An unconventional solution

[musicitytiger 281]

Considering the steep investment in Gus, there may be a need to search out some unconventional solutions.

if you put yourself in his shoes, he wasn’t really blessed with many stable examples of a head coach to serve under as OC.  In fact, all he experienced was drama.......no stability.

What about bringing in a retired head coach to act as a head coach assistant/mentor?  Give Gus a period to step back, run the offense, and get some mentoring/assistance on head coach duties.  It could buy the program some possible improvement during his time and allow him some aid in his career growth.

[McLoofus 35,182]

In theory, it's not crazy and maybe worth talking out.

But I can't help but go back to what I think might be Gus's biggest problem: he's not curious. He's not interested in outside opinions. He's not a seeker of knowledge or new ideas. 

You know how you always hear about other coaches visiting with each other over the summer, or doing various team building exercises, or bringing in experts from various fields and disciplines to talk to their teams, etc? When does Gus do that? No, the rare hang with Art Briles or Hugh Freeze doesn't count. I'm talking about spending time with someone other than his inner circle or past Auburn legends. NFL coaches, sports psychologists, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, Olympic coaches, motivational speakers, whatever. Has he been doing this and we just don't talk about it? Did he actually ask Al Borges any questions last season? Does he have anyone trying to set up a meeting with Doug Pederson? 

It just seems like Gus isn't interested in doing things differently. He just seems to think everyone else is failing to properly do things his way.

[auburnphan 6,050]

9 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

In theory, it's not crazy and maybe worth talking out.

But I can't help but go back to what I think might be Gus's biggest problem: he's not curious. He's not interested in outside opinions. He's not a seeker of knowledge or new ideas. 

You know how you always hear about other coaches visiting with each other over the summer, or doing various team building exercises, or bringing in experts from various fields and disciplines to talk to their teams, etc? When does Gus do that? No, the rare hang with Art Briles or Hugh Freeze doesn't count. I'm talking about spending time with someone other than his inner circle or past Auburn legends. NFL coaches, sports psychologists, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, Olympic coaches, motivational speakers, whatever. Has he been doing this and we just don't talk about it? Did he actually ask Al Borges any questions last season? Does he have anyone trying to set up a meeting with Doug Pederson? 

It just seems like Gus isn't interested in doing things differently. He just seems to think everyone else is failing to properly do things his way.

exactly

[auskip07 930]

according to some on this board   pat dye is alway lurking in a corner somewhere influencing things.   Does that count? 

[DAG 34,216]

57 minutes ago, musicitytiger said:

Considering the steep investment in Gus, there may be a need to search out some unconventional solutions.

if you put yourself in his shoes, he wasn’t really blessed with many stable examples of a head coach to serve under as OC.  In fact, all he experienced was drama.......no stability.

What about bringing in a retired head coach to act as a head coach assistant/mentor?  Give Gus a period to step back, run the offense, and get some mentoring/assistance on head coach duties.  It could buy the program some possible improvement during his time and allow him some aid in his career growth.

You think Gus would agree to that? Gus’s problem is his ego. And a lot of the drama , he himself help bring about. There is a problem when drama follows you every where you go 

[musicitytiger 281]

I think he probably sees the damage done to the Gus bus.  I can’t think of many other solutions that would allow him to maintain his brand of football without further damaging the program.

[boomstick 1,315]

1 hour ago, musicitytiger said:

Considering the steep investment in Gus, there may be a need to search out some unconventional solutions.

if you put yourself in his shoes, he wasn’t really blessed with many stable examples of a head coach to serve under as OC.  In fact, all he experienced was drama.......no stability.

What about bringing in a retired head coach to act as a head coach assistant/mentor?  Give Gus a period to step back, run the offense, and get some mentoring/assistance on head coach duties.  It could buy the program some possible improvement during his time and allow him some aid in his career growth.

If I thought Gus would truly take the advice and implement it, then maybe. But he's been asked repeatedly to make changes and give up control and to take suggestions, and he's always fallen back to relying on himself and interjecting (some would say undermining) at every turn. So, I don't think Gus would take someone else's advice or mentorship. And I don't think he will change. He might temporarily when he feels like his job is in serious jeopardy and he's operating in desperation mode. But just as soon as he feels like he's cleared trouble, I think he falls right back into his old habits and old ways. IMO it's Gus's biggest issue (one I don't think will go away) and part of why I think we should  part ways at the end of the season.

[BJCrawford 1,568]

17 minutes ago, DAG said:

You think Gus would agree to that? Gus’s problem is his ego. And a lot of the drama , he himself help bring about. There is a problem when drama follows you every where you go 

Would he have a choice? My real question, since they are paying him, is can they dictate what he does? (Not sure who I’m thinking “they” is).  But in what situation does he not have a say? (I’ve worked jobs before where my responsibilities changed and I had no say. A could quit or go with the flow)

[DAG 34,216]

21 minutes ago, BJCrawford said:

Would he have a choice? My real question, since they are paying him, is can they dictate what he does? (Not sure who I’m thinking “they” is).  But in what situation does he not have a say? (I’ve worked jobs before where my responsibilities changed and I had no say. A could quit or go with the flow)

Supposedly he didn’t have a choice about being hands off the offense too and yet here we are 

[McLoofus 35,182]

23 minutes ago, boomstick said:

If I thought Gus would truly take the advice and implement it, then maybe. But he's been asked repeatedly to make changes and give up control and to take suggestions, and he's always fallen back to relying on himself and interjecting (some would say undermining) at every turn. So, I don't think Gus would take someone else's advice or mentorship. And I don't think he will change. He might temporarily when he feels like his job is in serious jeopardy and he's operating in desperation mode. But just as soon as he feels like he's cleared trouble, I think he falls right back into his old habits and old ways. IMO it's Gus's biggest issue (one I don't think will go away) and part of why I think we should  part ways at the end of the season.

I held out hope until this season. I've finally disabused myself of such naivety. He's like he's the trapped raccoon in "Where the Red Fern Grows". All he's got to do is let go, but he won't do it. 

[Tiger Refuge 6,692]

5 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

I held out hope until this season. I've finally disabused myself of such naivety. He's like he's the trapped raccoon in "Where the Red Fern Grows". All he's got to do is let go, but he won't do it. 

If he would do this(seek advice) voluntarily, I’d say hell yeah. However, if has to continually be told/suggested how to fix major problems that he himself can’t or won’t see, then what is his true function?

Also, the bolded part could be the title track on Flog the Deceased Equine’s debut album.

[boomstick 1,315]

17 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

I held out hope until this season. I've finally disabused myself of such naivety. He's like he's the trapped raccoon in "Where the Red Fern Grows". All he's got to do is let go, but he won't do it. 

Exactly. We've just seen this song and dance enough times already without true change to believe it's actually going change. Give Rhett the play calling, take them away from him, fire Rhett to fix the offense because he was the problem, hire Chip Lindsey to improve the passing game, not let him run his offense, give Chip full play calling duties, interject at every turn. Just over and over and over. 

[ronau57 12]

Gus is not a coach.  He looked at some old footage of the a bygone era and added a few wrinkles to these plays.  They didn't work too good the first year.  2010 he had Cam and anything would work.  After 2 years all the SEC defensive coordinators have figured out his plays.  Fast forward 8 years later and he is trying to put a spread offense on the field with a QB that can't run and isn't a gamer.  I would hand him a broom show him the bathroom and say enjoy your new position.

[TigerOne 1,167]

don't both parties in a contract have to fulfill their responsibility? Has Gus fulfilled his? Can the contract be reworked?

[gr82be 14,643]

I doubt Gus would ever admit he needs help to any degree.  He doesn't have much support anymore based on this board and the ones that do seem to have disappeared. How on God's green earth does he not know that he is sucking the air out of everything Auburn football is. I don't think a mentor coach will help because the mentee has to have a desire to learn. What we need here is a locked door intervention and if that doesn't work then just go with the locked door. 

[DAG 34,216]

Just now, gr82be said:

I doubt Gus would ever admit he needs help to any degree.  He doesn't have much support anymore based on this board and the ones that do seem to have disappeared. How on God's green earth does he not know that he is sucking the air out of everything Auburn football is. I don't think a mentor coach will help because the mentee has to have a desire to learn. What we need here is a locked door intervention and if that doesn't work then just go with the locked door. 

Oh he knows . That is why he was smart enough early on to afford him some stability in case his seat ever got hot again. Like I said, last year was a sign of desperation from him and then Auburn. 

[ChltteTiger 649]

23 minutes ago, DAG said:

Oh he knows . That is why he was smart enough early on to afford him some stability in case his seat ever got hot again. Like I said, last year was a sign of desperation from him and then Auburn. 

How did Gus' desperation become Auburn's desperation practically overnight? The two big wins over #1s? In hindsight it just seems totally ridiculous.

[DAG 34,216]

Just now, ChltteTiger said:

How did Gus' desperation become Auburn's desperation practically overnight? The two big wins over #1s? In hindsight it just seems totally ridiculous.

Because it would seem that our brass panicked and balked on Gus’s poker face to bolt for Arkansas. No way do I think Gus would be successful at Arkansas and yes , Arkansas was that desperate , they were willing to essentially give him the keys to the state. 

[cctiger 572]

Just take the HC responsibility away from him. Give the O to Chip, and The D to Steele, and tell Gustav to sit in the booth(without any headsets).  That couldn't hurt any more than how this season has gone. Prolly be a vast improvement. Do something, try anything! Let him keep the title of head coach, just reassign him to do something else! GIve him Larry Culpepper's job- GET YOUR ICE COLD DRINKS HERE! - Let him even talk smack to the media like ole Larry! Gee, do something!

[jAUSon 2,836]

Novel idea. Hire an actual coach for a million or two. Make him "co-head coach" Then tell all the assistants "by the way, from here-on you'll answer to this guy".

Probably not possible in any way, shape, or form, but very intriguing nonetheless.

[Grimnir 188]

36 minutes ago, ChltteTiger said:

How did Gus' desperation become Auburn's desperation practically overnight? The two big wins over #1s? In hindsight it just seems totally ridiculous.

Recency bias and what appeared to be genuine improvement over the course of the season?

[MaitlandTiger 325]

OFFER STEVE SPURRIER $10 MILLION TO WORK FOR 8 MONTHS   chance to put some serious money in the bank as well as cement his legacy… How’s that for a solution?

People,  Everybody is trying as hard as they can. Players and coaches. The bottom line is we thought our defensive line was the best in the business and our offensive line must’ve held up fairly well against them in practices. Come to find out our defensive line is not “all world”, they’re just pretty darn good. Many key aspects of the team just are not as good as we thought.  Defenses have completely figured out our running scheme and we either have not been able to adapt or we don’t have the talent to adapt. 

Now, the head of the offense, our offensive coordinator, is doing a horrible job of calling the right plays,  putting in the right personnel at the right time, and he telegraphs his plays based on personnel. His resume was southern Mississippi and an always mediocre Arizona State. Let’s throw the checkbook at a really good offensive coordinator.  Offer Steve Spurrier $10 million for one year…

 

 

[MaitlandTiger 325]

Steve is cool, he’ll take $3 million on paper and $7 million in duffel bags, so as not to hurt Gus’s feelings. 

 The offensive coordinator at Auburn University, power of Dixie land, pride of the south, perennial football powerhouse, has a pathetic resume and has done little other than to beat Alabama and Georgia last year, which I will always treasure. Otherwise it’s pretty mediocre stuff and often absolutely horrible.  7-5 is reason to celebrate at Arizona State-the school that, every single year, the media states is going to have a breakout year…This is the SEC, man. Gotta have a really good offensive coordinator.  chip is a really adequate small conference guy.  Run this show like a business. You don’t have very long to prove yourself in your business… 

 

[Barnacle 9,065]

5 minutes ago, MaitlandTiger said:

OFFER STEVE SPURRIER $10 MILLION TO WORK FOR 8 MONTHS   chance to put some serious money in the bank as well as cement his legacy… How’s that for a solution?

People,  Everybody is trying as hard as they can. Players and coaches. The bottom line is we thought our defensive line was the best in the business and our offensive line must’ve held up fairly well against them in practices. Come to find out our defensive line is not “all world”, they’re just pretty darn good. Many key aspects of the team just are not as good as we thought.  Defenses have completely figured out our running scheme and we either have not been able to adapt or we don’t have the talent to adapt. 

Now, the head of the offense, our offensive coordinator, is doing a horrible job of calling the right plays,  putting in the right personnel at the right time, and he telegraphs his plays based on personnel. His resume was southern Mississippi and an always mediocre Arizona State. Let’s throw the checkbook at a really good offensive coordinator.  Offer Steve Spurrier $10 million for one year…

 

 

I wish Spurrier were just a little younger. Unfortunately, any coach would need a good 2-3 years to get the program going in the direction they desire. One year, even for a coach like Spurrier wouldn't help the program, especially if someone else is coming in behind him. 

[Gowebb11 9,607]

4 hours ago, musicitytiger said:

 

Considering the steep investment in Gus, there may be a need to search out some unconventional solutions.

if you put yourself in his shoes, he wasn’t really blessed with many stable examples of a head coach to serve under as OC.  In fact, all he experienced was drama.......no stability.

What about bringing in a retired head coach to act as a head coach assistant/mentor?  Give Gus a period to step back, run the offense, and get some mentoring/assistance on head coach duties.  It could buy the program some possible improvement during his time and allow him some aid in his career growth.

 

I’m always appreciative of creative discussions, like your idea. That said, there is a point of no return as it pertains to a leader and the confidence of his followers. I fully believe Saturday was when Gus crossed that point. This whole offseason, who is going to buy tickets, donate money, or get excited about the team during spring? We’ve been burned too many times. Nothing Gus can do now can win back our trust. It would not shock me to see the pressure get so great, he resigns by year’s end.