Missouri Football: It’s time to press the panic button

The Missouri football team was hoping to show that it’s woes from last year were a permanent fixture of the past, but so far, this season is a bad sequel.

Since the season seems to have gone south in only its third week, there’s little hope, if any, to believe that the Tigers can turn this around, even into a respectable season. Prove me wrong, and I’ll gladly eat my words.

Anyone can can sit idly by and blindly say that the Tigers can turn this around, but unless the team buys into what the coaching staff is selling, while working to improve areas of deficiency, there’s no way this season gets salvaged.

Next week, Missouri hosts Auburn, and unless the Tigers secretly field an NFL roster this week, there’s no way Mizzou stands a chance against its SEC West opponent.

Missouri Tigers Football

Head coach Barry Odom did little for himself last week, when he fired former defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross.

Granted, Cross hasn’t called a defensive play since mid-season, 2016, but Odom removed himself from the limelight and stepped into the spotlight against Purdue.

Odom’s defense has played with very little heart since last year. This isn’t a new thing in 2017. So what can fans do to salvage their sanity after the Tigers have left us all feeling salty as hell?

We could try to focus on the small positives of Missouri’s future, but that’s difficult to do, while the Tigers appear to be retaining a lame duck coaching staff.

I’m not talking about the “Drew Lock has a cannon for an arm” positives. Lock’s arm strength is meaningless, when he can’t connect with his receivers consistently.

I’m referring to the team’s depth. There was an obscure moment in the closing seconds of last night’s mind-numbing loss, where running back Larry Rountree crashed through a handful of Purdue defenders and picked up a first down. Tigers’ safety Kaleb Prewett came up with a nice stop late in the game, as well. Marcell Frazier got to the quarterback a handful of times.

These are all nice little positives to try to focus on, but it’s meaningless, when the Tigers play with such inconsistency between plays.

Missouri has performed pathetically, as a team, but there have been some individual performances which have left me wondering, just what in the world prevents the team from performing with any semblance of consistency?

I, for one (among many), also believe it’s a matter of poor coaching. The players aren’t held accountable for their poor on field performances, and the issues are sloughed-off for next week, and Missouri slides further down the slope.

I analyzed this further: If the coaching staff isn’t holding players accountable for their poor performance, then how is it the players’ fault? In some instances, lack of fundamental execution make it the players’ fault.

I don’t have to be there to know that there is little, if any accountability. If there was accountability, then we would see improvement. We would see the players rallying around each other and their coach. I don’t like to call for anyone’s job here, but Odom has done very little with the talent that’s on the roster.

To this point, Odom’s words to the fan base and to Missouri has been little more than lip service. The team’s former defensive coordinator should have the Tigers’ defense in tip-top condition, but it’s as bad, if not worse, than the offense.

Next: Mizzou basketball set for prime time

Alumni and fans have a right to be angry with the team’s lack of performance in all phases of the game. I don’t understand why anyone would sell themselves short and root for the garbage effort that Missouri is fielding every week, because everything is not fine.