Behind The Scenes: Texas Tech Red Raiders

It’s no big secret that Taylor Potts and former Red Raider coach Mike Leach probably weren’t the best of friends. That most likely stems from differences in personality. While both seem to be of a more cerebral nature than many athletes (Potts received his Biology degree in December), the Senior QB isn’t nearly as demonstrative. Watching him on the sideline, he didn’t yell out at the group… he addressed his teammates one by one, patting them on the shoulder pads and speaking calmly and slowly. The difference in temperaments between Taylor Potts and Steven Sheffield is comparable to that of Kale Pick and Jordan Webb at Kansas.

When I first met Texas Tech head coach Tommy Tuberville, I couldn’t help but ask about his acting career (playing himself, of course). He told me about his time working on “The Blind Side” set with Sandra Bullock but laughed when he said “for some reason I’m still getting checks”. Coach explained that the production company spent 70 million on the movie (35 in production and 35 in marketing) and ended up grossing around 600 million. Not a bad investment.

Coach Tuberville spoke highly of his friend Mike Leach but acknowledged that they take a different approach to coaching. He told me he considers himself a manager more than a teacher. He models his coaching philosophy after that of Jimmy Johnson; he spends a lot of time investing in the community and makes public relations a top priority. This offseason, he attended thirty-six meetings where he focused on getting to know Red Raider fans and familiarizing himself with the culture in Lubbock. “I let my coaches coach,” he told me.

Offensive Coordinator Neil Brown was twenty-six when he was named offensive coordinator at Troy. That same year, the Boston Red Sox hired a new general manager in Theo Epstein. I asked Coach Brown how he handles being one of the youngest coordinators in the country and he said he always figured if Epstein could manage the Red Sox at twenty-six, he could run an offense. Coach Brown played receiver under Mike Leach at Kentucky and finished his college career at UMass.

Taylor Potts may be from small town Texas, but he comes from hot bed of QB talent. Potts played at Abilene High, within twenty minutes of Jim Ned High School where a guy named Colt McCoy played and Wylie High School where Houston’s Case Keenum played high school ball.

The award for best sideline dance skills goes to Texas Tech Center, Justin Keown. Keown displayed his inner Justin Bieber as his team kicked off in the second half. For the sake of full disclosure, I will say he was pretty much the only one I ever saw dancing on that sideline, but he was at least trying to get some juice flowing. No surprise that in meetings, Coach Brown described Keown as “a goofball”. Still, his coaches trust him as a leader of this offense, as he has the snap count instead of the QB so his guys can get off the ball.

At Big 12 Media Day, Steven Sheffield won over the media with charisma and charm. Apparently that wasn’t enough to win him the starting spot at QB. Coach Tuberville said it was clear that Taylor Potts had a better grasp of the offense and wasn’t turning the ball over. Potts through 396 passes in all of training camp and only threw one interception. Sheffield, or “Sticks” as they call him, is certainly a fan favorite, but then again, what back-up QB isn’t?

I asked Neil Brown about the environment in the Tech locker room and he said he wants it to be loose and fun because he doesn’t want his guys to be tight. On the other hand, he doesn’t want it to be a “gigglefest”. “Right now,” he said, “we’re probably leaning toward the latter”.

If you’re looking for an excuse for why the Red Raiders can’t come up with much of a run game, personnel is a good place to start. Coach Tuberville told me he does not have a single true tight end or fullback on his roster. To make matters worse, his offensive line hasn’t done much run blocking in the past, so they’re still working on teaching the fundamentals in practice. During pre-game warm ups, Coach Tuberville told me he’s shooting for thirty percent run, seventy percent pass right now.

I saw a very familiar face on the Texas Tech sideline. It was that of Tommy Tuberville… in teenage form. One of Coach Tuberville’s two sons made the trip up to Ames by private plane to see his dad coach after playing in his own football game on Friday night. He looked on from the bench while his dad tried to stay warm and win a game in front of an impressively electric Cyclone crowd.

By my own humble estimation, Red Raider fans have no need to worry about the Tommy Tuberville era in Lubbock. Although no one wants to lose, the transition from such a specified offense that required very specified recruits to a balanced offense with an emphasis on defense, is never going to be easy. Coach was impressed, however, by the talents of his right guard, Deveric Gallington and his third string quarterback, Seth Doege. Give it time, Tech fans, and see what Coach Tuberville comes up with once he can bring his own guys in.

I know, I know… easy for me to say, right?