Phat Phil Phired

I scooped you on this one. With my tags too, bitch.

The only thing we let you scoop is shit from a rabbit hutch when you beg your Dad to do man chores.

Nothing.

Rumor has it (from a very good source) Tennessee has asked to talk to Leach.

My top 3 candidates are Joe Don Baker, Wahoo McDaniel and Zombie Slim Pickens.

I will probably write about it now, but delete out your comments.

Do it. It’s had me floored. Easy material.

And don’t forget to work in some kind of WWE GP Slayer championship belt. That’s all I’ll give you, but there’s no doubt who holds the title unless Leach runs the table and faces Pinkel in the title game.

And, then Tech will become relevant again, and I’ll get to write about it. I will be all over it, if that happens. And, I’ll drive down to Austin myself, and haul that fucking belt back to Lubbock.

Mike Gundy’s name is probably hot right now. He’d be an idiot to turn down Tennessee.

He is an idiot, though.

ded has an extra hop in his step on this dreary Monday. That’s on the good leg, we won’t mention the one that still drags behind like Verbal Kint. Kobayashi was real.

Congrats – your team stepped up and won a huge fucking game.

Two more on tap.

Gundy? Can’t see that firing up the fan base.

It’s the best day of my Red Raider life today, Vasherized. You can’t understand how much this means to the fine folks from up there and the Tech Nation. Thank you for not stealing this one. The Football Gods served justice by letting the right team win, holding penalties and all.

It’s not even called holding any more, we use wrestling terms now like “arm bar / full nelson / torn ACL death grip.” Maybe we can send McWhorter out to Lubbock and Norman in the offseason to learn these progressive new techniques that mask detection.

Enjoy this feeling now because your team did just enough to win and that’s all that matters. We did the same against Ohio State and Kansas in 2005 and that worked out pretty well.

Up until Saturday night with 1 second left on the clock, I can’t remember a four week stretch of Texas football as joyful as what we just experienced. Almost to the point the dropped INT and the Crabtree TD has left me somewhat bi-polar. That’s right, fuck you. Where am I?

Your road is just starting and it will get increasingly harder with each game.

As a Texas fan I hope you lose the next two so we’re back in the hardware hunt but I’d much rather see Tech get to play for a Big 12 title than OU if we get left out.

Understood. You guys have the dumbest OL in the country. Did that really smart dude graduate?

Be Warned: The Football Gods are fickle. Woah unto he who thinks their favor is more than effervescent.

Tennessee job pros-
Great conference
Program history
Great Support
Rational athletic department (doesn’t let boosters make hiring and firing decisions)

Cons-
In a tough division shared with two current Top 10 programs (Georgia and Florida). To succeed, a new coach will have to knock at least one of those down.
Does not have as good of a recruiting base as Georgia and Florida

….wait, I meant ephemeral. Goddamnit.

Speaking of effervescent, I miss my monday Zima at lunchtime. Nothing picks you up from a bad loss like a Malternative beverage too early in the day.

You can’t understand how much this means to the fine folks from up there and the Tech Nation.

Indeed. The life of a fan of a permanently second-tier program is alien and strange to us.

What was that bizarre ritual you performed with your goal posts?

Leach won’t be at Tech past this year. Book it.

Chris, I never have understood why you don’t enjoy seeing other people succeed in life. Your piss runneth over the Cheerio bowl.

BTW, have any of you guys seen Emory Blake play?

Chris Petersen
Captain Mike
Muschamp
Sherman ;)

There’s your list of all the hot properties. Fire away.

BTW, have any of you guys seen Emory Blake play?

Quality D-1 prospect, great hands, good size, didn’t strike me as having breakaway speed. While he is very good, I can understand why Texas is slow talking him. They already have him in the Buckner/collins/Kirkyndall form.

I was asking b/c he committed to Tech this weekend. My only question was his speed, but he seems to know what to do with the football once he gets it on film.

He’s at #20 right now. Watch how far he drops down Ketch’s list.

Chitwood, always love the ‘very good source’ rumor. And Tennessee is welcome to talk to Leach. Then they can move on to someone who actually wants the job.

I’m sure everyone one who has a job available in the country has talked to Leach’s agent, if they have the budget to afford him. We’ll either pony up or get priced out of the market. Regardless, we’ll still be here and I’ll be happy to see Leach move on to bigger and better things where it’s a little easier to operate. He deserves it. You win out here, and you can win anywhere. He could left us already, but he’s stayed longer than his obligation has required. Anything longer, would be out of shear loyalty. It ain’t an easy place to make a living, but he’s got nothing left to prove to me. He’s good people.

I’m not bullshitting you, and I have no idea if Leach has any interest whatsoever. Tennessee just asked for permission to talk to him.

Wouldn’t you, if you were Tennessee? Leach is too smart to go there.

Leach is a good fit for Tennessee insofar as they possess no natural recruiting base. A system guy makes sense there. That’s what people don’t get: Tennessee has the trappings of a Top 5 program in terms of fanbase passion, facilities etc but it has the actual potential of a bottom of the Top 20 program.
 
Tennessee is hugely reliant on a weak Alabama, Ole Miss, Florida and Georgia to create their recruiting opportunities – the state just doesn’t offer a great base (please spare me the Reggie White exception, idiots).

Blake goes to the same high school that produced ChrisApplewhite and Huckleberry so the dude literally has no upside.

“Blake goes to the same high school that produced ChrisApplewhite and Huckleberry so the dude literally has no upside.”

I projectile vomited water out my nose.

I’ve never really seen Leach as an SEC guy. The meddling alumni, the impatient fan bases, the sleazy recruiting, etc. I think he is aware he would have a hard time adjusting to some of that crew. If he ever leaves, my advice, go West young man.

I’ve been watching much closer to what Washington is doing.

Jesus, you jabbering buffoon. Gather your thoughts, then reply. ;)

He’d be a good fit at UW. How much do you think Tech pissed Leach off by not renewing his contract?

Bizarro Tech rolls on. I don’t want to get in the habit of posting premium Rivals info, but I can’t believe “Tech” and “canceling visit from 5 star WR to shutdown recruiting” were in the same sentence. Apparently, Leach is pretty sold on Blake and he tested out faster than what they thought.

See, that might be the chink in the armour. I can’t blame him, if he leaves, but I’ve heard it was more to do with budgetary contraints at the time. But, they were pretty confident they could get him a competitive package together by the end of the season. Hance has been on fire raising money of late. I’m assuming we’ll end up being able to afford something behind Mack and Stoops, but that’s about it. I don’t care what he does. He’s not leaving the cupboard bare and he’s leaving a good job for someone. I’m perfectly fine for our program to serve as a breeding ground for future superstar coaching. We get the benefit of accomplishing more with less along the way, and some day, one of those superstars will plop down and call Lubbock his home, and we’ll have a solid program. I’m not sure if Leach is that guy, but he’s endeared by the fanbase and we’re happy to have him, and will be happy to see him go onto success. I didn’t always feel this way until I started making trips to State College, PA with our business. We may never get to that level, but we’ve got a hell of a lot more advantages to having a good program than they do, except the budget. The thing is we didn’t have the established alumni base 30 years ago to pony up the money to support the program. Every time I go back, I am surprised at how well our alumni in that 40-60 range are doing in life and now they’re starting to believe it can happen at Tech. And they have money. Not Texas money. But, more than we’ve been accustomed to operating on.

ded,
will you please start a petition to get Coach Leach paid whatever he wants? I will seriously drive to Lubbock and burn down the athletic department (i know it’s made of brick, shut up) if they let him go w/o a huge fight.

Pac-10 makes much more sense for Leach. For a guy that is just now coming around to the notion that defense is occasionally required to win football games, the SEC would not make a nice bedfellow.

He can poach California for all the talent he needs mixed in with a few overlooked studs from Texas, Colorado, Samoa, et al. and have a marginal Pac-10 school up and running within a few years.

On the other hand, Leach is just weird enough to turn down some big jobs and stay in Lubbock to cement his, um, legacy.

“ded,
will you please start a petition to get Coach Leach paid whatever he wants? I will seriously drive to Lubbock and burn down the athletic department (i know it’s made of brick, shut up) if they let him go w/o a huge fight.”

I’m working on it. We’ve got a new secret weapon on our team that only myself is privvy to information from. I’ll keep you posted.

Vasherized,

I kind of want to believe that as well, but I think that would be a little too naive of me.

Congrats on the win, ded. My wife is a raider alum. So, I’m happy for you all – though I still want you to lose two. If you win those, I’ll be guns up for the MNC game in Miami.

BTW, very few of the UT intelligentsia types read ketch these days – other than for comedic relief. He’s lost his only real researcher with any knowledge of recruiting – in Gerry H. The new Scout site and I.T. will be your most reliable sources for UT information.

I’ve enjoyed reading your blog this year, also. Kudos.

Thanks.

Tim Brewster will get a big look from Tennessee. He is a great recruiter and that is what Tenn needs. I would also say look out for Butch Davis but I think he has a couple of kids that go to North Carolina and I think he likes the fact that he is not in the pressure cooker so to speak on an everyday basis. I don’t see Mike Leach going to tenn….he would be more likely to go to Washington.

Lane Kiffin…has the USC pedigree and knows how to throw the ball around. And he’s available.
Leach isn’t an SEC or Tennessee kind of guy. He’d be seen as another Hal Mumme.

Whoever said Pac 10 makes more sense for Leach, I agree. But, know what?, I don’t think he wants to leave Tech. He’s hot shit there and in most years 8-4 is just fine. If Tech will pony up the bucks, why would he leave?

“But, know what?, I don’t think he wants to leave Tech. He’s hot shit there and in most years 8-4 is just fine. If Tech will pony up the bucks, why would he leave?”

I actually think this might be the reason he stays. He’s smart enough to realize how easy this gig is and I think he’s getting his rocks off now that he’s playing with the big boys due to improved recruiting efforts.

Muschamp would be a great hire for Tennessee. Knows the SEC. Probably the top ranked asistant ready for a HC gig. Would give Tennessee someone to compete with Meyer and Richt in terms of youth and energy. The downside is no HC experience and no Tennessee connectons but all in all he should get serious consideration

The funniest thing I learned tailgating last weekend? Ask anyone north of Tulia, who should replace Leach, if he left, and the first words out of their mouth: Don Carthel is the best goddamn coach in the State of Texas.

That guy is seriously a God up there.