g$$
09-03-2007, 08:32 PM
FYI: Good stuff from Lance Zierlein (formerly of 610 AM in Houston & soon to be back on radio; father is a pro OL coach too):
September 03, 2007
Horns, Michigan, Stephen McGee, Boulware and girls in boots
I went to Austin for the weekend with my family and my father-in-law had Longhorn tickets so my wife and I went to the game. Wow, were they unimpressive. Then again, so was Virginia Tech and Michigan on Saturday as well so it wasn't a great day for some in the top 10.
I expected the Horns to struggle in the secondary with so many players to replace, but I didn't really expect them to struggle against Arkansas St. Colt McCoy did not have a very good game and the offensive line looked as soft as crepes.
The o-line play was probably the biggest disappointment (along with the d-line not dominating) because at this level of football, you should be able to impose your will from a physical standpoint when you recruit the level of players that Texas does vs. the level of players who are on the other side of the field.
As for bright spots, I thought that the WR corps looked more than capable with a banged up Limas Sweed having a solid game and Nate Jones looking more than capable of taking over the workload for Billy Pittman.
The Longhorns will lose to a TCU team who sports a very good defense next week if they play anywhere near the level that they played against Arkansas State.
* Speaking of the Longhorn game, I have to point something out that is an alarming trend. Remember when it used to be primarily hot girls - or at least semi-cute skanks - who used go with the boots with shorts or boots with a dress look? Now there seems to be a free-for-all going on with a ton of girls going after that look and some just don't have it. Oh yeah, and did I mention that there was a guy wearing boots with his shorts? Go ahead and let every one of your friends punch you in the garbage for that move.
* How does it feel to be a Michigan fan and have your shot at the national title end in week 1 at The Big House in a loss to Appalachian State? I've never trusted Chad Henne, but I can't really put that loss on him. Where in the hell was the Wolverine defense? Is it possible that the "mid-major" phenomenon in basketball that featured smaller teams who were unintimidated by big conference opponents is slipping into football?
* I've got Oregon/UH, Wake/BC, Oklahoma State/Georgia and Notre Dame/G.Tech TIVO'ed at home so I won't have any comments on these games for now. My scout buddy went to the Aggie game and came away unimpressed with the performance. While he thinks the Ags are going to lose more than 4 games this year, he really likes Goodson and Bennett and..... are you ready for this..... Stephen McGee.
He said that McGee's shoulder problems kept him from throwing it like he should have last year and that there were some throws in a couple of games that make him think that McGee can be an NFL QB. He loves his toughness and he thinks he'll shoot way up in everyone's eyes by the end of this year. By the way, he's the same scout who told me that TCU would beat Texas before the season started so we'll see if he's right.
* I like the Babin for Boulware trade just fine. The Texans had an overload at defensive end and this helps to keep some guys that they really liked while parlaying part of their excess for a player who can help them in the secondary. I'm not going all bat_ _ _ _ crazy like some people are though. Just because you've heard of the guy and he went to a big college that doesn't make him a star. Boulware is a good tackler and a good box safety but the Texans have plenty of those fellers. At some point they are going to need a legit free safety who can strike fear into the hearts of opposing QBs who throw down the field. Still, Boulware is a talent upgrade in the secondary and that has been a staple of Rick Smith's tenure - talent upgrade.
September 03, 2007
Horns, Michigan, Stephen McGee, Boulware and girls in boots
I went to Austin for the weekend with my family and my father-in-law had Longhorn tickets so my wife and I went to the game. Wow, were they unimpressive. Then again, so was Virginia Tech and Michigan on Saturday as well so it wasn't a great day for some in the top 10.
I expected the Horns to struggle in the secondary with so many players to replace, but I didn't really expect them to struggle against Arkansas St. Colt McCoy did not have a very good game and the offensive line looked as soft as crepes.
The o-line play was probably the biggest disappointment (along with the d-line not dominating) because at this level of football, you should be able to impose your will from a physical standpoint when you recruit the level of players that Texas does vs. the level of players who are on the other side of the field.
As for bright spots, I thought that the WR corps looked more than capable with a banged up Limas Sweed having a solid game and Nate Jones looking more than capable of taking over the workload for Billy Pittman.
The Longhorns will lose to a TCU team who sports a very good defense next week if they play anywhere near the level that they played against Arkansas State.
* Speaking of the Longhorn game, I have to point something out that is an alarming trend. Remember when it used to be primarily hot girls - or at least semi-cute skanks - who used go with the boots with shorts or boots with a dress look? Now there seems to be a free-for-all going on with a ton of girls going after that look and some just don't have it. Oh yeah, and did I mention that there was a guy wearing boots with his shorts? Go ahead and let every one of your friends punch you in the garbage for that move.
* How does it feel to be a Michigan fan and have your shot at the national title end in week 1 at The Big House in a loss to Appalachian State? I've never trusted Chad Henne, but I can't really put that loss on him. Where in the hell was the Wolverine defense? Is it possible that the "mid-major" phenomenon in basketball that featured smaller teams who were unintimidated by big conference opponents is slipping into football?
* I've got Oregon/UH, Wake/BC, Oklahoma State/Georgia and Notre Dame/G.Tech TIVO'ed at home so I won't have any comments on these games for now. My scout buddy went to the Aggie game and came away unimpressed with the performance. While he thinks the Ags are going to lose more than 4 games this year, he really likes Goodson and Bennett and..... are you ready for this..... Stephen McGee.
He said that McGee's shoulder problems kept him from throwing it like he should have last year and that there were some throws in a couple of games that make him think that McGee can be an NFL QB. He loves his toughness and he thinks he'll shoot way up in everyone's eyes by the end of this year. By the way, he's the same scout who told me that TCU would beat Texas before the season started so we'll see if he's right.
* I like the Babin for Boulware trade just fine. The Texans had an overload at defensive end and this helps to keep some guys that they really liked while parlaying part of their excess for a player who can help them in the secondary. I'm not going all bat_ _ _ _ crazy like some people are though. Just because you've heard of the guy and he went to a big college that doesn't make him a star. Boulware is a good tackler and a good box safety but the Texans have plenty of those fellers. At some point they are going to need a legit free safety who can strike fear into the hearts of opposing QBs who throw down the field. Still, Boulware is a talent upgrade in the secondary and that has been a staple of Rick Smith's tenure - talent upgrade.