Introspection from Stoops

Bob Stoops knows football and is a great coach - but he does have some weaknesses (as we all do). I am telling you - the play-calling by Kevin Wilson has been absolutely horrible at times - i am serious. Others see it too. First half against Texas tech was inexcuseable. And the play calling against W.V. in the Fiesta was largely bad, predictable, etc. Get rid of Kevin Wilson. I am telling you. Get RID of him. and also, need we have to see any more of Brent Venables failed schemes and lack of proper adjusting? GET RID OF WILSON AND VENABLES.

stoops is not great or not real bad.Hes somewere in the middle with a lot of others. He is just good enough to hang in there without ever really winning anything really big anymore.It will always be o boy just wait till next year were really going to be good. As a l.a. sports writer said bob stupid (plasche i think)after 55-19 he may have nailed it

Jason, Sooners have home-and-away with Notre Dame and Ohio State coming up. (Notre Dame was really good when we scheduled that one.) Next year Washington is at Washington, and if you stayed up late to see the end, you know Washington pretty much beat Hawaii fair-and-square in that game. QB Locker is great and that game will be no gimme for the Sooners. But your point is valid. One Utah State per season is probably more than sufficient. - I've heard comments elsewhere that one of the differences between modern Stoops coaching and early Stoops coaching is that in the beginning there was an element of fun for the kids. You would see Stoops on the sidelines encouraging the kids and loving every minute of it. Everything is so business like now that the kids aren't able to find the joy that enables them to get "up" for the big games. I don't know if there's any truth in that but I thought it was interesting.

The only thing that I noticed this year with OU; is that the schedule is one of the first places they need to look. I know it's set for a few years in advance, but look at the non-conference part of the schedule. They are all at home. No, you can't count the Tulsa game, because it's basically like a home game. The Sooners have looked horrible and out of sorts on the road this year, and it continued in the fiesta bowl. OU has great coaches. Maybe having more road games in non-conference would help them in conference play, and bowl games.

Hey JJWOU78, Did Barry have his team ready against Arkansas in '78 Orange Bowl? How about Washington in '84 Orange Bowl? Stanford? West Virginia? etc. etc. I believe that Coach Stoops' teams have won more Big 12 championships than any other coach. They probably need to revamp some Dec.-Jan. preparations, but I believe he knows that without your expert advise.

It's refreshing to hear from folks like Jeff in Vermont,Bo and others with a sane and rationale perspective on the state of our program. I am also shocked by the perception that West Virginia was suppose to be a roll-over. Before they lost to Pitt, I and many others around the country thought they were the best team in the country. The only reason they lost to Pitt was because White went down, as he did in their other loss. With a healthy White, they compete with anybody. I am convinced they could beat either LSU or Ohio State. Back to OU - as poorly as we played (13 penalties - lack of enthusiasm in the first half), we were in position to win this game late in the third quarter. With our without Kelly, Robinson and Smith, I really believe that next year we will win the Big XII and play in the BCS Championship game, or win whatever Bowl game we are in. I am so much looking forward to watching Bradfords development - he will be our best Post Switzer era quarterback to date, and the development of Murray, Tennell. Gresham, Johnson, Iglasious, and Brown and the entire O-Line. I was looking forward to 08 before the 07 season began - our success in 07 was just a glimpse of next year.

Everyone...........seriously! Replace the coaches?.........throw the baby out with the bath water?.........ridiculous! These guys know what is wrong. The problem is they are dealing with young people. Young people who are not mature.....are consistently inconsistent. Knowing that, you cannot leave them to be ready on their own.....within a system. You have to get after them, push them.....keep them hungry. You cannot let tradition and system take the place of pure motivation. OU does the strength in numbers thing really well. Lots of Heismans, National titles, All-Americans, Wins......lots of points on the board. Sure....when everything goes well....its great. But when it doesn't....a young person needs guidance and direction. They need the leaders to step up and show the way. Who does that on this team? Where is the leader on the field? Hard to pick one in this bunch. They all look the same all the time. No one stands out. Part of that is coaching. You have to encourage this....foster it, facilitate it everyday in practice. Players have to be hungry....have desire, Have a greater will than the guy across from them. That comes from your coaches and system.....but mostly from within. These guys know this. They know that they looked ahead at CU......They know that they were unfocused at Tech.....and they still almost won. Good teams find a way in these situation. But the bowl situation......... Bo Schembechler used to put such a premium on the Big 10 title. Not the National Title, but the Big Ten. That was his goal each year. He won a lot of them. But he looked at the trip to the Rose Bowl as simply a reward for winning the Big 10 and the regular season. In fact, he won 13 titles in 21 years. He was 194-48-5 for a .796 winning percentage. A true legend. Yet, his bowl record was 5-12 including a 2-8 record in the Rose Bowl. This was a reflection on his attitude toward the National picture. I am not saying Stoops and Co. is like this in attitude....but the team certainly does not look the same after a regular season and a 4 week lay-off. He is one of the best after a two week lay-off. Yet, this is different when they play in the post season. Is it more reward then importance? Not sure. Two of those were for a National Title. The USC game was dismal and the guys really looked unprepared. We should have beaten LSU if not maybe for a few injuries. The last two games....true lack of focus and preparation. True lack of hunger. But they really look like they are lost when bad things happen. Players, coaches everyone. There isn't an element of "oh, you want to play that way? Well, take this" They looked confused and scared and tight. That is coaching and leadership. I know that Stoops and the rest of the coaches know the issues.