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This was posted in another thread, but yeah I'd say we are the new Miami... winning with thugs. It's beginning to be an embarassment
http://www.statesman.com/sports/cont...803golden.html
Tough discipline, changes in recruiting needed after rash of Longhorn arrests.
Friday, August 03, 2007
The Texas Longhorns are no longer the fair-haired boys of college football.
"We are Texas"? How about: "Which Texas is this"?
Not the Texas that coach Mack Brown molded into a national power with high-character recruits who rarely ran afoul of the law. Not the Texas that steered clear of serious off-the-field offenses.
The second arrest of former UT safety Robert Joseph, this time on aggravated robbery charges, was a head shaker. For the Longhorn Nation, the allegation that freshman defensive tackle Dre Jones participated in the robbery, too, was like running headfirst into a tackling dummy. Without a helmet.
We can't keep saying "another black eye for the program" because the eyes of Texas are rapidly becoming slits. No amount of makeup can cover up these scars. Hook 'em is fast becoming Book 'em.
Since Mack and Vince Young led the program to a fourth national championship on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2006, there have been 10 — count 'em, 10 — arrests of players involved with the Texas program. Five have come in the last two months.
What is going on here?
Accountability is everything, and Mack must take the hit here. He won a national le and returned this program to top-five prominence. Now he must re-evaluate his recruiting practices before his program disintegrates into something ugly, or uglier.
Brown has a problem in his football family, and he must face that fact. Instead of taking responsibility, he chided the media this week when he said, "It's very interesting that when you have 130 kids, and 128 of them do everything right, if one gets in trouble, you stir it up about one or two."
I like Mack. He's a good, family man who could charm the rattles off a Texas rattlesnake, but the time has come to take another approach in determining what type of kids he's bringing in here. I know there are background checks conducted on recruits every year. Incoming freshmen in orientation are cautioned to avoid drinking, late nights and to pick their friends wisely.
It's worked for the most part, but changes are obviously needed. What changes are up to Mack. That's why he makes over $2 million a year, to make those tough decisions.
If eight current and/or former players are arrested within an 18-month period, it puts a damper on the clean standing of the other 78 players. Bad news travels fast.
This is not the time for coaches or fans to make excuses. Be angry, not apathetic.
One or two arrests a year? Happens in most every major football program in America. But 10 in a year and a half? Now you're venturing into the seedy era of the camouflage-wearing Miami Hurricanes of yesteryear. We saw what Joe Paterno did when six of his Penn State players were arrested for a fight on campus. In addition to any legal punishment the offenders must face, he ordered the entire team to clean the football stadium after each home game.
Like it or not, it's called accountability. Accountability not only as a football player but as a football program.
Brown can't be everywhere his players go. But they hang out with one another. If a team member knew about guns or robberies, they should have intervened.
In the Texas football media guide, Jones is described as a Parade high school All-American, an honor roll student who graduated from Andress High School in El Paso early so he could join his future college teammates for spring football.
Jones grew up dreaming of being in the UT starting lineup one day, not the photo lineup in which he was identified. Now he will join Joseph in jail, in a different shade of orange uniform.
Which brings us to the easiest decision Mack Brown has faced since he offered Vince Young a scholarship. The lawbreakers must go.
Haven't these kids learned anything from Michael Vick? This dude was a $100 million industry unto himself and now there are sewer rats who wouldn't trade places with him. The lesson is you're only as good as your associations. If you lie down with dogs, you will soon wake up with fleas. So If you want to follow your buddy to the penitentiary, go ahead. But you shouldn't be allowed to do it under the guise of being a law-abiding student-athlete for a college reputed to recruit solid citizens.
How many times have we heard coach Brown say: "He's a good kid from a good family."? Well, it's time to find some better kids. More Kelsons and McCoys. Fewer thugs.
As an alum, this has gotten totally out of hand and something needs to be done yesterday.
This was posted in another thread, but yeah I'd say we are the new Miami... winning with thugs. It's beginning to be an embarassment
Winning with thugs????Name one player who has been key for them winning that was a thug?
you're not very bright, are you. ramonce was a thug, and key in the le run.Winning with thugs????
Aaron Harris
Ramonce taylor would have ensured a win over KState and A&M last year, because Melton would not have been considered in the 4th and 1's, cuz he woulda been the 4th RB on the depth chart.
Tarrel Brown was arguably the best defensive back in the entire Rose Bowl, and after a dominating shut down game 1 of the season 2006, he got beaten, tased, and arrested, and was never seen in the Orange and White playing a good football game ever again. Ever.
Every single game after that he was the invisible man. That turf toe excuse was bull .
In fact Brown was a bigger dissapointment than Ramonce. He had ridiculous promise, was a senior defensive back coming off a season he ended on a ridiculous high note. He took one for the team at the very end of the Rose Bowl, but after his tasing he never did anything mentionable.
It was all Ross. And most considered Brown to be our best DB coming into that season.
at least aaron harris waited until after his sr year to get arrested
Ramonce was good, but not key. Believe me I have watched every U.T. game for the past 10 years or so. He was good, he fit in our offense, but he wasn't a difference maker. Texas is at a point in the Mack Brown era where you just plug guys in. If we didn't have him it would of been someone else making plays..... ing idiot.
Mack runs one of the top 5 pro-prep programs in the nation... this just adds another dimension for prospects to use to intice a team like Cincy to draft them.
Yeah, just like all of those running backs making big time plays for UT last year
RB was a major weakness due to everyone fumbling the ball constantly in the worst situations. Ramonce would have been a big help in the running game alone last year
Charles highlights - http://youtube.com/watch?v=pb8xCH7GwSg
Taylor's highlights - http://youtube.com/watch?v=SOXvVKTzKsI
Ramonce looks so much better, and check out the catch at the 1:40 mark.
Ramonce had a freakin 31 yard touchdown run in the rosebowl, in fact, he was the only player on the entire team besides Vince capable of making huge yardage plays.
I said it a bajillion times, we never had that player in 2006, and it cost us. You know how many play we gave up 30+ yards for the season? And how many plays we ourselves had over 30 yards? The discrepancy is probably the worst in UT football history. So I could give a if in this MAck Brown era we can just plug guys in, the results last year sucked ass, most stagnant offense I've seen in the 00's, and worst pass defense in UT history (if you go by statistics that is..)
Last edited by Cant_Be_Faded; 08-05-2007 at 08:12 PM.
ramonce was key, making huge plays throughout the season. watching games is one thing, but actually seeing and understanding what is going on is another. you're a case in point.
http://texas.rivals.com/cviewplayer....er=38010#stats
2005 - 26 catches, 265 yards - 9.8 yards per catch - 3 TDs. 76 rushes, 513 yards - 6.8 yards per carry, 12 TDs.
how can you begin to say anyone can put up nums like that?
Like my boy mookie always says, Bipolar Disorder is good for 15 touchdowns.
He only had 76 rushing touches that year too. Amazing.
He led the team in total touchdowns behind Vince iirc.
pathetic...just pathetic.
Those numbers would of been absorbed by about 3 different guys if Ramonce was not on the team. You think those numbers would of just vanished had he not been on the team???
Yeah the defense blew, but ramonce didn't play defense so why even bring that up. You think Texas's offense sucked??? And because we didn't have Ramonce? What games where you watching? We had the 6th rank offense last year in the nation. So no we didn't miss Ramonce. Not to mention the offense was breaking in a redshirt freshman QB, who by the way threw for a freshman record 29 touchdown passes while missing the equivalent of 2 games! AND we had to lean on Colt and the offense to over come the defense's lousy play. So no we didn't miss ramonce. We ended up 10-3 for one reason, the D.
When your running backs are laying the ball on the ground every game at the worst possible times in the worst possible situations - it has a very negative impact on your defense. Not to mention the 1 yard to the end zone at KSU... a lot of speed to the outside (or just the threat of it) from Ramonce may have gotten the TD without having Greg Davis slam McCoy's head into the goal line D 2 straight times.
you are utterly clueless.Those numbers would of been absorbed by about 3 different guys if Ramonce was not on the team. You think those numbers would of just vanished had he not been on the team???
I think you've got to be high on crack to think that R. Taylor wouldn't have helped us a BUNCH last season. That kid was a threat to take it to the house every time he touched the ball.
Amazing speed, could both run and catch the ball. I keep thinking about him and J. Charles splitting time at RB instead of Selvin, he just didn't have IT anymore. Wish he would have made better decisions, miss not having him.
No, being clueless would be having nothing to say and having no rebuttle at all, like you. Its laughable you are trying to make Ramonce bigger than he was and mindless to think of him as "key". The kid had talent, but so do alot of other players at U.T. Plays called for him would of been called for other guys. Simple as that. If he was sooooo good why didn't he even recieve a rookie free agent deal from any team in the NFL???
Oh okay, so its our 6th rank offense's fault we ended up 10-3, not the horrible defense we played. Gotcha.....Actually I wonder how we would of done had Colt not of gotten hurt against Kstate.
I never said it was the offense's fault we went 10-3. You brought that up. You also made the argument that not having R Taylor didn't have a big impact on the team last year because Mack can "just plug guys in". I made the point that not having him made a huge difference because he had shown in 2005 that he's a big play speed RB either in the backfield or out running routes that could have helped shore up a running back core that wouldn't have been putting the ball in Charles' fumble happy hands in certain situations had he been there. QB play was strong all season, but the running game had a major weakness for fumbling. Taylor was more sure handed with the ball than both Charles and S Young, and having him to hand the ball off to in big situations would have had an impact on the team last year. The guys that Mack "plugged in" dropped the rock on the carpet far too many times that really hurt the team and CONTRIBUTED to losses. Not the sole reason because the D had a big share as well, but it CONTRIBUTED.
you said 3 guys could easily replace ramonce's stats, which is ludicrous. it was rebutted when you typed it because it makes no sense whatsoever. ramonce had 15 TDs in 2005, the team had 24 rushing TDs total last year - do you think either back had 15? the highest individual total was EIGHT. as far as rookie deals, since when did college talent automatically translate to the NFL? taylor was great in his one season at UT, but would probably be more of a dave meggett caliber player in the NFL - a good third down back.
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