All those eating crow this morning

[sleepy dawg]

First, I'm glad you admit it. I didn't think some of you would admit it (Cadaver).

That said, this is why I was so adamant about not judging too early. Our team went through a lot this year. It made our fan base look bad. Even if you were in the group saying "we should fire Dan at the end of the year if..." crowd. Even that kind of talk, when done so rampantly, can hurt us in recruiting. Recruits pick up on that stuff.

Most people on this site are MSU fanatics. It is so important that our fanatics remain advocates of our program. When it's necessary to make a change, then speak up, but never before.

... stepping down from soapbox now.

[DownwardDawg]

Good post and everyone needs to remember that those of us eating crow this morning are donors. I donate and I buy tickets. Not sure if I will keep buying tickets because i never go but I will always donate. Besides, I can't bitch about Mullen if I don't help pay his salary!!! ;)

[Squidawg11]

^ x956473575. I will join you in eating crow.

[blacklistedbully]

Good Lord, some of you guys are among the most short-sighted I've encountered in some time.

I'd let it go for a while so we can all bask in the win, but you folks on the other side of the fence are intent on crowing about something THAT HASN'T BEEN ACCOMPLISHED!

We owe a debt of gratitude to our defense, and the defensive coaching staff for holding Ole Miss' offense to 3 points the entire game. Mullen gets only the smallest piece of that pie for being the overall boss, much as the president of any mega-corporation get's credit for overall sales, even though the orders are most often got by sales-people.

For all you in an obvious hurry to proclaim Mullen vindicated, consider the cold, hard facts:

Our offense generated just 296 yards of total offense, and this despite getting 4 turnovers, and the extra yards in OT. Mullen is calling the shots on offense, not defense. He DELEGATES defense!

Our Special Teams unit sucked balls for the most part. Mullen is the one & only ST coach.

Mullen needed that super-human, unreal effort by our defense just to have a chance to win in OT!!! Seriously, pause and think about that for a minute. How many teams in the country would almost assuredly have beaten OM last night if their defense had been able to hold OM to 3 points? An easier question would be, "How many wouldn't?" because there aren't many. I honestly can't think of a single team, not even USM, that wouldn't have a damn good shot if they knew all they had to do was score 1 TD or 2 FGs.

Let's celebrate, but let's be smart and give credit where credit is due. It is due to our defense, our defensive coaching staff who clearly did a great job getting our boys ready, and an heroic effort by Dak. Yes, we can give Mullen some credit for keeping the young men fighting, though we are certainly making assumptions about that. From what I've heard, Geoff Collins is a helluva motivator himself. In fact, under Mullen last year, but with Chris Wilson the DC, our guys pretty much quit last year. So, if you look at it objectively, the difference is Collins over Wilson.

And you guys who want to condemn those of us still frustrated with Mullen's performance, and unwilling to jump back on his bandwagon based on last night's result, damn you to hell for trying to label us as "bad fans", "assholes", "retarded", and whatever other personal insults you feel are necessary and/or deserved for having a different opinion on the matter.

I have not once insulted any of you for feeling great about Mullen. I respectfully disagree. But those who think you've got some kind of monopoly on right & wrong on this one, and who feel justified in taking cheap shots at the other side, well y'all can go take a long walk on a short pier.

Yes, we all know Mullen was working with a freshman, 3rd-string QB. But fellas, that frosh did a damned respectable job, and didn't look to me like the thing that was holding us back. To me it looked more like the same crap we've seen all year, Perk between the tackles to kill drives. Obvious blown calls that needed to be challenged that weren't, etc.

You believe all you want that Mullen showed us all because we won. I prefer to take a closer, more in-depth look and make my own judgment. I'll tell you this, we are NOT going to win many games going forward if we HAVE to hold the opposing offense to 3 points.

[Jack Lambert]

I'm not eating crow but if I was it would be the best tasting crow ever!

[DawgsBite34]

I will give Mullen credit for coaching like he has a pulse since the SC game, but still, his overall performance this year was not what we should expect. He got complacent up to the A&M game i don't care what any of you say. Theres an obvious difference in this team since then. Mullen needs to take over the offense, get a good special teams coach, and keep Collins as his DC. Im behind Mullen 100 percent as long as he is here

[MarketingBully01]

I am just glad we beat Ole Miss and were able to get to 6-6. I don't like it though that people are immediately stating everyone should eat crow right after an emotional game and beating our rival. We are all MSU fans and we all love MSU. From both sides it's almost like we don't like each other when really we all want the same thing. For MSU to win and be successful. I just think we should all support each other and root for the team we love. Of course Cadaver and Engie love MSU and enjoyed that win last night because guess what. We are all State fans. Now let's all unite behind Mullen and enjoy the bowl game against Tubby and Cincy in Birmingham! :)

[maroonmania]

I also think that saying some folks should be "crow eating" is a little extreme in this situation regarding Mullen and I have personally never been strong anti-Mullen by any means. I have no quarrel with anyone that says Mullen has earned at minimum another year or so to see where things continue to go with the program but these last 2 weeks shouldn't have revolutionized anyone's opinion on Mullen and staff one way or the other besides the fact that they kept the team playing hard. Now maybe if we had come out and put Arkansas away easy by 2 or 3 scores and followed that up with a good solid regulation win over OM at home but I don't see how 2 OT wins against a mid and lower level SEC team would make anyone feel totally vindicated in the feeling that Mullen is absolutely THE guy going forward no questions asked. I still need to see a little more of what he can produce before I am ready to proclaim that.

[DownwardDawg]

His weaknesses are still there but u can't bitch about a coach that is 4-1 against ole miss, took us to 4 bowl games in a row, won our 1st win in Arkansas, and doesn't lose to shitty teams. I'll enjoy this for now and I'll watch to see if he addresses his weaknesses like hiring a real special teams coach and hiring a real OC and let him call the plays. Time will tell.

[Jack Lambert]

I am just glad we beat Ole Miss and were able to get to 6-6. I don't like it though that people are immediately stating everyone should eat crow right after an emotional game and beating our rival. We are all MSU fans and we all love MSU. From both sides it's almost like we don't like each other when really we all want the same thing. For MSU to win and be successful. I just think we should all support each other and root for the team we love. Of course Cadaver and Engie love MSU and enjoyed that win last night because guess what. We are all State fans. Now let's all unite behind Mullen and enjoy the bowl game against Tubby and Cincy in Birmingham! :)

You guys might still get your wish but for other reasons.

1. We win our bowl game.
2.We have a 9 to 10 win season next year
3.Florida fires their coach next year
4. Florida hires Mullen.

If Mullen has a real good season next year and gets a school like Miss State that plays in the hardest division in the country, that does not have a rich football history to a 5th bowl in a roll, folks will be a looking at him and I just don't think Florida is going to be to a point where the fans are happy. Just my opinion.

[blacklistedbully]

His weaknesses are still there but u can't bitch about a coach that is 4-1 against ole miss, took us to 4 bowl games in a row, won our 1st win in Arkansas, and doesn't lose to shitty teams. I'll enjoy this for now and I'll watch to see if he addresses his weaknesses like hiring a real special teams coach and hiring a real OC and let him call the plays. Time will tell.

DD, it wooudl quite frankly be fairly easy to logically counter every single point you made here, but I'm trying to resist so we can all just be fans together and enjoy this win. I am not interested in fighting with fellow Bulldogs, and don't see the value in doing that publicly at this time.

All I ask is that you not tempt me by continuing to assert things that are, at a minimum, highly debatable. I'll just leave it at this, there are still the same reasons to "bitch" as there were before. The past 2 games have not washed that away. If anything, they have reinforced them.

For the sake of "peace in our time" and to show a united front in support of our Dawgs, I won't detail again specifically why I differ with you on this matter, so long as you and others stop trying to use this time as a soapbox to promote your alternative opinion.

Is that fair?

[blacklistedbully]

You guys might still get your wish but for other reasons.

1. We win our bowl game.
2.We have a 9 to 10 win season next year
3.Florida fires their coach next year
4. Florida hires Mullen.

If Mullen has a real good season next year and gets a school like Miss State that plays in the hardest division in the country, that does not have a rich football history to a 5th bowl in a roll, folks will be a looking at him and I just don't think Florida is going to be to a point where the fans are happy. Just my opinion.

My fear is, if that happens, will we then be too late to get Hudspeth? It's not that I hate Mullen. In fact, I was still on his side until this year, and still really appreciate the enormous contribution he and Megan have brought to our university, and wish him nothing but success, whether here or someplace else.

But it is true that getting a top-notch coach to come to Starkville is difficult, to say the least. JWS had a tie to the program, as well as a "challenging" reputation, that helped us get him.

Hudspeth is a guy that has had great success at every stop, and also considers MSU something of a dream-job. And that's because he's from Mississippi. Just how many strong coaching candidates do you think there are with Mississippi or MSU connections for us to consider?

That's why there is a sense of urgency on behalf of those who fear Mullen may not be our long-term answer for whatever reason. The pool of smart hires could be much smaller for us than most, and not because we suck, but because we live in the high-rent district of the SEC West, and are the school with the lowest amount of resources, BY FAR with the slight exception of Ole Miss. And great coaches aren't likely to find this job attractive if OM is the only school with which we have a competitive budget.

Hud looks like he might be a really good-to-great coach, and is that rare animal who might be happy as hell being here long-term despite the significant disadvantages we face. But if he goes to another program that is as good or better than ours because of the success he has achieved at every stop, we will probably lose any chance of getting him. That's my opinion and concern.

[DownwardDawg]

DD, it wooudl quite frankly be fairly easy to logically counter every single point you made here, but I'm trying to resist so we can all just be fans together and enjoy this win. I am not interested in fighting with fellow Bulldogs, and don't see the value in doing that publicly at this time.

All I ask is that you not tempt me by continuing to assert things that are, at a minimum, highly debatable. I'll just leave it at this, there are still the same reasons to "bitch" as there were before. The past 2 games have not washed that away. If anything, they have reinforced them.

For the sake of "peace in our time" and to show a united front in support of our Dawgs, I won't detail again specifically why I differ with you on this matter, so long as you and others stop trying to use this time as a soapbox to promote your alternative opinion.

Is that fair?

Just so you know, I would cut backflips if we hired Hud tomorrow but its not happening. I'll let it go....for now.

[Jack Lambert]

My fear is, if that happens, will we then be too late to get Hudspeth? It's not that I hate Mullen. In fact, I was still on his side until this year, and still really appreciate the enormous contribution he and Megan have brought to our university, and wish him nothing but success, whether here or someplace else.

But it is true that getting a top-notch coach to come to Starkville is difficult, to say the least. JWS had a tie to the program, as well as a "challenging" reputation, that helped us get him.

Hudspeth is a guy that has had great success at every stop, and also considers MSU something of a dream-job. And that's because he's from Mississippi. Just how many strong coaching candidates do you think there are with Mississippi or MSU connections for us to consider?

That's why there is a sense of urgency on behalf of those who fear Mullen may not be our long-term answer for whatever reason. The pool of smart hires could be much smaller for us than most, and not because we suck, but because we live in the high-rent district of the SEC West, and are the school with the lowest amount of resources, BY FAR with the slight exception of Ole Miss. And great coaches aren't likely to find this job attractive if OM is the only school with which we have a competitive budget.

Hud looks like he might be a really good-to-great coach, and is that rare animal who might be happy as hell being here long-term despite the significant disadvantages we face. But if he goes to another program that is as good or better than ours because of the success he has achieved at every stop, we will probably lose any chance of getting him. That's my opinion and concern.

This is exactly why I think the fire mullen crowd has been so loud. When Dan is gone Hud may not be available but I look at it this way if Hud really wants to be at Miss state he will still come. If he would turn us down when the time comes then that means that he would leave us as easy if another opertunity came along. That's my opinon and I am sticking with it. I just don't think Hud would be here very long if he was sucessful. Money talks!

[Tbonewannabe]

You guys might still get your wish but for other reasons.

1. We win our bowl game.
2.We have a 9 to 10 win season next year
3.Florida fires their coach next year
4. Florida hires Mullen.

If Mullen has a real good season next year and gets a school like Miss State that plays in the hardest division in the country, that does not have a rich football history to a 5th bowl in a roll, folks will be a looking at him and I just don't think Florida is going to be to a point where the fans are happy. Just my opinion.

Do you think Muschamp will survive after FSU puts a historic ass whooping on UF?

[bluelightstar]

Get me a plate of it too.

[CadaverDawg]

Didn't read the whole thread, but don't push it. He didn't win the damn SEC...he salvaged a shitty season by winning two winnable games at the end of the year. Very proud of him for getting it done, and I will eat crow because I didn't think he would....but let's not get carried away and act like he did better than 6-6 (3-5).

That being said....I'm glad he is our coach! And I hope he keeps winning games, keeps beating OM, and steps up his recruiting. Next year can be special. He definitely coached a lot better those last 4 games, and our defense clicking didn't hurt either. Hail State

[Coach 57]

I just don't get the negativity. That's my bane with the Mullen bashers.

1.) young coaches make mistakes. Do you think Saban was always THIS good? Toledo? Michigan State? Dolphins? What about Belicheck? He was horrible as a HC for the Browns. Now look at both if them. What about Pete Carroll? The truth is this: there are two types of coaches. One who learns from his past & then ones that don't. It's what separates good coaches from elite coaches. Mullen IS young as a HC! I know what I am talking about here.

2.) Isn't this the same Ole Miss team you same negative people were whining about after they beat LSU because we haven't had a sig win? Then we argued over exactly WHAT a "signature win" is? Then all of a sudden we get ready to play Arky & myself & C34 are telling you guys we'll beat them. What did you say in your best Hank Hill voice "well we ain't beat Arky EVER there!" And thought we'd lose? Then we win & you are MAD at HOW we WON? Then you say we have little chance to beat a team that smashed LSU in the teeth, let alone with a 3rd string QB. And now you are trying to renig on this too? Blacklist, you claim you are giving all the props to Collins & the defense. But who the crap got Williams ready? Without the TD from him & the offense it would've been a rough go. No credit there? He actually looked good, had some drops & 1 bad decision. He actually played BETTER than the Conerly winner last year. Had Wallace managed the game like Williams, we would've lost. Do you give Collins credit for that? Look I'm no fool, we have glaring issues but they ARE going to be addressed after the season. Special teams is a HUGE problem. But, it is a FIXABLE problem!

3.) what did I say before the year started? Did I NOT say I was going to reserve my thoughts about Mullen until NEXT YEAR? My reason? Because Mullen hadn't gotten to have a guy he recruited to take over. That guy was called a MSU legend last night by Rick Cleavland. THAT guy didn't have all preseason to prepare because of his surgery. And after that we STILL are 6-6? Yeah man, Mullen had nothing to do with THAT. The truth is the guy that Mullen recruited from Haughton, LA is going to be a household name for EVERY maroon fan for YEARS TO COME! He was given major props by Jesse Palmer by saying "he is more talented than Tebow or Alex Smith". Yeah Mullen had nothing to do with that guys. Nothing! Get off your high horses and enjoy what I am seeing. What am I seeing? I am seeing the beginning of why he was brought here in the first place. A hotspot for QBs who want to be coached by a great QB coach. It just so happens he needs a certain type of QB to do his job. So let's kick back, shut up & enjoy the fruits of DAN MULLEN's labor.....not yours!

[CadaverDawg]

Nobody is bashing Mullen anymore. Sorry, coach, but you guys starting thread after thread about "you bashers need to eat your crow", and "Mullen bashers", are the only ones still talking about it. We've all said we're proud of Dan now, so why can't you guys drop it. Just like people saying Fire Mullen after one loss are ridiculous...people claiming Mullen as a Legend after 6-6(3-5), are just as bad.

Why can't we all just be proud of the big win and quit saying "Hey, Mullen Basherz!!11!" Or "Hey Mullen defenders"? He proved that he could still get it done, and he did really good in these last two games to get us to 6 wins and a 4th straight bowl. Let's enjoy it and quit trying to divide the fan base. You people that have been accusing the "Mullen bashers" of dividing the fan base, are the very ones that are now dividing the fan base by calling those people out! Why?? They've all eaten their crow and are all back on board with Mullen.... So why are we still starting these threads??

Let it go. Those of us that were questioning if Mullen could still get it done, were given our answer these last two weeks...and guess what? We're glad he proved it! That's what we all wanted! Nobody WANTS to get rid of a coach. We just want the best coach for MSU, and fortunately Mullen proved he was still that guy for the time being. But Mullen is not owed anything...and I'm glad our fans (some of us), held his feet to the fire when he was blowing it. His emotion after these last two tell me that it helped push him to get it done. Maybe not a huge effect, but he was obviously feeling the heat, and he delivered. There is nothing wrong with what the fans did...and I for one am glad that we have people willing to demand we continue to perform and progress.

Hail damn state and let's end this garbage back and forth shit. It's over...Mullen got it done!

HOORAY FOR DAN "BRUNETTE JESUS" MULLEN!*

Good grief. (And this isn't all directed at you Coach57...I'm just ranting)

[blacklistedbully]

You sorry SOB. I am trying my damndest to play nice here despite your unrelenting Mullen sunshine-pumping and your pompous-ass contention that you and C34 have been proved right by the last 2 weeks. YOU HAVEN'T!

I was not among those who predicted a loss to Arky OR a loss to OM. I am one of those who gave up on Mullen as our best chance to improve going forward because HE DOESN'T SEEM TO LEARN FROM HIS MISTAKES! He continues to choose Perk over better RB's, continues to run him into the teeth of opposing defenses where he is time & again arm-tackled by the first defender to hit him. He continued to FORCE the same crap on us over & over & over again until injuries FORCED him to make changes. He continued to trot Devon Bell out there for FG attempts WAY WAY WAY past the time everybody and his brother knew it was pointless. He CONTINUES to not challenge important blown calls on the field that can be game-changers.

While he probably has improved just a little over the last half, it's hard to tell, particularly when you consider that Arky & OM have not been, IMO very good teams.

If you want me to say that Mullen is a capable QB coach because DW played decently, then I'll give you that. But he's our HC, not our QB coach.

But mostly where you lose me entirely is your unprovoked, classless personal attack on me in the other thread for having a differing opinion from you that "Mullen had silenced his critics and proved you right" or some such bullshit.

For my part, had Mullen actually not done the same stupid shit mentioned above over & over & over & over & over again the past 2 years, I'd be less aggressive in calling for his replacement. But, unlike you, I don't need to butt my head against a brick wall for an hour to figure out it's a bad idea.

Thank you, Coach for not accepting my offer to leave this be awhile so we can all just enjoy the victory** The last ****ing thing I wanted to do was exactly this bullshit on the heels of the Egg Bowl win. But you just couldn't stop yourself could you?

Guess what, coach? There's plenty of loyal, maroon-bleeding, faithful Bulldog fans that feel the same way I do about this. There's also plenty that feel the way you do. The difference between you & me is that I don't think they are "retarded" or are "assholes" for having their own legitimate opinion.

[Coach 57]

Got a little personal with the name calling sonny. You don't know me & don't take too kindly to you calling my mom that either. No need for the personal insults, absolutely NO need. You get the block for that sonny. Hope you have fun.

[MarketingBully01]

I don't want Mullen gone. I had predicted he would go 6-6 and was a big time supporter of Mullen. I already said I was an idiot on a previous thread that Coach already started last night after the game.

I do think we have a chance to have a special season next year and by special I mean 12-1 special. If Mullen takes us to a BCS bowl next year, I think Mullen doubters will disappear. I think he could do that next year if we can fix the special teams issues. If we get that elusive win in Tiger Stadium (which we will have a good chance) in game 4 next year, watch out. We could be closer to a championship then people think.

[blacklistedbully]

Got a little personal with the name calling sonny. You don't know me & don't take too kindly to you calling my mom that either. No need for the personal insults, absolutely NO need. You get the block for that sonny. Hope you have fun.

I NEVER am the first to toss out personal insults. I DO respond in kind. Your post that got it started:

"Man, do me favor. Just pull for another team! Would you please?

Who the crap do you think made these kids believe after suffering all these injuries? Collins?

Terrible attitude man! Terrible! Mullen made these kids believe, he's the one that sold them to be here. We just won this game after starting a true freshman. Dak is Mullen's first QB he recruited and after tonight he reached a ridiculous status. But your going to find something wrong with it aren't you? You make our fan base look retarded man. I'm just bring real here."

[TheDogFather]

Dear Lord.

[maroonmania]

Think we should all call a truce for the time being. We now know 100% Mullen WILL be back next year unless he voluntarily decides to go take some other job somewhere so we might as well stop any negativity towards our staff or towards each other. Let's just all pull together, try to have the best recruiting class we can have and pick back up with our critiquing of coaching decisions in the Fall of 2014. I'm certainly not fully happy with just being 6-6 but given the youth on this team and the injuries we've incurred along with the difficult schedule it was a good accomplishment. I will say though that if we can't do better than 6-6 next year with the schedule we have then I will certainly not be satisfied.

[NCDawg]

I agree with you. I was extremely happy to get the win, but after re-watching the game, we essentially had no running game up the middle. Their DL pretty much beat our OL all night. We did, however, pass protect pretty well. I agree that we wouldn't have won if our defense hadn't played as hard as they did. Great job by our defensive coaching staff.