2023 LUFKIN PANTHER FOOTBALL TOPIC DISCUSSIONS

[PackAttack]

3 hours ago, timeout! said:

 

Nick was fine young man. Always had a smile on his face and had a great sense of humor. He will be missed. 

Guys, please help me out here. What was Nick's full name?, and he graduated this year?

[pack98]

37 minutes ago, PackAttack said:

Guys, please help me out here. What was Nick's full name?, and he graduated this year?

Nick Moore class ‘22

[PackAttack]

1 hour ago, pack98 said:

Nick Moore class ‘22

Thank you. I remember him, played LB.

[PackAttack]

On 6/29/2023 at 9:47 PM, LufkinPack said:

That’s the thing though. This staff won’t do such a thing. They aren’t creative. How many times have I heard people in the spring talk about us mixing in a TE or something only to get to the season and it be the same ol crap? They won’t run options with the more mobile and athletic QB and so on. That’s not in the playbook. We will ride Hammond until things unravel and we lose meaningful games and then we’ll throw the young Buck in there and expect him to save the season with no experience. Wash, rinse, repeat. Tell me I’m wrong. You can sell me all day on the defense. Im a believer there plus I trust and appreciate books remarks regarding them. But the offense. I just don’t see anything different coming and that’s going to be our downfall. 

You know, you see these former Panther guys like Jadrian Taylor, Jerrin Thompson, Tre Odom, Isaiah Phillips and Ja Lynn Polk doing so well in college and you wonder why Lufkin didn't win more playoff games with those guys.  It just seems the leadership here has evolved into more about getting players individually to the next level than anything else. 

[mr. b]

I don’t think the leadership in Lufkin has much to do at all with getting an individual to the next level.  

[timeout!]

4 hours ago, PackAttack said:

You know, you see these former Panther guys like Jadrian Taylor, Jerrin Thompson, Tre Odom, Isaiah Phillips and Ja Lynn Polk doing so well in college and you wonder why Lufkin didn't win more playoff games with those guys.  It just seems the leadership here has evolved into more about getting players individually to the next level than anything else. 

Here is something else to chew on. Remember when Lufkin lost a close game to a loaded Ennis team at home in 2014?They had 5 star recruit DE James Lockhart that year. And a speedy 6'4 Wr/TE who's name I can't remember. He caught the winning TD on us at the end of the game(55-48). Guess what? Only one of those teams had two future/current NFL players on the field. I'll give you a hint. It wasn't Ennis..

They went on to win state that year.

We got knocked out in the first round by Longview after being up 28-0. The same Longview team we beat 44-14 to open the season. 

Lufkin only managed 2 playoff wins during KeKe Coutee and Eric McCoy's tenure here.

[PackAttack]

3 hours ago, mr. b said:

I don’t think the leadership in Lufkin has much to do at all with getting an individual to the next level.  

Well, I don't know. Just know these guys are doing very well playing in college, they were also really good while at Lufkin. They played few playoff games as a Panther???

[PackAttack]

1 hour ago, timeout! said:

Here is something else to chew on. Remember when Lufkin lost a close game to a loaded Ennis team at home in 2014?They had 5 star recruit DE James Lockhart that year. And a speedy 6'4 Wr/TE who's name I can't remember. He caught the winning TD on us at the end of the game(55-48). Guess what? Only one of those teams had two future/current NFL players on the field. I'll give you a hint. It wasn't Ennis..

They went on to win state that year.

We got knocked out in the first round by Longview after being up 28-0. The same Longview team we beat 44-14 to open the season. 

Lufkin only managed 2 playoff wins during KeKe Coutee and Eric McCoy's tenure here.

Another good example,  THIS is my concern for the 2023, and beyond teams, or however long Quick decides he wants to continue coaching here. It's their playoff track record that's always staring back at us fans. 

[timeout!]

20 minutes ago, PackAttack said:

Another good example,  THIS is my concern for the 2023, and beyond teams, or however long Quick decides he wants to continue coaching here. Their track record is suspect.

We had some other talented players on that team. So it wasn't just those two carrying the load. Malik Jackson, Terry Mark and several other good players were on that team.

Those of us who have been around for a while. Have seen enough to pretty much piece together the puzzle. We can draw from those memories and see what is different. I'm not as young as I once was. But I can still remember certain games and situations that leave you scratching your head. 

That game against Ennis could've easily went Lufkin's way. It was doing those horrible defensive years. So Lufkin was playing the Wr's at Db for key downs. In an attempt to have our best athletes on the field. One of those downs being the game winning TD for Ennis. Lufkin had 5'11 Coutee matched up against Ennis 6'4 WR/TE Donta Thompson who was split out. Coutee is a good athlete, especially at the HS level. But he's 5'11..I'm sorry, but that's just not the matchup I would've went with. The only kid thats under 6ft I would trust covering someone that tall was Leonard Hewitt. Well of course Ennis saw this and tossed the ball up to him and he caught it for the go ahead score. Lufkin had used 6'2 Terry Mark on defense some that year too. Mark was a great athlete and could jump with the best of them. Why not put him on that side and match him up with 6'4 Thompson? We never got the answer to that question, because Quick was never asked. 

 

[LufkinPack]

4 hours ago, timeout! said:

Here is something else to chew on. Remember when Lufkin lost a close game to a loaded Ennis team at home in 2014?They had 5 star recruit DE James Lockhart that year. And a speedy 6'4 Wr/TE who's name I can't remember. He caught the winning TD on us at the end of the game(55-48). Guess what? Only one of those teams had two future/current NFL players on the field. I'll give you a hint. It wasn't Ennis..

They went on to win state that year.

We got knocked out in the first round by Longview after being up 28-0. The same Longview team we beat 44-14 to open the season. 

Lufkin only managed 2 playoff wins during KeKe Coutee and Eric McCoy's tenure here.

Yep. Ceiling is low with this staff. We won’t see many playoff games the next couple of seasons. We will just talk about the wasted talent each off season 🤣

[PackAttack]

On 7/4/2023 at 11:40 PM, LufkinPack said:

Yep. Ceiling is low with this staff. We won’t see many playoff games the next couple of seasons. We will just talk about the wasted talent each off season 🤣

We are the only one who do talk about it too.  There is always the possibility to get let down as usual, but I am expecting a great year of Panther football.  If it doesn't work out this year, then there is always spinning it for the next year. Sooner or later maybe someone gets lucky and wins a few playoff games with good talent, maybe new leadership arrives to turn things around, or maybe we die, then none of it matters anymore.  Whatever happens, Quick's history of achievement at Lufkin will still remain, whatever happens in the future.  If things don't work out again, then I know how to handle it AGAIN, we've had lots of practice with those yearly occasions.

 

[LufkinPack]

On 7/5/2023 at 10:49 AM, PackAttack said:

We are the only one who do talk about it too.  There is always the possibility to get let down as usual, but I am expecting a great year of Panther football.  If it doesn't work out this year, then there is always spinning it for the next year. Sooner or later maybe someone gets lucky and wins a few playoff games with good talent, maybe new leadership arrives to turn things around, or maybe we die, then none of it matters anymore.  Whatever happens, Quick's history of achievement at Lufkin will still remain, whatever happens in the future.  If things don't work out again, then I know how to handle it AGAIN, we've had lots of practice with those yearly occasions.

 

Yep. Like I said. Even tho I complain about this staff, it terrifies me to think about what’s coming when quick hangs it up lol. Because let’s be real. This isn’t an attractive job anymore. The city of Lufkin sucks. There’s literally nothing here and a dying economy unless you like to eat. 

[PackAttack]

20 minutes ago, LufkinPack said:

Yep. Like I said. Even tho I complain about this staff, it terrifies me to think about what’s coming when quick hangs it up lol. Because let’s be real. This isn’t an attractive job anymore. The city of Lufkin sucks. There’s literally nothing here and a dying economy unless you like to eat. 

Here are the updated employment numbers for the City of Lufkin proper.  Top employer, paid with our residents TAX dollars is Lufkin ISD. 

https://lufkintexas.org/business/major-employers/

 

[PackAttack]

Still think this is going to be a good Panther football year, regardless whatever coaching decisions are made, the talent will be enough to get this bunch into some real playoff competition, barring any major injuries.  We could be clamoring over a key player transferring to another school, then back again in almost the same month, but we are not. That's the least of most people's problem.

The point is Lufkin hasn't been to the playoffs in two seasons, they haven't done well in the playoffs they have made since 2017.  I just don't know how to categorize things anymore, except to say the talent is there this year, there can be no excuses to not be a lot better. Things are much clearer now, and this is a good thing. The onus is totally on the coaching now, it can't be mistaken or mixed in with insufficiencies of other past aspects.

EVERYONE has tagged Longview and Lancaster as the top dogs in this 7-5A race, they've given a few crumbs to Forney and McKinney North to be some respectable cannon fodder.  No one is really watching Lufkin, Tyler , N. Mesquite or W. Mesquite. Granted playing Longview and Lancaster on the road holds few advantages, however the rest of the important games are at ABE, so any slip up by the big two or four mentioned opens the door for others.  Longview has road affairs with Lancaster, Forney and Mac North. Lancaster goes to McKinney North, Tyler and Forney.   

Just saying nothing this year is as cut and dried as one may think. Longview has a couple key positions to get worked out, mainly finding a QB.  Lancaster is replacing 8 defensive players who graduated. Not saying that makes them any less formidable, just saying there may be some opportunities for an upset here or there.

If I didn't have this bee in my ear about certain things, I would tell the rest of the district to watch out because Lufkin is going to surprise a lot of folks, they have the pieces and parts they have not had in a long time. if the Lufkin OL turns out to be just average, and Hammond can manage the offense efficiently, while allowing Johnson to get some valuable snaps. I feel good about what to expect in 2023. Just need to see some good things to happen this ENTIRE season to remove this hive of doubt I've accumulated over the years.  

[PackAttack]

These are the UIL 11-Man Texas high school football programs still in need of a head coach as of July 5, 2023. Kind of late to find a coach, probably best to promote from within and hire or promote assistants. Surprised most by Frisco Memorial and Cy Lakes still open.

Bovina

Cy Lakes

Fort Worth Arlington Heights

Frisco Memorial

Mathis

Riviera Kaufer

[PackAttack]

Dave Campbell’s Texas Football is proud to release the preseason Top 10 in its 2023 Class 5A Division I Texas high school football statewide rankings. The rankings are compiled by the Dave Campbell's Texas Football staff.

 

2023 Dave Campbell's Texas Football Preseason Texas High School Football Rankings
Class 5A Division I

Rank	Team	Returning Starters O/D	2022 Result
1	Aledo	7/5	14-2, state champion
2	Longview	7/6	14-1, state semifinalist
3	College Station	5/4	13-3, state finalist
4	Lancaster	9/3	9-3, area finalist
5	Mansfield Timberview	5/8	13-1, regional finalist
6	Smithson Valley	4/6	12-2, regional finalist
7	Frisco Lone Star	6/5	9-3, area finalist
8	Port Arthur Memorial	4/7	11-2, regional semifinalist
9	Fulshear	2/5	11-2, regional semifinalist
10	Frisco Reedy	4/8	12-1, regional semifinalist

 

As you can clearly see all of these teams has a phenomenal 2022 season.

[PackAttack]

Just for a comparison, Lufkin returns 5 offensive and 5 defensive starters from 2020 and a 6-4 team. The way I look at things, the seven new starters on offense and on defense should be good for at least 2 or 3 more wins in 2023. What are your thoughts??

[PackAttack]

One area of the Panther team we have talked little about is the special teams, specifically in the area of kicking and punting.  Lufkin's Jr Noland Hansard will be exceptional for the Panthers. He has proven in the offseason he has the ability for 45-50 yard FGs, deep kickoffs and tall booming punts.  JR Caden Walker and Soph Cooper Camp were also listed on the scrimmage roster. 

 

 

 

[PurpleNation]

On 7/4/2023 at 3:07 PM, PackAttack said:

You know, you see these former Panther guys like Jadrian Taylor, Jerrin Thompson, Tre Odom, Isaiah Phillips and Ja Lynn Polk doing so well in college and you wonder why Lufkin didn't win more playoff games with those guys.  It just seems the leadership here has evolved into more about getting players individually to the next level than anything else. 

We got to the 4th Rd when we had those guys in 2017 they had Polk,Malik,Jerrin,Tre,and Isiah. Then in 2012 they had some talent when they went 3rds they just didn't have a defense. I think this current group is gonna have a pretty good defense. The offense has some weapons. The QB has some experience. I think they going to be ok.

[PackAttack]

8 hours ago, PurpleNation said:

We got to the 4th Rd when we had those guys in 2017 they had Polk,Malik,Jerrin,Tre,and Isiah. Then in 2012 they had some talent when they went 3rds they just didn't have a defense. I think this current group is gonna have a pretty good defense. The offense has some weapons. The QB has some experience. I think they going to be ok.

I totally agree with you.  I've not been wishy washy on the team talent for this year or any year.  Sure, we had talent in 2012 and 2017, with no D in 2012 and had decent playoff runs.  There was some half way decent talent also in those 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019 teams, and they could only win one playoff game.  Hey, just past history with a past none of us can do anything about. Just looking forward to the 2023 season to see what happens, how this talent will perform.  There are expectations, and there should be with what we saw from these kids together as Freshmen. They went undefeated with 6 shutouts, so this will be the 1st year they will mostly be all together on Varsity.  Lufkin fans are a starved bunch to see some decent playoff runs again, it has been a tiring and exhausting time waiting for something to change, and these last two no playoff years are just about as low as it can get around here from a football program who was vying for the 6A Div II Regional Championship in 2017.  Someone has to bear the burden of past results and the future for this present group of kids. You can't blame us fans, the few who have stayed loyal, and I put a real low percentage of burden on the kids, so people need to figure out who bears the responsibility, especially if things do not meet expectations this year or next?  I'm definitely over ready to see what they have come up with this year, and I do expect great things from these kids, the rest of those involved need to build my trust back. Just being honest here, and why wouldn't we all feel this way?

[PackAttack]

You look at things from a real logical stand point going onto a season. The rankings are based on many things, mainly previous years record,  how a team finished and what they have coming back. However rankings are almost never totally certain. I've watched and analyzed pre season thoughts for a lot of years now. 

For example this year, Longview and Lancaster come in chosen to finish #1 and #2 respectively in 7-5A DI in 2023, both are Ranked #2 and #4 respectively in the DCTF Pre Season 5A DI rankings, and rightly so based on all of those statistics above.

For me, I believe Longview and Lancaster were better overall teams in 2022. Longview returns 7 O / 6 D in 2023, however they are searching for a steady QB. Not saying they won't find one before the season.  Lancaster is replacing 8 on the defensive side, and are loaded on offense with 9 returning.  We are not even talking about the improvement in young Forney and McKinney North teams, who should be better this year. Then there is this Lufkin group who gave those Longview boys all they could handle as freshmen. Playing Longview and Lancaster on the road is no fun trip for anyone, still need to play the games, just the way it is this year.

The difference in this district is coaching, but there will be a ton of parity with talented players through out this 2023 district. 

[PackAttack]

Needing to get these ridiculous questions out of the way before August gets here. I'm asking only the Panther fans this question.

Would just making it as a playoff team this year be considered a successful season to you?

Be Honest now.

My answer is - NO. Why??, because I believe the talent we have this year is too good to accept such.

[PurpleNation]

43 minutes ago, PackAttack said:

Needing to get these ridiculous questions out of the way before August gets here. I'm asking only the Panther fans this question.

Would just making it as a playoff team this year be considered a successful season to you?

Be Honest now.

My answer is - NO. Why??, because I believe the talent we have this year is too good to accept such.

I would be a little disappointed. I think they could be good enough to at least get to the 3rd round. I fully expect they will be able to play with Lancaster and Longview this year. 

[timeout!]

This is an important year for Quick and the program. Not because his job it at risk, but because I think it will solidify were this program is at for the foreseeable future. And also how Quick legacy as a HC here will be looked back on. 

If Lufkin fails to reach the playoffs this year or is one and done. I don't see this staff turning it around the next year or anytime soon after. Not when you consider all the talent they have this year. Keep in mind these guys from that Freshmen team will be juniors, along with a mix of some good seniors. You have to start taking steps forward at some point. So the next group learns how to win and can pass it down. 

[PackAttack]

16 minutes ago, PurpleNation said:

I would be a little disappointed. I think they could be good enough to at least get to the 3rd round. I fully expect they will be able to play with Lancaster and Longview this year. 

You say you would be " a little disappointed", I accept that, but that seems different from the enthusiasm you've had leading up to this season. Don't mean any disrespect because I highly value your expertise and input for this football team and these players.