With the passing of Thanksgiving, we are now officially into the Christmas season. This means non-stop parties, school events, and shopping for gifts. Now, for fear of my life, I will have to give full disclosure that my wife handles most of the gift buying for our family. While this is a tall task, luckily, just about everyone in the family has made it a little easier by putting together a Christmas list and emailing it out. Admittedly, I was not a fan of this practice early on because I like being surprised on Christmas morning. However, after receiving the SPAM haiku book of poems one year (I am not kidding....Look it up), I have now come over to the list making side. It is a little sad that the surprise is gone, but at least you know what you are getting.
Texas fans shouldn't be surprised by the bowl-less season that is 2010. Well, maybe a little surprised. After all, the Longhorns came into the season with a top 5 preseason rating and being a Colt McCoy injury away from winning the title last year. While no one could expect that type of free fall, the warning signs were there. The last few years, guys named Young and McCoy have served to cloak the short comings of Greg Davis as an offensive coordinator. All you have to do is remember back to the pre-Young/McCoy days when Davis could not get the Longhorns' loaded offense (Roy Williams, Chris Simms, Cedrick Benson, etc.) to perform in big games. Time and time again, the Longhorns would stall against the likes of OU and others (especially in big games!). Just like Shaq or LeBron in their prime could have made me a better basketball coach, that is exactly what Young and McCoy did for Davis. Although it would have been tough given the success of the last few years to do so, Mack Brown's unwillingness to make changes doomed the Longhorns to mediocrity.
Speaking of Longhorn signal callers, is the quarterback position for Texas a government office? That would be the only way to explain how the staff hung with Garrett Gilbert all season. While he has a great high school pedigree, the guy just has not demonstrated enough of an "it" factor to be given such a long rope. In fact, if anything, he seems to have demonstrated an unfortunate knack for making the game-changing play for the other team! Brown and his staff's unconditional devotion to Gilbert with his lack of results and poor track record further doomed the Longhorns to mediocrity in 2010.
So, what now for the Longhorns? As an Aggie fan, you hope that they stand pat and give both Greg Davis and Garrett Gilbert another shot next year. As strange as this sounds, the most natural reaction in this situation is to do nothing. "We're great...It can't be us...2010 was a fluke...Gilbert will get better...Look at what we did in the past." To quote George Strait, "Famous last words of a fool." Coaches have egos just like CEOs and admitting that they were wrong is not at the top of their Christmas list. However, the great ones can not only admit their shortcomings, but also embrace the changes to address them. The ones that can't...well ask Sears, Montgomery Wards, Blockbuster, etc., what happens to them.
While no one in their right mind thinks that the 'Horns will go the way of Montgomery Wards, if their 2011 team includes Davis and Gilbert in their current roles, don't be surprised at what you get for Christmas next year Longhorn fans!
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