Stoops gets to put Dilfer controversy to rest

TULSA -- Bob Stoops sat down in a conference room at the OU-Tulsa Schusterman Center to meet with the media before OU's Sooner Caravan stop this evening.

A lot of the reporters and cameras in the room were there to capture Bob Stoops' comments on Trent Dilfer's recent comments about OU's offense during the NFL Draft.

Before Stoops was even asked about Dilfer, it was clear he was ready to defend his program and the way OU develops quarterbacks.

SCOOPHD: BOB STOOPS DEFENDS OFFENSE AFTER TRENT DILFER COMMENTS

"We've got a good background, and I'm not being boastful here, we have had a good track record with quarterbacks," said Stoops was he was asked a leadoff question about the quarterback battle developing this fall. "We've won eight Big 12 championships with six different quarterbacks, and been to four national championships with three different quarterbacks."

It didn't take long for media members to go ahead and open up the Dilfer questions.

"I do not hold (Landry Jones) accountable for what happened last year," said Dilfer during the NFL Draft. "The offense is a joke. It's spitball. The receivers are brutal. The playcalling is brutal."

"I don't have much of an opinion on their opinion," said Stoops, who was just about to give his opinion. "I thought Carey stated it the best. Admittedly, he didn't watch him as a senior. Well, how many general managers don't watch a quarterback as a senior? That doesn't make much sense"

It seems Stoops also took the most offense at Dilfer's accusation that the OU receivers were "brutal".

"In the end, the quality of our receivers was drastically improved from the year before," Stoops said. "In fact, we had one of the better groups in the country from the year before.

"The offense was much different than it was in the year before. So, you guys are all more than capable of formulating your opinions, and agreeing or not agreeing with his comments on our offense."

By now, the story has gotten stale. But at least Stoops has had his say.

Stoops needed to defend his program and his offense.

So he did.

"Listen, we've been around here a long time," said Stoops. "I've got tight ends in the NFL. Jermaine Gresham, Brody Eldridge.  Trent Smith was an All-Big 12 tight end. We've had a lot of them. We play to our personnel.

"We had some young guys (in 2012). We had a new guy from junior college. We weren't the same with them on the field. Our best grouping was with wide receivers, which was quite obvious to anybody who watched us."

That was where Stoops took his final swing at Dilfer's rant.

"Who watched us, and didn't just," Stoops stopped there, emphasizing the fact Dilfer said he disregarded Landry's 2012 film. "In the end, (watching) matters. It's not disheartening."

Jones is now a Pittsburgh Steeler and Stoops was quick to point out how happy he was for his quarterback over the last four years.

Stoops had his say and he was ready to move on. Just as he knows a single rant by an ESPN analyst won't drag down his program.

"So what? That doesn't matter to me," said Stoops of the entire ordeal. "That's an opinion. Hopefully people are smart enough to know it doesn't have to be correct."