The point on a brisket is typically the fattiest cut. Pitmasters often trim the point (and select edges) off a brisket and return those pieces to the smoker.
Are burnt ends tough, chewy worthless cuts of meat, or are they heavenly bites of smoky goodness? It depends on who you ask…
Rather than discard the trimmings and fat, we choose to savor all the information that flows through the site. So, sit down and help yourself to some burnt ends.
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We’ll start with the team meeting that was reported on quite heavily last week. We had a chance to speak with a few people in regards to the happenings inside the locker room, and what we learned was that the reports were mostly exaggerated from the sources we spoke with. While there was an airing of grievances between players and coaches, everyone is on the same page going forward. Our sources specifically told us that any talk of “fireworks†were exaggerated and an attempt to stir drama. “Everyone knows what’s happened this season. Nobody took it personally, everyone knows this is a team pulling together. Were some harsh things said? Absolutely. There is no divide in this locker room though, everyone is focused on a common goal to win out for each other and for Coach Strongâ€. Another source we spoke to didn’t appreciate the attempt to make something more out of it than what it was. “Guys on this team know that everyone isn’t pulling their weight. Everyone who spoke in that meeting also acknowledged that they had to improve as well. We know there are people out there that want to see us torn apart, but we aren’t going to let them. This is a familyâ€. Anyone who has ever played knows there are times when harsh truths have to be told in order to achieve accountability, and that sounds like exactly what happened.
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Several Texas coaches and players spoke with the media. Here are some of the other quotes we left out of the post game.
Charlie Strong
On the rest of the season: “You’ve still got six games left, so we’ll see. We’ve got a lot of football left.â€
On when he told the players to challenge themselves: “It wasn’t at halftime. It was before we played. It was last night when we have a meeting right before dinner, and today we had a meeting before pregame. I said challenge yourselves guys.â€
On if he yelled at halftime: “I usually yell a lot – Halftime, first quarter, second quarter. I don’t give too many breaks.â€
On defensive effort: “It was very pleasing. As I said, we talked about it, and I told them it’s going to be a challenge for us, our defense, trying to slow them down. I said if we keep the ball in front of us, guys, and we go tackle then we’ll have a chance to get up the field and just get the ball back for our offense.â€
On team meeting: “I don’t know that the big deal was made about that. I have a team meeting every Thursday. Every Thursday at 3:30 I meet with the team. And I just set out our plan to go win the game. A few guys had wanted to voice their opinion about some things, but it’s something I do every Thursday.â€
On the fans: “When we started to score I think they were pretty good. I was nervous myself being 6-3 and we weren’t scoring, but I just know this. Our offense is so explosive, and at any point we’re going to score.â€
On his pass rushers: “You look at our front, tonight you saw Roach, you saw 97 (Chris Nelson) inside. You saw 95 (Poona Ford) inside, and then you saw 44 (Breckyn Hager). 44 and Roach, they play with so much energy. And then 40 (Naashon Hughes) was able to come in, get his sack. Guys know they’re going to get a limited number of plays, so when you get your chance you’ve got to take full advantage of it.â€
Sterlin Gilbert
On team unity: “I think day in and day out and week in and week out, anytime you get to go through adversity as a team or person or individual, people battle with you and fight with you, you’ll grow together. That’s what we’re in the process of right now.â€
On Shane Buechele: “I know it gets repetitive for ya’ll, but with himi it’s just about growth and just seeing pictures and making sure he’s taking the ball in the right spotsand seeing things happening in the back end.â€
On limiting wear and tear on Foreman: “Again, it just kind of goes with what’s going on in the game. We’ve got an idea maybe around that, of the carries we’d like to have on his legs and what we’d like him to do. Sometimes it just kind of depends on the kind of carries they are. Are they big runs? Are they short yard? Are they hard yards? So all that stuff goes into consideration when you’re talking about doing those things.â€
Paul Boyette
On the mindset at halftime: “We played a decent first half. We had to come out and play a complete game. You can’t win in the Big 12 just playing one half. We need to go out there and not let them score any points.â€
On playing up to his abilities: “With it being my senior year, we want to make this a special year not only for [the seniors] but for the whole team in general. We know we have a talented team. We know we can get out there and compete with the best of them.â€
Devin Duvernay
On team meeting: “Our destiny is in our own hands, and we are just continuing to get better each and every day at practice. We’re just going forward. Just taking it one game at a time, one play at a time, one practice at a time. We’re just going to keep believing.â€
John Bonney
On the pass rush: “Those guys up front helped us a lot at secondary, especially today. We were able to get a lot of pressure on the quarterback, and at the end of the day that’s what you want out of the defensive lineâ€.
D’Onta Foreman
On halftime: “Coaches came in there and said that we were playing really well and just to keep it up. We told those guys not to worry about it, and we were going to put some points on the board. We believed in it and we went out there and we did that.â€
On rushing streak/Earl Campbell: “I think that’s wonderful. I’m proud of the line, I went in there after the game and went up to each and every one of those guys personally and told them thank you, if it wasn’t for ya’ll this wouldn’t be possible.â€
Jerrod Heard
On penalties in first half: “It’s one of those things where everyone is going to make mistakes, it’s just one of those things that these are things that happen. Let’s just fix it but keep playing at the moment.â€
On next weekend: “It’s always hard to play in Manhattan at their place, it doesn’t matter who you are. It’s a home base and a good home advantage they have, it’s just very critical for us that we mind the mistakes and execute.â€
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With the way the season is going, we are constantly checking in with current commits to see where they are with Texas. Suffice to say there is a lot of negative recruiting going on from other schools. For some recruits it is having a bit of an effect. We reported this week that Kobe Boyce had some rumors going around about him, and while the Lake Dallas corner is still committed to Texas, the negative recruiting has made him think a bit. While Boyce isn’t set on what he’s going to do, he is definitely weighing his options. We’ll watch this recruitment closely, and we have very strong sources close to him.
Josh Thompson is another player that is hearing the negative recruiting, but he told us it doesn’t bother him at all. “I’m fine with Texas, I’m 100%â€. For Thompson this is a dream school situation for him, and he seems pretty firmly committed and is trying to make sure everyone stays on board.
We spoke to a source near another commit that several schools all tried the negative pitch on, and he basically responded with something not fit for print. This particular commit didn’t take kindly to the school talking noise to him about UT’s performance, and he told that school they haven’t exactly had a stellar performance there either. The support for Charlie Strong from commits and players inside the program is pretty firm right now, and if he can save his job this season he will have quite a loyal core of players.
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One of the visitors on campus this weekend was 2018 John Tyler OLB/DE DK Goodson. We spoke to him following the win for his thoughts on the visit.
“I loved the visit, it was very exciting to be there and just to be around everything. Their defense was the thing that stood out to me the most. They showed dominance. I really hope to go back soon.â€
Goodson is a very intriguing pass rusher that should rank top 50 in the state next year. Goodson is of course teammates with Texas commit Damion Miller, and when we saw him earlier this year he was a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks. Jeff Traylor is very familiar with Goodson and John Tyler, so we’d expect him to be a name to know going forward.
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Hebron 2018 Quarterback Clayton Tune was also in attendance, and we spoke to his father following the visit.
“It went really well! Coach Gilbert spent some time with him before the game, as did Jordan Traylor. We had a Texas Angel hostess with us throughout the game, and it was fun to see a victory! It made for a great visit.â€
Texas hasn’t moved on a quarterback target in the 2018 class, but Gilbert has been on Tune for a while. Tune is having a strong year, and he looked very good at the Texas satellite camp this summer.
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Finally, we spoke with a source close to Bellaire Episcopal DT Marvin Wilson. The big man from Houston was on campus, and he enjoyed his time as always. We tweeted after the game with a picture of Marvin walking off the field while the student section chanted his name. That was a big hit for the family, and something that resonated with everyone involved. Wilson’s been very vocal about his support for Charlie Strong, and that support extends to his entire family. We were told that the visit felt like home for many of them. The Wilson’s stayed overnight and spent some time with the coaching staff on Sunday before going home. Our source told us they thought the staff was in an upbeat mood and optimistic about the future. Wilson has recently been listening to A&M a bit more, but we continue to be told that the family really wants Texas. Obviously this thing will go up and down with Charlie Strong’s job security and game results, but we believe if Texas won 7 or 8 games and kept Strong they would land the nation’s top defensive tackle.
