Texas Tech Thursday Morning Football Notes - Even Better On Offense Edition

by Seth C on May 15, 2008 6:23 AM CDT in Football

Texas Tech Football:

Up first, New Era Scouting's Matt Miller (also of Mocking the Draft) previews the Big 12 Conference. First, I understand the perception that Texas Tech is an up and coming program, perhaps this year's squad is expected to be one of the best in the school's history, but Miller seems to ignore that perception and lump the Red Raiders in the lower half of the conference. That's just odd that Miller would ignore the preseason hype, especially when it seems more warranted than in previous years because we are actually talking about the defense. Quite simply, we know the offense is going to be good, but with a defense that can actually stop a few folks (crossing fingers), and I think they will, is something this should be mentioned.

I'm also still not sure about the lack of offensive linemen who get mention on either the All-Conference team. I shake my head when Louis Vasquez isn't even mentioned on either team, and I think Rylan Reed, were it not for the injury, would be one of the best linemen in the conference. Shawn Byrnes is mentioned as the first team center, but the latest from the spring is that Stephen Hamby may take Byrnes' job.

I also wonder about Bradford as the first team quarterback, personally, I think that Chase Daniel is the conference's best quarterback. He wins and he puts up numbers, but I think that right now, Harrell is a better quarterback than Bradford. Bradford is no slouch, I just don't think he's the best quarterback in the conference.

Defensively, I get it. No players deserve to be on either team. The Red Raiders have got to prove it and I've got no problem with that.

Texas Tech makes ESPN's Mark Schlabach list of Three Things I Can't Wait to See This Fall:

With QB Graham Harrell and WR Michael Crabtree returning, Texas Tech might be even better on offense than it was a year ago. Red Raiders coach Mike Leach believes a handful of juco transfers will make his defense up front, giving them a legitimate chance to compete for a Big 12 South title.

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matt miller

is a dumbass.

There, I said it.

That may be the worst preseason ranking/preview I have ever seen. He's also totally in love with Sam Bradford.

by kayakyakr on May 15, 2008 8:46 AM CDT 0 recs

Wow! Really??

This Matt Miller guy just has absolutely no clue! It looks like he just did zero research on the Big 12 before he wrote this garbage! Look at the unit rankings. He has the Aggies at 3rd in offensive line??? What??? Isn't that one of their major negatives right now? And Tech 3rd in receivers??? Huh??? I usually never comment on much, but this garbage ruined my morning. Sorry to cut loose like that on my first comment on here.

by rbiggers on May 15, 2008 10:23 AM CDT 0 recs

yup

same deal with the UT recievers.

4 new linemen for the aggies

4 new receivers for the longhorns.

But that's ok, sam bradford is the best

by kayakyakr on May 15, 2008 12:43 PM CDT up 0 recs

that guy

has no credibility now.

I'm not sure he ever did.

But definitely not now.

by ayleein on May 15, 2008 1:22 PM CDT 0 recs

matt miller & return game question

all good points. Here's another one that makes me wonder what year he is evaluating.

Tech is 2nd on special teams. This is the same team that has lost their most consistent kicker.

Speaking of special teams. Why isn't Koby Lewis utilized as a kick or punt returner? He's supposed to be one of the fastest players and seems to be the one player that shows signs of Barry Sanders like moves. His small size is perfect for punt return skills to hide behind blockers while gaining speed down the fied. Morris is okay but doesn't seem to have the start stop capabilities which is critical with the return game.

by ashton99 on May 15, 2008 1:40 PM CDT 0 recs

return game

I think the reason why Eric Morris shared punt returns with Danny is that the tech coaches favor dependability in the PR unit: They want players who will field the ball and pick up 5 or 10 yards rather than a player who'll sometimes gain 30-40 yards on a punt return but also muff punts and lose yardage.

I believe that Jamar Wall and Crabtree are both planning on trying for punt return duties for next season. Additionally, speed isn't the only thing that matters on a return. Kick returns want a fast guy that can take a hit and keep moving since the defense is often spread across the field. Punt returns like shifty guys because there is much less room to run and more people that you have to avoid.

We tried Todd Walker at KR, and he's one of the fastest guys on the team, but that didn't work for us. Britton's probably the best returner we have for kickoffs: Fast, can catch the ball most of the time, and can absorb a hit and keep moving.

Lewis has a fair number of highlight reel runs, but more often he gets swallowed by the first guy near him. I could see him being a decent punt returner, though, if he can be dependable and a good decision maker.

by kayakyakr on May 15, 2008 1:58 PM CDT up 0 recs

Return game

Britton was awesome all year long returning kicks. He was one broken tackle away from taking about 4 to the house last year. I really like him in the return game because he gets to full-speed quickly, and rarely changes direction. He runs very strong. I think Britton could very well take a few back this year!

Morris is as solid as they get when it comes to fielding punts. He never drops them, and if given some space, he has just enough quicks to get a few yards. Obviously, he isn't a best guy at taking them to the house, but that isn't what he is asked to do. Solid, dependable, reliable.

I think Wall is a really good candidate for punt returns (when backing up Morris). Wall has great ball skills, and was a pretty darn good running back in high school.

I have mixed feelings about putting Crabtree back there. On one hand, I think that him returning kicks/punts is no more dangerous than running a crossing route. On the other hand, if he were to be put back there and actually get injured, it would kill this team and question Leach's decisions. We have adequate talent to do the job, but the selfish part of me wants to put Crabtree back there and let him work his magic. Who knows, maybe we will get to see him do it!

liquidsmoke

by liquidsmoke on May 15, 2008 7:51 PM CDT up 0 recs

What if we

vote on positions, like kick returner and punt return in a feature this summer? Seems like there's lots of opinions on what we need as a returner. After the upgrade, I'll get right on this.

Go Raiders . . .

by Seth C on May 15, 2008 9:53 PM CDT up 0 recs

nothing to do with the subject, but

saw this of a 2009 tech commit, Daniel Cobb:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63AfJJ3GF80

by kayakyakr on May 15, 2008 1:44 PM CDT 0 recs

looks good if he can do that against UT and OU

I agree on K Lewis being a better fit at punt returns. He reminds me of Johnnie Mack.

They should attempt to use Crabtree on the returns for a couple of the joke non-conf games to see how he performs. It would give him a real shot at the heisman. Risk of injury or not there's enough talent to take over.

Thanks for the feekback

by ashton99 on May 15, 2008 3:15 PM CDT up 0 recs