Is Swoopes the answer? (article)

[Matt Cotcher]

Changing the narrative

in Texas Longhorns Football By Matt Cotcher   

 @mlcotcher
 
When the Texas Longhorns finished with a thud at 6-7, fans immediately began questioning things. Charlie Strong, Shawn Watson, Joe Wickline, the entire starting 11 on offense…nobody is above the scrutiny.

Especially not Tyrone Swoopes.

After throwing 5 interceptions and only one touchdown combined in the team’s final two games (both losses), Swoopes drew the brunt of the criticism for the lacking performance of the Texas offense. After spending a season questioning play calling, and talking about the band-aid unit along the offensive line, fans switched gears after Thanksgiving night, laying blame squarely on No. 18.

To call the season a roller-coaster performance from Swoopes is a gross understatement. Here’s a game-by-game look at Swoopes’ performances this season, along with a generalized representation of what fans thought after each game:

BYU: 20/31 passing for 176 yards, 1 interception, and 1 TD
- 25 yards rushing
- Sacked 3 times
What fans said: Not bad for his first collegiate start. Texas lost the game on defense, not because of Swoopes.

UCLA: 24/34 passing for 196 yards, 0 interceptions, and 2 touchdowns
- 21 yards rushing
- Sacked 2 times
What fans said: The UCLA defense is pretty athletic. Swoopes had a lead in the 4th quarter – tough to complain about that.

KU: 19/34 passing for 218 yards, 0 interceptions, and 2 touchdowns
- 21 yards rushing, and 1 rushing touchdown
- Sacked twice
What fans said: I expected more from the offense. It wasn’t bad, but they didn’t light it up either.

Baylor: 16/34 passing for 144 yards, 2 interceptions, and 0 touchdowns
- 54 yards rushing
- Sacked once
What fans said: The fumble right before halftime was a momentum killer. Baylor is a good team, but I was disappointed in quarterback play given the performance in the last 2-3 weeks. This was a step back in my eyes.

OU: 27/44 passing for 344 yards, 1 interception, and 2 touchdowns
- 63 yards rushing, and 1 rushing touchdown
- Sacked twice
What fans said: Swoopes took two steps forward this week. If Texas can get this level of performance each week, then the Horns are gonna be tough to beat.

ISU: 24/36 passing for 321 yards, 1 interception, and 1 touchdown
- 100 yards rushing, and 1 rushing touchdown
- Sacked once
What fans said: Where did the defense go? Swoopes and the offense scored more than enough. This game should not have been close.

KSU: 13/25 passing for 106 yards, 0 interceptions, and 0 touchdowns
- 49 yards rushing
- Sacked twice
What fans said: OU and Iowa State were progress, but this was a major step backward. Swoopes and the offense generated nothing. I don’t know whether to blame the offensive line or the quarterback.

Texas Tech: 13/25 passing for 228 yards, 0 interceptions, and 1 touchdown
- 32 yards rushing
- Sacked three times
What fans said: Quarterback play wasn’t spectacular, but it didn’t hurt the team either. When you can run the football successfully, you don’t have to have a quarterback win the game.

West Virginia: 11/29 passing for 124 yards, 1 interception, and 1 touchdown
- 4 yards rushing
- Not sacked
What fans said: This felt like a repeat of the Tech game. I’m concerned that the team isn’t getting more from the passing game.

Oklahoma State: 24/33 passing for 305 yards, 0 interceptions, and 2 touchdowns
- 17 yards rushing
- Sacked 3 times
What fans said: After a couple of stagnant weeks, this felt like progress. Swoopes and the offense are going to be okay. With a normal offensive line, this team would have a different record.

TCU: 20/24 passing for 200 yards, 4 interceptions, and 1 touchdown
- 110 yards rushing
- Sacked 4 times
What fans said: That’s the worst quarterback performance I’ve ever seen from a Longhorn.

Arkansas: 13/25 passing for 57 yards, 1 interception, 0 touchdowns
- 9 yards rushing, and 1 rushing touchdown
- Sacked 3 times
What fans said: Pathetic. With extra bowl practices, Swoopes and the offense were terrible. What did they do for two weeks?

The high point of Swoopes’ season was consecutive games against Oklahoma and Iowa State. In those two contests, Swoopes produced a total of 800 yards of offense, which is the third highest output in school history (for consecutive games). Additionally, his 384 yards of total offense in the Red River Shootout is the highest total in the history of the Texas/OU series.

Conversely, the level of futility fans witnessed against TCU and Arkansas transformed the narrative on Swoopes. After being patient with the young signal caller, and even excusing some poor performances, the burnt orange faithful played the roles of judge and jury.

Currently fans are ready to take on the role of executioner as well. People willing to give Swoopes an opportunity to improve during Spring practice are more rare than Longhorn first downs in the Texas Bowl.

Swoopes built a resume over 10 games that had fans confused. Folks talked about his youth, and inexperience. Others blamed the offense’s Jekyll-Hyde performance on the offensive line, and suggested that the starting skill positions players on offense were not Division I caliber.

That 10-game resume was torn to shreds in the final two games. Now, instead of reviewing Swoopes’ season as a 12 event collection, fans are only remembering the TCU and Arkansas games. According to fans, it’s time for Jerrod Heard to take over the position; to move Swoopes to tight end; or for the Longhorns to add a graduate transfer player at quarterback.

What is the reality of the situation – Are fans looking for an excuse to hype the most popular player in Austin (the backup quarterback)? Is Swoopes the player from the OU game, or the TCU game?

As of mid-January, the only comment from Texas coaches is that there will be open competition at the quarterback position. Despite what fans are saying amongst themselves, that competition will include Tyrone Swoopes. 

 

[Worster1]

Good article and a very fair assessment Matt.  You clearly described the general view, opinion and the current mood of most of our critical thinking fans about TS.  I certainly have been a critic of TS but many of us I think have tried to give him time, be objective, somewhat fair while considering his overall body of work.

I truly wanted (and I think many of our fans) wanted Swoopes to succeed at QB.  The OL merry-go-round didn't help, but he regressed so much toward the end of the season and in my mind I kept going back to his post game statements, his body language, his lack of emotion, seeming lack of confidence, what the coaches said about him, etc., etc.

Yes, TS will have a chance in the spring to perhaps redeem himself or start over, if he wants to .... to compete and show he can be and should be the QB at UT in 2015. 

We will see....

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

It's like you were reading my mind, Matt! (or at least my HS posts)  ^_^

 

[bcherry168]

He has the physical tools. All he needs to do is develop the mental tools needed. With that OL, he didn't have a lot of chances to be frank.

 

[JimR]

what is the question?

 

[North Texas Golfer]

what is the question?

Beat me to it.

 

[Matt Cotcher]

what is the question?

Will fans give Swoopes a chance to improve, or did the TCU and Arkansas cement his ability in their mind? If fans use 12 games to judge his body of work (instead of the last 2), do they change their view?

 

[HornEsch]

Swoopes will be given a chance by the coaches. It is not like they have much of a choice, until they build a stable of QBs.

Will the fans? At first, no way in hell. Yes that is blunt, but just how it is. The position is very unforgiving when things go bad. He would have to earn it back and we are not talking about against weak competition.

All that depends if he can somehow get the starting job, be it through winning it I the Spring or through an injury.

I will say this, if he does somehow get the chance he better take it by the horns.

 

[lakeman74]

Swoopes passed for 2,409 yards this season with 11 picks.  OU Sophmore Trevor Knight passed for 2,300 yds & threw 12 picks.

What does all this mean?

 

[dillohorn]

No!

 

[doc longhorn]

what is the question?

Is Swoopes the answer?

The answer, IMO, is probably no.  I think he is ruined and will never recover.

 

[doc longhorn]

Will fans give Swoopes a chance to improve, or did the TCU and Arkansas cement his ability in their mind? If fans use 12 games to judge his body of work (instead of the last 2), do they change their view?

Matt, we have some of the most entitled fans in the country.  If he came back this year and played like Peyton Manning, Swoopes would still not be forgiven.  He will be under one of the most intense microscopes in the history of football and every little mistake he makes he will be crucified.  He has no chance.  He and UT are better served for him to transfer to another team and UT to start anew at the QB position.

 

[streettopeschel]

That's pretty dramatic Doc. Fans who weren't utter a-holes 'forgave' Simms after the '01 CCG and he had a very good 02 culminating in 11-2.

If swoopes plays and produces, 2014 will be forgotten.

 

[odell327]

You can look at stats in a black in white manner but that doesn't, IMO, give you an accurate depiction of his performance or the overall offensive performance. You have to look at completion %, 3 and outs, misreads, and poor decisions. As I've said my biggest issue is Swoopes seems to have little development in commanding the offense. He misreads plays, struggles with progressions, and doesn't seem to have the authority or ability to check in/out of plays based on defensive formations. For a QB, ability, goes way beyond your physical ability.

You add his demeanor, lack of confidence, etc and I'm positive that at this time he hasn't progressed to a point that shows he will be an effective College QB. IMO based upon things stated by former players is that he lacks the drive to put in the work, as a student of the game, to maximize his potential.

I'll finish with what CS wants out of his QB. He doesn't need a star, just a game manager that doesn't make a lot of mistakes. Unfortunately, Swoopes has not demonstrated a skill set mainly mentally that leads me to believe he can deliver what CS wants.

 

[Coleman Feeley]

Matt, we have some of the most entitled fans in the country.  If he came back this year and played like Peyton Manning, Swoopes would still not be forgiven.  He will be under one of the most intense microscopes in the history of football and every little mistake he makes he will be crucified.  He has no chance.  He and UT are better served for him to transfer to another team and UT to start anew at the QB position.

I disagree... When I was in Middle School there was a Texas QB that everyone was unsure about/ borderline disliked... He was similar to Swoopes in his size and ability to extend plays with his mobility but was constantly scrutinized for his throwing motion, his inconsistency, and his profound ability to turn the ball over. He finished his first season as a starter with 6 TD's and 7 INT's and just over 1000 yards passing. Longhorn Nation was SURE he wasn't the answer...

Then in 2005 he won a national championship... so who knows?!?!

...also I never forgave Chris Simms. You know the difference between Chris Simms and a Dollar?  ...you get 4 quarters out of a dollar.

 

[North Texas Golfer]

Matt, we have some of the most entitled fans in the country.  If he came back this year and played like Peyton Manning, Swoopes would still not be forgiven.  He will be under one of the most intense microscopes in the history of football and every little mistake he makes he will be crucified.  He has no chance.  He and UT are better served for him to transfer to another team and UT to start anew at the QB position.

"If he came back this year and played like Peyton Manning, Swoopes would still not be forgiven"

"Entitled" is not the word I would use to describe fans who would not forgive Swoopes if he came back and played like Peyton Manning.

Stupid, dumb, or ignorant would be more accurate. They would be any one of these or maybe even all of them.  

 

[TeamMayhall]

All the chatter of moving him to tight end is pointless also...Hes way to timid for that position and openly admitted getting hit makes him nervous...However, I do think he has potential to be a decent backup #HookEm

 

[Worster1]

Coleman, your post reminded me....

I attended the 2001 Big XII Championship game loss to Colorado.  After the game walking out and under the stands, I made eye contact and briefly walked along side DKR for a short way.  We both had a facial look of bewilderment, disgust and anger (at least on my part) - neither of us spoke but we both probably knew what the other was thinking / feeling.  That was the only time I was ever in his presence. 

Sorry, but to this day I have not forgiven Chris Simms for that game. 

If Swoopes suddenly woke up and turned things around next season, yes I would forgive him for 2014 and I think most of our fans would.  Simms was a different situation IMO.

 

[North Texas Golfer]

All the chatter of moving him to tight end is pointless also...Hes way to timid for that position and openly admitted getting hit makes him nervous...However, I do think he has potential to be a decent backup #HookEm

Funny you should bring that up. There's a good read over on Burnt Orange Nation by Wescott Eberts, "Stop Talking About Tyrone Swoopes moving to TE".

He starts the article by saying;

"In the world of stupid Texas Football sports discussions, the current runaway leader in stupidity is talking about sophomore quarterback Tyrone Swoopes moving to Tight End. Stop it. It's not going to happen."

And he goes on to give some pretty good reasons why. Maybe someone can provide the link because for some reason I can't.