Bonner was interviewed on Sportstalk this afternoon

[lamont]

Said the QB battle is a dead heat right now
The OL has more depth than last year, but still no idea how good they will be
The Defense looks good. Bryant and Coman are starting at Safety- Mac and Peters running 2nd team

[HancockCountyDog]

Said the QB battle is a dead heat right now
The OL has more depth than last year, but still no idea how good they will be
The Defense looks good. Bryant and Coman are starting at Safety- Mac and Peters running 2nd team

Is the best safety depth we've had since Sherill? I can't think of any better.

[tireddawg]

I believe it is

[Reason2succeed]

I just hope we can find consistent corner play. I am confident that Lashard Durr will be good but we will need at least one or two more corners to step up. I have very little faith in Tolando Cleveland from what I saw last year.

[Dawgface]

Dead heat as in all 4 QB's?

[ShotgunDawg]

He gave a better interview on the B&B show this morning. No one has pulled ahead yet in the QB race because they have only practice two days & aren't in pads yet. If someone had already separated themselves, it would be the most rigged, supposedly fair QB competition of all time.

Just give it time.

[preachermatt83]

Coman starting is a joke.

[Todd4State]

Coman starting is a joke.

I hope it's because Peters has been hurt.

Unfortunately I suspect we'll start Coman and Cleveland.

[Prentis]

I hope it's because Peters has been hurt.

Unfortunately I suspect we'll start Coman and Cleveland.

I use to be very critical of Coman myself. As the season went on he improved in a major way plus coaches talk all of the time about his football savvy. Now Deontay Evans, that's another story.

[somebodyshotmypaw]

I use to be very critical of Coman myself. As the season went on he improved in a major way plus coaches talk all of the time about his football savvy. Now Deontay Evans, that's another story.

Evans was not good. Coman doesn't have the potential of Peters or McLaurin. However, Coman was clearly better than they were in 2015.

[Homedawg]

Evans was not good. Coman doesn't have the potential of Peters or McLaurin. However, Coman was clearly better than they were in 2015.
True on all counts. It's amazing weve had 2 safety coaches and 2 dc in the last 12 months and all have said Conan was our most consistent safety. I know some get on a high horse about playing older guys, but y'all think 4 of em made it up? Maybe, just maybe they know more about what's going on since they actually attend practice? Huh, preacher??!good grief.

[Todd4State]

I use to be very critical of Coman myself. As the season went on he improved in a major way plus coaches talk all of the time about his football savvy. Now Deontay Evans, that's another story.

Coman is likely very football smart. His reaction time is VERY sllllooooowwww. How many times does he wait until the receiver catches a pass AND THEN he tries to make a play. As the year went on our secondary play got worse. Arkansas hung up 50 points on us and the Egg Bowl was another disaster. He was part of the reason for that.

[Todd4State]

True on all counts. It's amazing weve had 2 safety coaches and 2 dc in the last 12 months and all have said Conan was our most consistent safety. I know some get on a high horse about playing older guys, but y'all think 4 of em made it up? Maybe, just maybe they know more about what's going on since they actually attend practice? Huh, preacher??!good grief.

I think it's obvious by this time that Dan values experience and hard work over higher end talent. I'm pretty sure that criteria is communicated to the rest of the staff as well.

Right or wrong.

[Coach007]

Said the QB battle is a dead heat right now
The OL has more depth than last year, but still no idea how good they will be
The Defense looks good. Bryant and Coman are starting at Safety- Mac and Peters running 2nd team

If all QBs are in a dead heat... we have issues

[lamont]

If all QBs are in a dead heat... we have issues

we have issues- I dont think there is any doubt about that

[JohnnyQuid]

I think it's obvious by this time that Dan values experience and hard work over higher end talent. I'm pretty sure that criteria is communicated to the rest of the staff as well.

Right or wrong.

experience and hard work over high end talent that's incredibly inexperienced and apt to give up big plays in the defensive backfield... hmm. I love the potential of Peters and mclaurin but Peters has played safety for a whole 2 years and mclaurin had (at least for me) memorably bad moments that resulted in huge plays.

I'm not saying coman is the answer but I don't hate the idea of starting a guy who you know what you'll get - then work Peters and mclaurin in more and more as the season goes.

do I think Dan has demanded 4 ****ing different coaches praise a guy just cos that's what dan wants ? lol. if you really believe that you need to take a step back and reevaluate reality.

[maroonmania]

Just another reason that every recruiting class at every position is important. If older guys are going to play over more talented younger guys due to experience then we need to make sure that we keep good talent in our upper classes which means we don't need spotty recruiting at certain positions each year like we tend to do.

[somebodyshotmypaw]

Coman is likely very football smart. His reaction time is VERY sllllooooowwww. How many times does he wait until the receiver catches a pass AND THEN he tries to make a play. As the year went on our secondary play got worse. Arkansas hung up 50 points on us and the Egg Bowl was another disaster. He was part of the reason for that.

Todd, you have been critical of Mullen for not always playing the best players. So why are you asking him to play a lesser player? In 2015, Coman was clearly better than Peters and McLaurin. And I do mean clearly. It may not be that way in 2016 as the young freshmen have matured and may have a higher ceiling than Coman. But in 2015, it was very obvious.

[bulldawg28]

Staley as the starter.

[biggun]

True on all counts. It's amazing weve had 2 safety coaches and 2 dc in the last 12 months and all have said Conan was our most consistent safety. I know some get on a high horse about playing older guys, but y'all think 4 of em made it up? Maybe, just maybe they know more about what's going on since they actually attend practice? Huh, preacher??!good grief.

Coach Knox was quoted last season just before game 1 @ USM that Shumpert had enjoyed a great fall camp, had separated himself from our other RB's, and was poised for a huge season. Ummmm................Houston, we have a problem..............

I guess Coach Knox must have skipped a lot of August practices.

[War Machine Dawg]

Coach Knox was quoted last season just before game 1 @ USM that Shumpert had enjoyed a great fall camp, had separated himself from our other RB's, and was poised for a huge season. Ummmm................Houston, we have a problem..............

I guess Coach Knox must have skipped a lot of August practices.

To be fair, Shump really does look like the 2nd coming of Adrian Peterson in practice. He just sucks when the real game is happening. If he'd stop tackling himself after 3 yards, he might actually be a pretty solid RB.

[Todd4State]

experience and hard work over high end talent that's incredibly inexperienced and apt to give up big plays in the defensive backfield... hmm. I love the potential of Peters and mclaurin but Peters has played safety for a whole 2 years and mclaurin had (at least for me) memorably bad moments that resulted in huge plays.

I'm not saying coman is the answer but I don't hate the idea of starting a guy who you know what you'll get - then work Peters and mclaurin in more and more as the season goes.

do I think Dan has demanded 4 ****ing different coaches praise a guy just cos that's what dan wants ? lol. if you really believe that you need to take a step back and reevaluate reality.

I saw Peters play safety his junior year against Jackson Prep in high school. He has been playing safety longer than two seasons.

I don't recall Peters giving up any big plays last year in the limited time he played. I do remember him having some pretty big hits a few times.

Coman is sort of like TJ Mawhinney. He's there. He makes the play. But the other team still got a first down.

I do agree that Peters should have been worked in more as the season went along.

I'm not saying Dan told the coaches to praise certain players. But I'm sure he set forth a criteria of what he wants to see on the field.

[Todd4State]

Todd, you have been critical of Mullen for not always playing the best players. So why are you asking him to play a lesser player? In 2015, Coman was clearly better than Peters and McLaurin. And I do mean clearly. It may not be that way in 2016 as the young freshmen have matured and may have a higher ceiling than Coman. But in 2015, it was very obvious.

Peters is much better than Coman. I find it hard to say that he was obviously worse when he only played 25% of the time.

[Political Hack]

I have no issues with Coman starting. He's grown up.

[lamont]

Coman is better than Peters and Mac TODAY

Peters was awful in coverage last season

[paco]

Coman is likely very football smart. His reaction time is VERY sllllooooowwww. How many times does he wait until the receiver catches a pass AND THEN he tries to make a play. As the year went on our secondary play got worse. Arkansas hung up 50 points on us and the Egg Bowl was another disaster. He was part of the reason for that.

Coman is the QB of our secondary.

[HancockCountyDog]

Coman is better than Peters and Mac TODAY

Peters was awful in coverage last season

People forget that Peters was only a freshman last year and safety is one of the tougher positions to play as a freshman.

[SallyStansbury]

I saw Peters play safety his junior year against Jackson Prep in high school. He has been playing safety longer than two seasons.

I don't recall Peters giving up any big plays last year in the limited time he played. I do remember him having some pretty big hits a few times.

Coman is sort of like TJ Mawhinney. He's there. He makes the play. But the other team still got a first down.

I do agree that Peters should have been worked in more as the season went along.

I'm not saying Dan told the coaches to praise certain players. But I'm sure he set forth a criteria of what he wants to see on the field.

Dan says who will start and play for how long. He picks players who have been in his "system" and in his view are less likely to make mistakes (according to him). He does this regardless of talent level, for instance Peters may have talent enough to bust ass and make interceptions, cause fumbles with monster hits, be aggressive, etc....but because he is young and may occasionally blow a scheme or coverage, he doesn't play as much as Coman. As a fan this frustrates me to see it and I bet it really frustrates a D coordinator to in essence have his hands tied and have to play less talented players and to have to like it. Talking about being aggressive all summer, yet demanding our CB's play 10 yards off the ball for fear of "making a mistake" has to burn the ass of Diaz, wait, Collins, wait Diaz, wait Sirmon.....and I bet Knox had to choke back tears when describing to the media how great Shumpert was doing in practice, they know.
If Dan can get us 8-9 wins I will shut up, again, but I would sure rather see us open up, starting with playing the most talented players. This conservative strategy sucks against the better teams, yet allows us to eeeeek out wins against marginal competition. Fingers crossed we can get 7 or more wins this season.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Dan says who will start and play for how long. He picks players who have been in his "system" and in his view are less likely to make mistakes (according to him). He does this regardless of talent level, for instance Peters may have talent enough to bust ass and make interceptions, cause fumbles with monster hits, be aggressive, etc....but because he is young and may occasionally blow a scheme or coverage, he doesn't play as much as Coman.

Let's say all you said is true. Where were all these great plays that Peters made last year to say look look he's clearly better than Coman & Dan is just being hard headed? We talk about how great & athletic Jamal is & he is but he hasn't made plays on the field YET.

[lamont]

Let's say all you said is true. Where were all these great plays that Peters made last year to say look look he's clearly better than Coman & Dan is just being hard headed? We talk about how great & athletic Jamal is & he is but he hasn't made plays on the field YET.

This all day. Peters did nothing on the field in 2015 that showed he was better than Coman. Nothing. He absolutely has more talent and will be a good players. But Jr Coman was a lot better than Fr Peters

[Todd4State]

Let's say all you said is true. Where were all these great plays that Peters made last year to say look look he's clearly better than Coman & Dan is just being hard headed? We talk about how great & athletic Jamal is & he is but he hasn't made plays on the field YET.

It's hard to prove when Peters hasn't been given an opportunity to show he is worse yet.

[Todd4State]

Dan says who will start and play for how long. He picks players who have been in his "system" and in his view are less likely to make mistakes (according to him). He does this regardless of talent level, for instance Peters may have talent enough to bust ass and make interceptions, cause fumbles with monster hits, be aggressive, etc....but because he is young and may occasionally blow a scheme or coverage, he doesn't play as much as Coman. As a fan this frustrates me to see it and I bet it really frustrates a D coordinator to in essence have his hands tied and have to play less talented players and to have to like it. Talking about being aggressive all summer, yet demanding our CB's play 10 yards off the ball for fear of "making a mistake" has to burn the ass of Diaz, wait, Collins, wait Diaz, wait Sirmon.....and I bet Knox had to choke back tears when describing to the media how great Shumpert was doing in practice, they know.
If Dan can get us 8-9 wins I will shut up, again, but I would sure rather see us open up, starting with playing the most talented players. This conservative strategy sucks against the better teams, yet allows us to eeeeek out wins against marginal competition. Fingers crossed we can get 7 or more wins this season.

Exactly what I figured. I just wish Dan could find a better balance between playing the talented guys sooner which would help their development and the good practice guys.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

It's hard to prove when Peters hasn't been given an opportunity to show he is worse yet.

Peters played a ton he just hasn't shown any flashes YET. I know how you feel about this situation but this isn't JRob running well, Chris Jones showing out as a Freshman, or Bear making catches early. Peters didn't show any special moments in his p/t. That's not a knock of his potential or what he may do THIS year just facts he didn't show anything to say he should start already.

[SallyStansbury]

Let's say all you said is true. Where were all these great plays that Peters made last year to say look look he's clearly better than Coman & Dan is just being hard headed? We talk about how great & athletic Jamal is & he is but he hasn't made plays on the field YET.

Also, we have decent talent at CB with Durr and maybe Smitherman, but I bet we will get a steady diet of Cleveland. You know the drill, 10 yards off the line of scrimmage...wrap up, bend but don't break*

Not saying Durr has Slay-like talent, but that dude is getting paid 50+ mill and he didn't start when he got here, headscratcher.

The predictability is rough and Dan gets more predictable as his sphincter tightens against Bama, Olemiss, and LSU.

Also to clarify, in my prior post, I am purely speculating, but unlike last year when I said the Oline would suck and you said how wrong I was, at least this time you take my comments under advisement. Hoping for the best.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

but unlike last year when I said the Oline would suck and you said how wrong I was, at least this time you take my comments under advisement. Hoping for the best.

When was this? I don't recall having a convo with you about our OL last year.

[HoopsDawg]

You guys are right about certain situations but you're barking up the wrong tree on Coman.

Also, Shumpert was clearly the best back in practice last year. This wasn't coach speak. We didn't open up a hole all year.

[preachermatt83]

Let's say all you said is true. Where were all these great plays that Peters made last year to say look look he's clearly better than Coman & Dan is just being hard headed? We talk about how great & athletic Jamal is & he is but he hasn't made plays on the field YET.

Where was Coman's great plays?

[preachermatt83]

Coman is just not good. No matter how bad anyone wants him to be. Period. He would not be in the 2 deep on any secondary in the SEC. He may be smart. So is bill gates. Don't mean he can cover anybody. I agree Peters and McClarin may not have shown much either but they have not seen half the Feild time as Coman. If Either played as much Coman they would be making more plays.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Where was Coman's great plays?

I never said he had this long list of great plays but can you name 1 great play by Peters? The talk is Peters is clearly better than Coman & should start. Based off what? His recruiting ranking. Facts are Jamal has yet to take the job because he hasn't made plays YET. Maybe this year he makes a big leap & becomes that top 100 player he was coming out of HS. If he does our defense takes it up to another level.

[SallyStansbury]

When was this? I don't recall having a convo with you about our OL last year.

You may be correct here, there were two fears of mine going into last year, which I stated: our OLine would suck and that Dan would have even more leverage over Manny having him indebted to him for getting him out of BFE LA. I think it was you telling me it would be the Manny show and that Dan didn't meddle with the D. I think that may have been it? Correct me if I am or was wrong.

And for the record I am not holding my breath on Rankin being worth a flip because with Dan trying to escape last YR he would have played him if he were worth a shit, therefore, until proven otherwise, I expect he sucks. Although given little credit Desper improved some and we may get similar improvement at C but Senior got abused, too skinny base, and he will probably play over Jenkins for no good reason. Wash repeat. Recruiting must improve on Oline, Hevesy should be shown the door.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

You may be correct here, there were two fears of mine going into last year, which I stated: our OLine would suck and that Dan would have even more leverage over Manny having him indebted to him for getting him out of BFE LA. I think it was you telling me it would be the Manny show and that Dan didn't meddle with the D. I think that may have been it? Correct me if I am or was wrong.

Yea I believe we did have that convo.

[SallyStansbury]

Yea I believe we did have that convo.

So yeah, I stand by those comments.

I hope I am wrong about the O-line this year, but I remain very skeptical until shown otherwise. Let's not even consider O-line depth, and possible injuries.

So will Dan trust Sirmon enough to back off and let him work? Or will we get a heavy dose of Cleveland and Coman, soft coverages to start the game every time, etc.....things we always see, very predictable things.

I value your opinion as a poster, what is to be done with Hevesy?

[Ifyouonlyknew]

So yeah, I stand by those comments.

I hope I am wrong about the O-line this year, but I remain very skeptical until shown otherwise. Let's not even consider O-line depth, and possible injuries.

So will Dan trust Sirmon enough to back off and let him work? Or will we get a heavy dose of Cleveland and Coman, soft coverages to start the game every time, etc.....things we always see, very predictable things.

I value your opinion as a poster, what is to be done with Hevesy?

I'm not a fan of Hev. I think he is a solid OL coach but his downfall is recruiting. That has been talked about to the death. If we're talking about getting rid of him I'm not sure I see it happening. We need to close this OL class off strong & expect it to get better as we go but actions speak louder than words.

[SallyStansbury]

I'm not a fan of Hev. I think he is a solid OL coach but his downfall is recruiting. That has been talked about to the death. If we're talking about getting rid of him I'm not sure I see it happening. We need to close this OL class off strong & expect it to get better as we go but actions speak louder than words.

We will know soon enough.

Urban always has a nice chess move in store when a coach/team gets the best of him. I hope Dan has some tricks up his sleeve this year. (In Dan's defense he is limited in what he can do by talent on the o-line).
That is a rock and a hard place situation and he has his buddy Hevesy (and ultimately himself) to blame.

[gravedigger]

Dead heat as in all 4 QB's?

No, but that is what he's told.

i think staley is one hell of a talent but he's too close to ride the bench for two more years. Tiano will be the starter by his redshirt jr year. Williams is the best insurance policy.

[RiverCityDawg]

Coman is just not good. No matter how bad anyone wants him to be. Period. He would not be in the 2 deep on any secondary in the SEC. He may be smart. So is bill gates. Don't mean he can cover anybody. I agree Peters and McClarin may not have shown much either but they have not seen half the Feild time as Coman. If Either played as much Coman they would be making more plays.

Phil Steele and Lindy's both list Coman among the top draft eligible free safeties in the country. I think for Steele it was top 15 or so, and Lindy's higher. Not sure I agree, but that's two reputable sources.

I was a Coman fan going into last year and had this conversation with Todd and others. Though I'll admit I was underwhelmed last year, he was still one of our best safeties and deserved to be playing. Had a great Belk Bowl. The Arkansas game was more on Bryant (and of course Z Jackson), when you go back and look, and we all know Bryant is good.

I don't know if he'll be on of our best this year, but the young guys still have to get better. Both were beat for TDs in the spring game. That stuff happens, but folks are acting like they're already "there". Coman is good, not great, and a leader. So let's just see how the young guys work in over the first part of the year. I'm sure they'll play more and more as they improve, just like Bryant did.

[somebodyshotmypaw]

Peters is much better than Coman. I find it hard to say that he was obviously worse when he only played 25% of the time.

Totally disagree. In 2015 it was obvious Coman was better. It was clear on the field. Things may be different in 2016. Peters and McLaurin might pass Coman. We will see. But last year Coman was better.

[Rexxx]

Totally disagree. In 2015 it was obvious Coman was better. It was clear on the field. Things may be different in 2016. Peters and McLaurin might pass Coman. We will see. But last year Coman was better.

You are exactly right. Coman was better than Peters last year. Peters is more highly recruited but was not better last year. He looked slow and lost in coverage last year. Coman was better. Hopefully Peters takes a leap and it clicks with him this year. This is one of the talking points for our fans. Happens every year. Last year it was "Richie Brown isn't as good as Green and he can't tackle". Anyone who knew football last year could watch and tell Green was not ready and Richie Brown is a very good LB. But every week I went to message boards and read how Richie Brown can't tackle.

[somebodyshotmypaw]

You are exactly right. Coman was better than Peters last year. Peters is more highly recruited but was not better last year. He looked slow and lost in coverage last year. Coman was better. Hopefully Peters takes a leap and it clicks with him this year. This is one of the talking points for our fans. Happens every year. Last year it was "Richie Brown isn't as good as Green and he can't tackle". Anyone who knew football last year could watch and tell Green was not ready and Richie Brown is a very good LB. But every week I went to message boards and read how Richie Brown can't tackle.

Yep. And that might change this year. I expect Peters and McLaurin to make a leap. Maybe they surpass Coman this year. Maybe not. We will see. It's tough to play SEC ball as a true freshman.

[Homedawg]

Totally disagree. In 2015 it was obvious Coman was better. It was clear on the field. Things may be different in 2016. Peters and McLaurin might pass Coman. We will see. But last year Coman was better.

This 100x. The 2 soph have more upside, but coman's actual performance in 15 was significantly better.

[bulldawg28]

I hear you guys praising Coman but not creating turnovers from a junior is head scratching to me. I actually love McLaurin. He's created turnovers since arriving on campus. He and Bryant together are safeties with instincts you can't teach.