November 15, 2006

Shawn Jones: Lack of big time guys to make big time plays. Explosive players. Toby and Kendall are special players, but could not do it alone. We need more of those guys. Just not enough Mules like Todd Devoe, Rod Green, Kegan Coleman, Lee Thompson, Colston Weatherington, Darryl Grace, Shane Meyer, etc, etc. Great kids and great players. That's what we need. Easier said than done!

Joe Moore: Special teams. Plain and simple. When you don't consistently field punts, you give up field position. When you can't average at least 20-25 yards on kickoff returns, you give up field position. When you don't have a place-kicker you can trust, it puts added pressure on your offense and affects what you can do on third and fourth down in the opponent's territory. And you know that has to be eating Willie Fritz--a special teams master--alive.

I know some people will point to all the injuries the Mules had on defense and at running back, but the players that stepped in played very well in my opinion. This season came down to special teams. I look at the Washburn, Missouri Western, and Missouri Southern games and can think of at least five instances where a special teams play cost us points or field position that very well could have cost us the game.

Greg Hassler: The Mules made an effort to build through the high school ranks with just a couple of impact transfers.  If the transfers are not impact guys, then you have problems.  To win in this league you have to rely on the transfer athletes to be your impact players.

Kevin Ashcraft: The Mules had their worst season since 1997.  What do you see as the number one goal of the off-season?  What are the areas you would target?

Joe Moore: Obviously, the number one goal is to go find some players to put Central Missouri back where it belongs: in the top of the MIAA. That means a couple difference makers on offense (one at tailback and one at wide receiver), a run stuffing linebacker and a pass rushing end on defense, a return specialist with game breaking ability and a place-kicker. And, of course, the Mules will need a quarterback. Whoever that is will have some big shoes to fill.

Fans need to realize, we were not that far off this season. The Mules lost five games by a touchdown or less. Now, that said, we need to find a way to win the close games (which a playoff-caliber team does) but it isn't like the cupboard is bare. We have eight starters returning on defense. We have four-of-five offensive linemen back. We have a couple talented you possession receivers returning (anyone else notice the coming out party Jason McCartney put on the last two weeks?), and our punter/kickoff specialist is back.

Shawn Jones: Joe is right. Obviously, I think the number one goal this off-season is to first evaluate and/or self-scout ourselves and determine the deficiencies of the 2006 team. Once those are determined by the coaching staff, find some impact players that can come in and help right away to go with the core of players we have returning. By making some slight changes and by bringing in some key guys, this team can turn things around pretty quickly. Remember, this team was in every game except Northwest. They led in the second half of four of the six losses. They need playmakers that can finish.

Greg Hassler: It's pretty simple. The number one goal this off-season would be to first evaluate the existing talent on the team, then I would review with the coaching staff that the schemes are sound.  Once that is determined I would recruit hard in the areas we are deficient in.

Kevin Ashcraft: UCM had a couple great seasons earlier this decade.  Now three straight seasons under eight wins, and some would wonder what the identity is of this program.  What would you say is the identity of the program?  Is it a program that has plateaued, or is this just a temporary decline?

Shawn Jones: I think in this league you can go up or down in a year or two real fast. Everybody has good facilities, decent to great tradition, good coaches and good support. That is unusual for NCAA Division II as a whole. In this conference, it takes getting the right mix of players. There are plenty to go around out there. So I think it is a program that has not had great seasons the past three years, but we're not too far off either.

Over the years, Coach Fritz and his staff have done a great job developing an identity for this program. Central Missouri does not have tons of great tradition in football. Lew Comer had a great team in '56, Howard Mahanes had a couple of very good teams in the 60's and 70's and Terry Noland certainly had some very good, MIAA title seasons in the 80's. Overall though, this program does not have much tradition considering it's been around for 109 years. So I think considering we don't have great long-standing tradition, the best facilities for football or a huge football budget, those guys have done a great job of making this program very competitive year after year.

Greg Hassler: The key is to be consistent in the direction of the program. Every school has its own niche in what type of player it can recruit. There are schools that can get certain athletes in school and there are some that can’t. Some schools have the ability to offer in-state tuition to players that live out of state while others can’t. You just have to know what players you can get, and where they can come from. Just because the Mules had a down year does not mean they have lost their identity. This program has not plateaued. In fact, I believe that with the determination of this staff to go find the best talent available, the Mules will find themselves in the post-season next year.

Joe Moore: No, I don't think we've plateaued. Shawn has it right. I think the league has gotten better as a whole. Truman came out of nowhere; they were HORRIBLE in 2005, and look what they did this season. Washburn made some nice improvements, but learned what Central Missouri and Emporia State learned the last couple years and that is how hard it is to stay on top. Missouri Southern has been through the ringer with its coaching staff the past couple years, but always has been a handful for most teams. Southwest Baptist, with that spread offense it has, is as hard to defend as anyone.

The teams like Pittsburg State and Northwest Missouri that have gotten to the top and stayed there have a great fan base and a lot of tradition on their side. Notice that back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, they crushed virtually everyone, and now they are having to battle each week. They've just learned what it takes to stay on top, and winning breeds winning. The Mules just need to find that spark to get there, and once it's established, stay there. We'll be back.

Kevin Ashcraft: There were only 17 transfers on the roster this season.  There is always debate about UCM and how much the program relied on transfers in previous season.  Do you think there needs to be a concerted effort to recruit players that will help sooner than later?

Joe Moore: I've always hated hearing that Willie Fritz and his staff only recruit junior college players. We heard that constantly when Lee Thompson and Kegan Coleman were running circles around the league. My answer to that: JuCo kids deserve a place to play too! Willie and his staff have always had a large roster and have been heavy on high school kids. This season, I think, though, they wanted to try to go with more of a youth movement and as a result, they didn't try to find the big-time game breaking junior college players.

The problem fans have with junior college kids is the stereotype that they are hard to manage. Well, Willie Fritz is a master at managing his players. He comes from a junior college background and his JuCo kids, by and large, have been good citizens. I personally have always liked the mix he has had--heavy on the high school kids who play behind a junior college player for a couple years and then are ready to step in. My opinion, therefore, is that the Mules need to get some junior college players for next season to plug the gaps, let their youngsters serve on special teams and in reserve roles while they season, and move on from there.

Greg Hassler: No question about it Joe.  Junior colleges exist to help students develop academically and athletically. If the athletes do the work necessary to earn their degrees, then they deserve a chance to play at the next level.  Junior college players are impact guys, and right now that is what this team needs.

Shawn Jones: I do believe we need some playmakers that can step in and help this program right away. Again, we have some very solid program players returning, but we need a few explosive guys on the field. If that's high school....great. If it's junior college.....great. Coach Fritz won back to back JuCo national titles. He has a lot of great connections at that level. There is nothing wrong with kids from junior colleges. We don't have in-state tuition opportunities in football-rich Oklahoma and Arkansas like Pitt State and Missouri Southern or in Nebraska and Iowa like Northwest Missouri. That helps a ton with 36 scholarships. We are close to Kansas City, but so is everyone else in our league for the most part. Our "advantage" should be our great school with many degree programs and the connections Coach Fritz has around the country.

When the Mules had their great run in 01-03, we were 85% Missouri/Kansas high school kids and 15% junior college kids. Opposing coaches would tell kids we recruit tons of JuCo players and then they would recruit against us for those same JuCo kids.....??? Then I would count rosters, and those same programs would have almost the same amount of transfers. We were winning for the first time in a long time and other coaches did not like that so it was simply sour grapes.

We need to get back to best player available at every position, period. Look at our "top" guys coming back: Kendall Ricketts- Raytown South, Adrian Singletary- Kansas City Winnetonka, Randy Shepherd- Olathe North, Matt Frankel- Shawnee Mission West, Jon Books- North Callaway, Layne Kreter- Owensville, Tyler Nay- Kansas City St. Pius X, Jason McCartney- Columbia Rock Bridge, etc, etc. I just mentioned all four-year high school kids. We need to filter in some impact guys with that great core group that includes many more names I did not mention.

Kevin Ashcraft: How do the Mules return to elite status in the MIAA?

Joe Moore: No. 1 - Finish the underneath of the stadium. It's all about recruiting, and our stadium is as good as they come in NCAA-II. Put the locker rooms, training room, and weight room under the stadium as is in the original design, and that becomes a major attraction for top recruits.

No. 2 - Get bigger on the second level on defense. I like our concept of playing smaller, quicker defensive linemen, but to me if you are going to do that, you have to have bigger linebackers. Teams still want to run the football in the MIAA, and to defend that, you need some big ol' biguns to plug the holes.

No. 3 - Go sign some game breakers with speed. Speed kills, football fans (I know, because I didn't have any, and I got killed a lot!). Speed at running back, speed at wide receiver, speed at return specialist, and speed on the defensive line.

Greg Hassler: We simply have to recruit impact players.  That will happen.  Coach Fritz is one of the best coaches in the nation, and his staff is top notch.  They will go coast to coast to find the best players.  Look for the Mules in the playoffs next season.

Shawn Jones: I think we can break the door down and compete against anyone again in 2007 if we can get some playmakers to fill some holes.

Kevin Ashcraft: Thanks for the insight guys.  The next three months leading up to Signing Day should be interesting around Warrensburg.  Here's to making 2007 better than 2006.

Want to see your company or business logo here?

Click here to become a sponsor of MulesCentral.com!