Larry

Recent Comments
I just hope he keeps clear of the off field drama. He has talent no doubt, and making better throwing decisions may be easier depending on the other players around him and how well they execute. I hope he finds success in the NFL. As a State fan, even I would like to see Ole Miss get some positive press for their former player.
"Bringing his A-game for the big games"? In Alabama's game against Mississippi State that year (ranked #1 at the time meaning 'Big Game'), he had 8 receptions for 88 yards and 1 TD (by the way, 50 of those yards came on the one TD catch). I suppose these numbers had to be left out since they didn't support the article. No disrespect to Amari Cooper, his accomplishments, or Alabama's program, but I hate when writers leave out information because it's "convenient" for the story. State hadn't had a good secondary in some time, but I thought they actually did a good job of keeping Amari Cooper in check during that game.
True State has had some kids get in trouble and get arrested. The only school in the SEC that can honestly say they don't have many issues like this is Vanderbilt. However, between Ole Miss and State, Ole Miss has had many more issues with players being arrested over the last 5 years. To be clear, State ranks 28th in the country for players arrested over that time span (11 SEC teams including Ole Miss have had more). Ole Miss is in the top ten nationally. It's a bad situation either way, but to be fair, it has been worse at Ole Miss in recent years.
Good point. The incident is not Freezes fault. Some will still link this to Freeze though for recruiting a kid with "questionable" character. If too many of his players over a period of time make mistakes like this, Ole Miss will end up saying "we don't want a coach that brings in players that keep putting us in the news in a bad way."
To be honest, I firmly believe Florida's offense will be improved next fall....it really couldn't get much worse. Whether it will rise to the point of not only winning the East, but being competitive in the SEC championship remains to be seen. There is a wealth of talent coming out of high school in the state of Florida and McElwain did a solid job of pulling some of that talent. Now can he and his coaching staff develop that talent? It'll be an interesting year in Gainesville. Ready for the next season to start already. (Side note: I'm not a gator fan, HailState, but I just happen to live in Gainesville, so I hope the best for Gatornation next year).
I like the answer by Freeze in the respect of not taking any unnecessary jabs, but given Ole Miss's current situation, to suggest meeting again in the Sugar Bowl is laughable.
Well said. I would just hope that if things do change to the point where it makes sense for Patterson to look at other options, I hope he is not criticized too harshly for changing his mind.
For the record, I hope Florida finds a way to win the East for a third consecutive year. While I'm not a Gator fan necessarily, I would like to see them do well and win the division.
It wasn't but a couple weeks ago that I heard another sports analyst state that Florida could be a sleeper team and possibly make the CFP. Now that seems to be a bit of a stretch to me in the first place. However, to have one person saying Florida is possibly good enough to make the playoff and another saying that Georgia should win the division and will be considered a joke from a coaching standpoint??? It doesn't add up. Who exactly is projected to be the better team?? Georgia who NEVER seems to live up to expectations?? Or Florida which has "over-achieved" the last couple years. Let's face it, neither team has been consistent enough to be considered a true "contender" over the last few years. Why will this year be any different?
He can certainly throw the ball, no doubt about that. His poor decision making on the other hand doesn't just show up in the news for off the field antics. In watching his play at Ole Miss, I've seen him make many questionable throws. He always struck me as a player that "goes for it all" on every single play instead of working his options. Many times I've seen him choose to "thread the needle" attempting a touchdown (sometimes resulting in an interception), when he had a wide open tight end option for a guaranteed 20+ yards. He seems to want the highlight reel touchdown every time instead of running the offense like an elite quarterback.
I can't help but think of the movie "Blue Chips" when I read about Ole Miss and this entire situation. Being a State fan, I've always held respect for Hugh Freeze. I can't help but wonder how much he actually knew and how much was done by others, without his knowledge, and without his consent. Just a bad situation altogether.
To play devils advocate based on other articles I've read over the years regarding "how difficult Saban is to work for", I would believe that Saban knows EXACTLY how he wants the program to run and has a plan each year to implode the that. With respect, he has been successful at that. In the ranks of the NFL, he was unable to run things the way he wanted and as a result, the program did not, nor could it ever, have the success he has enjoyed at the collegiate level. With nothing but respect to Saban, he can not "control" the program in the NFL the way he has in college.
Ok well fair enough on the "offensive shirt" comment LOL, but still, he shouldn't have been terminated like that.
Just my opinion, but this picture seems very benign in nature. I see a man posing for a picture with his wife. Nothing raunchy. Nothing lewd. Nothing at all (including the outfits they are wearing) would indicate ANY reason to question values or morals. For the record, at first glance, I thought the bottle he was holding was a bottle of "Voss" water. 20 days is hardly enough time to get a true grasp on a person's character or class. I'm very sorry the opinions of students' parents meant more than a potential career for this man. Just seems wrong.
Very good point Nobleman. Someone mentioned Prescott when comparing to Fitzgerald. Prescott had the IT factor and as time goes on, it'll be interesting to see who develops that leadership role or "IT" factor.
Amen. In this day in age, there are too many opinions influencing the "Hype machine". Whether a player rates well out of high school or not really doesn't have any impact on what they do in college. Some players live up to expectations, some flop, and some "come out of nowhere" to make a name for themselves after they reach the collegiate/national level. I am a State fan and am very thankful to have Mullen as a head coach because I've seen how he develops players. That being said, I have to say I have much respect for several other SEC programs and coaches (including Hugh Freeze at times) for their ability to see a players potential and work to really develop them into what they can be. In short, recruiting rankings shouldn't carry as much weight as they seem to at times.
Again, this is an example of the affects of LSD (acid), not weed. I have no ill will towards Denzel Nkemdiche, but he is about as clueless at this point in life as can possibly be (as evidenced by several of "deer in the headlights" looks he gave in his music video). I hope the best for the young man, but if he doesn't find his way back to reality soon, don't be surprised if he ends up in the news with an "untimely death".
I REALLY wish Wilson and Brown had both stayed at State for another year. Another year closer to a degree (or finishingnout and earning it) is never a bad idea. They say patience is a virtue. It's really tragic to see young men not have the patience to see things through and either realize their potential, or at worst, come away with a degree they can apply to life outside of football. Just my opinion, but a degree is one hell of a consolation prize. Just saying.
I'm with you Mystic, the play capped an impressive drive and yes, it decided the national title game, but it should not have been number one!! I saw many impressive plays made on this list that I would consider more deserving than that. To be fair, yes, WHEN a play happens and what effect it has on the outcome is important, but a simple designed play like that is routine. There is nothing remarkable about the play itself. I can think of several other plays on this list that were more impressive and as such, more deserving.
I wonder if the NFL is comparing him, or is considering Kelly in the same circle as Manziel. I would certainly hope not, but it wouldn't be a tremendous stretch to think that.
On the topic of Jeffrey Simmons, no, I don't approve of beating up a female. With reference to "everything I hear...", I hope you notice that Jeffrey Simmons hasn't been in the news for anything negative since that article last year (and I hope it stays that way). I was suggesting that the name Nkemdiche, (and yes, I realize there are two and each of them have had there own issues) comes up in the news VERY FREQUENTLY.
Wow, now THERES a show of class for you. Way to go "BunkerBuster". Maybe I'm getting things confused, but wasn't it Denzel that recently admitted to "occasionally" doing acid while attending school at Ole Miss and for some reason being hospitalized not too long after his brother (Robert) had an issue with a hotel window. I'm sure that was just smoking too much pot though right?!?! The article had to do with Denzel Nkemdiche and that's what I remarked on. I'm sorry that my comment bothered you so much, but get over it. For that matter, I never said Starkville was the place to live, I don't live there either. More than anything though, I'm just happy NOT TO BE YOU!!!
With everything I hear about Nkemdiche, I'm REALLY glad he went to Ole Miss instead of State. He seems like a real "class act".
The issue with that is unexpected vacancies. Say you are the HC of a team and one of your assistants does something stupid and/or illegal (I.e. Baylor issues). As a program, he has to be let go immediately creating a spot that needs to be filled. If you limit when coaches can move, then you are also limiting the candidate pool for said program, your forcing a school to hire someone that may not be the ideal fit for there program, as well as taking a potential promotion opportunity away from a deserving assistant elsewhere. It doesn't seem like a viable option.
I agree that a player in that situation should be able to pull out of their commitment if they choose to, even after NSD. I know players identify with and want to play for certain people or coaches that recruited them. I simply disagree with players in general "publicly trashing" any coach based on a decision made by said coach in order to advance his or her career.
Comparing restrictions on player transfers to coaching moves is ridiculous in the first place. I agree with the statement that a player signs with a school, not a specific coach. Yes, players feelings get hurt when the person that sat in their living room and recruited them is suddenly gone, but welcome to life. When you finish school and get into the job market, you experience sudden departures of people you've developed relationships with. It happens!!! Maybe due to promotion, termination, relocation, etc. To say a coach, any coach, working in his/her chosen profession should be obligated to pass on a promotion because they said what they had to in order to recruit (and in all honesty, probably meant every word of it AT THE TIME), is simply idiotic. It sounds like the players complaining may need to step back, see the opportunity they have, and figure out how to make the most of it and STOP focusing on the decisions individual coaches make for their careers and families.