Mullen: Talent isn't UF's issue, it's work ethic and buy-in

[soflagator]

You're an idiot. It's ranked vs ranked all-time and Dan Mullen is the WORST in HISTORY. Own it. Don't hide from it or excuse it or dress it up or LIE.

Dan is actually 4-29 vs ranked teams. It's a **** record and we hired him.

But but but he was outmanned....wahhhhhh

Fragile f-ing fanbase.

EDIT: I know he has me on ignore but someone correct the bastard.

I have no issue with posters like you, itraz or law having their reservations on Mullen. The record is the record. It was actually the first thing that concerned me when I heard we were hiring him. That said, while I’m not excusing it, there are some details that shouldn’t go completely unnoticed.

Of those 29 losses, 10 were to the eventual National Champion or the runner up. And another was to our 2009 team in his first year. Again, the record stands and is open to criticism. But I think there can be some balance as well. He wasn’t just going out with a 20th ranked squad and losing to the 21st ranked squad over and over. I’m sure that did happen at times, but quite often, he was facing teams that were just far superior to virtually anything MSU has ever fielded.

Just to put that into perspective, Spurrier, with Florida talent, was 1-8 against either the eventual National Champion or runner up.

Law touched on the weaker opponents Mullen padded his record with, and he’s absolutely correct about the 12th “nothing” game skewing numbers. But I think we often romanticize about our great coaches of the past simply out coaching opponents on their way to 10 win seasons. The fact is, outside of a few teams, we almost always had more talent. And when talent level was equal or stacked against us, our record wasn’t great.

I’m not trying to change your or anyone else’s opinion. The answers will come soon enough. But I do think that despite a highly questionable record, it’s ok to recognize the buzzsaw he walked into every season.

 

[MidwestChomp]

Well I'm just happy Mac and his nonexistent strength program are gone.

 

[T REX]

I have no issue with posters like you, itraz or law having their reservations on Mullen. The record is the record. It was actually the first thing that concerned me when I heard we were hiring him. That said, while I’m not excusing it, there are some details that shouldn’t go completely unnoticed.

Of those 29 losses, 10 were to the eventual National Champion or the runner up. And another was to our 2009 team in his first year. Again, the record stands and is open to criticism. But I think there can be some balance as well. He wasn’t just going out with a 20th ranked squad and losing to the 21st ranked squad over and over. I’m sure that did happen at times, but quite often, he was facing teams that were just far superior to virtually anything MSU has ever fielded.

Just to put that into perspective, Spurrier, with Florida talent, was 1-8 against either the eventual National Champion or runner up.

Law touched on the weaker opponents Mullen padded his record with, and he’s absolutely correct about the 12th “nothing” game skewing numbers. But I think we often romanticize about our great coaches of the past simply out coaching opponents on their way to 10 win seasons. The fact is, outside of a few teams, we almost always had more talent. And when things were equal or stacked against us, our record wasn’t great.

I’m not trying to change your or anyone else’s opinion. The answers will come soon enough. But I do think that despite a highly questionable record, it’s ok to recognize the buzzsaw he walked into every season.

Outmanned? I'm kidding but it seems to be the go to response. SOS, eh? Saban was also brought up. For me, it was the consistency. He went 5-7 last year(2016). Even in his peak he never sniffed the West. But I guess it was the buzzsaw. Let's hope he turns us into a buzzsaw. At least you recognize his record was bloated by scheduling crap teams and having an extra win per year. That makes me wonder without directional garbage 4 times a year what would his record really be?

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Well I'm just happy Mac and his nonexistent strength program are gone.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

IThe fact is, outside of a few teams, we almost always had more talent. And when talent level was equal or stacked against us, our record wasn’t great.

Mehhhh.... Clown Town always seemed to get the higher ranked classes. Tinerc some. Ugly even. We had great records vs two of the three.

 

[heversle]

Are you saying he didn't try his hardest? I'm sorry but please explain this comment. All of a sudden he's gonna coach harder? He was on auto-pilot? Lower expectations so lower effort?

It's an odd statement. It sounds like another rationalization for his results.

Not rationalizing at all. His results are his results. He was good, but not great at MSU. However, he did maximize the talent he recruited and made a program that has largely been an afterthought in the SEC relevant on a national level. Would you approach the MSU job thinking you’re program is good enough to win National Championships? No coach would publicly admit that, but the answer is no. If you thought it was hard to recruit blue chip recruits there, it’s equally difficult to recruit a top notch coaching staff. You do the best you can with the cards you’re dealt. You’re a fool if you think a coach is gonna approach those two jobs with the same expectations. The UF job provides unique resources and opportunities that the MSU job does not. It’s blatantly obvious.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Not rationalizing at all. His results are his results.

http://archive.commercialappeal.com...1-017b-03a5-e053-0100007f4f8a-392263761.html/

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Uhhhh... welll.... 3000 yards a year. I heard that was minimum.

 

[heversle]

http://archive.commercialappeal.com...1-017b-03a5-e053-0100007f4f8a-392263761.html/

And that same “awful” QB almost was about a minute away from upsetting Bama this past season if not for a late touchdown. Fitzgerald is a serviceable QB at best and he still looked LIGHT years better than any QB on UF’s roster last year from a coaching standpoint and production standpoint. I don’t care where MSU was ranked last year. Mullen was putting up half a hundred on opponents frequently when he was the OC here. With the talent he’s going to recruit in Florida, I wouldn’t be surprised if this team becomes very good much quicker than you expect.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Fitzgerald is a serviceable QB at best and he still looked LIGHT years better than any QB on UF’s roster last year from a coaching standpoint and production standpoint.

Fitzgerald had a QB rating of 117 Franks 113
Fitz completed 55.6% Franks 54.6%
Fitz 6.2 yards/attempt Franks 6.3

Light years? Hmmmmmm ok.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/nick-fitzgerald-2.html
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/feleipe-franks-1.html

 

[T REX]

Not rationalizing at all. His results are his results. He was good, but not great at MSU. However, he did maximize the talent he recruited and made a program that has largely been an afterthought in the SEC relevant on a national level. Would you approach the MSU job thinking you’re program is good enough to win National Championships? No coach would publicly admit that, but the answer is no. If you thought it was hard to recruit blue chip recruits there, it’s equally difficult to recruit a top notch coaching staff. You do the best you can with the cards you’re dealt. You’re a fool if you think a coach is gonna approach those two jobs with the same expectations. The UF job provides unique resources and opportunities that the MSU job does not. It’s blatantly obvious.

Ah, he did the very best with what he was dealt. That sounds awfully familiar. I heard that Saban couldn't do what Mac was doing in the moment of years 1 and 2. First coach ever to win the division both years he started at a school. It was repeated ad nauseum. I feel a group of posters is equating Mullen here with Meyer here. It was Meyer's greatness not Mullen's.

Oh well, we'll all hope for the best.

 

[AugustaGator]

Well I'm just happy Mac and his nonexistent strength program are gone.

 

[heversle]

Fitzgerald had a QB rating of 117 Franks 113
Fitz completed 55.6% Franks 54.6%
Fitz 6.2 yards/attempt Franks 6.3

Light years? Hmmmmmm ok.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/nick-fitzgerald-2.html
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/feleipe-franks-1.html

Did you watch MSU play this past season? Fitzgerald, despite his flaws, looked competent most of the time. Also, Fitzgerald almost rushed for 1,000 yards. Mullen maximized his strengths while minimizing his weaknesses as a passer. His total production as a QB easily eclipses FF. Franks looked like a deer in the headlights. He is still a young player with a lot of potential, but he did not look good for the vast majority of the season. Pretend like Mac would’ve done a better job with talent like Fitzgerald if you want. He could barely complete a pass on air when he arrived on campus at MSU.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

Not rationalizing at all. His results are his results. He was good, but not great at MSU. However, he did maximize the talent he recruited and made a program that has largely been an afterthought in the SEC relevant on a national level.

The only problem with your analysis is as you probably know MSU won the SEC West about a decade before Mullen showed up. This means your after thought point is not completely correct.

Ultimately all that matters is what he does at UF. Had UF hired Spurrier, Saban or Belichick there would be doubts and they same standard would hold. We shall see if Mullen can get UF back to the days of Spurrier when the UF program was the envy of all of college football.

 

[Marine1]

Outmanned? I'm kidding but it seems to be the go to response. SOS, eh? Saban was also brought up. For me, it was the consistency. He went 5-7 last year(2016). Even in his peak he never sniffed the West. But I guess it was the buzzsaw. Let's hope he turns us into a buzzsaw. At least you recognize his record was bloated by scheduling crap teams and having an extra win per year. That makes me wonder without directional garbage 4 times a year what would his record really be?

I’m really having a hard time following where you are going with this. Maybe I missed it but I honestly can’t recall very many pulling for DM during the selection process. Many were very vocal with their dislike for him. The initial reaction upon announcement wasn’t any better. It seemed almost universally everyone had another guy in mind. For me it was Frost. I can’t stand Chip Kelly and I was glad he walked away from the table but I’m still disappointed we didn’t get Frost.

So we got Mullen. What is it you want GatorNation to do? Rise up as one and boycott the program? Publicly denounce him at every turn? Ridicule players that sign with him? Make his experience here as miserable as possible so maybe he too walks away early? You keep saying that folks are “rationalizing” his performance. It seems to me more like folks who also didn’t have him as their preferred choice simply recognizing he has done well so far and they are trying to inject some positivity while at least giving him a chance to prove himself here. What choice do they really have?

Or is it as simple as you just want everyone to publicly agree with you that Dan Mullen was no Nick Saban at MSU? That he took over a mediocre program and failed to take them to the pinnacle of college football? That he could not consistently beat the very best teams in college football with that program? I’ll plead to all of that.

But he’s still our coach. I like what he’s doing. I think he’s going to move us forward significantly. Will he become Saban? I don’t know.....but I know nobody else has become Saban either. He’s our coach and I’m supporting him. Why wouldn’t I?

Look...he‘s just another in a very long line who has failed to move Mississippi State to the pinnacle of college football. Eventually they are going to find the guy who will take that recruiting hotbed of talent and turn them into perennial champions.....just not in our lifetime.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Did you watch MSU play this past season? .

Yes. He is a steaming pile of shyt. The word you are lookingfor is that he had a usually competent OL.

At least Franks was a freshman and had that, his retarded OC and HC, and his gawdawful line to blame.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

IBut he’s still our coach. I like what he’s doing.

Bottomline isnt it? He is doing well so far and he landed like 4 times the bkuechippers he landed at Cowbell in a transition class. Even a pessimistic donkey can imagine him doing much better next class.

The next two classes and whether or not he can grow as an offensive playcaller will tell the tale. I do hope SOS can enlighten him some, just push him to be less conservative.

One of the points I liked was that he is either just younger or just older than Scott Frost. It is easy to forget that.

However, we shouldnt be pretending he has some spectacular record. He just doesnt. And some of those losses at Cowbell were terrible and they werent in his transition year either.

 

[gatormandan]

Lets not pretend that Mullen is Saban. He is far from it. I cringed when they announced his hiring. I was ready to throw in the towel (well maybe not that bad) but I was not happy one bit. I have changed my opinion of him since he has been back but I will wait to crown him our savior until something happens but his energy and his understanding of the expectations here are much more refreshing than anything we have seen in the last several years. All we can do is get behind him and hope he can actually return us to prominence....go gators!

 

[Durfish]

I’m really having a hard time following where you are going with this. Maybe I missed it but I honestly can’t recall very many pulling for DM during the selection process. Many were very vocal with their dislike for him. The initial reaction upon announcement wasn’t any better. It seemed almost universally everyone had another guy in mind. For me it was Frost. I can’t stand Chip Kelly and I was glad he walked away from the table but I’m still disappointed we didn’t get Frost.

So we got Mullen. What is it you want GatorNation to do? Rise up as one and boycott the program? Publicly denounce him at every turn? Ridicule players that sign with him? Make his experience here as miserable as possible so maybe he too walks away early? You keep saying that folks are “rationalizing” his performance. It seems to me more like folks who also didn’t have him as their preferred choice simply recognizing he has done well so far and they are trying to inject some positivity while at least giving him a chance to prove himself here. What choice do they really have?

Or is it as simple as you just want everyone to publicly agree with you that Dan Mullen was no Nick Saban at MSU? That he took over a mediocre program and failed to take them to the pinnacle of college football? That he could not consistently beat the very best teams in college football with that program? I’ll plead to all of that.

But he’s still our coach. I like what he’s doing. I think he’s going to move us forward significantly. Will he become Saban? I don’t know.....but I know nobody else has become Saban either. He’s our coach and I’m supporting him. Why wouldn’t I?

Look...he‘s just another in a very long line who has failed to move Mississippi State to the pinnacle of college football. Eventually they are going to find the guy who will take that recruiting hotbed of talent and turn them into perennial champions.....just not in our lifetime.

Solid gold post. This needs to be quoted/replied and bumped to the lead of this thread forever.