Controlled Chaos

[WarEagle84 0]

Worth a read:

Controlled Chaos

Auburn's Cameron Artis-Payne (44) and Nick Marshall (14) are part of college football's most innovative -- and soon-to-be imitated -- offense. (USA TODAY Sports)

AUBURN, Ala. -- There is order and there is chaos, and then there is order disguised as chaos.

Order is what Alabama is and does better than anyone. Chaos is Chris Davis returning a missed field goal 109 yards for a game-winning touchdown in the game of the year. Order disguised as chaos is what 2014 Auburn football will actually be.

It all happened so quickly, Auburn reinventing itself as the premier innovator in modern college football, leading to debates about the way the game should be played. At its best, the Tigers offense is just as precise and methodical as Alabama. It just operates at warp speed, and instead of lining up and running the ball right down the defense's throat -- hey, try and stop it -- by design, the defense rarely knows what's coming. It is controlled chaos, and it's out to upset the balance of power in college football.

"We've got like the mad scientist back there," Auburn running back Cameron Artis-Payne said. "We've got Coach Malzahn and Coach Lashlee, and those two guys did a great job keeping us ahead of the curve. They thought two steps ahead of the defense last year, and when [defenses] thought they could adjust to something, we changed it completely. With those two guys back there, we didn't really have to worry about that. We were always a step ahead."

Now, the Iron Bowl doesn't need any help in terms of marketability. It's already the most passionate rivalry in American sports: decades of in-state bad blood, winners of four of the last five national championships, owner of the most spectacular finish in the history of the game, home to countless other instances of drama and occasional insanity. It's the last rivalry that needs to add yet another layer of intrigue. But here we are anyway, the 365-days-a-year game now also a fight for the way football should be played, between the ruthless power and precision of Nick Saban and the aggressive tempo obsession of Gus Malzahn.

And it wouldn't be surprising if Malzahn's style wins out.

http://www.sportsone...tball-innovator

* * *

Contact me at matt.brown@sportsonearth.com and follow me on Twitter @MattBrownSoE.

[aucanucktiger 1,796]

"Order is what Alabama is and does better than anyone"? Did this writer watch Bama's Spring game? Their offense this year is chaos attempting to be order.

[WarEagle84 0]

"Order is what Alabama is and does better than anyone"? Did this writer watch Bama's Spring game? Their offense this year is chaos attempting to be order.

I'd say 3 of the last 5 national titles counts as doing it better than anyone. Spring games are meaningless.

[Tiger 8,829]

I think the writer makes a good point in comparing AU to Oregon of the past couple years. Except we will have SEC talent across the board. I wouldn't want to play Auburn as long as Gus is here.

[AUbritt 611]

This is a great read! Thanks for posting it, WE84.

There are some quotes from Lashlee that are gold.

"It's fun to play, therefore it's somewhat fun to practice, and so guys enjoy it," Lashlee said in an interview in his office on Monday. "I think people are drawn to it, and that's why what I enjoyed the most from Coach is, hey, it lets you play. You can't turn the ball over, but you don't ask people to be game managers; you ask people to be quarterbacks and win the game and allow you to make plays and play to your strengths. And that was fun for me."

That's a brilliant dig at Saban and may also help explain why Saban hired Kiffin -- he's adjusting his coaches like he does his players, trying to match Kiffin's young-coolness against Lashlee. The hilarious part of that is that Lashlee just is cool, where Kiffin (like Saban) always comes across as trying too hard.

The whole article is well-written and sets Auburn up well (as the anti-Bama in the best possible way). I hope the national media picks this up.

[Milnewd 0]

"Order is what Alabama is and does better than anyone"? Did this writer watch Bama's Spring game? Their offense this year is chaos attempting to be order.

Don't be so butthurt. This article is very complimentary of Auburn. Why do you focus on Alabama?

[AUenginerd 16]

Love it! WDE.

[WarEagle84 0]

This is a great read! Thanks for posting it, WE84.

There are some quotes from Lashlee that are gold.

"It's fun to play, therefore it's somewhat fun to practice, and so guys enjoy it," Lashlee said in an interview in his office on Monday. "I think people are drawn to it, and that's why what I enjoyed the most from Coach is, hey, it lets you play. You can't turn the ball over, but you don't ask people to be game managers; you ask people to be quarterbacks and win the game and allow you to make plays and play to your strengths. And that was fun for me."

That's a brilliant dig at Saban and may also help explain why Saban hired Kiffin -- he's adjusting his coaches like he does his players, trying to match Kiffin's young-coolness against Lashlee. The hilarious part of that is that Lashlee just is cool, where Kiffin (like Saban) always comes across as trying too hard.

The whole article is well-written and sets Auburn up well (as the anti-Bama in the best possible way). I hope the national media picks this up.

Shhh! Not so loud! If Lashlee keeps saying intelligent things while fielding championship offenses, some AD is going to hear about it and want to hire him as a head coach. Let's keep him under wraps as long as possible!

[C'viewTiger 242]

"Order is what Alabama is and does better than anyone"? Did this writer watch Bama's Spring game? Their offense this year is chaos attempting to be order.

I think the writer meant "Order players and pay with cash to avoid paper trail!"

[AU-24 3,108]

"Order is what Alabama is and does better than anyone"? Did this writer watch Bama's Spring game? Their offense this year is chaos attempting to be order.

I think the writer meant "Order players and pay with cash to avoid paper trail!"

"Order is what Alabama is and does better than anyone"? Did this writer watch Bama's Spring game? Their offense this year is chaos attempting to be order.

I think the writer meant "Order players and pay with cash to avoid paper trail!"

You mean loan players cash, that they will show is payed back. Give them and their families a great, and I do mean a great deal on their Dodge Chargers because it is legal!

[CJBas 4]

I not only wouldn't be surprised if Malzahn's style wins out, I'd be shocked if it doesn't. the young always wins outover the old. The new and innovative always wins out over the old and staid.

Saban's way of playing is comparable to the Napoleonic way of fighting war - everybody get in a line and walk into the fire - against drones carrying smart missles. Of course it will lose out in time.

And tht has probably occured to Saban already. I think that's why he came up with is 10 second rule. He sees that time is passing him by and rather than adjust and get with the program he wants toturn back the clock...and you simply can't do that very long.

[ToraGirl 5,498]

"Order is what Alabama is and does better than anyone"? Did this writer watch Bama's Spring game? Their offense this year is chaos attempting to be order.

"Order is what Alabama is and does better than anyone"? Did this writer watch Bama's Spring game? Their offense this year is chaos attempting to be order.

I'd say 3 of the last 5 national titles counts as doing it better than anyone. Spring games are meaningless.

Systematically from the top, though, it looks like most of Saban's decisions since the Iron Bowl have appeared to be anything BUT orderly...Kiffin, HUNH assault, etc. And nearly everyone is on to it. So it stands to reason that the past is the past...and the present will be determined by Saban and company's most recent "decisions"...and how divided their minds will be with Auburn style and trends from other like-minded programs continuing to seep into their subconcious of "how the game 'should' be played..."

Take your pick of threads--present recruiting, present staffing--even the lackluster trend of post-Bama NFL performance--that keep pointing to the same observation..."The Emperor is shedding his clothes..."

[3rdgeneration 6,469]

Love the analogy of the emperor shedding his clothes...so far, everyone is still afraid to tell him....