Did Rhett Bomar do the Sooners a favor?

For those of you who don’t remember, Bomar and some guy (I still can’t remember his name, and it’s really not worth the hassle of researching it.) got "jobs" at a local car dealership with a pretty doggone good salary. Wait, it gets even better. They were being paid when they weren’t even there. You want better than that? They hardly ever showed up! As it turns out, the NCAA had a bit of a problem with their activities. Who knew? But it wasn’t all bad. As a matter of fact, I think we are much better off without them. I’m almost glad it happened, and I’m definitely glad things have turned out the way they have. Now let me try to change your mind. Here are a few points that I think are relevant.

1. Bob Stoops
We already knew he was one hell of a coach, but the "class" thing was more of an unproved certainty. Ok, I knew he had class (we all did), but how far was he willing to take his principles? No one knew. Until Bomar showed us. Stoops could have swept the whole thing under the rug and he probably would have succeeded. But that’s not the kind of guy he is. He runs an honest program. And both his coaches and his players will conduct themselves accordingly. Or they’re out. Period.

2. Paul Thompson
Ok, let’s face it: Thompson got screwed! When Jason White decided to come back for one more year, Thompson’s next move was to red-shirt and save his last two years of eligibility. His actions were wise, but the next year, he (and the rest of us I think) were shocked to find out that Bomar got the start, and Thompson was moved to receiver. What? Why?! The only thing I can figure is that Thompson must have said (or done) something to piss Stoops off. Who knows? But we do know that Bomar was not the better man for the job. Thompson proved that the next year, when he was finally given his chance under center. He was much better than I expected after a year of playing another position.

3. Sam Bradford
Can you imagine having a QB like Bradford on the bench? Behind Jr. QB Rhett Bomar, that’s probably what would have happened. Stoops may have seen how good he was from just the practices, but it’s doubtful. I really don’t think any of us could have predicted how much poise and control this kid has from just practice. No, what makes Bradford special is something you can only see in games. Now that we’ve all seen it, aren’t you glad we didn’t have to wait three more years for it? I am.

4. And finally, Me!
This is probably the sweetest deal of all: I never have to look at that mullet-wearing doofus again! And I won’t hear: "I-35...NORMAN!" ever again. That’s just something you just can’t put a price on. I used to cringe every time those stupid commercials came on. It was almost like Linda Soundtrack: The Next Generation. Good Riddance! Oh yeah, I almost forgot; the mullet is dead. Let it go!

Here’s to you, Rhett Bomar. I mean, the way you threw away your career for the betterment of our beloved Sooners? That’s another thing you can’t put a price on. Well, you got paid, so I guess we don’t owe you anything. So, thank you Rhett Bomar. You’re a helluva nice guy. From the bottom of my heart...thank you!

Should the Sooners Fire Bob Stoops?

In a word: HELL NO! I guess that was two words. Oh well, the naysayers can’t seem to count either. They can clog the radio airwaves for weeks after a big loss, but they usually don't make much sense. The most infuriating accusation I’ve heard is that Stoops "can’t win the big one." Are you serious? He’s 4-5 in bowl appearances, and granted, that’s nothing to stand up and cheer about, but two of those losses came from his three national championship appearances. Plus, does anyone remember that he’s 6-3 against Texas? That he won 5 in a row? Isn’t that a big game? Have they forgotten that he’s won 4 conference championships in his tenure at OU?

Most schools (besides OSU basketball) give a coach a "mulligan" in his (or her) first year as head coach. It makes sense. No one can turn a team around in their first season. Seriously, you really can’t even expect a national championship in their second season, can you? But Stoops did that, didn’t he?

Still not convinced? Let’s look at some stats, shall we? His average ranking in the past eight years is #6. As a matter of fact, he's had a top 10 finish in 6 of his last 8 years. The Sooner's last top 10 ranking was in 1987 under the great (you may have heard of him) Barry Switzer. The average ranking in the eight years before Stoops: #78. Coach Stoops is #3 in Oklahoma’s all-time winning percentage with 82%. The top two are Barry Switzer and (you may have heard of this one too;-) Bud Wilkinson. It seems that Stoops is in pretty good company to me.

But fair-weather-fans are everywhere, aren’t they? I don’t remember seeing all the banners, flags and sweatshirts in such abundance during the dark ages of John Blake and Kaptain Kangaroo, do you? But we die-hard fans even stuck with our beloved Sooners during those tearful years. And now that we’re on top again, the not-really-Sooners are back on their soapbox, demanding that a non-championship finish is unacceptable. So, to answer my own question (and maybe shut up the whiners on the Sports Animal) should we fire Bob Stoops? Only if you are sick and tired of winning.