What's the latest coming out of spring practice

[preachermatt83]

?

[lamont]

I did a write-up Sunday

[Leeshouldveflanked]

Offensive Line is Awful, WR not much better, CB's Meh, we Won't kick any field goals next year, Everywhere else we good.

[Jarius]

The offense won the last scrimmage, per Coach Grantham in his latest interview.

[CadaverDawg]

Hev Sucks*

[TaleofTwoDogs]

The offense won the last scrimmage, per Coach Grantham in his latest interview.

Does that mean we really sux now?? **

[RiverCityDawg]

The offense won the last scrimmage, per Coach Grantham in his latest interview.

Yeah and the interesting thing is that he says they stopped the run pretty well. I guess we had some big passing plays? That's of note because Donald Gray didn't play in the scrimmage (no need), so clearly other WR's stepped up and made some plays. Anybody know who?

[JoseBrown]

Yeah and the interesting thing is that he says they stopped the run pretty well. I guess we had some big passing plays? That's of note because Donald Gray didn't play in the scrimmage (no need), so clearly other WR's stepped up and made some plays. Anybody know who?

Prolly Mixon and Thomas.

[BossDawg]

Offensive Line is Awful.

Shocking.

[Percho]

Hev Sucks*

That's what I'm talking about***

I told ya'll I could live with it!

[lamont]

We threw the ball nearly every play during the scrimmage and there was very limited blitzing because on Thursday we could barely get a pass off when they did

[dawgday166]

Sounds like all the RBs had to do was catch passes out of the backfield then?? No rushing attempts and no blitzes to pick up. I guess they may have helped OL with double team protections against Simmons & Co.

It all sounds like a formula for beating Bammer *****

ETA: Rosebowl says he ain't concerned. He expects the offense to be ahead when a new defense is being installed. I feel much better now **

[lamont]

Ran a live passing drill with blitzes Thursday- 15 plays. 8 sacks and 2 completions. None to outside WR's

[GreenheadDawg]

Ran a live passing drill with blitzes Thursday- 15 plays. 8 sacks and 2 completions. None to outside WR's

LOL. All you can do is ****ing laugh. How many decent OLs have we had since Mullen has been here? 2?

[GTHOM]

Ran a live passing drill with blitzes Thursday- 15 plays. 8 sacks and 2 completions. None to outside WR's

Good Lord

[lastmajordog]

Ran a live passing drill with blitzes Thursday- 15 plays. 8 sacks and 2 completions. None to outside WR's
........

[thf24]

LOL at those continuing to insist that spring practice, especially Mullen spring practice, means jack shit in regards to how a team will actually look and perform the following season.

[dotcomdawg]

Sweat is a beast

[Johnson85]

LOL. All you can do is ****ing laugh. How many decent OLs have we had since Mullen has been here? 2?

2009, 2010, 2014 were all good.

After that, it's pretty slim. 2012 and 2013 weren't good but part of the problem was having Tyler Russell at QB and no WR options past Bumpis in 2012 and then flipping back and forth between Russell and Dak in 2013. 2016 started terrible but finished up decent. 2015 was pretty bad but bailed out by Dak. 2011 was terrible.

[Dawgface]

Sounds like another sub 500 season.

[preachermatt83]

Sounds like another sub 500 season.

Nah... 7-5, or 8-4

[lamont]

Sounds like another sub 500 season.

Only if we lose some OL starters for length of time. Neither Jenkins nor Calhoun has practiced live yet this Spring

[GTHOM]

Sounds like another sub 500 season.

Defense will too good for that. Defense was the reason we went 6-7 last year. That and confusing no give a shit effort by the team sometimes.

[Bothrops]

2009, 2010, 2014 were all good.

After that, it's pretty slim. 2012 and 2013 weren't good but part of the problem was having Tyler Russell at QB and no WR options past Bumpis in 2012 and then flipping back and forth between Russell and Dak in 2013. 2016 started terrible but finished up decent. 2015 was pretty bad but bailed out by Dak. 2011 was terrible.

2011 was the worst OL I've ever seen beyond HS.

[NCDawg]

Offensive Line is Awful, WR not much better, CB's Meh, we Won't kick any field goals next year, Everywhere else we good.

I assume, therefore , you think the likelihood of our not getting to Atlanta for the 19th straight year is very probable.

[Mimi's Babies]

Hev Sucks*

WHAT will it take to RID MSU of Hev?

[msstate7]

WHAT will it take to RID MSU of Hev?

Get rid of Mullen

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Mullen just said on his Bo Bounds interview that Nick Gibson had over 100yds rushing in the last scrimmage so this OL just keeps getting worse & worse**

[msstate7]

Mullen just said on his Bo Bounds interview that Nick Gibson had over 100yds rushing in the last scrimmage so this OL just keeps getting worse & worse**

Mullen just lying to make Hev look good. Random saw it... we're the worst oline in the history of CFB

[dawgday166]

Mullen just said on his Bo Bounds interview that Nick Gibson had over 100yds rushing in the last scrimmage so this OL just keeps getting worse & worse**

Are you implying that Random's intel is inaccurate? Random better tighten up and quit being a slacker!

For a bigger question now: If that is the case, will we see Gibson much next year or will he be on the sidelines for the most part while he learns how to pass block?

[lamont]

Mullen just lying to make Hev look good. Random saw it... we're the worst oline in the history of CFB

Gibson had an 80 yard run against the 3's. DIdnt really think it was worth mentioning

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Are you implying that Random's intel is inaccurate? Random better tighten up and quit being a slacker!

For a bigger question now: If that is the case, will we see Gibson much next year or will he be on the sidelines for the most part while he learns how to pass block?

Random has his sources & trust them I have sources & trust mine. We're not all going to see things the same way. With 2 starters being out/limited it's not a fair representation of the OL. I think we both agree that the starting OL will be very solid. Have to stay healthy & that's the key. I just don't think the OL is this sewage treatment that it's been made out to be.

[Jack Lambert]

Some of ya'll might need to keep this handy.

http://www.crisistextline.org/suicidal-thoughts/

[dawgday166]

Random has his sources & trust them I have sources & trust mine. We're not all going to see things the same way. With 2 starters being out/limited it's not a fair representation of the OL. I think we both agree that the starting OL will be very solid. Have to stay healthy & that's the key. I just don't think the OL is this sewage treatment that it's been made out to be.

I'm ok with starters for most part. Concerned with how Hev may combine them tho, with Rankin playing center. But I'm not sure about all of that ... will just have to wait and see.

My BIG complaint more than anything is depth and past recruiting strategy/effort to fill needed gaps. Based on past recruiting classes it just appears to me that OL and WRs are the 2 lowest priority positions on the field to our coaching staff.

[QuadrupleOption]

I'm ok with starters for most part. Concerned with how Hev may combine them tho, with Rankin playing center. But I'm not sure about all of that ... will just have to wait and see.

My BIG complaint more than anything is depth and past recruiting strategy/effort to fill needed gaps. Based on past recruiting classes it just appears to me that OL and WRs are the 2 lowest priority positions on the field to our coaching staff.

The thing is we do have some good young O-Line players, but OL isn't a spot you can just plug someone in (with a few notable exceptions) and have them perform well.

[dawgday166]

The thing is we do have some good young O-Line players, but OL isn't a spot you can just plug someone in (with a few notable exceptions) and have them perform well.

True. But when you only recruit 3 - 4 each year with half of those borderline SEC caliber and requiring major development ... it just doesn't bode well for getting to SEC W upper tier.

Not trying to start another Fire Hev thread so I'll stop here. We'll see what shakes out over next 2 years. We'll also see if the new strategy of going extra large on OL is a good one.

[lamont]

As I said on Sunday- our 2018 OL should be pretty good. Should be 4 starters returning plus experienced back-ups

In 2017, guard play should be ok. There is going to be a learning curve at C and RT- no 2 ways about it. Plus the depth at Those 2 doesn't exist

[CadaverDawg]

True. But when you only recruit 3 - 4 each year with half of those borderline SEC caliber and requiring major development ... it just doesn't bode well for getting to SEC W upper tier.

Not trying to start another Fire Hev thread so I'll stop here. We'll see what shakes out over next 2 years. We'll also see if the new strategy of going extra large on OL is a good one.

I'm with you. Hevesy isn't a terrible x & o guy, but when you're as shitty of a recruiter as he is, it's like we go in to every season with 1 hand tied behind our back before we even play a game. Why? Because we always think we have a "serviceable" starting group....but this league is built on being strong in the trenches and having depth, so "serviceable" should be our 2nd string OL at worst in this league. You can't just be "serviceable" on the OL in the SEC and expect to be a real contender. That's where I get pissed....I want to have hope going into the season that with a few breaks and some luck we could win the West with an upset or two....so it sucks knowing before the season starts that we don't have the OL talent or depth for that to happen. We just don't. So it leaves some of us angry that we know 8 wins is probably our regular season ceiling, when if Hevesy would get off his sorry ass and recruit just a little bit we might have a long shot at Atlanta. And this is every single season...the same position group killing our hopes of the year before the first kickoff.

It would be like having a basketball team with a 2 deep of a mixture of 4 & 5 star guys at PG, SG, SF, & PF...but only being 1 deep at C, and he's a project 3 star. All that talent and depth at the other positions will win you a bunch of games...but you know going in you're not winning the league or any championships with a project Center and no depth down low. So you have to cap your ceiling due to that. Except in football, our starting C doesn't get much better and we never add depth.

[HoopsDawg]

Random has his sources & trust them I have sources & trust mine. We're not all going to see things the same way. With 2 starters being out/limited it's not a fair representation of the OL. I think we both agree that the starting OL will be very solid. Have to stay healthy & that's the key. I just don't think the OL is this sewage treatment that it's been made out to be.

C+RT+Outside WR's is going to make it challenging to put points on the board against quality Defenses. Put Scott Lashley at RT and AJ Brown on the outside and my outlook would be a whole lot brighter.

[CadaverDawg]

C+RT+Outside WR's is going to make it challenging to put points on the board against quality Defenses. Put Scott Lashley at RT and AJ Brown on the outside and my outlook would be a whole lot brighter.

Yep.

[Johnson85]

Random has his sources & trust them I have sources & trust mine. We're not all going to see things the same way. With 2 starters being out/limited it's not a fair representation of the OL. I think we both agree that the starting OL will be very solid. Have to stay healthy & that's the key. I just don't think the OL is this sewage treatment that it's been made out to be.

The OL might not be sewage treatment, but it's frustrating as hell that we can't absorb any injury. I understand most programs will be hurt by losing one of their two best OL, but it looks like our depth may be bad enough that losing any of our OL could be catstrophic. We obviously would be hammered if we lost Rankin, Jenkin, or Calhoun. Maybe we wouldn't have a huge drop off if we lost a guard (other than Jenkins, assuming he is at guard), but if we lose a RT, how bad do we drop off? And that could very well be an improvement over last year's OL, or at least how good last year's OL was at the beginning of the season.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

C+RT+Outside WR's is going to make it challenging to put points on the board against quality Defenses. Put Scott Lashley at RT and AJ Brown on the outside and my outlook would be a whole lot brighter.

I don't really disagree with a lot of that but Jenkins at RT & Gray on the outside is good to me. Yes we need more OT to step up & we need another couple of outside WR to step up. I'd love Lashley & AJ too that train has left the station so no need to keep looking back IMO. We have to play the hand we were dealt.

[GTHOM]

I don't really disagree with a lot of that but Jenkins at RT & Gray on the outside is good to me. Yes we need more OT to step up & we need another couple of outside WR to step up. I'd love Lashley & AJ too that train has left the station so no need to keep looking back IMO. We have to play the hand we were dealt.

WRs are going to be fine. Mullen moved the ball with Croom level WRs. I have faith. Its not like we are garbage out there. TEs will help a lot as well

[Johnson85]

I don't really disagree with a lot of that but Jenkins at RT & Gray on the outside is good to me. Yes we need more OT to step up & we need another couple of outside WR to step up. I'd love Lashley & AJ too that train has left the station so no need to keep looking back IMO. We have to play the hand we were dealt.
So is Jenkins our RT? I was hoping we'd be able to put him at LG and at least have one side of the line be really solid.

[lamont]

WRs are going to be fine. Mullen moved the ball with Croom level WRs. I have faith. Its not like we are garbage out there. TEs will help a lot as well

That's the thing- Mullen doesn't move the ball against good defenses. We are out of games by halftime against the top teams in the west because we can't move the ball

[Cooterpoot]

That's the thing- Mullen doesn't move the ball against good defenses. We are out of games by halftime against the top teams in the west because we can't move the ball

Other than Bama, that's not really true.

[dawgday166]

Other than Bama, that's not really true.

There is usually 2 or 3 other SEC W teams that we struggle to score on each year. Our problem last year extended outside the SEC W tho ... which is partially why we ended up with the record we had. And I know the D was part of that, but when they limited the other team to a respectable score then the O didn't perform.

[lamont]

Other than Bama, that's not really true.

2016 halftime scores

35-0 at half vs Auburn
23-3 vs LSU
30-0 vs Bama

2015 halftime scores

14-3 LSU
24-10 vs A&M
21-3 vs Bama
28-3 vs OM

That's not moving the football. Those games were lost in the 1st half

[Cooterpoot]

2016 halftime scores

35-0 at half vs Auburn
23-3 vs LSU
30-0 vs Bama

2015 halftime scores

14-3 LSU
24-10 vs A&M
21-3 vs Bama
28-3 vs OM

That's not moving the football. Those games were lost in the 1st half

You're taking individual games and not looking at the big picture. We've beaten LSU and missed a FG that would've won the game in another. We had a chance to tie that game up late this past year. We scorched UM this year and in 14 we were up in the 3rd qtr. We've beaten A&M twice in 3 years. We've handled AU. So to say we can't beat good teams or that we fall behind good teams at half and can't catch up is false. You'll have games here and there, but it's not like those teams have owned us and we haven't been in games every year. It's the toughest division in college football. Bama is the only team that handles us easily just about every year. If you want to say we sucked last year, then I'm down with that. But we just haven't over the last few years.

[dawgday166]

You're taking individual games and not looking at the big picture. We've beaten LSU and missed a FG that would've won the game in another. We had a chance to tie that game up late this past year. We scorched UM this year and in 14 we were up in the 3rd qtr. We've beaten A&M twice in 3 years. We've handled AU. So to say we can't beat good teams is false or that we fall behind good teams at half is false. You'll have games here and there, but it's not like those teams have owned us and we haven't been in games every year. It's the toughest division in college football. Bama is the only team that handles us easily just about every year. If you want to say we sucked last year, then I'm down with that. But we just haven't over the last few years.

To me the big picture is we lose 4 SEC W games each year. Most of time we score less than 20 in those games. The teams may change, but outside of '14 the 4 losses continue to show up. So in any given year if we lose games outside of SEC W then we finish with 7, 6, or 5 wins in regular season.

[HoopsDawg]

We couldn't move the ball against Miami of Ohio. And that was with Justin Senior, Jamaal Clayborn and Fred Ross.

[1bigdawg]

You're taking individual games and not looking at the big picture. We've beaten LSU and missed a FG that would've won the game in another. We had a chance to tie that game up late this past year. We scorched UM this year and in 14 we were up in the 3rd qtr. We've beaten A&M twice in 3 years. We've handled AU. So to say we can't beat good teams or that we fall behind good teams at half and can't catch up is false. You'll have games here and there, but it's not like those teams have owned us and we haven't been in games every year. It's the toughest division in college football. Bama is the only team that handles us easily just about every year. If you want to say we sucked last year, then I'm down with that. But we just haven't over the last few years.

You are getting caught up in the names of the teams. Random said that we fail to move the ball against good teams/defenses. The school that has that can change from year to year, except Alabama who is consistent.

[msstate7]

We couldn't move the ball against Miami of Ohio. And that was with Justin Senior, Jamaal Clayborn and Fred Ross.

We went over 530 total offense in 4 of our prior 5 games to Miami with bama being the one. Miami held us to our 3rd lowest yard total all year behind lsu and bama. Were they the 3rd best defense we played all year or was the bowl an anomaly?

[WinningIsRelentless]

2016 halftime scores

35-0 at half vs Auburn
23-3 vs LSU
30-0 vs Bama

2015 halftime scores

14-3 LSU
24-10 vs A&M
21-3 vs Bama
28-3 vs OM

That's not moving the football. Those games were lost in the 1st half

And I flip it right on you and say that's not stopping anyone besides LSU in 15.

[lamont]

You are getting caught up in the names of the teams. Random said that we fail to move the ball against good teams/defenses. The school that has that can change from year to year, except Alabama who is consistent.

Exactly. Against the SEC West's top teams in any given year- we lose the game in the 1st half because we can't move the football.

[lamont]

And I flip it right on you and say that's not stopping anyone besides LSU in 15.

Because we can't score and the defense stays on the field. HOw about scoring and getting some momentum? Football is a huge momentum game

[HoopsDawg]

Exactly. Against the SEC West's top teams in any given year- we lose the game in the 1st half because we can't move the football.

Thank goodness we have a mobile QB. I can't imagine how bad our offense would be under a Tyler Russell type.

[dawgday166]

Add in field position due to not moving ball, turnovers, or shanked punts.

[msstate7]

Delete

[Cooterpoot]

Exactly. Against the SEC West's top teams in any given year- we lose the game in the 1st half because we can't move the football.

Nobody does much against the top 2 teams in the west every year. You might as well say everyone sucks.

[lamont]

We had a Tyler Russell type... Tyler russell in '12

'12 stats for sec games only...
Sacks allowed -- 3rd
TFL allowed -- 3rd
Passing offense -- 5th

2012 Scoring? 9th in the SEC
3rd downs? 11th in the SEC

[msstate7]

2012 Scoring? 9th in the SEC
3rd downs? 11th in the SEC

Yeah, I thought the argument was protecting qb for some reason. I deleted my comment. I'm lost... carry on

[lamont]

Nobody does much against the top 2 teams in the west every year. You might as well say everyone sucks.

Again- that's not true. I'm not taking the time to prove you wrong again.

[deltadawg99]

Not having Jenkins and Calhoun out there makes a big difference.

[NCDawg]

That's the thing- Mullen doesn't move the ball against good defenses. We are out of games by halftime against the top teams in the west because we can't move the ball

Alabama toyed with us last year. Fitz had zero time to throw the ball because of our matador OL. Alabama put in their substitutes in the 2nd half and primarily ran the ball to hold down the score. They could have named the score. The Auburn and Arkansas games weren't much better either. I can't see us being a whole lot better on offense this year either, primarily because Mullen refuses to fix the OL and to get rid of his friend coaching the OL, who is not getting the job done. Hopefully, we will be better on defense with Todd Grantham. At least he is a knowledgeable DC.

[msstate7]

Alabama toyed with us last year. Fitz had zero time to throw the ball because of our matador OL. Alabama put in their substitutes in the 2nd half and primarily ran the ball to hold down the score. They could have named the score. The Auburn and Arkansas games weren't much better either. I can't see us being a whole lot better on offense this year either, primarily because Mullen refuses to fix the OL and to get rid of his friend coaching the OL, who is not getting the job done. Hopefully, we will be better on defense with Todd Grantham. At least he is a knowledgeable DC.

Yeah, Arkansas dominated our offense

[JoseBrown]

Nobody does much against the top 2 teams in the west every year. You might as well say everyone sucks.

So should we be happy and content competing for third in the West every year? Is that what you are saying here?

[WinningIsRelentless]

Because we can't score and the defense stays on the field. HOw about scoring and getting some momentum? Football is a huge momentum game

How about holding someone and giving momentum on defense? Like I said it can go both ways.

[TimberBeast]

So should we be happy and content competing for third in the West every year? Is that what you are saying here?

Yes that is the mantra of several on this board.

[lamont]

How about holding someone and giving momentum on defense? Like I said it can go both ways.

Too easy to score in today's football.

[QuadrupleOption]

So should we be happy and content competing for third in the West every year? Is that what you are saying here?

Happy? No, but understanding that building a football program takes time and patience. Coaches that take over a shit show and start winning in two years end up getting show causes for paying players.

[lamont]

Happy? No, but understanding that building a football program takes time and patience. Coaches that take over a shit show and start winning in two years end up getting show causes for paying players.

Thats just alot of white noise

We have 4-star back-ups on our DL- but cant get one highly-rated OL player to sign. The problem isnt the program. Its not like OL guys pass us over because our program isnt "sexy" or "blue-blood" enough for them

[lamont]

I don't really disagree with a lot of that but Jenkins at RT & Gray on the outside is good to me.

Rankin hasnt had 1 snap at LT this Spring. Now Jenkins is practicing at C also. If we play Rankin at LT and Jenkins at RT- then that means Moon is our Center. There is no way you dont get reps at Center in the Spring for the guy you intend to start there in the Fall. Especially when last season's starter is gone. Either Rankin or Jenkins is going to be the LT and the other is going to play C imo. Moon isnt running 2nd team all Spring to start this Fall either.

So our RT is going to be Reese- who has not played one college snap. And our starting Center wont have played 1 college snap as a Center.

[dawgday166]

Thats just alot of white noise

We have 4-star back-ups on our DL- but cant get one highly-rated OL player to sign. The problem isnt the program. Its not like OL guys pass us over because our program isnt "sexy" or "blue-blood" enough for them

We have a good many 4* recruits on D side of ball. Also, for some reason we can put guys into the league on the D side of ball. Not all of them were 4* recruits either. And this with quite a bit of D coaching turnover. If Mullen wasn't such a great QB evaluator and developer (and I believe he is) we wouldn't have but 2 I believe in league and no one that is a great impact player like Dak. Yet on D side we have KJ, Chris Jones, Fletcher, Preston, BMac, Slay, etc. All of those are impact players.

[dawgday166]

Rankin hasnt had 1 snap at LT this Spring. Now Jenkins is practicing at C also. If we play Rankin at LT and Jenkins at RT- then that means Moon is our Center. There is no way you dont get reps at Center in the Spring for the guy you intend to start there in the Fall. Especially when last season's starter is gone. Either Rankin or Jenkins is going to be the LT and the other is going to play C imo. Moon isnt running 2nd team all Spring to start this Fall either.

So our RT is going to be Reese- who has not played one college snap. And our starting Center wont have played 1 college snap as a Center.

I totally don't get our center development philosophy. Hardest position (outside of QB) to play and yet we never have anyone groomed to take that position over after a graduation.

[1bigdawg]

I totally don't get our center development philosophy. Hardest position (outside of QB) to play and yet we never have anyone groomed to take that position over after a graduation.

It no problem. Hev knows what he is doing.**

[BankerDog]

Down a cornerback. Smokey Graham is transferring. Supposedly asked the coaches his chances of making it to the NFL and he got a very truthful answer he didn't like.

Another 4* that didn't pan out. Heckuva an athlete not so great football player.

[msstate7]

Down a cornerback. Smokey Graham is transferring. Supposedly asked the coaches his chances of making it to the NFL and he got a very truthful answer he didn't like.

Another 4* that didn't pan out. Heckuva an athlete not so great football player.

Transferring to play offense? I've thought we should give him a look at slot again myself

[dawgday166]

Down a cornerback. Smokey Graham is transferring. Supposedly asked the coaches his chances of making it to the NFL and he got a very truthful answer he didn't like.

Another 4* that didn't pan out. Heckuva an athlete not so great football player.

Thought he was coming along a little bit. Not enough for the league but enough to contribute and maybe start. Seems odd that a truthful answer would cause him to transfer ... unless that truthful answer also included he didn't have a prayer of starting for us.

[dawgday166]

Transferring to play offense? I've thought we should give him a look at slot again myself

He fumbled 4 balls or so returning punts his freshman year. Dan hasn't let him touch a ball on offense since. Not saying that's good or bad ... don't know. Seeing how we seem down on receivers, might could help out there if given chance. Don't know tho.

[lamont]

Smokey saw the writing on the wall. He was at best #4 behind Peters, Durr, and Dantzler.

[JoseBrown]

Happy? No, but understanding that building a football program takes time and patience. Coaches that take over a shit show and start winning in two years end up getting show causes for paying players.

So if we are playing for championships and need to wait longer than two years then how much longer is it gonna take? Isn't Dan our longest tenured coach or something? He's closing in on $40 mil in salary, how much more is it gonna take to compete with AL and whoever isn't a good as them? I'm ready, just wondering when I can expect it to happen.

[Cooterpoot]

Saban effect....we will never beat Bama on a regular basis. If you're waiting on that, you'll die first.

[TaleofTwoDogs]

Saban effect....we will never beat Bama on a regular basis. If you're waiting on that, you'll die first.

Ok, understand that but what about the other 5 teams in the West. When can we expect to be consistently competitive against those teams? Winning a few more than we lose would be a big step up for State fans.

[NCDawg]

Saban effect....we will never beat Bama on a regular basis. If you're waiting on that, you'll die first.

On a "regular basis", probably not. It would be nice if Mullen could beat them at least once. Last year we weren't even competitive.

[dawgday166]

I've given up on Dan beating Saban. Ain't happening. If it were to miraculously happen, we'd lose 3 - 4 other games to teams not half as good.

[JoseBrown]

Saban effect....we will never beat Bama on a regular basis. If you're waiting on that, you'll die first.

Me? I didn't say I was waiting on beating BAMA, or should I say Saban. I've seen us beat BAMA, well, and Saban for that matter. A poster told me we can't expect to be competitive yet against the top 2 teams in the West. Said it takes time and patience, not 2 years when building a program that was a shitshow. Ok, but when should I expect us to be COMPETITIVE with the top 2 teams in the West? Dans been here much longer than 2 years, we've been ranked number one in the nation, and we've been to bowls every year except his first.

So when will we begin to COMPETE for one of the top two spots in the West? That's what I'm waiting for...

[Bully13]

I don't believe in being a servant of history regarding sports. Records are broken and common norms are flushed away all the time. Taking optimism and hope out of the equation is nothing but buzz kill.

If tsun can beat the dark Knight, so can we. Keep hope alive.

[QuadrupleOption]

Ok, understand that but what about the other 5 teams in the West. When can we expect to be consistently competitive against those teams? Winning a few more than we lose would be a big step up for State fans.

Other than Bama and LSU who have we not been consistently competitive against?

Arkansas? Ole Miss? Auburn? A&M?

[msstate7]

Other than Bama and LSU who have we not been consistently competitive against?

Arkansas? Ole Miss? Auburn? A&M?

We're 1-2 in our last 3 vs lsu, but the combined score is 73-73. I'd say we've been competitive lately with them

[Interpolation_Dawg_EX]

Me? I didn't say I was waiting on beating BAMA, or should I say Saban. I've seen us beat BAMA, well, and Saban for that matter. A poster told me we can't expect to be competitive yet against the top 2 teams in the West. Said it takes time and patience, not 2 years when building a program that was a shitshow. Ok, but when should I expect us to be COMPETITIVE with the top 2 teams in the West? Dans been here much longer than 2 years, we've been ranked number one in the nation, and we've been to bowls every year except his first.

So when will we begin to COMPETE for one of the top two spots in the West? That's what I'm waiting for...

Realistically it's no, we will never consistently be the top one or two in the west in football. Other teams have too many built in advantages whether it's tradition, money, population, alumni/booster base, or media coverage. That said, we shouldn't use those as an excuse to just let others have it and should continue to strive to be the best we can be. Be consistent and prepared so when an opportunity arises, we are in position to take advantage of it.

[smootness]

Realistically it's no, we will never consistently be the top one or two in the west in football.

I mostly agree with this. If we're going to expect our coaches to get us to this level, we're just going to continue firing them.

[Tbonewannabe]

Smokey saw the writing on the wall. He was at best #4 behind Peters, Durr, and Dantzler.

Is Dantzler as good as advertised? I know some people were saying he would have been our best DB last year if he wasn't hurt which isn't saying a lot but still. I know Peters improved a lot down the stretch and Durr did the whole Juco acclimation thing where it takes an entire year to get anything out of them. Hopefully the new Jucos don't take that long.

[HSVDawg]

C+RT+Outside WR's is going to make it challenging to put points on the board against quality Defenses. Put Scott Lashley at RT and AJ Brown on the outside and my outlook would be a whole lot brighter.

Regarding Lashley, per the talking heads on Alabama radio, he is in the mix to possibly start at LT this year. As a RS freshmen. For Bama. My goodness, how bad did we **** that one up.

[Johnson85]

So when will we begin to COMPETE for one of the top two spots in the West? That's what I'm waiting for...

Well, there are seven teams in the SEC west, so if everybody were equal, you'd expect to be in the top two roughly two out of every seven years.

Obviously everybody is not equal. If we finished in the top two one out of every seven years that'd be pretty damn good if we were also finishing middle of the pack the other years. We're not too far off of that, and we actually have a decent chance of getting there now that LSU is (hopefully) regressing to the mean again.

We have one machine in the West in Saban, and then 3 good if inconsistent coaches in Gus, Bert, and Tomlin. We'll see how Orgeron is but they at least have a big time talent advantage. Basically Ole Miss will be the only reprieve, and that's a new development, and even now they'll probably always be dangerous to us as a rivalry. Should be a much easier path to number two now than there has been in the recent past, but in any given year, Bama and one of either LSU, Auburn, A&M, or Arkansas are going to be top ten if not top 5 teams, so finishing even 2nd in the West is going to continue to be a tough task and require us to get some breaks that aren't going to happen on a yearly basis.

[Cooterpoot]

Regarding Lashley, per the talking heads on Alabama radio, he is in the mix to possibly start at LT this year. As a RS freshmen. For Bama. My goodness, how bad did we **** that one up.

He's running 3rd at LT. He may not end up there, but that's where he's at right now.

[1bigdawg]

Realistically it's no, we will never consistently be the top one or two in the west in football. Other teams have too many built in advantages whether it's tradition, money, population, alumni/booster base, or media coverage. That said, we shouldn't use those as an excuse to just let others have it and should continue to strive to be the best we can be. Be consistent and prepared so when an opportunity arises, we are in position to take advantage of it.

Being in the top two in the west twice every seven years would make us an average sec west program. It is the least we should be asking. We are not going to be champions every year. We are not Bama, but we should never get blown away by other teams. Last year's game with Bama would not have been much worse with no offensive line.

[1bigdawg]

He's running 3rd at LT. He may not end up there, but that's where he's at right now.

Do we even have someone running third at left tackle?

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Regarding Lashley, per the talking heads on Alabama radio, he is in the mix to possibly start at LT this year. As a RS freshmen. For Bama. My goodness, how bad did we **** that one up.

Freshman AA Jonah Williams is their LT. He started every game at RT last year & moved over to replace Cam Robinson. Lashley is in the mix to be his backup. Matt Womack is fighting for a starting spot at RT. He's battling Lashley but mainly True Freshman 5* Alex Leatherwood for that job.

[NCDawg]

Regarding Lashley, per the talking heads on Alabama radio, he is in the mix to possibly start at LT this year. As a RS freshmen. For Bama. My goodness, how bad did we **** that one up.

What do you expect when you retain the same OL coach year after year who it is apparent very few players like.

[Percho]

If we are going to keep Hevv; Why doesn't Mullen send him to finishing school?