On Saturday, Texas fans got their first look at new Head Coach Charlie Strong and his version of Texas Football. What fans didn’t get to see hear is what Coach Strong and the players had to say after the game.
Here are some of the key points that were made during post-game media availability as well as some personal translation of what was said…
Charlie Strong: It is all about tackling and catching the football and connecting the throws. When you talk about fundamentals and technique that can be corrected, assignment can be corrected, we just got to do a better job of coaching. When you look at it just overall, we still have some work to do. I wish I had 15 more days but I don’t have them.
Reading Between the Lines – It’s encouraging that Coach Strong only sees changes that can be corrected. It’s impossible to fix attitudes. It’s possible to fix blocking assignments. My opinion is that the unspoken message here is that fans need to be patient because this is a long-term process.
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Charlie Strong: You are the quarterback and it is all about you and what you have to do to make sure that we just drive the ball and get first downs, don’t look for the big play and just get first downs and continue to move the chains.
Reading Between the Lines – In less than 20 minutes, Coach Strong referenced having a quarterback ‘manage the offense’ more than a half-dozen times. That a not-so-subtle hint on what’s expected of the position.
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Charlie Strong: Now we get into next week they are going to sit down and they are going to meet with our coaches and have a chance just to sit one-on-one and have the coaches tell them exactly where they are. I want the coaches to let them know if you are a starter, you are a starter, if you are a backup, you are a backup, if you are scout team player, then you are a scout team player. So each player will understand the role he has on this football team.
Charlie Strong: Well, it is so hard to say when you are really going to get everyone totally bought in because when things don’t go some guys’ ways, they will never buy in to your program especially when a guy thinks he is better than he is.
Quandre Diggs: If you don’t buy in, you leave. If you don’t buy in, you don’t play.
Malcom Brown: We have some that are still off, but they’re on their way.
Reading Between the Lines – Transfers, they’re a-comin’.
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Charlie Strong: I have said it the whole spring, and today is just not only one indication, but you look at it that you have a good running back with Malcolm (Brown) and now when you get Johnathan Gray back and (Joe) Bergeron back and with (Jalen) Overstreet you are looking at four backs right there with your run game.
Reading Between the Lines – Noted that he said ‘when’, not ‘if’, Bergeron returns.
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Charlie Strong: What happens is sometimes guys put pressure on themselves and then he is stepping up for the first time in first team offense and now you have a crowd out there. So he just needed to settle down and I told him, ‘I am not asking you to go out and be a great player today. I just want you to go out and do what we ask.’ That is what I said to Tyrone (Swoopes) today, ‘listen, you are a good player. Don’t listen to what other people say, you are a good player. So just settle down and become a good player’.
Reading Between the Lines – Sometimes the counseling that goes with the mental aspect of the game is more important than the physical aspect. Almost everyone in the program was asked about Swoopes and everyone referenced the need for him to ‘just relax’ and be more confident in his abilities.
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Charlie Strong: On thoughts about having either Naashon Hughes or Peter Jinkens at outside linebacker to cover the slot: Well with that position, either or both of those guys can play that position whether it be (Naashon) Hughes or Jinks (Peter Jinkens). We don’t ask them to cover the slot because most of the time they are locked up on the tight end because if we play the man coverage they have the tight end man. Slot is in zone coverage but that position they are going to blitz a lot so those two guys fit what we are asking for the profile of that position very well.
Reading Between the Lines – I took this as solid intel on what to expect on defense this fall – both formation-wise and from a personnel perspective.
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Charlie Strong: You like the way Malcolm (Brown) started running and they were running behind his pass and scored a couple touchdowns. Defensively, Malcom Brown at the d-tackle was a handful. When he wants to play, he can create a lot of havoc and can make plays. Then you always are just thinking in the backend of more just guys playing and nobody standing out.
Reading Between the Lines – The two players that Strong singled out as having the best days were Malcolm Brown & Malcom Brown. I’d feel smart for thinking the same thing, but I’m pretty sure anyone in attendance saw it too.
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Charlie Strong: No, changing the culture hasn’t been hard at all because I still say this that when you recruit kids with good character—which Coach (Mack Brown) did a great job of recruiting here. When you have good character kids and kids that want to be successful then changing the culture isn’t hard and it is just making sure that you can build within them and make sure you can build a confidence and let them realize that they can be very good.
Reading Between the Lines – This is both insightful and a great p.r. move.
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Charlie Strong: I had a meeting with the parents today and I told them, if there are any issues with a player then they don’t need to contact Facebook, they don’t need to contact the reporters, and they don’t need to contact Twitter, they just need to contact their position coach or myself. If you want to know, you don’t have to ask one of them, I can tell you what the issue is.
Reading Between the Lines – You can’t be any more direct. That’s both refreshing and intimidating (if you’re a player parent). Psychology 101 says that players that think they’re better than they are have parents that would rather talk to a reporter than Coach Strong. File that away for when transfers get announced.
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Jaxon Shipley: The more he is out there, the more reps he gets, the more comfortable he feels. I don’t know if the old Tyrone would have even tried to throw a ball like that. He’s come a long way. He’s maturing. That is a ball that a big-time guy would throw.
Malcolm Brown: He was a little shy, but that’s something that happens to us all.
Dom Espinosa: The great thing about him is that he is a social, relatable, and personable guy. That shows when he’s in the huddle. He started off a little slow, but he was able to smile and joke around a little bit to make things light.
Reading Between the Lines – Without exception, everyone was asked about Tyrone Swoopes. Even defensive players were asked about him. Looking beyond what that says about the ‘journalists’ in attendance, there were a few noteworthy tidbits to be gleaned from the players’ comments. These guys are in the huddle and on the field with Swoopes. They witness the changes. What fans saw as the game progressed is validated in these comments.
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Malcom Brown: I’ve seen effort that I haven’t seen before since I’ve gotten here.
Reading Between the Lines – Folks talk about spring practice being a ‘zero sum game’. This quote jumped out to me as being similar in that it’s damning commentary on the old regime.
