Red Raider Gridiron | Depth Chart Changes and Fan Reaction

Send Some Good Mojo:  If you haven't heard, Rutgers' DT Eric LeGrande injured his spinal cord in a game against Army this past Saturday and he has no movement below his neck.  You can send him your good thoughts here.

DTN Rules Reminder:  I hate doing this right after the LeGrande note, but it seems as if everyone needs a reminder on my only real rules, which are: don't be mean; and don't call people names.  This goes for players, coaches and other DTN users.  I'm asking you to comply because it makes my life easier, and normally, I'm not at all around DTN during the day.  If someone breaks the rule, then click the "action" link on the comment and "flag" the comment for being inappropriate.  Generally speaking, I'd appreciate if you read what I wrote back in September of 2009 (you know, when fans thought that Texas Tech was losing games it shouldn't):

I think you could also add to DTN's lone commandment, that what you say to your fellow DTN'ers in the comments be something that you would say to them in their face.  If you're not willing to do that, then think twice before about posting.  It's easy to hide behind the facade of a username, but keep in mind that we're all on the same team.

So when so many things happen, like they have over the past two weeks, we as a fan base will invariably all have different opinions about the direction of the program, the coaching decisions, the plays on the field, etc. 

I think and I hope that DTN becomes and is a place where we can all have that bar conversation.  Perhaps the unintended consequence about losing two games to two ranked teams is that we, as fans of Texas Tech, are a lot more passionate than we were two years ago.  I think that's great.  When I'm dead and gone, I hope that DTN is the same type of community where Texas Tech fans can gather where the community polices itself and lets others know that being passionate is completely within the rules, but being an ass-hat is not.  I know, that probably means that I'll have to distinguish that gray line between passionate fan and ass-hat, but you guys are free to call a spade a spade.  Let someone know that something is not tolerated here.  We should have a higher standard than message boards.  We should be accountable for what we say.  I'm not looking for anyone to self-appoint themselves as DTN master-of-all, but let's all push each other to be as good as we can possibly be.

Depth Chart Changes:  I posted this late yesterday afternoon, but it appears that there's quite a bit of movement in the depth chart for Colorado, especially on the defensive side of the ball:

I actually like the move of Whitlock to defensive tackle as it might give him the opportunity to get into space a bit.  Agoucha is a guy that has come on quickly since being reinstated at Texas Tech.  He just might be the strongest player on the team and he's certainly got the size.  I think the coaching staff is trying to force a double-team with Agoucha at the nose guard spot with the thought that this might create a one-on-one matchup for Whitlock. 

Interesting to see Fehoko as the backup at defensive end.  He obviously doesn't have the size, but there's no doubt that DC Willis is wanting to get faster on defense, which leads to the change at Sam linebacker.  Even seeing Bullitt's name at a linebacker spot is a little shocking and it's also interesting that Daniel Cobb has essentially been passed over by Peak.  Essentially, DC Willis is wanting to get faster, much faster at the linebacker spot.  With a bigger nose guard and defensive tackle (getting Whitlock at DT, you add 20 pounds and Agoucha at NG, you add 40 pounds), the thought might be that the linebackers will be better able to get to the ball.

In the secondary, there's quite a bit of movement and I'm surprised that Porter is getting the nod at safety.  He's played lights out for two straight games, so him playing isn't a surprise, but I am surprised he's playing at safety.  At some point, Davis is going to have to cover someone and not let the receiver get past him.  With Ford seemingly injured for an extended period of time, he's been removed from the depth chart for the time being. 

Would love your thoughts and half-arsed theories.

So much more after the jump, including some articles on fan reaction.

Fan Reaction:  There's a couple of articles here:  LAJ's Don Williams, Matthew McGowan and Adam Zuvanich.  You should just read all three articles rather than me trying to take a bunch of blockquotes.  Here's just a bit:

Head Coach Tommy Tuberville:  "I like fans to be adamant on winning every game," Tuberville said. "We want everybody to be selfish. We want to win every game. I’m used to winning a lot of games. Our players like to win every game.  We take a different attitude as coaches, because we see from inside out what we’ve got to do and how we’ve got to do it. I want people to be interested in what we’re doing. There’s a lot of things that people don’t understand, but for us to get to the point where we want to get to, sometimes you’ve got to take a step backward before you go forward."

RB Baron Batch: "One of the things I’ve heard a lot is people saying, ‘We want Leach back,’ or ‘They made a mistake getting rid of him,’" Batch said. "The players love the coaches we have. The coaches are amazing, amazing coaches, and that’s what hurts, the work we put in over the offseason and the stuff we did to become a good football team. … Everybody is on board and looking forward to getting back to work."

Chancellor Kent Hance: "While none of us — the coaches, players, fans or leadership — are satisfied with our record at this point in the season, we have total confidence in our coaching staff and student athletes," said Kent Hance, Tech’s chancellor. "Coach Tuberville is a proven winner and a great coach and all of us will be rewarded for our patience as he and the team continue to work hard every day to compete at the highest level."

Re. Hostile Fanbase | This isn't the first time that Tuberville has had to deal with a hostile fanbase.  It's part of coaching and I get the feeling that he understands that fans want to win.  He wants to win, just like any coach or player.  And if some of you really believe that Texas Tech is just a stepping-stone for a bigger job, then it makes sense for him to win as quickly as possible.

Re. Players | I still don't get people bitching about the players either being on board with the current staff.  Scholarships are one year renewals that can be terminated at just about any time.  It's tough to transfer in football, which is why you almost never see it.  If you have a player that's a redshirt freshman or a sophomore, then maybe you transfer, but you almost never see transfers in football unless it's to transfer to a lower division to not lose a year of eligibility (i.e. Sam Houston St.).  Just doesn't happen. 

So if the players are essentially locked into a school, are they supposed to say that they think the current staff is shitty and they hate them?  That makes a ton of sense and despite the fact that this is what you want them to say, this is completely different than what the smart thing to say. 

There's also the strong possibility that some of the players didn't like Leach.  It's okay not to enjoy the company of another human being.  I've said this a handful of times, but sometimes people don't always get along.  Some people don't like me.  Some people probably don't like you.  It happens.  If Batch of Sheffield like Tuberville more than Leach that doesn't make them bad human beings and if your point is that they should have known, that Leach was the best thing ever, then you're wrong. 

If you think this is true, then I'm sure that you're always right about everything that happens in your life and you've never made a bad statement or a bad decision. 

Let's not throw stones at players that didn't or don't have any options.

Re. Firing Tuberville | I said this on Sunday and I'll say it again, Tuberville, at a minimum is going to have three years to see if he can't get this thing on track.  I'm not making this statement as if I agree with it because I don't necessarily want to sit through 3 years of bad football, but unless something drastic happens, this is what you got and this is what you're going to get with any hire.  So those of you that want Tuberville fired now, good luck.  And I'm not being sarcastic about that.  Send your daily email to those that you think it will have some sort of affect, but I can promise you that commenting on DTN that Tuberville should be fired isn't going to get him fired (yes, DTN is not influential).

Miscellaneous:  Sorry that I don't have time to address all of these articles, but I've got some personal things to get to this morning.  LAJ's Don Williams writes that year one at Ole Miss, Auburn and Texas Tech are similar (this is really a Q&A with Tuberville) . . . LAJ's Don Williams with three positives and three negatives . . . LAJ's Adam Zuvanich writes that Tuberville is not on the hot-seat . . . FWST's Dwain Price with a Texas Tech notebook . . .  SB Nation's Spencer Hall with this week's alphabetical for week 7 . . .

Press Conference:  Thanks to the DT, I had not realized that they had video of the weekly press conference:

Monday press conference 10/18/10 (via DailyToreador)

Colorado Buffalo Links:  I don't have time to link to specific articles, but DTN will try to hook up with The Ralphie Report later in the week and you can check out The Daily Camera for news on the Buffs.