Giving Coach Harsin a pass this season

[woodford 3,655]

I feel like my opinion has vastly shifted in the past 12 hours. Yesterday I wanted to keep him. Today I want him gone but not fired. I want Washington to hire him away. These last 3 games are inexcusable. Auburn was a few plays away from being 9-2, top 10 in the country, hosting a winner take all Iron Bowl. That’s why everyone is so pissed. 
 

What I really want is an overall culture not rooted in micromanagement. Hire someone and give them the keys to the entire program. Auburn football is annoying. I’m glad my FCS undergrad alma mater is good or else I’d be really upset with this sport!

[cole256 17,039]

Smh. Some people are still crying about the defense when they knew this defense didn't have a line? Oh

[aubaseball 2,583]

53 minutes ago, cole256 said:

Smh. Some people are still crying about the defense when they knew this defense didn't have a line? Oh

I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m crying at all of it.   It all stinks right now.   It’s just confusing that some just want to blame Bobo.   I’m blaming everyone.   Even players.  Great example, the personal foul on #36 for the hit out of bounds.   Completely unnecessary and the only coaching that gets rid of that is putting him on the bench.  

[cole256 17,039]

1 hour ago, aubaseball said:

I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m crying at all of it.   It all stinks right now.   It’s just confusing that some just want to blame Bobo.   I’m blaming everyone.   Even players.  Great example, the personal foul on #36 for the hit out of bounds.   Completely unnecessary and the only coaching that gets rid of that is putting him on the bench.  

I got ya....I really don't understand what people think Mason should do

[keesler 5,923]

58 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m crying at all of it.   It all stinks right now.   It’s just confusing that some just want to blame Bobo.   I’m blaming everyone.   Even players.  Great example, the personal foul on #36 for the hit out of bounds.   Completely unnecessary and the only coaching that gets rid of that is putting him on the bench.  

I'm with you man, it ALL sucks and has progressively gone down hill in the month of November.  

The entire coaching staff is a disappointment and it's painfully obvious they can't find a way to motivate their players and get 100% out of them on the field every damn week.   These players don't want to run through a brick wall for their coaches, they don't play with passion, focus or intensity.  When you look at the idiotic play calling & lack of adjustments,  what exactly should attract them to "buy in" to this crap? 

It was a horrible feeling to see our most talented and proven RB sitting on the bench pissed and shaking his head because his coaches are acting like idiots with the freaking game on the line.   What has this staff done to make a player like Tank buy in?  

[ScotsAU 1,311]

16 hours ago, tbone4jc said:

As much as I am disappointed with our in game results over the last 2 games I am not going to be super critical of the end results for this season. My reasons are pretty simple...

1. This is his first season in the SEC and as most ha e recognized we really are lacking the Jimmy's & Joe's to be a really good team.

2. I would rather have  sustainable success instead of a flash in the pan great season and ten years of roller coaster highs and lows.

3. There are a lot of I's on this current team who play for themselves that has not bought into the current staff's philosophy. 

4. CBH is a good coach and once he gets the players on both sides of the ball he needs I think we will be very happy.

With that being said, this season is the only season he gets a pass on. Next season we must see improvement on the oline and the defense. We cannot ever blow a 25 point lead to an inferior team and we should  eat the teams we are supposed to beat 99.9% of the time. 

He’s not going anywhere this year, so it is really pointless to write him off. We pretty much just have to hope he turns it around. However,

1. The last few weeks were inexcusable. It’s not even that we lost. It’s how we lost, especially blowing leads against teams with less talent the last 2 weeks. 
2. I was concerned about this hire from the start, especially after he hired Bobo, who I found to be very predictable offensively. 
3. The biggest concern with Harsin coming in was allegedly recruiting. He was supposed to be an X’s abd O’s guy. We don’t have the most talent in the SEC, but it’s very disconcerting that we lost games the last few weeks on X’s and O’s more-so than Jimmys and Joes. 
4. He earned some trust from me mid season with some great wins. He lost that. Gus was fired for lackluster offensive production, and inexcusable surprise losses. And what do we have under Harsin this year? More of the same. He’s going to have to do some great things next year for me to buy back in.

Of course, it’s all irrelevant. It’s the boosters he has to impress, and the boosters were the ones that wanted him. So who knows what they are thinking at this point.

[LeonardAU 237]

If I hear "1-0 everyday" or "it's the little things" one more time out of the dude's mouth I may have a stroke.  It's all talk because this team is taking the 100% opposite approach in every phase of the game.  I don't know how you dig out of a hole like this when the coaches lose a team, especially in the first year.

[ScotsAU 1,311]

1 hour ago, LeonardAU said:

If I hear "1-0 everyday" or "it's the little things" one more time out of the dude's mouth I may have a stroke.  It's all talk because this team is taking the 100% opposite approach in every phase of the game.  I don't know how you dig out of a hole like this when the coaches lose a team, especially in the first year.

Players are day to day. There’s no doubt.

[AUcivE09 582]

18 hours ago, Jaba4ever said:

Same. Fire Bobo and hire literally anyone else. A pulse should be the only requirement. Fire Mason and give Coach O a call. Could use his help in recruiting.

Chip Lindsey is available........    😃

[agent_jack 28]

17 hours ago, MustardSeed said:

Well the offense has also done enough to win most games and the defense didn’t hold up. It’s both sides of the same coin. Change them both IMO

Can you give some examples?

[agent_jack 28]

17 hours ago, au302 said:

Nah we need to fire him and hire someone else. Then, when they go 6 or 7 wins next year fire them as well. We're going to have to accept that we're going to have to give a coach a few years, whether Harsin or the next guy.

Now, if Harsin doesn't cut 15+ players and make some staff changes I'll be even more concerned than now. I'm actually more confident that we're closer to turning it around on offense than defense. Never would have thought that a year ago. That's not an endorsement of Bobo either, just how pathetic Mason has been. In fairness to Harsin, no one thought Mason would be this bad. We hoped we'd get Stanford Mason, but we got Vandy retread Mason

 

Outside of the M. State game, can you give examples where the Defense lost a game?

[Tiger 8,817]

1st season is always going to warrant a pass of some sort. But there are some MAJOR red flags to keep an eye on that will dictate whether the Harsin era lasts beyond a few years. 

First is obviously recruiting. We are a program who's ultimate goal is to win the SEC and win a natty. Harsin has to recruit to that. 

Second is the dumb decisions from a game management standpoint. Going for 2 against Miss St when a PAT makes it a 1 score game? Wtf. Not sneaking it on 4th and 1 vs SCar when you have a 6'7 QB? Allowing Bobo to run the fade against Penn State? The misusage of Tank as well. I thought we were leaving these types of decisions in the past with the previous staff. 

IMO that's a major red flag and the fact it's has been somewhat of a constant theme this season makes me worried about the game management portion of Harsin's coaching.

But a lot of this would be more forgivable if he was tearing it up in recruiting that's for sure. As of right now there's no hope to latch on to. Because it really doesn't matter how many "culture fit" guys you bring into the program any coach will fail if they don't bring in ballers to an SEC program of AUs caliber

[alexava 6,973]

6 hours ago, creed said:

That's fine but I see it the other way. When I see a offensive lineman pull (time and time again) and just whiff on the first man that shows I go what the hell. Or a linebacker totally totally make the wrong read or a defensive line that can't get a push (actually gets pushed) I go what the hell. No coach can play the game for the players. Also, I think some fans think we have better players than other teams (for instance MSU) but I just don't see it. If you think so, outside of Tank, what players do you think we have better than MSU. 

We need to recruit and I mean recruit hard.

The players who got a 28-3 lead. 

[Jaba4ever 112]

56 minutes ago, AUcivE09 said:

Chip Lindsey is available........    😃

Touche. In that case, requirements should be having a pulse and never having coached at Auburn under Gus Malzahn lol

[shabby 1,956]

Billy Napier going to Florida as the next head coach. Yall telling me you wouldn't salivate at having a coach like Napier at Auburn? Harsin doesn't get a pass. His recruiting is trash and with the on field product it aint going to get better.  If you can't recruit then you can't compete in the SEC. I get the fact that Harsin will likely be here another couple of years unless he chooses to leave. But there is little to nothing that I've seen that says but next year will be better. 

[AuburnNTexas 7,127]

We seem to be weakest in the trench's and yet so far the HS recruiting class is not filling this need. 1 DL and 2 O-line.  I am willing to give a pass on those positions in this years class because of late coaching change and bring in coaches from other regions. I have seen a lot of trench type 2023 players being approached so it is very important that we bring them in.  I have been stressing all year we need to look at recruiting success in a different way because of the transfer portal.  If they are able to pull in some key guys at positions of needs who also fit their playing style then they will have done their job. Ask me how recruiting went for 2022 ask me about HS class after second Signing date and near the end of summer so we can see what type of players we got in transfer Portal.

I have made no bones about the fact I don't like the style Mason plays , the bend don't break and lack of player rotation but he deserves a chance to get players in who fit his style. Bobo has instituted a completely different style who inherited a less then stellar O-line with no proven WR's. I have had some real issues with Bobo's second half play calling. I also have a major issue with both Harsin calling for us to go for it on 4th and one at our own 36 and then not going with the hot hand which was Tank and that is on Bobo.

For those who want to dump both Mason and Bobo and start over, then you probably just threw away the 2023 class also. Am I totally happy with HS recruiting, play calling, etc. No but I also think you have to give people who are trying to change culture a little time. 

  

[woodford 3,655]

8 minutes ago, shabby said:

Billy Napier going to Florida as the next head coach. Yall telling me you wouldn't salivate at having a coach like Napier at Auburn? Harsin doesn't get a pass. His recruiting is trash and with the on field product it aint going to get better.  If you can't recruit then you can't compete in the SEC. I get the fact that Harsin will likely be here another couple of years unless he chooses to leave. But there is little to nothing that I've seen that says but next year will be better. 

I’d rather have Luke Fickell tbh

[Guest MustardSeed]

1 hour ago, agent_jack said:

 

Outside of the M. State game, can you give examples where the Defense lost a game?

Penn St defense and offense lost the game.  If D held them to 21 then we kick a fg at the end and win instead of going for TD from the 26yard line.  The defense and the offense played equally average that game.
Georgia St the defense crapped the bed and the offense saved it last second (and yes the offense sucked too but D should have never given that game up the way they did to Ga St…we should have been able to win that game with 11 points)

[woodford 3,655]

2 minutes ago, AuburnNTexas said:

We seem to be weakest in the trench's and yet so far the HS recruiting class is not filling this need. 1 DL and 2 O-line.  I am willing to give a pass on those positions in this years class because of late coaching change and bring in coaches from other regions. I have seen a lot of trench type 2023 players being approached so it is very important that we bring them in.  I have been stressing all year we need to look at recruiting success in a different way because of the transfer portal.  If they are able to pull in some key guys at positions of needs who also fit their playing style then they will have done their job. Ask me how recruiting went for 2022 ask me about HS class after second Signing date and near the end of summer so we can see what type of players we got in transfer Portal.

I have made no bones about the fact I don't like the style Mason plays , the bend don't break and lack of player rotation but he deserves a chance to get players in who fit his style. Bobo has instituted a completely different style who inherited a less then stellar O-line with no proven WR's. I have had some real issues with Bobo's second half play calling. I also have a major issue with both Harsin calling for us to go for it on 4th and one at our own 36 and then not going with the hot hand which was Tank and that is on Bobo.

For those who want to dump both Mason and Bobo and start over, then you probably just threw away the 2023 class also. Am I totally happy with HS recruiting, play calling, etc. No but I also think you have to give people who are trying to change culture a little time. 

  

My man, Mike Bobo has been an SEC OC since 2007. This is who he is. He’s not improving. Do you know any Georgia fans? If so, ask them about Mike Bobo. 
 

Yeah maybe we throw away that class and get a better one with coordinators who have better track records. 

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

The offense didn't play well but they had a 14-0 lead.  The turning point in the game was the 4th and 1 call. It was a bad play call. But the decision to go for it on our own 35 was a gamble and gave South Carolina all the momentum. Harsin shouldn't have gone for it. That was Harsin's decision and he should get most of the blame. Bobo called a bad play but it wouldn't have happened unless Harsin had decided to punt instead of going for it.

Our offense outplayed South Carolina's statistically. It was the 4th and 1 decision that came back to haunt us. It gave South Carolina a short field to tie the game before halftime and flipped the game.

[BizTiger 242]

19 hours ago, aucom96 said:

Harsin inherited a mess, no doubt about it, but I just am not seeing what some are seeing. This guy looks like either a guy in over his head or a fish out of water that will take years to acclimate. Our recruiting is bad. Everyone wants at least the two coordinators gone, which is a large portion of the staff with actual ties within the SEC. Harsin would be just as likely to promote and bring in more Boise connections to replace them than hire top level coaches from what I've seen so far. I don't see a coherent philosophy on the field. We're not physical, we don't establish anything offensively, the only consistent is that we're inconsistent. 

If his recruiting the next couple of years doesn't pick up substantially, we'll be looking for another coach in a few years. Auburn isn't sinking all the money into new facilities for nebulous "culture" changes. Wins will have to come and that's not going to get any easier with a number of programs trending up and Texas and Oklahoma coming into the league. 

Our talent level is horrible. The only way out of this is consistent, incremental improvement. Nobody wants to hear it but you don't get the mold out of this program in one season.

 

Firing the coordinators/etc just compounds the problem, because you're gonna make recruiting even more unstable. 

Edited November 22, 2021 by BizTiger

[e808 3,020]

15 minutes ago, BizTiger said:

Our talent level is horrible. The only way out of this is consistent, incremental improvement. Nobody wants to hear it but you don't get the mold out of this program in one season.

The mold has nothing to do with the piss poor decisions causing the team to lose games. People keep making excuses about stuff he can’t control. It’s the stuff he can control that’s alarming. The talent isn’t horrible. U really think the current recruits are better than what’s on the field. Year 2 will still heavily depend on the previous coaches players. 
Your players old players it won’t matter unless the decision making is better.

An each loss there has been at least two WTH moments. Can exclude Georgia because no one was expecting to win that game.

Edited November 22, 2021 by e808
Clarification

[Hank2020 3,195]

8 hours ago, woodford said:

I feel like my opinion has vastly shifted in the past 12 hours. Yesterday I wanted to keep him. Today I want him gone but not fired. I want Washington to hire him away. These last 3 games are inexcusable. Auburn was a few plays away from being 9-2, top 10 in the country, hosting a winner take all Iron Bowl. That’s why everyone is so pissed. 
 

What I really want is an overall culture not rooted in micromanagement. Hire someone and give them the keys to the entire program. Auburn football is annoying. I’m glad my FCS undergrad alma mater is good or else I’d be really upset with this sport!

It makes sense that you want him hired away not fired bc a non- micromanagement culture would never fire a coach in his first year!!!

[milehighfan 1,239]

21 hours ago, Sizzle said:

I’m not giving him a pass. These last few weeks been trash. Y’all can’t give this man all the credit when things are going good but then start giving him a pass when things go downhill.

It would feel better if the coaches were killing it in recruiting but that ain’t happening either. I ain’t trying to make it all doom and gloom but things ain’t looking good right now 

From what I've been reading our recruiting has been like the Miami Dolphins defense, no name recruiting..

[au302 2,669]

Coaching debate aside, we have got to overhaul the roster. I don't care if Harsin, Kevin Steele, Mario Cristobal, or Jeff Schmedding is the coach. The depth has been terrible for a while now. There's a reason backups are backups; however, you need backups in the SEC that are serviceable. The deeper and fresher teams win in the second half.  

Point being, whoever our coach is after the bowl game needs to run off a ton of guys. I'm talking 15+. Bring in portal guys for depth and a few starters. Many will be from mid-majors and this board will freak, but guys like Fair and Harris would make great depth pieces. But they are having to be used as starters because of our lack of depth in the trenches.