***2014 Auburn A-Day Thread***

[AUFightingSoldiers 685]

I would have liked to have seen how all these pass attempts would have gone with Owens, Lawson, Daniel, Wright, and Adams rushing. That said, we're dangerous... And that's an understatement.

[meh130 1,043]

Big drop-off at QB after NM and JJ. Glad to see some of these new guys coming in. Don't know who will make it but there will be room for Queen and others to make a difference.

Don't forget about Sean White.

Yep, forgot White... As for Wallace, I have a lot respect for what he has done at AU....took the job in the worst possible conditions and never gave up and fought through a terrible season. But IMO, he's just a step or two behind what it takes to win in the SEC....but that's true of a lot of higher rated QBs at other schools too.

I didn't yet watch the game. I did go to last year's A-Day. I have wondered how Wallace would do in the option running portion of Malzahn's offense. I just think JJ eclipsed JW last year so we pulled JJ's redshirt, which honestly probably will prove a great decision since JJ got some solid game experience last year.

I do think using JW as the holder might be a good move in giving us options out of the Batman set.

[AUpreacherman22 3,888]

Something lost in the mix. Our first team D played well. Good coverage, good tackling, etc.

[yngwie1995 2,229]

Say what you will, but I feel like we beat ourselves today.

[AUbritt 611]

Say what you will, but I feel like we beat ourselves today.

:laugh:

[augolf1716 21,232]

Say what you will, but I feel like we beat ourselves today.

well said but I don't agree ref's sucked big time

[C'viewTiger 242]

Super impressed with nick marshall's improved passing. I know it was against back-ups but lets face it.. last year he may not have had that passing success against anyone. His passes were money today. Even some of the ones that were out of bounds. If he and the recievers get on the same page, those passes will be money during the season. Cant wait for fall. Wde!

Agreed, this backup squad may have provided problems for some teams last year and NM looked pretty good. I'm definitely looking forward for the fall.

[AU64 10,122]

Say what you will, but I feel like we beat ourselves today.

well said but I don't agree ref's sucked big time

A couple of REC members on the ref squad....probably taking instructions from Steve Shaw....slowed the game and definitely had it in for AU.

[C'viewTiger 242]

I would have liked to have seen how all these pass attempts would have gone with Owens, Lawson, Daniel, Wright, and Adams rushing. That said, we're dangerous... And that's an understatement.

Along the same thought, NM would have been able to scramble and run more to keep those above mentioned honest. IMHO, next fall looks promising in the passing game.

[douggwilliams 61]

I would rather have the out of bounds pass incomplete than the middle of the field pass. Trying to limit mistakes and turnovers.

[CJBas 4]

Should we be concerned that there seems to be a huge gap between our 1st string and our 2nd string? That's an honest question and not a criticism. this was the first spring game I've watched since the days of choosing up sides and playing a real game, so I'm uneducated in what to be looking for.

[AU64 10,122]

Should we be concerned that there seems to be a huge gap between our 1st string and our 2nd string? That's an honest question and not a criticism. this was the first spring game I've watched since the days of choosing up sides and playing a real game, so I'm uneducated in what to be looking for.

That's a good question but with so many players not playing today, what was called the second string must have been more like the 3rd team. JMO but the line-ups were stacked to favor the offense with first team O vs the second team D....which as noted, was mostly 3rd team with Adams and several of his DL buddies taking the day off....so the veteran first team offense clearly over-matched the D and on the other side of the ball, with Reese and some OL guys taking the day off and Barber hurt right away, JJ did not have too much going for him. I thought he would have looked better but with Barber gone and QBs not allowed to run, he was limited as to what he could do.

JMO but it was fun to see "Duke" and Sammie being aggressive going for the ball but like in years past, there was not too much to learn from the game...other than the fact that the Offense will be at least as good as last season, CAP and Grant will give people fits this year....and probably the defense will be better too. Can't wait until Aug 30. WE

[WarEagle84 0]

My initial thoughts were I'd like to see ones vs ones and twos vs twos, but the more I think about it, the more I like Gus's format. It results in a less than competitive game, but if you're pretty sure who your ones and twos are, this gives your twos a chance to play against better competition and up their game. That way they get to see what it's like to play against top SEC players and where they need to improve to get to that level themselves.

Ideally, you would like to have enough depth that you can't tell the difference between ones and twos, but unless you have a machine like the REC helping you recruit, that's not realistic.

[gilstein21 1]

"2nd string" won't be an issue with the people held out today, and the fact that the entire 2nd string will not be on the field at the same time unless it's mop up duty.

[war eagle6 0]

Trovon has picked up where he left off from the army all American game by playing good D! With more practice and time he will b an all sec 1st team db at the end of the season!

[gilstein21 1]

today's highlights

[TexasTiger 12,965]

BJ Trimble had a nice play.

[ToraGirl 5,498]

today's highlights

That is terrific; thank you for sharing! They look GGGGGRRRRRREEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAATTTTT to be Auburn Tigers!

[ToraGirl 5,498]

Bad timing for A-Day. It should have been scheduled for the 12th or the 26th.

This does say a lot for the AU fan base though. To show support in the number of 70k+ on the day prior to Easter is pretty amazing. While not everyone celebrates Easter, AU does lie in the Bible Beltway and this kind of support is amazing.

AMEN, AU04ever!

[AURex 2,020]

I'm curious why everyone, including the media, was so impressed with Marshall today.

(1) He was playing against a defense that was really depleted. With all the injuries, the best of the second string were on the blue defense, so most of the white defense were down the depth chart.

(2) And, his passes were often off target, with some great catches by the WRs (especially Duke). And even with those catches and the depleted defense, he still only completed 59% of his passes (13 of 22) -- the same percentage he averaged last season. Big yardage, because of the downfield throws, but not the kind of accuracy I was expecting from all the chatter.

I'm not dissing on NM. He is a winner and I expect Auburn to have great success with him leading the way. But he's still got a long way to go as a passer. Completing 59% of his passes will not lead the SEC, much less get him in the Heisman conversation. I hope he really works hard on his accuracy this summer.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,683]

Great day

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,683]

We definitely have good offensive depth

That's essentially the only thing that can be gauged

And Marshall is a better passer IMO

[passthebiscuits 6,862]

No serious injuries. Marshall gets to pass the ball. We are stacked on offense. Defense 1st team looked good. Made a 50 yard FG and had a good crowd day before Easter on ESPN. Geez. What did some people want?

[AubTiger14 0]

I'm curious why everyone, including the media, was so impressed with Marshall today.

(1) He was playing against a defense that was really depleted. With all the injuries, the best of the second string were on the blue defense, so most of the white defense were down the depth chart.

(2) And, his passes were often off target, with some great catches by the WRs (especially Duke). And even with those catches and the depleted defense, he still only completed 59% of his passes (13 of 22) -- the same percentage he averaged last season. Big yardage, because of the downfield throws, but not the kind of accuracy I was expecting from all the chatter.

I'm not dissing on NM. He is a winner and I expect Auburn to have great success with him leading the way. But he's still got a long way to go as a passer. Completing 59% of his passes will not lead the SEC, much less get him in the Heisman conversation. I hope he really works hard on his accuracy this summer.

I'm sorry but I could not disagree more. You could see vast improvement in all areas of his game: footwork, going through his progressions, pocket presence, and yes even accuracy. Last year it was not uncommon for him to miss receivers by 10+ yards. Most of his incomplete passes today were just a hair off, and when receivers were running open he was hitting them. The fade route to Duke was a perfect throw, the seam route to CJ was a perfect throw, and another crossing route to Duke looked behind him but that was because he had to avoid the underneath coverage. I didn't expect Marshall to come out and look like Cam Newton or Peyton Manning in a glorified practice, but I just wanted to see improvement and I was very satisfied. He wasn't even a threat as a runner today. I fully expect him to be in NY for the Heisman ceremony and be a top 5-10 NFL QB prospect if he keeps the upward trend.

[AubTiger14 0]

No serious injuries. Marshall gets to pass the ball. We are stacked on offense. Defense 1st team looked good. Made a 50 yard FG and had a good crowd day before Easter on ESPN. Geez. What did some people want?

For real. I was watching the game and thinking to myself "holy heck we are looking good." I guess some people were watching a different game. I mean it's a glorified practice and the coaches are scripting everything. I was pleased with almost everything I saw.

1. Marshall looked way more comfortable and was throwing better (and the defense didn't even have to account for him as a runner)

2. Grant and Artis-Payne are ready to pick up were Tre left off (and Barber's injury isn't serious)

3. Shon Coleman looked like he's ready to fill Robinson's shoes at LT.

4. Duke Williams is raw.

5. Moncrief looks ready to start at safety and be a good one

6. Trovon looked like he will provide quality corner depth.

7. The 1st team defense didn't give up any chunk plays I can remember

8. Flowers appears ready to provide quality depth at LB

9. Kicking game missed an XP, but besides that looked solid.

The only saw I few negatives:

1. Johnson looked a little shaky

2. The D-Line didn't do anything to wow me, but nothing that looked bad either.

Other than that I came away thinking we are going to be awesome come fall. I don't know what some were watching. Guys, buy-in to the hype! A season can go in 1000 different directions so who knows what's gonna happen next year, but trust me, we are THAT talented on paper that we could dominate almost everyone we play.