Texas head coach Mack Brown was very candid, as always, at the Big 12 media days and alluded to some interesting offensive strategy ”tweaks” that could take place.

Brown was open when discussing the Texas offense, saying he believes defenses are catching up and adjusting to the spread offense, aka Texas and many of the Big 12’s bread and butter. He then referenced how his team struggled against others that had a more traditional run-it-down-your-throat running game (cough, cough, Alabama).

When you think of Big 12 offenses, you certainly don’t associate it with strong running attacks. Last year, Oklahoma State was the lone Big 12 team to make it in the top 25 in rushing, coming in at 21. Texas came in right at 50 and a good chunk of that came from Colt McCoy. The teams leading rusher Tre’ Newton led the team in rushing with only 500 plus yards.

Losing a 4-year talent like McCoy would make any coach revaluate strategy going into a fresh season. With that said, Brown’s comments are intriguing when you consider the dynamic of his league and college football as a whole.

Very few college teams sport a running game that many would fear first. Alabama certainly comes to mind, as do a handful of teams in the Big 10 and some select others, but as a whole teams are finding creative ways to utilize speed and spread the field more considerably than before. Not the good ol’ bruisin’ way.

Brown, however, saw the Bama running attach first hand and it sounds like his sophomore QB Garrett Gilbert will be lining up under center much more than McCoy ever did. Whether he sticks to this will remain to be seen. With that said, I certainly feel this would be a great way to protect their young gunslinger.

Even getting into the formation more would easily change how defenses approach you on the field and in film. The threat of play-action, particularly good play-action, is something we don’t see enough of in college pigskin. While these teams shouldn’t appeal to what I want to see (that would be fantastic BTW), it could change the dynamic of an offense.

“We’re not going to be three yards and a cloud of dust,” Brown said. “We’re just changing our personality. We’re not going to change it entirely, but we are going to tweak it some.

These comments could be more of an assessment of personnel than anything else. With McCoy and Shipley gone, every bonehead with a PS3 can tell you that they should “probably run the ball more.” My own reasoning behind this is much more than graduates.

I believe a traditional, behind-the-center offense can be more difficult to pick through when run properly. Sprinkling in spreads, wildcat formations and other tomfoolery is where you can utilize certain weapons.

Whether Mack has the backs and lineman to successfully run the ball behind center is something that is also up in the air. It’s a pretty large change in philosophy/scheme and is no gimmie going into camp.

Even minor tweaks, however, could go along way in putting Big 12 foes on their toes. Gilbert most likely won’t be able to run like McCoy did, which is a pretty significant change even before they take on Rice in the opener.

I imagine that Texas will run the ball a bit more, but I don’t think we’ll see the Longhorns try and run it down Oklahoma’s throat come the Red River Shootout. It’s hard to change who and what you are, especially when you’ve had so much success in the past.

Mack might just be giving the media something to chew on but I, for one, am interested.

I’m not thinking “smash mouth” but hopefully enough change of pace to make up for the lost offensive playmakers and change up the ways of the Big 12.

It has been a ROUGH few months for everyone’s favorite West coast punching bag. And now, Lane Kiffin has suffered what could be his most embarrassing moment yet – although I absolutely hope not.

For those of you who don’t get your USC sanction news on an hourly basis, here’s what went down. Wait, no, never mind. Instead of explaining the entire Tennessee Titans vs. Lane Kiffin and co. lawsuit, let’s draw it up.

Contacted

BUT it was

And

PLUS

Thinks

Is a…

So…

Is Getting

To Make

Look Like an even BIGGER

And hopefully eventually get him

At least

Comes home to

But it won’t matter because eventually

is

THE END

Yesterday, the idea of writing a fiction non-fiction story about Nick Saban and his hatred for agents was sparked on Twitter. Well, I thought this might be the ideal moment to take a break from what has become typical sanction chatter.

This is chapter 1 of the Tide Has Turned – a Nick Saban novel.

Chapter 1

Nick Saban pulled up in his bright red Range Rover and entered the Crimson facility like any other day. The weather was warm, the sun was out and camp was only a few weeks away. For a second he thought about smiling – but that didn’t last long. Instead, he threw his now lukewarm coffee at a nearby bird. He barely missed, yelled at it and walked inside.

His secretary greeted him with smiles but she was nervous as usual. After all, Nick Saban is a tough man to please. She gave him a handful of messages and laid down the agenda. Her words were clear and she tried to approach the coach with the confidence he deserved.

“You have a meeting with the board of the directors at ten-thirty, you’re scheduled to be at your fundraiser at two-thirty, and you should probably prepare for the SEC Meetings, which as you know beg-“ before she could finish Saban interjected with a comment about her weight. This wasn’t the first time.

She tried to explain herself along with her recent “lifestyle” changes, but it didn’t matter. Nick was already down the hallway and unlocking his office door. He opened it and quickly closed it behind him.

On the door was a sign that read “Under No Circumstances Should You Disturb Me, Unless You Want a 15-Minute Lecture on How Awful of a Human You Are. Regardless, You are all Awful.”

Saban threw his coat on the chair and dropped the briefcase near his desk. He thought about the board meeting that he would have to deal with later on that day and he couldn’t help but punch a hole in a nearby wall. He then made a note for his secretary that they would need the drywaller in again.

He flipped open his laptop on his desk and looked at the Tide’s schedule on his desktop wallpaper. He thought about punching another hole in the wall when he looked at all the teams they would be playing coming off bye weeks. He gathered himself, though, and instead pulled out his replica Gator stress figurine and squeezed it until it exploded.

Before Saban could get through a full email – he saw an “URGENT” subject line coming from one of the board of directors. While he prayed this was to announce the meeting was canceled, somehow he knew it was something more.

He cracked open the email, skimmed through it, and his face became more red than usual. This, of course, is so red that it would likely be called a new shade of red. For the sake of moving the story along, we will say his face was “Saban Red.”

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, Marcel Dareus, BLAH, BLAH, Party with Agents, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, NCAA investigation.

Saban immediately picked up the phone and yelled into the dial tone. He then made his public statements while his hatred for sports agents built up even greater. Phase one of “Operation: The Tide Have Turned” was complete.

Phase two, however, was a complex process. He called up his secretary and told her to cancel all of his meetings and alert the SEC he might miss the media day. He then suggested that she work overtime to make up for the time she would be gone. Before she could respond, he hung up abruptly.

After thinking about his current situation for a second, he thought about every sports agent he had ever known and centered his anger. Someone had to stop them.

Saban reached under his desk and found the button he hadn’t touched in at least 6 weeks. He pushed it, and suddenly the wooden wall behind him slid up into the ceiling and exposed an entire arsenal of weaponry. Think Terminator 2, but better.

After changing clothes, Saban put as much of it as he could on his person and got himself ready to go. He finished off this routine by putting eye black on and head butted the mirror directly afterwards. He then jumped through this window.

“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH,” he yelled! He cocked his shotgun and sprinted down the street.

END CHAPTER ONE