Our problem is really that we hired Leach

[somebodyshotmypaw]

One problem with air raid is TOP. You think our D was tired last night. Our D got better once air raid was out of our system.

We needed to run the ball, run clock and give our D a breather. It worked until we kept forcing the long pass.

I disagree here. There were no TOP issues in a Leach offense. Many people think so because it?s a lot of passing, but the stats say differently. Leach passed a lot, but we did not run tempo or hurry-up. Leach would take most of the play clock to get off the next play. Also, so many of his passes were to running backs for just a few yards. We weren?t going on these 80 yard touchdown drives in just 5 plays while running the hurry-up. Instead, we would have a 80 yard drive with 13 plays (11 passes and 2 runs) that ate up clock.

[Turfdawg67]

Shoot, his defenses were often better than his offenses here, not sure what you are talking about.

Hiring Leach was a great move, this is nonsense.

No. The problem is he passed away and we hired Arnett.

Biggest issue was how we got left at the starting gate by the rest of the SEC with NIL and a coach bought into NIL. That's how OM got the separation from us we are experiencing today. I put most of that blame on Cohen because he didn't have a clue how to market and fund raise and didn't put any emphasis on NIL itself or a coach's ability to use NIL when hiring a coach. Thankful Selmon has helped us dig out of a massive NIL and fundraising hole.

These are all correct. We won 9 games just three years ago. Let ML rest in peace.

[StarkVegasSteve]

It was a bunch of things all at once.

1. Hiring Leach was always going to take us down the Air Raid path to where it would take a couple of seasons to get the roster back to SEC standards. It's a credit to Mike we were winning with G5 guys, because we were. Rogers was a G5 QB that Leach made into a solid SEC starter.

2. Failure to embrace NIL. This starts at the top with Cohen wanting NIL to only go towards baseball because of 11.7 and that was his sport. He poisoned the well with Leach too and made Leach think he didn't need it so we didn't sell it to portal guys. By the time Cohen left and Leach realized Cohen had been lying to him, we were 16-24 months behind everyone else.

3. Hiring Arnett. This was just a killer. I understand at the time that it seemed like the only option but we should've just kept the interim tag on him and then reevaluated once the bowl game was over.

[BrunswickDawg]

One problem with air raid is TOP. You think our D was tired last night. Our D got better once air raid was out of our system.

We needed to run the ball, run clock and give our D a breather. It worked until we kept forcing the long pass.

The dumbest thing about this statement is how easily it's disproven:

In '22 we were 7th in the SEC in TOP
In '21 we were 1st
In '20 we were 4th

In '23 we were 9th
In '24 we were DFL
In '25 so far we are DFL

But that air raid.....

[Santiago]

The dumbest thing about this statement is how easily it's disproven:

In '22 we were 7th in the SEC in TOP
In '21 we were 1st
In '20 we were 4th

In '23 we were 9th
In '24 we were DFL
In '25 so far we are DFL

But that air raid.....

Glad you posted it. i wanted to but thought surely the other poster looks this up before just throwing it out there the air raid kept the defense on the field.

[Pancho]

leach being here is currently the least of our issues. help lebby get more good players. hell, we are 5 or 6 guys away from what would be a 8 win season

[tcdog70]

You sure? might have been hiring Charlie Shira

[somebodyshotmypaw]

The dumbest thing about this statement is how easily it's disproven:

In '22 we were 7th in the SEC in TOP
In '21 we were 1st
In '20 we were 4th

In '23 we were 9th
In '24 we were DFL
In '25 so far we are DFL

But that air raid.....

Yep. The MSU version of the air raid ate the clock. The passes were high percentage throws. And they were short (often to a RB). And we didn't use tempo or hurry-up. If you go 80 yards with 13 straight running plays off tackle, people think you ate the clock. But if you use 13 completed passing plays to the running backs to go 80 yards then people think your time of possession was short because they were passes. But the drive took the same amount of time of possession.

[DownwardDawg]

Incorrect. Arnett inherited a roster devoid of any talent. That's on Leach. Doesn't mean Arnett was any good, but Nick Saban wouldn't have won more than 4 games with that roster. That is Leach's entire history: Recruit guys for his very specific, and by that time outdated, system that's unfit for anything else.

Leach would have won 9'games with that roster.

[DownwardDawg]

The dumbest thing about this statement is how easily it's disproven:

In '22 we were 7th in the SEC in TOP
In '21 we were 1st
In '20 we were 4th

In '23 we were 9th
In '24 we were DFL
In '25 so far we are DFL

But that air raid.....

People struggle to understand this. Leach ate the clock up!!

[Pancho]

this^

[StarkVegasSteve]

Leach would have won 9'games with that roster.

But that's the problem. Because while you might be correct and Leach could've won 9 games with that roster, ONLY MIKE LEACH could've won 9 games with that roster. Anyone else calling the plays and our ceiling is 5-6. It's a credit to Mike that he was able to take guys that are fringe P4 guys and make them contributors for SEC teams.

[JimBobDawg]

Should have known we were in trouble, when he let loose with the F bomb while being interviewed by a female reporter on the field in post game interview.

[cheewgumm]

But that's the problem. Because while you might be correct and Leach could've won 9 games with that roster, ONLY MIKE LEACH could've won 9 games with that roster. Anyone else calling the plays and our ceiling is 5-6. It's a credit to Mike that he was able to take guys that are fringe P4 guys and make them contributors for SEC teams.

Exactly

and i didn't mean this as a knock on Leach. Just the aftermath of Leach is difficult.

[DownwardDawg]

But that's the problem. Because while you might be correct and Leach could've won 9 games with that roster, ONLY MIKE LEACH could've won 9 games with that roster. Anyone else calling the plays and our ceiling is 5-6. It's a credit to Mike that he was able to take guys that are fringe P4 guys and make them contributors for SEC teams.

I agree 100%. But no one expected him to die. We would not have been in near as bad shape if he would have stayed until he retired. We would at least have top QB's and receivers and hopefully a much better plan as to whom would replace him.
We just fell into a worse case scenario.

[MBDawg601]

I agree 100%. But no one expected him to die. We would not have been in near as bad shape if he would have stayed until he retired. We would at least have top QB's and receivers and hopefully a much better plan as to whom would replace him.
We just fell into a worse case scenario.

Sawyer Robinson running Mike Leach?s offense giving me a semi chub rn

[R2Dawg]

The dumbest thing about this statement is how easily it's disproven:

In '22 we were 7th in the SEC in TOP
In '21 we were 1st
In '20 we were 4th

In '23 we were 9th
In '24 we were DFL
In '25 so far we are DFL

But that air raid.....

The numbers are way skewed. Most of our points, yards and TOP happened in garbage time. Just watch the games. Remember Ark, UK, etc. Yeah we had a few good games Aub and OM two that come to mind in 3 years but that ain't much.

But these threads need to stop. Let CML RIP and wish everyone would quit bringing up. We are two HC removed. People act like we won the SEC with air raid. Let it go.

Lets start where we are. The air raid split the fanbase in a horrible way.

[R2Dawg]

Exactly

and i didn't mean this as a knock on Leach. Just the aftermath of Leach is difficult.

Yep and most knew we were going to be hit twice with the change - on the way in and on the way out. Just really sucks and the wrong time to do that kind of thing and we paying for it now.

[R2Dawg]

Leach would have won 9'games with that roster.

Easy to say that when it didn't happen.

And Mullen would have won a NC in 18 too.

[Santiago]

The numbers are way skewed. Most of our points, yards and TOP happened in garbage time. Just watch the games. Remember Ark, UK, etc. Yeah we had a few good games Aub and OM two that come to mind in 3 years but that ain't much.

But these threads need to stop. Let CML RIP and wish everyone would quit bringing up. We are two HC removed. People act like we won the SEC with air raid. Let it go.

Lets start where we are. The air raid split the fanbase in a horrible way.

I learned alot about our some of our fanbase, and some of the football influences at that time, and how it was handled afterward. Winning with a future college football hall of fame coach, was not enough, unless it was their way.