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Mike Leach (HC Mississippi State, a National Treasure, R.I.P.)


I usually want B1G teams to win, but I think I am pulling for Leach in any team he plays unless it is against us. When he talks about wanting a pet raccoon again, I about pissed my pants :lol::lol::lol: Real tough when they hit those teenage years. Dear god, the guy is amazing. Link below for the whole thing.

LINK
 
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Mike Leach did a weird formation thing in the win over Wyoming
That was new!

Washington State Cougars coach Mike Leach is known around the college football world as an offensive innovator, a reputation built on being the foremost proponent of the Air Raid. But the reality is that he doesn’t do a lot of tricky things — to some extent, everyone knows what he’s going to do. He’s fairly old school in his belief that his players are just going to execute so well, there’s no need for trickery.

Which is why this moment in Saturday’s 41-19 win over the Wyoming Cowboys was pretty eye popping.



Yes, that’s wide receiver Kyle Sweet lining up as the center. And if you’re wondering how the formation is legal, the only requirement (more or less) is that seven players be on the line of scrimmage. WSU has that, with Sweet, the five linemen, and Tay Martin at the top of the screen.

Wyoming wasn’t really fooled either time — in fact, the only player who looked confused was erstwhile center Fred Mauigoa, who blocked nobody the second time — but both runs were productive, gaining a total of nine yards. And, to be honest, it appears there were more yards to be had if it was blocked a little better.

It’s interesting that WSU ran it to the short side of the field; that suggests to me that the idea is to snap it to quarterback Gardner Minshew at some point and throw off of it to the wide side of the field.

Why do this? Well ... it’s just another thing opponents have to prepare for, right? And honestly, it’s not that tricky — the line still blocks it as an inside zone, the receivers still block corners and/or run a route. Varying formations is the biggest way Leach changes his plays, and while this is an extreme version, it’s definitely within his M.O.

Entire article: https://www.cougcenter.com/wsu-coug.../17810972/mike-leach-formation-wsu-vs-wyoming
 
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https://www.theringer.com/2018/8/14/17685080/air-raid-offense-mike-leach-lincoln-riley

The Case for the NFL’s Air Raid Revolution
Long known as college football’s most prolific offensive system, the Air Raid is labeled as a gimmick that won’t work in the NFL. If recent results are any indication, perception doesn’t align with reality.
By Rodger Sherman
Aug 14, 2018, 8:35am EDT

It’s often said that college football and the NFL are two completely different sports. But many concepts that long thrived on campus have recently taken hold in the league. We’re spending today examining the intersection of both levels of the game, and how certain schemes and tendencies are shaping the future of the modern pro offense.


2017 was the year the Air Raid quarterback succeeded in the NFL.

For years, we’ve been told that quarterbacks who played their college ball in the game’s most explosive offense couldn’t cut it in the pros. Tim Couch, the Kentucky product who was taken no. 1 overall in the 1999 draft, went on to have a dismal career; Brandon Weeden, the Oklahoma State star who was a 2012 first-round pick, quickly proved he was better suited to be a backup than a starter; Johnny Manziel, the Texas A&M Heisman Trophy winner who became a 2014 first-rounder, failed out of the league within two years. (It’s possible that the common link here was the Cleveland Browns.)

But last year bucked the trend. Jared Goff, the Cal product who once piloted the Bear Raid offense under head coach Sonny Dykes, led the Rams to the playoffs while ranking fifth in the NFL in passer rating and second in adjusted yards per attempt. Case Keenum, whose co-offensive coordinator at Houston was Kliff Kingsbury, lifted the Vikings to the NFC championship game and ranked second in QBR. And Nick Foles, whose coordinators at Arizona were Dykes, Bill Bedenbaugh, and Seth Littrell, was named Super Bowl MVP with the Eagles. The common link? Dykes, Kingsbury, Bedenbaugh, and Littrell all had worked with or had been coached by current Washington State head coach Mike Leach, the Air Raid whisperer.

Still, some NFL minds worry that Air Raid passers can’t thrive in the NFL. The Air Raid, they contend, lacks the complexity required of a professional offense. The reads that Air Raid quarterbacks have to make are too simple; the throws to receivers are too wide open. When these QBs get to the league, the thinking goes, they won’t be able to adequately decipher opposing defenses or hit the throws they’ll need to make.

This was the case against selecting Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield first overall in the 2018 NFL draft. The Air Raid stigma affects nonquarterbacks, too; when Cleveland traded 2016 first-round pick Corey Coleman to Buffalo last week, some argued it was because Coleman’s experience playing in an Air Raid offense at Baylor had left him ill prepared to play wide receiver in the NFL. (Coleman also played for the Browns. I’m sensing a trend here. Mayfield might be doomed.)

When it comes to the Air Raid, I believe those in the NFL are asking the wrong question. We shouldn’t be trying to figure out whether players like Mayfield can make every tough throw. We should be wondering why NFL coaches are so steadfast in forcing quarterbacks to make tough throws in the first place. Why do teams keep looking for great quarterbacks, instead of running the system that consistently makes bad quarterbacks look great?

Cont'd ...
 
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636385072162194900-XXX-MIKE-LEACH-DEC-3360-93105011.JPG


A pirate figure stands at the doorway to Mike Leach's office. (Photo: Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY)

pirateshipwithpiratesmileys.gif~c200
 
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