The Good, The Bad & The Unknown? Offseason Edition

Welcome, friends! This here is my first installment of a weekly piece that dives into the game that was the weekend before. We’ll see what we liked about the game, things that made us throw our drinks in the air out of joy. But, we’ll also solemnly remember the times that made us chug our drinks in despair. Most importantly, we’ll explore the realm of the unknowns, the unsung heroes of the game, the “little” guys that made big plays happen.

But, we still have 10 days till our first game and I truly and honestly am running out of things to write about sooooo here we are. I give you now the GB&U?: Offseason Edition.

The Good

Thank everything that is good and wholesome in this world for the simple fact that the Bulldog squad managed to stay generally healthy this offseason, it is truly a blessing. Also, State’s headlining offensive player, Fred Ross, is poised to pick right back up where he left off in 2015. Unlike a large number of FBS schools this season, the Dawgs have stability at the head coaching position. Lastly, expectations are unbelievably low and that’s always a good thing, right?

The Bad

No matter where you stand on the decision of Jeffery Simmons joining the football program, I think we all can agree that it was probably the least enjoyable portion of the offseason. It dominated almost every national headline associated with Mississippi State football for two months and it probably won’t go away until he is no longer at the university, however long that may be from now. His situation was a sticky one to say the least and the football program didn’t really seem as if they even knew how to handle it. Whether you want to admit it or not, Dan Mullen has now attached himself to Simmons in the same way Rick Stansbury did to Renardo Sidney in 2010.

The Unknown

Given that the Bulldogs have yet to actually play a down of football in the 2016 season, there are an astronomical amount of unknowns surrounding this team. First of all, do we really know who our quarterback is going to be? Sure we all think it’s going to be Nick Fitzgerald but Mullen is the only one with that answer. Who is going to carry the running game this year? Brandon Holloway was a bright flash here and there in 2015 but can the 5’ 10” speed back take the reigns and become a featured part of the offense? Or will Malik Dear make the full transition to RB and claim the spotlight? Do we have any tight ends? How long can the team depend on the defense to win games until the offense gets it’s bearings? Will we ever make it to football season?

Tune in this season to find out the answers to these questions and more.

Hail State