As a fan of the ‘other’ state school in Oklahoma, sometimes I find it difficult to write passionately about my neighbors to the south in Norman. Here you will see the views from an avid Oklahoma fan post-Miami ‘meltdown’ (or at least that’s what the majority of OU fans I’ve spoken with are referring to it as). To read more articles and insight from this point of view, please visit www.big12today.wordpress.com.
What would most fans expect from one of the highest paid coaches in all of college football, to go long with several highly paid assistants. Now even though I have been on both sides as a fan, and a coach. I will say I have never experienced the luxury that these coaches have experienced. However, I will say that I as a fan I would expect the best, just like those fans expected of me when I was a coach. This brings to question the staff at the University of Oklahoma.
For the past several years it just doesn’t seem like Oklahoma has had the same fire in their belly as they did several years ago. I will tell you this, and that is it all starts with the coaches. As a coach you are looked up to by your players, just like a son looks up to his father. If you has a coach don’t have that attitude or fire, then it will carry over to the players.
Now, it is ok to be cocky, but you need to make sure you have the attitude that shows it. You need to make sure everyone knows you’re the best, and that show it on the field. It doesn’t do any good to be cocky, and just think someone is going to lie down for you because of whom you are. You need to show them, not just tell them. From what I have seen lately, the Sooners have been acting extremely cocky, but they just don’t show it on the field.
There doesn’t seem to be any fire or passion inside of them.
I know as a former coach, I always expected the best out of my players, and if they didn’t perform then they didn’t play. Some would say that I was a little too firey at times.
Some key observations that I have noticed while watching Oklahoma is that there doesn’t seem to be any fire from the sidelines. In a sense no one is being held accountable. This starts with the coaches and goes down to the players.
One of the keys to winning is to always know when it is time for a change. Just like a business, there is always a need for a change, because as with time things progress as well. Just think about the evolution of computers over the past 10 years, where we have gone from 133 mhz processors to 4 plus ghz computers. The same thing can be said in football, where if you continue to run the same stuff over and over again, you will end up being passed up by the rest of college football.
On the offense there has been plenty of changes for the University of Oklahoma, but we have also seen times where they regress and tend to become way to conservative. Take for example the no huddle offense that OU runs, where they don’t have a huddle, but yet they lineup at the line of scrimmage and wait for the play to be called. In essence, the only thing it does is limit the defense from substituting players. However, Oklahoma continues to run the same plays over and over again, so it isn’t that hard to prepare for. They have been a lot better of an offense when they hurry up, which keeps the defense off balance.
I know when I watched OU play this weekend, I was utterly shocked to see Kevin Wilson call several draw plays on 3rdand long plays and to make matters worse, they were telegraphed by the handoff from Landry Jones to the tailback. From what I have seen from Wilson, he seems to be ultra conservative in his play calling, especially in the bigger games. He seems to start out strong, but once they get a lead, he is playing more to conserve the lead, instead of building on it.
To go along with this, this seems to be the most undisciplined team that I have ever seen play the game. I have never seen a more ill prepared team than this Oklahoma team, which is extremely sad considering the amount of talent they have on their team. The offensive line has seemed to regress with James Patton at the helm, and considering the talent that he has had to work with that is pretty amazing. Patton turned 2 future 1stround picks in Robinson and Loadholt to 5th and 2nd rounders. The same will be said of once top ten potential draft choice in Trent Williams as he continues play poorly. Between missed assignments, holding, illegal procedures, and personal fouls I would really like to know what Mr. Patton is teaching these kids.
You can also look at the fact that he continues to change up his offensive line as well. Ironically, they start the game with the 3rdstringer at OG in their biggest game of the season to date. In regards to the wr coach, Jay Norvell, there is obviously a reason why he isn’t coaching in the pros anymore. This wr corp seems to have major issue with the dropsies, and it has become a habit of the Oklahoma wr’s since his tenure began. I am also shocked that they one guy that has dropped over 10 passes to start the year off is still seeing playing time over some of the other players.
In regards to the defense, Oklahoma has been running the same cover 2 scheme over the past 10 years with little to no adjustment at all. This just makes it that much easier to game plan against Oklahoma. The same issue with the over middle defense still plagues them today. As Oklahoma continues to try and cover the crossing patterns, drags ran by the wide receivers, along with the Tight ends with a linebacker. In most cases it’s usually the Mike, and especially this year with Ryan Reynolds it is becoming prevalent with the slowness of Reynolds at the helm. This goes along with the ineptness of the other linebacker that rarely seem to be in position or even notice the receiver coming across the middle.
One of the big issues is that they continue to play their defensive backs or in that case even the linebackers close enough to the line of scrimmage to be able to jam the receivers. Also, for the past several years, I have not seen a safety understand concept of the cover 2 and covering the deep quarter or half. Besides this, our corners still don’t how to watch the wr and their moves, as they are continuously beaten on a double move.
Normally, you would see a substitution when a noticeable pass or run down was coming up, however with Venables at the helm, they continue to run the base 4-3 with same personnel, instead of making the necessary change. This is part of the reason why Oklahoma is almost dead last at given up 3rddown conversions on defense. Other issues is plain and simple the lack of discipline and mental issues that have plagued the Sooners with Venables as defensive coordinator. Whether it be the DT’s not able to get penetration, the Linebackers forgetting their gap assignments and running into the Dline or the opposing teams Oline, or the corners and safeties not understanding their assignments in a Cover 2 scheme.
Either it boils down to the OU cover 2 scheme that is old and outdated, or the players just don’t grasp the concept of the cover 2. Now there are various versions of the Cover 2, and for one is the one ran by Bud Foster at Va Tech, but as with most everyone else there are adjustments being made to go along with the times except at Oklahoma.
This boils down to the egos of the Sooner coaches thinking that they are some sort of messiah of college football, instead of actual trying to instill some heart and soul into our players. Something that makes you has a player want to go out there to fight for it. If you as a coach don’t show that same heart and soul and fire, then it is easy to see why the players just don’t perform to a level of excellence to be able to carry around the crystal ball. As the head coach you need to be willing to make changes from time to time, and you will always need to make adjustments in a game.
In today’s college football you just can’t sit back and think things will be handed to you, you have to go out there and perform to get the job done. If the coaches don’t provide the leadership for the players to follow, then the players won’t peform. The coaches need to realize that the same thing that worked 10 years ago will most likely not work today. Whether it involves Mr. Stoops letting go of some of his coaches or finding the same passion when he started at Oklahoma things need to be changed before they start to get worse.
Until then Oklahoma will continue to be known as Choklahoma.
