January 16, 2005
New job
By Nathan Nance
Guest post by Nate Nance
I just noticed on CNN/SI that Major Applewhite has been named the quarterbacks' coach at Syracuse today.
Applewhite is like my personal hero. I had a hard time believing that the NFL didn't want such an excellent quarterback and didn't take him the draft. I was also always upset that Chris Simms got more snaps than Applewhite did his senior year.
Anyway, I just thought I would update you all on the progress of the best quarterback ever at the University of texas.
Posted by Nathan Nance at January 16, 2005 07:33 PM
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Hear hear. Any QB who beats Nebraska like Applewhite did (come on, how cool was it when he "threaded the needle" and threw that amazing TD pass through 2 NE defenders?) is OK in my book.
You couldn't have been THAT surprised that Simms got the snaps in the end, were you? I mean, Major who, when you have the offspring of an NFL QB? It doesn't make it right, as such, but they (UT) pretty much made it known that's what was going to go down.
He will be a great coach. Let's just hope someday he will be back as the head coach.
Well, as an Oregon fan, all I can say is that I was sure glad Texas chose to start Simms over Applewhite in the 2000 Holiday Bowl. Four Simms interceptions later Oregon pulled out a 35-30 win.
I didn't follow Texas football closely back then but I gotta wonder how many other games might have gone the other way had a talent like Applewhite been given the ball. Some times you just have to go with the guy who knows how to win over the guy with more talent on paper.
If he does well at Syracuse, I guess we're going to have to start pressuring UT to bring him back for our coaching staff.
I hate to do this on a positive Major thread, but I am sick and tired of seeing Simms get bashed. Can't you give Major props without criticizing another of the greatest players to step onto the 40 acres?
Oh, congrats to Major on the QB coaching job. It won't be too long before he is a head coach somewhere.
I have an inordinate amount of dislike for Chris Simms, but I will admit that I missed him after he left. At the very least he was someone we could blame for not beating OU. I will admit he was a much better QB than a lot of us gave him credit for.
I also never took it so far as to want to publish his cell phone number so that thousands of us could leave hate-voice messages. I remember reading about that after UT lost to Colorado in the Big 12 Championship and being disgusted with those people.
I'm not as much of a Simms basher as a lot of people- he's a good QB who chokes in clutch situations. But Major's my boy.
Mack's got 10 years on this new extension- thats enough time for Major to work his way up to head coach status. Major Applewhite back on the sideline? Be still my heart!
Yeah, I remember a lot of animosity towards Simms among some students.
Personally, I wish we'd admit that this was Mack Brown's eff-up more than it was ever Simms.
Major was a baller and Chris Simms was stomacheable, but neither was on par with V Young.
