Red Raider Gridiron: David Gibbs and Zac Spavital's Introductory Press Conferences

Texas Tech held the press conferences for new defensive coordinator David Gibbs (video) and new assistant coach Zac Spavital (video).  We still don't know the new positions of the coaches, other than Gibbs does opine that Mike Smith will most likely coach the defensive line.  Gibbs said he had a good idea as to what he wanted to do, but wanted to run it by head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

I've taken the liberty of doing non-transcripts of both press conferences and you also have Courtney Davis interviewing Gibbs:

LAJ's Don Williams did the real work and transcribed actual quotes, so make sure and go check that out and read the whole thing.  Here's a bit:

He credited the players with having the right mindset and developing the identity.

"It just so happened at Houston we started creating turnovers, and that's what we turned into," he said. "Some defenses are attacking, sacking defenses. They have lots of tackles for losses.

"At Houston, we were a turnover defense. Here at Tech, we'll establish an identity. I'm not going to put a stamp on what that's going to be. Hopefully, it's turnovers."

And the following is my non-transcript or paraphrasing if you want to be more accurate as to what I do, which is listen to the video one time and type as fast and furiously as possible.

Texas Tech Defensive Coordinator David Gibbs

The player's the mindset, developing an identity, we just started doing it at Houston and it became what we did. Here at Tech, we'll establish an identity, hopefully it is turnovers, we'll start first day of spring ball and ripping the ball out and creating turnovers.

I say this all of the time, coaches all over the country, it's the #1 thing that you drill and there's nothing magical, sometimes you have to practice stripping the ball and tackling, there's a fine line between stripping the ball and tackling.

I know nothing (about the roster). A week ago right now, I'm getting beat 31-6. I know we can play better defense than we played. I'm excited to be here and hopefully the results will come sooner rather than later.

Coach Kingsbury, knew him as a player, and I know the type of dynamic offense he puts on the field and have to match it up with the right type of defense.

It is hard to play good defense in college football, the greatest players on the greatest teams struggle to stop people, you have to adjust, you have to bend, but not break and all of these cliches, and it's true. We'll try to slow down offenses.

I've done this before, it is a hot seat, different time and different place.

We're multiple, but one of our four defensive linemen will be standing up, is it a 3-4 or a 4-3, it's whatever you can do to slow people down.

Getting organized in recruiting, listening to the guys last year, watching film, trying to figure out where we need to recruit guys, getting the guys on the roster in the right positions.

I really hadn't talked to them yet, will talk to them on Tuesday night. The players get a fresh slate, they can come in and be the best player available, just start from scratch and get better.

You are either born with the ability to lead people and do things or you're not.

Players want to be coached and they want discipline and pointed in the right direction and then they take over their own ownership role, once I gave them direction, they took it on their own and started stripping the remotes at home.

Still deciding, I told those guys, we've got good coaches, just have to get them in the right spots, it doesn't matter to me, if you are a good football coach, you can coach any position.

Mike (Smith) can coach any position, he's probably going to do it, but we're still in the process.

Spavital coached defensive backs for 7 years, that's impossible, he's given up more touchdown passes than anyone in college football history because they don't play defense in Houston, that tells you something about that guy that he stayed for 7 years. He's going to be special and it is going to make the transition easier.

Texas Tech Assistant Coach Zac Spavital

Well, Kingsbury was in my wedding, have a great relationship with him. Keeping that friendship over time has been awesome.

Knowing who the head coach is and other coaches and staff, being a coach in college football is hard in itself, but having a good relationship with the head coach is a critical factor.

Just got updated on it today, just getting used to recruiting, had a chance to talk to coaches, talking about who we have and who we need to get.

Look into some more DB's see who we have committed. Probably get more detail plan next week.

Texas Tech is getting a polished coach (in Gibbs) that has been through all sorts of things, has a unique ability to take a talent pool, he's not going to come in say we're going to run this, this and this, he's going to adjust to the product that is out there.

He doesn't tell them to go run through a wall, he's not going to ask a young man to do something that he can't. He's going to ask if that young man can do this, and if he can't then he'll ask someone else to do it.

He makes it real for them, that, in itself, through confidence with the kids.

They have to know and understand the risk and reward of everything, what's the worst thing that's going to happen, the nature of playing defense now, playing in the Big 12, what can happen and what you can prevent from happening, that's good.

We were laughing about how a week ago we were down 31-6, came about leading up to the bowl game.

My grandfather was an NFL coach and player, father is a long time coach, it is in the blood. When I left out of college, I was very lucky with coach stoops to be a graduate assistant and blessed to be able to coach at this level.