Great interview by Joel T with Cohen

[sandwolf.sixpack]

.....I do believe Keenum is possibly the best president MSU has ever had....

Honest question.....what sets Keenum apart? What is a university president judged on? Reason I ask is that it seems like I have seen several threads on here about how our research/academic status has declined under his leadership. Is that accurate? I would think that would be a pretty big factor in evaluating a president. What else is he judged on and what makes you say he's doing a great job?

 

[sandwolf.sixpack]

Well, he was the coach. I'd say he was in on the decision.

Plenty of other reasons to bash Cohen. Don't just make up stupid crap.

Haha, he didn't make up stupid crap or bash Cohen. He simply pointed out that Stricklin was primarily responsible for the new baseball stadium.

 

[Shamoan]

John needs to do better. his job is about getting the details right and he has done exceptionally bad on that aspect. if he can make a big improvement in several areas, he has my support, but a guy that bunts that much doesnt strike me as a guy that is flexible to an adapting landscape.

 

[patdog]

I'm no Cohen defender, but IF this truly isn't his decision and is coming from above, what do you expect him to do? Throw Keenum under the bus publicly? There's a time to tell the truth, and there's a time to toe the company line.

 

[MSUDawg25]

Guys, we are going to have beer sales eventually. I assure you. It just may not be on the timeline you like. For now, just stick a pint in your pants to stave off the withdrawals for a few hours 6-7 times a year.

 

[campshelbydog842003]

Are you saying that Brandon Walker requested media credentials after he started at Barstool and was denied? Why in the world would we have done that?

B Walk said that on one of his facebook videos not too long ago. (More Cowbell podcast 20 minute mark from OCT 13th)

 

[horshack.sixpack]

Probably best we don't contribute to the oncoming alcoholism that is assured if we don't see improvement next year...

 

[CoastDawg18]

Well then say that. Dont say it’s a fan safety concern when that is 1000% bs

Yea, that’s not how things work. I tell the people that work for me how things are going to go. They can disagree with me and we can work through it, but when they go tell the people that work for them the same message they have to own it 100%. If they don’t own it and start saying how they don’t agree but their boss said so (me), then I find new people to work for me. Cohen is no different. If he does disagree with it, he damn sure ain’t going to say so.

 

[Dawgtruc]

Not going to sell alcohol in the stadium again next year. Completely tone deaf on that situation. Worst home schedule in the last 30 years with zero excitement in the program and everyone else in our state is making extra hundreds of thousands in revenue off office but not us.

https://t.co/VIsbAK0LJk

I wish our Pres and AD would enter the 21st Century. I buy a bag of the peanuts in shell at EVERY GAME. And EVERY TIME I sit there and wish that I could wash them down with a cold beer. Best combination ever...beer and peanuts.

 

[Seinfeld]

That was a good read, and here are a few things that stood out to me

1) Cohen's general thoughts on the football season are basically a big paragraph of excuses. Some legitimate, mind you, but I'd rather both a coach and AD tell us what their focus for improvement will be rather that just rattling off what was beyond their control. Otherwise, all you're telling me is that you were snakebit this year, and you're just hoping that you won't be next year. That's not a plan

2) Cohen talks about the effort and energy he witnessed for the egg bowl. Yeah, I noticed it too... especially from our defense. The question is... where has this been all season? Why did it take someone's job being on the line to bring this out of people?

3) Fan attendance - Again, Cohen seems to want to talk about all the things he can't control. I guess I'll defer judgment until I hear these announcements that are allegedly forthcoming, but tone deaf does come to mind

4) All the Keenum talk - It's great that they have a good relationship, and I'm sure most ADs and university presidents/chancellors probably do. However, he sure talks about Keenum during his interviews more than the average AD, and I honestly can't tell if it's because Cohen is a yes man, he's trying to subtly indicate that something was Keenum's call(so don't blame John), or both.

 

[RPOdawg]

Curious..Why do premium seating areas get to have alcohol but us regular folk can’t drink a beer? Can the common fan not drink responsibly like
The big money fan can?

 

[The Situation]

Curious..Why do premium seating areas get to have alcohol but us regular folk can’t drink a beer? Can the common fan not drink responsibly like
The big money fan can?

Therein lies the hypocrisy.

 

[The Situation]

2) Cohen talks about the effort and energy he witnessed for the egg bowl. Yeah, I noticed it too... especially from our defense. The question is... where has this been all season? Why did it take someone's job being on the line to bring this out of people?

I guess I'm in the minority on this but I have never understood this talking point. The team never quit in my mind. Yes, they came out flatter or more hyped up in certain games, but that's natural. I never saw any of this 'they didn't play hard' crap and I watched a lot of games in person.

Screwing around with suspensions didn't help, either. It essentially guaranteed that we'd come out against Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Texas A&M and get our *** kicked.

 

[crackerjax]

Referring to SEZ expansion, Cohen appears to suggest in the Q&A that the M-Club building needs renovations, not tearing down. What would the plans be for closing in the SEZ if the M-Club building remains? A LFL type set up between the field and the building?

 

[Antonio Brown's Foot]

but I do believe Keenum is possibly the best president MSU has ever had and I’m willing to give him a pass on one bad (in my opinion) decision.

William Giles and Donald Zacharias were better.

 

[TaleofTwoDogs]

Jiminy Christmas. Mississippi learns absolutely nothing from its past. Once again we’ll be the last place with a “dry” stadium on game days, while the rest of the country uses common sense.

It was the same with many things over the years. Last to the dance. Same with the lottery..it’ll be the same with cannabis...how about once Mississippi gets out in front of an eventuality instead of being dragged to the party?

Such a mindset of fear. It’s ridiculous.

So for Mississippi to be Great AGain, we need to be on the leading edge of drinking, smoking, and gambling. Wow, who would have known. Maybe you should spell it "common $en$e". **

 

[Joe Schmedlap]

I don't know if the team quit, but it damn sure looked soft and disinterested in effort a few times. The AU game was an unmitigated disaster and the TN loss was inexcusable. Cohen harps on being a hard edged, high sense of urgency football team, but that's not what I saw from State many times this year and a few times last year.

I guess I'm in the minority on this but I have never understood this talking point. The team never quit in my mind. Yes, they came out flatter or more hyped up in certain games, but that's natural. I never saw any of this 'they didn't play hard' crap and I watched a lot of games in person.

Screwing around with suspensions didn't help, either. It essentially guaranteed that we'd come out against Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Texas A&M and get our *** kicked.

 

[Seinfeld]

I actually agree with you about the quitting part. Sherrill teams gave up later on in his tenure and Croom teams basically gave up from day 1, but I haven’t felt like this team quit at any point.

That said, there were numerous lapses in some combination of effort, focus, and judgment this year, and the fact that a lot of it came after bye weeks or at the very beginning of games was just mind boggling. Moorhead may be the most brilliant mind in sports history and his players may all love him, but he had a serious problem getting any of that to translate to play on the field this season. The egg bowl was definitely the exception

 

[The Usual Suspect]

Keenum is kind of like Mullen, they took over for people that noone liked.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

I just think Cohen doesn’t want to take us to the next level, because he knows that takes $$$.... he just wants to maintain, which means we will regress....

 

[Bulldogg31]

Curious..Why do premium seating areas get to have alcohol but us regular folk can’t drink a beer? Can the common fan not drink responsibly like
The big money fan can?

Exactly. What a typical hypocritical stance. It’s ok for these but not for those. It’s been like that for centuries.

Enough already. Let’s start getting ahead of these eventualities instead of being dragged kicking and screaming EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

All of this because of some sort of deluded sense of righteousness amongst people who won’t make eye contact in the liquor store.

Ridiculous.

 

[SirBarksalot]

Honest question.....what sets Keenum apart? What is a university president judged on? Reason I ask is that it seems like I have seen several threads on here about how our research/academic status has declined under his leadership. Is that accurate? I would think that would be a pretty big factor in evaluating a president. What else is he judged on and what makes you say he's doing a great job?

I don’t know, but I went to a lunch event for an alum group not long after he took over, and while he was nice enough, he didn’t strike me as anything special,speaking kindly. And my observation is not from a speech, but some one on one conversation.
Yeah, he could have said the same about me...but I’m not the president of the university.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

Exactly. What a typical hypocritical stance. It’s ok for these but not for those. It’s been like that for centuries.

Enough already. Let’s start getting ahead of these eventualities instead of being dragged kicking and screaming EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

All of this because of some sort of deluded sense of righteousness amongst people who won’t make eye contact in the liquor store.

Ridiculous.

This has been going on in southern towns since I was a kid. No alcohol in town but those who know someone and can afford the membership fee can get smashed on Saturday night at the country club.