TUCSON, Ariz. -- Bill Belichick began his Friday news conference by honoring Mike Leach, who died Monday due to complications from a heart condition.
Leach was in his third year as head coach of Mississippi State at the time of his death. He previously served as head coach at Texas Tech, where he coached Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, and Washington State, where, among many others, he coached current New England Patriots defensive lineman Daniel Ekuale.
Leach perhaps was best known for his entertaining press conferences and for introducing the "Air Raid Offense."
"Just start with a comment on Coach Leach," Belichick said. "... Just on behalf of our team, condolences to Coach Leach's family and the Mississippi State program. He's been a pretty big figure in College football from Tech to Washington State. Coached a lot of great players and developed a lot of players who've played in the National Football League. He's very close to several people, particularly Kliff, obviously. So, just wanted to express our condolences. Funny guy, he's a funny guy. He's got some press conference highlights that are about as good as they get."
Mississippi State reportedly plans to promote defensive coordinator Zach Arnett as Leach's replacement. The Bulldogs will face Illinois on Jan. 2 in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
As for the Patriots, they'll face the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday
