Giving Coach Harsin a pass this season

[shabby 1,956]

This level of talent argument is baffling. Perhaps in certain position groups but overall this team is much more talented than Mississippi state Georgia state and South Carolina. 2 9f those we lost to and one we snuck away with a last second win. What tune would people be singing if Finleys last second pass was incomplete in the Georgia state game. Would we be blaming it on talent level?

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

Josh Heupel at Tennessee has done a miraculous job. After they beat Vandy next week they'll finish 7-5, possibly 8-5 if they win their bowl game. They had a mass exodus of their top players last year. Both their RB's transferred. Ty Chandler transferred to North Carolina, Eric Gray transferred to Oklahaoma. Their best LB Henry To'o To'o transferred to Bama.

Tennessee only had 2 returning starters on offense and 5 returning starters on defense from a team that went 3-7 last year.

The talent excuse for Harsin is unacceptable. Both South Carolina and Tennessee were in worse situations than we are yet they have the same 6-5 record as us. South Carolina just beat us with a Div 3 transfer QB who was their 3rd string earlier this season.

It's coaching........

[Mcbowen327 63]

3 minutes ago, Auburnfan91 said:

Josh Heupel at Tennessee has done a miraculous job. After they beat Vandy next week they'll finish 7-5, possibly 8-5 if they win their bowl game. They had a mass exodus of their top players last year. Both their RB's transferred. Ty Chandler transferred to North Carolina, Eric Gray transferred to Oklahaoma. Their best LB Henry To'o To'o transferred to Bama.

Tennessee only had 2 returning starters on offense and 5 returning starters on defense from a team that went 3-7 last year.

The talent excuse for Harsin is unacceptable. Both South Carolina and Tennessee were in worse situations than we are yet they have the same 6-5 record as us. South Carolina just beat us with a Div 3 transfer QB who was their 3rd string earlier this season.

It's coaching........

This!  Couldn't have said it any better. 

[gr82b4au 5,568]

Of course he gets a pass. It is his first season. What kind of craziness would have to exist at AU to fire a coach after one season? Lol 

[gr82b4au 5,568]

1 minute ago, Mcbowen327 said:

This!  Couldn't have said it any better. 

I mean can’t it be both? I’m pretty sure that Tennessee’s line on both sides it’s probably better than ours. We have not recruited an offensive lineman in years. This year our defensive line is starting transfers, like the one from UAB. Or Kansas. I mean come on the former coach was here eight years and we have nobody. I am not saying that this coaching staff has done a good job either, because they haven’t. I am just saying the talent is lacking in the most important areas. And don’t even talk to me about the quarterback position which was neglected for years. 

[Mcbowen327 63]

4 minutes ago, gr82b4au said:

I mean can’t it be both? I’m pretty sure that Tennessee’s line on both sides it’s probably better than ours. We have not recruited an offensive lineman in years. This year our defensive line is starting transfers, like the one from UAB. Or Kansas. I mean come on the former coach was here eight years and we have nobody. I am not saying that this coaching staff has done a good job either, because they haven’t. I am just saying the talent is lacking in the most important areas. And don’t even talk to me about the quarterback position which was neglected for years. 

It can. And now that I have cooled off I have more optimism than I did after the game Saturday. That was another week of awful. I do think Bobo needs to go. And we desperately need a spark in recruiting. These things I believe would make most of the fan base alot more patient..

[gr82b4au 5,568]

1 minute ago, Mcbowen327 said:

And we desperately need a spark in recruiting. These things I believe would make most of the fan base alot more patient..

This is what gets me the most! I knew going into this was going to be a rough year because we are transitioning from running the same offense for the last decade to a new offense. Also our defensive scheme would change completely with a new DC. I was just hoping we would make a bowl game and we will.
However, they recruiting effort by this coaching staff so far has been very poor. We have not taken advantage of the downfall from Florida, Florida State, and LSU. Yes it does not help that Georgia and Alabama are juggernauts in recruiting, but right now I think we are 11th in the SEC. We are behind every team in the west. And last year was a transitional recruiting class which means we will go back to back classes with minimal talent. Early signing period Is in three weeks. I hope like crazy that the coaches are just toying with everyone and that we have a lot of talent lined up in secret. If not we are in deep trouble. 

[wcware 1,365]

14 minutes ago, gr82b4au said:

I mean can’t it be both? I’m pretty sure that Tennessee’s line on both sides it’s probably better than ours. We have not recruited an offensive lineman in years. This year our defensive line is starting transfers, like the one from UAB. Or Kansas. I mean come on the former coach was here eight years and we have nobody. I am not saying that this coaching staff has done a good job either, because they haven’t. I am just saying the talent is lacking in the most important areas. And don’t even talk to me about the quarterback position which was neglected for years. 

What you are saying about our Oline is the big key. Also we have not done a good job at recruiting WR’s. We might have had some 4 stars but they are all undersized

[gr82b4au 5,568]

side note: Every single Auburn fan should go and read the article on ESPN about the downfall of Florida. They interviewed several people about what happened, and ALL of them point to recruiting. 
Mullen is a scumbag of the worst kind that I would never want at AU but he is a darn good coach. His biggest weakness is that he could not recruit. That was not a big deal at Mississippi State. All of the classes at Florida were behind all of his rivals for years and this year his class was not any good.

It is no secret. In this conference, recruiting is the only thing that really matters. Even if you are an unbelievable coach, if you do not have the talent, you will not win.

[AuburnNTexas 7,134]

3 minutes ago, wcware said:

What you are saying about our Oline is the big key. Also we have not done a good job at recruiting WR’s. We might have had some 4 stars but they are all undersized

Last year we had a D-Line that could not set the edge. In the USC game this past weekend we could not set the Edge. We picked up 3 players in transfer Portal and we lost about 3 to Transfer Portal.  So D-Line issue should not be unexpected. 

O-Line is same players from last year who were not stellar so we knew they would not be stellar this year. Add that to losing your top 3 WR's and there should have been no reason to expect that we would be a good team this year. 

I saw some improvement in pass blocking this year minimal improvement in run blocking.  I do think under the new WR coach we have started to see a couple of WR's develop Johnson and Kobe before he got hurt. We also saw Jackson go from a block only WR to an all round WR.  We saw progress on BO he made fewer mistakes. What I have seen from Bo when he has a good pocket he can make the throws not just hitting receivers but hitting them in stride. He still has issues when he is flushed and forgets his fundamentals. His running ability has kept us in some games that we would not have won without it.  We have used the TE's better than anytime in recent history and we should use them even more. We seemed to have forgotten about them in the USC game but that may be because it was Finley 1st start and he had not had a chance to develop chemistry with them.

A new Offense and a new Defense at times we look really good and at other times we look like we are lost.  By this time of the year we shouldn't look lost as much as we do.  I think Bobo play calling in use of TE's and RB's in passing attack has been a welcome change but my big issue is I am old school when something is working you stay with it till they stop you. USC never stopped Tank or for that matter Hunter on a consistent basis.  We should have been pounding USC especially with a new QB starting.  A perfect example of that is the article where they said USC ran same two plays over and over because we were not stopping it. We should have done same thing with Tank. He had his best game of the year but it could have been a whole lot better.

[AUwent 3,747]

1 hour ago, shabby said:

This level of talent argument is baffling. Perhaps in certain position groups but overall this team is much more talented than Mississippi state Georgia state and South Carolina. 2 9f those we lost to and one we snuck away with a last second win. What tune would people be singing if Finleys last second pass was incomplete in the Georgia state game. Would we be blaming it on talent level?

Honestly? I think Harsin might have been a one and done if that play (as well as Bo's scramble TD against LSU) hadn't worked out.

[AUpreacherman22 3,884]

He’ll have next year to “turn things around”.   The only problem is that next year is going to be worse!  We’re losing a lot and we have very little coming in to replace it.   Our recruiting has been waaaay below the standard for a few years now.   (and for a few years before that it was deficient in some very important areas!).  
I’m expecting us to be looking for a new coach next November/December after a 4-8(ish) season unless the 2023 recruiting cycle is miles ahead of where the last few have been, which I don’t expect.   In the meantime, we need to hire a solid AD who will hire the top shelf coach we need to be competitive.   The good news is being an AU fan is a roller coaster, when we’re at the bottom, we know we’re headed up!

[AUpreacherman22 3,884]

1 hour ago, gr82b4au said:

side note: Every single Auburn fan should go and read the article on ESPN about the downfall of Florida. They interviewed several people about what happened, and ALL of them point to recruiting. 
Mullen is a scumbag of the worst kind that I would never want at AU but he is a darn good coach. His biggest weakness is that he could not recruit. That was not a big deal at Mississippi State. All of the classes at Florida were behind all of his rivals for years and this year his class was not any good.

It is no secret. In this conference, recruiting is the only thing that really matters. Even if you are an unbelievable coach, if you do not have the talent, you will not win.

Agreed!  I think Harsin is a good coach who can’t recruit in the SEC.    He’ll be gone after next year, and I expect him to be successful somewhere else.   

[creed 1,635]

2 hours ago, shabby said:

This level of talent argument is baffling. Perhaps in certain position groups but overall this team is much more talented than Mississippi state Georgia state and South Carolina. 2 9f those we lost to and one we snuck away with a last second win. What tune would people be singing if Finleys last second pass was incomplete in the Georgia state game. Would we be blaming it on talent level?

much more talented than Mississippi state Georgia state and South Carolina

MSU - No, except one player.

Georgia State - Yes

USCe - barely

 

[creed 1,635]

8 hours ago, keesler said:

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?  

Tank was running through bricks walls, why can't the other players. The easy answer is they can't...especially on the LOS, which is evident if you watch where the 'real game' is played. 

[AcUmen 242]

Where does Auburn look if Harsin goes to Washington?  It would be terrible for the program, imo.

[cole256 17,042]

Also do you guys screaming to fire everybody really think a good coach with any type of leverage is going to come to a place who's rivals are number 1 and 2 in the NATION and people call for their head no matter what the situation may be? 

Some of people need to think

[cbo 7,823]

22 minutes ago, cole256 said:

Also do you guys screaming to fire everybody really think a good coach with any type of leverage is going to come to a place who's rivals are number 1 and 2 in the NATION and people call for their head no matter what the situation may be? 

Some of people need to think

Why don't we just go hire Saban? He seems like a good coach. 

[AUwent 3,747]

25 minutes ago, cole256 said:

Also do you guys screaming to fire everybody really think a good coach with any type of leverage is going to come to a place who's rivals are number 1 and 2 in the NATION and people call for their head no matter what the situation may be? 

Some of people need to think

Well, Mississippi State fired a coach after going 8-5 and 6-7 and got Mike Leach. I completely agree that we should give him another year to show a sign of progress, of course.

Edited November 23, 2021 by AUwent

[ScotsAU 1,316]

38 minutes ago, creed said:

much more talented than Mississippi state Georgia state and South Carolina

MSU - No, except one player.

Georgia State - Yes

USCe - barely

 

No. Go look at recruiting the last few years. We should never lose to any of those teams. They’ve way underrecruited compared to us, even with recruiting taking a hit the last few years. 

[ScotsAU 1,316]

27 minutes ago, AcUmen said:

Where does Auburn look if Harsin goes to Washington?  It would be terrible for the program, imo.

I’m not sure it would be bad. If we fire him, it will loom bad. But he’s from the west coast, if he left for Washington, we’d have an out and a chance to make a better hire than last year. 

[AUwent 3,747]

2 minutes ago, ScotsAU said:

I’m not sure it would be bad. If we fire him, it will loom bad. But he’s from the west coast, if he left for Washington, we’d have an out and a chance to make a better hire than last year. 

It would remind me a little too much of LK bolting from TN to USCw, which sent them into the dark ages.

[TJRanger175 209]

Probably some unpopular thoughts/ views:

I am not certain if the “bend, don’t break” style of defense is what Mason favors. Maybe someone can look it up what he has done historically, but I think that is what you get when you don’t have a pass rush. We are starting people who should be backups. Offenses that spread the field will always crush teams with no pass rush.

With the exception of a few calls that has everyone scratching their heads, Bobo has called the right play the majority of the time. I think people started the season not liking him and have looked for any reason to support that viewpoint.

There is a difference between “coach speak” and repetition of cultural beliefs. Coach speak is what is said to be purposefully evasive. Repetition of cultural beliefs (such as 4th and 1, or finish the day 1 and 0) are designed to change the mindset of the athletes in the program. I don’t think Harsin cares if we get sick of it… I think his target audience is his players.

without naming players, there are some pretty prominent players that exude negativity. They are bringing the team down in pressure situations with their body language. Hopefully they grow up or are shown the door. Yes, even if they are one of our better players.

I remember when Dennis Green took over the Vikings in the early 90’s. The first thing he did was get rid of a multiple All Pro Strong Safety. Turns out it was the right move because he was a cancer in the locker room.

People are quick to judge coaches but sometimes miss that some players have developed habits that cannot be overcome in a year. Negativity and acting like spoiled children on the sideline are habits. Bo was able to work on it, hopefully others will follow his example.

much of the pain of this season has come down to lack of execution. A lot of this can be attributed to lack of meaningful repetition. Some of it from lack of focus. More than likely this stems from adopting new systems on offense and defense that are far more complicated.

we are too far behind to do something significant in recruiting this year. Many of the relationships these kids have with coaches are measured in years. That is hard for a first year staff to overcome. There will be no excuse if next year gives the same results. Doing well in the transfer portal is an absolute must.

of course, it isn’t signing day yet so there might be some significant improvement. I would be OK (not ecstatic) with Top 20, Happy with Top 15, and very happy with Top 12.

From next year on, nothing less than Top 10 will do.

This off season will be more significant than any I can remember. It is absolutely imperative that the lines get bigger, faster, and stronger. I like coach Pittman and think he will get it done.

I am being patient. We want it “right now” when we should be more focused on if it is “done right”. Mullen and Florida failed that test.

We overestimate what can be done in a year and under-estimate what can be done in 3-5 years.

Auburn fans are some of the best fans in football, but sometimes act like our biggest competition.

 

apologies for bad grammar- typed on phone.

[creed 1,635]

17 minutes ago, ScotsAU said:

No. Go look at recruiting the last few years. We should never lose to any of those teams. They’ve way underrecruited compared to us, even with recruiting taking a hit the last few years. 

I look at in-the-game talent and what I saw was MSU was better or equal at every position except one. My perception doesn't have anything to do with star ratings. 

[Hopsing 577]

On 11/21/2021 at 7:34 PM, Didba said:

Bobo and the ST Coach have got to be fired.

I could end up being wrong, but don’t see Harsin firing Bert Watts. If not mistaken they have a prior connection, unlike Bobo & Mason.