hornrush
Under Contract
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2013
- Messages
- 112
So, now the fun begins. Charlie Strong has made his choices for his staff and without a doubt there are Horn fans throughout the nation who have questions and doubts about this guy being chosen for this position or that guy for that coordinator role. Hell, even Strong’s choice for what he puts in his chili (beans or no beans) is liable to stir up such intense debate that he could be getting hate mail about that alone.
Welcome to 40 acres, Coach Strong.
In the midst of all of the complaining about Charlie Strong’s staff choices and the ubiquitous “Red may have been right…†and “…the BMDs are still mad…†type of postings throughout every Longhorn fan board, there seems to be something that these worry warts are missing; the team. I’m not just talking about the 80 or so 18-22 year olds that don the burnt orange every fall but the team that is being built to coach, manage, train and teach those same young men while they are stationed at the Longhorn ranch.
Some names on this staff may not be familiar to all of us and some names may cause some of our brethren to foam at the mouth and say things like, "this was the height of stupidity to choose this guy for that job." I get it. What these “rabid†folks aren't getting is that Charlie Strong is picking who works best for HIS plan, HIS goals and HIS vision. This isn't a popularity contest. If it were, Mr. Strong would still be in Louisville and we might have the most popular so-and-so coach right now instead of the right coach. If Strong chose people who, on paper, were the best choice to the media and to these so-called experts, that collection of coaches could wind up working independently and eventually against one another. Strong wants people who agree with his vision, understand their role in achieving HIS goals and care more about working together as a TEAM than as individuals trying to pad their resumes to get a better job in a couple of years. So ask yourselves, why is this so important to you, hornrush?
I’m glad you asked.
Steve Patterson was hired because he had a vision that blew away the folks making the choice for a new Athletic Director. A vision that was so antithetical to what has been in place with DeLoss Dodds and Mack Brown over the past two decades, that it persuaded those making that choice to finally start looking at Texas Athletics and especially the big three, football, basketball and baseball as programs that should be winning or contending for conference and national championships every single year. They finally found someone who believes that championships DO matter. And rest assured Patterson does have a vision. It is one that he is determined to implement and succeed regardless of who the BMDs, Exes or most rabid fans believe what names should be in what role. His first bold step? Charlie Strong. In Strong, he found someone who believes like he does that championships matter. Graduation matters. Good behavior matters. Winning the press conferences, winning the title of coach February, being the darling of the sports talk circuit or just being satisfied with playing in the same conference as Oklahoma? Those days are done. For those like me who have long waited to hear this, get ready. Texas will be the team hitting oklahoma in the mouth in Dallas from now on and the hard-hitting and toughness that were the hallmarks of the DKR years at UT are about to be revisited. The Texas-ou rivalry is about to get real and really good. Two of my better friends are former ou coaches and they both agree that the days of Stoops and Co. laughing at Texas in the Cotton Bowl are over. War has been declared, it has caught the attention of the okies and there will be blood.
Strong laid out his plan (most assuredly as he presented this to Patterson in his interview) that is making the rounds on the message boards across Longhorn nation right now. All disciplines for living and working together as a TEAM in the classroom, in the weight room, at the training table, in the dorm and on the field. There will be more plans laid out and implemented as the days and months roll along. Suffice it to say that only the strong will survive. And who doesn't want the strongest, toughest and smartest players playing for our beloved Texas Longhorns?
This new era in Texas football and athletics reminds me of a lesson from history. Indulge me for a moment.
During the Civil War, Abe Lincoln had himself a very popular general in charge of his entire army named George B. McClellan. McClellan was a great little organizer, was the darling of the press and controlling the message he wanted and had a couple of victories to keep his aura of being a “great†general intact. Lincoln’s biggest problem with McClellan was that he never could make up his mind when to fight and was never sure about how to win. Lincoln tried on numerous occasions to lay out his vision for victory but McClellan always thought he knew better.
Lincoln called in a hard-headed and hard-drinking Yankee named Grant. Now Grant wasn't much for organization nor was he interested in being the toast of DC, the darling of the know-it-all circuit or owning the press. He put men under his command that he trusted that, like him, were no favorites of the press or those power brokers back in Washington. Men like Sherman, Chamberlain and Sheridan. He surrounded himself with these like-minded men, pointed his battalions in the right direction, carried out his and Lincoln’s vision and won.
I believe Charlie Strong is going to be Steve Patterson’s Grant. He’s going to surround himself with the men he trusts, not give a damn about winning popularity contests or pissing off BMDs and he’s going to train and chisel this team into what he wants and then point them in the right direction and win.
Some of us are no longer tired of being tired. We’re relieved to be excited. We've been waiting for this type of approach since 1977. The NEW Texas Longhorn football team is coming…"and hell’s coming with them!"
Hook’em!
Welcome to 40 acres, Coach Strong.
In the midst of all of the complaining about Charlie Strong’s staff choices and the ubiquitous “Red may have been right…†and “…the BMDs are still mad…†type of postings throughout every Longhorn fan board, there seems to be something that these worry warts are missing; the team. I’m not just talking about the 80 or so 18-22 year olds that don the burnt orange every fall but the team that is being built to coach, manage, train and teach those same young men while they are stationed at the Longhorn ranch.
Some names on this staff may not be familiar to all of us and some names may cause some of our brethren to foam at the mouth and say things like, "this was the height of stupidity to choose this guy for that job." I get it. What these “rabid†folks aren't getting is that Charlie Strong is picking who works best for HIS plan, HIS goals and HIS vision. This isn't a popularity contest. If it were, Mr. Strong would still be in Louisville and we might have the most popular so-and-so coach right now instead of the right coach. If Strong chose people who, on paper, were the best choice to the media and to these so-called experts, that collection of coaches could wind up working independently and eventually against one another. Strong wants people who agree with his vision, understand their role in achieving HIS goals and care more about working together as a TEAM than as individuals trying to pad their resumes to get a better job in a couple of years. So ask yourselves, why is this so important to you, hornrush?
I’m glad you asked.
Steve Patterson was hired because he had a vision that blew away the folks making the choice for a new Athletic Director. A vision that was so antithetical to what has been in place with DeLoss Dodds and Mack Brown over the past two decades, that it persuaded those making that choice to finally start looking at Texas Athletics and especially the big three, football, basketball and baseball as programs that should be winning or contending for conference and national championships every single year. They finally found someone who believes that championships DO matter. And rest assured Patterson does have a vision. It is one that he is determined to implement and succeed regardless of who the BMDs, Exes or most rabid fans believe what names should be in what role. His first bold step? Charlie Strong. In Strong, he found someone who believes like he does that championships matter. Graduation matters. Good behavior matters. Winning the press conferences, winning the title of coach February, being the darling of the sports talk circuit or just being satisfied with playing in the same conference as Oklahoma? Those days are done. For those like me who have long waited to hear this, get ready. Texas will be the team hitting oklahoma in the mouth in Dallas from now on and the hard-hitting and toughness that were the hallmarks of the DKR years at UT are about to be revisited. The Texas-ou rivalry is about to get real and really good. Two of my better friends are former ou coaches and they both agree that the days of Stoops and Co. laughing at Texas in the Cotton Bowl are over. War has been declared, it has caught the attention of the okies and there will be blood.
Strong laid out his plan (most assuredly as he presented this to Patterson in his interview) that is making the rounds on the message boards across Longhorn nation right now. All disciplines for living and working together as a TEAM in the classroom, in the weight room, at the training table, in the dorm and on the field. There will be more plans laid out and implemented as the days and months roll along. Suffice it to say that only the strong will survive. And who doesn't want the strongest, toughest and smartest players playing for our beloved Texas Longhorns?
This new era in Texas football and athletics reminds me of a lesson from history. Indulge me for a moment.
During the Civil War, Abe Lincoln had himself a very popular general in charge of his entire army named George B. McClellan. McClellan was a great little organizer, was the darling of the press and controlling the message he wanted and had a couple of victories to keep his aura of being a “great†general intact. Lincoln’s biggest problem with McClellan was that he never could make up his mind when to fight and was never sure about how to win. Lincoln tried on numerous occasions to lay out his vision for victory but McClellan always thought he knew better.
Lincoln called in a hard-headed and hard-drinking Yankee named Grant. Now Grant wasn't much for organization nor was he interested in being the toast of DC, the darling of the know-it-all circuit or owning the press. He put men under his command that he trusted that, like him, were no favorites of the press or those power brokers back in Washington. Men like Sherman, Chamberlain and Sheridan. He surrounded himself with these like-minded men, pointed his battalions in the right direction, carried out his and Lincoln’s vision and won.
I believe Charlie Strong is going to be Steve Patterson’s Grant. He’s going to surround himself with the men he trusts, not give a damn about winning popularity contests or pissing off BMDs and he’s going to train and chisel this team into what he wants and then point them in the right direction and win.
Some of us are no longer tired of being tired. We’re relieved to be excited. We've been waiting for this type of approach since 1977. The NEW Texas Longhorn football team is coming…"and hell’s coming with them!"
Hook’em!
