Anybody else being reminded of 2014?

[AUsince72 11,084]

1 hour ago, AUld fAUx@ said:

Would you have been happier with (hypothetically) "T's all good. Just 13 seconds."?

You've got me with"T's all good".  

As for what would have made me happier in '14... Letting NM do what he does and build the O around that.  He was the best piece of the offensive puzzle coming back and Gus insisted on changing him instead of building on him.

IMHO that was deflating to Marshall.  Maybe not consciously but still... 

I'm used to hearing coaches teaching players, "don't think...react".  In NM's case it was, "stop what you're doing and think about it instead".

[doc4aday 1,887]

5 hours ago, Zeek said:

Out of curiosity where are the three losses? Turds, Dawg$, and TAMU?

Mutts TAMU & Washington

[mcgufcm 4,096]

I’ll go on record as saying we’re better on the DL and under Center than Washington. Even with Browning. We’re gonna win that game. 

[AUwent 3,748]

1 hour ago, doc4aday said:

Mutts TAMU & Washington

I think we beat TAMU.

[WFE12 9,191]

4 hours ago, ellitor said:

Unfortunate truth. Peterson is a better early season game preparer than Gus.

That's not saying much lol

[lionheartkc 6,150]

16 hours ago, AUsince72 said:

YES!

Exactly my argument "against" Gus, so to speak.  He couldn't be satisfied with awesome.   In Gus' world, if it ain't broke....fix it anyway.

Something to keep in mind about improving Marshall's passing game is that Marshall wanted to go to the NFL, and he wasn't planning on doing so as a DB. No NFL team is going to draft a guy who is all wheels, so working to improve his passing was very much to benefit him, not to change how we played the game. That's something that Gus has focused on ever since Cam said he wasn't ready for the NFL in an interview.

It also could have shown some serious foresight into how our losses of Prosch, Robinson and Mason would affect our ability to run at will. Of course, based on Gus's history of foresight, that one's a bit of a stretch.  

[AUsince72 11,084]

2 hours ago, lionheartkc said:

Something to keep in mind about improving Marshall's passing game is that Marshall wanted to go to the NFL, and he wasn't planning on doing so as a DB. No NFL team is going to draft a guy who is all wheels, so working to improve his passing was very much to benefit him, not to change how we played the game. That's something that Gus has focused on ever since Cam said he wasn't ready for the NFL in an interview.

It also could have shown some serious foresight into how our losses of Prosch, Robinson and Mason would affect our ability to run at will. Of course, based on Gus's history of foresight, that one's a bit of a stretch.  

I follow you but improving an aspect of one's game shouldn't mean derailing the other.  Maybe NM thought he was NFL QB material, maybe not (I'll have to take your word on that) but with those 3, among others, leaving is exactly my point.  NM was not Cam.  He was Nick.  Nick was awesome. 

IMO, he was a much better performer in '13 than '14.  Admittedly that's my 20/20 hindsight but I remember stating back then, I didn't like Gus messing with "what Nick does".  Sure, I get a coach caring for his players' future and wanting to help him but the product on the field is his first priority and I feel the product suffered because he didn't just feed what they/he (Nick) did best.

 

[lionheartkc 6,150]

18 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

I follow you but improving an aspect of one's game shouldn't mean derailing the other.  Maybe NM thought he was NFL QB material, maybe not (I'll have to take your word on that) but with those 3, among others, leaving is exactly my point.  NM was not Cam.  He was Nick.  Nick was awesome. 

IMO, he was a much better performer in '13 than '14.  Admittedly that's my 20/20 hindsight but I remember stating back then, I didn't like Gus messing with "what Nick does".  Sure, I get a coach caring for his players' future and wanting to help him but the product on the field is his first priority and I feel the product suffered because he didn't just feed what they/he (Nick) did best.

I never got the impression that we derailed what he did, but just added to it. He still had 798 yards on the ground (less than 300 fewer than 2013), and that is without his 2 lead blockers from 2013 and the natural flow he had with Mason... and it was also at the beginning of DCs figuring out how to play the zone read. He also had just over 550 more yards passing in 2014, so his total production was actually better, by about 300 yards. He did have 5 fewer touchdowns, but again, I attribute that to the fact that we didn't have our best blockers from 2013 in the red zone. 2014 is when our red zone production started falling off. In all honesty, I don't believe our offense suffered at all from the adjustment. I think it suffered a little from the loss of some very key players, but the real failing in 2014 was the fact that, starting with MSU, it was VERY rare for us to give up less than 450 yards and 30 points to the other team. Had our D had a pulse for the last 8 games of the season, we probably would have been back in the championship. Heck, we only scored less than 30 points in 2 games that year and we won one of those, but that one was before the D fell apart.

[AUsince72 11,084]

31 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

I never got the impression that we derailed what he did, but just added to it. He still had 798 yards on the ground (less than 300 fewer than 2013), and that is without his 2 lead blockers from 2013 and the natural flow he had with Mason... and it was also at the beginning of DCs figuring out how to play the zone read. He also had just over 550 more yards passing in 2014, so his total production was actually better, by about 300 yards. He did have 5 fewer touchdowns, but again, I attribute that to the fact that we didn't have our best blockers from 2013 in the red zone. 2014 is when our red zone production started falling off. In all honesty, I don't believe our offense suffered at all from the adjustment. I think it suffered a little from the loss of some very key players, but the real failing in 2014 was the fact that, starting with MSU, it was VERY rare for us to give up less than 450 yards and 30 points to the other team. Had our D had a pulse for the last 8 games of the season, we probably would have been back in the championship. Heck, we only scored less than 30 points in 2 games that year and we won one of those, but that one was before the D fell apart.

Certainly I don't claim the '13 vs '14 teams were apples to apples.  And, yes, the D pretty much had regressed every year prior to Boom being hired.  But I'm not a year long stats guy.  I take it all game by game and go by the "feel" of what I'm observing.  I played enough football and baseball growing up to get the abstract nature of what I'm seeing which, though on the surface is more subjective than statistics, I feel is a truer indicator of how things are progressing.

So, that's my pass the dutchie down the left hand side way of saying I don't disagree with you on the "production" angle as backed up by stats but I still feel NM would have performed more confidently and thus better if they let him just be him and with that the offense, as a whole, would have been better.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

15 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

Certainly I don't claim the '13 vs '14 teams were apples to apples.  And, yes, the D pretty much had regressed every year prior to Boom being hired.  But I'm not a year long stats guy.  I take it all game by game and go by the "feel" of what I'm observing.  I played enough football and baseball growing up to get the abstract nature of what I'm seeing which, though on the surface is more subjective than statistics, I feel is a truer indicator of how things are progressing.

So, that's my pass the dutchie down the left hand side way of saying I don't disagree with you on the "production" angle as backed up by stats but I still feel NM would have performed more confidently and thus better if they let him just be him and with that the offense, as a whole, would have been better.

You could be totally right. I would love to get him in a room and get him to honestly give  his opinion of CAP vs Mason and the 2014 line vs the 2013. My belief was that any downgrade in his confidence came from the fact that the moving parts around him just weren't functioning as smoothly as he was used to. I also believe that, without the improvement in his passing game, we lose 5 of the last 6 instead of 4 of the last 5, and bama takes us to the woodshed.

All that being said, it's all speculation without the man himself weighing in.

[AUsince72 11,084]

10 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

You could be totally right. I would love to get him in a room and get him to honestly give  his opinion of CAP vs Mason and the 2014 line vs the 2013. My belief was that any downgrade in his confidence came from the fact that the moving parts around him just weren't functioning as smoothly as he was used to. I also believe that, without the improvement in his passing game, we lose 5 of the last 6 instead of 4 of the last 5, and bama takes us to the woodshed.

All that being said, it's all speculation without the man himself weighing in.

I will not disagree with you here.  Plenty factors involved and if NM were in this discussion he may very well smack the smug expression off my face.

With that I'll just drink my beverage and hope 2018 is much better than 2014. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

41 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

Certainly I don't claim the '13 vs '14 teams were apples to apples.  And, yes, the D pretty much had regressed every year prior to Boom being hired.  But I'm not a year long stats guy.  I take it all game by game and go by the "feel" of what I'm observing.  I played enough football and baseball growing up to get the abstract nature of what I'm seeing which, though on the surface is more subjective than statistics, I feel is a truer indicator of how things are progressing.

So, that's my pass the dutchie down the left hand side way of saying I don't disagree with you on the "production" angle as backed up by stats but I still feel NM would have performed more confidently and thus better if they let him just be him and with that the offense, as a whole, would have been better.

Just wanted to isolate this because you guys are having a good convo and I see great points all around, and this is just something that applies to a lot of conversations on here. If folks would honestly base their opinions off of what they see instead of what they hear or read, I think a lot of these threads would look different. 

Again, this is not in any way a comment on or response to any part of your conversation with @lionheartkc. You guys watch the games and form your own opinions and that's what we should all do. 

(Upcoming seasons, of course, are fair game for all kinds of wild speculation and bunk analysis. Ain't nobody know nothin'.)

[lionheartkc 6,150]

8 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Just wanted to isolate this because you guys are having a good convo and I see great points all around, and this is just something that applies to a lot of conversations on here. If folks would honestly base their opinions off of what they see instead of what they hear or read, I think a lot of these threads would look different. 

Again, this is not in any way a comment on or response to any part of your conversation with @lionheartkc. You guys watch the games and form your own opinions and that's what we should all do. 

(Upcoming seasons, of course, are fair game for all kinds of wild speculation and bunk analysis. Ain't nobody know nothin'.)

Yea, this is a great example of two people who saw things differently. 72 saw Marshall do his thing in 2013 and was on board, and there's nothing wrong about that. I saw Marshall in 2013 and liked most of it but totally wanted him to be a better passer, long before Gus made it clear he was going that route.

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

1 hour ago, lionheartkc said:

I never got the impression that we derailed what he did, but just added to it. He still had 798 yards on the ground (less than 300 fewer than 2013), and that is without his 2 lead blockers from 2013 and the natural flow he had with Mason... and it was also at the beginning of DCs figuring out how to play the zone read. He also had just over 550 more yards passing in 2014, so his total production was actually better, by about 300 yards. He did have 5 fewer touchdowns, but again, I attribute that to the fact that we didn't have our best blockers from 2013 in the red zone. 2014 is when our red zone production started falling off. In all honesty, I don't believe our offense suffered at all from the adjustment. I think it suffered a little from the loss of some very key players, but the real failing in 2014 was the fact that, starting with MSU, it was VERY rare for us to give up less than 450 yards and 30 points to the other team. Had our D had a pulse for the last 8 games of the season, we probably would have been back in the championship. Heck, we only scored less than 30 points in 2 games that year and we won one of those, but that one was before the D fell apart.

!!!

[AUsince72 11,084]

2 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Just wanted to isolate this because you guys are having a good convo and I see great points all around, and this is just something that applies to a lot of conversations on here. If folks would honestly base their opinions off of what they see instead of what they hear or read, I think a lot of these threads would look different. 

Again, this is not in any way a comment on or response to any part of your conversation with @lionheartkc. You guys watch the games and form your own opinions and that's what we should all do. 

(Upcoming seasons, of course, are fair game for all kinds of wild speculation and bunk analysis. Ain't nobody know nothin'.)

OH you did NOT go there!!!

....we Auburn message board posters know it ALL!!!

Disclaimer: ALL posts made by me, backed up by facts or not, are nothing but mere opinion powered by know-it-all attitude fueled by kool-aid or beer.

.....depending on the day.

[McLoofus 35,182]

34 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

OH you did NOT go there!!!

....we Auburn message board posters know it ALL!!!

Disclaimer: ALL posts made by me, backed up by facts or not, are nothing but mere opinion powered by know-it-all attitude fueled by kool-aid or beer.

.....depending on the day.

Bruh, beer totally makes smarter, too. And better looking, and funnier, and stronger...

[augolf1716 21,103]

4 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Bruh, beer totally makes smarter, too. And better looking, and funnier, and stronger...

I'm proof of that.......................................................this should be good

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

54 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

OH you did NOT go there!!!

....we Auburn message board posters know it ALL!!!

Disclaimer: ALL posts made by me, backed up by facts or not, are nothing but mere opinion powered by know-it-all attitude fueled by kool-aid or beer.

.....depending on the day.

 

19 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Bruh, beer totally makes smarter, too. And better looking, and funnier, and stronger...

 

14 minutes ago, augolf1716 said:

I'm proof of that.......................................................this should be good

but apparently it's not the fountain of youth.

Nonetheless, I find it preferable to Kool-Aid.

[keesler 5,924]

19 hours ago, lionheartkc said:

I never got the impression that we derailed what he did, but just added to it. He still had 798 yards on the ground (less than 300 fewer than 2013), and that is without his 2 lead blockers from 2013 and the natural flow he had with Mason... and it was also at the beginning of DCs figuring out how to play the zone read. He also had just over 550 more yards passing in 2014, so his total production was actually better, by about 300 yards. He did have 5 fewer touchdowns, but again, I attribute that to the fact that we didn't have our best blockers from 2013 in the red zone. 2014 is when our red zone production started falling off. In all honesty, I don't believe our offense suffered at all from the adjustment. I think it suffered a little from the loss of some very key players, but the real failing in 2014 was the fact that, starting with MSU, it was VERY rare for us to give up less than 450 yards and 30 points to the other team. Had our D had a pulse for the last 8 games of the season, we probably would have been back in the championship. Heck, we only scored less than 30 points in 2 games that year and we won one of those, but that one was before the D fell apart.

Great point, and due to those issues along with defenses keying in on the ZR so rapidly, Gus had no choice but to counter those defensive adjustments & try to bring NM's passing game along in '14.

[AUpreacherman22 3,885]

In all honesty, 2018 right now reminds me of 2017 more than anything else.

We have tons of talent all over the field! 

Our D should be rock solid! I expect the DL to be all-world, which will help keep the DBs from getting exposed while they acclimate to the game (a lot of young talent back there that will be very good by mid-season!) 

Our success will depend on: 

1. how quickly our offensive coaches decide what the best game plan for our O is. (we can't afford to figure it out in game 3/4)   

1A.  This also includes the best personnel groupings - Last year the RBs were pretty settled, and we had to work on everything else.  This year the QB and WRs are pretty settled, we need to figure out RBs and OL.

2. offensive play-calling consistency (we had brilliant games and awful games last year, more of the same will lead to more of the same)

3.  how well our offensive coaches can adjust when we get injuries on that side of the ball.  This has always seemed to be a problem for Gus

[Win4AU 4,052]

in 2014 I said if only Auburn had a decent defense the sky was the limit.  Now Auburn has a dominating defense and I’m saying if only Auburn had a dominating offense.  2018 offense should be pretty good but after watching Clemson, UGA(SEC), and LSU(2nd half) shut the offense down I have my concerns.  UGA was the only game in 2014 where a defense completely stopped the offense even though Kstate was a struggle.  UW could be a KState kind of game.  Definitely not confident facing Petersen in that cursed stadium again.

[doc4aday 1,887]

I do not see any connection to 2014 whatsoever. No similarities I think we control our destiny and can hold the line in 2018.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Auburn will not play in another national championship game as long as Gus Malzahn remains head coach of the Auburn Tigers. He's only won 10+ games twice in 5 years.

[AUsince72 11,084]

9 minutes ago, auburn4ever said:

Auburn will not play in another national championship game as long as Gus Malzahn remains head coach of the Auburn Tigers. He's only won 10+ games twice in 5 years.

"Only"?

[lionheartkc 6,150]

37 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

"Only"?

Yup... and he only won the SEC West twice, the SEC once, and actually played in a national championship game. He's only the second most successful coach currently coaching in the SEC, but hey... he's not Nick Saban, so screw the 7 year contract, let's fire his butt.

Did I do that right A4E?