Thursday, December 16, 2010

Heupel and Norvell as Co-Coordinators

Many One of you have asked me for my take on the Heupel/Norvell co-promotion. Here are my ten thoughts...


  1. Love the fact that Heupel is going to be calling plays. I always thought he made great choices while on the field, and I understand he has a great feel for the game. He's also done a great job with the quarterbacks.
  2. I don't know much about Norvell. I figure he's one of hundreds of coaches who've sworn at officials during a game. He's one of the few to get a personal foul called on him for it.I know he has Iowa connections with Stoops. I know he served with two lightly regarded head coaches, Karl Dorrell and Bill Callahan. I think those two associations, for me, outweigh his time 25 yrs ago with Stoops and Hayden Fry.
  3. I'm not fan of the co-coordinator bit. 
  4. Here's what I understand is the role of the offensive coordinator a) establishing a game plan; b) overseeing offensive assistants; c) overseeing offensive players; d) designing new plays; e) installing an offensive philosophy; f) calling plays during the game.
  5. So, aside from the two co-cos, the Sooners have O-line coach James Patton and RB coach Cale Gundy. We have two people co-managing two people. That seems... awkward.
  6. Personally, I'm curious to see if Patton doesn't end up following Wilson to Indiana. He worked on the Northwestern staff with Wilson prior to their arrival in Oklahoma.
  7. Back to Norman. You've got an African-American co-co and a white co-co on the offensive side of the ball. Let's hope we don't regress into some sort of racial divide.
  8. I don't know how the division of labor works out. Josh is calling the plays, but they are collaborating on game plan. It's all good until conflict arises. Then Josh just calls the plays in accordance with the plan he agrees with. And Norvell seethes. I hope that doesn't happen.
  9. It's not the first time Stoops has done this. If memory serves me correctly, Mangino was run game coordinator in 1999 and Leach was passing game coordinator. Thiat lasted a year before Leach went to Texas Tech.
  10. Stoops has had this setup on the defensive side of the ball, when Mike Stoops and Brent Venables tag-teamed on the role.

No comments: