Bob Stoops met with the media Wednesday afternoon as a part of the Big 12 Media Days that started Monday and ended on Wednesday. Here are some excerpts of the transcript from his interview along with a few of my thoughts.
Q. Coach, you talk about progress Rhett made over the course of last year and what you expect him to do this year?
Coach Stoops: He made significant progress if you look at the first half of the season and compare it to the second half of the season and how he matured and how he -- the growth he made. And we expect him really to start the year in a good way, and continue to improve. Because he has -- he has so much skill and ability.
But as anyone knows, playing the quarterback position, there's so much growth and he has the potential to be awfully good if he'll just continue to manage the game. And when to take your chances, when to run with it, when to throw it away, when to just eat it and take the sack. And, again, that experience can only be gained on the field, whether it's scrimmages, whether it's games, and I believe he'll continue to develop that way and do a really good job with it.
My Thoughts: Rhett Bomar’s progression and maturity as the Sooners’ quarterback will undoubtedly be the key Oklahoma’s offensive success this season. Peterson will be healthy, the line will be better (see below) and the receivers have a ton of talent. The only question is how much progress has Bomar made?
Q. Bob, can you talk about the schemes, how they're going to change with a new offensive coordinator?
Coach Stoops: Really our schemes for the most part won't change. Kevin has been with us for, what, five years now and has been involved. So the schemes really don't change and with Adrian back there. That's the focal point where it all begins, and it's been that way for the last two years.
So there's always different and subtle wrinkles, and then it gets down to, too, what's your quarterback able to handle, how much can you give him. But I have great confidence in Kevin Wilson running the offense. He's a guy that's done it. Had great success when he was the guy doing it at Northwestern.
He's had a major influence on what we've been doing here the last five years, and so I'm excited about it. I think he's going to do a really good job.
My Thoughts: A little coach speak here and a little truth. The offense will revolve around Adrian Peterson but the way they get the ball to him will be different than in years past. Look for the Sooners to line up in the I formation and pound the ball with Peterson but the will also spread the offense and use screens to set up the deep ball.
Q. Coach, last year, the offensive line was shuffled around a little bit until you found the right appearance of people up front. What's the status of the offensive line based on how it's changed from last year?
Coach Stoops: I think getting a couple guys back that missed a spring will make a major difference, guys like J.D. Quinn and Jon Cooper are going to make a big difference. Those guys have gained, again, played a lot last year and had a lot of experience last year.
And then you throw them in with what the other guys that were competing in the spring, I believe in the end we'll have seven or eight guys we're used to having that have a chance to be really good. That will be the key to which ones are starting and playing the most. It will depend on who does the best here through two-a-days. But what I like is there's really good potential there.
Though we don't have 12 guys, in the end you can only play five at one time. I think every year we've been here maybe we've only had maybe seven or eight that we really relied on, and I believe in the end when we start we'll have seven, eight guys that we think we can be awfully good. And it's getting them in the right spots early on in two-a-days to have them, to get them to start blending and meshing together quickly.
And there's great size and strength up there if those guys -- if they'll come together and we can get them as coaches to mesh in a quick way.
My Thoughts: The offensive line will be better this season than they were last, or at least it should be. This year’s unit will have more playing experience and cohesiveness than the one that started last season.
Q. Bob, a lot of anticipation about this defense, potentially how good could this group be?
Coach Stoops: Has a great potential. With the guys, starts, to me, defense always begins with the guys up front, and we have a chance to be really good in our front four. And with depth. And then the linebacker position, we have a couple of seniors that play awfully well.
And then I think the biggest jump we can make from a year ago is our secondary that was awfully young and inexperienced as we started the year finished playing awfully good through the season. And really I saw great improvement through the spring that we have a chance to be really good. I think really good solid defense.
So we'll see. It has to be -- we'll be more disciplined and physical. We've got a chance to be really good.
My Thoughts: This could be the most talented OU defense in a while. Let by Sr. linebacker Rufus Alexander the 06 defensive unit will be very quick and very strong. Moving Reggie Smith from safety to corner along with DJ Wolfe in the other side will give Oklahoma one of the best corner duos in the Big 12.
Q. Talking about Adrian, can you talk about how much you're going to emphasize him (inaudible)?
Coach Stoops: To whatever degree we can. He can't play every snap and he needs his breaks, but Adrian has good hands. I kid him all the time. How come they say you can't catch? He catches the ball really well. I'll tell you this too, he's not the easiest guy to sneak out on a screen. It's not like they're not watching him.
So, anyway, as much as we can and as much as he's able to, you know, he's got to be a great pass protecter. He's got to be able to understand when we're checking at the line of scrimmage and who he's going to pick up on the blitz. That's the first part of it. And if he'll continue to do well that way and then we want to be able to keep him in there, of course, as much as he's able to handle.
He's a good guy to suck in the long to dump the ball down to if they sink off, and now he gets the ball out there with some space and gets a head start instead of having to work his way through the line all the time.
My Thoughts: Prepare to insert your best OU joke here but Adrian Peterson will have his dad watching him play from the stands for the first time since his little league days. He will also have a better offensive line, an experienced quarterback and is motivated to win the Heisman Trophy. He also only needs 1,080 yards to break the career rushing record at OU.
Q. Bob, you said in the past, your program has never shied away from expectations, but is the preseason number one talk, some of that stuff, are you okay with that?
Coach Stoops: You know, I can't do anything about it. So I don't concern myself with it, to be honest. Like I said in my opening, I believe our team is smart enough. To me we've got a lot to prove. We're an 8-4 football team a year ago, and the bottom line is we need to be more disciplined, tougher and better football team if we're going to have a chance to compete for a Big 12 Championship first.
And to me I tell them I don't want to talk about it. Doesn't matter what anybody says about it. We need to do it. And we need to get on the field and show them we can do that.
My Thoughts: Someone has to be the pre-season favorite and why not OU? Name a team that doesn’t have question marks? We won’t know the truth about any of these teams until they are tested. Notre Dame will get tested opening weekend at Georgia Tech, Ohio State faces a road test at Texas and Oklahoma should cruise until the play Oregon on the road. Those three games could drastically change the top 5.
Q. You won a national title, do you see the pieces there that that could happen?
Coach Stoops: Not yet, since I haven't been on the field with them. Spring ball is a long time ago, and to me the most important time is what we do when we get back to work here next week.
My Thoughts: I agree! This is still a team that lost four games last season and they are going to have to earn their respect on the field. In my mind you can’t talk BCS until they have made it past the Texas game and are still undefeated.
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