Unfazed Croom not worried about job security

HOOVER, Ala. — After winning nine games in his first three seasons at Mississippi State, football coach Sylvester Croom downplayed what some believe could become a tenuous situation in Starkville this season.

If youre asking me whether Im worried about whether Im going to get fired, no, Croom said during Thursdays interviews for SEC Media Days. Ive coached for 30 years. Ive never had to go look for a job I know were doing things the right way. I know our plan is on track.

Croom cited improvement with the Bulldogs, although his teams have won just three games in each of his first three seasons.

Still, Croom says the Bulldogs rebuilding project still is on schedule.

You throw the probation in there, plus the fact I knew the way that my philosophy is that some of the young men there was not going to stay and participate, he said. Basically, we started all over again.

While the wins havent come just yet, Croom said his team was more competitive in 2006 than previous seasons.

Mississippi State lost to Ole Miss, Georgia, Tulane and Kentucky by three points.

It lost to Arkansas by 14 points.

The Bulldogs upset Alabama, partially contributing to the firing of Crimson Tide coach Mike Shula.

Last years goals were to get into the fourth quarter; this year, Croom wants his team to find the plays to win the game.

Weve got to find that one play to get those other three points, he said.

And again, he stressed the process.

Im very fortunate to be at Mississippi State because the people who hired me understood that this was the way I was going to do it, he said. Building a program takes time, building anything that has a chance to succeed.

Jinx! Florida coach Urban Meyer didnt want anything to do with a question about a possible injury to sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow.

Pat, turn around and punch that guy right in the mouth, will you? Meyer joked, referring to Gainesville Sun columnist Pat Dooley, who was sitting near the reporter who asked the question.

Meyer went on to answer the question, saying, For that to happen would hurt our chances significantly at being successful.

Tick, Tock: SEC coordinator of football officials Rogers Redding explained rule changes, saying that the NCAA rules committee tried to save time by shortening dead-ball situations.

There was so much dissatisfaction from among coaches and fans, the rules committee was under some pressure to shorten the game, Redding said. What they did (in 2006) was shorten the game by shortening playing time, which had the effect of taking plays out of the game.

They felt like they could save some time in terms of using up some dead time to restore, get back to not having the games themselves run so long.

30/30: So far this week, coaches have been in near perfect agreement about the impact of moving kickoffs back 5 yards to the 30.

Redding said the move will drastically reduce the number of touchbacks and add excitement to the return game.

We were seeing in the spring games and spring scrimmages that kickers were typically getting the ball to the 12- and 8-yard line, maybe deeper than that.

This puts the kickoff return back in the football game. If theres anything more boring than a touchback, Im not sure what it is.

Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson didnt mind touchbacks.

I think you had a good mix of returns and touchbacks, Johnson said. Its not going to speed it up because there are going to be a lot more kickoffs.

Returns are exciting, but I want to give those defensive guys a chance, too.

Meyer said the rule change has caused he and his staff to re-evaluate everything, from scheme to strategy to personnel.

Its going to have a major impact, he said.

Meyer Likes It: While Tennessee fans might rather see the Vols face Florida a little later than the third week of the season, Meyer said he loves the way Floridas schedule sets up.

The Gators play Tennessee in September, Georgia in October and Florida State in November.

Having big games spaced evenly on the schedule, he says, makes it easier for his team to keep its focus.

I think thats one of the great advantages of coaching at Florida. Theres never a lull in the schedule, he said. Theres no school in the country that has three rivals like that evenly spaced out.

Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.