HornSports Staff
HornSports.com
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- Oct 20, 2013
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The point on a brisket is typically the fattiest cut. Pitmasters often trim the point and select edges off a whole brisket and return them to the smoker.
Are burnt ends tough, chewy worthless cuts of meat, or are they a heavenly bites of smoky goodness? I suppose it depends on who you ask...
Rather than discard trimmings and fat, we chose to savor all the information that flows through the site. So, sit down and help yourself to some burnt ends.
***DO NOT FORWARD***
To start things off, let’s rewind briefly to last week’s edition. In it, we reported that a current member of the Texas coaching staff had this to say about Tyrone Swoopes:
“Tyrone is growing tons. What’s even more promising about the progress he has shown this season is that he doesn’t have the luxury of checking with the coaches like a lot of other Big 12 quarterbacks have with their coaching staff. Ty has to know what the defensive set is and adjust accordingly all by himself.â€
Evidently the comment caused a bit of confusion (we heard from more than one of y’all about this). The idea that Swoopes can’t check with coaches was unclear. So we went back to the source and got a better explanation on what he meant by his original statement:
“That’s just not how our offense is run. We can barely get plays in, in time to run it much less check with Ty. But it will help him later on tremendously. He will be able to see things that a coach can’t from the sideline or booth once he gets it down. That’s why hurry-up was good for him early on. Defense doesn’t have time to change its look and he gets used to the look and what to run against it.â€
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In early September Connor Williams (OT – Coppell HS) pledged to play for Joe Wickline and the Horns. Williams is an integral part of the Cowboys’ playoff run that ended this past weekend in a 51-35 loss to Desoto. It’ll be a quick turnaround for Williams as he’ll graduate from Coppell, spend the holidays with his family, and then enroll at UT in January.
We talked to several folks close to Williams, including one of his coaches, and based on those conversations, Joe Wickline and Texas fans should be excited about Williams’ arrival on campus.
Check out some of these comments:
- Williams is the unquestioned leader in the locker room.
- Although he has played both ways for the Cowboys, Williams really wants to play tight end in college. He was offered by both Michigan & Oregon as a tight end, but his “dream†has always been to play for Texas.
- Williams is the most versatile player Coppell has. On defense they can play him anywhere along the line. On offense he can play Tight End, Tackle, H-Back, and Fullback if needed.
All coaches can gush about their guys when given a chance, but there’s no mistaking how much the staff at Coppell genuinely likes him and appreciates what he did for the program: “He’s the smartest kid we’ve ever coached. He’s the only tight end I’ve ever known who can tell you everyone’s assignment on every play. He’s an extremely high character kid who we’ve never had to worry about. I know Strong has had to dismiss some guys and is looking for kids who will act right and you’ll never have to worry about Connor. He’s the type of kid that even if he isn’t starting you can use him situationally in other spots. He can line up as another blocking tight end. We put him in motion and he can crack back or be a threat in the passing game.â€
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We caught up with one of our better team sources about the team and the upcoming TCU game. The conversation started off with the standard stuff about the team being “loose, relaxed, and having good practicesâ€.
Yawn.
We pushed a little more and got a few noteworthy bits of information to pass along…
- On how the staff plans to contain Trevone Boykin: “They [the coaches] believe that stopping Green [Aaron Green, TCU’s running back] is the key to this game. If they can limit Green without committing extra personnel, then Boykin is going to have a long, confusing night.â€
- On Senior night: “TCU better do something about John Harris early. He’s an emotional player and he’ll be looking to put an exclamation point on this season. What better night to do so than Senior night? Like I said, the Frogs better not let him get rolling early.â€
- On his expectations for Tyrone Swoopes: “Ty is just Ty. He’s hard to read because he doesn’t let himself get too high or too low. I know he loves his teammates and really feels responsible to play well for the Senior class – especially because of the way those upper-classmen have helped him all season. This game will have a lot of emotions for Ty, so in one sense, Thursday night will be determined by how well he can turn all that off and just go play football.â€
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When we talked to Coppell coaches, we also asked about former Coppell standout Nick Jordan. There are several noteworthy things in their response and it provides an interesting behind-the-scenes look at a position that’s been scrutinized this year:
“Nick was kind of down because he got to Texas and they brought in the guy from Penn State [Anthony Fera]. He then had a hip problem that was really bothering him and he decided to redshirt. Now he’s behind Rose.â€
“We told him to use the time to get stronger and go get his masters since he’s almost through with his undergrad. With his hip issues fixed, he’s been kicking better. I know Strong has talked about burning that redshirt he’s taking if he’s needed in the last couple of games.â€
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We spoke with the head coach at a metroplex area high school and didn’t get the recruiting scoop we were after. We went back to the well and asked about his exposure with the new Longhorn staff, and came away with this gem:
“I love those guys, they’re great. We’ve worked with Bruce (Chambers) a lot in the past, and we’ve gotten to know Coach Bedford and Brian (Jean-Mary) since they took over. I love what they stand for and those guys are relentless in recruiting. We tell our parents if they ask about Texas that it’s going to be a lot like our program, those kids are going to act right and get an education. I think Strong is going to do well there, but if for some reason he can’t get it turned around he’ll leave that program in great shape for the next guy. I’m a fan.â€
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We talked with somebody up at the football offices and they shared some insight into the team’s upcoming schedule. Since the Horns’ final game is this week, the team will be done 10 days before the final games get played on December 6th.
While a lot of Texas fans have voiced displeasure about the Big 12’s lack of a championship game, it’s a non-issue for the 6-5 Horns. Leave it to this coaching staff to leverage the situation into an opportunity…
The hay to be made is in recruiting. Especially with the dead period being extended this year from mid-December to mid-January, that first week in December is going to be a critical one for the Horns. Not only do the coaches have a packed schedule of visits around the state, the entire staff is hoping for a big hosting weekend in early December.
Between high school playoffs and the end of the college season, a lot of the visitors haven’t been 100% confirmed yet. That’s where the Texas staff really feels like they have an advantage – they will be contacting and making plans with recruits before a lot of their competition has that opportunity.
And that benefit extends over into evaluating and contacting 2016 recruits too. While other schools are scrambling on 2015 kids, the Texas staff thinks they will be moving on to 2016 recruits, thus preserving their advantage.
One more point made about the calendar advantage came at the end of the conversation:
“Don’t think the staff doesn’t see what a win over TCU would do for that whole schedule. Beating a Top 5 team, and owning a four game winning streak, AND getting a leg up on scheduling visits? That’s like knowing you have a winning lottery ticket before the drawing. It’s almost unfair.â€
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We caught up with Kerwin Roach tonight, just in time to add to this report. First, his response is notable because he apologized for the late response by saying he just got out of the gym. From speaking to him on several occasions, it’s obvious he is dedicated to improving his game.
In a quick conversation, we first asked him about his thoughts on seeing Texas win the 2K Classic over the weekend, “My thought on that is simply depth. Texas showed their depth when they won despite their star player going out.â€
We then asked if anything in particular stood out to him about the tournament, or the team’s first few games. His response, “I can see the chemistry between everyone – that's a good thing.â€
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We’ll close this edition with our tinfoil hat pulled on tightly…
In an email dated November 16, the SID office sent notice that a few Senior players would be available to the media during the bye week (in anticipation of the upcoming Senior day). At that press conference, Geoff Swaim, Steve Edmond, Jaxon Shipley and Malcolm Brown all met with the media.
At Monday’s weekly press conference, the rest of the notable Seniors met with reporters including: Ced Reed, Quandre Diggs, Mykkele Thompson, and John Harris.
Three notable exceptions at both sessions: No Tank Johnson. No Jordan Hicks. No Desmond Harrison.
Then, on Monday night, Tank Johnson confirmed (via Facebook) that he will return for one more season of eligibility. Are Hicks and Harrison next, or are we reading too far into the tea leaves?
