SEC football coaches speak anonymously on Mississippi State

Typically when you talk to SEC football coaches (sans Steve Spurrier maybe) about other SEC schools in the conference, you're typically going to get one canned compliment after the other.  They get after the football on defense.  They run a high flying offense. They get the most of the talent they have in the program. And I could go on forever.  But sometimes when you get those same coaches off the record, they will be at least a tad more candid with their thoughts on opposing teams within the conference.

Athlon does a phenomenal job of capturing quotes from coaches anonymously each year as the season nears, and this year was no different.  You can check out what coaches had to say about Mississippi State at the link above, but here are a few examples of what others in the SEC think about the Bulldogs going into 2014:

"They've always been known for having a big-time defensive lines."...

"The guys up front were monsters when we played them. You could really struggle with them. I thought they were pretty impressive. Defensive coordinator Geoff Collins does a good job."...

This is a big year for Dan Mullen, who's done a nice job there but hasn't really broken through. I'd imagine they think it's time to do that since they return a lot of starters and they are counting on Prescott to make a jump. But their defense will always keep them respectable. The question is, can they beat the teams they aren't supposed to? They haven't done much of that."...

"Mississippi State is an intriguing team. It could go either way for them - they could break through or be toward the bottom of the SEC West."...

Overall, the coaches Athlon talked to -- and it should be noted that these could range from Grad Assistants up to the Head Coach level -- had positive things to say about MSU.  I included the longer quote above because I thought it was honest and interesting, and frankly it's exactly how I would summarize our program currently if a non-MSU fan asked me.

Make sure to check out what the coaches had to say about the other 13 teams as well on Athlon's website.

So what do you guys think about what they said on MSU?

[h/t Arkansas Fight]