SB Nation - Adrian Reese

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 08.19.09

Seth C — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:15:23 -0000

Odds and Ends

Possible Auburn Financial Crisis: Pretty interesting read from Chris Brown at Smart Football (did you know that Smart Football has a whole new look and is no longer at blogspot?) about a possible financial crisis for Auburn due to a booster and a member of the board of trustees being in some financial hot water. It's a good read and certainly interesting to consider the possible ramifications of something like this happening at any school.

Texas Tech Football

Stephens Impressing: LAJ's Don Williams features freshman RB Eric Stephens and Captain Mike Leach likes what he has in Stephens:

"Real good," Leach said of Stephens’ camp so far. "Smart guy. Able to put things together quickly. Just real levelheaded for a freshman. He’s been able to step in and not take that whole lack of confidence (approach). He goes out there, does what he can do, and then just learns more each day. I think he’s played impressive."

And fellow freshmen S Will Ford and S Daniel Cobb have some good things to say about Stephens:

"He’s a real shifty running back, has really good speed and he’s really strong," said safety Will Ford, another freshman. "So he’s a power back and a speed back."

Cobb, the freshman safety who dealt Stephens the first blow, had summed up his skill set this way a few days before: "He’s elusive. He’s quick. If you don’t break down (to tackle) on him, he’ll get you."

Personally, I'd love to see Stephens redshirt this year, otherwise you've got both Harrison Jeffers and Stephens on the same graduation path. I know, you always play your best players, but I can't help but think that with Batch, who's injury doesn't appear to be as serious, Aaron Crawford and Jeffers all at the helm, Stephens might not see that much time. Additionally, we constantly hear about how difficult it can be to learn the pass-blocking scheme for a running back and that this can take some time. If Crawford and Jeffers are more proficient in that area, then for myself, Stephens plays unless there is some catastrophic event. By the way, there's also a mention in the article about an Auburn assistant coach trying to come in and sign Stephens away from Texas Tech. It happened with Emory Blake and could have potentially happened with Stephens. Interesting.

Torres Backstory: We've all been somewhat wondering about WR Alexander Torres backstory and the El Paso Times Bill Knight writes a feature on Torres who is battling fellow WR Jacoby Franks for Michael Crabtree's old spot:

"Everything is going good ... going really good," Torres said after arecent Red Raider afternoon session. "Jacoby Franks (a sophomore out of West Orange-Stark) and I are battling for a job, but it's a friendly competition. We talk about the mistakes we are making, point out where the hole was. We're getting equal reps and we give each other a breather. That's the beauty of having the depth we have at wide receiver at Texas Tech."

The feature also discusses Torres walking-on at Texas Tech, his time at the Air Force Academy prep school as well as his time as a quarterback in El Paso (I had forgotten this):

"Coach (Tony) Grijalva (then the Franklin head coach) and all the coaches at Franklin helped me so much," Torres said. "They ran this wide open offense. And it helped me to play quarterback, to see where the holes are, to gain a different perspective, to see coverage differently. I think it has definitely helped me as a receiver."

Go read the whole thing.

Tech Notes: LAJ's Don Williams begins his notes article with the transfer of WR Adrian Reese to Northwestern State and best friend DT Rajon Henley says that Reese made the best decision for himself:

"It’s crazy how things happen — one day be here, and one day be gone,’’ Henley said. "It doesn’t really bother me. I think (Reese) made the best decision for himself, and I support him in anything. I still talk to him.’’

. . . the defense is trying to practice forcing fumbles . . . S Will Ford is working with the first team nickel defense as is CB Taylor Charbonnet . . . DT's David Neill, Pearlie Graves and Myles Wade have all been working with the third team unit . . . converted DT Victor Hunter is causing disruptions along the defensive line . . .

Scouting Practice: RaiderAde's ayleein has a detailed practice report from Monday night's scrimmage and DMN's Chuck Carlton checked in on practice.

Scouting the Enemy: Bring On The Cats previews the Kansas St. Wildcats running backs . . . Corn Nation expresses concern about the Nebraska Cornhuskers offensive line . . . Rock M Nation's Beyond the Box Score previews on the Kansas Jayhawks offense . . . Oread Boom Kings runs through the items that concern him about the Kansas Jayhawks . . . The Tulsa World looks at the Oklahoma St. Cowboys practice . . .

Big 12 Conference: SI.com predicts the Big 12 conference . . . ESPN's Tim Griffin predicts some things for the Big 12 . . .

Texas Tech Baseball

Top Recruits Remain: LAJ's George Watson details that all four players drafted in the MLB draft did not sign with their respective teams and will play for the Red Raiders:

The Red Raiders had four incoming recruits taken in the draft – pitchers Jay Johnson and Brandon Petite out of Canada and Robert Doran from Seward County (Kan.) College and slugger Stephen Hagan from Eastern Oklahoma Junior College.

And Spencer likes his incoming pitchers:

Spencer expects Johnson and Doran to improve their draft standing after just one year at Tech, and with Chad Bettis back in the fold as a junior and expected to be a high draft pick in 2010, Spencer feels that will elevate the program in terms of future recruiting.

As well as Hagan, who could be a huge bat in the lineup:

Spencer said he expects all incoming recruits to make an impact in 2010, especially on the mound. Hagan could be the next top power hitter in the Big 12 Conference after leading the junior college ranks in home runs last season.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 07.13.09

Seth C — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:14:01 -0000

Odds and Ends

Blogging A Career?

This is a really interesting take from SB Nation Clippers blog, Steve Perrin of Clips Nation regarding whether or not blogging is something that can be done as a career. If you ever wanted to know what's going on inside my head internally, then this is a pretty good place to start. For those of you too lazy to click on over, just know that it's not even close to being a career, unless of course I have no bills and don't mind eating a can of tuna fish every day. Maybe someday it will be something that can sustain a family (how awesome would that be?), but for now, it's still just a hobby. And to be clear, I'm very thankful to have the platform that is SB Nation, which offers the best vision for the future, technical team and software.

Birthday Shout-out

Because I have DTN I'm able to give a birthday shout-out to my little brother (a Longhorn) as he turns a very young 25 (I think). Happy Birthday, TJ.

Writing Suggestions

Thanks for some of your writing suggestions from yesterday morning. I do have two email interviews that just happened yesterday and last night that I think you guys are going to enjoy them quite a bit. I'm also going to be going to the Texas coast for some fishing this Friday and won't be back in the saddle until Monday night or Tuesday morning.

Texas Tech Football

Ranking the WR's

AthlonSports.com's Steven Lassan is ranking all of the receiver and Detron Lewis checks in at #5 in the Big 12:

5. Detron Lewis, Texas Tech (JR) — Bye Week: 10 — No. 13 overall WR
With Michael Crabtree moving onto the NFL, the Red Raiders have a plethora of catches up for grabs. Lewis was a solid WR3 last year, catching at least five passes in the final seven games and falling just short of 1,000 receiving yards. Although there is no guarantee Lewis immediately moves into the No. 1 receiver spot for the Red Raiders, he is the most proven option on the roster. Fantasy owners should consider Lewis among the top-15 fantasy receivers with some upside in 2009, including a significant boost in touchdown receptions.

2008 stats - 142.4 fantasy points
Receiving: 76 rec., 913 yds., 3 TDs
Rushing: none

Lyle Leong checks in at #10:

10. Lyle Leong, Texas Tech (JR) — Bye Week: 10 — No. 35 overall WR
With the loss of Michael Crabtree, there are plenty of catches up for grabs in Lubbock this year. Detron Lewis is expected to be the No. 1 option, but there will be at least two other solid fantasy options emerge for the Red Raiders. Leong has only 33 catches in his career, with three of those going for touchdowns last year. Considering more fantasy options will emerge from this receiving corps, fantasy owners would be wise to gamble on one of them on draft day. Leong was also a high school teammate of quarterback Taylor Potts and should catch over 50 passes in 2009.

2008 stats - 47.6 fantasy points
Receiving: 18 rec., 206 yds., 3 TDs
Rushing: none

And the remainder of the list is scattered with Red Raiders, including Tramain Swindall, Edward Britton, Alexander Torres, Eric Ward, Adrian Reese, Adam James, etc.

Davis #10 Most Important Red Raider

Fox34 continues their countdown of most important Red Raiders and S Cody Davis checks in at #10:

More on Sam Harrell's Battle with MS

J. Louise Larson of the Waxahachie Daily Light (hat-tip Tim Griffin) has a lengthy article on Ennis High School head coach and father of QB Graham Harrell, Sam Harrell's battle with multiple sclerosis. You should read the whole thing, but there were two passages that struck me this morning that I wanted to blockquote and feature:

"The thing that's kind of disappointing is that the neurologists here have nothing that really gives you much hope. All they can do is say keep on this medication and hope it slows down, hope it doesn't overtake your whole nervous system before they find a cure," he said.

Snip

Harrell says he's adamant about one thing he has never asked for: sympathy.

"People don't die from MS ... I don't want to make is sound like Poor pitiful me' ... a lot of people are facing tougher things than that.

"It takes away the things you do, but it doesn't take away your life," he said.

Scouting the Enemy

Tremendous work from Year2 of Team Speed Kills, what football was like in 1893.

Georgia Sports Blog Quinton McDawg takes a look at early non-conference opponent Oklahoma State's defense.

Barking Carnival's Scipio Tex previews the Big 12 North.

Tilting at Windmills' ponderos scouts the Nebraska defense.

Five Things // Receiver Options

Seth C — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:00:12 -0000

Five Things is a handful (i.e., five) of thoughts about a single topic. Hopefully, discussion ensues.

Receiver Options

I think this thought is a tad bit ridiculous, but there just seems to be a ton of options at the receiver position, and I'm hoping that we can hopefully work though the options at receiver and clarify who's going to see significant reps at receiver.

1: X

I think most everyone knows the story of Edward Britton's classroom spring struggles (i.e. sitting at a desk on the field in the snow while everyone else practices) but considering the current options at the X position, I think that Britton is by far the best option available. At the end of the spring, Britton's competition at this position was Adrian Reese, Rashad Hawk and Brik Brinker. Of all of the receiver position, this seems to be the least deep of the four, although I would bet that if push came to shove and Britton was injured, I think you'd see someone else, possibly Jacoby Franks or Alex Torres flip over here (probably Franks). Of Britton's backups, I like Hawk's potential the best, but thus far, he's had a tough time getting on the field. Hawk is as skinny and as tall as he's listed (6-4/188) and has a tremendous amount of potential, but thus far, he hasn't put it together just yet. Reese is another guy that has a ton of potential, but again, just hasn't been able to put it together. I'm sure that this is partly because he's really been a player without a position, and I like that the coaching staff is making attempts at getting him on the field. I too think that he could be a nice option in and around the endzone, especially at 6-7, but in the past, Reese has not shown the ability to consistently get open or make tough catches, which is one of the reasons why I think he red-shirted last year. During the spring game, I thought that Reese struggled a bit to get off the line of scrimmage and separate himself although this wouldn't matter as much along the goal line where he would essentially just post-up in the endzone.

2: H

Is anyone going to call me crazy if I think that Tramain Swindall is my candidate for break-out player of the year. I know, he had 46 catches last year so it's not like he's a complete unknown, but this year he should be the guy at the H receiver position taking over for Eric Morris. Again, he's not the typical H receiver in that he's got some good size (6-2/175) and he's a little different than what Texas Tech has previously had at this position. Cornelius Douglas should see plenty of time as Swindall's backup. Douglas is one of those guys that had a little trouble holding on to passes during the spring game, but he he's got a ton of talent, is incredibly shifty, has really good speed and should be a real asset at this position. Adam James, who didn't get much ink during the spring, returns as the blocking H receiver, although I really like what he could bring from this position on a full-time basis.

3: Y

If there's one receiver that has a strangle-hold on any one position, it's Detron Lewis. Lewis is not the athlete that Michael Crabtree is, but I have no doubt that Lewis has the ability to be a special player, although like most players like Lewis, it's not a matter of talent, it's really a question of consistency. Really though, I have no doubt that Lewis will answer most, if not all of those questions in 2009. I'm really comfortable with Lewis being a leader on this team. Of course with Lewis being "the guy" at Y, it conceivably leaves little room for Austin Zouzalik to be a significant player for the Red Raiders. Zouzalik is a former high school quarterback who redshirted last year is supposedly one of the fastest players on the team and displayed the ability to catch just about everything during the spring. I'm not trying to over-rate Zouzalik, but the truth of the matter is if there's a guy that could play just about any position it's Zouzalik and I get the feeling that had he played receiver in high school, he would have been a 3-star receiver rather than getting signed late with Texas Tech. Yep, I think he's that good. Blake Kelley is the last option here and if he's seeing significant time here, then something has gone horribly wrong. Not a knock against Kelley, but there's a ton receiving talent on this Texas Tech team.

4: Z

Perhaps the most important position is the position most up in the air. With the graduation of Michael Crabtree, there really hasn't been just one guy that's jumped up and grabbed the opportunity. Alexander Torres received quite a bit of spring attention, but I don't know if he's the game-breaker that I'd like to see at this position. Of course other receivers excelled at the Z position without being true game-breakers, but he's really solid. Lyle Leong should be the guy that takes over this fall, but he was injured during the spring and so there was opportunity for guys to surpass Leong. Leong played with Taylor Potts, catches everything thrown his way, however, he's been a little bit injury prone and he's not the best physical specimen. Jacoby Franks is another guy that should get some real opportunity here. Franks is one of those guys who looks the part with legitimate size (6-1/194) and speed (4.5) and personally, along with Swindall, is one of the guys that I'm personally cheering for his year. Eric Ward is actually a 2009 signee that walked onto campus during the spring and there was a lot of expectation that Ward would be a guy that could play immediately because he was a 4-star receiver with a ton of hype. Ward's case should show us that it's not always about talent because I have no doubt that he has what it takes, but repetitions and learning the Air Raid system is not something that should be overlooked when we talk about true freshmen making an impact with this offense. It takes time and I have no doubt that Ward is going to be a special player for Texas Tech.

5: Blockers

These guys don't get a ton of attention and this isn't going to be an essay on the blocking receivers for Texas Tech, but I thought they at least needed a mention as they are the unsung group of guys who get the job done blocking in the AirRaid offense. Ryan Hale is probably the best known blocker, along with receiver Adam James. The difference between the two is that James is a much better and smoother receiving threat, but Hale is the better, more punishing blocker. Omar Castillo was moved to tight end during the spring, after spending time at the offensive line last year. I didn't notice Castillo much during the spring game, but he was on the field after the game and if there is one guy that's an absolute physical specimen on this team it's Castillo. I have no idea why Castillo hasn't been able to find a position and stick thus far, but the guy is a legitimate 6-6/270 with very little body fat. I have no expectations from Castillo this year and anything that he can give you would be gravy, but if he could eventually give you a legitimate receiving threat at the goal line, all the while being a devastating blocker, sign me up.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 05.29.09

Seth C — Fri, 29 May 2009 11:37:36 -0000

Odds and Ends

Not So Fast My Friend

ESPN college football analyst Lee Corso suffered a stroke recently. Corso is expected to make a full recovery, but feel free to send good thoughts and mojo Corso's way.

Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp will be in concert on August 8, 2009 at Texas Tech's Jones AT&T Stadium. That sounds like a helluva concert.

BHGP: Tim Brewster, speaking like a champion, and Joe Paterno, in response to Minnesota removing the Iowa ace-whipping last year from the new media guide.

Texas Tech Football

Coaches Vote Now Private

I loved ESPN Big 12 blogger Tim Griffin's stance on the the coaches decision not to make their votes public:

Even more telling was how the coaches viewed Texas Tech, which finished the poll in eighth place. Its highest votes were the second-place ballot cast by Leach and a third-place vote delivered by then-New Mexico State coach Hal Mumme, who has been considered Leach's coaching godfather after hiring him at Iowa Wesleyan in 1989.

Nobody else had the Red Raiders higher than sixth. Among the 12 coaches who had Tech at sixth place were Briles, Chizik, Pelini and Missouri's Gary Pinkel. Texas coach Mack Brown had the Red Raiders eighth.

But their lowest vote was 11th, cast by TCU's Gary Patterson. The Red Raiders delivered a 70-35 whipping to the Horned Frogs in 2004. It remains the most points ever allowed by a Patterson-coached team and the worst defeat in his head-coaching career.

With those factors, can Teaff and the other coaches really make the claim that there won't be agendas in the voting if they aren't released?

Completely agree, making the votes private would be an awful mistake and SI.com's Andy Staples notes that he'll be making public information requests of every public university to continue to hold coaches accountable:

So we're probably stuck with the current system. And come 2010, we'll have a bunch of millionaire coaches too scared to own up to their own ballots. That's OK. Remember, the vast majority of the voters work at public universities. Most states have open records or Freedom of Information Act laws that require the actions of public employees to be recorded and made available for public inspection. Come this fall, I'll be requesting the weekly ballot of every public-school coach in the poll. I imagine many of my colleagues will do the same. Come 2010, we should have the records request thing down pat.

Official Documents

I wasn't sure where to put this, so I'm putting it here. The Congressional Budget Office actually published the paper regarding tax preferences for collegiate sports. This gives me tired-head, but since I ran across it I thought I'd post it. There's a reason why I really don't get all bothered about Joe Barton and his crusade against the BCS or whether or not colleges should be given tax-exempt status or certain advantages to the federal income tax. These things could affect me in some form or fashion, eventually, but it stuff like this makes me want to go to sleep. In any event, feel free to read this to see how the government is wasting lots of time and pointing out the obvious.

Big 12 Stuff

ESPN Big 12 blogger Tim Griffin has a couple of items, first the percentage of returning tackles for each Big 12 team. I get that the correlation between returning tackles = returning starters, which is a big part of predicting the future success of a football team, but does anyone believe that this will be the case with Baylor who returns 80.8% of their returning tackles? Surprisingly, Texas Tech returns 68.9%, which is good for 47th nationally.

Next, the best position groups for each Big 12 team and Griffin chose the receiver position:

Texas Tech's wide receivers: Even after losing two-time Biletnikoff Award winner Michael Crabtree and Eric Morris, the Red Raiders developed several potential playmakers during the spring. Edward Britton appeared to have crawled out of Mike Leach's doghouse with strong late production. New quarterback Taylor Potts should have many productive targets including Detron Lewis, Tramain Swindall, Lyle Leong, walk-on flanker Adam Torres, 6-foot-7 Adrian Reese and redshirt freshmen Austin Zouzalik and Eric Ward. The Red Raiders won't have two players grab the majority of balls like Crabtree and Morris did in recent seasons. Instead, they will feature a more balanced attack featuring eight to 10 receivers capable of thriving in a tag-team approach.

I would tend to agree that this is the deepest position, although I think after this year, the secondary might be one of the deepest and best. But back to the receivers, on Thursday's second hour of Tech Talk they had on ESPN's Bruce Feldman and he too was impressed with the receiver depth and felt that the talent was much better than when he visited the Tennessee Volunteers, which I'm not sure if that's a huge compliment, but the bottom line is that I thougt Feldman came away impressed.

Texas Tech Baseball

Looking to 2010

DT's Chris Martin writes that there was improvement in the 2009 version of the Texas Tech baseball club. Martin talked with assistant coach Trent Petrie who acknowledges that the pitching has to get better:

"We have to get better at pitching," Petrie said. "The teams that win are the teams that can pitch, and we have addressed that issue for next year."
The Red Raiders will lose seven seniors after this season, and Petrie said their hard work and productivity on the field will be missed. However, Petrie acknowledged that the late season push supplied the younger players with invaluable experience.

"We have so many outstanding seniors leaving us this year, but now we will have some guys who know what it takes to get to the conference tournament," Petrie said. "They will just push that much harder."

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 05.19.09

Seth C — Tue, 19 May 2009 10:44:55 -0000

Texas Tech Football

Players to Watch

ESPN's Big 12 blogger Tim Griffin had some items yesterday, up first is ten Big 12 names to remember, mentioning DE Brandon Sesay. I've heard some rumblings that Sesay may also be gone by the time that fall practices rolls around due to grades. There's no doubt that Sesay is immensely talented, but I'm hearing that he may have some work to do to get back into good graces.

Griffin also ponders how much Texas Tech will miss QB Graham Harrell and WR Michael Crabtree:

5. How much will Texas Tech miss Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree? Most are thinking that the loss of Harrell and Crabtree will be too much for the Red Raiders to overcome. But Texas Tech coach Mike Leach has quietly -- at least for him -- maintained that he likes his current group of replacements. Taylor Potts will have more experience coming into the program than any of the one-year players who preceded Harrell. All that group (Sonny Cumbie, B.J. Symons and Cody Hodges) did was average nearly 4,943 yards and 38.3 touchdown passes per season in their only season starting, so maybe Leach's comments should be considered. And at wide receiver, the Red Raiders won't have the overall star power of Crabtree, but will still have capable replacements in players like Detron Lewis, Lyle Leong, Edward Britton, Alex Torres, Adrian Reese and Tramain Swindall who should be ready.

Finally, Griffin tabs WR Adrian Reese as a player to emerge this year:

Texas Tech WR Adrian Reese: After learning more about the Red Raiders' system during his redshirt season, the 6-foot-7, 207-pound Reese blossomed as a capable receiver during the spring. Watch for him to emerge as one of Tech QB Tyler Potts' top receiving threats during 2009.

Perhaps it was only one spring game practice that I saw, but I'm not so sure that Reese is going to be a guy that has a huge role for Texas Tech. Reese could be really valuable in and around the goal line, but honestly, Reese was getting 2nd and 3rd team looks and I can't recall any one special play that he made. If it were me, I would have picked redshirt freshman LT Terry McDaniel who I think is going to have a big impact.

WR Detron Lewis Moving Into Spotlight

Rivals.com's Mike Huguenin thinks that WR Detron Lewis will move into the spotlight this year:

Texas Tech WR Detron Lewis: Usually, when a guy has 76 receptions for 913 yards, he gets a lot of notice. Not so for Lewis, who was lost in the considerable shadow cast by Michael Crabtree last season. Well, Crabtree is gone, and Lewis should be the Red Raiders’ leading receiver this season. A 100-catch, 1,100-yard, 12-TD season is a legit goal for Lewis as he works with new starting quarterback Taylor Potts.

I couldn't agree more.

Graham Harrell, Waiting Patiently and Playing Golf

Abeline Reporter-News' Greg Jaklewicz hooked up with UT's QB Colt McCoy, WR Jordan Shipley, Houston QB Case Keenum and former Red Raider, QB Graham Harrell at the Zach Robinson Memorial Golf Tournament at Abeline Country Club. I'm not going to comment too much on the article, other than to mention that Harrell is still waiting, patiently.

What If Texas Tech Loses to Houston

RRS.com's Joe Yeager wonders what would happen if Texas Tech were to lose to Houston. No offense to Houston, but losing to anyone on the non-conference schedule would be a bad loss in my opinion.

Big 12 AD Meetings

DMN's Chuck Carlton writes that the Big 12 AD meetings will focus on cutting costs.

Red-Black Spring Game Roundup // White Offense

Seth C — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:00:14 -0000

White Offense

Quarterback

All in all, I thought Steven Sheffield looked okay and despite the fact that he's wearing gloves bothers me to no end, I thought he was marginally effective. For the day, Sheffield did a good job of hitting most of his throws, although he didn't test his arm deep and the fact that he only averaged 5.5 yards per attempt is indicative of that lack of a deep threat. Seth Doege (5-11; 50 YDS) had the worst day of the quarterbacks, but he's got to just shake this off. Perhaps it was a little bit of nerves, but never quite looked like he was in rhythm. The three sacks and throwing the ball short way too often was indicative that perhaps he was trying too hard. Although, to give Doege credit, it seems as if that the few times that Doege got the ball, the defensive backs did one of the better jobs in the afternoon in covering up every receiver and only leaving open the running back as the last option, which never amounted to much yardage. The thing about Doege is that he just looks like a quarterback. He passes the "eye test" with me and despite his less than stellar day, I think he's going to be fine. Garrett Riley looked adequate, but he's skinny and a bit short, although I really don't have room to talk. Everyone's taller than me.

Running Backs

Baron Batch is still, at least to me, head and shoulders above any of his competition. I know the competition is pretty good, but being good in college football is a process, I think that Batch is at the pinnacle of the process. The thing that really jumped out about Batch is that he runs north-south with tremendous aggression. That's what I want every running back from here on out to do -- run north-south with tremendous aggression. Harrison Jeffers is more than capable of turning the corner, perhaps like no other that's been through Lubbock, but to me, the difference between being a great running back and an average running back is that an average running back can only do one or the other. A great running back can do both exceptionally well. As far as statistics are concerned, nothing really ground-breaking, although I loved Batch's hit on some unsuspecting defensive back and his touchdown was all determination.

Receivers

Perhaps the reason that Sheffield looked so good was the fact that Detron Lewis was on his team. Not a knock against Sheffield, but Lewis is a pretty special target, and once Sheffield figured out that throwing the ball to him meant yards-after-catch, then he started feeding him the ball. Cornelius Douglas showed a little something. He's one of those guys who is listed at 5'9", but he's at best, 5'8". He's a little guy, and despite the guy has got some moves, but as others have said, he needs to learn to hold onto the ball. Douglas was also the guy taking direct snaps a couple of times as the quarterback, and on one play he looked pretty good, but the second play . . . not so much. I hardly noticed much of anyone else, although there were a couple of plays that Adrian Reese seemed to look like a guy that should dominate, but he just hasn't put it together. I really would like to see Jacoby Franks be more active and getting more looks and he didn't see a ton of passes his way on Saturday.

Offensive Line

I wish I had written down who started at what position, but I'll give it a shot: LT - Brandon Carter; LG - Chris Olson; C - Blake Emert; RG - Deveric Gallington; RT - Joe King. It's already been talked about that Carter may move back to left guard and Olson or McDaniel will move into left tackle. I thought Carter did a good enough job, but it's not matching up with Texas Tech's defensive talent that I'm worried about. Carter may have only been a fraction of what he should be, but I'm still not sold that he has the foot quickness to play left tackle. Carter did flip back to left guard before the the game had Olson filled in nicely. Inside guys, Olson, Emert and Gallington, played well, especially since I really didn't notice any inside guys really whiffing on any blocks inside. They weren't perfect, but they were adequate. I'm also beginning to doubt whether Gallington started, and as I'm thinking about it, I think that Justin Keown may have started at right guard as well. Joe King is struggling to do much of anything right now and he's by far the weakest link on this line. Overall the offense did give up 5 sacks on the day, but we're talking about just Carter being the sole starting lineman in this group, although I like Olson and his potential to be a starter.

Ed. I was pretty tired when I finished writing this. Obviously, there were other players on the White offense that I haven't included, but these are the ones that I noticed while watching the game. Feel free to leave your own thoughts about the White offense and vote in the poll.

Poll

Who was the MVP of the White offense in the Red-Black Scrimmage?

Steven Sheffield

15 votes

Baron Batch

54 votes

Brandon Carter

0 votes

Detron Lewis

20 votes

89 votes | Poll has closed

Double-T Nation Tuesday Morning Football Notes - Real Solid Edition

Seth C — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:54:07 -0000

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Odds and Ends

Spring Game Update

The official Texas Tech website released some more details about Saturday's Red-Black Spring Game, which will include an autograph session after the game:

The Red-Black Game kicks off at 1 p.m., preceded by a free kid's clinic from 11-11:30 a.m. and the alumni game from 11:30-noon. Each event will take place on the turf of Jones AT&T Stadium, and the kid's clinic will involve current members of the Red Raider Football team. Admission is free.

I'll see if I can't find out who's going to play in the alumni game.

Texas Tech Football

Adrian Reese Hopes for "Breakout Year"

LAJ's Don Williams feature story is with junior tight end Adrian Reese, who is moving to split end, is looking towards a breakout season:

"That’s what I’m looking forward to doing, having somewhat of a breakout year,’’ Reese said last week. "I’ve been here, this is going on my fourth year. I have yet to score a touchdown. So I’m going into it with a chip on my shoulder, (having) a little bit to prove.’’

Receivers coach Dennis Simmons likes what Reese brings to the outside receiver spot:

"He gives you a bigger, physical body — a more physical player at that position,’’ Simmons said. "Eddie (Britton) is a home-run hitter with his speed. (Reese) gives you a much more physical, durable guy out there on the perimeter. And then his height, that’s always a plus.’’

And Reese is still adjusting to the position:

"I feel like I have somewhat of an advantage,’’ Reese said. "I’m more of a bigger-type receiver. You don’t find too many DBs that can match up with me. I feel like I can bring an advantage when we go goal line — just throw a jump ball and be a little bit more physical at the line.’’
In Tech’s offense, the split end always lines up to the left side of the formation and the "Y’’ inside receiver — what Reese played in the past —is always anchored to the right. One of the adjustments, then, is that Reese is learning to catch passes over the other shoulder.

He said there also seems to be more reading of coverages at split end.

"Now I’ve got to see what the cornerback’s doing, what coverages they’re dropping into,’’ he said. "Just little things like that, that’s probably the biggest adjustment I’ve had.’’

Receivers Adjusting

DT's Alex Ybarra writes about how the receiving group is adjusting to life without Harrell & Crabtree. Ybarra talks with Detron Lewis who said he's frustrated with how he's receiving passes:

"I talked to coach about that (Monday), I told him I was a little frustrated in one-on-ones and (skeleton drills) with how the ball was thrown," said Lewis, who is one of the more experienced receivers in a young, talented stable. "I just talk to him on the regular about it, and he just tells me to control what I can control, and that's all I do."

But goes on to say that he understands it's a progression:

"I know it's a progression, they all need that experience," Lewis said. "I bet Graham, his sophomore year when he first started, I bet he wasn't just like he was his senior year. I just know it's a progression, and (Potts) is gonna get better as each day goes by."

Ybarra mentions the same thing that I was thinking, which is that although Taylor Potts is not lighting the world on fire, the receivers have dropped plenty of passes this spring. Receivers coach Lincoln Riley seems to agree that there's plenty of blame to go around:

"Just guys not doing their job, not trusting what their job is, what their responsibility is," Riley said. "When you go against the defense, the same guys for several practices in a row you almost feel the need to do something different or try something different.
"We just gotta have confidence and faith in what we've been coached to do and go out and do it every time and not try to do anything different than that."

Ybarra also goes into detail about a depth chart if the season were to start today:

X: Edward Britton and Adrian Reese
H: Tramain Swindall, Adam James and Cornelius Douglas
Y: Detron Lewis and Austin Zouzalik
Z: Alex Torres and Jacoby Franks

Red Raiders Football Notebook

LAJ's Don Williams' Red Raiders Football Notebook talks about a number of items, including a good day for Taylor Potts:

Taylor Potts had a good day running the offense and the Captain was pleased:
"I thought Potts was real solid,’’ Tech coach Mike Leach said. "I thought Potts had a very good day. (Steven) Sheffield and (Seth) Doege both did some good things, but then they get impatient and try to make too much happen.’’
Left tackle Brandon Carter returned to practice.
Receiver Rashad Hawk is moving inside and outside to fill in where needed.
Donnie Carona is being worked as a punter to push Jonathan LaCour.

Mr. Crabtree is Just Fine

For those of you worried about Michael Crabtree's draft status (i.e. not you guys), don't be as there appears to be that Mr. Crabtree's stock is just fine. Yahoo! Sports Charles Robinson (hat-tip pcrawttu), ESPN the Magazine's Seth Wickersham and SI's Peter King (page 4) have all talked with NFL talent evaluators and here's the consensus:

He's pretty good.

Neglected Video, Audio and Photos

Tech Talk's last third of the first hour and the entire second hour was Texas Tech football, although there was nothing ground-breaking. A very nice interview in the second hour with running backs coach Clay McGuire.

Fox34 with a practice report from yesterday.

DT's report on receivers:

Receivers still confident despite loss of Crabtree, Morris from Daily Toreador on Vimeo.

Texas Tech Thursday Morning Football Notes - Coached By One of the Best Edition

Seth C — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:48:33 -0000

LaCour Irritated

LAJ's Don Williams sits down with sophomore punter Jonathan LaCour and he's irritated at the wind and according to Williams, the average wind speed since practice started is 17 m.p.h. Welcome to Lubbock. Here's Jonathan LaCour:

"It’s pretty irritating,’’ LaCour said after one of last week’s workouts, "because no matter how I drop the ball, the wind’s going to take it, the nose of the ball’s going to go down, the ball’s going to shift to the side, and then I have to match my foot up with it.’’

New special teams coach Eric Russell says that this LaCour is talented, but inconsistent:

Asked for an early impression of LaCour, Russell said, tongue in cheek: "He probably kicks better the more you yell at him.
"Talented leg. Pretty athletic, just inconsistent,’’ Russell said. "But he’s got the tools to be a good Big 12 punter. It’s just getting through some mental stuff — just letting him trust his ability to turn it loose instead of thinking his way through kicks.’’

LaCour is also disappointed by his performance last year and I thought that this was pretty interesting about LaCour's mental aspect to the game:

LaCour said his spring objective is as much about improving his mental approach as anything mechanical. He wants to work on relaxing and doing what comes naturally.
"It’s just stuff I’m doing on my own,’’ he said. "I considered talking to a sports psychologist, just to keep me relaxed and clearheaded, but I think I’ll be able to keep myself like that.’’

Russell said he thinks LaCour is hungry and likes that he wasn’t happy with how he performed last season. Now they’re trying to work through LaCour’s tendency to overthink and try to be too perfect.

Safety Spots

DT's Alex Ybarra takes a look at the safeties, RS freshman Cody Davis and sophomore Franklin Mitchem. Ybarra re-tells the story about making the hit on Ed Britton, jarring the ball loose and snagging the ball out of the air for the interception:

"That's what I try and do," said Davis, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound redshirt freshman from Stephenville. "I think that's an up-and-coming staple of my game, I guess, just trying to make a loud hit and come downhill."

And Mitchem:

"I feel a little bit of pressure, because it's my first time starting for a Big 12 school," Mitchem said. "We got the best competition out there in the country, next to the SEC, so we gotta bring our game any time."

And defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill completely trusts safeties coach Carlos Mainord:

"(Mainord's) done well everywhere he's been, from college to pros and back to college," McNeill said. "So they're being coached by one of the best. (The safeties) face a top offense in the country every day passing-wise, and total offense-wise, so anything that they'll see in the fall, they will have no doubt have seen in the spring from our offense."

Red Raider Football Notebook

LAJ's Don Williams has a number of notes from yesterday's practice:

Rashad Hawk is in the doghouse, as are some of the regular players and as of right now, this is who saw the most time during the 50 play 11-on-11 scrimmage:
"It’s just a competitive situation," head coach Mike Leach said. "We’re looking at all of them, and we’ve got a variety of (passing drills) going on. But at each position, whoever the two are that we feel like are on top, those are the guys we’re repping."
On Wednesday, that was [Edward] Britton and Adrian Reese at split end, Detron Lewis and Austin Zouzalik at one inside receiver, Tramain Swindall and Cornelius Douglas at the other, and Alex Torres and Jacoby Franks at flanker.
Grad assistant Chris Hudler is moving on to a full-time coaching job in Mesquite, Texas or where his brother coaches in Louisiana. Good luck Chris.
Cameron Ely, a 6-6/230 quarterback from Harvard is looking at walking-on at Texas Tech. Someone with more time than me, look something up on him.
Quarterbacks were much better, although Taylor Potts did throw a couple of interceptions. I'm still not worried about Potts, I think it's natural to struggle in the offense when the quarterback is thrust into the starting role. I think it's a natural progression for the quarterback. I'm not even close to being in panic mode.

Neglected Video, Audio and Photos

Fox34 files a practice report from yesterday and Brandon Carter (not in pads) was back at practice, while the focus of the story is on RS freshman linebacker Tyrone Sonier.

The LAJ has a great set of photos from yesterday's practice.

Red vs. Black, Spring Position Battles: Receiver

Seth C — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:03:09 -0000

A position-by-position look at the Texas Tech Red Raiders heading into spring practice. "Classifications" are based on entering school next fall. "Probable Roles" are merely guesses and welcome comments, thoughts and suggestions.

RECEIVER

X	Edward Britton	Rashad Hawk	Aaron Fisher	Derrick Mays
Height:	6-1	6-4	6-3	6-1
Weight:	174	183	175	170
Classification:	Senior	Sophomore	Freshman	Freshman
Probable Role:	Starter	Second String	Probable Redshirt	Definite Redshirt

I'm a little curious as to exactly how this is going to work, on all four positions. In any event, I think this is Britton's spot without a doubt. Britton does a great job of stretching the field and there were games where he simply disappeared and he cannot afford to do that without a Michael Crabtree complimenting him on the other side. I would really like to see him work on his mid-range game.

I love Hawk's natural ability and this is the perfect position for him, especially with his height and general athletic ability. Hawk needs to make a name for himself this year, he needs to assert himself.

Maybe it's just me, but I see Fisher as being a guy that has the game of an inside receiver, but the body of an outside receiver. I know that I have him outside for now, but I could envision where he moves inside at some point in his career and Ward moves outside (more on him later). I know that suggesting Fisher goes inside and Ward moves outside goes against conventional thinking, thus far, but Leach & Co. generally put the guys on the field where they feel like will perform best and I just see Fisher being a great inside receiver target.

Mays is a burner in the mold of Edward Britton. I have no doubt that Mays will sit this year out, but he has the potential to step into this role in due time.

H	Eric Ward	Cornelius Douglas	Adam James	Adrian Reese
Height:	5-11	5-9	6-3	6-7
Weight:	190	190	217	207
Classification:	Freshman	RS Freshman	Sophomore	Senior
Probable Role:	Battling to Start	Battling to Start	First Tight End	Second Tight End

Part of me thinks that there's no way that Ward starts, especially as a true freshman, but Ward is talented enough to do so. So, right now, I have Ward as a slot receiver, but traditionally, Texas Tech's most talented receiver plays the "X" position, and I think that Ward grows into that role in due time. When we learned that Crabtree was a little over 6-0, I started thinking that Ward's dimensions are similar and although I can't verify that Ward's 40-time is actually 4.4, that is a bit better than Crabtree's listed 40-time of 4.5. We're all expecting that Ward stays inside, but is it possible that to truly utilize his speed, he needs to be on the outside? In any event, Ward is an incredible talent and it would not surprise me to see him on the field immediately.

Douglas is an interesting guy. He played quarterback, cornerback and returned punts for his high school squad. No one really knows that Douglas can do, other than those who have watched Thursday night practices. The biggest question mark is if Douglas is ready to produce as a starter after only one year at the position (sound familiar?). If there is one thing that we know, it's that he's a football player, and he makes plays. Guys like that get on the field.

I've lumped James and Reese here together. Initially I had James starting and was talked out of it, although I think that part of Leach would like to see what happens if he had a blocking tight end starting at the slot receiver. Would this open up some running lanes, create some mis-matches on the field with James probably going up against a smaller defensive back? I may be alone on this, but I think it's a possibility. It's been a long time since Reese caught a pass and I wonder if he's physically big enough to play the tight end position. Hopefully, he's gained some weight, and if he's at all competent catching the ball, he could be a tremendous red-zone target.

Y	Detron Lewis	Jacoby Franks	Austin Zouzalik	Landon Hoefer
Height:	6-0	6-1	6-1	6-1
Weight:	209	194	181	200
Classification:	Junior	Sophomore	RS Freshman	Senior
Probable Role:	Starter	Battling for Second String	Battling for Second String	Fourth String

This is another position, where I think I'm going against conventional wisdom after Lewis. There's no doubt that Lewis starts and he's projected to be the star of the receiving corp. He has the most returning catches and yards of the returning receivers, but only managed 3 touchdowns this past year. Lewis has to focus on figuring out how to get in the endzone because 3 touchdowns just isn't going to do the trick. There's no reason why Lewis can't improve those numbers and a big reason why they were so low was because Crabtree was simply gifted at getting in the endzone.

I think most folks have Franks as an outside guy, but he's got similar size to Lewis, and is actually a bit faster than Lewis. I could see Franks moving inside just to take advantage of a relative lack of experienced depth at both inside receiver spots, especially if it takes Ward a little longer to adjust to the college game. Franks is someone to watch this spring, without a doubt.

Zouzalik is another former quarterback turned slot receiver. Supposedly, Zouzalik may be the fastest guy on the team (electronically timed at 4.38) and if Leach was looking to really run the wildcat formation with a legitimate passing threat (2,908 yards passing his senior year) and running threat (971 yards rushing his senior year), then Zouzalik is your guy. Much like Douglas, Zouzalik is a playmaker and it would not surprise me to see him on the field in some capacity this year, whether it be in punt or kickoff coverage, returning punts or kickoffs, or catching passes.

Honestly, I don't know much about Hoefer and if he played it would be generally in mop-up duty.

Z	Lyle Leong	Tramain Swindall	Rashad Hawk	Eric Ward
Height:	6-1	6-3	6-4	5-11
Weight:	165	175	183	190
Classification:	Junior	Sophomore	Sophomore	Freshman
Probable Role:	Probable Starter	Battling for Second String	Battling for Second String	A Possibility

Keep in mind that Leong and Potts were high school teammates and Leong's best attribute is that he catches everything, a trait that I'm sure Potts and every other quarterback is well aware. Also a tremendous high-jumper, Leong has the ability to go get passes and this is another attribute that will come in handy for a first-year quarterback. Leong doesn't have break-away speed and I believe that there was a time during 2008 that Leach pushed him back to the scout team, so putting Leong first isn't an absolute, although he may have the most talent of the candidates.

Swindall is similar to Leong in that he doesn't have the speed of Crabtree, but at 6-3, he should be a guy that excels at the outside receiver position. Coming out of high school, Swindall needed to add quite a bit of weight, but he's a guy that should excel out the outside simply because he should normally have a distinct size advantage over his opponent.

I've got Hawk backing up on both outside positions and think that the staff will decide on one position or another, but for now, I could see where he might play both at first.

This is a contingency plan, although I realize that there's quite a few players who are capable of playing outside and putting Ward here may be a bit redundant. My general thought is that if Ward is your best playmaker, and by all accounts, he is the highest rated player at receiver, and the X receiver is traditionally your best playmaker, then perhaps this is the position that he should play.

FINAL THOUGHTS

There's probably quite a few arguments about where a player should be slotted and we'll more than likely have quite a few answers after spring practice is completed. There's a ton of athleticism at the receiver position, perhaps more than any other time that I can remember at Texas Tech.

Thanks to kayakyakr for helping out.

Previous Battles: Quarterback :: Running Back ::

SB Nation - Adrian Reese

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 08.19.09

Odds and Ends

Texas Tech Football

Texas Tech Baseball

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 07.13.09

Odds and Ends

Blogging A Career?

Birthday Shout-out

Writing Suggestions

Texas Tech Football

Ranking the WR's

Davis #10 Most Important Red Raider

More on Sam Harrell's Battle with MS

Scouting the Enemy

Five Things // Receiver Options

Receiver Options

1: X

2: H

3: Y

4: Z

5: Blockers

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 05.29.09

Odds and Ends

Not So Fast My Friend

Texas Tech Football

Coaches Vote Now Private

Official Documents

Big 12 Stuff

Texas Tech Baseball

Looking to 2010

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 05.19.09

Texas Tech Football

Players to Watch

WR Detron Lewis Moving Into Spotlight

Graham Harrell, Waiting Patiently and Playing Golf

What If Texas Tech Loses to Houston

Big 12 AD Meetings

Red-Black Spring Game Roundup // White Offense

White Offense

Quarterback

Running Backs

Receivers

Offensive Line

Who was the MVP of the White offense in the Red-Black Scrimmage?

Steven Sheffield

Baron Batch

Brandon Carter

Detron Lewis

Double-T Nation Tuesday Morning Football Notes - Real Solid Edition

Odds and Ends

Spring Game Update

Texas Tech Football

Adrian Reese Hopes for "Breakout Year"

Receivers Adjusting

Red Raiders Football Notebook

Mr. Crabtree is Just Fine

Neglected Video, Audio and Photos

Texas Tech Thursday Morning Football Notes - Coached By One of the Best Edition

LaCour Irritated

Safety Spots

Red Raider Football Notebook

Neglected Video, Audio and Photos

Red vs. Black, Spring Position Battles: Receiver

RECEIVER

X

Edward Britton

Rashad Hawk

Aaron Fisher

Derrick Mays

H

Eric Ward

Cornelius Douglas

Adam James

Adrian Reese

Y

Detron Lewis

Jacoby Franks

Austin Zouzalik

Landon Hoefer

Edward
Britton

Rashad
Hawk

Aaron
Fisher

Derrick
Mays

Eric
Ward

Cornelius
Douglas

Adam
James

Adrian
Reese

Detron
Lewis

Jacoby
Franks

Austin
Zouzalik

Landon
Hoefer

Lyle
Leong

Tramain
Swindall

Rashad
Hawk

Eric
Ward