Trying to Rationalize Brown: Over the past few weeks, I've sometimes felt like I'm acting a bit crazy. I'm not usually a conspiracy sort of fellow and I usually don't get too emotional, but this entire conference-realignment stuff, coupled along with Chip Brown using his "sources" to break news. I'm sure that Brown isn't a bad guy and I don't have a problem with him personally. I did think that his Twitter/advertising campaign was a bit ridiculous (yes, I realize that he's just trying to earn a buck and I don't fault him for that, but you're either a guy trying to break news or an entrepreneur, but not both), but when folks said that Brown dominated the conference realignment discussions and that it was laughable that his sources were from UT:
"I think I made the people at Texas totally uncomfortable through this whole thing, to be honest. They are incredibly controlling about information, almost paranoid. So the thought that someone at UT would use me to further their agenda is almost laughable."
Then as folks stated after Brown made this quote, we should not at all be surprised when Brown's media credentials from UT are revoked prior to the football season (I would be waiting a long time before this happens). Rock M Nation's Bill C. had this to say this morning in his daily link round-up:
Alright, I've got to ask: what's the difference between Stephen A. Smith and Chip Brown? I ask simply because I'm not sure I know the answer. Both of them found themselves in the middle of a ridiculously rumor-heavy story, and both breathlessly reported exactly what they thought they knew. In Brown's case, it was that the Pac-10 was offering six Big 12 schools (correct), then Baylor was trying to get ahead of Colorado (maybe), then everybody hated Mizzou (doubtful), then Texas was a lock for the Pac-16 (false), then Texas A&M had decided to go to the SEC (false), then Texas regents would decide on Tuesday to officially join the Pac-16 (false), then ... the Big 12 is staying together (true)!! Because he started and finished with something true, people were saying that he "dominated" this story from start to finish, even though he went about 2-for-7. And hey, a .285 batting average certainly isn't bad, especially considering that first hit was absolutely a home run.
This sums it up in a nutshell. Brown wasn't right, really, except twice out of seven times, yet people were hanging on every word as it was gospel.
I've asked TB over at BOTC to email me if I ever sound like a raving lunatic or if I've gone over the edge and he said he would.
Q&A with Brown: Lots has happened since Friday afternoon and although almost all of this has been linked to or posted somewhere on DTN, I wanted to get to some of the highlights. If you haven't had a chance to read the Q&A with the Advocate-Messenger's Larry Vaught and Texas Tech offensive coordinator Neal Brown. There's a ton of goodness in this article, so please make sure and read the entire thing. I thought this question and Brown's answer was pretty interesting:
Question: How has the player reaction been toward you after the sudden departure of then-head coach Mike Leach right before the end of last season?
Brown: "That was probably the number one thing I was worried about going there. I knew they had good players and it was a good situation to go in there. But I was really worried about reaction from players.
"However, I have been really surprised. From the first time I met with them as a group when I went down to take the job, they were really positive. For whatever reason, they were looking for a change. I think coach Leach did a great job, and you can’t argue with his results. But it is hard.
"When you are in this business and in one place for a long time, sometimes guys are ready for a change, and those players were ready for a change. They have been overwhelmingly positive overall. I was worried about that, but it has been good.
"Any time you go into a place that has been successful, you have to make sure the guys buy in. It is always the older kids that take the longest. The guys that are hungry and fighting for positions always buy in easier.
"The guys who have established themselves and made a name for themselves, they always take the longest, and I think we are getting those guys to buy in. We have not got all of them yet, but we are on the right track."
Again, it's worth your time to click the link.
2010 Linebacker Commit: I guess this happened late Saturday night / early Sunday morning, but when I woke up, I found out that Texas Tech received a 2010 commit (that's right, he'll be on campus this summer, despite the fact that signing day was in February) from linebacker Tahrick Peak. I found as much as I possibly could in a Recruiting on the High Seas that I posted yesterday. There's video there and quite a bit on Tahrick as a player and a person.
Texas Tech Preview: Rivals.com's Olin Buchanan is ranking all FBS teams and your Red Raiders rank #46. It's pretty solid:
The controversial divorce from Leach is in the rear-view mirror and a sense of solidarity has been established out on the South Plains. But Texas Tech had the most successful run in school history under Leach, and if the Red Raiders struggle early, that sense of solidarity could disappear quickly. Still, the schedule sets up well, the offense figures to be as explosive as ever and the defense should be at least as good as a year ago. Tech has posted at least eight victories for eight consecutive seasons. That streak has a chance to reach nine.
Big 12 Linemen: CT's Dave Matter ranks the Big 12 linemen and the only Red Raider to make the list is DT Colby Whitlock:
10. Colby Whitlock, DT, Texas Tech: He’s rarely mentioned with the other D-tackle stars the league has produced, but the Red Raiders senior has been consistent. He made 46 stops last season.
I still say that LG Lonnie Edwards and possibly LT Terry McDaniel will be making significant impacts on the Big 12 this year, but the preseason hype just isn't there. And to be fair to Matter, he's as good a beat-writer that you'll find and he's fair. Not picking on him, but the Edwards / McDaniel observation is something that you'll probably only see Texas Tech fans know about how good these guys are.
Preseason Hypotheticals: AAS.com's Kirk Bohls has some preseason hypotheticals and mentions your Red Raiders:
Texas Tech could win the Big 12 if Tommy Tuberville's emphasis on defense holds, because the Red Raiders have more receivers, running backs and experienced quality quarterbacks than anyone in the league.
But then there was this bit:
Mike Gundy will be fired by T. Boone Pickens if Mr. Wind Energy — Mr. Hot Air, if you're a Missouri fan — thinks he's not getting his money's worth. Don't be shocked if new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen or Holgorsen's mentor and Cowboys consultant, Mike Leach, slips in as head coach.
Texas A&M could have been SEC fodder for the next 20 years if the Aggies had left for that conference, a preference, it seems here, of a majority of maroon fans. (The SEC only would have taken A&M if Texas and others had left for the Big Pac, my sources insist.)
Texas A&M will still be Big 12 fodder if the defense doesn't improve one iota, and the Aggies' really gifted quarterback, Jerrod Johnson, gets injured or remains wildly inconsistent behind an offensive line that might start as many as three freshmen.
The Leach mention is certainly interesting, although that doesn't seem likely to me. The more interesting bit is Bohl's mention that according to his sources, TAMU's invite was contingent upon the other Big 12 teams leaving for the Pac-10. Gain of salt, folks. At this point, we really don't know, unless Chip Brown tweets it.
Opponent Previews: Rock M Nation's Bill C. looks at Colorado Beyond the Box Score style . . . the Orlando Sentinel college football blog, College Gridiron 365 ranks Texas A&M as the #57 team in the nation . . .
Trey Masek = Pretty Good: I try to catch bits and pieces about some of the players that will be at Texas Tech next year and Trey Masek is getting quite a few mentions as being a highly sought-after player. Masek made the MaxPreps Medium School All-American Team First-Team:
Trey Masek, Giddings (Giddings, Texas), All-Purpose, Sr - Masek was named the CenTex Player of the Year by the Austin Statesman after leading Giddings to the 3A state championship game in Texas. He went 14-0 on the mound with 143 strikeouts and a 0.78 ERA. he also batted .400 with 11 home runs and 44 RBI. he will play at Texas Tech next year.