Objective Article on MSU Football's Season
This is a refreshing contrast to the handjobs performed recently by the Freep.
http://www.detnews.com/article/20100104/SPORTS0202/1040348/Spartans-rea…
One interesting point is that Jones likely will declare for the NFL draft. I can't see him risking a senior season.
January 4th, 2010 at 6:53 PM ^
rabble rabble rabble
January 4th, 2010 at 7:15 PM ^
but I have to give Dantonio credit. "We have to play better and coach better,". At least he's willing to take the blame for poor coaching. Wish Rich Rod would do the same.
January 4th, 2010 at 7:21 PM ^
Clearly John L. Smith left MSU in better shape than Lloyd left U-M, right?
/sarcasm
January 4th, 2010 at 9:38 PM ^
He actually left behind a fair amount of offensive talent, which - most importantly - mostly stayed put through the coaching changes, whereas some of the guys Carr left behind did not stay here. Kirk Cousins and Ryan Mallett, for instance, were in the same recruiting year.
January 4th, 2010 at 10:41 PM ^
John L. was a train wreck as a coach at MSU, but he was a decent recruiter. Dantonio has certainly upped the quality a bit (less JC transfers), but he still inherited a decent team with some legit talent. He also benefitted from the fact that his first years featured a veteran QB (Hoyer), an emerging RB threat (Ringer), and some talent on the defensive and offensive lines. RR had some studs on the defensive line and a solid RB when healthy in Minor, but beyond that the cupboards were far less stocked than when Dantonio road into East Lansing. That said, the excuses are starting to dry up on the recruiting front as we enter the second full off-season.
January 4th, 2010 at 7:50 PM ^
So, what do you want to give Dantonio "credit" for? I can think of a whole list myself:
1. Allowing Winston to go from jail to the practice field after serving time for a sucker-punching an athlete from another program.
2. Incessant bragging about "dominating the state of Michigan in recruiting" while bringing in a mediocre class.
3. More bragging about how great the program is, setting up false expectations among the Spartan faithful.
4. Failure to live up to those expectations.
5. Throwing a tantrum on a radio show for being asked the kind of questions that RR gets every day and answers with class.
6. Allowing the thugs on his team to take over the locker room, establishing a culture where a gang attack on a fraternity counts as "having your brother's back."
7. Finally "doing the right thing" by kicking Winston and Jenrette out of the program a season too late and suspending the others for a bowl game they didn't really deserve to play anyway.
8. Thinking that he has cleaned up his program when he has only swept the dirt under the carpet.
9. Bragging about how he "won't accept such behavior" in his program when it was he who enabled it in the first place.
10. Failing to finish over .500 after all of his bragging and enabling criminals to ensure that he would have a good team.
So, basically, Stymie, you're right: sorta. Saint Dantonio does deserve a lot of "credit."
January 4th, 2010 at 8:51 PM ^
You forgot #11...
Setting up MSU to be forever known as mediocre state university, by scheduling home and homes with directional in-state universities thus reducing the chance that anyone outside of the midwest has even heard of your school.
January 4th, 2010 at 11:05 PM ^
MSU just scheduled West Virginia in '14 and '15, plus they scheduled Alabama in '16 and '17. They're starting to get their act together.
January 4th, 2010 at 8:57 PM ^
i think the OP is saying that at least dantonio is lumping the blame on HIMSELF, as the coach. not on the players. not on the past coach. not on a bare cupboard.
numerous michigan fans wish rich would do the same. the ops post had nothing to do with the job dantonio has done. but im sure you knew that when you typed a that re-hashed garbage.
January 4th, 2010 at 10:24 PM ^
I know it is fun to rehash the same meme that RR always throws his players under the bus, blames everyone else, etc., but the reality is that he has publicly taken as much blame as anyone for the past few years. But the fact remains, and has proven ad nauseum both here and on other sites, that this team simply lacked the depth the past few years to compete at a high level, to not even consider the added difficulties of a coaching and schematic change. With Carr around, maybe this team struggles through some 6-6, 7-5, 8-4 seasons, but you are still not relevant nationally and, perhaps worse, not really improving.
Of course, based on your signature, I suspect my points will fall on deaf ears.
January 4th, 2010 at 10:53 PM ^
If yourself and the OP would actually listen to entire RichRod pressers and not just read the cherry picked quotes on the freep, you would realize that he takes blame quite often. But I'm sure you knew that when you typed your garbage.
I can't remember where it was on the MGoBoard, but it was shortly after a presser in which RichRod said the players executed the plays poorly. Everyone was jumping his shit for blaming the players until it was promptly pointed out that at least 3 times in that very same conference he said they needed to coach better but, strangely, that wasn't included in the coverage. I wonder why.
January 4th, 2010 at 9:36 PM ^
Engaging publicly in verbal battles with scholar-athletes from other teams (Hart, '07) and trash-talking conference foes with (prideful) bible verses.
But seriously, what else would you say? RR is probably hard at work right now making UM better, while Dantonio expects to remain at MSU indefinitely while doing about what he's done the last few years. If you can't expect any real improvement, then you talk about it instead.
January 4th, 2010 at 9:28 PM ^
Usually just a way to deflect attention from real problems since the coach is ultimately responsible anyway. When he was head coach of the Lions, Rod Marinelli would start every press conference talking about how all the blame was on him. Granted, he was a terrible coach, but the players were bad too and made mistakes on their own.
Not sure what purpose it would serve for Rodriquez to indulge in that kind of behavior. I can't imagine how that would make for a better football team, if so called fans need to see a coach emote for their benefit, maybe they need to find a different sport to follow.
January 4th, 2010 at 9:39 PM ^
Rodriuez
January 4th, 2010 at 10:33 PM ^
...I don't see anyone, let alone Dantonio, pulling it off.
(Except Weis, naturally.)
January 4th, 2010 at 10:39 PM ^
Steve, Charlie does not *usurp*...Charlie *slurps* then *burps*...that's Charlie.
January 4th, 2010 at 11:30 PM ^
"I see so much talent on this team," senior cornerback Ross Weaver said, when asked to give a 2010 outlook. "I will tell everyone to work as much as they can in the offseason.So maybe we can look forward to a breathless Rosenberg exposé the weekend before the season begins. Or more likely a fawning article on how Spartans refuse to let NCAA guidelines impede their work ethic.