now that it's over

[justwin]

It?s painfully obvious that Mullen is clueless on how to identify and feature our big rbs. Mind you, Mullen is terrific at so many other things, but not playing your best RB is limiting his win total.

Mullen?s philosophy of having multiple scat backs shoulder the load does NOT work in the SEC West. Can work in any other conference or even the SEC east, but come November, the SEC West is decided by teams that feature the big RBs complimented with an adequate passing game.

Year in and year out Mullen has cost himself so many victories by not playing the best RB. About halfway through Mullen?s tenure, it became apparent that MSU will always have one of the top 6 SEC QBs on our roster every year from late Relf through Russell through Dak going forward due to his QB coaching. This is a first for MSU football. Now, that same QB development has to be coupled with one of our traditional big, power backs to consistently get to double digit wins. The QB should not be your primary running back.

The only year he actually featured a big RB, MSU got all the way to #1, last year. Then, he goes to J-Rob too late vs Bama and away from his all together toward the tail end of the season and we lose. So, the upside is huge. Pretty much negates all of the recycled solutions about OL, special teams noise, paying recruits by cheating, need more starzzz, replacing coaches or moving them to the desk, etc. If Mullen would learn to use the best RB he already has on his roster and feed him ~20+ touches/game, he would win so much more & solve most of the issues. In MS, he will always recruit a couple of these power backs.

You can?t tell me that Clemson?s RB is better than Aeris or Lee. You can?t tell me Jovon Robison @ Aub is better either. Or Tra Carson at TXAM or those two guys at OM. They just all got more touches.

Holloway is a terrific slot WR. He had 92 carries and zero TDs though. He did tie Ross for receiving TDs and he has become a fantastic receiver out of the backfield.

Under Mullen, MSU now has a floor of 7 or 8 wins. To get to 10+, he needs to start using these highly recruited running backs once on campus. We don?t have to cheat to get players. We?re not Ole Miss. Just need to feature those guys when you do sign them.

People quickly forget that we were the #1 team in the country last year. OM saw it coming a few years back and sold their souls to make up ground. Mullen has done it the right way by developing & graduating his players. He?s so close and just needs to learn how to feature RBs to equalize on the scoreboard without having to sacrifice his credibility.

As fas as Dak, thanks for the memories & for all you did for MSU. Completely different player in 2015 than 2014. Same name, jersey #, but completely different player. He had several chances throughout the season to run to open up big plays but chose not to which limited our rushing attack. LSU comes to mind & a complete reverse of how he played them as a junior. I get it, running qbs don?t last in the NFL and this year was all about Dak?s draft stock. I don?t watch the NFL, but will follow whomever drafts him. Hopefully, the saints.

As for OL, we need to allow our OL to run block more. Reward them with blocking for Aeris or Lee. OL aren?t meant to RETREAT into pass pro every play & contributed to the poor OL play. They need to run block to maintain their aggressiveness. A lot of people don?t want to hear this, but the holes were there in 2015 had we used either Aeris or Lee. Hate it for him, but Shump is a bust at RB. He?s just blind at finding the hole. I do think the coaches knew this preseason which really hurts.

Any decent coach at any level should be able to identify who your best RB is within the first practice. That?s the same kid who has gotten the ball his entire life. That?s who he should feature. He had a perfect 5 game stretch middle of the season to feed Aeris and Lee to prepare for November and wasted it.

Extremely happy to be 9-4. With a QB like Dak, thought that double digit wins would?ve been easy accomplishment this year. I?m so happy to have beaten Auburn 3 of 4 & Ark 4 in a row. The LSU loss hurt the most.

Bear made the right move going pro. Removing all of the other issues, I don?t see him getting any better next year vs this year. He was a great player for us. That first TD vs LSU last year where the apparent pass interference wasn?t called yet he still caught it was the play of his career for me. So many times, we not only have gotten the call and our WR dropped it. He?s taller than most and that will help his draft status.

Chris Jones had 2.5 sacks in 2015. I think Fletcher and Preston had double digit sacks their junior years. Almost sacks don?t count. He should come back.

Graves played exceptionally well. Two years in a row our FG kickers have played well. So happy Bell has graduated.

Finally, my heart goes out to the Joseph family. One of the worst tragedies I?ve ever learned of. I can?t imagine how difficult the holidays had to have been for their family.

I want Coach Mullen as MSU?s coach for as long as he wants to stay. Dan, just learn to use the RBs better and go win the big games like you can. I don?t care if you interview @ other places?.it?s not really news to me or should be to anyone.

Hailstate

[JDog13]

TL;DR

[BrunswickDawg]

At least we now know RebelBruiser's user name on ED***. That may be the longest post I've ever seen.

[Rayburn8]

I read the first two paragraphs. Dont have time to read the whole thing.

People need to quit questioning personal issues. You see these players once a week in the fall. Mullen sees these players everyday year round. So I'm going to take him on personal issues over someone on a message board.

ETA: Also he is getting 4-million to make these decisions. So I see why he plays it safe.

[TimberBeast]

It?s painfully obvious that Mullen is clueless on how to identify and feature our big rbs. Mind you, Mullen is terrific at so many other things, but not playing your best RB is limiting his win total.

Mullen?s philosophy of having multiple scat backs shoulder the load does NOT work in the SEC West. Can work in any other conference or even the SEC east, but come November, the SEC West is decided by teams that feature the big RBs complimented with an adequate passing game.

Year in and year out Mullen has cost himself so many victories by not playing the best RB. About halfway through Mullen?s tenure, it became apparent that MSU will always have one of the top 6 SEC QBs on our roster every year from late Relf through Russell through Dak going forward due to his QB coaching. This is a first for MSU football. Now, that same QB development has to be coupled with one of our traditional big, power backs to consistently get to double digit wins. The QB should not be your primary running back.

The only year he actually featured a big RB, MSU got all the way to #1, last year. Then, he goes to J-Rob too late vs Bama and away from his all together toward the tail end of the season and we lose. So, the upside is huge. Pretty much negates all of the recycled solutions about OL, special teams noise, paying recruits by cheating, need more starzzz, replacing coaches or moving them to the desk, etc. If Mullen would learn to use the best RB he already has on his roster and feed him ~20+ touches/game, he would win so much more & solve most of the issues. In MS, he will always recruit a couple of these power backs.

You can?t tell me that Clemson?s RB is better than Aeris or Lee. You can?t tell me Jovon Robison @ Aub is better either. Or Tra Carson at TXAM or those two guys at OM. They just all got more touches.

Holloway is a terrific slot WR. He had 92 carries and zero TDs though. He did tie Ross for receiving TDs and he has become a fantastic receiver out of the backfield.

Under Mullen, MSU now has a floor of 7 or 8 wins. To get to 10+, he needs to start using these highly recruited running backs once on campus. We don?t have to cheat to get players. We?re not Ole Miss. Just need to feature those guys when you do sign them.

People quickly forget that we were the #1 team in the country last year. OM saw it coming a few years back and sold their souls to make up ground. Mullen has done it the right way by developing & graduating his players. He?s so close and just needs to learn how to feature RBs to equalize on the scoreboard without having to sacrifice his credibility.

As fas as Dak, thanks for the memories & for all you did for MSU. Completely different player in 2015 than 2014. Same name, jersey #, but completely different player. He had several chances throughout the season to run to open up big plays but chose not to which limited our rushing attack. LSU comes to mind & a complete reverse of how he played them as a junior. I get it, running qbs don?t last in the NFL and this year was all about Dak?s draft stock. I don?t watch the NFL, but will follow whomever drafts him. Hopefully, the saints.

As for OL, we need to allow our OL to run block more. Reward them with blocking for Aeris or Lee. OL aren?t meant to RETREAT into pass pro every play & contributed to the poor OL play. They need to run block to maintain their aggressiveness. A lot of people don?t want to hear this, but the holes were there in 2015 had we used either Aeris or Lee. Hate it for him, but Shump is a bust at RB. He?s just blind at finding the hole. I do think the coaches knew this preseason which really hurts.

Any decent coach at any level should be able to identify who your best RB is within the first practice. That?s the same kid who has gotten the ball his entire life. That?s who he should feature. He had a perfect 5 game stretch middle of the season to feed Aeris and Lee to prepare for November and wasted it.

Extremely happy to be 9-4. With a QB like Dak, thought that double digit wins would?ve been easy accomplishment this year. I?m so happy to have beaten Auburn 3 of 4 & Ark 4 in a row. The LSU loss hurt the most.

Bear made the right move going pro. Removing all of the other issues, I don?t see him getting any better next year vs this year. He was a great player for us. That first TD vs LSU last year where the apparent pass interference wasn?t called yet he still caught it was the play of his career for me. So many times, we not only have gotten the call and our WR dropped it. He?s taller than most and that will help his draft status.

Chris Jones had 2.5 sacks in 2015. I think Fletcher and Preston had double digit sacks their junior years. Almost sacks don?t count. He should come back.

Graves played exceptionally well. Two years in a row our FG kickers have played well. So happy Bell has graduated.

Finally, my heart goes out to the Joseph family. One of the worst tragedies I?ve ever learned of. I can?t imagine how difficult the holidays had to have been for their family.

I want Coach Mullen as MSU?s coach for as long as he wants to stay. Dan, just learn to use the RBs better and go win the big games like you can. I don?t care if you interview @ other places?.it?s not really news to me or should be to anyone.

Hailstate

Thank you. Every post on this site should be deleted to force everyone to read this over and over again. Mullen's use of running backs has cost us since he has been here and will until he leaves. Only when he is forced to use the best back by dumb luck and coincidence will we be the best team we can be. I've said it time and time again, his offense makes me sick to my stomach to watch because of this very issue. The problems are NOT only with the OL, it's with Mullen's personnel decisions primarily at the RB spot. Great post.

[Jack Lambert]

Thank you. Every post on this site should be deleted to force everyone to read this over and over again. Mullen's use of running backs has cost us since he has been here and will until he leaves. Only when he is forced to use the best back by dumb luck and coincidence will we be the best team we can be. I've said it time and time again, his offense makes me sick to my stomach to watch because of this very issue. The problems are NOT only with the OL, it's with Mullen's personnel decisions primarily at the RB spot. Great post.

2009-Dixon had 1391 yards
2010-Ballard had 968 yards
2011-Ballard had 1189
2012-Perkins had 1024
2013-Perkings had 542 Got hurt but Robinson had over 400.
2014-Robinson had 1203
2015-Holloway had 413 rushing but had another 396 catching the ball out of the back field.

Looks like that dumb luck has happened before. Our O-line sucked this past season and it limited what our offense could do.

[engie]

Who was our best RB in 2009?
2010?
2011?
2014?
When have we ever "had multiple scat backs to carry the load"?

Those were all no-brainer "got it right" years. 2012 and this year saw young talent behind upperclassmen placeholders. 2013 is the one he really whiffed on.

I lose it about personnel misuse as much as anyone on the board -- but to say he "never plays the right guys" is simply not true. Now -- I agree that having 4 talents like we had sitting the bench this year -- and taking 3 years to "get guys ready" -- is horse crap. No excuse for our usages this year.

Also, to claim Lee/Aeris superiority to Jovon Robinson, Tre Carson, and Wayne Gallman -- is unfounded. And I'm high on those guys of ours. About as high as anyone. Jovon Robinson is an absolute freak show.

[BB30]

Adrian Peterson would not have been able to run behind this O line against the better teams we faced up front this year.

[Interpolation_Dawg_EX]

Where was that copied from?

[Boya]

It?s painfully obvious that Mullen is clueless on how to identify and feature our big rbs. Mind you, Mullen is terrific at so many other things, but not playing your best RB is limiting his win total.

Mullen?s philosophy of having multiple scat backs shoulder the load does NOT work in the SEC West. Can work in any other conference or even the SEC east, but come November, the SEC West is decided by teams that feature the big RBs complimented with an adequate passing game.

Year in and year out Mullen has cost himself so many victories by not playing the best RB. About halfway through Mullen?s tenure, it became apparent that MSU will always have one of the top 6 SEC QBs on our roster every year from late Relf through Russell through Dak going forward due to his QB coaching. This is a first for MSU football. Now, that same QB development has to be coupled with one of our traditional big, power backs to consistently get to double digit wins. The QB should not be your primary running back.

The only year he actually featured a big RB, MSU got all the way to #1, last year. Then, he goes to J-Rob too late vs Bama and away from his all together toward the tail end of the season and we lose. So, the upside is huge. Pretty much negates all of the recycled solutions about OL, special teams noise, paying recruits by cheating, need more starzzz, replacing coaches or moving them to the desk, etc. If Mullen would learn to use the best RB he already has on his roster and feed him ~20+ touches/game, he would win so much more & solve most of the issues. In MS, he will always recruit a couple of these power backs.

You can?t tell me that Clemson?s RB is better than Aeris or Lee. You can?t tell me Jovon Robison @ Aub is better either. Or Tra Carson at TXAM or those two guys at OM. They just all got more touches.

Holloway is a terrific slot WR. He had 92 carries and zero TDs though. He did tie Ross for receiving TDs and he has become a fantastic receiver out of the backfield.

Under Mullen, MSU now has a floor of 7 or 8 wins. To get to 10+, he needs to start using these highly recruited running backs once on campus. We don?t have to cheat to get players. We?re not Ole Miss. Just need to feature those guys when you do sign them.

People quickly forget that we were the #1 team in the country last year. OM saw it coming a few years back and sold their souls to make up ground. Mullen has done it the right way by developing & graduating his players. He?s so close and just needs to learn how to feature RBs to equalize on the scoreboard without having to sacrifice his credibility.

As fas as Dak, thanks for the memories & for all you did for MSU. Completely different player in 2015 than 2014. Same name, jersey #, but completely different player. He had several chances throughout the season to run to open up big plays but chose not to which limited our rushing attack. LSU comes to mind & a complete reverse of how he played them as a junior. I get it, running qbs don?t last in the NFL and this year was all about Dak?s draft stock. I don?t watch the NFL, but will follow whomever drafts him. Hopefully, the saints.

As for OL, we need to allow our OL to run block more. Reward them with blocking for Aeris or Lee. OL aren?t meant to RETREAT into pass pro every play & contributed to the poor OL play. They need to run block to maintain their aggressiveness. A lot of people don?t want to hear this, but the holes were there in 2015 had we used either Aeris or Lee. Hate it for him, but Shump is a bust at RB. He?s just blind at finding the hole. I do think the coaches knew this preseason which really hurts.

Any decent coach at any level should be able to identify who your best RB is within the first practice. That?s the same kid who has gotten the ball his entire life. That?s who he should feature. He had a perfect 5 game stretch middle of the season to feed Aeris and Lee to prepare for November and wasted it.

Extremely happy to be 9-4. With a QB like Dak, thought that double digit wins would?ve been easy accomplishment this year. I?m so happy to have beaten Auburn 3 of 4 & Ark 4 in a row. The LSU loss hurt the most.

Bear made the right move going pro. Removing all of the other issues, I don?t see him getting any better next year vs this year. He was a great player for us. That first TD vs LSU last year where the apparent pass interference wasn?t called yet he still caught it was the play of his career for me. So many times, we not only have gotten the call and our WR dropped it. He?s taller than most and that will help his draft status.

Chris Jones had 2.5 sacks in 2015. I think Fletcher and Preston had double digit sacks their junior years. Almost sacks don?t count. He should come back.

Graves played exceptionally well. Two years in a row our FG kickers have played well. So happy Bell has graduated.

Finally, my heart goes out to the Joseph family. One of the worst tragedies I?ve ever learned of. I can?t imagine how difficult the holidays had to have been for their family.

I want Coach Mullen as MSU?s coach for as long as he wants to stay. Dan, just learn to use the RBs better and go win the big games like you can. I don?t care if you interview @ other places?.it?s not really news to me or should be to anyone.

Hailstate

My take on player decisions has always been to trust the coaches. I'm not at practice and I have no idea what we are attempting to do from a play calling standpoint on any given series. So let the coaches roll with whoever they think is the best option and ultimately it will make or break them.

Dixon
Ballard
Perkins
Robinson

All very solid SEC backs...my hope is that this year was just an anomaly.

[justwin]

I read the first two paragraphs. Dont have time to read the whole thing.

People need to quit questioning personal issues. You see these players once a week in the fall. Mullen sees these players everyday year round. So I'm going to take him on personal issues over someone on a message board.

ETA: Also he is getting 4-million to make these decisions. So I see why he plays it safe.

not when it comes to running backs. Mullen has a long history of not knowing how to use RBs pre MSU. He's never had to. At MSU, all we've ever had were big powerful RBs so the fans know a thing or two about it. Conversely, I don't question him on QBs or other positions.

[justwin]

2009-Dixon had 1391 yards
2010-Ballard had 968 yards
2011-Ballard had 1189
2012-Perkins had 1024
2013-Perkings had 542 Got hurt but Robinson had over 400.
2014-Robinson had 1203
2015-Holloway had 413 rushing but had another 396 catching the ball out of the back field.

Looks like that dumb luck has happened before. Our O-line sucked this past season and it limited what our offense could do.

Like I said, people don't want to hear it but the OL could've looked better with Aeris or Lee getting more carries this year. yes, the OL wasn't great this year, but holes were there and Aeris and Lee seemed to find them when given the chances.

[justwin]

Who was our best RB in 2009?
2010?
2011?
2014?
When have we ever "had multiple scat backs to carry the load"?

Those were all no-brainer "got it right" years. 2012 and this year saw young talent behind upperclassmen placeholders. 2013 is the one he really whiffed on.

I lose it about personnel misuse as much as anyone on the board -- but to say he "never plays the right guys" is simply not true. Now -- I agree that having 4 talents like we had sitting the bench this year -- and taking 3 years to "get guys ready" -- is horse crap. No excuse for our usages this year.

Also, to claim Lee/Aeris superiority to Jovon Robinson, Tre Carson, and Wayne Gallman -- is unfounded. And I'm high on those guys of ours. About as high as anyone. Jovon Robinson is an absolute freak show.

he didn't play J-Rob in 2012 or 2013. He didn't play Aeris & Lee this year. Those decisions cost him at least 6-8 SEC wins.....all by not playing the correct RB. At least 2 losses this year.

As for other personnel, I don't have a problem who he plays & when.

[justwin]

Adrian Peterson would not have been able to run behind this O line against the better teams we faced up front this year.

AW & DL seemed to do ok when given the chances. thing is we didn't need AP. We just needed some small threat to make the DL at least respect the RB run.

[justwin]

My take on player decisions has always been to trust the coaches. I'm not at practice and I have no idea what we are attempting to do from a play calling standpoint on any given series. So let the coaches roll with whoever they think is the best option and ultimately it will make or break them.

Dixon
Ballard
Perkins
Robinson

All very solid SEC backs...my hope is that this year was just an anomaly.

what's frustrating is you should learn from history. nothing in 2015 was learned from 2012 or 2013. So, it's hard for me to trust the coaches on this position. especially when it was all right there to finally win the west.

[engie]

he didn't play J-Rob in 2012 or 2013. He didn't play Aeris & Lee this year. Those decisions cost him at least 6-8 SEC wins.....all by not playing the correct RB. At least 2 losses this year.

He didn't play JRob much as a rsFR. JRob still can't block. Proved at the next level. We still had a 1000 yard rusher in 2012. He played JRob in 2013 and would have played him alot more had he not stayed in trouble off the field just like Dontavian did this year. And, no, those decisions haven't cost anywhere NEAR 6-8 SEC wins. And you are skipping over the big games Mullen lost early in his career by getting young RBs touches in tough situations before they were ready. But you forgot about the Milton dagger fumble I guess...

What 2 games this year do we win by changing RBs? LSU is the only close loss we had.

Your point is a fair one -- but I have a big issue with the amount of hyperbole you are stooping to in attempt to make it.

[Bothrops]

I hate how Lee wasn't used this year. He is a battering ram type back and would have helped our offense inside the 20. Plus, he could have gained some good experience heading into next season.

[SDDawg]

When your floor is 10+ wins, you're now Alabama and Michigan State territory. Not even Clemson or Oklahoma had that as a floor. I'm more than cool with aspiring for greatness in our program, but the difference between a 7 win floor and a 9 win floors is HUGE and I wouldn't say we're at the 9 win floor yet. Let's keep taking steps and I would be pretty thrilled to get to the 9 win floor in the next few years (we're in shooting range, but not quite there).

[DancingRabbit]

Usually when you start off a post saying Dan is clueless about whatever there's some exaggerated opinions on the way. Yes, our power running game sucked this year but it's more an anomaly than some fixture of Dan's offenses.

There's no way you can say absolutely that Aeris or Lee is better than Jovon Robinson or the others mentioned. Aeris and Lee got some decent yards when used but it was against inferior competition.

While I don't expect us to be all-world, I feel confident we'll see improvement on the O-line and running game next year.