To the original post, I was, and still am in the concerned he has a cap group, but not because of the records of Jackie Sherril, SOS, or Sly Croom applied in a transitive way to Mullen. Context and circumstances matter. Overall though, it seems this thread is a lot more absolutism from the pumpers that Mullen is definitively the guy versus the "dumpers" who (even Dougie) seem to be saying let's wait and see.
My concern is his UF history and hiring history impacting two aspects to winning a championship (1) recruiting and (2) offensive style. Regarding the first, under Meyer there were a bunch of guys known to be great recruiters, with Strong and Doc coming to mind immediately. Mullen was thought of as a good coach but mediocre recruiter. Then at MSU and now here, he hasn't yet demonstrated that reputation to be false and hasn't hired a staff that is clearly overcoming his personal limits. May he? Hope so, but it was part of the concern and little has changed yet. It still could, but we will see much more than we know.
Then, absent recruiting being a dominating force, ala the Meyer years, the offense must rely upon multiple long sustained drives. That style requires execution over and over and over again. There is a reason Mullen keeps harping on "consistency in everything we do." Any errors completely derail a drive and, potentially, the gameplan because you end up with less possessions to score and can't adjust to things like a pick six or kick return. There is just little room for error over the course of a game with that style and it doesn't put great fear in anyone unless you dominate recruiting (see above). I believe a better comparison to Mullen's performance at MSU is Briles at Baylor. They had an offense that could run, short pass, etc. (so could Spurrier), but also blow you up frequently. As a result, that bottom feeder school won a lot of games no one expected and battled for a playoff spot in perhaps the most stunning turnaround of any program (maybe Kan. St compares). Then, his continued reliance upon the same assistants for so many years shows a reticence to adapt much.
I hope I'm wrong, as Mullen has outlier years that suggest he can reach some heights (Utah, Harvin/Tebow and Dak). Plus, unlike recruiting, the offense is already improving and he is taking more chances than I expected, both down the field, fourth down, and in special teams. But a loss to UK and UGA, combined with 1 score wins at home against LSU (remember Mac and Chump), and against a middling MSU don't tell us anything definitive yet. The improvement we see, however, is a sign that we can be hopeful though. That is why it seems we are all enjoying this season more. Last year was hopeless, this year we can debate the scope of our future improvement.
