Is Gus coaching for his job against A&M?

[DAG 33,995]

1 hour ago, aujeff11 said:

Forget the reputation stuff, If we buyout a contract worth over 31 million and fire a coach after a winning season, we would be tbe epitome of everything that’s wrong with money driven CFB, unrealistic expectations, and the must win now mentality. 

Kirk is not in step with Auburn football. For one, most ESPN members predicted Auburn the most likely SEC member to disappoint this season thanks to losing so many OL and the brutal schedule. How can we be predicted to be the most disappointing team prior to tbe season, and then be the most disappointing team to this date? That’s a lazy low hanging fruit that’s best served to the ignorant. 

Two, he’s basically predicted every game wrong. He predicted Washington to win, Auburn to beat LSU, and lastly, Ole Miss over Auburn. And on that note, which creates my third point, he flat out said that he didn’t even think Auburn cared anymore before playing against Ole Miss. Our players haven’t quit all season. He has no clue what’s going on in Auburn. 

If anything Washington should be the most disappointing team to him. He predicted Washington to the CFP, not Auburn. To this date, “the most disappointing team,” and Oregon has already beat Washington.

And most people who would ridicule Auburn for making a coaching change if Gus loses the next 3 games aren't very in tuned with Auburn either. So that's why I don't understand why people care what the media or national perception would be. Who cares? And I also don't buy that it would affect the ability of Auburn to get the  interest of suitable candidates.

[aujeff11 6,243]

16 minutes ago, OnthePlains said:

And as far as the win now mentality, Gus has had five more years since 2013 to build a consistent winner with probably as a whole more talent than Auburn has ever fielded in a five year span. And he’s not getting it done. I’d agree with you if we had fired him after say 2015 but this will be six years in.

I’d agree with you but tbe ink on tbe new contract has just now dried and an immediate divorce is going to cost an arm and a leg. If the extension never happened, we should and probably would already be done with Gus. He’s had an ample amount of time to put things together. We made our bed though. 

16 minutes ago, OnthePlains said:

Who cares what the media thinks?

I generally don’t, especially from the ones that spew ignorant takes. There will be some bad optics though, and I can imagine prospective coaches will consider that. The coaches will see that Gus had an immense amount of time, sure. But they will also see the bipolarity of the fanbase ( calling for his head if we didn’t beat Georgia or Alabama to new contract to calling for his head again,) and they’ll call our bluff on any amount of job security going forward.

[aujeff11 6,243]

7 minutes ago, DAG said:

And most people who would ridicule Auburn for making a coaching change if Gus loses the next 3 games aren't very in tuned with Auburn either.

I’m a fan of tbe said school and program. I want tbe best for Auburn just like you do. I am thinking stability over short term fixes. You don’t. And that is fine. 

[DAG 33,995]

24 minutes ago, OnthePlains said:

I like Kirk, but I agree with what you said here. Like most analysts he is only paying attention very little of the time outside of the few programs that bspn loves i.e. bama, osu, clempson etc.  

I disagree with the first premise however, that this would somehow be so horrible for our rep. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about being an Auburn fan over 35 years, is it doesn’t matter what we do the national media will never really like us anyway. I think we probably gained a few fans in 2013 because of the miracle and the kick six but that has waned. 

And as far as the win now mentality, Gus has had five more years since 2013 to build a consistent winner with probably as a whole more talent than Auburn has ever fielded in a five year span. And he’s not getting it done. I’d agree with you if we had fired him after say 2015 but this will be six years in. Who cares what the media thinks? If we fire him they will light us up for being short-sighted, if we keep him and he continues to suck then they will light us up for not firing him sooner....its a no win situation with those guys.

If he goes 0-3 these next SEC games, does it really matter if he beats Liberty and wins in the toilet bowl to go 7-6? Sorry, I think the epitome of what's wrong with the SEC is the Jimmy Sextons of the world and the money hungry coaches. Why don't they get any blame? Oh I guess it is the fans and the institutions fault only for expecting a coach making 7 million dollars to be more than just above average. No it is not his fault. It's our fault.

[GwillMac6 20,685]

49 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

 

 

Fam

 

[DAG 33,995]

8 minutes ago, aujeff11 said:

I’m a fan of tbe said school and program. I want tbe best for Auburn just like you do. I am thinking stability over short term fixes. You don’t. And that is fine. 

Guess what? I am also a fan of said school. And I am also thinking stability. Keeping a guy who has proven to be consistently inconsistent is not going to fix anything, especially if you are basing it on what people think. To me, a short fix is keeping a guy, hoping he makes tweaks on his offensive staff, which is probably going to happen realistically. That's a short fix for an enduring problem that we have seen the last six years. So yes we do disagree, but your premise of such disagreement is not in the slightest accurate.

[aujeff11 6,243]

8 minutes ago, DAG said:

I think the epitome of what's wrong with the SEC is the Jimmy Sextons of the world and the money hungry coaches. 

You do realize that buying out Malzahn justifies everything that Sexton worked for in that contract, right? 

[aujeff11 6,243]

7 hours ago, DAG said:

Guess what? I am also a fan of said school

That why I said “I want the best for Auburn just like you do.”

7 hours ago, DAG said:

Keeping a guy who has proven to be consistently inconsistent is not going to fix anything,

Buying him out doesn’t secure stability. It only makes Auburn even more vulnerable. Trust me, “don’t worry, we won’t fire you if you end up being a bust any time soon.  We are too busy paying off other coaches” isn’t the best pitch for stability or making a hire.

[ToomersStreet 795]

On 10/23/2018 at 8:47 PM, OnthePlains said:

Truth is nobody knows. My guess is no, he is safe this year regardless, with the one caveat being if he loses to Liberty.  He will make Chip the scapegoat and hire another lackey and we will be having this exact same discussion this time next year as we watch another train wreck in progress.

That is what intrigues me.  Chip or Grimes?  Honestly I think it is too risky for Gus to blame it on the OC that he didnt let do his job.

[OnthePlains 2,014]

4 minutes ago, ToomersStreet said:

That is what intrigues me.  Chip or Grimes?  Honestly I think it is too risky for Gus to blame it on the OC that he didnt let do his job.

Hey Orange Helmet, I don’t think Gus would do it publicly but his PR team here on the boards have already started pushing blame onto Chip. Grimes will automatically be blamed by all of us but again everything goes back to one man...

[DAG 33,995]

6 minutes ago, aujeff11 said:

You do realize that buying out Malzahn justifies everything that Sexton worked for in that contract, right? 

It doesn't justify anything. It just makes him a better negotiator than Auburn. Maybe this Jimmy Sexton guy knew I need to keep my client fortune secure because my client is consistently inconsistent and they will come seeking his head soon lol. I mean that's very smart TBH. The problem is, it Gus Malzhan fault that he is even in this position.  We wouldn't even be talking about a buy out if he was not underachieving the way he is. If Auburn is going to give you a contract, securing you for their future in hopes that you bring the same intensity that you did against UGA and Alabama, do you believe Gus is also fulfilling his obligations by going 5-5 since such games?

I think we just are going to have to agree to disagree and see how it plays out. IMO he won't get fired if he wins one of the next three games anyhow. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

Don't forget that firing the university president 100% responsible for that terrible contract is on the table. 

[Mims44 1,872]

2 hours ago, OnthePlains said:

This is true but I believe Gus is an exception to a lot of rules lol. 7-6 or 6-7 with this amount of talent is borderline criminal and at least completely incompetent.

I don't disagree. But Auburn usually sticks to what they've always done. Years of mediocrity will slowly build towards firing. The only way to have it happen quickly are those horrible implosions. If Gus had a year like Gene Chiz's last year it wouldn't matter if his buyout was 60 mill, they would remove him. Barring that though, they'll be content to wait for his first losing year I think.

[DAG 33,995]

10 minutes ago, Mims44 said:

I don't disagree. But Auburn usually sticks to what they've always done. Years of mediocrity will slowly build towards firing. The only way to have it happen quickly are those horrible implosions. If Gus had a year like Gene Chiz's last year it wouldn't matter if his buyout was 60 mill, they would remove him. Barring that though, they'll be content to wait for his first losing year I think.

I think you are right and we will see a new OC next year 

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

1 hour ago, McLoofus said:

Don't forget that firing the university president 100% responsible for that terrible contract is on the table. 

I'm beginning to think this is a more likely scenario than firing Gus.

[DAG 33,995]

1 hour ago, McLoofus said:

Don't forget that firing the university president 100% responsible for that terrible contract is on the table. 

I mean he definitely should be held accountable but I think firing may be a bit much. Just my opinion. He absolutely shouldn't have gone rogue in a situation like that but I hope he is judged by more than just athletics. If he is fired and not Gus then I will find that quite questionable.

[McLoofus 35,182]

Just now, Brad_ATX said:

I'm beginning to think this is a more likely scenario than firing Gus.

At least we have these things to hold our interest. Wheeeeeeeeee

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 minute ago, DAG said:

I mean he definitely should be held accountable but I think firing may be a bit much. Just my opinion. He absolutely shouldn't have gone rogue in a situation like that but I hope he is judged by more than just athletics. If he is fired and not Gus then I will find that quite questionable.

Good points. 

Btw, I don't know jack and am not perpetuating rumors or anything. I was just thinking about it from the PR perspective. As in, "That contract wasn't an Auburn problem. It was a Leath problem." Totally just talking out loud for the hell of it. (Per usual...)

[DAG 33,995]

1 minute ago, McLoofus said:

Good points. 

Btw, I don't know jack and am not perpetuating rumors or anything. I was just thinking about it from the PR perspective. As in, "That contract wasn't an Auburn problem. It was a Leath problem." Totally just talking out loud for the hell of it. (Per usual...)

Yep same here haha. The funny thing is we have all of these threads discussing these matters and it's more than likely nothing will happen. 

[I_M4_AU 7,857]

IMO, Gus is gone. The only question is the timing.  Gus has had plenty of time to show us, the fans and the PTB, what kind of coach his is and what we can expect going forward.  If Gus is here next year it will be a very entertaining (not in a good way) to see how the spring goes.  I can’t wait to hear WDE’s opinion on how the team is progressing.  

Being a realist, I recognize that this decision is not up to me, but up the Auburn University.  So the only thing I can do for the rest of the season is try to manage my expectations.  That will greatly depend upon how the team looks in it’s remaining games.  The eye test for each game will determine my expectations from game to game. 

Bigbird mentioned in an earlier post, Auburn can’t make the same mistakes we have made in the past when hiring our next coach. I’m optimistic that our new AD understands this and is working, as I type, identifying what characteristics Auburn would like in our next coach.

[chimes 442]

This has probably been mentioned numerous times already but who could we hire at the end of this season that would reasonably guarantee more success than Gus over the next 5 years? I’ve been one of Gus’ biggest critics for years now but wouldn’t we need to KNOW that the next guy would get consistently better results? Especially considering the $ that’s at stake. I don’t have the time in my day to research all the other coaches mentioned over the past few weeks but how many of them would likely be that home run hire we’re looking for? 

Obviously not every coaching search ends in a sure fire home run but for what we’re going to have to shell out and the expectations we’ve put on ourselves, I feel like we’d have to get pretty close to it. How many coaches who are capable of righting our ship would be willing to leave where they are to come to Auburn? Obviously a lot of this is subjective but it’s just something I’ve been tossing around. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

5 minutes ago, chimes said:

This has probably been mentioned numerous times already but who could we hire at the end of this season that would reasonably guarantee more success than Gus over the next 5 years? I’ve been one of Gus’ biggest critics for years now but wouldn’t we need to KNOW that the next guy would get consistently better results? Especially considering the $ that’s at stake. I don’t have the time in my day to research all the other coaches mentioned over the past few weeks but how many of them would likely be that home run hire we’re looking for? 

Obviously not every coaching search ends in a sure fire home run but for what we’re going to have to shell out and the expectations we’ve put on ourselves, I feel like we’d have to get pretty close to it. How many coaches who are capable of righting our ship would be willing to leave where they are to come to Auburn? Obviously a lot of this is subjective but it’s just something I’ve been tossing around. 

Yeah. It's a very short list. 

I've been yapping a lot about the buyout not mattering and us needing a change now and all that, but you're right that we can't make a move unless we feel really good about the new direction we'd be heading in. And that's no guarantee. 

[chimes 442]

1 minute ago, McLoofus said:

Yeah. It's a very short list. 

I've been yapping a lot about the buyout not mattering and us needing a change now and all that, but you're right that we can't make a move unless we feel really good about the new direction we'd be heading in. And that's no guarantee. 

Exactly. I’ve been vocal about getting rid of him but I feel like we’d need that Mullen/Fisher level of security to be justified in doing it. 

[DAG 33,995]

Just now, chimes said:

Exactly. I’ve been vocal about getting rid of him but I feel like we’d need that Mullen/Fisher level of security to be justified in doing it. 

Okay just going to say this. Jimbo Fisher has won a NC but so did Gene Chizik. With the right support and personnel, you can do a lot but Jimbo left FSU a mess while he was there and when he left. FSU had piss poor offensive line the last year he was there and the team was falling apart. Players were disgusted with him. All this to say, I don't see what people see in Jimbo Fisher.

I also liked Dan Mullen and vouched for him but there is no guarantee he would be a slam dunk here. I did like that he was able to bring Mississippi State to their apex, so it is only logical that he could do more for Auburn. There seems to only be 3 slam dunk hires in college football: Urban, Dabo, and Nick. Everyone else has some sort of risk or con that can be said about them.

[AURealist 2,185]

On 10/25/2018 at 12:31 PM, DAG said:

Okay just going to say this. Jimbo Fisher has won a NC but so did Gene Chizik. With the right support and personnel, you can do a lot but Jimbo left FSU a mess while he was there and when he left. FSU had piss poor offensive line the last year he was there and the team was falling apart. Players were disgusted with him. All this to say, I don't see what people see in Jimbo Fisher.

I also liked Dan Mullen and vouched for him but there is no guarantee he would be a slam dunk here. I did like that he was able to bring Mississippi State to their apex, so it is only logical that he could do more for Auburn. There seems to only be 3 slam dunk hires in college football: Urban, Dabo, and Nick. Everyone else has some sort of risk or con that can be said about them.

You liked Dan Mullen?  He creeps me out.  There's something wrong with a man who never blinks.