Next Year’s OL

[AU64 10,122]

1 hour ago, cctiger said:

Yeah right. And I remember a time when Clemson couldn't recruit at a high level.

Not that way now however since they have been in the championships for 4 or 5 years.    now they are cleaning up all over the southeast....cherry picking best players across the region.   Not sure what it will take to change that except for teams chasing them like AU to play and beat them. 

[AU64 10,122]

1 hour ago, bigbird said:

In what way possible can you imagine a better outcome with weaker OLinemen? 

Nope...not suggesting that...just that we are now,  and will be at a disadvantage recruiting linemen on both sides for quite a while to come.  JMO....guess time will tell.  As for recruiting , I will say that I hate to see Michigan and Ohio State and a few other OOC schools coming into our territory and running off with some top talent .  Many years ago that was common but more recently we have been able to keep players closer to home.

[SumterAubie 3,031]

6 hours ago, WarEagle1982 said:

Seems about right.  Hugh Nall started 3 of them that year.

And paid big dividends in 2010

[sevenlee36 1,654]

Well they will all be Seniors so they better be good ( don’t mean they will). The problem is after next year when all 5 senior starting olinemen leave.

[cctiger 571]

8 hours ago, AU64 said:

Not sure what it will take to change that except for teams chasing them like AU to play and beat them. 

A good HC that surrounds himself with good assistants? Just like Dabo has done....It has not been that long ago that Auburn was pulling in quality OL, a few from around the nation too. Gus just has not got off his butt and put in the time, work, or effort to do the same in the past + a lazy OL line coach that has not recruited well either. Searels IMO could change that to a higher degree if Gus would only make the change. Or for that matter, there are other quality OL coaches out there that can actually coach AND recruit. And, IMO, you can't beat these teams on a regular basis WITHOUT a good OL. 

[Rednilla 5,383]

On 1/1/2019 at 9:42 AM, AUwent said:

Here's the thing: going into next season, we will be underdogs to six opponents, and understandably so. So most outlets will likely predict 6-6.

IF somehow everyone besides Dean stays, I think our roster would be good enough to pick off two, MAYBE three of those teams if one of them disappoints (I'm not counting MSU as one of those six just because they lose Fitz, and remember, they still technically underachieved this year).

I'm not really going out on a limb here, but I could see next year going anywhere from 4-8 to 9-3.

I wonder what most outlets predicted about 2010 and (especially) 2013? I think our roster is such that we could finish undefeated as easily as 4-8. If the offensive line continues to improve, the sky is the limit. There's a heck of a lot of talent on this roster, much more than our record in 2018 would indicate.

[AUwent 3,747]

15 minutes ago, Rednilla said:

I wonder what most outlets predicted about 2010 and (especially) 2013? I think our roster is such that we could finish undefeated as easily as 4-8. If the offensive line continues to improve, the sky is the limit. There's a heck of a lot of talent on this roster, much more than our record in 2018 would indicate.

With THAT schedule?!

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,641]

On 1/1/2019 at 10:41 AM, AU64 said:

Not that way now however since they have been in the championships for 4 or 5 years.    now they are cleaning up all over the southeast....cherry picking best players across the region.   Not sure what it will take to change that except for teams chasing them like AU to play and beat them. 

the ACC's usual powers (read: FSU) choosing to poop the bed at the same time Clemson was rising hurt. Miami was never going to be able to recruit well enough to keep up with CU having Richt as coach, VT is lying down in a lake, and IDK anyone else in that conference that matters. Clemson is just basically replicating the success Bowden was allowed to have except the ACC might be worse.

[Rednilla 5,383]

5 hours ago, AUwent said:

With THAT schedule?!

Yes. I firmly believe that if the team comes together the right way, we can beat anyone in the country. I don't know that we'll come together the right way, and even if we do, I don't know that we won't have a down game where we get beaten, but I firmly believe we have the capability of running the table.

[GoAU 1,599]

On 12/31/2018 at 9:05 PM, Auburn2Eugene said:

I think it has to do with the fact that every coach we have hired back to Bowden has either gone undefeated, or has played for a national championship. That gives people hope that a change can spark a championship run. 

And I don't think it's so much that people trust some new unnamed coach. It's just that people are tired of averaging 5 losses per year. People are tired of seeing the same things over and over like rushing up to the line and running it up the centers butt after a first down. Or being told the same things week after week like we had a great week of practice, or the players just didn't execute. Or being told the same thing season after season, being told the future is bright only for it to usually finish with 5 losses.

I think that's what it's about. Not about trusting some coach who isn't here, but about being fed up with the current head coaches tendency to be predictable. 

It’s also true that every coach since Bowden has had a good run, and the fan base eventually formed the lynch mobs after 3-4 years and started screaming for the next coaching change. 

People getting tired of seeing the same thing could also run a very real risk of a change of scenery for the worse.  There are lots of teams that made a move and ended up worse for it. I am not saying there may not be a better coach out there than Gus, or that I found this season acceptable, but I will also say we could do worse, much worse. 

[leglessdan 1,934]

On 1/1/2019 at 8:37 AM, AU64 said:

JMO but AU is not gonna be recruiting at the level of ga and bama no matter who our coaches are. ...and include Clemson in that group JMO.   For better or worse, we need an offensive scheme that does not depend on a powerful OL  

Umm...that's exactly the problem. If you don't have a mean, nasty and tough OL, the system don't matter. As pointed out thousands of times, it was a major issue this very season by not having at least a decent OL. IMO, that's exactly what should be recruited before "the best available " athlete. A good OL will take a team of 3* athletes a long way. Hard to say that with the roles reversed. 

[IronMan70 3,277]

17 hours ago, Rednilla said:

I wonder what most outlets predicted about 2010 and (especially) 2013? I think our roster is such that we could finish undefeated as easily as 4-8. If the offensive line continues to improve, the sky is the limit. There's a heck of a lot of talent on this roster, much more than our record in 2018 would indicate.

I agree, the '17 and '18 teams were easily capable of being 11 win teams. The talent is there for sure.

[McLoofus 35,182]

On 1/1/2019 at 11:41 AM, AU64 said:

Not that way now however since they have been in the championships for 4 or 5 years.    now they are cleaning up all over the southeast....cherry picking best players across the region.   Not sure what it will take to change that except for teams chasing them like AU to play and beat them. 

Clemson ranks well below us the last 5 years in recruiting. We had the talent to beat them each of the last 2 times we played them. They just out-coached us. Certainly easy to believe given that they're the only team in the country on equal footing with bama in terms of results. 

As for wanting an offense that doesn't depend on a strong offensive line, that's like wanting a horse that doesn't depend on 4 legs to win races. 

[beaumak 174]

7 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

 

As for wanting an offense that doesn't depend on a strong offensive line, that's like wanting a horse that doesn't depend on 4 legs to win races. 

Just ask anyone this question going for that scenario. "So you wouldn't want 4 Braden Smith's and a Reese Dismukes?"

[AURex 1,983]

Next year's OL will be better than this year's - if they are motivated in the off season to improve their S&C, and they  are coached up this spring and next fall.

But unfortunately I'm not yet able to jump on Rednilla's bus. No QB that I've seen on the field this season is giving me goosebumps, it's a middling crop of RBs, Slayton is gone, holes to fill on D. An improved OL is not the only magic required. And speaking of magic, a new OC who really won't function as an OC, and Gus calling plays with Kodi as his sidekick.

A lot more than just an improved OL will be required to get over the 6-6 hump with the schedule Auburn faces. If Gus really is an offensive genius, this will be the time for him to pull out his Gandalf grab-bag of powers and prove it!

 

[AU64 10,122]

On ‎1‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 1:11 PM, McLoofus said:

Clemson ranks well below us the last 5 years in recruiting.

Well below?     better check again....the only year we were ahead their quality rating was much higher....If anything AU has been about equal.....but what has made the difference has been  Boyd, Watson, Kelly and Lawrence were recruited...…..https://n.rivals.com/team_rankings/2015/all-teams/football

[aujeff11 6,243]

On 1/4/2019 at 12:11 PM, McLoofus said:

Clemson ranks well below us the last 5 years in recruiting. We had the talent to beat them each of the last 2 times we played them

That article was from two NSD’s ago. Two, your premise doesn’t justify your conclusion. 

 

Clemson rarely has attrition problems and sometimes they don’t have enough scholarships to go around. They signed 14 in 2017 and 17 in 2018 because they have quality talent hanging around and they are ethically against oversigning. Our recruiting classes are just fancy numbers that show what we could’ve been . 

[SumterAubie 3,031]

Just got better!