Locked on Longhorns Podcast: Karen Aston out as women’s head coach

Patrick and Cami discuss Karen Aston not coming back in the 2020-21 season and reactions to the 2006 Rose Bowl re-air.

Patrick and Cami discuss Karen Aston being out as head coach for the Texas women’s basketball team. Is it the right move and what message does it send with Shaka returning?

Twitter reaction for the 2006 Rose Bowl game and which tweets were the best?

Plus they preview some games on Longhorns Network on Friday night. For fun fact Friday, Patrick asks Cami about a certain tweet regarding cereal.

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Locked on Longhorns Podcast: Mack Brown story

Patrick and Cami discuss a never before heard Mack Brown story that involves Jerry Springer plus how the coaches are getting creative.

Patrick and Cami discuss a never heard story from Mack Brown prior to the 2005 Rose Bowl game. Brown also called Vince Young the greatest of all-time, but is he right? The 2005 BCS Championship game is still the most watched college football game, how many will tune in on Thursday?

The NCAA has extended the dead period, how much longer will it go on? They also discuss a couple of college football prospects from the 2021 class. The duo answers the question “If you could take the field with the Longhorns for any game, which would it be?”

With the social distancing mandates, Patrick and Cami discuss how the coaching staff is getting creative for meetings. Are their twitter posts actually being used for recruiting purposes?

 

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Locked on Longhorns Podcast: 2005 National Championship review

Patrick and Cami discuss the new Big 12 guidelines, top paid Longhorns in the NFL and a review of 2005 and the National Championship game.

Patrick and Cami discuss the new Big 12 guidelines and how Tom Herman feels about them. Who are the highest-paid Longhorns in the NFL? Plus Texas and Gonzaga to play a home and home series.

The duo also discuss the year of 2005. What were the top movie hits? Top music and TV shows of that time?

With the re-air of the National Champion from 2005, what were some of the greatest moments? Not to mention what are they planning for the rewatch?

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Who are the highest-paid Longhorns in the NFL?

A list of the ten highest-paid former Longhorns in terms of guaranteed money.

There’s dozens of former Texas players currently active in the NFL, but it’s been a quiet offseason other than Colt McCoy, Adrian Phillips, and Hassan Ridegway agreeing to new deals. Continue reading “Who are the highest-paid Longhorns in the NFL?”

Watch: Former college QB turned opera singer serenades neighbors in Spain

Former Arizona State quarterback Gus Farwell is doing his best to entertain his neighbors in Spain during the coronavirus pandemic.

Former Arizona State quarterback Gus Farwell is doing his part to keep those in lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic in Spain entertained.

The backup to Jake Plummer in 1996 is a tenor and at 8 p.m. every night in Spain he serenades anyone within the distance of his incredible, operatic voice.

“What really set it off is there are two little girls that live downstairs that are probably six or seven,” Farwell told 12news.com. “They left me two notes in my mail. They drew pictures of me on the balcony singing and left little notes saying,  ‘Will you sing for us tonight? Thank you for singing,’ and that just killed me.

Perhaps in some inexplicable way, the moment was meant to be. After a failed audition in 2019, Gus nearly stopped singing.

“I was just so disappointed how badly it went and I haven’t sung in eight months, I haven’t done anything. It’s taken this to remind me of why I love to sing.”

Gus’s children record videos of him singing the family posts to social media. He’s gotten more than 100,000 views on a single video and messages from people all across the world.

Farwell completed half of his four pass attempts for 16 yards in 1996, backing up Plummer, who went on to be a second-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals after throwing for 8,626 yards as a Sun Devil.

This could provide an idea for current Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, who also sings opera.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93s9pHGUpjY

Ravens have already made their big free-agent splash

Ahead of NFL free agency, fans must remember that the Baltimore Ravens have already been aggressive by retaining their own.

As we get nearer to the start of NFL free agency, the focus has been on what players the Baltimore Ravens could get and what needs the team could fill ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft. But lost in the excitement of speculation and hope is that Baltimore has already grabbed their free-agent splash this offseason.

In signing cornerback Marcus Peters to a three-year extension, the Ravens picked up one of the top players at the position. Had Peters been on the free-agent market, his deal would have been considered a huge splash and a monumental win for Baltimore. The same could be said for kicker Justin Tucker, wide receiver Willie Snead, guard Marshal Yanda and cornerback Tavon Young, who signed their deals well before they could hit free agency.

In total, the Ravens have signed nine players that would have been free agents this offseason before that ever happened. Of that group, Baltimore has signed contracts totaling $118.52 million over 18 combined years, including five deals that average $5 million per year or more. By most teams’ free-agency periods, that would be considered quite the haul and it all happened months before free agency actually kicked off.

As I’ve noted before, general manager Eric DeCosta’s philosophy of re-signing key contributors early has saved the Ravens from a difficult and uncertain offseason this year. It’s given Baltimore a little more flexibility in both free agency and the draft while helping set up their salary-cap situation for the next few years. The Ravens have also saved quite a bit of money when it comes to locking up their own players, by not having to beat other teams with more cap space to spend.

That philosophy has given Baltimore a lot of different options. They have the cap space to be in the running on one or two of the top free agents this offseason if they want. Or they could take their early signings and cap space into the second wave of free agency following the 2020 NFL Draft to find better value and plug up any remaining holes.

But regardless of how the Ravens act in free agency this offseason, fans need to remember that they’ve already done quite a lot of work and have set themselves up nicely for the 2020 season. They’ve made their low-key signings to help fill the roster depth while making a few big splashes. Anything else that happens when free agency actually begins should be considered icing on the cake.

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GM Eric DeCosta saving Ravens from free-agency hell

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta’s philosophy of signing key players early is already having a major impact on the NFL free agency this offseason

The 2020 NFL free agency period begins in less than a month. But for Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, free agency is a never-ending process that can happen any day of the year.

Since taking over for Ozzie Newsome, DeCosta has gotten in the habit of re-signing players early. It’s partially to end the cycle of developing players for other teams by keeping key players from hitting the free-agent market and ultimately leaving. But a secondary effect is that Baltimore saves money by inking players to a deal at the current market value instead of in a year or two when the increasing salary cap will drive up salaries.

In the case of this offseason, DeCosta’s philosophy is already having a major impact. Though Baltimore started the offseason with 21 pending free agents, including key starters in Matthew Judon and Michael Pierce, things could have been a lot worse had DeCosta not gotten a head start.

The Ravens have signed a number of players early, including nine that would have been free agents this offseason:

Player Position
Patrick Ricard FB/DL
Willie Snead WR
Andre Smith T
Jordan Richards DB
Justin Tucker K
Marcus Peters CB
Tavon Young CB
Marshal Yanda G
L.J. Fort ILB

Just imagine the Ravens having to try to re-sign Pro Bowlers like Ricard, Peters, Tucker and Yanda, alongside Judon and Pierce. It’s very likely Baltimore would have struggled to retain even the number of guys they already had, at least not without breaking the bank and dipping further into their salary cap.

As we saw last offseason with C.J. Mosley, Za’Darius Smith and even Terrell Suggs, plenty of other teams are more than capable of beating any offer the Ravens can throw out. In the case of those three free agents, all earned bigger contracts than expected. Even re-signing one at their current contracts would have bankrupted Baltimore’s salary cap for the near future, ultimately forcing DeCosta to watch them leave with no real plan to replace them. Hopefully, DeCosta’s current philosophy will change that practice and see fewer star players leave after their rookie contracts.

It’s a strategy that has its potential negatives, however. In the case of Young, who spent last season on injured reserve, the Ravens might have been able to get a better value on his contract had they waited until now. Still, signing players early eliminates some of the anxiety of having to work on multiple contracts at once. As long as DeCosta and Baltimore’s front office do their due diligence and have a good eye for talent, they should have far more hits than misses.

As it stands now, the Ravens head into free agency this offseason with a clearer picture of how the salary cap looks for the next few years. With just two major free agents set to hit the market, Baltimore is in far greater shape to make decisions about the future of the franchise and be aggressive in making moves as soon as free agency begins on March 18.

The Ravens will likely turn their attention to tackle Ronnie Stanley and cornerback Marlon Humphrey next in an effort to keep their two biggest pending free agents in Baltimore for the long haul.

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How Ravens fared in the 2020 Pro Bowl

The Baltimore Ravens made up a large chunk of the 2020 Pro Bowl roster but how did they actually perform during the game?

The 2020 NFL Pro Bowl might as well have been another postseason game for the Baltimore Ravens considering they made up a large portion of the roster. Sending 12 players (cornerback Marcus Peters backed out of the game with an injury) to the Pro Bowl, there were plenty of opportunities for Ravens players to shine, even amongst the best the NFL has to offer.

And shine they did. Baltimore players led the charge on offense, posting up the most rushing yards, best passing stats and bet receiving performance of the Pro Bowl.

At the very tippy-top of the list is quarterback Lamar Jackson, who won the Pro Bowl offensive MVP award after completing 16-of-23 attempts (69.6%) for 185 yards, two passing touchdowns and one interception for a 104.4 passer rating. Check out highlights of Jackson’s performance in the game.

Running back Mark Ingram led all players in both rushing attempts and yards, posting up 31 rushing yards on five attempts for a 6.2 yard-per-carry average. Tight end Mark Andrews led all receivers in receptions, snagging nine passes for 73 yards and a touchdown.

But don’t forget the defensive stars the Ravens had on the Pro Bowl roster as well. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey led the AFC with three tackles and had a pass defended. Safety Earl Thomas had two tackles, one quarterback hit, two passes defended and an interception which he returned for 41 yards. While outside linebacker Matthew Judon might not have been able to get to the quarterback in this one, he still posted one tackle.

Kicker Justin Tucker had himself a perfect game, nailing all five of his extra points while kicking a 50-yard field goal.

Ultimately, all of Baltimore’s help notched a 38-33 win for coach John Harbaugh and the AFC over the NFC in the 2020 Pro Bowl.

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Former Longhorns to watch in NFL Pro Bowl

Safety Earl Thomas and kicker Justin Tucker are the only former Texas players participating in the 2020 NFL Pro Bowl.

Two former Texas players will be participating in the 2020 NFL Pro Bowl today.

The conference-based all-star game is an annual event held the Sunday before the Super Bowl. Although no Kansas City Chiefs or San Francisco 49ers will be in attendance this year due to Super Bowl preparation, those selected will get the chance to compete with several of the best players in the league.

Safety Earl Thomas and kicker Justin Tucker will be the only former Longhorns participating. Thomas played in 15 games for the Baltimore Ravens this season, recording 49 total tackles, two sacks, and two interceptions.

Tucker recorded his second-highest season percentage in 2019, making 28 of 29 field goals and 57 of 59 extra points for the Ravens.

How to watch

When: Sun., Jan. 26, 3:00 p.m. EST

Where: Camping World Stadium, Orlando.

TV: ABC, ESPN

Streaming: WatchESPN

 

WATCH: Texas ex Justin Tucker nails 70-yard field goal at Pro Bowl

Former Texas kicker Justin Tucker is casually enjoying his time at the NFL Pro Bowl by drilling 70-yard field goals.

To no surprise, former Texas kicker Justin Tucker was selected to the NFL Pro Bowl at the completion of the 2019 season. The all-star game will take place on Sunday, January 26, in Orlando, Florida.

What may come as a surprise, however, is Tucker casually nailing a 70-yard field goal during Pro Bowl practice this week as if it were a normal occurrence.

Tucker made 28 of 29 field goals and 57 of 59 extra points for the Baltimore Ravens in 2019. This marked his second-highest season percentage of ninety-six percent.

One of the most impressive accolades for the former Longhorn is being selected to five All Pro teams throughout his tenure in the NFL, four of those being First-Team selections.