Texas Longhorns and Steve Sarkisian are heading to their 5th season after two consecutive playoffs in 2023 and 2024 and are locked on winning the CFP title this time. But it seems Sarkisian isn’t letting go of the 2024 season that easily. Maybe partly because he thinks that he could have done more when he was just one game away from the final. Or is there a different story that is slowly taking shape now? Let’s find out…
Steve Sarkisian had everything on his roster in 2024. He had good players to execute his strategy; some very good rushers and an exceptionally talented QB in Quinn Ewers. But the injury gods weren’t so kind to the quarterback. He reportedly tore his oblique, but NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero suggested the player may have a deeper injury than reported and had played most of his games through his injury. While that may not be a general opinion in public, Steve Sarkisian probably knows about the internal issues Ewers might have faced. For context, hear this.
Steve Sarkisian, in a recent episode of The Herd with Collins, was asked about the potential strengths and weaknesses Quinn Ewers would have to cope with in the NFL. The HC pointed out his injuries as a major test to achieving greatness, giving examples of players like Tom Brady and Aaron Rogers.
“Think about the Tom Bradys of the world, the Aaron Rogers, these guys that play for so long in the NFL; why do they play so long? They don’t get hurt right, and they know where their issues are. they take care of their body off the field, but they take care of their body on the field too.” He then highlighted the issue that Ewers will have to improve on if he wants to make a mark in the NFL. “I think his [Quinn Ewers] ability to maintain his body um because it’s not going to be about him knowing what to do or having the physical ability to do it um I think ultimately he going to be putting himself in the best physical condition to perform week in and week out”. So, what does this mean for Ewers?
Well, Steve Sarkisian certainly has some sense of unfulfilledness in Ewers’s inability to perform at full capacity in the 2024 season. He did finish the season with 3,472 yards and a meager 65.8% pass completion rate. That is not best for a quarterback of Ewers’ caliber, and Sarkisian knows exactly that. But he did praise the QB where it was merited.
On being asked what makes Ewers pro-ready, the Texas HC replied: “I think one is playing in our market, you know Austin, I think we’ve got 1.5 million people in the city of Austin with no pro sports right? With no NFL no NBA no major league baseball; and so the microscope you’re under the scrutiny, the media coverage the national media coverage the brand; the having to have to be at your best under that, I think sets you up and gets you ready for the NFL where you’re not so consumed of what other people think, but rather I need to focus I need to prepare I need to take care of my body and I need to be in the game plan; I think those things are really helpful to go along with all the physical attributes there’s not a throw that that guy can make that he can’t make.” Well, what does this signify?
Sarkisian’s statement looks quite optimistic for Ewers as it will be a positive one for scouts to hear about the player handling media pressure and expectations quite well. It’s a quality scouts majorly look out for while drafting NFL players. Although it can also be a kind of damage control Sarkisian is doing when he snubbed Quinn Ewers in his recent NFL Combine statements. So much so that amongst the 14 players invited to the Combine, he didn’t even mention Ewers’ name when talking about players’ qualities. For context, hear this.
Steve Sarkisian doing damage control after Quinn Ewers’ NFL Combine snub?
Steve Sarkisian had 14 players invited to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis that is to end on 2nd March 2025. The number of players invited to the Combine is an achievement in itself as it had several players of quite high caliber. Sarkisian dropped a couple of words for most of them ahead of the event.
“I know Jaydon Blue and Isaiah Bond are going to run great times. They’re going to really roll. I think Matt Golden is going to surprise people with his versatility at receiver. I think Kelvin Banks is good. He moves to the offensive line position. Jahdae’s versatility in the secondary.” No mention of his QB Quinn Ewers yet, right? Well, there’s more.
Sarkisian added, “I think Andrew Mukuba is going to surprise a lot of people just because he’s such a heady player. He’s going to interview the great, Alfred Collins, when they see how big he is and how he moves, he’s another guy. All these other guys I’m not talking about, I’m going to get a text as soon as we’re done”. The press conference ended, and yet there was not a single mention of Quinn Ewers. Was it because of his injuries? Or was it just an inadvertent mistake on his part as he didn’t quite remember everyone? Well, either way, Ewers needed a shoutout from his coach, and he didn’t get it. The verdict?
The recent statements act as damage control for Ewers, or they will raise his prospects in the Combine and the Draft. No one can say conclusively. But one thing is clear: Steve Sarkisian looks to be concerned about Ewers’s medical history, and he definitely should work on that if he wants to achieve success in the NFL.
The post Steve Sarkisian Forced to Damage Control as Quinn Ewers Query Puts Texas HC in Awkward Spot After Massive Blunder appeared first on EssentiallySports.
