Steve Sarkisian

[Rocket City Tiger 4]

So Saban has hired another head coach to serve on his coaching staff.  I understand the move and good for them.  However, my problem is with the role of Sark, an offensive analyst.  According to the rules, he is not allowed to have in-game communication, so his headset mic is taped up/not working to prevent this.  So none of the other folks in the booth have working mics?  Do they really think we are so dumb to think he's not actively communicating with field coaches?  It's like the bump rule part two.

[AU64 10,122]

5 minutes ago, Rocket City Tiger said:

So Saban has hired another head coach to serve on his coaching staff.  I understand the move and good for them.  However, my problem is with the role of Sark, an offensive analyst.  According to the rules, he is not allowed to have in-game communication, so his headset mic is taped up/not working to prevent this.  So none of the other folks in the booth have working mics?  Do they really think we are so dumb to think he's not actively communicating with field coaches?  It's like the bump rule part two.

 

So...do you think that Kiffen is giving up his role as OC and will let Sark start calling plays instead?    We've seen at AU (IMO) the problems of having two cooks in the offensive kitchen.    

Monday through Friday, lots of folks can have input in preparing a game plan, but on Saturday there needs to be one voice.  I'm happy to see RL calling our games and not having our QB standing around waiting on he and Gus to come to a decision about the play to run.

Just suggesting to calm the paranoia....we had an offensive analyst for a couple years (and maybe still have) and there was never a suggestion that he would provide game input.

[Rocket City Tiger 4]

Not two cooks in the kitchen, but OCs/DCs have helpers in the booth providing them information that assists them in-game.

My thought would be that he's probably looking at coverages, matchups, etc, and could provide that input to Kiffin who would use that info in his playcalling.

Given Saban's panache for skirting rules, you can't tell me that it's not fishy.  That's not paranoia, that's learning from history.

[AUsince72 11,084]

Saban: "Rules? We don't need no stinkin' Rules!"

I suspect Sark is Saban's 2017 OC.  He's just getting him acclimated now.

I think you're both right though.  LK ain't giving up the play calling but yes, there will be plenty "open mikes" to pick up Sark's thoughts on coverage, etc.

It doesn't matter though, as the SEC & NCAA will turn a blind eye anyway.

[keesler 5,928]

55 minutes ago, Rocket City Tiger said:

Not two cooks in the kitchen, but OCs/DCs have helpers in the booth providing them information that assists them in-game.

My thought would be that he's probably looking at coverages, matchups, etc, and could provide that input to Kiffin who would use that info in his playcalling.

Given Saban's panache for skirting rules, you can't tell me that it's not fishy.  That's not paranoia, that's learning from history.

I think it's a freaking brilliant move.  

I would love for Gus right now TODAY to hire Art Briles as an offensive analyst (what the hell is Art doing right now?), put his butt in the booth with a dead mic and let him advise/help Rhett from Sunday-Friday; let him watch practice and drills during the week, help breakdown film, read opponents defenses, give Hand advise on blocking packages.

ANYTHING to shake up this predictable offensive scheme and get creative and more productive play-calling.  My God, we've had redzone trouble for damn near 2 full years now.  

[AuGrad2004 100]

We had coach boom in the box before he could coach if I remember right

[lionheartkc 6,150]

51 minutes ago, AuGrad2004 said:

We had coach boom in the box before he could coach if I remember right

South Carolina might argue that he's still in that state.

[eibua12 81]

8th in pts per game balanced pass/run mix.  I say good hire.  People need to get off the conspiracy wagon all the time it gets old.  This also may open the window for Lane to move on after this season and for there to be a successor.  I find it interesting Saban does this, things that make you go hmm

 

[lionheartkc 6,150]

57 minutes ago, eibua12 said:

8th in pts per game balanced pass/run mix.  I say good hire.  People need to get off the conspiracy wagon all the time it gets old.  

Agreed.  I won't hesitate to call Saban out when he's being an ass, or call bama out when they are blatantly cheating, but this move was freakin' brilliant. I would also bet money that, over the next few years, you are going to see a lot of old coaches who know the game, but are not field worthy for one reason or another, picking up a new paycheck as part of a university's off the field brain trust.

Funny how people have forgotten that Spurrier is part of Florida's off the field team, and look how they are stepping up their game.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

I think Kiffin may leave after this year and Sark will replace him as OC next year. I guess the coach in waiting.

[The Freak 2,528]

I assume Sark fixed his personal issues.

[keesler 5,928]

22 minutes ago, The Freak said:

I assume Sark fixed his personal issues.

IDK but Bradford is +/- and hour from their campus.

NS must have close to a half a dozen former college HC's and NFL coaches on his staff now. 

 

[keesler 5,928]

1 hour ago, eibua12 said:

8th in pts per game balanced pass/run mix.  I say good hire.  People need to get off the conspiracy wagon all the time it gets old.  This also may open the window for Lane to move on after this season and for there to be a successor.  I find it interesting Saban does this, things that make you go hmm

 

Things that make to wonder why someone else didn't think of doing this?

[AU64 10,122]

14 hours ago, keesler said:

Things that make to wonder why someone else didn't think of doing this?

Perhaps...but is Sarkasian known as some kind of creative ffensive guru ?  mediocre record and some "health problems" that caused his dismissal from USCw.  Guess the idea of hiring out of work coaches  does not turn me on.....and with a dozen or more coaches already,  how much more input is needed or useful.  Unless the guy is in tune with the coaches actually hired to coach the team, to me he would just be a distraction.

I'm fine with bama doing this, spending the money or whatever...but that sure does not cause me to think it's some kind of genius move and that we should do it because they do.

[keesler 5,928]

3 hours ago, AU64 said:

Perhaps...but is Sarkasian known as some kind of creative ffensive guru ?  mediocre record and some "health problems" that caused his dismissal from USCw.  Guess the idea of hiring out of work coaches  does not turn me on.....and with a dozen or more coaches already,  how much more input is needed or useful.  Unless the guy is in tune with the coaches actually hired to coach the team, to me he would just be a distraction.

I'm fine with bama doing this, spending the money or whatever...but that sure does not cause me to think it's some kind of genius move and that we should do it because they do.

Well we damn sure need to do something to get this offense productive again.  We've had serious red-zone issues since late 2014 -that's closing in on 3 football seasons and as of last week, we still couldn't punch in a damn TD.  We've had play-calling, and roster management issues for far too long as well.  

Rather than sit back and draw salaries for piss poor offensive production, I wouldn't mind one bit seeing an out of work offensive minded coach come in here for few months, draw a modest paycheck and analyze our offense/scheme.  A different set of eyes on the product, and different mind-set from the joined at the hip "Gus/Rhett duo" would at the very least show that AU/Gus wants to evolve this offense, fix the glaring deficiencies and we might be able to salvage this coaching staff in the end. 

Auburn has to get this offense fixed, the last thing we need is a complete coaching turnover.  Art Briles is out of work - get his butt to Auburn, set him up in the booth and let him educate/advise our staff.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

3 hours ago, AU64 said:

Perhaps...but is Sarkasian known as some kind of creative ffensive guru ?  mediocre record and some "health problems" that caused his dismissal from USCw.  Guess the idea of hiring out of work coaches  does not turn me on.....and with a dozen or more coaches already,  how much more input is needed or useful.  Unless the guy is in tune with the coaches actually hired to coach the team, to me he would just be a distraction.

I'm fine with bama doing this, spending the money or whatever...but that sure does not cause me to think it's some kind of genius move and that we should do it because they do.

Speaking as a creative professional, which is really what an Offensive football coach is, 2 heads are better than one and 5 heads are better than 2. The more input you have, the better chance you have of finding the wrinkles, each week, that take your game plan from passable to winning. It's kind of like when you watch people bat around an idea about the team here.  On person brings a thought, then someone else points out a detail that they may have missed, then another makes a correlation, and eventually we get to something that, while unproven, is usually pretty plausible. Person one might have never gotten there, and certainly wouldn't have gotten there so quickly. 

[AU64 10,122]

1 hour ago, lionheartkc said:

Speaking as a creative professional, which is really what an Offensive football coach is, 2 heads are better than one and 5 heads are better than 2. The more input you have, the better chance you have of finding the wrinkles, each week, that take your game plan from passable to winning. It's kind of like when you watch people bat around an idea about the team here.  On person brings a thought, then someone else points out a detail that they may have missed, then another makes a correlation, and eventually we get to something that, while unproven, is usually pretty plausible. Person one might have never gotten there, and certainly wouldn't have gotten there so quickly. 

All sounds good ...but you end up with nallsminger or something if you are not careful.....and I've been in these creative situations where the most assertive voice carries the day....not necessarily the one with the best ideas.  My experience is that more voices do not necessarily lead to a better conclusion.

[Tiger 8,830]

It's a brilliant move because these ex-HC guys are usually guys who are fantastic coordinators who just either proved to not be HC material, weren't ready for that particular step at the time, or off-field issues that made them unfit for a HC position. But if you are getting a shot to be a HC it means you are, generally, one hell of a football mind that's been proven on the field. Now these guys find themselves out of work for a myriad of reasons, but while they are still unemployed their football acumen remains unchanged. So the more guys you have with top football minds around the program can only be a good thing. Especially as an analyst where they literally only have to analyze and do no on-field coaching at all. That's a LOT of brain power going into essentially scouting and bringing ideas to the table. Overqualified? You bet. But that's how you get the absolute best out of your program. Where most programs have guys trying to move up the ladder in these types of positions, Saban said let me put a guy who is way beyond this stage here and it will all but guarantee we are getting the most value from our analyst position. JMO

[lionheartkc 6,150]

1 hour ago, AU64 said:

All sounds good ...but you end up with nallsminger or something if you are not careful.....and I've been in these creative situations where the most assertive voice carries the day....not necessarily the one with the best ideas.  My experience is that more voices do not necessarily lead to a better conclusion.

You only end up with Nalsminger if 1 person isn't in charge. It's like Bruce Springstein says about the E-Street band... it's not a democracy, it's a benevolent dictatorship. Everyone doesn't always like his decisions, but if he wasn't there to make the tough calls, they wouldn't have torn themselves apart and not had the longevity they still have. 

Lots of voices is best, if it falls on one person to make the final call.  

[AU64 10,122]

23 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

You only end up with Nalsminger if 1 person isn't in charge. It's like Bruce Springstein says about the E-Street band... it's not a democracy, it's a benevolent dictatorship. Everyone doesn't always like his decisions, but if he wasn't there to make the tough calls, they wouldn't have torn themselves apart and not had the longevity they still have. 

Lots of voices is best, if it falls on one person to make the final call.  

I guess our experiences are different...though one person has to make the final call as you say, too many voices just confuse things.    If two coaches plus their non-field staff can't figure out how to prepare an offense, the guy who is supposed to make that final call....may not being doing his job.  Right now we have about 8 coaches and analysts on the offensive side of the ball....that would seem to be plenty. JMO

[AUIH1 1,515]

2 hours ago, AU64 said:

I guess our experiences are different...though one person has to make the final call as you say, too many voices just confuse things.    If two coaches plus their non-field staff can't figure out how to prepare an offense, the guy who is supposed to make that final call....may not being doing his job.  Right now we have about 8 coaches and analysts on the offensive side of the ball....that would seem to be plenty. JMO

Well, it is obvious that Saban knows what he is doing given the success he has had when making these types of hires.  Gus would screw it up if he did have the courage to hire outside of the Gus-box because he is too stubborn to let go.  Saban is an ass, but he is literally a very smart ass.  He knew his O needed juice and make a risky hire with Kiffen and that hire has paid off very, very well.

wde