Mack Brown

It seems almost certain now that Mack Brown isn't going to get the Texas Longhorns to the promised land (the National Championship) any time soon.

He's had as much talent the last two years as any coach in the country, and a somewhat favorable schedule (two years ago, he did not have to play Nebraska and Kansas State when they were formidable; this past season, he played Kansas State at home, early, and Nebraska in a very down year for them). But he didn't get it done.

And now it's clear that not only Bob Stoops has passed him by as the premiere coach in the conference (he finds ways to beat Brown, AND he's already won his national championship his second year in the conference, without Brown's celebrated talent), but he's also blown by him with the best recruiting class in the conference. Even worse for Longhorn fans, Texas A&M's Dennis Franchione by most estimates at least came in even with Mack Brown in recruiting this year for the conference's second best class, and some services say Fran beat him. This despite Fran's late start and unusual circumstances of replacing R.C. Slocum.

All of that is preface to this Comical story on Mack Brown's efforts to replace quarterback Chris Simms, the second-most overrated quarterback in college football history (the most overrated being Notre Dame's Ron Pawlus). This is a great line:

Redding defended quarterback Chris Simms and his tendency to play poorly in important games, praised receiver Roy Williams for returning for his senior year and predicted greatness for freshman quarterback Vincent Young even though he enters spring practice behind Chance Mock on the depth chart.

I think the Comical writer probably MEANT something along the lines that Cory Redding denied the claims of critics that Chris Simms played badly in important games, but this version seems more appropriate. I mean, defending a tendency to play poorly in important games sort of sounds like an admission, doesn't it?

Sometimes, honesty and integrity in report infects Comical articles, even if it's only by way of accident and writer incompetence. :)

[Posted at 12:19 CST on 02/22/03] [Link]