Are Misery's Tigers a Thing of the Past?

Go ahead, admit it.

Some of you out there are predicting a return of the Misery Tigers. Some of you even want it to be true.

Starting on Thursday - when Missouri holds its first official practice of the 2009 season - we’ll start to see just how likely the two-time defending Big 12 North champions are to taking a giant step backward into the bad old days.

Jaron Baston, Missouri’s starting nose tackle, bristles at the mere possibility.

“I’m still in shock,” Baston claimed during Big 12 Media Days in Dallas last week, in reference to one pre-season publication picking the Tigers next to last in the North.

The truth is, Baston isn’t in shock. He’s ticked. Mad. Angry. Partly because Border War rival Kansas should be considered the favorite to win the North and partly because a Nebraska team with more tradition than recent success IS the North favorite.

“We beat KU two years in a row before last year,” Baston said. “We beat Nebraska two years in a row (and three straight in Columbia) and then we get thrown in the back of the pile while they still move forward.”

Now, if Baston really thinks about it, he can see why a lot of people doubt Mizzou can maintain the success of the last two, even three, seasons.

But gone are Chase Daniel, Chase Coffman, Jeremy Maclin, William Moore, Jeff Wolfert and a lot of other players who enabled that string of success.

Gone too are inventive offensive coordinator Dave Christensen and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.
But those departures may prove to be one of the reasons Missouri can avoid a pratfall in 2009.

Recruiting coordinator and quarterbacks coach David Yost, taking over the offensive coordinator’s position, doesn’t have the ego Christensen has. Yost sees tailbacks Derrick Washington and De’Vion Moore as assets rather than decoys.

Missouri has to run more this year for two reasons. It can. And to take the heat off new quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

Then there is Dave Steckel replacing Eberflus. Steckel, for most in the media, has always been a pain in the rear. He is stubborn, confrontational and many other things that may be just what Missouri’s defense needs to replace the often overly-complex and too often ineffective defense of last year.

Missouri has a ton of questions to answer in the next month. Among them:

Who will replace Wolfert, the most accurate kicker in MU football history?

Who will become that big-play receiver in place of Maclin?

Finally, what will it take for Missouri’s defense to become a strength instead of a weakness?

The early candidates to provide the needed answers are:

1. Tanner Mills, a junior and transfer from cross-town Columbia College. That’s the best bet anyway, to emerge from a pack of unknowns.

2. Danario Alexander. Alexander, a senior, has gazelle-like moves and great hands but a history of injuries. He simply has to stay healthy to give Gabbert some of what Maclin gave Daniel.

3. The Smiths. Jacquies and Aldon. Unrelated except in an ability to not only rush the passer from their defensive end positions but to get there. One or the other may not beat out Brian Coulter. But Coulter’s propensity for balancing out great plays with penalty flags is a risk the Tigers cannot afford to take on an every-down basis.

The Big 12 media has picked Mizzou to finish third in the North this season, and that’s not, well, fifth.

But a look at Missouri’s schedule reveals a obvious requirement. It won’t be enough for the Tigers to become good by the end of the season. The tough games are front loaded.

Illinois at St. Louis, at Nevada, Nebraska at home, at Oklahoma State and at home against Texas. That could mean five losses in the first seven games.

After two big steps forward, a 2-5 start would definitely be a giant leap back for Mizzou.

“That’s not going to happen,” Baston vowed. “That’s not us.”

I anticipate the Tigers will emerge from that stretch 5-2, or at least 4-3. If that happens, a lot of people are going to be wrong, and others (you know who you are Kansas and Nebraska fans) severely disappointed.