How about that defensive line play?

[DyeHardAllTheWay 0]

Now who here said that Rodney Garner was a good coach?

[3Jtiger22 0]

I think it's a team effort. Better than what we saw.

How did the defensive end loss this year affect the interior line?

[PUB78 1,358]

Not too high on Garner now.

[alexava 6,973]

Unless it's a change of fundamental and attitude i don't see much better for next year. Losing depth.

[cooltigger21 0]

I don't know for sure where all the breakdowns occurred there. It's been said that the DL was doing their job and the linebackers were not making the right reads. Everything is up for discussion when it comes to fixing this defense. Nobody is above getting moved around or out.

[cooltigger21 0]

Unless it's a change of fundamental and attitude i don't see much better for next year. Losing depth.

We've got players that were highly rated on the roster. I think we just have to get them ready to go. Some of them were sidelined with injuries and weren't available this year. I think we'll land some quality linemen as well in recruiting. WM has several of them looking hard at Auburn when they didn't have Auburn on their radar before.

[DyeHardAllTheWay 0]

The team's dramatic collapse this year starts and ends with the defensive line's regression after the LSU game. Critical players were injured on the line, sure. But players who were not 5 star recruits were expected to improve and they only got worse. Offenses from there on out were able to expose the defensive line and the whole structure of our defense fell apart. The shameful performance in the Outback Bowl which saw us give Wisconsin the opportunity to rewrite all sorts of rushing yards records was just the tip of the iceberg and it'll get worse if Garner stays on. Too much talent recruited on that line to have games like that. I'm tired of settling for mediocre at best defense after growing up during the Tuberville years and I hope other people are too. It starts and ends with coaching.

[around4ever 4,139]

I still say it was more the defensive scheme than it was the D Line play. Put Coach Garner in a typical 4-3 that he is comfortable with or even a 3-4 and I think we see different D Line play. I don't foresee a change with Garner so we may see next year what he can do with these guys.

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

You guys keep whining about Garner's DL play. He isn't going anywhere. He didn't forget how to coach. He will be back next year and each one of you whiners will be eating crow.

[tiger88 934]

Whiner=troll. DHATW is a real wet diaper.

[AuburnSpider 2]

I distinctly remember how it was said at the time we got him that the dawgs were not sad to see him go. I'm realizing now you don't have to be a great d line coach when you get your pick of d linemen in Ga. The best in Ga go to Ga. The best in Ga. Are usually 1st or 2nd rounders. The story on Garner will be revealed this Feb. After he's had a full year to recruit to Au. If he reels in a big dog, good hire, if he swings and misses not so much.

[tigerman1186 537]

Looking back at his career, I felt #90 never reached the level a lot AU people had for him….and probably he felt too...

[auburnphan 6,050]

talent at an edge rusher was missing this year, focus on star players also limited the ability to have more potential on the roster to develop those roles. While Frost and Cass both showed ability to rush the passe we had no size at linebacker to make this happen and we lacked the ability/leadership to adjust, hence the change

[AUinMS 0]

Looking back at his career, I felt #90 never reached the level a lot AU people had for him….and probably he felt too...

He showed flashes of greatness every now and then, but never developed consistency. He was solid, it just didn't seem like he ever reached his full potential.

[autigeremt 6,598]

I think some of you sound like you need to get some experience and go talk to Gus about becoming the next DL coach. Lol

I think Garner is above average but CWM will help decide the defense moving forward. Garner is a good man and a good coach.

[CleCoTiger 1,957]

Now who here said that Rodney Garner was a good defensive line coach?

FIFY. Seriously though, I posted about RG on another forum just a bit earlier tonight, saying "as much as I like RG as a recruiter, going all the way back through his career coaching a ton of talent on the DL at UGA that went on to the NFL (and at AU now), I'm not impressed."

I hope RG stays on staff at AU. I just really would like to see him coaching a different position.

[Mikey 16,575]

Now who here said that Rodney Garner was a good coach?

According to Quentin Riggins and Stan White, the DL was doing it's job quite well. They were all over the linebackers for not doing what they were supposed to do.

[Shift 350]

Talent just may be a factor.

[quietfan 233]

I'm not sure why anyone is surprised at our defensive performance in the bowl game. We held them to 34 points...that's as good or better than we did in 5 of our last 6 conference games.

Acceptable? No. And hopefully CWM will fix it sooner than later. But he wasn't coaching in the bowl game. We were still running CEJ's system, using CEJ's staff, just without CEJ to call it. I didn't expect overnight improvement just because Muschamp has walked on campus and observed. I thought we might do a little better defensively, but didn't expect much change from the defense we've been watching the last half of the season.

Still, I really don't think we significantly trail anyone in size, speed, or talent.

I think our problems lie with scheme, and mental errors (bad decisions on coverage, poor tackling angles, lack of ball awareness, and some unnecessary, but costly, penalties for late-or-out-of-bounds hits, defensive interference or holding, etc.). Unlike physical size, speed, or talent, those things are teachable/coachable. Let's just see what Coach Will does.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,657]

You guys keep whining about Garner's DL play. He isn't going anywhere. He didn't forget how to coach. He will be back next year and each one of you whiners will be eating crow.

Pretty sure this is what some people said about Chizik after 2012...not most but some....and then after Johnson.... if you produce bad results two years at a row in Auburn, you're usually put out

[meh130 1,043]

I still say it was more the defensive scheme than it was the D Line play. Put Coach Garner in a typical 4-3 that he is comfortable with or even a 3-4 and I think we see different D Line play. I don't foresee a change with Garner so we may see next year what he can do with these guys.

This makes no sense. 40 series defensive line play is 40 series defensive line play, wether it is in a 4-3 wor a 4-2-5. There are a wide variety of different gap schemes and other options (standing DE vs hand-down DE, dedicated NT or not, etc.) within 40-series fronts, but the 4-2-5 is just an alternate 40 defense played as a primary.

There may be some different expectations of the DL in a 4-2-5 because of the LB alignment, but those expectations would also exist in a 4-3 during nickel and dime situations. Also, the whole idea behind the 4-2-5 is it can play as a 4-4-3 (Star plays up as OLB, BS plays up as OLB), 4-3-4 (Star play up as OLB), 4-2-5, 3-4-4 (WDE drops back as OLB, Star plays up as OLB), and 3-3-5 (WDE drops back as OLB), alignment with no substitution of personnel.

Most college 4-3's use a flexible WDE position, more like a 3-4 Jack LB. So do most college 4-2-5's.

CEJ did not flex his WDE much this season. He did it a little with Dee Ford last year. Expect CWM's WDE (a.k.a., "Buck") to flex a lot next year.

[PoetTiger 1,896]

1 year under Garner, get to the natty game, and SEC CHAMPS, what was it two freshman all sec players in Lawson and Adams, Dee a first round draft pick all while coaching in a scheme that focused on the STAR guy being the main tackler and most aggressive defensive player. Considering his dline talent at UGA never got anywhere near a national title could one say he did a better coaching job at AU with lesser talent? It's hard to coach your guys in a system that you don't buy into. Last season Garner had two legit edge rushers to work with, this season none. It impacted overall defensive performance greatly. Now some want to run him off after year two? The defense as a whole was not good in year one, Ellis scheme has not worked since he set foot on campus, and the offense had to bail AU out several times last season. Personally I think EJ system hand tied Garner and Smith a lot. Plus EJ was the lb coach, which could be argued was the poorest coached unit on defense. In AU three biggest wins last season, where did the big defensive plays come from? Dee sacking JF to seal A&M game, Dee sacking Murray to seal UGA game, and Lawson stopping Yeldon on 4th down to get AU ball back in Iron Bowl. Both Garner coached position players who were not available this year. Furthermore he has not had time to build his guys up via recruiting because only one class has been signed! The guy can coach and has proven he can. Now schematically WM may want to go with someone else which is fine, but I would not be disappointed if RG stayed in his role.

[meh130 1,043]

Still, I really don't think we significantly trail anyone in size, speed, or talent.

From a recruiting rating standpoint, you are correct.

I think our problems lie with scheme, and mental errors (bad decisions on coverage, poor tackling angles, lack of ball awareness, and some unnecessary, but costly, penalties for late-or-out-of-bounds hits, defensive interference or holding, etc.). Unlike physical size, speed, or talent, those things are teachable/coachable. Let's just see what Coach Will does.

That would make sense if this was a problem just this season. Because it is not, I think the underlying issue is either talent (recruiting busts), or player development. The latter may be explained by the coaching carousel over the last four years.

It probably some of both. We recruited some over-rated players, and we failed to develop a lot of players.

[sevenlee36 1,654]

Garner is way overrated and I've said that from the start.

[InfernoOrangeSS 321]

Garner is way overrated and I've said that from the start.

I disagree, but respect your opinion. I think he does great work for us.