Looking for Thoughtful Analysis

[aub4life 33]

Really, I am NOT flaming.  I am an Auburn grad and EVERYONE I know (and some I don't  ) knows I bleed Orange & Blue....have had season tickets since Pat Dye.  Having said that, I am wondering about your opinions on this:  We have had 2 top 5 recruiting classes in a row - even though they are young, why are we having such a tough time playing with a young team?  I see other 'young' teams looking pretty good.  Your thoughts?

[auriptide 0]

nm

[Weegle777 78]

Most teams that win a National Championship have a "Champion Hangover" the next season. The guys who should be stepping up as leaders on this team aren't doing it. Think about last year, the team believed without a shadow of a doubt that they were invincible with Cam at QB. They had swagger because Cam had swagger. Attitude reflects Leadership. I don't think these guys know what their identity is yet and until a player steps up and takes control of the lockerroom, they will continue to wander in the desert. Cam took control by his attitude and his play on the field. He stepped up and assumed that role and his team followed and assumed his invincible attitude. Look at all the great teams, each one had one or two players that took control and lead by example. Cadillac and Ronnie did and look what happened. No amount of coaching will do what a leader amidst your peers will do. Somebody needs to grow a set and step up and be the man. Until this happens, this team will continue to search.

[Rickys Rants 0]

Most teams that win a National Championship have a "Champion Hangover" the next season.

I am afraid that Auburn's "Championship Hangover" is going to put us in the record books as the national champion with the WORST record the following season.  I realize that we lost @ 30 guys and are playing a lot of freshmen, but 10 years from now no one is going to remember who played, only that we went "great to sh!tty" in one season.....

[AdrenalineRusch 0]

I think trusting the opinion of one of the SEC's infamous officials is up there with trusting Joseph Stalin's opinion on trench warfare.

[auriptide 0]

I think trusting the opinion of one of the SEC's infamous officials is up there with trusting Joseph Stalin's opinion on trench warfare.

Ok...........I deleted it.

[bird36 5]

Even though we have two top five recruiting classes they are from the last two years.  We have very few upperclassmen.  Think of the next two recruiting classes.  They will not be asked to carry the team during their first or second year.  If Auburn would have had healthy recruiting under the last two years of CTT many of this seasons starters would be playing on special teams and providing depth not carrying the entire load. 

[AU64 10,122]

Ricky...ten years from now who will even remember what AU's record is except for a few bammers and why would I care what they think?

Facts are facts.....when T'Bell used the term "puppy farm" we thought that was cute...unfortunately he was telling the truth.....and those puppies are still growing.  After all, many of our starters and key reserves were in HS less than six months ago. 

The good news is that these puppies already popped MSU's bubble and I expect they will surprise some other folks before the year is over.  Leadership comes from experience and we will just have to wait while these young guys gain that experience.    Be patient people.

[bigbird 60,701]

Really, I am NOT flaming.  I am an Auburn grad and EVERYONE I know (and some I don't  ) knows I bleed Orange & Blue....have had season tickets since Pat Dye.  Having said that, I am wondering about your opinions on this:  We have had 2 top 5 recruiting classes in a row - even though they are young, why are we having such a tough time playing with a young team?  I see other 'young' teams looking pretty good.  Your thoughts?

Lot of teams play well with youth and are competitive.  I think the frustration is that the defense is just not competitive.  The offense is also inexperienced, but they are very competitive.  Thus the question:   Are the defensive coaches putting our young players in a position to succeed or fail?   

For the most part, that youth is usually surrounded with age and experience, kind of like Dismukes.  Our youth are surrounded by inexperience and our inexperienced are surrounded by true freshman.

[Barney 10]

Most teams that win a National Championship have a "Champion Hangover" the next season.

I am afraid that Auburn's "Championship Hangover" is going to put us in the record books as the national champion with the WORST record the following season.  I realize that we lost @ 30 guys and are playing a lot of freshmen, but 10 years from now no one is going to remember who played, only that we went "great to sh!tty" in one season.....

No one will remember that in 10 years. They will remember we won in 2011, and they'll remember who won in 2012.

[phillyeagle 149]

Most teams that win a National Championship have a "Champion Hangover" the next season.

I am afraid that Auburn's "Championship Hangover" is going to put us in the record books as the national champion with the WORST record the following season.  I realize that we lost @ 30 guys and are playing a lot of freshmen, but 10 years from now no one is going to remember who played, only that we went "great to sh!tty" in one season.....

No one will remember that in 10 years. They will remember we won in 2011, and they'll remember who won in 2012.

I fully expect the Updykes would remember it forever if it were to come to pass, and would remind us at every turn. 

I see no "Championship hangover". Our guys are working their butts off to improve. We could go 6-6 and lose only to top-25 teams, 4 of which are road games. I'd say we go from great to mediocre in a worst-case scenario.

[TheMayorOfChillville 31]

Really, I am NOT flaming.  I am an Auburn grad and EVERYONE I know (and some I don't  ) knows I bleed Orange & Blue....have had season tickets since Pat Dye.  Having said that, I am wondering about your opinions on this:  We have had 2 top 5 recruiting classes in a row - even though they are young, why are we having such a tough time playing with a young team?  I see other 'young' teams looking pretty good.  Your thoughts?

Two things are key here in my opinion. One, a "young" team is one thing, but is there another team in the top 75 teams with over 50 freshmen getting playing time? I figured that was a record. Two, other "young" teams are hungrier and did not just win a national title. They also probably have some leadership for older guys that you don't see or don't get the highlights. Nevertheless, they probably hold the team together and help the younger guys in many unseen ways.

[aub4life 33]

Really, I am NOT flaming.  I am an Auburn grad and EVERYONE I know (and some I don't  ) knows I bleed Orange & Blue....have had season tickets since Pat Dye.  Having said that, I am wondering about your opinions on this:  We have had 2 top 5 recruiting classes in a row - even though they are young, why are we having such a tough time playing with a young team?  I see other 'young' teams looking pretty good.  Your thoughts?

Two things are key here in my opinion. One, a "young" team is one thing, but is there another team in the top 75 teams with over 50 freshmen getting playing time? I figured that was a record. Two, other "young" teams are hungrier and did not just win a national title. They also probably have some leadership for older guys that you don't see or don't get the highlights. Nevertheless, they probably hold the team together and help the younger guys in many unseen ways.

Thank you, Mayor, for your insight.  I think it is the "freshman" comment that rings for me.  I DO hope that winning a National Championship doesn't make them complacent though.

[aubman1 0]

We have very good effort...even in bad plays.  What we lack is senior leadership.  We should have 2 or 3 sophomores spelling JR's and SR's...with several upper classman still in the game to make sure they are lined up correctly. 

[auguy85 0]

One observation is that our coaches are entering a new phase in their coaching careers at Auburn. They have proved to be great recruiters, now they must develop the talent. That is hard sometimes with superior athletes ( as strange as it may sound) they are not as challenged in high school and get away with bad habits. They can compensate with sheer ability. In the SEC, poor fundamentals get you burned. The other part of the equation is that the game becomes much more complex and moves quickly. Some players struggle with the transition and learning to play smart. Coaches have to prepare talent for SEC level competition. So far, we've missed the mark this year. A good example of this has been Notre Dame over the past decade. Always talented, but lacking the ability to play consistently and do what it takes to win.

As much as Coach Tuberville got slammed for rolling it in after 2004, he did an excellent job in player development. We have a great bunch of coaches and they will respond. I don't know if Coach Roof survives or not. He looked to be getting some one sided counseling on the sideline from Coach Chizik during the game. I love our team but realize we won't be very competitive this year. I'm thinking 5-7 or 6-6. We will get over the hump and look out when we get it together. With KF developing and the RBs sitting out, we will get our O going. Our D is the question mark. They are learning way too slow. Forget Bama and focus on our team and support our boys in blue.  War Eagle!!!

[im4aual 492]

In some ways this season reminds me of the 1984 season.  Then, like now, we had just won our first championship (SEC) since 1957.  We had lost our quarterback, but had our stud running back returning.  Our coaching staff was pretty new (4th year), and they were also learning how to deal with the accolades that come with winning a championship.  We underestimated the value of players like Lionel James and Kodi Burns, who weren't the stars, but led the team by their example of unselfish work.  The 1984 team lost their first two games, and ended up in the Liberty Bowl after  losing what was (in my opinion) the most heartbreaking of Iron Bowls.  I don't know how this season will end, but I know that the 1984 team never quit - and neither will this team. 

[AUBSC76 0]

Most teams that win a National Championship have a "Champion Hangover" the next season.

I am afraid that Auburn's "Championship Hangover" is going to put us in the record books as the national champion with the WORST record the following season.  I realize that we lost @ 30 guys and are playing a lot of freshmen, but 10 years from now no one is going to remember who played, only that we went "great to sh!tty" in one season.....

I don't think anybody but Auburn fans (and only a minority of them) will remember much of anything about Auburn's 2011 season in 10 years... but the record books will always show that Auburn was the 2010 BCS National Champion. 

For what it is worth, once our winning streak was broken I don't think that anybody but updykes and Auburn fans are paying much attention to our struggles this season (for totally different reasons) because the pundits had such low expectations for Auburn going into it... those of us who were fretting that they "so badly underestimated our team and coaches" can take a deep breath and count this as a blessing in disguise as far as the national perception goes.

[WiltonTiger 0]

If we knew, the Auburn coaches would know and we would not be struggling. Be patient and always yell War Damn Eagle!!!

[WiltonTiger 0]

In some ways this season reminds me of the 1984 season.  Then, like now, we had just won our first championship (SEC) since 1957.  We had lost our quarterback, but had our stud running back returning.  Our coaching staff was pretty new (4th year), and they were also learning how to deal with the accolades that come with winning a championship.  We underestimated the value of players like Lionel James and Kodi Burns, who weren't the stars, but led the team by their example of unselfish work.  The 1984 team lost their first two games, and ended up in the Liberty Bowl after  losing what was (in my opinion) the most heartbreaking of Iron Bowls.  I don't know how this season will end, but I know that the 1984 team never quit - and neither will this team. 

Kodi Burnsdid not play in 1984, it was last year.

[IronMan70 3,315]

In some ways this season reminds me of the 1984 season.  Then, like now, we had just won our first championship (SEC) since 1957.  We had lost our quarterback, but had our stud running back returning.  Our coaching staff was pretty new (4th year), and they were also learning how to deal with the accolades that come with winning a championship.  We underestimated the value of players like Lionel James and Kodi Burns, who weren't the stars, but led the team by their example of unselfish work.  The 1984 team lost their first two games, and ended up in the Liberty Bowl after  losing what was (in my opinion) the most heartbreaking of Iron Bowls.  I don't know how this season will end, but I know that the 1984 team never quit - and neither will this team. 

Kodi Burnsdid not play in 1984, it was last year.

He was comparing an '84 Lionel James to a '10 Kodi Burns.

[Weegle777 78]

Are you sure? Because I swear I remember seeing Kodi in the backfield with Lionel in 1984..... 

[IronMan70 3,315]

In some ways this season reminds me of the 1984 season.  Then, like now, we had just won our first championship (SEC) since 1957.  We had lost our quarterback, but had our stud running back returning.  Our coaching staff was pretty new (4th year), and they were also learning how to deal with the accolades that come with winning a championship.  We underestimated the value of players like Lionel James and Kodi Burns, who weren't the stars, but led the team by their example of unselfish work.  The 1984 team lost their first two games, and ended up in the Liberty Bowl after  losing what was (in my opinion) the most heartbreaking of Iron Bowls.  I don't know how this season will end, but I know that the 1984 team never quit - and neither will this team. 

It all comes down to Coaching doesn't it, a point that Chiz has even acknowledged. The HC and Staff are responsible for analyzing the talent, recruiting that talent, conditioning/strengthening them, Coaching them up on fundamentals, teaching them their system, designing the playbook to "best" fit the talent they have recruited, scouting the opposition, designing each game plan and finally executing during the game.

All of these areas must be executed properly to be successful at a high level.  As with any organization, any shortcomings in any area fall on the shoulders of those who have been given the responsibility and authority. 

One thing that was painfully obvious early on was that the attention to fundamentals (tackling,etc) in training camp had been lacking "for this team". It was also apparent that the schemes being used were beyond what "this" team as a whole was able to absorb in camp. For whatever reason, whether it be the complexity of the schemes or the lack of repetition, there was a lot of confusion.  Even though this should have been done in camp, these shortcomings have now been recognized and are being addressed.

This is a real challenge for the Coaches but all of them know they are the ones responsible and accountable. I do think they are up to the challenge.    

[sparkey 0]

I want to see progress not regression. Since the first quarter against Clemson, this team has steadily gotten worse. It's not improving at all.

[im4aual 492]

In some ways this season reminds me of the 1984 season.  Then, like now, we had just won our first championship (SEC) since 1957.  We had lost our quarterback, but had our stud running back returning.  Our coaching staff was pretty new (4th year), and they were also learning how to deal with the accolades that come with winning a championship.  We underestimated the value of players like Lionel James and Kodi Burns, who weren't the stars, but led the team by their example of unselfish work.  The 1984 team lost their first two games, and ended up in the Liberty Bowl after  losing what was (in my opinion) the most heartbreaking of Iron Bowls.  I don't know how this season will end, but I know that the 1984 team never quit - and neither will this team. 

Kodi Burnsdid not play in 1984, it was last year.

He was comparing an '84 Lionel James to a '10 Kodi Burns.

Correct - I'm old, but my mind doesn't have Lionel and Kodi on the same team  (of course neither of them played for Auburn in 1984)

[IronMan70 3,315]

In some ways this season reminds me of the 1984 season.  Then, like now, we had just won our first championship (SEC) since 1957.  We had lost our quarterback, but had our stud running back returning.  Our coaching staff was pretty new (4th year), and they were also learning how to deal with the accolades that come with winning a championship.  We underestimated the value of players like Lionel James and Kodi Burns, who weren't the stars, but led the team by their example of unselfish work.  The 1984 team lost their first two games, and ended up in the Liberty Bowl after  losing what was (in my opinion) the most heartbreaking of Iron Bowls.  I don't know how this season will end, but I know that the 1984 team never quit - and neither will this team. 

Kodi Burnsdid not play in 1984, it was last year.

He was comparing an '84 Lionel James to a '10 Kodi Burns.

Correct - I'm old, but my mind doesn't have Lionel and Kodi on the same team  (of course neither of them played for Auburn in 1984)

Right, Lionel's last year was '83, on the team that was the REAL MNC for that season.  I am old too.