Tough start to the 2010 season for MIZZOU, already 0-3 with the entire schedule still to play. Where the Tigers and Pinkel go from here will have an impact not just on this season but on future seasons as well. Under Pinkel's tenure MU football has seen a level of sustained success that MU fans haven't seen in a long while. I graduated from MU in '02 and was fortunate to see things start to turn around under Larry Smith but he was never able to sustain the level of play and recruiting we have seen under Pinkel. It's so easy to forget how poor the Tigers were for so many years and take for granted the 8, 9 & 10 win seasons they have been racking up lately. It seems like many of us, myself included, spend our time getting frustrated with poor goal line decisions (such as never taking a snap from under center when they are inside the 5), but that is post for another day, and we forget just how recent it was the Tigers were only winning 5 games.
Losing three starters before your first game is tough for even the most loaded roster, let alone for Mizzou. It would be easy for Pinkel to continue to be vague with his statements and issue no real punishment for the three young men. But to me that would send the message that it is more important to win right now than build a quality program built to win for years. Here the hard decision is the right one. The three starters have to be taken off the team and the sooner Pinkel makes that announcement the better. He needs to be seen as a coach who will not tolerate this kind of behavior from his current players and future recruits.
Not taking any action may win a few more games this year but it will hurt the program in the long run. Take the hit this year and build Mizzou Football the right way and the wins will come as will the respect. Mike Anderson ran into this two seasons ago and did the hard, and right thing. Coach Anderson benched some starters in a conference game and kicked others off the team and has the Basketball Tigers going in the right direction. I want MU to win and win bad, but I would rather have the Mike Anderson(substance) kind of winning over the Quinn Synder (flashy) kind of winning any day.
That is the decision in front of Pinkel and his answer will help determine whether he becomes the next Anderson or Synder.
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