So Our Players Think They are Playing Hard? Viewer Discretion Advised

[BossDawg]

I think it's really a lack of players stepping up and being leaders and, well, Mullen. I'm telling you, and most people see it, but for whatever reason he simply isn't motivated. Whether he's tired of the job or dealing with the bad season with a bad attitude, whatever it is, it's trickling down to the rest of the team - coaches, too. This team needs people to look up to.

[Todd4State]

I'm hoping a lot of the tentativeness on defense is a result of guys thinking too much with a new system

How do you explain the lack of blocking on the offensive side of the ball? And I'm not just talking o-line. Wimberly had a tweet where one of our WR's just flat out missed his block.

[Todd4State]

But wait, all the people here keep saying peters has to play? Why? He's not a corner. He's not. He's bad bad bad. And I'm being nice.

You've also been telling us that Coman is better than McLaurin.

[Todd4State]

I think it's really a lack of players stepping up and being leaders and, well, Mullen. I'm telling you, and most people see it, but for whatever reason he simply isn't motivated. Whether he's tired of the job or dealing with the bad season with a bad attitude, whatever it is, it's trickling down to the rest of the team - coaches, too. This team needs people to look up to.

Exactly. This starts from the top. It's not just the defensive side of the ball. It's both sides. And it's not just manifested in tackling and blocking. There are dropped passes and bad routes by the WR's. Our running backs do seem to run pretty hard of course one mistake and they know they're getting pulled.

[dawgday166]

After coaching myself over 25 years, I would have come by god unglued doing our self scout. I would embarass somebody and their ass would be sitting. You are not going to be on my defense playing like that , I don't give a damn who you are. That shit would be squashed big time and if they pouted their ass could go too. They damn sure aren't helping us now.

Bingo. A lot of what I'm watching has zero to do with talent.

These guys better be glad they don't play for Bear Bryant. I could see another Junction Boys happening. In Bear's book he talked about that center that had made all-conference the year before he got to A&M, so Bear thought he must be a pretty good player. While watching film of the previous season he noticed that center and all the center did was wallow around not hitting anyone. Pissed Bear off so bad that he had made all-conference the previous season, that he swore the center would either earn all-conference the next year cause of his play or he'd run him off. Told his coaching staff that. If I remember correctly, he told the Oline coach if the center made all-conference the upcoming season while playing like that the Oline coach would be fired.

So Bear was riding the center hard as hell in practice and the center walked off the field during the first or second practice ... Bear had never had anyone do that before. Bear was told by another one of the players that the center had done this before and always came back to the team. So that night the center tried to get in line for chow. Bear went up to him and said "Only A&M football players eat here son".

That story reminds me of one of our O linemen I've been watching the last 2 years. He hardly ever, if ever, lays a good hit on someone. He doesn't make all-conference tho.

[FISHDAWG]

why don't you all just curse them all the day long ... that's really gonna help ... Thanks Shotgun for getting another thread started where everyone just publicly bashes our players ... I guess it makes for good reading material for our potential recruits so what the hell **

[lamont]

I love when Fishdawg posts- his Sig really says it all:

C-34: on NOV 30, 2015

"But if you think we overachieved this season- you are an idiot. If Mullen wins more than 6 next year- that will be overachieving".

#agenda

[Daddy Rabbit Dawg]

Who is Jake Wimberly and where does he coach?

[louisvilledawg]

I see guys out of position as opposed to lack of effort or hustle.

Maybe they're out of position because of lack of effort or hustle.

[louisvilledawg]

Who is Jake Wimberly and where does he coach?

He's a radio talk show host at 5pm on 105.9 in jackson.

think he also calls the brandon high school games, but not 100%

[Maroonthirteen]

That guy lost all
Credibility on the first post. Smoke is coming full speed to the middle of the field to try and make a play and the guy cuts behind and smokey has to dive and try to make a play on him and he is talking about effort??? Complete bs calling smokey out on that one.

Our middle lb mr. Brown is god dang horrible and has been for two years now. He can't step in a hole and fill it up to stop the run and he can't get off a block to save his life.

I see the same. Smoke actually did a good job containing the guy. Forcing the guy to cut back toward the sideline and angling him off. Wimbley should have stopped at "Kentucky did a good job of blocking." That is correct. Their OL whipped us across the DL and at LB that play!

What I see in all those videos. Isn't necessarily effort as much as it is linemen (O and D) that are slow. We are not quick enough at OL to cut off DLs slanting into the gap. Our OL isn't quick enough to pull and lead block a LB in the hole. On the other side, Our LBs aren't quick enough or strong enough to avoid and shed a block. OUr DL is getting whipped out by their OL.

One of those clips, he calls our OLB out for lack of hustle. However, what happens on that play. UK's 74 and their LG shoves our DT across the line, then 74 peals off and seals off our LB. Their RG pulls and locks up our MLB. 74 kicked our tail on that play. Our OLB (who is the focus of commentary) sees a hole develop, guesses that hole but the UK RB takes an inside hole and is through the inside hole before our OLB can get to him. Our OLB tried, he just read the hole wrong and the UK RB was quick enough to get through the hole. He says our OLB gave up on the play. Yet the OLB still makes the tackle down field.

[HereComesTheSpiral]

Sirmon is barely qualified to be a defensive position coach and we hired him to be our DC. Get what you pay for

We got all we could get at the time. I doubt any coach that has been on the defensive side of the ball under Mullen speaks highly of him. I doubt they are singing his praises to their friends so there is no interest whenever we make a phone call.

[Brahmabull]

IMO, the play on the defensive side of the ball is all about the constant revolving door of defensive coaching staffs. 95% of that is on Mullen. I get Manny going back on his word so he can "go back home", but pretty much the rest is on Mullen. We have zero continuity on defense. Different coaches, different schemes, players that have had to live thru all that. Players have seen the coaches leave who recruited them. Most players can figure out why they left. It adds up to what we are witnessing this year on the field. I don't know if Sirmon can be a successful DC. He is definitely not there yet and still learning. At this point though, I would say we need to give him and his staff some time if for no other reason than we need some stability there.

[HancockCountyDog]

I actually think the team is playing hard. I really don't have a problem with the effort in the BYU or Kentucky game. I thought we played hard, we just aren't very talented.

The NFL draft will prove me right this year and next.

[Political Hack]

Bad players with not enough talent and no leadership. Still, I just have a vision of 2015 baseball in my head. If Dan starts a real youth movement (which seems to be bubbling), and hitting the JUCOs heavy, I think a big retooling is already in the works. No way to compete for a title like '16 baseball - but not some epic 3 year rebuild some are predicting.

I dusky see eye to eye with you, but we disagree here. I think we're in for a major rebuild in the OL, which means it's going to be 2-3 years easily.

[HancockCountyDog]

Bad players with not enough talent and no leadership. Still, I just have a vision of 2015 baseball in my head. If Dan starts a real youth movement (which seems to be bubbling), and hitting the JUCOs heavy, I think a big retooling is already in the works. No way to compete for a title like '16 baseball - but not some epic 3 year rebuild some are predicting.

Hack is right, football rebuilds just take longer than baseball, especially when you have talent problems up front.

The reason Mullen was able to turn things around so quickly was the talent up front that Croom left him either on he roster or committed.

By my count, Sherrod, Gabe, McPhee, Fletcher, Boyd, the NG who I can't recall, not counting KJ and Chris White.

We need an influx of NFL players on the OL and front seven. That takes time.

[Bothrops]

The defense is lost. Effort wanes when you aren't sure about what you're doing. Plus, losing several close games is incredibly destructive for morale. Ole Miss is going through the same thing, only at a different level poor play.

[BrunswickDawg]

I dusky see eye to eye with you, but we disagree here. I think we're in for a major rebuild in the OL, which means it's going to be 2-3 years easily.

Hack is right, football rebuilds just take longer than baseball, especially when you have talent problems up front.

The reason Mullen was able to turn things around so quickly was the talent up front that Croom left him either on he roster or committed.

By my count, Sherrod, Gabe, McPhee, Fletcher, Boyd, the NG who I can't recall, not counting KJ and Chris White.

We need an influx of NFL players on the OL and front seven. That takes time.

Ok - but how did USM rebuild so fast to be competitive? Didn't they bring in a huge amount of JUCOs and grad transfers after the 2014 season (and yes, I know SEC is different). Were they mainly skill guys or lineman? What I am getting at is that it is possible, but you have to hit on everyone and hope your young guys develop quickly.

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

I watched the debacle but thanks Jake for encouraging me relive it again...under a microscope.

[Lumpy Chucklelips]

I went back and looked at this a second time to distinguish who the players were that were involved in these plays. Take this however you want, but one thing that stands out to me is the youth that is involved. Two plays out of 10 involved seniors, the rest, Fr or So, with one being Graham as a jr in his first extensive role as a db. Yes, we've all heard we're young until we're all blue in the face, but again, take it as you wish....There are 16 players that were singled out; 2 Sr, 1 Jr, 7 So, 6 Fr. 13 out of 16 either Fr. or So.

Play 1 - Jamoral Graham, Jr. first full season to play cb after being on offense before.
Play 2 - Fletcher Adams, Fr; Gerri Green, So; Mark McLauren, So.
Play 3 - Keith Mixon, Fr.
Play 4 - Jamal Peters, So.
Play 5 - Ferrod Green, Fr; Michael Story, Fr.
Play 6 - Brandon Bryant, So; Jamal Peters, So; Mark McLauren, So.
Play 7 - Jamal Peters, So.
Play 8 - DeAndre Ward, Sr. Walk-on.
Play 9 - Jamal Claiborne, Sr.
Play 10- Deddrick Thomas, Fr; Keith Mixon, Fr.