Daily Bullets (August 11)

Gundy Gets It

Other than being the most successful coach in school history, Gundy being an “Okie” that embraces the dynamics in the state give him akk-urat perspective.

“I like the mindset of a place like Oklahoma State. I think it’s the same mindset you have to have if you’re at Michigan State or Georgia Tech or Auburn, the underdog guys. You’re not the brand name. You’re not always on the tip of everybody’s tongue. Nothing’s handed to you because you’re not the flagship or whatever you want to call it.

“It’s not easy and never has been easy. But I can tell you this, when you finally have some success, when you win those battles and look into the eyes of the folks who have stuck with it through some really bad times — man, that’s a feeling like nothing else.” [ESPN]

My first OSU football memories are Bob Simmons but I could imagine the longer your fandom, the more you can truly appreciate the rise under Gundy.

Pulling for the Defense

A counterintuitive aspect of coaching is hoping your defense makes your offense look bad in practice.

“Forever I was so zoned in on the offense that I would get upset if they weren’t doing well,” Gundy said. “And then about six to eight years ago I realized that I would prefer that the defense do better.

“I’ve always felt like we could scheme our offense to be able to find ways to score, but on the defensive side, the speed and talent part of it is so important. It’s nice when we go through a practice and the defense can just kind of shut our guys down.

“It makes us feel a little better, but it has been back and forth so far and I’m pleased with that side of practice.” [NewsOK]

These are the things it takes a while to learn as a coach that it seems like the Holgerson/Kingsbury/Riley tree will have to process as offensive guys. With that being said it’d take the 2013 defense to shut down these horses in practice.

James Washington is pure magic after the catch! #DraftTwitter #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/jyZNA8VZcn

— Bradley Ylitalo (@NFL_drafthub) August 10, 2017

OSU and NCAA Notes

20 things to know about the Big 12….Looking at the Ole Miss situation as a business crisis….Insightful interview with Cowboy linebacker Chad Whitener….A wild story about a hyped recruit from Texas: CFB -> NFL practice squads -> Olympics

Do yourself a favor and get a pair of these. Orange Power soles!

Oklahoma State Nike Free Trainer V7 Week Zero ???#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/ziwB1C0Oh8

— Boone Pickens State (@BP_State) August 10, 2017

CBS has the Pokes in a good spot.

A solid edit – the Sinorman.

Great cover Zach. Strike the pose after every punt. @ZachSinor29 pic.twitter.com/iR9VqUnahQ

— landscapepoke (@Landscapepoke) August 10, 2017

Way more defenders in the league than I thought.

The road to the @NFL runs through Stillwater. Proof. #okstate #GoPokes #CowboyUp18 pic.twitter.com/chBJ2W1Hzh

— Cowboy FB Recruiting (@CowboyFB_Elite) August 11, 2017

What You Missed on PFB

• Watch this hype video and try not to run through a wall
• Five freshmen who could earn playing time in 2017
• Thomas expounds on why the spread has lost its meaning
• Dez nabs a sweet one-hander
• Boone ranks his top five uniform combos of 2016

Other Stuff I’m Reading

Goldman requires personality tests to get in….PGA Championship Friday tee times: Rickie, Rory and Rahm at 9:25am (Porter’s thoughts)