Texas fans need to be patient with Charlie Strong's rebuild

[caption id="attachment_18388" align="alignnone" width="800"]Photo by Ashley Wirz Photo by Ashley Wirz[/caption] After attending a wedding this weekend, I played poker with a few Texas Longhorn fans still recovering from the 38-3 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday night. The conversation between them went something like this: “It looks like Texas had one practice between the bowl game against Arkansas and this loss against Notre Dame. It is pathetic.”“We had practices, but the problem was it was against our own team. No one is good. You can’t get better when you practice bad on bad.”“At what point do we talk about firing coaches and admitting maybe Charlie Strong wasn’t the right hire?”“Tonight?” It went on and on, but you get the point. I sat back and listened. I argue about sports for a living and knew the frustration level was high between the two, so anything I said of any value wasn’t going to matter anyway. The truth is, however, that Strong inherited a program worse off than the one Mack Brown inherited. The cupboard was essentially bare for Strong and many of the elder statesmen on the team were entitled, soft and resigned to a culture not indicative of a power program. There was a reason Brown left, and there is a reason Texas fans should be patient with Strong. There is not a sane person on this planet who thinks Strong isn’t a good football coach. He’s had success everywhere he’s been and Louisville – his previous team – had the second most players selected in the 2015 NFL Draft. Strong knows how to recruit and develop talent, but he isn’t a magician. Texas started two true freshmen along the offensive line and three true freshmen on defense. All against a team that could make the College Football Playoff — and it was on the road. Patience isn’t something our society practices very well anymore. We all want instant gratification, and that is probably more true of sports fans than maybe any other segment of American society. There is no quick fix to the problems at Texas. Strong simply needs time to bring in his guys and develop them into a title contender and 14 games isn’t long enough to do that. If we’re having this conversation next season, maybe it is valid. But, at least for now, Longhorn fans need to trust the process and Strong. Honestly, Texas doesn’t have a choice otherwise.