After Deadline Passes, Mullen Declares a Shutdown at Quarterback Position

With time having ticked off the clock to install this week's offense and no answer in sight to the brewing quarterback controversy in Starkville, Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen has decided to shutdown the quarterback position completely.

"Right now," said Mullen, "the quarterback position is in a state of abeyance."

After many fans and scribes ran to their dictionaries to look up that word, Mullen continued his explanation.

"Some of us feel that Mississippi State needs to have a trusted passer and veteran leadership in the huddle against LSU, and those people want Tyler Russell to return to the quarterback position," explained Mullen. "Others say the Bulldogs need a dual threat at quarterback, and they point to Dak Prescott's numbers."

"The fact is each side wants the other side to be wrong more than they want their own side to be right, and that system just will not work," said Mullen. "It is that kind of thinking that has led me to shutdown our quarterback position."

The thought of Mississippi State not having quarterback on the field has drawn the attention of football minds from around the country.

Some, such as Barrett Sallee of bleacherreport.com, say the move will put Mullen squarely on the hot seat.

"It is obvious that Dan Mullen has become the coach of ‘no,'" said Sallee.  "He has refused to take a side.  It is a complete lack of leadership. He let a red line be crossed."

Others have taken a more positive view of Mullen's decision.

"Ah, F*** it," said ESPN analyst Lee Corso. "It is easy to think this spells disaster for Mississippi State, but not so fast my friend, I think it could be the extra thing that LSU has to think about that could push me to make the Bulldogs my upset special this week."

Of course, any guess as to the impact of not having a quarterback may be impossible to determine.

"Such a situation of not having a quarterback at Mississippi State has been extremely rare and short lived," wrote Mississippi State Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin in a release shortly after the announcement. "Whether they were good, or whether they were bad, Mississippi State had a quarterback. The only way to correct this problem is to have the Prescottians and the Russellites set aside their differences and find a place to compromise.  Perhaps that can come as the fans realize Damien Williams is not ready, and Matt Wyatt is not walking through that door."

Stricklin also encouraged fans to voice their frustrations and opinions as to who the Mississippi State starter should be.

"Use the either #DakforQB or #TRforQB to share your thoughts on twitter," said Stricklin.  "Tout videos also work quite well."

When asked if the use of such social media tactics would benefit Mississippi State in this situation, Stricklin felt the answer was yes.

"A wise man once told me, ‘Never waste a good situation to get to use social media and get a twitter war started,' and I plan to follow that advice," said Stricklin.

While the off-the-field impact is yet to be determined, Mullen has already started to think of ways to save the program during this time.

"The fact is, I can run some wildcat," said Mullen. "We all know I love to run trick plays and let people other than my quarterback throw the ball, so really, I believe this could be a lot of fun."

Mullen's optimism did not stop there.

"I could use our (@croomdiaries approved) impact player Baker Swedenburg as an offensive weapon," said Mullen. "I could just bring him into punt on first down, and eventually, the opposing offense would be so pinned, that someone on our defense would find a way to record a safety and all the #juicepoints that come with it."

While many wrangled over what not having a quarterback would mean, Mullen lamented more for the innocent bystanders who would be affected by this decision.

"I feel for the guys like the wide receivers," said Mullen. "Through no fault of their own, these player will not be able to collect passes and yards which are their life blood.  They will now be unlikely get money from agents before the draft, and in fact, they may see their draft stock plunge."