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An Afternoon With the Very, Very Classy Bob Stoops

Posted by TaylorTRoom on October 6th, 2009 under Football

From yesterday’s press conference with comments…

“Those people, I’m sure they’re good play-callers after the fact; they can call plays when they get their team (Nope, no insecurity here),” Stoops told reporters after Monday’s practice. “Our game plan was what it had been all along; I don’t see where people get that. We went right down the field and scored on the first drive of the game. We were calling those same plays throughout the game. (Greg Davis is validated!)

“They don’t look as good when they’re defended as well or you get a holding call out on the perimeter (Note the comment about holding calls on the perimeter, i.e. not close to the play? That’s not an excuse. He is not blaming the loss on an official stupid enough to call a penalty on something that had nothing to do with the play. Know how I know it’s not an excuse? Because it’s coming out of Bob Stoops’ mouth. A lot of people don’t know that No Excuses jeans tried to hire Bob as their spokesman in a proposed brand revival.).  I don’t see it that way. I thought we called the game the same really throughout.” (That is so comforting to OU fans)

Stoops was asked why after a long punt return in the fourth quarter the  Sooners ran on six straight running plays before throwing a short swing pass on third-and-long to DeMarco Murray on OU’s final drive, which ended with a field goal instead of a much-needed touchdown.

“Towards the end, we had been running the ball well,” Stoops said. “We do throw the bubble screen and end up slipping and losing 2 yards. But getting the ball to DeMarco on the perimeter, I don’t call that conservative.” (On 3rd and long, throwing a pass behind the line of scrimmage is aggressive? It has a 20% chance of getting a 1st down, but you’re OK with that, because you stay in FG range the other 80%, and that’s not conservative? By those standards, know what else isn’t conservative? Ronald Reagan.)

For those who wanted more passing, Stoops brought up the second play of the second half, when a cornerback blitz forced Landry Jones to fumble, a turnover that one play later led to a Miami touchdown.

“The other night, you drop back to throw the ball. … we don’t pick up the blitz and the quarterback gets killed and they have the ball,” Stoops said. “That’s what passing the ball did for us on the (second) play of the second half.” (Stoops to self – “Don’t say it! Don’t! Uuuh…3 things can …uh…happen…Aaargh! Stifle! Stifle! Suppress yourself! Think about hand on flame!  Hand on flame!”)

Stoops also scoffed at the notion that Wilson’s play-calling ended up costing OU the game.

Said Stoops: “That’s ridiculous. I can’t even believe that. A lot of people, that’s their opinions. We have one of those jobs that everybody knows how to do. He’s obviously been dealt a difficult hand with all that’s happened (Note- Not an excuse!), and in the end, he’s the same guy he was a year ago. (in this same stadium…)

“People want to look for excuses. (”But not me!”) But in the end, (Miami) just out-executed us.”

…sounding a little uptight.

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20 Responses

  1. CloseToJumping said:

    October 6th, 2009 at 10:26 pm

    Put the screws to Stoops and he’s going to blame the players. It never fails. I can’t wait to see what he says after the Texas game. Jungle drums can be heard off in the very vague distance, and Matthew Maconuhgheyheyeyy isn’t playing them, not even naked.

  2. hobbeshorn said:

    October 6th, 2009 at 10:53 pm

    No, CTJ. Stoops never blames his players. He was just giving that DB (Franks?) words of encouragement and explaining how Franks didn’t fail, the coaches failed to teach him properly. The TV footage was very clear on this I thought.

  3. Huckleberry said:

    October 7th, 2009 at 4:12 am

    People want to look for excuses. (”But not me!”) But in the end, (Miami) just out-executed us.

    So let me make sure I have this straight. Asking questions about poor coaching decisions is looking for excuses. The head coach deflecting criticism of his coaching and instead pinning the entire blame for the loss on the players’ execution is not making excuses for himself and his coaching staff.

  4. TaylorTRoom said:

    October 7th, 2009 at 4:43 am

    Yes, that’s right, Huck.

    Funny thing is that as uncomfortable as these questions make Stoops, they are about 1/4 as intense as those asked of any college coach in another state after a loss. Stoops needs to stay at OU because his head would explode anywhere else.

  5. Bob in Houston said:

    October 7th, 2009 at 5:43 am

    “Funny thing is that as uncomfortable as these questions make Stoops, they are about 1/4 as intense as those asked of any college coach in another state after a loss.”

    Like where? It would have to be in a major metro area, where the college team is not the only game in town. (This rules out Austin.)

  6. TaylorTRoom said:

    October 7th, 2009 at 5:50 am

    Really, Bob? You don’t think Brown, Sherman, and Leach don’t get asked more pointed questions after losses?

  7. srr50 said:

    October 7th, 2009 at 6:47 am

    I think there are pointed questions after OU losses directed at Stoops, especially games like Miami, since there is plenty of representation of the press outside of Oklahoma at most of the Sooner games.

    Now does Stoops get a pass at his regular Monday press conference? Probably.

  8. kafka said:

    October 7th, 2009 at 6:50 am

    The bad news is that OU finally figured out they should be running the ball most of the time (when playing a good D) and that most of their passes should be quick passes (especially to those excellent TBs). The blocking is simpler for the OL so the offence is less vulnerable to blocking breakdowns and holding penalties. By mostly running, it will be much easier for OU to pass (on play action passing, for example). By mostly short passing when they do pass, OU reduces the skill required for the QB and receivers to complete those passes. Runs also make it easier to use that FB and TE more effectively to concentrate blocking at the point of attack. Running so much makes play action passing effective by reducing the stress on the OL and deforming the D.

    Regarding reporters questions at Mack’s press conferences, the questions are normally mind numbingly boring. I particularly hate the questions about how Mack might feel about something. If it is something that occurred during the game, I already know how Mack felt because I saw his real time reaction. Mack is always going to respond to a “feeling” question in a politically correct way, which is the smart thing to do but boring (so why ask the question?).

  9. Magnificent Bastard said:

    October 7th, 2009 at 6:57 am

    The reporters don’t go after Mack with quite as much venom because he typically takes personal responsibility for a loss in his opening statement.

  10. spider said:

    October 7th, 2009 at 7:15 am

    We went right down the field and scored on the first drive of the game. We were calling those same plays throughout the game.

    There’s nothing better than an inadvertent admission of suck.

  11. Huckleberry said:

    October 7th, 2009 at 7:39 am

    There’s nothing better than an inadvertent admission of suck.

    It’s somewhat understandable, though. His biggest rival gave him half a decade of easy wins because they never adjusted to anything. The only adjustment I can remember from 2000-2004 from our staff was at halftime in 2001 by Carl Reese of all people. OU had started to have some success with the option because our DE was crashing on the QB and we had nobody in position to get to Griffin, the pitch man, in time. The first time they ran the play in the second half we had Kalen Thornton flash wide to take the pitch man which enabled Derrick Johnson to fill the hole and blow up Jason White.

    They didn’t run that play anymore, I don’t believe.

    Of course, it’s on him that he hasn’t adjusted since then. It’s amazing to consider, but it seems that Stoops hasn’t changed a single thing about his overall coaching strategy since he got to OU. He has made some tactical changes, especially on offense, but not to his overall season or game management theories. At least I don’t see any, and they’ve been catching up to him for a while.

  12. lazer2280 said:

    October 7th, 2009 at 7:45 am

    Good ol’ Bob. Arrogant in victory, pointing the finger in defeat. What a great role model for kids everywhere.

  13. dutchhorn said:

    October 7th, 2009 at 7:47 am

    The question in my mind is what is Stoops going to do when Bradford gets back. Hope that Bradford can overcome the shaky o-line, or continue to rely on the TBs to make plays?

  14. LonghornScott said:

    October 7th, 2009 at 8:12 am

    Huck,

    Agree completely about the lack of adjustment. I do think that the modifications to the offense while Peterson was there were well constructed even if they were obvious. However, Stoops can’t be happy with the way things have been going lately… Muschamp’s arrival seriously fucks up that little red carpet he had rolled out to a Big 12 Championship each year.

  15. HenryJames said:

    October 7th, 2009 at 8:27 am

    TTIWWPonderos

  16. Bob in Houston said:

    October 7th, 2009 at 8:37 am

    “Really, Bob? You don’t think Brown, Sherman, and Leach don’t get asked more pointed questions after losses?”

    Most likely not. I specifically remember asking (what I consider now to be a somewhat stupid but) pointed question to Fred Akers regarding a major defensive mistake (in a win) and getting looked at like I broke the Louis Winthorpe’s vase.

    I’ll go with srr, who’s been in many more locker rooms and Monday PCs than I have. Local questions, even after games, aren’t that tough. Mistakes are covered open-endedly: “What happened there?” PC questions generally are tissue soft.

  17. Gene Claude said:

    October 7th, 2009 at 9:24 am

    My favorite, and Gary Pinkel is as guilty as anybody, is the “we just didn’t execute” line. Translation: Troops didn’t follow orders, blame them.

  18. coolhorn said:

    October 7th, 2009 at 10:42 am

    No more “Big Game Bob”…his name needs to be changed to “Teflon Bob”. I get the idea he’d throw his mama under the bus if it served his purpose of not getting blamed when okie loses. I find it interesting that any player with even a modicum of talent wants to spend three or four years in that strip mall of a town playing for stoops-to-blame. He’s your buddy, your friend, your pal…just as long as you don’t screw up on the field. Off the field, that’s another matter…you can take a Philips head screwdriver to your girlfriend, and he’ll give you three hots, a cot, and a starting position on the team. Just DON’T make any mistakes on the field, or you’ll see your name a whole lot in the Oklahoma City newspaper’s sports section, mostly being spoken in vain by your head coach. It’s no wonder he fits like a glove up in Indian territory.

  19. huskerwes1 said:

    October 7th, 2009 at 3:19 pm

    “Coaches don’t win football games. Players do.”

    If the above is true then…

    “Coaches don’t lose football games. Players do.”

    …this is too.

  20. Sailor Ripley said:

    October 7th, 2009 at 5:09 pm

    Interesting article from NorthDallasSooner on Big Game Bob and what constitutes a big game. Boomer & Sooner

    As Mack pointed out, anyone you lose is a big game.

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