Coach Harsin Quotes on First Practice

[W.E.D 11,070]

9 hours ago, Mikey said:

Not that great, but certainly better than 6-7. Will Harsin ever again win six games in one season at Auburn, or has he already peaked?

Just for the record, Gus peaked year 1 and got worse the remaining 7...right?

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

All I'm going to say is hold on.  Be interesting to see what people are saying at the end of October. 

[W.E.D 11,070]

47 minutes ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

All I'm going to say is hold on.  Be interesting to see what people are saying at the end of October. 

Gonna be very interesting to see how we come out of September and the mood before going to Athens and getting absolutely destroyed.  Then following it up with a road game vs Lane.

Bye week of October 22nd is definitely one to watch with our issues at QB/OL and elsewhere.

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

1 hour ago, W.E.D said:

Gonna be very interesting to see how we come out of September and the mood before going to Athens and getting absolutely destroyed.  Then following it up with a road game vs Lane.

Bye week of October 22nd is definitely one to watch with our issues at QB/OL and elsewhere.

Not addressing the OL and WR's last fall plus processing your starting QB for one who can't go through spring ball is just................................

[woodford 3,655]

2 hours ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

All I'm going to say is hold on.  Be interesting to see what people are saying at the end of October. 

Auburn will be either the talk of CFB or in a tailspin by the end of October. I don't see any other options with this current roster.

We could be 7-1 or 3-5. If it's the latter and we lose to Arkansas the last weekend of October then Harsin is a dead coach walking.

[W.E.D 11,070]

5 minutes ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

Not addressing the OL and WR's last fall plus processing your starting QB for one who can't go through spring ball is just................................

I was thinking about this earlier today.  If it was just 2 years ago, Harsin would be able to continue to blame the OL issues on Gus.  Awful talent, not his guys yet, etc.  But with the transfer portal, you have the ability to plug holes much quicker than historically.  Everyone knew our OL was trash.  He did nothing after watching Bowl practices/getting worked by Houston, then did nothing post spring to address it either.  He could have taken OL this time last year or in the summer.  2nd Portal season passes and nothing is done again.

Now we went into this winter with EVERYONE claiming we'd take 3 OL in the portal and got our teeth kicked.  Same thing happened with WR.  We tried.  Went O-fer.

If our OL is still horrendous and exacerbated b/c we our still bad QBs can't run around like a decapitated chicken, it's all on Harsin.  Not really much you can spin it.

[Barnacle 9,064]

1 hour ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

Not addressing the OL and WR's last fall plus processing your starting QB for one who can't go through spring ball is just................................

Did we know about Calzada's shoulder issues before signing him?

[bigbird 60,498]

1 hour ago, W.E.D said:

I was thinking about this earlier today.  If it was just 2 years ago, Harsin would be able to continue to blame the OL issues on Gus.  Awful talent, not his guys yet, etc.  But with the transfer portal, you have the ability to plug holes much quicker than historically.  Everyone knew our OL was trash.  He did nothing after watching Bowl practices/getting worked by Houston, then did nothing post spring to address it either.  He could have taken OL this time last year or in the summer.  2nd Portal season passes and nothing is done again.

Now we went into this winter with EVERYONE claiming we'd take 3 OL in the portal and got our teeth kicked.  Same thing happened with WR.  We tried.  Went O-fer.

If our OL is still horrendous and exacerbated b/c we our still bad QBs can't run around like a decapitated chicken, it's all on Harsin.  Not really much you can spin it.

Imagine what this season ('22) would be like without the additional Covid year and the super seniors that returned. Without day 1 starters in this class or portal, that's what '23 is gonna be like.

 

CBH had some ownership, but the majority of the hole were in had been previously dug

[aubiefifty 16,757]

9 minutes ago, Barnacle said:

Did we know about Calzada's shoulder issues before signing him?

if they did not they were not doing their job. but it is also on his non throwing shoulder so i am assuming they think it will not matter in the big scheme of things since he is throwing and getting reps just no contact for now.

[W.E.D 11,070]

37 minutes ago, bigbird said:

Imagine what this season ('22) would be like without the additional Covid year and the super seniors that returned. Without day 1 starters in this class or portal, that's what '23 is gonna be like.

 

CBH had some ownership, but the majority of the hole were in had been previously dug

Almost kind of wonder if we'd be better off if that 6th year didn't happen.  There would be near no competition returning on the OL, could we have gotten a transfer or four?  Would there have been more urgency to replace guys?  having 6th year guys that are at least mediocre is better than nothing.  Brahms isn't amazing by any means, but we saw during the bowl game the grass isn't always greener.

A rip the band aide off in year 2 type approach vs seemingly drawing out the inevitable....would that be any better?  Not sure.  Maybe we can get a few mid year guys post-spring, then another 2 OL in the offseason and salvage '23.  But right now we just kicked the can down the road another year.

[W.E.D 11,070]

46 minutes ago, Barnacle said:

Did we know about Calzada's shoulder issues before signing him?

I'm pretty sure he had his surgery in mid december, before he committed to us.

[bigbird 60,498]

7 minutes ago, W.E.D said:

Almost kind of wonder if we'd be better off if that 6th year didn't happen.  There would be near no competition returning on the OL, could we have gotten a transfer or four?  Would there have been more urgency to replace guys?  having 6th year guys that are at least mediocre is better than nothing.  Brahms isn't amazing by any means, but we saw during the bowl game the grass isn't always greener.

A rip the band aide off in year 2 type approach vs seemingly drawing out the inevitable....would that be any better?  Not sure.  Maybe we can get a few mid year guys post-spring, then another 2 OL in the offseason and salvage '23.  But right now we just kicked the can down the road another year.

What it's done is shift people's focus onto CBH while ignoring what he stepped into. OL is typically a 2-3 year forecast. Yes, he's missed on portal additions so far, but the overwhelmingly bigger issue is what he had coming in and trying to backfill.

[W.E.D 11,070]

9 minutes ago, bigbird said:

What it's done is shift people's focus onto CBH while ignoring what he stepped into. OL is typically a 2-3 year forecast. Yes, he's missed on portal additions so far, but the overwhelmingly bigger issue is what he had coming in and trying to backfill.

Completely agree he was given a s*** sandwich.  Not trying to minimize that.   The portal reduces the whole "3-4" year rebuild mindset.  It can be fixed quicker and patched up as needed.  The biggest problems is we've continued to recruit HS OL extremely poorly and possibly worse than Gus (1 per year is probably below his AVG even though they are actual OTs) and have done literally nothing in the portal.

Edited March 28, 2022 by W.E.D

[bigbird 60,498]

18 minutes ago, W.E.D said:

Completely agree he was given a s*** sandwich.  Not trying to minimize that.   The portal reduces the whole "3-4" year rebuild mindset.  It can be fixed quicker and patched up as needed.  The biggest problems is we've continued to recruit HS OL extremely poorly and possibly worse than Gus (1 per year is probably below his AVG even though they are actual OTs) and have done literally nothing in the portal.

Yeah, the portal is going to shorten things, but, that requires a couple things to work in our favor.  Transfer OL are in search for either better winning potential or immediate PT.  AU didn't offer much of either of those after this year, especially with the super seniors returnees. A perfect storm the hasn't been adequately addressed yet.

I hope the mass post-spring transfer group will have what we need and if not, hopefully they can at least provide adequate competition.  That's what we have sorely missed the 2nd half of Gus' tenure, well since 2015.  Nobody was competing for their spot. You think there was anyone on the roster pushing or threatening to take PT away? Heck no, and that just breeds complacency and lackadaisical efforts from everyone, coaches and players.

Think about it? 

Was KJ gonna lose his spot?

Bo?

Any OL?

Smoke or Sherwood?

Zakoby or Owen?

Marlon? 

You think Kodi or JB were concerned about their job security?

 

No one was ever threatened to have their spot taken.  In many groups, there wasn't anyone there to take the spots  if they wanted. I'm loving that every position has been wide open since CBH came on.

[W.E.D 11,070]

9 minutes ago, bigbird said:

AU didn't offer much of either of those after this year, especially with the super seniors returnees

Feel like those super seniors were begged back after we struck out a few times in the portal.  Or it was just a weird coincidence their timing.

9 minutes ago, bigbird said:

I hope the mass post-spring transfer group will have what we need and if not, hopefully they can at least provide adequate competition

There will be starter level OL available, but they are going to be similar to the LSU kid that was kicked off the team and then went to Kentucky and played really well/is going to get drafted.  I'm not sure I see Harsin doing that.  But at a minimum, we need 2nd/3rd year players with talent that we can groom for '23.

 

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

1 hour ago, Barnacle said:

Did we know about Calzada's shoulder issues before signing him?

I'm sure they did. 

[Didba 5,256]

16 hours ago, NWALA Tiger said:

Where is my dictionary? I gotta make sure it's not me😄

Its not you.

[ellitor 33,084]

3 hours ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

processing your starting QB

@WarDamnEagleWDESo Harsin didn't try to keep Bo from leaving?

[Didba 5,256]

36 minutes ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

I'm sure they did. 

Calzada's shoulder injury happened in the AU-TAM game.  It never got better if I remember correctly.  The Coaches definitely knew about it.

[Didba 5,256]

1 hour ago, W.E.D said:

Completely agree he was given a s*** sandwich.  Not trying to minimize that.   The portal reduces the whole "3-4" year rebuild mindset.  It can be fixed quicker and patched up as needed.  The biggest problems is we've continued to recruit HS OL extremely poorly and possibly worse than Gus (1 per year is probably below his AVG even though they are actual OTs) and have done literally nothing in the portal.

I will say this, offensive lineman just aren't transferring like other positions.  Hitting the portal for that position has been much harder than any other position.

Edited March 28, 2022 by Didba

[Didba 5,256]

1 hour ago, bigbird said:

What it's done is shift people's focus onto CBH while ignoring what he stepped into. OL is typically a 2-3 year forecast. Yes, he's missed on portal additions so far, but the overwhelmingly bigger issue is what he had coming in and trying to backfill.

Olinemen have been hard to come by in the portal for anyone.  Not many of them entering it.

[bigbird 60,498]

12 minutes ago, Didba said:

Olinemen have been hard to come by in the portal for anyone.  Not many of them entering it.

Exactly..and a lot of schools wanting them. I'd put recruiting a tackle via portal is much more difficult than one from the HS pool.

 

I should read all you replies first...great minds and all

 

[bigbird 60,498]

15 minutes ago, Didba said:

Its not you.

[Didba 5,256]

2 minutes ago, bigbird said:

It was he who shall not be named.

[AuburnNTexas 7,140]

Just like HS players Portal players gravitate to teams that have shown a propensity for getting players into the league. We have done that on DL side and at DB recently so that is why we have had some signees both HS and Portal this year.  Now as others have said not to many O-linemen in the portal but a lot of teams wanting them. Their first choice would be a team with a record of success at their position.  Even though the Super Seniors had not announced they were coming back most players who were not coming back had already announced. So now you are an O-lineman and are in the Portal you want to go to a team that has success in getting people into the NFL or a team like Auburn that is on TV a lot and that has PT for sure. With so many starters not having announced one way or the other why would you come to Auburn if you might be competing against last years starter.

Unless a lot of young guys step up and beat out the Super Seniors this year then Auburn can push PT to both HS and Portal players next year.