Leach & Minnesota?- Leach on Minnesota Job on Sports Radio
http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6270202/25321633
I don't know if this is a good fit, I mean, putting players in the shed in Texas is one thing, but in Minnesota a skinny walk-on could freeze to death out there.
October 18th, 2010 at 5:23 PM ^
am i the only one who thinks he's a great coach and fear his teams?
October 18th, 2010 at 5:25 PM ^
I would rather not see Minnesota hire Leach. They probably wouldn't become consistent Big Ten Title contenders under him but I am sure they would field solid teams. In the new Big Ten, we will see them every year.
October 18th, 2010 at 5:26 PM ^
But I do like the idea of him in the b10. Another big player that can beat the powerhouses.
October 18th, 2010 at 5:35 PM ^
I think Leach is a great coach who got screwed at TTU because they got their knickers in a twist over his contact with Washington, and they didn't want to pay him as much as he had negotiated in his contract.
It was demonstrated that the "shed" where he had Adam James ice himself is bigger than the average dorm room, and documented that a dark room and ice are both appropriate treatments for a player with a concussion.
I think Leach can do at least as well as Glen Mason did at Minnesota if they give him the job. It would be a lot of fun to have him in the Big Ten. If Minnesota became stronger, it would make the Big Ten stronger. I still entertain the "fantasy" that the Big Ten can once again be the best conference in college football, so I am definitely in favor of anything that makes the Big Ten stronger and more entertaining.
Leach could possibly do both.
October 18th, 2010 at 9:28 PM ^
Leach is a nut like Mangino, which why he was fired.
October 19th, 2010 at 12:07 AM ^
He's not a nut like Mangino. Few are a nut like Mangino.
October 19th, 2010 at 1:37 PM ^
The guy's players hated him. He always came off as a jerk in interviews, so I'm not sure I buy the whole "Adam James is an entitled rich kid" story. Anyone who gets fired from a school and then sues asking for an injunction to force the school to let him coach the bowl game clearly lives on another planet.
October 18th, 2010 at 7:03 PM ^
This is the one guy that Minnesota could feasibly get that I was worried about. They aren't a threat to get the big names and I didn't trust their ability to pick out a great up and coming coach after the PLAY4BREW fiasco, but someone like Leach is an obvious pickup.
He is a proven offensive coach out there who is only unemployed because of some questionable decision making and philosophical differences with an institution.
You can argue his tactics or his leadership but within a few years at Minny his offense would shred.
Programs in Minnesota's position need to jump on a guy like Leach cuz its the best they'll get.
October 18th, 2010 at 5:26 PM ^
If he were a little more PC and could impress an AD more, he'd be at the top of the coaching chain.
October 19th, 2010 at 1:41 PM ^
He's clearly a smart guy and a brilliant coach from an X's and O's perspective, but his personality is borderline dysfunctional and he repels everyone he meets with his attitude.
Why is it that all college coaches who never actually played college football have weight and attitude problems (Weis, Mangino, Leach)?
October 18th, 2010 at 5:32 PM ^
I KNOW SO THEY SAID IT ON 97.1!!!
October 18th, 2010 at 5:33 PM ^
Obvious lack of regard for family values.
October 18th, 2010 at 6:40 PM ^
get my hands on a 2005 pod cast from 97.1 (1270 then) when valenti and foster were doing the mid day show... valenti would talk about how great the spread was and how teams couldn't prepare for it... its amazing how an idiot of a coach like john l. could sour you on an offense...
October 18th, 2010 at 5:33 PM ^
Leach. Minnesota needs a strong fundamentals coach, not some goofball.
October 18th, 2010 at 6:27 PM ^
Mangino, Leach or the clone of Lombardi is of course going to coach the Gophers...Becuase Michigan is back on the schedule next year.
October 18th, 2010 at 5:34 PM ^
but in Minnesota a skinny walk-on could freeze to death out there.
But thats what the fat little girl friends are for.
October 18th, 2010 at 5:34 PM ^
October 18th, 2010 at 5:35 PM ^
I would not want the Pirate in our division where we'll see him every year. Like others have said, he's not PC by any means, but he's a good coach.
October 18th, 2010 at 5:41 PM ^
He won at least 8 games for eight straight seasons at TTU. He had 9 straight seasons of .500 or better in the Big 12 (despite playing in the same division as OU and Texas). Anyone who has been to Lubbock knows how impressive that is.
October 18th, 2010 at 5:45 PM ^
His ability to take a 2-star unknown Texas recruit and turn him into a success is proof he can coach.
I imagine he can find plenty of 2-star unknowns in Iowa, Minn, Wisco, and Illinois that will do just as well in his system.
October 18th, 2010 at 5:52 PM ^
The guy just knows how to coach the passing game. I think the Big 10 is a little better defensively than the Big 12, but he would definitely make Minnesota competitive. I think the people at TTU figured they could just bring in a new coach to run that system without a hiccup but Tubberville hasn't exactly set the world on fire. This will probably Tech's worst season in about a decade and I think it all comes down to not having Leach at the helm of that offense.
October 18th, 2010 at 6:57 PM ^
nevermind...
October 19th, 2010 at 2:01 PM ^
Like I said: he's an excellent coach with a great eye for talent, but he's an asshole.
October 18th, 2010 at 5:46 PM ^
Anyone else thinking at first that this was going to be about Rick Leach? I was thinking that'd be a really bizarre hire.
October 18th, 2010 at 6:51 PM ^
October 18th, 2010 at 6:05 PM ^
If Leach gets hired at Minnesota, I, for one, cannot wait to see Goldy with an eye-patch for Leach's pirate motif.
October 18th, 2010 at 6:10 PM ^
It would be cool to see him at Minny, though I would like to see Michigan's secondary get a bit more solid first.
October 18th, 2010 at 6:16 PM ^
This would be very bad for Michigan and their 1.666 defensive backs that are typically available to cover receivers
October 18th, 2010 at 6:16 PM ^
That would be a great hire for that program. There are huge inherent disadvantages coaching there. One of the biggest is a relatively lean in-state talent base. Another is the perception that it is a total outpost in the arctic, making it hard to get high star southern talent.
A guy with some charisma, who is a winner, in a fun style of play that doesn't require the best high school recruits would be perfect for that program. They'd win a lot too.
Added coolness: Seeing him push 500 yard games against Ohio State and Iowa would further muzzle the "that won't work in the Big Ten" crowd.
October 18th, 2010 at 9:31 PM ^
Minnesota's in-state talent base is, year on year, comparable or better than Iowa and Wisconsin. Perhaps you've heard of David Gilreath, Larry Fitzgerald Jr., James Lauranaitus, Michael Floyd, Seantrel Henderson, MB III, and on and on. There is enough talent in the state, they just need a coach to keep it there and recruit other areas.
Also, you're flat wrong wrt getting southern talent. Have a look at Minny's roster. There are plenty of players from Texas, Louisiana and Florida.
With the right coach there is no reason Minnesota cannot be as successful as Wisconsin and Iowa.
October 18th, 2010 at 6:30 PM ^
October 18th, 2010 at 6:36 PM ^
October 18th, 2010 at 6:39 PM ^
Personally, I've got no problem with Minnesota being terrible. We have enough tough games on the schedule.
October 18th, 2010 at 6:54 PM ^
I dont care as long as I get to hear the pig speech at some point.
October 18th, 2010 at 7:00 PM ^
But is he a Minnesota Man?
October 18th, 2010 at 8:35 PM ^
I've heard he just doesn't understand the rivalry with South Dakota St.
October 18th, 2010 at 9:37 PM ^
Wait - they won that one. It's the North Dakota State and South Dakota rivalries you must be speaking of.
October 18th, 2010 at 7:47 PM ^
October 18th, 2010 at 7:46 PM ^
October 18th, 2010 at 7:37 PM ^
Leach coming to Minny would be a very good thing for the conference. Our 2012 schedule gets more brutal with each passing day...
October 18th, 2010 at 8:07 PM ^
How in the world is that pass happy offense going to work on the frozen astroturf?
October 18th, 2010 at 10:03 PM ^
Well, I imagine the throw ball/catch ball dynamic isn't all that different in the cold.
October 18th, 2010 at 8:41 PM ^
ok, i know this is a shot in the dark. How about Phil Fulmer? Fulmer remains committed to finding a head coaching position especially in a BCS conference.
October 18th, 2010 at 9:11 PM ^
I have heard Leach give the exact same response ("I will listen to anybody") many times on air. Callers ask him about his interest in different jobs almost daily. I think he would fit much better at Colorado or Texas A&M (how much would that piss off the TTU faithful?) or even Washington State (he is originally from the Northwest, MT I think). One or more of those jobs is likely to open up in the next year or two.
October 18th, 2010 at 9:49 PM ^
Gopher Pirates?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Yes Please!
But in all seriousness, Id rather they didn't. Our secondary really does need that.
October 18th, 2010 at 11:26 PM ^
Our games will last 5 hours as we battle to the death in 72-70 shootouts.
October 19th, 2010 at 3:28 AM ^
for the BT. Let's get the best coaches and best players in the nation here. Leach is a good coach, regardless of the over-hyped media story.
October 19th, 2010 at 2:55 PM ^
What's good for the Big Ten is not necessarily good for Michigan. We don't want total parity. We want a pecking order, with us on top.