Tilting at Windmills

The loud noise you hear may be all the bandwagon fans jumping off the Sooner Schooner. With Gresham gone and questions surrounding Bradford’s return, critics like Orangbloods.com’s Geoff Ketchum are coming out of the woodwork. If Stoops’ success depended on the mental state of OU’s fanbase, the forecast would be very bleak indeed.

In reality, things probably weren’t as rosey as we Sooner fans posited in preaseason — and they’re probably not as bleak as some of the doom-and-gloom tripe filling Sooner message boards today.

In fact, the national championship goal set by Gresham, Bradford, McCoy and Williams may well be in reach if history is any indication of what will happen this year. In 1983, Bernie Kosar was the Miami Hurricanes QB. Things started out rough for the ‘Canes that year — they dropped their first game with a 28-3 loss to in-state rival Florida. It would have been easy for Kosar and company to “play comfortable”. After all, it takes great commitment to totally sell out to the team. Somehow the 1983 ‘Canes found that resolve, ran the table, and ended the season as national champs.

A similar thing happened with the 1966 Alabama team. The ’66 Crimson Tide lost their first game — a one-point heartbreaker to Georgia. But 9 wins and 1 tie later, they were AP national champs.

Of the 73 national champs crowned by the Associated Press, 24 have suffered one or more losses. Chances are, a loss to BYU won’t preclude OU from reaching a national championship. Sure this team will face some huge challenges in the coming days — but critics like those in Austin do not know how the story will end just yet. The 2009 Sooners have something to say about that.

It’s not the end of the world, but it’s now official that it is the end of Jermaine Gresham’s season and possibly his Sooner career.

Gresham would without a doubt set the career yardage total for a tight end at OU. His 1,567 receiving yards is third to Keith Jackson (1,609) and Stephen Alexander (1,591). His 103 career receptions also ranks third on the all-time Sooner TE list, behind Trent Smith (164) and Alexander (104). His 888 yards in 2008 was not only far and away the best single season for a Sooner TE, but it was the sixth best in school history regardless of position (in front of him are Clayton, Iglesias twice, Kelly and the great Eddie Hinton).

With Gresham gone, now what?

How does OU replace those numbers? Pure and simple – they don’t. Nobody in the country has a 6’6″, 260 tight end who can run like Gresham, has his kind of hands and knows where to be on the field to get open as Sam’s safety valve any time a play breaks down.

How will OU manage? Tight end by committee, most likely, starting with …

Brody Eldridge

We all know what he can do as a dominating blocker. His efforts at fullback, paving the way for Murray and Brown, were rewarded with first team All-Big 12 honors in 2007. His hands have always been a question, though. The Sooners haven’t needed him to catch a bunch of passes because Gresham has been the receiving tight end while Eldridge has been on campus. Eldridge has been willing to do whatever it takes to help the team, including moving from tight end to fullback, back to tight end and even starting at center against BYU while Ben Habern rested his back. Stoops will be expecting a lot from the senior. Will he be able to produce like the Sooners need?

Trent Ratterree

The 6’3″, 225 pound sophomore out of Weatherford was expected to be used sparingly behind Gresham and James Hanna, but he got the bulk of snaps against BYU last week. Ratterree was running Gresham’s routes and was thrown to a couple of times, one of them a 12-yard catch to help extend a drive late. It’s probably too much to ask that he can block like Gresham or Eldridge given his size and, really, we don’t know yet what kind of hands he has.

James Hanna

Throughtout the fall, we heard raves from the coaches about Hanna. The 6’4″, 245 pound sophomore was the 13th-ranked TE in the nation and 32nd-ranked recruit overall in Texas coming out of Flower Mound. He was hardly seen last week, though, as Ratterree got the bulk of the snaps. Somebody who has been able to infiltrate the iron curtain and actually see Hanna at practice, tell me what’s up and why he wouldn’t be getting more snaps or passes thrown his way.

There are your options. I really don’t think we’ll see true freshman Gabe Ikard play much, if at all. He’s big, super talented and highly thought of coming out of high school, but Stoops would really like to keep the redshirt on the Bishop McGuiness all-stater. Then again, we’re one week into the season and things are already 180 degrees from where we thought we’d be.

Reports say that five-tool guy Brody Eldridge will be working more at tight end as Habern continues to progress well enough that he’ll start against Idaho State this weekend.

A few takeaways here:

1. Coaches feel comfortable enough with Habern that they think giving Eldridge more reps at tight end won’t hurt the center position too much.
2. There’s a serious deficiency at tight end and OU needs Eldridge there in a bad way. James Trent Ratteree was serviceable, but Wilson was still trying to use him like Gresham, without adjusting any of the gameplan to fit the talent. Ratteree may turn out to be a nice end, but he’s definitely not Gresham.
3. Gresham’s injury is worse than was originally thought.
4. Habern is just better than Eldridge at the center position.

It’s the last item should give Sooner fans some pause after the BYU debacle. Some have said that a majority of the false start penalties (H/T, Cory Brandon) could have been because Eldridge wasn’t snapping the ball in the same kind of rhythm that the rest of the OL is accustomed. Obviously, we know about Eldridge’s blocking skills, but being able to timely snap the ball (and properly pick up blitzes) is definitely something that must be coached.

Thoughts?

… Just talkin’ bout Jermaine!

Dude, if this doesn’t get you fired up for football season, nothing will.

Oklahoma placed eight (8) players on the first team preseason All-Big 12 team, selected by the ubiuqitous “media reps who cover the conference.”

2008 Heisman-winner Sam Bradford was named Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is the preseason pick for Defensive Player of the year and Baylor’s Phil Taylor, a defensive tackle transfer from Penn State who sat out 2008, is the media’s pick for Newcomer of the Year.

The Big 12 South put 22 of 26 players on the squad (including OSU’s Dez Bryant, who is listed at both wide receiver and punt returner). OU’s dominant defensive line was rewarded with two players on the first team, Gerald McCoy and Jeremy Beal.

Other Sooners on the first team are Jermaine Gresham, Trent Williams, Demarco Murray, Travis Lewis and Dominque Franks.

Here’s the full list:

OFFENSE
WR Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State, 6-2, 215, Jr, Lufkin, Texas
TE Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma, 6-6, 258, Sr, Ardmore, Okla.
OL Russell Okung, Oklahoma State, 6-6, 305, Sr, Fort Bend, Texas
OL Trent Williams, Oklahoma, 6-5, 318, Sr, Longview, Texas
C Chris Hall, Texas, 6-4, 295, Sr, Irving, Texas
OL Adam Ulatoski, Texas, 6-6, 310, Sr, Southlake, Texas
OL Brandon Carter, Texas Tech, 6-7, 354, Sr, Longview, Texas
WR Dezmon Briscoe, Kansas, 6-3, 202, Jr, Dallas, Texas
QB Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, 6-4, 223, Jr, Oklahoma City, Okla.
RB Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State, 5-8, 190, Jr, Tyler, Texas
RB DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma, 6-1, 214, Jr, Las Vegas, Nev.
PK Alex Henery, Nebraska, 6-2, 175, Jr, Omaha, Neb.
KR Perrish Cox, Oklahoma State, 6-0, 195, Sr, Waco, Texas

DEFENSE
DL Ndamukong Suh Nebraska 6-4 300 Sr/3L Portland, Ore.
DL Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma, 6-4, 297, Jr, Oklahoma City, Okla.
DL Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma, 6-3, 261, Jr, Carrollton, Texas
DL Sergio Kindle, Texas, 6-4, 255, Sr, Dallas, Texas
LB Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri, 6-2, 245, Sr, Jasper, Texas
LB Joe Pawelek, Baylor, 6-2, 240, Sr, San Antonio, Texas
LB Travis Lewis, Oklahoma, 6-2, 232, So, San Antonio, Texas
DB Darrell Stuckey, Kansas, 6-1, 205, Sr, Kansas City, Kan.
DB Jordan Lake, Baylor, 6-1, 215, Sr, Houston, Texas
DB Dominique Franks, Oklahoma, 6-0, 192, Jr, Tulsa, Okla.
DB Earl Thomas, Texas, 5-10, 197, So, Orange, Texas
P Derek Epperson, Baylor, 6-3, 235, Jr, Southlake, Texas
PR Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State, 6-2, 215, Jr, Lufkin, Texas

It’s that time.

Two months from kickoff and Coach Stoops has released his patent summer depth chart. Let the hoopla begin.

On the offensive side of the ball

We all know that last year was, literally, a year for the ages. Will college football ever see an offense like that again? If Oklahoma’s four new starters on the O-line can hold up, the 2008 Oklahoma offense may have company in the record books.

QB - Sam. Bradford. Need I say more?

Mr. Heisman

RB – The thunder and lightning of the great plains. Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray are back, giving Oklahoma the best backfield in the nation. If Murray can stay healthy, and the O-line can make a couple holes, these two will be spending there Saturday afternoons in the opposing teams secondary. Last year, both Brown and Murray had 1,000 yard seasons. They do that again, it will be another long season for the opposing teams. Besides racking up the yards, Brown and Murray will play an integral part in keeping the opposing D honest, opening up the airways for Sammy B.

The new name on the depth chart is that of heralded recruit Jermie Calhoun. I suspect that Jermie will be receiving a fair amount of playing time this year, and  I am excited about this kid’s potential. 6′ 0″ 218 Jermie adds yet another dimension to this already stacked running game. Some season previews out there are predicting Calhoun to be the third down specialist. If Calhoun is successful, he will be extremely beneficial to Brown.

FB – Matt Clapp is back. The man is a blocking machine. Voted Big 12 first team by the coaches last year, he also proved last year he can do more than just block. He  caught touchdowns in three games. Could we see him utilized more this year in short dump passes, or on the goal line like last year? Brody Eldridge is Clapp’s backup, more on him under TEs.

TE – The man, the myth, the legend once again leads the TEs.  Predicted to be the first TE taken in last year’s draft, Jermaine Gresham (Grishem for those of you who listen to Herbstreit) could be listed as either a TE or WR on the depth chart, all 6′ 6″ 258 lbs of him. Gresham will quickly become Bradford’s No. 1 target regardless of the performance of the O-line. I’m sure just like last year, we will be seeing Gresham line up as a split end in a 3 or 4 wide out set. Why not? With his downhill speed and overall size, he makes the saltiest downfield target in college football.

Opposite Gresham in two TE sets is Brody Eldridge. Brody knows how to throw a block party. He is also listed as the backup to Matt Clapp at FB. Obviously it looks as though his ankle is back to 100%. Brody could end up playing a huge role in the O-line. James Hanna, Eric Mensik, and Trent Rattarree don’t have measurable TE experience except for Hanna who recorded a reception against e”aTm”e last year.

WR – The WR corp is anchored by Ryan Broyles and Adron “Pooh” Tennell. These two could make for a very exciting tandem. Broyles had glimpses of grandeur last year, and is going to make for an extremely exciting flanker to watch. Will he follow in the footsteps of Clayton and Iglesias and be the new YAC-man? At only 5′ 11″ 178, Broyles can easily make the defenders miss.

Pooh has the physical ability to be a big play home run ball receiver, but has been hampered in recent years by an ACL injury. Apparently one of the biggest stars in spring practice, 6′ 4″ Pooh has a chance to step up for the Sooners in a big way.

Backing up Broyles and Pooh is Brandon Caleb, fresh off his move from RB, Mossis Madu, Dejuan Miller and Jameel Owens. All four saw playing time and the ball last year, but the most exciting has to be Mossis Madu. His display in the Big 12 Championship showed his athletic ability with the ball in his hands. He will make a great backup to the Broyles in the flanker position.

OL – The first major question mark on this side of the ball. Is it possible to replace two starters that both topped out over 6′ 7″ and 350? We can try. The only remaining starter from last year is Trent Williams, and he has been moved from RT to LT to protect Sam’s weakside. Right now it looks as though the other four starters are Brian Simmons at LG, Ben Habern at C, Stephen Good at RG, and Cory Brandon at RT.

Don’t be mistaken about the potential of this line. These guys are by no means scrubs. LG Brian Simmons played in all 14 games last year, and led the reserves with 50 knockdowns, 10 coming against TCU, and played 421 snaps. ESPN ranked C Ben Habern as the No. 2 C in the nation out of high school, last year Habern had nine knockdowns against Baylor in nine plays before suffering an ankle injury. RG Stephen Good was ranked the No. 2 run-blocker in the nation out of high school by Rivals. (Trust me, that’s a good ranking by Rivals for an OU player.) And, RT Cory Brandon saw 148 snaps last year in nine games, with 16 knockdowns.

The reserves aren’t scrubs either. Backup LG Tavaris Jefferies ranked in the top 25 JUCO transfers is living up to expectations, and the back up RT Jarvis Jones has seen ample playing time in his one season at LSU.

I will say this about our O-line. I am glad we are starting the season against BYU. Three of their defensive lineman will not be playing. One for academic reasons, and two have opted to serve their mission trips.

On the defensive side of the ball

This year’s defense will make your mouth water. While they had their ups and downs last year, when they were called out, they came to play. Remember Texas Tech? The front seven is vicious. Boasting what could be the best defensive line in the nation, and a line backing corp led by a healthy Ryan Reynolds, I wouldn’t want to be named Colt or Zac this year.

DL – Led by the man who would have been OU’s 3rd first round draft pick last year, DT Gerald McCoy, this year’s D-line could live up to the D-lines of the Mike Stoops era. One of the DE is Auston English, we all know what this kid is capable of when he is healthy. If he is back to his 2007 form, someone give him a tent because he will camped out in the opponents’ backfield on Saturdays. The NG is Adrian Taylor, who exploded onto the D-line last year starting all 14 games, tied for third on the team with 4.5 sacks, and was second in the DT rotation with 21 tackles.  Cemented next to him is DT Gerald McCoy, the Big 12 defensive player of the year. He led all interior lineman with 30 tackles and was 2nd on the team with 6.5 sacks. Face it, you don’t want to be lined up across from this man. The other DE is Jeremy Beal. This kid is nasty, all Big 12 first team last year, leading tackler on the D-line, led the team with 8.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for a loss. I just hope Auston has room for two in that tent.

Here comes the scary part. The “reserves” on the D-line could be starting at any other of the 118 Div-1 schools. Frank Alexander, Demarcus Granger, Cordero Moore, and David King round out the scariest D-line in the nation. You may think I forgot to mention Stacy McGee or RJ Washington but I assure you I didn’t. They aren’t on the two-deep chart.

LB – There have been some conflicting reports at the LB position. In the early June depth chart, Ryan Reynolds and Austin Box were missing, and the MLB depth chart was Mike Balogun followed by Tom Wort. In the July 1 update posted on soonersports.com Reynolds is the starting MLB backed up by Balogun, and Box is still missing. If Reynolds and Box both come back 100% like soonersports.com is reporting they are, will Box be No. 3 at MLB come start of the season, or will he jump Balogun? Either way we have a plethora of stud LBs.

On the SLB is Keenan Clayton, who set an OU record last year with six forced fumbles, and was third on the team with 84 tackles, and is backed up by JR Bryant. The WLB is Travis Lewis, who was all over the field last year. The Big 12 newcomer of the year and first teamer broke the Boz’s freshman tackles record of 144. He had at least 10 tackles in six games, including a monstrous 19 against texas, and also had 4 INTs on the year. Backing up Lewis is Jaydan Bird, the other star LB we landed last year. His 4.5 speed should make him a nice backup to the 4.34 Lewis.

If the LB corp can stay healthy, you want see any RBs get past them, or any passes over the middle, just like the beginning of last season before Reynolds went down. The LBs are the most important part of this defense. A strong consistent year from the LBs will have the Sooner defense ranked among the best in the nation.

CB/SS/FS -  What has been the weakest part of the defense in recent years, is making a comeback. The CB duo of Dom Franks and Brian Jackson held steady last year, and continued to improve as the season went on. Jackson was all Big 12 honorable mention, fourth on the team in tackles with 66, and tied for the team lead in fumble recoveries with three and 10 pass break ups. Franks was all Big 12 first team by the Dallas Morning News, led the defense with two touchdowns and tied Jackson with 10 pass break ups. Look for these two to become two of our strongest defenders.

Quinton Carter became the starting FS last season when the defense shifted to the five d-back set.  He had 10 tackles in his first start, and we can all remember his hits against Missouri in the Big 12 Championship.

Next to Carter is SS Sam Proctor who has some big shoes to fill. He will be the weakest link in the defensive backfield. With no experience in game situations Proctor may have some difficulty coming out of the gates, but with the experience surrounding him, hopefully it will be a smooth transition.

This is the one area of the defense where we are rather thin. The reserves, Jonathan Nelson, Javon Harris, Emmanuel Jones, and Jamell Fleming have as much experience playing their respective positions as I do.

Special Teams

Ohhh special teams. The thorn in our side.

K/P – Jimmy Stevens is handling place kicking duties again this year, after coming off a year where he tallied 116 points on the season. He missed five PATs and his longest boot was 42 yards.

We have a new face our punting game, Tress Way. Way redshirted last year, but was ranked the No. 11 punter in the nation coming out of high school. Our punting game can only improve over last year, right?

KR/PR - Broyles and Franks are listed as our returners right now. While this could change in an instance, I don’t see it happening. it would be shocking to see Murray fielding kicks again. After his last two injuries we need to keep him on the sidelines when the special teams is on the field.

So there you have it. My look at the OU summer depth chart. Which could change next week, or the first day of fall practice.