My literal hot takes

[Todd4State]

I am drinking every fluid I can get my hands on right now.

If I had to give this team a grade it would be incomplete. And it may be that way all year long.

The offense looks really good with Tommy running the show. But I don't think we've seen what it looks like at it's fullest potential because Tommy played half a game and then the first game is always a little bit right around the edges. Hopefully he is OK and I suspect he is.

The defense worries me some. Oddly enough the DT's which we all thought would be a weakness have done OK but the guys that we thought would be really good are still missing tackles and sacks. Rivers, Leo, and Errol. I can't figure out what's up with that. Teams are going to kill us on the perimeter of we don't shore it up. At the same time it's an incomplete because how much better does Willie Gay make us on defense? Same with Marcus Murphy and the secondary which had it's share of struggles as well?

Special teams was better today. Tucker Day is really going to help the defense out a lot. He has become a punting wizard. Other than the missed 40+ yard field goal I didn't see any bad special teams mistakes against a team that returned a couple of kicks back for TD's last weekend.

I think this team could improve as the year goes along if Tommy and Kylin stay healthy and IF the defense improves.

Good win over USM and we did it almost with one hand tied behind our back. It would have been more of a blowout with Tommy playing the whole game but it is what it is. And that's a win at the end of the day.

[Coach007]

I think Leo is a guy that makes the right decision most of the time, but his tackling is horrible. Many times in 2 games he had TFLs... He just simply did not tackle. I do think Rivers was very effective today.

[Maroonthirteen]

Agree with all that.

With only 6 quarters of watching Stevens, he can throw the football. He isn’t near as elusive as Fitz but very few are or will be.

Hot take..... JoMos scripts are genius. When he runs out of script.... our offense seems to sputter. But again.... it would have been nice to See Stevens another full
Game to really know if JoMos play calling is stellar or lacking.

[Homedawg]

Agree w the offensive part, think we can be really god if ts stays healthy. We will know more against sec defenses but so far he looks the part!! As far as defense, we've been so spoiled of having great dt play, that the other guys were able to benefit from it. What usm was able to do running it up the gut is going to hurt us later on against teams that can keep pounding us. Not having Willie hurts not only Bc we lost our best lb but we have no depth and get tired really quickly. Our corners and Cole are fine, but we are going to get exposed in the league due to lack of pass rush. We have had very little in two games.

[the_real_MSU_is_us]

Offense as a whole is the strength. QB can make reads and get the ball out accurate and on time. RBs can make the most our of their blocks and wear down a D. WR's aren't great but they've been doing their job. OL should be really good (Eiland at RT is probably the weakest link) and can allow RBs and Stevens to reach their potential.

Behind the O, special teams is our next best group. Day is probably one of the best punters in the conference, Christmann is solid, Dear is a decent return man, and Goodman can kick it out the back of the endzone.

D is overall a mess by SEC standards. Secondary keeps blowing assignments and missing tackles, and aside from Cole, Smitherman, and Dantzler I'm not seeing a lot of SEC athleticism back there. At LB Erroll seems slower and Leo is still a liability. At DL we have mediocre (by SEC standards) DE's and only 1 real SEC ready DT. Shoop will break out some better blitz packages but without Gay out there we don't have a truly good unit by SEC standards to leverage off of. No group is a true disaster, but no group can really be leaned on to make up for the deficiencies of the next. I could see us shutting down a bad O but getting absolutely torched by a good one like Bama or LSU -yes, they are actually good this year.

Overall? Complete inverse of last year, though not to the same degree: our O won't be #1 in the country and our D won't be 2016 level bad. But the O will have to win in some shootouts for sure, and Day will have to keep giving us every yard of advantage he can. We'll go 8-4 as TN, Arky, and OM are truly horrible, and hopefully upgrade our S&C and DL coach for next year. Shrader is the future and our OL will be very good again so there's the potential for improvement.

Oh yeah, and Kentucky's Terry Wilson was carted off the field with a knee injury. He's done for the year. Last years backup transferred out so they're on the equivalent of last years 3rd string QB.

[Homedawg]

I think Leo is a guy that makes the right decision most of the time, but his tackling is horrible. Many times in 2 games he had TFLs... He just simply did not tackle. I do think Rivers was very effective today.


Leo is an avg sec lb at best and that's kind.

[ShotgunDawg]

- We gotta start staying healthy. Our injuries thus far are ridiculous
- Our WRs gotta be having a 17ing blast with Stevens. He's on time, on target, & throws a pass that has touch that they can't help but catch it. Stevens isn't as tough, the leader, or the type of runner as Dak, but he throws better, more accurate pass. It's a fact. Don't argue it.

[BeardoMSU]

I am drinking every fluid I can get my hands on right now.

If I had to give this team a grade it would be incomplete. And it may be that way all year long.

The offense looks really good with Tommy running the show. But I don't think we've seen what it looks like at it's fullest potential because Tommy played half a game and then the first game is always a little bit right around the edges. Hopefully he is OK and I suspect he is.

The defense worries me some. Oddly enough the DT's which we all thought would be a weakness have done OK but the guys that we thought would be really good are still missing tackles and sacks. Rivers, Leo, and Errol. I can't figure out what's up with that. Teams are going to kill us on the perimeter of we don't shore it up. At the same time it's an incomplete because how much better does Willie Gay make us on defense? Same with Marcus Murphy and the secondary which had it's share of struggles as well?

Special teams was better today. Tucker Day is really going to help the defense out a lot. He has become a punting wizard. Other than the missed 40+ yard field goal I didn't see any bad special teams mistakes against a team that returned a couple of kicks back for TD's last weekend.

I think this team could improve as the year goes along if Tommy and Kylin stay healthy and IF the defense improves.

Good win over USM and we did it almost with one hand tied behind our back. It would have been more of a blowout with Tommy playing the whole game but it is what it is. And that's a win at the end of the day.

Please sleep on your side tonight, Bonham...you'll be needed during baseball season.**


Good takes, though.

[Commercecomet24]

Leo is a lb avg sec lb at best and that's kind.

Leo appears to be one of those players that peaked in high school. He hasn't gotten any better and as you said at best he's average

[Bothrops]

Stevens is a great passer and runs this offense pretty seamlessly, which is fun to watch. I'm worried about his health though. I'm not sure he can get through the meat of the schedule.

[starkvegasdawg]

Stevens is unreal to watch. Wish we had him another year. Schraeder showed flashes of brilliance. Our running backs just leave me in awe. Hill, Gibson, and now Witherspoon. Wow.

Our defense makes me throw up in my mouth. They tackle like they're scared they're going to break a nail, and the secondary is not as lockdown as I was thinking. I'm scared to death come SEC play it's going to really get exposed.

[TaleofTwoDogs]

All good comments. The Defense is classic Jekyll and Hyde. One minute you'll see a DT simply put out minimal effort and the next play pressure the QB. I saw Spencer get cut down by the RT and gave up on the play even though it was still live, but the next play he worked himself into the backfield and blew up the play. Last year you would see 110% effort on every play and that's what makes a great defense. It's a mentality I haven't seen from this defense.

[Coach007]

Leo is an avg sec lb at best and that's kind.

had higher hopes for him.

[msstate7]

Offense as a whole is the strength. QB can make reads and get the ball out accurate and on time. RBs can make the most our of their blocks and wear down a D. WR's aren't great but they've been doing their job. OL should be really good (Eiland at RT is probably the weakest link) and can allow RBs and Stevens to reach their potential.

Behind the O, special teams is our next best group. Day is probably one of the best punters in the conference, Christmann is solid, Dear is a decent return man, and Goodman can kick it out the back of the endzone.

D is overall a mess by SEC standards. Secondary keeps blowing assignments and missing tackles, and aside from Cole, Smitherman, and Dantzler I'm not seeing a lot of SEC athleticism back there. At LB Erroll seems slower and Leo is still a liability. At DL we have mediocre (by SEC standards) DE's and only 1 real SEC ready DT. Shoop will break out some better blitz packages but without Gay out there we don't have a truly good unit by SEC standards to leverage off of. No group is a true disaster, but no group can really be leaned on to make up for the deficiencies of the next. I could see us shutting down a bad O but getting absolutely torched by a good one like Bama or LSU -yes, they are actually good this year.

Overall? Complete inverse of last year, though not to the same degree: our O won't be #1 in the country and our D won't be 2016 level bad. But the O will have to win in some shootouts for sure, and Day will have to keep giving us every yard of advantage he can. We'll go 8-4 as TN, Arky, and OM are truly horrible, and hopefully upgrade our S&C and DL coach for next year. Shrader is the future and our OL will be very good again so there's the potential for improvement.

Oh yeah, and Kentucky's Terry Wilson was carted off the field with a knee injury. He's done for the year. Last years backup transferred out so they're on the equivalent of last years 3rd string QB.

Dang, huge loss for Kentucky.

I think this week is a really big challenge for us

[RougeDawg]

I see a bright future for Schrader. We will be fine at QB and on offense.

On defense I see a lot of young guys who are indecisive. This will come
With experience. The bright spot is our talent level appears to be on the uptick, and that talent helps cover up inexperience. They will get better.

[Homedawg]

had higher hopes for him.

We all did.

[Coach007]

All good comments. The Defense is classic Jekyll and Hyde. One minute you'll see a DT simply put out minimal effort and the next play pressure the QB. I saw Spencer get cut down by the RT and gave up on the play even though it was still live, but the next play he worked himself into the backfield and blew up the play. Last year you would see 110% effort on every play and that's what makes a great defense. It's a mentality I haven't seen from this defense.

I think A lot of that is rotational... The main group we saw today is fine. HOWEVER, the depth needs to improve

[Todd4State]

Please sleep on your side tonight, Bonham...you'll be needed during baseball season.**


Good takes, though.

I will take your advice before my levee breaks.

[Homedawg]

All good comments. The Defense is classic Jekyll and Hyde. One minute you'll see a DT simply put out minimal effort and the next play pressure the QB. I saw Spencer get cut down by the RT and gave up on the play even though it was still live, but the next play he worked himself into the backfield and blew up the play. Last year you would see 110% effort on every play and that's what makes a great defense. It's a mentality I haven't seen from this defense.

Take out 2 guys that draw a double team or you get sacked and that's what happens. Most underestimated what Simmons meant. And sweat as well to be honest

[Todd4State]

I think A lot of that is rotational... The main group we saw today is fine. HOWEVER, the depth needs to improve

That's where the suspensions really hurt us. I know a lot of those guys weren't going to play a lot but you never know who could have emerged and helped us out.

[Todd4State]

Take out 2 guys that draw a double team or you get sacked and that's what happens. Most underestimated what Simmons meant. And sweat as well to be honest

But when Leo and Erroll are there to make a tackle they need to make the tackle. And they've just missed a lot. It compounds the problem. I didn't expect to get the push from the d-line like last year. But I did expect Errol at the very least to make tackles consistently.

[Homedawg]

That's where the suspensions really hurt us. I know a lot of those guys weren't going to play a lot but you never know who could have emerged and helped us out.

It certainly hurts at safety, dL, lb and even ol w our injury situation. But most forget special teams. And that is huge.

[Homedawg]

But when Leo and Erroll are there to make a tackle they need to make the tackle. And they've just missed a lot. It compounds the problem. I didn't expect to get the push from the d-line like last year. But I did expect Errol at the very least to make tackles consistently.


Agree. But some of his misses are due to being in open filed more and some are due to fatigue. But I agree he's missed some that make one want to say wow, didn't expect that so I agree he needs to play better.

[Todd4State]

It certainly hurts at safety, dL, lb and even ol w our injury situation. But most forget special teams. And that is huge.

I agree. James Jackson has to be wondering what position he is going to play next week.

[calidawg]

- We gotta start staying healthy. Our injuries thus far are ridiculous
- Our WRs gotta be having a 17ing blast with Stevens. He's on time, on target, & throws a pass that has touch that they can't help but catch it. Stevens isn't as tough, the leader, or the type of runner as Dak, but he throws better, more accurate pass. It's a fact. Don't argue it.

It's not a fact, its debatable. Rewatch dak in 2015, especially the UK and Ark game. Its criminal the OL Mullen put in front of dak in 2015.

[Homedawg]

I agree. James Jackson has to be wondering what position he is going to play next week.

True. Our Ol situation put the staff in a bad pickle this week. We've had a bad run of injuries so far. Stings.

[mstatefan91]

- We gotta start staying healthy. Our injuries thus far are ridiculous
- Our WRs gotta be having a 17ing blast with Stevens. He's on time, on target, & throws a pass that has touch that they can't help but catch it. Stevens isn't as tough, the leader, or the type of runner as Dak, but he throws better, more accurate pass. It's a fact. Don't argue it.

I'll argue it. You are basing this off of two games, one of which he only played half, that were basically guaranteed victories. Tommy went down today but you, me nor anyone outside of that locker room knows if it was really detrimental. We will see how big of a leader Tommy Stevens is in SEC play (AND you may be right) but until then.. we don't know man.

Edit: Runner.. yeah no argument lol Dak is superior in that regard. But different offensive scheme too. Tommy is a decent running QB.

[Coach007]

I agree. James Jackson has to be wondering what position he is going to play next week.

I mean that's got to mean a few spots in a draft at some point right. LOL! I personally would like to see him run it once

[Coach007]

True. Our Ol situation put the staff in a bad pickle this week. We've had a bad run of injuries so far. Stings.

Hope that transitions into good luck from here out.

[Homedawg]

Hope that transitions into good luck from here out.

One thing we can agree on is, our OL has gone through a ton of crap and been pretty good.

[DancingRabbit]

Seems like we cleaned up the game management issues, penalties. Hope the injuries aren't serious.

[HRTFXR]

had higher hopes for him.
So did TSUN...

[ShotgunDawg]

I'll argue it. You are basing this off of two games, one of which he only played half, that were basically guaranteed victories.

But I could care less about who we are playing. I'm evaluating Stevens in a vacuum. His touch & accuracy are tremendous & absolute NFL caliber. He is a very very gifted passer

[tcdog70]

Agree with all that.

With only 6 quarters of watching Stevens, he can throw the football. He isn?t near as elusive as Fitz but very few are or will be.

Hot take..... JoMos scripts are genius. When he runs out of script.... our offense seems to sputter. But again.... it would have been nice to See Stevens another full
Game to really know if JoMos play calling is stellar or lacking.

Why could you not just run the script again?