Delving into the mind of Mike Leach is no easy task. It's how we imagine Clarice Starling must've felt when getting to know the lovely Hannibal Lector (of course Mike Leach doesn't reside in a mental institution, nor does he strike us as one who likes a nice Chianti). So when CFFinsider.com decided to attempt to solve the Texas Tech wide receiver riddle, looking for the edge in 2007, we knew we were taking on a daunting task. One need only look at the alphabet soup (H, X, Y, F, HB, BH, etc) of positional call-outs to know that we are behind the eight of understanding right from the get go. But, being pathetic college football junkies we've accepted the challenge in order to help you win your league in 2007.
The Leach Alphabet
The Leach offense mixes and matches formations at will. So to use the word traditional when describing a Tech alignment is a bit of a laugh. However the most 'traditional" of line-ups you'll recognize is 4 wide with a back in the backfield. In this set, the H and Y spots are the inside receivers, the X and Z spots are the outside and or course the F is reserved for the running back...what else. The other mix of letters are simply there for Leach's amusement, in order to bewilder some 18 year old quarterback who was tricked into believing that playing for the Tech mad scientist would be fun. So for now keep these four letters the back of your mind as you read through this article: H, Y, X, and Z
Feast or Famine
We've warned fantasy owners in the past about the feast or famine of Tech wide outs. One week a Tech WR will have 150+ yards and 3 scores and next he's barely a blip in box score. Frustrated owners ask (in best Nancy Kerrigan voice) "WHHHHHHHYYYYYYYY?" The simple answer is this is nature of the Mike Leach offense: spread them out and exploit a weakness. One this weakness may make the Z the big man on campus, the next week it will be H who's getting the receptions on a Saturday, and the pats on the back later that night. If you can stomach the lulls in-between the highs, then Tech receivers are a great buy. This is especially the case if you partake in a total points rather than head-to-head. But if, like your 401K, you need to set the lineup and ride it. Unless you have plans of starring in the sequel to Being John Malkovich, where you'll play John Cusack and Malkovich is replaced by Leach; you can forget about it. Tech wide receivers are not for the faint of heart or those with a tendency toward ulcers or high blood pressure. Like Tech running backs and quarterbacks, if you are not willing to ride them, don't draft them.
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