Are we headed in the right direction?

[Tiger 8,822]

2 hours ago, Zeek said:

My biggest concern is that we pay someone millions to be an offense mastermind and we have been atrocious on offense in many key games. The red zone offense has been rough ever since we lost our QB battering ram Cam Newton

I actually feel like our red zone offense has taken a nose dive the very moment Nick Marshall and CAP botched that handoff down near the goal line vs TAMU in 2014. That play had sent our program into a tailspin that just recently stopped.

 

Not literally, but damn did we go downhill FAST after that botched handoff.

[Win4AU 4,052]

If I were on the outside looking in I’d say good recruiting classes every year, winning seasons and a bowl every year under Gus, tons of potential on both sides of the ball,  dominating performance against the eventual #1 and #2 teams.  Problem is we all saw the LSU collapse, UGA completely shutting down the offense without Kerryon, and the UCF letdown.  Those games felt a lot like Clemson, UGA, and Oklahoma in 2016.  I feel like Auburn is close but needs to take that next step similar to what Clemson did a couple years ago.  Otherwise the SEC will go from the LSU Bama show to the UGA Bama show.

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

To be perfectly honest, we will know the answer to this question on 09/01/18.  

[keesler 5,924]

On 2/15/2018 at 1:45 PM, Win4AU said:

If I were on the outside looking in I’d say good recruiting classes every year, winning seasons and a bowl every year under Gus, tons of potential on both sides of the ball,  dominating performance against the eventual #1 and #2 teams.  Problem is we all saw the LSU collapse, UGA completely shutting down the offense without Kerryon, and the UCF letdown.  Those games felt a lot like Clemson, UGA, and Oklahoma in 2016.  I feel like Auburn is close but needs to take that next step similar to what Clemson did a couple years ago.  Otherwise the SEC will go from the LSU Bama show to the UGA Bama show.

Nick Saban presents an obstacle and has been one for the last decade.

The Ed Orgeron & Ensminger show will be a freaking clown show.

[im4aual 487]

Yes

[AUIH1 1,515]

6 hours ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

To be perfectly honest, we will know the answer to this question on 09/01/18.  

This will be like a bowl game to Gustav.

wde

[AUIH1 1,515]

50 minutes ago, keesler said:

Nick Saban presents an obstacle and has been one for the last decade.

The Ed Orgeron & Ensminger show will be a freaking clown show.

That clown show was less clownish than our own clown show last year.  But we do have LSU at home where we tend to beat them.

wde

[AUsince72 11,084]

1 hour ago, im4aual said:

Yes

 

[bigbird 60,512]

1 hour ago, AUIH1 said:

This will be like a bowl game to Gustav.

wde

Well, that's not good.

[Gowebb11 9,314]

To the original question about are we headed in the right direction, we often are.  But for short periods of time. The real question is when do we maintain a top tier direction for an extended period of time? I'm still not convinced we have the right culture throughout our program to sustain success. I hope we are, but then hope is not a strategy. 

[Win4AU 4,052]

18 hours ago, keesler said:

Nick Saban presents an obstacle and has been one for the last decade.

The Ed Orgeron & Ensminger show will be a freaking clown show.

I was speaking more toward the Saban vs Miles when we were having all these “games of the century”.  Unfortunately it appears it’s gonna be Smart vs Saban going forward till Saban retires. I agree that Orgeron has at most 2 seasons left at LSU before they bring in a new coach.  My hope is Auburn can split the series with Bama till Saban retires and Auburn can become king in West and duke it out with Smart and Mullen.  Jimbo is the wildcard.  If he gets Tamu up and running the way it has potential to then things could get real interesting.

[shabby 1,957]

I honestly feel we have never been more ready to simply reload every year thanks to consistently strong recruiting. I think Herb Hand leaving was a huge step in the right direction. I look forward to seeing what this team does next year. Our kids have had very little consistency coaching wize. This is year 2 with Lindsey. I think the offense will execute better and block better. I'm pretty optimistic. I also think our running game is going to surpass expectations. defense will be defense and that's a good thing. Though I do wish Steele would utilize the blitz more often and generate more pressure. But who am i to question this guy!

[doc4aday 1,887]

At the end of the day with all of the good and bad, Gus has created far more good than bad. I honestly think that if he had won 11 games every year he has been here, we would have pretty much the same negative noodles touting our failures while shoving our successes as far under the bed as humanly possible.  I am not positive all of the time and was rather ticked off after the Clemson and LSU games. Gus righted the ship fairly well and won me back with flying colors. Yes, we lost to the mutts in the championship game and lost to a UCF team that was much better than most folks were willing to admit. We should have won that game, but we did not. We were robbed a TD early on when the inept refs called the play dead when they should have allowed our defenders to score by rules he should have. 

It was asking a lot of our team and and any team as far as it is concerned to beat the mutts twice when we had faced the eventual NC's and won decisively. We were banged up pretty bad while the mutts were at full speed the 2nd round. No team has ever done what we did last year with the mutts and the turds and what we did was remarkable.

We had a pretty darn good recruiting class of which the same negative noodles give very little praise. I am a glass half full man and take pride in doing so when credit is deserved. Can we do better? Absolutely without no question. Are we moving in the right direction? by my book we are and to say we are not just does not make sense. I think Gus has laid the foundation for success in the coming seasons with having in place a solid defensive and offensive staff that is light years better than his 2013 staff.  I think replacing Hand with JB Grimes was a smart move by Gus. Grimes might not set the woods on fire recruiting, but he is one of the best technicians in the business and this will show next year. He will establish a starting OL as one that will play together and allow Stidham to be an even better QB in 2018. I am sure I will have some negative follow ups with my posts, and this is fine as long as it is by true Auburn men and women. It is OK to offer up constructive criticism and I have no problems with this.

However, the constant negative blasts toward our football program, grows old and some of it just is plain wrong and offers nothing other than some folks to exercise their plethora of negative news.  I honestly think that it is down right painful for some folks to post anything positive much like being constipated and enjoying every painful grunt in the process.

[doc4aday 1,887]

On 2/16/2018 at 10:03 AM, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

To be perfectly honest, we will know the answer to this question on 09/01/18.  

I can agree with you on this one!

[Zeek 16,649]

On 2/16/2018 at 6:20 PM, Gowebb11 said:

To the original question about are we headed in the right direction, we often are.  But for short periods of time. The real question is when do we maintain a top tier direction for an extended period of time? I'm still not convinced we have the right culture throughout our program to sustain success. I hope we are, but then hope is not a strategy. 

I have to agree with you. Just don't think that Gus will ever be that coach who can keep a team at 10-12 wins consistently. We're going to keep seeing dips and falls intermittently under him. We recruit well enough to stay relevant but not well enough to break into the "elite" category that everyone wants to be at each year. Honestly, Gus would be better off going to a school like UCF and taking it from a small-mid-tier program to a consistent conference champion and occasionally nationally relevant program. Really could see him making a move to a school like that after Auburn and staying for a long, long, long time.

If he wants to go back home to Arkansas I could see him returning to Arkansas State if it isn't too awkward...

[Beaker 2,457]

It all comes down to consistency.  I am talking 2 or more years.  

1.  We have never seen consistent offensive production since Gus arrived as HC.  Why?  Well there are lots of reasons. 

2.  I honestly think Gus looks at some games as "expendable" and uses them as test cases.   This drives me (and you) NUTS. 

3.  Lastly, he really believes we don't have to fully develop a back up QB.  Before you argue with me, tell us which game last year that Malik Willis threw one important pass in?     He completed like 5 or 6 passes ALL YEAR !!!    but we heard Lindsey in the summer talk about the importance of development of back ups and "next man up" being ready. 

4.  Gus doesn't really prep well for bowls, period.   

 

You don't build consistent 10 win programs with that kind of philosophy.   It's a fact.   Sure, we struck gold in 2010 and 2013, but can't sustain consistency.  

 

edit:  I surely hope I get proved wrong.  I truly do.

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 hour ago, Zeek said:

I have to agree with you. Just don't think that Gus will ever be that coach who can keep a team at 10-12 wins consistently. We're going to keep seeing dips and falls intermittently under him. We recruit well enough to stay relevant but not well enough to break into the "elite" category that everyone wants to be at each year. Honestly, Gus would be better off going to a school like UCF and taking it from a small-mid-tier program to a consistent conference champion and occasionally nationally relevant program. Really could see him making a move to a school like that after Auburn and staying for a long, long, long time.

If he wants to go back home to Arkansas I could see him returning to Arkansas State if it isn't too awkward...

 

6 minutes ago, Beaker said:

It all comes down to consistency.  I am talking 2 or more years.  

1.  We have never seen consistent offensive production since Gus arrived as HC.  Why?  Well there are lots of reasons. 

2.  I honestly think Gus looks at some games as "expendable" and uses them as test cases.   This drives me (and you) NUTS. 

3.  Lastly, he really believes we don't have to fully develop a back up QB.  Before you argue with me, tell us which game last year that Malik Willis threw one important pass in?     He completed like 5 or 6 passes ALL YEAR !!!    but we heard Lindsey in the summer talk about the importance of development of back ups and "next man up" being ready. 

4.  Gus doesn't really prep well for bowls, period.   

You don't build consistent 10 win programs with that kind of philosophy.   It's a fact.   Sure, we struck gold in 2010 and 2013, but can't sustain consistency.  

edit:  I surely hope I get proved wrong.  I truly do.

This is the part where I'm compelled to point out that just about every really successful coach in CFB was already coaching at a high level when Gus was still in his coaching diapers. Even Dabo was a position coach in CFB for 10 years or so before Gus got the Arkansas gig.

It's entirely possible that Gus lacks what it takes, but it more likely to me that he hasn't approached his ceiling as a head coach. 

[Beaker 2,457]

23 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

it more likely to me that he hasn't approached his ceiling as a head coach

Excellent point about his matriculation and I would add, "who did he learn from?"

We all hope you are right my friend about his ceiling!

[SumterAubie 3,031]

Hell, who out there, faced with the same situation Auburn is in, could consistently produce 10 win seasons. NO ONE.

[McLoofus 35,182]

9 minutes ago, Beaker said:

Excellent point about his matriculation and I would add, "who did he learn from?"

We all hope you are right my friend about his ceiling!

I'm just going to focus on having gotten up on the right side of the bed today and save that question for another day. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

3 minutes ago, SumterAubie said:

Hell, who out there, faced with the same situation Auburn is in, could consistently produce 10 win seasons. NO ONE.

Replace the Clemsons and LSUs and postseason bedwettings with respectable performances and I'm right there with you. 

(I'm actually not as mad about the postseason this year. Disappointed, but they made more sense than previous losses.)

[Beaker 2,457]

1 minute ago, SumterAubie said:

Hell, who out there, faced with the same situation Auburn is in, could consistently produce 10 win seasons. NO ONE.

nobody is in the same situation...every program has unique challenges.  We also are in a premier location with talent surrounding us (with great, marquee programs surrounding us too).   Tough job, but feasible.  

 

The thread is about "are we heading in the right direction?"  I believe we are, but Gus has to change his philosophy on some things to gain consistency.

[SumterAubie 3,031]

Auburn is where Auburn has always been. And always will be. Occasional great years. Occasional poor years. Competitive and relevant more often than not. 

[Zeek 16,649]

59 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

 

This is the part where I'm compelled to point out that just about every really successful coach in CFB was already coaching at a high level when Gus was still in his coaching diapers. Even Dabo was a position coach in CFB for 10 years or so before Gus got the Arkansas gig.

It's entirely possible that Gus lacks what it takes, but it more likely to me that he hasn't approached his ceiling as a head coach. 

That's very true but it almost makes you wonder why we would pick him up in the first place if he wasn't close to his ceiling yet. I honestly hope he does grow into being a great coach but I think parts of his inherent personality will keep him from being what we need. But hey, I could be wrong and I'd love to be because it doesn't look like we'll get anyone new until, at the earliest, I'm breaking into my early 30's. 

[Tiger 8,822]

44 minutes ago, Zeek said:

That's very true but it almost makes you wonder why we would pick him up in the first place if he wasn't close to his ceiling yet. I honestly hope he does grow into being a great coach but I think parts of his inherent personality will keep him from being what we need. But hey, I could be wrong and I'd love to be because it doesn't look like we'll get anyone new until, at the earliest, I'm breaking into my early 30's. 

Well we knew we would have to eat all of his growing pains since he'd been a HC for a whopping one season in college. We hired him with the idea of Auburn having an explosive offense while he learned how to be a HC. 

I, personally, underestimated how maddening those growing pains would be. Never did I think basic clock management, basic personnel decisions, or understanding how important team chemistry is and how that can be affected by the different type of personalities that are brought into a program would be part of what he needed to learn. Especially after the issues he saw first hand under Chizik.