Texas Tech Saturday Morning Notes - Manipulated Comment Edition

Of course, Tech's running game takes a back seat to Mike Leach's emphasis on the passing game.

That's worth noting because critics will tell you that teams that don't often run the ball typically will have a hard time stopping the run because it's not emphasized in practice.

"I don't think that's very accurate at all," Leach says. "Sure, you need to take pride in defense and work on it a lot. But Oklahoma won a national championship (in 2000) running this offense. They stop the run. I just think it's an excuse. It's a manipulated comment centered around some agenda or cop out."

Leach's offense is, in a word, brilliant. Bottom line is, he wants to attack the whole field using a manageable number of plays. He says he doesn't want to overload players with a huge playbook (cue the snickers about Callahan's playbook).

"We just work plays over and over so we can execute them well," Leach says.

Leach praised Tech's defensive progress of late, saying coordinator Ruffin McNeill has a presence that "captivates players' attention." McNeill will try to upgrade a unit that ranked 82nd in rush defense in 2007.

"I don't think there's any replacement for being excited to play," Leach says. "And I don't mean just a bunch of guys prancing around with smiles on their faces. I mean guys really being committed to playing well."

"It’s a great honor," Welker said by phone yesterday. "The fact that the foundation I have has only been together for the past year . . . it’s really through this past season that it’s really grown. It’s a big honor for me, and the board members of the foundation for what we’ve been able to accomplish."

Welker’s involvement with kids goes back to his brother Lee and sister-in-law being teachers at what Welker described as a very "at-risk" elementary school in Oklahoma.

"Whenever I go back home, I’ll go over there. I’ve gotten to know some of the kids," Welker said. "Sometimes we’ll take them out to eat, or I’ll take them to church, things like that. I’ll just try to be a positive influence in their lives, have fun with them. And I found that I enjoyed it. So we decided to put something together."

That "something" was a football camp Welker has hosted now for three years. The first year was pretty small scale, but it’s grown to where he has about 300 kids, and is able to raise money and bring in big name NFL players to help out.

"Every year, I talk about my story, where I started from," Welker said. "The fact people didn’t give me much of a chance, and in life, that’s pretty much how it’s going to be, and how you have to work hard, and make sure you’re doing your school work, and doing everything you need to do to give yourself a chance to be successful. So I try and touch on that and show them a good time out there."