2nd Best Mississippi State QB
- Thread starter Pak Drescott
- Start date
Quarterbacks at MSU have always been dependent on the OL, for a couple of reasons. One, the only obvious NFL talent we've ever had was Dak, and two, to overcome that, you just have to be an almost elite runner to pull it off (and most times if you are, you don't throw well enough). We've actually had quite a few good QBs who would maybe have half bad seasons and half good seasons because of the up and down OL from year to year. Tony Shell, Derrick Taite, Matt Wyatt, Wayne Madkin, Kevin Fant, Tyler Russell and now Blake Shapen......all showed flashes but just couldn't do much over the course of multiple seasons because of OL. And even the runners eventually have trouble. Sleepy got lucky in that he only played two seasons so not even time for it to catch up to him. Rogers had Leach, who knew the value of the OL.....which made Rogers look so much better than his actual ability.
The two most egregious things as far as QBs and MSU football was Moorhead's coaching of Fitzgerald (and obviously Mullen bailing on us) and Croom's coaching of Omarr Conner. And another that was bad but you can't call it egregious because it was bad luck was Leach not being able to coach Sawyer Robertson. Mullen actually had the ability to create passing opportunities for Fitzgerald to nearly make him a legit dual threat. Omarr had the ability to be like Pat White with the right coach as well.
That perfect setup just never seems to happen at MSU and Mullen dang near did it twice. So that tells you the type of QB we need right there. I could say Leach nearly did the same but I don't really even know what type of offenses are out there, Air Raid vs. run-based. What it tells me more than anything is we need a ball control offense and lead with defense. To minimize QB and OL.
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Obviously we will never know but I've often wondered what Don Smith under Mullen could have done.
Very possibly. I think he would have been in the heisman discussion because we would have been winning big with that defense and Fitz would have put up numbers in a Mullen Offense. He would have been the SEC's all time leading Rushing QB on probably a 10 win team. Might not get him an invite to NY but I feel like he definitely would have been in lots of discussions leading up to it.
I think you’re trying too hard to be a contrarian.
Dak is objectively the greatest MSU QB in history. Nobody with a brain would argue against that.
Parker was a great athlete, in the pre-integration era, when the lack of evolution in the passing game essentially made the QB just another RB. Really, not a whole lot that happened in that era really matters at all, because 90% of the best athletes weren’t allowed to play college football.
If you want to throw Parker in there in the discussion with Bond, Felker, Fitz, Madkin, Reed, and Don Smith as the 2nd greatest, then fine, but you’re going to have very similar issues comparing against them, too. I personally don’t believe in even looking at any data before 1966 when trying to determine who the best anything was at MSU. QB, RB, point guard, doesn’t matter.
1)That would be you.
2) That is sad. Those guys played when they played and they can't help that. You just threw our greatest ever basketball player out as well.