ShotgunDawg
12-09-2017, 01:37 PM
I thought this could be an interesting discussion & I am going to try & stay away from broad answer like "recruiting better" or "play calling". Those are low hanging fruit & deteriorate the discussion.
These are not in order of preference:
Things I want improved
1. Show more willingness & aptitude to recruit areas of the country that are not dominated by a powerhouse. I know everyone wants to recruit Texas, Florida, & Georgia better, but I'm not sure that is the answer for us as those areas are heavily recruited by everyone. I think the real gem could could be us showing more willingness to recruit areas that are not dominated by in-state powerhouse. The Northeast, Eastern seaboard, Indiana, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, etc...
2. Show aptitude & cleverness for trick plays. We all know that MSU is typically a low 20s recruiter & the teams we have to beat to take the next step are top 10 recruiters. Due to that, MSU needs to find something extra that changes games. While Don is/was a good coach, he basically sucked in this area & I think that is one of the main culprits of his awful record against top 25 teams. My hope is that Moorhead can be as good or a better coach than Don, but also have some instincts, creativity, etc to find those 3 outside of the box plays a year that can tip the scales vs Bama, Auburn, or LSU. Don was pathetic in this department.
3. Be more aggressive in getting the ball in the hands of his best player other than the QB. I thought Dan was too stubborn with offense at times & relied on his offense to find create a successful play rather than trusting his best player other than the QB. By watching how Moorhead used Barkley, I am actually quite confident that he will achieve better results in this area. Mullen had a bad habit of throwing the ball or handing it off to some of our worst players in key situations. We've got to have more sense than that.
4. Get our most talented players on the field in impact roles quicker. Don took the "development program" too far. While I agree with the premise that MSU will have to out develop some team in our division, there is no reason why we can't use our younger, most talented players quicker while still developing them.
5. Slow the game down in big situations & understand rhythm. As with the LSU game in 2015, the Bama game in 2017, etc... Don was terrible at managing timeouts & understanding momentum within a game. It was one of his weakest attributes that he never improved on. Hopefully, Moorhead will handle the last 2 minutes of half & the game with more instincts & feel. I believe part of Don's unwillingness to use timeouts was in part because he knew that part of the game was his weakness & thus often chose to all together avoid them.
6. Lack of energy in the Egg Bowl. This has become a real issue. For about 3 of the last 4 years, we have not approached this game with energy OM has. Our lack of energy to finish the season has been bad. I can't help but wonder how much of this was always due to Mullen looking for another job.
7. Prioritize quick feet more in the recruiting process. I realize we get what we can get in recruiting, but from an evaluation standpoint, we need more burst & quicker feet on the field at most positions. Even some of the excellent QBs we have developed have heavier than desired feet.
8. Do a better job of selling the program to premodonnas without sacrificing the program values. There is a fine line here that unfortunately Don never found. Recruited lots of grinders, but many times winning programs have to find & appeal to the guy that thinks his shit don't stink & has over the top swag.
Things I want maintained
1. No drama. Mullen did a great job of running a drama free program with few serious off-field issues. Keep it up.
2. While I would like to see our recruiting expanded, we must continue to do well in MS, AL, & LA. Hudspeth's hire is critical in this department along with keeping Austin, Peterson, & Gibson.
3. Development of QBs. I like how Mullen brought them along, with the exception of deep ball passing. Due to his offense, this should be Moorhead's specialty.
These are not in order of preference:
Things I want improved
1. Show more willingness & aptitude to recruit areas of the country that are not dominated by a powerhouse. I know everyone wants to recruit Texas, Florida, & Georgia better, but I'm not sure that is the answer for us as those areas are heavily recruited by everyone. I think the real gem could could be us showing more willingness to recruit areas that are not dominated by in-state powerhouse. The Northeast, Eastern seaboard, Indiana, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, etc...
2. Show aptitude & cleverness for trick plays. We all know that MSU is typically a low 20s recruiter & the teams we have to beat to take the next step are top 10 recruiters. Due to that, MSU needs to find something extra that changes games. While Don is/was a good coach, he basically sucked in this area & I think that is one of the main culprits of his awful record against top 25 teams. My hope is that Moorhead can be as good or a better coach than Don, but also have some instincts, creativity, etc to find those 3 outside of the box plays a year that can tip the scales vs Bama, Auburn, or LSU. Don was pathetic in this department.
3. Be more aggressive in getting the ball in the hands of his best player other than the QB. I thought Dan was too stubborn with offense at times & relied on his offense to find create a successful play rather than trusting his best player other than the QB. By watching how Moorhead used Barkley, I am actually quite confident that he will achieve better results in this area. Mullen had a bad habit of throwing the ball or handing it off to some of our worst players in key situations. We've got to have more sense than that.
4. Get our most talented players on the field in impact roles quicker. Don took the "development program" too far. While I agree with the premise that MSU will have to out develop some team in our division, there is no reason why we can't use our younger, most talented players quicker while still developing them.
5. Slow the game down in big situations & understand rhythm. As with the LSU game in 2015, the Bama game in 2017, etc... Don was terrible at managing timeouts & understanding momentum within a game. It was one of his weakest attributes that he never improved on. Hopefully, Moorhead will handle the last 2 minutes of half & the game with more instincts & feel. I believe part of Don's unwillingness to use timeouts was in part because he knew that part of the game was his weakness & thus often chose to all together avoid them.
6. Lack of energy in the Egg Bowl. This has become a real issue. For about 3 of the last 4 years, we have not approached this game with energy OM has. Our lack of energy to finish the season has been bad. I can't help but wonder how much of this was always due to Mullen looking for another job.
7. Prioritize quick feet more in the recruiting process. I realize we get what we can get in recruiting, but from an evaluation standpoint, we need more burst & quicker feet on the field at most positions. Even some of the excellent QBs we have developed have heavier than desired feet.
8. Do a better job of selling the program to premodonnas without sacrificing the program values. There is a fine line here that unfortunately Don never found. Recruited lots of grinders, but many times winning programs have to find & appeal to the guy that thinks his shit don't stink & has over the top swag.
Things I want maintained
1. No drama. Mullen did a great job of running a drama free program with few serious off-field issues. Keep it up.
2. While I would like to see our recruiting expanded, we must continue to do well in MS, AL, & LA. Hudspeth's hire is critical in this department along with keeping Austin, Peterson, & Gibson.
3. Development of QBs. I like how Mullen brought them along, with the exception of deep ball passing. Due to his offense, this should be Moorhead's specialty.