60 plays this week

[BUS]

Dear JJ - Please let this team warm up to real football. Give these guys a fighting chance to be first game ready.

Open up for 60 plays of get after it, full contact, football. Yes, put yellow on the QB, but please get them ready for play.

We all know you don't like it but it is the ONLY way to do justice to the same young men you signed for the team.

Send them prepared to give it their best.

Thanks GS Simons

[JasonB]

Just to clarify, they do hit and make contact in practice, especially o-line, d-line, but they don't tackle to ground.

[BUS]

I've see what they do and that is not football.

A team that hits together - sticks together.

Bumping does not count.

[78pony]

Bus, those who have played the game do indeed understand that anything less than "taken to the ground" is not full speed, and thusly, does not prepare you for anything other than pulling up and not being ready to finish off a play. You play like you practice! Old adage that is so true, and why we don't tackle worth a spit the first game. Our full speed practice is in fact our games.

[BUS]

Just a question - JasonB... Did you play at SMU or another university?
Trying to get a better handle on how not really playing football at practice, is being prepared.

And I may be assuming that you think we are prepared. So not throwing a bomb.

Of those that did play...or practice... at some advanced level... what are your thoughts about - "You will play like you practice"?

[expony18]

when we lose to baylor i can assure you it wasn't because JJ refuse "full contact" practices. its because Baylor is by far the superior team from top to bottom. your argument should have been posted 4 years ago, and the fighting chance argument should have been directed at recruiting.

[Grant Carter]

When people talk about the fact that we look a step slow in the first game, I ask them to look at how well we recruit compared to the teams we have generally played in the first games.

We have looked a step slow against Houston a number of times in the last few years and none of those were ever the first game of the season.

[mrydel]

So obviously the answer is if you recruit poorly, practice more lightly. That is a great combo.

[JasonB]

Just a question - JasonB... Did you play at SMU or another university?
Trying to get a better handle on how not really playing football at practice, is being prepared.

And I may be assuming that you think we are prepared. So not throwing a bomb.

Of those that did play...or practice... at some advanced level... what are your thoughts about - "You will play like you practice"?

Nope, didn't play college.

I was just pointing out that they aren't just running 7v7 in shells with no contact. It might not be tackling to the ground, but there is also a difference between no contact and what they do when they scrimmage. The linemen are certainly fully engaged, and contact is made they just don't wrap and take down. I think there are a lot of people who think we just do 7v7 at practice and that is it, with no contact at all, and no line play. Probably because when June first got here it was less physical than it is now, and that is true.

They, like most pro teams now, practice wrapping and tackling on the side in position practice, but obviously we all know that isn't the same as doing it real time.

The problem with us taking bad angles and not making plays isn't because we don't tackle. It is because we don't play against as good athletes in practice as we play against when we play the better teams. And in the new day of the spread offense, there are a lot more 1v1 plays that have to be made defensively than in the past, so that aspect of the game becomes huge. Watching the baylor-SMU highlights on the other thread, I saw one missed tackle when they split two defenders. Everything else is poor angles against better athletes that cause you to flail around miserably when you miss a guy.,

To your point though, the UT defense last year under Diaz couldn't tackle worth anything. They made the change, started hitting a lot more in practice and all of a sudden they learned how to tackle.

Then again, UT also has a slew of redshirts and walk-ons who are willing to get the crap knocked out of them every day. We are burning 17 redshirts this year (I know, recruiting), and don't have a ton of walk-ons, so we have to come to terms with that reality as well.

[max the wonder dog]

So obviously the answer is if you recruit poorly, practice more lightly. That is a great combo.

That's why I leave the office early on the days I come in late. Same basic principle.

[blackoutpony]

Jason, the excuse that it's the way the pros do it in practice it tired and pile of crap. Pro football players are the best 1,500 players there are in the world. They have played at the highest level that exists. They don't need as much practice. We have young men who are still growing into their bodies half the time. We don't even have a collection of players in the top 5,000 or 6,000 or maybe even 10,000 in the world.

You need every advantage you can get. I'm not advocating Oklahoma drills every day, but let players tackle to the ground on Mondays and Tuesdays at least.

[mrydel]

The pros also have legitimate preseason games to get their timing. June has used the nonconference as preseason in the past. Although I hated that, last year it was fine because had we won the conference we got a BCS game. None of that is in play anymore. I just think if scrimmaging full speed is fine for the SEC teams then I would think we could handle it also. If we are not deep on talent then get better talent.

[JasonB]

Gotcha, but then there is also this point:

Then again, UT also has a slew of redshirts and walk-ons who are willing to get the crap knocked out of them every day. We are burning 17 redshirts this year (I know, recruiting), and don't have a ton of walk-ons, so we have to come to terms with that reality as well.

Other thoughts on the subject... apparently we aren't the only ones, for what it is worth:
http://www.big12sports.com/ViewArticle. ... =209262948
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1706 ... fall-camps
http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/11/15 ... oming.html
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootbal ... -a-new-age

[Krieg]

The pros also have legitimate preseason games to get their timing. June has used the nonconference as preseason in the past. Although I hated that, last year it was fine because had we won the conference we got a BCS game. None of that is in play anymore. I just think if scrimmaging full speed is fine for the SEC teams then I would think we could handle it also. If we are not deep on talent then get better talent.

Why not just schedule some really bad teams pre-conference instead of the P5 teams you schedule now? Get some easy wins and some live "practice" as well.

Put an FCS team week 1, Sun Belt week 2, etc. Thoughts?

[sbsmith]

Why not just schedule some really bad teams pre-conference instead of the P5 teams you schedule now? Get some easy wins and some live "practice" as well.

Put an FCS team week 1, Sun Belt week 2, etc. Thoughts?

We do that and Ford would be much emptier than it usually is. Plus those wins wouldn't be as easy to come by as you might think. Talent is our problem not the schedule.