Evaluating a Quarterback: Mike Leach’s Pillars

Late Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach was thought of probably the greatest evaluators of the quarterback place in his time on the helm of offenses with the record-breaking Air Raid system.

This offense and its performs have lengthy been thought of too primary and too easy by the skeptics and critics, however there isn’t any query that it labored, as is mirrored by what number of quarterbacks beneath Leach led the nation in passing yards.

It was a recruiting pitch he used regularly for gamers on the place, and one that always held true on the finish of seasons statistically.

Like so many issues with Leach and the Air Raid, the method he used to decide on who he wished to carry into his program and who bought the beginning gig was nothing extremely sophisticated.

Whereas the numbers a number of Air Raid quarterbacks have put up are off the charts and deemed inflated by some, they don’t come with out sure traits. In an offense that throws the ball 40-60 instances per recreation when run in its purest kind, success solely comes with with the ability to function on the highest degree within the sides that really signify the quarterback place and what the participant in it’s known as upon to do on an each recreation foundation.

There’s a lot to be mentioned in regards to the tangibles, however the intangibles are simply as vital — if not much more so.

“Are they correct? Do they make good choices?,” Leach mentioned once I requested him in regards to the subject within the 2021 season. “The largest, which is difficult to pinpoint, as a result of it is form of a group (of issues) is how good they do so far as elevating the gamers round them. However you begin with are they correct and do they make good choices. If they cannot do this, then you’ll be able to’t get previous sq. one. They have to have the ability to do this.”

Bodily traits are of excessive worth within the fashionable period, however Leach didn’t view these as notably excessive up on the precedence record.

“And a number of instances, you hear how huge anyone is, how sturdy anyone is, how briskly anyone is,” he mentioned. “Properly, each little bit of that’s irrelevant until they’re correct and might make good choices. From there, you search for, have they got fast toes? Are they quick? Which, these are two various things. After which, have they got a robust arm. Some assortment of these issues and their skill to steer and elevate their workforce… you see quarterbacks come from all completely different ranges than simply Division 1.”

And on the finish of the day, there is no query that quarterback isn’t a simple place to play. Even those that fall in need of a number of the very best standards that Leach talked about have ended up acknowledged on the highest degree.

“And I believe as a result of it is a place that you simply be taught, that you simply examine, offering you are able to do sure issues… some individuals do not view quarterback as a coached place,” Leach mentioned. “However I believe it is arguably essentially the most coached place on the sector with the potential exception of offensive line. You have to push that alongside, however individuals speak about all of those nice quarterbacks and each a type of qualities I discussed, I imply, the Corridor of Fame is stuffed with those that had been lacking two or three of these issues. But it surely begins with the way you elevate the gamers round you.”

Out of the 50 best passing yardage seasons in FBS historical past, 10 got here from quarterbacks who had been coached by Leach since he took over the top coach of the Texas Tech Purple Raiders in 2000. 

These included one season by Kliff Kingsbury, one by B.J. Symons (2003), one by Sonny Cumbie, three by Graham Harrell (2006-08), one by Connor Halliday, one by Luke Falk (2015), one by Gardner Minshew II (2018) and one by Anthony Gordon (2019).