Mullen's post game press conference...

First off, I'm going to overlook the fact that he was joking around, laughing, had a shit eating grin, blamed the defense when his o didn't do shit in the 2nd half, and everything else about his attitude and comments that pissed me off....and I'm just going to focus on one thing. Our Running backs.

Mullen said in his presser that Perkins had a great game (which I agree with. Pretty solid game). Then when asked why Perkins was so effective tonight, he said "because he was finally 100%. First time he's been 100% since the season started". Well, I thought several times that Perk got up a little gingerly, but I took Dan's word for it. THEN, I go watch the player interviews, and Perk says "well, I seemed to tweak my injury a little bit here and there, but it felt ok." Well. Josh Robinson is a better running back and he is 100%'healthy and chomping at the bit to get out there and shine and to bring some Swagger, so why are we running the ball 15 times with a less than healthy back? And why does our head coach/offensive play caller not know that Perk is less than 100%? If he is out there reinjuring an ankle, wouldn't the Bowling green game be the best game to rest him and get him healthy? Especially before a bye week.

I know that things happen and mistakes are made from time to time, but it sure does make me feel better after a turd, when our coach is NOT laughing and acting like it's a joke. Again, not thinking he should be fired (so Goat, and all of you police officers keep your cool), but he obviously feels zero pressure to have the attitude he had at the press conference. If I almost lost a big deal to some no name company, my corporate office would be pissed if I came out joking around about it and being all cocky that I got the deal when I almost lost it. And I'm not making anywhere close to 3 million per year. Apples and oranges, I know, but I'm tired of seeing the same mistakes over and over, and nothing changing from week to week. And then having our coach come out joking about it and not even knowing that the guy we gave it to 15 times last night was reinjuring his ankle every time he cut.

He has quit on the team and the fans at least at times that's how it looks. Is a timeout necessary just to run Dak up the middle on 4th ( I will say I'm glad he didn't go for another hopeless shot at a fg) then turn around and challenge the spot and waste another timeout despite the fact that it was obviously not even close?! I agree an ugly win is a win but everything is getting uglier as time goes on...We aren't losing in final minutes to power houses we are destroyed long before the clock hits 0:00! How can the team have any desire to improve if after that garbage last night the coach isn't even bothered by it? Catch Saban on the sideline at the end of a game even up 40 he coaches and gets after guys like its the first quarter of the title game

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Originally Posted by CadaverDawg

....but he obviously feels zero pressure to have the attitude he had at the press conference. .

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This is what I've been asking? Isn't it the responsibility of the AD to correct this kind of attitude? Isn't he the coaches, boss? I'm not saying Stricklin should make a mid-season coaching change, but shouldn't he stop the kind of stuff like we see in the press conferences, lack of intensity, etc...? This is where I see a big difference between AD's like Stricklin and Byrne.

If you are looking for Stricklin to do anything, you are delusional. Stricklin is only interested in hashtags and such. I have lost all faith in him. He just doesn't have a clue how to run a multi-million dollar business.

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Originally Posted by AROB44

If you are looking for Stricklin to do anything, you are delusional. Stricklin is only interested in hashtags and such. I have lost all faith in him. He just doesn't have a clue how to run a multi-million dollar business.

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He might have the hardest job on campus right now. Football stadium expansion, the dude about to go under the knife, and other developments within the athletic department. He should delegate shit like the expansion to another person or give that person full ass chewing authority for whenever a coach gives an interview with a shit eating grin after dropping a ten pound turd. That interview would piss me off so bad that I might walk in during it and tell Dan to pack his shit and get the **** out.

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Originally Posted by NorCalDawg

This is what I've been asking? Isn't it the responsibility of the AD to correct this kind of attitude? Isn't he the coaches, boss? I'm not saying Stricklin should make a mid-season coaching change, but shouldn't he stop the kind of stuff like we see in the press conferences, lack of intensity, etc...? This is where I see a big difference between AD's like Stricklin and Byrne.

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Yes, it is Scott's job to jump get in Dans face and tell him to buck the **** up son! You are not in pee-wee anymore. I need to see some fire out there! However, don't hold your breath, loafers ain't about do anything like that.

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Originally Posted by HereComesTheSpiral

That interview would piss me off so bad that I might walk in during it and tell Dan to pack his shit and get the **** out.

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No professional athletic director in his right mind would handle a situation like that. I love internet badasses. Walking in during an interview cussing and telling a coach to pack his bags. We would be all over the national news as a laughingstock.

I'm not sure the people in this thread realize that we won last night

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Originally Posted by Coach34

I'm not sure the people in this thread realize that we won last night

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Yep

Stricklin doesn't get involved in these things, he gives Mullen complete control of everything related with the football team.

What I have never understood is why Mullen won't play our other RB's, Griffin and Milton. Neither player has had enough carries this year for anyone to know if they've improved, or what impact they could potentially have on the offense. They both have tools that could be used, at least in situations. But I guess we will never know.

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Originally Posted by Bothrops

Stricklin doesn't get involved in these things, he gives Mullen complete control of everything related with the football team.

What I have never understood is why Mullen won't play our other RB's, Griffin and Milton. Neither player has had enough carries this year for anyone to know if they've improved, or what impact they could potentially have on the offense. They both have tools that could be used, at least in situations. But I guess we will never know.

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Our TB's only get about 17-18 carries per game now with a mobile QB. There is simply not enough carries to go around. We are playing the best two RB's we have- we just need a more even split between Perk and JRob

if we aren't going to let shump do anything but block - taking the shirt off him was stupid...jmho...tom

As my backwoods friend once told me, Mullen is a yankee. Grain of salt must be taken.

[QUOTE=Bothrops;65334]Stricklin doesn't get involved in these things, he gives Mullen complete control of everything related with the football team.

just maybe Mullen doesn't get the "automatic" 1 yr extension that he usually gets ... that's probably the first message to be sent

[QUOTE=FISHDAWG;65484]

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Originally Posted by Bothrops

Stricklin doesn't get involved in these things, he gives Mullen complete control of everything related with the football team.

just maybe Mullen doesn't get the "automatic" 1 yr extension that he usually gets ... that's probably the first message to be sent

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I agree- 5-7 or 6-6....no 1 yr extention

The thing I didn't like is him saying "its great to be 3-3 at this point in the season"

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Originally Posted by drummerdawg

The thing I didn't like is him saying "its great to be 3-3 at this point in the season"

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Did he really say that?

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Originally Posted by drummerdawg

The thing I didn't like is him saying "its great to be 3-3 at this point in the season"

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I agree; I think in the past, he would have followed that up with, 'but that's not our goal. We have to keep getting better'; the overall point would have been, 'ultimately this isn't acceptable'. Instead, the overall point was, yeah, we could be better, but this is fine.

Looking back, it seems like he may have jumped out of the gate talking about raising expectations because he either truly believed it or he just wanted to appease the fanbase and drum up support. Now, it seems like he's trying to sell the fanbase to accept where we are and be happy with it, probably to keep the heat off.

Whatever the reason, I don't like it, either. Why has the message changed? He used to talk constantly about raising expectations and expecting more, even after we beat Michigan and won 9 games. Now, we're ok with 3-3?

Yea "its great to be 3-3 at this point in the season. Obviously, you would like to play a little better, but its pretty good to be 3-3. We'll take it."

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Originally Posted by fishwater99

Did he really say that?

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Yup. Here's a quote from him during the spring this year: 'What we’ve created here is a level of stability and a level of high expectations,” Mullen said. “I think when I first got here, the expectations were, ‘Boy, I hope we go to a bowl game.’ Now, that’s become the norm for us. I believe to win a championship, you have to build a solid foundation. It’s not just going to come from nowhere. When you win consistently, the next step for us to compete for a championship consistently. And when you start to do that, you’re going to find that you win a championship. That, to me, is the progress that we’ve built in this program and the expectations that I have of our program, and those expectations have really spread to our fan base.'

That article from the spring added this: Mississippi State has won eight or more games two of the past three seasons, but Mullen admits that the Bulldogs have a “chip on their shoulder” over the way last season ended. They lost five of their final six games after starting out 7-0.


Then this, after the BG game: 'A win is a win. We’ll take it. Give Bowling Green credit because that is a very good football team. Coming in they were 5-1 on the season and they really look like the top team in their conference. Like everybody else we have played, they have all been good football teams this season. It’s great to be 3-3 at this point in the season. Obviously, you would like to play a little bit better, but its pretty good to be 3-3. We’ll take it'

Those statements don't jive. From, 'We no longer hope to just make a bowl game' and having a chip on our shoulder over the way last year ended, to 'We'll take 3-3'.

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Originally Posted by fishwater99

Did he really say that?

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Yes. He did. How embarrassing.

But hey, let's all just accept our role as MSU and not question the guy because he's beating all of the cupcakes and getting his doors blown off by anyone with a pulse.*

Look, I'm fine as a MSU fan if we only win 5-8 per year, as long as we are playing hard and coaching hard. But when I see shit like we've seen since Bama Last year when it comes to effort, and then comments like these from our coach, I get concerned. Coach and all of the others can say what they want about "does everyone not realize that we won", but the truth is, it's not just about bowling green. It's about Mullen's attitude and our lack of improvement since 2010-2011. Of course, he will get his cupcake wins next year and coast to 6-7 wins at worst, and then those people can say "See...see!" But that will not be proving a damn thing.

I'm all for keeping Mullen, but only if we see his attitude and our team's performance improve. If he finds a way to win 6 this year, he did a helluva job. And next year 7 wins should be a minimum with that schedule. Anything less than 5'wins this year and 7 wins next year, it's time to bring in someone else while we still have a full cupboard.

These same people saying, "we won the game", are the same ones that were predicting 8 wins before the season, and bashing those of us that we're predicting 6 or less, and saying "this team is way too talented to only win 5-6 games". Yet now they are defending the guy that is underachieving by their own standards.

Again, it is not time to fire him. But his "happy to be 3-3" attitude and our underwhelming effort as a team and coaching staff, has me questioning him moving forward.

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Originally Posted by CadaverDawg

Yes. He did. How embarrassing.

But hey, let's all just accept our role as MSU and not question the guy because he's beating all of the cupcakes and getting his doors blown off by anyone with a pulse.*

Look, I'm fine as a MSU fan if we only win 5-8 per year, as long as we are playing hard and coaching hard. But when I see shit like we've seen since Bama Last year when it comes to effort, and then comments like these from our coach, I get concerned. Coach and all of the others can say what they want about "does everyone not realize that we won", but the truth is, it's not just about bowling green. It's about Mullen's attitude and our lack of improvement since 2010-2011. Of course, he will get his cupcake wins next year and coast to 6-7 wins at worst, and then those people can say "See...see!" But that will not be proving a damn thing.

I'm all for keeping Mullen, but only if we see his attitude and our team's performance improve. If he finds a way to win 6 this year, he did a helluva job. And next year 7 wins should be a minimum with that schedule. Anything less than 5'wins this year and 7 wins next year, it's time to bring in someone else while we still have a full cupboard.

These same people saying, "we won the game", are the same ones that were predicting 8 wins before the season, and bashing those of us that we're predicting 6 or less, and saying "this team is way too talented to only win 5-6 games". Yet now they are defending the guy that is underachieving by their own standards.

Again, it is not time to fire him. But his "happy to be 3-3" attitude and our underwhelming effort as a team and coaching staff, has me questioning him moving forward.

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Exactly. It's becoming a disturbing trend and body of work. I hope I'm wrong but I'm getting the same disturbing feeling I got from Stains about 5 yrs before we finally canned his ass. I wish he would leave and we could take these young players and next years schedule and hire somebody new to make them good. Not to highjack my own post but I would rather have Malzahn.