or at least, that wasn't his history at Louisville. He had several years of mediocrity there too before it all came together - Texas knew that and hired him on that basis. If they didn't want to let him build, they shouldn't have hired him in the first place. I agree with the general premise that if you identify that you made a mistake, just go ahead and fix it - but I'm not convinced they think it was a mistake, and I think it does tell other coaches that the school has no idea what it wants from a coach.
Also, just to clarify - if they do fire him at the end of the season, I won't complain. I'm ambivalent and am not sold that he's the right guy, and I think it's absurd that no one seems to care about solving the big hole at QB (JUCO guys should have been brought in to at least have some competition). But I do think it sets the program back further in the short term - the next guy's job will be even harder and is going to need an even longer leash.
Guess it begs the question of whether we actually needed to burn it down and start over. I agree that playing it out maybe the best option since we've committed to it but Patterson was brought in to do the same and we pulled the plug as soon as we could. Not equating Strong to Patterson but shows that maybe changing course is the right one. With that said, pretty much agree with you and think Strong will get another year to right the ship. Not sure if he is the guy to ultimately get it done but we will see.
I agree with both posts. I think you made strong points as usual. The most troubling thing (to Texas) you said is that you're ambivalent. That's worse than being angry. I'm getting more ambivalent as well. Not too much to be excited about. I think the Baylor game is big. Last game of the season. Probably no bowl game. They blow us out like TCU, I'm going to be calling for Strong's head. Texas repeats their OU performance, everybody's excited again. I also think Baylor is overrated. Here's a question for you - what makes UT figure Heard is a QB, while Manziel and RGIII are defensive backs? Why did everybody rank Heard so high as a dual threat quarterback? He's not dual threat - all he can do consistently is run. What makes him a quarterback and not just an athlete? How do they call you a 4 star qb if you really can't pass? Now, Vince Young wasn't a great passer at first either. I guess I'm just perplexed about all of it.
Recruiting is not an exact science and you'll never be able to wrap your head around all the hits and misses. If you would have told me that Gilbert would flop out of UT while Colt would go on to break multiple school and national records, you would have been absolutely insane. Manziel and RGIII were huge misses by Mack without a doubt but it happens to all schools, some more than others but it happens. As far as Heard, he ran a prolific HS offense and won 2 state championships. Was he passing for 3000+ yards and 40 TDs? Not at all but he didn't need to and put up good numbers through the air. To me, I question recruiting Swoopes over JT Barrett more than anything else. If you're wondering why Heard is a QB and not an athlete, I don't know what that says about Swoopes who didn't even pass for 900 yards and lost all but 1 game his senior year playing 2A ball. But then again, he was offered by pretty much every major program in the nation.
Yeah, missing on Gilbert is one thing. Just seems like recruiting Heard at the QB position is like hiring an illiterate to be a newspaper editor. OK, that's an exaggeration, but you get my point. It was no secret Heard was not really able to pass, so why does he qualify as a quarterback?
Hoowee. Dealing with a real insider here...too bad you weren't around to dish the straight dope on Heard to the big kahunas.
Why don't you ask Ohio St, LSU or the handful of other schools that sent him an offer. It would have likely been more but he was never interested in anyone else. I would also say that going after heard was a reaction to being wrong about Manziel and Griffin.
Man, you guys don't get it. Maybe I worded my question wrong. I'm not just trying to slam UT. I'm asking about football recruiting in general. What makes Heard a QB and not Daje Johnson? When you recruit a tennis player, you don't sit him out three years teaching him how to hit a forehand. I would think if someone is recruited as a 4 star quarterback, they would already be somewhat competent at the most basic of a quarterback's skills, like throwing a GD football.
Just to clarify - I know it sounds like I'm trying to say this is wrong & I know better than all of college football. I am admitting my ignorance here, and I am just interested in the answer. What is the difference b/w a runningback and a quarterback? A quarterback can pass. So, why is Heard a quarterback and not some scatback or kick returner?
Si, jefe. Tyronne Swoops is obviously not gonna work, so bring in Tyrone Swoopes and see what happens. Neither of them can pass though. Unfortunately, Heard can't pass either.
