Dean's Blog: Bob Stoops Conversation

Bob Stoops made a lot of headlines in the offseason. Some remarks were taken out of context, others exaggerated and a few were intentional zingers.

Don't think that just because the second-winningest coach in OU history caught heat from a vocal minority for slumping to a shared-conference championship that the 'Big Bro' from Youngstown isn't going to speak his mind. If anything, that's when Boom Boom Mancini's childhood buddy pounds his chest and becomes bold and fresh.

He knows his defense must improve. Not proud of it. Fired coaches. But he wonders why his defense gets ridiculed while others in the conference are handled with kid gloves. Or glorified. Stoops isn't bemused, even though that seemed the natural thing to say, when critics scoff at a his alleged 'bad' season.  He'll quickly put dukes-up and point out going 8-1 in the Big 12, while winning the final eight, is a heckuva lot better than other teams who lose four or five and get praised and promoted.

Goes with the territory. If you're gonna walk the boulevard of Bennie, Bud and Barry, you gotta take the bad with the good, because the good's gonna ffaaarrr outweigh the bad. And the pay ain't too shabby.

No, I got the feeling being with the coach 45 minutes the other day that the big dog doesn't mind barking. While some of us question if the bite can match the bark, there' s no doubt Bob Stoops loves wearing a whistle in August. And huddling with a hundred or so sweaty-and-he-thinks-salty Sooners is second only to riding with the wife in the pink Cadillac.

Bob Stoops is in his element. No excuses. Take a listen. You'll find in our interview, just like the offseason headlines, BS isn't selling BS. It's the gospel according to St. Robert.