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Bye-Week Thoughts


StatTiger

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1 hour ago, IronMan70 said:

The Florida game was very important to get 9 wins much easier, then win 1 of LSU, UGA, bama and you have 10. Now we have to win 1 of those 3 to get 9. It is SO important to win the games you should win before counting the big 3.

Not disputing that at all. Just commenting on the idea that with AU's annual schedule being what it is that 10 wins is the baseline.  If 10 is the baseline, AU has never in its history had a head coach that makes the grade. With LSU, UGA, Bama (and now aTm) annually, plus the occasional year when one or both of the Mississippi schools puts together a good team, plus the years (like this one) where we play the Gators, plus the possibility that UT will be good again, well...I just think that 10 wins as a baseline is not realistic in terms of history or expectations.

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2 hours ago, CleCoTiger said:

I think that the "regardless of schedule" bit makes your "fair baseline expectation" pretty close to insane.  I doubt there are more than a few teams that could go through the schedule AU has this year with any sort of reasonable expectation of winning 10. Hoping to win 10? Sure. Reasonable (baseline) expectation? Nope. 

My point is, our schedule is always going to be tough in this league, this division.  When's the last time you thought Auburn's schedule was easy? 

Let me ask it another way, do you expect Auburn to compete for SEC Championships every year?  Hell, even every other year?  When's the last team from the West who went to Atlanta with more than 2 losses?  Do that math ...

Gus himself has said time and time again the expectations at Auburn are to compete for championships.  That ain't 8-4.

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8 hours ago, StatTiger said:

I seriously doubt Malzahn is reading my content, so no I don't expect anything. I do look back to the Mississippi State game, where he did place focus on the intermediate routes and the offense was very successful in doing so. With that being said, Nix had a much cleaner pocket to work from. He was also very successful with the intermediate routes during 2009 and 2010.

It’s unfortunate how many concepts from that game were abandoned. I’m not sure bo was seeing the field in the UF game but some more crossers and quick hitters could’ve at least given him a chance to recover 

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6 hours ago, RunInRed said:

My point is, our schedule is always going to be tough in this league, this division.  When's the last time you thought Auburn's schedule was easy? 

Let me ask it another way, do you expect Auburn to compete for SEC Championships every year?  Hell, even every other year?  When's the last team from the West who went to Atlanta with more than 2 losses?  Do that math ...

Gus himself has said time and time again the expectations at Auburn are to compete for championships.  That ain't 8-4.

So... how do you feel about the first bye-week of 2019? What kind of adjustments would you like to see? What adjustments do you expect?

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1 hour ago, StatTiger said:

So... how do you feel about the first bye-week of 2019? What kind of adjustments would you like to see? What adjustments do you expect?

That's the $7 million question.  I would like to see more play-calling like we saw in the Mississippi St. game, even when things are tight (as they probably will be).  I would like to see that Gus (or Dilly) has a good feel for how to handle his QBs.  If Bo throws a couple of picks and seems to be panicking, either call plays that give him a higher chance of being successful or put Joey in for a series or two to allow Bo to settle down some.  I'd like to see us have a better plan for dealing with crowd noise in road games.  I'd like to see a more coherent plan for rotating RBs.  I'd like to see the offensive play-calling be more independent of the personnel on the field.  (Harold Joiner is surely capable of more than running a wheel route.) 

Mainly, I'd like to see better execution by the offense (QB and O-line, mostly) of the plays that are called.  Contrary to popular opinion, I don't think Gus called that bad of a game Saturday (with some exceptions, of course, that have been mentioned elsewhere), but the players have to do a better job executing the plays.  However, it's not unexpected that Bo would have a game where he struggled, and I have confidence that he will learn and grow from this loss.    

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13 hours ago, StatTiger said:

So... how do you feel about the first bye-week of 2019? What kind of adjustments would you like to see? What adjustments do you expect?

I'm not a big fan of Gary Danielson but he said something during the broadcast that really resonated with me last week ... Gus Malzahn does all this motion, jet sweeps, WR screens, etc., to enable being able to smash it between the tackles with the running game.  And when Auburn wins, this formula is successful.  When we lose, we are unable to run the ball, we get into ridiculous 3rd and long situations and put way too much pressure on our QB.  It's really that simple.

So, in terms of adjustments, I'm not sure but I think we have to run the ball.  Frankly, I don't think our OL is good enough and I'm not a huge fan of JB Grimes.  But that aside, we have to find a way to move the chains between the tackles.  Forget the east/west nonsense.  Kirby and Saban and teams with lateral speed will shut that down all day.  That's going to put us in the 3rd and long.  So you can't use that strategy to setup the run.  We have to find the way to run the ball with success.  How we do that, pay me $7M and I'll figure it out. ;)

 

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11 hours ago, CodeRocket said:

@StatTiger. You do remember the confidence CGM once had in JJ, and the disaster that turned out to be. I personally do not have confidence in CGM's ability to evaluate, recruit, recognize, and develop players. I suspect he knows that he is not good at these things and that is why only (18) players got into the game on offense against Florida. I am hopeful that he made the correct choice between Bo and JG, but I do not have great faith that he did so.

I agree with you.

I will only offer that I think, between Bo and Joey, there would not have been a wrong choice for a decent coach. I think that for Gus, there was no right choice. He simply doesn't know how to leverage a good quarterback for wins, and he refuses to let anyone help him figure it out. 

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1 hour ago, RunInRed said:

I'm not a big fan of Gary Danielson but he said something during the broadcast that really resonated with me last week ... Gus Malzahn does all this motion, jet sweeps, WR screens, etc., to enable being able to smash it between the tackles with the running game. 

I think the root cause of all of our offensive woes are due to only adequate interior offensive line play and not play calling. They pass block adequately but struggle to move defensive lineman on running plays. When we have had o-lines that could move SEC defensive lineman, the zone read was successful and the passing game became adequate. We don't have it now and we almost certainly won't have it next year. I don't see any quick fix for this issue, and for the life of me, I can't understand why CGM has not made o-line recruiting the very highest priority. If that meant hiring a different position coach or hiring an o-line coach that was a better recruiter than teacher then that is what he should have done. I fear now that the opportunity to do that has left the station. 

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2 minutes ago, CodeRocket said:

I think the root cause of all of our offensive woes are due to only adequate interior offensive line play and not play calling. They pass block adequately but struggle to move defensive lineman on running plays. When we have had o-lines that could move SEC defensive lineman, the zone read was successful and the passing game became adequate. We don't have it now and we almost certainly won't have it next year. I don't see any quick fix for this issue, and for the life of me, I can't understand why CGM has not made o-line recruiting the very highest priority. If that meant hiring a different position coach or hiring an o-line coach that was a better recruiter than teacher then that is what he should have done. I fear now that the opportunity to do that has left the station. 

OL recruiting the last 4/5 years was neglected and Auburn is paying the price last and this season. The hangover will carry over to 2020. Changes were made last year regarding how recruits were offered to address the issue. Gus must weather the storm until the changes made began to profit on the field. 

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11 minutes ago, CodeRocket said:

I think the root cause of all of our offensive woes are due to only adequate interior offensive line play and not play calling. They pass block adequately but struggle to move defensive lineman on running plays. When we have had o-lines that could move SEC defensive lineman, the zone read was successful and the passing game became adequate. We don't have it now and we almost certainly won't have it next year. I don't see any quick fix for this issue, and for the life of me, I can't understand why CGM has not made o-line recruiting the very highest priority. If that meant hiring a different position coach or hiring an o-line coach that was a better recruiter than teacher then that is what he should have done. I fear now that the opportunity to do that has left the station. 

It's mindboggling for a coach whose philosophy is power run to set up the deep ball to not have the utmost emphasis on a top notch OL and RB monsters. Just being average or at most adequate isn't a recipe for success in this league. 

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2 minutes ago, leglessdan said:

It's mindboggling for a coach whose philosophy is power run to set up the deep ball to not have the utmost emphasis on a top notch OL and RB monsters. Just being average or at most adequate isn't a recipe for success in this league. 

I think the problem isn't that Gus failed to go after top-notch RBs and OL. It's that he didn't have any backup plans if the studs he was going after decided not to come to Auburn.  Plus, we've had our share of projected studs (e.g., Calvin Ashley) not pan out. 

I used the analogy in another thread of Gus being determined to hit a home run and, whether he strikes out or knocks it out of the park, going to swing for the fences.  Sometimes, getting on base is good enough. And signing three 3-star or 4-star OTs is better than going after one or two 5-star OTs and ending up with none.  

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11 minutes ago, leglessdan said:

It's mindboggling for a coach whose philosophy is power run to set up the deep ball to not have the utmost emphasis on a top notch OL and RB monsters. Just being average or at most adequate isn't a recipe for success in this league. 

The problem was never targeting top notch talent. The plan was failing to expand offers to plan B prospects in the event the top notch recruits signed elsewhere. That issue is now addressed but the damage was already done.

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1 minute ago, triangletiger said:

I think the problem isn't that Gus failed to go after top-notch RBs and OL. It's that he didn't have any backup plans if the studs he was going after decided not to come to Auburn.  Plus, we've had our share of projected studs (e.g., Calvin Ashley) not pan out. 

I used the analogy in another thread of Gus being determined to hit a home run and, whether he strikes out or knocks it out of the park, going to swing for the fences.  Sometimes, getting on base is good enough. And signing three 3-star or 4-star OTs is better than going after one or two 5-star OTs and ending up with none.  

Their not being developed is my point. We've had 3 stars at OL as long as I've been an Auburn fan and we've had some excellent lines before. But as long as Gus keep hiring nobody's for OL coaches I guess we'll continue to have soft OLs. 

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5 minutes ago, triangletiger said:

I think the problem isn't that Gus failed to go after top-notch RBs and OL. It's that he didn't have any backup plans if the studs he was going after decided not to come to Auburn.  Plus, we've had our share of projected studs (e.g., Calvin Ashley) not pan out. 

I used the analogy in another thread of Gus being determined to hit a home run and, whether he strikes out or knocks it out of the park, going to swing for the fences.  Sometimes, getting on base is good enough. And signing three 3-star or 4-star OTs is better than going after one or two 5-star OTs and ending up with none.  

You are spot on.

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19 hours ago, RunInRed said:

Being happy with 8-4 or 9-3 is the problem...

exactly so I have been thinking is it ok to be happy with 8-4 or 7-5 every year ? I think back at uat I thought at the time firing coaches like Shula that won 10 games was insane, but they go out and hire Saban and they are playing for championships ever year. Then uga fires Mark who was averaging 10 wins a year and they go out and hire a coach we turned down and now their playing for championships every year. Yet we fret firing a coach that’s averaging 8 wins a season because we don’t think we can do better. Really? Are we that much worse than uat and uga ? Are we just not smart enough to get a coach like theirs ? Or maybe you believe that Auburn just isn’t a place that’s good enough to be a contender every year. I just don’t understand . I believe in Auburn. I think we are capable of hiring a coach that compete with Saban, Kirby, Dabo and Riley. I think we just have to be willing to quit being satisfied with a flaky coach that will have an almost, nearly great year every third or forth year. Auburn needs to quit accepting the backseat to everybody else . We need to demand to stand tall with the big dogs in the CFP. If Gus can’t get us there then we need to move on. And no we should not allow the fact that someone made a dumb mistake and paid him to much. The buyout is less than 20 million. We bring in about $150 to $170 million in football revenue each year. We would recuperate that $20 million with one good year. Remember 1/2 would be paid out over 4 years. So money is not a factor, but Auburn’s reputation is. I think it’s time to put AU in the driver seat instead of the caboose. Now you can send the down votes 😁

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1 minute ago, Eagle Eye 7 said:

exactly so I have been thinking is it ok to be happy with 8-4 or 7-5 every year ? I think back at uat I thought at the time firing coaches like Shula that won 10 games was insane, but they go out and hire Saban and they are playing for championships ever year. Then uga fires Mark who was averaging 10 wins a year and they go out and hire a coach we turned down and now their playing for championships every year. Yet we fret firing a coach that’s averaging 8 wins a season because we don’t think we can do better. Really? Are we that much worse than uat and uga ? Are we just not smart enough to get a coach like theirs ? Or maybe you believe that Auburn just isn’t a place that’s good enough to be a contender every year. I just don’t understand . I believe in Auburn. I think we are capable of hiring a coach that compete with Saban, Kirby, Dabo and Riley. I think we just have to be willing to quit being satisfied with a flaky coach that will have an almost, nearly great year every third or forth year. Auburn needs to quit accepting the backseat to everybody else . We need to demand to stand tall with the big dogs in the CFP. If Gus can’t get us there then we need to move on. And no we should not allow the fact that someone made a dumb mistake and paid him to much. The buyout is less than 20 million. We bring in about $150 to $170 million in football revenue each year. We would recuperate that $20 million with one good year. Remember 1/2 would be paid out over 4 years. So money is not a factor, but Auburn’s reputation is. I think it’s time to put AU in the driver seat instead of the caboose. Now you can send the down votes 😁

Mississippi State offered Cam Newton money to sign with them and the NCAA conducted a 13 month investigation at Auburn and found squat on Cam. If Auburn was to recruit in the same manner as Alabama and UGA, how long would it take for the sanctions to roll in? Ole Miss and Missouri say hello.

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4 minutes ago, Eagle Eye 7 said:

exactly so I have been thinking is it ok to be happy with 8-4 or 7-5 every year ? I think back at uat I thought at the time firing coaches like Shula that won 10 games was insane, but they go out and hire Saban and they are playing for championships ever year. Then uga fires Mark who was averaging 10 wins a year and they go out and hire a coach we turned down and now their playing for championships every year. Yet we fret firing a coach that’s averaging 8 wins a season because we don’t think we can do better. Really? Are we that much worse than uat and uga ? Are we just not smart enough to get a coach like theirs ? Or maybe you believe that Auburn just isn’t a place that’s good enough to be a contender every year. I just don’t understand . I believe in Auburn. I think we are capable of hiring a coach that compete with Saban, Kirby, Dabo and Riley. I think we just have to be willing to quit being satisfied with a flaky coach that will have an almost, nearly great year every third or forth year. Auburn needs to quit accepting the backseat to everybody else . We need to demand to stand tall with the big dogs in the CFP. If Gus can’t get us there then we need to move on. And no we should not allow the fact that someone made a dumb mistake and paid him to much. The buyout is less than 20 million. We bring in about $150 to $170 million in football revenue each year. We would recuperate that $20 million with one good year. Remember 1/2 would be paid out over 4 years. So money is not a factor, but Auburn’s reputation is. I think it’s time to put AU in the driver seat instead of the caboose. Now you can send the down votes 😁

The other side of that coin is Tennessee.  You better know what you're doing and have a plan in place if/when you decide to make a change.  I'm no Gus apologist, but things could certainly be a lot worse.

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8 minutes ago, leglessdan said:

Their not being developed is my point. We've had 3 stars at OL as long as I've been an Auburn fan and we've had some excellent lines before. But as long as Gus keep hiring nobody's for OL coaches I guess we'll continue to have soft OLs. 

It's hard to know if our problem is a lack of development or a lack of talent.  We've had some shuffling of o-line coaches over the last few years with JB, then Herb, then JB again.  I'm sure that impacted their development. However, a lack of someone right behind you chomping at the bit to take your job could have been a factor, too.  Competition is an excellent motivator.

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1 minute ago, StatTiger said:

Mississippi State offered Cam Newton money to sign with them and the NCAA conducted a 13 month investigation at Auburn and found squat on Cam. If Auburn was to recruit in the same manner as Alabama and UGA, how long would it take for the sanctions to roll in? Ole Miss and Missouri say hello.

Don’t take me wrong cause I respect your work greatly on here. Yes I agree that uat and uga cheat, I have no doubt but I don’t think that the hold up for us. Gus is a good guy but good players coming ( right or wrong) plan on playing in the NFL . And to feel that way they want to play on teams playing for championships. We recruit close to top ten every year but we don’t produce results of a top ten. Saban and Kirby both preach it’s a process and the guys buy into it. They play with an attitude. We have players equal to theirs. Heck Bo came out last year hire rated higher than Tua, From or Hurts. Do you think we lack quality players? Is that the reason we can’t win? I just don’t think so. Most of the games we have lost over the past few years are on Gus. His failure to plan and be ready. You think if Tua has a bad day Saban will accept the loss lightly or do you think he would pull Tua and play Jones? I bet he pulls Tua and plays Jones and Tua knows it. Why? Because Saban plays to win every game. He doesn’t sit back like Gus and let the game fall thinking, ok we’ll get them next week. Or thinking well they are a good team so it’s ok. No loss is ok with coaches like Saban or Dabo. That’s why they are winners. We have a coach who is ok with a 9 win season and a decent bowl. That’s who Gus is.

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43 minutes ago, StatTiger said:

OL recruiting the last 4/5 years was neglected and Auburn is paying the price last and this season. The hangover will carry over to 2020. Changes were made last year regarding how recruits were offered to address the issue. Gus must weather the storm until the changes made began to profit on the field. 

Further reinforcement of proof Gus does not know how to properly manage a program.

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14 minutes ago, triangletiger said:

The other side of that coin is Tennessee.  You better know what you're doing and have a plan in place if/when you decide to make a change.  I'm no Gus apologist, but things could certainly be a lot worse.

Hey Bama went thru a few not great either but the didn’t get to a point to say well let’s just take one that can win once in a while. No they just kept going till they found the one they wanted .

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3 minutes ago, Eagle Eye 7 said:

Don’t take me wrong cause I respect your work greatly on here. Yes I agree that uat and uga cheat, I have no doubt but I don’t think that the hold up for us. Gus is a good guy but good players coming ( right or wrong) plan on playing in the NFL . And to feel that way they want to play on teams playing for championships. We recruit close to top ten every year but we don’t produce results of a top ten. Saban and Kirby both preach it’s a process and the guys buy into it. They play with an attitude. We have players equal to theirs. Heck Bo came out last year hire rated higher than Tua, From or Hurts. Do you think we lack quality players? Is that the reason we can’t win? I just don’t think so. Most of the games we have lost over the past few years are on Gus. His failure to plan and be ready. You think if Tua has a bad day Saban will accept the loss lightly or do you think he would pull Tua and play Jones? I bet he pulls Tua and plays Jones and Tua knows it. Why? Because Saban plays to win every game. He doesn’t sit back like Gus and let the game fall thinking, ok we’ll get them next week. Or thinking well they are a good team so it’s ok. No loss is ok with coaches like Saban or Dabo. That’s why they are winners. We have a coach who is ok with a 9 win season and a decent bowl. That’s who Gus is.

Gus is more focused on promoting his offense than winning.

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12 minutes ago, triangletiger said:

It's hard to know if our problem is a lack of development or a lack of talent.  We've had some shuffling of o-line coaches over the last few years with JB, then Herb, then JB again.  I'm sure that impacted their development. However, a lack of someone right behind you chomping at the bit to take your job could have been a factor, too.  Competition is an excellent motivator.

So why did Tega score as one of the Top lineman in the country last year according to pros that rate them ? Driscoll rated high to. Most folks outside AU rated this years offense before the season started as maybe one of the best. So

is it a bad line or bad setup and play calling. 

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1 minute ago, ToomersStreet said:

Gus is more focused on promoting his offense than winning.

He trying to trick everybody because he thinks he is a genius. He doesn’t understand this isn’t highschool. You might burn a coach once at this level but with his job on the line next year he will have fixed that problem. Give Mullet and Grantland some credit. They had their guys ready to ignore the tricks and make the plays. They knew exactly what Gus would do in each instance.

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