Sunday, October 4, 2009

Building Year for my Beloved Sooners!


Yes, it is true the Oklahoma Sooners went into Dolphin Stadium and lost in a 20 to 21 decision to the Miami Hurricanes of the ACC.  It has been  a rough start for the Sooners this year beginning with of the loss of the six foot six two hundred and sixty pound tight end Jermaine Gresham.  Jermaine is not only big and strong enough to block defensive ends and linebackers but he has the agility to go out split and make things happen as a wide receiver.  Last year Jermaine Gresham turned down the NFL Draft to come back for his Sr. year.  Many thought that was insane because of his first round predictions, but for reasons which are unbeknownst unto me he choose to stay and finish his Sr. year.  The season was starting with serious promise and with the passing offense centered around Gresham things seemed bright for the Sooners but just days before the season opener with the Stormin' Mormon's of BYU it was announced that Jermaine Gresham will not play for the reminder of his Sr. year.

The returning Heisman Trophy Winner Slinging Sammy Bradford who had over 4,000 passing yards and 50 TD's last year passed on being the number one over all pick in the NFL Draft and $40,000,000 to play for the Detroit Lions is currently overcoming a shoulder injury received before half time of the season opener.

Head Coach Bob Stoops has recently faced criticism stating that Bob Stoops should have pushed these young men to the Draft.  Stoops reply was that it isn't his job to make that decision his job is to educate them on the possibilities and leave it up to the players and their families to determine the best decision.  On the up side these two young men Gresham who is finishing his senior year and Bradford who is a red-shirt junior will be receiving a college degree, and who knows if they were ready for the NFL.

This is a building year for Oklahoma with 50 Freshman on a 120 man roster.  Every team has building seasons and this is the Sooners building year.  I wish the best of luck to the players, coaches, and all the brave men and women serving in the armed forces. 

Aside      

3 comments:

Quinn the Eskimo said...

Are you just saying that because they've lost two games already?

http://wayneswildworldofcollegefootball.blogspot.com/2009/01/slingin-sammy-bardford-is-back.html

I think with as many consecutive conference titles as OU has won they're probably considered a team that just reloads instead of rebuilds.
The only other programs that you can really say that about are USC and probably Florida and Ohio State. They get the huge money from playing in BCS bowls every year and are able to recruit 5 star talent.
Losing Jermaine Gresham was obviously huge, but how many starters did they return on defense? What about returning two thousand yard rushers and the heisman trophy winner?
If this was considered a "re-building" year for Oklahoma why were they ranked pre-season #3?
The Sooners biggest issue is the loss of 4 starting linemen. They need to keep their QB upright if they're going to beat good teams.
Also Bob Stoops has proven to be a superior week-to-week coach, but he seems to get outcoached a lot when both teams have a long time to prepare for a game.
I'm still pulling for OU to win the Big 12. If their line can start playing better and if Bradford is back to 100% for the Red River Shootout, I think they have a chance.

wayne bass said...

the money earned in the BCS Bowls is evenly distributed throughout the conference, and yes its true that BCS conferences like the Big 12 SEC and what not usually get like 2 teams in a Major Bowl which means that they get more money, but lets be honest there are a lot of schools within those conferences who are moochers and get an even distribution of the Big BCS money and still suck. Example: Baylor, Stanford, Northwestern, Maryland, Duke, and a lot of the Big East... So, just because you are getting the Big Bucks doesn't necessarily mean that your going to Rock the NCAA.

It is true that places like OU usually reload instead of rebuild but lets be honest with almost half of the roster being freshman and most of the offensive line are in their freshman year, not to mention the optimistic statement of OU's Offensive Coordinator when he said "We've got some good, young, competitive guys," Chris Wilson (The Oklahoman)

The statement of Defense wins games is true and for the first time in a LONG while I think that its safe to say that the Sooner Defense is stronger then their Offense this year. Losing Gresham and Bradford has been huge. Younger guys who normally wouldn't be playing are. Both Gresham and Bradford won't be here next year, and so for Landery Jones and who ever backs up Gresham they are gaining game time experience which will be good latter on down the road. (or in other words its a building season for the offense) WIth a healthy Bradford and Tight end slash wide out then yeah our offense would be alot better and I think that those two guys lead to a high pre-season ranking.

I am not sure how many OU games you were able to watch last year but I remember Sam Bradford dropping back in the pocket setting up his tent eating a sandwich making a couple phone calls and then completing a pass (He had all day back there.) That is not true this year. Why? Its just like you said there "the line has to get better" and that will come with time and experience which they currently lack.

I always enjoy your insights, and I thank you for your comments. I also appreciate the support in the up coming Red River Shoot Out and the Big 12 Championship.

PEACE-

Joe said...

Wayne loves making excuses for OU underachieving year after year.

Also, Texas has 45 freshman on their roster. That's almost 50, which is what you claim OU has. Texas must also be rebuilding...