Perception Is Reality

I know what you're thinking... There is something wrong with the title of this blog. Nope, folks its not a typo. I was gonna break down what happened this last weekend with Tech and football in general, but then I was given this nugget... A beautiful gem in this world that is going to let me explore the world outside of sports.

I am going to approach the topic of the nasty things that Jake Owen said about the coveted King at Texas Tech.

Now before I actually tackle what was said and the way that it has been approached, by the fan base and the media in Lubbock I would like to preface all of this.

You see the blonde chick in this photo, who is hugged up on Kliff, that's me, Miss Junkie... I have actually met and interviewed Kilff Kingsbury. He is a stellar guy. I have no doubt in my mind that Kliff is all about the team mentality. You succeed as a team you fail as a team. I knew this was the type of guy that Tech has been aching for as far as a coach goes, for about ten years or so.

And yes I know that time period includes that of the coveted Mike Leach era. I never liked Leach and I never mixed my words when it came to Leach. When Tech got rid of Leach they gained a student and a fan came home. I grew up watching Texas Tech and Spike Dykes. So I am the Scarlet and Black. Part of my disdain with Leach was the skewed focus that came along, stopped being about the team and started being about the "mad scientist". It was no longer abut Raider Red and the Red Raiders, but about a pirate mentality... ?... Never understood it, never liked it, so I fell out of love and stopped watching and supporting. That is no longer the case.

As this season started and phrases that started getting passed around like "quarterback whisperer" caused me to hope that for Kliffs sake we had a great season, but all the attention of the media and the nations watchful eye was on Lubbock from the get go.

And how could it not be with things like this being published in Sports Illustrated before the season even started. I know that Kliff had made a name for himself long before he came to Tech. All thanks to the stellar season and the Heisman that his young freshman protege Johnny Manziel added to his resume, but I can almost guarantee that Kingsbury looks at all that stuff as things that happened in the past. And past success doesn't always determine future success. His favorite quote, "Fortune favors the bold." That alone says a lot about the type of caliber of character you are dealing with when it comes to Coach Kingsbury.

I knew that Kliff was the type of coach that Tech was desperately in need of the morning that it hit local news that he was asking that his image be removed from merchandise.

These shirts hit store shelves almost two days after it was made official that Kingsbury was coming back to roost at Tech. Kingsbury asked that his image be removed from the merch for the simple reason that he wants it to remain about the team and not about him.

In this junkie's opinion that is an awesome move, but I hate to break it to you Kliff it won't ever really be about the team as a whole. I think that mentality is falling to the way side like old school manners. But I applaud you for stepping up on that one.

Now on to the things that inspired this blog...

First go watch what horrible, awful, terrible, no good, very bad thing happened this last weekend on ESPN's College Game Day.

Jake Owen was a guest on the show and they ask guests to make game day predictions.

Here's how the Tech OSU prediction came across....

Now after that one joking comment Red Raider Nation stood up in a total up roar.

Think the Dixie Chicks, after their President Bush comment in Europe type thing, but on a way smaller scale.

Now here is the thing. Jake Owen isn't a local to Lubbock, he's probably not even very aware of the things that lots of locals see on a daily basis when it comes to Kingsbury and his team.

I had a colleague walking around saying that perception sin't the reality of the situation. Which is true, but here is the question, what does the nation really perceive about Kingsbury? I mean really what do they think about the super young, good looking coach that is leading the Red Raiders this season?

Well, I mean with pieces like this what can the nation think?

Here's the thing with all of this...

AND THIS IS TOTALLY MY OPINION... so haters peddle it elsewhere.

With things like the garbage above being peddled around the only person to really blame for Jake Owen's misinformed comment is the media department at Tech. Kingsbury has handlers that negotiate his press and so on. Whoever thought that it would be a brilliant idea to peddle the Kingsbury product this way, didn't think this one all the way through, on multiple levels. But I will go with the sheer fact (that is such a glaring example right now), that no one really takes a coach seriously when it is perceived, outside of the Red Raider Nation area of Lubbock, that this guy is just in it for the fame and has some what turned into a sex object.

Now I know better, anybody that really knows the team, the area, and the type of person Kingsbury is, knows that this idea is way off base.

But to a nation that doesn't get to see what Red Raider Nation is privied to, you have to admit that they are misinformed on multiple levels. I blame his media handlers for this, and it came around to bite them in the backside... Because unfortunately Owen's prediction was spot on, but not for the reason that Kliff spends to much time in front of the mirror. Tech neglected to show up to their home game and our being a second half team status is catching up to us in murders row at the end of the season. Like I figured it would.

And if your reading this thinking that I'm off base and that Jake Owen is a total narrow minded jerk and you will never listen to his music again. You might want to hear what Kliff has to say about the comments that were made on Saturday.

Kliff Notes 11/4

If you didn't watch the video, here's the break down he laughed it off. Said that's what you do on shows like that, and that he still really likes the guys music.

To me Kingsbury is writing it off as nothing more than a jokingly made comment, which I am sure is the way that it was totally intended.

So before you start talking about ignorance, and name calling... I think that is what has really gotten me about this ordeal is the name calling... Stop and think about what the nation as a whole is being fed from our end. When you look at things like a nationally trending twitter hashtag (#mycoachishotterthanyourcoach), to the cover of SI, and nationally syndicated shows, like E! News, the wrong perception is being presented.

Because as much as I love the crew at KCBD, they aren't syndicated on a nightly basis. Which I think is shameful, they're awesome!

So while perception isn't exactly reality, what people are lead to believe and what they think is right is what they are going to believe.... And that is their perception of reality.

Just some food for thought from this weekend.

And that is all this Junkies opinion.

Silly Girl

So variations of the photo above are circulating all over Red Raider Land. Hey, its where I work and where I play.

This post, along with the fact that save second base weekend was a couple of weekends ago and teams were rolling out special things for breast cancer awareness, it made this girl stop and think.

Has college football become a fashion show?

I uttered these words around a bunch of male colleagues and you would have thought that I would have drop kicked an infant across the room the way they were arguing and whining about it.

This is my point with the whole thing. I think somewhere along the lines the view got skewed, for the fans in particular. I've heard every weird argument in the book. From its used for recruiting, to well... I won't go there.

So let's look at this whole, we must have new pretty uniforms every week to recruit players thing. Call me old school, but I thought a coach with a name and the ability to produce a winning program was all you really needed to pull in players. I mean look at the house that Bear Bryant built in Alabama. I have then had the argument that the only reason they have top recruits is because they are the only school in the state. I have family in the deep south that argue otherwise. There are other schools, just schools that don't have programs like the machine at Alabama, and think about this, what if the machine got built somewhere else?... uh-oh I just got existential on ya. Be careful now.

I do have to say that I have a lot of respect for Alabama's program, because it produces, without fluff. It has in essence produced a winning program without a new costume change every time they take the field... yes I went there. At this point new uniforms including helmets every week is starting to wear thin on this junkie, and I consider it a costume change... Alabama has built a program on two jerseys and one helmet. It must be awful to have so much success that you can't have new uniforms every week.

I guess I'm getting fed up with the whole what do you think of this weeks new look question... I along with every female, which makes up over half of your viewing demo have some opinions on the Red Raiders new looks.

Let's start with the gray... I as Tech Alum, didn't receive the memo that our new colors were black and gray with touches of scarlet. In fact I believe it is the scarlet and black, I could be mistaken in the chants, songs and everything else where school color is mentioned. While I admit that the gray looks sharp, there is one thing that every woman in the world will agree on and it is the sweat factor. I do not need to visibly see from my seats in the stands that the 250+ lineman has a butt crack sweat issue. While I am as turned on as the next girl by a sweaty man that works hard I don't need to see it from a long distance, without visual assistance. Stop and think about that. I will tell you this there is a reason that you rarely have the option to purchase women's workout wear in gray, and you almost never see a woman actually wearing gray to the gym. There is a reason behind it, and smart men don't wear it in the gym either.

I'm not a superstitious sports fan so when I bring up the fact that I like seeing scarlet jerseys on our team, and your argument is that we never won in them, it is totally lost on me. Its not about the color of the jersey on your back, its about the team. Did they train, did they prepare, and is their mental game in order? Those things determine a game... not a "lucky jock strap".

Here's my thing...

I know that college football is a huge industry. The alumni donations alone after a big win is reason enough to win, its a money maker. But I as a fan don't care what the team is wearing, because a loss is a loss, no matter what your wearing.

I would rather focus on the game and the strategy of what's going on and not how "fierce" a new uniform looks for game day.

Side note: I think the uniform above would be more "fierce" if the uniform was solid black with that helmet. But I'm female what do I know about color coordination, or the perception of color. For example, black is actually a menacing color, i.e. nothing good happens in the dark of night. Red's are very impassioned colors, that is also used as a symbol strong for warriors. There is a reason that gray business suits are a dime a dozen. I'm just saying...

I have then had the back handed argument that we need to recruit players so that we can have a winning program... I'm not sure I want a player playing for my team who cares more about the way he's gonna look on the gridiron over all, than how he's gonna look when he fumbles the ball.

I guess my argument is this simple, produce the program, then play dress up if you want.

I did have one loving and generous (tongue and cheek) friend point out that we were in a worse position last season under Tuberville and the team just gave up. He wants to know what I think happened. What this has to do with the fact that I think this new uniform every week thing is beyond ridiculous, I don't know.

I will first point out that we are ending our season taking on murders row. Season isn't over yet. Tech can still ... I'll say Tech up the season. I hope they don't for no other reason than Kingsbury's sake. I like the guy and I would like to see him build a program at Tech that makes every fan go Mike who?

As for last season I blame the fans for that give up. Having played organized sports, I know that when the fans are disgruntled with anything you do, at a point you wonder why do it. The fact that fans hated Tubberville and wanted his job win or lose, I would have given up too. And you can't tell me that these kids don't read it, see it, and hear it. I went to college on that campus I know how it is and how many people think that it is okay to air their opinion about everything. I'll never forget Potts having to go to classes in disguise after a loss. You thought grade school was tough, be an athlete in a football king state, in college.

Unfortunately there is an infant loop on the uniform argument, but none the less I think its ridiculous and I think that vision has gone a little wonky.

I just found it funny how many men started defending the gray when I said I didn't like it. I never knew I had so many divas in my presence.

But that's all this just junkies opinion.

Week 9: I Can't Believe It Happened

So last weekend was the weekend that I professed my love for college football and that I love weekends filled with upsets, and amazing changes in the polls.

This weekend I was disgusted and couldn't stand to watch another game.

Yes, the same girl who watched for 12 solid hours the weekend before... Turned off football and said, "Sorry I have a headache."

Yup I just went there.

So this weekend Texas Tech walked into Norman with a perfect winning streak and they unfortunately didn't walk away with one.

Tech was leading the Big 12 with a perfect overall season and because of some absolutely disgusting and sloppy plays Tech suffered a loss. It was like I was saying all week leading up to it, Tech is going to have to bring their best game. I wasn't sure the team caught the bus... Well, there early on I was afraid that the offense got left in Lubbock.

What was terrible was the fact that Tech's defense got so run ragged and I think mentally beaten down early on. Webb was making mistakes that couldn't be made and then Tech wasn't able to convert when we needed to, so our defense got to see lots of field time early on. Which could have been a good thing, except I think at some point that the defense threw their hands in the air and said, what's the point? The offense isn't doing their job. So by the time we really needed the defense to step up they were too tired to do anything.

Not only that this game is a prime example of us being a late start team catching up to us. I knew it would, the question was how lucky was Tech going to get for how long. Tech can't afford late starts for the rest of the season. It has officially caught up to us and we need to fix it.

I could continue to harp about the huge hole that our defense seems to neglect to close... Come on ladies cross your legs, let's not let everyone in our business.... But I've been beating that horse from the start of the season.

One thing that I still have yet to understand the strategic gain for leaving in a player that isn't performing.

Maybe I need the men in my life to explain this to me.

I was an athlete in high school and I remember that no one was above being pulled, for not performing. My uncle was a high school varsity basketball coach (one of the winningest coaches in the state) and he would pull his own kids when they didn't perform up to standard. So I'm not understanding why when Webb couldn't make the plays, and was obviously rattled; why Kingsbury didn't pull him.

Things I guess the tata's don't understand, but you can't tell me that you weren't thinking it yourself.

None the less I got so disgusted with that game I couldn't watch anymore football after that. So instead I turned on movies this weekend.

The real problem I had with this loss was we shouldn't have lost. I won't even talk about the fact that I don't think OU's Bell probably was able to work up his best game this season for Tech. That kid was playing so far above his head it was ridiculous, and Tech couldn't make the connections, it was almost the perfect comedy of errors.

Now here's going to be the kicker for Tech. Are they going to take this loss learn from it and build to have a better game next go around, or are we going to in typical Tech fashion, roll over and die for the rest of the season and prove to everyone that Tech is a flash in the pan team?

So I will continue to watch and cheer, but Tech you've got to prove to yourself, before you can prove to the rest of the country, that you are better than people think. And it all starts when you take the field and it all starts with your mental game. Its there or its not. And this past weekend it wasn't there.

So the question this week is, will you mentally be prepared to handle what ever OSU brings? I'm not sure. We shall see...

But that is all just this sports junkies opinion.

Week 8: The Week of Upsets

Well, another fun filled weekend of college football has passed us by and the BCS standings are officially out. I love weekends like this. This is one of those weekends that I was so giddy about what was going on that I almost couldn't stand myself.

For those of you that missed it six of the top ten teams in the nation suffered upsets against opponents. If it hadn't been for the battle at Death Valley and Auburn cracking the Top 25 last week they would have all been unranked teams causing the upsets.

I love college football anything can happen!

Let's take a look at what happened this week. In a nut shell the football gods decided to toss the tables and see what happened... I blame the pink.

It was breast cancer awareness weekend around the NCAA, so pink was everywhere. I jokingly texted friends that pink seems to zap the powers of these otherwise great teams. Do I have the stats to justify what I am implying... Not really, but none the less I'm sure it is distracting to hormonal men on the field.

Follow me for a second...

Pink is used to remember to save the tatas... Society has now trained us that pink means boobs. What distracts most red blooded men in this country?... I will say that when I wear a low cut shirt its my cleavage. So how could we not expect the guys, boys, man-children, what ever you like to call them, not be distracted by the one thing that the NCAA wanted at the forefronts of everyone's mind? Saving second base. Heck it became so laughable, I even gave out an award for who wore "save second base the best"... The award went to Oregon. They went neon pink and managed a great win.I guess neon pink is more masculine than some of the other pinks that were being worn.

I digress...

So lets look at some of the big upsets of the week. There was the Louisville game... Meh. Then there was the A&M game. This was a big loss for A&M, because it dropped them out of the top 10 rather handily. Which is justified, not sure that where they landed is where they should be, but what do I know? I'm just a silly girl. I did get to watch the A&M game and I knew that if A&M walked away with the win that were gonna have to fight for it, because Auburn came to play and they came to win.

On a side note, be sure to catch Auburn and Freshman receiver Marshall... I'm just saying, they are making some interesting waves. And if you think that Auburn hasn't produced anything of worth in decades, or what not... two words Cam Newton.

So A&M hobbled off the field with a loss and an injured shoulder for Manziel, but if A&M wants to keep up their defensive line is going to have to show up for every play at every game. The O-line was solid, giving Manziel time to look for the options. And I will say that Manziel is gonna have to stop with the interceptions... It's getting a little old shug, you're better than that. Now do I think that Manziel is out of the hunt for the Heisman. This year it is quiet possible, unless there are a couple of teams that can sneak up the machine of the SEC, which I don't foresee happening, but this is college football. Anything can happen.

Now on to the Tech game. I know... Its where I work, where I play, and on occasion a place that I admit that I got my degree from.

So Tech is 7-0 and is sitting at the top of the Big 12 so far this season. Behind us is Baylor and then Texas as far as the conference goes. Which I find really funny given the way everyone was positioned at the beginning of the season. Heck the team that was positioned to finish 7th overall in the Big 12 is the only team with a 7-0 season. I know that Baylor also hasn't lost, but we're a game up on them at this point. Things can change during Tech's bye week later this season.

There were a couple of things that went on during this game that I think need to be addressed on a coaching and player level. This is the second game this season that a players in ability to tuck has cost us. Earlier this season it was a ball that was just randomly dropped at the half yard line, by a receiver. No one around, just decided to drop the ball after he had taken it out of its tucked position. This week it looked like a sloppy and loose tuck by the QB, Webb, that was fumbled and recovered, by well, not us. These are the types of things that will kill Tech in the upcoming weekend against OU. Let's face facts there have been plenty of seasons where on the boards we should have beaten OU, but didn't because we didn't monopolize on the opportunities that were given to us in the same degree of effectiveness that OU did.

So what needs to be re-thought you ask?

On the coaches end, the sloppy carries and the dropped things in practice. I've had a colleague running around saying, "Perfect practice makes perfect execution." This is true.

Back in the days when I was playing competitive sports I remember, going through drills that made everything muscle memory. Our coach wanted us to just have it ingrained, period. So in practice, you slack off you would hear the words, "Do it again, and do it right."... For Tech this should mean that in practice the coaches should be looking for the loose carries and yelling, "Do it again." When they are doing drills. They should also be watching for when the receivers pull the ball out of their carry when they near the end zone. It should stay put until they cross that line, period. I hope this week at practice the team gets tired of hearing the words, "Again." And that it shows in the upcoming game. Its a partial coaching error to allow for the slack... Slack can mean sloppy and sloppy is the difference between a win and a loss. Besides there is a reason that I call Alabama the machine. They are in every aspect. No slack, they expect perfection and they execute it.

Now Tech did do somethings right. Like our time to answer mistakes that window is slowly closing. We aren't exactly to next play answers yet, but it is taking less than a quarter. That's improvement. Webb is getting better at reading his options. I don't like that he keeps using his safety blanket as much as he does, but to that extent Amaro is putting up nice numbers.

So with all that said, where do I stand on the Tech OU game coming up?

I am going with Tech for the win. And yes I have looked at the fact that we are playing in Norman. I'm not gonna say its gonna be a big win, or even a pretty win. I'm thinking that this will be as ugly as the TCU win, if not uglier. Here's the things that Tech is gonna need to win. The defense needs to show up, and put lots of pressure on Bell early on. He will make plenty of mistakes on his own as long as we rattle his cage early and often. Let's create opportunity and not just take the opportunities that we happen to be handed.

The second half team bs has got to stop... This is one of those typical Tech patterns that we keep falling into. Doesn't matter the team, the year, or the coach. Its Tech's trademark at this point I think. Late starting will catch up to you at some point. We don't need it to catch up to us now, or when we play Baylor.

The O-line needs to show up before halftime and we have to diversify our receivers... I know that Amaro is a nice big target, but look for the options. We've got them so let's use them.

And lastly this is the game where you see what type of ground game we have. OU is notorious for covering the passing routes... Let's change it up Tech! Instead of falling on that sword use the great run game that we have and work it. I would bet that OU can't keep up.

And lastly we can't go in thinking that we have this won. The thing about being on the top of the conference is that everyone wants to topple the king. We need to play this game like we are 0-7, and prove everyone wrong, because no one is expecting us to win. That is what will win this game, before you even step foot on the field.

And I'll be praying for a decent referee staff... but we haven't been able to buy one of those even if we tried.

But that is all just this sports junkies opinion.  

Week 3 Recap

Okay before anyone gripes about the U of H uniform in the background, let me say I know, I know, I know... However, ladies take a moment and enjoy the view. Like I said there is never a bad game when you are a woman we can enjoy things about sports that men just can't. Celebrate that uniqueness. Which if you are a Texas Tech fan that would have been useful attribute, on Thursday, which I will get to in a moment, but first enjoy the photo a little more. Enjoy it like I did the fact that I have family members who think that I could score a man like Kingsbury. Not sure what that says about me or him. Oh well....

Alright, guys now here is the stuff that you want... Miss Junkie's opinion on the great games over the weekend. Cause I'm sure you all value what the tata's have to say about the super masculine sport. Lol!

Let's start out with the early game this week, Texas Tech took on TCU on Thursday with all eyes on the nation on us... Well, we were the only game on it stands to reason.

Let me start out by saying that this particular game, because both teams were working on a short week, ended up being the winner actually sucked less than the other guys.

Both teams had Saturday games and then had to turn around and play Thursday night. And Kliff said it the week before that it will come down to who handles the short week better... or in this case who sucked less.

The Tech TCU game was the ugliest Texas Tech win I have ever seen, but there are still some things that happened and were exposed... Well... to others.

So one thing that is going to be and issue and has been for Tech is size. On the line, off the line, in general Tech has been a small team for a long time. Which is usual talking fodder for the talking heads, but there was a clear cut reason that there is a difference between Mayfield and Webb and a lot of it has to do with sight down field. If you can't see down the field you can't make the plays. So being as big as the line is important and why guys like Vince Young were dynamo's.

There were stupid mistakes on both teams, but the one thing that remains the same is that Tech's defense has got to close that hole in the middle. Thank you Boykin! I should have been making money on bets. One thing that Boykin does and does well is run... He's not really a QB, so if the defense gives him a hole to run, run he shall, and run he did.

Now to look at the Offense. Tech I loved that you have such a deep and diverse receiving pool. Why didn't you use it the way you have in games past? At certain points I was pretty sure that Mayfield was connecting with Amaro just because he is the only guy that Mayfield could see over the line.

And lastly I have to pose a few questions about Mayfield himself. He's young, he's a walk on freshman and everyone is watching to see if Kingsbury has that "touch" when it comes to QB's... However... Oh you knew it was coming... However, Mayfield when you get tired your age and inexperience hangs out, bad. If a fan in the stands can see it, I guarantee you that a guy on the D line can smell it and they will be coming for you. So get that tucked back in, thanks.

Now here is the real question, with Mayfield how good is his mental game? I mean if he is having a hard time fighting through the fatigue mentally, how well can he fight the mental game when the Red Raiders are going to have to fight to come back from behind? Are we gonna see a team like that of A&M on Saturday, or are we gonna see the usual roll over and die Tech? Things that only time can answer.

And I'm not even gonna touch on the more painful parts of the game that include the referees, a dropped carry at the half yard line, because someone decided to celebrate sooner than he should have... And then there was a fox...

Speaking of foxes...

Mild side note: Kliff thank you for taking the plays out of the front of your pants, way less distracting, and the way I hear it... Most women want to reach down your pants anyway... But its not for your plays (yes, I went there)

On to the one game I couldn't wait to see all season and didn't have to wait long for the A&M Bama rematch.

Let me first say that I picked Bama for the win, but I was thinking that it would be more of a repeat of the Bama LSU game a few years ago where it all came down to who had the better kicker. I will say that this game did expose the machine. There are some flaws there Bama, and Saban knows it. I'm pretty sure that Saban knows they got lucky.

The arguments in the office are the difference of interceptions. I think those were good things for A&M, for no other reason than to remind Manziel that he isn't completely untouchable. However, there was no humiliating defeat that the nation was waiting for... Which I still don't understand why people seek so much pleasure in watching the failure of others?... But that is beside the point.

One thing that I did enjoy watching was A&M dig deep and close the gap. I then enjoyed watching Saban give the cue to kill as much clock as possible, so that Bama could walk away with the win. Now the men are talking about a no interception game would have gone the other way totally... Maybe.

I like talking about just a one interception game... That would have been a barn burner for sure and is why I love watching this sport. Cause let's face it the machine that is Alabama only needs one small thing to go right to act as a catalyst.

The Heisman talk that is surrounding Manziel I think is spot on, in order for him to repeat, A&M will have to be in the hunt for the SEC Championship... So with that thought I'm hoping that the team that comes up and surprises Alabama is Georgia, and they very well might. Its still early and as we all know injuries change seasons in a split second. So I will keep watching like the ultimate fan I am.

And congratulations to Ole Miss for beating UT... Maybe Brown will hang it up and UT will get rid of their network, but I doubt it....

And that is just this junkie's opinion.

Week 2 Recap

Like I said, no such thing as a bad game for a woman. Did anyone else noticed the looks of the Stephen F Austin QB? I'm telling ya... yummy. 

Okay now that I have that out of the way let's take a look back at the weekend. Nothing earth shattering happened, mainly because its week 2 and nearly every game was a non conference game, there weren't any super huge upsets.

On a side note congratulations to BYU on their win over Texas. Following the rabbit trail Texas its time to call time of death on Mack Brown's career he has served you long and well, but there needs to be some fresh blood in there and shake some things up... And I know that I will be hated for this statement, but I felt this way last year and that hasn't changed. Mack it was a good run, now its time to hang up you clipboard and retire.

So week 2 at Texas Tech wasn't a surprise to anyone. Tech stomped SFA. Now I will say this Tech looked solid and they looked tight.

Now with that said, don't get your hopes up Red Raiders. There were still some flaws that Tech should have taken the chance to work through, but didn't.

Welcome back Air Raid Offense, how I missed you so... Not. 

I will hand it to Mayfield kid has an arm and he's good, but here is my problem. Instead of letting the QB rest his arm some and run their ground game Tech thought it would be a good idea to push the QB, for a non conference game with over shot and under shot passes that I'm sure happened all because the kid was tired.

I had someone say you can't really test a ground game against a team like SFA. Here's my question, how could you take a perfectly good opportunity to not run the ground game? Seems like short sighted coaching. Instead of working out kinks in game situations, so that we know what needs to happen when we come up against I don't know OU... Let's instead run up the numbers and let everyone else know what I could tell other teams in the Big 12.

In case you aren't following, let me give you the key to crippling Tech's Offense... and it happens every time. OU is notorious for this... cover the passing routes.  

Which in all honesty I'm sure they missed knowing going in what they had to defend against. I'm just saying.

Now here are a couple of things that Tech is doing right. Diversifying receivers. Never going the same place twice. Brilliant! Why hadn't I... Oh wait, I've been saying that for as long as I can remember. 

The other thing that Tech did right was Jakeem Grant. You need to watch this kid. He's not big, but he is fast and hard to catch. I expect him to put up some great numbers this year, but more importantly I expect him to make some great plays.

On a random side note, Kliff get the plays out of the front of your pants. Its highly distracting. There are a reasons coaches invest in clipboards... I'm just saying.

Like I said nothing super earth shattering, but none the less its just this sports junkies opinion. 

Next weekend A&M takes on Alabama, and I can't wait!

  

When Your Female There's Never A Bad Football Game

So this weekend I of course did my homework over teams and even more importantly I took in some games. 

But while I was enjoying the game and very worried that all the Tech hype was gonna be turned into dismay... well... because let's face it, Tech fans are an odd breed. It was pointed out to me that the man in the above picture Tech's own Jordan Davis is a very good looking man. I looked and sure enough the female that pointed this out to me was right. This brought up a point to me that every female sports junkie in the world can attest too.

We never have to sit through a bad game. If our team is losing, no problem, find the cute guy that is doing well and cheer him on. Most men can't do this and every good woman knows that when her man's team loses its not exactly a happy day. So ladies, remember we never watch a bad game.

Now on to the important stuff the dissection of last weeks games.

I won't be overly harsh or critical, because it is week one, but there were some things that did stand out.

Let's start off with the Big 12... Well, because its where I work and play and it is one of the toughest conferences in the country. We play every conference team every season. And a lot of years there are a few heavy hitters in the conference. So starting off OSU is slated to be the Big 12 champions... I'm still not sure why, but hey, maybe the talking heads know some things that the tata's just don't. With that said I will be keeping a close eye on TCU.

Yes I said TCU. Look at the game that they chose to play right off the bat. Picking LSU as your first game for a non conference was risky to say the least. The injury factor alone is reason enough for me to question how worth it would be. But it did show me something that I'm sure will be over looked a lot. TCU fought... hard. Yeah they might have lost to LSU, but a 10 point loss to a team that should have put up bigger numbers says a lot. I think that TCU will be the dark horse of the Big 12 for multiple reasons. They started making waves last year, but couldn't stay healthy and keep up the momentum. I'm kind of crossing my fingers that, that won't be the case this season.

I already discussed Tech and Kingsbury's supposed "Heisman Touch" that people are watching for and no one is talking about here.

Now let's move into the SEC.

Of course Alabama is a machine. Do you expect any less? Not from a school that is about to be the first college football team in history to accomplish a possible three peat National Championship title.

Now if you believe the talking heads there might be a contender or two that could put a kink in that. Georgia being one of the teams. And the Georgia Clemson game was a bit of a barn burner. So these will be teams that you need to keep an eye on.

Now on to Manziel and A&M... I'm doing this only because I have friends that oddly think that I think that Manziel is a god send when it comes to football. I'm not gonna lie the kid is fun to watch, but if we keep seeing what we saw this last weekend. I think Manziel will be riding the pine pony.

For those of you that have been cave dwelling over the last couple of months you need to know that Manziel was investigated by the NCAA for signing merchandise and profiting from it... Okay...

Anyway the NCAA closed the case and slapped Manziel on the wrist with a half game penalty. So Manziel had to sit out the first half of the Rice game. Which was nice for a junkie like me. It gave me the opportunity to see how much depth the Aggies had as far as QB's go. The QB under Manziel, Joeckel, wasn't overly stunning. But this kid is smart, looks for the options, and was connecting well with his receivers. 

Now that's what I learned during the first half.

During the second half there were some things that showed up that Sumlin will have to get under control. His super star QB being on top of that list. Manziel mouthing and carrying on the way he did, just showed every team in the nation that it doesn't take a lot to get under this kids skin. And that Manziel doesn't have the leadership that he needs to create a cohesive team. 

Now I realize that the last half of the game was his first half of the season and I hope that Sumlin gets a hold of Manziel. I then hope that next week a very different team takes the field. I will be the first to admit that the team that I saw in the second half of the game this past weekend won't be able to beat Alabama. 

So those will be things to be watching for. 

I will be watching Cincinnati and Tommy Tubberville, because of the possibility that there might be an ACC team in it to win it this year. And I do have to send out a congrats to Auburn for their win over Washington State.

Until prediction time boys... watch game film and then come play along later this week. (hint, hint, wink, wink)

Until the weekend my junkies!