Kam Martin would start today

[AUsince72 11,084]

17 minutes ago, Barnacle said:

I actually think most people share this opinion. For whatever reason, there seems to be this jump that some posters make where a fair criticism of a player = he shouldn't play. 

Our best players should play, period. End of discussion. And, right now it sounds like our coaches agree that Kam is our "best" running back. 

TROOF!!!

I once heard it said by an Auburn head coach that a player by the name of Vincent Jackson didn't always put forth maximum effort in practice and wasn't the best receiver out of the backfield.

That's too bad.  Had they used the skills he DID have and let him play more, I'll bet he could have been pretty good.  

[Southwest 186]

13 hours ago, bigbird said:

To be fair, Cox was primary on that block

So 73 and 64 shouldnt play either by that video alone because they got owned ..Dont know how to include video lol

[AUsince72 11,084]

3 minutes ago, Southwest said:

So 73 and 64 shouldnt play either by that video alone because they got owned ..Dont know how to include video lol

Yeah, that play was a cluster....

[bigbird 60,440]

7 minutes ago, Southwest said:

So 73 and 64 shouldnt play either by that video alone because they got owned ..Dont know how to include video lol

They sure did.  If Cox/KMart make their block, JS would've been blindsided.

[Mikey 16,565]

8 hours ago, DAG said:

 

 

For those of you who enjoy a valued discussion and have the comprehension skills to read and interpret,  above is the full quote. As you can see, I give an opinion on why some play more than others. However, please feast your eyes on the bolded part of the complete analysis.   You learn this in grammar school. If you are going to quote something, at the very least have the full statement for proper analysis.

The bolded part changed nothing . It did leave you some wiggle room. In grammar school I learned to pay attention to the intent of the message and ignore the fluff.

[DAG 33,957]

43 minutes ago, Mikey said:

The bolded part changed nothing . It did leave you some wiggle room. In grammar school I learned to pay attention to the intent of the message and ignore the fluff.

It changed nothing but then you say it left me some wiggle room? Ha. How did you even know the intent when you carelessly took one excerpt and ran with it? Stop misrepresenting what people say and actually bring quality to a discussion for once. This is actually a good topic and a lot of fair points have been bought to the table and sadly you come in and disrupt it with your rigid stance that is on par with this continuous “act” you always display in every single thread. It’s actually very obnoxious, TBH. You are no different than the handful who truly bash Gus for absolutely nothing.

 

[aujeff11 6,243]

39 minutes ago, Southwest said:

So 73 and 64 shouldnt play either by that video alone because they got owned ..Dont know how to include video lol

The defenders blew by them and they failed. Number 9 was in great position to make tbe block as Stidham’s last line of defense though and was rendered nothing more than a slight speed bump. That’s more problematic than just missing the block. 

Hopefully Grimes fixes our OL. That’s the one reason why we lost to UCF. 

[AUsince72 11,084]

46 minutes ago, Mikey said:

The bolded part changed nothing . It did leave you some wiggle room. In grammar school I learned to pay attention to the intent of the message and ignore the fluff.

Something tells me that I'd like you in real life, so I say this with respect.

This entire thread, as with most others, is full of football talk.  It has actually been hopeful discussion of the things we, as Auburn Football fans, hope improves so that the team has a successful 2018 and beyond.  Some are more critical and some not so much.  Some even hopeful.  Often criticism and hope come from the same poster.  That's critical thinking and the sign of someone who's intelligent and also who cares about the team/program/school, etc.

Nobody in this thread, that I've seen, has been negative just for the sake of being negative.  We've all been burned at least 2-4 times per year since 2014 and we're all a bit skeptical....sure.  But I sense 99% of us have moved on and we're discussing what we, as knowledgeable football fans, would help the offense be consistently better.

In fact, the most negative poster in this thread is you.  And you're not even discussing football.  You're not giving actual, factual, positive counters to the so-called negative tidal-wave of football talk.  Rather, you're just attacking other posters.

How about you allow us to have our own free opinions and openly share them on a discussion forum and join in with some football talk yourself instead of just bashing those of us who are actually talking football?  We'd welcome you!

I'd love to see what you have that will make us change our minds instead of just calling us names and acting like we're bad human beings because we critique a guy making mult-millions of dollars per year on a football discussion forum.

War Eagle to you.

[keesler 5,924]

[bigbird 60,440]

19 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

Something tells me that I'd like you in real life, so I say this with respect.

This entire thread, as with most others, is full of football talk.  It has actually been hopeful discussion of the things we, as Auburn Football fans, hope improves so that the team has a successful 2018 and beyond.  Some are more critical and some not so much.  Some even hopeful.  Often criticism and hope come from the same poster.  That's critical thinking and the sign of someone who's intelligent and also who cares about the team/program/school, etc.

Nobody in this thread, that I've seen, has been negative just for the sake of being negative.  We've all been burned at least 2-4 times per year since 2014 and we're all a bit skeptical....sure.  But I sense 99% of us have moved on and we're discussing what we, as knowledgeable football fans, would help the offense be consistently better.

In fact, the most negative poster in this thread is you.  And you're not even discussing football.  You're not giving actual, factual, positive counters to the so-called negative tidal-wave of football talk.  Rather, you're just attacking other posters.

How about you allow us to have our own free opinions and openly share them on a discussion forum and join in with some football talk yourself instead of just bashing those of us who are actually talking football?  We'd welcome you!

I'd love to see what you have that will make us change our minds instead of just calling us names and acting like we're bad human beings because we critique a guy making mult-millions of dollars per year on a football discussion forum.

War Eagle to you.

[DAG 33,957]

And see this is what I mean. Great thread, great discussion from several well respected posters halted to address something far from the original intent. Grrrr

Anyway, I truly hope the best back starts and if it is KM or whoever, we all can get behind him until proven otherwise. Not looking forward to the typical QB schism we saw in the past being displayed at the RB position come this fall. 

[Barnacle 9,064]

30 minutes ago, aujeff11 said:

The defenders blew by them and they failed. Number 9 was in great position to make tbe block as Stidham’s last line of defense though and was rendered nothing more than a slight speed bump. That’s more problematic than just missing the block. 

Hopefully Grimes fixes our OL. That’s the one reason why we lost to UCF. 

Indications are that Kam has gained something like 11 pounds during the spring. At least shows he has been working his tail off. I suspect he is working very hard on his pass blocking skills, too. Maybe didn't show up in that play as much, but I do know that Horton has complimented him on his willingness to be physical in pass pro (even if he struggled in it). So, I completely agree that if Kam hasn't improved in that area that it is problematic, but I think it's likely that we will see marked improvement from him in that area, especially if his playing time has been made contingent on it.

[AUsince72 11,084]

1 minute ago, Barnacle said:

Indications are that Kam has gained something like 11 pounds during the spring. At least shows he has been working his tail off. I suspect he is working very hard on his pass blocking skills, too. Maybe didn't show up in that play as much, but I do know that Horton has complimented him on his willingness to be physical in pass pro (even if he struggled in it). So, I completely agree that if Kam hasn't improved in that area that it is problematic, but I think it's likely that we will see marked improvement from him in that area, especially if his playing time has been made contingent on it.

That's good to hear about the weight gain and effort.

Thing is, a RB doesn't have to be a full-blown road block.  That's the OL's job.  If he can simply slow down a blitzer or someone who breaks free for a couple seconds, he's usually done his job.

[Barnacle 9,064]

29 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

Something tells me that I'd like you in real life...

...War Eagle to you.

Condensed it for space, but this entire post should be stickied in the football forum for posters to reference. Well said, sir.

[GwillMac6 20,656]

If there is anything we know about Gus it is that he does not trust a lot of his players. Which ones he does trust is always obvious. He does not trust kam martin and his pass blocking. Rightfully so I might add. Unless Kam Martin has vastly improved this offseason in that area I think that is why you will see Malik Miller out there more than people think for this very reason. If we are going to be more of a passing team this year might as well trot out the best pass blocker out of our RB's.

[Barnacle 9,064]

Just now, AUsince72 said:

That's good to hear about the weight gain and effort.

Thing is, a RB doesn't have to be a full-blown road block.  That's the OL's job.  If he can simply slow down a blitzer or someone who breaks free for a couple seconds, he's usually done his job.

Most definitely, and putting yourself in the line of fire is half the battle. 

[DAG 33,957]

1 minute ago, GwillMac6 said:

If there is anything we know about Gus it is that he does not trust a lot of his players. Which ones he does trust is always obvious. He does not trust kam martin and his pass blocking. Rightfully so I might add. Unless Kam Martin has vastly improved this offseason in that area I think that is why you will see Malik Miller out there more than people think for this very reason. If we are going to be more of a passing team this year might as well trot out the best pass blocker out of our RB's.

But is Malik Miller a better RB? I do not think we will be more of passing team then usual. It just does not jive with CGM track record. I do think there is room for improvement for his pass blocking , but I also think we will all be disappointed if we keep trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. 

[aujeff11 6,243]

10 minutes ago, Barnacle said:

Indications are that Kam has gained something like 11 pounds during the spring. At least shows he has been working his tail off. I suspect he is working very hard on his pass blocking skills, too. Maybe didn't show up in that play as much, but I do know that Horton has complimented him on his willingness to be physical in pass pro (even if he struggled in it). So, I completely agree that if Kam hasn't improved in that area that it is problematic, but I think it's likely that we will see marked improvement from him in that area, especially if his playing time has been made contingent on it.

We can hope for the best. He's easily a homerun threat at any moment and his career is without an injury history. He can be pretty special if his pass pro improves. . 

[GwillMac6 20,656]

Just now, DAG said:

But is Malik Miller a better RB? I do not think we will be more of passing team then usual. It just does not jive with CGM track record. I do think there is room for improvement for his pass blocking , but I also think we will all be disappointed if we keep trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. 

Nope. In terms of runny ability He is behind Kam, Devan Barrett and Boobie. I know we hear that all the time how gus wants to pass more but I actually believe it this offseason. Probaly will regret believing it when gus makes a fool out of me but I do think we will sling it more. We know chip wants to be more passing oriented and is pushing for it. 

[Barnacle 9,064]

Just now, DAG said:

But is Malik Miller a better RB? I do not think we will be more of passing team then usual. It just does not jive with CGM track record. I do think there is room for improvement for his pass blocking , but I also think we will all be disappointed if we keep trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. 

That's the thing - you are having to weigh each players' strengths and weaknesses. What's more important to the staff? If player A is better than player B in pass pro, but player B is better with the ball in his hands, what wins out? 

The thing I will say about coaching around pass-blocking is that it can actually be done. You can't "coach around" a guy who isnt productive running the football.

[McLoofus 35,182]

4 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

That's good to hear about the weight gain and effort.

Thing is, a RB doesn't have to be a full-blown road block.  That's the OL's job.  If he can simply slow down a blitzer or someone who breaks free for a couple seconds, he's usually done his job.

Agree. Looking at that play, it seems like he just needed to go in a lot lower and it would have made a huge difference. And, as @bigbird says, he might've been taken by surprise. He definitely failed in a big way, no sugar coating that. But as you and I and many others agree, it's hardly the post mortem on his career and it was nothing that wasn't correctable.

8 minutes ago, GwillMac6 said:

If we are going to be more of a passing team this year might as well trot out the best pass blocker out of our RB's.

We could pass a lot more (and a lot more effectively) and still only throw the ball 35-40% of the time. 

[AUsince72 11,084]

1 minute ago, Barnacle said:

That's the thing - you are having to weigh each players' strengths and weaknesses. What's more important to the staff? If player A is better than player B in pass pro, but player B is better with the ball in his hands, what wins out? 

The thing I will say about coaching around pass-blocking is that it can actually be done. You can't "coach around" a guy who isnt productive running the football.

My limited brain power says this statement is a home run....er, uh...99 yd TD run.

[DAG 33,957]

1 minute ago, Barnacle said:

That's the thing - you are having to weigh each players' strengths and weaknesses. What's more important to the staff? If player A is better than player B in pass pro, but player B is better with the ball in his hands, what wins out? 

The thing I will say about coaching around pass-blocking is that it can actually be done. You can't "coach around" a guy who isnt productive running the football.

Fair point. I think we know what Gus prioritizes which indicates to me that Gus believes Kam can at least be effective in pass pro. 

[AU64 10,122]

JMO but you still have to weigh the timing of the OP quote...

..at the time the comment was made about Kam, I expect if asked the question,  Gus would probably have said, if we played today, Malik Willis would be the QB....which of course would have meant nothing for when the season actually starts. .    

The Washington game is not about who was ready and able to play in April...but who will be healthy and ready to give us the best chance to beat the Huskies. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

3 minutes ago, Barnacle said:

If player A is better than player B in pass pro, but player B is better with the ball in his hands, what wins out? 

Rhetorical answer to what I think was sort of a rhetorical question: D.