. . . It's hard for me to imagine a worse stretch of coaching and talent development/management, than what we've seen at Texas, ever since Mack Brown decided to mail it in after the 2009 season. Just disgusting.
Do you think Mack consciously mailed it in, or just got a little tired, just tired enough to be functioning at about 10% less effectiveness?
After losing the BCS NCG to Florida after the 2008 season, Bob Stoops went through a run of 8-5, 12-2, 10-3, 10-3, 11-2, 8-5. Only twice did he have fewer than 3 losses. Some fans started playing the "pencil in the 3 losses" game.
The first 8-5 season he didn't have a place-kicker good enough to make chip-shot FGs. Bad oversight that directly contributed to 4 of the losses. He had some unsuccessful assistants, like--sad to say--Josh Heupel as OC.
Be fired 2-3 assistants, hired Lincoln Riley, re-emphasized recruiting, more or less righted the ship (with the exception of keeping Mikey as DC), and handed it over to Riley in good shape.
I say all that because I wonder if Mack might have done likewise at Texas had he not been forced out.
FWW, the standard Sooner view is that the problem at the end of Mack's tenure was the same UT old problem--BMDs butting into the management of the football program.
And the Austin Malaise, of course.