1A & 1B debate

[chef dixon]

I think its kind of ironic that the whole reason we did this was so guys would be ready to play and fresh late in the season, but this is when we played our worst. I ultimately think this philosophy is what did us in on defense (and a weak, thin secondary). There is no rhythm whatsoever for the players. For the majority of the season, our 1A guys played very well this year and even again in the 1st half last night they were solid. Almost every single time we brought in the 1B guys this season, especially after we score, the other team would answer. By the time you are throwing the 1As back in there you've put them at a disadvantage because of how momentum/rhythm affects games.

You can say that the players experience this year will pay off next year, but damn I would have liked to be able to take advantage of the opportunities that were right in our face this season when we were sitting at 9-0. Adding to that, some of the guys we were putting in the secondary for the 1Bs could play 10 seasons of college football and still not be good enough to take us where we would like to be.

I was really hoping since Collins was gone we wouldn't see it, but if its something Mullen wants to do going forward I just can't be excited about it.

[starkvegasdawg]

Yeah, I'm sure nothing motivates an elite player to give 100% like knowing he's going ride the pine half the game watching the other team's offense march right down the field.

[msstate7]

Hopefully it was just not wanting to change things up for bowl game.

[VandelayIndustries]

Never ever seen a team sit a 1st round LB for a 1/3 or even 1/2 a game.

[Sacrifice]

I don't know if I was drunk during the EB and the OB but to me, our Defense looks big, slow and uninspired. I don't know if it's the players, the coaching or just the scheme. It looked like they didn't even come out of the locker room in the second half. I want a Buddy Ryan type defensive hire. I want a D coach that if Mullen sticks his head in the defensive meeting room he's like get the F out!! I'm running this MF-er...

[HancockCountyDog]

I don't know if I was drunk during the EB and the OB but to me, our Defense looks big, slow and uninspired. I don't know if it's the players, the coaching or just the scheme. It looked like they didn't even come out of the locker room in the second half. I want a Buddy Ryan type defensive hire. I want a D coach that if Mullen sticks his head in the defensive meeting room he's like get the F out!! I'm running this MF-er...

There are some defensive lineman on our team that need to lose some weight. That is obvious.

We need an influx of talent in the secondary.

[RougeDawg]

I don't know if I was drunk during the EB and the OB but to me, our Defense looks big, slow and uninspired. I don't know if it's the players, the coaching or just the scheme. It looked like they didn't even come out of the locker room in the second half. I want a Buddy Ryan type defensive hire. I want a D coach that if Mullen sticks his head in the defensive meeting room he's like get the F out!! I'm running this MF-er...

You weren't drunk. The EB and OB were my two most sober games to attend all year and I saw the same thing. Horrendous.

[Political Hack]

when your CB is making back to back tackles on consecutive FB dive plays, you have a problem up front.

Putting a 5'9" CB man up on a 6'5" WR isn't smart.

I don't remember a single stunt from our DL or LBs last night to confuse the blocking schemes. They probably ran some. I just didn't see it.

[dawgs]

We sit starters so the backups will be good next year so next year we can sit the now backups to play next year's backups so they'll be good the following year so we can sit the ....

[CadaverDawg]

We sit starters so the backups will be good next year so next year we can sit the now backups to play next year's backups so they'll be good the following year so we can sit the ....

Exactly. What the hell are we getting them experience for? They won't ever play more than half a game. To know that in our biggest games of the year, our starters on defense only played 1/2-3/4 of the game, is damn near a fireable offense. We lost 3 games, all by 2 TD's or less.....I'd be willing to bet that our 1B group gave up at least 2 scores in each of those losses. Leaving you to wonder what happens if we do what every other ****ing team in the country does, and leave our best players in the game....spelling individual players occasionally for a breather?

It was dumb at the beginning of the year, and it was even dumber in the big games at the end. There's a reason people get a big lead with their starters and then bring in the backups....and it isn't because they are all dumb and Dan Mullen is smarter.

And before someone says, "well it must have been a good strategy, it led us to 10 wins"....STFU...NO it didn't. It kept us from 12-0, or at least a shot at it.

[RougeDawg]

when your CB is making back to back tackles on consecutive FB dive plays, you have a problem up front.

Putting a 5'9" CB man up on a 6'5" WR isn't smart.

I don't remember a single stunt from our DL or LBs last night to confuse the blocking schemes. They probably ran some. I just didn't see it.

Correct. We barely stunt. We run a basic high school defensive scheme.

[Todd4State]

Exactly. What the hell are we getting them experience for? They won't ever play more than half a game. To know that in our biggest games of the year, our starters on defense only played 1/2-3/4 of the game, is damn near a fireable offense. We lost 3 games, all by 2 TD's or less.....I'd be willing to bet that our 1B group gave up at least 2 scores in each of those losses. Leaving you to wonder what happens if we do what every other ****ing team in the country does, and leave our best players in the game....spelling individual players occasionally for a breather?

It was dumb at the beginning of the year, and it was even dumber in the big games at the end. There's a reason people get a big lead with their starters and then bring in the backups....and it isn't because they are all dumb and Dan Mullen is smarter.

And before someone says, "well it must have been a good strategy, it led us to 10 wins"....STFU...NO it didn't. It kept us from 12-0, or at least a shot at it.

Amen. And that's the thing that pisses me off the most. If we want to do 1A/1B vs. South Alabama, UAB, etc. that's fine. But doing it against Alabama is suicide.

[Todd4State]

I don't know if I was drunk during the EB and the OB but to me, our Defense looks big, slow and uninspired. I don't know if it's the players, the coaching or just the scheme. It looked like they didn't even come out of the locker room in the second half. I want a Buddy Ryan type defensive hire. I want a D coach that if Mullen sticks his head in the defensive meeting room he's like get the F out!! I'm running this MF-er...

You are dead on. I think some of the uninspired play was due to the coaches and not having a DC. I would love a Buddy Ryan, Joe Lee Dunn, heck- I'll take Manny. But Dan is not going to allow it.

It's just coaches egos. Jackie had issues with Joe Lee Dunn and I'm sure he didn't like hearing that Joe Lee was the only reason he was able to save his career at MSU- but it's at least partially true. It's seems to me like it's pretty rare to see a situation where you have a good coaching duo like Beamer/Foster at Virginia Tech. It's seems to me there are a lot more Ditka/Ryan situations.

[starkvegasdawg]

Exactly. What the hell are we getting them experience for? They won't ever play more than half a game. To know that in our biggest games of the year, our starters on defense only played 1/2-3/4 of the game, is damn near a fireable offense. We lost 3 games, all by 2 TD's or less.....I'd be willing to bet that our 1B group gave up at least 2 scores in each of those losses. Leaving you to wonder what happens if we do what every other ****ing team in the country does, and leave our best players in the game....spelling individual players occasionally for a breather?

It was dumb at the beginning of the year, and it was even dumber in the big games at the end. There's a reason people get a big lead with their starters and then bring in the backups....and it isn't because they are all dumb and Dan Mullen is smarter.

And before someone says, "well it must have been a good strategy, it led us to 10 wins"....STFU...NO it didn't. It kept us from 12-0, or at least a shot at it.

We are MS State. If there's not a reason we'll suck you can guarantee we'll invent one.

[Dallas_Dawg]

The 1a 1b is a joke. This is a reason why Mullen gets the "he thinks he invented the game" tag. No other coaches do this, and one would think that he would realize that he is not going to become some pioneer by doing this.
Players play off of rhythm more than anything else. When you pull 80% of your team for fresh players, it disrupts the flow.
Mullen needs a sports psychologist

[I seen it dawg]

Damn you guys are so harsh in your criticism

[thunderclap]

God, this thread depresses and infuriates me. Ol' Dan.

[bluelightstar]

The 1a 1b is a joke. This is a reason why Mullen gets the "he thinks he invented the game" tag. No other coaches do this, and one would think that he would realize that he is not going to become some pioneer by doing this.
Players play off of rhythm more than anything else. When you pull 80% of your team for fresh players, it disrupts the flow.
Mullen needs a sports psychologist

It's amazing to me the number of people who said Mullen was a genius for that shit early in the season and that it would pay dividends in November. Welp, like most of us said, there's a reason no freaking other coach pulls that stunt.

[I seen it dawg]

I don't think anyone dreamed we would keep doing it after the first few games. It wasn't a bad idea during non-conference but then it just kept on. Fn stupid.

[maroonmania]

Exactly. What the hell are we getting them experience for? They won't ever play more than half a game. To know that in our biggest games of the year, our starters on defense only played 1/2-3/4 of the game, is damn near a fireable offense. We lost 3 games, all by 2 TD's or less.....I'd be willing to bet that our 1B group gave up at least 2 scores in each of those losses. Leaving you to wonder what happens if we do what every other ****ing team in the country does, and leave our best players in the game....spelling individual players occasionally for a breather?

It was dumb at the beginning of the year, and it was even dumber in the big games at the end. There's a reason people get a big lead with their starters and then bring in the backups....and it isn't because they are all dumb and Dan Mullen is smarter.

And before someone says, "well it must have been a good strategy, it led us to 10 wins"....STFU...NO it didn't. It kept us from 12-0, or at least a shot at it.

Its so funny now thinking about the naive posters on this board after the first 3 or 4 games insisting that Mullen and Collins would in no way do the 1A/1B crap when we played our big SEC games. Boy, did they end up looking like morons. Its like in 2012 when folks said we had been holding back on what we were showing offensively prior to the Bama game. On the bright side at least Mullen stopped the ridiculous series rotation between Dak and Damien.

[CadaverDawg]

Its so funny now thinking about the naive posters on this board after the first 3 or 4 games insisting that Mullen and Collins would in no way do the 1A/1B crap when we played our big SEC games. Boy, did they end up looking like morons. Its like in 2012 when folks said we had been holding back on what we were showing offensively prior to the Bama game. On the bright side at least Mullen stopped the ridiculous series rotation between Dak and Damien.

Yep, it was a lot of the same posters that like to beat their chest on all the things they got right. I don't see them in this thread surprisingly. You're right though, I cant tell you how many times I heard, "Do you guys REALLY think Mullen and Collins will do that in big SEC games? Come on, you know they won't, so it's a good strategy." L. O. L. at those posters.

[I seen it dawg]

Hell I was one of those guys. I thought Mullen had learned and grown as a coach....boy was I wrong. But everybody is saying he just needs to learn from these times and we have to crawl before we walk and all that shit. Why don't we just not do monumentally asinine shit to begin with. I couldn't believe we would take something that really wasn't a bad idea for specific times and not stop doing it when the nuts were on the line.

[starkvegasdawg]

Hope Mullen never watches Sesame Street with the kid and learns the letter C.