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[SIZE=+2]Switzer's thoughts on Texas-OU showdown right on
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]02:20 AM CDT on Saturday, October 6, 2007
[/SIZE]
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/img/standing/sports/columnists/mugs/mug_ksherrington_new.jpg
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No matter what else you might think about Barry Switzer, a man who rarely inspires ambivalence, he plays no favorites.
Did you get his take on today's parties in the Cotton Bowl?
"Texas hasn't played well all year," he said, and he was just getting warmed up. "They haven't found an identity on offense. They don't have a running game. They have quarterback problems.
"I don't know what they're trying to do."
The former OU coach also said he was worried about Colt McCoy's concussion, or whatever Texas is calling it, and he worries what'll happen if McCoy plays and gets hurt again.
And Oklahoma? The Sooners don't get off easy, either. Switzer says Bob Stoops has done a great job, but he's lost too many games in which he's been a double-digit favorite. He also questioned Oklahoma's senior leadership.
And, oh, yes, just for the heck of it, he called the Big 12 "horrible."
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sports/colleges/
Question: Do you have a problem with any of those opinions?
Answer: Not me. Not his prediction of an Oklahoma win, either.
Oklahoma is an 12-point favorite, and that's probably a conservative line. The 10th-ranked Sooners look better than the 19th-ranked Longhorns almost any way you want to turn them.
Total offense.
Total defense.
Turnover margin.
The one area Texas might have held an advantage going into this game was at quarterback, because of McCoy's experience edge over Sam Bradford.
But this week, anyway, you've got to question how effective McCoy can be. Brent Venables, OU's defensive coordinator, says he can't remember a tougher Texas quarterback. No argument here. But the beating McCoy takes has compromised his health as well as the Longhorns' season.
If McCoy doesn't play today, Texas is in trouble. Come to think of it, even if he does, Texas is in trouble.
But the Longhorns' chances aren't the real issue when it comes to the condition of McCoy's brainpan, either.
Our Jacques Taylor has already questioned Brown's decision to play McCoy after he showed "symptoms of a concussion" last week. Symptoms? Sounds like "a little pregnant." Either you are or you aren't. And if you're still not certain, shouldn't you err on the side of caution?
Sure sounded like he had a concussion last week. The trainers must have thought so, too, or he wouldn't have come out.
A primer on concussions: They occur when the brain slaps the side of the skull. Victims aren't always unconscious. You might seem fairly normal. Texas trainers have run tests on McCoy, comparing them to his personal standards, and give him a thumbs-up. You certainly hope he's clear-headed, because in a worst-case scenario, even a mild concussion can prove catastrophic if another happens within a small window.
Doctors call it "second-impact syndrome," and in extremely rare cases, usually when the victim is a teenager or young adult, it can prove fatal.
Brown has said it's the trainer's call, not his, on McCoy. But trainers don't send players into games. Coaches do, and the head coach bears the ultimate responsibility.
Even if McCoy plays and shows no ill effects, which is entirely possible, it doesn't necessarily make Texas right. Only lucky.
Considering how poorly Texas' rebuilt line has protected McCoy this season, maybe it's time to play John Chiles, anyway. He gives the Longhorns a running threat that scares the Sooners, and Texas could use the jolt, too.
The quarterback on the other side of the field should also be Texas' focus. If the Longhorns want to pull off an upset, they'd better pressure Bradford. But that's a problem. He's only been sacked three times in five games, the primary reason he leads the nation in passing. Give a talented QB time to work with all of the advantages OU has on offense, and it can make for a long, hot day.
But you don't have to pile up sacks to be effective, either. Colorado harassed Bradford into his worst performance of the season.
Consider, too, the nature of today's game. Bradford has seen it up close as a spectator and player. But this will be his first view from the center of the storm. Never can tell how an inexperienced player will react under such adverse conditions until he's wading in them.
Of course, that's one of the reasons you love Texas-OU. The perfect storm occasionally defines players. Teams, too.
The Longhorns could make a statement today. The last two years, Texas had a better team and won. Now it looks like OU's turn, something along the lines of 35-14.
Upsetting the Sooners today seems unlikely. But as Switzer notes in his scouting report, playing the prohibitive favorite isn't always Stoops' best role. Frankly, with this kind of analysis, we ought to consider hiring Barry instead of just quoting him.
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]02:20 AM CDT on Saturday, October 6, 2007
[/SIZE]
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/img/standing/sports/columnists/mugs/mug_ksherrington_new.jpg
• E-mail
No matter what else you might think about Barry Switzer, a man who rarely inspires ambivalence, he plays no favorites.
Did you get his take on today's parties in the Cotton Bowl?
"Texas hasn't played well all year," he said, and he was just getting warmed up. "They haven't found an identity on offense. They don't have a running game. They have quarterback problems.
"I don't know what they're trying to do."
The former OU coach also said he was worried about Colt McCoy's concussion, or whatever Texas is calling it, and he worries what'll happen if McCoy plays and gets hurt again.
And Oklahoma? The Sooners don't get off easy, either. Switzer says Bob Stoops has done a great job, but he's lost too many games in which he's been a double-digit favorite. He also questioned Oklahoma's senior leadership.
And, oh, yes, just for the heck of it, he called the Big 12 "horrible."
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sports/colleges/
Question: Do you have a problem with any of those opinions?
Answer: Not me. Not his prediction of an Oklahoma win, either.
Oklahoma is an 12-point favorite, and that's probably a conservative line. The 10th-ranked Sooners look better than the 19th-ranked Longhorns almost any way you want to turn them.
Total offense.
Total defense.
Turnover margin.
The one area Texas might have held an advantage going into this game was at quarterback, because of McCoy's experience edge over Sam Bradford.
But this week, anyway, you've got to question how effective McCoy can be. Brent Venables, OU's defensive coordinator, says he can't remember a tougher Texas quarterback. No argument here. But the beating McCoy takes has compromised his health as well as the Longhorns' season.
If McCoy doesn't play today, Texas is in trouble. Come to think of it, even if he does, Texas is in trouble.
But the Longhorns' chances aren't the real issue when it comes to the condition of McCoy's brainpan, either.
Our Jacques Taylor has already questioned Brown's decision to play McCoy after he showed "symptoms of a concussion" last week. Symptoms? Sounds like "a little pregnant." Either you are or you aren't. And if you're still not certain, shouldn't you err on the side of caution?
Sure sounded like he had a concussion last week. The trainers must have thought so, too, or he wouldn't have come out.
A primer on concussions: They occur when the brain slaps the side of the skull. Victims aren't always unconscious. You might seem fairly normal. Texas trainers have run tests on McCoy, comparing them to his personal standards, and give him a thumbs-up. You certainly hope he's clear-headed, because in a worst-case scenario, even a mild concussion can prove catastrophic if another happens within a small window.
Doctors call it "second-impact syndrome," and in extremely rare cases, usually when the victim is a teenager or young adult, it can prove fatal.
Brown has said it's the trainer's call, not his, on McCoy. But trainers don't send players into games. Coaches do, and the head coach bears the ultimate responsibility.
Even if McCoy plays and shows no ill effects, which is entirely possible, it doesn't necessarily make Texas right. Only lucky.
Considering how poorly Texas' rebuilt line has protected McCoy this season, maybe it's time to play John Chiles, anyway. He gives the Longhorns a running threat that scares the Sooners, and Texas could use the jolt, too.
The quarterback on the other side of the field should also be Texas' focus. If the Longhorns want to pull off an upset, they'd better pressure Bradford. But that's a problem. He's only been sacked three times in five games, the primary reason he leads the nation in passing. Give a talented QB time to work with all of the advantages OU has on offense, and it can make for a long, hot day.
But you don't have to pile up sacks to be effective, either. Colorado harassed Bradford into his worst performance of the season.
Consider, too, the nature of today's game. Bradford has seen it up close as a spectator and player. But this will be his first view from the center of the storm. Never can tell how an inexperienced player will react under such adverse conditions until he's wading in them.
Of course, that's one of the reasons you love Texas-OU. The perfect storm occasionally defines players. Teams, too.
The Longhorns could make a statement today. The last two years, Texas had a better team and won. Now it looks like OU's turn, something along the lines of 35-14.
Upsetting the Sooners today seems unlikely. But as Switzer notes in his scouting report, playing the prohibitive favorite isn't always Stoops' best role. Frankly, with this kind of analysis, we ought to consider hiring Barry instead of just quoting him.