SB Nation User Blog: eddyc555

Tough Year

eddyc555 — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:55:42 -0000

Spent last weekend in the Hub and waited a few days to reflect. Much like Seth, I was displeased by what I witnessed during the New Mexico game but decided to not instantly jump off the bridge. However, after discussing the situation with CITYMAN of Plano I do believe we, for many reasons, are back to the old days of being hot and cold Texas Tech. Some days we will blister people. Other days we will be completely overwhelmed. Overall, we are fighting dismissals, youth and less than stellar talent. I have no clue about the QB situation. We have NO lead receiver. I have never seen a more passive defensive line. They should be on dancing with the stars. I love the way Bront Bird plays all out. However, I think our linebackers are a step slow. And I think the scheme leaves all front seven vulnerable. Am very impressed with our defensive backs. They can bring the wood. Nice punting game as well. Also, being in attendance reminded me how much I hate television games. God, the lack of momentum in the stadium is dreadful. However, I was greatly impressed at the large crowd. I remember the days when the likes of NM would have brought out a crowd of 35,000. However the LONG delays due to tv prohibited any chance for crowd involvement. I guess I am a glutton for punishment since I will be back in the stands for yet another television marathon this week against K-State. Overall, the program is way up from the past. Its just that this year because of all the above circumstances we will be forced to fight our butt off to keep our head above water. See you guys in the Hubbaplex this weekend.

Seth....A Favor, Please

eddyc555 — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:36:44 -0000

Seth,

I am writing to ask you a favor in remembering a great friend of mine, and one that many of football fans around the world will recognize. When we did the Plano East-Tyler John Tyler game, the third member of our booth was former Lake Highlands football coach Mike Zoffuto. He uttered the most famous line of the telecast when he exclaimed "God Bless those kids, I'm sick, I want to throw up" as John Tyler returned the last kickoff for a 49-44 JT victory. I don't know how to do all the attachments etc. but the highlights with that famous line can be found on utube if anyone needs a refresher. I just returned from Amarillo where Coach Zoffuto is in a home with early alzheimer's. It breaks my heart. He is all alone and I wonder if you might share his address with our Tech family and, if possible, get the message out to as many sites as possible. Any one that has ever thrilled to the highlights of the game and repeated Coach Zoffutto's famous line might want to give him a bit of sunshine by dropping him a note to say just that! If we could put ourselves in his shoes I think we would treasure being remembered when it seems that all is lost. His address is Mike Zoffuto, Canyonview Estates, #240, 7404 Wallace Blvd., Amarillo, Tx. 79106. Thank you for all your help and God Bless all that will take a bit of time to help someone in a tough way.

HARRELL-VASQUEZ?

eddyc555 — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:42:39 -0000

Have not been keeping up with the draft. Can anyone tell me the buzz about Harrell and Vasquez? Where have they worked out etc. What are the draftnicks saying about what might lie in store for each of these Raiders. Thanks for all your insights. I cannot find a thing on Graham Harrell's activities. Where has he been preparing for the draft? While I am at it has Brandon Williams been traveling around talking to teams? Would find it hard to believe that these guys would go the way of former Tech players and have to sign free agent contracts with a pro team.

No Trust......No Peace

eddyc555 — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:27:32 -0000

Like the rest of you I have spent way too much time thinking about this situation....flip flopping from one side to the other. Being a Tech alum my loyalty remains deep through thick and thin. Being a fan of the lead Pirate I have enjoyed the limelight he has brought to our university. Both sides have been incredibly inept during this process. There is enough blame to go around. However, I have come to the conclusion that there is no way out of this situation because there is no trust for the other party from either side. If Leach signs a new deal he will still have no trust toward Texas Tech's administration. If Leach signs a new deal the administration will have no trust toward Leach and his agents.

This conclusion is painful to admit but I think that it is time that Captain Leach is bought out. He will be owned 40% of his remaining two years. That would be around 1.6 million for two years. But you would also save the $800,000 bonus due the end of this year and I believe another $200,000 at the end of his next season. Not a great deal of money for Texas Tech to be out.

I would hate like the devil to not have him at the helm, but if he does not leave I think we are only putting off the inevitable down the road. I truly feel in my heart that if Leach had gotten in a room with Kent Hance that this thing could have been hammered out but Leach let his angents try to big dog Texas Tech. Let me tell you from personal experience that NOBODY big dogs Kent Hance. He is from Tech, he will do whats best for Tech and when he dies he probably wants to be buried in memorial circle. Can you say that about Mike Leach? The captain has been given a bit of a pass nationally because....well....that's just Mike Leach. Texas Tech has been made to look like a little country school that can't handle the spotlight. Truth be told there is.....and will not be ...any winners from this situation. Again I repeat that bottom line is No Respect from either party for the other one. I think tommorrow the BOR will approve the expenditure to buy out Mike Leach and Kent Hance will roll out the plank.

From there we find a person who bleeds red and black and wants to build on the wonderful stage of our development. I believe if this is not done then we are headed for another situation where it takes us many years to recover. See Jim Carlen and Steve Sloan departures. The Captain will find another job....although it won't be as high profile as you might think. Not many D-1 major programs will allow his "quirkiness" and refusing to hob nob with the fans or money people in their program. Should he have to do this as part of his duties? See Mack Brown, Bob Stoops, Jim Tressel and Pete Carroll for the answer. Texas Tech? Get your butt to Waco or Houston or Arizona and get a "Tech Guy" and don't miss a beat. Will it be easy? Nope! But we have alot to offer if we don't shrink back into our shell. Can't get a great coach you say? During the Carlen-Sloan-Moore disasters we were turned down by a pretty fair country former Texas Tech guy, and then we turned around and turned him down for the job. How would those lost years have been if we had hooked up with Grant Teaff? We will never know! But there are other guys out there that will build trust from both sides. Having put thoughts to computer I think I will go barf! God Bless Texas Tech but I really do think I'm gonna be sick and throw up!

Potential Fallout over Leach Drama?

eddyc555 — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:31:20 -0000

I understand the back and forth in contract negotiations. But has anyone thought about the potential fallout on recruiting on all this drama? There are several outstanding recruits, including Rex Burkhead from Plano, that have Tech in their finalists. But I am not sure, if I was a recruit, that I would be too excited being surrounded by all this uncertainty. You can bet your life that the other schools competing against Tech are using this for all its worth to have the recruit scratch Tech off their list and commit to them. I would hope that the lead Pirate has thought of this. Even if he has his coaching staff staying in constant contact with the recruits you can be the situation is causing many to consider committing or even de committing if they have already listed Tech as their choice. Your thoughts?

IF HE LEAVES.....HE LEAVES! DON'T PANIC

eddyc555 — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:44:39 -0000

I love the excitement that the lead Pirate has brought to the Red Raider nation. But please remember that coaching is a business! If he were 6-6 fans and administrators would be screaming for him to be fired! (See Pablo's comments over the past few months about firing coaches). If he goes then we need to load up the moneybags and PISS OFF THE BAPTISTS AND SECURE ART BRILES! Briles is a high school coaching legend with four championships at Stephenville. He is a raider who coaches running backs here. He is a winner (See Houston and the job he has done at Baylor). He is loved by Texas high school coaches cause he is one of them. And in my opionion (with absolutely no basis of fact or inside information) I believe that Tech would be his dream job. He would be home! He would be a hero to the Texas high school coaches association! He would run the spread and continue the excitement! AND HE WOULD NOT BE LOOKING TO GO ANYWHERE! HE WOULD BE HOME!! And surrounded by folks that talk like him with his Texas drawl! I hope Captain Leach stays......but if he dosen't...........GET ART BRILES AT ALL COSTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SETH.....THANKS ALOT

eddyc555 — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:24:28 -0000

Just wanted to take a minute to tell you thanks for all the hard work you have put into this endeavor. I know that I have really enjoyed all the information you have passed onto all of us knuckleheads. Thanks for allowing us all to have a forum to express, argue, question and bleed red and black. Again, you and the entire Red Raider nation have made for an enjoyable summer and fall. From a personal standpoint your blog and the activities at Texas Tech have allowed me to share many great times with my two sons who are flying jets for Uncle Sam in the dirt of Afghanistan and Iraq.
As mentioned elsewhere, I have sent many TT hats to pilots around the world and they use the "Guns Up" on the tarmac. My best to you and all Red Raiders around the world. Peace to us all.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

eddyc555 — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:13:02 -0000

I hope that some of the football program, players, coaches, administrators etc., take a peek at what is said on this site. I just wanted to tell them all what a wonderful experience this football season has been. On Saturdays it has been a blast keeping up with my Tech buds from Virginia to San Francisco. I have never enjoyed having my weeks revolve around the excitement that Saturdays have brought this year.

Yesterday I was visiting with my youngest son who is flying jets in the middle east and told him that I believe that this football team has garnered more attention to Texas Tech in one football season than the rest of our combined athletic history. He told me that many of his buddies throughout the pilot world have become Texas Tech fans and many of them use the "guns up" sign when they start their flight missions.

Once again it has been an honor to follow you guys this year. Your enthusiasm and excellence has made us all very proud. You should be very proud of yourselves for bringing all of us Tech fans to the edge of our seats every week. I believe you have set the bar for us all to strive for in the years to come. Congratulations and best of luck for the rest of the season.

WHO WOULD YOU TAKE?

eddyc555 — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 21:40:56 -0000

Way too much time on my hands (look in the mirror) so I thought I would come up with this little exercise for all you hot blooded red raider football fans. After a few games.....but just before the real bloodletting starts answer these questions.

From the entire big twelve, which of these would you choose to go to war with once conference play starts.

1. What offense would you put on the field? Mine would be Mizzou.

2. What defense would you put on the field? Mine would be Oklahoma

3. What one offensive player is the pre conference mvp? Can you say Chase Daniels?

4.Who will be the conference offensive mvp? Sir Mike Crabtree here.

5. Who will be the conference defensive mvp/ OU DT Granger.

6. Who will be the conference newcomer of the year? Baylors Robert Griffin it says here

Bonus question. Who will be the coach of the year in the conference? I'll go for a good old Texas high school coach in Art Briles of Baylor who will get the Bears four wins on the year.

Let me hear from you. I'll be in the Hub this weekend. The only way we get into trouble is if UMass brings their basketball team to play Harrell and Company. Guns Up Ya'll.

LIKE A DUCK.....PART TWO

eddyc555 — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:31:15 -0000

Wow, that last post seem to unleash some sentiments from us Red Raiders that, perhaps, we had been holding back, less we hurt our collective little feelings.

But let me give you the other side of the pillow. My comments came out of a deep respect and love for this great place we call Texas Tech. That feeling caused me to speak out because over the years I have seen too many Red Raiders willing to hide in the shadows of the "big boys".

I'm here to tell you its time that we all quit thinking of ourselves as little ole Texas Tech. Starting at the top we have one of the great leaders of any university in smilin Kent Hance. A world class politician, lawyer, fundraiser and saddle tramp who put it all on hold to come home. They don't get any better than this driven man who takes a backseat to no one. He has never been afraid to take on anybody. If you don't believe it you should have been there in the '70's when we kicked Junior Bush's butt in the race for congress. Kent will go stride for stride with anyone and we should help shoulder the load to not take a back seat to anybody.

Facilities? Name me a better place than the United Spirit Arena. In the near future our football facility will be on a par with anybody. Baseball? I played on the old field that faced the bubble. Golf? What campus has a course like Rawls.

Academics. I believe its undergrad, graduate, law and medical all on the same campus. Certainly that puts us right at the top.

But that leads us to out -in -the -middle of nowhere Lubbock. Give me a break! The Hub City is a great place. A true college town. The rumor is that most of us had a great time of what we can remember from being there. Hard to recruit to? Have you ever been to Lincoln, Nebraska ? Admit it......when you started there you could only dream of leaving the high plains......but as the years went on you came to see what a great, great town Lubbock is.

In my mind what makes Lubbock so great is the PEOPLE. Salt of the earth people who love Texas Tech and straight shooters. So like any family, we can demand of ourselves but I don't want to hear any naysayings from the Aggies or Longhorns or Sooners.

Finally, be proud of what we are. Demand Greatness of ourselves. Never accept second class status. We will only be what we demand of ourselves. So instead of sitting on the sidelines and complaining.......pitch in when the school asks for our help. Contribute any way possible. And always, always be positive about one of the finest universities in this great land. Guns up and kick SMU's ass!