I just want to talk about FOOTBALL, good grief!

I have not shared this with anyone, but I have been a little depressed.  Well maybe not depressed, but the headlines on football have my spirits a little down.  NFL lockout and players suing the league take up all of the news when I should be reading about trades, free agency and draft assessments.   I look to college football for some real gridiron action and find headlines about NCAA infractions, coaches being suspended and investigations.

Where is the real football talk?

I get it.  I have worked in college and professional sports, so I know that it is part of the game.  I do not expect that conversations about the game be void of the events related to the game. What happens off the field certainly has implications for results on the field.  I actually enjoy discussing the social and business issues related to the sport, however does it need to steal every headline?  Can we discuss the game? 

At this moment…

I could careless about Ochocinco playing soccer.  When I want to know what footballers are up to, I read about Cristiano Ronaldo or David Beckham.

I’m not really interested in Randy Moss Motorsports splitting with driver Mike Skinner.  I’d love to know which (if any) teams are considering the free agent for their receiving corps.

I would rather read early predictions about who will play in the Fiesta Bowl than read about the nonprofit organization’s CEO, John Junker, being fired for reimbursing employees for political contributions.

I would like to debate on where Auburn and Ohio State will land in the preseason top 25, not about which program the NCAA infractions committee will focus on.

On top of all of this, the weather has been cold and rainy in DC.  Not good for my already gloomy mood.  But, yesterday things changed.  The sun came out and my mood improved.  My smile began to widen when I remembered that Texas was playing their spring scrimmage.

I exhaled… Football… 

Not the drama surrounding football.  Real. Football.

The Texas Longhorns hosted their annual Orange and White Scrimmage yesterday afternoon in Texas Memorial Stadium.  It was Bryan Harsin’s debut as the Co-Offensive Coordinator for Texas.  He is the coach from Boise State that developed all of the trick plays that the team used to confuse defenses and garner national attention.  Yesterday fans saw the offense in fresh formations and reverse plays typical of Harsin’s style.  After a 5-7 finish last year, that is exactly what Longhorns wanted to see.   

There was not a clear distinction between the top two quarterbacks, Garrett Gilbert and Case McCoy, younger brother of former Texas and current Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy.   Head Coach Mack Brown does not plan to name a starter this spring because there is too much for everyone to learn with the new offense.  The pre-snap motion and trickery was fun to watch, but with players running into each other and inaccurate passes, it is evident that the Longhorns need to do some more work so that they don’t confuse the defense AND offense.  Overall, it seems as is Texas is off to a good start to compete in the shrinking Big 12.

Competing for the starting QB job.  A new offensive system.  Now that’s talking about football.

I’m better now.

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®