The reality of the situation

[Beaver]

Until we start recruiting better, this program cannot move forward. Since 2009 the only SEC teams we've consistently out recruited are Kentucky, Vandy, and Mizzou. We're about even with Arkansas. With that being said, Mullen has done a good job finding 'diamonds in the rough' and developing many other players. However, as we witnessed yesterday, Alabama was bigger, stronger, faster, and more talented. If we continue on our current track, I think we'll continue to go to decent bowl games, and enjoy winning seasons. However, we will not be able to make it through an entire SEC schedule with 0 or 1 losses.

Since 2006, when the SEC started dominating College Football, the only teams to make it to the SEC championship game without Top 10 or even Top 15 talent are Arkansas in 2006, and Mizzou in 2013 & 2014. To me, State keeps doing the same thing over and over expecting different results (an SEC west crown), that's called insanity.

So, in order to bring in better recruiting classes something has to change...

1. We can hope Mississippi starts producing even more top level talent. Mullen has done a pretty good job at getting in-state quality players.
2. We can start recruiting on a larger scope----If Howland can do it, why not Mullen?
3. We can hire coaches who are better at recruiting. Especially on the offensive side of the ball.
4. We can fire Mullen, and hope a guy who is better at coaching and recruiting than Mullen comes along.
5. We can get super lucky like Mizzou, and hope the rest of the teams in our division implode because of poor coaching.

That's it. There's plenty of data to back this up. Yes, other teams across the country can recruit 3 star guys and only lose a couple games. But not in the SEC. Look at who wins the SEC championship game, and ultimately the National Chamionship game. It always comes down to a combination of elite talent and good coaching. You must have both. We can whine about play calling all day, but nothing will change overall unless we recruit better.

[msstate7]

Didn't we take a nice step forward in recruiting last year?

We have to find a way to get Simmons, AJ, r. Davis, lashley, and jones to close strong. Getting gooden and qualified would be a huge get too

[Beaver]

Yeah, 2014 is a nice class. But 6 other SEC teams had better classes.

[MetEdDawg]

Well the difference is how much better? Last year we were a Top 20 class. There's a big difference in having a Bama or LSU in the Top 5 and us in the Top 20 than when we are outside the Top 30. Our problem is that we haven't even been getting enough 4 star guys. We get too many 3 star guys that take time to develop.

Our haul from MS was great last year and we did exactly what we needed to there. But we have to find ways to get 4 star guys from states that typically develop college ready talent more quickly than MS guys. We've had a ton of success with AL, GA, and LA guys, even the ones not highly recruited. The list of recent guys is a whose who of our better and most impactful players over the past few years. Dak, J Rob, Preston Smith, Ryan Brown, Benny Brown, Bear, Clausell, Day, Malcolm Johnson. And only one of these guys was a 4 star and that was Benny. The rest were 2 or 3 stars. So if we are getting the "bottom or middle tier players" from those states (based on rankings), what the hell would happen if we grabbed a few of the Top 10 guys from those states? MS is weak on depth of talent and readiness for college. These surrounding states aren't. It's fine to hammer your state and fill your roster with some of those guys. But this has been proven over and over again in MS. There isn't any depth. If you want a 3 star DL, might be better to go to AL and find one than to stay in state and get one. I understand it's loyalty to the state, but it has been proven over and over again these surrounding states develop better talent consistently.

[msstate7]

I prefer to let this season play out before we completely scrap how we've built ourselves into a successful team. If we finish 7-5, perhaps we should go after more OOS top recruits or take on questionable character 4*'s. If we finish 9-3, I hope Dan keeps doing exactly what he's been doing. Even if we do go after higher rated OOS guys though, we still won't recruit higher than lsu, bama, aTm, Georgia, Florida, and most likely auburn. So if we get higher rated players that won't buy in to RSing to help us catch more talented teams with experience, have we gained anything?

[SDDawg]

I prefer to let this season play out before we completely scrap how we've built ourselves into a successful team. If we finish 7-5, perhaps we should go after more OOS top recruits or take on questionable character 4*'s. If we finish 9-3, I hope Dan keeps doing exactly what he's been doing. Even if do go after higher rated OOS guys though, we still won't recruit higher than lsu, bama, aTm, Georgia, Florida, and most likely auburn. So if we get higher rated players that won't buy in to RSing to help us catch more talented teams with experience, have we gained anything?

Best post of the weekend, all about we finish. Tell Kyle Shitbird not to pack his shit just yet... **

[THE Bruce Dickinson]

We were 10-1 and playing for a spot in the college football playoff literally less than 1 year ago, I want to beat Bama as much as the next guy but people go absolutely insane after a loss.

[t45fixer]

By the time you end up 7-5, it's to late. Get on these guys early and build a relationship

[HoopsDawg]

OP complicated the matter. If we sign 1 good tackle and 1 good interior linemen in 2012/2013 we have a shot to win that game yesterday.

[HoopsDawg]

Yeah, 2014 is a nice class. But 6 other SEC teams had better classes.

That doesn't matter. We will almost never beat LSU, Bama, AU, UF, A&M, UGA or UT in recruiting rankings. But we don't have to. What we do have to do is continually pump out Top 20 classes and that is something we have not done.

[BoomBoom]

Until we start recruiting better, this program cannot move forward. Since 2009 the only SEC teams we've consistently out recruited are Kentucky, Vandy, and Mizzou. We're about even with Arkansas. With that being said, Mullen has done a good job finding 'diamonds in the rough' and developing many other players. However, as we witnessed yesterday, Alabama was bigger, stronger, faster, and more talented. If we continue on our current track, I think we'll continue to go to decent bowl games, and enjoy winning seasons. However, we will not be able to make it through an entire SEC schedule with 0 or 1 losses.

Since 2006, when the SEC started dominating College Football, the only teams to make it to the SEC championship game without Top 10 or even Top 15 talent are Arkansas in 2006, and Mizzou in 2013 & 2014. To me, State keeps doing the same thing over and over expecting different results (an SEC west crown), that's called insanity.

So, in order to bring in better recruiting classes something has to change...

1. We can hope Mississippi starts producing even more top level talent. Mullen has done a pretty good job at getting in-state quality players.
2. We can start recruiting on a larger scope----If Howland can do it, why not Mullen?
3. We can hire coaches who are better at recruiting. Especially on the offensive side of the ball.
4. We can fire Mullen, and hope a guy who is better at coaching and recruiting than Mullen comes along.
5. We can get super lucky like Mizzou, and hope the rest of the teams in our division implode because of poor coaching.

That's it. There's plenty of data to back this up. Yes, other teams across the country can recruit 3 star guys and only lose a couple games. But not in the SEC. Look at who wins the SEC championship game, and ultimately the National Chamionship game. It always comes down to a combination of elite talent and good coaching. You must have both. We can whine about play calling all day, but nothing will change overall unless we recruit better.

As long as we have a coach that thinks it's a good idea to play to his opponent's strengths, better recruiting will just lead to closer losses. Even 5 stars have weaknesses. If we dont have a coach that can scheme around those weaknesses, we still wont beat teams like Bama.

[GreenheadDawg]

As long as we have a coach that thinks it's a good idea to play to his opponent's strengths, better recruiting will just lead to closer losses. Even 5 stars have weaknesses. If we dont have a coach that can scheme around those weaknesses, we still wont beat teams like Bama.

So you're saying we shouldn't use a 140lb RB with a Girl Scout troop at o-line against the best d-line in the country?**

[msstate7]

So you're saying we shouldn't use a 140lb RB with a Girl Scout troop at o-line against the best d-line in the country?**

Holloway avg'd 4.9 a carry yesterday and over 10 yards a catch. I thought we used Holloway very well

[Beaver]

I prefer to let this season play out before we completely scrap how we've built ourselves into a successful team. If we finish 7-5, perhaps we should go after more OOS top recruits or take on questionable character 4*'s. If we finish 9-3, I hope Dan keeps doing exactly what he's been doing. Even if we do go after higher rated OOS guys though, we still won't recruit higher than lsu, bama, aTm, Georgia, Florida, and most likely auburn. So if we get higher rated players that won't buy in to RSing to help us catch more talented teams with experience, have we gained anything?

Yes, and as I said, I will enjoy the 9-3 season coupled with the decent bowl game. And that's great! It's way more fun than sucking. However, is it a step forward? Nope. I don't see us going 11-1 next year, so again, not moving forward. And you're right, we likely won't out recruit many of the traditional powers. But we have to close the gap even further. How? I don't know. I know that Mullen has been great for MSU. I don't expect us to win 11 games every season. What I'm saying is that we need more talent to win the West.

[Beaver]

We were 10-1 and playing for a spot in the college football playoff literally less than 1 year ago, I want to beat Bama as much as the next guy but people go absolutely insane after a loss.

Not going insane, just being realistic. Yes, we were 10-1 last year. But we finished 10-3, the best we can finish this year is 10-3, and do you think we're winning 11 games next year? I'd guess not. 3 years, lots of talent and lots of wins. But not quiet enough to be the best.

[msstate7]

Not going insane, just being realistic. Yes, we were 10-1 last year. But we finished 10-3, the best we can finish this year is 10-3, and do you think we're winning 11 games next year? I'd guess not. 3 years, lots of talent and lots of wins. But not quiet enough to be the best.

With bama's top rated classes year-in, year-out, they still can't get 11-1 every year. Dude, it's not easy for Saban to get 11-1 with the best talent in the country... Why would you look at anything less than 11-1 as failure? It's ridiculous to be honest

[Beaver]

That doesn't matter. We will almost never beat LSU, Bama, AU, UF, A&M, UGA or UT in recruiting rankings. But we don't have to. What we do have to do is continually pump out Top 20 classes and that is something we have not done.

Yes, top 20 recruiting classes year after year would help close the gap. We don't have to beat all of those teams every year, but we have to beat a few of those teams every couple of years.

[Beaver]

With bama's top rated classes year-in, year-out, they still can't get 11-1 every year. Dude, it's not easy for Saban to get 11-1 with the best talent in the country... Why would you look at anything less than 11-1 as failure? It's ridiculous to be honest

Never said not winning 11 games was a failure. Like I already said, I don't expect us to win 11 games every year. That's unrealistic. But at some point, to reach the next step (which in my mind is winning the West) we'll have to win 11 games. It hasn't happened yet, and probably won't happen next year. That doesn't mean I've already given up on next season or anything. I'm simply stating we need a bit more talent to win the West.

[Johnson85]

Never said not winning 11 games was a failure. Like I already said, I don't expect us to win 11 games every year. That's unrealistic. But at some point, to reach the next step (which in my mind is winning the West) we'll have to win 11 games. It hasn't happened yet, and probably won't happen next year. That doesn't mean I've already given up on next season or anything. I'm simply stating we need a bit more talent to win the West.

And it's ridiculous to expect a step forward every year when you have a different team each year. We finish 7-5, and this will have been a disappointing year and a failure on Mullen's part. We finish 9-3, this will have been a very step forward even though our record is worse. We will have sustained a good two year peak. Hopefully we can build on that and have another good two year peak in 2017 and 2018. If we do that, we will still be taking a step forward just by being consistent, even though our record won't look any better.

[TrapGame]

And it's ridiculous to expect a step forward every year when you have a different team each year. We finish 7-5, and this will have been a disappointing year and a failure on Mullen's part. We finish 9-3, this will have been a very step forward even though our record is worse. We will have sustained a good two year peak. Hopefully we can build on that and have another good two year peak in 2017 and 2018. If we do that, we will still be taking a step forward just by being consistent, even though our record won't look any better.

Wut?!

Stop that crazy talk! Can't you see we are in full meltdown over losing to Bama!****************

[Thick]

I agree with Hoops. Continue top 20 plus recruiting classes, but focus on OL from different a states, especially from schools that produce quality lineman. It all starts in the trenches. If you can win those battles, you have good skill players, you win a lot of games vs good teams.

[Dawgology]

Yes, and as I said, I will enjoy the 9-3 season coupled with the decent bowl game. And that's great! It's way more fun than sucking. However, is it a step forward? Nope. I don't see us going 11-1 next year, so again, not moving forward. And you're right, we likely won't out recruit many of the traditional powers. But we have to close the gap even further. How? I don't know. I know that Mullen has been great for MSU. I don't expect us to win 11 games every season. What I'm saying is that we need more talent to win the West.

Let me give you a short history lesson:

1 2015 Dan Mullen (7-3)
2 2014 Dan Mullen (10-3) Orange Bowl-L
3 2013 Dan Mullen (7-6) Liberty Bowl-W
4 2012 Dan Mullen (8-5) Gator Bowl-L
5 2011 Dan Mullen (7-6) Music City Bowl-W
6 2010 Dan Mullen (9-4) Gator Bowl-W
7 2009 Dan Mullen (5-7)
8 2008 Sylvester Croom (4-8)
9 2007 Sylvester Croom (8-5) Liberty Bowl-W
10 2006 Sylvester Croom (3-9)
11 2005 Sylvester Croom (3-8)
12 2004 Sylvester Croom (3-8)
13 2003 Jackie Sherrill (2-10)
14 2002 Jackie Sherrill (3-9)
15 2001 Jackie Sherrill (3-8)

In the past 15 years we have had 7......SEVEN winning seasons. Six of them have come in the past 6 years straight under Mullen. If you don't see progress in our program based on these very simple to understand numbers then you have just shut your eyes to reality. A lot of people don't understand how terrible our program had become. Mullen is slowly digging us out of what to some would be considered an impossibly deep ditch. We are competitive and have been in play for the SEC Championship game in November the past two years. We have slowly moved to a program that is not happy with the occasional win over rivals to a program that EXPECTS a bowl game every year. We will hit the next level soon. I know there are things that need to be fixed and I can assure you that our coach recognizes those too. I'm hopeful that they will be corrected. Just give it time to develop. There is a plan and it is working.

But, rest assured, the program is definitely progressing.

[FISHDAWG]

And it's ridiculous to expect a step forward every year when you have a different team each year. We finish 7-5, and this will have been a disappointing year and a failure on Mullen's part. We finish 9-3, this will have been a very step forward even though our record is worse. We will have sustained a good two year peak. Hopefully we can build on that and have another good two year peak in 2017 and 2018. If we do that, we will still be taking a step forward just by being consistent, even though our record won't look any better.

dead-on ... Croom finished 7&5 and we gave him a raise and extention .... now, 7 & 5 is offensive - we can thank Dan for our new higher expectations... while we give him hell over some things, we just shouldn't forget something like this

[Beaver]

And it's ridiculous to expect a step forward every year when you have a different team each year. We finish 7-5, and this will have been a disappointing year and a failure on Mullen's part. We finish 9-3, this will have been a very step forward even though our record is worse. We will have sustained a good two year peak. Hopefully we can build on that and have another good two year peak in 2017 and 2018. If we do that, we will still be taking a step forward just by being consistent, even though our record won't look any better.

Nowhere in this thread have I said I expect to take a step forward every year.

[BoomBoom]

Let me give you a short history lesson:

1 2015 Dan Mullen (7-3)
2 2014 Dan Mullen (10-3) Orange Bowl-L
3 2013 Dan Mullen (7-6) Liberty Bowl-W
4 2012 Dan Mullen (8-5) Gator Bowl-L
5 2011 Dan Mullen (7-6) Music City Bowl-W
6 2010 Dan Mullen (9-4) Gator Bowl-W
7 2009 Dan Mullen (5-7)
8 2008 Sylvester Croom (4-8)
9 2007 Sylvester Croom (8-5) Liberty Bowl-W
10 2006 Sylvester Croom (3-9)
11 2005 Sylvester Croom (3-8)
12 2004 Sylvester Croom (3-8)
13 2003 Jackie Sherrill (2-10)
14 2002 Jackie Sherrill (3-9)
15 2001 Jackie Sherrill (3-8)

In the past 15 years we have had 7......SEVEN winning seasons. Six of them have come in the past 6 years straight under Mullen. If you don't see progress in our program based on these very simple to understand numbers then you have just shut your eyes to reality. A lot of people don't understand how terrible our program had become. Mullen is slowly digging us out of what to some would be considered an impossibly deep ditch. We are competitive and have been in play for the SEC Championship game in November the past two years. We have slowly moved to a program that is not happy with the occasional win over rivals to a program that EXPECTS a bowl game every year. We will hit the next level soon. I know there are things that need to be fixed and I can assure you that our coach recognizes those too. I'm hopeful that they will be corrected. Just give it time to develop. There is a plan and it is working.

But, rest assured, the program is definitely progressing.

What will.it take to convince you that our coach does NOT recognize those things that need fixing?

[Duckdog]

We were 10-1 and playing for a spot in the college football playoff literally less than 1 year ago, I want to beat Bama as much as the next guy but people go absolutely insane after a loss.

For real if you want to get real depressed come here after a loss

[Johnson85]

Nowhere in this thread have I said I expect to take a step forward every year.

Well you said this:


Yes, and as I said, I will enjoy the 9-3 season coupled with the decent bowl game. And that's great! It's way more fun than sucking. However, is it a step forward? Nope. I don't see us going 11-1 next year, so again, not moving forward. And you're right, we likely won't out recruit many of the traditional powers. But we have to close the gap even further. How? I don't know. I know that Mullen has been great for MSU. I don't expect us to win 11 games every season. What I'm saying is that we need more talent to win the West.

Didn't say that a step forward is required every year, but saying 9-3 this year wouldn't be a step forward and us not going 11-1 next year means we're not moving forward. Certainly seems to imply going 9-3 this year and next wouldnt' be a step forward, and that's just crazy talk, even if in theory there is a year beyond 2016 you're not expecting a step forward.

[Dawgology]

What will.it take to convince you that our coach does NOT recognize those things that need fixing?

If we start seeing losing seasons again or losses to inferior teams due to issues within his control (such as OL and special teams) I would start calling for his head. But to can a coach at MSU after 6 straight bowl games and a #1 ranking would be the height of stupidity. I'm not going to base a coaches tenure off of losses to Alabama and LSU.

[biscuit]

Who will be our QB next year?

[smootness]

All our fan base is doing right now is proving that every coach, no matter the success, will eventually see his fans turn on him. The most recent best season becomes the new 'standard,' and improvement must be seen every year. Once there is a step back in terms of record, people start calling for the coach to go because 'we've reached our ceiling and obviously won't ever be better than this.'

You see it everywhere, and it's starting to happen with us now. Sad, but expected.

[Beaver]

Well you said this:

Didn't say that a step forward is required every year, but saying 9-3 this year wouldn't be a step forward and us not going 11-1 next year means we're not moving forward. Certainly seems to imply going 9-3 this year and next wouldnt' be a step forward, and that's just crazy talk, even if in theory there is a year beyond 2016 you're not expecting a step forward.

Yes, 9-3 this year and a solid year next year is a step in the right direction. However, I don't think it's the same as 'taking the next step.' To me, the next step for the program, since we've now accomplished having consistent winning seasons with nice decent bowl appearances, is to win the SEC west. I just don't think we can get that done until we get better at recruiting. And I'm saying that because the data show to win the SEC West (with exception to 2006 Arkansas( you must have top 10 or top 15 talent. We're not quite there yet.

[BrunswickDawg]

All our fan base is doing right now is proving that every coach, no matter the success, will eventually see his fans turn on him. The most recent best season becomes the new 'standard,' and improvement must be seen every year. Once there is a step back in terms of record, people start calling for the coach to go because 'we've reached our ceiling and obviously won't ever be better than this.'

You see it everywhere, and it's starting to happen with us now. Sad, but expected.

Isn't that what Liverpool was saying yesterday about the ways of "Old MSU" that got him blasted by a number of people? My only surprise is that we haven't the Hud bandwagon come charging in yet. Maybe we can still get Bobby Wallace.***

[99jc]

Yes, 9-3 this year and a solid year next year is a step in the right direction. However, I don't think it's the same as 'taking the next step.' To me, the next step for the program, since we've now accomplished having consistent winning seasons with nice decent bowl appearances, is to win the SEC west. I just don't think we can get that done until we get better at recruiting. And I'm saying that because the data show to win the SEC West (with exception to 2006 Arkansas( you must have top 10 or top 15 talent. We're not quite there yet.

Bama the last 2 years we have the 2nd best record in the SEC behind only bama what the 17 do you all want. just shut the hell up bitching. ***** ass 17ers.

[Beaver]

Bama the last 2 years we have the 2nd best record in the SEC behind only bama what the 17 do you all want. just shut the hell up bitching. ***** ass 17ers.

I made it pretty clear what I want.. To win the SEC West... Just need a bit (not a ton) more talent. Everybody talks about making a run in 2017 when we 'peak' again. That's great and all and I hope it works out. But we'll still have to play 8 SEC games. MSU is in good shape. But we play in the toughest division in the toughest conference in all of college football.

[BoomBoom]

If we start seeing losing seasons again or losses to inferior teams due to issues within his control (such as OL and special teams) I would start calling for his head. But to can a coach at MSU after 6 straight bowl games and a #1 ranking would be the height of stupidity. I'm not going to base a coaches tenure off of losses to Alabama and LSU.

So you would be fine with the same mistakes costing wins against SEC teams, but not the exact same mistakes costing an OOC game? Me, I care about the mistakes, not the competition.

[AROB44]

All our fan base is doing right now is proving that every coach, no matter the success, will eventually see his fans turn on him. The most recent best season becomes the new 'standard,' and improvement must be seen every year. Once there is a step back in terms of record, people start calling for the coach to go because 'we've reached our ceiling and obviously won't ever be better than this.'

You see it everywhere, and it's starting to happen with us now. Sad, but expected.

This is why I say the life of a coach at any school is about 10 years. And this is year 7 for Dan. I hate it but that is college football today.

[dawg27]

Didn't we take a nice step forward in recruiting last year?

We have to find a way to get Simmons, AJ, r. Davis, lashley, and jones to close strong. Getting gooden and qualified would be a huge get too

We did last year,but look at this year what are we 34th. That is not taking a step forward.

[Coach34]

We did last year,but look at this year what are we 34th. That is not taking a step forward.

if we close the big targets we have left- we will finish in the top 25

[Homedawg]

We did last year,but look at this year what are we 34th. That is not taking a step forward.

The size of the class will make it tough to be very highly rated. Around 25 is about as high as we can go.

[dawg27]

if we close the big targets we have left- we will finish in the top 25

I sure hope we can,how do we look on landing them guys?

[Dawgology]

So you would be fine with the same mistakes costing wins against SEC teams, but not the exact same mistakes costing an OOC game? Me, I care about the mistakes, not the competition.

That's not what I said at all. You are 100% putting words in my mouth. I said losing seasons or losses to inferior teams due to mistakes. Your question was what will convince me...that's your answer. To me, a loss to an inferior team is unacceptable for MSU right now with where the program is. Before Mullen it was normal to have a couple of losses (sometimes more) to teams that we were favored to beat. Since Mullen has arrived I think we have lost maybe 2 in which we were favored. I'm not saying we don't have weaknesses on this team...all college football teams have weaknesses...but if those weaknesses are not addressed and lead to avoidable losses it becomes a bigger issue. Right now, I'm not seeing it. I've got news for you, we could have had a better O-Line Saturday night and we still would have been beat by a couple TD's or more. There are many saying that this is the best D-Line that Bama has put on the field in 25 years. What else? Special teams...seems like they are playing better this year. Running back issues? Yep, we've got them....for the first time in Mullen's tenure. I'm sure that will be addressed in the off season...but it WILL be addressed.

The glaring (and most worrisome) issue/weakness that I have noticed this year and late in the year last year has been the O-line. Yet our record is STILL 17-6 in that time with a #1 ranking under our belt....AT ****ING MSU. We will see over the next couple of years what Mullen does. IF he maintains status quo then we are, at worst, a bowl team for 8 years straight. If we don't go to a bowl then we have major issues that will need to be addressed at the head coach level. If he gets O-Line recruiting shaped up then we will probably catch the SEC in a couple of years.

There's no 17n way that I will complain about a bowl bound team at MSU. Give it time. Let it develop.

[FISHDAWG]

hey ... if you think he's bad here then don't dare go into the political forum

[confucius say]

All our fan base is doing right now is proving that every coach, no matter the success, will eventually see his fans turn on him. The most recent best season becomes the new 'standard,' and improvement must be seen every year. Once there is a step back in terms of record, people start calling for the coach to go because 'we've reached our ceiling and obviously won't ever be better than this.'

You see it everywhere, and it's starting to happen with us now. Sad, but expected.

Ding ding ding. It's the ten year rule.

[BoomBoom]

That's not what I said at all. You are 100% putting words in my mouth. I said losing seasons or losses to inferior teams due to mistakes. Your question was what will convince me...that's your answer. To me, a loss to an inferior team is unacceptable for MSU right now with where the program is. Before Mullen it was normal to have a couple of losses (sometimes more) to teams that we were favored to beat. Since Mullen has arrived I think we have lost maybe 2 in which we were favored. I'm not saying we don't have weaknesses on this team...all college football teams have weaknesses...but if those weaknesses are not addressed and lead to avoidable losses it becomes a bigger issue. Right now, I'm not seeing it. I've got news for you, we could have had a better O-Line Saturday night and we still would have been beat by a couple TD's or more. There are many saying that this is the best D-Line that Bama has put on the field in 25 years. What else? Special teams...seems like they are playing better this year. Running back issues? Yep, we've got them....for the first time in Mullen's tenure. I'm sure that will be addressed in the off season...but it WILL be addressed.

The glaring (and most worrisome) issue/weakness that I have noticed this year and late in the year last year has been the O-line. Yet our record is STILL 17-6 in that time with a #1 ranking under our belt....AT ****ING MSU. We will see over the next couple of years what Mullen does. IF he maintains status quo then we are, at worst, a bowl team for 8 years straight. If we don't go to a bowl then we have major issues that will need to be addressed at the head coach level. If he gets O-Line recruiting shaped up then we will probably catch the SEC in a couple of years.

There's no 17n way that I will complain about a bowl bound team at MSU. Give it time. Let it develop.

i'm assuming you understand that mistakes don't just pop up in OOC games. we see the mistakes now. we see them not being corrected. yet they are ok up until the moment they cost us an OOC game? am i getting that right?