COLUMBIA - Athletes, especially collegiate and professional ones, don't often like to revisit the past.
Glancing too far into the future is normally verboten as well, and questions that venture too far in either direction are often met with variations of wanting to focus on today, tomorrow, the next opponent, rather than dwelling on the past or count wins before the final whistle.
There are exceptions, though, and Missouri's horrendous defensive performance in 2017's season opener against Missouri State warranted, to senior linebacker Terez Hall, a revisit.
His teammates didn't understand why he called a meeting to re-watch the game, noting the Tigers open the season Sept. 1 against UT Martin.
"You've got to see where you were at at your lowest point," Hall said Friday, the opening day of Missouri's training camp. "It's hard watching that film, because we were all out of place, guys weren't physical enough, we couldn't tackle as well. You've got to see how bad you were to see where you're going to go."
With the benefit of hindsight, it's clear the Missouri State game portended bad things for the Tigers' defense, and they followed that win with five straight losses, four to Southeastern Conference opponents.
"We just underestimated Missouri State at the time," Hall said. "They came out firing on us. The offense went out and showed out, we just didn't hold up our end."
Missouri finished the 2017 season with a defense that allowed an average of 414 yards per game and 438 yards per game against SEC opponents. And while the offense racked up big numbers, opponents often did the same in return: the Bears gained 492 total yards, Purdue 477, Auburn 482, Kentucky 486 and Georgia, then No. 2 and the eventual national title runner-up, a jaw-dropping 696 yards.
That initial inflation masks the improvement Missouri's defense made during the year, through execution, play-calling and the addition of A.J. Logan to an already-formidable front four.
In September and October games, the Tigers gave up an average of 453 yards, but they closed out November with an average of 370 yards allowed per game to Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Arkansas. Missouri ended the season with a disappointing loss, 33-16 to Texas in the Texas Bowl, in which the defense held Texas to 280 total yards.
Missouri coach Barry Odom's plan to make sure the same bad start doesn't happen this year is to practice more with 11-on-11 once the pads go on.
"I think we did a decent job of that last year, but dropped off maybe a little too quick," Odom said.
Defensive coordinator Ryan Walters agreed, and said the 17 practices the team gets in camp - half of what Walters and Odom got in their playing days - adds to the intensity of preparation.
"I think it's important, first, to identify who our best 11 are early and get them on the field and get them adjusted," Walters said. "I think we're leaps and bounds ahead of where we were last year in terms of football IQ, and having a full season in the system with guys that are out there playing."
The Tigers open with UT Martin and Wyoming, and if all preparation goes to plan, it may be Week 3 (at Purdue) or Week 4 (vs. Georgia) of the season before that defense is truly tested.
III
One of the most intriguing questions of the upcoming season is how Missouri's receiving corps adapts to the new offense, and which newcomers make the biggest contributions.
Several players said nothing from Josh Heupel's offense has been cut under Derek Dooley, but there will be fewer go and post routes for players like Emanuel Hall as a necessary part of opening the whole route tree to all receivers.
Hall, Nate Brown and Johnathan Johnson are all starters on the depth chart at the beginning of camp, backed up by grad transfer Alex Ofodile, freshman Dominic Gicinto and redshirt junior Richaud Floyd, respectively. Freshmen Kam Scott and Khmari Thompson could also make an immediate impact.
The Tigers also added depth to the position Friday afternoon, at least verbally. Maurice Massey, a 3-star wideout from Kirkwood High School, picked Missouri instead of Illinois. His commitment brings the Tigers' 2019 class to 10, following Arlington, Texas, offensive lineman Thalen Robinson's verbal pledge Thursday.
Notes: WR Harry Ballard, who qualified after spending a year at Jones County Junior College, was not on the Tigers' training camp roster. "Ballard is away right now with a personal issue, and I'm hoping that we can get him back into camp quick," Odom said. OL AJ Harris elected to medically retire following spring practice after suffering a knee injury before the Texas Bowl. He is still enrolled at Missouri and will be involved in the program to some extent, according to Odom. Caleb Sampson, a defensive lineman and signee in Missouri's 2017 class from Covington, La., elected to transfer to be closer to his home and family. Danny Gray, a wideout from Dallas' James Madison High School and a 2018 signee, did not qualify and according to his Twitter is enrolled at Blinn Junior College in Brenham, Texas, about an hour south of College Station.