MEDIA VOICES: PROS VS. CONS

1) Transparency. The number one thing I like about the Longhorns is the transparency of the coaching staff. Everyone wondered how Mack Brown would spin the loss to Oklahoma. But he didn’t…not in the locker room or at the Monday press conference. He didn’t spin it in his state wide radio show on Wednesday night. He said the performance was unacceptable.

Mack said he’s not going anywhere ….

 [s2If current_user_is(s2member_level2)]

and that he’s going to fight. He also said his team needs to fight through this and become a better football team. He simply stressed that what happened against Oklahoma was just a bad game and the Longhorns have six more chances to get it right.

2) The players. I’m not talking about the players struggling to find consistency on the field, but the players who consistently show up, look the media in the face and answer the tough questions.

These are the kids that coaches want to recruit — the ones who  are accountable on and off the field, and accountable to themselves. When you see a performance on the field like Texas did against Oklahoma, I like to believe that somewhere down the line integrity will pay off.

3) I like the 2012 schedule. Every week — other than whomever Kansas plays — fans can count on one Big 12 game to seemingly impact the outcome of the league race. Last year Texas Tech knocked off Oklahoma, and this year Texas Tech knocked off West Virginia.

The Big 12 schedule has a built-in advantage since everyone plays everyone. The winner of the Big 12 conference doesn’t have to play “what if.” In the Southeastern Conference, Georgia doesn’t play Alabama. Same with the Big 10.

In the Big 12, whoever emerges as the champion will play every team in the league. The team declared champion will need to earn that title, while the teams who place second and third will likely deserve a bowl game.

DISLIKES:

1) Lack of tackling: The Longhorns need to collectively decide that they’re going to stop opponents from running 200 yards against them. Otherwise, that’ll be the game plan for the rest of the season. They need to prove they can stop the run before trying anything else.

2) Lack of leadership. A time comes, like the Oklahoma game, when certain players need to stand up and rally the rest of the team. But with Texas, you’re asking freshmen and first-year starters to assume that role. That fact alone speaks to the youth and inexperience.

The Longhorns didn’t have a player who played the game three times before saying, “I’m not going to take this.” They need leadership. The coaches aren’t in the huddle and they aren’t on the field. I like the Longhorns’ talent, but they don’t have the experience.

3) The injuries. The injuries are abundant. When you look at past teams that did well, they didn’t struggle with injuries.

[/s2If]
[s2If current_user_is_not(s2member_level2)]
The rest of this article is available to Digital Subscribers only. Login or Subscribe to continue reading.
[/s2If]