November 9, 2012

Geoff Ketchum
Orangebloods.com

Q: (MagicMikeTD) - What kind of impact do you think the death of DRK will have on Mack Brown? Will it have any impact on his short- or long-term future? A: That's a question I've been asking myself the last 48 hours or so. There's no question that Mack Brown pretty much worshiped the ground that Coach Royal walked on and I think few were probably as emotionally impacted by this week's news like the current Texas head coach. Mack is already nearly a decade older than Coach Royal was when he stepped away from the Longhorns at the age of 52 and Coach Royal never seemed to have an issue of not having football in his life because he found a way to live just as full or a life (if not more of a full life) without football. Of course, just because Mack adored DKR with every ounce of love in his body, that doesn't mean that they are wired exactly the same, so I don't know that he decides to retire because of what happened this week., if that's hat you are asking. However, if you look back to when Coach Royal retired, he left the game because it stopped being a fun for him and when talking to those close to the current program, sources have told me things that suggest Mack is fully engaged, but not having as much fun with the job as he has in the past. There will come a day when Mack will sit down and probably make the same kind of decision for his life that DKR did back in 1976, but I'm not sure that it happens in the immediate short-term. For the moment, the focus is on few things other than the turnaround of his football team and I think Mack desperately wants to leave this program at the top of the mountain and not half way up. . Q: (lsampson) - Watching the dynamics of the board the last few weeks has been enlightening, to say the least. With that in mind, I have a few questions. Do you as a moderator and owner try in any way to shape the flow of the threads and environment of the board? What is too far in regards to venting frustrations and anger over various things that occur in an average year? How do you police the boards in regard to trolls and trouble makers? (How do you effectively enforce the ban?) What is too far in regards to language/inference and subject matter? And lastly, did you know that the word "aggies" is an acronym? (always gonna gripe in every situation) A: Lot of interesting and different questions, so let's just address them one at a time. First, I think there are a lot of responsibilities that come with running the site like Orangebloods and when times get tough, I think there has to be a voice that people can turn to for realistic and honest conversation. More than anything, my voice attempts to be one of reason in the times when a voice of reason is needed the most. That being said, there has never been a conversation between any of us in regards to corralling different types of conversation for the sake of controlling what is being discussed. I don't want us to feel like Big Brother. As the owner of the site, I believe that you guys have every right to have your opinion, good or bad, as long as the opinion is expressed in a way that isn't crossing the lines of decency. That brings us to your second question. What is too far? I think like in any other realm of communication, a big part of it comes down to common sense. Make a point without being ugly about it and if common decency and a little bit of class isn't possible, then take it somewhere else. Being critical isn't a no-no, but being an insufferable asshole who can't show a shade of respect to anyone around him is. My policy is pretty simple… "Use your brain." Third, I keep an Excel file full of notes of every "problem" poster that we have on the site. It allows me to sift through first-time and repeat offenders with a full understanding of the history involved. It's also fairly easy to check up on the legitimacy of a poster with the use of IP checks. If there are other handles that have ties to other sites/boards, the admin tools make it fairly easy to root out those issues quickly. Fourth, I tend to handle a lot of the conversation that takes place with problem children on the site. Getting back on the board means that a suspended poster will have to convince me that the future will be different than the past. Fifth, I think common sense prevails when talking about what goes too far on the site. It's the kind of thing that you know as soon as you see it. Finally, the word "aggies" is more than an acronym… there are about 100 things that word represents… Q: (GreatScott) - You have had the opportunity to meet some pretty original people in your line of work I am sure. DKR seemed like a one of a kind. Was he as genuine and folksy as he came across on TV? The true measure of a man is the legacy and positive impact he made on others. I never had the pleasure of meeting coach Royal, but I am positive the "roll call" is short on men who lived a "richer" life. A: I don't know if Coach Royal is the most revered man by other men that I have ever been around, but the roll call would be pretty short. In all the occasions that I was able to enjoy being in his company, he just had a way of always making people feel good about being around him. The man had a genuine grace that others could feel. The world just didn't seem ugly when you around him and I think that's why so many of his former players flocked to him over the years. Everyone wants to smile and I just didn't see Coach Royal much when smiles weren't in great abundance. Q: (Texas Fred) - I am not happy with the play and consistently on each side of the ball...However, I would like your thoughts on the makeup of this team....using the depth chart vs. Tech....we break down as follows 2-deep: 6--Sr.__13--Jr.__16--Soph__9--Fr...That makes us so very young. Other than poor coaching, this is the only thing that makes sense as to why we are so inconsistent. Your thoughts? A: It's easy to forget that this program would have been below .500 last year if not for the unusual number of true freshmen that stepped in to lead the way to a 7-5 season. Poor selection and development has stripped away the upper-class impact within the program and a lot of the heavy lifting is being done by a lot of young players. The good news is that the tiny senior class of today will replaced with a healthier senior class in 2013 and an even better one than that in 2014. Inexperience has been a root problem this season, but the kids are growing up and they won't stay kids forever. Q: (Malker30) - With A'Shawn Robinson headed to Alabama this weekend, what are the odds in your head that we actually hold onto his signature in February? A: He's going to be a tough commitment to hold. In fact, I don't know how to properly call his recruitment at this point because I'm not sure it's really started yet. The truth of the matter is that there have been constant signs of his flirtations with other schools for a while and his recruitment is only starting to hit the half-way point with this weekend's visit. I expect this recruitment to feel like a trip to the dentist for everyone in burnt orange. Q: (Mortimer Horn) - With Alex Okafor and Kenny Vaccaro both leaving the program after the season, I'm afraid that the 2013 defense is going to take a step back with the loss of its two best players. This was not a team that handled the loss of Acho and Robinson ay linebacker very well. Make me feel better. A: Well, the Longhorns lost their two best playmakers, but they return everyone else, which will make you smile and cringe at the same time. Here's what I'll tell you… eight of the nine top defensive linemen… all of the linebackers…. Seven of the top eight defensive backs… that is what returns in 2013. If nothing else, the inexperience of today will provide the veteran savvy of tomorrow. Q: (Bbell4) - Denzel or DDL? Go. A: As much as I love Denzel, this one is a pretty easy question to answer. Daniel-Day Lewis is basically the Beethoven of acting. ...More... To continue reading this article you must be a member. Sign Up Now for a FREE Trial

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