Don't look for Texas Tech quarterback Steven Sheffield and fired Tech coach Mike Leach to do lunch any time soon.
Not after Sheffield called Leach's ouster “a blessing in disguise'' for the program.
The senior from Austin, Texas, whose nickname is “Sticks,'' openly hurled stones during Big 12 media days at Leach's quirky style.
Leach, known for his single-mindedness toward offense, really did ignore the defense to the point of not even knowing the game plan or major calls at critical times.
“This sounds bad, but they were treated like the step-child,'' Sheffield said, which led to stress between the two units. “They were off on their own and did about whatever they wanted.''
Leach also tried to keep out any NFL influences, to the point of intentionally misleading his players about agents.
“We thought it was illegal to talk to agents,'' Sheffield said. “We had a sign in our facility that there was a $500 reward if anybody saw an agent.''
Schools often tailor some of their teachings and physical conditioning to work done in the NFL, which helps during pro tryouts. Sheffield said that was absent under Leach, leading some Red Raiders to feel they were behind the curve.
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