Good Stuff By Jake Wimberly on How Mullen Can Become Elite Coach

[ShotgunDawg]

I think Dan Mullen is an elite developer talent, but only an above average game day coach.

It's easier to describe in baseball terms. Mullen would be an elite pitching coach or hitting coach but only slightly above average manager, whose job it is to manage the game.

I think Mullen is a good play caller, but my concerns evolve around these issues:

- Odd player personnel use. Due to his general philosophy of "taking what the defense gives you", he generally has trouble getting the ball to his best players in huge situations.

- Good players get in the dawg house and their
Punishment hurts the team.

- A sub par feel for the flow of the game and a reluctance to step on someone's throat. These flaws are evident in the lack of trick plays that have been successful in big games, calling timeout to slow the game down in Dak's SR year game vs LSU in the final drive when all he had to do was continue going with the no huddle offense that LSU had no answer for, etc.

Wimberly didn't make this video and I didn't make this post to bash Mullen. I think he's really good, but he could be elite/great if he'd stop being so careful, trust his players, and generally let his nuts hang out in critical games. He's just hesitant and it bugs me.

Here is Wimberly's tweet: https://twitter.com/jakewim/status/896555382344208384

[Jack Lambert]

My only problem with Mullen is playing senior over under class men because they are seniors. Our line got better when the running back got better. I really don't think our line got better, I think we got a running back who understood the zone blocking and took the holes. Why in the hell wasn't Williams our starting running back game one? That has to be one of the dumbest moves for Mullen since he's been here.

[ShotgunDawg]

My only problem with Mullen is playing senior over under class men because they are seniors. Our line got better when the running back got better. I really don't think our line got better, I think we got a running back who understood the zone blocking and took the holes. Why in the hell wasn't Williams our starting running back game one? That has to be one of the dumbest moves for Mullen since he's been here.

I think what your referring too is another symptom of him being to damn careful all the time.

Dan doesn't like taking risk even when the upside of the risk is worth it.

I don't know if he's about "self preservation" or if he's just naturally conservative, but, for him to take the next step,
I think he has to let it hang out.

I think back to the Alabama's NC two years ago when Saban called the onside kick late in the game. Does Mullen have the balls to do that?

[Jack Lambert]

I think what your referring too is another symptom of him being to damn careful all the time.

Dan doesn't like taking risk even when the upside of the risk is worth it.

I don't know if he's about "self preservation" or if he's just naturally conservative, but, for him to take the next step,
I think he has to let it hang out.

I think back to the Alabama's NC two years ago when Saban called the onside kick late in the game. Does Mullen have the balls to do that?
It wasn't the NC game but he sure did against Florida. That was a pretty big game for State and Mullen.

[regdawg18]

I'll make this real simple: If Dan Mullen wins just one national championship at Mississippi State he is automatically the greatest coach who has ever lived.

[Spiderman]

I think Dan Mullen is an elite developer talent, but only an above average game day coach.

It's easier to describe in baseball terms. Mullen would be an elite pitching coach or hitting coach but only slightly above average manager, whose job it is to manage the game.

I think Mullen is a good play caller, but my concerns evolve around these issues:

- Odd player personnel use. Due to his general philosophy of "taking what the defense gives you", he generally has trouble getting the ball to his best players in huge situations.

- Good players get in the dawg house and their
Punishment hurts the team.

- A sub par feel for the flow of the game and a reluctance to step on someone's throat. These flaws are evident in the lack of trick plays that have been successful in big games, calling timeout to slow the game down in Dak's SR year game vs LSU in the final drive when all he had to do was continue going with the no huddle offense that LSU had no answer for, etc.

Wimberly didn't make this video and I didn't make this post to bash Mullen. I think he's really good, but he could be elite/great if he'd stop being so careful, trust his players, and generally let his nuts hang out in critical games. He's just hesitant and it bugs me.

Here is Wimberly's tweet: https://twitter.com/jakewim/status/896555382344208384

Jake's got his deal, but is way over his head when it comes to X's and O's.

The 1st call on the goaline was in no way a bad call. The WR and Back screwed it up

[Jack Lambert]

I'll make this real simple: If Dan Mullen wins just one national championship at Mississippi State he is automatically the greatest coach who has ever lived.

If he was HC at six other SEC schools he probably would have one by now. Three from the West and three from the East.

[Commercecomet24]

Jake's got his deal, but is way over his head when it comes to X's and O's.

The 1st call on the goaline was in no way a bad call. The WR and Back screwed it up

^^^This. Wimberly is definitely not someone you want to listen to about X's and O's.

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

Jake's got his deal, but is way over his head when it comes to X's and O's.

The 1st call on the goaline was in no way a bad call. The WR and Back screwed it up

THIS^^ and why is he going back to 3 years ago to explain that Dan is not an elite coach? WTF? I thought I was watching an old tweet of his.

[Commercecomet24]

In all seriousness cause I don't know but does Wimberley have any credentials that would make him an expert at breaking down football?

[Todd4State]

I don't think Wimberly's point was that it was a bad call. I think his point was Robinson made a mistake and Dan took him out and it in his opinion "cost MSU the football game". That's definitely hyperbole as far as costing us the game but I do agree it hurt us. I think what hurt us as much was the use of 1A/1B as well in that particular game.

[Todd4State]

I think Dan Mullen is an elite developer talent, but only an above average game day coach.

It's easier to describe in baseball terms. Mullen would be an elite pitching coach or hitting coach but only slightly above average manager, whose job it is to manage the game.

I think Mullen is a good play caller, but my concerns evolve around these issues:

- Odd player personnel use. Due to his general philosophy of "taking what the defense gives you", he generally has trouble getting the ball to his best players in huge situations.

- Good players get in the dawg house and their
Punishment hurts the team.

- A sub par feel for the flow of the game and a reluctance to step on someone's throat. These flaws are evident in the lack of trick plays that have been successful in big games, calling timeout to slow the game down in Dak's SR year game vs LSU in the final drive when all he had to do was continue going with the no huddle offense that LSU had no answer for, etc.

Wimberly didn't make this video and I didn't make this post to bash Mullen. I think he's really good, but he could be elite/great if he'd stop being so careful, trust his players, and generally let his nuts hang out in critical games. He's just hesitant and it bugs me.

Here is Wimberly's tweet: https://twitter.com/jakewim/status/896555382344208384

I have the same basic concerns and it is what it is at this point. I do think Dan has improved some though.

I think he has to come to grips with the fact that the most productive player may not always be the guy that has mastered every nuance of the game. I think South Alabama is a better and more recent example of everything that could go wrong with Dan's style. And no- I'm not talking about his damn shorts. He went with upperclassmen at QB and RB who were not our best options. After we lost to USA, he without having a practice decides to go with Fitz. Why not stick with him from the start? There is no question in my mind that we win with Fitz starting at QB- he broke a freaking QB rushing record the next week against a South Carolina team that was better than USA. And then Holloway gets hurt and all of a sudden Aeris magically learns the playbook and can block adequately enough to start and instead of fumbling, getting our QB hurt, and looking confused our rushing attack magically gets better.

And back to the USA game- we lost playing conservative bend but don't break defense and then our walk-on kicker misses a chip shot to win it.

I have a feeling that he is conservative by nature and I think he sometimes gets into coaching ruts where he patterns plays and uses the same formation a lot. Other times he makes good playcalls like the TD to Dear in the Egg Bowl. I bet that happens to a lot of coaches though.

Personnel usage and roster management are by far my two biggest complaints right now with Dan. Use Dear like Harvin when he's healthy. Use two back sets with Aeris and Lee and Hill. And as far as roster management- how do you not know that you don't have any WR's over 6'0" tall two years ago? And don't get me started on us maybe having one ****ing high school o-line prospect in our last class unless Richardson can pull out whatever he needs to get in. Then we'll be up to a grand total of two.

I'm glad to see Sallach, the special teams and defense being addressed as well as more WR's with length.

[Leeshouldveflanked]

As long as he has Hevesy as an OL coach, he will not make it to the Elite Level.

[Reason2succeed]

If he was HC at six other SEC schools he probably would have one by now. Three from the West and three from the East.

I agree.

[Pinto]

Why haven't we ever gone back to the diamond formation we used against OK State? We have plenty of horses to run that this year especially with Fitz.

[ShotgunDawg]

If he was HC at six other SEC schools he probably would have one by now. Three from the West and three from the East.

I don't agree with this.

Alabama- yes
LSU - Yes
Florida - Maybe
Auburn - Maybe
Tennessee- No
Georgia - No
A&M - no

[WPDawg]

I think Dan Mullen is an elite developer talent, but only an above average game day coach.

It's easier to describe in baseball terms. Mullen would be an elite pitching coach or hitting coach but only slightly above average manager, whose job it is to manage the game.

I think Mullen is a good play caller, but my concerns evolve around these issues:

- Odd player personnel use. Due to his general philosophy of "taking what the defense gives you", he generally has trouble getting the ball to his best players in huge situations.

- Good players get in the dawg house and their
Punishment hurts the team.

- A sub par feel for the flow of the game and a reluctance to step on someone's throat. These flaws are evident in the lack of trick plays that have been successful in big games, calling timeout to slow the game down in Dak's SR year game vs LSU in the final drive when all he had to do was continue going with the no huddle offense that LSU had no answer for, etc.

Wimberly didn't make this video and I didn't make this post to bash Mullen. I think he's really good, but he could be elite/great if he'd stop being so careful, trust his players, and generally let his nuts hang out in critical games. He's just hesitant and it bugs me.

Here is Wimberly's tweet: https://twitter.com/jakewim/status/896555382344208384

Ha.....More "concern". Don't worry so much. Life will be better.

[Homedawg]

Jake's got his deal, but is way over his head when it comes to X's and O's.

The 1st call on the goaline was in no way a bad call. The WR and Back screwed it up

This^. I won't read anything else this guy says. But I do find it comical that HE knows he to be an elite college head coach!!

[1bigdawg]

As long as he has Hevesy as an OL coach, he will not make it to the Elite Level.

We will see this year. Hev has the most talented OL he has had at State. He is supposed to be a great coach. This is the year for him to prove it.

[FISHDAWG]

I think what your referring too is another symptom of him being to damn careful all the time.

Dan doesn't like taking risk even when the upside of the risk is worth it.

I don't know if he's about "self preservation" or if he's just naturally conservative, but, for him to take the next step,
I think he has to let it hang out.

I think back to the Alabama's NC two years ago when Saban called the onside kick late in the game. Does Mullen have the balls to do that?

I hope that doesn't include fake punts ... I have seen enough of that type of "letting it all hang out" to last a lifetime

[Joe Schmedlap]

I hope that doesn't include fake punts ... I have seen enough of that type of "letting it all
hang out" to last a lifetime

So true. We have seen some fake punt decisions that were hard to fathom...borderline "full retard"decisions.

[Bothrops]

Yeah, I'd say Wimberly is right on the money there.

[shoeless joe]

Why haven't we ever gone back to the diamond formation we used against OK State? We have plenty of horses to run that this year especially with Fitz.

Every syllable of the first sentence is inaccurate

[shoeless joe]

There are some decent points in the main post. But the thing that no one seems to understand, the fact that Mullen will sit a guy to prove a point or whatever his reasoning may be, is also the exact reason we don't have to deal with the "inmates running the asylum". He may take it a little far but his willingness to do so is one of the reasons we don't deal with some of the things that plague other programs.

I'm not saying that some things couldn't be adjusted in this regard but For some reason very few seem to see that correlation.

[bostondawg]

The call wasn't horrible. I disagree with Jake there. Just poorly executed; LT doesn't seal the edge, Robinson doesn't find the hole. The bigger point he's making, I do agree with. Player personnel usage is questionable.

Call from Dan gets a B-
Josh Robinson gets an F for execution.
Then Dan gets a D+ for player personnel usage after this scenario.

The fact of the matter is that Shump and Holloway could never be the core of an offense. ED has seen this for a long time. Shump is just a bust, and Holloway weighs 115 pounds. That isn't a shot at Holloway, but you can watch him against these elite defenses, and it's like he just taps a Bama defender while running by, and it causes him to do 3 flips and a 360. The smallest of hits on him looked like car crashes. Just not a running back that is going to be successful against Bama.

[Todd4State]

The call wasn't horrible. I disagree with Jake there. Just poorly executed; LT doesn't seal the edge, Robinson doesn't find the hole. The bigger point he's making, I do agree with. Player personnel usage is questionable.

Call from Dan gets a B-
Josh Robinson gets an F for execution.
Then Dan gets a D+ for player personnel usage after this scenario.

The fact of the matter is that Shump and Holloway could never be the core of an offense. ED has seen this for a long time. Shump is just a bust, and Holloway weighs 115 pounds. That isn't a shot at Holloway, but you can watch him against these elite defenses, and it's like he just taps a Bama defender while running by, and it causes him to do 3 flips and a 360. The smallest of hits on him looked like car crashes. Just not a running back that is going to be successful against Bama.

I agree. The thing about Holloway is he is good if he is used liked Dan used him against Arkansas in 2015. The problem is more often than not he used him like he used Josh Robinson. It never made any sense to me.

[Lord McBuckethead]

I'll make this real simple: If Dan Mullen wins just one national championship at Mississippi State he is automatically the greatest coach who has ever lived.

Yep. Or maybe that guy that coached Marshall.

[Hasu Dackds]

He's right. He's got to delegate, in some way. There are a lot of ways to skin a cat, but we can't keep having the gameday clock gaffes combined with the incredibly conservative play-calling.

Mullen, as good as he is at playcalling, really needs to delegate that because someone has to be in charge of game management. And who can do that if it's not him?

If he wants to specialize, do it coaching quarterbacks.