Just my humble opinion on MSU

[starkvegasdawg]

We have played three games this season. We have had more talent on the field than all three opponents. That is saying somethign considering one of those opponents is knocking on the door to being top 10 and one is receiving votes. Yet we are 1-2. The fact that we had more on field talent tells me some combination of two things is happening. 1. We are recruiting high quality athletes to the program 2. We are developing the players we get. The ratio of those two is up for debate. So, if we have the ability to get talented players to the program, develop them even further, and that in turns allows us to be competitive with other good programs, then why are we losing more than we win when we play equal to better caliber opponents? Instinctively, you have to look at the coaching. The second half against Auburn I saw an offense that went from "damn the torpedos, full speed ahead" to "Please sir, may I have some more?". I saw a defense that went from aggressive to one that looked like they had just overdosed on laxative and was trying not to cough.

I was literally sick to my stomach watching the last of the Auburn game because I knew they were going to win that game. Our coaches on both sides of the ball had removed their balls and packed them up for next week.

Now, I am not going to call for any coaches heads as I have never coached on any level and do not have close to the knowledge to know how to do what they do at they level they do it at. I am of the opinion that Dan needs at least one more season. If he decides to make any kind of moves with his subordinates, that is his call. What I want to see is some aggression and a mean streak. I want to see our feet on opponents' throats for all 4 quarters. If we run up the score than that is their problem, not ours. You don't like being blown out by 40 points? Then work to get better. Our passive nature is a thing of the past.

[MadDawg]

I am certainly no expert on recruiting and in fact I despise it and can't stomach following it. Having said that, I see this all the time that we "have more talent than anyone we've played" or "MSU has more talent now than at any time in it's history" or something similar. I also never see anyone challenge that point. Why? Is it pretty much accepted by everyone that we have by far superiour talent to everyone except maybe Alabama and LSU?

[Political Hack]

there's not a gap in talent between us and anyone else in the SEC West except LSU, Bama, and A&M on offense. There was a huge gap 6-7 years ago between us and the rest of the SEC.

The gap will begin to widen again this year.

[starkvegasdawg]

I'm not saying we have far superior talent than everyone but Alabama and LSU but I think we are at the level right below them which I thinks makes us a top 15-20 team talent wise. Usually, the only games we just get embarrassed in are against the upper echelon teams that can red shirt 5 stars. Against the middle of the pack SEC teams we usually hold our own and we always look back to a possession here, TO there, or dumb penalty that cost us the game. That tells me we have the talent level to compete against 95% of the teams we play. That is why I say it comes back to coaching and the fact that we have no killer instinct. As has been said so many times since the Auburn game - we play not to lose instead of to win. I never understood that mentality. Personally, I would rather see us lose a game because we were being ultra aggressive and just got burned than I would see us play like our nuts were hung up on a barb wire fence and we were trying not to move too fast and the other team beats us. If we're going to go down...go down in a blaze of glory and not looking like Chris Farley falling down a hillside.

[bocfarm]

We don't have any true "playmakers" on offense, not sure ab Aub but everyone else has one or more.

[Dawg61]

It's Mullen's chips vs the opposing coaches chips at this point. They are his players and his coaches. We've seen twice this year the opponent has better on the field coaching. Mullen simply must get better here. Or maybe Mullen should ONLY do the OC position during the game and one of our coaches with a serious set of nuts should manage the game calls like the HC would. It'll never happen but what would happen if Hevesy or Collins acted as the Head Coach during the game only?

[fishwater99]

It's Mullen's chips vs the opposing coaches chips at this point. They are his players and his coaches. We've seen twice this year the opponent has better on the field coaching. Mullen simply must get better here. Or maybe Mullen should ONLY do the OC position during the game and one of our coaches with a serious set of nuts should manage the game calls like the HC would. It'll never happen but what would happen if Hevesy or Collins acted as the Head Coach during the game only?

Then why is Mullen the Head Coach?

[Dawgfan77]

A good coach puts players in position to win. A bad coach doesn't trust his players to win games. You decide which we have. To me it's not a talent issue any more

[Dawg61]

Then why is Mullen the Head Coach?

Because he's steadied the ship and he's an above average coach off the field. Outside of the game MSU is miles ahead as a program than the last year of Croom. Mullen gets his ass kicked during the game. I don't have a solution for that as that's on Mullen to improve himself but I would do two things for Mullen before I fired him. I would pay top dollar for an elite OC and have that guy run the show during the games and I would get rid of Bracky. If Mullen still sucks after those two things THEN I would fire him.

[DownwardDawg]

It's Mullen's chips vs the opposing coaches chips at this point. They are his players and his coaches. We've seen twice this year the opponent has better on the field coaching. Mullen simply must get better here. Or maybe Mullen should ONLY do the OC position during the game and one of our coaches with a serious set of nuts should manage the game calls like the HC would. It'll never happen but what would happen if Hevesy or Collins acted as the Head Coach during the game only?

You certainly don't want Hevesy acting as HC during a game!!!!!

[Ronny]

..I realize you have an emtional attachment to MSU & its players but MSU does not have more talent than OSU & Auburn.

I am going to use a radical litmus test here & say 99% of the time the team with the best talent is the team that wins.

When MSU is on the field I see a lot of medium level talent with a sprinkling of true SEC talent. MSU has speed and raw talent, but very little evidence of players with good football sense who can make good decisions in the heat of the moment.

OSU has much better players than us & Auburn is about equal with us, but trumps us when it comes to players with good football sense.

[Dawgfan77]

Wow really I watched both games and for the first time in many years AU didn't out athlete us. In fact we pretty much dictated the game til Mullen and Collins went Ron cooper and sparky woods in the 4th. We are not lsu Bama or uga but we aren't far away from the rest of the SEC. We are young and our HC is afraid to trust the young guys.

[Dawgface]

Wow really I watched both games and for the first time in many years AU didn't out athlete us. In fact we pretty much dictated the game til Mullen and Collins went Ron cooper and sparky woods in the 4th. We are not lsu Bama or uga but we aren't far away from the rest of the SEC. We are young and our HC is afraid to trust the young guys.

You must have missed the part where AU went up 11-0 in the first quarter and led by a point at the half. If we dictated the 1st half, we did a poor job of getting it on the score board.