David Gibbs never took the bait last month whenever guys like me went fishing for bright spots on the defense he inherited. All through August workouts, Gibbs politely declined to single out any player about whom he had a good feeling – and for good reason.
Until you go do it on Saturday, Texas Tech’s new defensive coordinator said more than once, practice-field performances mean squat.
I respect him for that. Second it, in fact, even if it makes for boring copy in August. For most of the last decade, Texas Tech has talked almost annually — through eight defensive coordinators in nine years — about this year’s defense being better than last year’s.