Best Posts in Thread: Mullinz' grade for the first year

Im going A-, with the recruiting term paper still outstanding though the first draft was a shaky C.

Overachiever the first year and much easier to like than I ever imagined.

 

I’m drinking a big cup of mullenade

 

A +.

They were expected to win the SEC and the NC. They will likely meet that expectation.

But the question is really for the coach as I read it. Mullen took the talent he had and beat nearly everyone’s expectations. That’s an A in my book.

 

A-. Only because we didn't defend The Swamp by losing to UK and Mizzou. Incredible job otherwise with a marked lack of talent due to the Shark ****er.

 

My middle finger and little else. Mullen and this team get much credit for turning a sh#T show into something we are proud of again. To lay an egg against a damned good UK team at home and then not tucking tail and begin whining and pointing fingers (like happened here) spoke volumes about this group. They hung together. They got better and stronger. I think the most amazing thing to me was watching so many teams we played have injuries or cramps each game and we just played as if we were encased in steel. Some of you don't like the QB. He was booed and denigrated and given little respect. All he did was keep moving forward like the rest of the team and lead us to wins. And got some attitude. Good for him. I want attitude. After last year you can tell these boys are proud of what they did and not afraid to show emotion. If that's what it takes to get back to the football we saw from 90 to 2007 I am good with it. SOS changed a mindset when he took over this program. He made us believe. Dan has done a lot of that the first year. I heard Steve interviewed before the game and all he could say was us and we in regards to this team. He has bought in. His purchase is all I need to know.

 

Definite A. Results of a 13 game season must be balanced against preseason expectations and relative to the talent on deck.

 

I went B+ only because there wasn’t a B option. You don’t lose at home to Kentucky and as well as Mizzu and receive an A if any kind.

 

Compared to the last decade, this year was the equivalent to a massage with a happy ending.

 

For all you B+ 'ers let me say that this team is not the same team that took the field the opening game. The team evolved in Mullen's hands and the loss to UK and Mizzou was the transition in progress. This guy is for real. I can't wait to play all three teams we lost to this year again. I'll bet he can't either.

 

Florida - beats Meatchikn
Ugly - loses bowl
Clowns- no bowl
Tinerc - no bowl
scUM - loses Bowl
Chumpcawks - loses Bowl
Central - loses Bowl
Crackumbus- loses recruiting edge over us

Other than Saban dying, what more could we ask for. Come on, Mullinz, get that recruiting going.

 

When you find yourself more pessimistic about Dan Mullen and a Franks led gator team than Swonkey, you should probably re-evaluate your position.

 

I'm interpreting Donkey's parameters to reflect actual "real world" conditions, and concomitantly realistic expectations. Some people talk about "grading on a curve" as if the events that have taken place, and will continue to unfold through NSD, all occurred or will occur in a vacuum of some sort. That is utter nonsense in almost any challenging or genuinely complex situation, and particularly in the one DM inherited. The roster, the team's morale and the very program itself were in a shambles. Player development was non-existant, and the concept that something that could be thought of as "The Gator Standard" even continued to exist, after the last 8 years, was sadly comical.

So let's stop pretending that this season was some sterile, controlled experiment in "adjusting" an already stable model to maximize it's pre-existing potential. That's not what this season was about, not even close. With all that said, I pretty much agree with swamp thang, with one caveat. I think the recruiting is at least a B at this point and fully expect a strong finish to improve that grade to at least a B+, if not better. I will close this by giving DM a solid A, while awarding him the order of the bouncing boobies for especially meritorious service.

 

Imo amything less that an A or A+ is just being too critical. We are 10-3 a year after being 4-7 with largely the same team. Mullen did it without his players...and he did it with Felipe Franks at QB. Mullen should win coach of the year, hands down.

 

@BourbonGator84: Solid year one.

 

It also took a while to get the kids to believe.

Imo this is the biggest thing. You heard Lewishat was Lewis, right?--saying he was ready to quit. I doubt he was the only one. They were certainly playing like a team that quit and didnt believe in Butters.

This is a big deal. Attitude is everything, and he had to figure out how to bring them back without breaking the most fragile of the bunch.

The psychological aspect of making kids winners was actually CUM's strength. He was never really an Xs and Os guy. It seems like some of it has rubbed off on Mullinz.

 

I gave him a solid A. No one believed we would’ve won 10 games with a bowl win over a Top 10 team a year ago. No one!

 

He took a team with major holes and learning a new system to a top 10 finish. Solid A.

 

Is it warm?