Mike Leach...

If you ask me, this whole ordeal between Mike Leach and Texas Tech is absolutely ridiculous.

The latest is that he was offered a 5-year deal worth $12.7 million and he turned it down because of some of the fine print, which includes his buyout and a $1.5 million penalty for interviewing with another team without proper permission. The deal included a $4.4 million buyout if they wanted to fire Leach in his first year.

Here's my take: I think both parties need to be a little more mature about this. Texas Tech seems like a girlfriend who is holding on a little bit too tight. If they would just give him a little bit of the freedom that he wants - and frankly, deserves - I think he would be much happier and more likely to sign an extension.

I think Leach is fairly unhappy in Lubbock anyway and is looking for a very lucrative offer to keep him there. I think he is sure he can find another job if Texas Tech goes sour on him and he seems to not be afraid of it. He is not going to accept any offer that is not exactly what he wants. But, for him to have a problem with receiving proper permission to interview with other schools is a little bit weird. I would think that since the AD told him he would never decline him the opportunity to speak with another school, you would think the two could find a way to put that in the contract somewhere - that way, both parties are happy. Not only can Leach talk to whoever he wants, but the AD will know about it just like he wants. 

Aside from that, if Texas Tech decides to fire Leach, which is apparently a possibility since he failed to meet the deadline to sign his extension, I think they would be sending a terrible message to any future coach. If they fire him, they will drop back into obscurity. What they need is for Leach to have another great year next year without his super-stud receiver and quarterback, then offer him a better contract to keep him there. That's how they need to proceed if they want to build their program into a perennial contender. Tech needs to realize how important football can be to a university.

AND, I totally agree with Leach when he said this: "I am not familiar with the notion of firing someone for failing to sign an extension to a contract. That notion to me is mind-numbing. But I guess stranger things have happened. I don't know what part of this is based in rumor or fact, but I can't fathom it. Maybe there are reasons I don't know about."