Moorhead never saw this as "the year".

[bulldogbaja]

He came in, completely oblivious to the fans' expectations for this year. He sees it as a building year in a long-term effort to build HIS team. He probably thinks 8-4 is exceeding expectations for a first-year coach in the SEC.
I say bump that... I want a coach who has a fire in his belly for EVERY game.
I never liked that he didn't want to coach the bowl game. He said that it wasn't his team. I think he still feels that way.

 

[The Usual Suspect]

He came in, completely oblivious to the fans' expectations for this year. He sees it as a building year in a long-term effort to build HIS team. He probably thinks 8-4 is exceeding expectations for a first-year coach in the SEC.
I say bump that... I want a coach who has a fire in his belly for EVERY game.
I never liked that he didn't want to coach the bowl game. He said that it wasn't his team. I think he still feels that way.

Well then our AD should have set him straight on the expectations coming in. I don't believe this is the case, I just don't think Moorhead is used to this kind of competition.

 

[Pilgrimdawg]

Unfortunately, I think that he is in over his head. I hope that he proves me wrong.

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

If we played Maine this year, would he expect to beat them?

 

[KeyserSoze1999]

Moorehead should've never said that "what's your ring size...make room on your trophy shelf" ******** then.

 

[DancingRabbit]

So was Joe gonna teach KT his offense in a couple of weeks?

Or was KT supposed to teach Joe the offense he knew?

Recruiting and hiring staff was probably a better use of Joe's time, and we won the bowl game.

Nothing Joe has said indicated he had low expectations for this year. Good to great. Championship standard.

I don't think it's a lack of fire in his belly that has plagued his first year. I think it's because he's a rookie SEC head coach, who was mistaken about how well his new offense was "installed" going into the season. I'm disappointed but still optimistic going forward.

He came in, completely oblivious to the fans' expectations for this year. He sees it as a building year in a long-term effort to build HIS team. He probably thinks 8-4 is exceeding expectations for a first-year coach in the SEC.
I say bump that... I want a coach who has a fire in his belly for EVERY game.
I never liked that he didn't want to coach the bowl game. He said that it wasn't his team. I think he still feels that way.

 

[Msubulldogfan1]

Moorehead should've never said that "what's your ring size...make room on your trophy shelf" ******** then.

You’re right. He shoulda said “hey guys, I hope we can win enough games to get bowl eligible”.

 

[WhiteShepherd07]

Joe was handed the keys to a ferrari this season and he tried to drag race instead of do what the vehicle was meant to do. He is in way over his head.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

If JoeMo wasn’t aware of expectations that is definitely on Cohen.

 

[Shmuley]

If he’s saying something like that now, then he’s trying to cover for having over-promised (“What’s your ring size?”) and under-delivered.

 

[HuskyBDawg]

If JoeMo wasn’t aware of expectations that is definitely on Cohen.

In at least one press conference, Coach Moorhead has indicated that he is aware of the expectations for his team's performance and that he understands that he was to pick up where the previous coach left off.

 

[Dawgzilla]

That's a load of crap. Moorhead knew what he was inheriting, and knew what the unrealistic expectations of the fans were. Part of the reason he took the job was that he believed he could win right away, and he has said that the talent on this team helped him convince some of his assistants to come.

I don't have all the answers for why his offense is not working against good defenses, but I know that Moorhead did not expect a multi year installation. His offense was up and running in year one at both Fordham and PSU. He is a confident man, and he was not expecting an 8 or 9 win season this year.

 

[Trojanbulldog19]

He knew. He said on multiple occasions that he knew the expectations for this team and that they would compete at the highest level. You don’t come in talking ring sizes and not have high expectations. He knew how many seniors we had and how good this team was last year and what was coming back.

I’m not sure if he will be successful long term at the big expectations, but this was the year if we played to this team’s strength. Our defense has been good enough. Our offense hasn’t been even close to their potential.

I don’t think he expected the receivers to be this bad, I don’t think he expected Fitz to be as bad at reading correctly to make the correct move, and I don’t think he thought the o line would be this bad at pass pro. The issue there though is the ability to adapt to run an offense that will work with the team and against the better defenses in the league. He has tried in some ways within his scheme. He blames adapting for LSU and Florida losses. I call BS. I say he didn’t adapt enough. The offense and the in ability to do scheme to do what this team does best in offense has been the only thing keeping this from being the year. That and Fitz not being his usual self after injury and spending the off season rehabing.

 

[Requiem For A Dawg]

He came in, completely oblivious to the fans' expectations for this year. He sees it as a building year in a long-term effort to build HIS team. He probably thinks 8-4 is exceeding expectations for a first-year coach in the SEC.
I say bump that... I want a coach who has a fire in his belly for EVERY game.
I never liked that he didn't want to coach the bowl game. He said that it wasn't his team. I think he still feels that way.

Well he told a ballroom full of people at the Beau Rivage this spring that he felt like this team could make it to Atlanta.

 

[MSUDawgFan86]

Joe was handed the keys to a ferrari this season and he tried to drag race instead of do what the vehicle was meant to do. He is in way over his head.

I see this reference all of the time and it’s incorrect. No he was handed the keys to a damn dump Truck and he tried to race it. QB is a very limited system QB. Dump Truck= Power run. Fitz can’t read a defense for **** and makes the wrong decision too often. The offensive line is built to run block but can’t pass block agaist good defenses and WRs have struggled at times this season although yesterday it was mainly the TEs.

 

[BoDawg.sixpack]

I just wonder what is a reasonable expectation for Key next year in this offense. We very well could be looking at a repeat of 2018 with regard to reading defenses and delivering the ball where it needs to be when it needs to be there. I hope JoMo shows some improvement as a head coach from year one to year two or it could be a long season.

 

[dawgoneyall]

Unfortunately, I think that he is in over his head. I hope that he proves me wrong.

He is...it isn't going to get any better.

We are MSU and made a serious mistake....such is our life.

 

[fishwater99]

He's not going to have a better team than he has this year ever.
Our defense is a elite.

 

[Clarence Boddicker]

He came in, completely oblivious to the fans' expectations for this year. He sees it as a building year in a long-term effort to build HIS team. He probably thinks 8-4 is exceeding expectations for a first-year coach in the SEC.
I say bump that... I want a coach who has a fire in his belly for EVERY game.
I never liked that he didn't want to coach the bowl game. He said that it wasn't his team. I think he still feels that way.

You are making crap up. He said very clearly when he came in, that he knew how good this team was.

 

[MSUDawgFan86]

He's not going to have a better team than he has this year ever.
Our defense is a elite.

That’s not necessarily true. If you Field a top 25 defense like next years should be and an offense in the top 25 at the same time they would be better.

 

[dickiedawg]

I'd gladly take 8-4 next year.

 

[DancingRabbit]

Can you provide a link? Y'all quit being stupid. It's recruiting season.

First he hired this loser Shoops that was going to ruin our defense. Then he lost game or two he shouldn't have. Except he's a rookie coach in the SECW. Jimbo probably got less **** for losing to MSU than Joe gets for losing to Bama.

QUOTE=fishwater99;1555564]He's not going to have a better team than he has this year ever.
Our defense is a elite.[/QUOTE]

 

[TheStateUofMS]

Nope. Pretty simple. JM came in and installed a system that'll be capable of beating elite defenses (you have to be able to throw down field, something Mullen's offense never did and doesn't do), but then he realized who his QB was.

He's got an absolute stud and perfect fit for the offense signing in December and enrolling in January by the name of Garrett Shrader. He's about 6-4 with a big frame and very athletic.

Some folks act like asking a coach to adjust his offensive philosophy wouldn't present any challenges. If asking players to change philosophy causes issues, why wouldn't asking a coach to do the same thing not cause them as well?


I personally underestimated the changing of schemes. I thought Fitz would be better, but not 1st round NFL draft pick like some preseason drafts had Fitz. I do gripe about not feeding the RBs more, but other than that I see tight ends dropping a lot of passes and a QB who's inconsistent and can't really read defenses very well. Not to mention our QB went from top end speed around 4.5 to a 4.7.

JM hired a very good coaching staff. They all recruit better than any coach we've had previously and that's saying something. As much as Mullen hated recruiting he did elevate us.

I don't have an answer for why we don't feed the RBs. I am dumbfounded there and it pisses me off, but guess what Mullen pissed me off a lot too. Saban is the only coach who doesn't piss off his fanbase.

Lastly, folks like Drebin saying "our football team is retarded." How retarded did they look when Mullen took in the best team he's ever personally coached at Miss St ranked #1 at Alabama and we were down 19-0 and the game was over nearly immediately??? at the onset?

 

[TheStateUofMS]

He is...it isn't going to get any better.

We are MSU and made a serious mistake....such is our life.

This is the typical SPS pessimistic group think that let's me know the opposite of what you and haters think is true.

 

[TheStateUofMS]

Or was KT supposed to teach Joe the offense he knew?

Recruiting and hiring staff was probably a better use of Joe's time, and we won the bowl game.

Nothing Joe has said indicated he had low expectations for this year. Good to great. Championship standard.

I don't think it's a lack of fire in his belly that has plagued his first year. I think it's because he's a rookie SEC head coach, who was mistaken about how well his new offense was "installed" going into the season. I'm disappointed but still optimistic going forward.

^^^This is a good take right here.

 

[TheStateUofMS]

Joe was handed the keys to a ferrari this season and he tried to drag race instead of do what the vehicle was meant to do. He is in way over his head.

That's the problem. You and many others think it was a Farrari. In reality it was a Escalade with an Asian woman driving it.

Alabama is a Ferrari.

 

[TheStateUofMS]

If JoeMo wasn’t aware of expectations that is definitely on Cohen.

If you even have to give it some thought that JM had low expectations or didn't come here looking to win right now, you haven't been paying attention. At all.

 

[o_HuntDawg]

Agree totally with this post. Even with the D, even with Mullen, we weren't going into Baton Rouge at night or Tuscaloosa and winning. And like most teams, you can count on a slip up somewhere along the way. I thought before the season 10-2 would be a dream come true, but that 9-3 was pretty realistic.

Moorhead coming in year 1 and going 8-4, and hopefully winning a bowl game, is not a bad start. The expectations were way too high off the jump. We returned a lot of players, but we returned those players off a middle of the road SEC team, and while that is good, other teams get better too and other teams recruited better this offseason as well.

Again 10-2 was a dream, 9-3 was realistic, 8-4 not end of world. End the season on a 3 game winning streak and use that momentum to roll into the offseason

Nope. Pretty simple. JM came in and installed a system that'll be capable of beating elite defenses (you have to be able to throw down field, something Mullen's offense never did and doesn't do), but then he realized who his QB was.

He's got an absolute stud and perfect fit for the offense signing in December and enrolling in January by the name of Garrett Shrader. He's about 6-4 with a big frame and very athletic.

Some folks act like asking a coach to adjust his offensive philosophy wouldn't present any challenges. If asking players to change philosophy causes issues, why wouldn't asking a coach to do the same thing not cause them as well?


I personally underestimated the changing of schemes. I thought Fitz would be better, but not 1st round NFL draft pick like some preseason drafts had Fitz. I do gripe about not feeding the RBs more, but other than that I see tight ends dropping a lot of passes and a QB who's inconsistent and can't really read defenses very well. Not to mention our QB went from top end speed around 4.5 to a 4.7.

JM hired a very good coaching staff. They all recruit better than any coach we've had previously and that's saying something. As much as Mullen hated recruiting he did elevate us.

I don't have an answer for why we don't feed the RBs. I am dumbfounded there and it pisses me off, but guess what Mullen pissed me off a lot too. Saban is the only coach who doesn't piss off his fanbase.

Lastly, folks like Drebin saying "our football team is retarded." How retarded did they look when Mullen took in the best team he's ever personally coached at Miss St ranked #1 at Alabama and we were down 19-0 and the game was over nearly immediately??? at the onset?

 

[TheStateUofMS]

I just wonder what is a reasonable expectation for Key next year in this offense. We very well could be looking at a repeat of 2018 with regard to reading defenses and delivering the ball where it needs to be when it needs to be there. I hope JoMo shows some improvement as a head coach from year one to year two or it could be a long season.

I think if Key isn't an improvement over Fitz, we go with Shrader as a true freshman. I think Shrader will beat out Mayden for 2nd string next year talent wise, but if KT is good enough to run the offense, Shrader would redshirt. I'm hoping this is the case that KT makes big improvements next year.

 

[TheStateUofMS]

Offensively, we can't get worse. We're going to get better. A LOT better since our QB's passing ability simply cannot get worse.

We're reloading on defense. Hard to top this year's D, but talent isn't falling off. It's actually probably being elevated.

DT Nathan Pickering may end up a 5 star in the end (he's 3 spots away on 247 from a 5 star) and Charles Moore was a 5 star pre injury (before his Jr year even started) and his team and he is personally having a monster year.

I think those 2 guys are better than 1 Jeffrey Simmons. We also have other 4 star DEs and LBs committed and brought in a REALLY good group last year that's all red shirting.

Defensive talent isn't dropping off. Willie Gay coming on now too.

 

[Dawgzilla]

Nope. Pretty simple. JM came in and installed a system that'll be capable of beating elite defenses (you have to be able to throw down field, something Mullen's offense never did and doesn't do), but then he realized who his QB was.

He's got an absolute stud and perfect fit for the offense signing in December and enrolling in January by the name of Garrett Shrader. He's about 6-4 with a big frame and very athletic.

Some folks act like asking a coach to adjust his offensive philosophy wouldn't present any challenges. If asking players to change philosophy causes issues, why wouldn't asking a coach to do the same thing not cause them as well?


I personally underestimated the changing of schemes. I thought Fitz would be better, but not 1st round NFL draft pick like some preseason drafts had Fitz. I do gripe about not feeding the RBs more, but other than that I see tight ends dropping a lot of passes and a QB who's inconsistent and can't really read defenses very well. Not to mention our QB went from top end speed around 4.5 to a 4.7.

JM hired a very good coaching staff. They all recruit better than any coach we've had previously and that's saying something. As much as Mullen hated recruiting he did elevate us.

I don't have an answer for why we don't feed the RBs. I am dumbfounded there and it pisses me off, but guess what Mullen pissed me off a lot too. Saban is the only coach who doesn't piss off his fanbase.

Lastly, folks like Drebin saying "our football team is retarded." How retarded did they look when Mullen took in the best team he's ever personally coached at Miss St ranked #1 at Alabama and we were down 19-0 and the game was over nearly immediately??? at the onset?

Agree with all of this. I am still very excited to have Moorhead as our head coach. My confidence has been shaken a little by the terrible offensive performances in our losses, and his apparent inability to find a solution. If we take care of business these next two weeks and have success in recruiting, then I will be looking forward to the next few seasons.

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

You’re right. He shoulda said “hey guys, I hope we can win enough games to get bowl eligible”.

He should have said "Is Shreveport programmed into your GPS? Because we're gonna go to the Independence Bowl!" or "Make room for a second place in the SEC West banner, because I expect to win that at least once in the next five years."

 

[TheStateUofMS]

Agree with all of this. I am still very excited to have Moorhead as our head coach. My confidence has been shaken a little by the terrible offensive performances in our losses, and his apparent inability to find a solution. If we take care of business these next two weeks and have success in recruiting, then I will be looking forward to the next few seasons.

Him not feeding the RBs is like when Mullen would feed the RBs, only to have Fitz throw a deep incompletion to put us in 2nd and 10 after ramming it down a team's throat repeatedly.

 

[maroonmania]

He will probably feel differently after next season.

 

[Dubs.sixpack]

He came in, completely oblivious to the fans' expectations for this year. He sees it as a building year in a long-term effort to build HIS team. He probably thinks 8-4 is exceeding expectations for a first-year coach in the SEC.
I say bump that... I want a coach who has a fire in his belly for EVERY game.
I never liked that he didn't want to coach the bowl game. He said that it wasn't his team. I think he still feels that way.

I agree that he didn't see this year as THE year but we shouldn't have either. When you take over an NFL team with an elite QB with 4 years left on his contract you build the offense around him. When you take over a college program that is a perennial 6-8 win team with a 5th-year QB that has never consistently shown the ability to throw, you build something for the long haul that can take you to higher levels. I don't like this year's results as much as the next guy but I also know that if we had caught the breaks we hoped for we still aren't winning the west. We would have finished second and just played Bama closer.

When is the last time a new coach came in and coached his new team in a bowl game? I can't recall anyone successfully doing that. I highly doubt any players are accusing Joe of not being all in with this team. I'm sure they are frustrated with the results but not because of the effort from coaches.

 

[esplanade91]

Him not feeding the RBs is like when Mullen would feed the RBs, only to have Fitz throw a deep incompletion to put us in 2nd and 10 after ramming it down a team's throat repeatedly.

I don't put the lack of RB touches on Joe. That's giving Fitz an easy out.

Whether he ends up being a good coach or not is anyone's guess at this point. But my *opinion* is that he assumed Fitz would be able to run his offense, and he's not. He has one of the best backfields State has had in a decade yet leads the team in carries and yards, and he has to own that fact while running the RPO. I think Coach realized this stuff very quickly after coming to State, probably around the time he suspended him, and walked a lot of the hype back by saying that this year's team is building a foundation for years to come. Him being a players' coach also puts him into a bind, because in year #1 if he benches a multi-year starter he risks losing that reputation and the locker room.

Against Auburn it appeared to me that we largely abandoned the RPO, and Fitz was making predetermined throws and hand-offs and that opened up the offense. Should Joe have made this adjustment beforehand? Probably. It's year #1 though... you going to tell your 5th year senior QB "forget what I've been telling you for 8 months because you're obviously horrible at this"?

Mullen isn't stupid. He knew what he was leaving when he left.

 

[cheewgumm]

What everyone is underestimating is how talented we are now. All the talk of Joe is doing good for a 1yeR coach getting 8 wins is misguided. He has more talent now than he probably ever will.

 

[TheStateUofMS]

I like your synopsis here for the most part.

Even if it's RPO and Fitz making wrong reads, you have to design RB run plays.

Fitz was serviceable enough for us to beat Bama passing if we had more of a run game going. We didn't feed the RBs though. Had too many drops and the officials were the worst I've ever seen.

Fitz actually FINALLY checked down to Hill only to have the ref screw us.

 

[o_HuntDawg]

We have tons of talent on defense and it shows.

Problem is you can't be one dimensional in the SEC and beat the upper tier teams. You may be able to upset them on occasion, but not consistently. We have zero talent at wideout, we have zero talent at TE, and our O-Line is average at best. Combine all that with the fact that Fitz is probably in the bottom 3rd of the SEC in terms of being able to throw the ball, and you see the problem.

All the talent is on the defensive side of the ball. The coaches all-sec team (the real one, not the AP biased one) we only had one player (our center) that earned all-sec honors period. No clue where all this supposed talent is everyone claimed we had coming back

 

[o_HuntDawg]

To follow that up: We also didn't have a selection at all on the first two all preseason ALL-SEC team on the offensive side of the ball this year either.

When you don't have ONE player that is regarded as one of the better players in the SEC on one side of the ball, how do you call it talented??

The ONLY two teams in the SEC that didn't have an offensive player at all on the first two teams... Miss St and Vandy