Leo Lewis

[msstate7]

Read this article on 247...

http://mississippistate.247sports.com/Bolt/Leo-Lewis-has-three-official-visits-planned-33690216

Doesn't sound good boys

[RougeDawg]

Sounds pretty wide open to me. Nothing I see concerning,but Maybe I read it wrong.

[CadaverDawg]

So he will start day 1 and be the leader of their defense? He must be very naive to believe that.

[msstate7]

Sounds pretty wide open to me. Nothing I see concerning,but Maybe I read it wrong.

The Egg Bowl was amazing," he said. "It was so one-sided. The defense played spectacularly. They make plays where they were trying to make plays. They took the wind out of Mississippi State offense."
Lewis thinks he can contribute to that defense immediately next year.

"I have an official to LSU January 16," he said. "An official to Ole Miss January 23 and POSSIBLY an official to Mississippi State on January 30."

[Sacrifice]

The Egg Bowl was amazing," he said. "It was so one-sided. The defense played spectacularly. They make plays where they were trying to make plays. They took the wind out of Mississippi State offense."
Lewis thinks he can contribute to that defense immediately next year.

"I have an official to LSU January 16," he said. "An official to Ole Miss January 23 and POSSIBLY an official to Mississippi State on January 30."
Hold up....I was told the EB doesn't effect recruits decisions.

[klong-dog]

I remember LL saying before the season that he would pay close attention to the season and how each team played. Well, we had the better overall season but did lose the head to head with OM. I'd say.... whole season > 1 game


but yeah it doesn't sound good for us

[GreenheadDawg]

Oh well. Wish him luck and move on. If that's where he wants to go then good luck to him

ETA: Here's a couple more gems for ya'll. Sounds like Williams is doing nothing but waiting on an AU offer
http://mississippistate.247sports.com/Bolt/Peters-75-percent-committed-to-Mississippi-State--33689200
http://mississippistate.247sports.com/Bolt/Will-Mississippi-State-commit-Williams-visit-Auburn-33686707

[mparkerfd20]

Nm

[LC Dawg]

Oh well. Wish him luck and move on. If that's where he wants to go then good luck to him

ETA: Here's a couple more gems for ya'll. Sounds like Williams is doing nothing but waiting on an AU offer
http://mississippistate.247sports.com/Bolt/Peters-75-percent-committed-to-Mississippi-State--33689200
http://mississippistate.247sports.com/Bolt/Will-Mississippi-State-commit-Williams-visit-Auburn-33686707

I couldn't be a college coach. If I read what Williams said I would immediately call him and tell him he no longer has an offer from us but that we would like for him to hold on.

[thedawg]

Mississippi State commitment C.J. Johnson has seen his future teammates play most of their games this year. The talented linebacker went on the road last night to see the Bulldogs take on arch-rival Ole Miss in the 2010 Battle for the Golden Egg. The visitors emerged victorious and the All-American selection is looking forward to playing in the 2011 renewal of the rivalry.

C.J. Johnson profile
Johnson looked forward to the game most of the season and was very candid in his assessment of both programs after Saturday night's contest.
"Ole Miss didn't look real pretty," said C.J. "Mississippi State looked good. They got a little relaxed at the end and turned the ball over, but they played pretty good most of the game.
"Ole Miss has some issues on defense and I am not sure recruiting three or four guys are going to make a difference to be honest."
The Rebels hosted plenty of candidates for inclusion on their future roster as an unofficial visitors.
"There were a lot of guys there," said Johnson. "Nick Brassell and (Kendrick) Market weren't there or I didn't see them. Justin Bell, Aaron Morris, Jermaine Whitehead and Donte Moncrief were the main ones I talked to.
"Me and Jermaine were just kind of looking at each other, but we didn't say much."
Johnson had a tough time containing his excitement after a big play and his actions invoked an interesting response from a fan in attendance.
"When Chris Relf broke the big run, I jumped up to see if he broke it because I couldn't see real good," said C.J. "This guy came up to me and ripped my lanyard off my neck. He said I didn't need to be there if I was going to be rooting for State.
"I wasn't trying to cause any problems and I wasn't cheering. I was just trying to see the play."
The talented linebacker had the chance to talk about his future with a more captive audience earlier this evening when three coaches from Mississippi State stopped in for an in home visit.
"Coach Diaz, Coach Hud and Coach Hughes all came tonight," said C.J. "We talked about the depth chart and in state recruiting.
"Last night Mississippi State started like 18 or 19 Mississippi players in the Egg Bowl and Ole Miss started like four."
The Bulldogs' local flavor is appealing to C.J.
"Growing up in Mississippi and watching the Egg Bowl that was real important to me," said Johnson. "People outside of Mississippi don't realize what a big deal the Egg Bowl is in the state.
"Everybody watches that game and it's a big deal to the people in Mississippi."
When the Bulldogs and Rebels get together next season, Johnson will be in uniform rather than in the stands.
"I am looking forward to being a part of all of that," said C.J. of the rivalry. "I will get to play in the game next year and State is going to win again."


what if ole miss would have quit trying after this article? Long way until signing day

[msstate7]

Mississippi State commitment C.J. Johnson has seen his future teammates play most of their games this year. The talented linebacker went on the road last night to see the Bulldogs take on arch-rival Ole Miss in the 2010 Battle for the Golden Egg. The visitors emerged victorious and the All-American selection is looking forward to playing in the 2011 renewal of the rivalry.

C.J. Johnson profile
Johnson looked forward to the game most of the season and was very candid in his assessment of both programs after Saturday night's contest.
"Ole Miss didn't look real pretty," said C.J. "Mississippi State looked good. They got a little relaxed at the end and turned the ball over, but they played pretty good most of the game.
"Ole Miss has some issues on defense and I am not sure recruiting three or four guys are going to make a difference to be honest."
The Rebels hosted plenty of candidates for inclusion on their future roster as an unofficial visitors.
"There were a lot of guys there," said Johnson. "Nick Brassell and (Kendrick) Market weren't there or I didn't see them. Justin Bell, Aaron Morris, Jermaine Whitehead and Donte Moncrief were the main ones I talked to.
"Me and Jermaine were just kind of looking at each other, but we didn't say much."
Johnson had a tough time containing his excitement after a big play and his actions invoked an interesting response from a fan in attendance.
"When Chris Relf broke the big run, I jumped up to see if he broke it because I couldn't see real good," said C.J. "This guy came up to me and ripped my lanyard off my neck. He said I didn't need to be there if I was going to be rooting for State.
"I wasn't trying to cause any problems and I wasn't cheering. I was just trying to see the play."
The talented linebacker had the chance to talk about his future with a more captive audience earlier this evening when three coaches from Mississippi State stopped in for an in home visit.
"Coach Diaz, Coach Hud and Coach Hughes all came tonight," said C.J. "We talked about the depth chart and in state recruiting.
"Last night Mississippi State started like 18 or 19 Mississippi players in the Egg Bowl and Ole Miss started like four."
The Bulldogs' local flavor is appealing to C.J.
"Growing up in Mississippi and watching the Egg Bowl that was real important to me," said Johnson. "People outside of Mississippi don't realize what a big deal the Egg Bowl is in the state.
"Everybody watches that game and it's a big deal to the people in Mississippi."
When the Bulldogs and Rebels get together next season, Johnson will be in uniform rather than in the stands.
"I am looking forward to being a part of all of that," said C.J. of the rivalry. "I will get to play in the game next year and State is going to win again."


what if ole miss would have quit trying after this article? Long way until signing day

So you're saying buy LL a z71 and some furniture? OM didnt change cj's mind with by continuing to recruit...

[thedawg]

I forgot we are morally above reproach.. I was just making the point that hanging on every word in a recruiting article is silly

[msstate7]

I forgot we are morally above reproach

We got rid of the only rogue booster we had haha

[GreenheadDawg]

I couldn't be a college coach. If I read what Williams said I would immediately call him and tell him he no longer has an offer from us but that we would like for him to hold on.

It would be really tough. I have too much of a temper I wouldn't handle things like this very well

[msstate7]

I couldn't be a college coach. If I read what Williams said I would immediately call him and tell him he no longer has an offer from us but that we would like for him to hold on.

I would just continue to recruit olinemen. If we can get some we like, dump em. I understand the kid wants to go to auburn, but no sense in disrespecting the school that actually wants you

[HancockCountyDog]

I couldn't be a college coach. If I read what Williams said I would immediately call him and tell him he no longer has an offer from us but that we would like for him to hold on.

Ugghh, might as well lock this thread up.

I hate what the kid said, so let's lock it before I start having a few whiskey drinks.

[EAVdog]

Is this the thread where we form the circular firing squad over recruiting? Can we just skip the freak out this year. We're doing pretty darn well and the 2016 class is going to be good too.

[maroonmania]

I never held out much hope anyway. We aren't usually willing to do the things it takes to flip top line recruits. Once he was willing to commit to go ahead and commit to OM I figured it was pretty much over.

[CadaverDawg]

If Leo wants to compete for Titles, he'll end up in Starkville. If he would rather be a "me" guy and get to act like he won the National Championship every time he makes a tackle, throw up that dumbass fin when you tackle someone in garbage time, and watch your Coach throw your teammates under the bus and say he needs better players every time they lose....he'll stick with his commitment. Hopefully he's a winner and we see him in Maroon and White next season.

[TUSK]

If Leo wants to compete for Titles, he'll end up in Starkville. If he would rather be a "me" guy and get to act like he won the National Championship every time he makes a tackle, throw up that dumbass fin when you tackle someone in garbage time, and watch your Coach throw your teammates under the bus and say he needs better players every time they lose....he'll stick with his commitment. Hopefully he's a winner and we see him in Maroon and White next season.

that mean he's coming back to the Dark Side?

(selectively bolded, of course)...

[cheewgumm]

That CJ Johnson stuff is amazing. Someone RIPPED a Chain FROM his NECK and he STILL went there. That's crazy.

They should have kicked him in the ass and made him crawl out of the stadium and see if he would still commit. Or maybe just crawl back on hands and knees begging to commit.

Pride must be truly dead.

[thedawg]

Every body has a price.. Some people price is just a little cheaper

[messageboardsuperhero]

"I am looking forward to being a part of all of that," said C.J. of the rivalry. "I will get to play in the game next year and State is going to win again."

I always find this part hilarious, because it is still true to this day.

[ScottH]

That CJ Johnson stuff is amazing. Someone RIPPED a Chain FROM his NECK and he STILL went there. That's crazy.

They should have kicked him in the ass and made him crawl out of the stadium and see if he would still commit. Or maybe just crawl back on hands and knees begging to commit.

Pride must be truly dead.


It all about the swallow. And bizarrely Daddy is proud his lil girl for literally taking one for the team.

[NCDawg]

I couldn't be a college coach. If I read what Williams said I would immediately call him and tell him he no longer has an offer from us but that we would like for him to hold on.

When it's all said and done, you can count on the gurus rating us in our usual place of 12-14 in the SEC rankings. Good thing we know how to "coach up" 2 and 3 star players. I think Mullen is a good coach, and if we could just get some of the top players occasionally, I think we could win the SEC West.

[defiantdog]

We have Gerri Green and R. Brown at MLB. Who does OM have? I think playing time is Leo's #1 priority. Dan needs to convince him that he'll get significant playing time.

[starkvegasdawg]

We have Gerri Green and R. Brown at MLB. Who does OM have? I think playing time is Leo's #1 priority. Dan needs to convince him that he'll get significant playing time.

With our blossoming 1B program he'll probably be out there more than the starters.

[HancockCountyDog]

With our blossoming 1B program he'll probably be out there more than the starters.

I have to admit, that was funny. Well done.

If there is one position I'm not worried about with our team, it's Linebacker. The main reason I want Leo is that the bears desperately need a young LB and Lewis fits the bill.

[Thick]

I will say it again, regardless of the payout, our defensive philosophy does not match big time linebackers. We don't blitz enough for aggressive players like Leo to really get excited about. It's like buying a Labrador and never hunting with him or working him. They become lazy and fat, and not interested in doing anything.

I think it's great that McKinley has been developed, but we did not use him to his full potential this year. I HATE our defensive philosophy, instead of forcing bad decisions, we hope that the offense self inflicts one of their own. We put all of the pressure on the 4 down linemen to pressure the QB and stop the run. Our defense could have been much, much better this year if our scheme was amped up to let's say....OM's.

[FlabLoser]

I think we were one of the better teams in terms of creating turnovers - at least for the first half to 3/4 of the season. Then kinda faded.

[msugolf]

I will say it again, regardless of the payout, our defensive philosophy does not match big time linebackers. We don't blitz enough for aggressive players like Leo to really get excited about. It's like buying a Labrador and never hunting with him or working him. They become lazy and fat, and not interested in doing anything.

I think it's great that McKinley has been developed, but we did not use him to his full potential this year. I HATE our defensive philosophy, instead of forcing bad decisions, we hope that the offense self inflicts one of their own. We put all of the pressure on the 4 down linemen to pressure the QB and stop the run. Our defense could have been much, much better this year if our scheme was amped up to let's say....OM's.

^^^^^This all day and twice on "Saturdays". We're very much reactive instead of proactive. Players aren't stupid, hence they feed on that mentality so its easier to lay down or come out flat.

[CadaverDawg]

I think we were one of the better teams in terms of creating turnovers - at least for the first half to 3/4 of the season. Then kinda faded.

I may be wrong, but I sensed a lot of Mullen pulling back on the reigns of our defense later in the season.

It was as if he went to Geoff and said, Let's just not give up the homeruns, and I'll outscore the opponent. But then Dan also went conservative on offense when the pressure got built up. SO we ended up with a weak zone defense that had no aggression and therefore lost their tackling fundamentals....and in turn ended up giving up more homeruns than we would have if he had been ultra aggressive. And we ended up with an Offense that couldnt outscore anybody at the end of the season because we lost all creativity with play calling and got away from what we had done to get there.

[HancockCountyDog]

I will say it again, regardless of the payout, our defensive philosophy does not match big time linebackers. We don't blitz enough for aggressive players like Leo to really get excited about. It's like buying a Labrador and never hunting with him or working him. They become lazy and fat, and not interested in doing anything.

I think it's great that McKinley has been developed, but we did not use him to his full potential this year. I HATE our defensive philosophy, instead of forcing bad decisions, we hope that the offense self inflicts one of their own. We put all of the pressure on the 4 down linemen to pressure the QB and stop the run. Our defense could have been much, much better this year if our scheme was amped up to let's say....OM's.

I think one of the biggest strenghts of our defense - run defense, was one of our greatest weaknesses for pass rush. Our DT's are big bad boys at stuffing the run - which is why Ga Tech is going to lose by 10+, but they don't really penetrate.

With our safety play, its easy to see why we didn't blitz more. We simply can't put our safties in one on one positions. With Market going down with an achilles, it just makes it more obvious that we can't leave them on islands.

[MetEdDawg]

I think one of the biggest strenghts of our defense - run defense, was one of our greatest weaknesses for pass rush. Our DT's are big bad boys at stuffing the run - which is why Ga Tech is going to lose by 10+, but they don't really penetrate.

With our safety play, its easy to see why we didn't blitz more. We simply can't put our safties in one on one positions. With Market going down with an achilles, it just makes it more obvious that we can't leave them on islands.

This to me is the biggest reason we've failed in pass coverage. We don't have safeties that can cover in our blitzes. Part of that is scheme in that on a blitz I see our safeties playing 10-15 yards off their man. A good QB hits a quick check on that all day long which renders the blitz ineffective.

But the other part is that we seem to get to the QB on a blitz less frequently and not as quickly as some other teams, so we have to cover for longer. If a QB has 2 or more seconds to make a decision on a blitz, you aren't doing it right and there are quite a few times I can remember this year where that happened. It was better this year than last, but it's still a problem I've seen.

[SallyStansbury]

I may be wrong, but I sensed a lot of Mullen pulling back on the reigns of our defense later in the season.

It was as if he went to Geoff and said, Let's just not give up the homeruns, and I'll outscore the opponent. But then Dan also went conservative on offense when the pressure got built up. SO we ended up with a weak zone defense that had no aggression and therefore lost their tackling fundamentals....and in turn ended up giving up more homeruns than we would have if he had been ultra aggressive. And we ended up with an Offense that couldnt outscore anybody at the end of the season because we lost all creativity with play calling and got away from what we had done to get there.

The intuition is strong here.......dots getting connected.......

*shut your mouth, you should be thankful for 10 wins. (some truth to this)
**Just watch how much greater we are in the bowl game!!!
***Collins just had a bad game or two, will regain juice soon!!!!
****Poor safety play is aided by never blitzing?

[Thick]

I think one of the biggest strenghts of our defense - run defense, was one of our greatest weaknesses for pass rush. Our DT's are big bad boys at stuffing the run - which is why Ga Tech is going to lose by 10+, but they don't really penetrate.

With our safety play, its easy to see why we didn't blitz more. We simply can't put our safties in one on one positions. With Market going down with an achilles, it just makes it more obvious that we can't leave them on islands.

I agree with your comments about safety, but there are several different ways to blitz. You can zone blitz, you can twist, shoot gaps, and stunt linemen to create quick confusion upfront thus allowing for lbs and safeties to get to the QB quicker. Again, our philosophy does not fit who we recruit defensively as far as LBers are concerned. How much fun is it to watch a JLD or Manny Diaz defense compared to Collins defense.

We should have beat OM just by blitzing the nuts off of one legged Bo. Seriously, in the SEC, if you just play zone coverage good SEC offenses will eventually beat you. You have to mix it up to keep offenses on their toes plus it forces poor decisions. That's all I'm saying.

[Percho]

I will say it again, regardless of the payout, our defensive philosophy does not match big time linebackers. We don't blitz enough for aggressive players like Leo to really get excited about. It's like buying a Labrador and never hunting with him or working him. They become lazy and fat, and not interested in doing anything.

I think it's great that McKinley has been developed, but we did not use him to his full potential this year. I HATE our defensive philosophy, instead of forcing bad decisions, we hope that the offense self inflicts one of their own. We put all of the pressure on the 4 down linemen to pressure the QB and stop the run. Our defense could have been much, much better this year if our scheme was amped up to let's say....OM's.

+ 1000

[Percho]

I agree with your comments about safety, but there are several different ways to blitz. You can zone blitz, you can twist, shoot gaps, and stunt linemen to create quick confusion upfront thus allowing for lbs and safeties to get to the QB quicker. Again, our philosophy does not fit who we recruit defensively as far as LBers are concerned. How much fun is it to watch a JLD or Manny Diaz defense compared to Collins defense.

We should have beat OM just by blitzing the nuts off of one legged Bo. Seriously, in the SEC, if you just play zone coverage good SEC offenses will eventually beat you. You have to mix it up to keep offenses on their toes plus it forces poor decisions. That's all I'm saying.

I can say I usually watch the ball either live or on TV so let me ask, do we ever stunt? I seems to me everything we do is straight ahead. On Bama's 3 qt drive where they picked up 3 third and longs on two we rushed four dropped LB's to deep and gave up a pass short of 1st down for a first down, on another same and Sims ran forever and on the third we actually brought 5 with one up the middle yet failed to keep Sims between the tackles.

[bulldawg28]

I will say it again, regardless of the payout, our defensive philosophy does not match big time linebackers. We don't blitz enough for aggressive players like Leo to really get excited about. It's like buying a Labrador and never hunting with him or working him. They become lazy and fat, and not interested in doing anything.

I think it's great that McKinley has been developed, but we did not use him to his full potential this year. I HATE our defensive philosophy, instead of forcing bad decisions, we hope that the offense self inflicts one of their own. We put all of the pressure on the 4 down linemen to pressure the QB and stop the run. Our defense could have been much, much better this year if our scheme was amped up to let's say....OM's.

Mckinney being a 1st round projection says otherwise.

[MetEdDawg]

I can say I usually watch the ball either live or on TV so let me ask, do we ever stunt? I seems to me everything we do is straight ahead. On Bama's 3 qt drive where they picked up 3 third and longs on two we rushed four dropped LB's to deep and gave up a pass short of 1st down for a first down, on another same and Sims ran forever and on the third we actually brought 5 with one up the middle yet failed to keep Sims between the tackles.

We hardly ever do it. I watch Missouri a lot and they do it extremely effectively and it's fun to watch. We are very base in our 4-3 scheme on the DL but it's been pretty effective because we very often have one of the better run defenses in the conference.

We are very much LB oriented. We want DL to plug up the OL and give our LBs a chance to anticipate or read and react. Problem last year was our DL just got very little pressure and we couldn't make QBs uncomfortable. This year though, I think we were much better because our overall quality of DL was higher. Preston, Eulls, Jefferson/Brown, Chris Jones, and others all did more than just plug gaps. They got in the backfield and that was key for us.

We had 20 sacks as a team last year. This year we had 36. Preston Smith went from 6.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, and 9 QBH to 14.5 TFL, 9 sacks, and 15 QBH. We had 84 QBH this year as opposed to 52 last year. When our DL is doing what it did this year, our defense just works better. But you saw in the OM and Bama games where our deficiencies were. We don't get in the backfield we give up a lot of yards in the back seven. 1 sack, 5 TFL, and 3 QBH against Bama. 1 sack, 3 TFL, and zero QBH against OM.

[FlabLoser]

I can say I usually watch the ball either live or on TV

Me too. That is what is tempting to do.

Now and then I remind myself to watch just the OL & DL or just the secondary. Its really enlightening to do that. I'd recommend it for everybody.

It might also piss you off more to notice missed opportunities at big plays. WRs open downfield and stuff.

[Thick]

Mckinney being a 1st round projection says otherwise.

Did I say one thing about McKinney's projection...NO! I said we did not utilize him properly this year. One more thing, projection is one thing, where he's actually drafted is another. Watch the Egg bowl again, and tell me if he played like a first round draft pick.

[bulldawg28]

Did I say one thing about McKinney's projection...NO! I said we did not utilize him properly this year. One more thing, projection is one thing, where he's actually drafted is another. Watch the Egg bowl again, and tell me if he played like a first round draft pick.

So 1st round draft picks never have bad games? Right....

[Thick]

So 1st round draft picks never have bad games? Right....

Not in the most important game of the season vs your in-state rival....not at all!

[RougeDawg]

I may be wrong, but I sensed a lot of Mullen pulling back on the reigns of our defense later in the season.

It was as if he went to Geoff and said, Let's just not give up the homeruns, and I'll outscore the opponent. But then Dan also went conservative on offense when the pressure got built up. SO we ended up with a weak zone defense that had no aggression and therefore lost their tackling fundamentals....and in turn ended up giving up more homeruns than we would have if he had been ultra aggressive. And we ended up with an Offense that couldnt outscore anybody at the end of the season because we lost all creativity with play calling and got away from what we had done to get there.

Spot on. Dan reverted to his conservative ways, went back into his shell, got away from what got us there, and we lost two of the last three.

[Todd4State]

I will say it again, regardless of the payout, our defensive philosophy does not match big time linebackers. We don't blitz enough for aggressive players like Leo to really get excited about. It's like buying a Labrador and never hunting with him or working him. They become lazy and fat, and not interested in doing anything.

I think it's great that McKinley has been developed, but we did not use him to his full potential this year. I HATE our defensive philosophy, instead of forcing bad decisions, we hope that the offense self inflicts one of their own. We put all of the pressure on the 4 down linemen to pressure the QB and stop the run. Our defense could have been much, much better this year if our scheme was amped up to let's say....OM's.

Amen. I personally don't understand why our coaches think trying to have Mississippi kids play bend but don't break is the way to go. We have some freakish athletes- let them attack. We had a OLB with 4.3 speed in Wells. How many sacks did we waste this year by not attacking?

[Bass Chaser]

Amen. I personally don't understand why our coaches think trying to have Mississippi kids play bend but don't break is the way to go. We have some freakish athletes- let them attack. We had a OLB with 4.3 speed in Wells. How many sacks did we waste this year by not attacking?

This is a good point. I thought I read or heard somewhere that we were blitzing about 25% of the time but we should have been about 35%.

[maroonmania]

This is a good point. I thought I read or heard somewhere that we were blitzing about 25% of the time but we should have been about 35%.

Uh, can someone direct me to the thread about Leo Lewis??

[Bass Chaser]

Uh, can someone direct me to the thread about Leo Lewis??

Yeah, I guess I continued down the rabbit trail posted above me...

OM pledge, stud LB, may have grade issues, still taking visits, we're in the mix.

[maroonmania]

Yeah, I guess I continued down the rabbit trail posted above me...

Just a general comment about how this thread took a left turn in Albuquerque. Shouldn't have directed anything specifically at your post.

[Coach34]

So 1st round draft picks never have bad games? Right....

In your last game against your rival? C'mon mane...I know Thick got his shots in during some Egg Bowls

[NCDawg]

Did I say one thing about McKinney's projection...NO! I said we did not utilize him properly this year. One more thing, projection is one thing, where he's actually drafted is another. Watch the Egg bowl again, and tell me if he played like a first round draft pick.

The answer is no. Not sure that he played like any round draft pick.

[NCDawg]

I will say it again, regardless of the payout, our defensive philosophy does not match big time linebackers. We don't blitz enough for aggressive players like Leo to really get excited about. It's like buying a Labrador and never hunting with him or working him. They become lazy and fat, and not interested in doing anything.

I think it's great that McKinley has been developed, but we did not use him to his full potential this year. I HATE our defensive philosophy, instead of forcing bad decisions, we hope that the offense self inflicts one of their own. We put all of the pressure on the 4 down linemen to pressure the QB and stop the run. Our defense could have been much, much better this year if our scheme was amped up to let's say....OM's.

Totally agree.

[maroonmania]

Amen. I personally don't understand why our coaches think trying to have Mississippi kids play bend but don't break is the way to go. We have some freakish athletes- let them attack. We had a OLB with 4.3 speed in Wells. How many sacks did we waste this year by not attacking?

Since this thread has gone the way of evaluating the MSU defensive schemes I definitely think its time to get rid of the "Psyscho Defense" term. If we are going to go the way of playing conservative, bend but don't break defense then it is silly to refer to our defense as psycho.

[TrapGame]

Since this thread has gone the way of evaluating the MSU defensive schemes I definitely think its time to get rid of the "Psyscho Defense" term. If we are going to go the way of playing conservative, bend but don't break defense then it is silly to refer to our defense as psycho.

The Prozac Defense.

The NyQuil Defense.

The ADD Defense.

[maroonmania]

The Prozac Defense.

The NyQuil Defense.

The ADD Defense.

Yep, I don't think throwing in a CB blitz every few series is worthy of being called "Psycho"

[Political Hack]

Yep, I don't think throwing in a CB blitz every few series is worthy of being called "Psycho"

play should be called 3 times a season, at most and only in certain situations and against certain QBs.

[Thick]

So....back to Leo. Who has the skinny on him? He's spent 90% of his time at MSU since commiting to OM. He never got excited about commiting. If he's as good as advertised, can he step in at OM, Bama, or MSU and be a starter. Does anyone know if that is his tipping point? To come in as a true frosh and start in this division of this conference at LB or QB, tells you 2 things: 1). He's a beast, or 2) your team is in for a long season....Vandy style.

I'm being honest, I have never seen him play. I want feedback from people in the know or have seen him in person play.

[CadaverDawg]

So....back to Leo. Who has the skinny on him? He's spent 90% of his time at MSU since commiting to OM. He never got excited about commiting. If he's as good as advertised, can he step in at OM, Bama, or MSU and be a starter. Does anyone know if that is his tipping point? To come in as a true frosh and start in this division of this conference at LB or QB, tells you 2 things: 1). He's a beast, or 2) your team is in for a long season....Vandy style.

I'm being honest, I have never seen him play. I want feedback from people in the know or have seen him in person play.

From a friend in Brookhaven that went to 2 games this year (which I realize is a small sample size)....he wasn't super impressed. He said that he was definitely a really good player, but he said as one of the nation's top LBers, he was expecting to see a man among boys out there, but did not. That being said, he still said that he wants him in maroon and white because he said he had the measurables to be coached up into a stud....but that he doubted he is realistically one of the top few linebackers in the country coming out of highschool.

Take that for what it is worth. Obviously, I still hope we get him and think we might. And he may have just had a few so-so performances in the 2 games my friend saw him play. He wasn't telling me this as a way of downplaying his commitment to OM....because he actually still believes that Lewis will go to MSU when all is said and done. So it was just his opinion based on a few games of observing. He said he is "really good, but not one of the top linebackers in the country 'good'". I'll leave it at that. If it's best for me to remove this I will.

Oh, and if he is close to being a stud, but just needs a little development....he needs to come to MSU. That way he doesn't end up as the same exact player from Freshman to Junior year.

[Thick]

Thanks Cadaver!!