Why are we so divided?

[abw0004 10,110]

27 minutes ago, oracle79 said:

Just curious. How is that negative or disparaging? It's a real thing, but of course it's on a scale and a range. Think Sheldon of Big Bang Theory. Definitely Asperger's, and that's not an insult. You seem to have a lot of triggers or trigger words, but I'm not in your shoes either.

Well for me, saying someone has a mental disability when they do not is insulting.  It is like when you were a kid and said that person is "retarded."  Back then it had no real meaning, but once you (me) matured and been around someone truly like that you never want to say that ever again.  And it is the context in how you say it.  But you are right, I do have a few trigger words and I fully admit it.  To bring some context, before I got into estate planning professionally, and my practice was brand new without any brand name recognition I started focusing on the LGBTQ community.  Dual incomes, usually no kids to spend money on so no one really paid attention to them.  So working with those people I truly learned where they come from and how hard they can have it for others.  So once I saw things in their eyes I became more sensitive to derogatory language, which you probably saw in the other thread on Tuesday.  The same mindset goes for the special needs community when you see someone you love getting made fun of and they do not have the mental capacity to respond.  It hurts.  Naturally I have always been he person who sticks up for those getting bullied so I am not afraid to speak up when I see something on here or anywhere really.  I can't remember if you were a part of the conversation a year ago when I was speaking with Ellitor about my animal charity I run through my financial planning practice, but it is the same principle.  I am trying to give a voice and say to those who do not have one (animals in this case).  Long answer I know, but I hope that gives some clarity when you see me correct someone or really lay into someone for saying something so insensitive like I did L I G E R.  It is how I am wired.  And as a disclaimer I tried to really make a point to Nix on Tuesday I did not think what he said was that bad, just that it could be interpreted differently.  I am not looking for posts to go after, but if I see it I will speak up.  And when I speak, I always speak as if someone is watching.  Anyone who attended Auburn could easily figure out how I got my username and find out who I am in real life so I act as if my face is on everything I write and want anyone who knows me to be proud of every post I make.  I hope that makes sense.  

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

1 hour ago, bigbird said:

Which means Seth had his arm amputated on Tuesday.

I know, right? Every time I hear of a so much as a jammed thumb I have flashbacks to Carl Lawson being day to day for an entire season.

[Tiger 8,820]

34 minutes ago, AUFriction said:

I actually very fundamentally disagree with you here. I'm going to take an industry perspective here. I get that football can sometimes be a little bit of a different animal, but it is, quite frankly, not that different when it comes to understanding personnel decision making. One of the biggest mistakes organizations make is focusing too much on experience. The sports world is especially bad about this. Will Muschamp failed as a coach at Florida, but was hired less than 5 years later to coach another major D1 program. Guys like Lane Kiffin have been discussed for major head coaching jobs despite failing at USC (and to some extent at UT). To some extent, coaches can learn from where they failed and become better as coaches. But, for the most part, many of these guys that are fired from D1 programs lack the necessary personality, mental ability, and/or creativity to succeed as head coaches. So many coaches fail, and, despite the fact that they show no sign that they are going to do anything different at the next school, they get rehired. 

Where am I going with this? Experience is not a good indicator of success. You can have a ton of experience in jobs that you weren't very good at. Maybe your experience started at a time when the sport was different, and you lack the capacity to adapt (hello Les Miles). I kind of see your point on the fact that Gus is still learning. So, since he's still learning, it would potentially help to have some experience around him. Here's the problem... Many of the experienced coaches that are looking for jobs as position coaches or coordinators are those that either failed at or were never able to get hired to head coaching positions. Some coaches do fail for head coach specific problems. But, despite what people think, all coaching requires relatively similar skill sets. Coordinators, position coaches, and head coaches all need to be at least somewhat smart. They need to be adaptable and open to changing their philosophy/approach as better methods, systems, and schemes are developed. If they aren't a natural leader, they need to be devoted to learning key leadership behaviors. They need to understand program culture differences. If they are unable to do those things to the point that it gets them fired, most of them will never be able to. So sure, we could hire a bunch of failed head coaches and long term position coaches to be on our staff. But will Gus really learn anything useful from them? Instead, it makes more sense for him to have mentors that were successful coaches. Instead, part of what will make earlier career head coaches like Gus successful is for them to learn as they go.

Instead, Gus is taking what I think to maybe be the smarter approach. Find the really bright young guys that will one day be successful outside of Auburn's program. Pass on your knowledge as a former coordinator and position coach, and take advantage of having fresh, innovative, and smart minds around you. I think guys has failed at times with the implementation of this however. Lashlee was not particularly smart or innovative. Lindsey was a poor fit with what Gus wanted to do. Still, if executed correctly, I think this approach is actually a really smart one.

I truly appreciate your respectful and well thought out response. And you most certainly raise some very valid and good points once again. 

You are correct, experience is not necessarily a good indicator of success but at a place like AU we are one of the few places that can find and land experienced and good coaches. I mean Gus did it with Larry Porter. But he chose to assign him to a role coaching a position we never use as opposed to putting him in his place of strength. To me, Gus needs guidance. He needs direction. Will Muschamp apparently was shocked at how we were operating recruiting and our practices and we changed it. He's been around great head coaches -- this is the type of feedback experience can provide, for example.

I'm not going to try to change your mind but rather would ask why do you think we have faltered so bad, particularly on offense, with the same issues no matter who is on our staff under Gus? Particularly` if we have such bright minded rising stars in the profession

Again, thanks for the insightful post disagreeing with me without hostility.

[keesler 5,924]

40 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

Well for me, saying someone has a mental disability when they do not is insulting.  It is like when you were a kid and said that person is "retarded."  Back then it had no real meaning, but once you (me) matured and been around someone truly like that you never want to say that ever again.  And it is the context in how you say it.  But you are right, I do have a few trigger words and I fully admit it.  To bring some context, before I got into estate planning professionally, and my practice was brand new without any brand name recognition I started focusing on the LGBTQ community.  Dual incomes, usually no kids to spend money on so no one really paid attention to them.  So working with those people I truly learned where they come from and how hard they can have it for others.  So once I saw things in their eyes I became more sensitive to derogatory language, which you probably saw in the other thread on Tuesday.  The same mindset goes for the special needs community when you see someone you love getting made fun of and they do not have the mental capacity to respond.  It hurts.  Naturally I have always been he person who sticks up for those getting bullied so I am not afraid to speak up when I see something on here or anywhere really.  I can't remember if you were a part of the conversation a year ago when I was speaking with Ellitor about my animal charity I run through my financial planning practice, but it is the same principle.  I am trying to give a voice and say to those who do not have one (animals in this case).  Long answer I know, but I hope that gives some clarity when you see me correct someone or really lay into someone for saying something so insensitive like I did L I G E R.  It is how I am wired.  And as a disclaimer I tried to really make a point to Nix on Tuesday I did not think what he said was that bad, just that it could be interpreted differently.  I am not looking for posts to go after, but if I see it I will speak up.  And when I speak, I always speak as if someone is watching.  Anyone who attended Auburn could easily figure out how I got my username and find out who I am in real life so I act as if my face is on everything I write and want anyone who knows me to be proud of every post I make.  I hope that makes sense.  

 I love you to death ABW, I really do.  But this is a football message board and this one is ultra soft and mild to others comparative boards.

Football is a mans sport and men (me) say things in a harsh and unsympathetic tone just to get our point across.  Thin skin and compassion for the less fortunate and under privileged would be better served on another board. 

Gus has done things that make me think he's insane....doing the same thing over and over and over expecting different results is by definition insanity.

A big hug to you ABW for fighting the good fight and bring a sense of peace and calm to the masses.😇

 

 

[abw0004 10,110]

1 minute ago, keesler said:

 I love you to death ABW, I really do.  But this is a football message board and this one is ultra soft and mild to others comparative boards.

Football is a mans sport and men (me) say things in a harsh and unsympathetic tone just to get our point across.  Thin skin and compassion for the less fortunate and under privileged would be better served on another board. 

Gus has done things that make me think he's insane....doing the same thing over and over and over expecting different results is by definition insanity.

A big hug to you ABW for fighting the good fight and bring a sense of peace and calm to the masses.😇

 

Well thank you.  And you know I have a lot of respect for you as well.  Always have.  And I have never stopped anyone from voicing their frustration.  I may have struck up a conversation, but never said their opinion does not matter.

There is still a way to go about everything and how you say it.  You can still have thick skin and not tolerate that behavior.  And I just gave those two examples.  Another example could be if you were very frustrated with one of the African-American coaches on our team or any other team.  Would your frustration or disdain be a valid excuse to use the N-word?  That is derogatory to them, just like other words are derogatory to other demographics.  A message board is not an excuse just because you can hide behind a keyboard.

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 hour ago, AUFriction said:

Gus is taking what I think to maybe be the smarter approach. Find the really bright young guys that will one day be successful outside of Auburn's program. Pass on your knowledge as a former coordinator and position coach, and take advantage of having fresh, innovative, and smart minds around you. I think guys has failed at times with the implementation of this however. Lashlee was not particularly smart or innovative. Lindsey was a poor fit with what Gus wanted to do.

It seems that you take issue with the minds he's chosen and not his willingness, or lack thereof, to actually take advantage of them. 

On this, I disagree. 

[AUFriction 1,179]

1 hour ago, Tiger said:

I truly appreciate your respectful and well thought out response. And you most certainly raise some very valid and good points once again. 

You are correct, experience is not necessarily a good indicator of success but at a place like AU we are one of the few places that can find and land experienced and good coaches. I mean Gus did it with Larry Porter. But he chose to assign him to a role coaching a position we never use as opposed to putting him in his place of strength. To me, Gus needs guidance. He needs direction. Will Muschamp apparently was shocked at how we were operating recruiting and our practices and we changed it. He's been around great head coaches -- this is the type of feedback experience can provide, for example.

I'm not going to try to change your mind but rather would ask why do you think we have faltered so bad, particularly on offense, with the same issues no matter who is on our staff under Gus? Particularly` if we have such bright minded rising stars in the profession

Again, thanks for the insightful post disagreeing with me without hostility.

Your question is actually very loaded.

For starters, I wouldn't say we have consistently faltered on offense. 2013 was an incredible offense. 2014 started sluggish, but ended with an incredible offense (that was the highest scoring iron bowl in history!). We went 8-5 in 2014 because of our defense, which Gus addressed by hiring Muschamp (who I wasn't as impressed with) and then Steele (who I've been highly impressed with). With the talent we had at receiver and running back, 2015 would arguably have been a good offense if Jeremy Johnson panned out. In 2016, the offense was relatively good at times. We started off sluggish like we did in 2014, played well in the middle of the season, then kind of fell apart once Sean White got hurt. In 2015 and 2016, we really needed more depth at quarterback. I think the coaches assumed Johnson would pan out, and didn't pursue other quarterbacks aggressively because of that.  (Notice that we now pursue high end quarterbacks aggressively every year, and currently have 2 really talented guys on the roster.) 2017 started slow, but ended with one of the best offenses in the country. I'm still trying to figure out why 2018 collapsed as bad as it did. I think a lack of tempo and a mismatch between Gus and Lindsey were major contributors though. 

So, I don't think we've had that many consistent problems.

2013- No complaints. We made it to the NC

2014- Defense was terrible. End of year, DC was replaced

2015- Quarterback looked unprepared and mentally fell apart with Lashlee taking on more of a role in the offense. By end of year, Gus had taken back more control to try to fix things.

2016- Lashlee still appeared to not be able to adequately scout or prepare quarterbacks. There were complaints about route trees being too simple, and people wanted Gus to let go of play calling. End of season, Lashlee was... encouraged to find another job. We hired a new coordinator with a connection to the air raid to enhance our passing game. Gus kept his wrinkle in the play calling by appointing a co-coordinator, but let go of play calling.

2017- Offensive line development determined to be poor. But we eventually were able to overcome that and win the SEC championship. End of year, Offensive Line coach replaced.

2018- Discordance between the head coach and OC leads to a slow tempo no-huddle offense. OL play continues to be underwhelmingPlay calling becomes predictable. Passing plays resemble air raid concepts with a lot of short and underneath throws, but, without tempo, the plays are ineffective. Lindsey completely abandons the deep pass game that Stidham had been so good at. As such, Stidham loses consistency with the deep ball. End of year, OC was... encouraged to find another job. Gus hires a guy with a more similar philosophy offensively that has no problem having collaborative, HC led play calling. Auburn publicly states an effort to amp up OL recruiting, and pairs junior coaches with Grimes on OL recruiting. 

2019- Auburn struggles to find an offensive identity early. Run blocking continues to be subpar....

At this point, I honestly believe we will see some similarities to 2017. Offense will eventually find rhythm. Unless the offensive line really really really improves, I'm guessing Gus goes after a better OL coach in the offseason. (He may even already be working on lining one up for all we know.)

People keep calling Gus stubborn. At times, I think it was fitting. The insistence with running the ball up the middle during 2015 and 2016 when it wasn't working was a little frustrating. But I think Gus has honestly been more adaptable than people realize. Every time there has been a problem, he's addressed it within a year or two.

Where my frustration lies is with three things: 1. Consistency and 2. Occasional Headscratcher decision making 3. Slow Starts

Consistency- In at least a few of the let down seasons, our players seemed to have high highs and low lows. Last season, the win against Washington was impressive. There were halves in some of our losses that I thought we looked really good. But we'd turn around and play poorly at times. This is my biggest complaint about Gus. Some coaches ensure consistency by being jerks to their players. There's something to be said for this approach, but check out the players that come out of those programs. A lot of the best ones in college out of those programs fizzle out the fastest in the NFL. The better approach is to fix it by breaking down everything as tightly as you can. Ensure that everything is drilled to perfection in practice so that few mistakes are made on the field. This is the biggest place I think Gus needs to improve. He doesn't have to be a jerk like other coaches (no names mentioned, but one rhymes with Gabe In), but he needs to push a little harder than he is for perfection in practice.

Occasional headscratcher decision making: Every once in  a while, Gus seems to get inside his own head and overthink things. When he does, you get plays like "throw deep to a guy with a cast on his hand" since they won't expect it OR (my favorite from 2011) play action, deep pass on 4th and less than a yard. There's no answer to this unfortunately. I don't think these situations happen that much, but they happen enough to be frustrating for fans. 

Slow Starts- This is where I honestly think we are this year. For whatever reason, our offense always takes a few weeks to get going in the years it is good. I heard somewhere recently that Gus is really big into adjusting to how people play in real game situations. Someone on a podcast made the claim that this is where he is good at and prefers to make adjustments to offensive issues. There's something to be said for that approach. However, there's also something to be said by having it figured out before the season starts. Gus really needs to start doing a better job with evaluations during spring and fall camp. Maybe the problem here is not enough full scrimmages? But I guess you risk getting more people hurt when you do that, which can be a problem when you play in the SEC West.

Either way, Gus does still need to grow as a coach. The downside with working at a major college program so quickly as a HC is that he has less time to do it. He needs to get his remaining issues figured out now, not 4 years from now. But I don't think these young, inexperienced coaching hires are the main reason he's struggling. Its personal, correctable coaching issues that should be fixable. The question still remains as to whether he'll get them fixed though.

[AUFriction 1,179]

45 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

It seems that you take issue with the minds he's chosen and not his willingness, or lack thereof, to actually take advantage of them. 

On this, I disagree. 

No. I think I made that point quite clear. "Lindsay was a poor fit with what Gus wanted to do." Gus either so fundamentally disagreed with Lindsay that he should have never hired him in the first place, or he just refused to trust him enough to let him run his offense. That's a fail on Gus. Lashlee, however, I believe to be good fit but a complete bust. 

[Tiger 8,820]

@AUFriction not going to quote since your post was long and don't want to muck up the spacing in this thread.

But when I said consistently faltering I meant post-2014. My bad for not clarifying. You are right 2013 and 2014 we had some of the best offenses we have ever seen. However, we have had exactly 1 good offense between 2015 and 2018. And they all looked the same with as far how stuck in the mud they were minus down the stretch in 2017. I completely disagree that we have no had consistent problems since Nick Marshall moved on. All of the offenses looked the same with the one difference being Kerryon Johnson at his peak in 2017.I don't have the stats in front of me but I'm fairly certain they back me up on this. 1 good O out of 4 most recent years is flatly unacceptable from an offensive minded coach.

I hope you are right that we see a 2017 type of production out of our guys this season, and I hope the OL allows it to happen. It's early, but the same cracks that have shown up for years are showing again when it comes to playcalling, substitution give aways, and plain stubbornness (running up the gut 4x in a row on one drive).

Your point of Gus adapting after a year or 2 is frankly too slow. We're not afforded 2 years to fix a non-personnel problem. I will say he has masterfully learned how to deal with off-field issues and it affecting team chemistry. He was flat out bad with this early in his HC career and now he handles it perfectly. As well as opting to bring in exclusively high character guys (for the most part) that fit with one another. That is important in building a program. Unfortunately I'm not sure what other shortcoming he's been able to actually shore up. He got flustered having to call an O and deal with the strategy of the overall game against Oregon after Seth's big TD. That was a year 1 type of mistake. But you nail it on consistency, headscratcher decision making, and slow starts due to not knowing who the heck he has on his team each year IMO.

Isn't it weird that we had an NFL caliber QB that forced an established pro backup out of a job paired with a top notch defense and only crawled our way to 8 wins? Those 2 components are almost a lock for 10 win seasons in college football. I just don't think Gus utilizes his personnel properly. The guy tried to utilize a 6 QB gameplan and almost never gives checkdowns or attacks the areas blitzers are coming from. That's remedial stuff. Also the fact we split with Miss State over 6 years is repulsive. Mississippi State. That's the type of talent he's breaking even with on the field. Yikes.

 

[AUFriction 1,179]

3 minutes ago, Tiger said:

@AUFriction not going to quote since your post was long and don't want to muck up the spacing in this thread.

But when I said consistently faltering I meant post-2014. My bad for not clarifying. You are right 2013 and 2014 we had some of the best offenses we have ever seen. However, we have had exactly 1 good offense between 2015 and 2018. And they all looked the same with as far how stuck in the mud they were minus down the stretch in 2017. I completely disagree that we have no had consistent problems since Nick Marshall moved on. All of the offenses looked the same with the one difference being Kerryon Johnson at his peak in 2017.I don't have the stats in front of me but I'm fairly certain they back me up on this. 1 good O out of 4 most recent years is flatly unacceptable from an offensive minded coach.

I hope you are right that we see a 2017 type of production out of our guys this season, and I hope the OL allows it to happen. It's early, but the same cracks that have shown up for years are showing again when it comes to playcalling, substitution give aways, and plain stubbornness (running up the gut 4x in a row on one drive).

Your point of Gus adapting after a year or 2 is frankly too slow. We're not afforded 2 years to fix a non-personnel problem. I will say he has masterfully learned how to deal with off-field issues and it affecting team chemistry. He was flat out bad with this early in his HC career and now he handles it perfectly. As well as opting to bring in exclusively high character guys (for the most part) that fit with one another. That is important in building a program. Unfortunately I'm not sure what other shortcoming he's been able to actually shore up. He got flustered having to call an O and deal with the strategy of the overall game against Oregon after Seth's big TD. That was a year 1 type of mistake. But you nail it on consistency, headscratcher decision making, and slow starts due to not knowing who the heck he has on his team each year IMO.

Isn't it weird that we had an NFL caliber QB that forced an established pro backup out of a job paired with a top notch defense and only crawled our way to 8 wins? Those 2 components are almost a lock for 10 win seasons in college football. I just don't think Gus utilizes his personnel properly. The guy tried to utilize a 6 QB gameplan and almost never gives checkdowns or attacks the areas blitzers are coming from. That's remedial stuff. Also the fact we split with Miss State over 6 years is repulsive. Mississippi State. That's the type of talent he's breaking even with on the field. Yikes.

 

I've got three rebuttals, then I'll hang up and listen. 

1. When I say a year or two, I mean he has a history of attempting fixes between seasons. Some have worked, and some haven't. I thought we should have cut Rhett loose a year earlier. Gus probably thought, he could take a more active role in helping Rhett and that would fix it. Unfortunately he was wrong. 

2. I think there's the illusion that the problems have been the same, but I don't think it is a reality. OL has been the only semi-consistent issue. We are on year 3. I'm still trying to figure out if Hand was just that bad or if Grimes is just also a bust. Most of the other issues he's changed. For instance, you mention over-reliance on runs up the middle. Go back and check the play calling. We didn't run up the middle all that much in the first half. The one time where I saw several runs up the middle in a row, it actually did work (until Whitlow fumbled after actually getting the first down). Substitution give aways? I disagree a bit there. There were a couple of times where it was a problem in the Tulane game (e.g., the wheel route play to Joiner that we ran two weeks in a row from the same formation), but I think that was more of an attempt to keep things vanilla.  For the most part, we didn't do as much substituting as we did last year. Shenkar, Wilson, and Nigh all played, and they all were in as both pass catchers and run blockers usually for several play (or often drive) long stretches. 

3. I don't think Mississippi State is an appropriate comparison. During Gus's tenure at Auburn, we've played in 2 SEC Championships and won 1. We've played for a national championship. We've beat Alabama and Georgia. 2 of the losses to Mississippi State involved very suspect officiating (2014 and last year). Also, both of these years were odd years. In 2014 Mississippi State had the only good team they've had in years. In 2018, our defense played uncharacteristically and surprisingly terrible. If our defense had stepped up and we hadn't been called for a BS fumble, we would have won that game, and probably soundly. The only downright nasty loss was in 2015. So, I'd in no way compare us to them. Our success has been much better than theirs, and 2/3 of the times they've beat us in Gus's tenure, its been under weird circumstances. 

3. 

[johnnyAU 3,630]

On 9/11/2019 at 9:56 AM, McLoofus said:

Dabo became interim head coach at Clemson in 2008. He went 3-4 to finish out the season.

He went 9-5 the following season.

He went 6-7 the season after that.

Since then he has won 10 or more games 8 straight times. 

So he became relevant his first full season and "broke through" in his third season. 

Most importantly, he has steadily gotten better since then. His best team was his most recent one.

Gus's best team was 6 years ago and he hasn't even approached being that good since. 

I agree about Dabo...with the caveat that he still plays in one of the weakest (if not the weakest) Power 5 conference in the country. Clemson will likely be 3+ TD favorites in every conference game this year and won't be challenged until the playoffs.  What would his record have been, and how successfully could he have built that program in the SEC West? We'll never know.  Dude is a goofball, but knows how to surround himself with good coaches, AND keep them.

However, kudos to the man for maintaining dominance over the league and beating the best the SEC, or any other conference has to offer the last few years....and especially for curb stomping Saban and the Bamzos last season.  Damn that was glorious.

[cole256 17,046]

To answer the question.....it depends on what you use for an example. You can read this thread and see how some people can disagree, he cordial and talk it out. You see some people say things happen that literally nobody else can remember......you have guys who get irritated you don't agree with them and make it personal. 

Pretty much comes down nobody wants their fave criticized. I usually just go to a poster's history.....if a poster sort of critiques everybody that's their nature, if they can constantly critique everybody else but get upset when a certain person comes up....there's an agenda

[cole256 17,046]

42 minutes ago, AUFriction said:

I've got three rebuttals, then I'll hang up and listen. 

1. When I say a year or two, I mean he has a history of attempting fixes between seasons. Some have worked, and some haven't. I thought we should have cut Rhett loose a year earlier. Gus probably thought, he could take a more active role in helping Rhett and that would fix it. Unfortunately he was wrong. 

2. I think there's the illusion that the problems have been the same, but I don't think it is a reality. OL has been the only semi-consistent issue. We are on year 3. I'm still trying to figure out if Hand was just that bad or if Grimes is just also a bust. Most of the other issues he's changed. For instance, you mention over-reliance on runs up the middle. Go back and check the play calling. We didn't run up the middle all that much in the first half. The one time where I saw several runs up the middle in a row, it actually did work (until Whitlow fumbled after actually getting the first down). Substitution give aways? I disagree a bit there. There were a couple of times where it was a problem in the Tulane game (e.g., the wheel route play to Joiner that we ran two weeks in a row from the same formation), but I think that was more of an attempt to keep things vanilla.  For the most part, we didn't do as much substituting as we did last year. Shenkar, Wilson, and Nigh all played, and they all were in as both pass catchers and run blockers usually for several play (or often drive) long stretches. 

3. I don't think Mississippi State is an appropriate comparison. During Gus's tenure at Auburn, we've played in 2 SEC Championships and won 1. We've played for a national championship. We've beat Alabama and Georgia. 2 of the losses to Mississippi State involved very suspect officiating (2014 and last year). Also, both of these years were odd years. In 2014 Mississippi State had the only good team they've had in years. In 2018, our defense played uncharacteristically and surprisingly terrible. If our defense had stepped up and we hadn't been called for a BS fumble, we would have won that game, and probably soundly. The only downright nasty loss was in 2015. So, I'd in no way compare us to them. Our success has been much better than theirs, and 2/3 of the times they've beat us in Gus's tenure, its been under weird circumstances. 

3. 

The o line inconsistency isn't an illusion. It's real.

[DAG 33,979]

These are some long posts lol 

[McLoofus 35,182]

2 hours ago, AUFriction said:

No. I think I made that point quite clear. "Lindsay was a poor fit with what Gus wanted to do." Gus either so fundamentally disagreed with Lindsay that he should have never hired him in the first place, or he just refused to trust him enough to let him run his offense. That's a fail on Gus. Lashlee, however, I believe to be good fit but a complete bust. 

No, you weren't clear the first time. This was more clear. And different.

[nixtosanders94 2,180]

Feels like we are really only divided on message boards and social media. Hanging around in person with AU folks everything is cool. I was around several AU faithful yesterday who are not friends of mine. Some were pro Gus, some weren’t but we all talked about hoping Auburn keeps winning and we laughed and joked and all was good. Its easy on here or social media to get vicious becuase it’s basically anonymous. I mean, on here I feel like AUFriction, Mikey and 64 are kinda jerks and they probably feel that way about me. But if we met at a sports bar to watch a game we’d probably all have a beer and enjoy a game together. So, venting frustration on here is important but it shouldn’t be mistaken for how we’d all act in real life. 

[nixtosanders94 2,180]

And that abw4000 guy is so nice and cordial on here it makes me think he’s probably like 7’2 350lbs and would bounce me on my head in real life 😂

[nixtosanders94 2,180]

3 hours ago, abw0004 said:

Well thank you.  And you know I have a lot of respect for you as well.  Always have.  And I have never stopped anyone from voicing their frustration.  I may have struck up a conversation, but never said their opinion does not matter.

There is still a way to go about everything and how you say it.  You can still have thick skin and not tolerate that behavior.  And I just gave those two examples.  Another example could be if you were very frustrated with one of the African-American coaches on our team or any other team.  Would your frustration or disdain be a valid excuse to use the N-word?  That is derogatory to them, just like other words are derogatory to other demographics.  A message board is not an excuse just because you can hide behind a keyboard.

Dude...you are the nicest person I’ve never met...

[Mikey 16,578]

2 minutes ago, nixtosanders94 said:

But if we met at a sports bar to watch a game we’d probably all have a beer

Beer? Maker's Mark bourbon with a splash of ginger ale. Then we can talk!

[DAG 33,979]

4 minutes ago, nixtosanders94 said:

And that abw4000 guy is so nice and cordial on here it makes me think he’s probably like 7’2 350lbs and would bounce me on my head in real life 😂

He really is a cool damn dude 

[nixtosanders94 2,180]

3 minutes ago, Mikey said:

Beer? Maker's Mark bourbon with a splash of ginger ale. Then we can talk!

Well heck yeah we’d get along just fine! Makers is my fave! I take back everything i’ve ever thought about you Mikey...😂

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

20 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Nebraska can't recruit like they used to. Or, should I say, they can't recruit like the top teams do now. 

Michigan can do better but I'm not sure they'll ever reclaim their past glory on a consistent basis. 

Times have changed.

Older article, but even Osbourne's classes avg. close to 15th in the nation. Frost's 2019 class was ranked 15th by I think Rivals (I don't do all the recruiting following that some due so no clue if their rankings suck). Ours was 13th or something. So they are still in the same range they were when Osbourne was walking all over people with the exception of a few classes.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1514379-nebraska-football-3-reasons-huskers-fans-shouldnt-sweat-recruiting-rankings

Point is still that Nebraska has traded out 9 plus win coaches regularly over the past 20 years and have no championships of any type. Then the best they could do was Riley due to that. The only reason they even have Frost is cause he is a graduate. Granted Pelini talked about the Nebraska fans and boosters like this board talks about Gus lol. Nebraska fans apparently dish it but can't take it types. If Frost continues his current path they could be heading toward Tenn territory.

[nixtosanders94 2,180]

6 minutes ago, DAG said:

He really is a cool damn dude 

Wish I had his optimism. Im just built to be a pessimist.

[ToraGirl 5,498]

4 hours ago, AUFriction said:

Instead, Gus is taking what I think to maybe be the smarter approach. Find the really bright young guys that will one day be successful outside of Auburn's program. Pass on your knowledge as a former coordinator and position coach, and take advantage of having fresh, innovative, and smart minds around you. I think guys has failed at times with the implementation of this however. Lashlee was not particularly smart or innovative. Lindsey was a poor fit with what Gus wanted to do. Still, if executed correctly, I think this approach is actually a really smart one.

The approach is fantastic from a business sense and in theory.  It's a visionary approach.  My concern is...how effective has it been for THIS coach?  Because to be visionary in looking ahead, you have to release your grip on the past.  The SEEMING inability to do so, be it the playbook or the Up Tempo 101?  The "At times..." seems to be the norm...SEEMS.  Why is the direction of the program so easy to question?  It's because of sporadic results, and proteges can often learn what NOT to do, leading to their future success.

How much success, sincere reflection, sharing of struggles/failures and steady improvement are the "really bright guys that will one day be successful outside of Auburn's program" sincerely getting a chance to witness?  We don't know; we're not in the locker room or staff meetings.  But...but...???

Super curious thought...he was SUPER successful as our OC under a D-minded head coach.  We know where the woes were then.  It may be Murphy's Law to be weak on the side in which the HC excels.  Yet, I will bet O-minded head coaches can be wildly successful if they are able to LET GO, IMPROVISE, and be genuinely flexible.  

[DAG 33,979]

Just now, nixtosanders94 said:

Wish I had his optimism. Im just built to be a pessimist.

No even I don’t have is eternal optimism. Your post seem to be on point. Just don’t get caught up in the firestorm with some of these others.