Closing thoughts on & the door on 14' season

It was a year or repeats & firsts. Let's start with the garbage (repeats) first. I've always been a "rip the band aide off quick" kind of guy, so here goes. Let's address the tiny, yet obvious red dot right dead center of the white wall: The way we finished the last two games was horrible. I'm not a speculation type of guy, so I'll leave it to the guys that do it. But in all honesty we played poorly on offense in very critical points off both game and the safety position (in the UM game) & LB position (GT game) really killed us. It's been beat to death, I'm not kicking this poor thing anymore.

Repeats: We let the Bama game cost us more than the 1 game in Tuscaloosa. Have you guys ever seen how an avalanche starts? It doesn't start with something huge, it starts with something unassuming & small. I've always dubbed it, the misplaced snow flake effect. Because that's what happens in avalanches from time to time. A single snow flake falls at just the right time, in JUST the right spot. I feel like our mental resolve was shaken after the Bama game & they never got it back. Earlier on after the Egg Bowl there was a question that was asked on here: would you go 9-10 wins a year but lose the EB? A lot of you guys said yes (for various reasons) and that's your opinion. But in all honesty every time CDM loses the EB he's lost the bowl game too. That says something whether you choose to believe it or not. Just something to keep your eye on.

Repeats: lose the EB lose the BOWL game too.

Repeats: CDM needs to learn to either lead every game going into halftime OR he needs to learn to make IN GAME ADJUSTMENTS. I once worked with a HC that was as stubborn and hard headed as they come. He was also the OC and a lot of times got our defense in terrible positions simply because he didn't make in game adjustments. When teams dropped 7 into coverage he'd keep throwing the ball despite our best advice to run the ball. This is going to be a reoccurring theme unless somebody gets in CDMs ear.

Repeats: we peaked too early TOO fast. I was hoping the upgrade in the QB position would help stabilize our offense (via the run) & the emergence of JRob. But it didn't. Something to watch for you guys this year upcoming: when the defense is pretty salty and shows blitz, what happens? Well right now we'll check to a running play to the opposite side (very predictable!) as we did Vs GT with the blown up speed option that caused a TO. They KNEW what we were going to do, and ate our lunch! If Dak is going to be a Heisman candidate and a possible next level QB he'll have to be TRUSTED to check to a simple quick hit pass play or be able to actually read the gap assignments of his OL & know where to escape. Right now, he can't do either. This is a BIG problem! If I can see this, I know guys that get paid well can see it from press boxes & film study. I love Dak but he's gotta work in this if we are seriously going anywhere beyond this year.

Repeats: Another one bites the dust. Being a DC is such a thankless job sometimes. But this whole thing with 5 DCs in 6 years is starting to be an issue. At some point someone who doles out the money needs to talk to Scott & CDM. No respectable DC is going to make the trek to Starkville if this continues. I've seen CDM in conferences, 7 on 7 tourneys & clinics. He's a good coach but he didn't invent the wheel or the wheel route. Time to check the ego!

Firsts: 10 reg season wins is HUGE! Never done before, can it be repeated next year?

Firsts: an early exit by a RB that really only played a lot in how many games? Look, the decision is up to Josh for sure. But go back and look he didn't play well once people figured him out. He needed another year, but it's his career. I wish the best for him & his fam.

Firsts: record breaking year for Dak with a slew of records broken.

Firsts: first orange bowl since 41'. But it ended bittersweet.

Firsts: first time for a coach to bail like this.

Closing the door, it was a banner year for us. It didn't end the way we'd have liked for it to, but let's look forward not backwards. Time to get the guys hired & in the offices to get the plan in place to make 15' better than 14'. I honestly feel like it will be better because it will end better next year.

we have to learn to use our running backs more. Every game we lost, we threw too much & didn't give them the ball enough. We're loaded at RB and we don't use them effectively. Running the ball with our RBs helps our defense too.

That & Dak really really really really really really needs to learn to pitch quicker on the option and give up the ball on the jet sweeps which he never does.

we're good everywhere else. A really good season overall.

the checks killed us late. I'm not sure if Saban exposed it, but it killed us for the rest of the year. Ohio State ran the same plays as us, but they weren't baited into checking into them so they worked. It really PISSED me off watching the Ohio State/Bama game. They did what we do better than we do it, with a 3rd string QB.

I can't for the life of me understand why we stopped running that option route to Tubby this season. Even if we could check into that every once in a while it would give us another big play threat on blitz plays.

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Originally Posted by justwin

we have to learn to use our running backs more. Every game we lost, we threw too much & didn't give them the ball enough. We're loaded at RB and we don't use them effectively. Running the ball with our RBs helps our defense too.

That & Dak really really really really really really needs to learn to pitch quicker on the option and give up the ball on the jet sweeps which he never does.

we're good everywhere else. A really good season overall.

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I must have missed where we had a Chubb, Fournette, Henry, or Collins to do this.

You nailed it Coach57. As a fan, I can tell that Dak needs to improve on decisions and passing, but you break it down more specifically than I could.

I think not having Jameon really hurt us a lot in terms of the offense. I think Gray can give us that true slot WR we only had for the LSU game this year.

How do you see the o-line next year? Better or worse than what we had this year.

Coach57.....

Let me repeat. I learn stuff every time you post. Thank you.

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Originally Posted by justwin

we have to learn to use our running backs more. Every game we lost, we threw too much & didn't give them the ball enough. We're loaded at RB and we don't use them effectively. Running the ball with our RBs helps our defense too.

That & Dak really really really really really really needs to learn to pitch quicker on the option and give up the ball on the jet sweeps which he never does.

we're good everywhere else. A really good season overall.

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I think using two backs more would help if Dan will actually do it on the option. Shumpert can function as a blocker and he is much better at it than Robinson was. We can use Aeries as the pitch man. And then there's Dontavian Lee. I'm really looking forward to seeing those two freshmen this spring.

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Originally Posted by ShotgunDawg

I must have missed where we had a Chubb, Fournette, Henry, or Collins to do this.

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Oh, you really did miss it then.

His name was Josh Robinson who only had 12, 12, and 13 carries in our 3 losses. He wore #13....just decided to go pro.

Also, Robinson had better stats than the four you did know about.

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Originally Posted by Todd4State

I think using two backs more would help if Dan will actually do it on the option. Shumpert can function as a blocker and he is much better at it than Robinson was. We can use Aeries as the pitch man. And then there's Dontavian Lee. I'm really looking forward to seeing those two freshmen this spring.

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I agree. I think we need a 2 RB set and have them block for one another along with Dak. That's how LSU beat OM with a FB/RB lead blocker like either of those would be for one another.

Alabama has won for a decade on effectively using two big, powerful RBs flanking the QB. Maybe we should think about doing that once in a while since we have the horses.

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Originally Posted by Todd4State

You nailed it Coach57. As a fan, I can tell that Dak needs to improve on decisions and passing, but you break it down more specifically than I could.

I think not having Jameon really hurt us a lot in terms of the offense. I think Gray can give us that true slot WR we only had for the LSU game this year.

How do you see the o-line next year? Better or worse than what we had this year.

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Honestly, it almost felt like Jameon coming back and us sitting Miles hurt us a bit.... or maybe people just figured us out

Great points about Dak 57

I think sometimes we forget that this was Dak's first year to be a full time starter.

Due to this, much of his improvement could come in the film room this off season and learning the art of reading defenses. We should have a more talented offensive line next year, but it could look even better if Dak will invest the time this off season in improving his ability to read defenses and get us in the right play.

Dak's experience should give MSU a decisive edge in every game next season. There won't be another QB he will play against that has near his experience, expect possibly Brandon Allen and Matty Mauk

I would only add that dak needs to learn to throw the ball away unless the red sea parts in front of him. 2nd or 3 rd and 10 is brtter than a sack.

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Originally Posted by Coach 57

It was a year or repeats & firsts. Let's start with the garbage (repeats) first. I've always been a "rip the band aide off quick" kind of guy, so here goes. Let's address the tiny, yet obvious red dot right dead center of the white wall: The way we finished the last two games was horrible. I'm not a speculation type of guy, so I'll leave it to the guys that do it. But in all honesty we played poorly on offense in very critical points off both game and the safety position (in the UM game) & LB position (GT game) really killed us. It's been beat to death, I'm not kicking this poor thing anymore.

Repeats: We let the Bama game cost us more than the 1 game in Tuscaloosa. Have you guys ever seen how an avalanche starts? It doesn't start with something huge, it starts with something unassuming & small. I've always dubbed it, the misplaced snow flake effect. Because that's what happens in avalanches from time to time. A single snow flake falls at just the right time, in JUST the right spot. I feel like our mental resolve was shaken after the Bama game & they never got it back. Earlier on after the Egg Bowl there was a question that was asked on here: would you go 9-10 wins a year but lose the EB? A lot of you guys said yes (for various reasons) and that's your opinion. But in all honesty every time CDM loses the EB he's lost the bowl game too. That says something whether you choose to believe it or not. Just something to keep your eye on.

Repeats: lose the EB lose the BOWL game too.

Repeats: CDM needs to learn to either lead every game going into halftime OR he needs to learn to make IN GAME ADJUSTMENTS. I once worked with a HC that was as stubborn and hard headed as they come. He was also the OC and a lot of times got our defense in terrible positions simply because he didn't make in game adjustments. When teams dropped 7 into coverage he'd keep throwing the ball despite our best advice to run the ball. This is going to be a reoccurring theme unless somebody gets in CDMs ear.

Repeats: we peaked too early TOO fast. I was hoping the upgrade in the QB position would help stabilize our offense (via the run) & the emergence of JRob. But it didn't. Something to watch for you guys this year upcoming: when the defense is pretty salty and shows blitz, what happens? Well right now we'll check to a running play to the opposite side (very predictable!) as we did Vs GT with the blown up speed option that caused a TO. They KNEW what we were going to do, and ate our lunch! If Dak is going to be a Heisman candidate and a possible next level QB he'll have to be TRUSTED to check to a simple quick hit pass play or be able to actually read the gap assignments of his OL & know where to escape. Right now, he can't do either. This is a BIG problem! If I can see this, I know guys that get paid well can see it from press boxes & film study. I love Dak but he's gotta work in this if we are seriously going anywhere beyond this year.

Repeats: Another one bites the dust. Being a DC is such a thankless job sometimes. But this whole thing with 5 DCs in 6 years is starting to be an issue. At some point someone who doles out the money needs to talk to Scott & CDM. No respectable DC is going to make the trek to Starkville if this continues. I've seen CDM in conferences, 7 on 7 tourneys & clinics. He's a good coach but he didn't invent the wheel or the wheel route. Time to check the ego!

Firsts: 10 reg season wins is HUGE! Never done before, can it be repeated next year?

Firsts: an early exit by a RB that really only played a lot in how many games? Look, the decision is up to Josh for sure. But go back and look he didn't play well once people figured him out. He needed another year, but it's his career. I wish the best for him & his fam.

Firsts: record breaking year for Dak with a slew of records broken.

Firsts: first orange bowl since 41'. But it ended bittersweet.

Firsts: first time for a coach to bail like this.

Closing the door, it was a banner year for us. It didn't end the way we'd have liked for it to, but let's look forward not backwards. Time to get the guys hired & in the offices to get the plan in place to make 15' better than 14'. I honestly feel like it will be better because it will end better next year.

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i'll add that we have to ditch the empty backfield set, or massively overhaul it, where the lone RB splits out wide. in theory this forces a LB to go wide into coverage, opening the middle for Dak. but that's been figured out. RBs in general, and JRob in particular, are not good running sideline routes. Teams learned to not overly worry about JRob on the sideline, and focus on stuffing the run up the middle instead. so in practice by the Bama game, all that splitting that RB out wide did was take away a blocker for us, without taking away a LB up the middle. we're better off just coming out with a 5-wide set. the extra WR will be covered by an extra DB rather than a LB, but that's a net gain for us over what we are now getting.

I disagree about ditching the empty set. But we need to initially line up a back next to Dak presnap & motioning him away. It'll be easier to diagnose the robber that comes & plus it will show if they are in a man/zone combo, straight zone or straight man. Then Dak can diagnose where (and more importantly) and who is spying him. It makes it easier on him if we are in empty because then his responsibility is just making that one guy miss. Plus it creates counters for Dak too. If he "hard steps" the coverage (play fakes the draw) it'll expose the slots inside slant to be open or the post route behind him.


I have always thought our offense was best when we went to a split backfield (backs on either side of Dak). It makes you as a DC load the box up. I don't know why we've not run that much so far. Plus it would've put Josh in passing situations which he would excell in due to his experience as a slot in high school. You can run your zone reads from it, dives, counters, options & even TE flats. It just doesn't make sense to me why we didn't utilize that formation more. We had all the weapons to make it unstoppable.

I agree bringing Lewis back stifled the flow of Myles (btw where was he in the bowl game didn't see him at all!) and Dak. They had started to develope a chemistry that got slowed after Jameon's return.

Every year as a coach you should become more & more knowledgeable. I trust CDM and his ability to coach, but approaching BIG TIME games (Bama) with the conservative flare (offensively) he had will not provide much success Vs teams that more talented. You must coach TO WIN not coach NOT TO LOSE.

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Originally Posted by justwin

Oh, you really did miss it then.

His name was Josh Robinson who only had 12, 12, and 13 carries in our 3 losses. He wore #13....just decided to go pro.

Also, Robinson had better stats than the four you did know about.

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I'm no football coach, but it looked to me like bama, olemiss, and gt were absolutely not going to let us run the ball. I'll admit that I didn't watch a lot of those games because I get frustrated and leave, but against olemiss, we seemed to keep running the ball when we were getting absolutely stoned at the line. I think the new preferred tactic against us is to make us throw it.

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Originally Posted by justwin

Also, Robinson had better stats than the four you did know about.

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I did not know that. Maybe you could share those stats here.

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Originally Posted by Coach 57

I disagree about ditching the empty set. But we need to initially line up a back next to Dak presnap & motioning him away. It'll be easier to diagnose the robber that comes & plus it will show if they are in a man/zone combo, straight zone or straight man. Then Dak can diagnose where (and more importantly) and who is spying him. It makes it easier on him if we are in empty because then his responsibility is just making that one guy miss. Plus it creates counters for Dak too. If he "hard steps" the coverage (play fakes the draw) it'll expose the slots inside slant to be open or the post route behind him.


I have always thought our offense was best when we went to a split backfield (backs on either side of Dak). It makes you as a DC load the box up. I don't know why we've not run that much so far. Plus it would've put Josh in passing situations which he would excell in due to his experience as a slot in high school. You can run your zone reads from it, dives, counters, options & even TE flats. It just doesn't make sense to me why we didn't utilize that formation more. We had all the weapons to make it unstoppable.

I agree bringing Lewis back stifled the flow of Myles (btw where was he in the bowl game didn't see him at all!) and Dak. They had started to develope a chemistry that got slowed after Jameon's return.

Every year as a coach you should become more & more knowledgeable. I trust CDM and his ability to coach, but approaching BIG TIME games (Bama) with the conservative flare (offensively) he had will not provide much success Vs teams that more talented. You must coach TO WIN not coach NOT TO LOSE.

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all i've seen from it since Bama is they leave the available option as the RB at the sideline, which we have horribly executed all season, so that they can plug up the middle. a couple times it was nearly a pick 6, trying to get the pass all the way to the sideline to JRob. so we stopped trying to go to JRob out there and just ran it up the middle, which is what they were already waiting on. we couldn't execute that set, but we kept going to it. it was playing into the D's hands, rather than us dictating.