Webb Talks Quarterbacking. There was this Q&A with Today's U and QB Davis Webb, which is a site that I didn't know about until yesterday, but here we go. Here's a bit:
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AK: Jakeem Grant broke out for a monstrous year in 2013 while fellow receiver Devin Lauderdale proved his efficiency on the outside last season. Who's a name the Red Raider faithful will have the luxury of hearing about that they maybe didn't in 2014?
DW: "Laudy Doty has a huge future and goals set for himself in 2015. Jakeem is a big time player and name not only on our team, but across the Big 12. He is known as the most explosive player in the conference and it's a blessing to throw to him and watch him run and make plays. We have many young receivers like Ian Sadler, Dylan Cantrell, Reggie Davis, Cam Batson, and many 2015 recruits that have signed expecting to come in and compete. I'm excited to watch these guys work and make plays for me."
I haven't opined all that much about Webb and I already know that there will be some folks that will be upset with the last sentence, "How dare Webb assume that the receivers will be making plays for him!" So go ahead and get that out of your system.
Alright, now that we've got that out of the way, it doesn't bother me that Webb believes that receivers will be making plays when he's throwing the ball because there is a pretty good chance that he will play next year.
My general thought on this is that no matter position, I want every player to play their best and whoever is the backup will push the starter each and every week. That includes quarterback. The absolute best thing for Texas Tech is for both Patrick Mahomes and Davis Webb to both be improved next year and for their play to put Kingsbury at a point where he is having to decide who to start on a weekly basis. You want the same thing from your linebackers and defensive linemen. And guess what? Every player has flaws, some more than others. From your defensive linemen to your running backs to each and every position. I get that the microscope is on the quarterback, but the best thing is that no matter who plays, is that everyone is pushing each other. So yeah, I want each player to think they're going to play and not accept sitting on the bench because accepting second best isn't good for anyone.
Now, if you want to think that Webb is off his rocker because he likes Gossip Girl, then I totally get that.
Dallas Recruiting Review. There were apparently three live-shots last night with head coach Kliff Kingsbury at the Dallas recruiting review and I can't find any of them this morning. Add them to the comments if you run across them.
Kingsbury Talks Quarterbacks. And for those of you who are worried about who will start at quarterback, I think it is incredibly telling that Kingsbury arranged spring practices around Mahomes schedule for baseball. Via the Ft. Worth Star Telegram, here's Kingsbury talking quarterbacks:
"We wanted to make sure Pat was at every practice, as much as we could, because I really liked his progress at the end of last year and hopefully it continues," said Kingsbury, who expects Tech to earn a bowl berth next fall. "We'll just have to see where each guy is at. I know Davis is rehabbing. I've seen him throw a couple of times, and it looks like he's coming around. From what I've heard, he'll be able to do most every drill."
Also mentioned in the Dallas Morning News is the idea that Kingsbury thinks that he doesn't expect to see any transfers this year.
Pre-Spring Big 12 Receiver Rankings. The ESPN Big 12 blog bros is going through the positions and ranking them pre-spring and yesterday it was receivers, with Texas Tech being #5:
5. Texas Tech: This group had a lackluster 2014 season, but the talent is still there. Jakeem Grant is an All-Big 12-caliber talent and should put up bigger numbers with more consistent quarterback play. After a slow start, Devin Lauderdale came on strong during the second half of the season on the outside. Ian Sadler, Reginald Davis and Dylan Cantrell all finished with at least 20 catches last season. The Red Raiders also signed a pair of four-star wideouts in Keke Coutee and J.F. Thomas, who was a late flip from TCU. There are concerns about Thomas qualifying, but if he makes it to campus, he could give the Red Raiders another playmaker on the perimeter.
Miscellaneous. TCU head coach Gary Patterson has promoted former Texas Tech defensive coordinator Chad Glasgow and DeMontie Cross as co-defensive coordinators . . . the NCAA is proposing a bunch of rules, none of which include pace of play that was discussed so much last year, including adding technology to the game, much like the NFL, a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct for players pulling other players off of a pile and offensive linemen receiver a penalty for being more than one yard downfield rather than three . . . per the LAJ, Texas Tech has chosen design firm Gensler to build the new complex and Hocutt said that Texas Tech has raised $32 million of the $45 million needed for the facility . . .