I'm going to go on record to say that you'll start hearing the name Turner Gill tossed around for some jobs. The guy is doing an amazing job with a horrendous program at Buffalo.
http://www.lubbockonline.com/updates/test/update5.shtml Tech plans Leach extention amid Washington reports BY DON WILLIAMS AVALANCHE-JOURNAL With fresh speculation swirling around Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach and a potential new employer, Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said Tuesday he’s preparing to offer Leach a raise and an extension, as promised since before the season. A report Tuesday on the Seattle Times’ Web site said Leach traveled on Monday night to Seattle, where the University of Washington is conducting a coaching search. Myers said the new offer could be extended sometime this week. He declined to discuss dollar figures of the proposal, other than to say he wants to sign Leach to a five-year contract with a raise. Myers said he’s “had (contract) numbers in my mind for a long time,” but said the Red Raiders’ going 11-1 and winning a share of the Big 12 South Division championship for the first time increased what Leach deserved. “Oh, yeah. Yeah, definitely,” Myers said. “I think that was part of our reasoning (for waiting until December), to see exactly what the team accomplished, how they did, and I think it will have an impact on the numbers. We’ve always tried to compensate our coaches on what they accomplish.” Myers said he had not talked to Leach since Saturday evening after the Red Raiders’ 35-28 win over Baylor in the regular-season finale. The Seattle Times report did not say conclusively that Leach was a candidate for the job. It quoted a witness saying Leach and his wife, Sharon, were seen in an airport terminal and on a plane making a trip from Las Vegas, Nev., to Seattle. Through late afternoon Tuesday, Leach had not returned calls placed earlier in the day to his cell phone. On Monday, Leach told The Associated Press that he “absolutely” wants to stay at Tech. “I mean it’s an interesting question,” he said. “I’ve been there nine years, which is longer than most marriages or jobs, you know.” Myers said no one from Washington nor Leach had contacted him about any discussion between the two. “I don’t know whether he’s out there talking to them or what,” Myers said, “because I haven’t heard from anybody. I’m not going to make any speculation.” Myers said he would expect Leach to tell him if he’s a legitimate candidate for another job. “I think he would if he’s serious about it,” Myers said. “I think he would let me know. So I don’t know. He wouldn’t have to tell me, but I haven’t heard from anybody, the coaches or anybody else about that.” Leach’s agent, Gary O’Hagan, had little to say about the report of Leach traveling to Seattle. “I don’t know anything about that,” O’Hagan said. “I’m not going to comment on that.” Leach has two years left on his current deal. If he remains in place for another year, Leach will make at least $2.65 million next season — $1.85 million in guaranteed income and $800,000 as a completion bonus on a previous contract agreement. In 2010, he would make at least $2.35 million — $2.15 million in guaranteed income and $200,000 from another contract-completion bonus. Though some Tech fans have been antsy about Leach’s contract dwindling to two years remaining, Myers said he takes keeping the coach seriously. “I think he’s done a great job with this team and exceeded expectations and tied for the conference championship, and attendance was really good,” Myers said. “All those things are important in trying to retain a coach.” Three members of Leach’s staff said Tuesday that they were unaware of his whereabouts and had not been informed if he had traveled to Seattle. With the team’s regular season over, the Red Raiders have the maximum seven assistants on the road recruiting this week. Washington, at one time a national champion and perennial Rose Bowl contender under Don James, bottomed out this season at 0-11 and 0-8 in the Pac-10 Conference. Fresno State coach Pat Hill and Utah coach Kyle Whittingham are among the names that have been mentioned as potential replacements for fired UW coach Tyrone Willingham.
In my mind it makes no sense in leaving Tech to go to Washington, a far worse team, in what I feel is a far worse conference. Not to mention Leach has turned Tech into a (arguably) national contender.
Money talks...I expect Leech believes he could win the Pac 10 at any school there. you win your conference, you have a chance.
Yeah that's kinda what I think. Leach would set fire on all the teams in the Pac 10 besides USC, given a few years to set up a team. But I really hope he stays with Tech, if we ever got a blue chip QB there could be some real fun.
I haven't watched a ton of Tech games, but what seems so different about them this year, is that their defense is actually performing fairly decent (at least in Red Raiders terms). This enables the offense (which has been good for quite some years), to completely carry the team through games. Is this correct? I'd like to see how Leach would translate to an NFL coordinator...
Dude. No. He'd translate about as well as his QBs have. You can't run that in the NFL. Hell you can't run it in the SEC during an up year.
Yeah, the defense is getting better recruits, but overall the reason they were better this year is they closed out games instead of dropping to teams aside from OU and UT who are perennial top recruiters. The main thing about Tech is it's in Lubbock (4 hours from anywhere) and the shotgun formation doesn't translate well for QB's who want to be in the NFL, Bradford is so touted because Oklahoma runs their offense in a pro-set, Harrell isn't touted because of the Leach system, thus great offensive players would rather go to UT or OU.
That's not necessarily how I meant it, I guess. I would like to see if/what he would do differently. I wonder if he could work a system around a team with talent at every offensive position. I wonder what he would do if he had to run to set up the pass game, etc. I just wonder how well he would do if he had to adjust an offense to a professional defense, etc. If that makes sense.
I don't think that's any better a situation than at Tech, except that he'd have to start all over from scratch. In the B12, he's stuck behind TX/OU, but finally caught up. In Wash, he'd be inheriting an 0-12 team and be stuck behind USC. Plus, Leach is one of those coaches that's a little off/goofy. It's great, but it doesn't fit in certain places like Texas or Notre Dame where shmoozing with alums is a big part of things. I don't know if Washington is like that, but he has a great situation at Tech where he can pretty much say or do anything ridiculous and get away with it. For example, if the Texas coach made fun of A&M as "pretend soldiers with pretend swords" or whatever it was, he'd have to apologize, etc. Not so much at Tech!
I don't understand why people always bring this up. Which of Leech's QB's actually had expectations as a pro? The fact that Symons and Kingsbury even got a shot was a credit to leech. But those guys were late picks or undrafted... People could say maybe Tim Couch but they never do its always Kingsbury Symons etc. those guys were never even thought of as NFL prospects.
The main difference is a pretty good defense. They've have improved dramatically since putting in Ruffin at D cordinator after last years OSU game.... And they have a running game but nobody knows that except people that watch Tech. They actually have a really good running game. And theres also Crabtree Tech has never had a player close to his level. And a 3 year starter in Harrell... Add all of those up and thats what makes Tech different than past teams.
Leach is an odd guy, I like him a lot.....he could be happy there, he is King with not much pressure... But, he could also crave a bigger challenge....he has some seriously cool interests...like Sherlock Holmes etc..... He may want to get to a more wordly place...with Harrell and Crabtree probably gone..it may be time. DD
Leach is just trying to get re-gain the bargaining chip he lost in Norman. The talent he's getting at TT, even if it's not the top recruits in the state, is still better than anything he can get at Wash. Not to mention his job is secure at TT.
hasn't washington, despite their current struggles, been a historically better football school than tech? they won a national championship in the 1990s, right? he will always be at the third most highly regarded school in the big xii, at best. that's assuming schools like nebraska, a&m, and colorado don't rebound. i wouldn't be surprised at all if he was interested in going to washington.
