'S' is for Swoopes

On Monday morning, Longhorn fans were accosted with news that David Ash, their starting quarterback, suffered concussion-like symptoms on Saturday night after Texas’ win over North Texas. The revelation from Head Coach Charlie Strong came directly on the heels of an announcement that Senior starting Center Dominic Espinosa fractured his ankle in the same game. Espinosa’s ankle requires surgical repair and he will not play for the remainder of the season.

Then, on Wednesday night, news broke that Senior Desmond Harrison and Junior Kennedy Estelle will both be suspended for Texas’ upcoming game against BYU. Harrison and Kennedy are the team’s starting Offensive Tackles.

So, essentially in a 48-hour span, the Longhorns lost three starters on the offensive line and their starting quarterback. In scientific terms that’s called ‘not ideal’.

Suddenly, the Texas coaches turned into proletariats, offering up collectivist ideologies whenever facing a voice recorder or TV camera.

That was Charlie Strong before news broke about additional offensive linemen being suspended. Offensive Coordinator Shawn Watson offered a similar philosophy in talking about 2nd-string-turned-starting quarterback, Tyrone Swoopes.

“Basically, his first transition he develops is he’s got to be a part of why we win. I said a part; he’s got to understand what he’s got at his disposal. He’s got two great tailbacks, he’s got a really gifted corps of receivers, he’s got really good tight ends, he’s got a really good offensive line, so he’s got to let those people help him. He does not need to put an “S” on his chest and a cape on his back and try to do it all by himself. It won’t work that way.”

While I recognize the value of what they’re espousing, go ahead and call me Ayn Rand. I believe in individualism.

Individualism is what Texas needs to beat BYU.

In keeping with Watson’s analogy, I’ll apologize to Superman, the Justice League and DC Comics – what Texas needs to be is The Avengers. The Longhorns need individual, superhero effort that must come in the form of teamwork in order to defeat the Cougars.

Marvel would have us all believe that The Avengers wouldn’t be victorious on an individual level. That may or may not be true.

Regardless, at some point in the story, Captain America has to be, well, Captain America. I’m confident that Super Soldier Serum is on the NCAA’s banned substances list, so Swoopes will have to rely on his physical talents, which are considerable.

“First he’s very athletic. He has a physical presence, he can hurt you at running the football, he’s got a very strong arm, and he can fit a ball in a very tight window.”

That is Watson’s description of Swoopes. It might not be Captain America-esque, but it’s enough to lead Texas to victory.

While Swoopes shouldn’t try to be a hero, and absolutely does need to rely on Malcolm Brown, Johnathan Gray and Jaxon Shipley, there will come a point on Saturday night when Texas needs him to execute a play.

It’s the difference between doing what you can do and trying to do more than you can do.

For eight months, Charlie Strong has extolled the virtue of personal responsibility. Collectivism is the anti-Strong because it removes responsibility from the equation, thus catering to the unmotivated and lazy-minded. A lack of responsibility may benefit the collective, but, ultimately, productivity suffers.

That’s just a fancy way to say that relying on the team sounds utopian, but Swoopes and the offense need to produce, especially when given a chance by defense or special teams.

(Editorial note: At least I think that’s what it says?)

Compounding this situation is the fact that Strong and Bronco Mendenhall, BYU’s Head Coach, are so similar in their approach to the game and their team. Physical, aggressive, tough, disciplined – the adjectives that Texas fans use to describe their coach and team are the same ones that BYU fans use.

“It’s not as much about the schemes as it is about the effort and the mind-set… a combination of collective consciousness of effort and competitive spirit.”

For the record, that’s Mendenhall, not Strong.

Mendenhall and Strong are mirror images, which will make it harder to execute the collectivist strategy. Beating an entrenched guy at his own game is never simple, and when the strategy involves having the most important position on the field take a decreased role, it adds to the difficulty.

And make no mistake, Swoopes is hearing it from all sides…

Admittedly there’s no telling what’s being said on the practice field. It’s safe to trust that Strong and his coaching staff fully realize that Swoopes needs to make a few plays on Saturday night.

The battle becomes knowing how much responsibility to place on Swoopes and understanding the proper balance of reinforcing his need to rely on the collective. By my estimation, that’s an incredibly fine line for Charlie Strong and Shawn Watson to walk.

Without Captain America’s help, The Avengers fail. Without The Avengers, Captain America is neutralized.

Regardless of what he’s telling Swoopes in practice, Strong’s message to the team this week needs to be, “Avengers Assemble!”