This post is sponsored by Labatt Blue, who invites you to visit RefreshmentDuo.com, where you can enter to win a ticket for you and a friend to attend a massive concert and party with the Refreshment Duo and Blue Light girls.
Just could not pass up the opportunity to write a sponsored post, not only involving beer and the Blue Light Refreshment Duo, as then I thought that this might not be a bad topic of discussion. I don't know that I can escape the idea of what may have been the best duo in Texas Tech history, namely QB Graham Harrell and WR Michael Crabtree. Although it's only been a year since each of them left the South Plains (with everything that's happened over the past year and a half, it seems like it's been ages since they graced the sidelines of Texas Tech), I'm guessing that the are each the gold standard when it comes to excellence at their position.
They weren't roommates, but they both re-wrote the history books for Texas Tech. Amazingly, they both had a tremendous amount of success on the collegiate football field. Crabtree's success landed him as the #10 pick in last year's NFL Draft, while Harrell went undrafted, was eventually picked up to play with the CFL and has finally caught on, almost a year of not being on an NFL roster with the Green Bay Packers.
Their professional careers notwithstanding, I don't think it's a stretch to consider that they both, along with a certain head coach, changed the culture at Texas Tech. I'm often referred to Crabtree's incredibly 2007 and 2008 seasons and called them the Crabtree Effect. None of the receiving numbers that Crabtree was able to put up could have been accomplished without a signal-caller that could get him the ball. And now I've thought that maybe I should also refer to the Harrell Effect. I have no doubt that younger players like receivers Eric Ward, Shawn Corker and Javares McRoy and quarterbacks like Jacob Karam, Scotty Young and Michael Brewer were absolutely affected by the performances of Crabtree and Harrell and would like nothing more than to follow in the footsteps of both Crabtree and Harrell to be that next standout duo.