I Played Football for State from '09 - '13. Ask Me Anything.

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Swede39

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Some requested I start a thread for this so I figured I'd give it a whirl since I'm on my lunch break. Football or other, ask me anything.
 

dawgstudent

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Apr 15, 2003
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Did you ever roll your eyes when Mullen would call a fake punt at the most inopportune time?
 

klong-dog

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What really went down ? Living in Columbus, I've heard rumors of the **** he tried to pull with you.
 

Swede39

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Ha! For sure. His reasoning around most of those was that our future opponents would see it on film and have to prepare for it in their game plan. He called a fake punt on my first collegiate start against Memphis.
 

coach66

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Two, was Hev as bad a recruiter as we say

He is and was Mullen as bad a judge and developer of QB talent as I’ve been told privately?
 

UpTheMiddlex3Punt

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Was Mullen's job seeking palpable among the players, especially in the better years (2010, 2012)?

Was there anyone on the staff, based on how they interacted with you and the other players, who you thought was total dead weight?
 

Lettuce

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How was the team able to overcome a yankee trying to fit into the south via foot swag? Was that something he came with or did he develop that idea for recruiting? It’s lame AF regardless.
 

Forrest4Moore

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Nov 14, 2011
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Would you be frustrated if you were a punter, basically leading the nation in Net Punting, consistently driving the ball 45 yards with 5 seconds of hang time, never booming 60+ yarders, but never shanking 15 yarders, and a coach puts in your backup bc he had a “better week of practice” and has the leg for the occasional 65 yard punt, but also consistently shanks punts for 20 yards...?

Personally, I take the guaranteed 45 yarder every time over the risk of the alternative. But I didn’t invent football like the coach for the scenario I described.

I’ve been pissed about a scenario like this for 5 years. Wondering if you would feel the same. I’ll hang up and listen.
 

Dawgzilla

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Did you and/or your teammates have the sense that Mullen was looking for new jobs during the season, particularly in 2010 and 2012? And if so, did that seem to impact preparation for games late in the season?
 

vhdawg

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Are you sorry you weren't born three years earlier so you might have had opportunity to punt from the 30 at Athens GA?
 

johnson86-1

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Some requested I start a thread for this so I figured I'd give it a whirl since I'm on my lunch break. Football or other, ask me anything.

You claimed in another thread that punters were people too. What did you mean by that? Are you implying I should treat punters/kickers with respect or that they have real feelings like human beings? Or did you just mean, like, they consume calories and water like real people but I can continue to treat them as faceless, amorphous beings onto which I can pour all my frustrations?
 

DAWG61

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Would you rather your helmet smelled like the stadium cups all game or a Tijuana gas station *******?
 

FQDawg

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Just a few questions off the top of my head:

Can you dunk?
What are your thoughts on Gary Henderson? Do you think he should get the baseball head coaching job? If you don't, can you make sure to tell us dozens of times over multiple threads?
How do you get rid of mole crickets?
If you were going to get rid of cable, what online/streaming/digital option would you pick to replace it?
Tights under football uniforms, yay or nay?
Favorite fast food breakfast?
 

Swede39

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What really went down ? Living in Columbus, I've heard rumors of the **** he tried to pull with you.

Mullen was never really a fan of me. Technically I was a Croom recruit but counted towards Mullen's '09 class (remember I greyshirted). Mullen tried to cut me before I even started. In my first ever one-on-one meeting with him he tells me "You better good because I don't want you here. You're taking the slot of a potential 5 star I could sign". Nothing like a great first impression.

I've had a few previous employees at State tell me he tried to get me to quit multiple times early on. His plan was to let me play in 2011 then sign someone to take my spot. I ended up having a good year in 2011. He signed Bell (who is a good friend of mine). I ended up having an even better year in 2012. So I guess he saw the best time to do this was my senior year. In camp prior to the 2013 season, he starts putting Bell in with the 1's on punt team. I ask Mullen after practice about it and he says "The best player will play. You know that. Bell has better numbers than you in practice". So I go and request these numbers and they have Bell beating me by one yard. Each week they'd grade our punts and I'd usually lose by a half a yard or one yard. Not sure the validity of these numbers but that was the rationale behind it. I knew at that point I was up against a battle I'd never win. It was tough on me but even tougher on my parents.
 

Swede39

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He is and was Mullen as bad a judge and developer of QB talent as I’ve been told privately?

Hev could be funny at times with recruits but I think people easily saw through that. I just tried to stay away from him.

I can't speak much on Mullen in that regard. Usually if you're one of his favorites, you would excel.
 

Swede39

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Was Mullen's job seeking palpable among the players, especially in the better years (2010, 2012)?

Was there anyone on the staff, based on how they interacted with you and the other players, who you thought was total dead weight?

Looking back on it, I'd say so. What stuck out to me was this look that Mullen had in the 2012 Egg Bowl. We were down but had a chance to come back. He'd totally checked out. I'll never forget that. So that could've easily been him already thinking about where he wants to go next.
 

Swede39

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What did the team think of Mullen? Did they see him as kinda goofy?
Mullen's style was to coach and motivate through fear. Unless you were a favorite, you were essentially a business unit. At least that's what you felt like.
 

Swede39

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How was the team able to overcome a yankee trying to fit into the south via foot swag? Was that something he came with or did he develop that idea for recruiting? It’s lame AF regardless.
I can only speak for my special teams group on this one. We kind of picked up early on that he had an inflated ego and the whole shoe thing was nothing more to inflate that.
 

Swede39

Active member
Jan 29, 2016
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Would you be frustrated if you were a punter, basically leading the nation in Net Punting, consistently driving the ball 45 yards with 5 seconds of hang time, never booming 60+ yarders, but never shanking 15 yarders, and a coach puts in your backup bc he had a “better week of practice” and has the leg for the occasional 65 yard punt, but also consistently shanks punts for 20 yards...?

Personally, I take the guaranteed 45 yarder every time over the risk of the alternative. But I didn’t invent football like the coach for the scenario I described.

I’ve been pissed about a scenario like this for 5 years. Wondering if you would feel the same. I’ll hang up and listen.

See my response to klong-dog's post. But yes. One of the most frustrating things I've dealt with.
 

Swede39

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Jan 29, 2016
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Did you and/or your teammates have the sense that Mullen was looking for new jobs during the season, particularly in 2010 and 2012? And if so, did that seem to impact preparation for games late in the season?

Sort of. It seemed more apparent on the game field.
 

dudehead

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Jul 9, 2006
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Mullen was never really a fan of me. Technically I was a Croom recruit but counted towards Mullen's '09 class (remember I greyshirted). Mullen tried to cut me before I even started. In my first ever one-on-one meeting with him he tells me "You better good because I don't want you here. You're taking the slot of a potential 5 star I could sign". Nothing like a great first impression.

I've had a few previous employees at State tell me he tried to get me to quit multiple times early on. His plan was to let me play in 2011 then sign someone to take my spot. I ended up having a good year in 2011. He signed Bell (who is a good friend of mine). I ended up having an even better year in 2012. So I guess he saw the best time to do this was my senior year. In camp prior to the 2013 season, he starts putting Bell in with the 1's on punt team. I ask Mullen after practice about it and he says "The best player will play. You know that. Bell has better numbers than you in practice". So I go and request these numbers and they have Bell beating me by one yard. Each week they'd grade our punts and I'd usually lose by a half a yard or one yard. Not sure the validity of these numbers but that was the rationale behind it. I knew at that point I was up against a battle I'd never win. It was tough on me but even tougher on my parents.

Did you see Mullen's incident with Duncan McKenzie's son that prompted him to say screw it and leave the program? What happened?
 

Swede39

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Are you sorry you weren't born three years earlier so you might have had opportunity to punt from the 30 at Athens GA?
Lol. Sadly I remember shanking one at Georgia in 2011. That was fun. The wind was messing with my head that day.
 

Swede39

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Jan 29, 2016
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You claimed in another thread that punters were people too. What did you mean by that? Are you implying I should treat punters/kickers with respect or that they have real feelings like human beings? Or did you just mean, like, they consume calories and water like real people but I can continue to treat them as faceless, amorphous beings onto which I can pour all my frustrations?

Not at all. We're not real people.
 

Dawg1979

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Just a few questions off the top of my head:

Can you dunk?
What are your thoughts on Gary Henderson? Do you think he should get the baseball head coaching job? If you don't, can you make sure to tell us dozens of times over multiple threads?
How do you get rid of mole crickets?
If you were going to get rid of cable, what online/streaming/digital option would you pick to replace it?
Tights under football uniforms, yay or nay?
Favorite fast food breakfast?


biggest question, how do you use Dales? and does it stunt the growth of a juiced up 17 year old?
 

Seinfeld

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Nov 30, 2006
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Nothing says top notch recruiter quite like a former player stating “I just tried to stay away from him.”

That’s hilarious yet sad at the same time
 

UpTheMiddlex3Punt

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May 28, 2007
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Was there a way to become one of Mullen's BFFs? Was everyone either doomed or favored based on his first impression? Based on your experience, it seems like that was the case, but was there anyone who worked their way into his good graces after starting outside of them?
 

Swede39

Active member
Jan 29, 2016
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Did you see Mullen's incident with Duncan McKenzie's son that prompted him to say screw it and leave the program? What happened?
I didn't witness the incident but everyone loved that guy. Was sad to see him go. No idea what happened.
 

Uncle Ruckus

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Apr 1, 2011
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Have you ever played a real football position?
Is soccer more of a threat to the United States than ISIS?
Tell us about Lee Begley.
Is Damian Williams a ***** about everything or just his hair?
 

Swede39

Active member
Jan 29, 2016
344
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Just a few questions off the top of my head:

Can you dunk?
What are your thoughts on Gary Henderson? Do you think he should get the baseball head coaching job? If you don't, can you make sure to tell us dozens of times over multiple threads?
How do you get rid of mole crickets?
If you were going to get rid of cable, what online/streaming/digital option would you pick to replace it?
Tights under football uniforms, yay or nay?
Favorite fast food breakfast?

Can you dunk? -There was time I could. Not anymore.
What are your thoughts on Gary Henderson? Do you think he should get the baseball head coaching job? If you don't, can you make sure to tell us dozens of times over multiple threads? - Go Dawgs.
How do you get rid of mole crickets? Dale's. Is this up for debate still?
If you were going to get rid of cable, what online/streaming/digital option would you pick to replace it? Already have. DirecTV Now.
Tights under football uniforms, yay or nay? Depends what gender we decide we are that day.
Favorite fast food breakfast? Hardees.
 
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