There is no doubt that Mullen has had some questionable coaching decisions over the past few years. But he is younger than most head coaches - especially ones that have reached number 1 - and I couldn't be happier with him as the lead Dawg. Here are some things i will be watching out for early on:

1. Protect Dak - Limiting unnecessary hits / wear and tear early in the season (not LSU) in lopsided games. Dan should have a number in mind of how many downs to run him. Last year was too many as evidenced in his play down the stretch. For us to have a shot at finishing 2015 strong, we have to have an LSU '14 performing Dak - not a Alabama '14 performing Dak. Dan has got to get this right.

2. No "brainfart" calls in games - was watching a replay of the Auburn game and it still gives me a migraine when I see us go for that fake punt. One of the craziest calls I have ever seen and i have watched a whole lot of football. I think it was simply a sign of immaturity - the question is, has Mullen learned from this and won't let a crazy call result in a loss that could disrupt the entire season.

3. Not be hardheaded - we all know the importance of the LSU game. He needs to be quicker to make adjustments if things are not going well. For instance, I hope Shumpert comes out on fire and can be a feature back - but I haven't seen evidence of that yet. If Shumpert is being shut down against LSU, will Dan be willing to bring in Dontavian Lee (if he in fact has shown the most potential in practice)? Again, rather than running Prescott to death which goes back to point 1.