Texas Tech Football: The Coordinators Speak: 1st Practice

This is the non-transcript for the two coordinators from the opening press conference, embedded below. Both coordinators talk incredibly quickly, so this was difficult.

Defensive Coordinator Keith Patterson: 35:07

It is hard to replace experience, I like where we are, kids are confident, still have to translate to what we did a year ago, I think the biggest thing is to continue to improve and build off of what we did last year and continue to move the program forward. I think the experience gives you a different type of confidence.

I think it reinforces what goes outside on of the walls of that building nothing else matters, when those kids chose to come back, if you had based everything you’ve heard you would have thought the sky was falling. I’m at Home Depot and Schooler let me know he’s coming back and made him repeat it, that started the whole thing and it is important to Demarcus Fields to graduate and speaks to the chemistry of what’s going on with our football program. We’re physically different, more people that think football is important, when you can’t put your hands on these guys and they’re on a computer screen, it was a big challenge. After the Kansas game to spring football, it is like being part of 2 completely different programs, I’m talking that fast. The whole mindset was completely different.

I introduced myself to Tyree Wilson at the Texas game, you had Eli limping, you had just met the guy rushing the quarterback, all summer long, our guys are running through our scheme, making calls and communicating and can’t think that we’ll be further ahead, the consistency of our guys’ skillset, it’s been 2 years, I’ve never felt like I’ve had a grip on, we completely revamped what we were going to do in fall camp, and then Covid, introduce yourself to Eric Monroe, and they’re sitting there trying to learn your system on a video screen on a computer, how challenging it difficult it is change a mindset, and 120 different apartments and being around our guys all spring and summer, we’re just further ahead.

He looks great, he’s 278 pounds, he doesn’t look like the Nelson 2 years ago, it is going to translate on the field, just challenged him, I need a consistent version and stack success and become a better player.

We’ll see, talent wise we look different, we have more depth than a year ago, with addition of Malik Dunlap, Pearson, we have to translate that onto the field, I like the improvements with those guys and the development that goes under the radar is Dadrion Taylor, he had never played defense before, I think he is a part of that equation, and I keep challenging our secondary to continue to build off of a year ago, we went from 10th to 4th and 3rd, we really improved on the year before and eliminated the explosive plays, play sound coverage, and obviously when the ball breaks our guys made a jump, and they made a great job tackling and limiting explosive runs.

If you watch his video, I was coming back and took my grandkids skiing, I read his tory at Wisconsin and I don’t know why, but I looked him up on twitter and told him to tall me and he called me in 3 minutes, I won’t guarantee you anything, but I’ll fight for you. You watch him knock that quarterback out from Michigan, when your dad calls you the funeral Director, he’s a physical kid, he has a baby face, but he is bowed up and a tough kid and he’s from Detroit, we met with our medical staff, I just asked them to research this thing and they did an unbelievable job, the Mayo clinic, the Cowboys, Patriots, and they cleared him, and what a great story it is going to be, I’m excited about him. He brings a toughness and a mentality that we need.

He’s shockingly 6’3″ 218, watch him run, I keep watch him and there’s no way he plays corner, you look at the size of the corner, and lot of guys in the NFL are playing Cover 3 and Cover 2 and I look at him, I’m not sure he won’t be a safety, he’s open to it, I told him I’d leave him at corner for the time-being and put him at the boundary, he matches up with the tight ends and bigger receivers, he runs really well for a guy that size, he’s a big athlete, but you watch him move and run and you see why he’s playing corner.

I thought LB Moore was one of the more improved guys in the spring, he weights 265, he came in at 230, he looks completely different, if he continues to develop and stay on track, he’s going to build the depth up front and could eventually be a guy that sees some playing time. The Goat has changed his body, the kid wants to be a coach, he’s a guy that’s learning to play defensive back, played high school quarterback but man I’m just glad that he’s part of our team, our players love him. He’s a smart kid.

I think we’ve tweaked our system a little bit to help with that, we’ve done some things that will help them, we use the same-as concept, this is the same as this, just trying to teach broad general concepts for each position.

Offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie:

I think there’s a lot of guys who are experience, Ezukanama, Koontz, SaRodorock, I think you add in that quarterback in Columbi and Shough who have played a lot, you don’t know how long a season is, these guys know how to prepare and play a full season experience you learn from them and grow from them, they’ve grown a lot and that is one of the things they can lean their hat on. Our offensive line, you start there, like what Coach Farmer has done with that group.

it is different, this is something when you’ve stayed somewhere for a long time, sometimes we put a cap on what players can learn, you have a foundation what kids can learn, but when you have something new, they are excited, that’s what we’ve come upon, we’ve kept the things they do well, the kids have been incredible about what they’ve learned and what we teach them, the schemes ,and verbiage is similar, they’ve had a quick handle on it. They were excited and open-minded a coachable group.

I think this is a fun group to coach, not a ton of ego, or lone wolfs, very close, some of that is experience, the attitude, toughness this group has shown.

He’s really come in and done as well as he could have, coaching and playing you learn from everyone, you have an older quarterback that has played, who has come in in with humility and done everything with his action, but the transparency with recruiting him and what happens, I’m always checking to make sure that we’re keeping to what we promised him while recruiting, and we gave him an opportunity and how he can be part of a platform, he’s a very engaging young man. The competition is very open, but he’s done a phenomenal job, and lead by his actions. But if you have ability and lead by actions, people will follow.

I think the room has grown a lot in a positive way for one you have 2 younger guys in Smith and Morton who are talented, Colombi beat West Virginia, Parker McNeil and Maverick McIvor as well, it is one guy that plays, I want to support the guy and have chemistry, but I also want that job and beat his tail out, that’s the jo of coaching an they’ve done a good job of taking coaching and worked extremely hard.

TJ walks into our door with a cup of coffee, a cup of cold brew, he comes in like the savvy veteran, like of the things about TJ he’s got a unique upbringing, his parents do Powercross Ministries that his family runs on the east coast, he’s being around a bunch of different situations his whole life, without having the restrictions of Covid, he’s engrained himself in that room, physically, that’s the best he’s moved and he doesn’t come into a team room and rub guys the wrong way, personality wise he has a great personality, the bottom line, can they play or not and he can play pretty well, his results are positive and he’s come back of winning a lot of football games an having a career in the NFL and he’s been very driven this offseason.

It think the latest will be game week, I think again, before fall camp, it is clearly defined in recruiting, these are the things we are looking for, move the offense, take care of the football, the ball moves and score points, it is not tangible, but the things they are judged upon are the things we talk about up front, and sometimes you get too into the stats of it. Do the other 10 guys on the offense play better because a guy is on the field, is there a clearly defined a leader, a lot of times you can teach it and kids can naturally do that. The latest will definitely be the Monday before the Houston game.

I think that really the whole group, DeAndre Smith has coached a lot of players and successful staffs, Luke has coached a lot of football, Filaini, Farmer, these are the guys you really hone in on and it is our players’ offense ultimately, and I want our room to have an open forum in terms of ideas and practice structure and in the course of practice, we have a lot of guys like Matt Clark, coach Holt just came on board, you never close your ears to anybody, it is a really experienced group that knows a lot of football they have embraced me coming in and trying to do things from an offensive standpoint.

You can’t give him too much love.

Dalton is a unique young man, getting married, that’s a big life thing right there, that’s a challenge in itself, he came through spring and slow going, but towards the end he’s got his legs under him and has fund doing it, that position with Myles, Sterling, McLane, Dalton, and Neheamiah, you’ve got McLane and Rig who is married have a lot of experience there, he’s definitely top-end and has speed and want to capitalize on it. I think his top-end speed and he has a nasty tough streak about him when he plays football.

I’ve been to the jones a few times, every time coming back, a lot of positive emotions and the biggest thing, we want to play really well and be as excited about Texas Tech football as anything and our plyers have done everything to put themselves in a position to do that. We don’t want them excited about coming to play in Lubbock Texas, we ant them to be cheering us on and staying four quarters.

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