Wes's Weekly Thoughts
- By WesCrochet
- UTSA Football Archives
- 4 Replies
UTSA Football, Recruiting, Richard Sherman, Super Bowl, and a dinner for 4...
Enjoy
UTSA Football
Each game-week in 2013 was prefaced with the same title; "This is the most important game in UTSA's short existence playing football." And that will be no different for the 2014 season.
In 2013, UTSA exceeded expectations set by fans and media (well, most fans and media) by ending the season 6-2 in conference play and 7-5 overall. It was a great season for UTSA at this point in their existence and it's one that should have been celebrated. But now that it's a new year, the celebrating should be over as it's time to start gearing up for the big 2014 season.
I don't like saying there's more pressure to win this season because, well, there's always pressure to win. But in order for UTSA to keep climbing as a program, the 2014 season has to end on a higher note than the 2013 season did. And that higher note may be as small as one more conference/out of conference win or (hopefully for UTSA) as big as a conference title. But with as many players returning to UTSA's roster as there are, combined with the fact that a large portion of the roster is seniors, the time to win will be now more than ever.
Why now? Why this season? ? First, for a reason I just stated, UTSA will have the most experienced roster in the conference with 35+ seniors on roster. And after performing well in conference play in 2013, that group should know what it takes to win conference games in 2014. But on top of this, the 2015 recruiting class will be a huge class. And since the staff will have many scholarships to hand out and many roster slots to fill after the seniors graduate, the coaches can set their sights high early on to try and land some of the top recruits in the state and possibly around the country. We've already seen it begin with offers out to Billy McCrary, Keivon Ramsey, and now 4-star quarterback J.W. Ketchum. But in order for UTSA to even be in the conversation with these types of recruits, the team needs to continue to win to gain recruits' attention and to continue to show off the program's legitimacy.
Buckle up because this will be one heck of a ride this year.
UTSA Recruiting
Ouch That Howard decommitment stings doesn't it? He was the definition of an under-the-radar recruit that would have done great in Conference USA. At the Big 12 level, we'll have to wait and see. But this is the nature of recruiting. When you lose a commit, it hurts. When you flip a commit (like, I don't know, let's say Nate Gaines) it makes you want to celebrate right then and there.
To be honest, I fumbled keeping up with Howard and didn't even realize he had plans to visit TCU. But the Horned Frogs made another late push on a UTSA recruit and it worked out for them again.
Howard listed playing in the Big 12 as one reason he chose TCU. But he also added he liked the smaller class sizes (educationally speaking) because it worked well for his own education. Whatever the reasons may be, he is now a TCU commit and UTSA will have to look elsewhere.
Decommitments this year sting badly more so than other years. With the limit at or around 13 scholarship players, any decommitment this late creates a big risk of UTSA dropping down a level of talent and athleticism at the position where the decommitment happens. Luckily for UTSA, the coaches have been masters at finding hidden talent so the drop in talent may not actually be that significant. But with Howard specifically, it seems like the only way to salvage this situation is by flipping Nate Gaines (who is saying he will decide tomorrow).
As for the rest of the class, anyone of these recruits could get poached. They are all talented guys. And on the positive side, at least other schools also recognize the talent UTSA is recruiting. And hey, now UTSA has another scholarship spot that just opened up for 2014
Richard Sherman
It's finally my turn to weigh in fully about Richard Sherman. And for starters, I'm already bored at the overreaction from the media and fans with this one. Was he over-the-top with his yelling? Yes. But the man did not cuss, he did not threaten anyone's life with violence, and a mic was shoved in front of his face after one of the most physical and emotional games of his life.
For everyone who criticized Sherman, I'd love to know how many of those people have ever played football, played a physical sport, been in a fight, or been involved in something else that is physically (where competitive, physical contact is involved) and emotionally exhausting. Of the people who said they have played football, I'd then love to know which of those people played in the secondary, more specifically at corner (Sherman's position). The corner position is a unique position in football, especially in today's era of football where teams are built to pass all over defenses. It's one reason why the position is coveted highly in drafts and free agency, and it's why cornerbacks get paid a lot to do their job well. As a corner, you are often on an island battling with one receiver. Your job is to stop that wide receiver and stop that offense from picking on you and from moving the ball against you. On defense, this is the one position where you have to rely on your own ability the most; either you succeed or you get beat, it's as simple as that. Richard Sherman knows that. And he knows that every wide receiver he covers is trying to attack him and beat him on the field. Michael Crabtree was no exception. And on top of this, he and Crabtree have had a running feud dating back before the season. They've both been jarring at one another, both dislike each other, and both wanted to beat each other. In the end, Sherman won the battle with Crabtree and he was excited and emotional about it after the game. But nothing he said after the game was outside the lines of the sport, which is why I still don't understand the amount of negative criticism and negative attention Sherman is receiving.
But maybe you never played cornerback. Or maybe you never played a physical sport and you still feel Sherman's 20-second long comments were very out-of-line and unacceptable. I then ask you how this is any different from a tennis player destroying a racquet and cussing loud for the audience to see and hear in one of the classiest settings in all of sports? Or how is this different from Nascar drivers chasing each other down and getting into an altercation with one another after a race? Is this that much worse than hockey players slugging it out in fist fights on the ice? Surely this can't be worse than two boxers jawing at one another at a press conference before a match. And don't tell me a baseball player charging the mound to fight a pitcher is any better than Sherman's comments My point? ? There is passion, emotion, rivalries and trash talking in sports; it's everywhere in sports. If the NFL were to show every piece they ever edited out from their "Mic'd Up" series, fans everywhere would likely be appalled at what they'd see and hear judging from the fans' negative reactions from Sherman's comments, so let's not act like Richard Sherman isn't the only athlete to ever trash-talk in sports... And I'm not saying you have to be a fan of trash talking, because you don't. I, myself, don't normally trash-talk when I'm playing sport; it's not my style of play. But just because Sherman trash-talked in a sport doesn't mean he's a bad guy in real life. What's the big deal with his comments? He didn't cuss nor did he threaten anyone with violence. If you are so upset with Sherman due to his comments, then would you consider guys like Michael Jordan, Deion Sanders, Larry Bird, and Muhammad Ali, who were all notorious trash-talkers, to be bad guys as well? Would you go as far as saying they are all "thugs"? Again, I'm not saying you have to be ok with trash talking. But I don't get the amount of negative reaction Sherman is receiving. He's not the first to trash-talk and he surely won't be the last.
Now for those of you who decided to use the word "thug" in your description of Sherman, shame on you. The word "thug" in our society today refers to a violent criminal and/or gangster. And the term often has a racial undertone to it as well. Richard Sherman, a former student at Stanford, is far from a thug. I'm assuming those of you who called Sherman a thug were using your own personal stereotype of what a "thug" is and felt it was right to use the word. Ask yourself this; had Tom Brady or Andrew Luck yelled in an interview after a game, would you have called either of those players a thug? I highly doubt it. But I'd assume that because Richard Sherman is a black man with dreads, it is easy for some people to label him a thug. If that's the case, would Bob Marley and Whoopi Goldberg be considered thugs too?... Absolutely not. Yet many people didn't approve of Sherman's comments and then decided to use even worse language when criticizing Sherman's.
The point of me writing this is not to tell you that you have to be "okay" with trash talking. Not everyone is a fan of trash talking and/or chooses to do that when in a competition. As I stated earlier, I don't normally trash-talk when I play sports; it's just not in my DNA. But to call him an awful person, label him as a bad guy, use words like "thug" and generate pure hatred for him seems much worse than the sport-specific comments he said. At the end of the day, he didn't cuss and he didn't threaten anyone with violence. Though the yelling was over-the-top, I still don't get the amount of negative attention he got for those 20-seconds. Passion and emotion are part of sports. Without that, sports just wouldn't be sports.
Look at that, Erin Andrews didn't go running for the hills and Sherman does have a heart.
Super Bowl Prediction
Defense wins championships right? I do think Seattle has the more balanced team. They have an incredible defense, a strong running game, and a capable quarterback. But you better believe no one wants this super bowl more than Peyton Manning. He can't let another get away.
This game is a game for the ages. It's a veteran quarterback verses an up-and-coming star at the position. It's the leagues best offense verses the league's best defense. And it's John Elway's team verses former college coaching star Pete Carroll's. I'm excited about it to say the least and I don't even have a dog in the fight.
On paper, I have Denver winning by at least 4 points. Peyton Manning will find a way to score on this defense given he has a couple weeks to prepare. But the thing about predicting games on paper is it leaves out other factors. Factors like, oh I don't know, a winter storm? This game, specifically Denver, could be greatly affected if the weather is poor, cold, and there's any sort or precipitation. Seattle is built to handle those types of conditions much better than Denver can. Pete Carroll has to be praying for the storm right now.
In the end, I do think weather will have an effect on this game in favor of Seattle if it's bad weather. But otherwise, I see Denver and Peyton Manning pulling this one out. Winning a second Super Bowl would put him on par with his little brother, it would silence many of the post-season criticisms from his past, and it would be a slap in the face to Indianapolis. And you better believe he is still sour with Indy and their crazy owner whether he wants to admit it or not.
Denver 24 Seattle 20
The Closer
Here's the scenario If you could have dinner with one current UTSA football player, one current UTSA coach, and one other CUSA coach, who would they be and why?
I'd choose Tucker Carter (have to figure out what he's like since he's the man at QB now), Coach Roark (I believe he's the recruiting coordinator for UTSA and I've always been a fan of him), and Curtis Johnson from Tulane (most enjoyable non-Coker interview I had at CUSA Media Days).
Thanks for the read, enjoy the weekend, fire away with comments, and stay warm.
Enjoy
UTSA Football
Each game-week in 2013 was prefaced with the same title; "This is the most important game in UTSA's short existence playing football." And that will be no different for the 2014 season.
In 2013, UTSA exceeded expectations set by fans and media (well, most fans and media) by ending the season 6-2 in conference play and 7-5 overall. It was a great season for UTSA at this point in their existence and it's one that should have been celebrated. But now that it's a new year, the celebrating should be over as it's time to start gearing up for the big 2014 season.
I don't like saying there's more pressure to win this season because, well, there's always pressure to win. But in order for UTSA to keep climbing as a program, the 2014 season has to end on a higher note than the 2013 season did. And that higher note may be as small as one more conference/out of conference win or (hopefully for UTSA) as big as a conference title. But with as many players returning to UTSA's roster as there are, combined with the fact that a large portion of the roster is seniors, the time to win will be now more than ever.
Why now? Why this season? ? First, for a reason I just stated, UTSA will have the most experienced roster in the conference with 35+ seniors on roster. And after performing well in conference play in 2013, that group should know what it takes to win conference games in 2014. But on top of this, the 2015 recruiting class will be a huge class. And since the staff will have many scholarships to hand out and many roster slots to fill after the seniors graduate, the coaches can set their sights high early on to try and land some of the top recruits in the state and possibly around the country. We've already seen it begin with offers out to Billy McCrary, Keivon Ramsey, and now 4-star quarterback J.W. Ketchum. But in order for UTSA to even be in the conversation with these types of recruits, the team needs to continue to win to gain recruits' attention and to continue to show off the program's legitimacy.
Buckle up because this will be one heck of a ride this year.
UTSA Recruiting
Ouch That Howard decommitment stings doesn't it? He was the definition of an under-the-radar recruit that would have done great in Conference USA. At the Big 12 level, we'll have to wait and see. But this is the nature of recruiting. When you lose a commit, it hurts. When you flip a commit (like, I don't know, let's say Nate Gaines) it makes you want to celebrate right then and there.
To be honest, I fumbled keeping up with Howard and didn't even realize he had plans to visit TCU. But the Horned Frogs made another late push on a UTSA recruit and it worked out for them again.
Howard listed playing in the Big 12 as one reason he chose TCU. But he also added he liked the smaller class sizes (educationally speaking) because it worked well for his own education. Whatever the reasons may be, he is now a TCU commit and UTSA will have to look elsewhere.
Decommitments this year sting badly more so than other years. With the limit at or around 13 scholarship players, any decommitment this late creates a big risk of UTSA dropping down a level of talent and athleticism at the position where the decommitment happens. Luckily for UTSA, the coaches have been masters at finding hidden talent so the drop in talent may not actually be that significant. But with Howard specifically, it seems like the only way to salvage this situation is by flipping Nate Gaines (who is saying he will decide tomorrow).
As for the rest of the class, anyone of these recruits could get poached. They are all talented guys. And on the positive side, at least other schools also recognize the talent UTSA is recruiting. And hey, now UTSA has another scholarship spot that just opened up for 2014
Richard Sherman
It's finally my turn to weigh in fully about Richard Sherman. And for starters, I'm already bored at the overreaction from the media and fans with this one. Was he over-the-top with his yelling? Yes. But the man did not cuss, he did not threaten anyone's life with violence, and a mic was shoved in front of his face after one of the most physical and emotional games of his life.
For everyone who criticized Sherman, I'd love to know how many of those people have ever played football, played a physical sport, been in a fight, or been involved in something else that is physically (where competitive, physical contact is involved) and emotionally exhausting. Of the people who said they have played football, I'd then love to know which of those people played in the secondary, more specifically at corner (Sherman's position). The corner position is a unique position in football, especially in today's era of football where teams are built to pass all over defenses. It's one reason why the position is coveted highly in drafts and free agency, and it's why cornerbacks get paid a lot to do their job well. As a corner, you are often on an island battling with one receiver. Your job is to stop that wide receiver and stop that offense from picking on you and from moving the ball against you. On defense, this is the one position where you have to rely on your own ability the most; either you succeed or you get beat, it's as simple as that. Richard Sherman knows that. And he knows that every wide receiver he covers is trying to attack him and beat him on the field. Michael Crabtree was no exception. And on top of this, he and Crabtree have had a running feud dating back before the season. They've both been jarring at one another, both dislike each other, and both wanted to beat each other. In the end, Sherman won the battle with Crabtree and he was excited and emotional about it after the game. But nothing he said after the game was outside the lines of the sport, which is why I still don't understand the amount of negative criticism and negative attention Sherman is receiving.
But maybe you never played cornerback. Or maybe you never played a physical sport and you still feel Sherman's 20-second long comments were very out-of-line and unacceptable. I then ask you how this is any different from a tennis player destroying a racquet and cussing loud for the audience to see and hear in one of the classiest settings in all of sports? Or how is this different from Nascar drivers chasing each other down and getting into an altercation with one another after a race? Is this that much worse than hockey players slugging it out in fist fights on the ice? Surely this can't be worse than two boxers jawing at one another at a press conference before a match. And don't tell me a baseball player charging the mound to fight a pitcher is any better than Sherman's comments My point? ? There is passion, emotion, rivalries and trash talking in sports; it's everywhere in sports. If the NFL were to show every piece they ever edited out from their "Mic'd Up" series, fans everywhere would likely be appalled at what they'd see and hear judging from the fans' negative reactions from Sherman's comments, so let's not act like Richard Sherman isn't the only athlete to ever trash-talk in sports... And I'm not saying you have to be a fan of trash talking, because you don't. I, myself, don't normally trash-talk when I'm playing sport; it's not my style of play. But just because Sherman trash-talked in a sport doesn't mean he's a bad guy in real life. What's the big deal with his comments? He didn't cuss nor did he threaten anyone with violence. If you are so upset with Sherman due to his comments, then would you consider guys like Michael Jordan, Deion Sanders, Larry Bird, and Muhammad Ali, who were all notorious trash-talkers, to be bad guys as well? Would you go as far as saying they are all "thugs"? Again, I'm not saying you have to be ok with trash talking. But I don't get the amount of negative reaction Sherman is receiving. He's not the first to trash-talk and he surely won't be the last.
Now for those of you who decided to use the word "thug" in your description of Sherman, shame on you. The word "thug" in our society today refers to a violent criminal and/or gangster. And the term often has a racial undertone to it as well. Richard Sherman, a former student at Stanford, is far from a thug. I'm assuming those of you who called Sherman a thug were using your own personal stereotype of what a "thug" is and felt it was right to use the word. Ask yourself this; had Tom Brady or Andrew Luck yelled in an interview after a game, would you have called either of those players a thug? I highly doubt it. But I'd assume that because Richard Sherman is a black man with dreads, it is easy for some people to label him a thug. If that's the case, would Bob Marley and Whoopi Goldberg be considered thugs too?... Absolutely not. Yet many people didn't approve of Sherman's comments and then decided to use even worse language when criticizing Sherman's.
The point of me writing this is not to tell you that you have to be "okay" with trash talking. Not everyone is a fan of trash talking and/or chooses to do that when in a competition. As I stated earlier, I don't normally trash-talk when I play sports; it's just not in my DNA. But to call him an awful person, label him as a bad guy, use words like "thug" and generate pure hatred for him seems much worse than the sport-specific comments he said. At the end of the day, he didn't cuss and he didn't threaten anyone with violence. Though the yelling was over-the-top, I still don't get the amount of negative attention he got for those 20-seconds. Passion and emotion are part of sports. Without that, sports just wouldn't be sports.
Look at that, Erin Andrews didn't go running for the hills and Sherman does have a heart.
Super Bowl Prediction
Defense wins championships right? I do think Seattle has the more balanced team. They have an incredible defense, a strong running game, and a capable quarterback. But you better believe no one wants this super bowl more than Peyton Manning. He can't let another get away.
This game is a game for the ages. It's a veteran quarterback verses an up-and-coming star at the position. It's the leagues best offense verses the league's best defense. And it's John Elway's team verses former college coaching star Pete Carroll's. I'm excited about it to say the least and I don't even have a dog in the fight.
On paper, I have Denver winning by at least 4 points. Peyton Manning will find a way to score on this defense given he has a couple weeks to prepare. But the thing about predicting games on paper is it leaves out other factors. Factors like, oh I don't know, a winter storm? This game, specifically Denver, could be greatly affected if the weather is poor, cold, and there's any sort or precipitation. Seattle is built to handle those types of conditions much better than Denver can. Pete Carroll has to be praying for the storm right now.
In the end, I do think weather will have an effect on this game in favor of Seattle if it's bad weather. But otherwise, I see Denver and Peyton Manning pulling this one out. Winning a second Super Bowl would put him on par with his little brother, it would silence many of the post-season criticisms from his past, and it would be a slap in the face to Indianapolis. And you better believe he is still sour with Indy and their crazy owner whether he wants to admit it or not.
Denver 24 Seattle 20
The Closer
Here's the scenario If you could have dinner with one current UTSA football player, one current UTSA coach, and one other CUSA coach, who would they be and why?
I'd choose Tucker Carter (have to figure out what he's like since he's the man at QB now), Coach Roark (I believe he's the recruiting coordinator for UTSA and I've always been a fan of him), and Curtis Johnson from Tulane (most enjoyable non-Coker interview I had at CUSA Media Days).
Thanks for the read, enjoy the weekend, fire away with comments, and stay warm.