Kevin Steele best first year DC in the SEC?

[AURealist 2,185]

AU has great talent on defense.  We've been recruiting well and CWM had them playing well last season. We're only halfway thru this season and only 1 team we've beaten has a winning record.  I'd hold off a bit longer before bestowing any titles, accolades or superlatives upon Coach Steele.

 

[1auburn1 1,110]

The talent is there and  with Lawson and Monty being seniors is probably at its peak over the last several years, but, these same guys were making more mistakes last year.   I think we play MUCH more fundamentally sound football this season than we have in the past.    One of my pet peeves....DE's crashing down inside with no LB support on the outside leading to wide open outside runs.   Grrrr!    That has driven me crazy over the past few years.    Haven't seen nearly as many blown containments, coverages, etc.     That's coaching.   

[Plaric 4]

Lawson is a Junior

[keesler 5,924]

1 hour ago, AURealist said:

AU has great talent on defense.  We've been recruiting well and CWM had them playing well last season. We're only halfway thru this season and only 1 team we've beaten has a winning record.  I'd hold off a bit longer before bestowing any titles, accolades or superlatives upon Coach Steele.

 

Thanks for being a "Realist".

JK

[1auburn1 1,110]

13 minutes ago, Plaric said:

Lawson is a Junior

True.  R-Jr and final season for us. 

[AUIH1 1,515]

1 hour ago, AURealist said:

AU has great talent on defense.  We've been recruiting well and CWM had them playing well last season. We're only halfway thru this season and only 1 team we've beaten has a winning record.  I'd hold off a bit longer before bestowing any titles, accolades or superlatives upon Coach Steele.

 

I agree.  But, and I am no Steele fan boy, the D has played aboved my expectations all year and was not the reason we lost to Clemson or Texas A&M.  Those two losses were on the O.  Steele has seemed to build upon what Muschamp laid the foundation to last season because, IMO, Steele is idealogically compatible with Muschamp and Steele has been hired multiple times by Saban so something has to had rubbed off.  

 

wde

[milehighfan 1,240]

Steele definitely has some talent and I mean top talent to work with. Do you think Kirby Smart was the best all to end all DC because he was so smart? I don't care how good a coach you are, if you ain't got any horses you ain't gonna win many, if any races.

[drsteve87 91]

One half of a season does not make a great coach in my book. I really like CKS and I believe he's a great fit for AU and he'll be great for us, but the jury is still out. Remember, Tommy Bowden went like 20-0 before Coach Dye's players were all gone. Chiz went undefeated and looked great after one season...

[AUIH1 1,515]

4 minutes ago, drsteve87 said:

One half of a season does not make a great coach in my book. I really like CKS and I believe he's a great fit for AU and he'll be great for us, but the jury is still out. Remember, Tommy Bowden went like 20-0 before Coach Dye's players were all gone. Chiz went undefeated and looked great after one season...

That would be Terry Bowden and Chiz went undefeated in season two.  Otherwise, I get your point.

 

wde

[LakeBum 187]

2 minutes ago, drsteve87 said:

One half of a season does not make a great coach in my book. I really like CKS and I believe he's a great fit for AU and he'll be great for us, but the jury is still out. Remember, Tommy Bowden went like 20-0 before Coach Dye's players were all gone. Chiz went undefeated and looked great after one season...

Tommy Bowden?........sniff, sniff

[drsteve87 91]

Yep, my bad. All those Bowdens look alike to me!!!

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Kevin Steele is really doing an awesome job in coaching up our guys and getting the very best out of them every week.

[doc4aday 1,887]

Folks think that CKS is a bad DC based on the blow out loss to WV in a bowl game. That game cost CKS his job. Folks tend to forget that DCs around the SEC and other big conferences have had blow out games against them.

1. Dave Aranda LSUs new DC. He is a very good DC, but has some serious points tagged on his defense when he was at Wisconsin. OSU beat his defense to a score of 59-0

2. Brent Venables Clemson's DC. He succeeded CKS. FSU put up over  56 points on his defense a few years back.

If CKS never had that blowout score attached to his rear end , he could very well be one of the best in all of college football. If that blowout game could be removed from his record. Steele is a seasoned veteran DC and a very good one at that. He has a great staff of position coaches that work together to field a formidable defense that is shaping up to be one of, if not the best defense in SEC. The point I am trying to make is that no DC is immune from having an opponent put up some points against.

[AURealist 2,185]

4 hours ago, keesler said:

Thanks for being a "Realist".

JK

Just a stinger. You'll be fine. Walk it off...

[AURocketman 73]

I appreciate Steele. Right guy  Right Place Right Time so far.

Lots of intangibles.  Appreciate what we have.  He has pulled together the right assistants.  Have not seen DB go for ball through receivers in ages.  Knock Hell out of em after catch was AU standard in good old days.  Bad days when they caught and just arm tackled.

Love improved linebacker play.  It's much, much improved.  But DB play where nut hooking with backside arm and going through receivers attackint the football.  It's best I have seen since I can remember.  Hate to say Bill (Benedict Arnold) Oliver.  Still hate him since he stole playbook and took it to Bear in 1972.  

  

[WarTim 3,456]

7 hours ago, doc4aday said:

Folks think that CKS is a bad DC based on the blow out looks to WV in a bowl game. That game cost CKS his job. Folks tend to forget that DCs around the SEC and other big conferences have had blow out games against them.

1. Dave Aranda LSUs new DC. He is a very good DC, but has some serious points tagged on his defense when he was at Wisconsin. OSU beat his defense to a score of 59-0

2. Brent Venables Clemson's DC. He succeeded CKS. FSU put up over  56 points on his defense a few years back.

If CKS never had that blowout score attached to his behind, he could very well be one of the best in all of college football. If that blowout game could be removed from his record. Steele is a seasoned veteran DC and a very good one at that. He has a great staff of position coaches that work together to field a formidable defense that is shaping up to be one of, if not the best defense in SEC. The point I am trying to make is that no DC is immune from having an opponent put up some points against.

Little Nicky lost HOMECOMING to UAB while @ LSU and to La Monroe at spuat. It happens. Coach KS is doing a very good job and I am glad he is at Auburn. 

[baldeagle55 32]

10 hours ago, auburn4ever said:

Kevin Steele is really doing an awesome job in coaching up our guys and getting the very best out of them every week.

You are correct sir. Anyone that can't see the improvement on defense this year compared to last year, probably doesn't understand defense very well. CKS and his staff have done a great job of putting these kids in the right positions to make plays. If this staff stays together, they will continue to get better.

[AURealist 2,185]

13 hours ago, doc4aday said:

Folks think that CKS is a bad DC based on the blow out looks to WV in a bowl game. That game cost CKS his job. ...

 

 

 Gotta disagree, Doc.  While many CKS non-fans will mention that he holds the NCAA Bowl Game record for points allowed, most see that only as confirmation of opinion already held. Namely, that CKS's defenses get worse over time, not better.

 

 

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

Only complaint I can think of (and admittedly reaching here) is that the defense has been, well, too "defensive."

Turnovers seem lacking.

Is a "steal" curtain too much to ask for?

[WarTim 3,456]

Reading this thread...well, it is obviously a BYE week. ?

[homersapien 11,366]

We do have good talent and the credit for that goes to Gus and the other key recruiting coaches.

But what impresses me most about our improved defense is that it's better at all positions: D line, linebackers and - perhaps most noticeably - the secondary.  Pursuit is good and tackling is remarkably better.  That's coaching.

[Eagle Eye 7 2,535]

For those talking about talent we have had talent over the past few years and still did not get it done, so the Jimmy and Joe can't be all. I think CKS is a good example and leader and smart defensive coach. One thing I also believe is that T-will , McGriff and Garner may prove one of the best defensive combinations ever. We will see in time but they are off to a good start.WDE

[doc4aday 1,887]

7 hours ago, AURealist said:

 

 Gotta disagree, Doc.  While many CKS non-fans will mention that he holds the NCAA Bowl Game record for points allowed, most see that only as confirmation of opinion already held. Namely, that CKS's defenses get worse over time, not better.

 

 

A lot of folks do not realize that Miles micromanaged CKS starting around mid-season. There was a lot of dissention between Coach "O" of which made things difficult. The LSU AD was ready to pay a higher salary to keep CKS as the DC for LSU. From what I have been told by some of my friends from Louisiana is that Steele turned down the offer so that he could come to Auburn and pick his staff. Gus has done a super job letting CKS run the defense the way he thinks is the best way.  Miles is a very good coach, but more stubborn than Gus. Gus has the sense to know that micromanaging the offense is not a good thing, with Les way behind the learning curve when knowing that he needs to back off and let his coaches coach. If Coach "O" does well for the rest of the season, he will get the HC job. There is a ton of love between "O" & LSU.

[AURealist 2,185]

1 hour ago, doc4aday said:

A lot of folks do not realize that Miles micromanaged CKS starting around mid-season. ..

 

Doc,

CKS has a coaching history long before his most recent stint at LSU. That history is notable for his defenses getting worse over time. Maybe there are valid reasons for that. Maybe. I was merely pointing out that many fans had reservations about hiring him that had nothing at all to do with his record-setting Bowl loss.

[doc4aday 1,887]

1 hour ago, AURealist said:

 

Doc,

CKS has a coaching history long before his most recent stint at LSU. That history is notable for his defenses getting worse over time. Maybe there are valid reasons for that. Maybe. I was merely pointing out that many fans had reservations about hiring him that had nothing at all to do with his record-setting Bowl loss.

I do think CKS is one of the best defensive coaches in the SEC. Only time will tell whether or not his defenses decline. Any DC will see a decline when he loses top shelf players and has to break in a new group of defensive players. We could go on about this until the end of the season and get nowhere. The bottom line is that he is doing a super job. He has a solid core group of experienced seasoned position coaches that are working as a unit. Let's look at how we turn out at seasons end.