slyinsocal

Great season. Phenomenal run. Not gonna blame the refs. The game was lost in the first 15 minutes of the 2nd half on the offensive end. This was the time we needed a low post presence who could score or “reliably” pass out of the double team (Chuma). Wiley could/should have been that option. But we didn’t even try. Not once. It’s likely Wiley is still not 100% from a confidence and conditioning standpoint. As they have done everyone else, Virginia ran us to death through those screens. They made some contested, clutch shots. They win ugly better than any team I have ever seen. Kudos to them. In the mean time, there are a few banners to hang in Auburn Arena now. This is only the start.

Hire Bill Clark UAB. Proven winner and leader. He's paid his dues. When he showed up and starting winning immediately, UAT shut the program down. UAT also thwarted UAB's attempt at hiring Jimbo Fisher. Why? Because they knew these two coaches would elevate UAB's program to a different level. Strange that after UAB was shut down, he didn't take another job. Perhaps he is wise enough to stay away from a big time job?

Why thank you. That was my thinking as well. To a previous poster, I agree we aren't those schools. We'really better, and those offenses are pretty damn tough to stop with their 1 and 2 star players. They aren't tough to stop for teams with top defensive talent. Think SEC opponents. How have the service academies and Ga. Tech fared on the few unfortunate occasions when they ran into contending SEC teams? Not well at all. I agree...I wave the white flag...was only having a momentary possession by the spirit of Skip Bayless, and wanted to be provocative....aaaaannndd I just puked in my mouth...WDE! You're heart's in the right place. Gus incorporates a lot of shifts, motion, ball fakes, and miss direction out of a power run game set where the passing game potential is not severely limited. We've all seen how explosive they can be when Gus' creativity finds the right formula.

FCS playoffs with no week(s) off between games. The kid was playing hurt (recovering from surgery now). NDST has been a juggernaut for years with a championship mindset. They whipped a JSU team whose QB had one hand literally tied behind his back. Against AU, I saw an unflappable NM type QB almost beat an SEC D1 team in front of a hostile 80K plus crowd on the road. Put the ball on the money time and time again. In some cases when there was decent coverage. Poise and leadership. When he was healthy, JSU was explosive, even in the playoffs. 5 QBs on scholly? I know conventional wisdom says all players should be recruited from HS and groomed for 2 to 3 years and that's how it's supposed to be done. However, this also means limiting your options or being stuck with what you have, if they don't develop fast enough or pan out. This whole grad transfer process is a relatively new thing. Every team is doing it now. To me, it's another way for Auburn to plug a hole or shore up depth. And if Auburn becomes a destination for good players with starting experience, I'm all for it. From what I've read, the charges will likely be dropped (meaning he didn't beat her). There is such a thing as innocent until proven guilty. Bring him in. I'm happy the coaches are always looking for better players. It shows some creativity and I like it.

It's refreshing to hear Gus recognize the need to pull back and focus more on coaching. He's learning on the job. He didn't come to Auburn a finished product like Saban did to Alabama. Accept it. For what it's worth... Offense / QBs - QB was not the only reason for last year's slippage. It was a perfect storm. #1, the WRs were not consistent (or really talented enough for that matter), in getting open, catching, AND blocking, #2, HB's and TE's were young and woefully inexperienced. #3, the OL was only adequate, and #4, while Barber was serviceable, the RBs were not the healthiest. That combination made them inconsistent, with a lack of explosive plays, and a QB who looked average at best (JJ/SW). My take on QB development is this. Nick Marshall is all the proof I need. Evaluation is the problem. Whatever methods were used to reasonably predict how JJ was going to perform were a complete failure. This is not an indictment on his character or work ethic, but JJ was a deer in the head lights. As others have said, we saw the same thing with Kiehl Frazier. You can't have a QB throwing over and over into obvious double or triple coverage. That's not mechanics, or throwing motion. So what if the receivers aren't open? Throw it away. Play another down. If it means pulling off the orange jersey in practice to find out who can SEE the field, perform basic progressions, and has a natural feel for the game under pressure, so be it. I actually think it would help toughen up JJ if he would lower his shoulder and punish the defense once in a while. Clear his mind and ease some of that anxiety he shows. Countless times the perimeter was wide open if he had kept the ball. Unless he starts demonstrating better field awareness, decision making, and aggressiveness, my vote is for SW. You can't be tentative. Recruiting - Half the league is in the top 15 every year. Yes, there's talent. Just not enough in the right places. While 4 straight top 10 classes are great, it is critical for ALL position needs to be filled more consistently. That's tough to do against Jawja, the updykes, corn dogs, and gators, The primary universities in those states. What coach at Auburn ever has? Dye? The uphill battle is what it is. At least the last two classes finally started addressing needs at LB, WR, DE, and DL. DCraig got a group of bonafide WRs, not converted QBs. TRob and Muschamp got some bonafide LBs and secondary players (not players converted from other positions). And thank goodness for RGarner. The benefits of this new talent won't be fully realized until next year. Play calling - It's a talent. While everyone wants to dump on Lashlee, remember, the HUNH is largely Gus' own creation. Based on what we had to work with on offense last year, I'm not sure a Petrino or a Kiffin, as gifted as they are, would have the same success. I don't think Bill Walsh could have done better. I still think Lashlee's input is critical. It was one sub par year. Come on. Defense - Definitely heading in the right direction. As far as the SEC is concerned, there is a lot of QB turnover. We have a chance to be very, very good. Place kicking - Terrific. Punting - Last year, was a disappointment. Punt for punt, the opposition consistently gained field position. Yes our offense was pedestrian, but punting didn't help the situation. Improvement needed here. Kickoff and Punt coverage, Don't recall enough to judge, but seemed ok. I wish we had Craig Sanders and Demetrice McNeal back. Coaching - Overachieving players tend to be hungry, top notch coaches. That's I why love Kodi and TWill. Kodi turned himself into one helluva a blocker and a pretty decent clutch possession receiver. He knows what it takes to learn the WR position from the ground up. Fundamentals. TWill's career as a player speaks for itself. Their ability to recruit will be the big question. The rest of the staff is a pretty good mix. Overall - While the last two years have been frustrating, at least the team has been competitive in most every game with a chance to win. I hope 2014 & 2015 are the low end of the threshold for Gus. 2010 & 2013 tells us what he's capable of against the toughest league in America. Be patient. Stay the course.

Travel concerns. Pfft. Basketball team made it. SGA President couldn't. Terrific example set by someone in a leadership position, even if it is only SGA. This young man has just given someone a reason not to hire him. Two things Bammers definitely do NOT do. Win with class. Lose with dignity. Sad. Sad. Sad.

Poise under pressure and the "it" factor.

I heard somewhere that Cristobal teaches Bama's OL to head slap and pull the opposing D lineman down on top of them.

^^^^Bingo^^^^

Clark has landed punts inside the 10 like Dufner's pitching wedge shots stop 6 inches from the hole. Yes, he has gotten some awfully good bounces. But his accuracy and touch have been unreal. Best I've ever seen.

Look. These commentators and writers have the attention span of a child. All they want to do, is hit and run. No research. No homework. They all go along with the rest of their buddies. They don't want to go against the generally perceived point of view. They don't want to spend any time on it. They are LAZY. Only winning at a high level, with no controversy or bad years sprinkled in, for a consistent period of time will change their perception. I'm hoping that Gus sees the value that Auburn brings. Auburn is somewhat on the periphery. Small town, great public education system, not in a major media market. It's not in a capital city, where it's too close to the political power brokers. It's only game in town. You also don't have a "Longhorn" type network watching your every move 24/7. Why does Chizik and his family choose to remain in Auburn? Why does Tuberville feel comfortable coming back spending time with his walk on son? If anything, it demonstrates Auburn is a destination, not a stepping stone.

First of all, there are some pretty good QBs that will be gone after this season. Secondly, they hit us at our weakest point, linebacker and the secondary. We have the talent in the secondary, but have lost some depth due to injury. Linebacker is the short on both talent and depth. The coaching staff has done a heck of a job camouflaging those weaknesses as best they can. It is what it is. Having said that, the defense played the best 2 to 3 quarters of football they've played all year. With a 20 point lead, and things seemingly under control, and having come off back to back road games, I think fatigue started to kick in across the whole team and they lost their edge. The bye week could not have come at a better time. Let's get healed up and get those batteries recharged. The 20 point lead they built up in the 2nd and held through the 3rd quarter shows what this team can do. We have a chance.

Selective hearing? Why are people so sensitive? My goodness. It's not the Auburn network. Pretend it's two football fans from Seattle calling these games. They see 2 different teams week after week. They are not going to be experts or cheerleaders. They make mistakes. I happen to think Verne's reaction was hilarious. Always enjoyed his work. Danielson is top notch.

What do you expect them to do? This is not fantasy football and it's not the NFL. They can't make any deals before the trading deadline. These are the players we have. Ok? They are doing the best they can with what they have. An educated football fan would recognize and understand this. An educated football fan would not be belly aching week after week about the defenses from the good ole days. Accept them for what they are, and appreciate the effort and hard work these young men are exerting. Winning is what matters. Not whether or not we have a dominant defense.

The Sugar Bowl would be fantastic. Opponent (Dream List #1) - Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Stanford (Dream List #2) Clemson, Baylor, Wisconsin, Miami, Michigan State. Although we owe them some payback, I am tired of Clemson. We've already played Wisconsin. It would be incredible to face Notre Dame, Oklahoma, or Ohio State. Notre Dame could win out. Oklahoma and Ohio State could slip up. We can still dream can't we? But if we're stuck with a UCF or a Fresno, then I'm good with that.