Scarb's article

[I_M4_AU 7,861]

4 hours ago, AU64 said:

That's pure speculation.....check Florida, Tennessee and numerous other schools,( including AU) when they brought in new coaches.  Twice we have dumped coaches with the expectation that a new coach would turn the program around but mostly what we got was a one year surge followed by a relapse.

Just saying...if we had fired Gus last year as suggested...who would be our coach now?    Look at UGa and USCe  right now.... it is much easier to dismiss a coach than it it is to hire someone better.

 

I can see both Quiet-man and your point, the firing of Les Miles has ratcheted up the coaching carousel process early for this year.  The scenarios are endless as it applies to LSU and for that matter us.  That last second of the LSU game was monumental for both programs going forward, IMO.

One scenario that will have an effect on us is; LSU doesn't get Herman, but goes after Art Briles.  Briles doesn't have a job right now and would probably jump on the chance.  Who does he get for his OC, probably his son, Kendall.  Therefore, Kendall doesn't come to AU and neither does Stidham.  Where does that leave Auburn?

The question for the PTB at Auburn is what both of you have pointed out.  Does Auburn take a wait and see attitude toward our coaching situation and let CGM see if he can improve his team or does Auburn go proactive and go after a big splash coaching hire?   It will be an interesting season.

[PowerOfDixieland 3,226]

I see this as nothing but positive.  So Gus turns the play calling over against one of the tougher and more talented defenses in the country, and Rhett is now 1-0.  400 yards total offense against LSU is a tremendous place to start as an OC, lots of positives and lots of places for improvement.  The offense was very similar, but way fewer plays for loss.  And almost none of the three second misdirection whirling dervish in the backfield that has been so confounding over the last dozen and a half games.  I saw guys going north/south with urgency on (almost) every down.  Gus can still have oversight during the week, but one guy in charge is the only way we will ever see the pace that this offense is supposed to move at.  And maybe, just maybe, we won't see that completely effed up philosophy of running the same play when we go max pace.   

[lutzcammed 469]

Interesting read: How much is fact/how much is fiction. 

It actually doesn't seem far fetched or a bad idea.  But, being brought to the public eye, and so early in the season,  I just don't see it happening. That seems like a message I would not want going public.

 

My gut feeling! LSU gets Briles or Herman. Also in the mix, Petrino Fisher or lastly Kiffen.

[AURealist 2,185]

Crowe's tweet is pretty cynical, but may not be too far off the mark.  Publicly tapping Rhett with the O responsibility takes some heat off Gus while making this a make or break season for Rhett.

If Rhett does well, CGM most likely returns next season.  If the O continues to under-perform, Rhett gets the sack and Gus can still keep his job. 

I don't see how an Art Briles OC hire works for AU.  If he's good, he leaves after 1-2 seasons to HC our competition and Gus stays, leaving us pretty much where we are now...

 

 

[keesler 5,924]

I can't understand why Gus has done an about face and gone public with it.  It's like major damage control - he said he was stepping away from the CEO role and getting back to the basics of what he does best, coaching football and creating offense, working one on one with the QBs, etc.  And folks were happy and it smoothed the ruffled feathers from last years performance.   

Then after the first 3 games the offense is piss poor and his job security becomes unstable again, he says he's going back to the CEO role as a head coach and turning the offense back over to Rhett.......He previously said he didn't like the CEO  aspect of coaching, now that's exactly what he's gone back to?  I'm confused.

[I_M4_AU 7,861]

7 minutes ago, keesler said:

I can't understand why Gus has done an about face and gone public with it.  It's like major damage control - he said he was stepping away from the CEO role and getting back to the basics of what he does best, coaching football and creating offense, working one on one with the QBs, etc.  And folks were happy and it smoothed the ruffled feathers from last years performance.   

Then after the first 3 games the offense is piss poor and his job security becomes unstable again, he says he's going back to the CEO role as a head coach and turning the offense back over to Rhett.......He previously said he didn't like the CEO  aspect of coaching, now that's exactly what he's gone back to?  I'm confused.

I believe Gus is too.

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

1 hour ago, AU64 said:

That's pure speculation.....check Florida, Tennessee and numerous other schools,( including AU) when they brought in new coaches.  Twice we have dumped coaches with the expectation that a new coach would turn the program around but mostly what we got was a one year surge followed by a relapse.

Just saying...if we had fired Gus last year as suggested...who would be our coach now?    Look at UGa and USCe  right now.... it is much easier to dismiss a coach than it it is to hire someone better.

 

Chances of a coach coming in and taking us to the top in his first year are very slim.   Yeah,  we've had 2 times were a coach came in and did well in his first year.  The chances of that happening 3 times in a row are almost nil.    

In general it takes a coach 2-3 year to get his system and type players flowing.  At the three year mark,  You get to see what the coach is building.   Assuming any coach will come in and take anyone to the top is a stretch at best.     Top coaches get better every year.  They do not start off with a bang,  and fade from there.   They are not flash in the pan coaches.  They do not need fans making excuses for them because their love for the school causes bias into thinking their coach is a genius when he is not.  The emperor has NO CLOTHS.    We look like warmed over crap even in our rare wins.

It seems a lot of AU fans got suckered into thinking Gus is a genius.  They took this info and ran with it to the point they can not admit they were wrong. They used this as evidence that we had a great coach.    Even with the obvious slapping them in the face.  It is past time for Gus to go.  We are just delaying the inevitable.

 I would rather have a team that looks organised and competitive every game and go 8-4,  than watch us look like a Chinese fire drill,  and rely on luck even when we win.  To top it off,  we look like a Chinese fire drill,  and NOT winning many.   We are getting worse not better.

Just because you love Auburn doesn't mean we have a  genius coach.   The sooner the powers that be in Auburn realizes this the sooner we can have a competitive team.

 

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

13 minutes ago, keesler said:

I can't understand why Gus has done an about face and gone public with it.  It's like major damage control - he said he was stepping away from the CEO role and getting back to the basics of what he does best, coaching football and creating offense, working one on one with the QBs, etc.  And folks were happy and it smoothed the ruffled feathers from last years performance.   

Then after the first 3 games the offense is piss poor and his job security becomes unstable again, he says he's going back to the CEO role as a head coach and turning the offense back over to Rhett.......He previously said he didn't like the CEO  aspect of coaching, now that's exactly what he's gone back to?  I'm confused.

Gus is obviously trying to save his job.  I am worried AU will fall for it.  There are still a lot of people that believe he is a genius.

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

34 minutes ago, PowerOfDixieland said:

I see this as nothing but positive.  So Gus turns the play calling over against one of the tougher and more talented defenses in the country, and Rhett is now 1-0.  400 yards total offense against LSU is a tremendous place to start as an OC, lots of positives and lots of places for improvement.  The offense was very similar, but way fewer plays for loss.  And almost none of the three second misdirection whirling dervish in the backfield that has been so confounding over the last dozen and a half games.  I saw guys going north/south with urgency on (almost) every down.  Gus can still have oversight during the week, but one guy in charge is the only way we will ever see the pace that this offense is supposed to move at.  And maybe, just maybe, we won't see that completely effed up philosophy of running the same play when we go max pace.   

   The play calling was not much better.  The whole system is the problem. Just like Gus,   Rhett called running plays that were handed off 5 yards behind the line when we need 15+ yards for a first down.  Rhett called pass plays that would go for 6 yards when we needed 15+ for a first down.   Some people want to believe Rhett and Gus  are great  so badly they can not see how inept we look.  EVEN IN GAMES  WE WIN.  Nothing is going to change as long as Gus is here.  It doesn't matter who calls the plays in this high school offense.

 

 

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Maybe Gus sees the writing on the wall. We have no offense and he knows it.

[ToomersStreet 795]

1 hour ago, I_M4_AU said:

 

One scenario that will effect of this, is LSU doesn't get Herman, but goes after Art Briles.  Briles doesn't have a job right now and would probably jump on the chance.  Who does he get for him OC, probably his son, Kendall.  Therefore, Kendall doesn't come to AU and neither does Stidham.  Where does that leave Auburn?

 

That would throw a wrench in the plans.

[mom2kid 216]

What exactly does Gus bring? If he's not an offensive mind which is obvious since this offense looks nothing like his past teams and he has now given up trying to call plays. He's not an experienced coach and the defense snd special teams were fine left alone. So imo he's dead weight. Briles is a successful head coach and he's not going to be an assistant to Gus if he can be a head coach somewhere else. Briles as HC and young Briles as OC and qb coach is a homerun. AU better think smart before LSU beats us to the punch. Saturday's win was nice but we didn't score a touchdown. I saw very little change in the O woes that have plagued AU for two yrs.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

1 hour ago, keesler said:

I can't understand why Gus has done an about face and gone public with it.  It's like major damage control - he said he was stepping away from the CEO role and getting back to the basics of what he does best, coaching football and creating offense, working one on one with the QBs, etc.  And folks were happy and it smoothed the ruffled feathers from last years performance.   

Then after the first 3 games the offense is piss poor and his job security becomes unstable again, he says he's going back to the CEO role as a head coach and turning the offense back over to Rhett.......He previously said he didn't like the CEO  aspect of coaching, now that's exactly what he's gone back to?  I'm confused.

I think what Gus has realized, all be it probably not willingly, is that his only shot at being a head coach in the big leagues is to be a CEO type. As much as he likes coaching offense, he has been left behind, so he needs to stick to what he does well... moral/team building, recruiting, etc. and have someone else take the offensive reigns.  

In this case I agree with everyone who is saying Rhett is being set up to either shine or crash... and in either case Gus wins.  Rhett crashes, he takes the fall, we get a new OC, and Gus has the chance to build a great program again.  Rhett shines and we have a great success story, become a sought after place to OC, and the program can become a proving ground for new HC candidates.

Based on this week... I'm expecting Rhett to crash, Gus to let him go and bring in a new OC, and to see a resurgence in the program.

By the way, I don't think this is entirely Gus's idea. I think the money people see that we don't need to start over, if we can get a quality OC. Just that tweak will allow us to compete and win and not have to pay out another contract.

[PowerOfDixieland 3,226]

51 minutes ago, Quietmaninthecorner said:

 Nothing is going to change as long as Gus is here.  It doesn't matter who calls the plays in this high school offense.

 

 

Updyke?  Isn't that what they called it when Chizik brought Gus in?  His high school offense won Auburn a national championship and took us to another.  You do know he was here past last year right?

[JwgreDeux 1,279]

Some of you "sky is falling" guys need to take a few deep breaths. Saban has gone to a Gus Malzhan offense, and Gus and his system are somehow "left behind?" We moved the ball up and down the field, yes we need to be better in the redzone, but LSU's defense is legit.  We  have faced one top ten team, one top fifteen team, and one top 20 team in four weeks, and we are 2-2. Who predicted better before the season kicked off? The offense is actually improving and we have a much improved defense to go with it. 

 

I'd like to add, that Gus is only in his 5th year as a head coach, and surely is still figuring some things out and finding his way. I am not happy with 7-6 seasons, but I'm surprised at the number of Auburn people ready to write Gus off and start all over. 

[lionheartkc 6,150]

59 minutes ago, JwgreDeux said:

Saban has gone to a Gus Malzhan offense, and Gus and his system are somehow "left behind?"

No one has gone to a Gus Malzahn offense.  Several coaches have taken elements from it and integrated it into their much more complicated offensive schemes, but no one has adopted Gus's offense. Unfortunately Gus has been spoiled, over the years, to have lines that could support his lack of diversity in play calling and QBs who could make up for busted plays. He does have some things going for him that other coaches have taken... the speed aspects especially, but every other coach who runs something similar to what Gus runs has a far more expansive playbook.  Case in point with bama.  They live and die by their tight end.  When was the last time you saw Gus even try to run a tight end pass?

I don't think Gus is incapable of coming up with a great offense, but he has to realize that his super simple offense that relies on speed and deception only works when he has high level execution at all positions. He needs to figure out how to develop plays that make up for deficiencies.

[Charleston Tiger 134]

I am firmly in the Keep Gus camp, if for no other reason than I am so sick of coaching merry go round. We need to give our guys some time if we want a PROGRAM instead of just a season. CFB has unfortunately become a what have you done for me lately type of situation.

[AidiAU 1,270]

27 minutes ago, Charleston Tiger said:

I am firmly in the Keep Gus camp, if for no other reason than I am so sick of coaching merry go round. We need to give our guys some time if we want a PROGRAM instead of just a season. CFB has unfortunately become a what have you done for me lately type of situation.

I'm out of likes for the day, but that's okay because I LOVE this.

 

I am a season ticket holder and am equally as frustrated when I think about spending my money to watch the games in person. However, we need to build a program. We have had too much turnover in staff (I cringe when I think about our defense and all the coaches they have had). I do believe Gus is building a program for the long run and that is what I want. Give us another coach and we will continue to always be "rebuilding." I like what he stands for and I want our players to have stability. Plus, the team seems to love him. Those kids have continuously played their heart out (especially last year). I hate our offensive struggles as much as anyone else, but give props to the coaches for keeping the team motivated. 

Yikes, put your shades on! That sunshine will get you! 

[bobzmuda 2]

I don't think this is some thinly-veiled scheme by Malzahn. He and Lashlee were very likely told how the situation was going to be. It works out best for everyone, not just Malzahn, if Lashlee calls plays -- Gus gets cover for the rest of the year, Lashlee builds his resume' for his next job, and an opening is created for a Briles. 

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

2 hours ago, PowerOfDixieland said:

Updyke?  Isn't that what they called it when Chizik brought Gus in?  His high school offense won Auburn a national championship and took us to another.  You do know he was here past last year right?

No need to talk down to me with sarcastic comments.  Deep down you know I am right so you attack my intelligence.   

People think because Gus took us to a national champion ship game that he must be a genius.  Go back and watch the games from Gus' "good years".   Most games we looked like unprepared.    Even in 2010.    Every year with Gus there are so many series that we would play behind the yard markers.  The only difference in the good and bad years is a QB that can turn 3rd and 15 into a 30 yard gain.  Without an exceptional athlete at QB, we are just a team that plays from behind the sticks.   

I wish I would have kept track.  There were heaps of plays that were busted plays that had nothing to do with the play being called but turned into some of our best plays of the game.  Often winning the game for us.   Way more than any other team I can remember.   Auburn or otherwise.

This is Gus 4th year,  and we are seeing the result of what he is building.   

 

 

[Tiger 8,828]

19 hours ago, tombigbeetiger said:

malzahns demeanor has changed....i think there might be something to the article.....if we had a normal offense, with this defense, we would be in the hunt

how sad is it that for a decade we felt "if we just had an average defense..."

 

How did we find ourselves in this situation?

[AU64 10,122]

4 hours ago, Quietmaninthecorner said:

Gus is obviously trying to save his job.  I am worried AU will fall for it.  There are still a lot of people that believe he is a genius.

JMO but I doubt Gus is making coaching decisions of this type to "save his job".....the way to save his job is win football games and it might have taken him only 3 games to figure out that having two OCs along the sideline is not a good plan.    These cynical type comments from AU fans really bother me but we seem to have lots of those kind of fans on this board.   

As POD noted above, Gus can work on the game plan with RL from Monday to  Friday....but only one person should be calling the plays during a game.....it's faster and more decisive than each play being a consensus of two coaches.   Gus might make a critical call...go for it or kick a FG on 4th and one....stuff like that but the pace of the game as AU usually wants to play it depends on quicker and more decisive play calling which we have not been getting until Saturday.

Despite all the negative comments about Kirby Smart and who was really the DC at bama....as I watched games it seems that KS made most of the defensive calls and NS only intervened on big decisions.   The HC should be the HC and concern himself with the entire game, and not focus on just one aspect. 

I might be the only one...but I'm guessing that Gus figured out that he can't be hands-on on Saturday afternoons (or nights)  

[lionheartkc 6,150]

12 minutes ago, AU64 said:

I might be the only one...but I'm guessing that Gus figured out that he can't be hands-on on Saturday afternoons (or nights)  

You might be right, but combining this move with comments made by Jacobs, I have to think that maybe this wasn't Gus's call and the powers that be are starting to move their chess pieces for next year.

[AU64 10,122]

Just now, lionheartkc said:

You might be right, but combining this move with comments made by Jacobs, I have to think that maybe this wasn't Gus's call and the powers that be are starting to move their chess pieces for next year.

Do you believe that anyone thinks that far ahead?     I guess it's possible....though I don't see how this particular move would fit into an actual "long range plan".....cause they are connected at the hip it appears.

I guess maybe this is Rhett's " job interview"....kinda like South Carolina did with their OC when Spurrier was edged out.  He failed his test by the way.

[wde1968 262]

White is not a read option qb I would love to see White under center Pettway at fb Johnson at hb.