Shout Out To Coach Graham For Not Being A Leach

[sarvicdar]

Shout Out To Coach Graham For Not Being A Leach

Mississippi State's head football coach Mike Leach continues to give himself, school, league and NCAA football a bad name, where his latest episode involves his team being in a post game brawl with Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl that was compounded with his post game comments that basically laughed off the image that his team created.

Coach Graham is the complete opposite of Leach. And as longtime fan of Hawaii football, I am greatful for that. Hawaii doesn't need the black eye.

Leach is very reminiscent of a golfer that would trash a golf course, showing no respect for the sanctuary of the game and would leave it for others to pick up his mess. On the other hand, I see Graham as replacing every divot, every sod of grass, every ball mark and signing an honest score card.

This season, alone, Leach left a
Google's search of thrash on the net, ranging from his comments about the pandemic to playing football, where his detractors describe Leach as an embarrassment, and prompted one of his players to transfer.

What could be said, is that Leach looks at his football in the same light as he does his golf game and is fast becoming the poster child for being the head football coach that everyone hates.

Graham I respect. He's a leader. He's building a good culture, shows emphaty when needed and in my eyes looks to be a genuine good hearted human being and good sport. Leach makes all the SEC, his school, and all the head coaches look bad.

Graham he's the role model in and out, and at every appearance of the head coach that I've seen, he's proudly wearing the UA brand, school name and colors and says the right things. His motto is to build a foundation of playing disciplined football. He didn't use these exact words but he basically said that he wants his players to be the kung fu masters during the play not after.

With so many young kids looking up at adults as role models the football world needs more people like Graham and less of the Leach typos. Where Graham is straight forward, Leach is backwards, and with his latest episode he will continue to backpedal.

[AZWARRIOR22]

x2

I don't know or care about Leach, but Coach Graham practices what he preaches.

BTW, anyone starved for UH Football news from the hometown paper?

[cabanalane]

Considering 50%+ families are from single household TG (and the coaching staff) often have to fill in the "father role."

That's where we here at the forum come in to continue to talk about UH Football. And continue to learn from each other.

[shrek2]

I wonder how coach moving forward deals with a couple of players John Tuitupou and Kai Kaneshiro. Tuitupou was called for a personal foul for hitting the quarterback going out of bounds on a third and long giving the other team new life in a regular season game and he also hit the Houston quarterback when he was on the ground with his shoulders as opposed to trying to avoid falling on him which cost Hawaii another 15 yards. Then Kaneshiro gets two targeting penalties during the season and coach said Kai's first targeting was coach's second in his career.

[My3Cats]

I wonder how coach moving forward deals with a couple of players John Tuitupou and Kai Kaneshiro. Tuitupou was called for a personal foul for hitting the quarterback going out of bounds on a third and long giving the other team new life in a regular season game and he also hit the Houston quarterback when he was on the ground with his shoulders as opposed to trying to avoid falling on him which cost Hawaii another 15 yards. Then Kaneshiro gets two targeting penalties during the season and coach said Kai's first targeting was coach's second in his career.

Those were valid penalties. That being said, Tuitupou's hit out of bounds was just outside the sideline and was a close call, but valid. With better training and coaching he might better be able to recognize the situation. On the late hit with the Houston quarterback, I watched the game again from DVR and he was tripped up by a teammate and could not control where and how he was falling. That was a late hit, but not intentional. Kaneshiro's two targeting calls were valid but from earlier in Graham's career they would have been legal hits. I don't know how long the targeting call has been around, but helmet to helmet used to be legal back in the old days - think Leonard Peters - helmet to helmet all the time. Kaneshiro needs to be coached up to keep his head up. Good question, and I'm curious to see or hear how Graham deals with it too. He hates penalties.

[My3Cats]

Then again, Tuitupou was a senior and we haven't heard if he plans to, or is able, to return for another senior season. So the question is how Coach coaches the other players on how better to recognize opponents on the sidelines and when they are about to step out of bounds.

[shrek2]

I didn't see the trip on Tuitupou's personal foul but I did see the trip on D'Juan Matthews and Matthews just fell on the quarterback instead of leading with his shoulder but still got the penalty. The worst targeting that I've seen this season is James Skalski (Clemson) on Justin Fields (Ohio State) but this is Skalski's second targeting in a Bowl game as he did that in the title game last year.


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What I remember of Kaneshiro's targeting was that it was unnecessary on the first one since the player was already going down. The second one with UNLV I didn't get to watch it on replay.

[cabanalane]

What I remember of Kaneshiro's targeting was that it was unnecessary on the first one since the player was already going down. The second one with UNLV I didn't get to watch it on replay.

I didn't felt the 2nd was one really legit targeting IMO. On the first one, I thought it had more to do (also) with Kaneshiro standing over him "flexing" after the hit. That was a big no-no and the Ref can not let that one slide, and that extra action draw that unwanted attention/review on the call.

On Kaneshiro, I think he is just too small and thin at that position. IMO, he has to lead and launch himself like a missile, because he can't body tackle, or have the arm strength to wrap them up. Yes, part of it is coaching. Part of it is more plate lunches. He was a true Freshman. I think he should have red shirt a year just to let his body develop.

[My3Cats]

I didn't see the trip on Tuitupou's personal foul but I did see the trip on D'Juan Matthews and Matthews just fell on the quarterback instead of leading with his shoulder but still got the penalty. The worst targeting that I've seen this season is James Skalski (Clemson) on Justin Fields (Ohio State) but this is Skalski's second targeting in a Bowl game as he did that in the title game last year.


Link
What I remember of Kaneshiro's targeting was that it was unnecessary on the first one since the player was already going down. The second one with UNLV I didn't get to watch it on replay.

You are correct. I got the two big guys falling on the quarterback mixed up.