Just gonna leave this here, Re: Bo Nix

[TitanTiger 20,472]

Jarrett Stidham 2018 Stats
2794 passing yds (214.9 yds per game), 60.7% completion rate, 18 TDs, 5 INTs through 13 games
72 yds rushing on 13 attempts, 3 TDs
Totals:  2866 yds, 21 TDs

 

Bo Nix 2019 Stats
2366 passing yds (197.2 yds per game), 57% completion rate, 15 TDs,  6 INTs through 12 games.
301 yds rushing on 91 attempts, 7 TDs
2667 yds, 21 TDs


If Bo were to have a decent passing day in the bowl, say around 250 yds - between his best performances against weak teams and his worst vs strong ones, he'd end up within 180 yds of Stidham's year in passing yds and would surpass him in total yds.

The reason I'm making this comparison is that Stidham had basically the same offensive supporting cast as Bo had this year.  Same offensive line, same WR corp except Stidham had Ryan Davis - one of the best and most reliable WRs Auburn has ever produced, basically the same RBs.  The difference is, Stidham was a junior in his third year starting, second at Auburn.  Nix is a true freshman in his first year.

Nix has had his ups and downs, his share of mistakes and bad decisions and tendencies, but if his floor is a season that ended with a guy getting grabbed by the Patriots, I think there's a lot of reason for optimism.  The ceiling seems quite high.

 

[aubiefifty 16,733]

BO {nix}  Knows....

[NorthGATiger 1,801]

Quality info right there.

[Sizzle 3,909]

Stidham also had Slayton, who is probably having the best rookie season in the NFL for WR’s

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

40 minutes ago, Sizzle said:

Stidham also had Slayton, who is probably having the best rookie season in the NFL for WR’s

By the way....is there anything that could help Auburn WRs and recruiting than this? We have gotten a bad rep from our guys in the NFL the past few years so the fact that Slayton is tearing IT up is a breathe of fresh air. 

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

41 minutes ago, Sizzle said:

Stidham also had Slayton, who is probably having the best rookie season in the NFL for WR’s

I think we as Auburn fans all knew Slayton was a good receiver, but in the NFL the deep-threat is not a position with many vacancies and Slayton has had the benefit of depth injuries that pushed him into the spotlight. Hopefully his in-game performance pushes him up the depth chart going forward.

[AUBourne 425]

What if it's not a floor but a baseline? I have seen little to no improvement in QB development in many years. I'm not blaming Nix. His dad did a great job preparing him for college. I 100% believe Patrick Nix saved Gus from another Kiehl Frazier/Jeremy Johnson fiasco. I think if Dan Mullen was Bo's coach he would be a contender for the Heisman next year. But I see no reason to think he is going to be dramatically better next year other than the fact Kentucky replaces UF on the schedule.

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

34 minutes ago, JBiGGiE said:

I think we as Auburn fans all knew Slayton was a good receiver, but in the NFL the deep-threat is not a position with many vacancies and Slayton has had the benefit of depth injuries that pushed him into the spotlight. Hopefully his in-game performance pushes him up the depth chart going forward.

Slayton hasn't really been a deep threat for the Giants though.  He's been a fantastic intermediate route guy for them and red zone target.

[AU64 10,122]

42 minutes ago, Tigerpro2a said:

By the way....is there anything that could help Auburn WRs and recruiting than this? We have gotten a bad rep from our guys in the NFL the past few years so the fact that Slayton is tearing IT up is a breathe of fresh air. 

Which is a shame because the guys complaining were not always reliable receivers at AU....dropped pass problems....and that's what hurt them in the NFL.    JMO but they should have learned to catch the ball in HS.   Both had lots of speed and made some memorable plays at AU  but were fortunate to have an opportunity in the NFL....and really sorry to see them bite the hand that fed them. 

Happy that Slayton is having a good year...and on a bad team with QB issues.   

[McLoofus 35,182]

3 hours ago, TitanTiger said:

The reason I'm making this comparison is that Stidham had basically the same offensive supporting cast as Bo had this year.  Same offensive line, same WR corp except Stidham had Ryan Davis - one of the best and most reliable WRs Auburn has ever produced, basically the same RBs.  The difference is, Stidham was a junior in his third year starting, second at Auburn.  Nix is a true freshman in his first year.

Don't disagree with your premise. I finally saw what I wanted to see from Nix in the IB, after his WRs bailed him out on a couple plays and he finally got some confidence and some rhythm about him. 

But the comparison of surrounding casts is way off. Stidham did not have this OL. Same guys, but many of them starting for the first time, in JB's first year back, with Gus still trying to pretend that he wasn't the OC. Ryan Davis was just a running back catching long pitches. Seth Williams in year 2 is more than anything Stidham had. Our RB corps is deeper this year even with just half a season of DJ. Plus Nix had a slightly more useful H/TE corps. 

And Slayton is a beast in the NFL (at least by Auburn standards), but no, that wasn't the conversation when he left. All anyone said about him was either "he's not good" or "he wasn't utilized properly". Now we know the truth, but it's not like he was some devastating weapon and advantage that Stidham had over Nix. (That's not directed at you, Titan, but the subsequent convo.)

Also, Nix had Hastings and Stove this season, plus a beast blocker in Shed Jackson that any successful Malzahn offense requires.

 

But yeah, after the IB, I'm more optimistic about Nix. And I see the dog in him that I didn't see in Stid, which is the biggest difference IMO. Just still have to work on his fundamentals big time.

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

1 minute ago, McLoofus said:

But yeah, after the IB, I'm more optimistic about Nix. And I see the dog in him that I didn't see in Stid, which is the biggest difference IMO. Just still have to work on his fundamentals big time.

this

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 minute ago, AU64 said:

Which is a shame because the guys complaining were not always reliable receivers at AU....dropped pass problems....and that's what hurt them in the NFL.    JMO but they should have learned to catch the ball in HS.   Both had lots of speed and made some memorable plays at AU  but were fortunate to have an opportunity in the NFL....and really sorry to see them bite the hand that fed them. 

Happy that Slayton is having a good year...and on a bad team with QB issues.   

Dropped passes are not why our most accomplished WR in years didn't get on an NFL roster. And Slayton is one of the guys who was complaining, too. And they were 100% right about this offense. Which is why Slayton is our first legit NFL WR since the Tubs days. (Duke Williams notwithstanding.) 

[AidiAU 1,270]

4 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

 

But yeah, after the IB, I'm more optimistic about Nix. And I see the dog in him that I didn't see in Stid, which is the biggest difference IMO. Just still have to work on his fundamentals big time.

Bo Nix has a different love and passion for Auburn than Stidham did, which I think plays some (not all) part of the difference between the “dog” in each of them. 
 

Oddly enough, the 2019 team seems to have mostly kept it together in the locker room even going through all the adversity this year. 
 

but I know nothing. 😂

[shabby 1,956]

I think Nix has benefitted from the reintegration of the tight end and use of slant passes. I do feel that if the  offensive line shows up next year that Nix will have a stellar year. That has proven to be a big if lately.

[McLoofus 35,182]

5 minutes ago, shabby said:

I think Nix has benefitted from the reintegration of the tight end and use of slant passes. I do feel that if the  offensive line shows up next year that Nix will have a stellar year. That has proven to be a big if lately.

One of the big bright spots this year.

[McLoofus 35,182]

7 minutes ago, AidiAU said:

Oddly enough, the 2019 team seems to have mostly kept it together in the locker room even going through all the adversity this year. 
 

but I know nothing.

It is probably the single most impressive aspect of the Malzahn era. He has established a very rare and special locker room culture. That he's done so while also recruiting such a high level of talent is stunning, honestly.

[TitanTiger 20,472]

3 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Stidham did not have this OL. Same guys, but many of them starting for the first time, in JB's first year back, with Gus still trying to pretend that he wasn't the OC.

I still say it was the same.  I saw little to no progress in their play this year.  Same guys, a year more experience but same level of play.

 

3 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Ryan Davis was just a running back catching long pitches. Seth Williams in year 2 is more than anything Stidham had. Our RB corps is deeper this year even with just half a season of DJ. Plus Nix had a slightly more useful H/TE corps. 

But Ryan was a key cog of the offense and a reliable guy to make something out of nothing passing.  Throws to him definitely improved Stidham's passing numbers.

I'll give you Seth, but this RB corp wasn't appreciably better overall than what Stidham had to work with.  The top three RBs in 2018 generated 1616 yds.  This year they generated 1458 yds.  Add in Shivers and you get to 1735 yds.  The real difference isn't DJ Williams in this year's rushing attack, it's Bo Nix with 301 yds vs 1 net yard for Stidham.

I'll also say at least in the passing game, our H-back/TE were not an improvement over Chandler Cox.  Yes, Jay Jay Wilson had a few more receiving yards but he almost never lined up at H-back or TE even though that's what he's listed as.  He lined up at a WR position when he was in the game.  Nigh and Shenker combined for 16 yds receiving.
 

3 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

And Slayton is a beast in the NFL (at least by Auburn standards), but no, that wasn't the conversation when he left. All anyone said about him was either "he's not good" or "he wasn't utilized properly". Now we know the truth, but it's not like he was some devastating weapon and advantage that Stidham had over Nix. (That's not directed at you, Titan, but the subsequent convo.)

While true, he did demand attention that gave Seth some openings last year - a role that went largely unfilled this season. 

 

3 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Also, Nix had Hastings and Stove this season, plus a beast blocker in Shed Jackson that any successful Malzahn offense requires.

Shed is a beast blocker.  But Stove and Hastings are not the 2017 versions of themselves and their playing time has reflected that.

 

3 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

But yeah, after the IB, I'm more optimistic about Nix. And I see the dog in him that I didn't see in Stid, which is the biggest difference IMO. Just still have to work on his fundamentals big time.

Yeah.  The footwork and learning to step up in the pocket rather than bailing early needs to happen for sure.  But I do see the same as you - that "dog" in him whereas with Stidham I saw what looked like fear at times.

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 minute ago, TitanTiger said:

I still say it was the same.  I saw little to no progress in their play this year.  Same guys, a year more experience but same level of play.

 

But Ryan was a key cog of the offense and a reliable guy to make something out of nothing passing.  Throws to him definitely improved Stidham's passing numbers.

I'll give you Seth, but this RB corp wasn't appreciably better overall than what Stidham had to work with.  The top three RBs in 2018 generated 1616 yds.  This year they generated 1458 yds.  Add in Shivers and you get to 1735 yds.  The real difference isn't DJ Williams in this year's rushing attack, it's Bo Nix with 301 yds vs 1 net yard for Stidham.

I'll also say at least in the passing game, our H-back/TE were not an improvement over Chandler Cox.  Yes, Jay Jay Wilson had a few more receiving yards but he almost never lined up at H-back or TE even though that's what he's listed as.  He lined up at a WR position when he was in the game.  Nigh and Shenker combined for 16 yds receiving.
 

While true, he did demand attention that gave Seth some openings last year - a role that went largely unfilled this season. 

 

Shed is a beast blocker.  But Stove and Hastings are not the 2017 versions of themselves and their playing time has reflected that.

 

Yeah.  The footwork and learning to step up in the pocket rather than bailing early needs to happen for sure.  But I do see the same as you - that "dog" in him whereas with Stidham I saw what looked like fear at times.

All fair. I regret saying "way off". 

And, most of all, I will say again that I agree with your premise. Lots of reason for optimism. Not sure when I'll go into a season with high expectations for our offense functioning at a high level again, but Bo grew this season and has it in him to be a winner. 

[TitanTiger 20,472]

3 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

All fair. I regret saying "way off". 

And, most of all, I will say again that I agree with your premise. Lots of reason for optimism. Not sure when I'll go into a season with high expectations for our offense functioning at a high level again, but Bo grew this season and has it in him to be a winner. 

Yeah, I'm Missouri until I see what the offensive line looks like regardless of how Bo progresses.

[kwagoner 214]

49 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

But yeah, after the IB, I'm more optimistic about Nix. And I see the dog in him that I didn't see in Stid, which is the biggest difference IMO. 

Agreed. I think Nix’s internal drive to win and fight with all he’s got is what makes him what he is. And that often will overcome fundamental shortcomings. Nick Marshall, Manziel, first come to mind. 
 

My only grief with Stid was his seeming lack of give a crap and only looking to advance / protect self. (I may, and want to, be 100% wrong in that.) I feel like his end of the comparison would be much higher if he has the heart of Bo.

If Nix develops fundamentally and keeps the same beast inside of him, there is no ceiling. 

[dyehardfanAU 2,117]

41 minutes ago, TitanTiger said:

I'll also say at least in the passing game, our H-back/TE were not an improvement over Chandler Cox.  Yes, Jay Jay Wilson had a few more receiving yards but he almost never lined up at H-back or TE even though that's what he's listed as.  He lined up at a WR position when he was in the game.  Nigh and Shenker combined for 16 yds receiving.

I do not understand why we don't get the TE/HBs more involved in the short/intermediate passing game.

[GwillMac6 20,656]

 

[bigbird 60,440]

1 hour ago, Brad_ATX said:

Slayton hasn't really been a deep threat for the Giants though.  He's been a fantastic intermediate route guy for them and red zone target.

Exactly what he should've been for us

[McLoofus 35,182]

4 minutes ago, bigbird said:

Exactly what he should've been for us

Gus: "He can do a thing? Great. He's the That Thing guy."

[Tiger Refuge 6,660]

1 hour ago, McLoofus said:

Gus: "He can do a thing? Great. He's the That Thing guy."