Frustration off the charts. Reason simple. Causes complex....

[thekimmer]

Major issues in any phase of the game are highly frustrating, as we well know from special teams the last couple of years, but NOTHING is more frustrating than ineptitude on offense because when you cannot score you have virtually no hope. Unfortunately this offense is not just a typically bad offense. This is a historically bad offense in a program that has seen a lot of bad offense. We are so bad that we not only can't score for our team, we routinely give points away to opponents. If that isn't bad enough, there are 5 circumstances that aggravate this frustration.

1. The LSU game. That turned out to be fools gold but at the time it was 24k and it took to a height that made the fall 10x more painful
2. We just fired a coach after 2 seasons who took us to a bowl both years.
3. The new coach is supposed to be an offensive genius, was hired and paid 5M a year for that skill.
4. This offenisve genius refuses to adjust his offense and we see no improvement over time.
5. Fear. Because of the monumental shift in philosphy there is a great deal of fear that we made a hiring mistake, that this kind of offense will not work in the SEC, that even though we don't have the ideal players we should still be able to see some effectiveness, fear that we will be in this purgatory for 3 years.

All of that works together to create not the most program angst than I can remember but definitely the most for a year 1 coach hands down.

Time will tell of course. Right now there is really no use to worry about it because there is nothing we can do about it for this year. We just better hope leach will be able to do his magic because we will be on this train for a while.

 

[57stratdawg]

We have to figure out the OL. Probably not going to happen in 2020, but the rest of this ****-sandwich of a season is about getting us ready for 2021, IMO.

If we can get that corrected, we can start making progress elsewhere.

 

[Faustdog]

As for point 2, there is a good chance Leach would be taking us to a bowl this year if we got the usual four non-conference games.

Moorhead was fired because he inherited one of the better defenses in SEC history, squeaked by with it, and turned a stable program into the kind of program where your best linebacker breaks the starting quarterbacks face and knocks him out of the bowl game.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

Major issues in any phase of the game are highly frustrating, as we well know from special teams the last couple of years, but NOTHING is more frustrating than ineptitude on offense because when you cannot score you have virtually no hope. Unfortunately this offense is not just a typically bad offense. This is a historically bad offense in a program that has seen a lot of bad offense. We are so bad that we not only can't score for our team, we routinely give points away to opponents. If that isn't bad enough, there are 5 circumstances that aggravate this frustration.

1. The LSU game. That turned out to be fools gold but at the time it was 24k and it took to a height that made the fall 10x more painful
2. We just fired a coach after 2 seasons who took us to a bowl both years.
3. The new coach is supposed to be an offensive genius, was hired and paid 5M a year for that skill.
4. This offensive genius refuses to adjust his offense and we see no improvement over time.
5. Fear. Because of the monumental shift in philosophy there is a great deal of fear that we made a hiring mistake, that this kind of offense will not work in the SEC, that even though we don't have the ideal players we should still be able to see some effectiveness, fear that we will be in this purgatory for 3 years.

All of that works together to create not the most program angst than I can remember but definitely the most for a year 1 coach hands down.

Time will tell of course. Right now there is really no use to worry about it because there is nothing we can do about it for this year. We just better hope leach will be able to do his magic because we will be on this train for a while.

If anything, the only thing certain is that we picked the absolute worst time to make the scale of changes that we are making on offense. All of that is hindsight, as COVID has been very disruptive in all of society, and we don't know what things would look like with a normal season and normal season prep. One thing consistently out of Leach's mouth is the amount of repetition required to be successful. If he gets a semi normal offseason program in place this year and there is still no improvement, we can begin to get more worried. Until then it's just gonna suck until it clicks, or we endure enough years for the people that make those decisions to decide that it isn't ever going to work.

 

[o_dawgnabit]

I agree with everything in the OP. This season has sucked. And the worst part is that there is nothing showing there is hope for a turnaround anytime soon. The only positive you can say is "Well he's won in the Big12 and Pac12".

 

[o_dawgnabit]

As for point 2, there is a good chance Leach would be taking us to a bowl this year if we got the usual four non-conference games.

Moorhead was fired because he inherited one of the better defenses in SEC history, squeaked by with it, and turned a stable program into the kind of program where your best linebacker breaks the starting quarterbacks face and knocks him out of the bowl game.

I've heard this point several times that we would be in a bowl if we were playing the original schedule and I am not seeing it... We beat New Mexico and Alabama A&M, but probably lose to NC State. And then with how bad our offense is, can you really say we for sure beat Tulane? The LSU game is later in the year so they probably don't run the same defense as they did in week 1 against us. And then we don't get the luxury of playing Vandy. I guess time will tell on how we play against Mizzou and OM but as of now, we are going to be underdogs in both.

View attachment 18744

 

[TNT.sixpack]

For some reason, i have no angst. Zero. I've just lost all interest. As bad as this season has been, it's really been a long slow fall since Mullen left. I know Joe took us to 2 bowls, but we all know how disappointing both seasons were and the second was worse than the first. Now here we are, having fallen even further. So my angst left a long time ago and I have to tell you, it feels good. I just don't give a damn. If and when things get better in 2 years, 3 years, whatever, I'll stick my head back in and pay attention and maybe try to get emotionally invested then. I "think" I have missed the tailgating, but i have to admit as bad we've been this season, I'm not sure I'd still be going and tailgating even if it were allowed. Some will say I'm not a true fan. I'm 55 years old and I've been watching games on campus my entire life and have sent 2 kids to MSU, but I've just about become numb to MSU football and I have to say it's combination of my age and the last 3 years of the product I've seen on the field. I guess I've finally matured and I just don't let it affect me like I used to.

 

[thekimmer]

If anything, the only thing certain is that we picked the absolute worst time to make the scale of changes that we are making on offense. All of that is hindsight, as COVID has been very disruptive in all of society, and we don't know what things would look like with a normal season and normal season prep. One thing consistently out of Leach's mouth is the amount of repetition required to be successful. If he gets a semi normal offseason program in place this year and there is still no improvement, we can begin to get more worried. Until then it's just gonna suck until it clicks, or we endure enough years for the people that make those decisions to decide that it isn't ever going to work.

I forgot about COVID. That is circumstance #6.

 

[engie]

On "the refusal to adjust", let's think about this.

"Take something that's worked tremendously well for 20 years allowing you to punch WAY above your weight class at two different programs that's predicated on doing a few things absolutely perfectly -- and change it. On a whim. Because it didn't translate immediately in a year in which you got no spring practice with a new program not really built to your strengths where "voluntary" workouts in which QBs and WRs get on the same page were also shutdown"

But I'm sure all of us know more about football and statistical probabilities than the lawyer with a mathematics background who has lit up scoreboards almost every single season he's been at these places.

Nah, it's way more likely he's actually been figured out in the 6 months nobody was doing anything after all these years and will just circle the drain rather than getting his guys in here and getting it fixed quickly.

 

[anonymous.sixpack]

Major issues in any phase of the game are highly frustrating, as we well know from special teams the last couple of years, but NOTHING is more frustrating than ineptitude on offense because when you cannot score you have virtually no hope. Unfortunately this offense is not just a typically bad offense. This is a historically bad offense in a program that has seen a lot of bad offense. We are so bad that we not only can't score for our team, we routinely give points away to opponents. If that isn't bad enough, there are 5 circumstances that aggravate this frustration.

1. The LSU game. That turned out to be fools gold but at the time it was 24k and it took to a height that made the fall 10x more painful
2. We just fired a coach after 2 seasons who took us to a bowl both years.
3. The new coach is supposed to be an offensive genius, was hired and paid 5M a year for that skill.
4. This offenisve genius refuses to adjust his offense and we see no improvement over time.
5. Fear. Because of the monumental shift in philosphy there is a great deal of fear that we made a hiring mistake, that this kind of offense will not work in the SEC, that even though we don't have the ideal players we should still be able to see some effectiveness, fear that we will be in this purgatory for 3 years.

All of that works together to create not the most program angst than I can remember but definitely the most for a year 1 coach hands down.

Time will tell of course. Right now there is really no use to worry about it because there is nothing we can do about it for this year. We just better hope leach will be able to do his magic because we will be on this train for a while.

Train or bandwagon?

 

[The Peeper]

You are echoing my feelings exactly and I'm about the same age, been buying season tickets for over 30 of those years. I never thought I would reach this level of apathy for our football and basketball teams but I'm there. I even live in Starkville and have that feeling. My wife and I met at MSU and our kids graduated from there. For decades I drove 6-10 hours (depending on where I had been transferred to) round trip to come see our football team but now I have to force myself to drive across town. It has nothing to do with gigantic screens in man caves, I just find it hard to watch our games even, especially the last 3 years. I will still tailgate with our group and we'll have a tv on there but as for buying 4 tickets every year, paying the seat fee and Bulldog Club donation to pay the over inflated salaries of mediocre coached teams, I'm done. I think a lot of my feelings also come from the "me first team 2nd" attitude that has taken over on football and basketball the past few years. All of this transfer and opting out crap pushed me over the edge like free agency in MLB did, there is no loyalty to teams anymore its all about the player. I'm still behind baseball but for football and basketball I'm over it and much happier doing hobbies and chores and saving my money, rather than supporting a bad habit.

 

[thekimmer]

For the record: I am not saying that I think he should change his offense. Just that this is a circumstance adds to the overall frustration. I might be saying that though if we find ourselves in this same situation this time next year.

 

[DoggieDaddy13]

2014 was the high water mark for the program. But Mullen didn't want to be in Starkville anymore and quit caring. He found just enough good players to put together half a magical season against opponents that weren't really as good as projected. He couldn't beat Alabama when he had the opportunity and got boat raced by Ole Miss and Ga. Tech. after that it just didn't matter anymore to him. All he wanted was out.
He made us competitive and relevant for brief moment in our less than mediocre history.
I enjoy the victories when they happen and still enjoy going to campus for games, but I'm comfortably numb these days with the defeats. It's going to get worse, a lot worse, before it gets somewhat better again.

 

[the dog is on the loose]

I'm right there with peeper and tnt. I'm 54 and have been a bulldog my whole life but I've lost so much interest in both our football and men's basketball it's ridiculous. I've watched less football this season than any. Just don't have the zeal for it anymore thanks to the way Mullen left and then Cohen going out and hiring an assisant to be our HC and we seen how that turned out. I wasn't really on board for hiring Leach but thought maybe we can FINALLY get a qb and wr"s and we have a four star qb coming in and a couple of wr's too but this crap we've had on the field this season is extremely dismal. And spare me the "we didn't have spring practice" and that other stuff. NO WAY we should be this BAD on offense!!

 

[horshack.sixpack]

If systems take tons of repetition to learn, then I'm all about him spending all of the practice and game time teaching his system. He simply doesn't have time to waste doing otherwise for any reason.

 

[maroonmania]

I've heard this point several times that we would be in a bowl if we were playing the original schedule and I am not seeing it... We beat New Mexico and Alabama A&M, but probably lose to NC State. And then with how bad our offense is, can you really say we for sure beat Tulane? The LSU game is later in the year so they probably don't run the same defense as they did in week 1 against us. And then we don't get the luxury of playing Vandy. I guess time will tell on how we play against Mizzou and OM but as of now, we are going to be underdogs in both.

View attachment 18744

Agreed, no way would we have been a bowl team with the original schedule either. Even if we keep the LSU win, the only other wins on the schedule for near certain would be New Mexico and AL A&M. Only other 2 potential wins would have been Tulane and Missouri. So, best case was likely 5-7 and probably more like 4-8. Currently we aren't as good as a team as either Tulane or Missouri. Revamped schedule handed us one extra win with Vanderbilt who was not on our original schedule. Really not seeing a path to 6-6 with the original schedule. In today's college football, you just can't win if you can't score.

 

[bolddogge]

For some reason, i have no angst. Zero. I've just lost all interest. As bad as this season has been, it's really been a long slow fall since Mullen left. I know Joe took us to 2 bowls, but we all know how disappointing both seasons were and the second was worse than the first. Now here we are, having fallen even further. So my angst left a long time ago and I have to tell you, it feels good. I just don't give a damn. If and when things get better in 2 years, 3 years, whatever, I'll stick my head back in and pay attention and maybe try to get emotionally invested then. I "think" I have missed the tailgating, but i have to admit as bad we've been this season, I'm not sure I'd still be going and tailgating even if it were allowed. Some will say I'm not a true fan. I'm 55 years old and I've been watching games on campus my entire life and have sent 2 kids to MSU, but I've just about become numb to MSU football and I have to say it's combination of my age and the last 3 years of the product I've seen on the field. I guess I've finally matured and I just don't let it affect me like I used to.

What this guy said...
TNT, you're exactly where I am in life and with this program. Maybe several years older, but nevertheless the same.

 

[Russ Wheeler]

On "the refusal to adjust", let's think about this.

"Take something that's worked tremendously well for 20 years allowing you to punch WAY above your weight class at two different programs that's predicated on doing a few things absolutely perfectly -- and change it. On a whim. Because it didn't translate immediately in a year in which you got no spring practice with a new program not really built to your strengths where "voluntary" workouts in which QBs and WRs get on the same page were also shutdown"

But I'm sure all of us know more about football and statistical probabilities than the lawyer with a mathematics background who has lit up scoreboards almost every single season he's been at these places.

Nah, it's way more likely he's actually been figured out in the 6 months nobody was doing anything after all these years and will just circle the drain rather than getting his guys in here and getting it fixed quickly.

This whole thing is predicated on getting 5 pretty good offensive tackles in here to pass block against these SEC linemen. And that’s against the good teams. You still haven’t figured out how we couldn’t block Arkansas and Kentucky 5 on 3, and somehow managed to be worse than Croom.

But keep up you overgeneralized talking points. Easy to laugh at you, and easy to tell you’ve likely not watched us at all this year.

 

[DAWG61]

Nobody wants Leach to change or go away completely from his Air Raid. We do want him to run the ball better than -20 yards vs a winless Vandy team dropping 7 into zone. That's not a tall ask. You'd think in 20 years of head coaching experience he'd have figured out how to get positive yards against 4 very bad defensive lineman.

 

[STATEBALLIN]

Major issues in any phase of the game are highly frustrating, as we well know from special teams the last couple of years, but NOTHING is more frustrating than ineptitude on offense because when you cannot score you have virtually no hope. Unfortunately this offense is not just a typically bad offense. This is a historically bad offense in a program that has seen a lot of bad offense. We are so bad that we not only can't score for our team, we routinely give points away to opponents. If that isn't bad enough, there are 5 circumstances that aggravate this frustration.

1. The LSU game. That turned out to be fools gold but at the time it was 24k and it took to a height that made the fall 10x more painful
2. We just fired a coach after 2 seasons who took us to a bowl both years.
3. The new coach is supposed to be an offensive genius, was hired and paid 5M a year for that skill.
4. This offenisve genius refuses to adjust his offense and we see no improvement over time.
5. Fear. Because of the monumental shift in philosphy there is a great deal of fear that we made a hiring mistake, that this kind of offense will not work in the SEC, that even though we don't have the ideal players we should still be able to see some effectiveness, fear that we will be in this purgatory for 3 years.

All of that works together to create not the most program angst than I can remember but definitely the most for a year 1 coach hands down.

Time will tell of course. Right now there is really no use to worry about it because there is nothing we can do about it for this year. We just better hope leach will be able to do his magic because we will be on this train for a while.

I read this in Eugene’s voice from the Walking Dead. It was great

 

[Russ Wheeler]

Nobody wants Leach to change or go away completely from his Air Raid. We do want him to run the ball better than -20 yards vs a winless Vandy team dropping 7 into zone. That's not a tall ask. You'd think in 20 years of head coaching experience he'd have figured out how to get positive yards against 4 very bad defensive lineman.

Yeah I would expect there’s at least 5 running plays in Leach’s system. Therefore he wouldn’t have to change or tweak anything.