Mike Leach Announces Full Assistant Coaching Staff
by Brian Floyd on Jan 13, 2012 6:25 PM PST
in 2011 WSU Football News
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PrintFinally, the official word is out: Mike Leach has announced his entire coaching staff. The names aren't surprising at all, and are the same names we've passed along over the course of the last month. As we said earlier this week, former Boise State assistant Jeff Choate was the missing piece, and completed the staff as the ninth assistant.
From the press release:
New to the Cougar staff will be Dave Emerick (chief of staff), Mike Breske (defensive coordinator/defensive backs), Jeff Choate (linebackers), Jim Mastro (running backs), Clay McGuire (offensive line), Eric Morris (inside receivers), Eric Russell (assistant head coach/special teams coordinator), Joe Salave'a (defensive line), Dennis Simmons (outside receivers), Paul Volero (outside linebackers) and Antonio Huffman (director of football operations).
And as we've stressed all along, communication and trust were key in Leach's hires.
"This group of assistant coaches is hard working and one that I have a high level of comfort with," said Leach. "Each one has had success at a high level and brings a tremendous passion to Washington State. Having worked with many of them previously the communication element is already in place, they understand my vision and this will be a staff that works well together."
There are a few things to be gleaned from this. As expected, Breske will likely bring a 3-4 defense to Washington State as the defensive coordinator. With Paul Volero working with the outside linebackers and Jeff Choate listed as a linebackers coach in general, one would assume the defense will feature odd-man fronts. There's really no other reason to have two linebackers coaches.
Eric Russell also earned the assistant head coach title, which would presumably put him as the high man on the totem pole. It's interesting in that Leach is clearly placing a significant emphasis on special teams -- something we've noted while watching the reported hires role in. It would seem Leach feels he can squeeze even more value out of the special teams, perhaps viewing the third phase as an untapped way to gain an advantage.
On the administrative side, Dave Emerick will serve as Leach's right-hand man, overseeing the staff at Washington State. Antonio Huffman takes over the role formerly filled by Shawn Deeds, overseeing the whole football program. Both will also coordinate and schedule recruiting visits.
We've profiled all the assistants and they can be found below:
Offensive line: Clay McGuire
Inside Receivers: Eric Morris
Outside Receivers: Dennis Simmons
Running Backs: Jim Mastro
Outside Linebackers: Paul Volero
Linebackers: Jeff Choate
Defensive Line: Joe Salave'a
Defensive Coordinator: Mike Breske
Special Teams: Eric Russell
Note: A strength coach was not listed in the press release, which makes sense considering what went on throughout the day on Thursday.
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MOST EXCELLENT!!
Attractive, Intelligent, Smart A**
by Neil Vincent Roberts on Jan 13, 2012 6:29 PM PST reply actions 2 recs
I really like the idea of switching to the 3-4 or 3-3-5.
I realize we don’t have ideal personnel up front to run it. I would guess Pole will be used as the nose but I doubt it will be the traditional head up two gap nose that is seen traditionally. The scheme change also makes a lot of sense in trying to get the best 11 guys on the field. It’s pretty clear we don’t have the d-line depth right now to run an effective 4 man front. I think Mayes could really excel as a rush LB in the 3-4. It will be interesting to see what is done with Travis Long, whether they decide to keep his hand on the ground at 5 technique, where he’d be undersized or stand him up as a linebacker, although I’m not sure he is quick enough. I would also guess Laurenzi will be playing one of the 5 technique spots.
"If you want your dreams to come true, don't sleep in."
Switching to a 3-4 also means the recruiting of guys like Allison and Palacio make more sense
Tweener DE/OLB guys who can rush the passer. I’ve been skeptical of a move to the 3-4 because I wasn’t sure if we had the right personnel, but I also want to confess my undying love of the 3-4. I love it so so so so much
by Kyle Rancourt on Jan 13, 2012 7:36 PM PST up reply actions
Kyle since you're the recruiting guy here is a question for you.
Do you think being a team that runs a 3-4 can be a recruiting advantage? With all the NFL teams who run the 3-4, will running a similar scheme give us an edge in being able to sell recruits on making it to the next level? I know CAL runs a 3-4 and it seems they are always getting linebackers and 3-4 ends drafted.
Not Kyle but I think it's interesting you mention Cal, because for the last few I felt they
were much better suited to the 4-3 than a 3-4.
"If you want your dreams to come true, don't sleep in."
I just know they've had two 5 technique guys drafted in the last two years.
Alualu and Jordan, although Jordan went to the Saints, he was considered to be a perfect fit by some “experts” for the 3-4.
Yes and no.
It’s a big advantage when targeting DE/OLB pass rushing ‘tweeners, as well as big nose tackles (but those are pretty rare coming out of HS). I think scheme is more important to offensive players, though. Defensive guys just want to hit someone. They don’t care as much how they get to do it, so long as they get to do it.
by Kyle Rancourt on Jan 13, 2012 8:08 PM PST up reply actions
I think it helps having Joe Salave'a as our DL coach
and recruiting Samoa. Big mobile dudes in the front (three) are important and mainly with the outside two.
CougCenter OG since 9/2/2008 | @TheSoCalCoug
We're on opposite ends. I'm not a big fan of the 3-4, and prefer the 4-3 immensely.
Honestly in the college game I think having the right personnel isn’t really an issue because there is such a dearth of good talent up front and an excess in the tweener types you are referring to, to fit an odd man front scheme.
"If you want your dreams to come true, don't sleep in."
D-lineman are like gold in all of football.
I think the 3-4 and 3-3-5 are the best way for most programs out west to go because of that death of lineman. The one thing the west does have is an incredible amount of speed. The offenses out here have figured out how to utilize it and I think the defenses will catch on once they convince kids it is a lot more fun to hit kids than get hit. They may still give up a lot of yards, but I think the t/o ratio will go up. And the t/o ratio tends to be the biggest factor these days when people look at defenses.
I think you're assumption about the nose in the 3-4 is probably right on.
We don’t have that huge tackle that can 2 gap, but you don’t have to play it that way. I do think that most of our current DTs who seem to be in the 275 range could end up fitting in that 5 technique position. It will be interesting to see who stays at defensive end and who moves to OLB though.
Paulo is a candidate in my mind to play the five.
"If you want your dreams to come true, don't sleep in."
Do we have anywhere where Breske or Leach say they'll be running 3-4?
In his first stint at UM Breske was pretty much entirely 4-3. I know during his time at Wyoming he started moving to a 3-4 defense, but the past two seasons at Montana he was predominantly running 4-3 again (albeit mixing up looks with some regularity). Obviously this could be a result of the previous regime’s players being recruited for a 4-3 and him just working with what he had.
Streamin' and Threadin' and Shellin | @shellin1
I think the key word is "multiple".
Leach mentioned in an interview that he thinks running multiple fronts is key to being able to confuse offenses. I watched a couple Montana games this year, and they showed all kinds of different looks. So whether we are truly a 3-4 team or not, we’re going to see quite a bit of it.
Yeah I don't think we'll be running anything exclusively.
I’d be on the look out for 4-3, 3-4, 3-3-5, 4-2-6, and everything in between.
by Kyle Rancourt on Jan 13, 2012 8:05 PM PST up reply actions
Yes, definitely be on the look out for the 4-2-6
because if the Cougs can get away with that and not get flagged, it will turn out well!
by Jeffster on Jan 13, 2012 8:16 PM PST up reply actions 10 recs
BEST DEFENSE EVAR.
CougCenter In Reid We Trust, Twitter!
by Craig Powers on Jan 13, 2012 8:34 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Is this the Ragin' Cajun's basketball coach?
Were you coaching against WKU the other night?
CougCenter OG since 9/2/2008 | @TheSoCalCoug
Based on the makeup of the staff, it points pretty clearly at a 3-4
Why else would Volero have outside and Choate have the rest? Think about it: If Breske was planning to use four-man fronts, why would there be a need for two coaches working with essentially three-player groups of linebackers. Wouldn’t Volero, who has DL coaching experience, work with either the interior or exterior defensive lineman?
Wow, yeah I should have looked more closely at the full list.
That does make a lot of sense, thanks.
Streamin' and Threadin' and Shellin | @shellin1
That's all I was really drawing off of
Just seemed interesting that there were two coaches with backer responsibilities.
Definitely saw Coach Leach and the staff at southfork in Pullman tonight.
Clearly they don’t take recruiting seriously….
"If you want your dreams to come true, don't sleep in."
Or...
Most of the staff is in town for the dozen or so recruits visiting this weekend and they went out for some drinks to get to know each other better. Especially considering most of the staff hasn’t worked together before.
by -Tag on Jan 13, 2012 10:09 PM PST via iPhone app up reply actions
I believe that this goes here...
Attractive, Intelligent, Smart A**
by Neil Vincent Roberts on Jan 14, 2012 8:09 AM PST up reply actions
Yeah maybe
But it isn’t that obvious. This is similar to the “I saw (insert athlete name) at Valhalla last night! They just lost a game! WTF!? They don’t care!”
by -Tag on Jan 14, 2012 9:41 AM PST via iPhone app up reply actions
It's sarcasm. Don't worry, I was making fun of people that do that.
I really did see him and the staff there though, that was pretty cool.
"If you want your dreams to come true, don't sleep in."
If even Kyle sees it....
"Tonight, we skate with them. Tonight, we stay with them. And we shut them down because we can!" | Herb Brooks
by Coug999 on Jan 14, 2012 1:47 PM PST up reply actions 4 recs
I laughed and then realized
oh shit, this is making fun of me.
by Kyle Rancourt on Jan 14, 2012 5:59 PM PST up reply actions
I'm hoping this is a big pit of you know what..
I believe it goes without saying that a huge part of recruiting isn’t the time spent with the coaches. It’s the time spent with possible future teammates, getting acquainted to the ‘lay of the land’ so to speak.
Thizz or die.
On special teams
I’m wondering if ML has devised some revolutionary way to address special team play. I have no reason to say this other than the fact that he’s had two years to ponder the two areas of the game that he has not yet attacked with his unique vision. We’ve heard glimmers about his new ideas on defense but nothing about the third part of the game.
It could be said that his offensive vision has been the source of all his success. Imagine if he did the same for the rest of his game.
"I’ve established a reputation for integrity. I have maintained those high standards" - Craig James
Does anyone find Coach Leach's talk of "multiple fronts,"
and “confusing the defense” with different looks sort of ironic. His offensive philosophy is completely based on having a small set of things that you do well. Heck, Kingsbury said you do the things on offense, running the same plays from the first day of practice till graduation. Leach has said he’s not one of those guys that watches opponents on film and adds several plays that week. And here you have anecdotes of Breske loving to do that kind of stuff.
I’m not being entirely serious here- obviously game planning offense and defense are completely different. I sense that Leach may be applying to his defense what he has found challenging as an offensive strategist. Given that the majority of his passing plays require the quarterback to make clear cut decisions based on what the defense presents, creating confusion is likely the most successful way to derail such a system.
Thizz or die.
And yet, his offense runs the same type of plays
off multiple looks. You can give a different look, and still have the same/similar defensive responsibility.
His offense relies on a QB to make a good pre-snap read. The multiple fronts, is simply to throw off the opposing offense’s pre snap read.
#CougHarmonyOnTwitter #teamnopants
by TiltingRight on Jan 14, 2012 3:03 AM PST up reply actions
Can't wait for a 3-4
It’s obvious why Salava’e was brought in, to bring the big Samoans in to play NT in the 3-4 as well in the trenches on both sides.I’ll be curious if they sign some JC NT who has the size and girth to play NT. There’s plenty of good fitting linebackers, but the concern will be NT until we learn otherwise.
I’m excited to see how the defense improves. Obviously I’m excited to see Leach’s new offense, but I’m also excited to see a Cougars defense that attacks and in turn gets more turnovers/possessions for the offense. The better the defense the more games this team will win.
You know the saying "big men don't grow on trees?"
Well I have a feeling that the same applies to NT’s “who has the size and girth to play NT”.
"Tonight, we skate with them. Tonight, we stay with them. And we shut them down because we can!" | Herb Brooks
Nah- Dotson looks to be moved
to center is the buzz. He has really great feet for a guy his size. But on the DT subject- the Cougs have a decent set of 1 tech size guys. Not zero mind you… but 1’s are important to the 3-4 and Breske occasionally went 5-2-4 at both Montana and Wyoming in specific circumstnaces. And it was 3 DT’s and 2 DE’s— a stack. Laurenzi is 295, Pole is 295 and Clayton is nearly 300 now… so a rotation and options for use of big men with legit reps is a nice thing for this DC to inherit. TT had rotations of guys on D a lot to save legs. Breske has used the same approach in his previous tenures… I think it had a good deal to do w/ the “unexpected” hire at DC.
If you can't Go Cougs... don't go.
by hollyweirdcoug on Jan 14, 2012 3:53 PM PST up reply actions
Not expecting a stud
Its likely they can fill the need by recruiting a NT who would be a better fit in the FBS, but fills a need at NT until someone is groomed or recruited to be a better starter.
It will take another year before the staff can recruit a true big man to come in an play as a true NT in a 3-4, someone 6’2" or less and preferably over 315 lbs. This is why Salava’e is a must have in the recruiting world. WSU needs him to bring in some big Samoans to play the position.
I think what he's saying is more
it’s really hard to find a guy who is 6’2 and 315 coming out of HS that isn’t an absolute disaster. Guys that big are generally not very athletic, making a true NT really hard to find.
by Kyle Rancourt on Jan 14, 2012 6:29 PM PST up reply actions
Agreed
Hopefully WSU can land a NT from the JC ranks to fill the void until they can land someone from the Samoan islands to take over the NT position. It might take a year or two before WSU can recruit someone capable of being a rock solid NT, but in the meantime they will have get a 3-4 NT from the JC ranks to fill the void.
This won’t be an athletic and very good player, it will be someone destined for the FBS level, but signed to as a need for now and hopefully depth for later, but a player who is 19-20 and more “seasoned” than a true freshman.
I think you're trying to say FCS level.
FBS is what the Cougs play in.
by Kyle Rancourt on Jan 15, 2012 1:25 AM PST up reply actions
Correct
Thanks for the catch on that. Since the switch I seem to confuse the two. It used to be much easier to say DII.
FCS is still D1
they just used to be D1AA
Attractive, Intelligent, Smart A**
by Neil Vincent Roberts on Jan 15, 2012 10:15 AM PST up reply actions
so with nine assistant coaches
strength and conditioning will be the responsibility one of these coaches?
great staff btw
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