Question

[BuckyIsAB****]

I wont even respond to any of these, I am just curious. Here it is: Reading another thread on this board lately made me want to ask, why are some of you so negative and apathetic towards the program? Then, why are some of you so anti Leach? Just an honest question.

Also, for the ones that are pro Leach, why are you? And before some of yall say I am not negative I am just being honest, please dont.

[IMissJack]

I'll start. I've been trending negative for 4 years. I don't think JC was a good hire at AD; it's like we didn't even try to make a national search for the best applicant. We are a SEC athletic program but don't act like it. I love that he got us a NC, but it was going to happen eventually, maybe even if he stayed as coach. But, in the SEC football pays the bills and gets the out of state alums to give up the cash. Our game day experience has become stale, and we don't seem to give a shit about the egg bowl anymore. The behind the scenes people seem to be constantly in flux, and with what we seem to pay, I don't doubt it.

[Coach34]

I like Leach's personality. He is very smart and a good representative of the University. You have to give Cohen credit for hiring a proven HC after JoMo failing to be able to head up a program. I didnt think a guy like Leach would come to Mississippi altho in retrospect the guy has coached in obscure places his whole career. He and I are kind of spirit animals in that respect. I've never wanted to coach around Jackson, Hattiesburg, or Desoto County.

I just cant enjoy the offense. It's soft and boring. It's the Airbone.

[Jarius]

I’m pro leach because he is a proven winner everywhere he’s been and he has started poorly and gotten better everywhere he’s been. He showed improvement last year offensively at the same rate he has shown it everywhere else on offense and in year 3 he has also improved offensively and will here as well. I have never seen really otherwise successful, smart, educated people be as ignorant as most are about sports in general on message boards. It makes otherwise really smart people say really ignorant things. There are a bunch on State message boards that way, particularly about Leach. Some are because they hate his politics, some are because they have a distorted view of what State is as a program, and some are because they just aren’t very football intelligent. He is going to win 6-8 games a year here and every once in a while jump up and have a big 9-10 year regular season. That’s what he’s done everywhere. He won 7 last year with a bunch of really young offensive guys. You have to really have your head in the sand to think he’s not going to be pretty successful here relative to our past coaches.

[NCMSTFAN]

When we initially hired him I thought it was a smart, out of the box hire. I knew about the success he had at Texas Tech so I thought bringing that style to the SEC could really shake some things up and confuse some teams. After 2 seasons of watching the offense my mind has changed, maybe it's the QB, maybe it's the system heck I don't know what it is but so far it doesn't look too promising in my opinion and I just dont see it working in the SEC. Leach as a person can be funny at times but he can also be kind of an odd character... I wonder how his players feel about him.

This is the season he needs to prove that this can work in the SEC but it's going to be tough with that schedule.

[Bothrops]

I think the offense will work if you have a strong passer that can escape pressure.

[RougeDawg]

Because most posters here lack any logical comprehension of perspective. They do not include a coach coming in with a completely different offense under the cloak of all the covid restrictions. Leach?s first spring and summer preseason schedules were non existent. So implementing something completely different and having to truly learn it during the first real season of games. There were struggles but I guess only a handful of us can see things coming together, without the W/L numbers being the only thing we base opinions on.

Only a handful of us can also see that we were a healthy FG kicker and a competent officiating crew away from 10 wins last year. Only a few of us can see the progress during last season. How Will finally started stretching the field and going downfield the last half of 2021 and it opened up the offense. How a few catches against OM could have led to a win there or against LSU.

In summary, some people see what they want and very rarely ever see things for what they are. If the trend continues this year we should get to 8-10 wins.

[Homedawg]

I think the offense will work if you have a strong passer that can escape pressure.

If that's what you have to have, it won't "succeed". Guys that do all both well we won't get.

[NCMSTFAN]

If that's what you have to have, it won't "succeed". Guys that do all both well we won't get.

I agree. And if you look at our best teams over the last decade or more, we had QB's with mobility. I understand Leach loves the pocket passers but being able to extend plays with your legs is so important in today's game

[Cooterpoot]

I just want to win. I want fans to expect more than 5-7 wins. It's time to be better. This year will determine my opinion of Leach.

[NCMSTFAN]

I just want to win. I want fans to expect more than 5-7 wins. It's time to be better. This year will determine my opinion of Leach.

Mine too

[CaptainObvious]

I think the offense will work if you have a strong passer that can escape pressure.

Think how well it did last year with a QB who is not either. 36 TDs, 4700+ yards. Passing records in the stellar football history of Mississippi State University, which still has an overall losing historical record in Football even with the success over the last 13 years.

[FISHDAWG]

I just want to win. I want fans to expect more than 5-7 wins. It's time to be better. This year will determine my opinion of Leach.

this is where I'm at as well ..... I was open minded and maybe a little excited when he was announced but I stepped back when I saw what I believed to be stubbornness. I thought he should adapt his offense to what we had and that didn't really happen. As we started playing better later in the year when Rogers took over I thought OK - maybe just watch and let him do things his way and give him the benefit of the doubt for now. The second season had me scratching my head on where I actually stood with Leach as it was kinda like a cardiogram graph but I saw enough progress to try and be patient ... so it seems like it boils down to this year and I know the schedule isn't an easy one but it's also not a brick wall either in my opinion - we shall see.
The only remaining coach of interest to me is Lemonis ... and I have NO PROBLEMS with him .... Or Cohen really

[Catfish]

this is where I'm at as well ..... I was open minded and maybe a little excited when he was announced but I stepped back when I saw what I believed to be stubbornness. I thought he should adapt his offense to what we had and that didn't really happen. As we started playing better later in the year when Rogers took over I thought OK - maybe just watch and let him do things his way and give him the benefit of the doubt for now. The second season had me scratching my head on where I actually stood with Leach as it was kinda like a cardiogram graph but I saw enough progress to try and be patient ... so it seems like it boils down to this year and I know the schedule isn't an easy one but it's also not a brick wall either in my opinion - we shall see.
The only remaining coach of interest to me is Lemonis ... and I have NO PROBLEMS with him .... Or Cohen really

I completely agee. Good post. We should be in every game except for Ala and Georgia.

[99jc]

this is where I'm at as well ..... I was open minded and maybe a little excited when he was announced but I stepped back when I saw what I believed to be stubbornness. I thought he should adapt his offense to what we had and that didn't really happen. As we started playing better later in the year when Rogers took over I thought OK - maybe just watch and let him do things his way and give him the benefit of the doubt for now. The second season had me scratching my head on where I actually stood with Leach as it was kinda like a cardiogram graph but I saw enough progress to try and be patient ... so it seems like it boils down to this year and I know the schedule isn't an easy one but it's also not a brick wall either in my opinion - we shall see.
The only remaining coach of interest to me is Lemonis ... and I have NO PROBLEMS with him .... Or Cohen really

I like Leach. I believe like others a more mobile qb in this offense will be lethal. what we have done offensively without a real all star wr is amazing. This has to be the year we win 9-10 games.

[Dawgbite]

There no excitement around the programs especially football. I know there was huge excitement over the baseball national championship but it's even waned some. I like Leach but I'm just not that excited about his teams. I'm not saying Cohen was a bad hire but he's been a boring hire. The Athletic department and BDC has definitely taken a back seat to the two previous AD administrations as far as generating excitement and fan interaction. Friend of mine who retired from the Athletic Department summed it up this way, ten to twenty years ago most of the employees were State grads and even the ones who weren't were invested in the school. Their job performance and interaction with fans and donors reflected that. Now most of the employees are non grads just using State as a stepping stone to get to a bigger university. They don't really care, it's just a job, a resume builder.

[Cooterpoot]

There no excitement around the programs especially football. I know there was huge excitement over the baseball national championship but it's even waned some. I like Leach but I'm just not that excited about his teams. I'm not saying Cohen was a bad hire but he's been a boring hire. The Athletic department and BDC has definitely taken a back seat to the two previous AD administrations as far as generating excitement and fan interaction. Friend of mine who retired from the Athletic Department summed it up this way, ten to twenty years ago most of the employees were State grads and even the ones who weren't were invested in the school. Their job performance and interaction with fans and donors reflected that. Now most of the employees are non grads just using State as a stepping stone to get to a bigger university. They don't really care, it's just a job, a resume builder.

See, I'm the opposite on the AD. I hate nepotism and that's exactly how we got Cohen. Our best AD by miles was Byrne. He changed the culture n his short term here. He put more into marketing, he hit on a great football coach. Since then, it's been State guys and they suck IMO. Stricklin was better than Cohen but that traitor 17r used us too. Go hire the best damn people available. Stop being short-sighted and limiting s to the "good ole boy" system that held State back for years. You need some State folks, but not a full crew of them.

[BrunswickDawg]

I like Leach and like the hire. Like Rouge, I think we have to ignore 2020 as part of measuring Leach's performance. Reasons for liking Leach are the way he runs the program - discipline, fairness, and conditioning all seem to be great. He seems to have a quality, stable staff - which I think is huge for a school like us. He has won at non-traditional places - given time to build. I think that is an important aspect for his success - he needs an entire team having been in his system since day 1 for it to really run the way it should. Most fan bases aren't patient enough for that. Yes, he won 9 in his third season at Texas Tech - but it was really seasons 4 and 5 at TT and WSU that the programs start to really look like the "AirRaid" that everyone thinks of.

Leach also isn't conventional - so I understand that rubbing the MSU fan base the wrong way, and that keeping people from buying in. I also think that believing that MSU is not susceptible to 6-7 win seasons is unrealistic. Smallest budget, smallest fanbase, in the toughest place to play college football means that those seasons are always a possibility. I think our goal should be that our 8-10 win seasons outnumber our 6-7 win seasons across a rolling 5 year period. I think that expecting more than that in today's game is unrealistic.

[Hot Rock]

I don't think this dislike for Leach is not for him as an individual. I think it's his offense they don't like because they find it boring or not to their liking. He doesn't smash his politics in your face, so I don't think that many folks dislike him for it. Sure, its out there but he doesn't scream it at you. You should have the right to your opinions on politics and it not affect your job.

Some don't like it that his a thinking man rather than a fire filled one that gets the team fired up. Football is a passionate game and you have to play with some emotion and there is a place for that fire. Me? I think that can come from assistants like Arnett or even the leaders on the team. That does not have to come from the HC. There is plenty of evidence that can be done effectively.

I like Leach as a Head Coach. Why? The three yards in the cloud of dust will never work at Mississippi State and I think people wanting to go back to a Urban Meyer/Mullen style are wrong. We have been trying run first offenses my whole life and we simply cannot out recruit teams in the SEC. If you can't out recruit them, then a run first offense is toast. But Mullen had a ten win season. Yep and that year we had the best QB of our lifetime or maybe anytime.

If it's really about winning and I think it should be, then Leach is proven and it's apparent by now this offense can work in the SEC on a given Saturday. Consistency is the question now. I would like to see us run more vs weaker teams to help get more consistent in those games but I really don't care so long as we win those games. What I did notice looking back at Leach's career, his best teams did run the ball more effectively.

Can it be boring? Yes. I don't care. Ball control offenses do that but that does give us a real chance vs the quality of teams that are in the SEC. I want to win and right now I think Leach gives us the best chance to do it. If it doesn't work, then at least we will have been transitioned to a pass first style and will have the personnel for that style. That will make State more attractive to the progression of this offense to be more like what others are doing with the Air Raid.

I don't think there is anyone that could have helped State transition to a passing style better or quicker than what Leach has done. His teaching methods are mature and proven. Did we get him too late? (Month in Florida). I don't think so. Taking time for yourself can make you better, especially to a veteran coach like Leach.

[thf24]

A lot of the negativity around football right now is last season's disappointing finish causing a flare up of confirmation bias that started with uninformed or irrationally negative opinions all the way back when Leach was hired. Ie people are just as happy with being right in their minds as they are winning, which isn't groundbreaking news.