With Geoff Collins taking his assortment of artistic tools and books on prose to Florida in exchange for larger amounts of sweet cash and the potential of his boss not hurling him under the bus, Mississippi State is in need of a new defensive coordinator. The logical moves (BORING) would be to perhaps promote from within or go out and hire another defensive coordinator in FBS/FCS/Iwillneverlearnwhichiswhich, like, say, Manny Diaz, who was previously at Mississippi State and is now at Louisiana Tech.
Diaz’s name comes up because he has worked with Mullen before (assuming that a charred/collapsed bridge is not in that relationship), but you get the idea. Any coach at a smaller school who has proven himself over the course of several years as a defensive coordinator (though Diaz’s time in Texas was not good, that was more of him just happening to be there as Mack Brown burned his own house down).
While either of these directions will probably result in a capable defensive coordinator, they’re low-risk, low-reward moves. Mississippi State, a team that just had its best season in the modern era of college football, did not win the SEC West with a 10-2 record.
The point is, if they want to break through, they’ve got to take some risks with the hope of a big reward. And there is no greater high-risk, high-reward defensive coordinator alive than Joe Lee Dunn.
Could he shut a team out, collect eight sacks, and hold them to -74 yards rushing? MAYBE. Could he give up 56 points, 600 yards passing, and half a dozen plays over 70 yards? EQUALLY MAYBE.
You may call that inconsistent and terrible, but I call it LETTING YOU KNOW YOU’RE ALIVE. So what kind of a case is there for Joe Lee to become Mississippi State’s next defensive coordinator?
To the closing arguments we go, counselor!
- Based on some fancy Googling, it appears he’s not doing anything right now, so he can be in Starkville this afternoon
- He knows where Starkville is, as he once coached defense there from 1996-2002
- He also knows Mississippi State legend, THE KANG HIMSELF, Jackie Sherrill
- He is familiar with the SEC, having coached 13 years in the conference, with 12 of those as a defensive coordinator
- The one year he wasn’t a defensive coordinator? He was interim head coach at Ole Miss in 1994*, so he knows all about being in charge and responsibility
- As a high school head coach in Memphis from 2006-2007, he’s familiar with Memphis-area high school football, which will help in recruiting
- How many defensive coordinators have their own DVD of a defense they made up on the fly to stop a more powerful USC team?
- In 2008, as New Mexico State defensive coordinator, his defense only gave up 30 or more points 9 times
- That’s only 5 more times than Mississippi State allowed in 2014, and only 3 more times than they allowed in 2012
- From 2009-2012, he kept things fresh by coaching defense at a Division III school in McMurry University
- During those four seasons, McMurry only gave up 30 or more points 16 times, which comes out to 4 times per season, EQUALLING Mississippi State’s 2014 effort
- While HATERS may point out that his defense also gave up 50 or more points 6 times, they only gave up more than 60 points 3 times and more than 80 points only once
- And let’s not forget the 15 times his defense held the opposing offense below 20 points
- He needs no headset, which will drive overhead costs down
- He also only uses hand signals for sending in plays, so again, no overhead costs on all the posters coaches like to use now
- And the football sock budget will be slashed because he doesn’t believe in wearing socks
- LOOK AT ALL THOSE SAVINGS
- IT’S LIKE ONE FULL DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR FOR HALF THE PRICE
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, drink deeply of these points, for you know them to be good and true. The defense rests.
*THE GREATEST INDICTMENT OF THE GROSS INCOMPETENCE OF THE GOOD OL’ BOY NETWORK AT OLE MISS THAT HAS EVER EXISTED
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
