What difference in our offense this fall in your opinion is most probable?

[gravedigger]

I mean in the way we mix up playcalling and move the ball down the field.

I think we are going to use the tight end more than any msu fan has seen in it's history and that includes the Donald Lee snow bowl year.

Because of this, our qb will be far more comfortable in the pocket and our rb's will have better holes.

What I dont see is how our wide outs will perform. Of course if Tyler goes down and we revert to the Relf style offense the playcalling will be completely different.

[Sandman14]

Last year the offense was perhaps the most predictable in the SEC. Opposing coaches gave us zero credibility. Yeah we did better as a passing offense that pretty much any MSU team ever, but that's not saying much. With what we had to work with, we did not do as well as we could have. Basically our offense felt about as potent as it did Mullen's first season with midget Lee at QB. We need to substantially upgrade the playcalling. I'm not sure if ******* is capable of doing this with a passing style offense. That's why I can't wait for the day when we go back to the Relf style of offense. That's *******'s bread and butter.

I predict we will be exactly the same on offense, which is to say bland but good enough. Tyler will be better and will be damn good, but the receivers have gone. The guys we have look talented, but for instance, Morrow looks like an all pro wideout but can't catch a cold.

We better hope the defense gets much better. We have to be able to collapse the pocket and get pressure off the ends on passing downs. Last year we had the best secondary in the nation perhaps, and we still stunk on D because we had no pressure. If the D comes around, the offense will appear much better even if it is not. And it won't be.

[FlabLoser]

I hope we do the same thing except we add mo betta running plays to choose from.

Like put a TE in a spread set that allows you to running a passing spread or shift into a power formation and hammer J Rob up in there.

I would also like to see us use Tubby like Mullen used Percy Harvin. I looked at some Percy tape of his long runs from the RB spot. It was half Percy and half the rest of the team getting a hat on everybody, leaving Percy one man to juke in open space. Us doing that is more about execution and blocking because we know Tubby can get around any one guy in open space.

[theloungeinleft]

Hopefully no read option on 3rd and long.

[fishwater99]

I hope we do the same thing except we add mo betta running plays to choose from.

Like put a TE in a spread set that allows you to running a passing spread or shift into a power formation and hammer J Rob up in there.

I would also like to see us use Tubby like Mullen used Percy Harvin. I looked at some Percy tape of his long runs from the RB spot. It was half Percy and half the rest of the team getting a hat on everybody, leaving Percy one man to juke in open space. Us doing that is more about execution and blocking because we know Tubby can get around any one guy in open space.

This

[Pollodawg]

I am a little disappointed in Morrow. I hope last season was just a result of his first run through in the SEC. I am very happy to have Malcolm Johnson back to snuff. We need to get the ball in Jameon and Brandon's hands as much as possible. Tubby or Holloway either one would be awesome on the option with Dak at the helm for a couple of plays. I want to see MORE SCREENS. Remember those screens to Perkins. That. Worked. Every.Single. Time a couple of seasons back? Where did they go?

[msstate7]

I wanna see dak check in inside the 10 everytime and inside the 20 most of the time. Russell seems to turn the ball over more as the windows get tighter.

[FlabLoser]

The wheel route to Perk is a great play too. He is usually open and Tyler can hit hands in stride.

[MSUDawg4Life]

I think the most probable difference we'll see is the use of our TEs. I would love to see the TEs utilized more. More two TE sets. Running and passing plays out of those sets. Mixing and matching.

I think that would open up a whole new phase of our offense and allow us to be less predictable.

[TexasDawg]

Personally, now that we have some taller more athletic recievers I would be thrilled to see more of a vertical passing game. I believe we finally have some weapons that can stretch the field and I really hope that we put them to use. I am about sick and tired of seeing only 5-10 yard routes. We have a pocket passer, it's about time we start letting him sling the damn ball

[PMDawg]

Personally, now that we have some taller more athletic recievers I would be thrilled to see more of a vertical passing game. I believe we finally have some weapons that can stretch the field and I really hope that we put them to use. I am about sick and tired of seeing only 5-10 yard routes. We have a pocket passer, it's about time we start letting him sling the damn ball

I know our defense over the last few years has made 20 yard routes across the middle look like child's play. So it does make me wonder why we can't do more of that with Johnson &Johnson. BUT - make no mistake. This years season rests with the OL and our run game. If we can stay in 2nd and medium and third and short, then our passing game especially play action has no choice but to get better.

[Coach 57]

The truth is our defense will be better but our offense will be about the same. I've said it till I am blue in the face & will say it again....we are asking too much from our OLmen. These guys are zone blockers who do well in a zone blocking scheme NOT pass blocking! These OL are smaller than I am and in my day I would eat them alive if we ran the offense like we did last year. A bad combination is zone blocking OL & a QB that holds the ball too long. It is a recipe for disaster with out a stretch running game, being able to run toss or running blast through the A or B gap. These OL have done fairly well with the assignments placed on them.

[Political Hack]

we will run much more from a two TE set. With Malcolm he had split out or out his hand down. That makes us very multiple and people won't be able to tell if we're running a power package or a 4-wide package. Our RBs (Perk, Holloway, and JRob) and Malcolm give us a lot of options from a personnel standpoint.

[missouridawg]

The truth is our defense will be better but our offense will be about the same. I've said it till I am blue in the face & will say it again....we are asking too much from our OLmen. These guys are zone blockers who do well in a zone blocking scheme NOT pass blocking! These OL are smaller than I am and in my day I would eat them alive if we ran the offense like we did last year. A bad combination is zone blocking OL & a QB that holds the ball too long. It is a recipe for disaster with out a stretch running game, being able to run toss or running blast through the A or B gap. These OL have done fairly well with the assignments placed on them.

I asked Mullen what kind of difference our offense would show this fall at the Road Dawgs Tour when they came to Houston. His answer made me believe that we weren't going to see much difference between this year and last. He really sidestepped the question and looked uncomfortable answering it. He finished with some coachspeak on only using 70% of a playbook, blah blah blah.

It's stated that a head coach loses 10% of his fan base every year. I can handle getting beat. I can't handle making the same damn mistakes year after year. If Dan doesn't show much something different this fall on offense, he might lose me.

[Pollodawg]

I asked Mullen what kind of difference our offense would show this fall at the Road Dawgs Tour when they came to Houston. His answer made me believe that we weren't going to see much difference between this year and last. He really sidestepped the question and looked uncomfortable answering it. He finished with some coachspeak on only using 70% of a playbook, blah blah blah.

It's stated that a head coach loses 10% of his fan base every year. I can handle getting beat. I can't handle making the same damn mistakes year after year. If Dan doesn't show much something different this fall on offense, he might lose me.

I like Tyler. He's a good guy, and he stuck with State when he really didn't have to. But, at the same time, I am biding my time until I see Dak come in full time. I think the offense will run so much smoother when we have a guy who is absolutely in Mullen's wheelhouse running the show. The option, the zone read, all of the things we did so well in 2010. But, I think we will better on offense because our D will be better. We won't have to ask Tyler and Co. to come in and score fifty for us to win or dig us out of a 31pt hole at the half. That was what made 2010 so special . Mullen had a QB he was comfortable with and our D helped us out every chance it got.

[missouridawg]

I like Tyler. He's a good guy, and he stuck with State when he really didn't have to. But, at the same time, I am biding my time until I see Dak come in full time. I think the offense will run so much smoother when we have a guy who is absolutely in Mullen's wheelhouse running the show. The option, the zone read, all of the things we did so well in 2010. But, I think we will better on offense because our D will be better. We won't have to ask Tyler and Co. to come in and score fifty for us to win or dig us out of a 31pt hole at the half. That was what made 2010 so special . Mullen had a QB he was comfortable with and our D helped us out every chance it got.

It's going to be hard to quantify... but if Dak has a great 2014, I'll be happy... but there will be a piece of me that says Dak should've had a big 2013 too.

Hopefully I'm wrong and Tyler lights it up this year... but if we struggle to move the ball against teams like aTm, OM, Aub, and Arkansas... I'll be pretty disappointed. You get a pass on LSU and Bama cause no one moves the ball on them... but the other teams, we should score points on.

[Political Hack]

Welcome to being a Mississippi State fan... Rule #1: The Backup QB is always the best one.

We're going to miss Tyler Russell like hell when he's gone. Our fans truly don't realize what we have right now.

[FlabLoser]

Tyler is the best QB in the history if the school. He'd fit better in a Sherrill offense than a Mullen offense. But he is THE passer that every State fan wished we always had. He throws more completions into tight double coverage than most State QBs could complete to open receivers.

[Pollodawg]

Tyler is the best QB in the history if the school. He'd fit better in a Sherrill offense than a Mullen offense. But he is THE passer that every State fan wished we always had. He throws more completions into tight double coverage than most State QBs could complete to open receivers.


Oh, no doubt, TR has a better arm than any QB we've ever had except for maybe Fant, who would--at best--be a tie. Ensconced behind a veteran O line, I think he will have a solid year. I just wonder if we haven't seen maybe all we're going to see out of him, though. Having said that, the only loss last year that I really put on TR's shoulders is the bowl, and some of that blame can be shifted to Mullen. He should have known when Tyler came out struggling that it was time to spell him for a few possessions. Not the whole game, just a couple of possessions.

[Political Hack]

yep Flab. Not to mention he's big and takes a beating without missing reps. He's also a winner. What other MS QB do y'all know that was MS Gatorade player of the year, Parade All America, 4 star recruit, starter for the MS all star team, and snapped the nations longest win streak in overtime to win the 5A state championship?

[msstate7]

yep Flab. Not to mention he's big and takes a beating without missing reps. He's also a winner. What other MS QB do y'all know that was MS Gatorade player of the year, Parade All America, 4 star recruit, starter for the MS all star team, and snapped the nations longest win streak in overtime to win the 5A state championship?
Lets hope he's primed to have another big senior year. I think Russell to m Johnson is gonna lead us to a better year than expected.

[Pollodawg]

yep Flab. Not to mention he's big and takes a beating without missing reps. He's also a winner. What other MS QB do y'all know that was MS Gatorade player of the year, Parade All America, 4 star recruit, starter for the MS all star team, and snapped the nations longest win streak in overtime to win the 5A state championship?

I've said if before and I will say it again here. As far as being a native Mississippian goes, TR is the best QB to come out of MS since Campbell. If he had played for--say-a Bobby Petrino or a Mike Leach, he would be unstoppable. But he plays for a guy who loves to run the kind of offense that TR just really isn't good at. But, ya man's a gamer too. He's been beaten down and still came back to complete drives. He's stood and made a throw as calmly as you please all the while knowing he is about to be annihilated. Dude's got some brass.

[Coach34]

Tyler is the best QB in the history if the school.

Tyler is the best PASSING QB in the history of the school.

Our offense is 2012 was not as good as the Relf-led offense of 2010. All we are doing with Tyler is trading passing yardage for rushing yardage- but are 10% worse on 3rd downs. Not to mention the WR's Relf had in 2010 were Soph's but were Sr's for Tyler in 2012

I wouldnt choose Relf to throw the ball over Tyler just like I wouldnt choose Tyler to run the ball over Relf. Tyler had -5 net yards this past season on 43 carries. Relf was even sacked a few more times than Russell- but Relf put up 713 net yards. Thats a tremendous weapon we dont have with Tyler at QB.

I'm curious to see what lies ahead in 2013- I think putting him under Center some benefits Tyler for sure, and hopefully helps the running game.

[Pollodawg]

Tyler is the best PASSING QB in the history of the school.

Our offense is 2012 was not as good as the Relf-led offense of 2010. All we are doing with Tyler is trading passing yardage for rushing yardage- but are 10% worse on 3rd downs. Not to mention the WR's Relf had in 2010 were Soph's but were Sr's for Tyler in 2012

I wouldnt choose Relf to throw the ball over Tyler just like I wouldnt choose Tyler to run the ball over Relf. Tyler had -5 net yards this past season on 43 carries. Relf was even sacked a few times than Russell- but Relf put up 713 net yards. Thats a tremendous weapon we dont have with Tyler at QB.

I'm curious to see what lies ahead in 2013- I think putting him under Center some benefits Tyler for sure, and hopefully helps the running game.


It still amazes me just how much Dan squeezed out of Chris. We got every drop of potential from him. If he hadn't been hurt 80% of last season, he would have had another good year.

[Coach34]

It still amazes me just how much Dan squeezed out of Chris. We got every drop of potential from him. If he hadn't been hurt 80% of last season, he would have had another good year.

I agree. The OL injuries early killed us. They led to the QB's getting hit more and hurt- Relf struggled with bad ribs 3/4 the year, and Tyler got hurt twice. Injuries just took their toll in 2011- not much you can do

[Pollodawg]

I agree. The OL injuries early killed us. They led to the QB's getting hit more and hurt- Relf struggled with bad ribs 3/4 the year, and Tyler got hurt twice. Injuries just took their toll in 2011- not much you can do

It was just one of those snake bitten years. Everybody has em. We just couldn't hide ours as well as an Alabama or an LSU could.

[Coach34]

It was just one of those snake bitten years. Everybody has em. We just couldn't hide ours as well as an Alabama or an LSU could.

Well, it was also a lesson learned by Mullen and Hev that you better get some ****ing juco's in when you are losing Sr's on the OL and have a bunch of youngsters- a definite recruiting mistake

[Pollodawg]

Well, it was also a lesson learned by Mullen and Hev that you better get some ****ing juco's in when you are losing Sr's on the OL and have a bunch of youngsters- a definite recruiting mistake

This is very true. I still don't think we hit the JUCO ranks hard enough. JWS had some of his best success (and worst failures) recruiting the Junior Colleges. And Mississippi is full of talent at that level.

[99jc]

yep Flab. Not to mention he's big and takes a beating without missing reps. He's also a winner. What other MS QB do y'all know that was MS Gatorade player of the year, Parade All America, 4 star recruit, starter for the MS all star team, and snapped the nations longest win streak in overtime to win the 5A state championship?

thats my observation.

[Todd4State]

Tyler is the best PASSING QB in the history of the school.

Our offense is 2012 was not as good as the Relf-led offense of 2010. All we are doing with Tyler is trading passing yardage for rushing yardage- but are 10% worse on 3rd downs. Not to mention the WR's Relf had in 2010 were Soph's but were Sr's for Tyler in 2012

I wouldnt choose Relf to throw the ball over Tyler just like I wouldnt choose Tyler to run the ball over Relf. Tyler had -5 net yards this past season on 43 carries. Relf was even sacked a few more times than Russell- but Relf put up 713 net yards. Thats a tremendous weapon we dont have with Tyler at QB.

I'm curious to see what lies ahead in 2013- I think putting him under Center some benefits Tyler for sure, and hopefully helps the running game.

What I don't get is why the play calling was so much more creative in 2010 vs. 2012. Relf was not a great passer, but we still were able to call pass plays pretty regularly- and much more creative and diverse pass play calls than we saw last year. It seems like all we call are curl routes, have Tyler roll out and throw the WR on a curl route or comeback route, Bumphis running an option route, and then maybe an occasional deep cross with Malcolm or Bumphis. I would think that with a better passing QB we would have been MORE creative with the passing game. And this is sad because creative in this case is pretty much referring to screens, slants, wheel routes, and anything else that you would think would be pretty basic in a passing game.

[Todd4State]

This is very true. I still don't think we hit the JUCO ranks hard enough. JWS had some of his best success (and worst failures) recruiting the Junior Colleges. And Mississippi is full of talent at that level.

I like the JUCO ranks for o-linemen. It's just hard to evaluate that position in general for anybody. But the good thing about JUCO o-linemen is they get valuable reps for two years against pretty good competition and I think you have more of an idea about who can play and who can't. They also get two more years in the weight room.

With the high school guys, your pretty much trying to find someone with size and good feet and you just hope that they have a mean streak.

If I was State, that's how I would recruit the o-line- get the rare blue chip guys like Devon Desper and Jake Thomas as much as possible and then fill in the other spots with JUCO's. I wouldn't even have a problem signing up five JUCO o-linemen if it came down to that.

[Eric Nies Grind Time]

What I don't get is why the play calling was so much more creative in 2010 vs. 2012.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R-NFOEiCwks/TsA7UnIEg3I/AAAAAAAAAAU/lyvX5c50zEI/s1600/Mark+Hudspeth.jpg

[Pollodawg]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R-NFOEiCwks/TsA7UnIEg3I/AAAAAAAAAAU/lyvX5c50zEI/s1600/Mark+Hudspeth.jpg

My bad. He was here for 2010. I apologize.

[missouridawg]

Tyler is the best QB in the history if the school. He'd fit better in a Sherrill offense than a Mullen offense. But he is THE passer that every State fan wished we always had. He throws more completions into tight double coverage than most State QBs could complete to open receivers.

When Dan Mullen got hired, Tim Tebow/Cam Newton/Alex Smith is the type of player I wanted, not Tyler Russell.

This isn't a knock on Tyler by any means. He's a really good QB. But our offense works better with a QB who is a threat to run.

[Coach34]

The Legend of Hud lives on

Hud didnt call plays in 2010- nor did he take away any plays that he might have contributed and forbid us from using them

[MSUDawg4Life]

I think Tyler Russell is the best MSU quarterback I've seen in my thirty years of being a fan - passing or running. He's just the best QB hands down.

However, after watching Chris Relf win nine games and seeing what that type of QB can do in Dan's offense, I look forward to watching Dak Prescott and Elijah Staley. I think they fit the system better and have the potential to be even better than Tyler Russell as overall QBs.

[The Croom Diaries]

Hud didnt call plays in 2010

I have heard differently from people much closer to the situation than me.

Tyler has a lot of incentive to improve this year - he has pro potential and this is his last year to prove his value to the NFL. I don't see why our OL can't improve in pass blocking. They are all coming back and over half the line will be in their 3rd year as a starter. If they aren't improving as per the typical progression of an offensive lineman than I'm not sure what the hell Hevesy is doing. We have the personnel to run some pro-style I think. By that I mean maybe incorporate it a little bit into the offense with some plays under center and two TE, etc. But like many have said, I really wish we would run more screens. Everybody does it but us seemingly - it is a great play.

[Coach34]

I have heard differently from people much closer to the situation than me.

Tyler has a lot of incentive to improve this year - he has pro potential and this is his last year to prove his value to the NFL. I don't see why our OL can't improve in pass blocking. They are all coming back and over half the line will be in their 3rd year as a starter. If they aren't improving as per the typical progression of an offensive lineman than I'm not sure what the hell Hevesy is doing. We have the personnel to run some pro-style I think. By that I mean maybe incorporate it a little bit into the offense with some plays under center and two TE, etc. But like many have said, I really wish we would run more screens. Everybody does it but us seemingly - it is a great play.

Well, Hud said he didnt, and that's about as close as it gets. He had alot of input in gameplanning and made suggestions during games- but Mullen/Koenning called plays

Our OL gave up the 2nd fewest amount of sacks in the SEC with a statue at QB that holds the ball forever- and we threw the 4th most passes in the SEC. It's not pass blocking I'm worried about. It's about improving the scheme to give them a better chance to run-block

Agree on screens

[The Croom Diaries]

Well, Hud said he didnt, and that's about as close as it gets. He had alot of input in gameplanning and made suggestions during games- but Mullen/Koenning called plays

Our OL gave up the 2nd fewest amount of sacks in the SEC with a statue at QB that holds the ball forever- and we threw the 4th most passes in the SEC. It's not pass blocking I'm worried about. It's about improving the scheme to give them a better chance to run-block

Agree on screens

Well if Hud said it then I guess it is true. I did not hear it straight from the horse's mouth. My OL comment was on what 57 said about us being small up front. I think we will have one of the best O-lines in the SEC this year - probably similar to what Tennessee had last year and for the same reason: experience. I think the receivers will make or break this offense. We've got a shot to be really good but they are going to really have to step up. RoJo needs to have a big year.

[Will James]

We're going to miss Tyler Russell like hell when he's gone. Our fans truly don't realize what we have right now.


I disagree

[War Machine Dawg]

Honestly, I really don't see our offense improving much this season. With TR at QB, we're a finesse passing team with a limited run game.

It also doesn't help that we're hell-bent on using Perk as an every down SEC back. Love Perk, but he needs to be used in a "super athlete" role. Sweeps, end arounds, screens, receiving out of the backfield. Hell, I'd even line him up in the slot a little. He can do great things in space, but he's not nearly physical enough to be a consistent between the tackles runner. Personally, I'd start J-Rob at RB. He's got the thump you need to run inside on a consistent basis in this league. He finishes run much, much better than Perkins. I'd be willing to bet he was knocked backwards fewer than 5 times last season. He just always seems to fall forward for extra yards.

The other thing we've got to do is make sure we properly identify our real playmakers and make a concerted effort to get them the ball. The 3 guys that immediately come to mind are Tubby, RoJo, and MoJo. We've GOT to get those guys multiple touches in every game. I really liked what I saw from Holloway in the spring, but we'll see what he's got in the fall. He's another guy that needs to be used in the "super athlete" role. I also liked Fred Brown in the spring. He needs to be a big part of the offense.

All that said, I just don't see us making the necessary changes we need to improve the offense in a significant matter this season. I think we'll be a little better just because of the experience and improvement of our OL, but I don't see us making a huge jump forward, either. We're just going to keep hammering the square peg into the damn round hole.

[Coach 57]

What I don't get is why the play calling was so much more creative in 2010 vs. 2012. Relf was not a great passer, but we still were able to call pass plays pretty regularly- and much more creative and diverse pass play calls than we saw last year. It seems like all we call are curl routes, have Tyler roll out and throw the WR on a curl route or comeback route, Bumphis running an option route, and then maybe an occasional deep cross with Malcolm or Bumphis. I would think that with a better passing QB we would have been MORE creative with the passing game. And this is sad because creative in this case is pretty much referring to screens, slants, wheel routes, and anything else that you would think would be pretty basic in a passing game.


That's what I keep saying but you guys hardly ever flippin' listen. So let's try again.

It's not that our play calling was SO much better. It's that our coaches then with Relf and even still now are more comfortable with THAT style of QB! If I need to explain why with X's & O's I will. But I feel you guys KNOW this stuff. I know this is terrible for me to say but it's the truth about how I feel about this year. Despite Tyler being the greatest chance thus far in MSU history of making & maintaining a roster spot and despite Mullen (actually) being a good coach....I have an 8 word sentence for this year in football "wake me up when this year is over". And the reason I say it is this. I'm not going to condemn CDM if we fail this year (unlike some who will) and the reason is because he hasn't coached a QB he recruited yet. Tyler is a Croom recruit....period. He was leaning here anyways CDM just made the call & showed Tyler the rings to keep from losing the best QB prospect in the State since forever ago. Him signing with us was a staple in CDM's folder. If Tyler gets hurt (I'm NOT wishing it to happen as I think Tyler is an impressive young talent & young man) wake me up.

[FlabLoser]

Agreed agreed agreed.

We don't have the running game to make Tyler as effective as he needs to be passing the ball. A big reason we we don't run well is because Tryler can't do zone read much.

Frankly I have no idea why we don't have other ways to crank the running game. I just know Mullen likes the QB to be a running threat and Tyler ain't that.

[Pollodawg]

That's what I keep saying but you guys hardly ever flippin' listen. So let's try again.

It's not that our play calling was SO much better. It's that our coaches then with Relf and even still now are more comfortable with THAT style of QB! If I need to explain why with X's & O's I will. But I feel you guys KNOW this stuff. I know this is terrible for me to say but it's the truth about how I feel about this year. Despite Tyler being the greatest chance thus far in MSU history of making & maintaining a roster spot and despite Mullen (actually) being a good coach....I have an 8 word sentence for this year in football "wake me up when this year is over". And the reason I say it is this. I'm not going to condemn CDM if we fail this year (unlike some who will) and the reason is because he hasn't coached a QB he recruited yet. Tyler is a Croom recruit....period. He was leaning here anyways CDM just made the call & showed Tyler the rings to keep from losing the best QB prospect in the State since forever ago. Him signing with us was a staple in CDM's folder. If Tyler gets hurt (I'm NOT wishing it to happen as I think Tyler is an impressive young talent & young man) wake me up.

I've said this over and over. Russell was a four star QB out of Mississippi, and Mullen wasn't about to pass that up. I don't know if I would go quite as far as the bold part, lol. I will just say that the offense will run more smoothly when Dak is at the helm. Why? Because that is the kind of QB Mullen is most comfortable with. Do I think Tyler can lead us back to a bowl? Yes. Do I think Dak will take us farther? Again, yes.

[Coach 57]

I'm still gonna watch/analyze this season especially from my perspective (DL). And I will whole heartedly pull for this team and for Tyler. But I'm not going to scrutinize Mullen/Tyler over the course of this year. That's all I'm saying.

[MSUDawg4Life]

I'm still gonna watch/analyze this season especially from my perspective (DL). And I will whole heartedly pull for this team and for Tyler. But I'm not going to scrutinize Mullen/Tyler over the course of this year. That's all I'm saying.

How do you feel about the DL? What do you expect?

[Coach 57]

I think Autry is a freak and proved that once he understood what we were trying to do last year scheme wise and it showed. I think Preston, Ryan Brown, AJ are all viable contenders for the other DE spot. My money is on Preston but halfway through the season people will see why I am in love with what AJ can do. I felt like PJ regressed and some of that us coaching & some is pure down right "I couldn't give a rip about my position coach" mentality. I know that Coach T's specialty is interior lineman and guys like Quay, PJ, Virges, Eulls (where he should've been all along) will all benefit from his teaching and wisdom. James needs a TON of work FAR more than any of the other mentioned. Eulls has great hands but footwork & ability to get off the snap hurt him when he was at DE. He has GOT to get better to contribute. If he can't bull rush OTs you SURE can't do it where the big boys are! Our performance on the DL will hing on the same as what it hinged on last year. When the 2 technique/NT. gets single blocked by the OG it allows the C to punch & release or in our case last year, allows the C to take him on by himself which in turn allows everybody else to be accounted for. Fletcher was no doubt an amazing talent but his last year in maroon was credited by Josh Boyd being doubled. But after Fletcher left Josh went to the DT & there was no body to pick up the role Josh once had. Wilson had fall out after fall out with Quay & James & it didn't allow him to play either. PJ kept getting into trouble (suspension early last year), Virges acts like doesn't care sometimes so it left one guy......Cherrington. Who really Wilson "hitched his wagon to" and ultimately cost him. Quay once he got in was a destructive force that was incredibly versatile. Watch the Bama game once Quay got in to see his potential, when he (as a freshman) can rock Barrett Jones and cause them to double him....you have a special kid! So far those are my assessments.

[Todd4State]

That's what I keep saying but you guys hardly ever flippin' listen. So let's try again.

It's not that our play calling was SO much better. It's that our coaches then with Relf and even still now are more comfortable with THAT style of QB! If I need to explain why with X's & O's I will. But I feel you guys KNOW this stuff. I know this is terrible for me to say but it's the truth about how I feel about this year. Despite Tyler being the greatest chance thus far in MSU history of making & maintaining a roster spot and despite Mullen (actually) being a good coach....I have an 8 word sentence for this year in football "wake me up when this year is over". And the reason I say it is this. I'm not going to condemn CDM if we fail this year (unlike some who will) and the reason is because he hasn't coached a QB he recruited yet. Tyler is a Croom recruit....period. He was leaning here anyways CDM just made the call & showed Tyler the rings to keep from losing the best QB prospect in the State since forever ago. Him signing with us was a staple in CDM's folder. If Tyler gets hurt (I'm NOT wishing it to happen as I think Tyler is an impressive young talent & young man) wake me up.

But again, why wouldn't that make a coach more likely to call pass plays? That tells me we don't have a very good OC. They can't be just sitting up in the press box lamenting the fact that they can't call zone read option plays all day long to the point where all they call are the same plays over and over and over again. Taking something like that away you would think would make someone more likely to call something else.

People railed on Croom for not adjusting to his personnel- so why should Dan get a pass when he can't adjust to the personnel he has now because he's not "comfortable"?

[Todd4State]

I think Autry is a freak and proved that once he understood what we were trying to do last year scheme wise and it showed. I think Preston, Ryan Brown, AJ are all viable contenders for the other DE spot. My money is on Preston but halfway through the season people will see why I am in love with what AJ can do. I felt like PJ regressed and some of that us coaching & some is pure down right "I couldn't give a rip about my position coach" mentality. I know that Coach T's specialty is interior lineman and guys like Quay, PJ, Virges, Eulls (where he should've been all along) will all benefit from his teaching and wisdom. James needs a TON of work FAR more than any of the other mentioned. Eulls has great hands but footwork & ability to get off the snap hurt him when he was at DE. He has GOT to get better to contribute. If he can't bull rush OTs you SURE can't do it where the big boys are! Our performance on the DL will hing on the same as what it hinged on last year. When the 2 technique/NT. gets single blocked by the OG it allows the C to punch & release or in our case last year, allows the C to take him on by himself which in turn allows everybody else to be accounted for. Fletcher was no doubt an amazing talent but his last year in maroon was credited by Josh Boyd being doubled. But after Fletcher left Josh went to the DT & there was no body to pick up the role Josh once had. Wilson had fall out after fall out with Quay & James & it didn't allow him to play either. PJ kept getting into trouble (suspension early last year), Virges acts like doesn't care sometimes so it left one guy......Cherrington. Who really Wilson "hitched his wagon to" and ultimately cost him. Quay once he got in was a destructive force that was incredibly versatile. Watch the Bama game once Quay got in to see his potential, when he (as a freshman) can rock Barrett Jones and cause them to double him....you have a special kid! So far those are my assessments.

Couldn't we have overcome some of our d-line deficiencies by blitzing and bringing more pressure? That's what puzzled me. We knew we had a walk-on JUCO DT out there. That's an issue in the SEC. Rushing three or four guys every single down and then having out LB's and secondary just sit back there while guys had all day to get wide open is a recipe for disaster. Add to that Nikoe didn't know what the hell he was doing.

[theloungeinleft]

But again, why wouldn't that make a coach more likely to call pass plays? That tells me we don't have a very good OC. They can't be just sitting up in the press box lamenting the fact that they can't call zone read option plays all day long to the point where all they call are the same plays over and over and over again. Taking something like that away you would think would make someone more likely to call something else.

People railed on Croom for not adjusting to his personnel- so why should Dan get a pass when he can't adjust to the personnel he has now because he's not "comfortable"?

We don't. IMO.

[The Croom Diaries]

We don't. IMO.

And in most people's opinion. Hopefully Dan will step in and call most if not all the plays this year. Les, like Wilson, is a good position coach but not a SEC coordinator.

[Political Hack]

Wilson having to rotate the DL last year and call plays was too much for him. Cherrigton should've never gotten as many snaps as he did. I don't care who was in the dog house, he should've given Cherry the token start and a certain percentage of snaps but there were times he'd be in about to die gasping for air when we had three fresh 300 lb beast standing on the sidelines waiting to wreak havoc. There's no excuse for that. Then after he and Banks got into it the week of the Bama game, the defense was lost. All of those problems are gone now IMO. I think our defense is going to be much, much better.

The offense will be about the same. If Hev would stay the hell out of the headset and let Les get into a groove, the offense would flow much better. There apparently was a lot of chatter and back and forth BS last year. I remember at times TR being pissed about the time it was taking to get the play calls in and didnt know why. Found out later that the coaches were debating the play calls between plays pretty regularly. Thay crap has to be cleaned up. One play caller... until that happens you really can't blame the play calling on one person. I wish they'd give it to CDM because he could just tell everyone to STFU and make the call.

[WeWillScrewItUp]

To me it sounds like Dan needs to tell Hev to shut the hell up. Part of being a good Head Coach is being able to control your staff as well as your players. If Les is the OC he needs to be the one calling the plays.

[Coach34]

But again, why wouldn't that make a coach more likely to call pass plays? That tells me we don't have a very good OC.

We threw the 4th most passes in the SEC last year...we are throwing more than we should already

[War Machine Dawg]

I guess I'm the only one who hasn't heard the story, but what happened between Banks & Wilson? This is the 2nd or 3rd time I've seen that eluded to in this thread alone. Feel free to PM if you don't want to put it on the open board.

[theloungeinleft]

The offense will be about the same. If Hev would stay the hell out of the headset and let Les get into a groove, the offense would flow much better. There apparently was a lot of chatter and back and forth BS last year. I remember at times TR being pissed about the time it was taking to get the play calls in and didnt know why. Found out later that the coaches were debating the play calls between plays pretty regularly. Thay crap has to be cleaned up. One play caller... until that happens you really can't blame the play calling on one person. I wish they'd give it to CDM because he could just tell everyone to STFU and make the call.

100% agree. However, I've also heard that a lot of it was between CDM and Les. Basically, both want to solely call the plays, and there were a lot of disagreements during games between the two thru the headsets. In turn, it creates a cluster.

[Political Hack]

yep lefty. Considering how dysfunctional the offense was run last year at times its a miracle we had the offensive production we did.

WMD, I don't know all the details. Just know that Banks wanted to man up and press Bama. He wanted to bring pressure and try to force them to make mistakes, but throughout the week he found out that it's more "bend don't break" and he called Wilson out for it. Basically said we can't win playing soft. I don't know how public it was or who it was in front of, but the defense was split from that point forward. I haven't heard this, but I can almost 100% guarantee you that Melvin was on Banks' side of things. There was the "Banks was right" side and the "Wilson is our coach" side. I don't think Banks was a consistent pain or anything. Just heard about that one blow up, but the defense was split after that and wouldn't buy in to the soft scheme.