I'm glad Tebow won the Heisman.
I love the way he carries himself, he is the All-American boy. That’s the guy everyone wants to have son like that. I assume he is as good as he looks and if he is you know he's special.
Now that the BCS Bowl games are set, here are my thoughts on the selections:
I'm actually not as fired up as everyone about the Allstate BCS National Championship game.
Ohio States Quarterback is steady, they play great defense and have good players at nearly all positions. Good receiver corps…..it’s two of the best teams.
The most controversial selection was the pick of Kansas over Missouri for the Fed-Ex Orange Bowl. I'm going to tell you my opinion, they think Kansas will travel better and I don't think it's fair. Obviously Missouri beat them head to head, but I think they (the orange bowl people)have been influenced by one loss and the fact that Missouri got beat on national TV when they were ranked number one, I think all these cosmetics have a lot to do with it.
It would be a mistake for me not to talk about the amazing year the New England Patriots are having. They are a football team that proves that you don't have to have a running game to win. They are so good at what they do that they have so much confidence and the talent to do it with, that it really makes them unbeatable.
Hear Barry Switzer every Monday and Friday on XMSN This Morning with TJ Rives on XM Sports Nation, XM 144 from 730-9am Eastern.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
The Crazy College Football Season Continues
The Barry CS
5 Ohio State-Buckeyes still alive.
4 Missouri-huge game Saturday night against Kansas
3 West Va – Their skill players Pat White and Steve Slayton are dangerous and are always making plays
2 Kansas - I think they’re for real on both sides of the ball. Nobody knows who they are but whoever they are, they’re damn good football players I know that. I'm beginning to believe these guys are really good
1 LSU – The most physically talented team on both sides of the ball. They don’t play like a great football team should, but you look at them and there’s nobody more talented than them out there. They still haven’t played their perfect game yet – when they do they will totally destroy a football team.
on Instant Replay
When they put replay in, and put the extra officials out there, they wanted to get it right and why not get it right? And concerning time element…time of a football game? Are you kidding me? It all comes down to money, producers, time slots.
on NFL rivalries
Rivalries don’t stay the same because of free agency – it has totally transformed the league. The fans keep them alive, players do not because the players change. That’s what brings about rivalries, when you know every guy on the roster when you used to play him.
on Sooners loss
At halftime of the game the open phone line for suicide watch, the number to call was announced throughout the state of Oklahoma for Sooner fans. Please don’t take this kind of action, please call this number before finalizing your decision.
on the evolution of football
The coaching and the excessive number of people involved in the evaluation of the athletes is what's done in high school. A lot of this has to be attributed to the high school coaches to the athletic programs in high school , to the emphasis of the communities and the high school, because they are producing kids that can play and are ready to play and a lot of them , so that doesn't happen without all of those things happening.
on coaching during the holidays
College or professional , we don't have holidays we don't have the traditional holidays Thanksgiving , Christmas. We are always traveling or playing .
So we never think anything about it it's just a game on a Thursday or on Christmas day. I think through the years how many times in my profession how many times I gathered a football team on the Christmas eve or Christmas day and fed'em in the morning and put 'em on a big body airplane and we flew to some bowl site around the country to play in some January 1st bowl. Throughout our playing days we played in Nebraska in the sixties and the seventies ...it was a part of coaching!
Hear Barry Switzer on College Football every Monday and Friday from 730-9am Eastern (630-8am Sooner Time) on XM Sports Nation This Morning--XM Sports Nation, XM 144.
5 Ohio State-Buckeyes still alive.
4 Missouri-huge game Saturday night against Kansas
3 West Va – Their skill players Pat White and Steve Slayton are dangerous and are always making plays
2 Kansas - I think they’re for real on both sides of the ball. Nobody knows who they are but whoever they are, they’re damn good football players I know that. I'm beginning to believe these guys are really good
1 LSU – The most physically talented team on both sides of the ball. They don’t play like a great football team should, but you look at them and there’s nobody more talented than them out there. They still haven’t played their perfect game yet – when they do they will totally destroy a football team.
on Instant Replay
When they put replay in, and put the extra officials out there, they wanted to get it right and why not get it right? And concerning time element…time of a football game? Are you kidding me? It all comes down to money, producers, time slots.
on NFL rivalries
Rivalries don’t stay the same because of free agency – it has totally transformed the league. The fans keep them alive, players do not because the players change. That’s what brings about rivalries, when you know every guy on the roster when you used to play him.
on Sooners loss
At halftime of the game the open phone line for suicide watch, the number to call was announced throughout the state of Oklahoma for Sooner fans. Please don’t take this kind of action, please call this number before finalizing your decision.
on the evolution of football
The coaching and the excessive number of people involved in the evaluation of the athletes is what's done in high school. A lot of this has to be attributed to the high school coaches to the athletic programs in high school , to the emphasis of the communities and the high school, because they are producing kids that can play and are ready to play and a lot of them , so that doesn't happen without all of those things happening.
on coaching during the holidays
College or professional , we don't have holidays we don't have the traditional holidays Thanksgiving , Christmas. We are always traveling or playing .
So we never think anything about it it's just a game on a Thursday or on Christmas day. I think through the years how many times in my profession how many times I gathered a football team on the Christmas eve or Christmas day and fed'em in the morning and put 'em on a big body airplane and we flew to some bowl site around the country to play in some January 1st bowl. Throughout our playing days we played in Nebraska in the sixties and the seventies ...it was a part of coaching!
Hear Barry Switzer on College Football every Monday and Friday from 730-9am Eastern (630-8am Sooner Time) on XM Sports Nation This Morning--XM Sports Nation, XM 144.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
NFL and College Football thoughts
Here are my thoughts this week on college football and the NFL...
On Randy Moss
Randy Moss was so invigorated by going to New England. Now he's with a quarterback that can make him the best receiver in pro football. Those kind of guys (the Patriots) bring out the best in all of the players around them.
On Packers/Cowboys:
Green Bay and the Cowboys dominated the NFC in the past, and that's what is happening again. It's a throwback to the 90s. Here is Brett Favre--He's still playing, Aikman is already in the Hall of Fame and up in the broadcast booth.
On Kansas Football:
The test is coming up for Kansas Football. Missouri and potentially Oklahoma. That's when you can say Kansas has arrived as a football team, if they can handle those two. If they can beat those two teams, they ought to be in the BCS Championship Game. They still are a mystery to a lot of people, but they deserve a shot at the championship.
The Barry CS (top 5)
5. Kansas – I don’t use computers, I trust my eyes. If Kansas runs the table they deserve a chance to be in national championship
4. Oklahoma – better players across the board than Kansas.
3. Ohio State – they still have good players. Illinois (who beat Ohio State) is a good football team.
2. Oregon –I love Dennis Dixon.
1. LSU – Haven’t played the perfect game yet.
Listen to Hall of Fame Coach Barry Switzer every Monday and Friday from 730-9am Eastern on XM Sports Nation, XM 144.
On Randy Moss
Randy Moss was so invigorated by going to New England. Now he's with a quarterback that can make him the best receiver in pro football. Those kind of guys (the Patriots) bring out the best in all of the players around them.
On Packers/Cowboys:
Green Bay and the Cowboys dominated the NFC in the past, and that's what is happening again. It's a throwback to the 90s. Here is Brett Favre--He's still playing, Aikman is already in the Hall of Fame and up in the broadcast booth.
On Kansas Football:
The test is coming up for Kansas Football. Missouri and potentially Oklahoma. That's when you can say Kansas has arrived as a football team, if they can handle those two. If they can beat those two teams, they ought to be in the BCS Championship Game. They still are a mystery to a lot of people, but they deserve a shot at the championship.
The Barry CS (top 5)
5. Kansas – I don’t use computers, I trust my eyes. If Kansas runs the table they deserve a chance to be in national championship
4. Oklahoma – better players across the board than Kansas.
3. Ohio State – they still have good players. Illinois (who beat Ohio State) is a good football team.
2. Oregon –I love Dennis Dixon.
1. LSU – Haven’t played the perfect game yet.
Listen to Hall of Fame Coach Barry Switzer every Monday and Friday from 730-9am Eastern on XM Sports Nation, XM 144.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Coaching and Recruiting
Recruiting is obviously very important to the success of a football program. It really helps when you're recruiting to be at a school with a great football tradition. Take top-ranked Ohio State, they have something to sell. They have something that's great in college football and that's their tradition. They are a perennial power. When they knock on somebody's door they are allowed to sit down and sell their product. A lot of schools can't do that. The top blue-chip players in the country let Ohio State, Oklahoma, USC, Notre Dame and Michigan come in. These schools can always reload and have great depth. They can recruit consistently year to year.
You know just having the right product to sell doesn't mean you can sit back and they fall out of the sky and are going to land at the LA Coliseum in Los Angeles. You've got to go make it happen. Maybe those guys didn't work as hard as Pete Carroll, maybe their assistant coaches are better evaluators. Maybe they all sat down in a staff room with all of them and decided on the bright players to recruit and everyone had a voice and say in it and had someone make a final decision. That's the only way you can run a program, you cant let Carter Blank just a coach go out and offer a kid a scholarship and no one else ever see him. It has to be a staff effort, a staff decision, and you've got to have these evaluators, then someone pull the trigger on them.
Every coach has to go out and work. You still need to make it happen. The only way you can run a program is the staff has to evaluate and make team decisions. John Blake did a good job recruiting at Oklahoma. He didn't have a strong offensive staff around him, but he did have talent. The most important thing is to have talent. I don't care how good of a coach you are, if you don't have good players you're not going to win. That's why my attitude was always, I'm going to be a great recruiter because I don't want to test my coaching abilities.
The Barry-CS
5 Boston College - not as athletic as other top teams
4 Oklahoma - young football team that hasn’t reached its potential
3 Oregon - they could move into the #2 spot shortly
2 LSU - despite them losing games because of poor coaching decisions
1 Ohio State - Lee Corso says people question their defense, but that may be a "hangover" from last year's National Championship loss to Florida.
Hear Coach Switzer every Monday and Friday on XM Sports Nation This Morning with TJ Rives from 730-9am Eastern time. The show airs on XM Sports Nation, XM 144. For more information go to xmradio.com
You know just having the right product to sell doesn't mean you can sit back and they fall out of the sky and are going to land at the LA Coliseum in Los Angeles. You've got to go make it happen. Maybe those guys didn't work as hard as Pete Carroll, maybe their assistant coaches are better evaluators. Maybe they all sat down in a staff room with all of them and decided on the bright players to recruit and everyone had a voice and say in it and had someone make a final decision. That's the only way you can run a program, you cant let Carter Blank just a coach go out and offer a kid a scholarship and no one else ever see him. It has to be a staff effort, a staff decision, and you've got to have these evaluators, then someone pull the trigger on them.
Every coach has to go out and work. You still need to make it happen. The only way you can run a program is the staff has to evaluate and make team decisions. John Blake did a good job recruiting at Oklahoma. He didn't have a strong offensive staff around him, but he did have talent. The most important thing is to have talent. I don't care how good of a coach you are, if you don't have good players you're not going to win. That's why my attitude was always, I'm going to be a great recruiter because I don't want to test my coaching abilities.
The Barry-CS
5 Boston College - not as athletic as other top teams
4 Oklahoma - young football team that hasn’t reached its potential
3 Oregon - they could move into the #2 spot shortly
2 LSU - despite them losing games because of poor coaching decisions
1 Ohio State - Lee Corso says people question their defense, but that may be a "hangover" from last year's National Championship loss to Florida.
Hear Coach Switzer every Monday and Friday on XM Sports Nation This Morning with TJ Rives from 730-9am Eastern time. The show airs on XM Sports Nation, XM 144. For more information go to xmradio.com
Monday, October 22, 2007
Tom Osborne returns to Nebraska
Tom Osborne coached at the University of Nebraska for 25 years. He lasted much longer than I did. Then went on to Washington as a congressman and then ran for Governor of Nebraska. Tom is really a nice guy, how could you make nasty with him? I received a call asking if I'd help him run for Governor and i asked Tom what would help you the most being for you or against you what ever helps you the most. I'll be happy to do anything for you.
TJ and I had a chance to talk with the new Interim Athletic Director at Nebraska on our XM radio show and here are some of the highlights:
Tom Osborne – will you coach Nebraska?
"Coaching is a high energy deal and I like to be the offensive coordinator which requires a lot of film time , although when I speak to Steve Spurrier he says being actively involved is what makes it fun for him, but I think when you are getting a little older it's harder to maintain that pace so the short answer is no I won't be coaching again."
Tom Osborne - Bill Callahan is our coach for now
"Bill Callahan is the coach right now. We will evaluate the situation after the next four games. Bill Callahan is a very hard working guy and his staff has done a good job recruiting and I like him personally and we'll have to just wait to make a decision."
Tom Osborne – do you miss coaching
The first few years out of coaching was agonizing , but i have been out out it so long that I'm actually inoculated now, but i do cherish the relationships that i made with the players are still there and they are very important to me. It was intriguing and fascinating like a glorified chess game, the wins and the losses. I really enjoyed the game.
Here's my favorite memory of coaching against Coach Osborne:
We were playing at Lincoln in 1978 and i had a great football team, Billy Sims won the Heisman, we were ranked number 1 and were undefeated, but they win the game 17 to 14. I go out onto the middle of the field I was looking for Tom and could not see him because of the sea of red between our two teams, when we finally make eye contact a wave of red sea envelopes me and I'm taken away from him and was rolled up on the fields like a little ball and i disappeared and i never saw Tom again that day.
Coaching is about relationships and being able to make a difference in a young man's life, it's not so impersonal as it is in pro football. The same team i won the Superbowl with at least 16 guys were gone the next year because of free agency and draft choices removed them, i don't know who they are , couldn't name them and I'm sure I'll never even talk with them again for the rest of my life. In college coaching you take young men into your program for four or five years, you have the 365/24/7 you develop relationships and recruit them. You have that for life. You know where they are are today and you never lose contact with them and they are yours you raise them. 99.9 percent of them never go to pro ball anyway so they are your family and extension of your family and that's what college coaching is all about.
Barry Switzer – The Barry CS
5. Oregon - I really love them because of their quarterback, Dennis Dixon.
4. Oklahoma – even though they didn’t play well this past week.
3. BC – Yes, the computers have them #1, I don't.
2. LSU -Any other coach in America would have kicked a field goal so Les Miles is just a lucky , lucky son of a gun.
1. Ohio State-Remember they were #1 last year, too.
Hear Barry Switzer on XM Sports Nation, XM 144 Every Monday and Friday from 730-9am Eastern. For more information, go to xmradio.com.
TJ and I had a chance to talk with the new Interim Athletic Director at Nebraska on our XM radio show and here are some of the highlights:
Tom Osborne – will you coach Nebraska?
"Coaching is a high energy deal and I like to be the offensive coordinator which requires a lot of film time , although when I speak to Steve Spurrier he says being actively involved is what makes it fun for him, but I think when you are getting a little older it's harder to maintain that pace so the short answer is no I won't be coaching again."
Tom Osborne - Bill Callahan is our coach for now
"Bill Callahan is the coach right now. We will evaluate the situation after the next four games. Bill Callahan is a very hard working guy and his staff has done a good job recruiting and I like him personally and we'll have to just wait to make a decision."
Tom Osborne – do you miss coaching
The first few years out of coaching was agonizing , but i have been out out it so long that I'm actually inoculated now, but i do cherish the relationships that i made with the players are still there and they are very important to me. It was intriguing and fascinating like a glorified chess game, the wins and the losses. I really enjoyed the game.
Here's my favorite memory of coaching against Coach Osborne:
We were playing at Lincoln in 1978 and i had a great football team, Billy Sims won the Heisman, we were ranked number 1 and were undefeated, but they win the game 17 to 14. I go out onto the middle of the field I was looking for Tom and could not see him because of the sea of red between our two teams, when we finally make eye contact a wave of red sea envelopes me and I'm taken away from him and was rolled up on the fields like a little ball and i disappeared and i never saw Tom again that day.
Coaching is about relationships and being able to make a difference in a young man's life, it's not so impersonal as it is in pro football. The same team i won the Superbowl with at least 16 guys were gone the next year because of free agency and draft choices removed them, i don't know who they are , couldn't name them and I'm sure I'll never even talk with them again for the rest of my life. In college coaching you take young men into your program for four or five years, you have the 365/24/7 you develop relationships and recruit them. You have that for life. You know where they are are today and you never lose contact with them and they are yours you raise them. 99.9 percent of them never go to pro ball anyway so they are your family and extension of your family and that's what college coaching is all about.
Barry Switzer – The Barry CS
5. Oregon - I really love them because of their quarterback, Dennis Dixon.
4. Oklahoma – even though they didn’t play well this past week.
3. BC – Yes, the computers have them #1, I don't.
2. LSU -Any other coach in America would have kicked a field goal so Les Miles is just a lucky , lucky son of a gun.
1. Ohio State-Remember they were #1 last year, too.
Hear Barry Switzer on XM Sports Nation, XM 144 Every Monday and Friday from 730-9am Eastern. For more information, go to xmradio.com.
Monday, October 15, 2007
The Upset Season in College Football
I watched every snap of that Kentucky-LSU game. Wow it was a great game, I really enjoyed it. And Oregon State beat Cal, Oregon State has a history of doing that. Through the years they have had some great upsets.
Why is this happening now in College Football?? I think it has to do with the scholarship limitations, plus the systems everyone uses today. You have so many young men out there that are skilled athletes that run and can catch the ball. And not all of them are at USC, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and LSU. The ones that are, are only 3-4 inches taller because that's who they recruit the 6'3", 6'4" wide outs. The 5'11-6' guys have to go somewhere so they end up at Stanford, but they can catch the ball, they can run fast, they can run routes. There are a lot of quarterbacks out there that still can throw the football and no one's taking but one at each program around the country. And because they're using such wide open offenses people are spreading the field, it does give you a chance to play catch-up football and score points. If you can hang in the game and be good enough on defense and have some breaks in the ballgame and get it down to a close and tight fit--You've got a chance today! If you lined up in two tight ends and a wing set and an I-Formation you don't have a chance to play catch-up football and score. The schemes they run today, a couple of big plays with two athletes, or a QB getting the ball to one or two guys running routes, you can move the length of the field in a hurry and make big plays and win games.
I don't care where you play, home or on the road, if you don't play well and the other team's ready to play you're gonna have a tough time. It can happen anywhere. The big ballgame can be played anywhere. Of course Cal-Oregon St. shouldn't have been a big ball game to Cal, but it happens. Everybody can get a quarterback today that can throw the football and make plays. Everybody can get receivers that run 4.5. They might be 5'11" or 6' at Oregon State and they're 6'4" at USC, but they are talented and they can make plays. I watched that happen at Kentucky this weekend. Andre Woodson is really good, but coming out of high school he didn't end up at one of the perennial powers for a national championship, but he's a guy who will be drafted by the NFL and be a good player.
I wondered in the overtime of the LSU-Kentucky game-where was Ryan Perrilloux? He was standing over there by Les Miles. That guy is the guy that makes big plays. Matt Flynn, I like him, but he's not a great runner and his numbers in the passing game aren't that great. I thought in the overtime Perrilloux would be out there to spread the field and run the option and make it a guessing game for Kentucky. He never was a part of the overtime. So Kentucky could load up and stop LSU between the tackles.
It was a great weekend in college football. I like seeing this. It's one of the great seasons we've had. We could have a national championship game between South Florida and Boston College. They may be unbeaten, but you can't convince me that those are the two most talented teams in the country.
BCS (The Barry CS rankings)
1. Ohio St-What hurts Ohio State the most is that people remember what Florida did to them last year in the national championship game.
2. Boston College-They are undefeated for a reason.
3. LSU-I believe LSU has the talent. Play Perrilloux and you might win some more.
4. Oklahoma-Big win over Missouri.
5. South Florida-I don't think they've got the overall depth and talent of some of the teams ahead of them.
You can hear Hall of Fame Coach Barry Switzer every Monday and Friday on XM Sports Nation, XM Channel 144. Coach Switzer joins TJ Rives on XMSN This Morning from 730-9am Eastern time.
Why is this happening now in College Football?? I think it has to do with the scholarship limitations, plus the systems everyone uses today. You have so many young men out there that are skilled athletes that run and can catch the ball. And not all of them are at USC, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and LSU. The ones that are, are only 3-4 inches taller because that's who they recruit the 6'3", 6'4" wide outs. The 5'11-6' guys have to go somewhere so they end up at Stanford, but they can catch the ball, they can run fast, they can run routes. There are a lot of quarterbacks out there that still can throw the football and no one's taking but one at each program around the country. And because they're using such wide open offenses people are spreading the field, it does give you a chance to play catch-up football and score points. If you can hang in the game and be good enough on defense and have some breaks in the ballgame and get it down to a close and tight fit--You've got a chance today! If you lined up in two tight ends and a wing set and an I-Formation you don't have a chance to play catch-up football and score. The schemes they run today, a couple of big plays with two athletes, or a QB getting the ball to one or two guys running routes, you can move the length of the field in a hurry and make big plays and win games.
I don't care where you play, home or on the road, if you don't play well and the other team's ready to play you're gonna have a tough time. It can happen anywhere. The big ballgame can be played anywhere. Of course Cal-Oregon St. shouldn't have been a big ball game to Cal, but it happens. Everybody can get a quarterback today that can throw the football and make plays. Everybody can get receivers that run 4.5. They might be 5'11" or 6' at Oregon State and they're 6'4" at USC, but they are talented and they can make plays. I watched that happen at Kentucky this weekend. Andre Woodson is really good, but coming out of high school he didn't end up at one of the perennial powers for a national championship, but he's a guy who will be drafted by the NFL and be a good player.
I wondered in the overtime of the LSU-Kentucky game-where was Ryan Perrilloux? He was standing over there by Les Miles. That guy is the guy that makes big plays. Matt Flynn, I like him, but he's not a great runner and his numbers in the passing game aren't that great. I thought in the overtime Perrilloux would be out there to spread the field and run the option and make it a guessing game for Kentucky. He never was a part of the overtime. So Kentucky could load up and stop LSU between the tackles.
It was a great weekend in college football. I like seeing this. It's one of the great seasons we've had. We could have a national championship game between South Florida and Boston College. They may be unbeaten, but you can't convince me that those are the two most talented teams in the country.
BCS (The Barry CS rankings)
1. Ohio St-What hurts Ohio State the most is that people remember what Florida did to them last year in the national championship game.
2. Boston College-They are undefeated for a reason.
3. LSU-I believe LSU has the talent. Play Perrilloux and you might win some more.
4. Oklahoma-Big win over Missouri.
5. South Florida-I don't think they've got the overall depth and talent of some of the teams ahead of them.
You can hear Hall of Fame Coach Barry Switzer every Monday and Friday on XM Sports Nation, XM Channel 144. Coach Switzer joins TJ Rives on XMSN This Morning from 730-9am Eastern time.
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