Malik Willis starter?

[TitanTiger 20,472]

The offense didn't look great, but at the same time, both offenses were being run by QBs who played minimal snaps last season or a early enrollee out of HS and assorted walk-ons.  On top of that, both of those QBs have their legs as a big part of their upside that the defense could basically ignore.  And finally we're breaking in new RBs.  All of this against a veteran, talented defense.  

I'm not sunshine pumping here.  The passing was raw and erratic.  Malik has got to seriously work on his accuracy.  The WRs dropped some passes that were on the money and the O-line is a work in progress.  But I imagine things look a good bit different with Stidham out there running things.  We have a good bit of work to do before Fall, but it's not insurmountable and A-Day is about the worst way to get an accurate gauge on where we are.

[AU64 10,122]

Thanks TT....a nice try at reality...maybe a few folks will read this and back off the ledge...

[AidiAU 1,270]

I thought Gatewood had some nice throws that were dropped.

Yall, he’s so flipping big.

[aujeff11 6,243]

6 minutes ago, AU64 said:

Thanks TT....a nice try at reality...maybe a few folks will read this and back off the ledge...

Our season will come down to OL play. We have to run the ball and be able to protect. If Stidham is running for his life, the rest of the offense will fold like a cheap tent. 

[aujeff11 6,243]

19 minutes ago, AidiAU said:

I thought Gatewood had some nice throws that were dropped.

Yall, he’s so flipping big.

I love that I have fella Gatewood for the Heisman fans. 

As president of tbe fan club, and Cole the VP, it’s high time to get the club going. 

[ChattTNTiger 31]

4 hours ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

Have to say, Willis looks like a Gus coached QB yesterday. 

Ah yep!!!

[abw0004 10,110]

10 hours ago, DAG said:

Then don't watch it. Pretty simple. I imagine if it was an issue, Gus would handle that. I am a Carolina Panther fan. Cam Newton does the same things till this day, Phillip Rivers, Jameis Winston, and even the GOAT Tom Brady. Some of these guys wear their emotion on their sleeves, even though I really don't consider that neither here nor there. There is more important stuff to worry about that teenie-bop stuff like that.

I will say I am not harping on Willis, but Cam Newton’s attitude is completely different.  I am a Carolina fan as well.  He does pitch a fit, but never towards teammates or coaches with the calls.  Willis was directing his anger at the wrong people.  He does need to drop his attitude as we have learned the past few years, the backup will be called up at any moment for the starting position due to injury and as a starter that attitude will not fly.

On a separate note to the thread, Willis reminds me of JFIII.  Has the speed, but his ball skills leave some to be desired.   If Joey surpasses him, or even Nix, Willis may transfer with his ego being what it is today.  Hope I am wrong, just my impression.

His A-Day attitude does give and example in life that you never know who is watching.  Impressions on other people and how they view you after that are everything.  

[AidiAU 1,270]

29 minutes ago, aujeff11 said:

I love that I have fella Gatewood for the Heisman fans. 

As president of tbe fan club, and Cole the VP, it’s high time to get the club going. 

Oh yeah - I followed his recruitment forever. I volunteer to be the secretary. ?

[Mikey 16,566]

While the passing wasn't good, the receivers didn't help the QB's either. When a chance came to catch one, it was more often than not dropped. For those on the "McClain would win the Heisman if our coaches weren't too stupid to play him" train, McClain made what was the most interesting and difficult catch of the day.

Jackson Gap homeboy Tolbert did a great job of running the ball. I coached three of the prior generation of Tolbert kids in baseball. Two were exceptional and played college ball, one was an average player but a good kid. Their cousin, Rodney Crayton, played DB at Auburn and had a brief career in the NFL. They all lived on a strip of road in Jackson Gap, within a mile of each other.

[weagl1 1,782]

Malik looked better last year.  One scrimmage doesn’t prove much but his throws looked really wild yesterday.  Maybe he was just a little to amped up.

[CCslim 56]

After last years AD game you all thought our offense would be world beaters..::

Don’t take to much of anything from A Day ever, it’s a glorified vanilla scrimmage

[DAG 33,963]

3 hours ago, abw0004 said:

I will say I am not harping on Willis, but Cam Newton’s attitude is completely different.  I am a Carolina fan as well.  He does pitch a fit, but never towards teammates or coaches with the calls.  Willis was directing his anger at the wrong people.  He does need to drop his attitude as we have learned the past few years, the backup will be called up at any moment for the starting position due to injury and as a starter that attitude will not fly.

On a separate note to the thread, Willis reminds me of JFIII.  Has the speed, but his ball skills leave some to be desired.   If Joey surpasses him, or even Nix, Willis may transfer with his ego being what it is today.  Hope I am wrong, just my impression.

His A-Day attitude does give and example in life that you never know who is watching.  Impressions on other people and how they view you after that are everything.  

Cam Newton yelled at Ron Rivera last year and Ron Rivera on national TV told him that was inappropriate. Are you kidding me?

I literally watched him throw his hands up when Burson dropped a pass for a first down and I have seen him constantly pout on the sideline when things aren’t going his way. No more as obvious as when he lost the super bowl to the Broncos. Are you going to judge him off of that? I won’t because I know how much he does for the community of Charlotte. Not only is it very hypocritical to judge someone on the basis of that, it is super short-sighted. The biggest difference is Cam Newton was a Heisman candidate, NC, and MVP, so people are willing to overlook it. The same reason someone like Lebron James gets a pass. But even if he does do that, I am not going to judge his character on what's going on in a game. Like I said, we can agree to disagree. That is your impression of him and I think your impression is dead wrong . I am going to support the kids through the adversity of a GAME and not make assumptions. That is my final .02 cents. Now when he gets caught up with grades, drugs, alcohol, things that can actually screw up your future, then call me.

[AU64 10,122]

3 hours ago, weagl1 said:

Malik looked better last year.  One scrimmage doesn’t prove much but his throws looked really wild yesterday.  Maybe he was just a little to amped up.

As someone noted earlier... he's a guy who needs to use his legs, not a drop back passer ..and showed it.   Yep, he did not look good but then again,   he was playing with what was laughingly called the "first team" ...consisting mostly of walk-ons and a bunch of guys he had probably not scrimmaged with this spring.   In my view, no telling if guys were running the correct routes or he was off target....and likely no QB is gonna look good this year if the D stays healthy.    

I don't know about the "body language' stuff or how his leadership is perceived by team mates.....that's a different issue I guess.. 

[abw0004 10,110]

2 hours ago, DAG said:

Cam Newton yelled at Ron Rivera last year and Ron Rivera on national TV told him that was inappropriate. Are you kidding me?

I literally watched him throw his hands up when Burson dropped a pass for a first down and I have seen him constantly pout on the sideline when things aren’t going his way. No more as obvious as when he lost the super bowl to the Broncos. Are you going to judge him off of that? I won’t because I know how much he does for the community of Charlotte. Not only is it very hypocritical to judge someone on the basis of that, it is super short-sighted. The biggest difference is Cam Newton was a Heisman candidate, NC, and MVP, so people are willing to overlook it. The same reason someone like Lebron James gets a pass. But even if he does do that, I am not going to judge his character on what's going on in a game. Like I said, we can agree to disagree. That is your impression of him and I think your impression is dead wrong . I am going to support the kids through the adversity of a GAME and not make assumptions. That is my final .02 cents. Now when he gets caught up with grades, drugs, alcohol, things that can actually screw up your future, then call me.

There are still two different types of frustration.  Just like there is negative criticism, and constructive criticism.  What Willis was doing was in a demeaning way, while Cam was just frustrated.  Cam wasn’t trying to make the people around him feel like an idiot.    Does he act childish sometimes, yes.  But not on a high horse.

A good example of my point is in basketball, of when the referees typically call a technical, is how and what the players say in frustration to earn it.  If players demean the referee, usually that earns a tech.  If they are yelling at them trying to explain why they missed the call, usually that is not.

But even what you are saying proves my point.  You are saying Cam gets a pass due to what he has accomplished and what he does for the community, or his impression he has left.  With Willis, his first impressions he has left are the glimpses we see with how he has treated his teammates, and how he responds to adversity on the sideline if a play doesn’t unfold how it was supposed to.  Impressions are everything and could cost him.

I am not against the guy, so I really wasn’t trying to argue with you on Willis.  I want Willis to win me over, remember I like the success stories like Willis can be.  That is why I chose Daniel Thomas as my “man crush” last year going from unranked to a starter.  I was also not a fan of Whitlow at the beginning, but he also won me over.  Willis can do it too.  

[Auburn2Eugene 2,317]

Great post @abw0004

[toddc 13,194]

I don’t see all the fuss! He just looked frustrated and there was a lot of wind too, causing some of his passes to sail. Just watch the football moving on some of those field goals.

[milehighfan 1,240]

Oh well, it would seem there is nowhere for Gatewood to go but up.

[DAG 33,963]

32 minutes ago, toddc said:

I don’t see all the fuss! He just looked frustrated and there was a lot of wind too, causing some of his passes to sail. Just watch the football moving on some of those field goals.

People just upset and looking for things to complain about over a day. If the kids were killing it and this occurred no one would be complaining. I don’t know why fans think they aren’t important enough to be won over. Fans are the most fickle people in the world lol. They like you one minute , they hate you the next haha. Now if MW shows out this season, these same fans who are critiquing him are going to be on his jockstrap. He plays with a chip on his shoulder and I don’t think that is going to ever change. I wish two things for the boys. That they get degrees and that they handle business on the field. 

[DAG 33,963]

1 hour ago, abw0004 said:

There are still two different types of frustration.  Just like there is negative criticism, and constructive criticism.  What Willis was doing was in a demeaning way, while Cam was just frustrated.  Cam wasn’t trying to make the people around him feel like an idiot.    Does he act childish sometimes, yes.  But not on a high horse.

A good example of my point is in basketball, of when the referees typically call a technical, is how and what the players say in frustration to earn it.  If players demean the referee, usually that earns a tech.  If they are yelling at them trying to explain why they missed the call, usually that is not.

But even what you are saying proves my point.  You are saying Cam gets a pass due to what he has accomplished and what he does for the community, or his impression he has left.  With Willis, his first impressions he has left are the glimpses we see with how he has treated his teammates, and how he responds to adversity on the sideline if a play doesn’t unfold how it was supposed to.  Impressions are everything and could cost him.

I am not against the guy, so I really wasn’t trying to argue with you on Willis.  I want Willis to win me over, remember I like the success stories like Willis can be.  That is why I chose Daniel Thomas as my “man crush” last year going from unranked to a starter.  I was also not a fan of Whitlow at the beginning, but he also won me over.  Willis can do it too.  

And you don’t know what the heck he does off the field, in the locker room, in the classroom, etc so who are you to judge? That is my point. You are basing someone’whole characteristic off of snippets you see on the football field. This kid never got kicked out of school, never in trouble with the law, etc, etc and you are already pidgeon holing him as a bad teammate with a Ego. SMH. I can’t respect someone like that. We have to just agree to disagree. 

It doesn’t matter what you think Cam’s intention was. It is what he did. Yelling at your coach in frustration is plain disrespectful. I don’t care if you are from AU or not. But because he is Cam you want to dismiss that as frustration haha. You flat out just said Cam doesn’t yell at his coaches and I showed you a clip of him doing that and look, you are already making excuses for it.  I never said anything about him getting a pass for what he does for the community . I said he gets a pass from some-people because of the incredible athlete he is. Same reason he got a second chance from AU. However there is a bigger side of Cam that most people do NOT know or even care to know. They hate him because of the antics on the field, yet fail to realize there is much more to a player then what you see on the field. Newsflash: if you took a poll on the likability of Cam from everyday fans, IMO, a higher percentage would vote dislike based on the same method you are evaluating MW. To me that is not right. That’s just me.

Would you be accepting of KJ yelling at Gus during the LSU game? I am sure many people were frustrated during that time.

[johnnyAU 3,630]

I didn't like what I saw from MW yesterday, but that doesn't mean he won't figure it out.  I have more concerns about what I saw from the WR's.  NCM had a good catch, but it wasn't like he was getting open much.  McClain had that circus catch but some drops to go along with it.  

The biggest concern is the OL. 

Whitlow and Asa both looked pretty good at RB, and I liked what I saw from Gatewood.  May they all get some quality reps this season. 

That DL is nasty baby. Nasty!

All in all though, it's just a Spring game in fairly cold weather, and we are battling injuries. 

[WFE12 9,191]

 

[abw0004 10,110]

1 hour ago, DAG said:

And you don’t know what the heck he does off the field, in the locker room, in the classroom, etc so who are you to judge? That is my point. You are basing someone’whole characteristic off of snippets you see on the football field. This kid never got kicked out of school, never in trouble with the law, etc, etc and you are already pidgeon holing him as a bad teammate with a Ego. SMH. I can’t respect someone like that. We have to just agree to disagree. 

It doesn’t matter what you think Cam’s intention was. It is what he did. Yelling at your coach in frustration is plain disrespectful. I don’t care if you are from AU or not. But because he is Cam you want to dismiss that as frustration haha. You flat out just said Cam doesn’t yell at his coaches and I showed you a clip of him doing that and look, you are already making excuses for it.  I never said anything about him getting a pass for what he does for the community . I said he gets a pass from some-people because of the incredible athlete he is. Same reason he got a second chance from AU. However there is a bigger side of Cam that most people do NOT know or even care to know. They hate him because of the antics on the field, yet fail to realize there is much more to a player then what you see on the field. Newsflash: if you took a poll on the likability of Cam from everyday fans, IMO, a higher percentage would vote dislike based on the same method you are evaluating MW. To me that is not right. That’s just me.

Would you be accepting of KJ yelling at Gus during the LSU game? I am sure many people were frustrated during that time.

You need to read what I am saying.  You are completely missing the points I am making.  It is not simply black and white, where you are the only right one in this.  And again, you are proving my point.  You are correct.  I don’t know what goes on behind closed doors or off the field.  I can only go off of the chances I do see him and when I do it’s not ideal.  That’s what impressions are.

You are also accusing me of flat out saying Cam never yelled at coaches.  Where did I say that?  I said that he doesn’t direct his anger at coaches or players in a personal way.  Again, please just read what I am saying.  I am on your side in some of this, and even said so in my last two posts to you, but you are not either reading what I am saying or not interpreting it correctly.  I am giving him a chance, it is just his first impressions leave some to be desired.  That’s all I was saying. 

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

Looking at this QB thread like 

[DAG 33,963]

Interesting thought . Wasn’t Malik originally being recruited as a corner for V.Tech? I wonder if nix does come in and somewhat show out does the coaching staff move him to corner? Under no circumstance do I think JG needs to be moved from QB. He needs the ball in his hands.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,649]

23 hours ago, vatz22au said:

Lighten up Francis.  The critique on body language is something that has been pointed out since last season.  Not judging his character, but it is a needed trait for the position (poise).  Yapping off or rolling your eyes to your teammates when a pass is missed or a fumble is caused isn't fun to watch.  Last season he did the same when he didn't like the play calls before the snap,  when the game was in hand. 

Maybe Willis has a brain and understood how many disasters Auburn has gone thru where backup QBs have no idea how to execute the offense ingame after an injury to the starter 

 

championing Malik for not being okay with that is a better decision than anything else