Before the 2014 season, expectations for Charlie Strong’s first year ranged far and wide. While some believed a new coaching staff, focusing on the talent on-hand, could deliver 10 wins, others looked at the roster and only saw half that number. Now that the Longhorns are 2/3 of the way through the season, five wins is a potential reality. Ten wins feels like an alternate universe.
The difficult pill for Texas fans to swallow is that neither of the factions described above foresaw a season unfolding like the current one. From the third quarter against BYU, to the fourth quarter against Oklahoma, this Fall has been nothing other than an inconsistent series of unpredictable performances.
Those inconsistencies are leading to discontented fans that are losing faith in one or more members of the new coaching staff. Personally, the only thing the first eight games left me with are questions that I should have been asking in August…
What was the goal for the 2014 season?
There are two possible answers to this question: “We want to win football gamesâ€, and “We’re building a foundation for our programâ€. There are tangents to each answer, but most other responses fit into one of those two categories.
Unfortunately for Texas faithful, this isn’t Utopia – winning football games and building for the future do not always harmonize. Given that thought, I’m left with the only conclusion possible: Charlie Strong is sacrificing 2014’s win-loss record to lay the foundation he believes is necessary for a successful future.
Dismissals, suspensions, and personnel decisions are enough to indicate to me that Strong is more interested in 2016’s success than 2014’s. I actually don’t have a problem with the philosophy. What is difficult for me to reconcile is the next question. Especially as it relates to building a strong foundation versus winning games…
What is the appropriate balance between teaching new schemes, and putting players in the best possible position to succeed?‘”
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[*]A pro-style offense that controls the clock with an effective running game.
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[*]An aggressive defense that puts opponents in unfavorable down and distance situations and then applies pressure.
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By all accounts that is what I expected from the offense and defense in August. I knew there would be growing pains, but those were the consistent principles that coaches focused on during Fall practices.
Then David Ash, Dom Espinosa and Tank Jackson were lost for the season. Then each hour seemed to bring news of a different player being dismissed or suspended.
The result of those things? A young, inexperienced team with a brand new coaching staff morphed into an unstable collection of young players with even less experience.
Along the way, Strong, along with Shawn Watson and Vance Bedford, told their players and the media that it’s “next man up†– in other words, they were not going to deviate from their mission regardless of what players had to play.
Tyrone Swoopes was thrust into the starting quarterback role. Rather than change the concept and design of the offense, they “simplified itâ€. On the other side of the ball, Cedric Reed was being asked to control multiple gaps rather than rush the passer.
Over the course of eight games, the way the coaching staff remained true to their offensive and defensive philosophies, regardless of what personnel was playing, emphasized their answer to the first question more than any dismissal did.
If the goal of 2014 was to lay a solid foundation for future years, why is making a bowl game a priority?
Don’t try to sell me a generic answer like “bowl practicesâ€. While I understand the significance of additional practice time, that answer changes what I’ve seen all season.
Yes, the Senor class wants to go bowling. So does the rest of the team. Yes, extra practice time is crucial to continue developing younger players and laying a foundation for the future.
No, failing to turn Reed loose to rush the passer doesn’t help win games. No, simplifying the offense instead of changing it to suit Swoopes, doesn’t help win games.
Don’t tell me after 8 games that going to a bowl game is a priority when you haven’t shown me it’s a priority in those 8 games.
Beyond the inconsistency that is laid out above, there is another big picture question that is dogging the Texas program in Strong’s first season: At what point do trees become a forest?
Strong recites missed opportunities with ease:'”
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[*]A missed tackle in the third quarter against BYU
[*]Poor punt coverage on one play versus UCLA
[*]A missed third down throw in Lawrence
[*]A critical penalty on the offense in the Baylor game
[*]Two players falling down on punt coverage against OU
[*]A missed tackle against Iowa State
[*]Taking an unnecessary sack in Manhattan
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Regardless of what the goal was for 2014, after eight games, the talk of missed opportunities is starting to become disturbing. An obvious trend of poor execution in eight games is not a symptom, it’s an illness.
Whether it’s building a brick house, making a bowl game, or improving execution, my question at the moment is: What’s the big picture, Coach?
