Fall camp opened for the Texas Longhorns with coach Brown having a lot of fixing to do. In all, 18 of their players have left the team and of this 18, many had left behind key positions in the game. Included in this number are QB Colt McCoy, WR Jordan Shipley, AT Adam Ulatoski and OG Charlie Tanner.
McCoy has signed an agreement with Cleveland’s Browns. The Cincinnati Bengals got Jordan Shipley in the 2010 NFL draft. Two team members has gone in as free agents in other teams. Houston signed a contract with Ulatoski and the New York Jets got Tanner.
To plug in the holes that previous members left behind, the primary agenda of this season’s training sessions is conditioning freshmen and sophomores in order to allow older athletes to go on and fill the key positions that are as of today unmanned. By any standards, this is no child’s task.
Despite the long odds they seem to face, coach Mack Brown is optimistic about the results of the forthcoming games. He cites the fact that in the 2008 season when the team which was reckoned to garner a 9-3 finish, they gave everyone the surprise of the year by nearly flattening out the competition with a 12-1 score. The year following, they upped that score one more point and earned the right to compete for the BCS National Championship trophy. They eventually lost but had already gained in the AP poll rankings. At the preseason tally for this year they are in slot #4.
The current rating of the team has been called exaggerated by some pundits on the grounds that the current unmanned condition of the team does not justify placing them in the fourth position. Justifiable or not, that position puts them close to the top and gives them a much better chance to compete in the championships.
The power of belief is something the coach does not underestimate. The importance that good expectations had for their last games was underscored when he said “When we weren’t expected by the public to win all the games and our players and coaches still expected to…”
There are also optimistic pundits who think that the chances of the Longhorns for winning the trophy this year are great. One contribution factor is the fact that their most formidable opponent has been scheduled to face them towards the season’s end. By that time, the team will have made its new organization very effective.
In addition, the new line-up of the team has plenty of talent in key positions. For one, the back line has undergone a lift with Aaron Williams, Curtis Brown, Chyke Brown and Blake Gideon. Other units have been likewise reshuffled to maximize their potential.
Sophomore Garret Gilbert packs plenty of talent and determination in his play. In last year’s BCS, he was on top of the game during the second half after fumbling around some in the first. The Longhorns nearly made the big comeback they have long been waiting for.
Both sides of the camp have their reasons. Manpower alone doesn’t a victory win. There is much that tactics and determination can do. On the other hand there is the fact that coach Brown has a whole lot of training to do.
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