Hey guys. First off, Merry Christmas to all of you and a Happy New Year (soon). If you're anything like me, you may find this bowl season lacking only for the sole reason of our Longhorns not being included. Well, I also had my only other rooted-for team, my hometown UTEP Miners, getting blown out by BYU in the first bowl game, so that led a bit of disinterest for the others, at least until the Sun Bowl and BCS bowls come around.

Of course, we've all read the all the reports on prospective candidates for the OC and DC positions, along with the position coaches. Personally, I'm a fan of Harsin at Boise State, but obviously, the position is now Major's to lose. There's also been talk of having Major split the coordinator position with someone else. Seeing as how he is now basically our unofficial HCIW, we'd want to get someone who would work well with him without essentially stealing the spotlight from him. So, I thought I'd offer up a new candidate to see what you all think. This guy is Kyle Shanahan.

Of course, many of you know him from the NFL where he is the OC for the Redskins, having spent the two years prior as the OC of the Texans. Admittedly, the Skins haven't done so well this year, but Shanahan has a good amount of NFl coaching experience and seems to be pretty well-versed in pro offenses. I will confess that my analysis of his play-calling is lacking, as my love is more for the college game than the NFL (since my Niners have been irrelevant since 2002).

But, I believe this is a fairly good match. Major seems to have more of a feel for collegiate offenses and Kyle could complement that with pro principles and schemes. Furthermore, they both have worked together in the past here at UT, where Kyle was a WR. Additionally, with Kennedy leaving, the WR coaching position is open, where Kyle has experience with the Texans and his own personal experience, leaving Major to coach the QB position.

Anyway, these are just basic thoughts, since I found it odd that I hadn't heard his name mentioned as a candidate before. I will leave all further analysis to you, the more knowledgable readers, as I never played football and my only exposure to offensive schemes and playcalling is through NCAA Football 06, 08 and 10. (Though in my defense, I do pretty well at reading defensive coverages and making good offensive decisions, as evidenced by my sterling TD:INT rate. However, this is all irrelevant.)

So, your thoughts?

This is something I've being thinking about for awhile now. Obviously, I've read everyone's thoughts about what the team's motto should be (still a fan of "Leave No Doubt") and read the excellent write-up by PB on how "We Are Texas" relates to the football program's storied history. However, it wasn't until a friend's comment that I began to think of it in a different perspective.

I have a friend who graduated from Purdue and around this time of year we begin to debate the merits of our respective teams and conferences. I bring up our celebrated QB and he responds with a laugh, "Oh yes, Cowboy Colt McCoy begins the cattle drive to the National Championship." This gets the wheels turning in my mind. Now, my family is originally from California, but my dad was in the army so we moved around quite a bit. Nevertheless, I've always considered myself a Californian and still do. My friend's comment sparked the remembrance of my dad telling me in 7th grade that he was going to be stationed at Fort Bliss (El Paso) in the great state of Texas. My ignorant reply at the time was "Oh great, now I'm gonna be surrounded by a bunch of cowboys." Before you all start to crucify me, I've since changed my views of Texas and Texans in general (except Aggies). But it does make a little sense. The gut reaction when given word association with "Texas" is to think of such historical events and scenes such as the Alamo, the old Chisolm Trail and cowboys.

My point is that an association with the old Texan cowboy stereotype is not entirely a bad thing. Why not? Because of what the cowboy stands for. Texas state history tells us cowboy life was hard. That's a given. Surviving a life out in the Texas elements requires ruggedness, adaptability, resilience. It requires both physical and mental toughness. These are all fantastic qualities to have, qualities you pray your team has every year. So a simple phrase like "We Are Texas" harkens back to the men who helped make this state the way it is. We are Texans. We are the heirs to this great state. We share the same characteristics and hope to honor the past and forge a new legacy.

However, the best part is that so many of our players have proven their mental and physical toughness:

Colt: He is the leader, the quintessential small-town Texan. By himself, he IS Texas. He proves himself every week.

Shipley: Gutting through so many injuries to become one of the best WRs ever here.

Collins: Without him hurrying to the line at the Fiesta Bowl despite being hurt, we may not win that game.

Muckelroy: More injuries and missed time on the field. Now he's a proven Big XII linebacker.

Gideon: We've all heard the stories about his back injuries in high school. And we all know that he deserved better than he got from all our fans about the drop. It's safe to say he's rebounded nicely.

Bailey: There's a price for free Gatorade. It's called a snowy day in Lincoln and the game on the line. (Yes, I know he's a back-up now, but still, you all remember how you felt watching him line up for that kick.)

There are others, but I can't recall them off the top of my head. Hopefully, you all get the point. With the exceptions of Irby, Johnson, Alexander and Houston (maybe more), all our players are Texans. Maybe Mack meant it to be a reminder to them, to think that we are the flagship university of one of the best states in the nations with a history of fight and perserverence (Hell, the Alamo taught us that Texans never, ever give up).

Ironically, the OU game helps my skewed perspective. No Gresham and then Bradford goes down. With the talent they have on that team (particularly on defense), they should have rallied to Jones and won that game handily. Instead they crumbled and laid an egg. Their entire team lacked the mental toughness to win that game. Why? Who knows? Probably because once they cross the Red River to play for OU, they cease to be Texan. I like to think so. By the way, another fun similarity to 2005: OU loses its first game to a Mountain West team. I like where this year is headed.

Well, that's all I've got. Sorry if the post is rambling and lacks flow. I tend to never be as eloquent or concise on paper (or computer) as I seem in my head when the thoughts first appear. Maybe one day I'll be half as good a writer as PB or GoBR. One can hope. Anyway, I welcome discussion. Go. And Hook 'em Horns! We're going to rock Laramie!

Hey, everybody. I'm a new member to the site, though I've been reading all your posts daily since I graduated from UT last year. First off, I'm incredibly impressed with all of the authors. Your insight, passion and professionalism truly make it a joy to read. Thank you so much for all the hard work you put in. Secondly, all the other contributors/commenters show a lot of knowledge and (on average) less immaturity than people on, say, the CBS message boards. Thanks for being classy fans. You've done UT proud.

Getting to the point, I was wondering what was going to happen to Kindle, following his adventure through the wall. Mack has a history of doling out suspensions for various lapses in judgment like this. Now, Kindle has his past with the DUIs. Admittedly, he wasn't drunk when he plowed through the wall (as far we know) but it still resulted in property damage. Should he be suspended for this? Well, that's Mack's decision. We obviously won't need him for the first two weeks against ULM and Wyoming. However, I don't see Mack dropping the hammer and taking him out three games. My best guess compares this to Benson thinking it a good idea to steal some electronics and his result of a one-game suspension. And to the best of my knowledge, that was only for the first half too. I could be mistaken. Anyway, your thoughts on a possible suspension and duration?

Additionally, to prove I've been paying attention, I would like to point out that my Texas degree afforded me an extensive comprehension of the English language, so I have a pretty good grasp of grammar, spelling, capitalization and punctuation. So, here's hoping I made a good first impression and won't get booted...