The anti-bash Gus Thread

[Mikey 16,587]

8 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

Gus is at worst the second or third best Auburn football coach ever considering the situation

You seem to have forgotten Mike Donohue. Then there's Jordan and Dye to consider. I'll point out that Coach Jordan had to deal with the same thing as Gus: Shug had Bryant in Tuskaloser and the REC getting us put on probation with what since have been proven to be bogus charges.

I'm a Gus fan, I think he's a great fit for Auburn. The gripers never come up with a proven solution, they just gripe. The last great "We should'a coulda' woulda' " Auburn target just led his Nebraska team to a loss to Troy.

[bigbird 60,521]

1 hour ago, Mikey said:

I'm a Gus fan, I think he's a great fit for Auburn. The gripers never come up with a proven solution, they just gripe. 

For the most part I'm a Gus fan too, but there are some aspects of his program that are just maddening.  Sadly, he didn't start exhibiting those till he became the HC. I loved him as our OC. He was fearless. His offense was creative and dynamic. The best part to me was his play calling was always taking advantage of what the D was giving.  To me, he has lost or buried those characteristics. Which is led me to my two biggest gripes. The lack of creative/aggressive play calls and his player utilization.

[Win4AU 4,052]

9 minutes ago, bigbird said:

For the most part I'm a Gus fan too, but there are some aspects of his program that are just maddening.  Sadly, he didn't start exhibiting those till he became the HC. I loved him as our OC. He was fearless. His offense was creative and dynamic. The best part to me was his play calling was always taking advantage of what the D was giving.  To me, he has lost or buried those characteristics. Which is led me to my two biggest gripes. The lack of creative/aggressive play calls and his player utilization.

Heck I’ll take the offense from 2013, 2014.  I don’t know if it was all Nick but offense was never the problem.

[TigerOne 1,140]

10 minutes ago, bigbird said:

For the most part I'm a Gus fan too, but there are some aspects of his program that are just maddening.  Sadly, he didn't start exhibiting those till he became the HC. I loved him as our OC. He was fearless. His offense was creative and dynamic. The best part to me was his play calling was always taking advantage of what the D was giving.  To me, he has lost or buried those characteristics. Which is led me to my two biggest gripes. The lack of creative/aggressive play calls and his player utilization.

Absolutely, even worse when you watch teams run his offense or variations of it, better than us.

[jAUSon 2,836]

10% "Gus is amazing. This board should be ashamed." 

10% "He needs to go now.....Outcoached...who should we hire?"

80% "Alright. He's done well here. Players are good enough. But damn I wish he'd do a few things different, maybe give us back a few shoulda-wons. Sleeping with one eye opened, War Eagle."

Now if the sunshiners just stop bashing the 80%ers we'll have something here. As extreme as the opinions on Aufamily are, I have seen almost none that are un-warranted.

[Tiger 8,823]

It just makes no sense how he went from unpredictable wizard to casual observers being able to tell what's going to be run quite a bit of the time.

I really want to know what made him this way. Was it the need to only run 3 plays in 2013? I watched the '09 West Virginia game prior to the season and we attacked all portions of the field and something that was suspiciously absent was the lack of unimaginative runs up the gut on first down. And that team was significantly less talented than the one that runs out on that field for us now. Seems like he doesn't have to be so vanilla or conservative with this type of talent at his disposal.

He does lots of great things and is still an infant when it comes to the coaching profession and has no coaching "parents" to lean on so he is not quite at his ceiling yet IMO since he's still learning (not ideal, but it's what we signed up for). He has done a bang up job making sure the D is back to what people expect of AU defenses. But if he could just get back to being the guy AU admin thought they were hiring on offense it would cure a lot of our problems IMO.

He recruits good kids, has yet to have a team quit on him even with his mind boggling decisions, and does seem to try to improve his deficiencies (even if they are not at the rate we would like). This year it seems like he's tackling the "don't run 1 RB to death" issue. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

2 minutes ago, jAUSon said:

10% "Gus is amazing. This board should be ashamed." 

10% "He needs to go now.....Outcoached...who should we hire?"

80% "Alright. He's done well here. Players are good enough. But damn I wish he'd do a few things different, maybe give us back a few shoulda-wons. Sleeping with one eye opened, War Eagle."

Now if the sunshiners just stop bashing the 80%ers we'll have something here. As extreme as the opinions on Aufamily are, I have seen almost none that are un-warranted.

THANK YOU

Even the most constructive critics end up in the mud when they're constantly being called "gripers" and "whiners". Except for that other 10% you mention, the only griping and whining I see is from those who can't accept even the most benign suggestions for improvement. (Of course, those same people are free to "gripe" and "whine" about linebacker recruiting all they want.)

Gus has instilled as good of a culture as we could hope for at Auburn. He gets talented players who are good citizens. Think about how scared of the offseason we used to be! He always rallies the troops after bad losses, which speaks well of him, his staff and the troops themselves. Speaking of the staff, most of them are killing it and I'm pretty sure I'd enjoy having a beer with each of them. The defense is playing well. Defensive line is an increasingly critical position group and that is the one area where we are truly elite. Lots and lots of good right now and I'm in no hurry to change coaches.

But I want the coach to change himself a little. He's got to show some humility and curiosity. He's got to grow and evolve. He's got to look outside for new ideas. He's got to innovate, and he's not going to do that with salt and pepper shakers at the lunch table. The best coach in the country is always looking forward, constantly evolving, always willing to adapt. I want ours too, also. It seems like he only trusts himself sometimes, but there's not some on-board football encyclopedia between those ears. There are a lot of good instincts, but they need to be fed. 

[bigbird 60,521]

22 minutes ago, Tiger said:

It just makes no sense how he went from unpredictable wizard to casual observers being able to tell what's going to be run quite a bit of the time.

I really want to know what made him this way. Was it the need to only run 3 plays in 2013? I watched the '09 West Virginia game prior to the season and we attacked all portions of the field and something that was suspiciously absent was the lack of unimaginative runs up the gut on first down. And that team was significantly less talented than the one that runs out on that field for us now. 

His '09 offense was my favorite that he has run.  Running game was dynamic and unpredictable and the passing game, like you said, was all over the field.  I remember whenever we we're trailing thinking that it doesn't matter 'cause we're gonna score a few more times.  I never felt like we were out of  any game.

Oh yeah, can you please tell me why in the 9 years since we have not run a single pump-and-go like we did with TZach?  

[tigerbrotha12 2,362]

23 minutes ago, bigbird said:

His '09 offense was my favorite that he has run.  Running game was dynamic and unpredictable and the passing game, like you said, was all over the field.  I remember whenever we we're trailing thinking that it doesn't matter 'cause we're gonna score a few more times.  I never felt like we were out of  any game.

Oh yeah, can you please tell me why in the 9 years since we have not run a single pump-and-go like we did with TZach?  

Ran it the next year against Clemson with Cam, but can't remember anything since other than maybe a Marshall to Coates go route in the Bama game? Not sure if that was a pump and go 

[SKIPPER_01 99]

6 minutes ago, tigerbrotha12 said:

Ran it the next year against Clemson with Cam, but can't remember anything since other than maybe a Marshall to Coates go route in the Bama game? Not sure if that was a pump and go 

Ran a little hitch and go to TE 3 times since then. 3 touchdowns.

TD with seconds remaining against MSU '13. 

TD in 3rd quarter in '13 IB.

TD to Sal vs Wash.

[tigerbrotha12 2,362]

1 minute ago, SKIPPER_01 said:

Ran a little hitch and go to TE 3 times since then. 3 touchdowns.

TD with seconds remaining against MSU '13. 

TD in 3rd quarter in '13 IB.

TD to Sal vs Wash.

Yep. Good point. Those were more bigger receivers where QB had to place it in a spot rather than lead a speed guy for a TD, but good point. 

[Tiger Refuge 6,662]

32 minutes ago, bigbird said:

His '09 offense was my favorite that he has run.  Running game was dynamic and unpredictable and the passing game, like you said, was all over the field.  I remember whenever we we're trailing thinking that it doesn't matter 'cause we're gonna score a few more times.  I never felt like we were out of  any game.

Oh yeah, can you please tell me why in the 9 years since we have not run a single pump-and-go like we did with TZach?  

I can still hear the announcer say “Uh oh!” when that play developed like it did.

[AUJedi 243]

1 hour ago, Tiger said:

It just makes no sense how he went from unpredictable wizard to casual observers being able to tell what's going to be run quite a bit of the time.

I really want to know what made him this way. Was it the need to only run 3 plays in 2013? I watched the '09 West Virginia game prior to the season and we attacked all portions of the field and something that was suspiciously absent was the lack of unimaginative runs up the gut on first down. And that team was significantly less talented than the one that runs out on that field for us now. Seems like he doesn't have to be so vanilla or conservative with this type of talent at his disposal.

He does lots of great things and is still an infant when it comes to the coaching profession and has no coaching "parents" to lean on so he is not quite at his ceiling yet IMO since he's still learning (not ideal, but it's what we signed up for). He has done a bang up job making sure the D is back to what people expect of AU defenses. But if he could just get back to being the guy AU admin thought they were hiring on offense it would cure a lot of our problems IMO.

He recruits good kids, has yet to have a team quit on him even with his mind boggling decisions, and does seem to try to improve his deficiencies (even if they are not at the rate we would like). This year it seems like he's tackling the "don't run 1 RB to death" issue. 

I remember when the rant of the day was about the D wearing out and we needed a good power running game to give them rest? Can’t have your cake and eat it too I guess 

[CT Tiger 136]

Like others have said, we have the toughest HC job in the country with our main rivals being Bama and UGA. I think people do not realize how easily we could wind up like UF or UT and have a decade + of mediocrity. Gus has made us a consistent top 25 pretty much every year, and often we are a top 10 or even top 5 team. We have to let him further develop (look at Dabo). If we call for the head of every HC after a disappointing loss, it will just make it that much harder for us to recruit a quality coach in the future. If our offense can't get it going this season, Gus needs to find a new OC. This will probably be super controversial, but what does everyone think about Hugh Freeze as our OC in the future if things don't work out with Chip?

[AUJedi 243]

3 minutes ago, CT Tiger said:

This will probably be super controversial, but what does everyone think about Hugh Freeze as our OC in the future if things don't work out with Chip?

Bring him on!!! I’m willing to bring in a Kiffin or Briles for that matter too!

We need to forgive and forget just like the good Christians we claim to be. It’s just football ?! If you was really a super devout Christian anyway, you should have had some philosophical introspection in your life as to why you even have an interest in football or any sports for that matter 

[gr82be 14,423]

26 minutes ago, AUJedi said:

Bring him on!!! I’m willing to bring in a Kiffin or Briles for that matter too!

We need to forgive and forget just like the good Christians we claim to be. It’s just football ?! If you was really a super devout Christian anyway, you should have had some philosophical introspection in your life as to why you even have an interest in football or any sports for that matter 

Not sure if any of these two or Freeze would be the answer. Kiffin is a HC anyway so... With Gus I'm not sure if it matters how creative the OC is. It would be like a gourmet chef taking a fryer's job at KFC. You still have to use the Colonel's 11 secret herbs and spices so it will always be Kentucky Fried Chicken, which is pretty good but I've had better. I'd like to see better offense without having to stick to Gus's recipe all the time. 

[SumterAubie 3,031]

I'm good with Malzahn. I fully expect Auburn to win them all until Athens. One of his tendencies, which bugs the crap out of me, is his calling some 'look how smart a coach I am' type of play when a simple qb sneak would be successful. And conversely, when a somewhat dynamic play needs to be run, we see a dive play for the umpteenth time.

You watch. At some point in either the Arkansas or Mississippi Southern games, he will call a fake punt, or fake field goal, or halfback pass, etc, that will be successful. When Auburn will already have a big lead. But you won't see such a play against Mississippi State.

Postscript. 

Not intended as a bash of Malzahn.

[AUsince72 11,084]

If the refs truly screwed Auburn out of the win last week then Gus is actually kinda-sorta 3-0 right now.  ...so there's that.

[Tiger 8,823]

1 hour ago, bigbird said:

His '09 offense was my favorite that he has run.  Running game was dynamic and unpredictable and the passing game, like you said, was all over the field.  I remember whenever we we're trailing thinking that it doesn't matter 'cause we're gonna score a few more times.  I never felt like we were out of  any game.

Oh yeah, can you please tell me why in the 9 years since we have not run a single pump-and-go like we did with TZach?  

YES. It never felt like we were out of any game. Now, there are times where I am doubting our ability to come back from down just 10 and we have a rock solid defense to pair with the offensive mind that would light up scoreboards for us weekly.

 

 

[DAG 33,982]

2 hours ago, jAUSon said:

10% "Gus is amazing. This board should be ashamed." 

10% "He needs to go now.....Outcoached...who should we hire?"

80% "Alright. He's done well here. Players are good enough. But damn I wish he'd do a few things different, maybe give us back a few shoulda-wons. Sleeping with one eye opened, War Eagle."

Now if the sunshiners just stop bashing the 80%ers we'll have something here. As extreme as the opinions on Aufamily are, I have seen almost none that are un-warranted.

Yep GREAT post. Most people are fine with Gus but he does have things he needs to work on. It just sucks that those 20 percent you mentioned are always the loudest.

[keesler 5,924]

54 minutes ago, gr82be said:

Not sure if any of these two or Freeze would be the answer. Kiffin is a HC anyway so... With Gus I'm not sure if it matters how creative the OC is. It would be like a gourmet chef taking a fryer's job at KFC. You still have to use the Colonel's 11 secret herbs and spices so it will always be Kentucky Fried Chicken, which is pretty good but I've had better. I'd like to see better offense without having to stick to Gus's recipe all the time. 

 

[keesler 5,924]

47 minutes ago, SumterAubie said:

I'm good with Malzahn. I fully expect Auburn to win them all until Athens. One of his tendencies, which bugs the crap out of me, is his calling some 'look how smart a coach I am' type of play when a simple qb sneak would be successful. And conversely, when a somewhat dynamic play needs to be run, we see a dive play for the umpteenth time.

You watch. At some point in either the Arkansas or Mississippi Southern games, he will call a fake punt, or fake field goal, or halfback pass, etc, that will be successful. When Auburn will already have a big lead. But you won't see such a play against Mississippi State.

Postscript. 

Not intended as a bash of Malzahn.

Why is Gus still calling the damn plays? 

 

[SumterAubie 3,031]

1 hour ago, keesler said:

Why is Gus still calling the damn plays? 

 

Allow me to amend my post. I presume he is calling or influencing a particular play call. I'm likely wrong but I still get that vibe.

[NorthGATiger 1,801]

I tend to look at the last 5-7 years of recruiting rankings and compare where those teams have finished in the following years.  It isn't perfect but it is a great way to see who is doing what with the talent on hand.  There are too many variables to make it a perfect science but generally speaking 5-7 years of top ten classes should yield being in the top ten the last three years.  Nobody has done better than Clemson when you look at the class rankings and the final product.  I did this a while back and if you back back 5 years before this last class you had your normal powers who had top ten recruiting and top ten results year in and year out.  Auburn is close but not there yet.  I'm not trying to bash Gus at all but he had the same record vs the SEC as Dan Mullen did at MSU over the same period of time.

Gus can be awesome but there is something that is just not quite clicking at all times to match the talent with results.  MSU should never have the same record vs the SEC as Auburn with the quality recruits Auburn gets over MSU.  Many have debated on these forums as to why Auburn can't just get over the hill.  I don't know the answer.  I think there are actually numerous answers.  Coach is right that it takes a full backing from fans, administrators, donors, and even the media to have a team reach it's full potential.  I don't have all of the answers but we recruit better than an 8-5 or 9-4 team every year.  I may have the bar set too high but to me Auburn should be no worse than a 3 loss team every year with the way we are recruiting right now.  That isn't going to be easy to do.  Generally speaking Auburn faces at least 5 teams ranked in the top 25 every year.  Teams outside of the SEC can't say that.  

Rob Pate said it better than anyone in his column today when he said that Auburn is one of the few teams in the country that can win or lose to anyone in the country.  That is how I feel at times.  There isn't anyone that Gus can't beat on any given Saturday and there isn't anyone that is a sure thing with Gus on any given Saturday.  That to me is where the frustration comes from.  

 

[AUpreacherman22 3,885]

6 hours ago, jAUSon said:

10% "Gus is amazing. This board should be ashamed." 

10% "He needs to go now.....Outcoached...who should we hire?"

80% "Alright. He's done well here. Players are good enough. But damn I wish he'd do a few things different, maybe give us back a few shoulda-wons. Sleeping with one eye opened, War Eagle."

Now if the sunshiners just stop bashing the 80%ers we'll have something here. As extreme as the opinions on Aufamily are, I have seen almost none that are un-warranted.

Consider me in the 80%.