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HoustonPress said:Secondly, the degree to which Sowell talks about Leach in the emails is amazing. It's actually counterintuitive, in a way. The string of emails illustrates a portion of the exhausting renegotiation process the school chooses to go through with a coach that, by Sowell's assessment, is a complete undesirable who is barely competent to get an interview at McDonald's much less Auburn. My question to Sowell would be "If he's as much of a buffoon as you make him out to be, then what does that say about every other hire the school has ever made to coach football, because Leach is far and away your best coach and the main reason people outside of Texas can now find Lubbock on a map?" Sorry, it's just a fact and judging by the reaction of most Texas Tech fans today, they agree.
“I think he used his position at ESPN to try to coerce me into allowing Adam to play more,” said Leach, who said he expected to coach again. “But the thing about it is as the coach, I watch every inch of film. I’m deferring to the judgment of 12 people as we look at the film on who should play and who should play when and then we make our decision based on that. I don’t feel like it’s fair to the other players and I don’t think it’s the right way to do business to allow influence and position to dictate when you play a young man.”
Leach said that Craig James called the assistant coach Lincoln Riley so often to lobby for playing time that they had a meeting with Adam James. They played him two of the messages and asked, “How would you feel if we went in there to the meeting room and we stuck speakers up and we played these two messages for the team?”
Leach added: “After that we didn’t get any more phone calls from Craig, but he did proceed to call administrators.”
Leach said that Craig James felt his son was not getting a fair shot and threatened to call the administration about it.
“He made it clear that he had a business relationship with our chancellor or certainly was in conversation about such things,” Leach said. “He made it clear that he was announcing this game or that. He always felt like we were leaving the best receiver on the team on the bench. It’s inconceivable that we’d ever want to do that or consider doing it.”
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.
Wow, Craig and his worthless son are total douche nozzles.
TTU is going to get hammered when this goes to court. They'll be lucky to only have to pay Leach the full value of his contract.
Agreed. Not really a fan of Craig james anymore. Daddy got what he wanted.
I think TTU pays him the $800,000 completion bonus and whatever remainder or buyout is there in the contract.
That's what I think too. I've also read, somewhere, that Art Briles has already stated interest in the job. We'll see if they pick him up and if he can do any better at TTU than he has at Baylor and did at Houston.
Why does everybody refer to Adam James as a kid? He, like all others over 18, is an adult. An adult who needs his daddy to still hold his hand and wipe his ass, but an adult none the less.
Yeah, but in the emails...didn't I see where they were bashing Briles, as well?
As if he was being paid more than he should have been, at Baylor?
Can't recall exactly what was in the emails, but I swear there was some minor trash-talking about Briles. I do remember that they had HIGH praise for the TCU coach...only because he was being paid peanuts for what he had done with TCU's program.
In the end, TTU is cheap with how they operate. And I do feel that they have hurt themselves for the next several years. You can't come out of this deal unscathed, and TTU will have a lot of mending to do.
IMO, TTU is the school where Dallas-area rich kids go because they couldn't get into UT or A&M due to grades. So the rich parents feel snubbed, and they send their snotty kid off to Lubbock where they're the perfect fit for that sort of university. They love nothing more than to try and beat UT, OU, and A&M, as revenge or to make themselves feel better. Mike Leach gave them that chance to do exactly that, and now they are raising all kinds of hell because they might become weak again.
I'm as big of a TTU fan as any one else here, but it is what it is. TTU and Lubbock is a mediocre Texas university, clamoring for only a bit of what UT and OU has achieved. They're the powerhouse of mediocre Big 12 teams.
I like Ruffin McNeil a lot. Not sure if he could lead them the whole way, through a whole season, but I think he gets the job done in this bowl game.
I also feel the spread offense stays at TTU, no matter who comes in to coach. Those o-coord and assistants are going to stay and run that offense. IMO, they will gain a more mature head coach who is a better leader than Leach. Mike was a guy the players liked; the fans liked. But the new guy is going to be someone who isn't liked--He'll be RESPECTED.
See, that's where I differ.
To me, all college students are kids who are trying to become adults.
They cry to their professors when they need one more point to get from 69 to 70 on their semester-end grades.
They whine when they fail to get registered for a class, and the class is full, and they end up begging everyone who will listen to them for the chance to either get into the class or get a class equivalent to be able to have the right workload.
They party like rock stars. Sleep in until noon whenever they can.
I think some parents put their kids out their on their own, and some (like Craig James has done) coddle the kid and keep them at kid level for too long.
Speak for yourself, I'm a proud Texas Tech alum and I worked my ass off to get my degree.
Did you like Leach before this all happened?
Tommy Tubberville has said he would love the TT job.
See, that's where I differ.
To me, all college students are kids who are trying to become adults.
They cry to their professors when they need one more point to get from 69 to 70 on their semester-end grades.
They whine when they fail to get registered for a class, and the class is full, and they end up begging everyone who will listen to them for the chance to either get into the class or get a class equivalent to be able to have the right workload.
They party like rock stars. Sleep in until noon whenever they can.
I think some parents put their kids out their on their own, and some (like Craig James has done) coddle the kid and keep them at kid level for too long.
To me, Mike Leach is the adult. Adam James is the kid. And Leach severely underestimated how much animosity the TTU administrators had toward him, and how close they were to being done with him.
It was the perfect storm of circumstances, but it was a storm that Mike Leach could have avoided had he taken the right direction with Adam James.
No Adam James, no problems.
He's Mike Leach without the dry, weird humor.
They won't go after him.
They want someone who is down-home, folksy, and Spike Dykes'ish.
Timing of this is odd, before the appeal hearing and before the 800,000 bonus coming to.
James was a redshirt sophomore which makes him around 21. Well past the point of needing his daddy to step in on his behalf.
My biggest concern is a replacement who can recruit as well as Leach did, something I don't think will be done easily.
I think TTU's coach, whoever it might be, should tell recruits and their parents that Mike Leach was valuable, but that the team moves on and the team is set to fire on all guns because of the system and the returning players.
As coach, I'd make sure those parents and players knew that the same system is in place, and that the assistants ran the offense anyways.
And in addition, I'd close the deal with this: "Now, there's a head coach--ME--who isn't going to pull weird crap with your son. Same system. Same assistants. More mature leadership. If your son desires to come to Texas Tech, we're going to take care of him. I promise you that."
Which will only confirm what TTU has been selling the past few days: "TTU is dedicated to shaping young men, and guiding them in proper manners."
Boom.
Let Leach throw stones from the cheap seats, and let's see who wins the contest. He's on the short end of the stick. It's just how life works.
See, that's where I differ.
To me, all college students are kids who are trying to become adults.
They cry to their professors when they need one more point to get from 69 to 70 on their semester-end grades.
They whine when they fail to get registered for a class, and the class is full, and they end up begging everyone who will listen to them for the chance to either get into the class or get a class equivalent to be able to have the right workload.
They party like rock stars. Sleep in until noon whenever they can.
I think some parents put their kids out their on their own, and some (like Craig James has done) coddle the kid and keep them at kid level for too long.
To me, Mike Leach is the adult. Adam James is the kid. And Leach severely underestimated how much animosity the TTU administrators had toward him, and how close they were to being done with him.
It was the perfect storm of circumstances, but it was a storm that Mike Leach could have avoided had he taken the right direction with Adam James.
No Adam James, no problems.
I guess I was still a kid in your eyes in college even though I worked 40 hours a week to pay my way, made good grades and still partied my ass off. I also didnt know that many people that bitched to a prof for a better grade, when once the grades are posted there is nothing you can do about it.
I would think they'd offer him some type of financial settlement rather than some long court proceedings...
but I don't know what makes Tech tick...maybe they think they can't lose in court.
I heard Coach Leach's attorney on the Dallas ESPN station and let's just say I'm surprised he hired that guy! He seemed very unprepared for the radio interview and was not very well spoken. I was surprised. He's probably high dollar. I thought he'd be more polished sounding.
I thought the same thing. He sounded like he was caught totally off guard.
I heard on the Dallas ESPN radio show that Tommy Tubberville was going to be interviewed by Tech..he wants the job. Badly.
Hmmm...
Of course he does. He wants a job.
I heard on the Dallas ESPN radio show that Tommy Tubberville was going to be interviewed by Tech..he wants the job. Badly.
Hmmm...
I think he's got the name recognition that TT would likely desire, but I don't think his past experience with running a spread offense bodes well for his chances.
I honestly expect a big push for Art Briles in the coming week or I believe the OC at Houston used to be the same position at Tech. I think both have experience with the offense that Leach ran and what will keep them competitive in the Big 12. Administration also has to keep in mind that this year's recruiting class will likely hinge on the decision.
Briles has said he's not leaving Baylor, and he has a $4 mill buy out on his contract right now from what was said on the radio. He's a logical choice, but I don't think TT will pony up the money for that and a new contract.
I think they may leave Ruffin and the AC staff in for the continuity and $avings, and ride the storm out with Leach in court to see what they may owe him.
Former SMU football star and ESPN Analyst Craig James has made news recently regarding his role with his son and former Texas Tech Football Coach Mike Leach. But James could be making news this year in politics, too.
His name is being tossed around as a possible candidate to run for Kay Bailey Hutchison's seat when she resigns.
News 8 talked to James who confirmed he is interested in getting involved in Republican Party politics, and he's not ruling out a run for office.
To me Ruffin is just Spyke after starring in "Soulman", and dammit I was there the when Zebby Lethridge was QB, when Hansbard racked up 2000 yards and a 0.0 GPA ( and then told everyone that God told him to enter the draft). And I refuse to believe that returnign to those days is whats best for Tech. Spyke was a good guy who did not graduate players and that was just ****ing embarssing. Nor did he win that many games.
My preferred canidates would be Briles, Tubberville and Lincoln Riley (sp?).
Ruffin and Dykes' kid will lead to me not being in Lubbock for the foreseeable future.
AND dammit I miss the calzones at One Guy's!!!!
I was against Tuberville coming to Tech, but I guess I will have to trust that it will work out. My concern was him changing the offense, but it seems he's going to at least give it one year.
I suppose Ruffin will be fired so that Tubby can hire his own choice; someone who will be better (In Tubby's mind, at least) than Ruffin.
Kinda' sucks that Ruffin is going to be kicked to the curb like this, though. If he ends up being collateral damage, like how I think it will go down, then that's just not what I like to see.
I don't see how Tech's defense can get any more blitz happy than they already are. Seems to me they were very spirited and very committed to being a fast, tough defense. I think the talent level is what needs to rise a bit.
Man, this is a trip. Hope it all works out.