I Am The 12th Man: FanPosts

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2010-03-20T00:47:57Z

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Thoughts On What The Pro Day Means

2010-03-17T20:46:37Z

Last week A&M held their annual NFL Pro Day. A few seniors and a couple former players performed for the NFL scouts. Jordan Pugh, Jamie McCoy, and Michael Shumard all had standout performances. Pugh ran a 4.4 in the 40 and had a vertical of 40.5 inches. McCoy ran a 4.5 and also had a nice vertical. Shumard showed good athleticism with consecutive 5.0s in the 40. I personally believe that McCoy and Shumard will catch on with NFL teams and stay in the league for a few years. What is most important, is what these results tell us though.

When Mike Clark was the S&C coach at A&M, Aggies regularly lit up the combine especially in the speed drills/tests. Under Fran, we saw a severe decline in this area. We saw out starting LBs run 4.8s and 5.0s for the scouts. Our fastest WRs would run 4.5s. We simply lost the speed and explosiveness that we under under the previous regime. I believe this was due to our inferior strength and conditioning program that emphasized size and brute strength, over speed and explosiveness. You could see the fingerprints of this approach on our defense the first year under Sherman. We simply lacked the speed to match up with other teams. Last season we had the speed in the freshmen, they just did not know where they were supposed to be.

The fact that our seniors performed so well at the Pro Day, tells me that our current S&C program is making us a fast team again. We are once again going to have the kind of speed and quickness that can lead to elite results on the field.

Thoughts After Reading The TM Article on Leach

2010-03-16T20:32:48Z

Texas Monthly cut right through all of the internet rumors to the truth. I was not aware that Adam James did not want to transfer to SMU. Was also not aware that he is still at Tech and still playing football. Evidently Craig James only contacted the WR coach by text, one time. Basically the article makes Leach look bad. He could not admit he was wrong, and he lost his job because of his own arrogance. I still think he will end up as the HC at Washington State within a couple of years.

Video of Barrett Loux and other Aggie tidbits

2010-02-24T21:42:07Z

Hi everyone! I'm one of the writers over at another SBNation blog, The Crawfish Boxes. We're all about Astros baseball there, but with the number of draft picks and tempered expectations about the regular season, our thoughts have turned to the draft.

Last Friday, I got some good video of Barrett Loux throwing against Seton Hall that I wanted to share, along with my scouting report on him and some other Aggies there. When I asked Andy Seiler over at his MLB Draft Blog who to watch for, he immediately said Loux is the guy. Coming off surgery last summer, Loux may end up falling into the fourth or fifth round, but a strong showing this spring could push him as high as the second.

For various, non-exciting reasons, I didn't get to this game until the bottom of the first and missed Loux's first inning of work. I did get to watch his next four and got some good notes. Loux threw five innings, giving up three hits and two runs, though only one was earned, while striking out eight and walking one. He used 92 pitches, but I only saw 74 of them. He did get nine whiffs that I saw for a 12.1 percent whiff rate. That's not great, but it's pretty good for a guy coming off surgery AND in his first game of the season.

Loux did run into trouble in the third. The first hit he gave up was an RBI single after an error and a walk put runners at first and second. One of the problems he ran into here was Seton Hall threw up a bunch of lefthanded hitters and Loux was not getting the calls low and away. Rather than give in, he ended up giving up some walks and a couple hits.

I posted some video of his stuff here. Go over to this excellent post on pitching mechanics first and then watch Loux.

You can see that his form holds up very well. His delivery doesn't drift into the Inverted W or Inverted L territory and shouldn't cause injury concerns. I like how effortless the delivery is too. He's a bit of a Tall and Fall guy, but he doesn't land very hard on his plant foot. I've read over at Driveline Mechanics in the past that too violent a follow-through can lead to elbow problems due to the force carrying up from the ground to the arm. The other thing to like here is his arm slot stays fairly consistent at a three-quarters angle. His high leg kick seems to hide the ball well and gives his delivery a little more deception.

The only quirk I noticed is that he pitched out of the stretch almost exclusively. I'll watch for that next time I go and may have to find out why that is. The other two notes I had from the game were about Brett Parsons and Adam Smith. I saw some of Parsons last summer with the Brazos Valley Bombers, a local wooden bat team in the Texas Collegiate League. He played the field pretty well then but didn't show a whole lot with the bat. In the game last Friday, Parsons was 0-for-3 and finished the weekend 1-for-6 with a double and a strikeout. His swing looks too long to me and might be an 'aluminum bat swing,' as the scouts like to say.

Smith is very intriguing. The 6-foot-3, 200 pound sophomore came in last season as a defense-first guy, but ended up hitting .267/.364/.489 with nine home runs in 180 at-bats. He also had a fielding percentage of .923 in 248 chances. All in all, he had a great freshman season and I was intrigued to see what he could do in 2010. The first thing that jumps out at you is how tall he is. Traditionally, shortstops are not this big, but if Cal Ripken could make it work, so can Adam Smith. He's got a pretty good glove and showed a solid swing. On Friday, he singled up the middle with a short stroke that didn't get much loft on the ball. He still took a good approach and looks like a sleeper for next year's draft. Plus, I've already nicknamed him 'The Economist.' Who doesn't love a history reference and a LOST reference in one?

For a guy who was named Big 12 Player of the Week, newly minted center fielder Brodie Green didn't to anything to jump out at me. Of course, we left right before his big hit Friday night and I didn't see him in Saturday's doubleheader. Apparently, he made a spectacular catch in center, running back and to his right before diving flat out to catch the ball right at the warning track. My writer friend who covered the game was pretty impressed. Not bad for a guy who played second base last season. I'll definitely try to make more games as the season wears on and report back here what I see.

Ags Add OL Signee

2010-02-17T22:31:30Z

Texas A&M added a late addition to the '10 recruiting class when they picked up Navasota OL Jarvis Harrison 6'4 323. These are the kinds of recruits that I love because no one expects anything from them. Harrison recently achieved a qualifying score on the SAT and received an offer from Mike Sherman. If there is a better judge of OL talent in the country than Mike Sherman, I would like to see him. If Sherman thinks Harrison can help the team then I think he can. I know that after signing day, he was not looking to pick anyone else up. I think the fact that Harrison is now qualified, tipped the scale in his favor. I expect Harrison to redshirt this year. Harrison has only played football for two years and also plays basketball for the Rattlers.

Ags Hire Three Coaches

2010-02-14T00:31:24Z

Dat Nguyen, Steve Kragthorpe, and Nick Toth complete the coaching staff for next season pending approval from the Board of Regents. I originally was concerned with so many coaches leaving, but I think the new hires for Sherman will be great coaches. I'm also especially excited to see the impact Nguyen has not just on the defense, but recruiting.

This is pretty exciting news. With the men winning at Tech, it has been a good weekend for A&M so far.

Ags Add Walkon Kicker

2010-02-04T08:41:42Z

Ross Gilliam a 6'7 185 kicker from Owensboro, Kentucky has confirmed that he is going to walk on at A&M in the fall. This is notable b/c Gilliam in his only season as a kicker, he has 39 out of 46 kickoffs result in touchbacks. He kicked a 50 and 52 yard FG. The kid has never done any weight training in his life yet evidently has a freakishly strong leg. He should be able to step in and immediately compete for the kickoff job. A&M probably wins two more games this season if they have a kicker who can consistently kick the ball into the endzone on kickoffs. Easiest way to improve out kickoff coverage is to have a kicker kick it deep into the endzone. Hopefully Gilliam will be able to help in this area.

No Decommits?

2010-02-02T06:31:06Z

Knock on wood, but it looks like we are going to be able to hold onto every one of our commitments. This a year after Sherman only lost one commit, very early in the process last year. It really says a lot about the relationship that Sherman and his assistants form with these players. It looks like Brandon Jackson is going to stick with his commitment to the Ags. The same can be said of Jamal Fobbs. Sherman has really impressed me with his ability to go head to head with LSU for recruits in their own backyard. When A&M was a consistent top 15 program under Slocum, we were able to get a top player out of Louisiana every year. Sherman is going in there and getting two or three. This is a very good sign for the future of our program.

Recruiting Note

2010-01-26T05:01:45Z

ATH Jarrett Fobbs left LSU without committing but evidently had a great visit. As of this post, he is still committed to A&M. DT Brandon Jackson is visiting LSU this weekend. We knew it would be tough to hang onto our Louisiana commits and that is proving to be the case. I am concerned about Fobbs because he has never taken an official visit to A&M. We still have a great class coming in, but we need to keep an eye on these two.We need to bring more elite DTs into the program so it is important we hang onto Jackson.

Still Waiting On DC Announcement

2010-01-18T23:22:54Z

Deruyter is expected to be named the DC either today or tomorrow. We are still waiting on an announcement. I expect that once Deruyter is announced, we will name our new DT coach and other position coaches on the defense in short order. We need to get this done so we can shore up our recruiting class. It does not currently look like we are in danger of losing anyone (I think Fobbs is the only guy we have to worry about), but we need to give our defensive recruits some stability. Billy Liucci reported that there is a team meeting tonight before the new semester starts. I expect the defensive players will be told who their new DC is. Would not be surprised to see the info leak out from there.

Reaction From Tech Players

2009-12-30T22:51:19Z

Some of the current Tech players are happy that Leach has been fired. Does not surprise me as it always seemed to me that most of the Tech players put up with Leach's flakiness because he was such a great offensive coach.

beergut et vs hunter

2009-12-18T19:04:13Z

do you remember at the beginning of the season you said that trent hunter is better than earl thomas and that he is the 2nd best safety in the country. After this season do you still feel that way after thomas got a 1st round grade and runner up for thorpe as well as all american
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pass protection

2009-11-25T18:12:57Z

no flame serious question. how will you guys pass protect on thursday. will u keep a tight end or back to chip or just 5 guys. will u double both lamarr houston and kindle or go 1on 1

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We apologize

2009-11-23T18:46:15Z

I promise you, unlike that ignorant troll on Burnt Orange Nation, we see nothing funny about the tragedy of the bonfire 10 years ago.

I think I can speak for all Longhorn Fans in saying we weep for all of those affected and find this guy nothing short of disgusting.

You will note, on that blog, how shocked and dismayed the responses were. Supposedly, this guy was a lawyer - must be of the ambulance chasing type.

Please don't confuse us with him.

Fulmer Is Gone, But Tennessee Will Not Give The Fulmer Cup Title Away

2009-11-12T18:24:57Z

Safety Janzen Jackson and receiver Nu'Keese Richardson, two of coach Lane Kiffin's most prized signees from his first recruiting class, were among three Tennessee football players arrested early Thursday morning in Knoxville on charges of attempted armed robbery.

Wonder if these kids will get a similar sentence to Yemi?

Note: Technically, the Fulmer Cup only takes place during the off-season, but Tennessee is apparently getting an early start on the next off-season.

Recruiting News

2009-11-02T20:56:10Z

How is our team looking as far as recruiting? I don't follow it a whole lot, so i'm hoping someone who does can give us all a comprehensive report. Are there any players that haven't commited to us that we might snatch up? Is Jeffcoat even looking at A&M anymore? Most "expert sites" have us as a top 15 school right now in the rankings.

I think that Sherman has shown an excellent ability to scout talent and even develop talent. Von Miller and EZ are excellent examples. Miller has been on the team before Sherman and only this year with his new position is he dominating. I don't like how Sherman used J-Train, but if he can continue to improve the team and get good players, I might let it go.

"I Am the 12th" Woman

2009-10-28T16:43:52Z

Hello, all y'all Aggie Fans! My son attends Sea Aggie Land in Galveston and loved his stay at College Station after Ike for the fall 2008 semester. He graduates next spring. Thing is, when I lived in NY and they had Longhorn-Aggie games on TV, I always rooted for the Aggies! And now I have a reason to...despite last year's disaster. thrilled at what they did to Tech! Just sayin' HI Y'All, from far west Texas!

The worst decade in Aggie Football history

2009-10-27T02:39:07Z

History is merely a list of surprises. It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again - Kurt Vonnegut

I know we are all excited about how we have rebounded from that "Apocalypse Now" week to handing down that ass-whooping in Lubbock that has been 14 years too late but the loss to Kansas St a few weekends before had me ruminating on how tough this decade has been for Aggies. It seems every time we start to get excited about a season, we find a way to bulldoze a hole and lay a big pile of dung on the season and it led me to wonder if this could possibly be the worst decade in our illustrious history. So I took the time out and compiled our record decade by decade starting from the 1900s and the results surprised me. I am sure some of the older and more knowledgeable Aggies already suspect if not know this but the worst decade in Aggie football history jumps out of this table right away:

Decade	W	L	Winning %
1900's	50	20	71.43%
1910's	67	14	82.72%
1920's	53	22	70.67%
1930's	52	40	56.52%
1940's	50	47	51.55%
1950's	51	45	53.13%
1960's	31	64	32.63%
1970's	65	49	57.02%
1980's	71	44	61.74%
1990's	94	28	77.05%
2000	57	51	52.78%

Our record for this decade, not including this season, currently sits at a barely respectable 53% winning percentage but I can only imagine the anguish of the Aggies who went through the trifecta of hell that were the decades of the 40's, 50's and 60's. They must have plumbed the depths of abject misery in the 60's, when we eventually hit the rock bottom "winning" percentage of any decade in Aggie Football history at 33%. One could stop right here, take a deep breath and say "Thank God, we aren't that bad!" and move on- but hold on to your horses buddy.

It may seem crazy to some that I can even think of comparing this decade to the 60's, but unfortunately a little digging shows that there is at least one glaring similarity between this decade and those 10 nightmarish years - the precipitous drop-off in the winning percentage from the previous decade. While the winning percentage in the 60's dropped a gaudy 22% from the 50's, this season has marked the single biggest drop in winning percentage from any previous season for the Aggies - a mind-boggling 25%. Also, as bad as we were in the 60's, that decade still had at least one bright spot when we won the Southwest Conference in 1967 and even beat a Bear Bryant led 'Bama team in the Cotton Bowl, our lone bowl game in that decade. Unfortunately this decade has been an exercise in futility and a never-ending project of rebuilding for us and consequently we have nothing to tout about this decade except for a Galleryfurniture.com Bowl in 2001 and losses in three other bowl appearances.

Year	Overall		Conference		Bowl
	W	L	W	L
2000	7	5	5	3	Independence-L
2001	8	4	4	4	GalleryFurniture-W
2002	6	6	3	5
2003	4	8	2	6
2004	7	5	5	3	Cotton Bowl- L
2005	5	6	3	5
2006	9	4	5	3	Holiday Bowl-L
2007	7	5	4	4	Alamo Bowl- L
2008	4	8	2	6
Total	57	51	33	39
Winning %	*52.77778*		*45.83333*

One reason Aggies have felt the pain so severely is perhaps because this decade has unravelled on the heels of one of our most successful decades ever in the 90's. The misery in the 60's was gradually alleviated when Emory Bellard took over from Gene Stallings in 1972, and the good work was continued by Jackie Sherrill through the 80's and then the program was elevated to an elite status by R.C. Slocum in the 90's. We won one conference title in the 70's, then 3 in the 80's, and finally 4 in the 90's including one Big XII and three Southwest conference titles. This is not including the unbeaten year in 1994 when A&M was ineligible for the bowl.

Year	Overall			Conference			Bowl
	W	L	T	W	L	T
Southwest
1990	9	3	1	5	2	1	Holiday-W
1991	10	2	0	8	0	0	Cotton-L
1992	12	1	0	7	0	0	Cotton-L
1993	10	2	0	7	0	0	Cotton-L
1994	10	0	1	6	0	1
1995	9	3	0	5	2	0	Alamo-W
Total	60	11	2	38	4	2
Winning %	85			90
BIG XII
1996	6	6	0	4	4	0
1997	9	4	0	6	2	0	Cotton-L
1998	11	3	0	7	1	0	Sugar-L
1999	8	4	0	5	3	0	Alamo-L
Total	34	17	0	27	13	0
Winning %	67			77
Overall	94	28	2	60	14	2
Winning %	77			81

Of course, everything wasn't hunky-dory during this era- NCAA sanctions and perennial bowl losses to name a few examples- but the improvement from decade to decade is striking until of course this one. As glorious as the nineties were, it serves to highlight how far we have fallen off the tracks to remain an elite football program. We have gone from a ninth-best winning percentage in the nation in the last decade to a pedestrian 57th thus far in this decade and even worse we have dropped from a dominating 81% to a sub-50 46% in conference play.

Interestingly, during our ascension into the upper echelons of college football programs from the 70's through the 90's, our rivals have had a markedly different cycle:

Decade	Winning Percent
	Texas	Oklahoma	Nebraska
70's	77	87	82
80's	64	78	84
90's	62	54	87
00's	84	84	65

As we gained ascendancy into the 90's bothTexas and Oklahoma had really bad decades and then rebounded handily again while we fell off the precipice. They both have won National Championships this decade and have dominated the conference. I included Nebraska as an aberration of an elite football program whose fortunes have resembled ours in the sense that they experienced a similar precipitous drop-off like we did in this decade.

To end on a more positive note, going forward I think we will have a winning season this year and may finish as high as 8-4 with a win over at least one of the big two. It took 3 seasons into the mid-70's, after Bellard took over, that we started winning on a consistent basis and began the rise back into the College Football elite programs. I think we are at least 2 good seasons away from becoming a dominating team again, provided Sherman keeps turning up the team like he did last Saturday regularly.

Question for Beergut: Ag D - Mobile QB vs. Pocket QB

2009-09-30T16:19:51Z

Having faced two very dangerous/mobile QBs in the Utah State and UAB games, did the A&M defense employ any Spy looks? If not, what did we do (if anything) to defend against the QB threat?

Basically, I'm wanting to you to give me hope that our Defense will be better by virtue of one less threat to defend against when we face a pocket QB like Mallet. What you, and any other rational football fan, will probably tell me is: while we may be facing less of a running threat at the QB position, we're actually facing much, much improved talent at the other 5 positions.

Ryan Tannehill my favorite Aggie

2009-09-28T21:06:32Z

He is the ultimate team player. Scores touchdowns as a wide receiver, is the back up QB and punter, and holds on fieldgoals and xtra point. There will come a time when we look back at what he gave the program and appreciate him more that we do right now. Just watching him warm up in pregame is intersting, he starts out throwing ball and end zpregame catching them. I just hope we get it turned around before he graduates