With Disappointing 2009 Football Season, OC Don Treadwell Shines

Amidst the disappointment known as the Spartans’ 2009 football season is a critical fact, OC Don Treadwell clearly was the MVP of Mark Dantonio’s staff. Â

Amidst the disappointment known as the Spartans’ 2009 football season is a critical fact, OC Don Treadwell clearly was the MVP of Mark Dantonio’s staff.

 

Treadwell has taken grief for what at times many consider is being too conservative. This season, however, Treadwell clearly established himself as a tremendous coordinator.

 

The Spartans started the season losing their starting QB, who people around the NFL are raving about in Brian Hoyer. He also lost a tremendous RB in Javon Ringer. Add to that, he lost two multi-year starters on the offensive line, who didn’t have great senior campaigns, but were certainly missed.

 

The Spartans coming into the season were expected to struggle. The defense was anticipated to lead the way for the Spartans. Looking back with the benefit of 20/20 vision, we know how that worked out.

 

While the defense was atrocious as a unit, the offense was one of the Big Ten’s elite and gathered high respect around the nation. You can thank Treadwell for that. 

 

Last season some complained about the conservative nature of the offense. I have mentioned to you before Mark Dantonio’s reaction about that to me. “If people don’t like what Tread (Coach Treadwell) does with our offense, they need to blame me.”

 

Treadwell masterfully took a young unit and brought it along. Certainly as good as they were, you can look at how the best part of the offense, the TE group, was in my opinion underused, but the stats don’t lie and the Spartans were among the best.

 

Let’s look at those numbers:

 

• Scoring offense:Â 3rd in the Big Ten at 29.6 points
• Pass offense:Â 1st in the Big Ten at 271.2 yards
• Total offense:Â 3rd in the Big Ten at 407.1 yards
• Pass efficiency:Â 1st in the Big Ten at 146.1
• Red zone offense:Â 4th in the Big Ten at 85.7%

 

Treadwell is a humble man. He is not one to take the credit, but quick to take the blame. When questioned about his team in what could be a negative way, he gives answers like this one to a reporter after the Notre Dame loss, “We all certainly need to look at everything we do and that starts with me.”

 

When after a super offensive performance against Western Michigan he said, “Well, all the credit starts with Coach Dantonio. He sets the tone and the plan that he wants, and he gets the credit for really having this team ready.”

 

That humility is admirable, but it doesn’t change the fact that he did a great job. Knee jerk reactionary people are acting on the emotion of a bad season. That is fine, but not if it is directed at Treadwell.

 

This season, he proved that he is certainly one of the most valuable members of this staff. The Spartan Nation may have a lot of questions about the 2010 Spartan defense, but there are little worries about the offense.

 

Treadwell is admired and respected by his players, but more importantly, by his head coach. “Coach Treadwell does a tremendous job for us and that isn’t just with being a coordinator, it also is with how he treats our players,” was Dantonio’s thoughts on his OC earlier this season.

 

His stoic personality when on the field doesn’t let people truly see the man that Treadwell is. He is without a doubt a great coach, but add to it a terrific husband and a superb father. This coach deserves the accolades and respect.

 

Don’t worry; he is more than happy to take the blame for anything to keep it off his great friend Mark Dantonio, and more than willing to give his compliments for success to his staff and head coach.

 

Character counts and Treadwell has it. He doesn’t have the horses to be the Florida Gators offensively…yet, but he does get the most out of what he has, and I look for them as they open up the playbook in 2010 to use more of it and the Spartan offense to be even better.

 

One thing is certain, the Spartan Nation is better off for having him at the helm of the offense, he just won’t tell you that. Not his style. Was the Spartan offense perfect in 2009? No. Could it have been better? It sure could have, but that isn’t what this is about. 

 

The fact is that Treadwell had a lot of excuses for this offense to be a lot worse than what it was and refused to use them. He refused to let his unit take a step back and use those excuses. That is integrity.

 

After looking at all sports at MSU, the Spartan Nation chooses Don Treadwell to be our 2009 Spartan Coach of the Year for the tremendous job he did this season!