Tigerpro2a

There were always days growing up where I was so excited I just couldn't sleep the night before. Christmas Day. First day of school (once my hormones kicked in) ready to see all the girls and how they developed over summer!. First day of Deer Season. You get the gist. Today is one of those days! HCBHF is about to make some waves. I just have a feeling boys and girls. Hang on!

14 hours ago, Zeek said:

We have four awesome high schoolers coming in and an incredibly productive transfer. I am very excited for this group and I think we see the freshmen contributing early. There are some talks that Fair could be on the way out and Ja'Varrius Johnson is one to watch too since he tried so slide out a season ago.

Really wish Fair would not go. He showed flashes early in the season...and I have always loved JJ.....on the flipside....This room is about to be lit....(not even going to mention if the flip candidate does indeed flip....because I'd hve to log off and find the wife for abou 3-4 minutes and come back to finish my post  lol. ..

PT and CC are instant impact players and day 1 starters. R. Lewis is a play maker with the ball in his hands so even if Var and Fair leave I feel good about the slot with Lewis and Burton who seemed to come along towards season's end...then Cain and Simmons will see some PT as well I think. 

14 hours ago, Zeek said:

Tight Ends:

• Rivaldo Fairweather SR
• Luke Deal SR
• Brandon Frazier SR
• Micah Riley RS FR

RF and MR will be our go to TEs in passing game I think. We definitely need to secure some good ones in this 25 class and the portal

14 hours ago, Zeek said:

Spoiler

Another spot where the portal will be huge. Wright should lock down one of the starting guard spots. Carter has some serious upside and might be this year's Connor Lew; the staff doesn't pull a kid all the way from California without having high expectations.

I agree with Wright...barring portal additions right now I see Wright and Senda or Muskrat sliding in as the starting guards in 24.

14 hours ago, Zeek said:

• Tate Johnson RS SR
• Connor Lew SO

  Hide contents

This is a position that can't be this thin. However, I would say there are a few guards and tackles that could shift to this spot in a jam. We have some versatility across the line.

Wasn't Braden Joiner the #1 ranked C in the class according to one site. He could definitely work in a pinch

14 hours ago, Zeek said:

Spoiler

It is somewhat nice we have a lot of returning players. However, I hope seniority doesn't win out because Riley, Steiner, and others haven't been the most reliable. Riddick is the real deal and I think both Phillips and Barber could see the field early.

 

Only thing that will hold Riddick back from seeing the field early is just learning to play the position. I could see him being a 20-30 snap a game player if that happens year 1 if not even starting.  I agree on Barber, too. I think he is just a work horse...a more talented Deshaun Davis type. He will see the field and probably be a big contributor on special teams.  

Lot of people have Phillips as a Jack on the edge and I think he may very well be used there due to numbers alone but I think he ends up being a box LB.  He is a versatile player though and a could see field early at either spot. 

The Secondary is where I start breaking nervous. It was huge for Scott to come back. I think Lee will lock down one CB but I don't know on the other. If Rhym stays I could see it being him. If not then I am just not sure. 

I am hoping some of last years haul take giant strides and are ready to be key contributors in 24. I.E. Hood, Smith, Hart etc.

On 12/11/2023 at 8:20 PM, LPTiger said:

 I also enjoy long range shooting.   My new favorite gun is a 6.5 PRC Christensen Arms Ridgeline.   At just 6.3 lbs without the Elite Tactical 6-36x56 it is a flat shooting killing machine.

4 hours ago, yngwie1995 said:

I saw that. I don't quite get the bama stuff though? Is he just trolling them? 🤷‍♂️

I kind of took it as his journey......Committed to Bama....crying....then...Commits to AU and War Damn Thompson sign. I don't think it is intended troll towards anyone or anything to worry about.

25 minutes ago, JDUBB4AU said:

I like the heck out of this kid. Davis is a great comparison. 

I think he is a superior athlete compared to DD, but DD was a work horse, no nonsense ball player and that is the vibe I get with this kid. If we can get the trenches taking care of we fixing to have some fun the next 3-4 years. I feel 100% in my bones we made the right hire, FINALLY!

So we all keep talking about the Freeze 5 and what the offense is going to look like with the WR haul....but what about the Defense?

We will likely have a LB corp in 2025-2026 of Riddick, Barber, Phillips.....with J. Faulk, J waller at Edge.... 

I think Barber may be the most underrated recruit in our class on the D side. He is just a work horse. Reminds me of a more talented and gifted Deshaun Davis. Could see him being a multi year starter.

30 minutes ago, LPTiger said:

Amazing how far off these evals can be.  This guy called him NFL ready as a senior in high school.

I remember he looked NFL ready from a frame and physical standpoint.

I can't remember what classification he played in HS but his highlights were unreal as well.

Things just didn't mesh well for him at AU at that point. It happens. Happens at a lot of places and with a lot of kids.

Just hurts more when it's your highest rated recruit in modern history lol

Sorry I am late with this...it was just difficult to fully comprehend this. I truly do not feel worthy of all you have done, but Bird has helped me with that... but it took a little time today....NGL.

@bigbird @JuscAUse! @LPTiger @bishoptf and anyone else who may have helped in any way, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  When discussing my situation with Bird I had no idea it would turn to what it did. It is absolutely amazing. Bird said..." Rest easy and we will get this took care of!" ....like there was never any doubt. Bird, Thanks for being a great friend and for  doing this. Bird reached out a couple weeks ago just to check on me because he hadn't seen me on here much. That alone meant the world and then I told him what all has been happening and not a bit of hesitation. Just positive reinforcement and assurance of help. God Bless you. 

@LPTiger..you were an absolutely warrior keeping this at the top.

And for everyone who helped...I wish I had the words...Thank you all. It is truly amazing how quickly things can change. Money goes quick when you are not working. It is so easy to get behind, but can seem impossible to climb back ahead.  You add in a few unexpected things like....I.E. Wife wrecking her car the day she finds out she is pregnant lol...and it is easy to get overwhelmed. I have stressed so much the past month or so. I kept thinking about the fact I am about to have my first baby and here I am barely making it as is. Well you all have given us a fresh start and I am forever grateful.

This has been a teaching moment for me in a plethora of ways. The first thing I was taught by this experience is to not let my pride get in the way of help when offered. Such a foolish thing sometimes...pride...but many of us are guilty of it. The bigger lesson here is to never underestimate the willingness of others to help those in need. If you need help....ask. Whether it be friends, family or your grumpy bunch of scoundrels who you love arguing AU Sports family...just ask. There are so many good people in the world and especially in this fAUmily, regardless what the nightly news may show. My faith in humanity has been 110% restored. It has given me a new outlook on things to say the least and truly humbled me.  When I am able I will definitely pay it forward. 

I could go on and on and still wouldn't find the right words to describe how I feel about what you all have done. So I will end with this. Thank you again to everyone here for you kindness and generosity. Even those who may not have been able to help..thank you all. This truly is a family here no matter how much we bicker....and you know what.....There is no family like ours! War Damn Eagle ! God bless you all. 

11 hours ago, Georgeair said:

The pain of the 2013 loss was deep and enduring for me, almost physical for 4-5 years whenever it came up.  I had finally gotten beyond that, apparently just to make room for this new gut punch. Ouch.

This and the VA Double Dribble comes in a not so distant 2nd but the 13 NC was extremely painful. 

My wife and I had started dating that year....and She watched every game with me....the first time she missed one was the first half of LSU....and we were getting mopped....then she watched second half and we played better. She was there for the prayer....the kick 6...SECCG and watched the first bit of the NC and then went to bed with a headache. Not 3 minutes after she went to bed FSU did the fake punt. Things went dwnhill from there. 

I still thought we had it when Mason scored. We were about to win our 2nd NC in 4 years....and all I could see was world domination on the horizon.  Man it hurts just thinking about it. 

I couldn't rewatch any of that game afterwards... for 10 years. I still can't. 

This is a huge pickup. WDE!

3 hours ago, cole256 said:

I'm pretty sure nobody would have complained if he didn't use a spy though. I know we have some wild posters on here but i feel like I can say that confidently.

This ^^^^^^

That's the only part of the equation I can't understand. If it had been 4th and G from the 12 or 15...or even the 20 I could understand a little more.....but the spy is absolutely useless in this scenario. So what if he takes off.....we have 8-9 guys that just have to stop him from gaining that 31st yard

16 hours ago, NWALA Tiger said:

Most games come down to a few plays. Could or should we have won? Yes... To me it's a testament to Freeze for us to be in the game. Go back and look at all the cats on here score predictions. 

That's a story as old as time with AU fans. 

Prior to game....."We don't stand a chance."  "we will stay close for a half and they will pull away"   " We don't have a player that would be in their 2 deep" etc etc etc.   ....but then when we play above our talent and have a chance to win and just can't quite seal it for whatever reason....."Fire the staff!!!!" 

1 minute ago, Gowebb11 said:

I agree with you overall, but don’t you feel like 3d and long defense becomes easier when you have Derrick Brown/Marlon Davidson/Zacoby McClain/Colby Wooden type players vs what we have now? Last night and last week it was glaring how slow and un-athletic we are in the front 7. Worst I can remember in years. 

Literally just said this same thing 5 seconds after you!!!!!

7 minutes ago, ScotsAU said:

Having had more time to rewatch the game and reconsider the season, I don’t know how I feel about him. He kept us in games for at least half the season while our offense was completely inept. Generally, his defense has worked. I certainly love the aggressive attacking nature of his defense. But there’s been a glaring problem all season long, and it manifested multiple times last night, including the final touchdown play. Long conversion plays… We’ve been bad at them all season. It’s great if we can shut down teams for 2 downs. But it actually is worse if they continually convert 3rd and longs after that because it means our defense is playing a lot of snaps, the fans are going to have to yell for longer (and are more likely to fatigue), and everyone gets demoralized by a conversion like that.  If he’s retained, it better be with the understanding that he is to rework his approach to 3rd and long scenarios. 

You have some valid points in here. I think that has more to do with the horses he is working with than his actual coaching ability or scheme though.  

It's no secret that we do not have a very good front 7 (especially DL). I think if RR was here when we had DB and MD and those types on the roster he would have been named DC of the year. 

19 hours ago, shabby said:

Lord i hope not. 2 man rush. He is the reason we lost this game. Ridiculous

 Football is a team sport first and foremost. If you are going to put blame in someone there is plenty to go around brother.  Rivaldo dropping 2 passes could have changed the outcome. Not blowing a coverage for an easy TD pass would have changed the outcome.  Var dropping a pass in the EZ could have changed the outcome. Any of the missed tackles throughout the game on Milroe could have changed the outcome. Not fumbling the punt and better yet....NOT EVEN FIELDING IT would have changed the outcome. There is plenty to blame. The loss is on the team. 

The call was not a bad call. 99% of the time with same scenario the call works....but it shouldn't have even came to that. If he had rushed 4 or 5 and didn't get home and Milroe made the play then everyone would be saying he should have dropped 8 in coverage. Hindsight and all, right!

To say that RR needs firing when he was probably did the most impressive job this season with what he had to work with is just crazy to me. Even if you want t blame that loss on him based on 1 play....still crazy to fire him. 

Just now, Aucater said:

Would have been nice if they had told 2 of the DB's to man the corners of the end zone. Oh well no muffed punt and its over. don't put anybody back to receive or tell him to get away from it. It wouldn't have been worse than the 20 to 25 probably. 

This times 10000. That's the only bad coaching decision in the game IMO. Why even field it? I can't wrap my head around that. 

It's super easy for us all to second guess all of these decisions. It's absolutely hilarious to me seeing people saying "fire so and so" and all that mess , too. This one hurts. Terribly. The fact is though, we were severely out talented and we had the game in the bag.

The call on 4th and 31 would probably work 9 out of 10 times, but Milroe just made an absolute perfect throw.  If we had rushed 3 or 4 and he didn't get home and Milroe beat us that way we would all be saying "why even rush the QB why not drop 8-9 in coverage?"  The point is....it's easy to second guess everything as fans. 

The biggest thing to me was that we shouldn't have even been in that situation. A handful of plays get made and the game is sealed long before. If Valdo doesn't drop a wide open pass right before the half. If Var doesn't drop a TD. And the biggest...if we don't blunder the punt. My thing is....why even attempt to field the punt. Why take the risk. Even if they pinned us inside the 10...we have the momentum and our run game was working them down. Again....second guessing.

I am extremely proud of our team for fighting like they did after the performance last week. They didn't back down frm big bad Bama at all and they punched them in the Fricking mouth. Just couldn't close it out. I am proud of our staff as well. They gave our players a chance with a solid gameplan. 

All in all, the future for AU Football is bright. I truly believe it for the first time in many years. 

18 minutes ago, Hank2020 said:

So your saying their comments are the same as mine on here!! Gee thx for that!!

Yep!.....and probably most of mine as well!

the page is good.... the comments are usually terrible lol

On 11/19/2023 at 6:51 AM, bigbird said:

Hilarious how many were just waiting to leap at the first misstep.  

Oh trust me...I have my notepad and ink pencil out just going to town lol

Need a win in my life......the good guys by 3......27-21 with a J.S. pick 6

On 11/18/2023 at 12:19 PM, bigbird said:

 

😉

12 minutes ago, Sizzle said:

 

 

 

A lot more predictions coming in now, Where there's smoke there's fire.

The Wiltfong CB is all I needed to see.

I was just looking at the updated season stats and J. Hunter is sitting at 745 yards on 124 touches (6ypc). We have 2 games left. A gimme and IB in JHS. Who thinks he will break 1000 yards in these two games?

I think he does it. He needs 255.

I think he gets within a 100 agains NMSU and then tops it off in a 100 plus yard game in the IB win!

If you had asked me 3 weeks ago I would have bet against it for sure. He is on a tear. 

2 minutes ago, augolf1716 said:

Decent commit finally

Nw I can celebrate! WDE!