I agree with this Russ. What it's going to do is cause TCU to be in a lot more dogfights than they were in last year. I don't see their defense living up to expectations. Plus unlike last season, TCU will actually have to leave the state of Texas 5 times this year to play their games. And we know what happened last year when they left Texas for their two games. They almost lost to both WV and Kansas. But the only memories everybody has is TCU's win over Ole Miss. Which is fine by me, if you know what I mean.Many agree (including me) that OU would be better off relacing Mike Stoops as the DC. Moving him to the press box might be phase one of just that. But TCU is losing one of the keys to their success the past 11 years in DC in Dick Bumpas. Pretty hard to replace a guy like that.
TCU's Dick Bumpas retiring
2/4/2015 - COLLEGE FOOTBALL TCU HORNED FROGS
TCU defensive coordinator Dick Bumpas is retiring after 11 years with the program, a school spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.
Bumpas, 65, has coached TCU's defense and defensive line since 2004, and was a three-time Broyles Award finalist during his tenure in Fort Worth.
The Horned Frogs produced the Big 12's No. 1 scoring and total defense in 2014 en route to a 12-1 season and a share of the Big 12 championship. They were No. 6 in the final College Football Playoff rankings and No. 3 in the final Associated Press poll.
In his 38 years of coaching, Bumpas won championships in four conferences and worked alongside Gary Patterson at four other schools -- Kansas State, Tennessee Tech, Utah State and Navy -- before reuniting at TCU.
A timetable for his retirement and the hiring of his successor has not been announced.
I think there will be some continuity without Bumpas, especially since Patterson is a defensive coach himself. But when you think back, TCU was very inconsistent on defense last year. If Patterson doesn't get it fixed they could be in trouble. By trouble I mean TCU won't be able to compete on a national scale. I still think they are fully capable of winning a Big 12 conference that is down right now. But the Frogs may not be the team that everybody thinks they are. I think they are a tad overrated going into the 2015 season and not the national title contender that many are making them out to be.
[h=1]Patterson says TCU has narrow margin to challenge for national title[/h]Posted on April 14, 2015 | By Tim Griffi
TCU coach Gary Patterson knows that keeping his team healthy will be vital if his team has any hopes of challenging for the national championship next season.
When asked recently about his team’s hopes of repeating for a share of the Big 12′s championship, Patterson had a blunt assessment.
“I don’t know,” Patterson said. “You could lose four players and you could be 6-6 if one of them are (starting quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate) Trevone Boykin.”
Patterson says that keeping and development talent will be critical, illustrating his point by referencing his team’s tight 37-33 triumph over Oklahoma in its first conference game last season. It was one of three victories the Horned Frogs notched by four points or less in their 12-1 season.
“Every year, I always kind of laugh when people ask that,” Patterson said. “It always comes down to a couple of guys. And it’s usually comes down to a guy like (linebacker) Marcus Mallet and (linebacker) Paul Dawson stepping up and playing the way they did.
“Step back and look at last year. In the OU game, Marcus makes a fourth-down stop and Dawson gets a pick-six (interception touchdown return). Two players who are average probably don’t make those plays and we don’t win the ballgame.”
Most expect the Horned Frogs to be ranked among the five teams nationally with a good shot to earn a place in the second College Football Playoff after last season’s 12-1 record. But Patterson said he’s not taking anything for granted after remembering how narrow his team’s margin of success was last season.
“How do you get guys to move forward and do the rest?” Patterson said. “How do you get back to it? How do you not let yourself slip up in any of those games?”
TCU coach Gary Patterson knows that keeping his team healthy will be vital if his team has any hopes of challenging for the national championship next season.
When asked recently about his team’s hopes of repeating for a share of the Big 12′s championship, Patterson had a blunt assessment.
“I don’t know,” Patterson said. “You could lose four players and you could be 6-6 if one of them are (starting quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate) Trevone Boykin.”
Patterson says that keeping and development talent will be critical, illustrating his point by referencing his team’s tight 37-33 triumph over Oklahoma in its first conference game last season. It was one of three victories the Horned Frogs notched by four points or less in their 12-1 season.
“Every year, I always kind of laugh when people ask that,” Patterson said. “It always comes down to a couple of guys. And it’s usually comes down to a guy like (linebacker) Marcus Mallet and (linebacker) Paul Dawson stepping up and playing the way they did.
“Step back and look at last year. In the OU game, Marcus makes a fourth-down stop and Dawson gets a pick-six (interception touchdown return). Two players who are average probably don’t make those plays and we don’t win the ballgame.”
Most expect the Horned Frogs to be ranked among the five teams nationally with a good shot to earn a place in the second College Football Playoff after last season’s 12-1 record. But Patterson said he’s not taking anything for granted after remembering how narrow his team’s margin of success was last season.
“How do you get guys to move forward and do the rest?” Patterson said. “How do you get back to it? How do you not let yourself slip up in any of those games?”
As I have already mentioned OU has 4 new asst coaches including a new OC. I thought it might be a good idea to check out some of the coaching changes at the other Big 12 schools as well.
Baylor – Kendal Briles (yes Art’s son) is taking over as the new OC. He actually performed that duty at their bowl game last season. Former OC, Philip Montgomery, departed to become the HC at Tulsa.
Kansas – new HC to replace the departing Charlie Weis (good riddance), is David Beaty an experienced coach who spent his last 3 years as WR coach at Texas A&M. His OC will be Rob Liken who is moving in from his last job at Cal. His DC will be Clint Bowen who finished last season as the interim HC and is a long standing fixture at KU going back to his playing days.
Kansas St – some guy named Bill Snyder is still coaching the Wildcats, maybe you have heard of him before (lol). Snyder is K ST football…period. His staff is very experienced and been in tact for several seasons. Snyder even mentored OU HC Bob Stoops back in the day.
Iowa St – HC Paul Rhoads returns as do DC Burnham and OC Mangino.
Oklahoma St – HC Mike Gundy spent 4 years as the Cowboy’s OC before taking over as HC in 2005. Both his OC, Mike Yurcich and DC Glenn Spencer return for their 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] seasons in those positions.
T.C.U. – HC Gary Patterson is going into his 15[SUP]th[/SUP] year. His longtime DC Dick Bumpas is retiring. He will be replaced by new Co-DC’s DeMonte Cross(3[SUP]rd[/SUP] yr in the program) and Chad Glasgow (14[SUP]th[/SUP] year in the program. Co-OC’s Sonny Cumby and Paul Meacham return for their 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] year in that capacity.
Texas – HC Charlie Strong returns for his 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] season as do his OC Joe Wickline and DC Vance Bedford. He does have 3 other new asst coaches, DL – Brick Haley (LSU), WR – Jay Norvell (OU) and Jeff Traylor (HS).
Texas Tech – Kliff Kingsbury returns for his 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] season as HC (he also coaches the QB’s). OC Eric Morris also returns for his 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] season as does Co-DC Mike Smith. Last years other Co-DC was Matt Wallerstedt who was fired early in the season and is now being replaced by David Gibbs.
West Virginia – HC Dana Holgerson returns for his 5[SUP]th[/SUP] season. He calls the plays. Last season Shannon Dawson was listed as the OC but has since moved to be OC at Kentucky. Tony Gibson returns for his 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] season as DC.
Baylor – Kendal Briles (yes Art’s son) is taking over as the new OC. He actually performed that duty at their bowl game last season. Former OC, Philip Montgomery, departed to become the HC at Tulsa.
Kansas – new HC to replace the departing Charlie Weis (good riddance), is David Beaty an experienced coach who spent his last 3 years as WR coach at Texas A&M. His OC will be Rob Liken who is moving in from his last job at Cal. His DC will be Clint Bowen who finished last season as the interim HC and is a long standing fixture at KU going back to his playing days.
Kansas St – some guy named Bill Snyder is still coaching the Wildcats, maybe you have heard of him before (lol). Snyder is K ST football…period. His staff is very experienced and been in tact for several seasons. Snyder even mentored OU HC Bob Stoops back in the day.
Iowa St – HC Paul Rhoads returns as do DC Burnham and OC Mangino.
Oklahoma St – HC Mike Gundy spent 4 years as the Cowboy’s OC before taking over as HC in 2005. Both his OC, Mike Yurcich and DC Glenn Spencer return for their 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] seasons in those positions.
T.C.U. – HC Gary Patterson is going into his 15[SUP]th[/SUP] year. His longtime DC Dick Bumpas is retiring. He will be replaced by new Co-DC’s DeMonte Cross(3[SUP]rd[/SUP] yr in the program) and Chad Glasgow (14[SUP]th[/SUP] year in the program. Co-OC’s Sonny Cumby and Paul Meacham return for their 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] year in that capacity.
Texas – HC Charlie Strong returns for his 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] season as do his OC Joe Wickline and DC Vance Bedford. He does have 3 other new asst coaches, DL – Brick Haley (LSU), WR – Jay Norvell (OU) and Jeff Traylor (HS).
Texas Tech – Kliff Kingsbury returns for his 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] season as HC (he also coaches the QB’s). OC Eric Morris also returns for his 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] season as does Co-DC Mike Smith. Last years other Co-DC was Matt Wallerstedt who was fired early in the season and is now being replaced by David Gibbs.
West Virginia – HC Dana Holgerson returns for his 5[SUP]th[/SUP] season. He calls the plays. Last season Shannon Dawson was listed as the OC but has since moved to be OC at Kentucky. Tony Gibson returns for his 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] season as DC.
Stadium Project Moves Forward
March 10, 2015
NORMAN, Okla. -- The first phase of the building project at the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium will be completed prior to the 2016 season after the University’s Board of Regents today approved the design and development elements with an estimated project budget of $160 million. This facet of the project will focus on the south end zone.
OU President David Boren described the plan as “focused and prudent.” It will focus on our priorities and it is appropriately scaled to reflect the uncertainty of economic conditions caused by low oil and gas prices.” Boren also stressed that no state appropriated funds and no tuition would be used. Funding will come solely from private gifts and athletics revenues.” Boren concluded.
“We stated from the beginning that our priorities were student-athletes and fans, and this work allows us to serve both of those groups,” said University of Oklahoma President David L. Boren. “We have taken the prudent step of phasing the project, which enables to us to take a reasonable approach to construction and funding.
“Fundraising and sales have gone exceedingly well and, and as with all Athletics Department endeavors, we will undertake this project with no burden to taxpayers, students or central campus budgets. The project will be constructed entirely from Athletics Department generated capital funds, bond funds and other private sources. These sources will fully fund all construction, bond payments, and related operational expenses with the appropriate reserves and contingencies.”
Funds generated by stadium revenues provide a cushion of almost $5 million per year over and above recovery bond payments. A very conservative assumption of only 80% occupancy was used in modeling the finances. “We wanted to be on the conservative side,” Boren said.
The most visible aspect of this phase will result in completing the south end zone seating bowl, a feature that will initially increase the seating capacity to more than 84,000 seats. As future adjustments to aisles and handrails are made, that capacity could decrease though it is not known yet to what extent.
A portion of the current south end zone structure, which includes some stadium seating, football operations, the training room and strength training facility, will be razed and reconstructed.
“This project reflects our goals of providing a world class facility for our student-athletes and adding more opportunities to engage fans and create memorable experiences for them,” said Joe Castiglione, Vice President and Director of Athletics. “We’ve been on a steady and diligent pace with our partners on this project and have developed something very special that meets our needs and gives Oklahoma a competitive advantage.”
The new building will allow for all student-athlete services to be moved to the ground floor. That space will include a new locker room, strength and conditioning room, training room, nutrition center, meeting rooms and the equipment operation. Student-athletes from all 21 OU sports will benefit from the space.
The weight room will nearly triple in size to 26,600 square feet and include a 70-yard indoor turfed speed and agility training area. The athletic training room also will grow substantially to nearly 10,000 square feet.
“Our efficiency improves greatly in this new layout,” said OU Head Football Coach Bob Stoops. “The players will have access to essential services all within a few steps of each other in a facility that will be among the best in the country. The impact it will have on our recruiting will be significant. This entire project is a tremendous help to our program.”
The third floor of the building will house all of the football offices and the team’s video department.
The seating bowl will feature an expanded concourse, additional restrooms and concessions, and other amenities. The new structure will feature 22 suites, 60 open-air loge boxes and 1,976 club seats. Those club patrons will benefit from two new clubs. Private fundraising is complete for all of the end zone suites.
Among the most unique features of the new south end zone facility will be a pair of open-air fan plazas, one each in the southwest and southeast corners. They will each measure at slightly more than 3,000 square feet each and feature a view directly to the game field.
“The in-stadium plazas introduce a great new element,” Castiglione said. “They will make a direct impact on the atmosphere in the stadium during games while providing fans a unique vantage point. We’ll also have the option of bringing in additional seating for those areas for games of particularly high demand.”
Castiglione said that fan reaction to the project has been good.
“Our fan base is energized by this project, something we’ve learned in our many face-to-face meetings” Castiglione said. “There’s a lot of anticipation of the new aspects we’ll be introducing and approval for bowling in the stadium. It is very popular and we’re seeing that in our fundraising and sales efforts.”
When original design concepts were introduced, they also included work on the west side of the stadium. Castiglione said that work will proceed only when scheduling and funding allow.
“As is always the case, we’re taking a responsible approach to our projects,” he said. “As the funding becomes available and the schedule permits the work on additional elements of the master plan will progress.”
Oklahoma’s primary partners on this project are the Populous architectural firm and FlintCo Construction.
Here's a long winded but good article on Mike Stoops. He understandably has been silent and we haven't heard much about him this spring until now.
April 19, 2015
Mike Stoops adapting to change as fans want more from defense
Carey Murdock
SoonerScoop.com Editor
Talk about it in The Crimson Corner
774 22 3
Take Bob Stoops' personality, and make him a defensive coordinator of a national power that finished the season 8-5.
The same Bob Stoops who can be gruff and combative with the press. The same Bob Stoops who shies away from photo ops and glad handing.
All the stuff that makes him likable to the general public.
How would Bob Stoops go over with the public then?
Just ask Mike Stoops. It doesn't go over well.It's always been a Youngstown thing with Bob and Mike. They're both good guys. But their no-nonsense personalities don't go over well with your grandma watching at home on TV.
Or passionate OU fans who are still mad about 8-5, still mad about Baylor and Clemson.
Bob Stoops is the head coach who became a college football legend. Mike Stoops is the defensive coordinator who yelled at Julian Wilson during a defensive meltdown against Baylor last season.
Bob has had his detractors for sure. Behind the scenes people rave about how innovative Bob is, how much he embraces new ideas and change.
In front of the scenes Bob can come off as rigid. He once railed against social media and uniform changes. Then he got an active Twitter account and changed the uniforms.
This spring we've been able to watch as his brother Mike is undergoing major changes of his own. Specifically, in the structure of how he operates as a defensive coordinator.
Mike Stoops' world has changed dramatically since last season. He's given up his full-time secondary duties to Kerry Cooks. His coaching duties have been stripped down to allow him more freedom to oversee.
He even coached the spring game from the pressbox, not the sideline.
There is nothing Mike can do right now to change the opinion of fans that have decided he is no longer a great defensive coordinator.
But what he can change, he is.
Even if that change seems difficult for Mike Stoops to swallow at times.
***
Behind the scenes, Mike Stoops is still driven more than ever to put a dominant defense on the field. I can tell you that based on personal conversations.
Although in those conversations, Mike does most of the talking.
With Cooks, Diron Reynolds and Tim Kish, he's making tweaks that are as personal as they are professional.
As mentioned, he's given way to Cooks as a full-time secondary coach and you can tell it hasn't been an easy move for Stoops, just based on an answer to a question I asked Cooks the other day.
"Did it make it easier knowing Bob and Mike since you came in here and took away his baby (secondary)?" I asked.
Cooks laughed immediately.
"I think that definitely helps," he continued. "I went to school at Iowa. I've known these guys for a long time. It adds comfort, knowing you're coming to join guys you're familiar with."
Mike is still a part of coaching the secondary. He joked earlier this spring that he had time on his hands.
"I coach one guy. I coach (Eric) Striker," said Stoops. "That's it. And Devante (Bond). He always plays great so you can never yell at me about my players."
The changes Mike Stoops has gone through this spring have been interesting to chronicle. He's shifted his focus, his responsibilities.
Sometimes it seems he's done it kicking and screaming.
Mike Stoops was asked about the advantages of being up in the pressbox following this year's spring game.
"For me? Nothing," he said defiantly. "You know what I mean. I see the game."
But seconds later, it was almost as if Mike became accepting of the change right before our eyes.
"It lets you probably think more in between series, is what I would say. Setting the game plan up as you move forward, showing more diversification," he explained. "It gives you probably more time to think."
Even though it may lack a sense of subtlety at times, you can see OU's defensive coordinator is doing his best to roll with the changes.
That internal struggle highlights exactly how much he's willing to change in order to make up for the way last season finished.
How far he's willing to go to become known as a great defensive coordinator again.
***
Mike Stoops isn't immune or oblivious to the criticisms either. He knows they are out there.
I would say he is a coach that is a victim of his own honesty at times. He's the most likely coach on the staff to put the blame on himself for a bad performance. He does it often.
That also tends to open the coach up to criticism. It's a double-edged sword. Mike doesn't want to run away from the blame. But the blame comes stronger because he's so open to calling himself out.
In fact, he'll get fired up about it from time-to-time.
Mike told me recently he doesn't read what is said about him directly, but sometimes someone will bring an article to his attention, even a bad one.
Sometimes in public media sessions, he decides to spar with the media, as he did earlier this spring.
"Two years ago we were No. 1 in the conference in pass defense because we played what? We played two (safeties) high, so no one knows that, did you report that?" he asked as he turned to me.
I told Mike I'd heard him say that before, that they played two safeties back to support the pass game more in 2013.
"But you didn't say anything?" Stoops barked.
I actually told him that nobody wanted to read about two years ago, which didn't go over so well.
"So quit writing about last year," he commanded. "That's old news, too, right? It's a new year. I don't want to hear about that either. You want to bring that up all the time, I think you're trying to get me mad.
"It ain't going to work. I ain't going to snap on you, I'm a grown man, I ain't going to snap."
After some nervous laughter and a joke about being '40' normalcy returned to the media session. I actually enjoyed it. It was signature Stoops brothers. It was Youngstown, Ohio.
It was a public display of passion by Mike Stoops. It was Mike Stoops being committed to being better than he was a year ago.
***
One of the more unique things about Mike Stoops as a coach is his willingness to talk football. He talks about the reasons why some things don't work. He talks about what they are doing specifically to address past failures.
He rarely falls back on coaching clichés like, 'We've just got to execute better.'
He actually talks the internal failings of the execution.
Mike Stoops will talk to you about having lighter edge rushers in a four-man front and the challenges that poses for players like Eric Striker.
"Teams that play with short edges, you know, tight ends - we don't see a lot of tight ends (who line up conventionally). You just have to ask those guys to do what they do well. Not put them in positions where they're covered up, if that makes sense."
Last year there were a lot of busts in the secondary, particularly at the safety position. Mike will talk about moving the secondary all into the same meeting room and why that was necessary.
"I think there's too much miscommunication in the secondary," he said. "We're not communicating the right way. When you separate the secondary that's the one issue that really kind of divided us. We're all in there together, we talk together and we talk problems out. Hopefully our communication will be better too."
Being around Mike Stoops in the spring is different than a lot of coaches. He's not hiding anything. You actually see the inner workings of what he's trying to do, how he's trying to fix things and how much energy and drive he still has to make his defense whole again.
***
Coming out of this spring, the secondary made more progress than most outsiders thought it would.
In the spring game, nearly every one of the secondary's maligned players made big plays. Ahmad Thomas, Hatari Byrd and Jordan Thomas all picked off passes.
"It's a group that has experience now playing together," said Stoops. "Playing together, working together with coach Cooks day-in and day-out and myself. We're starting to build some continuity."But if there is one caveat to OU's resurgence as a defense under Mike Stoops, it's the overall talent level.
Mike Stoops, Bob Stoops nor Kerry Cooks have sugarcoated the need for more talent in the secondary, and particularly the safety position.
If Zack Sanchez or Steven Parker goes down, this defense could be in big trouble in a hurry.
"I'll feel a lot better when we get those three (signing day) safeties in here," said Mike Stoops early this spring. "I'll feel a lot better. Right now, we're thin in the secondary. That shows every day.
"We're going to need all three of those guys to come in and contribute - either be back-ups or push the guys we have here. That's just how it is. We're caught thin at the safety position."
Outside of schemes and coaching, the talent level has to improve, which it will with Stoops' fifth recruiting class since returning to Norman.
Which is the other rub on criticism surrounding Stoops. He's been a great recruiter at Oklahoma.
Last season, he didn't get as much credit as he should, but he was still the point man on every player this staff signed in the secondary.
Mike's biggest problem in the perception of him as a recruiter is that he still feels the way Bob felt about social media three years ago. He's not posting selfies anytime soon.
***
While changes go on behind the scenes, criticism over his defenses will continue until fans see change on the field.
It might not be a realistic goal to aspire to be a dominant defense in this day and age at Oklahoma.
The only true measure Mike Stoops has to live up to is to have a defense that gives up fewer points than its offense can score every week.
Mike Stoops held TCU to 30 points last season in Ft. Worth. The Horned Frogs scored 58 on Baylor, 41 on Kansas State, 82 on Texas Tech and 45 against Oklahoma State.
But Mike Stoops played defensive backs 10 yards off the line of scrimmage against Baylor in a 48-14 loss.
As it happens with high-profile coaches and players at Oklahoma, the good is always overshadowed by the bad.
Josh Heupel and Jay Norvell are gone as offensive coordinators. Trevor Knight has serious competition at quarterback heading into 2015.
Mike Stoops is the biggest punching bag left. In some people's eyes, 2014's 8-5 season begins and ends with him.
Fans choose their side of the argument.
Then they swing away.
These days those punches land on Mike Stoops.
But don't confuse Mike Stoops' postgame press conferences after tough losses for a coach who has given in. Don't confuse his honesty about needing more players as a weakness.
That's not happening in Norman. That's not happening with Mike Stoops.
We've seen enough this spring to know Mike Stoops is making bold changes, changes that haven't been easy, but changes for the better.
With the press, Mike is more than happy to tell you what he's doing to fix things.
Behind the scenes with his coaches, you get an even closer look at how much turning things around means to him.
"He's angry, which he should be," said Kerry Cooks of Mike's drive to rebuild his defense. "I think at the end of the day he's passionate--about the kids, about coaching, about OU--and he just wants it to be the best that it can be.
"And there's no reason why it shouldn't be."
That's a standard many will continue to hold Mike Stoops to, regardless of how hard he works, or how much he cares about being better.
If you ask Mike Stoops, it's the standard he holds himself to as well.
April 19, 2015
Mike Stoops adapting to change as fans want more from defense
Carey Murdock
SoonerScoop.com Editor
Talk about it in The Crimson Corner
774 22 3
Take Bob Stoops' personality, and make him a defensive coordinator of a national power that finished the season 8-5.
The same Bob Stoops who can be gruff and combative with the press. The same Bob Stoops who shies away from photo ops and glad handing.
All the stuff that makes him likable to the general public.
How would Bob Stoops go over with the public then?
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| SoonerScoop.com | |
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| Mike Stoops is doing things differently this spring |
Or passionate OU fans who are still mad about 8-5, still mad about Baylor and Clemson.
Bob Stoops is the head coach who became a college football legend. Mike Stoops is the defensive coordinator who yelled at Julian Wilson during a defensive meltdown against Baylor last season.
Bob has had his detractors for sure. Behind the scenes people rave about how innovative Bob is, how much he embraces new ideas and change.
In front of the scenes Bob can come off as rigid. He once railed against social media and uniform changes. Then he got an active Twitter account and changed the uniforms.
This spring we've been able to watch as his brother Mike is undergoing major changes of his own. Specifically, in the structure of how he operates as a defensive coordinator.
Mike Stoops' world has changed dramatically since last season. He's given up his full-time secondary duties to Kerry Cooks. His coaching duties have been stripped down to allow him more freedom to oversee.
He even coached the spring game from the pressbox, not the sideline.
There is nothing Mike can do right now to change the opinion of fans that have decided he is no longer a great defensive coordinator.
But what he can change, he is.
Even if that change seems difficult for Mike Stoops to swallow at times.
***
Behind the scenes, Mike Stoops is still driven more than ever to put a dominant defense on the field. I can tell you that based on personal conversations.
Although in those conversations, Mike does most of the talking.
With Cooks, Diron Reynolds and Tim Kish, he's making tweaks that are as personal as they are professional.
As mentioned, he's given way to Cooks as a full-time secondary coach and you can tell it hasn't been an easy move for Stoops, just based on an answer to a question I asked Cooks the other day.
"Did it make it easier knowing Bob and Mike since you came in here and took away his baby (secondary)?" I asked.
Cooks laughed immediately.
"I think that definitely helps," he continued. "I went to school at Iowa. I've known these guys for a long time. It adds comfort, knowing you're coming to join guys you're familiar with."
Mike is still a part of coaching the secondary. He joked earlier this spring that he had time on his hands.
"I coach one guy. I coach (Eric) Striker," said Stoops. "That's it. And Devante (Bond). He always plays great so you can never yell at me about my players."
The changes Mike Stoops has gone through this spring have been interesting to chronicle. He's shifted his focus, his responsibilities.
Sometimes it seems he's done it kicking and screaming.
Mike Stoops was asked about the advantages of being up in the pressbox following this year's spring game.
"For me? Nothing," he said defiantly. "You know what I mean. I see the game."
But seconds later, it was almost as if Mike became accepting of the change right before our eyes.
"It lets you probably think more in between series, is what I would say. Setting the game plan up as you move forward, showing more diversification," he explained. "It gives you probably more time to think."
Even though it may lack a sense of subtlety at times, you can see OU's defensive coordinator is doing his best to roll with the changes.
That internal struggle highlights exactly how much he's willing to change in order to make up for the way last season finished.
How far he's willing to go to become known as a great defensive coordinator again.
***
Mike Stoops isn't immune or oblivious to the criticisms either. He knows they are out there.
I would say he is a coach that is a victim of his own honesty at times. He's the most likely coach on the staff to put the blame on himself for a bad performance. He does it often.
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| SoonerScoop.com | |
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| Kerry Cooks has taken some of Stoops' coaching duties as the full-time secondary coach |
In fact, he'll get fired up about it from time-to-time.
Mike told me recently he doesn't read what is said about him directly, but sometimes someone will bring an article to his attention, even a bad one.
Sometimes in public media sessions, he decides to spar with the media, as he did earlier this spring.
"Two years ago we were No. 1 in the conference in pass defense because we played what? We played two (safeties) high, so no one knows that, did you report that?" he asked as he turned to me.
I told Mike I'd heard him say that before, that they played two safeties back to support the pass game more in 2013.
"But you didn't say anything?" Stoops barked.
I actually told him that nobody wanted to read about two years ago, which didn't go over so well.
"So quit writing about last year," he commanded. "That's old news, too, right? It's a new year. I don't want to hear about that either. You want to bring that up all the time, I think you're trying to get me mad.
"It ain't going to work. I ain't going to snap on you, I'm a grown man, I ain't going to snap."
After some nervous laughter and a joke about being '40' normalcy returned to the media session. I actually enjoyed it. It was signature Stoops brothers. It was Youngstown, Ohio.
It was a public display of passion by Mike Stoops. It was Mike Stoops being committed to being better than he was a year ago.
***
One of the more unique things about Mike Stoops as a coach is his willingness to talk football. He talks about the reasons why some things don't work. He talks about what they are doing specifically to address past failures.
He rarely falls back on coaching clichés like, 'We've just got to execute better.'
He actually talks the internal failings of the execution.
Mike Stoops will talk to you about having lighter edge rushers in a four-man front and the challenges that poses for players like Eric Striker.
"Teams that play with short edges, you know, tight ends - we don't see a lot of tight ends (who line up conventionally). You just have to ask those guys to do what they do well. Not put them in positions where they're covered up, if that makes sense."
Last year there were a lot of busts in the secondary, particularly at the safety position. Mike will talk about moving the secondary all into the same meeting room and why that was necessary.
"I think there's too much miscommunication in the secondary," he said. "We're not communicating the right way. When you separate the secondary that's the one issue that really kind of divided us. We're all in there together, we talk together and we talk problems out. Hopefully our communication will be better too."
Being around Mike Stoops in the spring is different than a lot of coaches. He's not hiding anything. You actually see the inner workings of what he's trying to do, how he's trying to fix things and how much energy and drive he still has to make his defense whole again.
***
Coming out of this spring, the secondary made more progress than most outsiders thought it would.
In the spring game, nearly every one of the secondary's maligned players made big plays. Ahmad Thomas, Hatari Byrd and Jordan Thomas all picked off passes.
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| SoonerScoop.com | |
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| Mike Stoops still appears to be coaching as hard as ever on the practice fields |
Mike Stoops, Bob Stoops nor Kerry Cooks have sugarcoated the need for more talent in the secondary, and particularly the safety position.
If Zack Sanchez or Steven Parker goes down, this defense could be in big trouble in a hurry.
"I'll feel a lot better when we get those three (signing day) safeties in here," said Mike Stoops early this spring. "I'll feel a lot better. Right now, we're thin in the secondary. That shows every day.
"We're going to need all three of those guys to come in and contribute - either be back-ups or push the guys we have here. That's just how it is. We're caught thin at the safety position."
Outside of schemes and coaching, the talent level has to improve, which it will with Stoops' fifth recruiting class since returning to Norman.
Which is the other rub on criticism surrounding Stoops. He's been a great recruiter at Oklahoma.
Last season, he didn't get as much credit as he should, but he was still the point man on every player this staff signed in the secondary.
Mike's biggest problem in the perception of him as a recruiter is that he still feels the way Bob felt about social media three years ago. He's not posting selfies anytime soon.
***
While changes go on behind the scenes, criticism over his defenses will continue until fans see change on the field.
It might not be a realistic goal to aspire to be a dominant defense in this day and age at Oklahoma.
The only true measure Mike Stoops has to live up to is to have a defense that gives up fewer points than its offense can score every week.
Mike Stoops held TCU to 30 points last season in Ft. Worth. The Horned Frogs scored 58 on Baylor, 41 on Kansas State, 82 on Texas Tech and 45 against Oklahoma State.
But Mike Stoops played defensive backs 10 yards off the line of scrimmage against Baylor in a 48-14 loss.
As it happens with high-profile coaches and players at Oklahoma, the good is always overshadowed by the bad.
Josh Heupel and Jay Norvell are gone as offensive coordinators. Trevor Knight has serious competition at quarterback heading into 2015.
Mike Stoops is the biggest punching bag left. In some people's eyes, 2014's 8-5 season begins and ends with him.
Fans choose their side of the argument.
Then they swing away.
These days those punches land on Mike Stoops.
But don't confuse Mike Stoops' postgame press conferences after tough losses for a coach who has given in. Don't confuse his honesty about needing more players as a weakness.
That's not happening in Norman. That's not happening with Mike Stoops.
We've seen enough this spring to know Mike Stoops is making bold changes, changes that haven't been easy, but changes for the better.
With the press, Mike is more than happy to tell you what he's doing to fix things.
Behind the scenes with his coaches, you get an even closer look at how much turning things around means to him.
"He's angry, which he should be," said Kerry Cooks of Mike's drive to rebuild his defense. "I think at the end of the day he's passionate--about the kids, about coaching, about OU--and he just wants it to be the best that it can be.
"And there's no reason why it shouldn't be."
That's a standard many will continue to hold Mike Stoops to, regardless of how hard he works, or how much he cares about being better.
If you ask Mike Stoops, it's the standard he holds himself to as well.
This is probably Mike's last shot at keeping his job. He feels like he is being punished but rightfully so. Keeping him off the field will have a positive effect on the players. Mike is still very capable but his stint as a HC may have brought out the worst of him. He needs to accept his new role and let the new coaches interact with players.
[h=2]OU[/h]NEWSOK |BLOGS
[h=1]Oklahoma football: Bob Stoops says Lincoln Riley's new offense is 'player friendly'[/h]
by Jason Kersey Modified: April 21, 2015 at 3:20 pm • Published: April 21, 2015
NORMAN -- The Oklahoma offense under first-year offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley is "player friendly" and won't be difficult for even younger Sooners to learn, Bob Stoops said Tuesday.
"I don't want to say it's a simple offense to learn," Stoops said on the Big 12 coaches teleconference, "but it is player friendly and young people or even freshmen are able to pick up on it early."
Riley, a Mike Leach disciple and former assistant at Texas Tech and East Carolina, was hired in January to replace Josh Heupel and install his version of the "Air Raid," which has been used with great success at programs around the country.
In Stoops' first season -- 1999 -- Leach installed the Air Raid as offensive coordinator. The Sooners slowly drifted away from it over the past several years, though, and Stoops is determined to return to that style of attack.
The biggest lingering question is who will play quarterback. Junior Baker Mayfield played in this offense in 2013 at Texas Tech, but junior Trevor Knight has the most game experience.
The Sooners return running back Samaje Perine, who led the Big 12 Conference in rushing last season, and although this offense is engineered to be pass-heavy, Riley has said Oklahoma's strong backfield depth isn't lost on him.
"We've been, in all our better teams, we have been at our best when we had a really good running game to go with some exceptional quarterback play," Stoops said Tuesday. "The year (Sam) Bradford won the Heisman Trophy, we had two 1,000-yard rushers. That probably got overlooked maybe a little bit that year because of Sam and how good he was."
[h=1]Oklahoma football: Bob Stoops says Lincoln Riley's new offense is 'player friendly'[/h]
by Jason Kersey Modified: April 21, 2015 at 3:20 pm • Published: April 21, 2015
NORMAN -- The Oklahoma offense under first-year offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley is "player friendly" and won't be difficult for even younger Sooners to learn, Bob Stoops said Tuesday.
"I don't want to say it's a simple offense to learn," Stoops said on the Big 12 coaches teleconference, "but it is player friendly and young people or even freshmen are able to pick up on it early."
Riley, a Mike Leach disciple and former assistant at Texas Tech and East Carolina, was hired in January to replace Josh Heupel and install his version of the "Air Raid," which has been used with great success at programs around the country.
In Stoops' first season -- 1999 -- Leach installed the Air Raid as offensive coordinator. The Sooners slowly drifted away from it over the past several years, though, and Stoops is determined to return to that style of attack.
The biggest lingering question is who will play quarterback. Junior Baker Mayfield played in this offense in 2013 at Texas Tech, but junior Trevor Knight has the most game experience.
The Sooners return running back Samaje Perine, who led the Big 12 Conference in rushing last season, and although this offense is engineered to be pass-heavy, Riley has said Oklahoma's strong backfield depth isn't lost on him.
"We've been, in all our better teams, we have been at our best when we had a really good running game to go with some exceptional quarterback play," Stoops said Tuesday. "The year (Sam) Bradford won the Heisman Trophy, we had two 1,000-yard rushers. That probably got overlooked maybe a little bit that year because of Sam and how good he was."
Now that OU is done with Spring practices I thought it might be a good idea to introduce the off season guy - their strength coach:
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Diron Reynolds talks about his defensive line
Carey Murdock
SoonerScoop.com Editor
Talk about it in The Crimson Corner
We wrote about Diron Reynolds' coaching style and philosophy yesterday, but Oklahoma's newest defensive line coach also spoke about some specific players he's been coaching up this spring.
Reynolds is working with players on the inside and outside of the defensive line and he's asking them to be more multiple on the front this season.
It's forcing him to teach different techniques for his tackles and his ends."It's different. When you get a chance to play two techniques, it's always a challenge," he said. "It's a process. We're going through it. We're trying to get those guys to change their stance a little bit, you know, I always tell them, 'Try on a new pair of shoes, it might not feel real good at first, but keep trying them and once you mold them to what you want, we'll get what we want.'"
Reynolds said he's coached both four-man and three-man fronts throughout his tenure in the NFL.
"I've been a little bit of everything. When we were down in Miami, we played a multiple front like this, more under type defense," he said. "Out at Stanford, we were all over the place. I got a chance to do it all."
Here are some more of Reynolds thoughts on his individual players:
Reynolds on his overall defensive line group and Charles Tapper...
"Really excited about the guys I have. I see a whole lot of potential. Tapper is my guy. He's the No. 1 guy right now. Think what we're doing bringing him off the edge, loosening up his technique. Showing his athletic ability, which is what everybody wants to see, I think if you put that in his hands, he's going to be real disruptive for us."
Reynolds on Matthew Romar and Jordan Wade...
"In my mind I think it's a real good one-two punch. Both bring some things to the table. Romar is like a little bull in there. He'll come off the ball, he'll slug it out with you. Wade - he'll slip up and he'll make some plays. He's kind of slippery, he'll get some TFLs, not quite sure how he got them, he's just a playmaker."
Reynolds on D.J. Ward...
"I like the way he gets off the ball. He's a natural pass rusher out there. I keep giving him some more tools. I think he does a good job getting off the ball and a good job reading the shoulder pads. Once we continue to put some more moves in his repertoire, he's gonna be really, really special."
Reynolds on Charles Walker...
"Charles Walker has tremendous upside. He's one of the guys, if we see him coming into the league, we'd be like, 'Tremendous upside, but I just don't know yet.' He has all the tools and everything else, but a lot of question marks. I can't say enough about him. He's a special talent. Once we get him pointed in the right direction, I think he's gonna be special for us."
Reynolds on newcomers that will arrive in the fall like Neville Gallimore...
"I'm looking forward to getting them in. These guys seem like really good guys over the phone, highly intelligent, on the details. Those are the kinds of guys we need."
Carey Murdock
SoonerScoop.com Editor
Talk about it in The Crimson Corner
We wrote about Diron Reynolds' coaching style and philosophy yesterday, but Oklahoma's newest defensive line coach also spoke about some specific players he's been coaching up this spring.
Reynolds is working with players on the inside and outside of the defensive line and he's asking them to be more multiple on the front this season.
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| SoonerScoop.com | |
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| DJ Ward made a major step forward in his OU career this spring |
Reynolds said he's coached both four-man and three-man fronts throughout his tenure in the NFL.
"I've been a little bit of everything. When we were down in Miami, we played a multiple front like this, more under type defense," he said. "Out at Stanford, we were all over the place. I got a chance to do it all."
Here are some more of Reynolds thoughts on his individual players:
Reynolds on his overall defensive line group and Charles Tapper...
"Really excited about the guys I have. I see a whole lot of potential. Tapper is my guy. He's the No. 1 guy right now. Think what we're doing bringing him off the edge, loosening up his technique. Showing his athletic ability, which is what everybody wants to see, I think if you put that in his hands, he's going to be real disruptive for us."
Reynolds on Matthew Romar and Jordan Wade...
"In my mind I think it's a real good one-two punch. Both bring some things to the table. Romar is like a little bull in there. He'll come off the ball, he'll slug it out with you. Wade - he'll slip up and he'll make some plays. He's kind of slippery, he'll get some TFLs, not quite sure how he got them, he's just a playmaker."
Reynolds on D.J. Ward...
"I like the way he gets off the ball. He's a natural pass rusher out there. I keep giving him some more tools. I think he does a good job getting off the ball and a good job reading the shoulder pads. Once we continue to put some more moves in his repertoire, he's gonna be really, really special."
Reynolds on Charles Walker...
"Charles Walker has tremendous upside. He's one of the guys, if we see him coming into the league, we'd be like, 'Tremendous upside, but I just don't know yet.' He has all the tools and everything else, but a lot of question marks. I can't say enough about him. He's a special talent. Once we get him pointed in the right direction, I think he's gonna be special for us."
Reynolds on newcomers that will arrive in the fall like Neville Gallimore...
"I'm looking forward to getting them in. These guys seem like really good guys over the phone, highly intelligent, on the details. Those are the kinds of guys we need."
| 2015 Football Schedule | ||
|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Date | Location |
| Sept. 5 | Akron | Norman |
| Sept. 12 | Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. |
| Sept. 19 | Tulsa | Norman |
| Oct. 3 | West Virginia* | Norman |
| Oct. 10 | Texas*^ | Dallas |
| Oct. 17 | Kansas State* | Manhattan, Kan. |
| Oct. 24 | Texas Tech* | Norman |
| Oct. 31 | Kansas* | Lawrence, Kan. |
| Nov. 7 | Iowa State* | Norman |
| Nov. 14 | Baylor* | Waco, Texas |
| Nov. 21 | TCU* | Norman |
| Nov. 28 | Oklahoma State* | Stillwater, Okla. |
| * - Big 12 Conference game ^ - AT&T Red River Showdown at Cotton Bowl |
Let's hope it's endzone friendly. My main concern with these types of offenses is their ability to stretch the field, and not get too caught up in the dinks and dunks crap. It's much easier to throw downfield in a spring game than it is in an actual game setting. So I'm curious to see what Riley's offense does under fire. Like I said, I'm more worried about the other side of the ball. Personally I think there are too many changes being made to the defense in a short period of time. I've heard Stoops say how much more improved this defense will be so many times that I've stopped paying any attention to it. If the Sooners somehow take Tennessee to the woodshed in that early game it will get my attention. And I think they'll be able to make a serious run for the Big 12 championship. But I'm not confident at all that they'll even beat Tennessee, even though I think the media might be a little too high on the Vols this year. We'll see. It's still having to play the SEC in their back yard. Never an easy task...
