Since I won't be awake when the clock turns over tonight, (Get Off My Lawn!!!) I thought I would go ahead and get this posted. Here are some of my thoughts on where we've been and where we're headed...
- 2023 - A season of more of the same - Flatly, like many here, I had bought into Jimbo's 90+ million smoke & mirrors sales pitch. Boy, was I wrong! Same song, same dance, same mediocre football. It happens when hubris meets a runaway freight train of an everchanging college football landscape. Forced to hired an OC, we find out later he didn't even allow him to bring his own terminology essential to calling plays. Talk about ego. A 5 year old could see the difference in the play calling after Jimbo was shown the door.
- No blankets, sacking and on the road to being sacked - If there was one thing we could do in 2023, it was sack the opposing quarterback. If there was one thing we haven't been able to do in what seems like forever, it's win a game on the road. Hence, a change in coaches. I cannot totally dismiss Durkin's efforts but I also cannot support some of his really strange substitution patterns or 3 man fronts. His work with the linebackers was yeoman, though. In the end, it was our inability to cover and give up big plays that cost us a lot of games. I have the say the adjustments helping the corners were late in coming as well.
- "Yeah, we have the guts and money to fire him" - Like a lot people, I didn't believe it at first. Secondly, whoa, that's a lot of money. Third, yeah, rip the band-aid off. Jimbo just wasn't going to change. He was surrounded by yes men and women who also weren't going to change. Options? Few, especially with early signing day and transfer rules being what they were. Lastly, I truly believe he was just arrogant enough to believe we would never pull the trigger and that is sad.
- A HC hire screwed up enough to find right guy?! - I think that's what happened myself. Sometimes people outsmart themselves in overthinking a hire in wasting time on someone who's not interested or playing you against a better offer from their employer. Could Stoops have been a good fit? Possibly. But I always thought Coach Elko was better. Better connections. Better recruiter. Better coach. Better builder. I'm in!
- Awkward Interim and Cleaning House - I really liked the way the kids played for the coaches in the last game. Couldn't ask for more. It showed a level of respect for the men who had mentored them these past few years. That said, I didn't care for some of the stuff that was done by the outgoing staff, especially give the offered position and money offered by our University, but what's done is done. Well wishes to all. It appears the transition has been handled professionally.
- New Staff - New Standards? - I think this is what a lot of us are looking forward to in 2024. Our ears have gotten worn out with the coach speak. Don't tell me our team is tough and ready for a scrap on every play. I want to see it on the field! Don't talk about a modern attacking offense that can "hit you in the mouth" running the ball between the tackles or on the perimeter and can beat you deep with the pass as well. I want to see it in action against good teams!! Same for the defense. Multiple, Tampa 2, man-to-man press, don't care. I don't want see QBs, receivers, or running backs having career days against us!!!
- New "Look" Staff & Roster - What's old again is new. That's college football these days. Recruit your own and see what happens. In Coach Elko's case, some of that is with staff as well. He's going with some of what's worked at Duke. Can't blame him for that. Comfort and trust. It's the same for some of the other hires, namely Coach Bateman. As for the players, there's a "known" quantity with Coach Elko going back to his DC days with us and that's an advantage for him. It also helps him with the Texas HS coaches. He is also a very good talent evaluator and doesn't mind looking in the portal, an area Jimbo largely ignored. So, 13 spots still available. Lot of work to do. Need to work hard to hold onto Bussey and McKinley, but even still, I'm sure he's working backup plans.
