On Broadway: Mid-season grades
We're now six games through Texas Tech's 2015 season, believe it or not, so I figured I would give out my mid-season grades for the Texas Tech football team, where I think things stand with each individual unit. So, here we go:
Quarterbacks: A+
This one was pretty simple for me, because right now, Pat Mahomes is the best signal caller in the country that no one outside the Big 12 is talking about. He's got special talent, and it just baffles me how mature he already is under center, as a decision maker, leader, and pure-skill standpoint. I don't think it's a stretch to call him likely the best sophomore QB in at least the last 25 years. Kudos to Davis Webb as well, who has been very, very solid in backup duties so far this season.
Offensive Line: A-
I think penalties have flared up a few times, and Tech couldn't really run the ball against Baylor, so I'll stick with an A- right here for now. They've allowed only two sacks, which is incredible considering the fact that Tech's thrown the ball more than anyone else in the entire country. They've been very good, and if they block like they did against Iowa State the rest of the year, this could very easily go up to an A or A+.
Running Backs: A-
DeAndre Washington has looked like a man possessed at times, and Justin Stockton has picked up right where he left off from last year as a home run threat on every single play. Both players can score from anywhere on the field if they find a hole now, as Washington added a shocking amount of speed in the offseason. Quinton White and Demarcus Felton have both been very good in backup duties as well. If Stockton will run the ball just a little bit better between the tackles, this could end up as an A+, too.
Wide Receivers: B
The receivers have been much, much improved as a group so far in 2015, and the young freshmen behind the veterans have jumped in early as capable playmakers. Blocking is miles better from this group, which has been the most encouraging thing, IMO. There have still been a few too many drops, and several players have still been a bit inconsistent, but this group is miles better than it was in 2014.
Offense overall grade: A
It could very well be the most explosive unit in school history when the season is over thanks to the speed and elusiveness at the skill positions coupled with Mahomes' ability to extend and make plays. They're on track to break some program records, which is saying something around here.
Defensive line: C+
This unit is better as a whole than they were a year ago, and that has to do both with Mike Smith helping his veterans grow and the insertion of some young talent like Breiden Fehoko and Gary Moore. When they play their gaps right and use good leverage, they don't give up nearly as much in the run game as you might think. That's the key though, as consistency with fundamentals still plague the unit.
Linebackers: C-
I think the insertion of both Dakota Allen and true freshman D'Vonta Hinton are already making this unit grow and get better on a weekly basis, but there's still room for lots and lots of improvement. Like the defensive line, consistency of fundamentals is the issue, especially in the run game between the tackles with gap assignment and alignment.
Secondary: D+
David Gibbs has had a carousel at cornerback through the first six games, rotating guys in and out on a regular basis at both corner positions as he tries to find players he can count on. Nigel Bethel has started to grow back into someone that's at least not a liability, so he's seemingly locked down one of the spots of the field. We'll see on the other side.
At safety, J.J. Gaines has seemingly replaced Keenon Ward, and Gaines has quietly been having several solid outings, as he's currently second in the Big 12 with four interceptions. Jah'Shawn Johnson has certainly had some solid days, too, considering he earned a Big 12 DPOW earlier in the season.
Again, like the other two units, it's about consistency with technique and assignment, and they've given up too many big plays.
Defensive grade: C-
Some may think that's too generous, but with the way the Red Raiders have been earning turnovers and getting stops when they absolutely have to against basically every team other than Baylor, I'll keep them in the Cs.
Link Me, Bro
Chip Kelly claims he isn't currently interested in returning to college football and hasn't talked to anyone from any school. *wink wink*
Tubby Smith has received a very, very prestigious honor from the John R. Wooden Award
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A look at Lamar Odom, and where things went wrong
What are the 25 most rewatchable movies of all time? An interesting look.
This week in Florida Man: Florida Man pretends to be a cop, pulls over a real cop
Power Rankings: Movie Characters
There's a lot of talk going around right now about Harrison Ford's replacement in a possible Han Solo spin-off film that Lucasfilm is currently putting together, so i figured I would rank off my favorite five movie characters in this week's edition of the Power Rankings. Here goes...
5. Alonzo Harris - The role that won Denzel Washington an Oscar, Alonzo from Training Day is one of the best characters that doesn't get enough credit. He's so slick, and he convinces you at times that he's not a bad guy, and that's what makes him great.
4. Tony Stark - The role Robert Downey Jr. was born to play, and boy does he play him well. He's the playboy billionaire with a conscious lying beneath all the sarcastic exterior, and like another character further down the list, he's somebody that little boys want to be when they grow up.
3. Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln - You might not count this as a character, and some people may think that the movie Lincoln was a snoozefest, but as someone who is a history buff and has a great appreciation for the man that was Abraham Lincoln, Day-Lewis' performance as the man with the top hat was astonishing. He embodies him perfectly, and I loved it.
2. Han Solo - Yup, the Scruffy-looking Nerfherder. Harrison Ford had only ever been in one movie before this, and he was essentially an unknown. However, he created one of the most memorable and iconic hero/antiheros in film history as the shady smuggler who secretly has a heart.
1. Indiana Jones - Hands down my favorite movie character of all time. As a kid, he's a character that embodies every quality that any boy could ever want to be: He's smart, tough, witty, sarcastic, and the ladies love him. He's one of the greatest characters ever created, and Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg made someone special on screen.
Others just outside the cut: Frank Lucas, Maximus, Ron Burgundy, Vito Corleone, Wolverine
Off The Reservation: The Rangers blew it, and that's okay.
Yes, most Rangers fans wanted to - or possibly did - throw pillows, phones, furniture, etc. with how things went in the seventh inning of yesterday's game against the Blue Jays, and I can't blame them. The Texas Infield - primarily Andrus Elvis - screwed the pooch up 3-2 with an emotionally tolling run on the board that could've taken Toronto out of the game and certainly had their fans in a funk. And by in a funk, I mean they threw things at each other and all over the field like heathens.
And while losing in that fashion after going up 2-0 in the series is a rough pill to swallow, just remember: They had no business being there to begin with.
Texas was playing with house money from the day they made the playoffs, something no one, even myself, could imagine them getting anywhere near to doing. That's why I'm very optimistic about the next handful of years. They've found what I believe is a great second baseman in Rougned Odor, made brilliant moves late to really improve the pitching roster, both starting and in the pen, they have what appears to be a fantastic manager in Jeff Bannister, and Yu Darvish will be back as the true ace.
That's all very promising in my eyes, and it's something to be excited about. I know the ways in which the Rangers have lost in the postseason have been crotch-kicking, and it's tough to look at things with promise, but I will.
Do the same yourselves, Astros fans. Baseball in the Lone Star State is about to get real good.
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