Sunday Morning QB- Leach, Howland, Bert Stare Edition

[Coach34]

Final On Leach- I get the excitement. He is a good football coach. He is entertaining. I love the fact he is very demanding and forces his guys to work. We wont be babying these guys anymore. We will bring back the toughness we have been known for over the years. We should continue to be a bowl team because it just isnt that hard to get to 6 wins these days. Will he ultimately be successful? His recruiting will decide that the next few years. I like the fact Auburn, Bama, and LSU will have to study Wash State film now in the offseason. I hate that Napier felt the need to pass on the job- but you have to give Cohen alot of credit. Big hire. Eventually- this could be the kind of screwball hire that allows us to make a push to 10-plus wins again. Big DC hire coming up. We have got to continue to pull those DL recruits we have in the past. Very critical to our future success.

Howland? Very underwhelming. We are so bad offensively and turn the ball over like a team playing without guards. We are 0-3 in the SEC with 3 straight home games coming up. All 3 are must-win to have any chance of doing anything in postseason. If we cant beat Mizzou, Georgia, and UPig at home- we dont deserve any postseason. With Perry all but gone (even though he is playing his way down the draft boards) and Woodard making a push to be a 1st rounder- you have to wonder about Howland at this point. We dont lack talent. If we fail to make even the NIT with a talented team- do you make a move? Give him 1 more season? This one is a tougher call than Moorhead. The basketball team doesnt have off court issues or have a ton of red flags. They actually play good D. It's just that the O is Croom-level. Currently sitting at 32-43 in the SEC during his tenure. Thats underachieving.

Bert Stare- Bert was a guy posting with an agenda obviously. He knew we were firing Moorhead 2 days before we made it official- so he wasnt a troll. He was obviously privy to some info most of us wouldnt normally see/get. It was brought here with a purpose. It made the coaching search entertaining thats for sure. And no- it wasnt me. I think the guy really is a Bulldog and wasnt trolling- just playing a part. Dont be too hard on the guy going forward should he post.

#HailState

[dawgday166]

Good post. I'm like you in that I want us to still emphasize getting the top Dlinemen in the state. And DC is very important in the equation. In Leach's defense (especially at WSU) ... hard to get top Dlinemen where he was coaching at.

[AlSwearengen]

I’m cautiously optimistic about Leach. If we can’t get the type of wr’s and qb’s needed to throw the ball with Leach at the healm, we should give that idea up forever and embrace the run.

As far as recruiting, if we want the wr’s, we are going to have to get into the bidding game. Olemiss is going to be even more motivated than before to grab the receivers instate.

As far as Napier is concerned, he must be looking at the South Carolina job. Any other SEC job worth going to is going to come with big pressure. At State, he could make good money and as long as he appears competent, he can collect a nice check.

[Activated Alpha]

I'm still waiting for the "tell-all" secrets that went down during the coaching search from Bert and Rogue.

[dawgday166]

I'm still waiting for the "tell-all" secrets that went down during the coaching search from Bert and Rogue.

Bert said he decided to let sleeping dogs lie ... and Rogue said it was coming but he's been too busy.

[basedog]

Napier should be kicking rocks, but it's obvious he got bad advise or he wasn't sold on Msu. Maybe both.

Hard to say about Howland, mother nature plays role on some. We lack fundamentals on offense, we play hard most of the times but not very smart. I will say he has a young team, but most of the times in basketball athletic talent can take over. We lack outside shooting badly, who do we have you want to take the winning shot outside the paint? I don't see one.

Leach, lots of hype and I'm glad, but watching Sec football for decades, you got to have playmakers with speed and a solid defense. The Pac 12 and Big 12 play offense but not much defense except a hand full combined in the those conferences.
Leach, probably our best hire overall, let's hope he can work his magic in the Sec.

[gtowndawg]

32-43? Dang, that's worse than I thought. If we don't fire him after this season than we obviously don't care about basketball at all.

[DLGDawg]

Final On Leach- I get the excitement. He is a good football coach. He is entertaining. I love the fact he is very demanding and forces his guys to work. We wont be babying these guys anymore. We will bring back the toughness we have been known for over the years. We should continue to be a bowl team because it just isnt that hard to get to 6 wins these days. Will he ultimately be successful? His recruiting will decide that the next few years. I like the fact Auburn, Bama, and LSU will have to study Wash State film now in the offseason. I hate that Napier felt the need to pass on the job- but you have to give Cohen alot of credit. Big hire. Eventually- this could be the kind of screwball hire that allows us to make a push to 10-plus wins again. Big DC hire coming up. We have got to continue to pull those DL recruits we have in the past. Very critical to our future success.

Howland? Very underwhelming. We are so bad offensively and turn the ball over like a team playing without guards. We are 0-3 in the SEC with 3 straight home games coming up. All 3 are must-win to have any chance of doing anything in postseason. If we cant beat Mizzou, Georgia, and UPig at home- we dont deserve any postseason. With Perry all but gone (even though he is playing his way down the draft boards) and Woodard making a push to be a 1st rounder- you have to wonder about Howland at this point. We dont lack talent. If we fail to make even the NIT with a talented team- do you make a move? Give him 1 more season? This one is a tougher call than Moorhead. The basketball team doesnt have off court issues or have a ton of red flags. They actually play good D. It's just that the O is Croom-level. Currently sitting at 32-43 in the SEC during his tenure. Thats underachieving.

Bert Stare- Bert was a guy posting with an agenda obviously. He knew we were firing Moorhead 2 days before we made it official- so he wasnt a troll. He was obviously privy to some info most of us wouldnt normally see/get. It was brought here with a purpose. It made the coaching search entertaining thats for sure. And no- it wasnt me. I think the guy really is a Bulldog and wasnt trolling- just playing a part. Dont be too hard on the guy going forward should he post.

#HailState
Moved. Didn't see the other thread

[BuckyIsAB****]

We aint beating UGA or Arkansas. Might as well watch the women play till baseball starts up bc the mens team is dead in the water

[Coach34]

We aint beating UGA or Arkansas. Might as well watch the women play till baseball starts up bc the mens team is dead in the water

We may not and that will be disappointing considering our talent level. UPig can score but they are soft inside. We should completely dominate the paint against them. Completely overpower them there. Thats how you beat teams like that. Watched Fla do it to us back when Donovan had his run. We were tied or ahead most of the game- but Fla just kept attacking us inside drawing foul after foul and wearing us down. They took the game the last 5 mins because we were playing with subs in the post. Thats what has to happen vs UPig

[BuckyIsAB****]

We may not and that will be disappointing considering our talent level. UPig can score but they are soft inside. We should completely dominate the paint against them. Completely overpower them there. Thats how you beat teams like that. Watched Fla do it to us back when Donovan had his run. We were tied or ahead most of the game- but Fla just kept attacking us inside drawing foul after foul and wearing us down. They took the game the last 5 mins because we were playing with subs in the post. Thats what has to happen vs UPig

They both play harder than we do. We have about a 10 minute stretch of every game, usually right before half or early in the 2nd that we just look like we would rather be anywhere else than on the court

[SDDawg]

Bert Stare- Bert was a guy posting with an agenda obviously. He knew we were firing Moorhead 2 days before we made it official- so he wasnt a troll. He was obviously privy to some info most of us wouldnt normally see/get. It was brought here with a purpose. It made the coaching search entertaining thats for sure. And no- it wasnt me. I think the guy really is a Bulldog and wasnt trolling- just playing a part. Dont be too hard on the guy going forward should he post.

#HailState

I'm sure Bert will be able to help a recruit get a good deal on a used car in the not too distant future.

[defiantdog]

I'm sure Bert will be able to help a recruit get a good deal on a used car in the not too distant future.
Nope..... that would be someone that hacks a political nature.

[TrapGame]

Based on some comments from Steve and Cohen I believe Napier was prime target until it got down to the negotiations. Napier has made no secret he wants to eventually coach at South Carolina. I think he wanted a small buyout and an easy out from the contract to go up there when Muschamp is fired. No way in hell we were signing a head coach to basically a one year deal or maybe two at the most. Joe Judge was then the guy until the Giants made their move. <A woman on FB who claims to be close friends with Judge's wife said she was picking out a maroon dress for the announcement presser when the Giants called and offered Joe the job.> Then Leach fell into Cohen's lap at exactly the right time. We moved fast. Napier realizing he was letting a big payday and a great opportunity slip away tried to bring us back in but we had decided to move on with Leach.

[parabrave]

One thing to remember about Howland is that he was brought in to rebuild the program. He has accomplished that mission. Now its time to go get a coach who can run with it and bring it further. And it right to say that the team is a bunch of indians without a chief.

[msbulldog]

I’m cautiously optimistic about Leach. If we can’t get the type of wr’s and qb’s needed to throw the ball with Leach at the healm, we should give that idea up forever and embrace the run.

As far as recruiting, if we want the wr’s, we are going to have to get into the bidding game. Olemiss is going to be even more motivated than before to grab the receivers instate.

As far as Napier is concerned, he must be looking at the South Carolina job. Any other SEC job worth going to is going to come with big pressure. At State, he could make good money and as long as he appears competent, he can collect a nice check.

The pirate coached at Kentucky and they got the players, remember Tim Couch and the Hefty Lefty, God rest his soul! The obviously had receivers, even though I can't remember their names. So the players are out there, Gardner Minchew was just down the road and we didn't even offer a NFL QB. There was a Youtube video referenced in another thread that has a WSU receiver, his first name was Aesop, that said he came to WSU because of CML's reputation.
It might take a year but I think CML is going to make the coaches of the SEC scratch their heads about how to defend this offense. We just need to get a really good DC and we need more defensive players to rotate in because in this offense the defense is going to be on the field a lot.

Eta: At first I thought this hire was a joke, but the more I read I have become way more optimistic.

[defiantdog]

The pirate coached at Kentucky and they got the players, remember Tim Couch and the Hefty Lefty, God rest his soul! The obviously had receivers, even though I can't remember their names. So the players are out there, Gardner Minchew was just down the road and we didn't even offer a NFL QB. There was a Youtube video referenced in another thread that has a WSU receiver, his first name was Aesop, that said he came to WSU because of CML's reputation.
It might take a year but I think CML is going to make the coaches of the SEC scratch their heads about how to defend this offense. We just need to get a really good DC and we need more defensive players to rotate in because in this offense the defense is going to be on the field a lot.

Eta: At first I thought this hire was a joke, but the more I read I have become way more optimistic.

It took Saban and Co. 1 year to figure out Texas A&M..... Sumlin beat Bama his first year then dropped to the middle of the pack after that. Leach is a better coach than Sumlin..... but we'll have to see if he can exercise his system better than Sumlin did.

[msbulldog]

Based on some comments from Steve and Cohen I believe Napier was prime target until it got down to the negotiations. Napier has made no secret he wants to eventually coach at South Carolina. I think he wanted a small buyout and an easy out from the contract to go up there when Muschamp is fired. No way in hell we were signing a head coach to basically a one year deal or maybe two at the most. Joe Judge was then the guy until the Giants made their move. <A woman on FB who claims to be close friends with Judge's wife said she was picking out a maroon dress for the announcement presser when the Giants called and offered Joe the job.> Then Leach fell into Cohen's lap at exactly the right time. We moved fast. Napier realizing he was letting a big payday and a great opportunity slip away tried to bring us back in but we had decided to move on with Leach.

That make sense.

[msbulldog]

It took Saban and Co. 1 year to figure out Texas A&M..... Sumlin beat Bama his first year then dropped to the middle of the pack after that. Leach is a better coach than Sumlin..... but we'll have to see if he can exercise his system better than Sumlin did.

Sumlin was lazy, didn't change anything, CML is innovative.

[Percho]

The pirate coached at Kentucky and they got the players, remember Tim Couch and the Hefty Lefty, God rest his soul! The obviously had receivers, even though I can't remember their names. So the players are out there, Gardner Minchew was just down the road and we didn't even offer a NFL QB. There was a Youtube video referenced in another thread that has a WSU receiver, his first name was Aesop, that said he came to WSU because of CML's reputation.
It might take a year but I think CML is going to make the coaches of the SEC scratch their heads about how to defend this offense. We just need to get a really good DC and we need more defensive players to rotate in because in this offense the defense is going to be on the field a lot.

Eta: At first I thought this hire was a joke, but the more I read I have become way more optimistic.

Hefty Lefty

One of my favorite to watch. R.I.P.

[chef dixon]

How much longer does Howland even want to coach? I appreciate what he has done for us and would rather not have to axe him.

Cohen showed his Girodos. He didn't get played by Napier. He has gotten a lot of shit but he's made seemingly good decisions so far. You can't control everything.

[ShotgunDawg]

As far as recruiting, if we want the wr?s, we are going to have to get into the bidding game. Olemiss is going to be even more motivated than before to grab the receivers instate.


Maybe, but what's funny is that Leach will just call them out. He gives ZERO shits. If Ole Miss cheats, the NCAA won't do anything, but you can bet that Leach will say stuff

[ShotgunDawg]

As far as Napier is concerned, he must be looking at the South Carolina job.

What if South Carolina wants someone else?

What if Napier loses 5 games next year?

What if Muschamp wins 7-8 games?

What if, what if, what if

If what is being said about Napier is true, he's an idiot

[defiantdog]

What if South Carolina wants someone else?

What if Napier loses 5 games next year?

What if Muschamp wins 7-8 games?

What if, what if, what if

If what is being said about Napier is true, he's an idiot
Bottom line is we wanted to negotiate with Napier..... he's not a power 5 coach. Leach comes around and we're willing to let him do what he wants because he's proven and knows what he's doing. It's simple..... Napier wanted the Saban treatment without the Saban success.

[Todd4State]

What if South Carolina wants someone else?

What if Napier loses 5 games next year?

What if Muschamp wins 7-8 games?

What if, what if, what if

If what is being said about Napier is true, he's an idiot


Bottom line is we wanted to negotiate with Napier..... he's not a power 5 coach. Leach comes around and we're willing to let him do what he wants because he's proven and knows what he's doing. It's simple..... Napier wanted the Saban treatment without the Saban success.

Napier is taking a big risk if he is only focused on South Carolina because their last three head coaches have all been SEC retreads and two of those three have been successful without any debate before the wheels eventually fell off in Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier. So I doubt they will go in a different direction since even their worst hire in Muschamp managed to win 9 games there.

I could definitely see them taking a swing at Urban Meyer or Mark Richt or someone like that.

I'm not sure what our falling out with Napier exactly was but I don't think it was the S&C coach since Leach is bringing his own.

[OLJWales]

Leach is gonna be lethal with a D that is at least middle of the SEC level.

Passing and catching is not rocket science, a simplified version will show that we are not as bad at that as most think.

I hope Leach changes a little in regards to having other ways to win. I wanna see if he can make some changes up 14 with a little time left in the 3rd. Sometimes running the clock can be just as important as scoring. I wanna see if he still has room to grow and expand his coaching mind at this stage of his career. We will see.

Leach has trounced the rest of the NCAA in regards to success against teams with lots more talent. (Thanks Gun for that info) Therefore I don't think we coulda made a better hire. And I don't think he's down here just to milk us into his next phase of life (retirement). I really think he thinks this is his best shot ever at elevating a team to unheard of success. I think, and apparently so does Leach, this is a GREAT fit.

[Mobile Bay]

Bert Stare was the account of the social media analytics company that used this site as well as others to gauge the reception of the public about candidates for the coaching job.

[fishwater99]

Bottom line is we wanted to negotiate with Napier..... he's not a power 5 coach. Leach comes around and we're willing to let him do what he wants because he's proven and knows what he's doing. It's simple..... Napier wanted the Saban treatment without the Saban success.

Did we even offer Napier? Not so sure we did. Judge, now yes we did..

[Coach34]

Bert Stare was the account of the social media analytics company that used this site as well as others to gauge the reception of the public about candidates for the coaching job.

That's not completely true- Bert has been a member of Elitedawgs since the day it started and has posted over the years. Was Bert hired by that company? Certainly could be true

[Coach34]

Did we even offer Napier? Not so sure we did. Judge, now yes we did..

We negotiated with him for sure.

[chef dixon]

Let's be honest. Napier seemed like the best choice and fits our style better historically, but it would have been super boring and who knows if he would have won here. My interest and entertainment value, which is what it's all about, is through the roof with Leach now that we've had a little time for it to settle.

[dawgoneyall]

Maybe, but what's funny is that Leach will just call them out. He gives ZERO shits. If Ole Miss cheats, the NCAA won't do anything, but you can bet that Leach will say stuff

When Ole Miss cheats.......there is no if there.

[AlSwearengen]

What if South Carolina wants someone else?

What if Napier loses 5 games next year?

What if Muschamp wins 7-8 games?

What if, what if, what if

If what is being said about Napier is true, he's an idiot

What is being said about Napier? I saw someone allude to some crazy stuff coming from his camp and they would tell once everything was done but I haven’t seen it yet.

[Todd4State]

Let's be honest. Napier seemed like the best choice and fits our style better historically, but it would have been super boring and who knows if he would have won here. My interest and entertainment value, which is what it's all about, is through the roof with Leach now that we've had a little time for it to settle.

All I ask as a MSU football fan:

1. Win the Egg Bowl. I know that's not a popular take but it's still the most important game in Mississippi.

2. Beat the teams we're supposed to be/are clearly better than. The USM's, Tulane's, Vanderbilt's teams that are way down like Arkansas.

3. Beat a team with more talent 20-25% of the time. The Alabama's, LSU's, etc. And even if we lose make it a good respectable game. Don't get blown out.

4. Go to a NYD bowl 4/5 times in a 5 year span and win them at least 60% of the time or better.

5. Play hard, with DISCIPLINE and be physical.

[munk_munk92]

I actually think Leach will do better than Napier would have. We simply don't recruit high enough to out Alabama alabama. I think Leach has the offense that can beat Bama and the rest of the bigger schools. And i don't think recruiting will drop off at all, in fact i think we will finally start having 4 or 5 star receivers lining up to come here once they see his offense. Keep that defense on top and we will be badass. If Leach stays 9-10 years he will be our winningest coach, mark it down. The only reason Leach hasn't ever gotten a job at a big time college is because AD's are scared of what he might say or do and he's quirky. I personally think he's as good as a coach if not better than Saban. You give Leach the number 1 recruiting class year after year and he would have the same record. Saban record outside of Alabama is 91-42 (11 years Michigan state and LSU). Leach is 84-43 (10 years Texas Tech) with lesser talent. and Leach overall is 139-90. His time at TT was the same time Texas was at its prime.

[Todd4State]

I actually think Leach will do better than Napier would have. We simply don't recruit high enough to out Alabama alabama. I think Leach has the offense that can beat Bama and the rest of the bigger schools. And i don't think recruiting will drop off at all, in fact i think we will finally start having 4 or 5 star receivers lining up to come here once they see his offense. Keep that defense on top and we will be badass. If Leach stays 9-10 years he will be our winningest coach, mark it down. The only reason Leach hasn't ever gotten a job at a big time college is because AD's are scared of what he might say or do and he's quirky. I personally think he's as good as a coach if not better than Saban. You give Leach the number 1 recruiting class year after year and he would have the same record. Saban record outside of Alabama is 91-42 (11 years Michigan state and LSU). Leach is 84-43 (10 years Texas Tech) with lesser talent. and Leach overall is 139-90. His time at TT was the same time Texas was at its prime.

Our last coach that was pretty quirky- Jackie Sherrill- worked out OK.

[defiantdog]

What is being said about Napier? I saw someone allude to some crazy stuff coming from his camp and they would tell once everything was done but I haven’t seen it yet.
To make it short..... Napier wanted the keys to the kingdom. The issue is..... he made demands before an actually formal interview. I personally think he was playing hard ball to get a better deal..... we found a more qualified candidate and jumped on it.

Also, Cohen wasn't going to wait on Napier..... We attempted to interview Napier, he said not yet, we moved to Judge, he went to the pros, Cohen made a move and contacted Leach, Napier then showed interest but it was too late, Leach was hired.

And yes..... that's the short version.

[defiantdog]

I actually think Leach will do better than Napier would have. We simply don't recruit high enough to out Alabama alabama. I think Leach has the offense that can beat Bama and the rest of the bigger schools. And i don't think recruiting will drop off at all, in fact i think we will finally start having 4 or 5 star receivers lining up to come here once they see his offense. Keep that defense on top and we will be badass. If Leach stays 9-10 years he will be our winningest coach, mark it down. The only reason Leach hasn't ever gotten a job at a big time college is because AD's are scared of what he might say or do and he's quirky. I personally think he's as good as a coach if not better than Saban. You give Leach the number 1 recruiting class year after year and he would have the same record. Saban record outside of Alabama is 91-42 (11 years Michigan state and LSU). Leach is 84-43 (10 years Texas Tech) with lesser talent. and Leach overall is 139-90. His time at TT was the same time Texas was at its prime.
Leach will never be a coach of a blue blood team because he doesn't play the game with the boosters. He doesn't call them on game week to discuss the game plan, he doesn't play golf with them to get in their wallet, he doesn't ask for their jets to use for recruiting, etc.