Weekly Wonderings: The offseason determines success or failure

RELATED: Football success starts in the trenches

"Well, we sure had a great offseason."

It's a variation of a phrase that every single football coach in America spits out like a robot in their initial interactions with the media when previewing the upcoming season. It's inevitable. You can set your clock to it.

But, regardless of how much they want you to believe it, not every coach means it. They know how the offseason went. They have a firm grasp on whether their team improved in the weight room and built chemistry over the summer or fought like cats and dogs and slacked off.

In fact, simply saying they have a firm grasp on their team's offseason would be a drastic understatement. They have an NSA-level all-knowing-eye-of-Sauron understanding of how the offseason went, because every college coach in America knows 99.99 percent of what's going on within the walls of their program at all times, despite many of them claiming the contrary.

If it went well, they know. If it went poorly, they DEFINITELY know.

But for all the meaningless "The offseason was real good" talk we get, it ironically is, in my opinion, far and away the biggest determining factor on how many games you ultimately win from September to January.

"Will, you've still got to play the games!" is what someone will likely type out with some level of mild annoyance after reading this. But I'm telling you, most of the results have already been determined before foot hits pigskin on opening day.

That's because, like any task of complexity in life, preparation is key. How you prepare for any difficult situation will ultimately be the biggest swing factor in whether you're successful or not. Sure, raw talent comes into play in football just like any other task. But, that raw talent won't save you when you've met an equal - or better - match. How you've prepared for that moment, however, might.

That's why I think this offseason with Rusty Whitt in charge of the Texas Tech strength and conditioning program will ultimately be the difference in whether the Red Raiders exceed or fall short of expectations. In my book, how this offseason went will be the ultimate determining factor between roughly six or nine wins. That's the spectrum I've concocted in my head.

And, if what I've heard about this Texas Tech offseason, both on and off the record, is to be believed, then things went very, very well. This group of players, especially defensively, have seemingly taken to Whitt's no-nonsense, hard-nosed, mentally-challenging regimen and run with it. They've supposedly become a much more closely knit team in the process, too.

If that holds true, then I think some people may be surprised by a fun season. If not, it'll likely be a ho-hum year.

Regardless, you can't hit the speeding pavement that is the upcoming season with a slow strike. You have to hit it running, or you'll fall flat on your face.

We'll know how this offseason truly went soon enough.

So all that success that Pokemon Go is having that caused Nintendo's stock to skyrocket? Well, uh, funny thing is that Nintendo actually doesn't make the game. Whoops!

Looking for a collection of all the new movie and TV trailers that dropped at Comic Con over the weekend? Here ya go.

Here's a closer look from Ken Rosenthal on how the Aroldis Chapman trade to the Cubs may change the market outlook for a trade with the White Sox for Chris Sale.

And thus concludes another Summer of Harbaugh. Here's a piece from Stewart Mandel on the Michigan coach's wild and wacky offseason.

This week in Florida Man: Florida Man throws jar of salsa in spurt of road rage

Everyone reading this has attended a sports contest in person, and I'm assuming almost everyone reading it has also attended a Texas Tech - or at least college - sporting event in person. However, it's a totally different experience at times to be there as a member of the media, covering the event and watching as things unfold from a different view point. So, here are my five favorite Texas Tech sporting events I've been able to cover as a member of the media. Keep in mind that I'm still considered a bit of a young buck in the profession, meaning anything prior to 2011 won't be on the list.

5. Texas Tech T&F wins the Big 12 title at home (2014) - Wes Kittley is the best coach in campus. I don't think many would argue with that. However, prior to the 2014 outdoor track season, his men's team had only won one Big 12 title. That changed two springs ago, as the Red Raiders did so in storybook fashion at home in Lubbock. I was there, and it was actually the first track and field event I've ever covered. It's so radically different than any other team sport, both coverage and event-wise. Individuals are competing in events at the same time in different places, and it can be a bit dizzying at first until you get your bearings. But once I did, I loved every minute of it. So much fun, and it's such an intimate setting where you get to see the emotions of the coaches and athletes right there in front of you. I loved this unique experience.

4. Texas Tech throttles fifth ranked West Virginia (2012) - Whew boy, talk about one I was not expecting. Much like the 2011 win at Oklahoma, this one came totally out of left field. Tech had a big let down loss to OU the week before playing the Mountaineers in Lubbock, who at the time had the best offense in the country with Geno Smith far and away leading the Heisman talk. That all changed that afternoon. It was as routine of a gameday before kickoff as I could remember. And honestly, I thought it was going to be a loss, so my mind was busy on other things leading up to kickoff as I mindlessly prepared through my usual pregame steps. Once the game started, though, I got hooked in from the pressbox. It was one of those games where everybody looked around at each other and thought, "Huh. Well, alrighty then." Still, it was fun for me to see Jones Stadium so alive with energy, the first time it had been so since 2010. The place was jumping, and I won't ever forget the late game streaker that you folks at home didn't get to see. Fun day.

3. TCU pulls off the miracle in the final minute for the 55-52 win over Texas Tech (2015) - Okay, so it's a loss. I know, it stings. But that still doesn't take away from what was the best and most electric atmosphere at the stadium since the 2008 Tech-UT game. Lubbock vibrated with anticipation all week long, and those are the most fun weeks to be in town. It was a crazy weekend where the city was stuffed to the gills, and the game lived up to the hype. It was the wildest scoring affair I've ever watched in person, and I doubt I'll see something again like it. Despite the loss, incredible game to cover and watch.

2. Texas Tech takes down TCU in the weirdest game I've ever watched (2013) - I've watched some odd football take place at Jones Stadium, and I've been in that stadium plenty of times when there's been weird energy you can feel. But nothing holds a candle to the out-there Twilight Zone event that was the Thursday nigher in Lubbock back in 2013 between the Red Raiders and Frogs. It was a great atmosphere, and Tech debuted their gray jerseys. So, one oddity to start with. Then, Tech jumped out to an early lead on the opening drive with a swing pass touchdown to Kenny Williams. The place was jumping after that and stayed that way. But the game itself was an oddity for Tech, as it was an extreme low-scoring affair where both offenses kind of stumbled all over themselves all night, randomly snapping out of it for a TD drive at times. There were two dubious punt return calls on each team, the fox was running wild on the sideline, DeAndre Washington fumbled a ball at the one yard line that somehow didn't get called a touchback, and it took a late switch at quarterback where Davis Webb saved the day for Tech to come out on top. A weird one, but an extremely fun one that's my favorite football game I've covered to date.

1. Texas Tech basketball tops third-ranked Oklahoma (2016) - Being that I'm only 25, I never got to see the USA in its glory days of the Bob Knight Era when the arena was regularly rocking. However, I did get to see what that looks like this spring when Tech took down No. 3 Oklahoma. That was the most fun atmosphere I've ever been able to take in for a sporting event not named the 2008 Tech-UT football game, and it was so tense and vibrant. Add the storybook ending with the late rally and win that ultimately sent you to the NCAA tourney, and it's the best game I've ever covered. Just an incredibly fun game to be at.

When the Rangers signed Adrian Beltre before the beginning of the 2011 season, everyone wondered what it was they were going to get out of him. He had a reputation as a career journeyman, mostly as an average third baseman with a few great years sprinkled in, primarily his final year with the Dodgers in 2004, a few seasons with the Mariners and his lone year in 2010 with the Red Sox. He had never settled down anywhere, and he seemed to be prone for down years at times. You just didn't know what Texas was going to get out of a guy that looked to be at the peak of his career.

Well, that's not what you got. In fact, as it's turned out, Beltre's best years were ahead of him. He's been the best version of himself in Arlington, picking up three All-Star bids, two gold and platinum gloves, and leading the AL in hits back in 2013.

Despite aging well past what many would expect to be his prime, he's arguably the best defensive third baseman in baseball at 37.

And he's become a beloved member of the Metroplex community in the meantime. In fact, I don't know a single Rangers fan that isn't over the moon for Beltre.

So, after seeing him hit a walk-off home run to beat the A's on Monday night, my question is this: Is Adrian Beltre a player on the Mount Rushmore for Texas Rangers baseball? It's a legitimate question that's worth pondering, at the least.

If you're going with a four man group, one thing is for certain: Both Nolan Ryan and Pudge Rodriguez are in. No questions asked, they're the two cornerstones of the group. You can start making your arguments after that.

Michael Young and Juan Gonzalez are the two top candidates that come up next on the list. Gonzalez is a two-time AL MVP and leads the club all time in homers, RBIs and slugging percentage. He's inarguably the best hitter in the team's history. So, I think he's the third member of the crew. So, for me, that's Nolan Ryan, Pudge and Gonzalez in. I think solidly.

So the fourth spot is where you can make your debate. Is it Michael Young or Adrian Beltre. That's the argument you have to make at this point. Young is the long-time clubhouse leader, steady hand and fan-favorite that was the heart and soul of the World Series teams in 2010 and 2011. Beltre, on the other hand, has likely had the better on-field career with the Rangers as, again, one of the best defenders in the game and one of the best bats in the lineup. He's also the fan favorite right now. Everyone loves him in the Metroplex. He's gone from career journeyman to hometown favorite that more than likely will retire a Ranger.

So, ya know what, let's compromise and make it five.

Adrian Beltre on the Mount Rushmore for the Rangers? Oh yes.