Luke Kromenhoek to Enter Portal

[BrunswickDawg]

This thread shows a longstanding problem with MSU - our fans do not believe in the passing game. They think a running QB, and hosses up front and 3 yards and a cloud of dust - and that's MSU. QB play and recruiting (and the trickle effect on WR recruiting) doesn't matter and "that's not MSU football." So spending on a QB2 is bad.

Well folks, that philosophy doesn't work today - and outside of about 8 weeks in 2014 has gotten us bupkis in football. Leach, and now Lebby is still trying to bring modern football to Starkville. Don't be shocked when we sign another portal QB this year. Because you have to have a quality QB2 in today's game.

And yes, we need to spend money. And need better OL and DL. And yes our fans are being asked to pay for it. And yes it sucks. And our fans will kick and scream and resist and yell "fire the coach, and just pay the Scooba Tech guy $500k and we can win "unconventionally" by spending less while Vandy runs circles around us.

[HoopsDawg]

This thread shows a longstanding problem with MSU - our fans do not believe in the passing game. They think a running QB, and hosses up front and 3 yards and a cloud of dust - and that's MSU. QB play and recruiting (and the trickle effect on WR recruiting) doesn't matter and "that's not MSU football." So spending on a QB2 is bad.

Well folks, that philosophy doesn't work today - and outside of about 8 weeks in 2014 has gotten us bupkis in football. Leach, and now Lebby is still trying to bring modern football to Starkville. Don't be shocked when we sign another portal QB this year. Because you have to have a quality QB2 in today's game.

And yes, we need to spend money. And need better OL and DL. And yes our fans are being asked to pay for it. And yes it sucks. And our fans will kick and scream and resist and yell "fire the coach, and just pay the Scooba Tech guy $500k and we can win "unconventionally" by spending less while Vandy runs circles around us.

KT is a guy we can build around. Lebby is a coach that can get it done. If ever there was a time to spend, it?s now. But we cant afford to drop 500k on a backup QB. Texas Tech has spent a ton but they have also spent wisely thanks to their analytics team. I hope we do the same.

[Coach34]

But we cant afford to drop 500k on a backup QB. Texas Tech has spent a ton but they have also spent wisely thanks to their analytics team. I hope we do the same.

A) We're going to have to spend 500K on a QB unless we find a D-II Diamond or something

B) I dont think we have an analytics team. We dont have the money for that kind of shit. Mississippi spent almost twice what we do for assistants and off field personnel. We lost the WR coach battle over money. It's tough when you are a bottom spender in a big money league. And we are a bottom spender program wide

[HoopsDawg]

A) We're going to have to spend 500K on a QB unless we find a D-II Diamond or something

B) I dont think we have an analytics team. We dont have the money for that kind of shit. Mississippi spent almost twice what we do for assistants and off field personnel. We lost the WR coach battle over money. It's tough when you are a bottom spender in a big money league. And we are a bottom spender program wide

A) D2 is the way to go
B) then we have no shot

[Goldendawg]

This thread shows a longstanding problem with MSU - our fans do not believe in the passing game. They think a running QB, and hosses up front and 3 yards and a cloud of dust - and that's MSU. QB play and recruiting (and the trickle effect on WR recruiting) doesn't matter and "that's not MSU football." So spending on a QB2 is bad.

Well folks, that philosophy doesn't work today - and outside of about 8 weeks in 2014 has gotten us bupkis in football. Leach, and now Lebby is still trying to bring modern football to Starkville. Don't be shocked when we sign another portal QB this year. Because you have to have a quality QB2 in today's game.

And yes, we need to spend money. And need better OL and DL. And yes our fans are being asked to pay for it. And yes it sucks. And our fans will kick and scream and resist and yell "fire the coach, and just pay the Scooba Tech guy $500k and we can win "unconventionally" by spending less while Vandy runs circles around us.

I disagree with your analysis of the basic MSU fans. I saw my first MSU game as an 8-year-old in 1963 (10-10 Egg Bowl) and have seen many different Offenses, some good. many bad. I never heard anyone complaining when Pharr was lighting up the passing game to Smith and Milner, or running the Wishbone or the Veer or many other offenses excpet when we were losing.

Win in the SEC, not 0-8 or 1-7 and I don't care if we run the single wing or throw every down like Leach.

As for your second paragraph, we all need to do all we can at every level of support to get out of this 3 year rut. Hail State!

[Todd4State]

This thread shows a longstanding problem with MSU - our fans do not believe in the passing game. They think a running QB, and hosses up front and 3 yards and a cloud of dust - and that's MSU. QB play and recruiting (and the trickle effect on WR recruiting) doesn't matter and "that's not MSU football." So spending on a QB2 is bad.

Well folks, that philosophy doesn't work today - and outside of about 8 weeks in 2014 has gotten us bupkis in football. Leach, and now Lebby is still trying to bring modern football to Starkville. Don't be shocked when we sign another portal QB this year. Because you have to have a quality QB2 in today's game.

And yes, we need to spend money. And need better OL and DL. And yes our fans are being asked to pay for it. And yes it sucks. And our fans will kick and scream and resist and yell "fire the coach, and just pay the Scooba Tech guy $500k and we can win "unconventionally" by spending less while Vandy runs circles around us.

Exactly.

[PGHBulldogBG]

I disagree with your analysis of the basic MSU fans. I saw my first MSU game as an 8-year-old in 1963 (10-10 Egg Bowl) and have seen many different Offenses, some good. many bad. I never heard anyone complaining when Pharr was lighting up the passing game to Smith and Milner, or running the Wishbone or the Veer or many other offenses excpet when we were losing.

Win in the SEC, not 0-8 or 1-7 and I don't care if we run the single wing or throw every down like Leach.

As for your second paragraph, we all need to do all we can at every level of support to get out of this 3 year rut. Hail State!

Yea I agree I think State fans overall would be fine with just winning no matter which way. Some people have this mentality that because Leachs offense wasn?t a fan favorite that State fans are against passing, but that is not true. The fans that felt that way would?ve got more on board and started too right before his death.

[Thick]

So what happens if/when KT gets hurt? Who?s our plan B? Seriously who?s our QB2?

[Pancho]

wait and have some experts tell us

[HoopsDawg]

So what happens if/when KT gets hurt? Who?s our plan B? Seriously who?s our QB2?

If KT gets hurt we are screwed anyway. We cant afford a Plan B. There will be a freshman and should be able to find a cheap backup.

[The Federalist Engineer]

So what happens if/when KT gets hurt? Who?s our plan B? Seriously who?s our QB2?

This is where we are talking past each other. You must have a Plan-B. It's just a question of how expensive/appealing (on paper) that Plan-B can be.

You can't spend 1M on the backup QB but you must spend enough to keep a good recruit developing or an outside guy to take the backup job. the average D1 backup QB makes 200/250K.

I think Texas paid Matthew Caldwell more than 1M to be their backup. LSU spent 1.5M to make MVB a backup. That's the competition.

[Thick]

I say find a dual threat DII. KT needs to learn how to slide.

[HancockCountyDog]

If KT gets hurt we are screwed anyway. We cant afford a Plan B. There will be a freshman and should be able to find a cheap backup.

Completely agree. You either get lucky with a HS signee or a juco/DII kid.

I mean if KT gets hurt, and it is substantial you are screwed regardless.

I would rather take a shot at a 9 win season and go big on KT and other positions.

[Todd4State]

Completely agree. You either get lucky with a HS signee or a juco/DII kid.

I mean if KT gets hurt, and it is substantial you are screwed regardless.

I would rather take a shot at a 9 win season and go big on KT and other positions.

But again- it doesn't have to be and shouldn't be either or. We need players that can have an impact and we need depth.

MSU is bad about looking to cut corners doesn't try hard enough to find solutions. The one sport we don't cut corners in is baseball. And compare the success there to other sports.

[Todd4State]

I say find a dual threat DII. KT needs to learn how to slide.

I think what happened at Ole Miss with Chambliss is an outlier most likely.

[Todd4State]

Do you see NFL teams saying we don't need a back up QB because we're screwed if our starter goes down? No.

And the ones that do get burned.

The 49ers didn't do that when they had Montana. They got Steve Young. The Patriots didn't do that with Brady. They got Matt Cassel and Garapolo.

Why even run the risk of screwing our season when we don't have to?

[BrunswickDawg]

I think what happened at Ole Miss with Chambliss is an outlier most likely.

I'm not so sure about that. I watched a good bit of DII when my son was a Valdosta State - who Chambliss beat for his Natty last year.
You could probably take a QB from one of the 5-6 top DII schools and have a viable #2, and maybe even hit like Chambliss has.
Valdosta, Ferris St., West Florida, Colorado School of Mines, etc.

West Texas A&M had a QB throw for 4100 yards this season. Most of these schools run some sort of Air Raid or Power Spread and would be able to adapt.
The Key I think is finding 6th year guys with eligibility - you are not going to find underclassmen who make that jump.

[Todd4State]

And while I'm on a rant...

This is why MSU loses at football. We made bad decisions that burn us every single time.

It's always slash the ticket prices, change the helmet logo and make the atmosphere better. And MSU and Selmon have done all of those things.

Everything except spend money and build the best football team we can. But no- let's blame the lack of players on the d-line on the third string QB. It's just dumb. It's not even logical if you say it out loud.

Ole Miss on the other hand- they give money. They hired a qualified coach in Kiffin. They didn't cut corners. They didn't say don't spend money on that Chambliss guy because if Simmons goes down we're screwed anyway.

And our fans don't see the difference. They just keep looking for ways to cut corners and not spend money.

[Todd4State]

I'm not so sure about that. I watched a good bit of DII when my son was a Valdosta State - who Chambliss beat for his Natty last year.
You could probably take a QB from one of the 5-6 top DII schools and have a viable #2, and maybe even hit like Chambliss has.
Valdosta, Ferris St., West Florida, Colorado School of Mines, etc.

West Texas A&M had a QB throw for 4100 yards this season. Most of these schools run some sort of Air Raid or Power Spread and would be able to adapt.
The Key I think is finding 6th year guys with eligibility - you are not going to find underclassmen who make that jump.

You're probably right I don't watch very much D2 football. At the end of the day it comes down to evaluation regardless of the level.

[HancockCountyDog]

Do you see NFL teams saying we don't need a back up QB because we're screwed if our starter goes down? No.

And the ones that do get burned.

The 49ers didn't do that when they had Montana. They got Steve Young. The Patriots didn't do that with Brady. They got Matt Cassel and Garapolo.

Why even run the risk of screwing our season when we don't have to?

The problem is we don't have the same amount of money as everyone does in the NFL.

If we have a pot of 20 million that needs to get spread around in some form or fashion to 85 players, guess what, you need to make a decision on where it goes.

I don't want to spend a bunch on a backup that can't actually be a difference maker. There is no point.

At some point you have to push your chips in the middle and roll with paying 25-30 kids and shoot your shot, especially when you have a playmaker at QB.

The goal is to have a special season, move the needle. The program needs this.

You can't play it safe and think, well we need a decent backup so lets go spend on a Van Buren type of backup as opposed to taking that money and landing an impact WR or DE. A quality backup QB will cost more than an elite player at another position. QB prices are out of control right now.

I don't want to back at the end of the year and see a player making a bunch of money that played mop up duty on a 7-5 or 6-6 team. I would rather shoot for a 9-3 type season and risk that if KT gets hurt we probably will be a 3-4 win team. I mean, that is where we have been the last 3 years and there is no guarantee that a backup QB makes a difference in SEC play. I doubt it would.