****Official 2019 Missouri Tigers Football Thread****

['Hamas' Jenkins]

The 2019 season brings uncertainty, as the protracted appeal over a ridiculous "scandal" with a single actor still has not been resolved. On the field, Mizzou faces what appears to be a much easier schedule than in years' past. The early season is loaded with home games before a protracted road stretch from mid-October through November.


Schedule:

Spoiler!

8/31 @ Wyoming
9/7 vs. West Virginia
9/14 vs. SEMO
9/21 vs. South Carolina
10/5 vs. Troy
10/12 vs. Ole Miss
10/19 @ Vandy
10/26 @ Kentucky
11/9 @ Georgia
11/16 vs. Florida
11/23 vs. Tennessee
11/29 @ Arkansas

Recruiting:

Spoiler!

Commits:

Jalen St. John, OG: **** 5.8 RR, St. Louis, MO
Brady Cook, QB: *** 5.7 RR, St. Louis, MO
Jay Maclin, WR: *** 5.7 RR, Kirkwood, MO
Mitchell Walters, OL: *** 5.7 RR, St. Louis, MO
Kevon Billingsley, DE: *** 5.7 RR, East St. Louis, IL
Robert Wooten, DE: *** 5.7 RR, Stafford, TX
Drake Heismeyer, OL: *** 5.6 RR, St. Charles, MO
Elijah Young, RB: *** 5.6 RR, Knoxville, TN
Cooper Davis, DE: *** 5.6 RR, Melbourne, FL
Will Norris, LB: *** 5.6 RR, Columbia MO
Dominique Johnson, RB: *** 5.6 RR, Crowley, TX
Ray Curry, OL: *** 5.5 RR, Memphis, TN
Harris Mevis, K: Unranked, Warsaw, IN
Javian Hester, WR: **** 5.8 RR, Tulsa, OK
Jalen Logan Redding, DE *** 5.6 RR, Columbia, MO

In-state talent is noticeably better than 2019, but the depth is not as impressive as the 2018 class that Missouri missed badly on. There are 7 4+* recruits per rivals, and as per usual, Ohio State has poached one of the two best in-state recruits, with Notre Dame taking the first 5* prospect in several years, Jordan Johnson. The program has de-invested in Georgia after making inroads in and around Gwinnett, and has dug further into Texas to compensate. Whether or not this is a good strategy is yet to be borne out.

The previous best recruit, Antonio Doyle, an ILB from St. Louis, decommitted on Thursday

The Class Rankings are in the low 50s from Rivals and 24/7 and again near the bottom of the SEC.

Hamas' Crystal ball sees a lot of variance. I could see this team winning as few as 7 and as many as 10 games. Georgia is the only certain loss. Florida is likely still overrated by name, but time will tell.

Official prediction: 9-3. Recruiting prediction: slightly disappointing

FIRE ODOM. NOW

[dlphg9]

Thankfully we arent looking at an SEC championship game. If I know Mizzou like I think I do, then this **** heads are going to come out and play their asses off to win and save Odumb's job. We just can't have anything good.

[TomBarndtsTwin]

Originally Posted by dlphg9

Thankfully we arent looking at an SEC championship game. If I know Mizzou like I think I do, then this **** heads are going to come out and play their asses off to win and save Odumb's job. We just can't have anything good.

Probably, lol. That would be very Mizzou like.

Make no mistake, though, this ruling will have a far reaching impact going forward in the future. The NCAA has openly signaled NOT to cooperate with them in an investigation, and don’t bother self reporting anything. Just lie and deny till they can catch you red-handed with enough evidence to convict you.

This story is starting to blow up nationally. Will be interesting to see how this all plays out and how it impacts college athletics going forward.

[Matrix]

[BryanBusby]

The bowl ban won't be as awful over the long run because MU will get 50% of the payout back down the road. Just really really ****ing sucks today if the rumors about the AD being in debt are true.

If they aren't, Barry Odom is super ****ing gone.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by BryanBusby

The bowl ban won't be as awful over the long run because MU will get 50% of the payout back down the road. Just really really ****ing sucks today if the rumors about the AD being in debt are true.

If they aren't, Barry Odom is super ****ing gone.

They’re really not rumors. They release their financials and lost 3 million or so in the last fiscal year.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

They’re really not rumors. They release their financials and lost 3 million or so in the last fiscal year.

Do you happen to know if these are long-term fixed costs or if they include a bunch of 1-time capital improvement sort of things?

I mean...how? They can't just bleed off $3 million/yr as a going rate, especially when they've increased their revenue stream by so much.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

The funny thing is, I actually think Odom did a worse job LAST year.

But the issue is two-fold in how this season should rest with Odom: 1) The quarterback situation was completely unacceptable. As bad as Bryant's been, he's almost certainly the best option we had and that took a transfer hail-mary to get. Odom's handling of the QB position was egregious and with Bryant clearly a poor fit here, we had no plan B. And even plan A took a minor miracle to achieve which suggests a pretty poor process to begin with.

2) Getting back to Bryant's fit - we knew that the Dooley hire really could make/break Odom's career, especially since the consensus is that Dooley was his call. And man, Dooley's done NOTHING to try adjust and find production with this offense. Without Lock, everything fell apart and Dooley had no idea how to fix it. Well, if Dooley is Odom's call, than that blame falls on him as well.

I'm not of the 'he lost the lockerroom' school - I don't think these guys have quit on him. I just think the offense is a shitshow and there's only so much Odom can do on the fly. But this IS a reckoning for a poor QB room and a risky OC hire that certainly appears to have failed.

Ask yourself this question - if Odom had the QB play that Pinkel got starting with Brad Smith going forward, do you think this team fails as badly as it did this year? I don't. To my eyes, this all came down to the QB and his ability to fit in this system. Give Pinkel this kind of mismatch between ability/scheme at the QB position and he'd have had a 5 win season as well. So am I of the mind that Odom is inept? No - just that he's probably about on par with Pinkel over any appreciable timeline.

And if I'm Odom, I start Bazelak on Saturday and pray he kicks ass. Then point to that as your long-term plan and ask for a mulligan at the position. It could also do a little to encourage the fanbase.

Because there's no reason at all to send Kelly Bryant out there to do watered down Alex Smith stuff again at this point.

I would argue that Odom's inability to find, develop, and evaluate skill position talent absolutely is inept, which is the reason why they're in this mess in the first place. He had multiple recruiting classes to find a successor for Lock, and couldn't, every WR he's recruited has been awful, and the OL, which returned the majority of its key pieces this year, has regressed substantially.

The linebackers look improved, and the secondary is solid for Mizzou standards, but the pass rush has completely evaporated.

Things are broken. The developmental system is not functioning as it had in the past, and the ability to find those diamonds in the rough is not as prevalent as it once was. Combine that with regular mismanagement of game situations and copious stupid penalties, and I don't see much evidence that Odom is anything other than a defensive coordinator who cannot handle the rigors of directing an entire team.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by Sully

NCAA sent a very clear message.
Fight us, obstruct, obfuscate, lie, hide... and you will be rewarded.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

I'm not saying I'd be okay with deposing and then executing Mark Emmert on live television a la Ceausescu, but I would be okay with deposing and then executing Mark Emmert on live television a la Ceausescu.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

I would argue that Odom's inability to find, develop, and evaluate skill position talent absolutely is inept, which is the reason why they're in this mess in the first place. He had multiple recruiting classes to find a successor for Lock, and couldn't, every WR he's recruited has been awful, and the OL, which returned the majority of its key pieces this year, has regressed substantially.

The linebackers look improved, and the secondary is solid for Mizzou standards, but the pass rush has completely evaporated.

Things are broken. The developmental system is not functioning as it had in the past, and the ability to find those diamonds in the rough is not as prevalent as it once was. Combine that with regular mismanagement of game situations and copious stupid penalties, and I don't see much evidence that Odom is anything other than a defensive coordinator who cannot handle the rigors of directing an entire team.

A distinct possibility. It was always a possible outcome.

But he's made 2 OC hires and both were significant risks. Heupel has to be seen as a success, Dooley sure looks like a failure. Do you fire a 'defensive guy' because he failed on an OC hire?

That's a hell of a bar, is it not? Especially when I think we can categorically state that his defensive bonafides are legit. This team has fielded a few different 'styles' of defense in his tenure and they've all ben pretty successful, especially after he fired the woefully overmatched Demontie Cross.

I'm not saying that you don't look for improvement or that he's the absolute best we can do. But I don't think you fire him just to fire him at this point. This defense has battled its ass off all year - that's on him. He's developed that attitude in them and they play hard for him. That's not nothing.

And your hope is that, like Pinkel, he would develop/adapt as an offensive coach. Look at it this way - Gary Pinkel had Dave Christensen as his OC for sixteen years. He trusted the hell out of that guy and when Christensen worked to convince him of the possibilities w/ a spread offense, things took off a bit. BO simply hasn't had that guy he can toss the keys to and say "alright man - run that O..."

And when you have a defensive guy who's a young HC and has little/no experience in running an offense of his own, that's what he really needs...

Wait a minute now. Hear me out. Dave Christensen is the !@#$ing OL coach at Arizona State....

....are we SURE that's a bad idea?

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

A distinct possibility. It was always a possible outcome.

But he's made 2 OC hires and both were significant risks. Heupel has to be seen as a success, Dooley sure looks like a failure. Do you fire a 'defensive guy' because he failed on an OC hire?

That's a hell of a bar, is it not? Especially when I think we can categorically state that his defensive bonafides are legit. This team has fielded a few different 'styles' of defense in his tenure and they've all ben pretty successful, especially after he fired the woefully overmatched Demontie Cross.

I'm not saying that you don't look for improvement or that he's the absolute best we can do. But I don't think you fire him just to fire him at this point. This defense has battled its ass off all year - that's on him. He's developed that attitude in them and they play hard for him. That's not nothing.

And your hope is that, like Pinkel, he would develop/adapt as an offensive coach. Look at it this way - Gary Pinkel had Dave Christensen as his OC for sixteen years. He trusted the hell out of that guy and when Christensen worked to convince him of the possibilities w/ a spread offense, things took off a bit. BO simply hasn't had that guy he can toss the keys to and say "alright man - run that O..."

And when you have a defensive guy who's a young HC and has little/no experience in running an offense of his own, that's what he really needs...

Wait a minute now. Hear me out. Dave Christensen is the !@#$ing OL coach at Arizona State....

....are we SURE that's a bad idea?

The defense does play its ass off for him. It's a good unit. What I'm more concerned about are the macro signs of a guy in over his head: penalties, game management, regression.

Given the NCAA ruling, I think you have to ride Odom out now, lest we end up hiring Dave Steckel as his replacement.

I think we all are in agreement that the Dooley hire ended as one would have expected from a guy whose entire career was an example of who his daddy was in the good-ol' boy network: abject failure. I think we're also in agreement that Kelly Bryant is Matt Cassel more than Jimmy G: a replacement-level QB completely elevated by his surrounding talent.

Bryant is the most disappointing Mizzou QB that I can remember, but part of that is because he isn't who I thought he was. I thought he could be Franklin-esque, but with a dolt of an OC, and a coaching/recruiting staff whose OL and WR talent has decayed like a banana, I guess it shouldn't be as surprising as it was.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

The defense does play its ass off for him. It's a good unit. What I'm more concerned about are the macro signs of a guy in over his head: penalties, game management, regression.

Given the NCAA ruling, I think you have to ride Odom out now, lest we end up hiring Dave Steckel as his replacement.

I think we all are in agreement that the Dooley hire ended as one would have expected from a guy whose entire career was an example of who his daddy was in the good-ol' boy network: abject failure. I think we're also in agreement that Kelly Bryant is Matt Cassel more than Jimmy G: a replacement-level QB completely elevated by his surrounding talent.

Bryant is the most disappointing Mizzou QB that I can remember, but part of that is because he isn't who I thought he was. I thought he could be Franklin-esque, but with a dolt of an OC, and a coaching/recruiting staff whose OL and WR talent has decayed like a banana, I guess it shouldn't be as surprising as it was.

Agreed on the WRs but I think this is a quality OL that Bryant and Dooley made look far worse than they are.

Even the holdovers from last season have struggled and there's not a great reason for that.

A new OC and Bazelak could really do some damage here if BO is going to be able to routinely field high quality defenses. The WR situation? Well I dont have much for you there. I do think they've suffered from some of the same issues thevOL has but there's no question that the quality of the unit has fallen off and that needs to be addressed.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Agreed on the WRs but I think this is a quality OL that Bryant and Dooley made look far worse than they are.

Even the holdovers from last season have struggled and there's not a great reason for that.

A new OC and Bazelak could really do some damage here if BO is going to be able to routinely field high quality defenses. The WR situation? Well I dont have much for you there. I do think they've suffered from some of the same issues thevOL has but there's no question that the quality of the unit has fallen off and that needs to be addressed.

I tend to agree with the idea that a coach's absence is felt most acutely in year 2 rather than year 1. Elarbee's departure could explain that, but it is by no means a certainty.

[DJ's left nut]

One thing I'm DEFINITELY over is the "well if he's good someone will just poach him!" argument we hear from the 'need a true son' crowd.

I mean...who? SEC schools that win rarely get guys stolen from them unless its for a blue-blood program and even then it generally comes after major success. When the program wasn't in as good a shape as it is now (from a $$, conference and facilities perspective) we never lost Pinkel. And that's when we were a game away from the title game TWICE.

If someone like Harsin is willing to come here, you do NOT let him go because you fear someone stealing him. Who would it be? The pool is something like 10 schools at that point. And if Michigan or Penn State or Nebraska or some other historical power comes to steal him from you, it's because he's taken you to the CFP or something. In which case, we'll be in a fantastic situation to replace him.

This school has the money and the facilities to keep quality coaches. Guys aren't looking to 'better deal' SEC schools unless the money is obscene or the opportunity to rebuild a traditional powerhouse presents itself. Well those things don't happen without massive success and if we can get that for even a brief period at Mizzou, the program is better off than sticking with a 9 win ceiling out of fear.

[BryanBusby]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

They’re really not rumors. They release their financials and lost 3 million or so in the last fiscal year.

I'll take an L here as I hadn't heard anything definitive but I am also not the best source either.

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Agreed on the WRs but I think this is a quality OL that Bryant and Dooley made look far worse than they are.

Even the holdovers from last season have struggled and there's not a great reason for that.

A new OC and Bazelak could really do some damage here if BO is going to be able to routinely field high quality defenses. The WR situation? Well I dont have much for you there. I do think they've suffered from some of the same issues thevOL has but there's no question that the quality of the unit has fallen off and that needs to be addressed.

I think part of it simply teams just don't fear Kelly Bryant torching them like Lock hitting a decent amount of his Rex Grossman passes.

But ultimately yes, the line just looks worse.

[kepp]

Originally Posted by BryanBusby

The bowl ban won't be as awful over the long run because MU will get 50% of the payout back down the road. Just really really ****ing sucks today if the rumors about the AD being in debt are true.

If they aren't, Barry Odom is super ****ing gone.

I heard on the radio this morning that part of the NCAA punishment was that Mizzou could not receive any SEC bowl payouts. Not sure if this is what you were referring to, but the punishment struck me as harsh and, honestly, over-reaching. How can you tell a conference that they can't honor a payout that they are contractually tied into?