I fully expect the Sooners to exceed most everyone's expectations this year. With the exception of the wronghorns, and Tennessee their not even on anyone's radar yet. Their going to shock the nation this season.
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Exceeding expectations
- Thread starter atxhornfan
- Start date
I need to see a lot of improvement from Kanak this season, so far I haven’t seen or heard nearly enough
With an offensive line that is clearly a work in process, I believe it’s way too early to declare that the Sooners “Will shock the nation”. So goes the offensive line, so goes a winning season.
Kanak hasn’t shown me that he’s an elite linebacker. I think he may be a better H-back based on what his recruiting video showed.
Kanak hasn’t shown me that he’s an elite linebacker. I think he may be a better H-back based on what his recruiting video showed.
It's not a declaration. It's simply my opinion. The only thing that concerns me is the O line. I expect them to hit their stride Sooner than later.
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Claypenn
Guest
Don't beat up Kanak too much. He's a really talented man, from a really small town. In high school, for him, the details didn't matter much. I'm sure there was some, but he could get by with the talent. Then when he choose OU, he chose the team whose head coach was known for having one of the two or three most complex defenses in college football. Maybe the most.
You can't play full speed on defense if you don't know what to do. Since ne never had to do that before, it did not come easily. Honestly, it wouldn't be for most of us, even if we had that kind of talent. But he's stuck it out. He's still working at it. And we now have close to the linebacker room that BV is used to. With Kanak's talent, ever with the lack of understanding of the defense's little things, he still was the best option often, because our options weren't plentiful. Not they are, and we have some young guys WHO CAN PLAY.
And Kanak will still be a talented contributor. It might be mostly special teams, but he's still here. That comes in an environment, when many like him go seeking other pastures. He can only be who he is. And that's not bad, it's just not great. Yet.
You can't play full speed on defense if you don't know what to do. Since ne never had to do that before, it did not come easily. Honestly, it wouldn't be for most of us, even if we had that kind of talent. But he's stuck it out. He's still working at it. And we now have close to the linebacker room that BV is used to. With Kanak's talent, ever with the lack of understanding of the defense's little things, he still was the best option often, because our options weren't plentiful. Not they are, and we have some young guys WHO CAN PLAY.
And Kanak will still be a talented contributor. It might be mostly special teams, but he's still here. That comes in an environment, when many like him go seeking other pastures. He can only be who he is. And that's not bad, it's just not great. Yet.
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It wouldn't be hard if it was my job. I'm sure he's getting paid to be a bone head. Anyways, not worried about the position.
Speculating that a player might be better suited to play a different position is not beating up on him. Kanak is a fine athlete that I want to see play. I hope he turns the corner this year.
It would be cool if Kanak turned the corner this year and really stepd up. Maybe some good coaching is all he needs to get to that next level.
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8085sooner
Guest
Kanak is another Ronnel Lewis, a lot of athletic ability, with no understanding of assignments
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OUSOONER67
Guest
Yeah we heard for years the Defense was too complex and thats why it slipped before Mike was brought back in. Then BV goes off to Clemson and wins 2 Nattys with that Complex D. I don't buy its too complex at all. Did Clemson have smarter D players than OU? I doubt it.
My point is the D suffered at OU while Brent was still here previously and continued to slide after he left, he was able to recruit better guys at Clemson and it showed. Kanak was a man among boys in Kansas and hasn't panned out. Lots of guys here wanted him to start his freshman yr, I remember that. Crazy.
I didn't say it was too complex. But it is complex. We heard those rumors about how it was too complex when he left for Clemson. Mostly, I think Brent wasn't forced to go to Clemson. He chose it. When Mike's gig at Arizona ended, and Bob gave him priority over Bob's 'fourth' brother, the days of the five Stoops brothers, ended. We didn't lose Brent because of the complexity. We lost him because Bob made the worst decision of his coaching career. In retrospect, I suspect Bob knows that, now.
There wasn't much of a rush to hire Mike elsewhere. Being a head coach, exposes some deficiencies. The same will be true for Brent this time. This season is going to be the culmination of what he's been doing at OU, and about whether his way of doing things will prosper. My guess is that it will. But his players have to be a cut above, mentally
When Tom Landry was coaching Dallas, I had a great inside connection to the front office of the Cowboys. Landry's offense and defense were both known as complex. There was a great, multi-all pro linebacker who had a great career. That source told me that he wasn't even on the team's list of possible draftees. He just wouldn't be able to handle the complexity. Landry's defense was ahead of its time, but it wasn't for everybody, even some elite athetes. Mostly, the linebackers in Dallas' defense didn't play much early in their careers. They had to be there awhile to learn the defense. I think it's similar for Brent's defense. Some guys learn it more easily a little earlier. But all of them, especially the linebackers, have to know the little things in their tasks,
Landry's defense wouldn't have worked in today's football world of the spread. Brent's obvously does, when done right.
There wasn't much of a rush to hire Mike elsewhere. Being a head coach, exposes some deficiencies. The same will be true for Brent this time. This season is going to be the culmination of what he's been doing at OU, and about whether his way of doing things will prosper. My guess is that it will. But his players have to be a cut above, mentally
When Tom Landry was coaching Dallas, I had a great inside connection to the front office of the Cowboys. Landry's offense and defense were both known as complex. There was a great, multi-all pro linebacker who had a great career. That source told me that he wasn't even on the team's list of possible draftees. He just wouldn't be able to handle the complexity. Landry's defense was ahead of its time, but it wasn't for everybody, even some elite athetes. Mostly, the linebackers in Dallas' defense didn't play much early in their careers. They had to be there awhile to learn the defense. I think it's similar for Brent's defense. Some guys learn it more easily a little earlier. But all of them, especially the linebackers, have to know the little things in their tasks,
Landry's defense wouldn't have worked in today's football world of the spread. Brent's obvously does, when done right.
Center - Branson Hickman, 6'2" 301lbs
Redshirt Junior, Transfer from SMU - All-ACC 2nd Team
Left Guard - Jacob Sexton, 6'6 322lbs
Junior - 5 career starts at OU
Right Guard - Nwaiwu Febechi, 6'4" 339lbs
Redshirt Junior, Transfer from North Texas - Freshman All-American 2nd Team
Left Tackle - Michael Tarquin, 6'6" 317lbs
Redshirt Senior, Transfer from USC - 8 starts at USC
Right Tackle - Jake Taylor, 6'6" 309lbs
Redshirt Sophomore, 13 games at OU
Average Height - 6'5"
Average Weight - 318lbs
Average Yrs - 3.8yrs
Redshirt Junior, Transfer from SMU - All-ACC 2nd Team
Left Guard - Jacob Sexton, 6'6 322lbs
Junior - 5 career starts at OU
Right Guard - Nwaiwu Febechi, 6'4" 339lbs
Redshirt Junior, Transfer from North Texas - Freshman All-American 2nd Team
Left Tackle - Michael Tarquin, 6'6" 317lbs
Redshirt Senior, Transfer from USC - 8 starts at USC
Right Tackle - Jake Taylor, 6'6" 309lbs
Redshirt Sophomore, 13 games at OU
Average Height - 6'5"
Average Weight - 318lbs
Average Yrs - 3.8yrs
For Comparison....
Height
Ole Miss, 6'6.4"
Alabama, 6'5"
Georgia, 6'5"
Oklahoma, 6'4.8"
Missouri, 6'4.8"
Auburn, 6'4.6"
Tennessee, 6'4.6"
Texas, 6'4"
Weight
Ole Miss, 328
Tennessee, 327
Texas, 324
Alabama, 323
Auburn, 318.8
Oklahoma, 317.6
Georgia, 315
Missouri, 307.8
Experience
Ole Miss, 4.4
Georgia, 4.2
Tennessee, 4
Auburn, 4
Oklahoma, 3.8
Missouri, 3.8
Texas, 3.6
Alabama, 3
Ole Miss and Tennessee have the statistical edge on everyone, but Oklahoma is right in the pack on size and experience.
Height
Ole Miss, 6'6.4"
Alabama, 6'5"
Georgia, 6'5"
Oklahoma, 6'4.8"
Missouri, 6'4.8"
Auburn, 6'4.6"
Tennessee, 6'4.6"
Texas, 6'4"
Weight
Ole Miss, 328
Tennessee, 327
Texas, 324
Alabama, 323
Auburn, 318.8
Oklahoma, 317.6
Georgia, 315
Missouri, 307.8
Experience
Ole Miss, 4.4
Georgia, 4.2
Tennessee, 4
Auburn, 4
Oklahoma, 3.8
Missouri, 3.8
Texas, 3.6
Alabama, 3
Ole Miss and Tennessee have the statistical edge on everyone, but Oklahoma is right in the pack on size and experience.
I think the starters might be better than solid. The issue is the depth, and what happens with an injury or two, which invariably happens. Probably more than in previous seasons. The physicality of the SEC would lead to those kinds of setbacks. But I do think that if we have any particular weakness on our team, and need it to show up, Bill Bedenbaugh is the guy that will figure it out.
One thing that hasn't been said on this thread is how much I am going to miss DG. He did everything he was ever asked and more. I took him for granted during his time at OU because of JA in the background. He has proven to be a great Sooner and a truly selfless person, and awesome QB. With that being said, can't wait to see how the season pans out. BOOMER!
In Bedenbaugh we trust. It's not going to be flawless at first but I think we'll see Seth run schematically in a way that allows the guys to come together much faster than what we grew accustomed too with ***** and Lebby, who just couldn't help themselves and pass pass pass when we struggled with growing pains. We have great depth at OL and RB. Use it early.
Kanak is a work in progress. It's my understanding that he never played linebacker. It takes experience to flow to where you're supposed to be, pass guys through zones and read OL movement. The tools are there and when it starts coming together he'll be a beast. He's best friends with Danny. I wouldn't be shocked to see a big jump but Kip Lewis is ahead of him. These are good problems to have.
Kanak is a work in progress. It's my understanding that he never played linebacker. It takes experience to flow to where you're supposed to be, pass guys through zones and read OL movement. The tools are there and when it starts coming together he'll be a beast. He's best friends with Danny. I wouldn't be shocked to see a big jump but Kip Lewis is ahead of him. These are good problems to have.