SB Nation User Blog: jc25

Texas: 6 AP All-Americans

jc25 — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:27:53 -0000

Texas: 6 AP All-Americans

Colt, Jordan and Earl on the first team.

Hunter, Sergio, and, uhh, Chris (Hall) on the third team.

Gerry Hamilton: UT's location the main draw for Davis

jc25 — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:25:20 -0000

Gerry Hamilton: UT's location the main draw for Davis

Doesn't look like an Insider article, but could be wrong.

On Christian Scott: "That helped a lot," Davis said. "He's like a big brother to me. I know I can trust him. He'll be telling me how to do things down there and help me. I can hang out at his place. There are a lot of things he can help me with so there isn't as much to worry about."

On WR depth: "He wants me to get on the field early but said it was up to me to show them that I was ready," Davis said. "He said he knows what I can do, but wants me to stay focused and learn the system. They say I'm going to play both inside and outside like Shipley."

Mocking the Draft Already: Kindle 11, Thomas 14

jc25 — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:37:51 -0000

It's that time already? Todd McShay kicks off the Mock Draft party for ESPN. Grain of salt applies, as this is the same guy who once had Adam Ulatoski ranked #9. Here's what he had to say about Kindle and Thomas:

11. Sergio Kindle. San Francisco could reach for Maryland OT Bruce Campbell, but in our opinion Kindle is too good a value to pass up here. Though he has to improve his ability to anchor against the run, he has the burst and agility base 3-4 defenses covet at outside linebacker.

14. Earl Thomas. Like Berry, there isn't much Thomas can't do on a football field. He can match up with slot receivers, blitz off the edge, has great range in coverage and steps up in run support.

The article is In$ider, so that's all I'll post. It looks like a very real probability that Earl is plying his trade in the League next year. Anyways, let the mocking commence!

In a couple of related articles (also In$ider), Steve Muench does a great job recapping Texas potential draftees in the Big XII Championship game. A few money quotes below.

[Earl] Thomas can blitz, support the run, make plays in coverage and even line up over slot receivers. All that makes him a high-first-round pick.

That's right, folks: high first round pick. Remember: you go to college to make money.

Despite his inconsistent hands [Sergio] Kindle still projects as a mid-first-rounder and should be able to transition to outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.

The article does a nice job pointing out a couple instances that we've seen all too well: (1) Kindle sometimes struggles in his pass-rush, and (2) Despite the lack of sacks, Kindle has a huge impact on the game when he does break off his defender.

Roddrick Muckelroy is a bit of an overachiever who gets everything out of his natural ability, and he is a model of consistency who projects as a late-second- or early-third-round pick.

Finally, DT LaMarr Houston continued a strong season that has moved him up draft boards, and two plays late in the fourth quarter show exactly why his stock is rising.

Two good summaries of two of our lesser heralded players. Looks like both of these guys made themselves some money with strong senior seasons. Couldn't have happened to two classier guys.

Finally, Colt:

He likely fits somewhere in the second round at this point based on the overall quarterback class, but in a stronger group, he might not come off the board before the third round.

Great article summing up some of the flaws concern NFL scouts about McCoy, and how those flaws were maximized in the Big XII Championship.

Again, the articles are In$iders only, but it's quality work like this that makes me keep plunking down the $39.99 every year. I strongly recommend it if you've got In$ider access.

Poll

Which Longhorn will have the best NFL career?

Thy Fearful Symmetry

jc25 — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:34:51 -0000

Thy Fearful Symmetry

Pretty interesting view. Per Stewart Mandel's mailbag, "the final nine-team Mountain West standings went in exact, descending order, from 8-0 to 0-8, with each team beating all the teams below it and losing to all the teams above it. Technically, not a single surprising result took place in that conference the entire season."

If that's not a sign that 2012 is true, then I don't know what is.

By the way, disturbing Wikipedia William Blake page.

On the Spot: A&M stares down the barrell of the Big 12 South cellar

jc25 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:20:22 -0000

On the Spot: A&M stares down the barrell of the Big 12 South cellar

Well-written article about A&M's predicament. Poor Aggies.

The more film I watch of Texas third-year sophomore S Earl Thomas, the more impressed I am with his...

jc25 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:45:03 -0000

The more film I watch of Texas third-year sophomore S Earl Thomas, the more impressed I am with his combination of skills. Outside of Tennessee's Eric Berry, there is not a safety in the country who wears more hats for his defense than Thomas.

The first thing that jumps out is that Thomas lines up all over the field. He can shadow wide receivers in the slot, and Thomas made a nice interception against Missouri after lining up over the slot, turning with the receiver out of his break and adjusting well to the ball. He also shows tremendous range when playing the deep middle in zone coverage, and he shows rare closing burst for a college player both when the ball is in the air and when tracking down ball carriers. He simply makes plays and is always around the ball.

The one knock on Thomas is that he is a bit undersized at 5-foot-11, 198 pounds, but he has time to fill out his frame and get stronger over the next couple of years, be it at Texas or in the NFL. Whether Thomas enters the draft in 2010 or 2011 -- or even 2012 -- he has the look of an early-to-mid first-round pick.

Should Thomas leave school following this season, the overall safety class would become very strong. Berry ranks as the No. 1 overall player on the board, and while USC's Taylor Mays remains in the top half of the first round, Thomas could become legitimate competition for the No. 2 spot in the safety class. With LSU's Chad Jones rising into the early-second-round area and South Florida's Nate Allen showing the physical tools of a second-rounder, we could see five safeties come off the board in the top 50 picks in 2010.

For those worried about Earl Thomas declaring for the draft (In$ider)

Dr. Joseph Guillotine was a man of mercy, but he did not actually invent the machine created for...

jc25 — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:58:46 -0000

Dr. Joseph Guillotine was a man of mercy, but he did not actually invent the machine created for swift, efficient, and "painless" decapitations in the name of revolutionary justice. He merely suggested it. Its actual engineers were anonymous men working at the direction of mad revolutionaries who did not sleep, so deep was their thirst for blood and victory. In other words: Sergio Kindle, doing precisely what Will Muschamp was telling him to do for la Republique

D is for Decapitated: from The Alphabetical, brainchild of Orson Swindle/Spencer Hall, a master of letters.

Also, there's an awesomely disturbing Longhorn picture if you scroll down to the letter P.

AP Poll: Texas Still #2, USC Gaining

jc25 — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:52:21 -0000

AP Poll: Texas Still #2, USC Gaining

Texas dropped 20 points to fall to 1404. USC's big win over OSU has them just 8 points behind Texas. Expect similar things from the Coaches Poll.

Oklahoma State falls to 16; Houston moves in at 21.

UPDATE: As noted in the comments, the Coaches Poll is out and Texas is at #2. They lost just 8 points from last week, while USC gained 16. USC picked up 3 first place votes; Texas had none.

Rashod Favors Commits to OU

jc25 — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:13:52 -0000

Rashod Favors Commits to OU

For those following recruiting, I think we're counting this as bad news in the Darius White sweepstakes.

Even to this day, I consider myself a learner. I'm always trying to learn new things and I feel...

jc25 — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:59:21 -0000

Even to this day, I consider myself a learner. I'm always trying to learn new things and I feel like there is always going to be room for improvement. And that's been my mentality ever since I got here. I learned from Vince. I learned from Coach [Greg] Davis every day. One of the things I've always tried to do is practice every day like it's a game. And that means mentally, physically, I'm ready to go.

I said to Vince, "Talk to me. Tell me what you're seeing. And if I don't understand what you're saying, then I'll go back in the playbook or I'll ask Coach Davis. I just want to know terms and what coverages you're seeing. Just talk to me." I learned so much as Vince went through [watching film]. So I did the same thing with [freshman QB Garrett] Gilbert this summer. I would teach him everything I knew going through film. What's great is when I'm talking through it, I'm also reminding myself while I'm teaching him.

The past presents the future...I love it. From the always fun to read Bruce Feldman.