Kyle Davis didn't make trip (Updated: Likely done @Auburn)

[WDE0007 166]

Supposedly someone on Rivals said his rumored(?) dismissal had to do with him doing something stupid (not drug related). I don't have a subscription to Rivals, so I can't verify if someone did say that. 

It's also starting to sound like it's similar to the Sean situation where it's an accumulation of problems (all related to substances).

[Eagle Eye 7 2,535]

9 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

Gus has actually cleaned up the program when he inherited it from Chizik.  The arrest rate has dropped with Gus, while other programs have remained steady or gone up like UGA and Oklahoma.  Mitchell's death also can't be pinned on anyone.  Where he was killed was in an apartment complex that was the old Exchange, across the street from the new Exchange near Walmart on College Street.  It was a gated complex that was student-housing only.  I knew people who lived there, and I lived in the new Exchange for a year.  It was a safe place to be, like the new Exchange or Aspen Heights is.  Very unfortunate circumstance.

I did a thread on this a few months ago with more updated numbers, but here is a link that is from 2015:

https://www.outkickthecoverage.com/the-most-arrested-college-football-teams-in-america-081815/

First of all Gus’s job is not one like the Humane Society, by collecting unwanted puppies. I know somehow you are close friends or relatives to Gus by all your post. But Gus has not cleaned up the problem it has got worse. Actually I think Gene was trying to clean up Gus’s problem in 2012 after Gus left. It had got to the point he felt he needed guards to keep them from trouble. That’s my take on it. Duke and Roc was definitely on Gus as was Sw and KD. I understand you wanting to take up for a friend but we can’t rewrite facts.

[mcgufcm 4,096]

Are we pretending like substance abuse and other discipline issues started in 2009? Is that what we're doing now? Does the name Robert Baker ring any bells? What about DD Green? Drugs and guns and college dudes are not new issues.

This is sad for Kyle. Nothing more. I'll knock Gus all day long, but he both tried to help Kyle and had no choice but to remove him from the team. Gus has handled this as well as it could be handled.

[aujeff11 6,243]

Well this news is very disappointing. He is only a sophomore and is very talented.

WTF

[WarEagle1983 2,185]

1 hour ago, Eagle Eye 7 said:

I agree that KD did this, but when this and other destructive habit begin showing up in your department, you have to ask yourself do you have the proper person in charge. Since Gus first arrived with Chizik in 2009 there has been a lot of these events that I don’t remember seeing before. Players being killed due to being in places or conditions they should not have been in. Many players getting substance abuse or even crimes. Just down and look from Dyer till now at the troubles our players have gotten into. Normally when this much goes on the boss is usually looking for a new job.

Yep. And i know things happen and no program is free of players getting in trouble and getting kicked off the team. I understand that a HC doesn't have to curse everybody out to be effective but even the less Rah Rah in your face coaches show some sort of emotion in certain situations. We get absolutely nothing for Gus. Gus is just too soft all around. I don't fault Gus for Kyle's situation but maybe not giving numerous chances. I'm sure that is a hard position b/c no one wants to see these kids just kill their future but you also have to look at the fact that you have an entire team to worry about of guys who do choose to do the right things.

[McLoofus 35,182]

11 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

Gus has actually cleaned up the program when he inherited it from Chizik.  The arrest rate has dropped with Gus, while other programs have remained steady or gone up like UGA and Oklahoma.  Mitchell's death also can't be pinned on anyone.  Where he was killed was in an apartment complex that was the old Exchange, across the street from the new Exchange near Walmart on College Street.  It was a gated complex that was student-housing only.  I knew people who lived there, and I lived in the new Exchange for a year.  It was a safe place to be, like the new Exchange or Aspen Heights is.  Very unfortunate circumstance.

I did a thread on this a few months ago with more updated numbers, but here is a link that is from 2015:

https://www.outkickthecoverage.com/the-most-arrested-college-football-teams-in-america-081815/

You're right. 

I think the high profile of each problem player makes the situation seem worse than it is. Duke, Jovon, Kyle and Elijah Daniel (remember him?) were all blue chip players. That perception might even be colored by Roc Thomas and Mike Dyer. Then you add in the failures on the field and suddenly the whole becomes more than the sum of its parts because each part becomes more than what it really is. 

Sorry. Not saying that *to* you as if it's new information. Just using your post as a jump-off point for that thought. 

[Eagle Eye 7 2,535]

By the way abw0004 I looked at your article and it is just a comparison of arrest not of all the other crap that has happened. How many Bama players have died since 2010 like ours have ?

[abw0004 10,108]

Just now, Eagle Eye 7 said:

First of all Gus’s job is not one like the Humane Society, by collecting unwanted puppies. I know somehow you are close friends or relatives to Gus by all your post. But Gus has not cleaned up the problem it has got worse. Actually I think Gene was trying to clean up Gus’s problem in 2012 after Gus left. It had got to the point he felt he needed guards to keep them from trouble. That’s my take on it. Duke and Roc was definitely on Gus as was Sw and KD. I understand you wanting to take up for a friend but we can’t rewrite facts.

First of all, no need to continue to throw jabs.  That is not what I am trying to do.  Just having a dialogue.  Facts are actually supporting what I am saying, so I don't really know where you are coming from.  I am not entirely sure if you read my post or my link.  If you can show me otherwise then great, I will concede.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,641]

37 minutes ago, The Freak said:

"Wait, what?"

                  - Will Hastings

 

I love Will Hastings ability to get open, but you couldn't pay me enough to take him over KD. KD has a radius similar to Duke and can catch over just about anybody. Its an actual shame how little he's been used.

[Eagle Eye 7 2,535]

6 minutes ago, mcgufcm said:

Are we pretending like substance abuse and other discipline issues started in 2009? Is that what we're doing now? Does the name Robert Baker ring any bells? What about DD Green? Drugs and guns and college dudes are not new issues.

This is sad for Kyle. Nothing more. I'll knock Gus all day long, but he both tried to help Kyle and had no choice but to remove him from the team. Gus has handled this as well as it could be handled.

No we are saying they and other destructive behaviors have intensified since then. Unlike anything I’ve seen at AU in 50 years

[NCeagle 16]

1 hour ago, madkat7 said:

This seems to happen far too frequently at AU. I'd say we have more of an "ecosystem" problem in our department, from the top down. This is just a result of that system "doing what it does" that we've seen many times before. 

Gus seems unable to manage many of these 5 star individuals, seems ti be a pattern now, kind of like running up the middle.

[wareagleguy 1,393]

1 hour ago, AUwent said:

So is NCM in the doghouse too?

Nah, he's just a WR, but it's hard to tell the difference sometimes!

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,641]

8 minutes ago, WarEagle1983 said:

I certainly don't understand how we still even get TEs to commit to us at all. Sal may be good but he has struggled catching the ball.

he dropped like 1 maybe 2 in that game saturday, but its easier to catch in rhythm. You cant just be thrown in the dark of the night and be expected to just make contested catches with a man literally draped on ur back

[mcgufcm 4,096]

@Eagle Eye 7, you really need to stop using horribly tragic circumstances to argue that a coach has lost control. Seriously. It's disgusting. Fire Gus for being a bad coach. But neither he nor any other coach had anything to do with Jakell Mitchell or LaDarious Phillips or Ed Christian tragically losing their lives. Nothing he did or did not do contributed to those events. Nothing he did could've prevented those events. Please stop.

[WarEagle1983 2,185]

Just now, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

he dropped like 1 maybe 2 in that game saturday, but its easier to catch in rhythm. You cant just be thrown in the dark of the night and be expected to just make contested catches with a man literally draped on ur back

Just saying that with opportunities he's had there have been some catchable passes he's missed. I mean that can be said for several of our WRs honestly. IMO we need to be better at making the tough catches with tight coverage or they need to learn how to get better separation. WRs with their skillsets should be winning those 50/50 catchable balls IMO; go after the ball. 

[WarEagle1983 2,185]

5 minutes ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

he dropped like 1 maybe 2 in that game saturday, but its easier to catch in rhythm. You cant just be thrown in the dark of the night and be expected to just make contested catches with a man literally draped on ur back

I do believe we don't utilize him correctly...much like certain WRs so I'm not trying to come down on him too hard. I'm sure many of our WRs and TEs feel like they were very much lied to.

[Woodstock Tiger 131]

14 minutes ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

I really feel bad for Canella, I've been thinking about him for the past few days. Imagine being promised you're coming into an offense that'll try to use you every play, and then you end up getting like 4 targets with most being in desperation/mop-up duty. I been wondering why receivers come to Auburn in the first place, but I definitely know we wont be having too much more under Gus. 

Agreed.  We've been told they'll be using the TE this season so get ready!  And then........what's he seen, 5-6 passes this year?  I have no idea if he's truly a capable TE or not (maybe that's WHY AU isn't using the TE - perhaps he's not).  He was definitley the target on 2 of the last 3 passes on Saturday if memory serves correctly.   Perhaps using the tight end in the normal game plan as opposed to waiting until desperation time would be good?  I'm just an armchair QB,  but it seems logical to me. 

Same goes for the backup RB's.  I believe Devan Barrett was also one of the final players to touch the ball against LSU.  Not even sure he saw the field prior to that last drive.  AU coaches decide that crunch time in a tight game is the best time to utilize players that are hardly utilized even in games that AU is winning by 25 points?  It's preposterous.   

[WDE0007 166]

It's not fair to blame Gus or the other coaches for the players' personal problems or demons. 

You can (and should) blame them for not coaching them up or not developing them as players. But what they do off the field is not his fault. Gus isn't their daddy. He can try to be a father figure to them, he can try steering them to make smart, good decisions. But at the end of the day, it's the player's choice what they do in their free time. As a coach, there's only so much Gus can do.

[abw0004 10,108]

5 minutes ago, Woodstock Tiger said:

I believe Devan Barrett was also one of the final players to touch the ball against LSU.  Not even sure he saw the field prior to that last drive.  AU coaches decide that crunch time in a tight game is the best time to utilize players that are hardly utilized even in games that AU is winning by 25 points?  It's preposterous.   

He was used in the wheel route a few times.  I think the reasoning behind that is he has moves similar to Roc Thomas in the shifts and "spin move" where they want him in open space against a defender to juke past him.  The problem is it become obvious what is going on.

[McLoofus 35,182]

8 minutes ago, Woodstock Tiger said:

Same goes for the backup RB's.  I believe Devan Barrett was also one of the final players to touch the ball against LSU.  Not even sure he saw the field prior to that last drive.  AU coaches decide that crunch time in a tight game is the best time to utilize players that are hardly utilized even in games that AU is winning by 25 points?  It's preposterous.   

Thank you.

[passthebiscuits 6,831]

16 minutes ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

he dropped like 1 maybe 2 in that game saturday, but its easier to catch in rhythm. You cant just be thrown in the dark of the night and be expected to just make contested catches with a man literally draped on ur back

^this. Also when you don't practice throwing the ball...I don't know...maybe when you're up by 20 in games where the other team is overmatched (msu, ole miss), then you can't just turn the switch on like you're a passing team when you suddenly find yourself behind with 2 minutes to go.

[atl-tiger 655]

2 minutes ago, WFE12 said:

I posted it in the meltdown thread I believe but it was not NCM that said he was inconsolable it was an AU writer. The picture is of him sitting with his head down alone on the bench.

Gotcha, thanks.

[JDUBB4AU 5,102]

Man what a great week to be an AU fan

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

34 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

He was used in the wheel route a few times.  I think the reasoning behind that is he has moves similar to Roc Thomas in the shifts and "spin move" where they want him in open space against a defender to juke past him.  The problem is it become obvious what is going on.

He is only ever used for that swing pass/wheel route. And LSU sniffed it out like a hot turd...

[Tiger 8,818]

Only way we save our WR unit is if we get a coach that knows how to use the entire field in the passing game.

Also not hiring a should-be grad-assistant as a full time WR coach would be a start. Outside of KD's possible substance issues if I'm a WR I can't get out of this system quick enough.