Fitz before Dak

[NWADAWG]

I was watching some old highlight videos and a thought hit me. If Fitz had come before Dak, would he have been as or even more popular than Dak? Dak was/is amazing but did have the advantage of no real predecessor.

[preachermatt83]

I was watching some old highlight videos and a thought hit me. If Fitz had come before Dak, would he have been as or even more popular than Dak? Dak was/is amazing but did have the advantage of no real predecessor.

Daks intangibles is what made him so special.

[BigEasyDawg]

Dak also is the only QB that lead us to a #1 ranking. If Fitz can do that this year and be a legit Heisman contender (especially get an invite to New York) then he could be just as high as Dak. But Dak will forever live in Lore, not just for what he did in starkville but the pride he continued to give us his rookie year in Dallas.

[smootness]

No

[SmokeyDawg]

Daks intangibles is what made him so special.

This. His intangibles are what set the expectation for the qb's. Fitz is an ultra competitive guy, doesn't have the same intangibles, but Dak setting those high expectations pushed Fitz as a competitor.

[BrunswickDawg]

I'm going to push back on this and say yes.
What intangible does Dak have that Fitz doesn't?
Leadership? Check
Hard Worker? Check
Ability to put a team on his back and will them to a win? See entire 2016 season.
Ability to put team first? Check
Overcome hardship and obstacles to become the player/leader he is? Check
Teammates love him? Check (Get over the BS rumors pre-2016 - as we all can see now a lot of that was probably fueled by Dam Williams and his guys)
Top 10 Candidate for the most prestigious award in college football? Check

Now, he is about to come back from a career threatening injury, with the potential to lead a team to it's first SEC Title since before the German's bombed Pearl Harbor - and you guys are saying that if you removed Dak from the equation Fitz still doesn't measure up??? Greatest QB and arguably greatest athlete in the history of the football program if you remove Dak - and if he brings us an SEC West/SEC/or NC this year will have surpassed Dak in many ways.

I love Dak - but some of y'all need a head check.

[smootness]

I'm going to push back on this and say yes.
What intangible does Dak have that Fitz doesn't?
Leadership? Check
Hard Worker? Check
Ability to put a team on his back and will them to a win? See entire 2016 season.
Ability to put team first? Check
Overcome hardship and obstacles to become the player/leader he is? Check
Teammates love him? Check (Get over the BS rumors pre-2016 - as we all can see now a lot of that was probably fueled by Dam Williams and his guys)
Top 10 Candidate for the most prestigious award in college football? Check

Now, he is about to come back from a career threatening injury, with the potential to lead a team to it's first SEC Title since before the German's bombed Pearl Harbor - and you guys are saying that if you removed Dak from the equation Fitz still doesn't measure up??? Greatest QB and arguably greatest athlete in the history of the football program if you remove Dak - and if he brings us an SEC West/SEC/or NC this year will have surpassed Dak in many ways.

I love Dak - but some of y'all need a head check.

I love Fitzgerald, but Dak is a different kind of special. He just is. Showcased it in the NFL as well.

Of course he'll surpass Dak if he wins a national title. But let's actually get there first before making any of these claims.

[LC Dawg]

I don't think it's a knock on Fitz to say Dak would be more popular no matter what. It's not all about what happens on the field. Dak even said that Fitz is more talented than him. Dak just has something special that few people have. He's both famous and very approachable, or at least he was when he was at State. Dak goes out of his way to represent State. I don't think it's in Fitz's nature to attend the women's national championship on the front row and go crazy representing State. That's not a knock, everyone is different. The media loved Dak and that's a big deal because they don't love a lot of athletes and a lot of athletes don't love them. Dak is kind of the face of Mississippi State football and that is not a job that everyone would want. It comes with a lot of responsibility and scrutiny.

[Liverpooldawg]

I'm going to push back on this and say yes.
What intangible does Dak have that Fitz doesn't?
Leadership? Check
Hard Worker? Check
Ability to put a team on his back and will them to a win? See entire 2016 season.
Ability to put team first? Check
Overcome hardship and obstacles to become the player/leader he is? Check
Teammates love him? Check (Get over the BS rumors pre-2016 - as we all can see now a lot of that was probably fueled by Dam Williams and his guys)
Top 10 Candidate for the most prestigious award in college football? Check

Now, he is about to come back from a career threatening injury, with the potential to lead a team to it's first SEC Title since before the German's bombed Pearl Harbor - and you guys are saying that if you removed Dak from the equation Fitz still doesn't measure up??? Greatest QB and arguably greatest athlete in the history of the football program if you remove Dak - and if he brings us an SEC West/SEC/or NC this year will have surpassed Dak in many ways.

I love Dak - but some of y'all need a head check.

You may need the head check. Dak just had IT, whatever IT is.

[BrunswickDawg]

I don't think it's a knock on Fitz to say Dak would be more popular no matter what. It's not all about what happens on the field. Dak even said that Fitz is more talented than him. Dak just has something special that few people have. He's both famous and very approachable, or at least he was when he was at State. Dak goes out of his way to represent State. I don't think it's in Fitz's nature to attend the women's national championship on the front row and go crazy representing State. That's not a knock, everyone is different. The media loved Dak and that's a big deal because they don't love a lot of athletes and a lot of athletes don't love them. Dak is kind of the face of Mississippi State football and that is not a job that everyone would want. It comes with a lot of responsibility and scrutiny.

I'm not debating that Dak is not something special. What I am saying - as I think the original poster is as well - is that if Fitz had come first, would he have taken that face of the program spot. I think he would. Fitz was at basketball games, he goes to a lot of baseball games, and is involved on campus. But, you already have a "face" in Dak so he isn't as hyped or asked to fill the roles that Dak is asked to fill. You also have to take what Dak has done post MSU out of the equation since Fitz is still in school.

Look at where Fitz would be right now if Dak was pulled out of the picture:
1) First legit Heisman candidate
2) About to become all-time leading rusher in SEC history for a QB
3) Would hold most of MSU's QB related records in addition to probably being our #2 all time rusher
4) Would a led a resurgence from a 5-7 team to a dark horse SEC title contender while recovering from a career threatening injury
5) A guy only 1 school would give a shot as college QB does all of this?

The university would be pumping Fitz and he would have filled the face roll without question - because there wasn't one prior to Dak. Now, would Dak have likely taken over that role from Fitz if his same path came after Fitz? More than likely. But, y'all are acting like there is only one face of a program. That's not true in great programs. When I say Alabama do you think of only Joe Namath? Does Miami only mean Jim Kelly? No. Dak has benefited greatly as well by being a successful NFL QB for the most visible franchise in the NFL. What if Fitz gets drafted - higher than Dak - by the Giants and takes over for Eli Manning? Would you not recognize him as being equally as important to the growth of MSU football? Would you not point to him and Dak as the Clark & Palmerio of MSU football (look at that - more than one face of the program)? Dak had a huge benefit in being first. Our goal should be that he isn't the last.

[preachermatt83]

I don't think it's a knock on Fitz to say Dak would be more popular no matter what. It's not all about what happens on the field. Dak even said that Fitz is more talented than him. Dak just has something special that few people have. He's both famous and very approachable, or at least he was when he was at State. Dak goes out of his way to represent State. I don't think it's in Fitz's nature to attend the women's national championship on the front row and go crazy representing State. That's not a knock, everyone is different. The media loved Dak and that's a big deal because they don't love a lot of athletes and a lot of athletes don't love them. Dak is kind of the face of Mississippi State football and that is not a job that everyone would want. It comes with a lot of responsibility and scrutiny.

Great post! Rep given.

[msbulldog]

I love 'em both, cause their ours!

[Dawg2003]

Nick became much more beloved after Mullen left because it forced him into a leadership role. He stepped up and delivered. I'm not sure that would be the case without Mullen leaving. I think Fitz has the potential to be one of our most beloved QBs by the end of the season. Not to Dak level but close.

[Gutter Cobreh]

Dak - by a wide margin using a simple example... If Dak were to challenge the baseball team by saying he would dye his hair based on their success - when they achieved said accomplishment - he'd already be sitting in a barber chair. Fitz, on the other hand, needed to wait to get his girlfriend's approval.***

In all seriousness, Dak caught or made (however you view it) some breaks that no one saw coming. He prepared and took advantage of every opportunity given to him, along with having a relatable experience regarding his mom's fight with cancer. The guy is just a great person on and off the field.

Fitz has come into his own as of late, but just last year there were serious question marks around him. I'm excited to see what he can do this year and think he has made huge strides in all areas.

Before of after though, there is one Dak and one Fitz so it doesn't really matter.

[msstatelp1]

I think Fitz needed Dak to have something to shoot for and try to surpass. As someone else said, he's super competitve and without Dak he would have had a very low reachable target to be our best ever QB. If Fitz had come first I think he would be remembered like Booby or Smoot.

[Bully13]

I admire Fitz's toughness. Never knew he had so many bad prior injuries. If he comes back and excels this go round, I'll never put anyone else above him in the toughness category, that's for sure. Would love to see him take us higher than Dak did and if he does, Dak will be cheering for him to do so.

[bulldawg28]

I'm going to push back on this and say yes.
What intangible does Dak have that Fitz doesn't?
Leadership? Check
Hard Worker? Check
Ability to put a team on his back and will them to a win? See entire 2016 season.
Ability to put team first? Check
Overcome hardship and obstacles to become the player/leader he is? Check
Teammates love him? Check (Get over the BS rumors pre-2016 - as we all can see now a lot of that was probably fueled by Dam Williams and his guys)
Top 10 Candidate for the most prestigious award in college football? Check

Now, he is about to come back from a career threatening injury, with the potential to lead a team to it's first SEC Title since before the German's bombed Pearl Harbor - and you guys are saying that if you removed Dak from the equation Fitz still doesn't measure up??? Greatest QB and arguably greatest athlete in the history of the football program if you remove Dak - and if he brings us an SEC West/SEC/or NC this year will have surpassed Dak in many ways.

I love Dak - but some of y'all need a head check.

This all day. Fitz is more competitive than Dak in college . He would have taken that same 2014 team to the #1 ranking. I believe the only game we possibly lose with Fitz is Bama.

[bulldawg28]

I don't think it's a knock on Fitz to say Dak would be more popular no matter what. It's not all about what happens on the field. Dak even said that Fitz is more talented than him. Dak just has something special that few people have. He's both famous and very approachable, or at least he was when he was at State. Dak goes out of his way to represent State. I don't think it's in Fitz's nature to attend the women's national championship on the front row and go crazy representing State. That's not a knock, everyone is different. The media loved Dak and that's a big deal because they don't love a lot of athletes and a lot of athletes don't love them. Dak is kind of the face of Mississippi State football and that is not a job that everyone would want. It comes with a lot of responsibility and scrutiny.

Not knocking Dak but his story is him overcoming his mother's death. It's a feel good story. Fitz can do anything Dak did in every situation on the field.

[Bully13]

Not knocking Dak but his story is him overcoming his mother's death. It's a feel good story. Fitz can do anything Dak did in every situation on the field.

No. Dak was arguably the best college QB when he was playing at MSU. If not, he was among the top 3. Saying anybody else (Fitz) could have taken us to #1 for 5 weeks as if it's an automatic is a stretch. And no, Dak did things on the field Fitz has yet to show he can do. I hope that changes this year at Fitz shatters more Dak records this year.

[LC Dawg]

Not knocking Dak but his story is him overcoming his mother's death. It's a feel good story. Fitz can do anything Dak did in every situation on the field.

I stated that it's not just about what happens on the field and to narrow Dak's story down just to him dealing with his mother's death is very short sighted.

[bluelightstar]

Fitz also gets a lot of breaks from people because we had "no receivers" last year (which is true!), but Dak had zero help from the running game in 2015. I think he was our leading rusher that year by a wide margin, and still managed to have 7 300+ yard passing games (including a 500-yard game). Hell, we had to go bombs away basically the entire season. Dak is probably the only QB in our history that could've led us to 9-4 that year.

Fitz has been good in a lot of respects, but, hell, this thread makes me think Dak is underappreciated.

[BrunswickDawg]

Fitz also gets a lot of breaks from people because we had "no receivers" last year (which is true!), but Dak had zero help from the running game in 2015. I think he was our leading rusher that year by a wide margin, and still managed to have 7 300+ yard passing games (including a 500-yard game). Hell, we had to go bombs away basically the entire season. Dak is probably the only QB in our history that could've led us to 9-4 that year.

Fitz has been good in a lot of respects, but, hell, this thread makes me think Dak is underappreciated.

I don't really think either of them are underappreciated. This is a "chicken or the egg" argument that really has no right or wrong answer. While Dak is, and will be for a long time, the most popular player in MSU history (arguably in any sport) we can't lose sight of the fact we are in uncharted waters for MSU - with a large number extremely high profile of former athletes. Look at who all we have out there right now -
Dak Prescott
Benardrick McKinney
Fletcher Cox
Darius Slay
Gabe Jackson
Preston Smith
Mitch Moreland
Jonathan Holder
Victoria Vivians
Ally McDonald

We even have notable fans who are stars now like Robin Roberts (when have we ever had that???)

With another huge wave of potential stars either in MiLB or in our athletic program currently (Tierra, Fitz, etc). We are in a Golden Era of MSU sports. We need to push all of these as faces of what MSU represents.

[smootness]

I don't really think either of them are underappreciated. This is a "chicken or the egg" argument that really has no right or wrong answer. While Dak is, and will be for a long time, the most popular player in MSU history (arguably in any sport) we can't lose sight of the fact we are in uncharted waters for MSU - with a large number extremely high profile of former athletes. Look at who all we have out there right now -
Dak Prescott
Benardrick McKinney
Fletcher Cox
Darius Slay
Gabe Jackson
Preston Smith
Mitch Moreland
Jonathan Holder
Victoria Vivians
Ally McDonald

We even have notable fans who are stars now like Robin Roberts (when have we ever had that???)

With another huge wave of potential stars either in MiLB or in our athletic program currently (Tierra, Fitz, etc). We are in a Golden Era of MSU sports. We need to push all of these as faces of what MSU represents.

While I agree with your overall point, in the 90s we had Will Clark, Rafael Palmeiro, Eric Moulds, Erick Dampier, Jeff Malone, Jeff Brantley, Walt Harris. Outside of Dak, Fletcher, and maybe Slay, those are more recognizable names than the others on that list.

[TrapGame]

Fitz has a chance to be another legend this year. Not Dak Prescott but his own man. If we reach Atlanta with a shot at a NC playoff berth then Fitz enters a different stage of legendary status. Not necessarily better just different.

[bulldawg28]

I stated that it's not just about what happens on the field and to narrow Dak's story down just to him dealing with his mother's death is very short sighted.

What did he do off the field that you're referring to? After the death he was thrust into the spotlight off the field.

[bulldawg28]

Fitz also gets a lot of breaks from people because we had "no receivers" last year (which is true!), but Dak had zero help from the running game in 2015. I think he was our leading rusher that year by a wide margin, and still managed to have 7 300+ yard passing games (including a 500-yard game). Hell, we had to go bombs away basically the entire season. Dak is probably the only QB in our history that could've led us to 9-4 that year.

Fitz has been good in a lot of respects, but, hell, this thread makes me think Dak is underappreciated.

2015 is comparable to what Fitz did last year, if not better. His top 3 WRs missed the majority of the year and barring injury would have put the team on his back for 10 wins.
Dak was great for MSU and is appreciated highly. However, Fitzgerald has done the same on the field with lesser teams.

[dawgday166]

Now I love Dak and he's a great ambassador for MSU. Having said that:

Dak as a senior was very good and improved by a ton from Jr to Sr. Dak as a junior ... not sure he was better than Fitz. Remember, he threw some picks, especially against Bama, that were very costly. Also, Dak was surrounded by experienced Seniors on O and D lines. Had experienced secondary. Had better receivers too. Whatever folks wanna say about that D, when it came time to shut down an opposing team, they did it pretty well. Only gave up a little over 300 yds to Bama in TTown. Ole Miss and Ga Tech were the only games they didn't clamp down on. Also gave up those 3 3rd and long conversions to Sims for Bama. We played Vandy as the other east team that year, not a team on a par with last year's Ga team. AU wasn't as good that year as this past year either, especially on D.

The book is still out on Fitz IMO ... I think he will be very good. We'll find out here over the next few months. Dak couldn't make all the throws as a Jr. He progressed a whole lot from Jr to Sr year.

[LC Dawg]

What did he do off the field that you're referring to? After the death he was thrust into the spotlight off the field.

You seriously think Dak's popularity and fame is due to his mom passing away? His mom's passing and his relationship with her is definitely a large part of his story but he was thrust into the spotlight because of his play on the field and leading State to a #1 ranking. What he did with the spotlight is what sets him apart from a lot of athletes.

[BuckyIsAB****]

I'm going to push back on this and say yes.
What intangible does Dak have that Fitz doesn't?
Leadership? Check
Hard Worker? Check
Ability to put a team on his back and will them to a win? See entire 2016 season.
Ability to put team first? Check
Overcome hardship and obstacles to become the player/leader he is? Check
Teammates love him? Check (Get over the BS rumors pre-2016 - as we all can see now a lot of that was probably fueled by Dam Williams and his guys)
Top 10 Candidate for the most prestigious award in college football? Check

Now, he is about to come back from a career threatening injury, with the potential to lead a team to it's first SEC Title since before the German's bombed Pearl Harbor - and you guys are saying that if you removed Dak from the equation Fitz still doesn't measure up??? Greatest QB and arguably greatest athlete in the history of the football program if you remove Dak - and if he brings us an SEC West/SEC/or NC this year will have surpassed Dak in many ways.

I love Dak - but some of y'all need a head check.

I love Fitz and there is no doubt he leaves it all on the field every single game. BUT

There was no BS to the rumors that people on the team didnt like him early on. He has matured a lot since he first got here. Mullen created all the drama in playing Williams when he never should have.

If Mullen had left Fitz in vs South Alabama we never lose to them and there is never any controversy.

All that said he can surpass Dak if he plays to the level he is capable of this year

[BuckyIsAB****]

And Im not trying to bad mouth Fitz. Also not doubting him, would be stupid to do so. He is the most talented QB MSU has ever seen, he was also one of the most raw.

This is his time and he has the chance to take us back to ATL and possibly a playoff. Something Dak had the chance to do but didnt. (Not entirely his fault)

KT also is going to be special. This is by far the golden age of MSU QB's

[bulldawg28]

You seriously think Dak's popularity and fame is due to his mom passing away? His mom's passing and his relationship with her is definitely a large part of his story but he was thrust into the spotlight because of his play on the field and leading State to a #1 ranking. What he did with the spotlight is what sets him apart from a lot of athletes.

I agree that both are reasons for his popularity. However, I also believe Fitz would have done the same as Dak at that stage in their careers on that team. I guessthe truth is Fitz will get his chance this fall. He won't have the element of surprise the 2014 team had. Fitz has expectations that Dak never did.

[BrunswickDawg]

I love Fitz and there is no doubt he leaves it all on the field every single game. BUT

There was no BS to the rumors that people on the team didnt like him early on. He has matured a lot since he first got here. Mullen created all the drama in playing Williams when he never should have.

If Mullen had left Fitz in vs South Alabama we never lose to them and there is never any controversy.

All that said he can surpass Dak if he plays to the level he is capable of this year

I could totally understand Fitz being seen as a very different cat compared most on the team and that causing some issues. A kid from Coastal GA is going to be used to a very different lifestyle - different from even MS coast rats. And there is something of a party life to it that you grow up in - especially in the Savannah area. My daughter talked about it a lot this year going from here to Starkville. Two totally different worlds.