Will it ever be over?

The Rather Hall incident just won’t go away and it is becoming more apparent every day that Dantonio is or has been played the fool by some of his players.

When the incident broke and the number of players believed to have taken part was listed at fifteen. Thirteen of those players were identified, which led many, including myself to question who are the remaining two? How could it go this long before Oren Wilson and Myles White were named? Sorry folks, but this reflects poorly on Dantonio, his staff and the players, but only one person need be held accountable, Mark Dantonio.

I am going to take the politically incorrect path and mention that since all the players involved are black, they decided collectively to maintain the “Boy’z in the hood” mentality and not talk. It’s a stupid street code that is prevalent in our culture and is glorified and honored by those who are looked up to, like Carmello Anthony. Dantonio failed, or appears to have failed to press his players to give up Wilson and White. White and Wilson showed their cowardice by not coming forward. I guess White thought since he was already suspended it wouldn’t matter if he gave himself up, but Wilson, he must have thought he was going to pull a fast one and never be implicated.

What Wilson has done is destroy the unity, camaraderie and trust that exits between players. He put his own selfish gain above the team. He’s a cancer that needs to be cut and removed before it breeds dissention and discontent. No measure of punishment will justify either of these players returning to play for the Spartans. No extra windsprints, running the stadium steps, hell, even if he went to Haiti to help the earthquake victims would it be sufficient to allow him to return to the team.

There is a price to pay for your decisions regardless of who you are or your social status. Wilson and White did the wrong thing by not coming forward. The other thirteen players who were involved did the wrong thing as well by not coming forward and providing the names of all who participated. Lastly, Dantonio did wrong by not doing his due diligence to find out who the other two players were who participated. As a Christian myself I appreciate Mark Dantonio’s character, however that does not absolve him from getting to the truth. If he knew that there were fifteen players involved and only thirteen named, he should have told the team that until the other two come forward MSU would not accept any bowl invitations.

So now what to do with the Rather Hall fifteen? Winston, Jenrette, Trawick, Leggett, Johnson and Williams are no longer with the team. Leaving Cunningham, Dell, both Ruckers, Smith, White and Wilson. All but Wilson missed the bowl game, but the fact that other six did not or would not name Wilson concerns me and how it will affect the rest of the lockerroom. It’s time for Dantonio to take a stand and remove all those involved from the team permanently, or face the realization that “it will never be over.” The very words that he has come to be associated with.

Pre-spring football outlook Defense

On defense the Spartans need to replace three, one each from the defensive line (Anderson), linebacker (Denson) and the secondary (Fortener). None of the defenders were truly impactful and finding capable replacements shouldn’t be beyond the realm of possibilities.

Defensive Line: The one positive that I came away with from watching the Spartan front four was redshirt freshman, Jerel Worthy. Worthy displayed a decent amount strength and quickness and an ability to get up field and into the opponents backfield than any other member on the defensive front. His every down consistency needs to improve, but he appears to be the cornerstone of the line for the next few seasons. Blake Treadwell did an admirable job after having his redshirt removed midseason. He too has good quickness but will need to hit the weight room harder to get stronger. He definitely would have benefitted from a redshirt year but due to the lack of improvement displayed by either Michael Jordan or Ish Johnson the staff was left with no option but go with the true freshman.

I keep hearing about how well Oren Wilson plays at his nose tackle position but his numbers never impress. He had the fifth highest number of tackles for a defensive lineman behind Anderson, Neely, Worthy and Pickelman. For someone who has been a two year starter his performance seems a bit pedestrian and unimpressive. He still has difficulty controling the line of scrimmage at the point of attack, and rarely makes plays behind the line of scrimmage.

Kevin Pickleman has a heart of a warrior and does the best with the abilities he has. Even though he is not the strongest and often times is giving up 30+ pounds to the man across from him, battling him is like fighting with a tiger in a phone booth. If his tenacity could be bottled and shared with the other members of the defensive line the Spartans would probably not need to blitz to get pressure on the quarterback. You have to appreciate his effort even if it does not equate to impressive numbers.

Redshirt freshman Dan France is an unknown commodity for the interior of the defensive line and the fact that he wasn’t selected over Treadwell to give up his redshirt indicates that he probably wasn’t ready. Hopefully the off season conditioning program will see him improve his strength and stamina. France at 6′6″ is the tallest defensive tackle on the roster and his long frame could be a disadvantage if he is unable to keep his pad level low and gain leverage.

Collin Neely returns as MSU’s most productive defensive end with 3 sacks. His improvement from the 2008 season was noticeable, however he may have hit his ceiling with his 2009 performance, and MSU requires more. Pushing Neely for paying time is converted linebacker David Rolf, and former walk-on Jonathon Strayhorn. Rolf, like Neely, made strides this past season at his new position but still needs continued improvement. His strength is his quickness, but at 230 pounds he is much to light to be considered an every down DE. Strayhorn at 6′ and 260 will be a senior in 2010, and can only be considered a rotational player at best and not a viable starter.

The other defensive end spot will be up for grabs this spring with redshirt sophomore Tyler Hoover, redshirt freshman Denzel Drone and possibly converted linebacker Drew Stevens. Hoover played sparingly in 2009, managing half a sack and knocking down one pass. Hardly the stats for a highly ranked DE recruit, but with this only being his first year hopefully he will be able to build on it. According to coaching reports Drone is coming off an impressive redshirt year on the scout team defense and in bowl practices. What he lacks in height (6′2″) and weight (242) he supposedly makes up for in speed and quickness. How this will translate come game time has yet to be determined. The status of Cameron Jude is difficult to understand. He was not part of the bowl roster, but apparently is still on the team. The reasons for Dantonio not allowing him to travel with the team to San Antonio have not been made public and the secrecy is eeriely familiar to that of Roderick Jenrette’s removal from the roster in 2008.

Overall MSU’s defensive front is average at best. Worthy and Treadwell are two players who weathered their first year and need to display a more consistent effort. The defensive ends, aside from Hoover, are on the shorter side averaging 6′2″ and definitely undersized, averaging 240 pounds. Hopefully with the addition of William Gholston, Marcus Rush and Taylor Calero MSU will find a suitable pass rushing defensive end from these three. MSU is desperately in need of defensive tackle help, and getting at least one solid recruit in the 2010 class is a necessity. MSU is pushing hard to get one or any combination of Bruce Gaston, Jibrell Black, or Jerome Davis to sign in February.

Linebacking: As much as I appreciate Greg Jones and that he has decided to come back for his senior season I feel he is playing out of position as a MIKE linebacker. His 6′1″ 222 pound frame appears better suited for the outside. He definitely is the leader of this defense with his 154 tackles and first team All-American honors. The graduation of Adam Decker leaves MSU without an experienced backup to spell Jones. Redshirt freshman TyQuan Hammock and true freshman/early enrollee Max Bullough will be the two MIKE’s vying for the roll of Jones backup this spring. Hammock has the benefit of having been in the system now since preseson camp and could possibly hold an edge over Bullough. Bullough of course comes from a Spartan lineage of terrific linebackers/defenders starting with his grandfather and including his dad and uncle. Regardless of who gets the number two spot on the depth chart, Jone’s backup will be inexperienced.

Eric Gordon returns for his senior campaign in 2010. He has lived up to his high rating for the most part even though his performance gets overshadowed by Jones. He is not the biggest or fastest linebacker, but he plays smart and knows his assignments and compliments Jones very well. Behind Gordon is undersized but speedy senior, Jon Misch. Misch could have possibly beaten out Gordon if he was able to add and maintain his weight. At 202 pounds and 6′2″ he looks more like a safety and not someone who should be playing so close to the line. For all his toughness and desire he just hasn’t been able to put it all together because of his weight problem. He is a spirited special teams player who I would consider deserving of a captainship for that unit. Behind Misch is redshirt freshman Jeremy Gainer and Drew Stevens (depending on if Steven’s doesn’t go to DE). Gainer has some filling out to do, at 215 pounds he still appears a little light for a linebacker. Hopefully since his arrival at MSU he has added solid muscle and weight while keeping his impressive speed. I fully expect to see Gainer make a strong push for playing time this year if he has picked up and understands his assignments.

2010 will be the third consecutive season MSU will be looking for a suitable accompaniment to Jones and Gordon. In 2008 MSU used a converted wide receiver in Ryan Allison. Last year Brandon Denson, a converted running back was the starter. 2010 will hopefully produce a multi-year candidate from the group consisting of redshirt sophomore Steve Gardiner, and true sophomore Chris Norman. Gardiner has been used primarily on special teams. At 6′1″, 215 pounds he is another of MSU’s many undersized linebacking candidates. He supposedly has good football instincts and decent speed, but for whatever the reason hasn’t been able to crack the starting lineup even when the talent ahead of him was mediocre at best. Norman was a prized recruit from the 2009 class. His freshman year was a bit of a waste in my estimation as he wasn’t able to beat out Denson, and his limited playing time indicated that he could have benefitted from a redshirt year. Hopefully the experience he gained throughout last season and heading into spring will pay off and he will become the defensive difference maker that this team has lacked for many years.

MSU will be in a bit of a rebuilding mode with the secondary so spring practice will be an opportunity for many players who saw spot duty last season and several redshirt freshmen to stake their claim as a starter.

One returning starter is Chris L. Rucker. He had an up and down year in 2009 high lighted by a team high seven pass breakups. He only managed one interception, but was credited with forcing two fumbles. The one interception is a bit discomforting seeing how often opponents threw the ball against the Spartan defense. One of his most disheartening moments was when he dropped an apparent interception that would have prevented ND from scoring the go ahead touchdown. A player of his caliber should definitely have more than one interception, and dropping interceptions is not acceptable. He ended the year suspended from the bowl game due to the Rather Hall incident. As inconsistent as his play was in 2009 he definitely could have benefitted from the additional practice time.

Backing up Rucker is redshirt sophomore Johnny Adams. Adams had a respectable freshman campaign in 2008 and was expected to make an impact last year. Because of some medical issues the staff saw fit to have him redshirt and recover fully. He has decent height for a corner at 5′11″, but at 165 pounds he definitely could use an additional 15 pounds of solid muscle. If Adams is 100% healthy I would not be surprised to see him unseat Rucker. He showed an ability to play the ball in the air and has excellent speed, and the fact that he isn’t affraid to hit despite his small frame makes him a strong candidate. Behind Adams is redshirt freshman Dana Dixon, who at 6′2″ is one of the taller corners on the team.

Expect some shifting for the other corner spot as redshirt freshman Patrick White is the only one listed after the graduation of Ware and Weaver. Adams is the most logical candidate because of his experience.

MSU returns two safeties with playing experience is redshirt sophomore Trenton Robinson, and senior Marcus Hyde. Robinson won the starting spot at the start of 2009 but eventually was replaced by Dan Fortener, as his play was too inconsistent and he made numerous freshman mistakes. Hopefully he learned enough that he can assume the responsibility of making the secondary calls. Redshirt freshman Denicos Allen is listed as Hyde’s backup, and the owner of one of the most menacing looks on the Spartan football team. Another redshirt freshman safety is Jarius Jones, who has not been mentioned either positively or negatively regarding his performance on the scout team and is Robinson’s replacement.  The fact that the safety position is responsible for making the calls for the secondary, and how poorly it was handled this past season is reason for concern in 2010.

The secondary is an enigma. Mark Dantonio’s reputation was founded on his ability to coach and develop strong, tough, secondary units. Unfortunately he has not been able to transfer those same skills and abilities to his present secondary coach, Harlon Barnett. The consistent under performing play and repeated mental and fundamental breakdowns by this group over the past three seasons makes me question his competency. Dantonio has become more involved with this unit by spending time with the safeties. Will that be enough to correct the absymal play of the secondary? The answer will be determined when the team hits the field in September, but heading into spring ball this unit is the weakest part of the defense and their collective inexperience could exacerbate the problem.

Pre-spring football outlook offense

MSU loses four starters on offense, three from the offensive line (Nitchman, Moss. Cironi) and one impact player in wide receiver Blair White.

The offensive line was a concern going into the 2009 season. Nitchman received mention as candidate for the Rimington Award, but it was more of a token gesture as he was not a dominant center. He played hard, did what he was asked based on his abilities, but had too many limitations to warrant true consideration for this award. His backup for all of 2009 was John Stipek, who when called upon fared about the same as Nitchman. Given that Stipek had limited experience at this position and was learning to make line calls, having some one of his stature play to the level of a three-year starter showed just how pedestrian the Spartans were at this position. The battle this spring, depending upon Stipek’s eligibility will be between him and redshirt freshman Nate Klatt. If Stipek doesn’t return look for Ethan Ruhland to be pushed into battling Klatt. At this point the position appears to be Klatt’s to lose, and even if he is the best prospect, having a freshman responsible for making the line calls is a tall order.

Rocko Cironi never appeared 100 percent healthy after returning from off season shoulder surgery. He was definitely the best option at left tackle, but the alternatives were redshirt freshman John Deyo, or sliding D.J. Young over from his right tackle position and having J. Michael Deane replace him. Deyo is still a work in progress and Young struggled enough at right tackle that having him play the all important left tackle position was just as much a crap shoot. Besides Deyo, the spring audition for left tackle will include converted redshirt junior defensive tackle Antonio Jeremiah, redshirt freshman and top 2009 recruit David Barrent. Many are hoping that Barrent lives up to his ranking and becomes the standout left tackle that MSU desires to protect the quarterbacks backside, but he too will be coming off surgery so his development will likely be hindered. Jeremiah is the wild card in all of this presently. I hate to use the term failure, but he just never lived up to his high profile rating as a defensive tackle. Maybe the switch to offense will help light a fire under this young man, but I’m not expecting anything more than him being a serviceable backup.

Brendon Moss at right guard was more of a desperation move then anything else. MSU juggled their offensive line repeatedly the first four games, hoping to find the right combination. Moss was the best out of a very limited number of qualified candidates. Jarred McGaha won the spot heading out of fall camp, but his performance the first two games was excruciating to watch. He was often pushed into the backfield by his man, or was just a step slow at getting to his assignment on sweeps. Not wanting to take the redshirt off of Micajah Reynolds because he was not ready, inexperienced, or whatever the reason, he wasn’t an option. The Spartans will head into spring camp hoping to find someone, anyone whow can play at least to the minimum ability of Moss.

The returning starters, Foreman and Young need to really step up their games. Joel Foreman seemed to suffer from the sophomore slump, and will hopefully will regain his freshman form that was often dominating. He is backed up by redshirt sophomores Ethan Ruhland and Chris McDonald. Both saw limited action in 2009 and did nothing to set them apart or challenge Foreman. Young will be pushed heavily by redshirt freshman Henry Conway for the right tackle position. Deane probably took a huge step backward losing bowl practice time due to suspension. It was time he could not afford to lose and if he and Conway end up neck and neck, expect the coaching staff to opt for the younger Conway.

Potentially MSU could end up starting four redshirt freshman on their 2010 offensive line, depending if Young can keep his job, or at a minimum, three. Not the best situation considering how horribly the line struggled run blocking against upper tier opponents. Inexperience of the offensive line could potentially be MSU’s down fall from achieving a better record in 2010.

Replacing Blair White may not appear to be a huge issue, but until the rest of the receiving unit shows a propensity to catch what is thrown to them on a more consistent basis his departure will be felt. Again MSU lost valuable bowl practice time due to the suspensions of Cunningham, Dell, Rucker, Smith and White. Keshawn Martin is emerging as MSU’s big play threat, whether he is catching passes, throwing passes, running reverses or taking snaps from the Wildcat formation. MSU needs to find a capable compliment to Martin or risk having him continually shadowed by opponents and minimizing his effectiveness. Donald Spencer and Bennie Fowler are two redshirt freshman that should be able to press for reps this spring after having benefitted from the extra bowl practices.

The tightend position remains a true strength with four very capable players in Gantt, Linthicum, Celek and Sims, even if they seemed to play a limited roll in the offense in 2009. From my ten thousand foot view, Gantt and Celek are the most consistent blockers with good hands and respectable speed. Linthicum and Sims are two defensive coordinator nightmares as they create huge mismatches due to their sheer size and speed. The fifth member is redshirt freshman Derek Hoebing who could still end up moving inside to a tackle position if he cannot crack the rotation in 2011 after Gantt graduates.

The combination of Edwin Baker and Larry Caper has the potential to be the greatest combination of running backs in MSU history. My fear is that the offensive line will not develop enough to make that a reality. It would be a shame to not see either of these two reach their true potential because of an inadequate offensive line. With the attrition at this position due to departures, terminations and graduation this once loaded unit is extremely bare. 2009 recruits Nick Hill and Leveon Bell have seized the opportunity by enrolling early and being able to participate in winter conditioning and spring practice. One or both will likely receive reps this coming season to help spell Baker and Caper as well as bolster a thin depth chart.

The quarterback situation worked itself out with Cousins having a very respectable first year as a starter. Not to take anything away from Keith Nichol who performed admirably in his limited duties, it was imperative the MSU settle on a single quarterback. Going forward Cousins will hopefully have learned from his mistakes and become a capable winning quarterback. With the talk of Nichol spending more time in the receiving corps Dantonio could be taking a gamble by having a redshirt freshman Andrew Maxwell as the backup. True, Nichol could always step in if Cousins were to go down, but why move him to receiver if he would be the first option off the bench. Without knowing much about Maxwell’s development thus far, I would be very nervous having to rely on a backup who has not seen any game action. Will Cousins become more of a target for opponents, knowing that if he is one bad hit away from being replaced by a very green rookie?

With the Honeymoon over, now what?

42-14.

Not much to say other than I was off by 7 points (predicted 42-7 PSU win at www.spartantailgate.com). I hate it when I am right, especially when it comes to a Spartan loss.

Everything that I have been writing about these past few months regarding the issues with this team was in full display on Saturday. An offensive line that can’t compete against an upper tier conference team. A defensive line that suffers the same mallady. A secondary who cannot make plays on the ball, and an overall defense that repeatedly blows coverages (linebackers and DB’s),

The worst part was the way that this coaching staff was once again schooled by JoePa and his crew. I have to admit that I have been a JoePa fan for more than forty years, dating back to the 1969 Orange Bowl. The guy knows how to find a teams weakness and exploit it to the fullest. Unfortunately MSU has made it relatively easy on him these past 16 years because of poor coaching, a lack of talent, and typically a combination of both. Saturday Dantonio was victim to the latter.

The things that were very apparent were the team speed that PSU had over MSU and the quickness off the ball that each of their lines possessed. The PSU running backs and linebackers were a step faster at hitting the hole or getting to the outside. Their offensive line routinely pushed the Spartan front four back and sustained blocks without much opposition. The Nittany Lion front four played most of the game in the MSU backfield as they repeatedly beat the Spartan they were facing off the ball. Going into this game I didn’t expect much from the MSU lines based on how they have played this year and they didn’t do anything to alter my opinion that they are nothing more than average at best.

Breaking down the respective units this is what I have concluded.

Quarterbacks: Cousins and Nichol are a solid one-two combination. Coach Warner has done a masterful job in my opinion with these two as well as Brian Hoyer in 2007 and 2008. He has shown the ability to develop young quarterbacks, but has also benefitted from having quality talent. With Maxwell having a year under his belt I expect him to push for the backup roll in 2010. Boisture will hopefully continue the burgeoning upgrade in talent for this position.

Running Backs: Winston, Baker, Caper and Leggett are a solid stable of running backs that Coach Dan Enos has at his disposal. Aside from their early issues they all had with fumbling the ball, they have all shown they are capable of stepping in without much in the way of a drop off in performance. Give credit to Enos for developing this group. My only concern is that their collective talent may never be realized because of MSU’s apparent lack of developing a viable offensive line to open holes for them.

Receivers: MSU appears to be continuing in their legacy of having outstanding wide receivers and tightends. The Spartans have not only recruited these positions well, but they have also get contributions from walk-ons. Don Treadwell has done an admirable job keeping the WR pipeline going with a strong list of quality players that improve the overall performance because of the competition. The tightend position is equally as strong with four top quality players. Mark Staten handles this group along with the tackles, and has definitely been aided by the talent of Gantt, Linthicum, Celek and Sims. When you lead the league in passing offense it is difficult to find issues, but this group as a whole could be even better if they can cutdown on their dropped passes. I would also appreciate MSU utilizing the TE a bit more as they pose matchup problems defensively.

Offensive Line: This is where it all comes crashing down for MSU. To me it is a bit of a catch twenty-two situation. The MSU coaches (Staten and Roushar) have not developed a dependable offensive line because of a lack of talent, and offensive talent hasn’t been developed because of what I perceive to be a lack of coaching. All to often these past three years MSU has looked overmatched. It is especially noticeable when they play the top four teams (OSU, PSU, UW and Iowa). The offensive line has seen a steady decline in each of the last three seasons. Part of the issue has been attrition in the frst two recruiting classes. First MSU loses two from the 2007 recruiting class when Chase Dumphord leaves after a week on campus, then Arthor Ray Jr. is diagnosed with cancer, 2008 class member Anthony Woods gets dismissed from the team because of off field issues. The 2009 class could become the saving grace, but their contribution and performance will not be assessed until 2010 when Klatt, Barrent and Conway will be redshirt freshman and experiencing their first taste of competition. Aside from these three and Joel Foreman the remaining depth at MSU is filled with players that can best be described as true projects. They will eventually be nothing more than just program players and not provide much in the way of contribution to the overall performance.

The play calling has come under scrutiney the past two seasons as being too conservative, but in reality Treadwell is limited as to what he can run because of the poor play of the offensive line. I am sure if MSU would have been able to establish a sound running game this year their record would be much different. Dantonio desires a power running game, and he will have to evaluate if that is possible based on the talent he has and the quality of the coaching they receive. I don’t expect any changes until after next year if improvement is not shown.

Defensive Line: Aside from James Worthy I struggle to find a true Big Ten quality defensive lineman on the MSU roster. Again this is a catch twenty-two situation. The talent hasn’t been there, but neithr has Ted Gill’s coaching. Gill came to MSU with an impressive resume, but I am now left questioning his ability especially when teams like PSU, Iowa and Wisconsin routinely lose quality defensive linemen and hardly miss a beat with the replacements. Wilson is at best an average defensive lineman, while Neely, Pickelman, Hoover are a notch below that. Treadwell showed some upside, but I don’t know if Gill can take he and Worthy to the next level. As I mentioned in a previous article rarely do you see a Spartan defensive lineman put their arms up and try to disrupt a quartrbacks sight line or attempt to knock down a pass. It would not surprise me if in-state recruit Carl Davis decided on Iowa because of the superior defensive line coaching he will receive in Iowa City. MSU better be careful because they may lose Gholston if he too realizes that the quality of coaching he will be receiving at MSU is below average. Without a capable defensive line MSU will be no better than a middle of the pack team. This unit, along with the secondary are two of the biggest disappointments when taking a three year review.

Linebacker: After Greg Jones the drop off is noticeable. Eric Gordon is a warrior in the truest sense, but he just doesn’t have the ability of other conference linebackers. MSU has used a grab bag of players at the third linebacking position, none of which have come remotely close to playing at a respectable level of consistency. I have to wonder if Jones has become the player he is because of Tressel’s influence or inspite of it. There has been no other true development of a linebacker outside of Jones. If it is a talent issue then MSU is going to continue on a downward spiral in the performance from this unit as none of the redshirt or true freshman have made an impact. I, along with many Spartan fans were hoping that Chris Norman would have the freshman impact that Jones made in 2007, but he came nowhere near unseating any of the starters. MSU has the numbers with Misch, Stevens, Gardiner, Gainer, Trawick, Hammock, and Drone, yet their best options these past two years have been a converted wide receiver (Ryan Allison) and a former walk-on running back (Denson).

Secondary: After three years I hae seen little to no improvement in the performance from this group and I attribute that exclusively to the lack of coaching by Harlon Barnett. In 2007 the excuse for MSU giving up the big pass play was because of a lack of talent. Last year it was the inexperience that caused the repeated breakdowns and surrendering the long pass plays. This year the secondary was sold as finally having the experience and talent, yet again they struggle at defending receivers and routinely have breakdowns and miscommunication that results in blown coverages and giving up big plays through the air. In my opinion this group has actually regressed from their poor 2008 performance and that reflects directly on Barnett’s ability to coach. I am often left wondering how/why a successful defensive back coach like Dantonio would allow this to continue. As long as Barnett is the secondary coach I don’t expect any improvement.

When you add up all the issues surrounding the MSU defense is it any wonder why people are also screaming for Pat Narduzzi’s head? The more games I watch the more I see the same repeated errors, mental and physical, that result in MSU failing to stop an opponent. Right now I would say it is a 30-70 split between talent and coaching for the defensive woes. MSU simply does not have enough playmakers on this side of the ball to make a difference, but does not have competent enough defensive coaches to properly instruct the players.

All the issues, both offensively and defensively fall on the shoulders of Mark Dantonio. My personal opinion is that he has done a very respectable job his first three years here and I still believe he is the right coach for MSU. What doomed Dantonio this year were the high expectations. If he had suffered a 6-6 in 2008 and had the 9-3 record this year everyone would be happy and commenting on how this team is improving and heading in the right direction. Instead the breakdowns that plagued the team last year were magnified in 2009 because they resulted in losses, and not the last minute wins.

The honeymoon is definitely over for Dantonio.

Too Little Too Late in 2009, Hope in Future

With the final regular season game set for Saturday I can only reflect on the season the might have been.

The team just never jelled or gave the feeling that they would sustain the momentum generated the previous year. The defense which was supposed to be the strength of this team has failed miserably in my estimation. I for one did not expect the loss of Otis Wiley to have the impact that it did on this unit. The secondary repeatedly missed assignments. blew coverages and in those rare instances when they were in position they failed to breakup the pass or come away with an interception. The missed assignments I can attribute to lack of experience by some of the DB’s, but the lack of ability to play the ball when it is in the air reflects poorly on the position coach. That to me shows a deficiency in teaching technique. Truthfully, I am disappointed in Harlan Barnett and don’t believe this unit will improve much under his leadership.

The offensive line was a concern going into the season, and after there rather pedistrian showing in the opener it was apparent that this was going to be the weak link in the offense. Of the starting five, only one, Joel Foreman, did I consider an above average lineman. All the rest were serviceable and throughout the season have done little to alter my opinion. The unfortunate part is that MSU loses three of the starters to graduation, and the backups obviously haven’t impressed enough to unseat any of them. The jury will be out on Klatt, Barrent, and Conway, the three top candidates to fill the vacancies. They will be pressed by Ruhland, Deyo, McDonald, McGaha, Hueter, and Deane for playing time, but the bits and pieces I have seen of their play this year has left me with the feeling that things are going to be difficult again along the front five.

The defensive line has performed adequately but at times still gets overmatched. Teams appeared to have little difficulty in establishing a running game against the Spartans. The pass rush, sans using the blitz has struggled. Rarely has the front four been able to pressure the quarterback. Some will say that it is difficult to pressure offenses that employ a 3 or 5 step drop, and I have no arguement with that, but the fact remained even with this short drop the quarterback was able to remain in the pocket, free of pressure for a much longer time. Often times pass plays were allowed to develop because the front four never came close to getting to the quarterback. What made it even worse is the fact that the defensive linemen rarely put there arms up and attempted to disrupt the quarterbacks passing lanes. Gill came to MSU with a reputation of being able to develop quality defensive linemen and being strong in the teaching of technique. I am not seeing it, especially when teams like Wisconsin and Iowa routinely have defensive lines that rarely experience a dropoff in production.

Greg Jones and Eric Gordon have done an admirable job at linebacker and will continue to be the strength of the defense in 2010. What is truly sad is the fact that MSU has not been able to find a suitable third linebacker from the list of candidates that includes Jon Misch, Drew Stevens, Steve Gardiner, Jeremy Gainer, TyQuan Hammock, or Chris Norman. You would think that one of these players would be able to crack the starting lineup instead of having to utilize a converted WR and walk-on running back the last two seasons. What is even more disheartening is the fact that Brynden Trawick has been moved from safety to linebacker. MSU needs to find another playmaker at linebacker because Jones and Gordon only have one more year.

The positives from this season has definitely been the development of Kirk Cousins. Not to take anyting away from Keith Nichol, but Cousins clearly out performed him in all his early season opportunities. Besides being one of the best young quarterbacks in the conference he is also a true team leader. Though the QB competition will probably remain between these two, Cousins has set the bar extremely high for anyone vying for the position. I can only hope that Maxwell and eventually Boisture will learn from the example set by Cousins.

Lorenzo White is the running back that all Spartan backs are typically judged. Javon Ringer was a great back as well, but in my estimation White is still the benchmark. At the start of the season there was a great deal of uncertainty as to who would become the featured back. Ashton Leggett came out of spring holding a slight advantege over Caulton Ray, but was eventually surpassed by him as well as the two highly touted freshmen, Larry Caper and Edwin Baker. The status of Glenn Winston also added to the confusion. After a complete season the situation has cleared up some. Ray decided to quit the team after getting passed by Caper and Baker after Winston went down with a season ending injury. Leggett re-emerged (at least for one game against a very mediocre WMU team) as a possibility. MSU will go into 2010 with multiple options once again. If Winston returns completely healed he will definitely battle both Caper and Baker. Leggett will likely remain a situational back based on his size.

Coming into 2009 there was concern as to who would step up in the receiving corps to complement Blair White. White, the most sure handed of the Spartan receivers has emerged as a favorite target. His eight touchdown receptions lead the conference. There was an abundance of viable candiates in Mark Dell, B.J. Cunningham, and Keshawn Martin if they would just learn to hold onto the ball. Dell and Martin still suffer from a case of the drops, but Cunningham has become a very reliable receiver and somewhat of a deep threat. Martin is an electrifying player when he touches the ball. He has excellent field vision as displayed by several long kickoff returns and the flanker sweeps he has run. He reminds me of former Nebraska star Johnny Rogers, for those of you old enough to remember him. The tightend situation is crowded with four players who would easily be starting for six conference teams. Gantt, Celek, Linthicum and Sims each bring a different dimension to the position. My only complaint is that this group is not getting utilized to their fullest.

The Spartan kicking game has been solid with a touch of being spectacular at times. Brett Swenson has done nothing to diminish his consideration for the Groza Award. He is almost automatic from fifty yards in, and his recent improvement on kickoffs should help him get a look by some NFL teams. Aaron Bates has been steady and maintains a 42 yard average. MSU will miss Swenson next year but hopefully Muma and Conroy have been able to pick up some pointers from the MSU scoring leader. Having Bates for his final year will hopefully help prepare incoming freshman Mike Sadler when he eventually takes over the punting duties.

My final regular season gripe deals with team chemistry and leadership. I can’t help but think that some of the troubles MSU had performance wise were due in part to disgruntled players. Ray and Anderson left the team abruptly. Ray’s behavior was really troubling as he came off acting like a spoiled child. Anderson wasn’t playing and his opportunities were all but over with the emergence of Caper and Baker. I just wonder how much of their attitude affected the overall locker room mentality and team chemistry.

Trevor Anderson and Greg Jones had the coaches leave the locker room at half time last Saturday so that they could talk to the team. Dantonio was proud that his two top defensive players stepped up and took leadership roles and stated so in his post game interviews. My question is, “Why did it take them so long to finally speak up?” Hey fellas, here’s a news flash, you were selected captains because others on this team look up to you for guidance and direction, especially when things aren’t going your way. It wasn’t until your season was almost a total bust that you decided to let your teammates know they weren’t playing to their capabilities. Shameful.

Earlier in the year Cousins organized a players only meeting. It was an appropriate gesture for a team that had suffered several close heart wrenching losses. Cousins obviously saw something within the Spartan locker room that concerned him and wanted to stem any negative attitudes that was occurring. Unfortunately this meeting did little to light a fire under this team as they continued to under perform. The losses to CMU, ND and Minnesota were unacceptable. Allowing UM back into a game that the Spartans controlled for the first fifty-five minutes was equally as bad, and the unpreparedness and lack of emotion shown by this team against Wisconsin reflects directly upon the coaching staff.

Will the real Spartan team please stand up.

So MSU decided to beat up on the lowly Broncos of Western Michigan, whoopee! Sorry for my sarcastic attitude, but I still see too many mental breakdowns by this team to make me overly optimistic about the final two games of the 2009.

Don’t be fooled by the rushing stats against WMU that the Spartans have now found their running game. MSU struggled rushing the ball against a Minnesota team that was giving up 177 on the ground. The saddest part was the MSU offensive lines continued inability to get a sufficient push in short yardage situations. The Spartan OL made the Gophers front four appear as it they were the famed Pittsburgh “Steel Curtain”. Now comes the Boilermakers who are giving up on average 173 yards, and nothing short of a miracle will allow MSU to come remotely close to that number. I base this on several factors regarding MSU and Purdue. Purdue will be playing inspired being that it is senior day and they will be motivated to win their final two games to become bowl eligible. MSU has historically played poorly in West Lafayette, and Dantonio’s staff and team have typically under performed in most games of consequence this season (sans Iowa). Throw in the secondary’s inability to make plays, and you have the makings of another road loss.

Joey Elliott may not be Dan LeFevour, Jimmy Clausen or Adam Weber, but the Spartan secondary has a way of making each of these quarterbacks look like bonafide first round draft choices. Like any quarterback who is given time, he will pick apart a defense. MSU has not been able to supply an adequate pass rush without blitzing. Elliott will likely be able able to find his open tigthend when MSU decides to blitz, otherwise he will be able to stand in the pocket long enough to wait for one of his receivers to get open because the Spartan won’t be able to pressure with their four down linemen. The sad truth is that MSU has not been consistently able to get off the field on third downs.

I don’t know which team will show up this weekend, the one that played Iowa to a defensive stalemate or the one that has found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Accoutability, Da Bang Stick, and perspective

Let me first state the I am proud that Mark Dantonio took responsibility for the loss on Saturday night, however that still doesn’t exonerate him or his staff from the absolutely horrendous job of coaching.

Redzone offensive play calling was once again questionable, especially short yardage situations where the only option appears to be poorly designed running plays that the defense know where the play is going. I understand that Dantonio wants a power running game, however this offensive line has not exhibited any reliability in being able to sustain blocks or move defenders off the line of scrimmage. At some point the staff has to realize that it is more important to score touchdowns once inside the redzone. Yeah it is macho to maul a defense and have your backs run over defenders, but MSU doesn’t have that ability with the five they have blocking this year. It’s time to for this staff to leave their egos in the lockerroom and concern themselves with what they do do well, throw the football. The TE’s have been an underutilized aspect of this offense, especially in the red zone.

I believe that much of the offensive woes can be attributed to the play of the line. In all honesty I see it as a two-fold issue. The coaching combination of Roushar and Staten has had mixed reviews since coming to East Lansing. They haven’t had much in the way of talent to work with, and this year it became very apparent with the constant shuffling. The best lineman is Foreman, but even he has appeared to take a step backwards this year. Nitchman, Moss, Young and Cironi are average at best. The scary part is MSU will lose three of these starters at seasons end, and could likely have three redshirt freshman (Klatt, Barrent, Thorton) as replacements. Folks, the MSU running game could actually be worse in 2010.

Defensively the issues have continued to be the secondary and it’s inability to cover receivers. Besides routinely giving up the big play, this group struggles to break up or intercept passes. I don’t believe it is due to a lack of talent or inexperience, which only leaves coaching. To put it bluntly, Harlon Barnett is not cutting it as the secondary coach. Before everyone comes down on me for slandering a Spartan legend, let’s be honest, do any of the DB’s remotely play like he did back in the day? Has any of the secondary members showed a knack for playing the ball when it is in the air? If I am missing something let me know because I’m not seeing it, and that falls directly on the coach.

My concern is that Dantonio’s loyalty may cloud his vision and prevent him from effectively evaluate the job his assistants are doing. Dantonio definitely allows his coaches to use their discretion in how to coach their respective units, but since the success or failure of this team falls on his shoulders I hope he emphasives the need for improvement.

Okay, I’m done beating up on the players and staff. In fact things were brought into perspective on Sunday when I had a discussion with a good friend of mine who is the defensive coordinator at Wake Forest. Wake lost in the waning minutes to Miami as they drove the length of the field to score the winning touchdown. We both lamented on how upsetting the losses by MSU and Wake were, but he just looked at me and said, “Let’s remember it’s just a game, and as much as we want our teams to win, sometimes it just isn’t our day.” He went on to say how every defensive set he used in Miami’s final drive was countered. There were minor breakdowns, as there is on every play, but the Hurricane QB and receivers made the correct decision in every situation. He knows much better than I how his decisions will be second guessed by all the armchair quarterbacks, and told how he should have done this or that. But the fact remains he is the one that has studied hours of game films, knows the oppositions tendencies in just about every situation, and makes the decision that puts his players on the best position to win. And like Dantonio takes responsibility for the loss.

Time for MSU to regroup, again

What is it with MSU and last minutes losses? The words, “Two minute warning” now strike fear into the hearts of Spartan fans. it seams that no matter how large a lead the Spartans have, an opponent will find a way to overcome the deficit and pull out a victory. It’s become a repeated pattern since CMU. Cousins leads the team down the field for what appears to be a game winning drive only to have the defense suddenly appear incapable of stopping anyone. The only game in which the Spartans had a final shot was ND, but Cousins overthrew Caper in the endzone and then followed that up with an interception. CMU, UM and Iowa all were able to mount game winning/tying drives as time expired that cost MSU wins.

I don’t want to sound like a homer but this team is young and has not learned how to close out a win in a close ball game. Has the offense been to conservative at times? Yes, but the offensive line has not been dominant to make the offense be effective. Dantonio wants to establish the run but hasn’t been ableto do that because of the average play of the line. Even with Cousins and the receiving threats MSU has at their disposal teams are still able to shutdown the Spartan running game, even without stacking the box. Don’t use the season ending injury to Winston as the reason because the problem lies at the point of attack. The offensive line is simply not moving opponents off the line of scrimmage.

Many of you were probably just as exasperated with the MSU offense when they could not punch it in from a yard out on four tries. A bootleg would have been nice, but with Cousins coming off a severe ankle sprain, and the unknown status of Nichol probably negated the chance of Cousin running and risking an injury. Still the line needs to move people off the line. This is going to be an issue the remainder of the season and further hinder the offense, especially if weather conditions are not favorable to the passing game.

Has the defense mproved? Yes, and I wish MSU could replay some of the earlier games because I am almost certain the outcome would be different. Prevent defense aside, the defense has played at the level I expected since the Wisconsin game. There is still room for improvement, but overall this unit has the making for a championship type defense.

With all that being said, I have some concerns about the game Saturday with the Gophers. As mentioned, the weather does not appear to be conducive for throwing the ball. Temperatures are expected to be in the thirties, with 20 mph winds with gusts up to 30. UM is giving up 177.9 yards/game, second worst only to Illinois. MSU gained 193 yards against the Illini and will need another similar performance if they want to come away with their fifth win.

Defensively the Gophers are last in rushing offense and that plays into MSU’s strength. The passing game revolves around Weber throwing to Decker, much in the same way Cousins and White are a combination. Expect the weather to be a determining factor in the outcome of this game, with the team that is able to establish a running game and limit the turnovers, winning.

History is not on MSU’s side in Big Games

Forgive me if I don’t sound enthusiastic about MSU’s chances Saturday against Iowa, but the short history of the Dantonio era in “Big Games” has not been spectacular. To me a “Big Game” requires players to step up and make plays consistently and coaches to have their team mentally and physically prepared.

In 2007 MSU had two games that I consider meet the classification of being a “Big Game,” PSU and BC. Yes I understand that Dantonio beat ND his first time out, and that they played a close game against a far superior UM team, but to me a “Big Game” is when something of importance is on the line.

Against PSU they fell behind and managed to claw their way back to eventually win the game that gave them a respectacle 7-5 record. The team showed resolve by not throwing in the towel and the coaches displayed some daring by calling for a fake punt that kept a drive alive and allowed them to score the winning touchdown.

The second big game in 2007 was the Champs Bowl game against BC where they team played respectably in the loss, but had one of its leaders fail miserably.

Last year MSU had “Big Games” against Cal, OSU, PSU and UGA. The Cal opener saw MSU’s defense make too many mistakes to consistently stop the Bears offense, while the offensive line was simply overmatched at times and never could open holes for Ringer.

MSU was overwhelmed in both contests against OSU and PSU, coming out completely flat and appearing ill prepared. Players made enough mistakes in these two games for an entire season, and exhibited a deer-in-the-headlights performance. One can understand this happening once to a young team that is still learning, but when it happened a second time it exposed some of the deficiencies in the coaches ability to prepare this team. MSU made a bit of a recovery against Georgia in the bowl, but after going into halftime with a slim lead, the second half showed little in the way of imagination to get the offense untracked.

Now the 2009 season has already provided enough drama in the first seven games to make me wonder if this team is capable of beating anyone that has equal or slightly better talent then themselves.

Against Wisconsin both MSU lines were manhandled. The offensive line was feeble in their attempts at run blocking, and the defensive line never got close enough to Tolzien to cause him any concern. The team once again appeared to be uninterested and lacking enthusiasm, and that falls directly upon the shoulders of the coaches. If MSU shows the same level of motivation against the Hawkeyes, this game will get ugly quickly. Hopefully the team will play for pride and not allow a team to come into Spartan Stadium, smack them in the mouth and take their lunch money without putting up a fight.

Okay, enough bashing of MSU because this team does have the ability to be a legitimate contender, but it is going to take a total team effort.

My abbreviated scouting of Iowa consists mainly of having watched their game against the Badgers. What I picked up on was Iowa’s difficulty in running outside the tackles against UW. The Hawkeyes pounded the middle of the line, meaning that Worthy and Wilson will have to really step up their game.

The Iowa OL engaged the Badgers front four and got them flowing in one direction and allowed the backs to cut back. If MSU doesn’t overpursue they could keep the Hawkeyes from ripping off 8 and 9 yard runs.

Stanzi is a good quarterback and I noticed that he effectively rolls out to find receivers. One play that he runs flawlessly is a reverse rollout that looks like a naked bootleg. This play allows him to either run or throw depending on what the OLB decides to do. If the OLB comes up to stop the run, Stanzi will throw to his TE that is left uncovered by the OLB. Since Iowa is not a spread offense I would play Decker at the MIKE and use Gordon and Jones on the outside. Having Jones move to the outside will cause issues for Iowa on how to block him.

The Wisconsin secondary played soft coverage and was allowing a 7/8 yard cushion. This allowed Stanzi to repeatedly hit short slants and keep moving the chains. MSU would be better served playing a press coverage and disrupt the Iowa receivers directly at the line of scrimmage.

MSU’s OL will have to do a much better job at run blocking than what they showed against the Badgers. Iowa’s defensive line engages the offensive line and reads where the play is going. Their primary purpose is to occupy the lineman in front of them and allow the linebackers and safties to come up play the run. If I was Treadwell I would strongly consider running another flea-flicker play because the Hawkeyes back seven react and come up quickly in run support. The OL is going to have its hands full in trying to contain DE Adrian Clayborn and DT Karl Klug, especially in pass blocking.

The MSU passing game needs to incorporate the TE’s to a greater degree. I expect White to be blanketed by the Iowa secondary, leaving the middle routes run by Gantt, Linthicom and Celeck to be available.

As I said at the beginning of this article, MSU’s history in “Big Games” under Dantonio has not been spectacular, will it improve Saturday night? Time will tell.

The Good, the bad and the Ugly at midseason

MSU has managed to even their record over the last three games with wins over UM and Illinois after dropping the Big Ten opener at Wisconsin.

I hate to sound like a prophet, but the things I wrote about have come true. Cousins has definitely taken the reins at quarterback. He had a strong performance against UM and even though he did not play against Illinois (feign a snap or two to end the game) Nichol did little to wrestle the starting spot away from him.

Larry Caper is showing the talent that made him a 4-star recruit. His overall game has really improved. We’ll learn more about this young mans durability over the next six games as he will likely receive the lions share of the work running the ball. It’s too bad that Glenn Winston tore his ACL and is out for the remainder of the season as he and Caper were becoming a formidable one-two punch. The door is now open for Ray or another back to step up and handle the carries that would have gone to Winston. One thing that Caper and Winston were benefitting from was the improved play of the offensive line.  The replacement will as well.

Speaking of the OL, as long as the starting five of Cironi, Foreman, Nitchman, Moss and Young can remain intact, MSU’s running game should flourish. The pass protection has been solid as well, allowing both Cousins and Nichol adequate time to stand in the pocket and find receivers.

My comment about Wiley possibly being a bigger loss than Ringer it was just my speculating on the reasons for the repeated breakdowns by the secondary over the first three games. Not to take anything away from Trent Robinson, but Dan Fortener has really solidified the secondary the last few games. There have been fewer breakdowns in coverage, and I attribute that to his veteran experience. Robinson may have more natural ability, but until he understands the mental part of the game better he will be a liability. Fortener reads formations better and is able to make the proper coverage call thus eliminating some of those breakdowns. This is one instance where the lesser physically talented player is showing that his knowledge and experience trumps raw ability.

The tightend position has continued to confirm its status as a team strength. Gantt and Linthicum have not been unseated by highly rated Dion Sims, even after Sims showed plenty of skill against Montana State. Garret Celek has returned from an undisclosed injury to drop Sims to fourth on the depth chart and pricipitating Dantonio to now try him at DE. I would appreciate seeing more involvement from this group as receivers because in their limited receiving opportunities they have shined.

The receiving corps of White, Cunningham, Martin and Dell have performed better than last year, but still have issues with hanging onto the ball, especially the last two mentioned. Of the four I am most impressed with the improvement of Cunningham. He appears to have corrected the issues he was having with drops, and his leaping catches remind me of a young Lance Alworth (okay, I’m showing my age)

Now for the bad news.

For all the talk about the improved pass rush, let’s keep it in perspective. MSU’s front four was shutout against a respectable Wisconsin OL, while they feasted on the horrendous line play of UM and Illinois. Before I crown this defensive front as being improved, I want to see how they perform against the likes of Iowa and PSU. Anderson, Wilson, Worthy and Neely will need to show that they can more than handle their won against the upper tier teams.

MIA’s: Where the heck is Tyler Hoover? Unless this he is injured, he apppears to be the last option when MSU rotates DE’s. Strayhorn, a walk-on, Rolf, a converted linebacker, are seeing more time than Hoover. Even Mike Decker gets more playing time. Before the season started I wondered about Hoover’s ability and with each passing day he seems to be drifting more into obscurity.

These next three games (NU, Iowa, Minnesota) are going to detemine if MSU will contend for the conference title or possibly end up with a 6-6 record. Having a healthy Cousins and the defense front four stepping up will greatly improve MSU’s chances of achieving a eight win or better season. I am still trying to determine the mettle of this team. Can they actually compete in big games when it is absolutely necessary, or will they be roll over and play dead like they did against OSU and PSU last year and UW this year?