Red Raiders Participate in Big 12 Football Media Day
July 28, 2000 | Football
July 28, 2000
Mike Leach, Coach
On his first season at Texas Tech:
"I keep plugging away everyday, and wake up and do it over again. I think the hardest thing was leaving the players at Oklahoma, and the best thing is getting to know the players at Texas Tech. The players and coaches are working well together. I get to work with great people here, and look forward to the challenge."
On spring ball:
"During the spring we established all systems -- offense, defense and special teams. Then, went back and polished them up."
On this year's team:
"I think execution is the biggest thing. We also need to spread the ball out and get the ball to key players such as Ricky (Williams)."
On Ricky Williams:
"If you have a 1,000-yard rusher like Ricky it opens up everything. I wouldn't count him out for 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving this year."
On the introduction of the new systems:
"We're constantly trying to improve on what we've learned. Offensively, we continue to develop the system. Defensively, we have to establish more depth in the secondary, and overall, continue to get better at what we're doing now."
Ricky Williams, Running Back
On his opportunities with Texas Tech's new pass offense:
"I think I will benefit a lot from the pass offense. It will give me a chance to make a long run and will give me less carries, which will make it a lot easier on my knee. I've always wanted to be that in between type running back, and now I get that opportunity with the new offense that Coach Leach implemented. There will be a lot of adjustments for me this year, and my biggest adjustments will be more blocking. I think I'm pretty good at that for my size though."
On the status of his knee:
"Right now I think my knee is doing real well. I'm back out with the team running and everything that I wanted to do. I think it is only a matter of time before I'll be able to take my first hit."
Kevin Curtis, Free Safety
On this season's defense:
"Our defensive setup will be totally different. We're going from a 4-4 to a 4-3 to get more tackles and cause more turnovers. I won't make nearly as many tackles, but I'll be blitzing, playing man-to-man and staying in the box. Our guys on defense have a lot of experience, and we'll be quicker this season -- we'll make plays with speed, not our size."
On Coach Leach's influence on the team:
"Change has been good for us. You can already see it in our offense -- we should be able to score more. Our team is more offensive-minded this year. He's a team guy. He always asks the team what we think on issues and he goes with that. Coach Leach is a good guy."