Article, linked at the lake, summarizes 2 good points about Mullen and our fans......

[Goat Holder]

http://maroonmagazine.com/2013/12/youve-probably-missed-the-boat-already-if-youre-not-enjoying-the-mullen-era/

Number one is the obvious. I agree with him about our fans.

Number two is what really pisses me off about our fans. Note this section:


Since the inception of Bulldog football, there have only been five times, you can take a five year window and call it ?success?.

The 1954 to 1958 Bulldog teams went 25-21-1, having mild success, winning 53% of their games.

1970-74 saw a 47% winning trend, good years mixed with bad ? to generate a 25-29-2 run.

1978-82, the Bulldogs went 31-26 but several of those games were forfeited due to rules violations and such.

Then there?s the 1996-2000 run that saw the Bulldogs go 38-21, winning three bowls, the west and 64% of their games.

Mullen, to his own credit is now 35-28 over a five year stretch, with a winning percentage of 56%, four straight bowls and beaten his rival four out of five.

Why do people continue to trumpet this nonsense? First of all 78-82 didn't see probation, that was 75-77. And those wins counted, I don't give a f*ck what Ole Miss fans tell you. We were 35-20 on the field from 1974-1978, good for a 64% win percentage, equaling Jackie's run.

Bottom line, what this tells me is that Mullen has done VERY well and we should be appreciative. The fans who want to fire Mullen are stupid, period. But also, the potential is here to take another step, since two other guys have done it in Tyler and Sherrill.

[Schultzy]

Very good points, especially the 74-78 record we had. And those forfeits are total BS and we should petition to get those victories back on the official record.
Forfeiting seventeen games because someone got a student discount at a clothing store (no kidding that is the extent of what the NCAA found) is bizarre.
But we won those games on the field and should recognize them as wins as a university.

[Goat Holder]

Not only that, but we also have the following records:

14-12-2 vs. USM thus a winning record
20-20 vs. Kentucky
45-59-6 vs. Ole Miss

Other records improve, but they don't really matter that much as they are still very lopsided.

I mean, why are we the only team that accepts this shit?

[Coach34]

Bottom line, what this tells me is that Mullen has done VERY well and we should be appreciative. The fans who want to fire Mullen are stupid, period. But also, the potential is here to take another step, since two other guys have done it in Tyler and Sherrill.

My problem with the people that dont appreciate Mullen and try to tear down what he has done always say- "It's easy to go to a bowl" or "there are 50 coaches out there that can do what Mullen is doing"

It is once- maybe twice...but at Mississippi State, going to 4 straight bowls is an amazing feat. Florida couldnt do it the last 4 years. Mississippi has done it once since Integration with 2 different coaches getting it done with Tubby and Cut- but lost their streak at 5

People arent doing it at Missouri, Florida, Tennessee right now- but 50 coaches could do it at State???? Bullshit

[Goat Holder]

Some will say, "well it's easier to win 6 now that we have 12 games instead of 11". That's a valid point, but it's not like we're playing a bunch of lollypops on the schedules every year like everyone thinks. Since they introduced the 12 game sked (2002-2003, 2006-present ie 10 years), we played a BCS OOC opponent in 7 of them. In the other 3 years, we played ON THE ROAD at CUSA and Sunbelt schools, which are notoriously frustrating things to do.

The only year people may legitimately have a complaint about Mullen is 2011, when we played 4 lolly pops and the road game was UAB. Can't bitch about 2012, we won 8 freaking games. This year we played a BCS OOC opponent and still got 6 wins.

[smootness]

Not only that, but we also have the following records:

14-12-2 vs. USM thus a winning record
20-20 vs. Kentucky
45-59-6 vs. Ole Miss

Other records improve, but they don't really matter that much as they are still very lopsided.

I mean, why are we the only team that accepts this shit?

What do you mean by this? Why do we accept that we don't have a good record historically against pretty much anybody? Is that what you're asking?

[BulldogDX55]

There are people out there who honestly believe that if you don't win more games each successive season, you are a failure.

[blacklistedbully]

http://maroonmagazine.com/2013/12/youve-probably-missed-the-boat-already-if-youre-not-enjoying-the-mullen-era/

Number one is the obvious. I agree with him about our fans.

Number two is what really pisses me off about our fans. Note this section:

Why do people continue to trumpet this nonsense? First of all 78-82 didn't see probation, that was 75-77. And those wins counted, I don't give a f*ck what Ole Miss fans tell you. We were 35-20 on the field from 1974-1978, good for a 64% win percentage, equaling Jackie's run.

Bottom line, what this tells me is that Mullen has done VERY well and we should be appreciative. The fans who want to fire Mullen are stupid, period. But also, the potential is here to take another step, since two other guys have done it in Tyler and Sherrill.

Anybody who assumes those who feel Mullen may not be our best option going forward is stupid, is, well, stupid!

You gotta love it when a poster thinks his position is so undeniable that for anyone to have an opposing opinion is "stupid".

Personally, I was as pro-Mullen as a fan could get, and defended him rigorously to OM fans for the first 3.5 years. And I'm not one of those who is frustrated with him simply because we've not had as good a record as I'd hoped.

My frustration, one that is shared by many MSU fans is the way we have stumbled the past season and 1/2. It's the insistence on playing TR with just Perk in the backfield, and running Perk over & over between the tackles for little-to-no-gain, or alternatively TR keeping and running for little-to-no-gain. It's the consistently horrible ST play, of which Mullen is the coach. It's the failed-Bell-FG attempt after failed-Bell-FG-attempt, after failed-Bell-FG attempt, after failed Bell-FG attempt before he finally realized, as everybody else had done weeks earlier, that Bell is a choker, plain & simple.

When we looked our best this year, it was with DP at QB and JR or Shumpert in the backfield to run between the tackles. I wish I could credit Mullen for making the wise decision to do that, but the reality is, he was forced to do it due to injuries to TR & Perk. Even after DP & JRob showed us what they could do, Mullen still insisted on giving the bulk of the carries to Perk, not using him much the way we all know he should be used, receiving the ball in space, not running between the tackles.

As much as it is great that we've had a relatively good run the past 4 seasons (by MSU standards), I am still frustrated that DM did not, IMO consistently put the best players in the best position to succeed. He made far too many crucial bad decisions, in personnel and play-calling that cost is in close losses or kept an opponent closer than perhaps they should have been in close wins.

I'll tell you what seems silly to me, and that's fans who see 2 overtime wins over the 2 last-place teams in the West as some kind of validation that they were right to criticize those of us who've become disenchanted with Dan.

And as far as the bowl streak goes, I'm very happy we have it, and as long as Dan is our coach, I'll go into every season rooting for him and our team to succeed. But let's not ignore the fact that it's much easier to get into a bowl these days, and the recent rush of money we get from our SEC association helps us to beat most of those teams that are getting us bowl eligible.

We should beat Alcorn State, Troy, BGSU, UK, a really bad Arky and a vastly overrated OM. That shouldn't be viewed as some great accomplishment, given our resource advantage over all but Arky & OM. And do not sell short the impact Arky's woes have had on our ability to qualify for a bowl.

We should beat JSU, USA, Troy, Middle Tenn, a WAY down Tenn, a WAY down Auburn and a WAY down Arky. But we often looked like shit doing it last year, and continued to do the same things on offense this year that made us look like shit last year. The exception was mostly what we saw when DP came in after TR got injured and when JRob (and to a lessor degree" Shumpert) came in when Perk got hurt.

What scares me about Dan going forward is his apparent inability to see who is better personnel-wise, his at times mind-boggling gameday play-calling decisions and the horrific condition of our ST, of which he is the coach.

Am I supposed to forget all of that frustration simply because he narrowly beat a really bad Arky in OT and squeeked by an overrated OM at home in OT to get to .500 when added to wins over out-gunned Alcorn State, Troy, BGSU, & UK? Am I supposed to forget that his play-calling late in the Auburn game cost us our best chance at beating a top team, one that will now play for the NC?

I'm not saying it's all bad. I'm not even saying it's not mostly good. He's been good at developing our players, good at identifying talent in the recruiting process, great at sparking interest in our program, great at increasing expectations, etc. But if he's going to be successful in the SEC West, he's got to get MUCH, MUCH better at putting the right guys in, and in the best position to win.

Auburn is really good again. Arky is on their way back, they will not stay down. Even UK seems to be doing well on the recruiting trail, so they may soon be more than competitive. If we're going to continue to make bowl games, if we're going to consistently be more than a .500 team that beats up on the softer part of our schedule, we have to find a way to beat really good SEC teams.

What about the past 2 games makes you so sure Dan is the guy to accomplish that?

[bluelightstar]

So many straw men in this thread

[Hypnodawg]

So because we have sucked historically so we should be happy to be 6-6? Our last big win came 3 years ago vs Michigan. I thought the line was "Compete for championships", but apparently it should be "Suck Less".

[Goat Holder]

No. I meant, why do we accept probation forfeits and such as gospel and nobody else does.

[FlabLoser]

We are all more all-in than most of us realize. We all see that Mullen has done well by historical standards. We also all see that he could do even better - and that's what's frustrating at times...that we haven't done as well as we think we can do damn the historical records.

Nothing in sports is more frustrating than underachieving. Its one thing to get beat by another team that is a lot better than you. But it kills morale to know what we could have done better and didn't.

Chin up, ye who cheer for the maroon & white. Despite what another message board says, don't abandon all hope.

We are getting better. Our team is a lot better now than it was to start the season. Or at any point last season. Patience.

[TimberBeast]

Anybody who assumes those who feel Mullen may not be our best option going forward is stupid, is, well, stupid!

You gotta love it when a poster thinks his position is so undeniable that for anyone to have an opposing opinion is "stupid".

Personally, I was as pro-Mullen as a fan could get, and defended him rigorously to OM fans for the first 3.5 years. And I'm not one of those who is frustrated with him simply because we've not had as good a record as I'd hoped.

My frustration, one that is shared by many MSU fans is the way we have stumbled the past season and 1/2. It's the insistence on playing TR with just Perk in the backfield, and running Perk over & over between the tackles for little-to-no-gain, or alternatively TR keeping and running for little-to-no-gain. It's the consistently horrible ST play, of which Mullen is the coach. It's the failed-Bell-FG attempt after failed-Bell-FG-attempt, after failed-Bell-FG attempt, after failed Bell-FG attempt before he finally realized, as everybody else had done weeks earlier, that Bell is a choker, plain & simple.

When we looked our best this year, it was with DP at QB and JR or Shumpert in the backfield to run between the tackles. I wish I could credit Mullen for making the wise decision to do that, but the reality is, he was forced to do it due to injuries to TR & Perk. Even after DP & JRob showed us what they could do, Mullen still insisted on giving the bulk of the carries to Perk, not using him much the way we all know he should be used, receiving the ball in space, not running between the tackles.

As much as it is great that we've had a relatively good run the past 4 seasons (by MSU standards), I am still frustrated that DM did not, IMO consistently put the best players in the best position to succeed. He made far too many crucial bad decisions, in personnel and play-calling that cost is in close losses or kept an opponent closer than perhaps they should have been in close wins.

I'll tell you what seems silly to me, and that's fans who see 2 overtime wins over the 2 last-place teams in the West as some kind of validation that they were right to criticize those of us who've become disenchanted with Dan.

And as far as the bowl streak goes, I'm very happy we have it, and as long as Dan is our coach, I'll go into every season rooting for him and our team to succeed. But let's not ignore the fact that it's much easier to get into a bowl these days, and the recent rush of money we get from our SEC association helps us to beat most of those teams that are getting us bowl eligible.

We should beat Alcorn State, Troy, BGSU, UK, a really bad Arky and a vastly overrated OM. That shouldn't be viewed as some great accomplishment, given our resource advantage over all but Arky & OM. And do not sell short the impact Arky's woes have had on our ability to qualify for a bowl.

We should beat JSU, USA, Troy, Middle Tenn, a WAY down Tenn, a WAY down Auburn and a WAY down Arky. But we often looked like shit doing it last year, and continued to do the same things on offense this year that made us look like shit last year. The exception was mostly what we saw when DP came in after TR got injured and when JRob (and to a lessor degree" Shumpert) came in when Perk got hurt.

What scares me about Dan going forward is his apparent inability to see who is better personnel-wise, his at times mind-boggling gameday play-calling decisions and the horrific condition of our ST, of which he is the coach.

Am I supposed to forget all of that frustration simply because he narrowly beat a really bad Arky in OT and squeeked by an overrated OM at home in OT to get to .500 when added to wins over out-gunned Alcorn State, Troy, BGSU, & UK? Am I supposed to forget that his play-calling late in the Auburn game cost us our best chance at beating a top team, one that will now play for the NC?

I'm not saying it's all bad. I'm not even saying it's not mostly good. He's been good at developing our players, good at identifying talent in the recruiting process, great at sparking interest in our program, great at increasing expectations, etc. But if he's going to be successful in the SEC West, he's got to get MUCH, MUCH better at putting the right guys in, and in the best position to win.

Auburn is really good again. Arky is on their way back, they will not stay down. Even UK seems to be doing well on the recruiting trail, so they may soon be more than competitive. If we're going to continue to make bowl games, if we're going to consistently be more than a .500 team that beats up on the softer part of our schedule, we have to find a way to beat really good SEC teams.

What about the past 2 games makes you so sure Dan is the guy to accomplish that?

Perfectly said.

[Goat Holder]

Nope. But we should be willing to give the man time to build a program. Sure, you can build Alabama in 3 years but you can't build MSU overnight.

[Hypnodawg]

We are all more all-in than most of us realize. We all see that Mullen has done well by historical standards. We also all see that he could do even better - and that's what's frustrating at times...that we haven't done as well as we think we can do damn the historical records.

Nothing in sports is more frustrating than underachieving. Its one thing to get beat by another team that is a lot better than you. But it kills morale to know what we could have done better and didn't.

Chin up, ye who cheer for the maroon & white. Despite what another message board says, don't abandon all hope.

We are getting better. Our team is a lot better now than it was to start the season. Or at any point last season. Patience.

No doubt we are in better shape going into next season. We have QBs that match the system and lots of returning starters. That should get us a couple more wins. Lets hope Dan can learn and make the adjustments needed so that we can "Compete for Championships".

[Goat Holder]

My frustration, one that is shared by many MSU fans is the way we have stumbled the past season and 1/2. It's the insistence on playing TR with just Perk in the backfield, and running Perk over & over between the tackles for little-to-no-gain, or alternatively TR keeping and running for little-to-no-gain. It's the consistently horrible ST play, of which Mullen is the coach. It's the failed-Bell-FG attempt after failed-Bell-FG-attempt, after failed-Bell-FG attempt, after failed Bell-FG attempt before he finally realized, as everybody else had done weeks earlier, that Bell is a choker, plain & simple.

When we looked our best this year, it was with DP at QB and JR or Shumpert in the backfield to run between the tackles. I wish I could credit Mullen for making the wise decision to do that, but the reality is, he was forced to do it due to injuries to TR & Perk. Even after DP & JRob showed us what they could do, Mullen still insisted on giving the bulk of the carries to Perk, not using him much the way we all know he should be used, receiving the ball in space, not running between the tackles.

Only thing I can tell you is that Mullen is the coach, he sees these guys in practice. I bet if we knew all the details, we'll discover that the best players actually DID play. Who was he going to put out there to kick FGs? Sobiesk? DID YOU SEE THE EGG BOWL???????????????????? WHAT OTHER OPTION DID HE HAVE YOU BRAINDEAD MFERS????????????


As much as it is great that we've had a relatively good run the past 4 seasons (by MSU standards), I am still frustrated that DM did not, IMO consistently put the best players in the best position to succeed. He made far too many crucial bad decisions, in personnel and play-calling that cost is in close losses or kept an opponent closer than perhaps they should have been in close wins.

I question some play calling too. But I question ALL coaches play calling. None of it matters when you win, but it's shit-total-terrible when you lose.


I'll tell you what seems silly to me, and that's fans who see 2 overtime wins over the 2 last-place teams in the West as some kind of validation that they were right to criticize those of us who've become disenchanted with Dan.

Those were HUGE wins! We don't have any entitlement to beating Arkansas and Ole Miss, pal.


And as far as the bowl streak goes, I'm very happy we have it, and as long as Dan is our coach, I'll go into every season rooting for him and our team to succeed. But let's not ignore the fact that it's much easier to get into a bowl these days, and the recent rush of money we get from our SEC association helps us to beat most of those teams that are getting us bowl eligible.

We should beat Alcorn State, Troy, BGSU, UK, a really bad Arky and a vastly overrated OM. That shouldn't be viewed as some great accomplishment, given our resource advantage over all but Arky & OM. And do not sell short the impact Arky's woes have had on our ability to qualify for a bowl.

We should beat JSU, USA, Troy, Middle Tenn, a WAY down Tenn, a WAY down Auburn and a WAY down Arky. But we often looked like shit doing it last year, and continued to do the same things on offense this year that made us look like shit last year. The exception was mostly what we saw when DP came in after TR got injured and when JRob (and to a lessor degree" Shumpert) came in when Perk got hurt.

I'd much rather beat them than lose to them. And it's not like we've always beaten these teams. The article CLEARLY outlines this but people like you CLEARLY ignore it and continue to say we SHOULD beat people. IGNORANCE IS YOURS.

I

HATE

OUR

FANS

rant over

[Coach34]

and here we go again- blacklistedbully with the "its easier to make bowl games now" rhetoric. Yet that doesnt explain Missouri, Florida, or Tennessee not being able to do it. At some point the the light bulb has to come on for some of you to realize that "my God, if these much better programs have trouble doing- maybe Mullen really is doing something abnormal- or special"

Who do you want Mullen to trot out there to kick FG's other than Bell? He sent Sobeisk out there and the results were the same. You do know it wasnt Bell that missed the chip shot in the Egg Bowl right? We all want ST to get better- hopefully that will get taken care of.

Mullen didnt "continue to trot TR out there" time after time. He basically used Russell's concussion as his chance to change QB's. He used Russell some the rest of there year- and as a Sr- Russell had earned some playing time. But Mullen made Dakota the starting QB effectively beginning with the Auburn game- and there wasnt any doubt after that point.

Perkins played because he is a leader, a Sr, and someone that is a model player in our football program. Mullen is not an idiot- he knows JRob is a better player now, but apparently JRob still wasnt doing some of the things necessary to take over the job. Much like we didnt know the whole situation with Whitley at F/S - I'm pretty sure we dont know the whole situation at RB. Especially when you consider JRob was suspended for the 1st half of the UPig game.

Bottom line- people have been saying we SHOULD do this and we SHOULD do that at State since the 1940's- but few have been able to do it. We dominate our rival, we have been to 4 straight bowls, we have raised the floor at State, and we have an outstanding team returning for 2014. We are also building momentum in the program for recruiting in 2015.

I have more confidence Mullen is the man for the job now than I ever have.

[Bubb Rubb]

Well, I'm just tired of the historical arguments. I don't care what our historical records are against Ole Miss or anyone else. I don't care how many games we had to forfeit in the 70s. The game is so much different now. If we looked at records since the introduction of the divisional format, we stack up well.

[PassInterference]

Its worth noting, just for the record, that this Maroon Magazine thing is owned by a Rebel who doesn't tolerate much in critical opinion-writing about Ole Miss.

Some of us are reading elitedawgs because there is too much Rebel influence on another popular message board. Safe to say, pass on Maroon Magazine. A rebel-owned MSU magazine? Screw that.

[CooterDavenport]

Much like we didnt know the whole situation with Whitley at F/S - I'm pretty sure we dont know the whole situation at RB.
This is correct.

[LiterallyPolice]

Perkins played because he is a leader, a Sr, and someone that is a model player in our football program. Mullen is not an idiot- he knows JRob is a better player now, but apparently JRob still wasnt doing some of the things necessary to take over the job

I think this is a good point and really says something about Mullen. When you have established Sr playmakers like TR and Perk who have worked hard and demonstrated nothing but good attitudes, it's a tough call just to bench them. All I'm saying is, I wouldn't want to have to make that choice. It was frustrating at times, but a big part of me admires the fact that he didn't just cast TR and Perk aside. He was repaying loyalty with loyalty.

To all of you who say "It's his job to play the best players"... well, you're wrong. It's his job to put our program in the best position to succeed and sustain success. Sometimes that may entail rewarding hard work and dedication above all else. The bottom line is that we like to simplify Mullen's decisions into black and white, but in reality he is juggling a much more nuanced, complex system than any of us give him credit for. Any of us in the professional world can vouch: Politics matter. Culture matters. Alot. It is never as simple as A > B so A is the correct answer.

[Coach34]

If we looked at records since the introduction of the divisional format, we stack up well.

We are 65-110-1 in the SEC since division play started worst in the West
Ole Miss is next at 66-110
UPig then comes in at 80-94-2 (1-15 the last 2 seasons)

[SignalToNoise]

and here we go again- blacklistedbully with the "its easier to make bowl games now" rhetoric. Yet that doesnt explain Missouri, Florida, or Tennessee not being able to do it. At some point the the light bulb has to come on for some of you to realize that "my God, if these much better programs have trouble doing- maybe Mullen really is doing something abnormal- or special"

Who do you want Mullen to trot out there to kick FG's other than Bell? He sent Sobeisk out there and the results were the same. You do know it wasnt Bell that missed the chip shot in the Egg Bowl right? We all want ST to get better- hopefully that will get taken care of.

Mullen didnt "continue to trot TR out there" time after time. He basically used Russell's concussion as his chance to change QB's. He used Russell some the rest of there year- and as a Sr- Russell had earned some playing time. But Mullen made Dakota the starting QB effectively beginning with the Auburn game- and there wasnt any doubt after that point.

Perkins played because he is a leader, a Sr, and someone that is a model player in our football program. Mullen is not an idiot- he knows JRob is a better player now, but apparently JRob still wasnt doing some of the things necessary to take over the job. Much like we didnt know the whole situation with Whitley at F/S - I'm pretty sure we dont know the whole situation at RB. Especially when you consider JRob was suspended for the 1st half of the UPig game.

Bottom line- people have been saying we SHOULD do this and we SHOULD do that at State since the 1940's- but few have been able to do it. We dominate our rival, we have been to 4 straight bowls, we have raised the floor at State, and we have an outstanding team returning for 2014. We are also building momentum in the program for recruiting in 2015.

I have more confidence Mullen is the man for the job now than I ever have.

Good post.

[blacklistedbully]

Only thing I can tell you is that Mullen is the coach, he sees these guys in practice. I bet if we knew all the details, we'll discover that the best players actually DID play. Who was he going to put out there to kick FGs? Sobiesk? DID YOU SEE THE EGG BOWL???????????????????? WHAT OTHER OPTION DID HE HAVE YOU BRAINDEAD MFERS????????????


I question some play calling too. But I question ALL coaches play calling. None of it matters when you win, but it's shit-total-terrible when you lose.



Those were HUGE wins! We don't have any entitlement to beating Arkansas and Ole Miss, pal.



I'd much rather beat them than lose to them. And it's not like we've always beaten these teams. The article CLEARLY outlines this but people like you CLEARLY ignore it and continue to say we SHOULD beat people. IGNORANCE IS YOURS.

I

HATE

OUR

FANS

rant over

SO much fail in this little diatribe.

Yes, Mullen makes his decisions based on the prior week's practice. I'm guessing you were never an athlete. I was. I know there are guys who light it up in practice, but tighten up and choke when it's game time. Beyond that, it's one thing to look good in practice versus something far less than your first team going full out, and quite another to get the job done against a quality opponent giving their all.

As far as Sobiesk is concerned, prior to the Egg Bowl, he was 2-3 on attempts under 40 yards. Bell was 5-9 under 40 yards. Let that sink in. You can say Sobiesk had a bad Egg Bowl, but you can say Bell had a bad OSU, Auburn, Troy, & Arky, and that's being charitable, as Bell has the leg to hit from 40+, while Sobiesk doesn't. If you include attempts at 40+. Bell sets a record for sucking. Sobiesk should have been given a chance at the sub-40 yarders much earlier and much more often. As early as the Troy game, Bell was 2-5 on sub-40 yarders, yet got 6 more sub-40 attempts before the Egg Bowl. Sobiesk got one attempt at Troy and made it. He got one attempt at SCar and made it. Now throw in the Bell punting fiascoes and it becomes even more of a head-scratcher.

Got that, YOU BRAINDEAD MFER?

Dan has seemed to have many more questionable play-calls than the opposing coach, with the possible exception of Bucky.

You calling wins over this years Arky, "a huge win" is pretty pathetic. It was "huge" only in the sense we actually needed to beat that screwed up mess of a tea, in order to keep our bowl hopes and potential .500 season alive. We barely did. While we can call any win over our Rival, "huge" due to the nature of the rivalry, let's not confuse that with being a "quality win". OM was vastly overrated, just as they were last year.

So you're suggesting Dan is the best we can do because he won't often lose to the teams we have no business losing to? Really?? Have all the years of frustration, the Maines, etc beat you down to the point that you're wooly over winning those games?

How freaking sad is that?

[blacklistedbully]

and here we go again- blacklistedbully with the "its easier to make bowl games now" rhetoric. Yet that doesnt explain Missouri, Florida, or Tennessee not being able to do it. At some point the the light bulb has to come on for some of you to realize that "my God, if these much better programs have trouble doing- maybe Mullen really is doing something abnormal- or special"

Who do you want Mullen to trot out there to kick FG's other than Bell? He sent Sobeisk out there and the results were the same. You do know it wasnt Bell that missed the chip shot in the Egg Bowl right? We all want ST to get better- hopefully that will get taken care of.

Mullen didnt "continue to trot TR out there" time after time. He basically used Russell's concussion as his chance to change QB's. He used Russell some the rest of there year- and as a Sr- Russell had earned some playing time. But Mullen made Dakota the starting QB effectively beginning with the Auburn game- and there wasnt any doubt after that point.

Perkins played because he is a leader, a Sr, and someone that is a model player in our football program. Mullen is not an idiot- he knows JRob is a better player now, but apparently JRob still wasnt doing some of the things necessary to take over the job. Much like we didnt know the whole situation with Whitley at F/S - I'm pretty sure we dont know the whole situation at RB. Especially when you consider JRob was suspended for the 1st half of the UPig game.

Bottom line- people have been saying we SHOULD do this and we SHOULD do that at State since the 1940's- but few have been able to do it. We dominate our rival, we have been to 4 straight bowls, we have raised the floor at State, and we have an outstanding team returning for 2014. We are also building momentum in the program for recruiting in 2015.

I have more confidence Mullen is the man for the job now than I ever have.

Coach, we were a ****-hair from losing to BGSU, Arky & OM, thus finishing 3-9. That is not a stretch. BGSU dropped a pass that would have put them in position to beat us at the end. As stated, we then beat the 2 last place teams in OT. That kind of performance should not inspire confidence. I'll give you that BGSU is a good team, but again, they had to drop an easy pass to lose to us. I expected more from Dan than "more of the same" from last year. DP & JRob make that possible, and I'm optimistic about our upcoming season. But I'm not confident Dan won't find a way to lose when he shouldn't, like he did in previous games where we "took our foot off the gas way too early", or continue to stick with a guy on game day when he's proven time & again he is not up to the task at hand.

[maroonmania]

My problem with the people that dont appreciate Mullen and try to tear down what he has done always say- "It's easy to go to a bowl" or "there are 50 coaches out there that can do what Mullen is doing"

It is once- maybe twice...but at Mississippi State, going to 4 straight bowls is an amazing feat. Florida couldnt do it the last 4 years. Mississippi has done it once since Integration with 2 different coaches getting it done with Tubby and Cut- but lost their streak at 5

People arent doing it at Missouri, Florida, Tennessee right now- but 50 coaches could do it at State???? Bullshit

Mullen overall has done a pretty good job but anyone who can't see that its MUCH, MUCH easier to win at MSU than it has been historically in the past is just not looking at the situation honestly. Heck, I was there in the early 80s and have seen everything since and the facilities we used to have compared to the rest of the conference was like High School. We almost NEVER got on TV and what is considered "rural" Starkville today is almost a metropolis compared to what used to be there. Also, really before Sherrill, we had little to no history of winning and no belief we COULD win. Post-Sherrill most of that has changed and though we know we still have our hurdles most all MSU fans believe we can produce a fairly consistent winner with a quality coach. Now, on top of all that add in the lifting tide of the SEC where we are now expected to beat pretty much ANY team from a non-BCS conference and it should be clear that our floor IS much higher than it used to be. Yes, it may still be as hard for us to win the SEC as its ever been but it is nowhere near as difficult to field a competitive, bowl type team at MSU as it used to be.

[Goat Holder]

Yes, Mullen makes his decisions based on the prior week's practice. I'm guessing you were never an athlete. I was. I know there are guys who light it up in practice, but tighten up and choke when it's game time. Beyond that, it's one thing to look good in practice versus something far less than your first team going full out, and quite another to get the job done against a quality opponent giving their all.

So you're telling me Russell/Perkins were chokers? Again, I defer to the coaches. Suspensions, injuries, etc. support ME, not you.


As far as Sobiesk is concerned, prior to the Egg Bowl, he was 2-3 on attempts under 40 yards. Bell was 5-9 under 40 yards. Let that sink in. You can say Sobiesk had a bad Egg Bowl, but you can say Bell had a bad OSU, Auburn, Troy, & Arky, and that's being charitable, as Bell has the leg to hit from 40+, while Sobiesk doesn't. If you include attempts at 40+. Bell sets a record for sucking. Sobiesk should have been given a chance at the sub-40 yarders much earlier and much more often. As early as the Troy game, Bell was 2-5 on sub-40 yarders, yet got 6 more sub-40 attempts before the Egg Bowl. Sobiesk got one attempt at Troy and made it. He got one attempt at SCar and made it. Now throw in the Bell punting fiascoes and it becomes even more of a head-scratcher.

Just shut up about the kicking stuff. You look dumb.


Dan has seemed to have many more questionable play-calls than the opposing coach, with the possible exception of Bucky.

No, he hasn't. Bucky is a good coach too, though, since you mention him.


You calling wins over this years Arky, "a huge win" is pretty pathetic. It was "huge" only in the sense we actually needed to beat that screwed up mess of a tea, in order to keep our bowl hopes and potential .500 season alive. We barely did. While we can call any win over our Rival, "huge" due to the nature of the rivalry, let's not confuse that with being a "quality win". OM was vastly overrated, just as they were last year.

No, they weren't. And Arkansas has a pulse, and were a tough team at home. Various other teams struggle with them up there. LSU was very lucky to beat them in Death Valley. It was a HUGE win, especially considering the history.

**And if you start the 'LSU isn't good' crap to discredit Ole Miss and Arkansas, go f*ck yourself, really**


So you're suggesting Dan is the best we can do because he won't often lose to the teams we have no business losing to? Really?? Have all the years of frustration, the Maines, etc beat you down to the point that you're wooly over winning those games?

Do you realize what you just said you f*cking idiot???? You just contradicted yourself. I don't know if he's the best we can do. But he's pretty damn good.


How freaking sad is that?

What's sad is people like you running down our football program. You absolutely cannot be satisfied. Might want to figure out that little personal problem there, pal, before you go criticizing other people, who are working their tails off for success.

[WinningIsRelentless]

So because we have sucked historically so we should be happy to be 6-6? Our last big win came 3 years ago vs Michigan. I thought the line was "Compete for championships", but apparently it should be "Suck Less".

Let me ask you this, did you become CEO of whatever company you worked for in five years? Competing for championships don't happen over night esp when you that school has never competed before on a regular bases

[maroonmania]

duplicate

[Coach34]

Coach, we were a ****-hair from losing to BGSU, Arky & OM, thus finishing 3-9. That is not a stretch. BGSU dropped a pass that would have put them in position to beat us at the end. As stated, we then beat the 2 last place teams in OT. That kind of performance should not inspire confidence. I'll give you that BGSU is a good team, but again, they had to drop an easy pass to lose to us. I expected more from Dan than "more of the same" from last year. DP & JRob make that possible, and I'm optimistic about our upcoming season. But I'm not confident Dan won't find a way to lose when he shouldn't, like he did in previous games where we "took our foot off the gas way too early", or continue to stick with a guy on game day when he's proven time & again he is not up to the task at hand.

We had 12 starters returning to start this season. We then lost 2 of those guys in the 1st half of Game 1. Then apparently our F/S partially tore his ACL in the same game. THEN, we lost that F/S's back-up for the season in the same game in Arrington. We effectively entered Game 2 of this season with only 10 starters from the previous season- and our green Secondary had already suffered 2 season ending injuries, a partially torn ACL, and a high ankle sprain from our best returning CB.

We had a very young team get better all season long- despite the injuries. We didn't have a veteran team returning. We played one of the toughest schedules in the nation- if not THE toughest- This was a prime situation for us to not make it back to a bowl game. But we did. We accomplished something the Florida's and Tennessee's couldn't- despite all their advantages.

Too many people- like yourself- just look at each season like they begin at the same place every year. Or that State and Bama begin at the same place and the same spot every year. It's not like that. You have to look at where WE started THIS season, the journey along the way from Sept-November, and the shape of the program moving forward.

[Goat Holder]

Stop avoiding his question regarding Mizzou, Florida and Tennessee. Those are SEC schools.

[BoomBoom]

The thing is, it's not an all or nothing deal. Like people in general and jobs in general, most coaches do better in certain situations than others. What our fans need to open their eyes to are Dan's strengths and weaknesses. Both sides are over the top and off the mark. Dan has learned Urban Meyer's system and implements it well, but he clearly didn't invent it and clearly doesn't do well adjusting it to personnel that don't fit it well. That weakness has showed, but will now turn into a strength since the personnel (Dak, JRob) have arrived. Dan is also a stubborn SOB, and how that plays out depends alot on our AD. You cannot give a personality type like Mullen free reign. He HAS to report to somebody, or he will never face up to mistakes, and will never improve. And when you need improvement in clock management etc, being too stubborn to improve will kill many a season. There's no point in debating it right now, this is Dan's job to lose now. If he overcomes his stubbornness enough to improve the areas where he has SUCKED for several seasons now, then he should become a very good coach. If not, he's the next Joe Lee Dunn. Nothing left to do but sit back and watch, and see which happens.

[dawgman]

Allyn McKeen was not successful from 1938 - 1947? 65-19 is successful last I looked.
Also Sewannee was a charter member of the SEC and old Southern League against us. They never won a SEC game.

[HoopsDawg]

We beat Ole Miss and we made a bowl. No one wants him fired right now.

[Coach34]

Allyn McKeen was not successful from 1938 - 1947? 65-19 is successful last I looked.
Also Sewannee was a charter member of the SEC and old Southern League against us. They never won a SEC game.

as was noted- the owner of this magazine is a Rebel

[Ronny]

..I've ever read here & that's saying something:


Originally Posted by blacklistedbully
Anybody who assumes those who feel Mullen may not be our best option going forward is stupid, is, well, stupid!

You gotta love it when a poster thinks his position is so undeniable that for anyone to have an opposing opinion is "stupid".

Personally, I was as pro-Mullen as a fan could get, and defended him rigorously to OM fans for the first 3.5 years. And I'm not one of those who is frustrated with him simply because we've not had as good a record as I'd hoped.

My frustration, one that is shared by many MSU fans is the way we have stumbled the past season and 1/2. It's the insistence on playing TR with just Perk in the backfield, and running Perk over & over between the tackles for little-to-no-gain, or alternatively TR keeping and running for little-to-no-gain. It's the consistently horrible ST play, of which Mullen is the coach. It's the failed-Bell-FG attempt after failed-Bell-FG-attempt, after failed-Bell-FG attempt, after failed Bell-FG attempt before he finally realized, as everybody else had done weeks earlier, that Bell is a choker, plain & simple.

When we looked our best this year, it was with DP at QB and JR or Shumpert in the backfield to run between the tackles. I wish I could credit Mullen for making the wise decision to do that, but the reality is, he was forced to do it due to injuries to TR & Perk. Even after DP & JRob showed us what they could do, Mullen still insisted on giving the bulk of the carries to Perk, not using him much the way we all know he should be used, receiving the ball in space, not running between the tackles.

As much as it is great that we've had a relatively good run the past 4 seasons (by MSU standards), I am still frustrated that DM did not, IMO consistently put the best players in the best position to succeed. He made far too many crucial bad decisions, in personnel and play-calling that cost is in close losses or kept an opponent closer than perhaps they should have been in close wins.

I'll tell you what seems silly to me, and that's fans who see 2 overtime wins over the 2 last-place teams in the West as some kind of validation that they were right to criticize those of us who've become disenchanted with Dan.

And as far as the bowl streak goes, I'm very happy we have it, and as long as Dan is our coach, I'll go into every season rooting for him and our team to succeed. But let's not ignore the fact that it's much easier to get into a bowl these days, and the recent rush of money we get from our SEC association helps us to beat most of those teams that are getting us bowl eligible.

We should beat Alcorn State, Troy, BGSU, UK, a really bad Arky and a vastly overrated OM. That shouldn't be viewed as some great accomplishment, given our resource advantage over all but Arky & OM. And do not sell short the impact Arky's woes have had on our ability to qualify for a bowl.

We should beat JSU, USA, Troy, Middle Tenn, a WAY down Tenn, a WAY down Auburn and a WAY down Arky. But we often looked like shit doing it last year, and continued to do the same things on offense this year that made us look like shit last year. The exception was mostly what we saw when DP came in after TR got injured and when JRob (and to a lessor degree" Shumpert) came in when Perk got hurt.

What scares me about Dan going forward is his apparent inability to see who is better personnel-wise, his at times mind-boggling gameday play-calling decisions and the horrific condition of our ST, of which he is the coach.

Am I supposed to forget all of that frustration simply because he narrowly beat a really bad Arky in OT and squeeked by an overrated OM at home in OT to get to .500 when added to wins over out-gunned Alcorn State, Troy, BGSU, & UK? Am I supposed to forget that his play-calling late in the Auburn game cost us our best chance at beating a top team, one that will now play for the NC?

I'm not saying it's all bad. I'm not even saying it's not mostly good. He's been good at developing our players, good at identifying talent in the recruiting process, great at sparking interest in our program, great at increasing expectations, etc. But if he's going to be successful in the SEC West, he's got to get MUCH, MUCH better at putting the right guys in, and in the best position to win.

Auburn is really good again. Arky is on their way back, they will not stay down. Even UK seems to be doing well on the recruiting trail, so they may soon be more than competitive. If we're going to continue to make bowl games, if we're going to consistently be more than a .500 team that beats up on the softer part of our schedule, we have to find a way to beat really good SEC teams.

What about the past 2 games makes you so sure Dan is the guy to accomplish that?

You always post cynical crap that downplays any accomplishment Mullen & this team may achieve (you just don't usually write a novel in expressing it).

The UPIg win & The OM win were miraculous achievements that pulled our football program out of the shit pile, placed MUllen back in good standing with the fanbase, & united the fanbase which was severely fractured when we were 4-6.

If you can't appreciate what has transpired concerning MSU football over the last 3 weeks, & insist on knocking it by writing all the negative crap you always post here, then take your ass over to sixpackspeak.com. They love your style of "journalism."

[PendingTransaction]

We had 12 starters returning to start this season. We then lost 2 of those guys in the 1st half of Game 1. Then apparently our F/S partially tore his ACL in the same game. THEN, we lost that F/S's back-up for the season in the same game in Arrington. We effectively entered Game 2 of this season with only 10 starters from the previous season- and our green Secondary had already suffered 2 season ending injuries, a partially torn ACL, and a high ankle sprain from our best returning CB.

We had a very young team get better all season long- despite the injuries. We didn't have a veteran team returning. We played one of the toughest schedules in the nation- if not THE toughest- This was a prime situation for us to not make it back to a bowl game. But we did. We accomplished something the Florida's and Tennessee's couldn't- despite all their advantages.

Too many people- like yourself- just look at each season like they begin at the same place every year. Or that State and Bama begin at the same place and the same spot every year. It's not like that. You have to look at where WE started THIS season, the journey along the way from Sept-November, and the shape of the program moving forward.

I agree that we had some tough breaks, especially on the defensive side of the ball. However, like myself, many are frustrated with the offense. If Mullen was as billed, this would be our strength. But he has shit running down his leg with a awful stench, while stomping around the room demanding to know who farted.

My opinion and limited knowledge says that Mullen's personality does not allow for good cohesion between the staff and players. His stubbornness hampers his development. Just take the Cam, Sallach and Angelo situations. Plus it's well known that he does not trust nor seek the input of his staff...has a hard time being HC vs a coach. Hopefully, experience will correct much of this.

My biggest concern is with his offensive philosophy. I see it as a antiquated version of the spread, no evolution. It particularly lacks speed and creativity. It he does not update his system, we will need five QBs, because he will continue to get them hurt. Whether it's running backs or bubble screens to slot guys, he has to get past the QB running the ball or cover the sins of his offense. I suggest he study Malzahn in depth.

[blacklistedbully]

So you're telling me Russell/Perkins were chokers? Again, I defer to the coaches. Suspensions, injuries, etc. support ME, not you.



Just shut up about the kicking stuff. You look dumb.







No, he hasn't. Bucky is a good coach too, though, since you mention him.



No, they weren't. And Arkansas has a pulse, and were a tough team at home. Various other teams struggle with them up there. LSU was very lucky to beat them in Death Valley. It was a HUGE win, especially considering the history.

**And if you start the 'LSU isn't good' crap to discredit Ole Miss and Arkansas, go f*ck yourself, really**



Do you realize what you just said you f*cking idiot???? You just contradicted yourself. I don't know if he's the best we can do. But he's pretty damn good.



What's sad is people like you running down our football program. You absolutely cannot be satisfied. Might want to figure out that little personal problem there, pal, before you go criticizing other people, who are working their tails off for success.


Ok, I was trying to play nice, but since you insist on being a complete, bumbling moronic jackass, I'll play along.

It's losers like you that can't win a debate on merits that start the "personal attack" BS. You think it hides your lack of intelligence, when in reality, it highlights it. You just aren't competent enough to do it civilly, so out pour the "f*cking idiot's", "you're dumb", "you're stupid", juvenile antics.

I never said TR or Perk were chokers. I did infer Bell is a choker. TR is a matter of Dan trying to force a square peg into a round hole, combined with a guy (TR) who has great character and leadership qualities, but he also continued to struggle on the field by being too slow on his progressions and not throwing to targets before their break. I think TR got frustrated with being a non-running QB playing in a system that requires the QB to be a real running threat. I think he sometimes tried too hard to prove he could succeed in that system, by "hanging in tough" willing to take the hit, but giving up crucial sacks, or scrambling for little-to-no-gain. Perk is another high-character, leader-type, but for as much as I loved the guy, he was not at all effective running the ball between the tackles, yet that is how Mullen mostly used him. I would have loved to see a lot more of Perk in the slot, or possibly optioning Perk on the edges with Dak as QB. This is what I meant by Dan not putting the right guys in position to succeed. TR throwing for a bunch of yards is not what I meant by succeed if those 70 yards he got on a drive are negated because he took a sack on 3rd down that pushed us back out of FG range.

"Just shut up about the kicking stuff. You look dumb." What a well-thought-out, intelligent reply to the facts I gave you. I may "look dumb" to you, but you, sir are certifiably dumb.

Arky. You ridiculous moron. Home field advantage is worth about 3 points. Some Arky scores:

52-0
52-7
20 point loss to a badly struggling UF.
They scored a lot on TAMU. Who didn't?
Of their 9 losses, only 3 were close. 2 of those were us & Rutgers, both teams who have struggled this year despite being bowl-bound.

LSU is good, but inconsistent. There is simply no way you can compare their effort versus us to their effort over OM. Ironically, the LSU game we played was one of the more impressive efforts until the wheels came off the wagon late. But don't accuse me of saying something I didn't say. It just further proves what a complete imbecile you are. Ole Miss was overrated this year. Do you really want to argue that point??

You're either drunk, incompetent or both if you somehow get from my statement that I'm "contradicting myself", That statement is just so over-the-top stupid that there isn't even an opportunity to point out it's flaw. It's that disconnected and useless.

I've been a rabid fan since the early 80s, and have only criticized our team when I feel it's honest & justified. I do it on message boards like this much the same as I would at a party, just casual conversation & debate. Debate I keep respectful until some moron like you takes it in another direction. You see, intelligent, decent people can disagree respectfully. Assholes like you don't seem capable. In my experience that's more often than not a sign that the asshole-in-question (you) is self-aware enough to know he's a bit of a dumbass, therefore needs to mask his inefficiencies in loud, boastful talk and/or insults. What makes this even funnier is I got accused by other fans of being "too optimistic" earlier in the season. You want to accuse me of "running down our program" and "never being satisfied", yet I was absolutely thrilled with our program & Mullen until I saw what we did last year, AND followed it up with this year.

Last year, I was defending Dan & staff during our win streak over soft teams by saying & believing Dan was just being conservative so he wouldn't show his hand too early to the good teams. That turned out to not be true. I started getting frustrated then. But coming into this season, I was again optimistic, more than most because I didn't think there was any way Mullen would continue to roll with TR at QB, Perk as the sole Rb, and running Perk between the tackles over & over & over again. I convinced myself that there was simply no way Dan could review what happened in the last half of last year, AND DO THE SAME THING AGAIN! But he did, and more. He added the Bell debacle to that shitastic formula.

THAT, more than anything is why I am frustrated with Dan. Because he will take something that has failed repeatedly, rarely ever succeeding, and run it again & again, almost as if he's thinking to himself, "It'll work this time because there's no way they'll expect me to dial that shit up again! I'll catch 'em by surprise."

[Goat Holder]

A lot of what you said is just not true. There's no reasoning with someone like you. Your mind is made up. Sadly.

[DownwardDawg]

If this were a debate, blacklisted is kicking ass in this thread.

[blacklistedbully]

..I've ever read here & that's saying something:



You always post cynical crap that downplays any accomplishment Mullen & this team may achieve (you just don't usually write a novel in expressing it).

The UPIg win & The OM win were miraculous achievements that pulled our football program out of the shit pile, placed MUllen back in good standing with the fanbase, & united the fanbase which was severely fractured when we were 4-6.

If you can't appreciate what has transpired concerning MSU football over the last 3 weeks, & insist on knocking it by writing all the negative crap you always post here, then take your ass over to sixpackspeak.com. They love your style of "journalism."

Easily topped by your asinine post. You're probably just another one of those who feels like anybody who doesn't agree with you is just wrong and should not feel free to express their opinion on this board.

And how laughable that you want to criticize my "style of journalism", given I am not, nor have I ever been a journalist. Haven't claimed to be one either. But what I do have is a valid opinion I am entitled to, the freedom to express it, and the common decency to "respectfully disagree" with others who differ, but are not disrespectful to me.

Another failure of your post is the fact that you don't seem to realize there are a large percentage of MSU fans who feel exactly as I do. They are not "bad fans", "closet rebels", "f*cking idiots", etc for having this opinion.

If you truly want to have a civil discussion on the matter, drop the holier-than-though, I'm-a-better-fan-than-you horseshit and counter the points I made with reason, rather than insult.

Oh, and I didn't start posting negative until I saw Dan once again running Perk between the tackles over & over, and mis-managing the clock as he did last year, and he kept running Bell out there. Before that, I was one of the most positive of our fans. I thought we had a good shot at beating OSU, Auburn, LSU, SCar, Arky & OM to go along with the softer part of our schedule, including UK. I truly thought and posted that we'd win 4 or 5 of those games to win 9 games. I got ridiculed then for being too positive, and should go over to Genes Page. But the truth is, if not for Dan shitting the bed vs Auburn, we would have won at least 3 of those, with the SCar game a loss we flat out gave away with t/o's.

[Pollodawg]

Food for thought: Muschamp let UF go 4-8. That's the University of Florida, folks. They're loaded. Mullen has never let us have a season like that, and we are not nearly as "stacked" as they are. If UF can have a season like that with the wrong coach in place. Any team can. But we haven't. Mullen has made sure that we haven't taken a step back like that. For that alone, the man deserved credit.

[blacklistedbully]

Food for thought: Muschamp let UF go 4-8. That's the University of Florida, folks. They're loaded. Mullen has never let us have a season like that, and we are not nearly as "stacked" as they are. If UF can have a season like that with the wrong coach in place. Any team can. But we haven't. Mullen has made sure that we haven't taken a step back like that. For that alone, the man deserved credit.

I agree that Dan deserves a lot of credit for many positive things. I've listed them on this board as well. But he also deserves criticism for his failings. We need to consider all so we can make informed judgments. The things I feel he's done on the negative side are things that concern me as a fan going forward. I question his judgment, and that's not a good thing for a HC in the SEC. There is so little margin for error that we just can't afford it from our HC.

Like others, I do think next year could be special, in part because the personnel we have fit what Dan wants to do offensively. Round pegs in round holes. I hope & pray he is open-minded enough to learn from his mistakes, and creative enough to improve his game-day play-calling when he has exactly the kind of players he needs in the right positions.

[tcdog70]

Ok, I was trying to play nice, but since you insist on being a complete, bumbling moronic jackass, I'll play along.

It's losers like you that can't win a debate on merits that start the "personal attack" BS. You think it hides your lack of intelligence, when in reality, it highlights it. You just aren't competent enough to do it civilly, so out pour the "f*cking idiot's", "you're dumb", "you're stupid", juvenile antics.

I never said TR or Perk were chokers. I did infer Bell is a choker. TR is a matter of Dan trying to force a square peg into a round hole, combined with a guy (TR) who has great character and leadership qualities, but he also continued to struggle on the field by being too slow on his progressions and not throwing to targets before their break. I think TR got frustrated with being a non-running QB playing in a system that requires the QB to be a real running threat. I think he sometimes tried too hard to prove he could succeed in that system, by "hanging in tough" willing to take the hit, but giving up crucial sacks, or scrambling for little-to-no-gain. Perk is another high-character, leader-type, but for as much as I loved the guy, he was not at all effective running the ball between the tackles, yet that is how Mullen mostly used him. I would have loved to see a lot more of Perk in the slot, or possibly optioning Perk on the edges with Dak as QB. This is what I meant by Dan not putting the right guys in position to succeed. TR throwing for a bunch of yards is not what I meant by succeed if those 70 yards he got on a drive are negated because he took a sack on 3rd down that pushed us back out of FG range.

"Just shut up about the kicking stuff. You look dumb." What a well-thought-out, intelligent reply to the facts I gave you. I may "look dumb" to you, but you, sir are certifiably dumb.

Arky. You ridiculous moron. Home field advantage is worth about 3 points. Some Arky scores:

52-0
52-7
20 point loss to a badly struggling UF.
They scored a lot on TAMU. Who didn't?
Of their 9 losses, only 3 were close. 2 of those were us & Rutgers, both teams who have struggled this year despite being bowl-bound.

LSU is good, but inconsistent. There is simply no way you can compare their effort versus us to their effort over OM. Ironically, the LSU game we played was one of the more impressive efforts until the wheels came off the wagon late. But don't accuse me of saying something I didn't say. It just further proves what a complete imbecile you are. Ole Miss was overrated this year. Do you really want to argue that point??

You're either drunk, incompetent or both if you somehow get from my statement that I'm "contradicting myself", That statement is just so over-the-top stupid that there isn't even an opportunity to point out it's flaw. It's that disconnected and useless.

I've been a rabid fan since the early 80s, and have only criticized our team when I feel it's honest & justified. I do it on message boards like this much the same as I would at a party, just casual conversation & debate. Debate I keep respectful until some moron like you takes it in another direction. You see, intelligent, decent people can disagree respectfully. Assholes like you don't seem capable. In my experience that's more often than not a sign that the asshole-in-question (you) is self-aware enough to know he's a bit of a dumbass, therefore needs to mask his inefficiencies in loud, boastful talk and/or insults. What makes this even funnier is I got accused by other fans of being "too optimistic" earlier in the season. You want to accuse me of "running down our program" and "never being satisfied", yet I was absolutely thrilled with our program & Mullen until I saw what we did last year, AND followed it up with this year.

Last year, I was defending Dan & staff during our win streak over soft teams by saying & believing Dan was just being conservative so he wouldn't show his hand too early to the good teams. That turned out to not be true. I started getting frustrated then. But coming into this season, I was again optimistic, more than most because I didn't think there was any way Mullen would continue to roll with TR at QB, Perk as the sole Rb, and running Perk between the tackles over & over & over again. I convinced myself that there was simply no way Dan could review what happened in the last half of last year, AND DO THE SAME THING AGAIN! But he did, and more. He added the Bell debacle to that shitastic formula.

THAT, more than anything is why I am frustrated with Dan. Because he will take something that has failed repeatedly, rarely ever succeeding, and run it again & again, almost as if he's thinking to himself, "It'll work this time because there's no way they'll expect me to dial that shit up again! I'll catch 'em by surprise."


Nice, I agree with all you said, as does a lot of Bulldogs. Dan is Croom like hardheaded. A third of our game (special teams) are maybe the worst in the SEC. Dan is terrible in the RedZone, especially when he doesn't have Dak to just run over the defense. I guess we can hope Dan will wake up and fix the shit most of Us can see rather easily.

[ckDOG]

This is a fun thread.

First, Mullen is a good coach. He's an exceptional evaluator of talent and develops players well. Our talent level and depth are light years ahead of where we were 5 yrs ago. We are a much better program now.

Second, it is easier to get to a bowl game. There's an arse load of post season games. More than there ever have been. Simply making a bowl game isn't the same indicator of successful seasons as it used to be. That said, they are fun and I'm glad we go to them. Having this opinion doesn't mean you think Dan sucks. It just means you aren't going to anoint him the second coming of the Bear because of it.

Third, the TR/LP usage was confusing to me as well, but the more I think about it the more I believe Mullen was simply being loyal to talented players that gambled on playing for Mullen when he was a green HC. We know where Mullen wants to take the offense by the type of players we are bringing in on offense. Mullen didn't have the luxury of recruiting to system in year 1 and went with best available. I think he wanted to give these guys every possible chance to succeed even if they didn't fit in exactly with his preferred philosophy. In hindsight, it's understandable and I respect it. Going forward, I think we will see more of a "produce now or sit" mentality as we have had several years to recruit to need and philosophy.

Finally, I think the best thing we see with Mullen is the stabilizing effect on the program. We haven't earned a "giant killer" reputation but we are playing consistently solid ball by most programs standards and certainly MSU standards. This year, there was only one game I thought we had no chance to win (Bama) heading into it and we still competed well. We aren't getting the upsets that we all want, but we are getting damn close. We will get there as Mullen gets more experience.

[blacklistedbully]

This is a fun thread.

First, Mullen is a good coach. He's an exceptional evaluator of talent and develops players well. Our talent level and depth are light years ahead of where we were 5 yrs ago. We are a much better program now.

Second, it is easier to get to a bowl game. There's an arse load of post season games. More than there ever have been. Simply making a bowl game isn't the same indicator of successful seasons as it used to be. That said, they are fun and I'm glad we go to them. Having this opinion doesn't mean you think Dan sucks. It just means you aren't going to anoint him the second coming of the Bear because of it.

Third, the TR/LP usage was confusing to me as well, but the more I think about it the more I believe Mullen was simply being loyal to talented players that gambled on playing for Mullen when he was a green HC. We know where Mullen wants to take the offense by the type of players we are bringing in on offense. Mullen didn't have the luxury of recruiting to system in year 1 and went with best available. I think he wanted to give these guys every possible chance to succeed even if they didn't fit in exactly with his preferred philosophy. In hindsight, it's understandable and I respect it. Going forward, I think we will see more of a "produce now or sit" mentality as we have had several years to recruit to need and philosophy.

Finally, I think the best thing we see with Mullen is the stabilizing effect on the program. We haven't earned a "giant killer" reputation but we are playing consistently solid ball by most programs standards and certainly MSU standards. This year, there was only one game I thought we had no chance to win (Bama) heading into it and we still competed well. We aren't getting the upsets that we all want, but we are getting damn close. We will get there as Mullen gets more experience.

Now this is how to make a reasoned, respectful counter. Great post, ckDOG! It does make me feel a little more hopeful about Dan. Still have my concerns about clock-management and stubborness, including with play-calling, but I have to hope Dan improves markedly as he enters his 6th season as HC.

[Goat Holder]

Ok, I was trying to play nice, but since you insist on being a complete, bumbling moronic jackass, I'll play along.

It's losers like you that can't win a debate on merits that start the "personal attack" BS. You think it hides your lack of intelligence, when in reality, it highlights it. You just aren't competent enough to do it civilly, so out pour the "f*cking idiot's", "you're dumb", "you're stupid", juvenile antics.

Uhh, sort of like you just did? I know you are but what am I? Save that crap, pal.


I never said TR or Perk were chokers. I did infer Bell is a choker. TR is a matter of Dan trying to force a square peg into a round hole, combined with a guy (TR) who has great character and leadership qualities, but he also continued to struggle on the field by being too slow on his progressions and not throwing to targets before their break. I think TR got frustrated with being a non-running QB playing in a system that requires the QB to be a real running threat. I think he sometimes tried too hard to prove he could succeed in that system, by "hanging in tough" willing to take the hit, but giving up crucial sacks, or scrambling for little-to-no-gain. Perk is another high-character, leader-type, but for as much as I loved the guy, he was not at all effective running the ball between the tackles, yet that is how Mullen mostly used him. I would have loved to see a lot more of Perk in the slot, or possibly optioning Perk on the edges with Dak as QB. This is what I meant by Dan not putting the right guys in position to succeed. TR throwing for a bunch of yards is not what I meant by succeed if those 70 yards he got on a drive are negated because he took a sack on 3rd down that pushed us back out of FG range.

Again, we had nobody else. It's that simple. You do look dumb bitching about Bell. If you want to criticize Mullen for recruiting bad kickers, by all means do it. But that's not what you did. You ignorantly chose to criticize him for not playing the backup, who is always a savior at MSU.


Arky. You ridiculous moron. Home field advantage is worth about 3 points. Some Arky scores:

52-0
52-7
20 point loss to a badly struggling UF.
They scored a lot on TAMU. Who didn't?
Of their 9 losses, only 3 were close. 2 of those were us & Rutgers, both teams who have struggled this year despite being bowl-bound.

Keep cherry-picking to fit your useless argument. I already showed why Arkansas was a tough team. Add to that the fact that it was an SEC away game stuck between our two biggest rivals.


LSU is good, but inconsistent. There is simply no way you can compare their effort versus us to their effort over OM. Ironically, the LSU game we played was one of the more impressive efforts until the wheels came off the wagon late. But don't accuse me of saying something I didn't say. It just further proves what a complete imbecile you are. Ole Miss was overrated this year. Do you really want to argue that point??

Ole Miss was and is a good team, and we beat them. You'll be the idiot next year saying that we beat nobody good in 2013, to try and talk shit about Mullen.


You're either drunk, incompetent or both if you somehow get from my statement that I'm "contradicting myself", That statement is just so over-the-top stupid that there isn't even an opportunity to point out it's flaw. It's that disconnected and useless.

You just all the losses like Maine that we have in our history, then say we should always expect to beat them teams and should not be appreciative when we do. Contradiction.


I've been a rabid fan since the early 80s, and have only criticized our team when I feel it's honest & justified. I do it on message boards like this much the same as I would at a party, just casual conversation & debate. Debate I keep respectful until some moron like you takes it in another direction. You see, intelligent, decent people can disagree respectfully. Assholes like you don't seem capable. In my experience that's more often than not a sign that the asshole-in-question (you) is self-aware enough to know he's a bit of a dumbass, therefore needs to mask his inefficiencies in loud, boastful talk and/or insults. What makes this even funnier is I got accused by other fans of being "too optimistic" earlier in the season. You want to accuse me of "running down our program" and "never being satisfied", yet I was absolutely thrilled with our program & Mullen until I saw what we did last year, AND followed it up with this year.

You mad, brah?


Last year, I was defending Dan & staff during our win streak over soft teams by saying & believing Dan was just being conservative so he wouldn't show his hand too early to the good teams. That turned out to not be true. I started getting frustrated then. But coming into this season, I was again optimistic, more than most because I didn't think there was any way Mullen would continue to roll with TR at QB, Perk as the sole Rb, and running Perk between the tackles over & over & over again. I convinced myself that there was simply no way Dan could review what happened in the last half of last year, AND DO THE SAME THING AGAIN! But he did, and more. He added the Bell debacle to that shitastic formula.

The answer is, he just didn't have the players yet. The end. It's none of the nonsense you spew. Do you realize how stupid you sound? There you go with the Devon Bell stuff again.


THAT, more than anything is why I am frustrated with Dan. Because he will take something that has failed repeatedly, rarely ever succeeding, and run it again & again, almost as if he's thinking to himself, "It'll work this time because there's no way they'll expect me to dial that shit up again! I'll catch 'em by surprise."

I hate to be cliche, but I'd just love to see some of our know-it-all fans try and coach a football team? And you say you're an athlete? Well I do not believe you. You seem like a talker, not a walker. Just my opinion.

[smootness]

This thread blows.

[FISHDAWG]

bravo ... if you dont believe this just go back and re-watch the recorded games like I have been doing and see the glaring mistakes and the calls that just make you shake your head ... I understand DM has been better than most coaches we have had in the past, not taking that away from him, I also understand his accomplishments ... but there are those that just haven't seen enough yet to crown him the sacred saint of MSU football ... I'm one of them

[PMDawg2]

Now this is how to make a reasoned, respectful counter. Great post, ckDOG! It does make me feel a little more hopeful about Dan. Still have my concerns about clock-management and stubborness, including with play-calling, but I have to hope Dan improves markedly as he enters his 6th season as HC.

Exactly. Two people who get it. Dan has many positives, but he's not perfect and should not be above reproach. He has flaws and weaknesses. Some serious. We should be able to point those out and discuss them intelligently. Sadly, this board does not allow it. These days, if you don't think Dan shits gold bricks, you're immediately ridiculed and called names. It's gotten sad.

[smootness]

bravo ... if you dont believe this just go back and re-watch the recorded games like I have been doing and see the glaring mistakes and the calls that just make you shake your head ... I understand DM has been better than most coaches we have had in the past, not taking that away from him, I also understand his accomplishments ... but there are those that just haven't seen enough yet to crown him the sacred saint of MSU football ... I'm one of them

Fans will always criticize play-calling. Always. And some of it will be justified, but we also have the benefit of hindsight.

I've been frustrated by our use of guys like Russell/Perkins while running plays suited for Dak/Robinson, too, but you have to look at the big picture when evaluating a coach. If you're going to constantly use some play-calling/decision-making criticisms against a coach, then you will always have a 'yeah, but...' mentality.

Saban has been a phenomenal coach, but he made some seemingly dumb decisions in the Auburn game. But you can't focus on those when evaluating him. Overall, he has obviously been insane for that program, and the issues in the Auburn game shouldn't even be brought up.

The question is always, has the coach done a good job overall? (a clear yes with Mullen); and, can you find someone you know is better (could be argued, but it's tough to say with certainty that anyone could have done more overall at State than Mullen so far).

So I don't see the major issues. He may have cost us a game here or there with one or two decisions. But he's certainly helped us win a bunch with his overall management of the program.

I allowed myself to be swayed, in the middle of the year, by individual calls and the fact that it looked like our team was playing without energy. I was wrong in that, and I understood that I was wrong after seeing the way we finished the year.

[Goat Holder]

You doomsayers said the same thing about Cohen. I mean who the hell do you all think you are that you're qualified to hold someone to a position of perfection?

It's very easy to look at Mullen's body of work and see that he's done a phenomenal job.

[DownwardDawg]

You doomsayers said the same thing about Cohen. I mean who the hell do you all think you are that you're qualified to hold someone to a position of perfection?

It's very easy to look at Mullen's body of work and see that he's done a phenomenal job.

Goat, where is the doomsday stuff you are referring to? It's certainly not in this thread. There are some well thought out posts in this thread pointing out strengths and weaknesses of Mullen. None of those posts are from you. Reading your posts is like trying to watch an episode of Impractical Jokers. You are so embarrassed for the people in the show, you have to watch with your hands over your eyes and peek between your fingers.

[FISHDAWG]

I was swayed in like manner at the end of the eggbowl ... but as I rewatch the games it's so much more than just play calling .... wrong players for the given call... going for two points instead of one to tie and then going for one point instead of trying to tie with two .... playing seniors over better talent ... game / clock management (every loss we had we gave up an easy score before halftime) ... going into a prevent defense with two minutes left in the game .... in his 5th year and our ST / kickers suck (not punters) .....being to aggressive ... then not being aggressive enough .....but at least he learned to stay away from the fake punts .... I will concede he has recruited better than past coaches and put us on a path to success and has my full support ... I'm just not ready to erect a statue of him yet

[Pollodawg]

Look, I am not saying Mullen is perfect, and there have been some definite head-scratchers. But, please point out a single coach in college football who doesn't have moments like that. Look, fellas, I lost hope for a while there in the middle of the season too and was basically off of the Mullen train, but they way we won when our backs were against the wall and we absolutely had to, has kind of brought me back. Hell, we could just as easily lost those last two games with the effort we gave last season. If that doesn't point to some Mullen improvement from last year, I don't know what will.

[PMDawg2]

You doomsayers said the same thing about Cohen. I mean who the hell do you all think you are that you're qualified to hold someone to a position of perfection?

It's very easy to look at Mullen's body of work and see that he's done a phenomenal job.

I said the same thing about Jackie sherrill in 2000. Some people said the same thing about Croom in 2005. Some people said the same thing about stansbury around 2006. What's your point? That sometimes people are wrong? That's not really a huge revelation.

If it's so easy to look at a coach's body of work and judge him 100% accurately, then why are so many coaches fired every year? There are thousands of factors and variables to consider, and there are many possible outcomes to reach. I agree that overall, he's done a good job. But after that, there are many topics to discuss and debates to be had. It would do you well to realize that and stop calling everyone that doesn't agree with you 100% an idiot.

[Pollodawg]

Les Miles--Has won a NC but can't manage a clock with a gun held to his temple.
Nick Saban--In the 2011 "Game of the Century" kicks field goal after field goal knowing his kicker is mind 17ed and can't do it.
Hud the genius gets blown the hell out in his last game of the season.

[smootness]

I was swayed in like manner at the end of the eggbowl ... but as I rewatch the games it's so much more than just play calling .... wrong players for the given call... going for two points instead of one to tie and then going for one point instead of trying to tie with two .... playing seniors over better talent ... game / clock management (every loss we had we gave up an easy score before halftime) ... going into a prevent defense with two minutes left in the game .... in his 5th year and our ST / kickers suck (not punters) .....being to aggressive ... then not being aggressive enough .....but at least he learned to stay away from the fake punts .... I will concede he has recruited better than past coaches and put us on a path to success and has my full support ... I'm just not ready to erect a statue of him yet

All fair points.

Specifically with reference to the going for 1 vs. 2 issues, which game are you talking about, and what was the situation? I don't remember that.

[blacklistedbully]

You doomsayers said the same thing about Cohen. I mean who the hell do you all think you are that you're qualified to hold someone to a position of perfection?

It's very easy to look at Mullen's body of work and see that he's done a phenomenal job.

Hello again, moron. More proof you;re a knee-jerk jackass with little capacity for actual debate. I have NEVER been on the "fire Cohen" band wagon. In fact, I've been a huge fan. In reality, the only time I've been publicly critical of a coach is this time with Dan. And for the first 3.5 years I was one of his most vocal supporters.

Goat, you're just too damned ignorant or inflexible to get it. Thankfully there are several posters on here who are competent and offer real value to the board beyond your clown act. I'm sure we all get a good chuckle reading your posts. Sometimes they are truly comic relief on a stressful day.

As for me, I'm open-minded and willing to admit when I'm wrong. Ask Engie. Earlier this year I wrongly accused him of starting a personal insult-laden exchange with me. When I looked back and discovered I'd been mistaken, I publicly & privately apologized. That's what a decent human being does, and what a man of character and integrity does.

Clearly, you are unfamiliar with these concepts.

[Goat Holder]

Hello again, moron. More proof you;re a knee-jerk jackass with little capacity for actual debate. I have NEVER been on the "fire Cohen" band wagon. In fact, I've been a huge fan. In reality, the only time I've been publicly critical of a coach is this time with Dan. And for the first 3.5 years I was one of his most vocal supporters.

You literally have NOTHING to use against me. I have countered all your points. You don't like my opinion? Too bad.


Goat, you're just too damned ignorant or inflexible to get it. Thankfully there are several posters on here who are competent and offer real value to the board beyond your clown act. I'm sure we all get a good chuckle reading your posts. Sometimes they are truly comic relief on a stressful day.

Some agree with you, some agree with me. Chuckle? I don't know, I genuinely feel bad for people with your viewpoint. You're not entertaining at all. I'm trying to help your pitiful ass. Clearly wasting my time though.


As for me, I'm open-minded and willing to admit when I'm wrong. Ask Engie. Earlier this year I wrongly accused him of starting a personal insult-laden exchange with me. When I looked back and discovered I'd been mistaken, I publicly & privately apologized. That's what a decent human being does, and what a man of character and integrity does.

Sounds like you're pretty damn sensitive to me. Might want to fix that before you become an internet cowboy.

At the end of the day, I don't care, you're not changing your opinion and I'm not either. But I think you are ignorant (the actual definition, not trying to insult) about football, college football especially. I think your viewpoint is extremely narcissistic as well. And I really don't give two shits about your personal life or engie's. But hey, if you give to the BC and show up to games, you're good with me as far as your involvement in my life, opinion or not.

[Barking 13]

I tend to agree with both sides of the arguement. From a historical perspective, there has always been something a little off about MSU football (hell, MSU athletics in general) I mean, just that nano-second from having a sack to a 50 yd TD (on D), The 30 yd run on 3rd down that gets called back for a non-existent hold (never mind the other team is throwing our guys to the ground on every play), etc. There are tons of potential now (much more than any time I can remember) for our team to do well. Like someone said before, we don't know what goes on behind the scenes, so what may look like one thing, could be another. I also had been losing confidence in CDM, due to the strange decisons (in our eyes) on plays, personnel, etc. We can blame him all we want, but ultimately it's up to the actual players to get it done. I mean little things we don't really see, like a block or missed assignment, receiver makes a wrong cut, or his shoe was a little loose.. millions of variables. So what happens next year, if all of a sudden Dak and Jrob start looking like TR and Perk? Who do you blame then? Same play that scored a TD the last game or two... is a lineman coninually missing a block or is his bruised thigh keeping him from performing at 100%? Going forward, I plan to support the tean and the coaches and players just the same as I have for the past nearly 50 years, except I will still shake my head and yell and scream about goofy shit that doesn't make sense, but all the while knowing it could be something else going on (thanks Nickoe for the lesson)

CDM may not be the true answer, but thank God he's not Rockey Felker...

[Political Hack]

who's the last MSU coach that had a winning record?

[Pollodawg]

who's the last MSU coach that had a winning record?

People wanna say Jackie, but Jackie was 75-75 to end his tenure here. I would have to say Allen McKeen (sp?)or DKR.

[blacklistedbully]

Oh look, everybody, Goat is using a big word in a sad effort to prove he isn't as ignorant as many of us suspect.

Truth Goat, did you have to look up the word, "narcissistic" before you used it here? I'm guessing you don't really understand the definition, as it just doesn't fit your usage, unless you associate anyone who differs in opinion to you being "narcissistic", which would, ironically make you narcissistic.

As for my viewpoint, I've made it clear, but unlike you, don't insult, ridicule, or harbor resentment for those who disagree with me. Again, doesn't fit with your "narcissistic" comment.

Though there are plenty of other posters who agree with you on Mullen, I doubt there are many at all who agree with you on the point I was actually criticizing, your use of insults, ridicule, etc in a failed attempt to "shout down" those who differ from you. That's what makes you a clown, not your opinion on Mullen.

You've countered all my points?? You really think so?? That's funny.

As far as me being sensitive, you keep looking for lame insults. It just makes you look more, well, lame. I come on here, not to be an "internet cowboy", but because I enjoy keeping up with MSU sports and engaging in interesting conversations with fellow fans. I pretty much left SPS for this place because of all the Black Bear bozos and jackasses like you taking over the place and making it overwhelming tedious.

I truly believe guys like you just get your jollies joining sites like this just so you can stir-the-pot and take pot-shots at members, perhaps in an effort to overcome some self-dislike. That's often the case with people like you who lead with loud-mouth insults instead of courteous responses. It's Psych 101, the need to try and bring others down so you won't feel as crappy about your own situation.

[Political Hack]

whoa whoa whoa... let's avoid hurtful slander like "internet cowboy." that's just taking things too far.***

[Barking 13]

Cease - freaking fire!!!.. you two get a room

[Goat Holder]

Oh look, everybody, Goat is using a big word in a sad effort to prove he isn't as ignorant as many of us suspect.

Trying to recruit others to fight your battle for you? Probably a good idea.

You're done.

[blacklistedbully]

Cease - freaking fire!!!.. you two get a room

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yzpd0Yl44ZE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yzpd0Yl44ZE

[smootness]

This thread suuuuuuuuuuuuuucks. How do we get it off the first page?

[FISHDAWG]

I will have to go back and look but I think it was either aTm or Bama ...... we went for two on the first score to try to go ahead by one and missed (and it was very early in the game) ... then on the next score we went for one when we were two points down and would have tied if we made it ... just a few examples, there are too many to remember in one conversation

[DownwardDawg]

I will have to go back and look but I think it was either aTm or Bama ...... we went for two on the first score to try to go ahead by one and missed (and it was very early in the game) ... then on the next score we went for one when we were two points down and would have tied if we made it ... just a few examples, there are too many to remember in one conversation
Auburn. Mullen went for two because.....well because Auburn did it.

[smootness]

Auburn. Mullen went for two because.....well because Auburn did it.

Ok, yeah, you're right.

I can't disagree much, but I'm ok with the calls. The first one was to try to stay within 3 (you're right that it was because Auburn did it, but at some point if they keep scoring you have to try to keep pace). The second one, it was still before the half, and you definitely don't want to miss it again. I usually want teams to always play for the tie because you never know what will happen the rest of the game, but the fact that we'd already missed one makes me understand why they didn't.

Interesting decisions, but I don't see them as awful.

[blacklistedbully]

Trying to recruit others to fight your battle for you? Probably a good idea.

You're done.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L6KGuTr9TI

[FISHDAWG]

I'll say this ...... right now beginning with the bowl game - in my mind Mullen wiped the slate clean by making it to a bowl game somehow winning the last two games without a 1st or 2nd deep QB ...... now he starts all over again with a clean board and can write his own biography with his own players .... if nothing else, I do have the capacity for objective reasoning

[BulldogBear]

I just wish our own people ( I assume Maroon MAG IS PRO STATE***) would facts straight before posting crappy untrue material that makes us look worse than we already do. You want a five year window of success in Starkville? Try doing a little research. Who wrote this BS article?

Beginning in 1939, our team went 40-10-2 and 2 Orange Bowls and our only SEC Championship over the next 5 seasons. It was 1939-1942 and 1944 (no team in '43). Try 80%. Why omit this? Because no team in 1943? Fine, so we'll go 1938-1942. Oops, that makes it... 38-11-2. My mistake*** Golly we sucked over those five years*** I understand the point the author is trying to make, but why leave this out? Since the inception of Bulldog football? Is he really trying to get that technical like because the mascot wasn't official yet then the years don't count because it doesn't make his point well. When you start skewing fact is when a media person loses me. He is trying to make a point but either conveniently or ignorantly leaves out a window of around a decade when football in Starkville was not only relevant but dominant and at least regionally recognized as such in the southeast.

Why doesn't the author use this era to further illustrate his point? It all came crashing down like this. Allyn Mckeen went into the 1948 season 61-15-2 as our coach, had a "dismal" 4-4-1 record, including a 34-7 Egg Bowl loss. So "logically" we fired him, sending him and his sh!tty 65-19-3 record packing... and "Bulldog Football" has NEVER really recovered, especially because this era when we were headed for a dynasty seems to be forgotten. You all notice how the Bears always say our "best coach" was JWS and he was only .500 with a forfeit. One of the reasons people make untrue blanket statements like this because people post/write unfactual material. The comments about Jackie don't get under my skin 'cause he didn't have a winning record (because it was still a fun ride) but because the statement isn't remotely true. We had a legend coach but apparently alot of our own don't even know it.

RANT over I guess. I just hate when our people forget our greatest era when we may well have been on our way to being one of the southern powers ti come outa the 50s. We fired this guy who never had a losing record. Sure, canning a successful coach makes perfect sense***