Charles Kelly

[AUFAN78 3,910]

If we promote LT to defensive coordinator, that's gonna look really bad on AU. And I'm afraid AU will look really bad on the field. One of my bammer friends was actually hoping he would get removed from the Alabama staff and voila, he shows up at Auburn. He's done well recruiting but his on-field product has done absolutely nothing to warrant such a promotion. Granted, the crop of defensive coordinators is not too great this year, LT is a total desperation move. If this happens, and I hope I'm wrong, it probably starts the beginning of the end for this staff as well. Coaching turnover has got to be slowed down at AU before we turn into TN and it takes us a decade to get back to where we should be.

Where should we be though?

Because in the last decade AU is 2-8 vs UGA, 3-7 vs LSU, 4-6 vs Arky, 4-6 vs UAT.

So where the hell "should" we be in the next decade?

Hello. Thank you for your sanity.

It is quite funny that there are those that continue to desire new coaches yet fail to understand why things don"t get better.

[AUFAN78 3,910]

Good gracious folks, we were the SEC Champs just 2 years ago. Yes, we finished last in the SECW this season, but we were a QB away from going 6-2 and maybe 7-1 in the conference. We will be back!

I wish we were just a QB away, but we finished the regular season with the #96 ranked Offense and the #90 ranked Defense. The playcalling and game preparation was abysmal, the roster management and in-game adjustments were horrible, player development is subpar and we've been out manned in several games. And all really started about 13 months ago, not just this season when we didn't have a solid QB. Somebody at the top ain't getting it done.

I respect your opinion, but disagree. I think we were a dynamic qb away from possibly 11-1.

[AUFAN78 3,910]

Fact: Gus is not on the hot seat! Get over it, he's not, simple as that!

Fact: Jimbo is not stable at FSU as he wanted the LSU job but the Boosters wouldn't come up with the $50 million buyout for Les and Jimbo combined!

Fact: Gus didn't think TRob was ready, he knows more than us, believe it or not.

Fact: If we had a QB this season we are probably SEC champs are at least in there fighting for it! Gus has an SEC Championship and natty, then another SEC Championship, and played for the Natty!

QB situation didn't work out this year, will be better next year.

Relax people!

Lol. Are any of these actual facts?

maybe 2 of 4

[AUIH1 1,515]

Good gracious folks, we were the SEC Champs just 2 years ago. Yes, we finished last in the SECW this season, but we were a QB away from going 6-2 and maybe 7-1 in the conference. We will be back!

I wish we were just a QB away, but we finished the regular season with the #96 ranked Offense and the #90 ranked Defense. The playcalling and game preparation was abysmal, the roster management and in-game adjustments were horrible, player development is subpar and we've been out manned in several games. And all really started about 13 months ago, not just this season when we didn't have a solid QB. Somebody at the top ain't getting it done.

I respect your opinion, but disagree. I think we were a dynamic qb away from possibly 11-1.

LOL, a lot of teams are a dynamic QB away from possibly 11-1. What QB on campus or coming in fits the dynamic definition?

wde

[tiger88 934]

Good gracious folks, we were the SEC Champs just 2 years ago. Yes, we finished last in the SECW this season, but we were a QB away from going 6-2 and maybe 7-1 in the conference. We will be back!

I wish we were just a QB away, but we finished the regular season with the #96 ranked Offense and the #90 ranked Defense. The playcalling and game preparation was abysmal, the roster management and in-game adjustments were horrible, player development is subpar and we've been out manned in several games. And all really started about 13 months ago, not just this season when we didn't have a solid QB. Somebody at the top ain't getting it done.

I respect your opinion, but disagree. I think we were a dynamic qb away from possibly 11-1.

Yeah. Cam Newton.

Nick Marshall. No. Maybe.

[AUFAN78 3,910]

Good gracious folks, we were the SEC Champs just 2 years ago. Yes, we finished last in the SECW this season, but we were a QB away from going 6-2 and maybe 7-1 in the conference. We will be back!

I wish we were just a QB away, but we finished the regular season with the #96 ranked Offense and the #90 ranked Defense. The playcalling and game preparation was abysmal, the roster management and in-game adjustments were horrible, player development is subpar and we've been out manned in several games. And all really started about 13 months ago, not just this season when we didn't have a solid QB. Somebody at the top ain't getting it done.

I respect your opinion, but disagree. I think we were a dynamic qb away from possibly 11-1.

LOL, a lot of teams are a dynamic QB away from possibly 11-1. What QB on campus or coming in fits the dynamic definition?

wde

So we agree. Cool.

[TIGGR82 4]

I don't fault Coach Kelly for staying where he is at. He has a good job at a good program. I would love to see him come home one day. But until then, I wish him nothing but the best....unless it helps Auburn.

War Eagle.....now let's go find us a D.C.

[3rdgeneration 6,469]

Thanks, Shocks. Doesn't soud too bad. Maybe he and Garner could provide some continuity.

[AU-24 3,099]

Good gracious folks, we were the SEC Champs just 2 years ago. Yes, we finished last in the SECW this season, but we were a QB away from going 6-2 and maybe 7-1 in the conference. We will be back!

I wish we were just a QB away, but we finished the regular season with the #96 ranked Offense and the #90 ranked Defense. The playcalling and game preparation was abysmal, the roster management and in-game adjustments were horrible, player development is subpar and we've been out manned in several games. And all really started about 13 months ago, not just this season when we didn't have a solid QB. Somebody at the top ain't getting it done.

I respect your opinion, but disagree. I think we were a dynamic qb away from possibly 11-1.

LOL, a lot of teams are a dynamic QB away from possibly 11-1. What QB on campus or coming in fits the dynamic definition?

wde

Coker is a dynamic QB?

[DAG 33,990]

Good gracious folks, we were the SEC Champs just 2 years ago. Yes, we finished last in the SECW this season, but we were a QB away from going 6-2 and maybe 7-1 in the conference. We will be back!

I wish we were just a QB away, but we finished the regular season with the #96 ranked Offense and the #90 ranked Defense. The playcalling and game preparation was abysmal, the roster management and in-game adjustments were horrible, player development is subpar and we've been out manned in several games. And all really started about 13 months ago, not just this season when we didn't have a solid QB. Somebody at the top ain't getting it done.

I respect your opinion, but disagree. I think we were a dynamic qb away from possibly 11-1.

LOL, a lot of teams are a dynamic QB away from possibly 11-1. What QB on campus or coming in fits the dynamic definition?

wde

Coker is a dynamic QB?

Not dynamic but can make big plays when he has to.

[johnnyAU 3,633]

This will be the Auburn fan base if the only DC we can land is by promoting Lance Thomson:

Correct, if you are talking about the lunatic fringe.

I imagine the majority would realize that Lance isn't a great hire, a good hire or even an average hire as DC. They'd realize that it would likely be Malzahn's only choice if it comes down to it. It'd be like needing a 2 out double off the wall and ending up with a slow dribbler to first base instead.

Cue the "well, at least he made contact" crowd.

[auburnphan 6,050]

hopefully it will result in a base hit as the 1st baseman boots it and the inning is alive

[wareagleguy 1,393]

Why do I feel as though we are mixing our metaphors?

[FoundationEagle 637]

Why do I feel as though we are mixing our metaphors?

[TitanTiger 20,489]

I imagine the majority would realize that Lance isn't a great hire, a good hire or even an average hire as DC. They'd realize that it would likely be Malzahn's only choice if it comes down to it. It'd be like needing a 2 out double off the wall and ending up with a slow dribbler to first base instead.

Cue the "well, at least he made contact" crowd.

You flat out don't know this. All we know is that Gus, understandably, had people with recent or current DC experience higher on his list that Lance or even TRob. That is not an indictment on either guy's ability to be a good hire here.

Now, it won't win the press conference. But if he keeps the recruiting class together, that doesn't really matter. All that matters is what he can put on the field (assuming he got the job) and for that you are just being pessimistic based on, really, nothing.

[Mikey 16,612]

I imagine the majority would realize that Lance isn't a great hire, a good hire or even an average hire as DC. They'd realize that it would likely be Malzahn's only choice if it comes down to it. It'd be like needing a 2 out double off the wall and ending up with a slow dribbler to first base instead.

Cue the "well, at least he made contact" crowd.

I think Thompson would be a good hire. Why the hate? He developed Frost and Cass into somewhat serviceable linebackers, which was no small feat.

[johnnyAU 3,633]

It's a stretch to believe Frost and Cass had serviceable years due to Lance, and not the change in scheme, presence of Muschamp and the emergence of some talented guys behind them in the depth chart.

[AU64 10,122]

I imagine the majority would realize that Lance isn't a great hire, a good hire or even an average hire as DC. They'd realize that it would likely be Malzahn's only choice if it comes down to it. It'd be like needing a 2 out double off the wall and ending up with a slow dribbler to first base instead.

Cue the "well, at least he made contact" crowd.

I think Thompson would be a good hire. Why the hate? He developed Frost and Cass into somewhat serviceable linebackers, which was no small feat.

No way....if he is already on our staff, he must not be any good. :-\ isn't that how it works?

[johnnyAU 3,633]

He may or may not have been able to "develop" 2 LB's from below average to serviceable in one year...so "he'd be a good hire" for DC. I think that's what I'm hearing.

Hate is one thing. Being a realist is another.

[TitanTiger 20,489]

He may or may not have been able to "develop" 2 LB's from below average to serviceable in one year...so "he'd be a good hire" for DC. I think that's what I'm hearing.

Hate is one thing. Being a realist is another.

Ever notice how a pessimist never comes right out and says they're a pessimist? They always cast themselves as a "realist."

Look, you don't know beans about Thompson's ability to be a DC. You are forming an opinion based on nothing substantive and behaving as if it's incontrovertible fact. Maybe you're right, but if you are it's total guessing, not anything you've actually observed up close or can evaluate for yourself. So back off the doom and gloom a notch or two and let people with firsthand knowledge make some decisions.

[johnnyAU 3,633]

It isn't doom and gloom. It just looks that way because it isn't pumping sunshine, which is apparently the preferred perspective 'round these parts.

LT isn't on anyone else's radar for DC, and he wouldn't be on ours if we could actually attract a good candidate. The position we find ourselves in isn't entirely Malzahn's fault, but I feel for him having to fight it. We took a risk, albeit one most of would say was a good one at the time, on Muschamp last season knowing he wanted to get back to the HC ranks. Nobody thought he'd have the chance this soon. Coupled with the very poor performance by our offense this season, and the recent history of coaching changes, it has put us in a bad spot. It is what it is. You can look the other way or you can paint the picture however you want to see it I guess.

If Gus is able to go out and bring in a proven DC, then that perspective changes, but it won't if he promotes LT.

[TitanTiger 20,489]

It isn't doom and gloom. It just looks that way because it isn't pumping sunshine, which is apparently the preferred perspective 'round these parts.

No, it is doom and gloom. You seem to operate on the notion that unless joins you in pissing on everything and assuming the worst, they're "pumping sunshine." There's this vast middle ground between these two poles that most of us occupy. You should come see it sometime.

It would be different if you wondered whether LT is ready for this or would be a good DC. But you have jumped straight to "not even an average hire" and "at least he made contact" analogies.

LT isn't on anyone else's radar for DC, and he wouldn't be on ours if we could actually attract a good candidate.

This is not the only or even a very important criteria for deciding whether you think a guy you've worked with closely for over a year can do the job.

The position we find ourselves in isn't entirely Malzahn's fault, but I feel for him having to fight it. We took a risk, albeit one most of would say was a good one at the time, on Muschamp last season knowing he wanted to get back to the HC ranks. Nobody thought he'd have the chance this soon. Coupled with the very poor performance by our offense this season, and the recent history of coaching changes, it has put us in a bad spot. It is what it is. You can look the other way or you can paint the picture however you want to see it I guess.

You seem to be confusing a couple of different issues. Yes, we find ourselves in a tough position to be able to grab a current DC at a Power 5 conference school because of the circumstances. And just like most places would prefer to hire a head coach that already has a few years of HC experience under their belt, one generally prefers to hire a coordinator who has done it recently or currently for those slots. But it's not a law of nature. It doesn't mean those guys are the only ones who can do a good job. A lot of folks around here wanted TRob (myself included) to get the DC slot. Well, he hasn't coordinated a defense before either and the only two that wanted him for that slot were defensive coordinators that worked with him and were moving in to HC slots. Does that have any bearing on whether TRob was ready to take that next step? Nope. Same goes for LT.

If Gus is able to go out and bring in a proven DC, then that perspective changes, but it won't if he promotes LT.

The thing you can't seem to grasp is that this is bull****. Your perspective isn't realism because it's literally based on nothing other than your armchair guesses. You literally have zero idea whether LT is ready to take this step or not, but you jump to the auto-assumption that it's terrible.

[lca408 366]

Ok let's clear up a bit here. LT's title was linebackers coach but he really only coached the outside LBs, meaning the Buck position and the SAM linebacker position - this included Carl Lawson and eventually Cass McKinzy at Buck and Javierre Mitchell at SAM. Prior to his move to Buck, McKinzy was an ILB like Frost, Garrett, and Tre Williams and all of the ILBs were coached by Muschamp personally. Frost didn't really improve in 2015, he simply kind of continued from where he was the previous year. Garrett ended up with a solid year but the consensus was that we all knew he was a solid LB before - he had been plagued with injuries in 2013 and a little bit last year. Williams improved on his 2014 performance but McKinzy was hit or miss, just like he had been in 2013 and 2014, UNTIL the move to Buck, when he started lighting it up. Now that may just be McKinzy being utilized at the proper position vs. being somewhat out of position at MLB but by the Alabama game, he was more productive in the opposing backfield than Lawson was. Mitchell hardly ever came up with a "big" play but he was solid at the position for a guy who never got a lot of meaningful PT before 2015.

At worst, LT has benefitted from the right players being in the right position. At best, he's helped developed McKinzy in the roughly half a season he's had with him at Buck. Does that warrant a promotion to DC? I don't know, but I don't think he's done a bad job. Far from it. The only complaint I would have about LT is that he wasn't able to develop Kennion well enough to stave off the drop off in pass rush when Lawson went down, though it's possible Kennion just isn't meant for the position? Regardless, LT has plenty of track record as a solid defensive coach well before 2015. I have no doubt he understands defense and how to recruit well AND develop those players. I question his ability to lead a defense from a strategic standpoint as a coordinator only because he's not been in that position in a long time.

[johnnyAU 3,633]

It isn't doom and gloom. It just looks that way because it isn't pumping sunshine, which is apparently the preferred perspective 'round these parts.

No, it is doom and gloom. You seem to operate on the notion that unless joins you in pissing on everything and assuming the worst, they're "pumping sunshine." There's this vast middle ground between these two poles that most of us occupy. You should come see it sometime.

It would be different if you wondered whether LT is ready for this or would be a good DC. But you have jumped straight to "not even an average hire" and "at least he made contact" analogies.

LT isn't on anyone else's radar for DC, and he wouldn't be on ours if we could actually attract a good candidate.

This is not the only or even a very important criteria for deciding whether you think a guy you've worked with closely for over a year can do the job.

The position we find ourselves in isn't entirely Malzahn's fault, but I feel for him having to fight it. We took a risk, albeit one most of would say was a good one at the time, on Muschamp last season knowing he wanted to get back to the HC ranks. Nobody thought he'd have the chance this soon. Coupled with the very poor performance by our offense this season, and the recent history of coaching changes, it has put us in a bad spot. It is what it is. You can look the other way or you can paint the picture however you want to see it I guess.

You seem to be confusing a couple of different issues. Yes, we find ourselves in a tough position to be able to grab a current DC at a Power 5 conference school because of the circumstances. And just like most places would prefer to hire a head coach that already has a few years of HC experience under their belt, one generally prefers to hire a coordinator who has done it recently or currently for those slots. But it's not a law of nature. It doesn't mean those guys are the only ones who can do a good job. A lot of folks around here wanted TRob (myself included) to get the DC slot. Well, he hasn't coordinated a defense before either and the only two that wanted him for that slot were defensive coordinators that worked with him and were moving in to HC slots. Does that have any bearing on whether TRob was ready to take that next step? Nope. Same goes for LT.

If Gus is able to go out and bring in a proven DC, then that perspective changes, but it won't if he promotes LT.

The thing you can't seem to grasp is that this is bull****. Your perspective isn't realism because it's literally based on nothing other than your armchair guesses. You literally have zero idea whether LT is ready to take this step or not, but you jump to the auto-assumption that it's terrible.

Do you?

[TexasTiger 12,927]

It isn't doom and gloom. It just looks that way because it isn't pumping sunshine, which is apparently the preferred perspective 'round these parts.

LT isn't on anyone else's radar for DC, and he wouldn't be on ours if we could actually attract a good candidate. The position we find ourselves in isn't entirely Malzahn's fault, but I feel for him having to fight it. We took a risk, albeit one most of would say was a good one at the time, on Muschamp last season knowing he wanted to get back to the HC ranks. Nobody thought he'd have the chance this soon. Coupled with the very poor performance by our offense this season, and the recent history of coaching changes, it has put us in a bad spot. It is what it is. You can look the other way or you can paint the picture however you want to see it I guess.

If Gus is able to go out and bring in a proven DC, then that perspective changes, but it won't if he promotes LT.

Kelly wasn't on anyone's radar until this year and now he's supposedly a "must have."

I don't know how good a DC Thompson will make, but Saban hired him twice when he had plenty of choices.