Texas Tech Football Monday Mailbag: Defense-Double Ts

Big 12 Media Days is essentially the kick off to the season, so we wanted to give Texas Tech Football fans an opportunity to ask their most pressing questions.

Texas Tech Football is just weeks away from starting Fall Camp, and as things start to come together in preparation for Week One against Eastern Washington (Sept. 2), we want to make sure fans are being heard, and responded to.

We asked, and Tech fans responded, so without further ado, here are your Monday Mailbag questions for July 17, 2017.

"Have David Gibbs and Kliff Kingsbury made any changes to get the defense to be looking stronger for this season?"

It was announced back in Spring that Kingsbury would be taking a more hands-on approach in the defensive philosophy in 2017. Throughout Spring Ball, I think we saw his enthusiasm for defensive production in a way we haven’t seen in his career.

For the first time, Kingsbury and Gibbs looked to be on the same wavelength, and Kingsbury was even celebrating with the defense when they were making things difficult for the offense.

As we all know, a team is only as good as its weakest link, so regardless of offensive production throughout the years, Tech just hasn’t been able to show overall improvement due to its defense.

If both offense and defense are challenging each other the way we think they are, I believe the defense will be much improved for 2017.

"Has…[not] wearing the Double T’s taught the players anything new, to earn the right to wear the Double-T?"

I certainly hope not wearing the Double-Ts has taught the players valuable lessons in teamwork, pride, humility, and most importantly, self worth.

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For a lot of the players on Tech’s roster, they had few offers coming out of high school, so playing D1 at Tech is an opportunity of a lifetime. They’ve all worked hard to earn the right to play ball at the next level, but taking the Double Ts away was a reminder that the work doesn’t stop once they’ve signed their letter of intent.

If one player fails, they all fail; that’s a team, and football is a team sport. Putting the meaning behind the Double-Ts into perspective was hopefully a humbling experience for the team as a whole, and hopefully they’re returning with a restored sense of pride in wearing it.

I also imagine having a strength and conditioning coach who was a Green Beret in the Army driving home the importance of team work is going to help with overall team morale, too.

"Will Tech’s defense be ready to jump from being in last place, to where they can be in the Top 20?"

I certainly think Texas Tech Football has the tools now to start getting blue chips up in Lubbock, so yes, but it might take time.

Recruits are very intuitive, and if they see dilapidated facilities, non-existent infrastructure, and assistant coaches that are paid at the bottom of the conference, they’re going to question the universities dedication to the program. With Tech improving and building, there’s no reason for it to be overlooked now by players who could have a significant impact on the culture and dynamic in the future.

"What is the most significant improvement made on defense for the Red Raiders this offseason?"

Defensive line coach Terrance Jameson was the biggest defensive improvement I can think of. He’s a young guy, and entering his first season as a Power Five assistant coach, but all it took was two seasons as FAU’s defensive line coach to turn that unit into the No. 13 defensive line in the nation.

FAU set a school record in 2015 with 35 sacks, so that’s very high on Jameson’s priorities list at Texas Tech. With David Gibbs stressing turnovers, the dynamic could be explosive for Tech’s defense if all the pieces come together as expected in 2017.

"Is our offense going to be as explosive as last year? Is Shimonek ready for his starting quarterback position?"

Absolutely. Nic Shimonek follows a long line of Texas Tech quarterbacks who waited for their time, including B.J. Symons, Sonny Combie, and Cody Hodges. It’s pretty remarkable how many quarterbacks have flowed through the system, but once you know it, it becomes second nature.

Shimonek is an intense guy, and you can see it in his body language. He wants to be pushed, tested, yelled at, and forced into uncomfortable situations. If he wasn’t up for the task, he would have transferred; it’s that simple. He had no idea whether Mahomes would go pro early, but that was a gamble he was willing to take, and now that this is his offense, he knows what’s at stake.

If Tech’s receivers didn’t feel comfortable with Shimonek in practices last year, they would have transferred or gone pro early, too. I think all the signs are pointing to Shimonek commanding yet another explosive offense in 2017… and there are a few legacies depending on it.

"How does Tom Herman’s departure from Houston to UT reshuffled the Texas college football balance of power?"

I think that has yet to be determined. Herman was a great coach at Houston, but he wasn’t there long enough to give people a true measure of his talents.

The same argument could be made for Lincoln Riley’s abrupt move to head coach; is he a great offensive mind? Yes, but he’s not Bob Stoops, so the jury will be out on both coaching moves over the next few years.

I do, however, think there’s more of an urgency for Herman to win. Texas has the money to make any coaching move it wants, when it wants, if the results aren’t immediate. When Charlie Strong was fired last season, it influenced roster moves through players declaring early for the NFL, and players transferring. Riley had a relatively smooth transition, void of any players questioning the move. I think the Red River Rivalry will be a blood bath this year, but Tech has a definite shot at both teams.

"How did the turnover at the University of Texas the last few years effect TT recruiting if at all?"

I don’t think it’s had an effect at all. If Texas Tech had its new facilities built, its locker room renovated, and more support by the fan base at the end of last season, perhaps some of Texas’s commits would have picked Texas Tech instead, but that’s all speculative.

Recruits are drawn to schools that are organized, dedicated, and on the rise. If things go well for Tech this season and all the coaches are retained, Tech will absolutely be in play for recruits moving on.

"How are we looking for week one ?"

We don’t like to forecast too early, because anything can happen, but Texas Tech has been able to avoid anything serious happening to impact the team negatively throughout the offseason, so things are looking really good for Week One.

Eastern Washington has had some roster moves that will effect its lineup and game plan, but we’re going to have a comprehensive guide for every game this season.

Texas Tech Football has the opportunity to make serious waves this season, but it’s going to be a daily battle. This will be the Red Raiders’ biggest adversity test to-date, but with the stakes greater than ever, so is the opportunity for each player and coach to leave a legacy.

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Texas Tech Football Monday Mailbag: From Defense to Double Ts

By VF Castro | Jul 17, 2017

Big 12 Media Days is essentially the kick off to the season, so we wanted to give Texas Tech Football fans an opportunity to ask their most pressing questions.