meh130

On 5/5/2024 at 11:35 AM, Mikey said:

At AU, Terry Bowden was the best game day, play calling coach we've had. Obviously, other aspects of running a program were/are his downfall.

That is a really good point. What he was able to do was amazing.

Nix to Sanders in the Iron Bowl. That moment was as big as Punt Bama Punt.

I would say Dye is #1, Shug is #2, Tubbs is #3. You have to include Chiz because he won the natty, so he is #4. I would put Gus at #5.

Shug and Dye defined Auburn football. Going to Auburn in the mid to late 1980s was something else. We should have won the natty in 1983. We were very close in 1988, but lost to LSU in the Earthquake Game (I was there). Had we won that game, we would have faced Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl for the natty.

On 4/30/2024 at 10:31 AM, TexasTiger said:

The deck was stacked toward Alabama during Shug’s era— we beat them in 1972, both teams lose one sec game, they win the SEC because they beat Vandy & Kentucky and had one more SEC game than us.

Yep. Back then Bear Bryant would schedule a weak SEC school who was not on that year's conference schedule as a non-conference opponent. Every time the SEC office would tell Bear he could schedule them, but they did not count towards the SEC record. Then Bryant would demand the SEC office crown Bama as SEC champions or else he would take Bama independent. Realize back then there were a lot of independent schools. Then the SEC office would cave every damn time. This was an era of limited TV, and Bama was the SEC's cash cow for TV revenue.

5 hours ago, zeroforwinger said:

I’ll be disappointed with anything less than 9-3. I guess you have to allow for losses to Georgia and Bama but nobody else on our schedule should be better than us. No LSU and no Ole Miss. At Mizzou and home against Oklahoma will be tough but we shouldn’t be losing all 4 of those games. 
 

I’m interested in how quickly Thorne gets pulled if he doesn’t show big improvement on last season. There’s no reason Freeze shouldn’t have someone ready to step in after a couple of games. 

Oklahoma had a horrible year in 2022, and a good year in 2023. 2023 was inconsistent in they beat a #3 Texas, but lost to lesser teams. They had a weak schedule. We do not know how Oklahoma will perform in the SEC.

2 hours ago, AU120289 said:

Gut says a regular season repeat of last year: 6-6. Hope I’m wrong. 

I don't see us losing to both Mizzou and Kentucky on the road. Mizzou is rising, but Kentucky is probably falling right now.

On 5/11/2024 at 7:37 PM, bishoptf said:

Be sure to leave your prediction.

I stopped predicting after in 2013 I predicted we would only have one loss and would make it to the BCS national championship game. My mistake was I predicted the one loss to be to Texas A&M, and that A&M would win the West but would be hit with NCAA sanctions allowing us to go the the SEC championship game.

But I will give 2024 a range: 7-5 as the low (losses to Oklahoma, UGA, Mizzou, aTm, and Bama), 9-3 as the high (losses to UGA, aTm, and Bama). An 8-4 season would see us beating Oklahoma at home. I think Drinkwitz wants to beat us so bad that he will have Mizzou very ready for us. I know Kentucky on the road is hard, but I think we pull it off.

99% of our problems the last several years have been poor offensive line talent and play. It is why our red zone performance has been so poor the last several years. In the red zone, a defense can rush more against the pass because the field is not as deep, and it is easier to run man for man pass defenses in the red zone. I am hoping the OL will be better, giving QBs more time to make throws, less intentional throw-aways to avoid sacks, etc. Also, the WR room is much improved, so we should have a capable passing game. If that happens, we will not face a loaded box as much as we have in the past, which should improve our red zone performance.

To put this into perspective, consider the Iron Bowl in 2021. Our pass rush with Derick Hall and Eku Leota almost won that game for us because for the first time in a decade Bama did not have a top offensive line. Same reason Michigan was able to blow up that last play in the CFP. I think the key to success on offense is to have a top offensive line. And on defense, you need two stand-outs on the defensive front four.

That said, we did not see this happen in the A-Day game, but A--Day is such a sterile scrimmage now I do not know how useful it is.

We have two All-SEC kickers. Need to give Towns McGough a scholly soon. We need to redshirt him this year, and keep him around to back up and succeed McPherson.

I think the problem with the portal is you either get players who did not live up to their hype out of high school, or players that are just seeking more NIL money. Those seeking the former hope a coaching change will develop and expose the potential, those seeking the latter need to tame the ego.

A coach needs to be able to leverage the portal in both directions. The portal means you can more easily discard of players who are not working out, but if you do, you need to replace them. That said, how many game changers have come out the portal? I think the portal will always be more a depth play.

On 3/26/2024 at 11:50 PM, RunInRed said:

He may not like the whole NIL deal but he plays the game well - from donor schmoozing/fundraising, to being able to win the living room — all while juggling the factors of the new world. It sounds easy but it’s not — and to do it all while ‘fitting into our ‘family’ and blue collar culture is something I feel he’s done pretty well so far.

This. Being a Power 5 CFB coach requires one to be a politician, as well as a coach. This is something Harsin did not understand at all.

On 2/9/2024 at 3:37 PM, FormerlySec38Row34 said:

I wonder if anyone has thought about the implications to the sports most important to the Olympics? If these athletes are paid employees, are they still amateurs? Will they still qualify for the Olympics? For those sports that don't carry a hefty pro career payday, the Olympics are the Apex of their sports life. What then?

Amateurism left he Olympics decades ago.

On 2/6/2024 at 1:07 PM, NWALA Tiger said:

So they getting 1099s and going and getting taxes filled out?

Yes, by law if you hire an independent contractor to work for you, you have to provide them a 1099.

Remember, what the NCAA calls "NIL" is what they call "endorsements" in pro sports. They are being paid to provide their fame to promote and sell a product. A "quid pro quo" of work for pay is a requirement for NIL. It cannot simply be paying an athlete for breathing. Of course, the NIL collectives are self-licking ice cream cones where the primary "work" is the athletes soliciting donations to the NIL collective.

Speculation Harsin might be considered for UCLA:

Failed Auburn HC Harsin Eyed for UCLA Comeback, Stirs Controversy

2 minutes ago, RunInRed said:

I don’t think there’s appetite or plans for an upper deck. It’s all gonna be about suites and club seating. If you notice the level right above the top row of the deck, you’ll see how the plans call for additional height there that’s not by accident.

True, but I have never seen the club seats in the old press box completely full. I personally think they should narrow that and put the radio press boxes back in that area. I am fine with moving the print and internet media out of the main press box. I also think some kind of box suites should be put in the southeast corner to match the press box.

My one comment is such a significant structure would eliminate any north end zone upper deck for a considerable amount of time.

Everyone is pointing out the correct thing. This is a bad approach.

If there is a desire to keep Saban around to preserve retention and near-term recruiting, then make a clear statement that Saban will remain around the program in some capacity over the next six months until the start of fall camp. Then it needs to be clear that any role Saban has with the university will be at a distance from the football program, or even better he is going to retire from any association with the university once fall camp starts. That would be a win-win.

Lanning has declared he will only leave Eugene in a pine box.

Just now, bigbird said:

20 million buyout is a big deal

And they would need to offer him $10/year.

23 minutes ago, EastTNTiger said:

The planets have aligned for 1 moment. 
Pete Carroll is out in Seattle. He is AVAILABLE. He still wants to Coach. 
Unbelieveable on field coach. 
Super Energy… 

Get a REAL TIME SUCCESSFUL COACH.

or let him end up next door. And now you real problems. DC Ed Orgeron . 

Carroll is 72 just like Saban.

Bama is going to go for someone younger that can coach for 10 years plus.

Sources report Bill Clark has turned down the Alabama head coaching job.

52 minutes ago, Randman5000 said:

I think the swing pass behind the line of scrimmage was there.... Two WR blocking and one on one to score. I think the low snap caused him to run it!

I didn’t see the game, but watching the clip of the last play, you are correct, but it was either a QB rollout or a QB run/pass option with the pass a swing pass to the RB. The line was run blocking, and the right guard pulled to the left to seal the left edge. The RB was looking at Milroe after the snap.

It might have been a run-pass option based on a pre-snap read.

Regardless of the snap, the play was not going to work as a run. Michigan was playing one on one man defense. Michigan’s right Edge was in the backfield immediately.

10 minutes ago, NCTiger1982 said:

Hey Gang ! 
Just interested in your take on CFB bowls next year with the number of opt outs. A few random thoughts  

1) 12 team playoff will keep most high profile players from opting out to pursue a NC. 
2) As player bowl game opt outs escalate one or both teams may go from an exciting match up to a glorified scrimmage. I think this will impact ticket sales and eventually sponsors as viewership outside fans of both teams drops. For example OSU last night was not close to the same team they were a few weeks ago. I would imagine only those 2 fan bases watched that entire game. 
3) NIL bonuses to prevent opt outs ? 
 

Like I was glad to see Ohio State 

#3 would be pay for play and violate NIL rules.

That said, a lawyer could craft a contract that infers more exposure increases NIL value, and somehow work it in. It is the legal bastardization of NIL (which every other level of sport calls “endorsements”) which created the NIL collectives.

12 hours ago, SphyNxXx said:

On3 just ran a story on behind the scenes. As a back story, Payton and Jackson have stayed in touch with each other on a regular basis since high school. Jackson told Payton earlier this week that he wanted a change and was going to enter the portal as a WR. Payton immediately took the info to Freeze and Marcus Davis, who proceeded to get his high school WR film and was convinced to make him an offer. The whole deal took place in roughly one day.

I love this story.

Yes and odd choice, but he probably realized if he wants to get to the next level, it will come at WR and not QB, and if he has chemistry with Thorne, that could be good.

Often high schools are forced to put their best athlete at QB, rather than the place best suited for them. C.J. Uzomah played QB in high school.

The Hudl clips suggests he has a catch radius, something that seems to have been missing from many AU receivers for many years.