See I don't have any issues with Leach

The harsh reality is that if you don't go to a big-time school in NCAA football, you're laboring under a "glass ceiling"--the supposed ceiling being the doubt that either a) you're facing inferior competition or b) you're a pure product of your system (or for that matter, both).  I'm no Big 12 fan by birth (although I suppose a little by indoctrination having gone to a Big 12 school) but it seems to me this is clearly a case of b), since you'd either need to be under a rock or this guy to think the Big 12 doesn't have ridiculous competition.  And maybe I'm oversimplifying things, but I don't see a real difference between Texas Tech's Graham Harrell and Hawaii's (now Washington's) Colt Brennan--big QBs who flourished in a system that was pass, pass, pass (and maybe some fi, fo, fum).

So in fact I'd say what Texas Tech coach Mike Leach did--torpedoing Eric Mangini to protect the interests of Crabtree, his top recruit (by far--Harrell was never projected as a starter in the pros)--probably helps the interests of his program long-term.  Look, because colleges don't pay their athletes to play or in any way cheat to get their athletes--a rock-solid recruiting system by all accounts--the college system overemphasizes the importance of a coach and his reputation (and by the way, any alleged cheating hasn't happened recently.  You want to play for a big-name coach, a guy who defends his players to the death.  Look, Leach isn't a big-name coach.  He's getting there, but at least where I'm from, the Midwest, you have a better chance of identifying this guy than Mike Leach.  And recruits will notice that Leach is supporting his top guys, and they'll like that when they're making the ultimate decision as to what school to commit to.  And in fact it's probably good PR since a good contingent of Browns fans aren't fans of Mangini. Leach acting up for his players gets his name out there, which is all you can ask for at this point.

Building a college program takes time and a little bit of controversy, and I think Mike Leach is very aware of that.  Brilliant!