The loss of a really good guy to a really crappy system.

All is MHO:

Croom inherited a program under sanctions at the school with the lowest (or close to it, varies somewhat year to year, but consitently...) athletic budget in the SEC. I think a paltry 31 Mil for 08. But thats a record high & reflects the school's seriousness in improving its program to stand more equally with its SEC bretheren. That program had drifted for the final 3 years under Sherill as a "gangsta/hip-hop" culture had become prevelant & he was just too tired to try & curb it. He was tired of coaching anyway and the combination showed in the team's record.

Then there's talent. State will never have 1st rate talent at all key positions & with depth all at once. There will always be combinations of such, but never completely. The other major schools will always trump State & suck the talent pool mostly dry. Sometimes the dice will fall just right & the team will have a good season. Talent, schedule and lack of injuries have to hit just right.

Then in comes one of the straightest arrows in the quiver of sports. A strong, moral and deeply faith based individual who learned his trade at the knee,so to speak, of one of the greatest coaches in history. And he doesn't put up with crap. Unfortunately one man can't fight societal influence on every individual of a team and some have to go. Even if they're great players.

Couple dropping 5 key individual players for stupid behavior along with some injuries early gives you embarassing loses which puts you in a hole and creates demoralization. That increases missed tackles, assignments & half-assed effort. Its contagious & spreads. Little things add up to a ugly total. One or two wins where they basicly overcame screwups don't support a winning season.

But Croom is getting the big bucks to produce. And the final product wasn't there. Personally I think State has shot itself in the foot. I think they will lose even more comitments by accepting his resignation & searching for a replacement. I can't see State finding a coach of say, Nutts stature, to hire on & that can take the solid foundation that Croom has built to make 09 better than 08.

I think if they had kept him the team coupled with new signees would come back with a vengance in 09 the likes that haven't been seen in Stark-Vegas in years. Now the future is the same as always. Starting over.

Croom did what he could do with what he could work with. He put the moral backbone in a program that had lost one. Graduating rates with higher GPAs and recruiting that is now without sin. But he fell to the final standards of college football. He didn't win enough soon enough.

Thanx for the opportunity to lament...