Mike Leach talks Darnold's pro potential, high-school players in NFL

Another week, another colorful tangent from the man they call Mike Leach.

The often outspoken Washington State head coach was asked Monday whether or not he believes USC quarterback Sam Darnold is an NFL-caliber quarterback, and acknowledged that a professional career could be on the horizon for the gunslinger, some day.

"Oh I think he could be. I don't think he is today," Leach said.

And then, following those two brief sentences, Leach's response drove its way down a rabbit hole towards the hypothetical situation of student-athletes leaving high school straight for the NFL, and how horribly wrong that decision would work out for them, according to Zach Helfand of The Los Angeles Times.

I get a kick out of everybody thinks one 18-year-old after another's ready to go to the NFL. I think that's laughable, you know. And at the rate we're going with that - I mean just for one year. Now there would be some casualties, and those would be those 18 year olds that selected to go, and it would be brutal. And I mean and it would be terribly brutal. It would literally destroy some lives too. But for one year, just so we could get it out of our system, for one year, they ought to let any 18-year-old that wants to go try out for the NFL, and we'll see how it goes. You know how many will make it? None.

And I mean it's just insane. Those guys would get crushed. And it wouldn't be by some narrow, passive little margin. You know? And it's different than baseball or basketball. You know, there's a point in the NFL where the brutality of the game is such that you don't just come out of Molly Putz High School and wander in there and say here I am because I can run the 40 fast. They'll blow his little ass up so fast. And first of all they're not gonna let most of 'em even get tryouts.

The day in which high school football players are permitted to head straight to NFL is one that is never going to come, but if it miraculously does, its good to know exactly what side of the fence Mr. Leach will place himself on.