Quote:
With each victory, a few more people are jumping on the bandwagon.
"Michigan Staters are the greatest bandwagon jumpers ever invented," said Joel Ferguson, an MSU board of trustees member, laughing.
Ferguson was critical of President Peter McPherson for the firing of Bobby Williams last year, and also initially questioned the hiring of Smith. But Ferguson said he's put his differences aside and is showing support for the new coach.
"We made our peace the day after he got here," Ferguson said. "There's no question he's an excellent football coach."
Ferguson said a major difference from last year is the performance of four standout players -- Smoker, who was suspended last season for a substance-abuse problem; Taplin, who had some disciplinary issues; linebacker Mike Labinjo, who was overweight before losing more than 20 pounds; and receiver Agim Shabaj, who was injured.
"Those three guys have now matured," Ferguson said of Smoker, Taplin and Labinjo, all seniors. "They're a year older. The coach helped them grow up. Their failures last year helped them grow up. They all cleaned up their acts. They have got talent. The talent was wasted last year."
Ferguson said Smith benefited by being able to hire the coaches he wanted (Williams inherited Nick Saban's staff). Ferguson said he also thinks Smith made a smart move by selecting the captains himself. Last year's captains have been criticized for their on- and off-the-field troubles.
"(Smith) recognized what went wrong last year and plugged those holes up," Ferguson said.
Whereas last year's team became "deflated" by some early-season losses, "these kids are inflated," Ferguson said.
"They're not going anywhere but up," Ferguson said. "Last year's team didn't believe they can win (after some tough setbacks). This team is just the opposite."
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Bandwagon jumpers? Not an accurate statement...
MSU fans don't jump to another team once the Spartans are down.. yes we get down on our own team pretty easily but we definately stay loyal.
Major differences would be Smoker, Labinjo, Taplin, and Shabaj. Okay, lets see here, Smoker and Taplin were both out of control... thanks to Bobby Williams not having control of his team or players. Labinjo was overweight... true, why? Because Bobby and staff decided he should bulk up and play the middle and more DPR. Shabaj? WE HAD CHARLES ROGERS!!!! Shabaj was like the number 3 or 4 option on that team... if BJ Lovett performed at all, or Ziel we wouldn't have had to burn Shabaj's shot at a redshirt.
Lastly, WHY THE HELL IS FERGUSON BEING INTERVIEWED ABOUT FOOTBALL? When was the last time he coached a game, played in a game, broadcasted a game or did anyting more than WATCH a game? How is this man the authority on
MSU sports. Why not interview Mason, Lewandowski, Izzo or Pat McCauliff for crissakes?