Can we talk...With OU coach Bob Stoops
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7
Published: November 4, 2009
Jim Gift, Edmond: Are the offensive line problems this year attributed to recruiting mistakes, to guys you didn’t get, to defections or to lack of development?
Stoops: "Little bit of everything in it. We got caught thin with a big graduating class. Not often do you have five guys that leave all at once. It’s fair to say, sure, we’ve had guys leave or had to remove guys because they didn’t go to class or don’t do what the team requires them to do. Then development, a lot of that’s on those guys. Certain guys have a better work ethic than other guys to get themselves ready to play. Overall, this unit’s got caught thin, got caught inexperienced, development isn’t what it needs to be. It’s a little bit of everything.”
Gary Stork, Oklahoma City: You seem to be running more shotgun, with
Landry Jones going less under center. That appears to take away from the run game. Do you believe the boosts to the passing game is a good tradeoff?
Stoops: "It’s not because of Landry. It’s more because of what we feel the offensive line, the way defenses being predictable, what they feel like we’re going to do if you are under center. It’s more out of Coach (Kevin) Wilson’s and the offensive staff’s choices, where we feel we can make the most money, I guess.”
Robert Jennings: Are your receivers’ inconsistency this year in any way tied to the back-and-forth situation at quarterback caused by
Sam Bradford’s injury?
Stoops: "I don’t feel so. It’s not like one guy throws the ball much differently than the other. The bottom line is, if you’re a receiver and the ball hits you in a position you can catch it, you need to catch it. I don’t feel overall that’s much of an issue.”
Danny Warren, Midwest City: Any chance we’ll see the fullback used in the running game?
Stoops: "You’ve got to convince Coach Wilson and those guys to give it to ‘em. As soon as we do or give it to ‘em too much, everyone is going to ask why DeMarco’s not carrying it. Or Chris. In the end, if you guys want to see the fullback get the ball, I’ll talk to Coach Wilson, see if we can’t get that worked out. We threw one with Matt (Clapp) with that club on his hand and bounced off. I wasn’t real pleased about that.
Ed Faulkner, Oklahoma City: You pull your linemen a little in blocking, but not much, and nobody does much anymore? Why do you do it and why don’t you do it more?
Stoops: "People, what they feel is their style of blocking, it’s more zones and combo-ing people instead of blocking back. Everyone still has some of it, but it’s more and more zone blocking schemes where you’re always working together. (Size of players) is always a part of it, as well as blocking back, depending on if the matchup on the other side fits ‘em better than combo-ing ‘em. But it’s more people’s preference on style of offense.”
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offensive linemen when you had big leads?
Hey Bob, if last season's offensive line was as good as you and the DO made them out to be,
how come you couldn't score against Florida when you had 1st and goal from the 2 ft. mark,
or inside the 5 another or from the 10 another?
Hey Bob, how come your team only plays a half-a-game every Saturday.
Hey Bob, they say the mark of a good team is the improvement they show between the first
and third game. Your team is still averaging almost 100 yds. in penalties every game and
defensive bust's in the second half like you had against BYU.
There are lots more questions that will never be ask his hiness.
Stoops doesn't give a flip about our opinions, he's protected by the press in this state.
He just does this to humor us and make people think the DO is trying to present the
whole story. They can spin a sow's ear into a silk purse, just read between the lines.