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CJ Tolbert


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7 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

People are getting WAY too worked up over A-Day, just like they do every year. I can't remember a single A-Day that resembled the season, one way or the other. Spring is Spring... you never know what you really have until Fall, and anywhere we are lacking, we have 5 months to improve.

My worries aren't too much from A-day. Moreso that we're replacing so many starters at those two positions but yes I agree.

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1 minute ago, Zeek said:

My worries aren't too much from A-day. Moreso that we're replacing so many starters at those two positions but yes I agree.

The line is my only concern, but it sounds like some guys are coming on, and Grimes has never let us down in the past. I think team chemistry is going to be HUGE this year, especially in the off season. If everyone is working together, pushing each other, and helping each other, we really do have a chance to be special.  Even if we aren't, however, I don't see this year being a bust.

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I'd be happy for Tolbert if he earned some real carries, but it would be a big surprise.

We've got a really nice toolkit if the other guys can just execute. Miller and the Martins were all really, really good high school backs. Shivers, too. Easily as good as most of the guys who have found success under Gus and Horton. Barrett and Joiner add some great complimentary skill sets. And Whitlow has the dimensions and athleticism that just about everyone has asking for going back to Ben Tate. (Every guy since, except Jovon Robinson and maybe CAP, has been too small or too slow according to the peanut gallery.) Whitlow is, physically, the prototype. 

Oh, and Sean White discovered Hastings. Look it up! Fun story. 

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1 hour ago, lionheartkc said:

People are getting WAY too worked up over A-Day, just like they do every year. I can't remember a single A-Day that resembled the season, one way or the other. Spring is Spring... you never know what you really have until Fall, and anywhere we are lacking, we have 5 months to improve.

and, one might add, heal?

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The problem Tolbert and everyone not named the starter will have is that Gus has a whole lot pride in having a 1k yd rusher every season.    Too much pride, IMO.   This will probably be a good season to spread the carries around more but I doubt he’ll do it. 

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I know several people want CGM to spread the carries around but we you can't have your cake on top of pie with a side of jello & ice cream.  RBs get in a groove.  Some get better as the game goes on and they are pounding on the D all day before they break one.  If you want RB to find that groove it is going to take time on the field and they can't be swapping in and out with other RBs.  Secondly if you are swapping RBs, then you are changing personnel which completely defeats the HNH.  Just something to keep in mind.  We can have a guy find his groove and carry the team on his shoulders or we can slow the game down and swap backs all the time and get a lot of guys time on the field.

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I’m not talking about changing running backs out between plays. I am talking about spreading the ball around more, though, if you have the talent on the bench to do it.    5* RBs out of high school don’t want to run the ball 30 times a game anymore.   They know that to be a success in the nfl they don’t need to be worn out in college.   That’s just the way football is today so if we want to sign these guys, we need to lessen the load.  

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27 minutes ago, 1auburn1 said:

The problem Tolbert and everyone not named the starter will have is that Gus has a whole lot pride in having a 1k yd rusher every season.    Too much pride, IMO.   This will probably be a good season to spread the carries around more but I doubt he’ll do it. 

I think you can have both though. Grinding one guy to 1,000 without switching him out will take longer than if you switch the pace up occasionally. 

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22 minutes ago, LKEEL75 said:

I know several people want CGM to spread the carries around but we you can't have your cake on top of pie with a side of jello & ice cream.  RBs get in a groove.  Some get better as the game goes on and they are pounding on the D all day before they break one.  If you want RB to find that groove it is going to take time on the field and they can't be swapping in and out with other RBs.  Secondly if you are swapping RBs, then you are changing personnel which completely defeats the HNH.  Just something to keep in mind.  We can have a guy find his groove and carry the team on his shoulders or we can slow the game down and swap backs all the time and get a lot of guys time on the field.

It’s not about finding a groove, it is about duration and scheming. Bless K.J. heart but he had more rushing attempts than every NFL RB with the exception of Le’veon Bell and McCoy and those guys played 4 more games than him. But for me it is not even about the amount of attempts. It is the fact that when someone is hurt or tired , there is not a sub. That is my biggest issue. You aren’t going to be in the groove under those conditions. 

And no it is not the same as 2013 where we had NM , TRE mason and Cap taking carries while also playing two more games.

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3 minutes ago, Zeek said:

I think you can have both though. Grinding one guy to 1,000 without switching him out will take longer than if you switch the pace up occasionally. 

My hope is that moving Barrett to receiver will allow us to have a real change of pace back on the field for every play in a drive, letting us swap out without substitution (or even tipping our hand to the defense). That's where Gus excels, when he has multiple options with the same package.

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1 minute ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

Tolbert needs to transfer to a place where he will get some plying time. Kid could start for a JSU type school. He isn't going to get many if any carries at AU. 

Considering he transferred to Auburn from a school where he was playing QB and was expected to play in 2016, and then sat out a year in order to just get a chance to compete at running back, knowing the odds against a walk-on playing, he probably cares a lot more about being on the team at Auburn then getting playing time elsewhere.

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52 minutes ago, LKEEL75 said:

I know several people want CGM to spread the carries around but we you can't have your cake on top of pie with a side of jello & ice cream.  RBs get in a groove.  Some get better as the game goes on and they are pounding on the D all day before they break one.  If you want RB to find that groove it is going to take time on the field and they can't be swapping in and out with other RBs.  Secondly if you are swapping RBs, then you are changing personnel which completely defeats the HNH.  Just something to keep in mind.  We can have a guy find his groove and carry the team on his shoulders or we can slow the game down and swap backs all the time and get a lot of guys time on the field.

Nick Chubb- 223 carries, 1345 yards, 6.0 average, 15 TDs
Sony Michel- 156 carries, 1227 yards, 7.9 average, 16 TDs

They had 3 more guys with 50 or more carries and 2 of them averaged 5.9 ypc or better. That was just uga last year.

In 2016, Oklahoma had Samaje Perine with 196 carries for 1060 yds (5..4 ypc) and 12 TDs and Joe Mixon with 187 carries for 1274 yds (6.8 ypc) and 10 TDs. Baker Mayfield ran a lot so they didn't have many guys after that with a lot of carries. 

Caddy and Ronnie... Bush and White... the list goes on and on. We need to have a true RB2, or better yet, RB1B.

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Just now, McLoofus said:

Nick Chubb- 223 carries, 1345 yards, 6.0 average, 15 TDs
Sony Michel- 156 carries, 1227 yards, 7.9 average, 16 TDs

They had 3 more guys with 50 or more carries and 2 of them averaged 5.9 ypc or better. That was just uga last year.

In 2016, Oklahoma had Samaje Perine with 196 carries for 1060 yds (5..4 ypc) and 12 TDs and Joe Mixon with 187 carries for 1274 yds (6.8 ypc) and 10 TDs. Baker Mayfield ran a lot so they didn't have many guys after that with a lot of carries. 

Caddy and Ronnie... Bush and White... the list goes on and on. We need to have a true RB2, or better yet, RB1B.

And if we can't do it with literally 6 guys who could all start for a Div 1 team (not counting the one we moved to receiver), then something is amiss. More than anything, I want to see every one of them in game ready health throughout the season. No more musical backs due to injuries. 

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2 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

And if we can't do it with literally 6 guys who could all start for a Div 1 team (not counting the one we moved to receiver), then something is amiss. More than anything, I want to see every one of them in game ready health throughout the season. No more musical backs due to injuries. 

Watching Pettway limp on the field like a lame horse, and Gus keeping him out there, was one of the most painful things I have witnessed as an Auburn fan.

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1 minute ago, Zeek said:

Watching Pettway limp on the field like a lame horse, and Gus keeping him out there, was one of the most painful things I have witnessed as an Auburn fan.

Fingers crossed that the lesson has been learned and we will be 4-6 deep in guys who are ready to come in and handle every part of the game.

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Just now, lionheartkc said:

Fingers crossed that the lesson has been learned and we will be 4-6 deep in guys who are ready to come in and handle every part of the game.

If they just hold on to the daggum ball then we won't have to worry about Gus keeping them on the pine, in theory. Lord knows if they put the ball on the ground and they're not established on the team yet then they might as well transfer.

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Just now, Zeek said:

If they just hold on to the daggum ball then we won't have to worry about Gus keeping them on the pine, in theory. Lord knows if they put the ball on the ground and they're not established on the team yet then they might as well transfer.

You forgot protecting the QB... protect the ball and the QB and your future is bright, fail at either and enjoy your time on the bench.

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3 hours ago, Zeek said:

I hope you're right and I like the confidence. Part of me was really hoping Asa Martin would come in and set the world on fire; now I'm being told to believe in a walk-on and a largely unheralded redshirt freshman. The unknown at running back mixed in with uncertainty at the offensive line has me cautiously pessimistic right now. Our system is extremely running back friendly though. 

I was hoping the same, but he is so young. He should still be in high school. Just like Gatewood, he needs the summer of a college S&C program. Let's see how these guys look in the fall before making any rash decisions. 

6 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Nick Chubb- 223 carries, 1345 yards, 6.0 average, 15 TDs
Sony Michel- 156 carries, 1227 yards, 7.9 average, 16 TDs

They had 3 more guys with 50 or more carries and 2 of them averaged 5.9 ypc or better. That was just uga last year.

In 2016, Oklahoma had Samaje Perine with 196 carries for 1060 yds (5..4 ypc) and 12 TDs and Joe Mixon with 187 carries for 1274 yds (6.8 ypc) and 10 TDs. Baker Mayfield ran a lot so they didn't have many guys after that with a lot of carries. 

Caddy and Ronnie... Bush and White... the list goes on and on. We need to have a true RB2, or better yet, RB1B.

The HUNH runs much better when you don't make substitutions. So having Barrett at WR on the field with the RB could do wonders for us. Quan Bray was a high school RB. Barrett could really work out well. 

With the exception of Oklahoma, all the other examples you gave ran pro style offenses where changing players is a norm. Oklahoma, while being a spread offense, passes much more than we do, and more passing leads to incompletions which allows for substitutions.

So those examples aren't great ones for what you are trying to say. We do need 2 RBs ready to play at any time. I agree, but unless Gus ever hands full control over to Lindsey, we are going to have more of the same. 

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1 minute ago, lionheartkc said:

You forgot protecting the QB... protect the ball and the QB and your future is bright, fail at either and enjoy your time on the bench.

Yep. Thats a big issue in this offense. 

I'm hope Worm walks in the door and he and Asa are RB1 and RB1A for us next season.

And you are totally correct, it will come down to protection and not fumbling 

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Just now, Auburn2Eugene said:

The HUNH runs much better when you don't make substitutions. So having Barrett at WR on the field with the RB could do wonders for us. Quan Bray was a high school RB. Barrett could really work out well. 

With the exception of Oklahoma, all the other examples you gave ran pro style offenses where changing players is a norm. Oklahoma, while being a spread offense, passes much more than we do, and more passing leads to incompletions which allows for substitutions.

So those examples aren't great ones for what you are trying to say. We do need 2 RBs ready to play at any time. I agree, but unless Gus ever hands full control over to Lindsey, we are going to have more of the same. 

You can rotate backs on changes of possession. 

Also, we don't actually run tempo all that much anymore.

Also, KJ had 285 carries to the next guy's 76. KJ had almost twice as many carries as the next 2 guys put together. That is insane and irresponsible (see KMart with 4 freaking carries in the SECCG when KJ was limping around by late in the 2nd quarter) and I trust that depth will prevent it from ever happening again. 

 

 

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6 minutes ago, Auburn2Eugene said:

We do need 2 RBs ready to play at any time. I agree, but unless Gus ever hands full control over to Lindsey, we are going to have more of the same. 

Funny how so many people forget that we had full intentions of running a 2 back set in both 2016 and 2017, but in both cases our backs were constantly out of the game with injuries and or discipline problems. The problem is not the scheme, it's having healthy bodies who can handle the rushing and the other elements of the game. Gus and Chip have both flat out said, during the Spring, that protection is a top priority. If we can get 4 guys who are ready to pick up blocks and tote the rock, I expect to see a continual rotation even if 1-2 guys go down. Hopefully with Horton back at running backs full time and last year's issues fresh in their minds, we will have just that when Fall rolls around.

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Just now, lionheartkc said:

Funny how so many people forget that we had full intentions of running a 2 back set in both 2016 and 2017, but in both cases our backs were constantly out of the game with injuries and or discipline problems. The problem is not the scheme, it's having healthy bodies who can handle the rushing and the other elements of the game. Gus and Chip have both flat out said, during the Spring, that protection is a top priority. If we can get 4 guys who are ready to pick up blocks and tote the rock, I expect to see a continual rotation even if 1-2 guys go down. Hopefully with Horton back at running backs full time and last year's issues fresh in their minds, we will have just that when Fall rolls around.

Yes sir. And Alaric Williams didn't qualify. Regardless of what we think about their response, Gus and Horton definitely got dealt bad hands the last few seasons. 

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1 hour ago, lionheartkc said:

My hope is that moving Barrett to receiver will allow us to have a real change of pace back on the field for every play in a drive, letting us swap out without substitution (or even tipping our hand to the defense). That's where Gus excels, when he has multiple options with the same package.

I couldn't watch much of A-Day, but I did notice there were a couple of plays where Barrett lined up at WR and then motioned into the backfield and got set at RB.  I hope this gets used a lot this season and he actually takes some hand offs.  Steelers use Bell like this a lot.

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