Keep Texans Talk Google Ad Free!
Venmo Tip Jar | Paypal Tip Jar
Thanks for your support! 🍺😎👍

Mike Leach Fired

Texan_Bill said:
The stories I've read was that James was forced to stand and we he sat down, Leach had someone remove things.
Click to expand...

Stories I've read, read differently. Which isn't all that surpising. I'm curious how Tech is going to explain this without an investigation into the events. There are too many differing opinions as to what happened to assume we've actually heard the truth yet.
 
Hoth-Boy said:
Stories I've read, read differently. Which isn't all that surpising. I'm curious how Tech is going to explain this without an investigation into the events. There are too many differing opinions as to what happened to assume we've actually heard the truth yet.
Click to expand...

The Oliver Stone version is James didn't like it there and wanted to transfer . He also didn't want to lose a year so if he ends up a pony ... bingo .
 
Hoth-Boy said:
Stories I've read, read differently. Which isn't all that surpising. I'm curious how Tech is going to explain this without an investigation into the events. There are too many differing opinions as to what happened to assume we've actually heard the truth yet.
Click to expand...

At the end of the day, Tech was looking for a reason to get rid of Leach. The Mangino saga lasted longer than this before he was fired. I'm as curious as you to find out "the real" story.

FYI: This is kinda what I was talking about:

According to the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, on Dec. 17, Leach "ordered James to stand in a dark shed at the Tech football practice facility because he thought James was faking a concussion he'd suffered during practice the previous day. Leach had him watched, and when James sat down, Leach had things removed from the shed so he could not sit. Two days later, Leach forced James to stand in a dark room for three hours."
Click to expand...
 
I knew Briles would come up. He just got to Baylor but we all know that means nada.

Sumlin will be on that list and would have to say YES if they offer it to him.

I doubt Leach would have been kicked out if they didn't have a plan.
 
Not looking good for the Tech Administration.
hese e-mails were forwarded to CBSSports.com on Tuesday. They include messages from strength coach Bennie Wylie, inside receivers coach Lincoln Riley, former assistant coach Dana Holgorsen (now at Houston) and former players Eric Morris, Graham Harrell and Rylan Reed ...


Two days prior to the incident in question, I disciplined Adam James along with several other recievers. His attitude was poor the entire time; even with constant plees for improvement. By the end of the practice, a few of the other recievers accepted their lack of performance in the previous practice and worked harder. Adam was not one of these individuals. He was last on all the excercises asked to do and talked and "danced" during the discipline. When told that this was unacceptable, he simply shrugged his shoulders. I continued to encourge him with no success.

Bennie Wylie
Head Strength and Conditioning Coach
Texas Tech University


To whom it may concern:

You can find out a lot about a person after playing three years of college football with them. Adam James was a teammate of mine from 2006-2009. Ever since the day he arrived on the Texas Tech campus you couldn’t help but to feel a negative energy from him. He expected people to baby him and that he was going make it solely on the fact that his father was a very successful player. Coach Leach has never been a coach to just give something to someone because of who they are. He believes that everyone is equal and you have to earn respect from your coaches and teammates. Adam was never known as a hard worker. I can honestly agree with this because we played the same position and I witnessed his laziness on a daily bases. Adam seemed to have a negative attitude towards the football program the majority of the time. That negative energy is never good for a team and can cause some major problems on and off the field. During practices, Adam always tried to get by with doing the least he possibly could. Never do I once remember Adam to be excited or enthusiastic to be out there. It was almost like he was playing the game of football to please someone other than himself.

Sincerely,

Eric Morris


To Whom It May Concern:

Texas Tech University and the athletic department is filled with great people from the top down, starting with the chancellor all the way down to the student athletes involved in the programs. In the football program, Gerald Myers and the rest of the administration have put together an unbelievable staff that believe success only comes from hard work and doing things right. The staff expects the players and everyone involved to buy into their beliefs, but like anywhere not every player agrees with or buys into what the coaches and program stand for. At Texas Tech the majority of the players do everything the coaches ask of them and anything possible to improve the team. Adam James is one of the few players who has never bought into what Texas Tech football was built on and in my years there with him had a negative impact on the team because of his attitude and work ethic on and off the field. Coach Leach demands a lot out of every player in the program and pushed his players and coaches as hard as any coach I have ever been around, but he is fair to every player and would never make and decision or action that is not best for the Texas Tech football program.

Before Adam James ever entered the football locker room at Texas Tech I heard how spoiled and selfish he acted in a team atmosphere from many of my baseball friends. Adam was on the baseball team his true freshman year at Tech, before he ever joined the football team, and did not make it through the baseball season because of his selfish attitude. After a baseball game in which he felt like he did not get enough playing time, but the team still won twenty to one, he came into the locker room after the game and “pouted and threw a big fit” according another player on the baseball team. A few weeks later in the middle of the season, he just stopped showing up to practices or game and quit because he was not happy about how he was being treated. One of my roommates was a baseball player on the team and many of my friends were a part of the team that witnessed all of this. These baseball players told me he was “spoiled and selfish” before he ever came to the football team. After quitting baseball he came out for football and his selfish attitude was very evident, as was his laziness. During off-season workouts he often would be caught skipping lifts in the weight room or finding ways to cut corners/get out of conditioning exercises. When we had player organized seven on seven throwing in the summer, when he would show up he was much more interested in playing his own games on the side of the field or telling people that he wasn’t going to run any routes because the coaches do not get him a “fair opportunity” anyway. During the season he was often “injured” (it usually seemed like a very minor injury that could keep him out of practice but never out of any other activity, including games) so he would not participate in some drills in practice. None of these acts were productive for our team, but the most detrimental part of Adam was his off field attitude and actions. In the locker room and away from the facility, Adam used any opportunity he had to tell other players how he was being treated unfairly, how the coaches did not give him a fair chance and how we did not have to do everything the coaches told us because they had no option but to play some of us. When I heard these kinds of things I usually tried to put an end to them but Adam pretty consistently talked bad about the coaches or down played the importance of working hard, when he was off the field. When he talked to young players or players that were usually on the scout he would explain how the coaches were not fair to certain players and only played favorites. When he talked to players that did get some playing time he would talk about how we didn’t really have to do what the coaches asked of us because the coaches had to play us anyway. And it almost always tied back to how he was not getting a fair chance to play just because the coaches were unfair. The coaches were always more than fair to Adam I felt, because he came in the game during certain formations and situations last football season, but because of his work ethic and attitude, many of the players on last years team had a hard time trusting him or relying on him because he was not always practicing and we had seen his laziness during the off-season. Adam was a kid that seemed like he had been given everything he wanted his whole life and acted like if things did not go exactly how he wanted someone was treating him unfairly or someone needed to be blamed for his failures. He was a selfish player on and off the field that was counter-productive for our team and would be for any other team.

Mike Leach was not only my head coach, but he was my position coach all five of my years at Texas Tech. I spent more time with him than any other player during my five years and had meetings with him every day. He was very hard on me and every other player in program and he held very high expectations for every player. He would push us all every day during the season and during the off-season. He felt that hard work, dedication and doing things right was the only way we could be successful and compete in the Big XII conference. He worked harder and longer than anyone else in program and was committed to winning at all cost. He would never have been unfair to a player or not played the best players he had because he wanted to win more than anything else. Coach Leach also expected us to be tough but smart at the same time. He would not pressure a kid to play with a serious injury or play when he did not feel ready to play. Coach Leach is a man that cares about his player and puts his players, coaches and the well being of the Texas Tech football program above all else.

Coach Leach is a great coach at Texas Tech that emphasizes the importance of hard work and doing things the right way so that the football program has the best opportunity possible to be successful. He, along with the administration and the rest of his staff, have built a great football program at Texas Tech that is built on the virtues and principles that give any program an opportunity to be successful. Every single player may not buy into the program’s beliefs, but Mike Leach has almost everyone on board with him and the Texas Tech football program on a successful track.

Graham Harrell

I am writing this letter on behalf of Mike Leach in regards to the Adam James situation. I was the inside receiver coach at Texas Tech when we made the decision the sign Adam James in January of 2007. Adam had no offers to play NCAA D1 football during and after his Senior year. After a conversation between Coach Leach and Adams father Craig, Coach Leach acquired a brief highlight tape of Adam and made the decision to take him as a scholarship student athlete. I was opposed to doing so in belief he was not a D1 football player. Coach Leach overrode my opinion and Adam became a Red Raider. During the rest of my time at Texas Tech I was Adams position coach where I always remained critical of Adams ability to play at this level due to being lazy in not only the classroom but also in the off season and during practice. Coach Leach was the one who kept saying he believed Adam would eventually contribute. Adams teammates believed he was selfish and were constantly getting onto him for lack of effort as they sensed entitlement on his part due to his father being a very good football player. Adam eventually ended up playing a little after I left due to his body type being able to do some TE sets which consists of around 5-10 plays a game. Adam should be thankful for the opportunity to play at Texas Tech and for Mike Leach, who gave him the opportunity. In my opinion playing 5-10 plays a game in an outstanding offense is more than he would get at any other school in NCAA D1 football.

Dana Holgorsen
OC & QB's
University of Houston
Click to expand...

More at the link
http://dennis-dodd.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6270202/19238949
 
Oh well..dude got fired from one high paying job and he'll probably go to a better paying job.

Hard for me to have much sympathy for him.
 
Silver Oak said:
huh?

Ags lead that series 35-32-1.
Click to expand...

That record would only mean anything if Leach was the coach in all 68 of those games. What is the record while Leach was the coach at TT? I honestly don't know, just curious.

Maybe A&M will fire Sherman and hire Leach. That way maybe you guys can be fans of your team in January instead of whomever is playing Texas.
grin_smiley.jpg
 
Hookem Horns said:
That record would only mean anything if Leach was the coach in all 68 of those games. What is the record while Leach was the coach at TT? I honestly don't know, just curious.

Maybe A&M will fire Sherman and hire Leach. That way maybe you guys can be fans of your team in January instead of whomever is playing Texas.
grin_smiley.jpg
Click to expand...

Leach was 7-3 against the Ags.
 
Hookem Horns said:
That record would only mean anything if Leach was the coach in all 68 of those games. What is the record while Leach was the coach at TT? I honestly don't know, just curious.

Maybe A&M will fire Sherman and hire Leach. That way maybe you guys can be fans of your team in January instead of whomever is playing Texas.
grin_smiley.jpg
Click to expand...

As an Aggie who was standing in the student section back in '95 watchin Zach run in that now infamous pick 6, thank you TT!!!!!! Maybe now we can get back to normal ~ us beating y'all like redheaded step children again.

As far as firing Sherman and hiring Leach, works for me. A&M is hard to recruit for, but its a heck of a lot easier to recruit for then TT. I mean really, who want to live in the dust bowl.
 
Sounds to me like Leach was keeping Jones on the squad because of the Dad (with a scholarship too?). Just trying to get good press with ESPN.

After reading those letters, I can't understand why Leach (or any coach) wouldn't cut a player that has that much bad energy, attitude or laziness.
 
Showtime100 said:
What a joke. Tell me, does A&M get the same BS breaks with the law UT does? Just curious.
Click to expand...

They probably would in College Station. So the real reason Mike Leach was fired was because he had something to do with giving UT players breaks with the law? Does Leach have some political power in Texas that I am not aware of? Why would Leach help UT players?
 
I wish we would have hired leach to be a player consultant for the Texans so we could have locked Chris/Kris Brown in a dark closet for 17 weeks.

Fear the Pirate! :vinny:
 
Texan_Bill said:
Dickie Justice mentioned Sonny Dykes.
Poor Ruffin. At his weight the stress of being a full time (not interim) head coach might kill him.
Click to expand...

Hey, if Mangino can go 7 years without having a heart attack at Kansas, I think Ruffin might be able to coach them for a while.
 
Super Mario said:
My 2 cents.

If you have a player that is playing the injured card for any reason. Send him to the trainers. If he doesnt work hard then cut his scholarship. If thats not an option for whatever reason then dont play him.

Leach put himself in this position by not doing the right thing. I am not saying I think he should get fired over it, but he opened the door up to something like this happening.
Click to expand...

He should have freaking CUT the kid.

It's is his own fault on three separate occasions:

1. Having faith in the kid when others had said "Don't sign Adam James."

2. Not cutting him after others, including golden boy Graham Harrell, had said that he was lazy and useless to the team. You are the coach. Cut the dead weight. Issue ultimatums. DO SOMETHING!

3. Pulling the shenanigans of locking him closets. He wasn't "harmed" but it placed a spotlight on Mike Leach, and TTU, that was unnecessary.

You can't help but feel that Mike Leach became a God in his own eyes, especially with the way TTU student body and alumni had fallen in love with him due to him making the football team a competitive squad for once.

I don't feel sorry for him. And I actually think he was overrated when it comes to gameday coaching. He keeps saying that he isn't that big of a coach anyway. He has a few plays and they just change up the formations to trick the defense, plus the receivers just run to open spots on the field.

The Red Raiders signed Scotty Young, senior QB at Denton Ryan High School in Texas. He threw for 9,000 yards in two seasons. 126 TDs, IIRC. He had 65 TDs in one season, just one short of Graham Harrell's record of 66.

I think the Red Raiders are going to be fine without him.

The team respects Ruffin McNeil. I do, too.

One man's loss is always another man's gain. I wonder if Leach will remember that he can't get too cute with stuff like this at the college level.

This situation reminds me of our own, with the Texans:

1. Head coach stabilizes the program.

2. Defense sucks.

3. Changes d-coordinators and the defense improves a lot.

4. Leach does a quirky thing with a player and it backfires. Our head coach does quirky things with roster decisions and gameday strategies/in-game adjustments. One gets fired, one has probably one more year.

As a Tech fan, I think this was the smart thing to do. How many players want to risk (no, correction: How many PARENTS want to risk) going to a college where a player might get treated in weird ways by the head coach?

Tech will win the bowl game. Where it goes from there is anybody's guess.
 
GP said:
He should have freaking CUT the kid.

It's is his own fault on three separate occasions:

1. Having faith in the kid when others had said "Don't sign Adam James."

2. Not cutting him after others, including golden boy Graham Harrell, had said that he was lazy and useless to the team. You are the coach. Cut the dead weight. Issue ultimatums. DO SOMETHING!

3. Pulling the shenanigans of locking him closets. He wasn't "harmed" but it placed a spotlight on Mike Leach, and TTU, that was unnecessary.

You can't help but feel that Mike Leach became a God in his own eyes, especially with the way TTU student body and alumni had fallen in love with him due to him making the football team a competitive squad for once.

I don't feel sorry for him. And I actually think he was overrated when it comes to gameday coaching. He keeps saying that he isn't that big of a coach anyway. He has a few plays and they just change up the formations to trick the defense, plus the receivers just run to open spots on the field.

The Red Raiders signed Scotty Young, senior QB at Denton Ryan High School in Texas. He threw for 9,000 yards in two seasons. 126 TDs, IIRC. He had 65 TDs in one season, just one short of Graham Harrell's record of 66.

I think the Red Raiders are going to be fine without him.

The team respects Ruffin McNeil. I do, too.

One man's loss is always another man's gain. I wonder if Leach will remember that he can't get too cute with stuff like this at the college level.

This situation reminds me of our own, with the Texans:

1. Head coach stabilizes the program.

2. Defense sucks.

3. Changes d-coordinators and the defense improves a lot.

4. Leach does a quirky thing with a player and it backfires. Our head coach does quirky things with roster decisions and gameday strategies/in-game adjustments. One gets fired, one has probably one more year.

As a Tech fan, I think this was the smart thing to do. How many players want to risk (no, correction: How many PARENTS want to risk) going to a college where a player might get treated in weird ways by the head coach?

Tech will win the bowl game. Where it goes from there is anybody's guess.
Click to expand...

Leach was mad at the Myers for not extending him sonner last year and started looking around for another job. This made Tech have to pay the going rate for Leach. This ticked off the Administration. When you combine that with Leachs' attitude it had to end poorly.

The question is can they find another coach that is as good as Leach that will be willing to come to Lubbock?

I think the answer is probably no but we shall see.
 
Silver Oak said:
is there a silly Rooney rule in the NCAA too? seems like that's the only time ol' Jerry gets an interview.
Click to expand...

Not that I am aware of. However, Jerry Gray is from Lubbock and has a number of advocates in Lubbock. He was an NCAA All-American, All-Pro and a Def Coordinator, who just can't seem to close anyone to become a HC in the NFL.

Kind of sounds like a perfect fit with mutual risk and benefits.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GP
So after 48 hours, no other player, current or past, has come forward with anything near a similar story or experience.

Odd?

News broadcat out of Lubbock, shows the locations in question; and at teh end drops the nugget that the invetigation into James' claims is still ongoing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5Q_5nYwWLU
 
Last edited:
Kaiser Toro said:
Not that I am aware of. However, Jerry Gray is from Lubbock and has a number of advocates in Lubbock. He was an NCAA All-American, All-Pro and a Def Coordinator, who just can't seem to close anyone to become a HC in the NFL.

Kind of sounds like a perfect fit with mutual risk and benefits.
Click to expand...

Wow. I had forgotten about Jerry Gray.

Nice dig, KT.

He's been to the NFL, isn't getting the Redskins job, and needs a college head coaching job to perhaps get a shot in the NFL some day.

Perfect fit.

I'm serious when I say that Leach is overrated. I think he has installed that offense to the point where his o-coord and offensive assistants could run that thing in their sleep.

I have a bit of info to spread in my next post, btw.
 
So I just called my friend who lives in Lubbock.

He's an OU graduate, as is his wife, but his company relocated them to Lubbock this year.

He says Lubbock is on fire. It's chaos and madness beyond your wildest dreams over this Leach situation.

Apparently, people are breaking into the football stadium and THROWING their Red Raider items ONTO THE FIELD!

People are flying their Red Raider flags upside down.

Season ticket holders are calling in and saying they've already cancelled their season tickets over this ordeal.

HOWEVER........

There is a friend of theirs who has posted on facebook that they have inside scoop on this whole deal. Apparently, there's a helluva' lot of dirt on Mike Leach that people don't know about yet.

The person ended their post with this: "While I can't say what else had happened, let me just say this: 'Mike Leach is a f-r-e-a-k.'..."

LOL. They're better off without him.

I think the guy is seriously losing his mind at an early age.
 
Kaiser Toro said:
Not that I am aware of. However, Jerry Gray is from Lubbock and has a number of advocates in Lubbock. He was an NCAA All-American, All-Pro and a Def Coordinator, who just can't seem to close anyone to become a HC in the NFL.

Kind of sounds like a perfect fit with mutual risk and benefits.
Click to expand...

didn't realize the Lubbock connection. NFL would lose a good coach, but it does sound like a good fit.
 
So have any of you guys thought about this:

Bobby Knight got so entangled in controversy with IU that they ran him off, subsequently helping TTU rebuild its basketball team due to Bobby's reputation for winning.

Now? TTU has fired Leach, and he possibly could carry a bit of that swagger into some other needy football program that just needed a bit of a personality and a recruiting edge over its rivals.

Going to be verrry interesting to see if there is the sort of fan-crazed hysteria with Leach's new college town that we saw when Bobby Knight arrived to Lubbock where mama's were naming their babies "General" or "Coach" upon the news that Bobby Knight was coming to town as the new coach.

LOL.

What drama. What pandemonium! Oh, the humanity!!!!

:hindenburg:
 
Mike Leach's statement...

"I want everyone to know what a privilege and pleasure it has been to teach and coach more than 400 student-athletes at Texas Tech University over the past 10 years.

When I arrived at Texas Tech, the football program was on NCAA probation and the graduation rate was far below the national average. However, in the past 10 years, Tech has been to 10 straight bowl games, has the third best record in the Big 12 Conference, and has the highest graduation rate for football players of any public institution in the country.

Over the past several months, there have been individuals in the Texas Tech administration, Board of Regents and booster groups who have dealt in lies, and continue to do so. These lies have led to my firing this morning. I steadfastly refuse to deal in any lies, and am disappointed that I have not been afforded the opportunity for the truth to be known.

Texas Tech's decision to deal in lies and fabricate a story which led to my firing, includes, but is not limited by, the animosity remaining from last year's contract negotiations. I will not tolerate such retaliatory action; additionally, we will pursue all available legal remedies.

These actions taken by Texas Tech have severely damaged my reputation and public image. In addition, Texas Tech has caused harm to not only my family, but to the entire Red Raider nation and the sport of college football.

As you know, I prefer to engage in question and answer sessions; however, in this instance my counsel has advised me to simply make a statement. There will be time to answer questions about this issue in the future, but the serious legal nature of this situation prevents me from going into further detail at this time."
Click to expand...

http://www.kcbd.com/Global/story.asp?S=11750321
 
I think people are overrating Leach to begin with. It's not like he turned Tech into a powerhouse elite football program. He's not Carroll, Brown, Meyer, etc.

Don't get me wrong, he improved the team. Took them to 10 straight bowl games, which is great. But I think what he did above all was bring a little excitement to their program. Lots of offense, high scoring and he always had his antics... the guy is crazy.

But the bottom line is that Tech, even under the coaching of Leach has always been a mediocre program.

*8 of his 10 seasons they have had 4 or more losses.
*They've only had a winning conference record 5 of his 10 seasons.
*10 years and they never won their division outright. There was the 3 way tie last year, (only season they had dbl digit wins) but then they just get manhandled by a barely ranked SEC team in the cotton bowl.
*Barely has a winning record in bowl games (5-4)
*Never went to a BCS bowl game

Sure he's done some good for the program, but he hasn't made Tech into a top program. Some of their fans think maybe he has, but no. They're a mediocre team and have been for the past decade.
 
Ole Miss Texan said:
I think people are overrating Leach to begin with. It's not like he turned Tech into a powerhouse elite football program. He's not Carroll, Brown, Meyer, etc.

Don't get me wrong, he improved the team. Took them to 10 straight bowl games, which is great. But I think what he did above all was bring a little excitement to their program. Lots of offense, high scoring and he always had his antics... the guy is crazy.

But the bottom line is that Tech, even under the coaching of Leach has always been a mediocre program.

*8 of his 10 seasons they have had 4 or more losses.
*They've only had a winning conference record 5 of his 10 seasons.
*10 years and they never won their division outright. There was the 3 way tie last year, (only season they had dbl digit wins) but then they just get manhandled by a barely ranked SEC team in the cotton bowl.
*Barely has a winning record in bowl games (5-4)
*Never went to a BCS bowl game

Sure he's done some good for the program, but he hasn't made Tech into a top program. Some of their fans think maybe he has, but no. They're a mediocre team and have been for the past decade.
Click to expand...

That's exactly how I feel.

Improved the program, but outside of that...he hasn't exactly raised them to the standard necessary to really challenge UT or OU. Of course, all the other Big 12 teams have always been playing catch-up with UT and OU since those two teams found prominence and have essentially been scooping up top recruits for decades now.

Tech needs to obtain more than a gimmick now. They need someone who can out-recruit Brown and Stoops. Someone who can lure recruits. I think it's possible because the current Tech program is stocked with enough talent in their pipeline that a new coach can convince high school players that Tech is in a great position to go to the next level.

If the Red Raiders don't make a big splash, they will limp on for another season or two...and then probably start to decline again.

Firing Leach was not a big deal, IMO.

Who they hire NOW will be.
 
Cjeremy635 said:
That looks really bad. A lot of information in those emails!
Click to expand...
No kidding. Having words in there like "after you fire him", and the basic 'belittling' that seems to exude from that email chain would be VERY damaging in court (or in front of an arbitration panel). Wow! If those are "real" TT is in for a rough ride (pun fully intended).
 
disaacks3 said:
No kidding. Having words in there like "after you fire him", and the basic 'belittling' that seems to exude from that email chain would be VERY damaging in court (or in front of an arbitration panel). Wow! If those are "real" TT is in for a rough ride (pun fully intended).
Click to expand...

I read the emails, and I don't see anything all that dubious or evil.

Look, there's been some friction between Leach and TTU administrations for quite some time.

IMO, this was a classic case of a football coach thinking that his accomplishments would shelter him from being fired. He's not a tenured professor. Football coaches are hired and fired all the time.

Remember the coach who was fired, Boston College (IIRC), because he simply interviewed or showed interest in another program?

TTU nutted up and did what they were going to have to do anyway. They just dealt the death blow earlier than excpected, and they have saved themselves a long, drawn-out squabble that would have hurt the current team as it prepares for the game...as well as hurting the upcoming recruiting class.

Axing him before that Wednesday hearing was pretty smart, IMO. He's out. And now he's got to do a lot of work to get his message out. While TTU is playing in a bowl game, led by a solid guy in Ruffin McNeil, and will be on the sports news for the next month or two under the topic of "TTU interviewing x-candidate today. Y-candidate set to meet with TTU the following week..." etc. etc.

Meanwhile, the offense is in tact. The assistants can handle the daily duties of preparing the offense, and a new guy can come him. I anticipate TTU hiring a very humble, low-key guy who is not weird and who will normalize the atmosphere that was getting more bizarre by the week.

Look for a grandpa, Spike Dykes-kind of figure. Probably will be someone who is from Texas and who has rich legacy in both high school AND college football. Offense stays the same, but the leadership will be more mature and less goofy/eccentric.

Or, as KT pointed out: Jerry Gray would be a great fit, too. As a TTU fan, I'd be OK with Jerry Gray. TTU heritage, been in the NFL and has seen what it takes to get there, and I think his mind for defense would compliment Ruffin's skills in that area.
 
I watched this story unfold on ESPN and holy **** can you tell that they have an extremely biased point of view. Craig James basically just says "But my son!"
to any sort of questioning.

Leach should've cut ties with the kid immediately upon learning of his slackerness, but to put a kid in a darkened room, so that he can work-out close to the team while he has a mild concussion is not akin to Abu Gharib. Yes there were trainers there to make sure he actually worked out (As referenced by Harrell, kid is a slacker and has a bad attitude), and when he didn't they removed the coolers to sit on. Boo frickety hoo. Nobody was locked anywhere and James could've left if he wanted to get suspended from the team to get out of workouts.

TTU, firing Leach without any investigation, is probably going to get dragged through the mud and I can see this hurting their recruiting classes for the next few years AT LEAST. But hey, at least they got rid of that wierdo Mike Leach! Now lets go compete with Baylor for the bottom of the Big XII. I have no problem thinking that Leach will land on his feet and turn another football program into an offensive powerhouse.

EDIT: And yes before you ask Tech was an offensive powerhouse under Leach.
 
b0ng said:
I watched this story unfold on ESPN and holy **** can you tell that they have an extremely biased point of view. Craig James basically just says "But my son!"
to any sort of questioning.

Leach should've cut ties with the kid immediately upon learning of his slackerness, but to put a kid in a darkened room, so that he can work-out close to the team while he has a mild concussion is not akin to Abu Gharib. Yes there were trainers there to make sure he actually worked out (As referenced by Harrell, kid is a slacker and has a bad attitude), and when he didn't they removed the coolers to sit on. Boo frickety hoo. Nobody was locked anywhere and James could've left if he wanted to get suspended from the team to get out of workouts.

TTU, firing Leach without any investigation, is probably going to get dragged through the mud and I can see this hurting their recruiting classes for the next few years AT LEAST. But hey, at least they got rid of that wierdo Mike Leach! Now lets go compete with Baylor for the bottom of the Big XII. I have no problem thinking that Leach will land on his feet and turn another football program into an offensive powerhouse.

EDIT: And yes before you ask Tech was an offensive powerhouse under Leach.
Click to expand...

Mike Leach got careless. Period.

The only fault is with Mike Leach.

1.) He signed Adam James when one (if not more than one!) staff member said it was a bad idea, due to known issues with James' work ethic.

Mike Leach went against the grain, though, and signed him.

2.) During practices, teammates would criticize him and pretty much call him out for his attitude.

Still, Mike Leach told people that Adam James would some day see the light. No pun intended.

3.) Instead of cutting Adam James, like any coach CAN, he decides to get a little dig in on Adam James and Leach therefore got "cute" with how he handled the situation.

Mike Leach should not have signed him, and still had the chance to get rid of the proven, consistent trouble-maker.

Nobody but Captain Weirdo caused this situation. He gave himself all the rope that Tech needed to hang him. His bad.

Tech will find a mature ADULT to become the head coach; a guy who will have no problem inheriting Leach's recruiting class and doing something with it. The new coach is going to be someone that is very "Aw, shucks...I just love these kids and what a nice little town we got here in Lubbock" kind of man. He'll be the antithesis of what Leach embodied, in terms of personality.

Tech will never face a Mike Leach-coached team, so there will never be a chance for Leach to duel it out with his former team. All he can do now is pout and throw stones at TTU...which will end up hurting HIM if he doesn't play his cards smartly.

Whether it was wrong or not, TTU used pirate rules against its own captain. Seems the TTU higher-ups were paying close attention to Leach's pirate ways of doing things.
 
GP said:
Mike Leach got careless. Period.

The only fault is with Mike Leach.

1.) He signed Adam James when one (if not more than one!) staff member said it was a bad idea, due to known issues with James' work ethic.

Mike Leach went against the grain, though, and signed him.

2.) During practices, teammates would criticize him and pretty much call him out for his attitude.

Still, Mike Leach told people that Adam James would some day see the light. No pun intended.

3.) Instead of cutting Adam James, like any coach CAN, he decides to get a little dig in on Adam James and Leach therefore got "cute" with how he handled the situation.

Mike Leach should not have signed him, and still had the chance to get rid of the proven, consistent trouble-maker.

Nobody but Captain Weirdo caused this situation. He gave himself all the rope that Tech needed to hang him. His bad.

Tech will find a mature ADULT to become the head coach; a guy who will have no problem inheriting Leach's recruiting class and doing something with it. The new coach is going to be someone that is very "Aw, shucks...I just love these kids and what a nice little town we got here in Lubbock" kind of man. He'll be the antithesis of what Leach embodied, in terms of personality.

Tech will never face a Mike Leach-coached team, so there will never be a chance for Leach to duel it out with his former team. All he can do now is pout and throw stones at TTU...which will end up hurting HIM if he doesn't play his cards smartly.

Whether it was wrong or not, TTU used pirate rules against its own captain. Seems the TTU higher-ups were paying close attention to Leach's pirate ways of doing things.
Click to expand...

Well all I can say is yes, Mike Leach is completely at fault for having a known slacker with a poor attitude on his team and not dealing with him as any other normal coach would (cut him), and instead gave him multiple chances to succeed.

If you really believe the bolded part, only time will tell, but lets just say I'm a tiny bit more skeptical they pull that off.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top