I'm probably going to make some people angry....

[Dawgology]

I will begin by prefacing that I have been very, VERY pleased with Dak as our QB. He has taken us to new heights and has, at times, put this team on his back. I think, due to the nature of Mullen's offense, that this will naturally happen with whoever is under center.

That being said, while Dak Prescott is the best QB we have had so FAR, I don't think he will be the best we ever have from a performance stand point. Remember, this guy started out as a 3-star recruit that was being considered as a TE for every major college program that was looking at him. Mullen coached him up into an really good QB but, honestly, Fitz, Staley, and maybe even Tiano has a higher ceiling.

In big games it seemed that Dak played tight and didn't handle the big game spot light very well. In those instances, natural talent separates the good QB from the great QB. I think there are plenty of examples of this happening with Dak. He was a good QB that was put in a scheme that fit him well so he was able to excel in it and rack up big yards. But when the big game came along and the talent in competition was raised you began to see some of that talent gap. I guess, what I'm saying, is that failure on the football field is not all on Mullen. I still think he is a great coach but you work with what you have. There is still PLENTY that falls on his shoulders and there is a lot that needs to be fixed. I just keep looking at some of the great talent that we have red shirted that will start taking the field next year in addition to some QB's that may end up being better than what we have now and an OL that HAS to improve (it couldn't get much worse).

Just some food for thought. I still think there are bright days ahead...we just have to recruit better OL and I think we will be good to go.

[PendingTransaction]

Fitz, Staley, nor Williams will come close to Dak's production. Mullen knows that Dak has elevated him to his plateau. That's why he knows that now is the time to move. If he stays we will finish last in the west next year.

[smootness]

Fitz, Staley, nor Williams will come close to Dak's production. Mullen knows that Dak has elevated him to his plateau. That's why he knows that now is the time to move. If he stays we will finish last in the west next year.

So Dak elevated Mullen, and Mullen had nothing to do with elevating Dak?

[Dawgology]

Fitz, Staley, nor Williams will come close to Dak's production. Mullen knows that Dak has elevated him to his plateau. That's why he knows that now is the time to move. If he stays we will finish last in the west next year.

Nah, I just don't see that. Williams won't but either Staley or Fitz has the potential to be better. Maybe not as much of a leader as Dak but certainly better production. Especially if we don't lose as much WR talent as we thought we were. At this point I'm more concerned about Ross going pro than I am Bear.

[Dawgology]

So Dak elevated Mullen, and Mullen had nothing to do with elevating Dak?

Thank you. Look at Mullen's history with QB's. He is a great at QB talent evaluation and instruction. He is the QB Whisperer.

[DawgInMemphis]

Regardless of what happens with the coaching staff, I'd love to see us get back to those dominant run first offenses... the kind that averages over 200 ypg. Throwing the ball around is fun to watch, but not nearly as fun as watching us run it over and over again knowing the defense can't stop it. Helps keep our defense more fresh as well.

[Maroonthirteen]

I don't know why anyone would be angry with your assessment. It is spot on.

As for Fitz, I think he will be just as good as Dak. Maybe better because he has a bigger body, looks quicker and throws a nice ball. Another year of development.... Watch out.

I haven't seen enough of Staley. However, he may have the best combo of size and athletism at QB we have ever had.

[PendingTransaction]

So Dak elevated Mullen, and Mullen had nothing to do with elevating Dak?

Sure Dak was coached well. But Mullen didn't make chicken salad from chicken shit. Dak would have had great numbers at Jackson State.

[Sacrifice]

What Mullen did with Dak was amazing but Dak is limited arm wise. He just does not throw an accurate deep ball. We saw it again Saturday night. Donald Gray smoked his guy on a deep route, had him beat by 3 or 4 yards, Daks throws it to his outside shoulder out of bounds. That was a TD all day. It looked to me like Bama and OM picked up on that and played tight man coverage on us and just sit on all the short routes. We will be able to stretch the field vertical with the QBs we have now. Now that being said, I don't know if they will be the short yardage runner Dak is or be able to read a Defense like Dak or be the leader he is, we will see.

[shoeless joe]

I agree.

Dak played poorly against LSU and had two turnovers Saturday that ended up being the difference in the game.

[SDDawg]

Thank you. Look at Mullen's history with QB's. He is a great at QB talent evaluation and instruction. He is the QB Whisperer.

I agree with this and he has proven it. Just because Dak is the best we've ever had at MSU doesn't mean he'll be the best forever, or that Dan won't develop another one. Dan's track record is very solid - he has a Heisman contender/winner on the field every 4 years. If he stays here for 4 - 5 years more, we'll see another guy at that level. That's what I would expect.

[Dawgology]

I agree with this and he has proven it. Just because Dak is the best we've ever had at MSU doesn't mean he'll be the best forever, or that Dan won't develop another one. Dan's track record is very solid - he has a Heisman contender/winner on the field every 4 years. If he stays here for 4 - 5 years more, we'll see another guy at that level. That's what I would expect.

This is my thought. I think we, as State fans, are used to not having a great QB so we see Dak and think "this is it...the best it will ever get" but I think our brightest days at QB are still in front of us. Honestly, if Dan will address the Hevesy situation i think all will be well. All of this smoke and mirrors innuendo about Mullen leaving to other jobs is just guesses by everyone on this site or any other site. No one actually knows what Coach Mullen is thinking or doing right now. He might go but, chances are, he won't. Again, handle the Hevesy issue and improve recruiting OL (which is basically all the same issue) and we are good to go.

[maroonmania]

I will begin by prefacing that I have been very, VERY pleased with Dak as our QB. He has taken us to new heights and has, at times, put this team on his back. I think, due to the nature of Mullen's offense, that this will naturally happen with whoever is under center.

That being said, while Dak Prescott is the best QB we have had so FAR, I don't think he will be the best we ever have from a performance stand point. Remember, this guy started out as a 3-star recruit that was being considered as a TE for every major college program that was looking at him. Mullen coached him up into an really good QB but, honestly, Fitz, Staley, and maybe even Tiano has a higher ceiling.

In big games it seemed that Dak played tight and didn't handle the big game spot light very well. In those instances, natural talent separates the good QB from the great QB. I think there are plenty of examples of this happening with Dak. He was a good QB that was put in a scheme that fit him well so he was able to excel in it and rack up big yards. But when the big game came along and the talent in competition was raised you began to see some of that talent gap. I guess, what I'm saying, is that failure on the football field is not all on Mullen. I still think he is a great coach but you work with what you have. There is still PLENTY that falls on his shoulders and there is a lot that needs to be fixed. I just keep looking at some of the great talent that we have red shirted that will start taking the field next year in addition to some QB's that may end up being better than what we have now and an OL that HAS to improve (it couldn't get much worse).

Just some food for thought. I still think there are bright days ahead...we just have to recruit better OL and I think we will be good to go.

The only thing I can wholeheartedly agree on with this is that there is no doubt that Dak did not play his best in our biggest games for whatever reason. That really can't be denied. There may be some QBs that follow that can match Dak's talent but it will be tough to duplicate his leadership abilities and character. The intangibles at the QB position that impact the rest of the team are nearly as important as the actual play at QB.

[Dawgology]

The only thing I can wholeheartedly agree on with this is that there is no doubt that Dak did not play his best in our biggest games for whatever reason. That really can't be denied. There may be some QBs that follow that can match Dak's talent but it will be tough to duplicate his leadership abilities and character. The intangibles at the QB position that impact the rest of the team are nearly as important as the actual play at QB.

Is it though? I keep hearing how Kelley is a head case and terrible team leader....but wins against LSU, Bama and their instate rival plus a possible Sugar Bowl trip seem to prove otherwise. I think you need leaders on any team but I'm not sure they HAVE to be the QB. That being said, Fitz looks like he has it in him to be a leader and he seems to have a strong moral fiber from all accounts.

[Jacksondevildog]

I know that our coaches are very high on Staley and Fitz and don't expect a huge drop off in the future.

[Dawgology]

So if we KEEP Mullen and he addresses the Hevesy issue (which kills two birds with one stone: OL and recruiting). We finish this year probably 9-4, finish strong in recruiting with a top 25 class, expect better QB play in the future with a better OL and upgrade in talent pretty much across the board (don't forget all the red shirts we have sitting back there)....why are we so down on the future??

[Taog Redloh]

Dawgology....man I 1,000% agree. Great post. You said it better than I ever could. I love Dak but I'm not honestly that torn up about losing him, as far as being a talented player. We will definitely miss his intangible qualities.

[FISHDAWG]

excellent post and observation - if folks would allow a little time to clear the emotion from their thought process and look at things objectively they would see we are not at the end of the world - we have talent in waiting and it's there because of Dan. I have said before that we will be better next year but that's not what people are in the mood for around here - they want blood and then to start all over again with some unproven co-ordinator that will take several more years to get up to speed and that is only if they are worth their salt - if not then rinse and repeat .... we aren't going to get a Nick Saban in here... I just don't want to go back down that long road if it's not necessary.

[smootness]

Sure Dak was coached well. But Mullen didn't make chicken salad from chicken shit. Dak would have had great numbers at Jackson State.

Based on what? He was a 2-star recruit when he committed, he was nothing but a short-yardage battering ram early in his career, and he got better as a passer every year he was here.

I'm not saying Mullen could taken anything and turn it into Dak, obviously Dak does have special qualities that make him unique...but let's not pretend Mullen isn't a huge factor in Dak's performance.

State has a QB history that is pretty disastrous. And suddenly we have a 2-star who becomes a Heisman-candidate QB that destroys all of our school records once the guy who coached Omar Jacobs, Alex Smith and Tim Tebow shows up? We think that's basically just a coincidence?

[PendingTransaction]

Football players are born not made.

[Dawgology]

excellent post and observation - if folks would allow a little time to clear the emotion from their thought process and look at things objectively they would see we are not at the end of the world - we have talent in waiting and it's there because of Dan. I have said before that we will be better next year but that's not what people are in the mood for around here - they want blood and then to start all over again with some unproven co-ordinator that will take several more years to get up to speed and that is only if they are worth their salt - if not then rinse and repeat .... we aren't going to get a Nick Saban in here... I just don't want to go back down that long road if it's not necessary.

I don't know that we will have a better record next year but I think 2017 will be a really good year for our football team. Especially if we can seal the deal on AJ Brown and a couple others.

[Dawgology]

Based on what? He was a 2-star recruit when he committed, he was nothing but a short-yardage battering ram early in his career, and he got better as a passer every year he was here.

I'm not saying Mullen could taken anything and turn it into Dak, obviously Dak does have special qualities that make him unique...but let's not pretend Mullen isn't a huge factor in Dak's performance.

State has a QB history that is pretty disastrous. And suddenly we have a 2-star who becomes a Heisman-candidate QB that destroys all of our school records once the guy who coached Omar Jacobs, Alex Smith and Tim Tebow shows up? We think that's basically just a coincidence?

That's why I'm pumped to see what Fitz-Staley turns in to. I think we could have something really special on our hands in a year or so.

[smootness]

Football players are born not made.

K.

[mstatefan91]

Last year, I would have agreed with you.

This year, it's been more of an entire team let down when we play the big games. I mean Dak was sacked 9 times vs. Bama and 7 times vs. OM. That's O-line issues.

Defense are also the ones who gave up all of the points. Yes, I know the two turnovers against OM led to points (especially the pick 6), but if you think that was the difference in the game, then we weren't watching the same game. OM whipped us in every category there was except field goal kicking.

[Taog Redloh]

Football players are born not made.
It's some of both. You are off on this.

Noxubee County was a terrible high school program until about 1997. Couldn't win sh*t. Then they got that coach in there, and started winning big IMMEDIATELY. Why is that?

[Dawgtini]

So if we KEEP Mullen and he addresses the Hevesy issue (which kills two birds with one stone: OL and recruiting). We finish this year probably 9-4, finish strong in recruiting with a top 25 class, expect better QB play in the future with a better OL and upgrade in talent pretty much across the board (don't forget all the red shirts we have sitting back there)....why are we so down on the future??

excellent post. I think Dan set the bar with Dak and I expect him to continue to move the bar with future QB's.

[ScoobaDawg]

The things we don't know about Fitz and Staley yet are their leaderships and mental parts of the game. Now you are right to criticize Dak for the fumble and Int and missing deep throws. But you also have to remember how big He was under pressure in the games we did win.

[Dawgology]

The things we don't know about Fitz and Staley yet are their leaderships and mental parts of the game. Now you are right to criticize Dak for the fumble and Int and missing deep throws. But you also have to remember how big He was under pressure in the games we did win.

Which games were those? Not trying to start a slap fight here, but what games? This year he did well against teams with weak defenses in which we were going to win. The Arkansas game...maybe? But that defense was non existent. Last year...same thing. LSU, Texas A&M, Auburn...all ended up below average teams. Again, I'm not saying he is a poor QB by ANY stretch of the imagination....but when the stage was REALLY set and the game was big and the opponent was really talented you began to see that separation.

[Taog Redloh]

Defense are also the ones who gave up all of the points. Yes, I know the two turnovers against OM led to points (especially the pick 6), but if you think that was the difference in the game, then we weren't watching the same game. OM whipped us in every category there was except field goal kicking.
Disagree. Those 2 errors set the tone for the whole game. We already had a think margin of error for this game, and we lost every bit of it after that.

[missouridawg]

Fitz and Staley could both outdo Dak, but they won't because they will share snaps. They are both well ahead of where Dak was from a talent standpoint at the same point in their careers.

[mstatefan91]

Disagree. Those 2 errors set the tone for the whole game. We already had a think margin of error for this game, and we lost every bit of it after that.


Disagree. Defense did a horrible job of getting their QB's back after he made a couple of mistakes.

This was a team loss. It's not all on Dak.

[Dawgology]

Disagree. Defense did a horrible job of getting their QB's back after he made a couple of mistakes.

This was a team loss. It's not all on Dak.

Those two errors spotted Ole Miss 14 points...we lost by 11. I'm not saying that without those errors we win but we would have gone up 3 possibly 7 to start the game. Both of those errors came when we were moving down the field pretty steadily and absolutely killed offensive momentum. It's not all on the offense (the D has plenty to answer for) but those two were huge...HUGE...mistakes.

[maroonmania]

Is it though? I keep hearing how Kelley is a head case and terrible team leader....but wins against LSU, Bama and their instate rival plus a possible Sugar Bowl trip seem to prove otherwise. I think you need leaders on any team but I'm not sure they HAVE to be the QB. That being said, Fitz looks like he has it in him to be a leader and he seems to have a strong moral fiber from all accounts.

Yea, but there is a much bigger talent gap between MSU and OM than most MSU fans want to admit. As I've said in other places, OM probably has the second most talent in the SEC. When you have that you don't need as much leadership. But they still BLEW 3 games they had no business losing (except maybe the FL game when Will Grier was still the QB) so just because they came out ready for the Egg Bowl doesn't mean they had great leadership as a whole.

[mstatefan91]

Those two errors spotted Ole Miss 14 points...we lost by 11. I'm not saying that without those errors we win but we would have gone up 3 possibly 7 to start the game. Both of those errors came when we were moving down the field pretty steadily and absolutely killed offensive momentum. It's not all on the offense (the D has plenty to answer for) but those two were huge...HUGE...mistakes.

OM still drove about 60 yards for the TD off the fumble. We were not driving the field on the interception.

Agreed that they were two huge mistakes tho.

[Taog Redloh]

Disagree. Defense did a horrible job of getting their QB's back after he made a couple of mistakes.

This was a team loss. It's not all on Dak.
Ha, yeah I think by now we know we do indeed disagree. Just kidding.

Absolutely a team loss. In now way am I blaming Dak solely. Turnovers are part of the game.

[Jack Lambert]

Dak's fumble on the first drive that lead to a TD for Ole Miss and Dak's pick six all in the first Quarter just sucked the life out of the team. It would be hard to get the life back into any team after that no matter who the coach is.

Now if we had better lineman Dak may not have thrown that Pick Six. Either way once those two things happened it was over. I do blame Mullen and the staff for the O-Line problems. When you are converting a TE to Tackle you have problems and they better get that fix. It will end up being the downfall. We got great Skill players comming back.

[maroonmania]

Dak's fumble on the first drive that lead to a TD for Ole Miss and Dak's pick six all in the first Quarter just sucked the life out of the team. It would be hard to get the life back into any team after that no matter who the coach is.

Now if we had better lineman Dak may not have thrown that Pick Six. Either way once those two things happened it was over. I do blame Mullen and the staff for the O-Line problems. When you are converting a TE to Tackle you have problems and they better get that fix. It will end up being the downfall. We got great Skill players comming back.

True, but a quick 3 and out for OM AFTER the fumble could have rejuvenated the team. Our first quarter lousy defense doesn't allow for that though and so OM went 60 yards for the TD with ease. If Dak had fumbled down at the 10 I have no doubt OM would have gone 90 yards with ease.

[War Machine Dawg]

It's some of both. You are off on this.

Noxubee County was a terrible high school program until about 1997. Couldn't win sh*t. Then they got that coach in there, and started winning big IMMEDIATELY. Why is that?

Same could be said for South Panola prior to the arrival of Willis Wright in the early 90s. Willis takes over and they've been hell to beat ever since. Coaching matters.