2015 Spring Practice - Day 7

[mustache eagle 2,402]

Also the comments from CWM seem more "head coach-ish" than you typically hear from a coordinator. I like it.

Sounds like, not only does he have command of his side of the ball, but completely appreciates how the pieces fit together for the betterment of the team.

[war eagle6 0]

Muschamp: "There's no question" freshmen will have a real opportunity to contribute in the secondary this season. I am so glad he said that.^^. The previous dcoordinator would have left talent on the sidelines, when they could have easily contributed if given a chance. Man I am so glad we have boom back!!

[gravejd 3,270]

Well this is like the 4th defense in 5 years these guys have learned so they should be pretty good at picking up new schemes!

[lutzintheredzone 0]

Front 7 is great...secondary gonna be some hair pulling watching the games on tv

[lutzintheredzone 0]

Front 7 is great...secondary gonna be some hair pulling watching the games on tv

[GTNupe11 2,033]

Front 7 is great...secondary gonna be some hair pulling watching the games on tv

Well in their defense the front four production was pretty abysmal all year long. Kind of hard to guard someone for an extended period of time, especially if your D-Line is getting no push. I think they will be just fine.

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

Front 7 is great...secondary gonna be some hair pulling watching the games on tv

Well in their defense the front four production was pretty abysmal all year long. Kind of hard to guard someone for an extended period of time, especially if your D-Line is getting no push. I think they will be just fine.

CBs will be better then most expect. Safeties will be improved.

[AUIH1 1,515]

Front 7 is great...secondary gonna be some hair pulling watching the games on tv

Well in their defense the front four production was pretty abysmal all year long. Kind of hard to guard someone for an extended period of time, especially if your D-Line is getting no push. I think they will be just fine.

DL play has been crap since Tuberville (D play as a whole has been crap since Tuberville) and Rocker left. LB play has been abysmal as well. The fact that Gus fired Ellis Johnson and the entire D staff except for 1 (who should have been fired too) is a good thing. Gus knows we need a good D. I hope we can keep Muschamp for at least 3 years.

wde

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

Front 7 is great...secondary gonna be some hair pulling watching the games on tv

Well in their defense the front four production was pretty abysmal all year long. Kind of hard to guard someone for an extended period of time, especially if your D-Line is getting no push. I think they will be just fine.

DL play has been crap since Tuberville (D play as a whole has been crap since Tuberville) and Rocker left. LB play has been abysmal as well. The fact that Gus fired Ellis Johnson and the entire D staff except for 1 (who should have been fired too) is a good thing. Gus knows we need a good D. I hope we can keep Muschamp for at least 3 years.

wde

DL was above average in 2013.

[war eagle6 0]

Front 7 is great...secondary gonna be some hair pulling watching the games on tv

Well in their defense the front four production was pretty abysmal all year long. Kind of hard to guard someone for an extended period of time, especially if your D-Line is getting no push. I think they will be just fine.

DL play has been crap since Tuberville (D play as a whole has been crap since Tuberville) and Rocker left. LB play has been abysmal as well. The fact that Gus fired Ellis Johnson and the entire D staff except for 1 (who should have been fired too) is a good thing. Gus knows we need a good D. I hope we can keep Muschamp for at least 3 years.

wde

Man, u feel about garner the way I did about Johnson last few years. Except I think garner is actually a good coach that was under a bad coach. I think u will see better d-line play this year with boom at the helm

[AUIH1 1,515]

Front 7 is great...secondary gonna be some hair pulling watching the games on tv

Well in their defense the front four production was pretty abysmal all year long. Kind of hard to guard someone for an extended period of time, especially if your D-Line is getting no push. I think they will be just fine.

DL play has been crap since Tuberville (D play as a whole has been crap since Tuberville) and Rocker left. LB play has been abysmal as well. The fact that Gus fired Ellis Johnson and the entire D staff except for 1 (who should have been fired too) is a good thing. Gus knows we need a good D. I hope we can keep Muschamp for at least 3 years.

wde

Man, u feel about garner the way I did about Johnson last few years. Except I think garner is actually a good coach that was under a bad coach. I think u will see better d-line play this year with boom at the helm

I think Garner is an average on the field coach (at best) who was a good recruiter in the past. Garner needs to become a better than average DL coach and regain his good recruiting rep. Right now, he is an anchor on the coaching staff.

wde

[lutzintheredzone 0]

The front seven is loaded with a proven d coord. The d hires have sucked since Rhoades.Look how they have done since they left.

[Mikey 16,583]

The front seven is loaded with a proven d coord. The d hires have sucked since Rhoades.Look how they have done since they left.

The front seven is nowhere close to loaded. We have Adams at DT and a bunch of "potential but little production" guys at the rest of the positions. It's impossible to tell if Lawson will return to his freshman level or not, let alone get better. We seldom got the needed stops at crucial times last year and unless there are giant strides by any number of players those stops won't be coming this year either.

It's put up or shut up time for most of the players on the front seven.

[Dom1ni0n 51]

Any Nick Ruffin progression updates?

He showed much promise in a few games last season as a true freshman.

[mcgufcm 4,096]

Mikey, experience doesn't make a group loaded or not loaded. I'd say it's dripping with potential and has the potential to be a team strength. Heck, I don't think you can even say "We've got Adams" as if he's done anything in his career to this point to warrant being excluded from the "potential but little production" group. The entire front seven, with the exception of the second half of Lawson's freshman year and the first half of last year from Frost and McKinzy, is an unproven group, but from a talent perspective, it's probably fair to say it's a loaded group.

You're looking at a group with Lawson, Adams, Tre Williams, and soon-to-be Cowart. Those are four of the higher rated recruits in Auburn defensive history. Almost every guy in the projected rotation is either a 4-star or better high school recruit or a JUCO player. If that group doesn't produce, it's going to be a long season. Just like last year. Either we maximize the clear potential or we struggle.

If we maximize our guys' potential, the front seven is loaded. It's fair to point out, though, that none of the front seven has done anything notable to this point.

Personally, assuming he's back 100% (and there's no reason to doubt that he will be), I really like what we saw from Lambert from the middle of last year until his injury. Adams is inconsistent, but he's certainly flashed before. Frost and McKinzy have to figure out how to play a full season. They've both given us nearly dominant games against good teams in the past (e.g., Frost's KSU game last year). Lawson will be 15 months since his surgery by opening day, barring unrelated injury, he'll be 100%. That's longer than the standard timeline for that surgery. He can certainly play. Again, potentially loaded if guys learn to answer the bell consistently. The experience or lack thereof isn't the thing holding the front seven back.

[Mikey 16,583]

Mikey, experience doesn't make a group loaded or not loaded. I'd say it's dripping with potential and has the potential to be a team strength. Heck, I don't think you can even say "We've got Adams" as if he's done anything in his career to this point to warrant being excluded from the "potential but little production" group. The entire front seven, with the exception of the second half of Lawson's freshman year and the first half of last year from Frost and McKinzy, is an unproven group, but from a talent perspective, it's probably fair to say it's a loaded group.

You're looking at a group with Lawson, Adams, Tre Williams, and soon-to-be Cowart. Those are four of the higher rated recruits in Auburn defensive history. Almost every guy in the projected rotation is either a 4-star or better high school recruit or a JUCO player. If that group doesn't produce, it's going to be a long season. Just like last year. Either we maximize the clear potential or we struggle.

If we maximize our guys' potential, the front seven is loaded. It's fair to point out, though, that none of the front seven has done anything notable to this point.

Personally, assuming he's back 100% (and there's no reason to doubt that he will be), I really like what we saw from Lambert from the middle of last year until his injury. Adams is inconsistent, but he's certainly flashed before. Frost and McKinzy have to figure out how to play a full season. They've both given us nearly dominant games against good teams in the past (e.g., Frost's KSU game last year). Lawson will be 15 months since his surgery by opening day, barring unrelated injury, he'll be 100%. That's longer than the standard timeline for that surgery. He can certainly play. Again, potentially loaded if guys learn to answer the bell consistently. The experience or lack thereof isn't the thing holding the front seven back.

You say "potentially loaded if yada-yada". That's fine. "Loaded" is the comment I was responding to and that's not so fine at all. We were much more "potentially loaded" at this time last year. How soon we forget how LOADED we were with seniors Whitaker, Wright, Blackson, Bradley, Owens and a great group of underclassmen on the line. "Fine group of linebackers that were all going to have breakout years" and so forth. It turns out that we were loaded only in the sense that a baby's diaper is loaded.

There's potential in the front seven this year too. If seven or eight of them do better than they have ever done before we will then be loaded. Do you really think that will happen?

[mcgufcm 4,096]

I'll disagree that we had more potential at this time last year. I don't think that's even debatable. We were moving Monty Adams and Gabe Wright to DE at this time last year. It was painfully obvious that we lacked a pass rush the second we were relying on Gabe as an edge rusher.

If you're banking on potential, you don't want to point to all the seniors in the rotation. If you're playing a bunch of seniors, you probably know roughly what you're going to get. You hope for consistency, but they don't all the sudden become different players.

But it's entirely fair to point to potential when you're looking at rising Juniors, guys coming off injury, and redshirt freshmen. Then, you can sell hope and potential.

My point was and is: almost no team is "loaded" in spring. Everyone is hoping for progress and breakouts and what-not. We have as much potential (based on past success from certain guys, normal development from young guys, and a few impact signees) as any team in the West other than probably Ole Miss. Every other team is banking on potential, and we're no different. In terms of potential, this group has a higher ceiling than last year (not close), and in historic terms, this may be the highest "rated" group, in terms of signing day potential, every to put on Auburn jerseys.

Again, no one is loaded in the spring, but we've got a high ceiling. If Muschamp/Garner/Thompson can get the most out of them, it'll be a loaded front seven.

[PoetTiger 1,896]

I will not judge any defensive player who played under Ellis scheme....the dude got fired. People ran up and down the field at will against his coaching. His game planning and scheme was puzzling to say the least...wiping the slate clean for all of them until 2015 season is over

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,666]

Front 7 is great...secondary gonna be some hair pulling watching the games on tv

Well in their defense the front four production was pretty abysmal all year long. Kind of hard to guard someone for an extended period of time, especially if your D-Line is getting no push. I think they will be just fine.

Deep down I believe the secondary last year was no worse than 2013's...just didn't use all the talent we had consistently, the play calling... Sigh, you could pick on Mincy almost every play, and Therezie regressed intensely.

[AUTUmike 79]

Front 7 is great...secondary gonna be some hair pulling watching the games on tv

Well in their defense the front four production was pretty abysmal all year long. Kind of hard to guard someone for an extended period of time, especially if your D-Line is getting no push. I think they will be just fine.

Deep down I believe the secondary last year was no worse than 2013's...just didn't use all the talent we had consistently, the play calling... Sigh, you could pick on Mincy almost every play, and Therezie regressed intensely.

I think the defense, including the secondary, will be much improved. We return 8 starters and add Tray Matthews and Carl Lawson, among others. If we have any significant contributions from true freshman (like Cowart) then that will just be bonus. The talent is definitely there.

[Mikey 16,583]

....Again, no one is loaded in the spring, but we've got a high ceiling. If Muschamp/Garner/Thompson can get the most out of them, it'll be a loaded front seven.

Glad to see we are in agreement.