Muschamp Making Changes?

[SlickStreet]

We have the exact same personnel as last year, only a year older. Which no doubt helps. The OL is better but is still below average in 3/5 of the spots.

The OL went into the year considered perhaps the most experienced group in the nation, as was the team. No question Case was a hindrance, though Ash's injury was somewhat negated by the emergence of the ground game--an element that had been worked on for years and finally saw some payoff. That's courtesy in part of Harsin.

I'm not saying Major sucks; I just think his supporters sometimes give him too many kudos and/or pardons. I think the latter are warranted to an extent, as it may well be that Mack's "meddling," as people say. He darn sure was last year after the O' was lighting up the scoreboard but the D' needed to be protected. Mack admitted that much publicly. This year? Who knows what level he may or may not have interfered.

 

[Lord Vader]

The OL went into the year considered perhaps the most experienced group in the nation, as was the team.

I think that was overcooked. Experience without development does not mean much.

 

[zzzizzzy]

I wouldn't be too quick to denigrate Major's abilities. He's had the constraints of a meddling head coach and noodle armed qb.I'd like to see what he can do under better circumstances.

Truth.

 

[TheContractor]

What better play calling? You are limited when the defense doesn't have to effectively cover a 1/3 of the field depending on field position because your QB has no arm to make throws. The Case McCoy route tree has maybe 2 branches, then you back that up with 3/5 of your OL being below average due to physical limitations, experience, or injuries.
So tell me offensive guru what play calls should Applewhite have used that he is currently not?

As far as hiring Applewhite as opposed to xxx, what Top 10 OC is going to be leaving their current job to take a chance that he will still have a job after the season, not too mention what OC in the Top 10 is not going to get a head coaching job somewhere else?

Well how about the plays that Wyatt has to help Major with. Ill start with that. Without Wyatt input, we lost at least 1 maybe 2 more games but Major is just not a good OC. Yes he has little to work with but Major doesnt bring much to the table. Don't let the x-Texas QB cloud ur judgment of Major.

 

[Burnt]

I too would like to see what MA could do without interference. So many people have called him out this year for being bad but yet do we know if he's the one calling the plays and does he have autonomy? Mack has always loved having a fall guy, maybe MA is the newest of the post.

 

[NLeininger]

Well how about the plays that Wyatt has to help Major with. Ill start with that. Without Wyatt input, we lost at least 1 maybe 2 more games but Major is just not a good OC. Yes he has little to work with but Major doesnt bring much to the table. Don't let the x-Texas QB cloud ur judgment of Major.

So name a good OC with little to work with? You are contradicting yourself.

 

[TheContractor]

So name a good OC with little to work with? You are contradicting yourself.

Gus Malzhan, yes he is the HC but i feel he is the real OC. RBs are good. I dont buy Marshall as a good QB. I dont think their WR are all that either.

 

[POCKEY]

Well how about the plays that Wyatt has to help Major with. Ill start with that. Without Wyatt input, we lost at least 1 maybe 2 more games but Major is just not a good OC. Yes he has little to work with but Major doesnt bring much to the table. Don't let the x-Texas QB cloud ur judgment of Major.

Funny, Major is actually very well thought of in coaching ranks. Who have I personally heard this from? Rice's David Bailiff, Skip Holtz, as well as several ADs and Sports Broadcasters. He is thought of as a tireless worker and extremely knowledgable for his age. The fact he has already been the OC for Nick Saban, David Graham and Mack Brown is not lost on his peers. Is he the best in the business? Probably not. But he's not chopped liver either.

But, hey, you certainly don't let your hatred for all things Bellmont cloud your judgement.

Texas will most certainly have a new HC but it may not have a new OC. The new HC may well want to retain Major. Maybe. It will be his call. I for one wouldn't be upraised one way or the other.

 

[Thiggystyle]

Well how about the plays that Wyatt has to help Major with. Ill start with that. Without Wyatt input, we lost at least 1 maybe 2 more games but Major is just not a good OC. Yes he has little to work with but Major doesnt bring much to the table. Don't let the x-Texas QB cloud ur judgment of Major.

Be careful claiming rumors you hear as fact. What you are stating here is extremely presumptuous and can't be proven one way or another. This offense lost its starting quarterback and has had to rely on a QB that had thrown a total of 220 passes coming into the year. We all know Case was probably brought in because of his brother not because of his abilities. He has proven to be serviceable but you have to attribute some of that success to Major calling the right plays. Boring, vanilla, whatever, it has led us to a chance at a share of the conference championship. Add in the fact that we have also lost our starting and best RB yet this offense is sitting ranked 4th in the conference behind Tech (#9 in the nation), Baylor (#1 in the nation) and Oklahoma State.

The coaches also give Case some freedom to check to plays based on what the defense is showing. Opposing teams have understood that the run was our strength so they focus on stopping that by bringing a safety down. Case has the freedom to check to a pass play with one on one coverage - which if you go back and watch the game films you will see him do a lot. He also has the green light to check to a run if we have numbers. This does not always end well, as you know mostly due to the limitations of Case's physical abilities. This puts us behind the chains and forces a different approach on the next play or two to catch up or get even.

I'm not saying that Major is the best OC out there but we are averaging 33 points per game on the season. I find it comical when people criticize when we are winning games. Yes, there have been disappointments this season but we are in a position to win the conference. During our three loses we have averaged 21 points - you cannot blame those losses on the offense.

 

[TheContractor]

Funny, Major is actually very well thought of in coaching ranks. Who have I personally heard this from? Rice's David Bailiff, Skip Holtz, as well as several ADs and Sports Broadcasters. He is thought of as a tireless worker and extremely knowledgable for his age. The fact he has already been the OC for Nick Saban, David Graham and Mack Brown is not lost on his peers. Is he the best in the business? Probably not. But he's not chopped liver either.
But, hey, you certainly don't let your hatred for all things Bellmont cloud your judgement.

Texas will most certainly have a new HC but it may not have a new OC. The new HC may well want to retain Major. Maybe. It will be his call. I for one wouldn't be upraised one way or the other.

Yes he has worked for Saban for 1 year and promptly been told to find another job. I dont hate Major at all but i think he is in over his head as a OC/playcaller for a top program. I dont think he has enough experience. Yes he is a good young mind but he needs to learn. Like people outside of football, he needs to go to grad school for a few years.

The topic was about Muschamp hiring Major as the OC and I stated earlier and i will again. If I were Foley and Muschamp came and said i want Major as my OC, I would fire Muschamp. He has 1 year to prove himself and needs an OC that can turn it around. I dont think its Major.

If the new HC keeps Major as the OC/playcaller, i think that is a huge mistake. Unless the HC is the defacto OC/playcaller. I think Major needs to go to grad school.

 

[TheContractor]

Be careful claiming rumors you hear as fact. What you are stating here is extremely presumptuous and can't be proven one way or another. This offense lost its starting quarterback and has had to rely on a QB that had thrown a total of 220 passes coming into the year. We all know Case was probably brought in because of his brother not because of his abilities. He has proven to be serviceable but you have to attribute some of that success to Major calling the right plays. Boring, vanilla, whatever, it has led us to a chance at a share of the conference championship. Add in the fact that we have also lost our starting and best RB yet this offense is sitting ranked 4th in the conference behind Tech (#9 in the nation), Baylor (#1 in the nation) and Oklahoma State.
The coaches also give Case some freedom to check to plays based on what the defense is showing. Opposing teams have understood that the run was our strength so they focus on stopping that by bringing a safety down. Case has the freedom to check to a pass play with one on one coverage - which if you go back and watch the game films you will see him do a lot. He also has the green light to check to a run if we have numbers. This does not always end well, as you know mostly due to the limitations of Case's physical abilities. This puts us behind the chains and forces a different approach on the next play or two to catch up or get even.

I'm not saying that Major is the best OC out there but we are averaging 33 points per game on the season. I find it comical when people criticize when we are winning games. Yes, there have been disappointments this season but we are in a position to win the conference. During our three loses we have averaged 21 points - you cannot blame those losses on the offense.

Thiggy, im sure you also read McP posts. He has stated a couple of times about the arguments the offensive staff is having and that Wyatt has a couple of times had to make the call that has led to points. Wyatt had to go against what Major wanted to do to. So, ill trust McPhal on that. Im not starting a rumor there.

And about having issues when we are winning, yeah I have issues when issues are there. I assume you are in favor of keeping Mack bc we are winning? We win and we "aggie tie" for a conf title. Are you happy bc we win 9 games? I am not.

3 losses, avg 21 points and i can not blame the O. Yes i can, not just the O but they do have their part in it. When Ole Miss, shuts you out at home in the 2nd half, yeah i blame that on the O. Also, we are avg 19 in losses. The offenses in this conference behind TT, BU and Ok St arnt that good so being 4th isnt that big of a deal to me. I am ok with running vanilla plays, but effective plays.

Major isnt the biggest problem on this team or even the O but he isnt a OC i would go out and hire(RIGHT NOW) if i was hiring OCs at a top program. IMO, he needs a few years to learn bc he hasnt had the chance to learn from a good Offensive mind.

IF you like him as ur OC, so be it.

 

[Lord Vader]

Thats part of the problem, there are too many roosters in the hen house. One guy needs to be making the choices, not a committee.

 

[Chitownhorn]

If it was him who made the change. Very well could have been Brown meddling in things, which he is prone to do.
Someone one here reported Major had been asked about this at some sort of function and said to "ask the boss"

Agreed that Mac has been known to meddle with the play calling but how many head coaches give the OC complete autonomy? My guess is most head coaches do meddle with the play calling to some degree. If Major is using Mac as an excuse he better get used to the HC being a HC and having some input into the play calling.

 

[Thiggystyle]

Thiggy, im sure you also read McP posts. He has stated a couple of times about the arguments the offensive staff is having and that Wyatt has a couple of times had to make the call that has led to points. Wyatt had to go against what Major wanted to do to. So, ill trust McPhal on that. Im not starting a rumor there.
And about having issues when we are winning, yeah I have issues when issues are there. I assume you are in favor of keeping Mack bc we are winning? We win and we "aggie tie" for a conf title. Are you happy bc we win 9 games? I am not.

3 losses, avg 21 points and i can not blame the O. Yes i can, not just the O but they do have their part in it. When Ole Miss, shuts you out at home in the 2nd half, yeah i blame that on the O. Also, we are avg 19 in losses. The offenses in this conference behind TT, BU and Ok St arnt that good so being 4th isnt that big of a deal to me. I am ok with running vanilla plays, but effective plays.

Major isnt the biggest problem on this team or even the O but he isnt a OC i would go out and hire(RIGHT NOW) if i was hiring OCs at a top program. IMO, he needs a few years to learn bc he hasnt had the chance to learn from a good Offensive mind.

IF you like him as ur OC, so be it.

Again, I like the civil debates we can have. Also - I may be bad at math....(19 point total average in losses)

I wasn't saying that you were starting the rumor what I was saying is that you claimed a rumor (what you read on McPhaul's post - and it is a rumor) as being fact and used that as an agrument in your position. In fact the way McPhaul reported it was that Major was hell bent on staying with a ground attack and Wyatt suggested a few key moments where we should attack over the top. Major supposedly heeded the advise and the plays results in touchdowns/big gains. Even if this is true I wouldn't consider this necessarily a bad thing. Every great leader surrounds himself with intelligent people and it behoves them to listen to them every now and then. I am not claiming Major to be a great leader or to have even selected those around him but I am saying that under this claim if he did listen to Wyatt it was a good thing and doesn't degrade his abilities. As for the reported conflicts between Major and Wyatt & Major and Harrison well again I wasn't there and don't know the whole story so I can't comment on the accuracy or depth of the issues but football coaches always have disagreements. This is a heated game played with a lot of testosterone and typically the guys in charge are type A. Heads are going to butt and again I don't think that reflects on an individuals ability to perform.

Nope, I am not in favor of keeping Mack. I was reluctant to jump on the fire Mack train a year or so ago but I've come to change my view and think it is time for him to move on and for the program to get a fresh face in here. "Aggie tie" is a silly comment - yes, I would prefer to win outright but when you earn a share of the title you earn it. Ask any of these players on the team now if they feel that a share of the conference championship is an "aggie tie" and I think they would get upset and offended because they busted their asses to get it. Am I happy with 9 wins - YES - am I happy with losing 3 (maybe 4) games NO! But given the circumstances of the season (read injuries and lack of dept at certain positions) I find it very hard to substantiate your claim that Major doesn't bring anything to the table. Defense has been the issue, not offense. When we lost to BYU they controlled the game by running it all over our defense and our offense produced 445 yards. They didn't put it in the endzone as much as needed, obviously, but don't let the final score decive you into thinking we didn't move the ball on offense. The Ole Miss game was very disappointing and I agree I flet like we didn't do anything on offense in the second half to effect the outcome of the game. We only had 320 yards of total offense but I did not feel that Major called a good game that day.

My point is that it seems your perception of Major has been skewed by the losses and injuries but don't be mistaken it is widely acccepted within the coaching ranks that Major is a very good offensive mind. He is well thought of, professionally - personal indiscrestions aside, and as a recruiter he has been one of the bulldogs on our staff. We have had many committments due to him alone. IMHO he would do a good job at Florida with Muschamp in any situation, but given the fact that there are not many good OC's out there he may be the best option Florida has.

 

[TheContractor]

Agreed Thiggy, its good to be able to discuss even if we have different views.

Even though play calling is a hindsight thing, whoever is calling them this year has not been great at it, ill accept average overall.

9-3 with the schedule we played is not acceptable to me. Factor in being embarrassed in the 3 losses, only 1 being to a top 25 team is not acceptable in the year Mack has claimed "we will play for a BCS title." At most places you dont get 4 years to turn it around. And even now we will enter 2014 not much better. Our recruiting, regardless of what a few websites says, is not that good, at least not to me.

Back to the Major topic. Widley considered a good offensive mind is very debatable. He is a young guy with a lot of promise but I dont feel he is there. I do think he a very good to great recruiter. As a hands on teacher, i havent seen enough to comment. But as a OC/play caller/putting guys in position to succeed/getting certain guys enough touches on game day i think he is average. I feel if he went and learned from a top mind he would be very good and maybe come back to Texas as a OC. When he came to Texas from Bama as the RB coach i though that was a great idea and even when he shared the OC duties with Harsin I though that would work. But Major alone as the sole OC, i just dont think he has learned enough. And on saturdays, it definitely shows. No he isnt a bad OC but i don't think he is a great OC either.

And If you as a coach had 1 yr or you know you would be fired, you would not bring in someone that maybe is a good OC. You need someone that is better, especially if you are at a top 10 national program. Another college guy or a NFL guy but someone more proven. I would.