As I was reading comments about Mullen, the thing that seems lost in all this is what exactly happened to make him disengaged in the first place. I know when he took this job that he may have been thinking down the road that if he does good that one day he might be looking for a top tier program. Problem is that he at least seemed to like it here for a long time then all of a sudden it seems a switch turned on and he's ready to move on. He was on fire when he first started here then in the last couple of years he has become very complacent and it shows really bad in all aspects of his job. The grass is not always greener on the other side.The university rewarded him for his work with the money he is making now but he doesn't seem to care about that anymore. Also, I don't buy that argument that he wants out because he will never beat alabama. Heck any coach in the sec can hardly beat bama with more resources than we do. We might can do better without him and we may not. One thing is for sure though is that if he doesn't really want to be here anymore then he needs to go.
Mullen
- Thread starter the dog is on the loose
- Start date
He turned in a 9-win season in his 2nd year as HC capped by an absolute beat down of Michigan in a NYD bowl.
New facilities, huge stadium expansion.
He took a team that's regularly picked to finish last in it's division and had them at #1 for 5 weeks led by a QB who's killing it in the NFL right now. So cross that off his list.
He's had bowl trips year after year after year.
So what gives? Seems to me the pie can only be sliced so many ways. And when it comes to sustaining success you have to recruit with purpose. Yet recruits are being bought away from him.
So what's he got to do? Join in the bagman game with the NCAA crawling all over the state already?
If I'm him then I'm biding my time. I'm sure we'll miss a bowl this year and break our streak there. But to fire the man is crazy talk.
New facilities, huge stadium expansion.
He took a team that's regularly picked to finish last in it's division and had them at #1 for 5 weeks led by a QB who's killing it in the NFL right now. So cross that off his list.
He's had bowl trips year after year after year.
So what gives? Seems to me the pie can only be sliced so many ways. And when it comes to sustaining success you have to recruit with purpose. Yet recruits are being bought away from him.
So what's he got to do? Join in the bagman game with the NCAA crawling all over the state already?
If I'm him then I'm biding my time. I'm sure we'll miss a bowl this year and break our streak there. But to fire the man is crazy talk.
Wow. Sanity. On a message board. A hearty, ice cold, Mountain Dew for you good sir!
Mullen, to be fair, IMO is a good coach, and don't want to take that away from him. But there is a reason he is the 2nd longest tenured man in the conference. It's a 17'n job. Even elite coaches lose urgency the longer they stay in one place. We see it all the time. 7 or 8 years running the gauntlet these guys run starts to wear on them. Change of scenery, staff, administration, fanbase, players, etc. can fire a man back up, and the feeling is often reciprocal.
Hmmm
Yeah, after staying at one place too long I get complacent.
Signed,
Bob Stoops, Gary Patterson, Bobby Bowden, etc etc.
It ain't how long you've been someplace. It's how much support you get while you're there.
Yeah, after staying at one place too long I get complacent.
Signed,
Bob Stoops, Gary Patterson, Bobby Bowden, etc etc.
It ain't how long you've been someplace. It's how much support you get while you're there.
If he is unhappy here
It would have to be about assistant pay. That is the only thing we haven't given him. I'd be pissed if I was him. Assistant turnover has almost as big of an impact on recruiting as bag men. Or it could be idiot fans that want him fired for smiling**
It would have to be about assistant pay. That is the only thing we haven't given him. I'd be pissed if I was him. Assistant turnover has almost as big of an impact on recruiting as bag men. Or it could be idiot fans that want him fired for smiling**
I think Mullen could have shared some of the dough he was getting with his
assistants and bought himself all kinds of goodwill from the coaches and the fans which would have eventually led to him and the coaches all making more money but that didn't happen.
Mullen is in a funk because he is stuck in a job that pays great but is one of the toughest jobs in the country because it is the SEC West with the smallest budget and smallest fan base. It's not a easy job and he thought he was
going to come out smelling like a rose last year but the buyout kicked his tail, hence the new agent and the desire to change the buyout.
Mullen wants an easier job at a larger school, he doesn't hate MSU or Starkville, it is what it is.
Classic catch 22
assistants and bought himself all kinds of goodwill from the coaches and the fans which would have eventually led to him and the coaches all making more money but that didn't happen.
Mullen is in a funk because he is stuck in a job that pays great but is one of the toughest jobs in the country because it is the SEC West with the smallest budget and smallest fan base. It's not a easy job and he thought he was
going to come out smelling like a rose last year but the buyout kicked his tail, hence the new agent and the desire to change the buyout.
Mullen wants an easier job at a larger school, he doesn't hate MSU or Starkville, it is what it is.
Classic catch 22
No support. Right. He's only quadrupled his salary since arriving here. And seen stadium expansion. And an AD that kissed his ***
We have crazy fans...this is the SEC! Mullen is a good coach, but like all good coaches, his ego can get in his own way sometimes. However, I think he still has the drive and fire, but it is natural after about 7 years at the same job, same place, to need some change. Call it burn out. Hopefully, he'll figure it out and the fire will shine brighter again.
Like the sales professional that thought he had a sweet new gig lined up so he stopped building his pipeline. **** happened and you are at the same job but you have some lean *** months headed your way cause you laid up thinking you were moving on to better things.
The difference is he still gets paid MILLIONS while the university, team and fanbase gets stuck behind the 8 ball. It sucks eggs.
The difference is he still gets paid MILLIONS while the university, team and fanbase gets stuck behind the 8 ball. It sucks eggs.
Many of you still don't get it. It has nothing to do with one bad year. It has everything to do with his seemingly insatiable appetite to go somewhere else while falling down on his job that pays him a top 15 salary. Year after year it's been "Mullen is going there!" "Mullen is going over here!" "Mullen is a top choice for this job!" DURING bowl preparation and recruiting season. There was silence from Mullen that gave everyone a tool to recruit against us. And the silence from him was deafening. It is and was a distraction.
Remember the whiffs and misses this recruiting season? Remember the talk at the same time of him leaving for the third straight year? Remember no concrete denial from him off the bat ever? It was either true he was seriously considering leaving or he was using the stories as ego stroke material.
Everyone is just saying, if he wants to go... GTFO. Don't cruise while the team fails to show teachings of basic fundamentals. Don't high five your buddy when cashing the next paycheck for a horrible coaching job. Don't cheat the fans who have bent over backwards with support to get facilities and expansions built. And don't grin and joke when a team ***** the bed at home at south AL.
Mullen thought he would use MSU as a stepping stone.
He doesn't want to be in SVegas, he is not happy here and is stuck now.
The last 2 years Dan tried to leave.
Currently, we cannot be confident in our ability to win home games against Sunbelt teams that don't have an on-campus stadium (South Alabama).
Currently, we cannot be confident in our ability to win or even put up a good fight against other SEC West teams (Auburn after a bye week).
Currently, we cannot be confident that our players will play with emotion or effort.
Currently, we cannot be confident in our Recruiting...to the point that we cannot sign a Starkville High School WR (AJ Brown).
Currently we are paying Dan Mullen $4 Million a year. If we really wanted to light a fire under Dan's arse we would put a clause in his contract that he would lose $1.5 Million if MSU has a losing season. This would take his salary down to $2.5 Million during losing seasons (believe me I used to live in Starkville, $2.5 is enough to live on in Starkville). If Head Coaches get a bonus for going to a New Year's Bowl Game, SEC Championship Game, etc. then I think they should lose some money when they have a losing season. Athletic Department's take a financial hit during losing seasons...ticket sales drop, donations drop, merchandise sales drop, etc. But Coaches get to keep their high salary regardless of the results on the field and if they are fired they still get paid (like Croom).
Currently, we cannot be confident in our ability to win or even put up a good fight against other SEC West teams (Auburn after a bye week).
Currently, we cannot be confident that our players will play with emotion or effort.
Currently, we cannot be confident in our Recruiting...to the point that we cannot sign a Starkville High School WR (AJ Brown).
Currently we are paying Dan Mullen $4 Million a year. If we really wanted to light a fire under Dan's arse we would put a clause in his contract that he would lose $1.5 Million if MSU has a losing season. This would take his salary down to $2.5 Million during losing seasons (believe me I used to live in Starkville, $2.5 is enough to live on in Starkville). If Head Coaches get a bonus for going to a New Year's Bowl Game, SEC Championship Game, etc. then I think they should lose some money when they have a losing season. Athletic Department's take a financial hit during losing seasons...ticket sales drop, donations drop, merchandise sales drop, etc. But Coaches get to keep their high salary regardless of the results on the field and if they are fired they still get paid (like Croom).
During the auburn game, I hurd one of the commenters say that Gus Malzahn was no longer calling the plays, that he had turned it over to the offensive coordinator. The result was that our defense was on its heels because the tendencies changed, and we were caught flatfooted, down 35-0 at halftime.
Maybe, just maybe, Dan might consider doing something similar, and give up the play calling duties to Gonzales. Who knows, we might get some similar results.
Maybe, just maybe, Dan might consider doing something similar, and give up the play calling duties to Gonzales. Who knows, we might get some similar results.
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