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ElTexan
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If I played Roger Federer, or
How I learned that internal logic doesn't trump external logic, or
Why Major Applewhite is a genius and Charlie Strong wasn't
...
If I played Roger Federer, I'd serve-n-volley every point, I'd hit 2 first serves instead of hitting my regular second serve, and I'd try to pound every return of serve.
A smart person would think to himself, "Of course, you would. You had better try to end those points quickly."
The dummy thinks to himself the following:
"ElTexan, you're 40 and fat. On average, you're better from the baseline than serve n volley. You just can't move, stretch, and react that fast anymore."
"ElTexan, on average, hitting 2 first serves is going to lose you more service points than just hitting your second serve. You might double fault a lot."
"ElTexan, on average, killing your returns is going to lose more return points than trying to work your way into points."
ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE TRUE... ON AVERAGE. But this is not an average game: I'm playing Roger Federer.
My best bet is to play a style that is above my average and hope I can maintain for the entire match... to try to paint the lines with my best shots over and over and hope I can play out of my mind for two sets.
.....
So, David Ash is out, and Swoopes is in with very little experience. Our OLine is crippled, literally and figuratively, and BYU supposedly has a good DLine.
Why do we listen to dummies who think?: "Well, David Ash is out and Swoopes is in with very little experience. So, you better keep the game plan simple, a few short passes, and run the ball a lot. Swoopes doesn't pass so well. On average, that is the best bet here."
That is the exact opposite of what you want to do. That is a formula for walking uphill. That is a formula for failure. Texas' OLine is crap and BYU's DLine is good. You want to take the game away from the trenches. Yes, it means playing a style that is NOT the best play ON AVERAGE for a backup QB, but you have to chance to be good, to play ABOVE your average. What you want to do is take your chances and throw downfield, even if the backup QB isn't as accurate or experienced.
So, to me, the Texas HC and OC do NOT get a pass for the BYU game at all. They did the exact opposite of what was called for. They just decided to play it simple and scared, instead of showing leadership and playing smart.
*Heck, as a side note: In the case where I play Federer, I have to maintain my shoot-for-the-moon strategy all match long. If I ever go back to "work my way into the point strategy," I immediately start to get my ass kicked. In the Texas-BYU game, throwing downfield and doing well for just a portion of the game actually allows one to go back to the simpler, conservative style later and have more success at it. There was simply no excuse for getting super-conservative in this scenario. None.
...
This is why I don't understand why Longhorn fans on these forums put down Major Applewhite as an OC last year. Are they crazy? Applewhite took Derp McCoy and our woeful offense and took us to within one better half of one game of winning the conference. Any other OC would have seen Derp's play and just ran the ball or only let him throw on sure, short passes. Instead, he chanced to let Derp play better than he really could, beat OU, beat some teams he shouldn't have, and almost win the Big12.
How I learned that internal logic doesn't trump external logic, or
Why Major Applewhite is a genius and Charlie Strong wasn't
...
If I played Roger Federer, I'd serve-n-volley every point, I'd hit 2 first serves instead of hitting my regular second serve, and I'd try to pound every return of serve.
A smart person would think to himself, "Of course, you would. You had better try to end those points quickly."
The dummy thinks to himself the following:
"ElTexan, you're 40 and fat. On average, you're better from the baseline than serve n volley. You just can't move, stretch, and react that fast anymore."
"ElTexan, on average, hitting 2 first serves is going to lose you more service points than just hitting your second serve. You might double fault a lot."
"ElTexan, on average, killing your returns is going to lose more return points than trying to work your way into points."
ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE TRUE... ON AVERAGE. But this is not an average game: I'm playing Roger Federer.
My best bet is to play a style that is above my average and hope I can maintain for the entire match... to try to paint the lines with my best shots over and over and hope I can play out of my mind for two sets.
.....
So, David Ash is out, and Swoopes is in with very little experience. Our OLine is crippled, literally and figuratively, and BYU supposedly has a good DLine.
Why do we listen to dummies who think?: "Well, David Ash is out and Swoopes is in with very little experience. So, you better keep the game plan simple, a few short passes, and run the ball a lot. Swoopes doesn't pass so well. On average, that is the best bet here."
That is the exact opposite of what you want to do. That is a formula for walking uphill. That is a formula for failure. Texas' OLine is crap and BYU's DLine is good. You want to take the game away from the trenches. Yes, it means playing a style that is NOT the best play ON AVERAGE for a backup QB, but you have to chance to be good, to play ABOVE your average. What you want to do is take your chances and throw downfield, even if the backup QB isn't as accurate or experienced.
So, to me, the Texas HC and OC do NOT get a pass for the BYU game at all. They did the exact opposite of what was called for. They just decided to play it simple and scared, instead of showing leadership and playing smart.
*Heck, as a side note: In the case where I play Federer, I have to maintain my shoot-for-the-moon strategy all match long. If I ever go back to "work my way into the point strategy," I immediately start to get my ass kicked. In the Texas-BYU game, throwing downfield and doing well for just a portion of the game actually allows one to go back to the simpler, conservative style later and have more success at it. There was simply no excuse for getting super-conservative in this scenario. None.
...
This is why I don't understand why Longhorn fans on these forums put down Major Applewhite as an OC last year. Are they crazy? Applewhite took Derp McCoy and our woeful offense and took us to within one better half of one game of winning the conference. Any other OC would have seen Derp's play and just ran the ball or only let him throw on sure, short passes. Instead, he chanced to let Derp play better than he really could, beat OU, beat some teams he shouldn't have, and almost win the Big12.
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Give Swoopes a chance to play instinctual football. He's got the size to make it work. It would force defenses to play the run and not play 2 deep. He could then throw passes to receivers who would at least have the chance to be open.
