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Mack Brown's 'cheesy' motivational tricks

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09:20 AM ET 10.22 | The Oklahoma game ball, complete with a funeral theme, was buried at the Texas practice field early last week. Two days later, Sports Illustrated cover boy Colt McCoy took the magazine from his locker and tossed it in the trash to the delight of his teammates. It helped get top-ranked Texas focused for an eventual 56-31 victory over Missouri. So what can Mack Brown do, motivationally speaking, to keep his Longhorns centered on the Cowboys of Oklahoma State? "He's being real cheesy," McCoy said Monday, as No. 1 Texas prepares for Saturday's home date against the No. 7-ranked Cowboys. Brown literally is using cheese as a metaphor for the polls, the gaudy national headlines and comments from adoring fans. As in, it's all poison. Don't be the mindless mouse who bites the cheese and gets his head snapped in a trap. Other motivational ploys include imagery of backsides. On Sunday, Brown conducted the post-Tiger team meeting by putting up a large photo of a player climbing a ladder. He did the same after Oklahoma -- hours after the Longhorns achieved their first No. 1 regular-season ranking since 1984. But after Missouri, that player climbed higher, into the clouds, symbolic of Texas' No. 1 rating in the initial Bowl Championship rankings. Brown's message: the higher you climb, the more your backside is exposed. He then drew huge squares and inked in big mounds of cheese. "I'm trying to constantly keep pressure off this team," Brown said.

Austin American-Statesman

Mack Brown, AP Mack Brown, AP
Comment #1 has been removed
October 22, 2008  10:31 AM ET

Hard to argue with success.


Go Utes!

October 22, 2008  10:48 AM ET

Anything that works in the Big 12 south should be patented and sold.

October 22, 2008  11:08 AM ET

Cheesy, maybe even corny. But his players are buying it and so far, it's working. I've been on ESPN and SI.com and there are countless articles now about Texas and Colt McCoy (only one being negative). It's hard not to toot your own 'horn when everyone else is.

October 22, 2008  11:08 AM ET

It's got to be hard to keep your team grounded when your QB is completing over 80% of his passes despite the loss of a viable TE and only 2 "notable" WRs. Deep down, I too have a concern that if Colt manages to have an off-day, it's unlikely that the team will be able to stay in a game (particulary in these next 3 weeks). I'm hoping for the best, though!

Hook'em!

October 22, 2008  11:52 AM ET
QUOTE(#3):

Anything that works in the Big 12 south should be patented and sold.

How would one patent playing a cupcake opening schedule and a lack of defense?

October 22, 2008  11:54 AM ET

Read Miller's article at espn.com entitled "Cupcake Diet".

October 22, 2008  12:58 PM ET

Cheesy huh? Hope none of the players are lactose intolerant!

October 22, 2008  01:02 PM ET
QUOTE(#7):

Read Miller's article at espn.com entitled "Cupcake Diet".

Let's see: Washington, Washington State, Stanford, UCLA...sounds like half the PAC-10 is cupcake, why bother scheduling games against anyone else? Maybe if the PAC10 would grow a pair and actually play a championship game, we'd respect them more.

October 22, 2008  01:08 PM ET

Thats ok, cause the Lions are gonna eat yo cheese in the national title game if Texas even gets there.

October 22, 2008  01:27 PM ET
QUOTE(#9):

Let's see: Washington, Washington State, Stanford, UCLA...sounds like half the PAC-10 is cupcake, why bother scheduling games against anyone else? Maybe if the PAC10 would grow a pair and actually play a championship game, we'd respect them more.

One can see you didn't read the article or you just didn't understand it.

October 22, 2008  01:34 PM ET

The article pertained to schools like, say, Texas, playing cupcakes like Florida Atlantic and UTEP. Comprehension is key here.

October 22, 2008  01:39 PM ET

One has to grow a pair to have a championship game? I figured 12 in the conference had something to do with it. Hoping you have some growth soon.

October 22, 2008  01:46 PM ET

About Texas' non-conference schedule: Florida Atlantic was a bowl team last year, Arkansas is SEC (and was good when the game was scheduled), and Rice is likely to make a bowl this year. No big-time challenges, like our recent series with Ohio State, but all respectable opponents.

October 22, 2008  01:52 PM ET

They're steamrolling through their schedule, can't complain much.

October 22, 2008  01:53 PM ET

Last year was last year.....????? So, using Corgi's post as fodder, that would make Iowa, Nebraska, Baylor, and Texas A&M POWERHOUSES.?????? The article was about pre-conference games. You can't control our conference games but you can quit scheduling pre-conference cupcakes. As Corgi says, "grow a pair" and schedule non-cupcakes.

October 22, 2008  02:17 PM ET

Whatever gets your team fired up. Mack Brown has received flack for not coaching great teams, but he might not get as much flack... as long as he can keep winning.

October 22, 2008  02:17 PM ET

And for the Nit Lion guy to say they'll eat Texas' cheese........???? WOW. Talk about a cupcake schedule.

October 22, 2008  03:11 PM ET

How about playing #1, #11, #6, #7, and #19 and then having to play in a conference title game against another possible top 10 team? ahh please...that is a schedule folks

 
October 22, 2008  03:11 PM ET

hey fighton ... don't forget UT has 8 home games and 4 away this season ...

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