The human eye is such an instinctive thing. Whether shiny, dangerous, strange, or otherwise unique, the eye will find such objects in its quest to pick what sticks out.

We've been trained as sports fans to understand that the objective of the game is almost always the object. So, in football, the thing that catches our gaze first and foremost is, well, the football itself. We watch its movement, and as a correlation, the person in possession of it.

Therefore, the players who most often hold onto the ball are the ones we pay attention to, and they're the ones people understand and know the most about. Heck, we've created an entirely separate game in fantasy football that flat out is used as a measuring stick to see who is the most valuable with the ball in their hands.

It's incredible irony, then, that football is really won away from the ball itself, away from the attentive attention of far and away the majority of onlookers. It mostly comes down to two units: The offensive and defensive line.

The O-line never has the ball, and the only time it's anywhere near them is when a ball carrier is attempting to use them as protection. The defensive line only ever gets noticed when someone makes a sack or a tackle for a loss, because they've taken down the ball carrier.

The rest of the thankless duties performed by both units go unnoticed, and its the small battles won as a result of those duties that can ultimately add up to a win or loss.

It's simple: Good football teams have good offensive and defensive lines. Just think about when you consider Texas Tech's success on the field over the last decade and a half.

The best years for Texas Tech's offensive line in that time period are arguably 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, and most recently 2012 and 2015. The best years for the Red Raider defensive line over that time period is arguably 2005, 2008, 2009, and 2013. So, let's take a look at which years the Red Raiders scored the most point. Worth noting that FCS games have been excluded:

That's a lot of raw numbers. So, the top five years where Tech scored the most points? 2008, 2003, 2015, 2002, and 2007. I think, pretty inarguably, those are the best five O-line units for Tech football in that time period. The likes of Louis Vasquez, Rylan Reed, LeRaven Clark, Daniel Loper, Dylan Gandy, and Glenn January, were the centerpieces of those various OLs. All NFL-grade linemen.

The defensive points allowed gets a little more tricky, as the offenses - other than Tech - have radically changed so much since then. So, you've got to do a little more interpreting and judging. Still, 2005 to 2009 and 2013 are the standout years (Yup, 2013, fewest points allowed in the last half decade) when you consider the opposition played. Keyunta Dawson, McKinner Dixon, Brandon Sharpe, Brandon Williams, Colby Whitlock, Pete Robertson, and Kerry Hyder were all roaming around on those various defenses. All guys with a ton of talent, most of whom had at least a cup of coffee in the league.

Sure, having elite playmakers at the skill positions on both sides of the ball is a big part of it. Kliff Kingsbury, Wes Welker, Taurean Henderson, Joel Filani, Graham Harrell, Michael Crabtree, Jace Amaro, Eric Ward, Jakeem Grant, and DeAndre Washington are all-time program players on offense. Fletcher Session, Dwayne Slay,Joe Garcia, Jamar Wall, Bront Bird, Darcel McBath, and Will Smith are back seven players that were key to success.

But it starts up front. The trenches set the tone, and they will again in 2016. Both units are young and inexperienced as a whole, but both have some legit talent running around. The O-line has Baylen Brown as a seasoned vet with young talent like Terence Steele, Madison Akamnonu, Justin Murphy, and then a wild card in Tony Morales that's undoubtedly talented but just hasn't had the reps of a player his age.

On the defensive line, Ondre Pipkens is a former five star that's seen his battles at Michigan, Kolin Hill is a former four star that's still young off the edge, and Breiden Fehoko is the rock of the future at the heart of it all. They've got a good amount of young talent around them, too. though it's very inexperienced or has yet to produce.

I believe the talent is there, even if it's still just raw, unrefined talent. The ultimate success or failure of this 2016 season, while certainly influenced by Pat Mahomes and his cupboard of skill players, will ultimately be determined by the development of both groups.

Should they blossom, it could be a sneaky good year. Should they falter, it could be another middling season.

We'll find out soon enough.

Great read from the Verge: The success of Pokemon Go proves that Nintendo has some incredible video game franchises that are wildly more important than their hardware.

So, who bought UFC? Find out more about the guys who bought the company for a cool $4 billion.

Scientists have discovered a new dwarf planet far beyond the reaches of Pluto.

NFL cornerback Brent Grimes may be a really good player, but his wife - Miko - seems to be one of the most ignorant, clueless, tonedeaf people on the entire planet, and - SURPRISE - she's opened her yapper yet again.

This week in Florida Man: Florida Man spots Florida Gator climbing a tree.

We're in the golden age of Star Wars fandom, as Disney has taken over the property and revitalized the franchise, both on the screen and off it. As a kid who learned to love the magic of movies and storytelling because of these films, they will forever hold a very special place near and dear to my heart. So, today, here are my top five favorite characters in Star Wars.

5. Chewbacca -He's the lovable sidekick, fiercely loyal to his friends, and he's somehow hilarious without ever saying a single understandable word in the entire series. Give a lot of credit to Harrison Ford as an actor, because you wouldn't buy Chewie at all if it wasn't for Ford's chops of making their interactions seem real and genuine. Everyone loves the hairy goofball that is the family dog.

4. Lando Calrissian - Okay, so it's Billy Dee Williams just being himself. So what? He's Han Solo if the Nerf Herder had his charm and suave turned up to 11. But, like many of the great characters in the series, he's deep because he's conflicted and makes human mistakes. He's just so cool.

3. Han Solo - Everyone loves the smooth talking, rough-around-the-edges Correllian smuggler. He tries to act like a scoundrel, and he often succeeds, but he has a heart of gold underneath it all, and it makes him the most appealing and human character in the series. He also arguably goes through the biggest character transformation from beginning to end.

2. Darth Vader - Arguably the greatest on-screen villain in cinematic history, he went from the looming, creeping boogeyman that was the embodiment of pure evil to a conflicted character that chooses to save his son from the same downfall, redeeming himself and saving the galaxy as he was destined to do. He's the ultimate tragic figure in the mold of ancient epics.

1. Obi-Wan Kenobi - While Alec Guiness certainly created the aura and personality of the character, I thought Ewan McGregor - who was the one redeeming quality of the prequels - elevated the character to another level. He's wise, relateable, has a good head on his shoulder, and mixes in some sharp, understated humor. I gravitate towards Obi-Wan above all other characters. I think some of that has to do with the fact that he's also very human, feeling the weight of the responsibility for Darth Vader coming to be while also trying to protect Vader's son from him. He's incredibly complex, and he's my favorite character.

Wildfires are nothing new to residents of the Pandhandle and West Texas. They're a common occurrence over the years that happen in the heat of the summer during a dry season. They happen for a litany of reasons, and they're a part of life out on the plains in the Lone Star State.

The fires in the spring of 2006 were different, though. They weren't contained to a small section or few thousand acres. Instead, those wildifires raged on for days and weeks as authorities around the state and country tried to stop the blaze that was eating through tens of thousands of acres at a time, moving at breakneck speeds thanks to the high winds of spring.

While many in West Texas knew of it, none were at the heart of it like those around Pampa, my hometown. I was there in the middle of that hellish disaster. Need a refresher? Here ya go...

I remember those weeks as vividly as any other memories I have. I remember standing on my front porch, a freshman in high school, as I saw that hellish, dreadful orange glow over the horizon, highlighting the shapes of the homes in Pampa in the dark.

I was terrified because there was no way I could know if my house was going to be there the next morning. i had no idea if we were going to have to take what we had on us and leave in a hurry that night. So, I waited and waited in fear of losing all the things I had.

Luckily, Pampa was mostly spared.

Some of our land, however, was not. My father is a farmer and rancher with some oil interests south of town. It went right through the heart of some of our land where we had a few oil derricks and the such. So, Dad and I went to check things out as soon as we were in the clear. I'll never forget what I saw.

The land was completely black for miles and miles, and the smell of burnt grass, ash, and oil, hovered in a fog everywhere. It was one of the strongest, worst smells I've ever smelt. The craziest thing was that the fire moved so fast that it didn't burn up any of our derricks or oil batteries. We came upon a solvent tank that was untouched but had the net on top of it burned off. There weren't any other signs that fire had even been there.

That fire left so much that was charred and dead in its wake. The grass was all gone. It was ash, nothing more for miles upon miles.

But, you know what?

When the grass grew back, it was the most beautiful, lush, vibrantly green grass I've ever seen. It was gorgeous, and it was unbelievable. You see, in the wake of the fire, most of the weeds and rough stuff had been culled off, leaving only a sea of healthy grass in its wake with the ash boosting the growth of the grass.

This past week was one of the hardest we've had in modern American social history. We reached a boiling point, perhaps the most volatile one in a quarter century. Like those wildfires in 2006, it was all triggered with a handful of sparks that ultimately evolved into a raging, terrifically horrific fire that left heartbreak, despair, and death in its wake.

But, in the aftermath of the events, I've seen something so beautiful: People loving each other, crossing lines of race and prejudice to simply comfort one another and come together as equal humans. All barriers came down as people consoled one another and hoped for a better tomorrow.

Something beautiful grew out of something terrible, just like the grass did all over the Panhandle and West Texas in 2006.

My hope for our society remains in our resolve and love for our fellow Americans in tragedy. I still have faith in a better tomorrow.