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that the Croom honeymoon is over.

OR does he get a pass again this season? And if so, how much longer does he get before he must win to keep his job?

How long is his current contract? And is there a buyout clause? How much?

He may yet turn things around at MSU. But, the fact that MSU endured 3 losing seasons in JWS's last 3 years I think makes the last two seasons, and this one, even more intolerable. I sense a lot of MSU fans losing patience with Croom, especially on the offensive side of the ball. And Croom's hard headed demeanor is not helping things.

IF I were Croom, and this season does not produce good results on the offensive side of the ball, I would scrap the WCO and go out and hire the best available up and coming OC that I could find who could run a spread offense. It does not take a superstar QB to run the spread effectively. And the teams that run these offenses seem to generate a lot of offensive yardage and points. Combined with a fairly solid defense, it could be a great combo. It would seem to fit the MSU offensive personnel better than the WCO.

State fans need to get fired up about this situation. It doesn't have to be this way. I like Croom and have been supportive of him. Let me be the first to say I am not for or against State, but when you make the kind of money he is making, you need some return. I could coach them to an 0-3 record.

I agree with Po Monk in that he needs another year with a new O-coordinator, if there is not marked improvement, Croom needs to go.

It is an embarrassment to the entire to the entire SEC for State to lose to Tulane. Under no circumstances should a team lose to Tulane, especially considering the team they have fielded this year.

I think State will be lucky to win one game this year and it is currently hard to see how they will be much, if any, better next year.

Would Croom's beligerance allow him to scrap the WCO and go to the spread? I don't think it would. He seems to have a damn the torpedos, full speed ahead kind of mind set.

Seymore wrote:Would Croom's beligerance allow him to scrap the WCO and go to the spread? I don't think it would. He seems to have a damn the torpedos, full speed ahead kind of mind set.

Well he better realize he just got hit by a torpedo and it is time to abandon ship.

The Slytanic is taking on water.

abandon ship...croom and templeton first!

Croom ain't going anywhere unless he choses to. There is too many years left to buy out in his contract. MSU is still paying JWS

Hire Joe Lee to run the offense.

Call me carzy, but I feel like the South Carolina and Tulane games should have been wins. I mention this, because I guess my point is that I honestly believe State is a better team today than they were last year and the year before....I know that doesn't mean much.....

Regarding Coach Croom, I get the feeling that he is more frustrated than anyone. If we continue at the current pace, it wouldn't surprise me if he were the one that steps down. Despite everyone's frustrations, I believe it's a mistake to force Croom out or for him to step down.

Here's the reality for both State and Ole Miss in football. With Alabama, Auburn, Tennesse, LSU, etc surrounding us, I really don't see either school being very competitive (in football) year after year after year. If we bring in a Coach like Tubberville that has success, he is going to hit the road the first chance he gets. For that reason, I think JWS was the best thing that ever happened to Mississippi State. JWS could produce a winner, but his past was "shady" enough that no other schools were going to go after him. I don't like to accept mediocrity, but I do acknowledge reality. State and Ole Miss need to go after the JWS, Price's, etc of the world....my two cents

To another point....regarding schools surrounding Ole Miss and State that we compete against for athletes..... Like it or not, if you live outside of Mississippi there is a negative perception of the state and for that mattter both of the schools. The reality is that both schools are great institutions. I grew up in North Carolina and when I was driving to Starkville my freshman year I was wondering what the hell I was doing.....once I got there, I loved it. All my friends from out of state had the same impression. Again, once you spend a few weeks on either campus, you love it!!!!! But, both schools have to overcome that hurdle, how do you deal with that?

first off ..

i believe that a coach should get at least 4 years to get things turned around.. in other words he should be allowed to get his first recuriting class in as freshman and work them up till their senior year..

that only seems fair too me..

with regards to crooms contract.. he could be bought out... his buyout only includes his base salary .. which is something like $175,000 per year..

i guess if theres one thing that i'm most upset about with coach croom it would be the following.. this past signing day croom failed to sign a quaterback.. too me thats just plain stupid... from all accounts the wco is complicated and takes time to master,, it also takes a special q.b. to run the system. with that being the case, its my feeling that every year we should sign a q.b... hell outta however many schollys we give out each year, we should damn sure be making sure that one scholly goes to a potential q.b.. hell its a numbers game.. maybe just maybe he could finally find a decent q.b.

i'm sorry but i just don't feel like the guys that he's got on campus right now can lead our offense.. in all honesty, i think we're still looking at multiple years before we can get started back in the right direction.

one more reason why if i were coach croom i'd recurit a q.b. every year..

think about this.. which school in the sec has the worst history with regards to the quarterback position?? thats right msu.. every other school has produced all sec quarterbacks, and even qb's who have gone on the the nfl.. hell in some ways msu is like the bermuda triangle for qb's.. sad sad sad,,, when was the last time msu had an all sec q.b.. anyone anyone?? i'm waiting... oh btw i know the answer.. just seein how smart yall be!!!

Maybe we should just get rid of the football team and start a lacroose team. Lot less competition and maybe we could compete. Probablly would even win an SEC title.

Sleepy?

Bigwater's comments about MSU's history of not having great QBs is what leads me to conclude that the spread offense would be well suited for MSU. Most of the time, the spread utilizes a one back set. MSU has had good RBs in its history and seems to do just fine recruiting RBs. Also the QBs do not have to be great to run this system effectively --- they need accuracy on the short to mid-range routes, and a quick release. The OL only needs to be able to hold off the opposing DL for a couple of seconds. If the QBs are short, it does not seem to matter. And the WRs just need some size and the ability to catch the football. WRs with great speed are not required. Memphis has implemented and run a spread for the last several years and has done well with it. Missouri runs a spread, and you saw what they did to UM a couple of weekends ago. It would mean starting over on offense; but if things continue this season the way they are now, what would MSU have to lose?

Stitch, I disagree that UM and MSU are simply pre-determined to remain mediocre forever. What each school needs are coaches who are more committed to winning and finding ways to win, than to making excuses. Other schools the same size and even smaller than UM and MSU are having great success in football. It starts up top with the administration at each school. If the administration does not believe we can win, and has the mindset of "poor little UM or MSU", then we are beat from the git go, because the commitment to winning and excellence will not be there. With the right committment to athletics and right forward thinking administrators in place, there is no reason that UM and MSU cannot compete for titles in the SEC.

With respect to UM, I think that RK has been a good chancellor, especially compared to previous chancellors, especially in the area of academics. BUT, he has not been as committed to athletics as he needs to be for UM to truly compete in the upper levels of the SEC. Coach O is fighting many odds at UM right now to try to change the football program at UM from one locked in perpetual mediocrity, to one that can consistently compete well every year. And a battle wages among our alumni and fan base between those who believe we can do better, and those who dwell and live in the past. While RK talks a good game, he is not committed where we need it the most ---financial support of athletics and improved facilities. Pete Boone, the AD, is a banker, with a conservative financial mentality, who shares the view of the rest of the Vaught boys that we are just "little Ole Miss" who can't expect to do much better than we have in recent history. They live in the past and hold us back for the future. UM cannot live up to its potential as long as these two are in charge at UM. Even if Coach O turns it around and starts winning, at some point he will hit a ceiling, created by these folks due to lack of sufficient committment, support and failure to plan for success.

I can't comment on MSU because I am not close to the situation. There are many MSU fans/alums who are calling for Templeton to resign or be replaced. I don't know if Templeton is the problem or not. But, I do think that the long-term deal given to Croom was extremely short-sighted. Yes, as Bigwater points out, he should be given at least 4 years to turn things around and show sufficient progress in the program. But, I think his guaranteed contract extensions take him out well beyond those 4 years.

Croom has been given the longest honeymoon in the history of any high level college coach in Mississippi. The media covers for him and apologizes for him almost on a weekly basis. Right now, he appears to be in a bunker mentality, with signs of cracking under pressure, just due to the fan pressure. How will he handle things when the media eventually turns on him as well ---and it will happen if things continue like they have been. He would be well-served to keep in mind that his primary goal is to make MSU a better football program, not to provide his buddies with a job (which was the death knell for Cut at UM). College athletics, like it or not , is a business of sorts, and sometimes hard decisions must be made to achieve the overall goal, including firing assistant coaches from time to time, when warranted or needed to improve in a particular area. His recent public statements suggest an unwillingness to acknowledge any problems with the offense or the need to make any changes on that side of the ball. This state of denial sounds eerily familiar.

Po monk,
I want nothing more than Ole Miss and MSU to have success. Not being pessimistic, just don't see it long term in football with what we have to compete with / offer. Can you give me an example of other schools in "our" situation that have a winning tradition. I think I can make a good argument that any school you name is not in the same situation as State and Ole Miss...but "here's to great baseball"!!!!!!!!

He's got 6 yrs left on the contract at $900K per year.