This is probably an obscure reference, so I'm sorry, I've watched The Office more times than I can count. Almost everything in my head goes through a The Office filter before being flushed out. So, when the inevitable announcement came down about the dismissal of David Yost, I thought of a particular scene, after Michael Scott left (and Deangelo Vickers was no longer able to form sentences), where the Jim led search committee decided to get input from the rest of the employees. Jim asks for everyone's opinion, and Kevin Malone takes the floor and this exchange ensues:

"Kevin: Okay. Well, what do I want in a manager? Let me see. [walks slowly across the office] What do I want?

Oscar: I don't think he meant, that-

Kevin: So now anyone gets to talk at any times?

Oscar: Go ahead.

Kevin: What do I want? ... I'm looking for someone... who... [smiles] Everyone is listening to me."

So that's what I thought of, and felt like, after the Yost news came down,. I knew pretty early on that is was time for a change, so now that it has happened, It's difficult to put into words exactly what I want, so I'll try to do that here.

For as much criticism as Matt Wells gets, and deserves, I do think he realized the shortcomings of his offensive unit this year, and what an above average one could have meant for the Red Raiders in 2020. He knows that this hire will likely make or break his tenure at Texas Tech, and so I'm fascinated with the direction he will go.

With that being said, this is not about Coach Wells, this is a, holiday season appropriate, wish list from me containing what I think the offense should look like next season.

It's pretty incredible to me that a coach with the skins on the wall like David Yost is as married to one personnel grouping like he was, it just doesn't make sense. I understand the tenets of keeping things simple in order to go as fast as possible, but not presenting different looks to the defense made Tech incredibly easy to defend. You can run the same play out of a myriad of formations, it still keeps things simple, but you require the defense to think. That's what I want to see from a new offense, one that could run eight plays on a drive out of 6 formations and 4 personnel groupings. Tech has the offensive skill talent and numbers to run basically any formation an offensive coordinator can think up... so do it. This would also go a long way to helping the biggest issues on offense (that I don't think will be drastically better next year), the offensive line and quarterback. Giving the defense different elements to be concerned about will make the jobs of the offensive line and quarterback easier because the offense as a whole will be less predictable, and that leads me to my second wish...

Number one can go a long way in fixing number two, but it's more than that. Most of us could call out the majority of the plays before they happened, so imagine what a D1 defensive coordinators and athletes can do when they know what's coming. I guess we don't have to imagine, because we lived it. Even the "trick plays" were predictable because it was the same one every time! I said many time throughout the year that Tech's offensive skill players were good enough to go toe-to-toe with anyone, but they aren't so good that the defense can know what's coming and still the Red Raiders will still be successful. How often did we see a post route? A drag? A deep cross? Everything was fade down the sideline, seam down the hash, or screen. That is easy to defend. I didn't even mentioning the offensive line and quarterback who absolutely need an element of unpredictability to succeed.

When this staff was hired, I was all in on bringing tight end use to Texas Tech, little did I know that it would be used... exclusively. Exclusively on a team that did not really have the type of player required for that role, and yet, Yost plowed ahead anyway. I am still not sure that that player is on campus (Tech may have signed two), I like Koontz, but he was used so little you have to wonder if Yost even thought he was the right man for the job. The tight end issue speaks to a larger problem, and what I want to be addressed by Yost's successor, use what we've got available. Tech has a versatile receiving and running back corp, it's full of guys who can do a lot of different things well and have a variety of different strengths, I want too see the next guy use them. Build a plan around what your playmakers do well, and let everything else fall into place. Do this with the negatives too, offensive line and quarterback need to be helped with scheme, I want to see the next guy recognize that and do it.

The defense is improved, don't throw numbers or rankings at me, we all watched the games. Those numbers would be significantly improved if a half-competent offense accompanied that defensive unit. I can think of instances in every game, save Oklahoma, where the defense forced a timely stop or turnover (or maybe a few in a row), and the offense let them down with a three-and-out or a turnover of their own. This defense was almost never able to defend in an advantageous position, always forced to do more than necessary to help the offense. That is not going to work in the modern game. I want an OC who has a plan and goes for the jugular after a big defensive play. That's how a team like Texas Tech will win games.

Finally, I want a new OC to build an offense that generates fear in defensive coordinators because at any moment and at any point on the field, a touchdown could be scored. I never felt like that with Yost, which was his biggest downfall, his style of offense must be explosive because it's too simple to maintain a sustained drives consistently. Tech has the players to be incredibly explosive, I want the new offense to utilize that element of the game. Even if it doesn't work, I want the defensive players and coaches thinking that a big play could happen at any moment. Scheme those plays, don't just rely on individual brilliance.

That's my list, maybe I'm unrealistic, but I don't think so. Tech has the players to deliver on each one of these five wishes, they just have to find the guy to lead it. That is the difficult part. That's what Matt Wells has to do, and he knows it better than anyone, he also knows that it will probably decide how much longer he is the coach in Lubbock.