WarEagle1983

If this means we're getting Nix....I'm fine with it.

I'm in CHF corner but missing on Thorne and now Caddy is gone. He better start winning next year!

OH BOY

6 hours ago, WFE12 said:

So I’m hearing this was about the culture. Staff and players had issues with him. Also why crime took a step back. Abusive language and just being disrespectful.

Seems to be the case. Sucks b/c it did a decent job on the field considering the personnel we had. But can't go around disrespecting coaches and players if you're preaching about culture. Doesn't make him a bad guy, just wasn't a good fit for what HF wants. 

On 12/31/2023 at 11:23 AM, Win4AU said:

Everybody excited about these freshmen wideouts.  It’s great Auburn got them but I would still assume a huge learning curve in year 1 to delay their impact.  Not to mention they’ll be playing against grown men instead of a 5’5” guy from Wedowee that runs a 5.2 40.    I bet we lose 1 or 2 of them to the portal at years end.

Especially if we don't see improvement at the QB position. 

18 hours ago, Elephant Tipper said:

Interesting.  Could be exactly that.

I have a bit of a different take on PT's performance at AU.  At MSU during his last two seasons he averaged 31 passes/game and 3,000 yds per season with an average of about 100 yards in running for the entire season.  At MSU he had about 61.5% completion rate and, until yesterday, he exceeded that at AU, but it dropped to 61% because of the loss to MD.  His previous 2 seasons he averaged 388 passes/season, but this season he had only 265 passes (20 passes/game), even though his completion % was basically the same, yet PM increased his runs per game by double, to around 10/game at AU.  I think that they should have had him pass more, not less.  He's more productive as a passer.  His total yardage at AU was just under 2,300 yds.  Having PT run more cost us yardage production, around 700 yds for the year.  Besides, he's been our only consistent qb, why risk him with runs ?  HF has stated that he wants up tempo, but he has to work to his qb's strength, which for PT is passing, not running.  On occasion PT can make some excellent straight line runs, but I think PM had PT run too much.  My 2 cents.

Payton Thorne College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits | College Football at Sports-Reference.com

						Passing
Year	School	Conf	Class	Pos	G	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	AY/A	TD	Int	Rate
2020	Michigan State	Big Ten	FR	QB	4	48	85	56.5	582	6.8	6.0	3	3	118.6
*2021	Michigan State	Big Ten	SO	QB	13	235	389	60.4	3240	8.3	8.6	27	10	148.1
2022	Michigan State	Big Ten	SR		12	242	387	62.5	2679	6.9	6.6	19	11	131.2
*2023	Auburn	SEC	JR	QB	13	162	265	61.1	1755	6.6	6.1	16	10	129.1
Career	Overall					687	1126	61.0	8256	7.3	7.1	65	34	135.6
	Michigan State					525	861	61.0	6501	7.6	7.4	49	24	137.6
	Auburn					162	265	61.1	1755	6.6	6.1	16	10	129.1

I agree that he's running too much. It's been funny to me that people were hanging their hats on we can count on him to produce the same or similar numbers next season. I think it's a case of he is a little more athletic than what we initially thought but I don't believe in PT as a runner. He got lit up a couple of times on Saturday. I'd rather he use his running skills to maneuver in the pocket and go through progressions to hit WRs or just throw it away. 

I don't know if Hank was playing against Maryland's 2nd or 3rd string but I do know that WRs were magically open and started catching passes. I've said all along that the WRs are getting too much blame. Never been a PT believer b/c he needs to be surrounded around a lot of talent to be an above-average QB. His best year at Mich St. they had 2 NFL-caliber WRs(Reed & Coleman), 1 current NFL RB(Walker) and a very solid OL. 

Even with star-studded WRs next year I don't we'll improve much with him. He needs to be surrounded by very good WRs, RBs and OL to perform to his highest potential. He's not a difference-maker and can't elevate talent. 

Props to Hank Brown though. I don't care what the situation was. He came in and ran a competent offense. 

6 minutes ago, Elephant Tipper said:

Plus, PT isn't a scrambler.  He's a pocket passer.

This is why i don't understand why some are excited regarding his rushing yards this season. Yes, it has been nice but that's not going to be the norm for him going forward. Defenses will adjust to it next year. He's going to get his head knocked off if we run him; just like he got his bell rung in this game. 

Should've spend the money to get Cam Ward when we had the chance

Hope is all that they say he is. 

I'm a little surprised that Riley hasn't been inked with ND yet. Just a feeling, but it wouldn't surprise me if HF is working quitely to secure Cam or Riley. It's hard for me to believe that he's pushing hard to upgrade every position on the team but not at QB. We may not land either QB but I don't believe for one second that we're not pushing hard to get a top-rated QB in the portal. 

3 hours ago, AUY2K said:

We will see…. If CHF pulls the trigger on one of these top tier QBs then we are making a run for the sec championship in 2024 as well as signing a top FIVE 2024 recruiting class.

At the very least we should be shooting for a playoff spot. With a better QB and passing attack, it should land us a top 7 or 8 class. In my opinion that would be worth paying for a good portal QB. 

33 minutes ago, cbo said:

QBs better than Thorne are entering the portal right and left. It’s the most important position on the field. Of course we should get one. I’m surprised this is even a question. 

Me too! He improved towards the end of the season. But not enough to say without a doubt he's our guy to lead us to a long run in the playoffs. At some point your QB is going to be counted out to make plays with his arm. I understand other variables affected PT but I don't believe in PT as a runner next season. We caught teams off guard with his running. Defenses will adjust. The memo is clear when it comes to our offense; make our QBs prove they can throw the ball consistently. We have not been able to do so in a long time.  

20 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

I wasn’t defending the guy.  I’m all for going and trying to get a better Quarterback.   If it comes down to paying someone so much that other positions can’t be addressed, I would rather get a few guys that will turn the defense into a top SEC defense.   
Right now without seeing who is leaving for NFL, I believe Alabama, Georgia are losses next year no matter who they get at QB.   
To follow up with the QB thing this year, I also think that the coaches didn’t want to upset the locker room and went with the the 2 QB rotation.   That’s just my opinion 

And this is the mentality that some AU fans need to get away from. You're already chalking those games up to a loss. Why? I get that we have losses at other positions BUT we literally should've beaten Bama and we gave UGA one of their closest games of the season. That's with PT. You don't think we can win against either team or both with much better QB play? 

I think our players want to win. They'd be behind any new incoming QB if they can spin it and win the big games. 

1 minute ago, aubaseball said:

I get what you are saying but I’m not the one with the money.   What if there is only a certain amount?   Why is no one thinking of this?  Everyone loves too spend other peoples money.   

If we want to win championships we'll spend it. And if the reports are true it seems we are willing to do so by adding our name to the list offering Cam Ward 1M. 

Also, I think it's based on our current situation at QB; not something we're looking to do each year as far as going to the portal for a QB.  I don't think Auburn should be paying 1M for a top free agent QB each year. I'm not interested in becoming USC's coach. But it's HF's first year and he was left with nothing in the QB room. Plus our fan base isn't exactly patient when it comes to coaches and HF has the desire to turn things around quickly.  

3 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

I’m not trying to defend Thorne and his performances.    But let me ask this question, how many of us would feel good about our own performance and abilities, if we were being substituted like he was the first 6 games of the year?   I think everyone that has ever played would not have been as confident in our own abilities with the way the QB position was handled in the first half of the year.  

I hated the rotating QBs. But yet and still even with the opportunities presented to PT it was nothing I saw that makes me believe we beat the likes of LSU, UGA, Bama or even Mizzou with him. That's essentially what it comes down to. 

We're willing to upgrade at every position but QB. That just doesn't make sense to me. He provided what we needed for this year. We should be aiming for better talent every year and in each position. 

2 minutes ago, madkat7 said:

I get that FSU doesn't look like a world beater without their starting QB, but devaluing and undefeated team in a major conference is hard to swallow. That torpedos the merit of regular season games. I thought this would happen but I still think it stinks. Cash is king and Bama = $.

On the issue of opt-outs, would it not be possible under NIL for sponsors to forbid / penalize bowl opt-outs in their NIL contracts?  If athletes can demand money, can't their sponsors demand something in return?

That's a good question regarding NIL. I hope that doesn't happen though. If I've essentially "survived" all season without seriously getting injured, I feel like a player has fulfilled his contract. 

And I understand the message of a player finishing what they started but I can't fault a player focusing on his future and how to support his family. Football is a grind and bowl games have tremendously been diminished throughout the years. Thus, why we're going to a 12-team playoff. That's why I mentioned I think we'll see lesser opt-outs because the 12-team playoff is going to be a huge hype machine. 

We're going to get all the big names in college football in along with a couple of cinderelas. Therefore, I doubt there will be much need for a mandatory clause in NIL contracts. 

5 minutes ago, sevenlee36 said:

I believe FSU will be more motivated and be seeking revenge. The college football world will be cheering for em. If they win and beat Georgia, it would be epic. They got kicked out in favor of a team that had 1 loss because they beat Georgia. And then FSU undefeated and beats Georgia also….

Clearly, I still have work to do as a person. lol. If I went undefeated and got screwed out of a playoff spot...I'd have to think hard and long if I wanted to play. Especially if I'm a top draft pick; which FSU likely has several on defense. 

I certainly question how motivated FSU will be for this game. I def. think UGA will be but FSU...ummm. 

6 hours ago, DAG said:

To me when people argue things like that, there is personal agenda involved. There is no logical reason to argue we need to get better at every other position but remain content with the QB play we saw last year which also impacted the offense. 

I think we've forgotten how it feels to have a difference-maker at QB. Or maybe we been too traumatized when it comes to the QB position. I'm willing to keep "shooting" until we get one that is a difference-maker. 

An upgrade at QB upgrades the team as a whole. I wish we could bring in 2 QBs but not likely. Nothing I saw makes me think even with upgrades at other positions we are a 9 or 10 win team with the QBs we currently have. I'm not settling for mediocrity. 

10 minutes ago, sevenlee36 said:

Would love to see 
FSU vs Georgia 

 

and FSU win 😂 

I don't think it will live up to its billing because I imagine several opt-outs on both sides. I think another advantage of the 12-team playoff will be less opt-outs. Of course there will be some but even for teams who don't have a realistic chance to win it all, it will give guys to increase their draft stock. 

10 minutes ago, TeamZero77 said:

I didn't say anything about us being in FSU's shoes. If we were in Bama's shoes and they put FSU in over us, every Auburn fan would say we got screwed. Hell, we all say we got screwed in 2004 when we started the year #17 and USC and Okie started #1 and #2. If we all complain about that, then you know we would complain if FSU made it in over us. We can agree to disagree. No biggie 

I'd be mad b/c it's Auburn but I'd honestly respect it b/c undefeated is undefeated. And secondly, it's how the committee has always done things. I wouldn't expect them to change how they've done things. And that's part of my anger with this situation. They're willing to all of a sudden change 10 years of doing things b/c it's Bama. It's about the big brand. I think they would've done it for teams like: UGA, Ohio State or Notre Dame b/c it means money and big name matchups. 

I wouldn't expect for them to treat Auburn the same way.

7 minutes ago, E'Town4Bama said:

Interesting response from UM finding out their opponent in the Rose Bowl.

 

 

They know what's coming. Mich doesn't look like one of the 4 best teams if we're being honest. That offense certainly doesn't. I hope they beat Bama for sure but their offense is nothing to write home about. 

13 minutes ago, TeamZero77 said:

Everybody in here complaining is doing so on pure emotions because we all hate Alabama. If we were in Bama's shoes, ain't a damn one of y'all would say FSU should get in over us. Y'all are just mad because its Alabama and I get that but the committee got this right. FSU would've gotten spanked by any of the these teams in the top 6. They have ZERO offense now!!!!

No. If we were in FSU shoes we'd be mad as hell. And we were in 2004. If Bama was in FSU's shoes do you think the committee would leave them out? Hell no! Bama would simply say, we have another 4 or 5 star QB to put on the field. I don't like that it's all about money and going off a former history of a team. The same committee had Bama ranked #8. How does a #8 ranked team go from 8 to 4th. 

Plus, this is the first time the committee has ever left out a 0 loss and put in a 1 loss team and they're doing it to put in Bama. The same Bama team that it took a last play to beat Auburn. It's not just the hate for Bama but it's the fact that the committee decided to go against all of their requirements from the past 10 years. Why the change now? They just downgraded the regular season games. 

Just now, sevenlee36 said:

By the outcome, it makes you wonder why Georgia was 6 instead of 5? Did they think that FSU was a better team than Georgia? Ha

Exactly. It makes no sense. UGA was #1 the whole season and lost the SEC Championship by 3. they didn't get blown out but ended up at 6.

If it was truly the 4 best teams. UGA would be in over Michigan if it's really the best 4. Michigan's offense isn't anything to right home about. Glad this is not going to be an issue going forward.