Dear fellow DTNers, It would appear that my cable providor, Verizon, is the first and so far only providor to take on LHN.  It pisses me off because Verizon is the absolute best cable/internet I have ever had and I don't want to lose it even as a matter of principle.  So what I "think" I'm going to do is call them and threaten to get DirecTV if they don't remove the $2.00 or whatever they are going to charge us for Whoren TV.  If many of us who have Verizon do this, maybe they'll refund the 2 bucks for us so I can sleep at night.  I kind of resent that I don't have access to NFL Sunday Ticket anyhow, so maybe I'll go ahead and switch anyway.  What do y'all think?

Who all plans to attend?

This is the first time I've gone to a Sring Game and I want to see what's going on as far as things to do because I'm bringing my brother-in-law and nephew.  I don't want this to be a boring experience for them because the nephew is 16 and is dying to go to Tech and be in the band because I've taken him to games and he loves the "Fall" game day experience.  Also, do y'all know if the Alumni pavillion will let my nephew in, because that would be cool to watch the NCAA's in there before the game.  Anybody tailgating?  Can I bring some beer or something, I just bought a 1.75 liter bottle of Makers Mark on sale:)  I've never tailgated before.  Anybody hanging out afterwards?  I'll be in my "Official DTN" Tee shirt assuming the weather cooperates. 

OK, I know we had this thread last week, but it's sunk off the first page and I need to know if we're gonna have some peeps at the Two Brothers' Preston @ 121 location.  I have three people if anyone else is planning on being there, please speak now so we'll know whether we should show up or stay at home and watch it.  I stress about watching at sports bars because I have to get there real early for a good seat and all..... 

I've been Double T Nation stalking for the past week (reading without posting much). I have noticed a great deal of people saying we could get a Defensive guy, and keep our great Offense and be even better. What I think many people are forgetting, or perhaps have never even contemplated is one critical recruiting issue. At Tech, at our current position/ranking in college ball hierachy, it's one or the other, not both. We are a place that has never recruited the blue chips, but one thing the past/current regime COULD do is get enough talented kids for ONE side of the ball. teams like OU and UT are putting kids as fast and possibly talented on their defense as the kids we have on offense. They have the luxury of taking a kid as talented as a Michael Crabtree and making him a corner or free safety (if you remember, thats what they would have done with Crabs if he were to go there). It is foolish, IMHO to believe that anyone short of Jimmy freaking Johnson or Urban Meyer could recruit the studs like Texas and OU have on both sides of the ball (to Tech). So Jeff, if your hypothesis is correct, what do we do? Well, if you can't out athlete them, then you have to out smart them, with both scheme and player intelligence. There is, I believe, a correlation between our ascending graduation rate and upward trend in the win collumn. Win with a coach that has a better way of doing things and win with smart kids who will execute their assignments relentlessly, with heart to boot. There's my two cents.

OK DTN, and Tech Bretheren, and you gals out there, forget about last week's let down and forget about the current situation we have with quartebacks and let's discuss what "type" of QB may best suit the Red Raiders in this ever changing college football landscape.  I may use current and past personnel as examples here, but we 're mostly looking to the future.  Mike Leach has revolutionized the way football is played in the Big 12 and we see forms of our offense creeping into the schemes of many other teams.  Our offense, when clicking, is hard to stop, but folks in the Okla-Tex region and beyond are getting better and better at defending it.  Also, I like to compare our offense to the late '90s Texas Rangers teams.  They hit the homerun and won alot of games with offense, but when you get to the playoffs, good pitching/defense always wins out, put another way, when our offense isn't clicking for whatever reason, we can't do much else and we're sunk.  THIS is where my attention shifts to the type of QB we have.  Randy Galloway here in DFW is fond of saying, in reference to the NFL, "This league's all about the Quarterback." and folks, so is OUR offense, and as it appears when you look to team chemistry, field position, and the time the D spends on the field, our whole identity as a team is about the Quarterback.   

We're not the Steelers, what I mean is, we're not going to get 14 points from pick six's and fumble recoveries a game.  If our O stinks, it affects the entire team, but look at how those SEC teams win ugly with field goals and even Texas and OU sport some great defenses than can cover for a not so perfect offensive performance.  That's not going to happen here, at least not for a very long time, because those teams take kids talented and fast enough to be on the Texas Techs of the world's offense and puts them on defense.  Seeing Steven Sheffield the past few weeks has put an idea into my head though (Not a cannon, but touch, a fiest gamer, mobile, inspires the rest of the team).  Now that we're not so revolutionary and maybe getting a bit stale, the way I see it, two things can be done to improve our offense, A, B, or both A and B, hopefully.  A is a simple idea, getting even more and more TALENT into this offense.  Can't argue with that, so long as we ensure that talent comes with the character kids we've had, talent will make us progress to the next "level."  B is the mobile QB.  Now I'm not talking about the Vince Young type of mobile QB who is iffy on the pass and runs the option read, I'm talking about the pass-first mobile quarterback that's kind of like Colt McCoy, but more accurate down the field.  Here come the divergent view of you DTN readers.....We've all been waiting for the classic pocket QB who can stand and deliver darts, and possibly with last years' line that would suit us well, though even GH had to scramble to throw at times with THAT line.  But do we really need to have a 6'5" stud to blow through here and get drafted in the 1st round to legitimize our program, and debunk the "system QB" myth?  I think not.  College football is not a beauty pageant when it comes to "winning."  Talk to me about rankings some other time.  But some of the greatest college quarterbacks were people like Doug Flutie, Steve Young, Vince Young, http://cfn.scout.com/2/561911.html  If you click this link, you'll see alot of great college quarterbacks that were not neccecarilly succesful in the NFL, though some were.  Guys that are gamers are what is needed in the college game and I want to elaborate on this, but I feel y'all know exactly what I'm talking about here and we can discuss this.  I do, however understand that after seing Sheffield go down for a few weeks, that part of why Leach's offense is consistent is BECAUSE the QB stays in the pocket and gets rid of the ball, thus not getting takled much.  Can we find a kid who can scramble when he has to, when the defensive alignment calls for an obvious QB draw to keep the D honest?  How much better would we be with a QB who can roll out and help the O-Line from time to time?  Would an option twice a game make us that much harder to prep for? (Not too much cause a guy named "Sticks" couldn't take too many decleaters)  Does rolling out of the pocket take away half of the field?  All questions and comments I look forward to seeing.

Improve what we do and execute to perfection, or tweek this baby and see what happens?        

I know we have a dedicated post for buying and selling tickets, but I was affraid many of you may not check that thread unless you needed tickets soon.  SO, I have been remodeling my house and a rent house and couldn't afford to buy my Baylor, KU, and OSU (away) tickets until now, however, Tech's allotment for Jerry World are sold out, directs me to Ticketmaster, which sends me back to Tech.  There are  none on Stubhub, but Baylor's official site has the quantity and price range I want ($60, I'm taking 4 people).  A.) Is there ANYWHERE else from which I can purchase my tickets?  B.)  Would it be right proper to buy my tix from Baylor and plant my big, fat, Catholic, Scarlet and Black clad arse amongst the Fightin' Baptists?  Will they try to "SAVE" me :) Just kidding, we're all Texans here.  Seriously.....JUST joking.  Anyway, I'm in a pickle here because we're suppused to take the in-laws and we already have scheduled a stadium tour for the Friday before the game so I would really be persona non grata around casa del Plano Jeff if I have to resort to throwing up a Hail Mary for scalped tickets.  HELP! (please) 

My father attended and graduated Tech in the early 1950's.  I know what a gentleman he was and I know he and his friends certainly couldn't have smuggled flasks into the stadium as his son would 40 years later.  Now I'm not saying it's a good or bad thing in reference to when we crossed the line from ra ra beanie wearing students to, "YOU SUCK!"  Some of you may remember in the early nineties, at the Dickie Dome, when after they announced Bob Smith from State U, we'd all chant,"Hi Bob, You Suck!"

I understand that our student section has become quite the hostile environment and I accept that it is an asset to our team, but how do some of you older fellows (and young alike) feel about the debauchery in the stands?  I'm over on the home side under the press box, so I haven't been in the sea of students in awhile.

I always notice if cars on the freeways and tollways up here in DFW have a little chrome Double T, aTm, or Longhorn.  This is a trend I'm seeing just in the past few years as before, there were only window stickers, and I'm guessing some people with nice cars didn't want stickers on their cars and the new chrome logos are a little more classy.  Anyway, I'm wondering if it's just me, or if you fellow DTNers are noticing more TECH emblems lately.  I've only been in North Texas for 3 years, so sometimes when I'm in traffic from say Ft. Worth up 121 to Plano, I'll keep a mental tally of the three logos mentioned above and it's usually about a 2:3:4 ratio for TTU, TAMU, UT.  Further, if there is indeed an upward trend, are the actual alums we have just more proud because of recent success in football? Or, are we getting "fans" who are sporting the logo.  These are the trivial things that float through my mind and I have this kind of time on a random Thursday at my office.  Houston, Austin, SA, and EP Raiders please chime in.  It's 4 months from September and my Rangers are already below 500.  Surely we can chat about this slight tangent.

Of course that is a rhetorical question, but I have to honestly question the soundness or intelligence of the people advising this young man.  If he and his father would have sat down with a real sage/NFL expertise type person and analyzed "honestly" his whole situation, would that person have said: "Mike, you know you have this injury which you've dealt with for over a year.  People are wary of shelling out $30 million to a 21 year old who is not 'completely healthy'.  You need to have surgury and play another year of college ball, because the NFL WILL give you a COMPLETE physical and find this."  OR even tell the kid,"Have the surgury now (Jan. 2) and be able to be 100% to train for a pro day just before the draft or at least if you can't work out for the NFL, they are assured you're 100% healthy and can go by your mountain of film.  The difference between top 5 and in the 20's is around $20 million in guaranteed money."  I get this stat from Bob and Dan on 1310 AM, Dallas.  Felix Jones went late in 1st round and got 5 years, $10.5 million ($8M guaranteed).  By comparison,Darren McFadden was the number 4 pick and signed for  6 years, $60 million ($26M guaranteed).  Now, Mike probably doesn't fall this low, but you can see, if you check my link, how incremantally, draft position sets you up for life, because the average career in the league is very short.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d808c2409&template=with-video&confirm=true

I hope I'm wrong, and maybe they went into this thinking, with Mike's past injuries, another year at Tech was too risky for a catastrophic injury.  I just think he may not be with the right people in regard to these HIGH stakes.

 

OK.  Based on the overwhelming response for "Restaurants" on another thread, I think y'all would give some great feedback on what you love to do when you get to come back to Lubbock for a wonderful home game.  I wanted to just post the question and then add my ritual later, but I gotta have so many words so here goes.

I only get back once or twice a year so we use stubhub to get "good" seats.  I dream of eating an early lunch at Spanky's and walking down to Broadway where I'll buy more Tech crap that I don't need.   Next, I like to walk over to the UC and watch the band practice.   I LOVE walking the one mile trip to Jones while the band marches and beats those drums.  My favorite part of the whole trip that just gives me goosebumps is watching that thing the Goin' Band does where it looks like the dudes goose stepping are gonna get run over by the band, but they just barely sqeak by.  Then our freaking Masked Rider appears. WOW!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX21bNWZel8&feature=related    what's with the ref getting in on the action?

Well, I'm pretty vanilla, but what do you hardcore tailgaters do on your Tech gameday?  My wife likes to dress up in red and black and stand around in the alumni pavillion while drinking overpriced beer-----boring.

I know this is aggie week, but I wnated to know if Meyers and T. Boone ever decided to play our annual contests in the Cotton Bowl or Jerry World. 

I just plopped down big bucks to this year's game on stubhub because I was under the inpreesion this would be the last year for a home and home series for a while and I wanted my in-laws (OSU alums) to experience our beautiful campus on a game day atmosphere with the band marching from the band hall  over to Jones and the awesome entry on to the field.   I have gone with them to stillwater the last three times we played there and have left heartbroken. 

Do any of you know any thing about this?  I'm wondering if the two schools can fill a 90,000 seat stadium.  

http://www.kansas.com/sports/story/545869.html

"I think we can put 40-plus points on them," junior wide receiver Brandon Banks said.

This is quoted from the Wichita Eagle, September 30, 2008.  I used to live there so I read the paper online occaisionally.  I am, however more concerned with our offense playing up to their potential.  I think the defense is steadily improving, but like many sports writers and fellow Double T Nation members, I am not happy with Harrell's progress this year.  Saturday could be a great day for us or it could be last year's Oklahoma State game, though I don't think K-State has OSU's fire power.

So USC, Florida and Wisconsin lost.  Either Georgia or Alabama HAS to lose.  Now, I know if Penn State beats a ranked team, they probably leap-frog us, but does that leave us at 7 possibly 6?  I sure hope, either way, we put a whipping on K-State and play up to our talent and intelligence.  Looks like Big 12 could have 4 of top 7 seven teams for a few weeks.  How awesome.