leach and D

[CORNholio]

Why the hell in 7 or so years has the head pirate never atleast tried to hire a good d coordinator. Leach could build a good program if only he had a d. Why does leach hate defense?

[DarrellZero]

I think Leach's offense makes it tough for any defensive coordinator to be successful.

Remember us in '99? By the 4th quarter, our defense was out of gas.

[Rhino]

The problem is two-fold:

If you pass, pass, pass, punt/score, you're not giving your defense any rest and they're running ragged in the fourth.

Tech recruits athletes for skill positions. Ya think Leach is going to leave the best playmaking athletes on boooooring defense?

[OUHOMER]

Mike Stoops may be looking for a job at the end of the year. Can you see TT with a Stoops D...

[OU-HSV]

Because he likes playing in tight 80 point games

[Rocker]

D & Leach
Those words don't go together.

[CtheB]

Mike Stoops may be looking for a job at the end of the year. Can you see TT with a Stoops D...

I can assure you that Mike Stoops will NEVER work for Mike Leach. Ever.

[illinisooner]

You'd think that it'd be an easy sell to a potential recruit or d coordinator. "Hey, we have one of the best offenses in the country. Just imagine what we could do with a good defense."

[OU Adonis]

You won't ever be able to have a good D with the style of offense he runs.

[OUinFLA]

I read this thread title, and figured it would be the shortest thread EVAR.

[goingoneight]

The problem with Tech's offense is a legit running game. If they had an AP or even a Cedric Benson, they'd be able to manage the clock better. Remember in 2005 how their offense was more pro-style with Taurean Henderson? Their defense was getting props that year... but they weren't really that great of a defense. That squad was something like 8-4 if you take away their cheat versus the Sooners. Give them OU's defense that year and they'd have potentially been a one-loss team. The one loss likely being Texas because it was in Asstin and it was still VYU at the time.

[Scott D]

You'd think that it'd be an easy sell to a potential recruit or d coordinator. "Hey, we have one of the best offenses in the country. Just imagine what we could do with a good defense."

not going to work.

Like Rhino said, Leach recruits the faster and better athletes for offense. Schools with a strong defense tend to recruit a lot of them as defenders.

What DC in his right mind is going to come to Lubbock where the odds are likely that his guys are going to be on the field for at least 60% of the plays run. How can you have an aggressive attacking defense when opponents are likely going to gameplan running a lot against you if for no other reason than to keep your offense off the field?

[sparx1]

Mike Stoops may be looking for a job at the end of the year. Can you see TT with a Stoops D...

Mike Stoops may have forgotten how to do defense with all his offensive turmoils.....45 points yesterday???

[jkjsooner]

Why the hell in 7 or so years has the head pirate never atleast tried to hire a good d coordinator. Leach could build a good program if only he had a d. Why does leach hate defense?

I think there's several reasons why they have not had great D's.

1. Believe me, they will recruit the best defensive players they can get. However, they're not known for D so they're not going to get the level of talent that they get on O. If you don't think Leach would love to have a dominating D then you're crazy.

2. I'm sure they're getting the best D coaches available. It's not like there are a ton of outstanding defensive coordinators just waiting to head to Lubbock.

3. As others have stated, Leach's offense doesn't really help out their defenses.

4. This is related to #3 but slightly different... I suspect that their defenses don't get quality time in practice facing traditional pro style or smash mouth offenses. It's probably not easy to go from facing Leach's offense every day in practice (at least when #1 is going after #1) and adjusting to a more conventional offense. Going against the scout team who is simulating other's offenses is not the same.

I think at times we faced similar problems in the '80s. We had outstanding defenses with outstanding defensive backs/linebackers yet we struggled against Miami, Stanford, and WVU (even OSU to some degree) who brought pro style passing schemes to us. We just didn't get to face those type of offenses enough. It was a little worse for us because even in our games we faced mostly running/option oriented attacks.

[snp]

The DC (Lyle Setenich) gave Mike Leach his first coaching job and will keep his job as long as he pleases. He runs a base 4-3 way too often with little blitzing and bad athletes around the defensive side of the ball.

Like Rhino said, the better athletes become WR. Guys like Lendy, DJ, Reggie, Woolfolk and all the others that have transitionted from offense to defense would've remained as defensive only players.


Soon as I was typing this up I read that Lyle retired. Nix what I said at first.

URL removed due to link change - refer to kev's post.

[Scott D]

The DC (Lyle Setenich) gave Mike Leach his first coaching job and will keep his job as long as he pleases. He runs a base 4-3 way too often with little blitzing and bad athletes around the defensive side of the ball.

Like Rhino said, the better athletes become WR. Guys like Lendy, DJ, Reggie, Woolfolk and all the others that have transitionted from offense to defense would've remained as defensive only players.


Soon as I was typing this up I read that Lyle retired. Nix what I said at first.

http://www.lubbockonline.com/updates/update3.shtml

The irony is that Ruffin McNeill at one time was the Defensive Coordinator for App. State. :)

Another point should also be that another issue with their defense, especially run defense is that they practice week in and week out against Leach's Frankenstein spread offense. Doesn't necessarily make them a defense that can stand up to a prolonged running attack, otherwise they have to bring more guys into the box, at which point OU and Texas have managed to burn them deep since Leach took over for the most part.

[kevpks]

I guess losing to OSU pushed Tech's D-coordinator over the edge.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3033530

[OklahomaTuba]

Gundy probably yelled at him.

[SoonerTerry]

Mike Stoops may be looking for a job at the end of the year. Can you see TT with a Stoops D...

Go ahead and punch yourself in the face for sayin that

[RedstickSooner]

Okay. To begin with, what I am about to say makes me feel a little silly.

Alrighty. So, here's what makes me feel silly: Didn't TT's defense improve just a smidgeon a couple years ago?

I seem to remember a season or two where, while they weren't world beaters (or even egg beaters, for that matter), they actually did a bit of good -- and managed to stop opponent's drives from time to time. Again, my memory has never been very good, and as I age, it only gets worse. So, perhaps my mind, in its ongoing effort to amuse and divert me, has made up this "memory" for me.

[OklahomaTuba]

Once you have faced The World's Greatest Offense, and you lose, what more can you do with your life & career???

I think Tech's DC couldn't accomplish anymore professionally or personally, so he decided to hang it up.

[Ross33]

If I were an up and coming D coordinator, I'd never work for Leach. Exhibit A would be this weekend's game.

Leach's D got him the ball back, with the lead, and two-and-a-half minutes left on the clock. How does Leach reward that? He procedes to call three pass plays (two incompletions) and doesn't run any clock. Every other coach in the country would have run the ball three times, burning as much clock as possible, even if they had to punt.

But Leach is so stubborn, he put his D back on the field in a hostile environment and asked them to stop the O again. His pride cost his team a win this weekend.

[MikeInNorman]

I can assure you that Mike Stoops will NEVER work for Mike Leach. Ever.

True dat.