ROSE BOWL CHAMPIONS EDITION
Our weekly feature on MSU Football brings diverse responses to
a variety of questions related to the Spartans program.
Our weekly feature on MSU Football brings diverse responses to
a variety of questions related to the Spartans program.
Front-Burner was published in three parts between the B1G Championship and the Rose Bowl
Part 2. MSU 2013 Season Discussion
2A. ATownAndDown Feature
2B. MSUSpartan76 Feature
Part 3. Rose Bowl Discussion
3A. Pre-Game Discusison
3B. The Game/Results - Beyond the Rose Bowl Part 1
3C. Beyond the Rose Bowl Part 2 (This Edition)
Panelists:
ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)
Note: This will be the final weekly Front Burner edition. Others will follow as new developments related tot the football team dictate.
First let's take a look at the Rose Bowl and celebration highlights.
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First let's take a look at the Rose Bowl and celebration highlights.
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1. MSU has finished as a finalist in high profile recruiting battles frequently in recent years. Should we expect to win those battles more regularly immediately, or will MSU need a validation season in 2014 before Dantonio lands more plan A recruits resulting in top 20 recruiting classes?
ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)
Recruiting is improving. There won't be a sudden jump if you ask me. Coach D has already said the pitch is going to remain the same and that is going to turn off some recruits. There are many recruits that view college football as a transitional league and want to hear what a program and coach are going to do for them to get them to the NFL. That is not what Coach D will ever push. He is going to tell guys how its going to be and what is expected of them at MSU. Some recruits will be smart enough to see the results of having that lunchbox mentality (Coach D has put 24 players in the NFL and with guys like Dennard, Bullough, Lewis, Allen, Fou, etc. that list will grow longer soon) but others want to hear the coach tell them that getting them ready for the NFL is his goal. But you are already seeing bigger recruits looking a little harder at MSU and some of the prognosticators are shifting their speculations toward MSU because of that.
Recruiting is improving. There won't be a sudden jump if you ask me. Coach D has already said the pitch is going to remain the same and that is going to turn off some recruits. There are many recruits that view college football as a transitional league and want to hear what a program and coach are going to do for them to get them to the NFL. That is not what Coach D will ever push. He is going to tell guys how its going to be and what is expected of them at MSU. Some recruits will be smart enough to see the results of having that lunchbox mentality (Coach D has put 24 players in the NFL and with guys like Dennard, Bullough, Lewis, Allen, Fou, etc. that list will grow longer soon) but others want to hear the coach tell them that getting them ready for the NFL is his goal. But you are already seeing bigger recruits looking a little harder at MSU and some of the prognosticators are shifting their speculations toward MSU because of that.
MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)
Elsworth was a walk-on. How many star players has MSU produced from the ranks of the recruiting site 2-stars and unrated?
What we should expect is the MSU Spartan Football coaching staff to continue to stuff the roster with kids that fit the program, can be developed, who are willing to put in the work, who play as a team, and who never quit. We need and want those players that fit: Spartans Will!
We do not need chUMps as role models. We do not need to polish recruiting trophies. Those so-called recruiting "battles" are just hype created by the recruiting sites and spoon fed to the fans. MSU needs no validation. The only true validation comes with "Just Win."
Elsworth was a walk-on. How many star players has MSU produced from the ranks of the recruiting site 2-stars and unrated?
What we should expect is the MSU Spartan Football coaching staff to continue to stuff the roster with kids that fit the program, can be developed, who are willing to put in the work, who play as a team, and who never quit. We need and want those players that fit: Spartans Will!
We do not need chUMps as role models. We do not need to polish recruiting trophies. Those so-called recruiting "battles" are just hype created by the recruiting sites and spoon fed to the fans. MSU needs no validation. The only true validation comes with "Just Win."
SpartanMan82 (Check out chUMp of the Month Winners)
The recruiting situation is already improving. Nothing is certain until LOIs are signed, but getting a verbal from the top player in Pennsylvania last month was a sign of things to come. There is only room for a few more players in the 2014 Class, but it looks like MSU is bidding for some big names to add before signing day in February.
Much has been made of how well Mark Dantonio has done with "lower-tier" recruits, but that success doesn't mean that he only wants 2-star players. He will be going after "higher-tier" recruits for the 2015 Class, and we should see results of those recruiting efforts during the next eight months. I expect next year's group to finish in the Top 20, perhaps Top 15 or better.
The recruiting situation is already improving. Nothing is certain until LOIs are signed, but getting a verbal from the top player in Pennsylvania last month was a sign of things to come. There is only room for a few more players in the 2014 Class, but it looks like MSU is bidding for some big names to add before signing day in February.
Much has been made of how well Mark Dantonio has done with "lower-tier" recruits, but that success doesn't mean that he only wants 2-star players. He will be going after "higher-tier" recruits for the 2015 Class, and we should see results of those recruiting efforts during the next eight months. I expect next year's group to finish in the Top 20, perhaps Top 15 or better.
Meanwhile, the 2014 Class is ranked around #35 in the country right now, but every time Dantonio is asked about them, he says it's a great group. As long as Dantonio gets who he wants, it won't matter how many stars they have coming out of high school.
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MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)
Easy. How are the fans going to handle the coaching decisions related to Damion Terry and Connor Cook. Where will Tyler O'Conner fit into the scheme of things.
One other story: Will Desmond Howard actually get a clue?
Easy. How are the fans going to handle the coaching decisions related to Damion Terry and Connor Cook. Where will Tyler O'Conner fit into the scheme of things.
One other story: Will Desmond Howard actually get a clue?
SpartanMan82 (Check out This Date in chUMp History)
Damion Terry still seems to be a more talented quarterback than Connor Cook, yet Cook has two years experience ahead of him. Will Terry be given a fair chance at the job? If not, will he get to play in non-garbage-time situations? Tyler Hoover guarantees it.What happens with Don Treadwell? If Narduzzi stays with us, will there be a place for Treadwell on the staff?
What will Mark Hollis do about the perceived "problem" with the student section in Spartan Stadium? Several simple answers are available, and Hollis is more than competent enough to choose one of the solutions to the "problem". Will he fix it?
How do the coaches divide playing time between Jeremy Langford and the other viable running back candidates on the team now and those who will be arriving later this year? Langford will be a Senior, and we don't want a repeat of the LeVeon Bell show from last year, with one running back monopolizing all of the carries for a full season.
ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)
Player development is what I am most intrigued with. Defense will have a ton of talent but there will be holes to fill. Guys like Harris, Davis, LT, Clemons, Bullough, Hicks, Robinson, Edmundson, Jones, Reschke, etc. are all going to be given their opportunities to step up. It will be exciting to see what they do with those opportunities. But even on the offensive side of the ball guys like Holmes, Troup, Madaris, Arnett, Chmura, and even Shelton have showed some flashes. Can any of them step up and rock the boat? Do the starters up their game because of that competition?
Other storylines to watch: Where does Terry shake out and does Coach D go live with the QB's again? Where do guys like Williams and Lyles end up? Does Fowler petition for a 6th year? Potential transfers?
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3. How many losses will be too many for David Brandon to keep the Hokester at the Helm in Ann Arbor? MythAgain plays Notre Dame, Ohio STATE and MSU away from the Pig House. Will Hoke win enough games in 2014 to keep his job?
SpartanMan82 (Check out chUMp Satire)
A five-loss season would be very hard for Hoke to survive, but get ready for his resurrection early in the year. Michigan could again be 6-1, if not 7-0, before the bottom falls out next season. He really needs 10 wins to settle down that fan-base, but he won't get that many.My guess is that Michigan will finish 8-4 next year, with multiple camps operating behind the scenes regarding the coach situation. If he wins his bowl game, he stays. If he loses his bowl game, he's gone.
ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)
No clue about if or what it will take for Hoke to keep his job. I have been perplexed by that situation with how the U of M fan base revolted against RichRod who was trending back toward a successful program but they are much more patient with Hoke who was his most successful off what RichRod built and has regressed since then.
I think Dave Brandon needs to worry about his own job. Michigan fans are getting tired of a lot of the business decisions being made regarding the program. Ticket prices are going up again and the home schedule for U of M is App St., Miami (OH), Utah, Minn, PSU, Ind, and Maryland. Also in talking to a few Michigan Men, they are not happy about the App St game being scheduled. While they understand the business side of it (should be an easy win but it will still drum up publicity) the publicity will be negative and remind fans of a very dark day in U of M football. Factor in that he is paying his coaching staff an exorbitant amount of money for the results they are getting and he seems to be putting very little pressure on them to change things up. I have even heard rumors that U of M might struggle to clear 100K in the stands at a couple of those poor games early games. How long do the powers that be at U of M allow their crown jewel to not sparkle?
MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)
Who cares? This question, like the team it references, is totally irrelevant.
Ok, so I suppose I have to give some kind of answer. Here goes. If Coach Choke stops serving donuts and starts serving Dominos Pizza, David "Avoid the Noid" Brandon will keep him for decades.
MSU does not measure its success by whatever happens with the Ann Arbor Charm School football club. Let's leave that to the chUMps to fret over.
Who cares? This question, like the team it references, is totally irrelevant.
Ok, so I suppose I have to give some kind of answer. Here goes. If Coach Choke stops serving donuts and starts serving Dominos Pizza, David "Avoid the Noid" Brandon will keep him for decades.MSU does not measure its success by whatever happens with the Ann Arbor Charm School football club. Let's leave that to the chUMps to fret over.
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Administrator's Note: A happy shout out and huge thank you to our Front-Burner Contributors for the 2013 season. You guys really did a great job and brought new readers to SpartanResource.com - Thank you!!! - Return2Glory
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