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🔴 Sooners 2021 thread


Mr. P

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On 9/18/2021 at 12:53 PM, LOL said:

No, it's not just you. The offense is very pedestrian, especially by Riley standards. 

The issue appears to be Rattler. Yeah, sure, the line still needs to come together, but Rattler is just very basic in his ability to read the coverage and make the smart decision. Yeah yeah, I know he can throw a pigskin over them mountains, but mountains don't move the chains. 

Credit to Nebraska's defense for flying around and making plays, but if Rattler doesn't come on in a big way in the second half, I say yank him for the rookie. At least he can run the ball. 

https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/football/oklahoma-sooners-qb-spencer-rattler-needs-to-be-better-and-he-can-be

Key quote: 

“He’s still got to be committed and focused,” Riley said, “and he still has moments where he drifts away.”

That was just a few weeks after Rattler got back from Chicago, where he became the first college athlete to attend a memorabilia and collectors convention at which he sold autographs.

So, yeah, this highlights a fundamental difference between Rattler and his predecessors. Hurts, Murray, Mayfield: these guys were locked in during the season, probably during the offseason as well. They didn't need someone to "coach 'em up" when it came to getting ready for game day, they were already there

Rattler needs to throw away his phone, park his pickup truck, and take that goofy-### headband off. You'll never achieve greatness if you're focused on bling-bling, marketing, and "going viral."

If you play lights-out against top-tier competition, you can wear whatever you want and the press will think you're colorful.

But until you get it done on the field, you're just another overhyped scrub who wastes time Tweeting when he should be watching film. 

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8 hours ago, LOL said:

https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/football/oklahoma-sooners-qb-spencer-rattler-needs-to-be-better-and-he-can-be

Key quote: 

“He’s still got to be committed and focused,” Riley said, “and he still has moments where he drifts away.”

That was just a few weeks after Rattler got back from Chicago, where he became the first college athlete to attend a memorabilia and collectors convention at which he sold autographs.

So, yeah, this highlights a fundamental difference between Rattler and his predecessors. Hurts, Murray, Mayfield: these guys were locked in during the season, probably during the offseason as well. They didn't need someone to "coach 'em up" when it came to getting ready for game day, they were already there

Rattler needs to throw away his phone, park his pickup truck, and take that goofy-### headband off. You'll never achieve greatness if you're focused on bling-bling, marketing, and "going viral."

If you play lights-out against top-tier competition, you can wear whatever you want and the press will think you're colorful.

But until you get it done on the field, you're just another overhyped scrub who wastes time Tweeting when he should be watching film. 

If he played well, his sweet A logo would sell itself 

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12 hours ago, MavGrad99 said:

If he played well, his sweet A logo would sell itself 

thank-you-the-office.gif

 

11 hours ago, Stoney said:

Case in point. I already bought one of these. 

It's like that old joke: Did ya hear about the new Spencer Rattler candy bar? You open the wrapper and it tells you how good it is. 

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Why has Oklahoma struggled in the deep passing game?

Key quote: 

That decision-making has been Rattler’s biggest weakness, and having an all-world arm has made it harder for that decision-making to be better than it has been. When a quarterback has the arm talent Rattler does, he believes he can make every throw work, regardless of the coverage. Spencer will have to be better, and Riley will have to give him more opportunities to be better.

It's this right here that most concerns me about Rattler, because read & recognition is a skill not a talent, and it requires study and self-discipline. No one is born with it, but anyone with the desire can become better at it. 

By all accounts, Mayfield and Murray were/are both film and playbook junkies. Hurts was/is as well, though not quite as obsessive as the previous two. As a result, they all know how to tailor their games to the opponent's tendencies and exploit weaknesses in the alignments and coverages. I believe that is why they are all three finding success in the NFL. 

Rattler has not yet shown an aptitude for this. Not saying he can't acquire it, but it doesn't seem likely. He seems to be a very talented athlete who believes so much in his physical talent, that he sees the mental aspect of the game as secondary...  perhaps even a weakness. 

 

Drake Stoops continues to make an impact

While he’s made big plays, Stoops’ impact isn’t always measured in the box score.

He’s really progressed as a down-field blocker, often helping his teammates find extra yards. On a third-and-seven on the Sooners’ first drive, Stoops made a big block on a Nebraska defender that helped Mario Williams find space for a 19-yard reception.

Stoops is committed to making winning plays like that for his team.

“I take tremendous pride in [blocking] because if you do your job, it allows other people to do their [jobs], as well,” Stoops said. “That contributes to the team’s success, so even if it’s not your number called to make the catch, you can still do your part to help that guy make the catch and that helps the team.

“That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day is making plays as a team.”

So yeah, he's probably just a statistical outlier, an example of a marginally-talented athlete who got an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity due almost solely to his family connections...  but I wish recruiters would find a way to add "heart" to their recruiting matrix.

Obviously, I understand that upper-tier programs like OU have to focus the bulk of their efforts on the "arms race" of 4- and 5-star recruiting, but there's also got to be a place to find some diamonds in the rough. There's bound to be guys like Drake Stoops out there whose names are Smith or Jones. 

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On 9/21/2021 at 8:22 AM, LOL said:

thank-you-the-office.gif

 

Case in point. I already bought one of these. 

It's like that old joke: Did ya hear about the new Spencer Rattler candy bar? You open the wrapper and it tells you how good it is. 

This should be a point of emphasis with coaches. Make a great play and sell T-shirts. 

I still proudly wear my 18 wheeler T-shirt.

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2 hours ago, Baron said:

This should be a point of emphasis with coaches. Make a great play and sell T-shirts. 

I still proudly wear my 18 wheeler T-shirt.

Any program that hasn't already created a wing of their Sports Information/Marketing to ensure that players get their slices of the pie, is majorly screwing up. 

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An OU loss to WVU here tonight in front of a national primetime audience at home would be devastating for the OU season, imo.  

 

Field goal range now......might be able to win it in regulation.

 

YEP......WV let Okie off the hook in this one, for sure.  Self-destructed all night when it counted, but still outplayed the Sooners on national TV.  

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Looks like OU will survive for another week, but lose some credibility along the way.

Definitely should fall in the polls this week if anyone voting has half a brain.

WVU has no one to blame but the mirror in their locker room this week.

Meanwhile......Okie's mirror in their locker room has a huge crack in it.

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The reality will begin to set in as the season progresses.  They are OK in more ways than one......but not a top-tier yet IMO.

 

OU faithful should be thrilled that Clemson bit the bullet today.  That takes away some of the questions the media would be posing about this season's team.

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2 hours ago, HearEmaGrowlin said:

The crowd calling for the backup freshman QB tells you all you need to know about Rattler.

He has been overrated his entire career. 

It does, and I agree that’s he’s overrated. I’ve said that since last year. However, the fans chanting like that tells you a lot about them too. 

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4 hours ago, Lobo97 said:

It does, and I agree that’s he’s overrated. I’ve said that since last year. However, the fans chanting like that tells you a lot about them too. 

Yeah, I don't get that. I don't get it all. I mean, no one's been more openly critical of Rattler than I, but that chant was some bull####.

It's one thing to grouse about it on the message boards or Twitter, but to do it at home on national tv is classless at best.

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6 hours ago, LOL said:

Yeah, I don't get that. I don't get it all. I mean, no one's been more openly critical of Rattler than I, but that chant was some bull####.

It's one thing to grouse about it on the message boards or Twitter, but to do it at home on national tv is classless at best.

Not to mention likely a black eye recruiting-wise.  OU had a number of highly-rated recruits at the game.  We'll see if/how much it hurt from a recruiting standpoint.

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Aaaaaand here's my weekly complain about Rattler post: 
https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2022/insider/story/_/id/32284249/mel-kiper-2022-nfl-draft-mailbag-wrong-spencer-rattler-how-good-matt-corral

Quote

Has Spencer Rattler's play this year changed your opinion on him? (via @KevinEidt)

Definitely. His decision-making hasn't improved. He has thrown some really poor interceptions. The preseason Heisman Trophy favorite doesn't look like a franchise quarterback right now.
 
What's most concerning is that Oklahoma's competition hasn't even been strong. In three home games against FBS opponents (Tulane, Nebraska, West Virginia), Rattler has thrown three TD passes and three picks, averaging just 7.1 yards per attempt. He's completing 73.4% of his passes, but that's because so many of his throws have been short. He's not finding star wideout Marvin Mims downfield (just 10 total catches so far). In 10 games against FBS teams last season, 57.5% of Rattler's completions went for at least 10 yards. This season? That's way down to 41.3%. Where are the "wow" throws we saw down the stretch in 2020? He and the Sooners just aren't clicking.
 
Now, Rattler was up and down early last season, too, before he finished with 15 TD passes and two INTs in the final seven games as OU won the Big 12 title and Cotton Bowl. He has shown his arm talent and flashed moments of brilliance this season, but he hasn't been close to consistent. His offensive line has been an issue, sure, but he's supposed to elevate those around him. I haven't seen that so far.
 
All the pressure is on Rattler, who looks more like a fringe first-rounder than a candidate to be picked No. 1 overall next April. He has the talent to bounce back, but it'll have to happen quickly. Over the next three weeks, the Sooners play at Kansas State, get Texas in Dallas and then play TCU at home. These are going to be major evaluation games for NFL scouts. I'll have a new Big Board update later this week, and it's safe to assume that Rattler won't be ranked as high as he was before the season.
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How big of an issue is the offensive line so far for Lincoln Riley's Sooners?

NORMAN — By the time OU quarterback Spencer Rattler handed the ball to running back Kennedy Brooks early in the second quarter of Saturday’s 16-13 win over West Virginia, there was nowhere for Brooks to go.

Mountaineers’ defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor was already in Brooks’ face.

Brooks managed to sidestep Mesidor, but Jordan Jefferson got up off the turf and held Brooks up enough for cornerback Nicktroy Fortune to finish off the tackle.

A play later, the pocket collapsed around Rattler by the time he got set to throw, leaving him with no line of vision downfield and scrambling away from the pocket.

While Rattler caught plenty of heat from the crowd and on social media during and after the game, the back-to-back plays illustrate that there’s issues that go much deeper than Rattler when it comes to the Sooners’ offense. Chief among those are the offensive line.

If OU can’t establish some running presence, it’s hard to keep defenses honest.

If Rattler can’t have time to move through his progressions and receivers don’t have time to get open — or downfield — it’s hard to have a dangerous vertical passing threat.

Right now, the Sooners have neither of those things.

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