Auburn coaches distraught

[ToomersStreet 795]

 

 

 

 

(Chris Landry is a veteran NFL scout who has worked for the Cleveland Browns and the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans. Previously, he ran the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and served as an assistant coach at LSU. Landry is a consultant for multiple NFL teams and major college programs.)

 

 

Auburn’s loss was a gut-punch for Tiger fans. The coaches felt worse.

“That coaching staff was distraught,” Landry said during his weekly podcast after having talked to Auburn assistant coaches both during the week prior to Auburn’s trip to LSU as well as the Sunday morning after the game. “You’ve got the defensive coaches who felt like they had a great game plan, you’ve got the offensive staff who were frustrated about how things were done.

“What I can tell you, without pointing a finger – because I don’t like that, I think you win and lose as a staff – there’s no doubt that the run element and the vertical (passing) game, that’s Gus (Malzahn)… I think there’s plenty of blame to go around, but I think this is on Gus.”

Let’s rewind.

If you recall, Auburn raced out to a 20-0 lead. What happened?

“What did LSU’s defense do at half-time? Two things: they employed more run blitzes, but the most important thing, obviously, they moved the safety into the box,” Landry explains.

Landry expected Auburn to change its offensive focus to make the home-standing Tigers pay for their adjustments, but Auburn never did.

“I made the safe assumption that Auburn was now going to attack the middle of the field,” Landry said. “The middle of the field was displaced as LSU was having to overplay the run. So now Auburn’s got LSU where they want them. They got ‘em on the run… so Auburn’s going to attack the middle of the field.

“Well, no, they didn’t. Inexplicably, Auburn continued to run the football. With a 20 point lead there were 17 consecutive runs on first down by Auburn.”

After watching the coach’s tape, Landry says there was ample spacing to complete intermediate passing routes.

“The biggest flaw for auburn’s offense was not, not getting away running the football, you’ve got to run the football…the biggest flaw Auburn had offensively was the vertical throws,” Landry said. “That was beyond an inane strategy. First of all, it’s a low percentage play. Second of all, it’s a lower percentage play against LSU’s corners. To attack their corners, man-to-man in 50-50 balls, they’re going to win them.

 

“What you’ve got to be able to do Auburn is work the intermediate routes. You’ve got to be able to make them adjust horizontally in coverage, that takes guys out of the box, that allows you to run the football more and then you’ve got them adjusting to you and you’re dictating to them.”

The mood on the coaching staff following the game was beyond grim, bordering on grave.

 

 

 

 

“One of the Auburn assistants told me, ‘this game is likely going to cost us our job, we totally collapsed,’” Landry said.

 

 

To hear Chris Landry’s full explanation of the the mistakes Auburn’s coaching staff made against LSU, as well as his thoughts on the struggles at Tennessee and Florida, listen to his full podcast embedded below.

 

[TigerEyez13 46]

It's obvious Gus is extremely afraid of interceptions. That's why he will throw the long bomb. If it is intercepted, it is far enough down field that we can prevent a pick-six.  If it is intercepted, it is no worse than the punt that would have followed the incomplete pass so he's breaking even.

He doesn't like to throw across the middle for fear of the pick-six.

These are old school coaching phobias expressed in the well-worn adage: only three things can happen when you pass and two of them are bad.

[Randman5000 4,223]

Yes !!!  @TigerEyez13 that's totally it. At every half he always says Stidham did a good, "didn't turn the ball over" he's scared of INT. 

He has hammered it into his qbs, did it with Nick as well. With JJ, they only through screens or outs because he was prone to throw to the other team. He says he trusts Jarrett but it's not true. He doesn't trust anyone really. It made Jarrett indecisive early in the season but it's also just Gus's overall strategy to not turn the ball over.  Gus is so easy to figure out at this point. 

[auburnphan 6,050]

Every Auburn fan knows Gus is to blame for the results, the articles will continue to trickle out.

 

minus warblogle, because he is an idiot and self serving.

[DAG 33,955]

It all will come to light once he is finally fired. Watch. A full blown detailed article will hit the fans from ESPN, once Gus is long gone and we have moved on.

[caleb1633 1,418]

He could be a Dabo of Fischer level coach if he quit his damn meddling. That's the sad part about the whole thing.

[JDUBB4AU 5,102]

8 hours ago, caleb1633 said:

He could be a Dabo of Fischer level coach if he quit his damn meddling. That's the sad part about the whole thing.

Your correct. If he could get out of his own way. Believe or not Gus has had a tremendous impact on the sec and how teams play offense . He changed the landscape in the sec . Alabama was 3 yards and a cloud of dust until Gus showed up. Now they have one of the top DT qbs in football 

[keesler 5,922]

4 hours ago, JDUBB4AU said:

Your correct. If he could get out of his own way. Believe or not Gus has had a tremendous impact on the sec and how teams play offense . He changed the landscape in the sec . Alabama was 3 yards and a cloud of dust until Gus showed up. Now they have one of the top DT qbs in football 

Well yeah, but I don't see Alabama using twirly bird or 3 headed QB tactics or formulating a game plan where you run straight up the middle on 1st down 80% of the time.  They've always had a balanced offensive attack, they don't put the lions share of the load on the back of their QB and they will always have a top shelf defense to take the pressure off the offense to win games.  Just a different management style over there.

Saban asked the question back in 2010/2011,  "Is this what we want football to become?"  a fast paced, HUNH, constant motion and movement type of game.  He must have thought the  answer was yes, because damned if he didn't start rebuilding his troops for battle.  Now he has a defense built to better defense a DT QB and an RPO offense and he has a QB of this own that has more rushing yards than his RBs.

[Tiger 8,817]

I can't believe Nick Saban has such blatant disregard for his players' health by insisting on running the HUNH. He's basically shoving cigarettes down his kids' throats!

[Gowebb11 9,305]

Go back and read the articles after GaSo and Mercer. Gus talked about what he did was a reaction to the "flow" of the game.  In other words, he allowed lesser teams to dictate his decisions.  Can't coach that way, especially in the SEC. Great coaches do what they do until you prove you can stop them. Scared and paranoid coaches paralyze themselves and their team by curling into a fetal position when met with aggressiveness.  Gus is scared and paranoid. 

[johnnyAU 3,630]

The assistant coaches may be just now getting what guys like Muschamp, T-Rob and Craig figured out earlier. 

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

2 minutes ago, johnnyAU said:

The assistant coaches may be just now getting what guys like Muschamp, T-Rob and Craig figured out earlier. 

You think. 

[milehighfan 1,239]

Since becoming head coach at Auburn Gus the Great has continued to take at least three games to identify offensive philosophy of the team and determine who will play what position. Once all that is finally settled if or when his game plan tanks Gus the Great doesn't have a clue how to make adjustments on the run, except to continue to do the unexplainable, run it up the middle, again and again and again on first and second down. If the PTB at Auburn continue to keep  Gus the Great as head coach, they deserve everything they get...or don't get, wins.

[ellitor 33,062]

1 hour ago, johnnyAU said:

The assistant coaches may be just now getting what guys like Muschamp, T-Rob and Craig figured out earlier. 

Horton has known for quite awhile. That's why he's been shopping around after the last 3 or 4 seasons.

[gr82b4au 5,568]

3 hours ago, Gowebb11 said:

 Gus is scared and paranoid. 

It sure seems that way. The rest of this season is going to be very interesting. 

[Beaker 2,457]

4 minutes ago, gr82b4au said:

The rest of this season is going to be very interesting. 

not really (for me).   I hate transition, but I hate wasting talent more.

[DyeCampAlum 335]

Man, that was hard to hear.