CFB Postseason Thread

[maroontide06]

4 minutes ago, rebmus said:

Strong rumors that Leach has passed, I really hope that's not true. 

 

I hope that’s not true either. 

[maroontide06]

I just wonder what is going on with Coach Leach.  I just hope it wasn’t a heart attack, stroke or aneurysm.

[Bulldogs4]

From what I can gather he is in critical condition.

I am just praying for him and his family. 
Pray. Pray. Pray. 

[Dawg83]

It’s hard to think about this from a football perspective so out of respect for Mike Leach I’m going to refrain from that for a while. I do have some thoughts to share at some point but the time for that is not now.

 

Latest statement from the school is that he’s still in critical condition in Jackson. It’s hard to not be very concerned given all the information that’s out there. Praying for a miracle and for his family who I know this is extremely tough on. The man is only 61 and has four kids and some grandchildren too.

[s1nglewing]

[MSTSatchmo]

Wow.  Prayers for his family and friends and the entire college football community that he obviously had an unbelievable impact on. 

[Dawg83]

You really have to feel for what State’s players and coaches have gone through. Dave Nichol, WR coach in Leach’s first two years, passed away from cancer shortly after taking a job at USC.  Then they tragically lost a teammate recently with the Sam Westmoreland tragedy. And now another really difficult situation with Leach. All within the last year.

Edited December 12, 2022 by Dawg83

[rebmus]

I've always been a fan of Leach, I voiced my good opinions of him when he was at Texas Tech and WSU... my opinion didn't change when he took the MSU job. 

It appears to take a miracle for him to pull through, I sure hope it happens. 

 

Leach's teams have been always fun to watch, as have his interviews. 

[s1nglewing]

NYPost reports that Leach had a massive heart attack  and was without medical attention for 10-15 minutes before defibrillation, followed by seizures and possible brain damage because of the period of time in which his brain did not receive oxygen. A very bleak outlook as anyone can see. 

Having worked as a fireman previously, a 10 minute lapse of heart function is nearly never something defibrillation can reactivate and it's stunning that he survived at all. 

[Dawg83]

I am so grateful for the three years Mike Leach was the head coach of my alma mater. You will never be forgotten, Pirate.

[Bulldogs4]

Same here. So glad he was in our midst for three years. Oh how we all are going to miss him. We are all unique but he took unique to the stratosphere. 
 

Growing up, my parents drilled into me to always leave something better than you found it. Coach Leach has done just that for our State (not just football but across many spectrums). 
 

This one hurts and my heart hurts for his wife, children, grandchildren, staff, coaches and players. Just leaves me numb. I am sitting at my desk trying to work but it is hard to concentrate right now. 

[Dawg83]

State does plan to play the bowl game. Leach wouldn’t have it any other way. Will be rooting like crazy for those guys on January 2nd, wish I could be there in person.

 

All I will say about the future of the head coach position for now is that this is an absolutely horrible set of circumstances to have to do this under, and I feel pretty strongly that your best option given the situation is already on staff. Take the interim tag off Zach Arnett, remove as much uncertainty from the situation as you can, and let the healing process continue with a familiar face at the helm (and to be fair, also a rising star in the coaching profession who is probably a future head coach anyway).

 

I feel gross for even thinking about what comes next. I wish like crazy Leach was still here and able to coach State for the next decade. This has been a rough couple of days. I never even met the guy and it still hurts like losing a friend. Got a text with the news as I was dropping my off my daughter at daycare. Still Doesn’t remotely compare to what his loved ones are going through.

[Wcchaingang]

I honestly think Kiffen was right when he made the comment about getting caught up in the hatred of these rivalries. Something like this really kicks you in the stomach. Leach was one of the most likeable coaches out there. And for sure his interviews will be missed. 

[maroontide06]

12 minutes ago, Dawg83 said:

State does plan to play the bowl game. Leach wouldn’t have it any other way. Will be rooting like crazy for those guys on January 2nd, wish I could be there in person.

 

All I will say about the future of the head coach position for now is that this is an absolutely horrible set of circumstances to have to do this under, and I feel pretty strongly that your best option given the situation is already on staff. Take the interim tag off Zach Arnett, remove as much uncertainty from the situation as you can, and let the healing process continue with a familiar face at the helm (and to be fair, also a rising star in the coaching profession who is probably a future head coach anyway).

 

I feel gross for even thinking about what comes next. I wish like crazy Leach was still here and able to coach State for the next decade. This has been a rough couple of days. I never even met the guy and it still hurts like losing a friend. Got a text with the news as I was dropping my off my daughter at daycare. Still Doesn’t remotely compare to what his loved ones are going through.

I honestly hate to think about what is next because I thought we would have Leach for 10 years or better and he would retire on his own terms.  I certainly think Leach's coaching staff is special and I would hate to see that staff get broken up.  We've had so much continuity with it and they run like a well oiled machine.  The last thing I want to see is the thing get blown up and have to start all over again.  There isn't any right answers to any of this, but I would give Coach Arnett a shot though.  With the timing and who's not available what other options do we have at this point?  I think Spurrier would make a great O.C. for us though and we could maintain the coaching staff, the recruits, the offensive philosophy and the defensive philosophy.  The only difference would be not having Coach Leach on the sideline.

[Dawg83]

I just think you have to be very respectful to this group of players and not treat it like any other coaching search. It’s also a fan base in need of unity right now and I think you’ve got to be really careful about making an outside hire that could really cause division.

 

The reports today are that State is potentially waiting a few weeks on hiring a new AD but they may hire a head coach before then… if that’s the case then that would lead me to believe that they are just going to stick with Zach and see how it goes over the next couple of years.

 

It’s uncharted waters regardless. A situation like this where the head coach passes away while the season is technically still ongoing is EXTREMELY rare. And incredibly sad.

[maroontide06]

32 minutes ago, Dawg83 said:

I just think you have to be very respectful to this group of players and not treat it like any other coaching search. It’s also a fan base in need of unity right now and I think you’ve got to be really careful about making an outside hire that could really cause division.

 

The reports today are that State is potentially waiting a few weeks on hiring a new AD but they may hire a head coach before then… if that’s the case then that would lead me to believe that they are just going to stick with Zach and see how it goes over the next couple of years.

 

It’s uncharted waters regardless. A situation like this where the head coach passes away while the season is technically still ongoing is EXTREMELY rare. And incredibly sad.

For the sake of the team, coaching staff, and fanbase if they decide to hire Coach Arnett to maintain unity, then I fully support that decision.  I certainly don’t think it would be a wrong move by any means. I think Coach Arnett is extremely capable of handling the job and the duties and responsibilities that go along with it.

[rebmus]

The ESPN tribute to Leach was very well done. 

If you haven't seen it, it ends with a reporting asking Leach about how he wanted to be remembered when people write the Mike Leach obit. 

 

"Well, that's their problem, they're the one writing the obituary. I mean, what do I care? I'm dead!" 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2022 by rebmus

[Bulldogs4]

I am completely onboard with making Arnett the permanent HC and work to ensure the current staff stays intact. Just makes sense to do this. 
It is the best for all concerned especially the players. Obviously we will need a DC but possibly one of the current coaches could move into that slot. 
IMO all of our Hailstate family would be good with that. 
 

 

Also, I hope that we are in a new era with the rivalry with Ole Miss. Competitive and hard fought on the gridiron, court, Diamond etc. but supportive of each other outside of when we play each other. It would be so much better for both of us. Kiffin & Leach have been great in that regard. 

[rebmus]

Any chance Muffins comes back as HC and retains Arnett as DC? 

 

[pancho]

.0001269%

[MSTSatchmo]

23 minutes ago, pancho said:

.0001269%

That high, huh?  Lol. 

[Dawg83]

1 hour ago, rebmus said:

Any chance Muffins comes back as HC and retains Arnett as DC? 

 

That would be the most toxic hire they could possibly make.

 

I could maybe be talked into it if these were normal circumstances. But given what’s happened, absolutely not.

[Bulldogs4]

That would be a negative 3 on a scale of 1 to 10.

I appreciate what CDM did during his time here but that ship sailed five years ago. So no and no and no. 
 

For stability purposes, as I said above, let’s roll with the current staff plus hiring or promoting a DC. 

[maroontide06]

1 hour ago, rebmus said:

Any chance Muffins comes back as HC and retains Arnett as DC? 

 

H-E-Double Hockey no! LOL!

[MSTSatchmo]

15 minutes ago, Bulldogs4 said:

That would be a negative 3 on a scale of 1 to 10.

I appreciate what CDM did during his time here but that ship sailed five years ago. So no and no and no. 
 

For stability purposes, as I said above, let’s roll with the current staff plus hiring or promoting a DC. 

I know State had someone with the OC title, but how much input and game day calling did the OC do?  I thought the majority was Coach Leach and the rest was Rogers at the LOS.