We're half way through the regular season. Time to name some names..

[bdshull2001]

Who do you have as your mid-season all stars? Newcomers of the year? Better than I expected? You get the drift, so give us your thoughts....

My newcomer, better than expected, is Orlando Brown. He just keeps better each game and I bet he graded out great against Texas Tech. I can't believe a man that big can really move that fast.

My newcomer is Will Johnson. I love the way he has played at nickel and he moved Steven Parker back to his natural safety position.

I left a lot of players out so you can add or you can disagree with mine. What you say?


MY edit.....Can you negative posters please stay off this post? If you want to start a negative thread on players and coaches, please do. Thanks.

 

[BUDDY G_rivals25215]

Newcomer - Austin Seibert takes this in a runaway. He finally missed his first FG but he's looked super human for the most part. We've got a special one.

Mid Season Offensive MVP - Baker Mayfield. With the struggles of the offensive line, Baker has had to make things happen more often than not. He's not our best offensive player, but he's been the difference maker.

Mid Season Defensive MVP - Eric Striker. This wasn't easy but his leadership is crucial and when he's not on the field we're just not the same team.

Guys to keep an eye on for the 2nd half of the season:

Charles Walker - It appears that the coaches could finally hear me screaming through the TV to get that guy on the field. He is a beast and a freak athlete at his size.

Will Johnson - Two games experience and you'd think he was a 3rd year starter. Stay healthy.

Orlando Brown - The light is coming on...sorry defensive lineman.

Dede Westbrook - Dude has some jets and Baker is starting to find him. As long as Sterling is on the field, Westbrook will have opportunities to make huge plays.

 

[[email protected]]

It's no surprise to me that he's doing well, as I predicted it in the spring. But Baker Mayfield is having one of the best years ever for any Sooner QB.

His 21/4 TD to Int ratio is better than expected, but his 179.06 Pass Efficiency rating is 13th all time for a single season. As a comparison, Sam Bradford's 2008 season is 11th all-time at 180.84 with 50/8 ratio.

What's interesting about this year's Big Twelve QBs? Trevone Boykin is sitting between those two at #12 all-time with a PER of 180.71. Seth Russell of Baylor is sitting #2 all-time with a PER of 189.72.

On defense, I think the emergence of Davonte Bond and Frank Shannon has been huge. Put them on the field together and I think we've got two serious run-stopping linebackers.

 

[glevans22]

Newcomer of the year- this one is easy, its Baker Mayfield. Without this guy we lose to Tennessee and who knows with wvu

Seibert- living up to the hype as the #1 kicker in the country last year

Guys that we are lucky to have? Striker, bond, Shepard. Striker and Shepard its always business as usual. I hope both get a chance at the next level.

Honorable mention: westbrook, Jordan Thomas, mixon, perine and Lincoln riley

 

[bdshull2001]

Newcomer of the year- this one is easy, its Baker Mayfield. Without this guy we lose to Tennessee and who knows with wvu

Seibert- living up to the hype as the #1 kicker in the country last year

Guys that we are lucky to have? Striker, bond, Shepard. Striker and Shepard its always business as usual. I hope both get a chance at the next level.

Honorable mention: westbrook, Jordan Thomas, mixon, perine and Lincoln riley

Well I broke my rules and opened your post. I have to admit it was the best post I've ever seen you make. Great job...Now, back on ignore...

 

[Raysor]

I like the idea of about nine categories whittled down to seven.

Offensive MVP Baker Mayfield

Defensive MVP Stephen Parker, only because I think the defensvie MVP has to play virtually every defensive play. None of the linemen do that. If he hadn't screwed up and been suspended twice, Thomas would have serious consideration. Everybody keeps talking about the move of Johnson to starter, but what is really great about that, is that Parker is playing like an All Conference safety, maybe some AA mention. He'll be on the Thorpe list next year preseason if he stays healthy. I didn't love him as a nickle. I think he's special at safety.

ST MVP The true freshman kicker. Seibert is special, though his XP aren't usually splitting the uprights any more. I'd like to see a return of that.

True freshman of offense: Samia. He is a tad small for the position, but he's a perfectionist who will be at least Brown's equal in two years.

Redshirt Freshman: So far, Brown, but by the end of the year, likely Mixon. We'll see. Was going to have a true freshman and rs freshman on D, but not many candidates on either side.

Upper class newcomer: easiest choice. Mayfield.

Most improved player: Three or four really good candidates, but Jordan Thomas, if he keeps it together off the field, is heading toward being a special player. He is playing on an island a huge amount of the time. He was a huge liability a year ago. He is a key to the defense this season.

 

[NoleGa_rivals170091]

Keep up the good work Durron Neal !

 

[JB4AU]

Newcomer - Austin Seibert takes this in a runaway. He finally missed his first FG but he's looked super human for the most part. We've got a special one.

Mid Season Offensive MVP - Baker Mayfield. With the struggles of the offensive line, Baker has had to make things happen more often than not. He's not our best offensive player, but he's been the difference maker.

Mid Season Defensive MVP - Eric Striker. This wasn't easy but his leadership is crucial and when he's not on the field we're just not the same team.

Guys to keep an eye on for the 2nd half of the season:

Charles Walker - It appears that the coaches could finally hear me screaming through the TV to get that guy on the field. He is a beast and a freak athlete at his size.

Will Johnson - Two games experience and you'd think he was a 3rd year starter. Stay healthy.

Orlando Brown - The light is coming on...sorry defensive lineman.

Dede Westbrook - Dude has some jets and Baker is starting to find him. As long as Sterling is on the field, Westbrook will have opportunities to make huge plays.

For me, bc nailed it.

Also, really pleased so far with the improvements in the secondary and WRs after the coaching changes in those position groups. Nice to see after one season the WRs have some good depth outside of Shepard. Feels good to know that if Shepard goes down again, the entire offense won't be grounded. And I know the secondary hasn't been truly tested outside of the Tulsa game, but the players seem to really have stepped up and playing at a higher level than last season.
Lots of potential left in this season. OU could very well run the table the rest of the way. But regardless, I think this season is shaping up to be a solid stepping stone for next season and beyond.

 

[JB4AU]

Well I broke my rules and opened your post. I have to admit it was the best post I've ever seen you make. Great job...Now, back on ignore...

 

[ksigcajun]

Considering the slate we have coming up (so this is more hopeful that he continues to improve): Jordan Thomas. Had a surprisingly quiet game vs Tech after an outstanding previous game. With Sanchez possibly less than 100% we need Jordan to be a force at corner. Also encouraged by the other new faces in the secondary, but does that mean the staff gave up on Mbanazor for the rest of the year? He wasn't really out of position when he played, he just never looked for the ball (coaching can correct that and fine if that happens in practice and not on the field this year).

Lingering WR concern: After Shepherd, Westbrook and Neal, our WRs are beyond inconsistent. I'm not sure why Baxter is getting PT and Mead "best hands on team" must be one of those guys who shines in practice only. The answer is obvious: Go more to Mark Andrews (who must be on everyone's honorable mention list for stepping up) and more swing passes or screens to the RBs (especially Mixon and Brooks).