Where did Malzahn fail and get us where we are?

[GwillMac6 20,689]

2017 was our most complete team top to bottom since 2004. We lost 4 games. But that is not when I first knew Gus was a failure. 2014. Wasted arguably the most complete Auburn offense of all time. Lost 5 games that season. All the embarrassing failures of his High School QBs he has recruited. Just look at his staff on the offensive side of the ball. Would any of them Besides Larry Porter be a hot commodity if they were to hit the streets and this staff would be fired by a big boy school? Absolutely not. But the thing that most made me realize he was a failure? 2015. Malzahns INSISTENCE ON PLAYING PEYTON BARBER AHEAD OF JOVON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMGSH IDK if I have ever lost my mind and got so mad over a bad AU team before. Him being so damn married to Peyton Barber cost us AT LEAST the Ole Miss and Georgia games that year off the top of my head. Jovon in college it was clear to even Ray Charles that he was the much more superior back to Barber. After that I was completely done with him.

[doc4aday 1,887]

If Gus can get Kelly Bryant, the former Clemson QB, we would see an uptick in our offense. I have lost faith in Coach Steele, and feel that it is time to go another direction with our DC. Of course, we will see a new OC that likely will be Freeze. If not Freeze, then Kendal Briles would be the next coach in line imho.

[DAG 33,997]

23 minutes ago, doc4aday said:

If Gus can get Kelly Bryant, the former Clemson QB, we would see an uptick in our offense. I have lost faith in Coach Steele, and feel that it is time to go another direction with our DC. Of course, we will see a new OC that likely will be Freeze. If not Freeze, then Kendal Briles would be the next coach in line imho.

How possibly could you have lost faith on coach Steele, yet willing to give Gus the benefit of a doubt? That doesn't make sense at all.

[aucom96 1,623]

Gus’ philosophy has always been about capitalizing on mistakes. His offense counts on misalignments and (until the rules changed) substitution advantages created by pace. Speed is constant in this league and the top coaches adjust. Gus feels there is no need to adjust because the scheme is the answer. His initial defensive approach was pitifully loose and soft. I suspect changes there were forced on him. He has recruited a random patchwork of athletes over specialists. He has failed to build an infrastructure and that may take several recruiting cycles to repair. It’s not going to get better. These schemes are built as bandaids for smaller programs to overcome temporary talent advantages. We are not a small time program and the talent advantages we face are not temporary. If you try and take a passive work around to success in this league, you’ll be sitting in the back pretty quickly. I think we’re just at the start of paying the price of taking that route with Gus.

[doc4aday 1,887]

1 minute ago, DAG said:

How possibly could you have lost faith on coach Steele, yet willing to give Gus the benefit of a doubt? That doesn't make sense at all.

This is a hard one no doubt. I have been a huge fan of Steele, but see our defense going downhill fast. I know the poor offensive showing makes life harder for the defense. At the end of the day, I have lost 99% of my faith in Gus as well. The most logical solution would be to part ways with Gus. I honestly do not see us getting Bryant and think he is Oklahoma bound. I understand where you are coming from.

I have wondered since the days of Marshall, why Gus did not pursue a 4 or 5 star true DT QB.  I hope we will see Gatewood in the Liberty game, but this will not happen. Gus will stay with JS no matter how bad the outcome could be. Who knows what will happen.

[DAG 33,997]

did anyone else see this? Ha ha 

”They probably going to fire me.”

Could also be fine.

 

Who is a professional lip reader around  here 

[ChltteTiger 649]

21 minutes ago, DAG said:

How possibly could you have lost faith on coach Steele, yet willing to give Gus the benefit of a doubt? That doesn't make sense at all.

 

[DAG 33,997]

Just now, ChltteTiger said:

Don't want to speak for doc but what we think of Malzahn doesn't matter much in light of Greene's recent endorsement. Unless the endorsement turns out to be false??

I agree but why would you want to part ways with Coach Steele?

[CleCoTiger 1,957]

2 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

2017 was our most complete team top to bottom since 2004. We lost 4 games. But that is not when I first knew Gus was a failure. 2014. Wasted arguably the most complete Auburn offense of all time. Lost 5 games that game. All the embarrassing failures of his High School QBs he has recruited. Just look at his staff on the offensive side of the ball. Would any of them Besides Larry Porter be a hot commodity if they were to hit the streets and this staff would be fired by a big boy school? Absolutely not. But the thing that most made me realize he was a failure? 2015. Malzahns INSISTENCE ON PLAYING PEYTON BARBER AHEAD OF JOVON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMGSH IDK if I have ever lost my mind and got so mad over a bad AU team before. Him being so damn married to Peyton Barber cost us AT LEAST the Ole Miss and Georgia games that year off the top of my head. Jovon in college it was clear to even Ray Charles that he was the much more superior back to Barber. After that I was completely done with him.

Not to be flip. but I know which NFL team Barber plays for.  Where does Robinson play these days?

[GwillMac6 20,689]

Just now, CleCoTiger said:

Not to be flip. but I know which NFL team Barber plays for.  Where does Robinson play these days?

I knew  that would be brought up and I am as shocked as anyone. When he was at AU I thought he was the least talented starting RB we had in some time. AT AU there was no question Jovon was the much more talented and better back. It was obvious with their play on the field.

[CleCoTiger 1,957]

Just now, GwillMac6 said:

I knew  that would be brought up and I am as shocked as anyone. When he was at AU I thought he was the least talented starting RB we had in some time. AT AU there was no question Jovon was the much more talented and better back. It was obvious with their play on the field.

I never saw enough of Robinson on the field to know.  He wasn't on the field in that many games, was he?

[GwillMac6 20,689]

Just now, CleCoTiger said:

I never saw enough of Robinson on the field to know.  He wasn't on the field in that many games, was he?

And that is why I am so upset when it came to the 2015 season. He should of been.

[CleCoTiger 1,957]

4 minutes ago, GwillMac6 said:

And that is why I am so upset when it came to the 2015 season. He should of been.

Feel like I'm going around in circles.  You said it was obvious when he was on the field that he should have been ahead of Barber. What I wanna know is...when the heck was he on the field for anyone to actually make that judgement?  And as before, one of these two backs has made it to the next level and stuck. One has not. Hard to argue with that.

[Auburn Kev 1,653]

20 minutes ago, CleCoTiger said:

Feel like I'm going around in circles.  You said it was obvious when he was on the field that he should have been ahead of Barber. What I wanna know is...when the heck was he on the field for anyone to actually make that judgement?  And as before, one of these two backs has made it to the next level and stuck. One has not. Hard to argue with that.

Robinsons 2015 game stats 

http://m.espn.com/ncf/playergamelog?playerId=530919&season=2015&lang=EN

[bmartin3228 117]

Loved Peyton Barbar , but comparing the two they were both big physical backs. Jovan in my opinion had a bit more burst and had big play capabilities. Jovan couldn’t get out of his own way off the field and that’s on him. Loved some Peyton Babar though !

[Maverick.AU 13,281]

2 hours ago, doc4aday said:

This is a hard one no doubt. I have been a huge fan of Steele, but see our defense going downhill fast. I know the poor offensive showing makes life harder for the defense. At the end of the day, I have lost 99% of my faith in Gus as well. The most logical solution would be to part ways with Gus. I honestly do not see us getting Bryant and think he is Oklahoma bound. I understand where you are coming from.

I have wondered since the days of Marshall, why Gus did not pursue a 4 or 5 star true DT QB.  I hope we will see Gatewood in the Liberty game, but this will not happen. Gus will stay with JS no matter how bad the outcome could be. Who knows what will happen.

Doc is actually Gus looking for the fall guy.

im kidding of course, Doc. Lol

[gr82b4au 5,568]

2 hours ago, doc4aday said:

 

I have wondered since the days of Marshall, why Gus did not pursue a 4 or 5 star true DT QB.  I hope we will see Gatewood in the Liberty game, but this will not happen. Gus will stay with JS no matter how bad the outcome could be. Who knows what will happen.

Gus tried.  He really wanted the Watson kid that went to Clemson. Really bad. We just lost a recruiting battle. We are losing all kinds of recruiting battles and that is where we are failing. If he is not going to be able to recruit to get the kinds of players he needs to run his offense, he needs to change his offense. That is the second Area that he is failing.

[Zeek 16,657]

12 hours ago, AUCE05 said:

Please save the smart ass remarks for the other "Fire Gus" threads.   Gus had so much potential and momentum post 2013 season.  Seems he fell victim to the same mistake Chiz had in changing philosophy.    It is so mind numbing.  Saban said he changed his strategy specifically becuase of Gus' RPO play, yet Gus converted to Saban's "old man football" approach.    

You’re premise is flawed in the beginning. 2013 highlighted the abysmal failures that Gus would continue to have for years to come.

He cost us a National Championship by taking his foot off the gas. This began his skid of God awful postseason play.

He’s always been terrible in the red zone except for when he had a 6’6” 250 panzer tank at quarterback who went on to set all qb rushing records in the pros.

He’s always been a beta male.

He’s always leaned on hiring people he knows, has connections with, and wants to be buddies with.

To answer your question. He’s always had these flaws and if I had to pick where he went wrong it’s as simple as he never learned from them.

When you hire a coach who has only been a HC for a year or so in a puny conference you accept that you’ll take lumps while they’re learning. Well he’s a 6th year senior and he’s still stuck on remedial math. 

[GwillMac6 20,689]

55 minutes ago, CleCoTiger said:

Feel like I'm going around in circles.  You said it was obvious when he was on the field that he should have been ahead of Barber. What I wanna know is...when the heck was he on the field for anyone to actually make that judgement?  And as before, one of these two backs has made it to the next level and stuck. One has not. Hard to argue with that.

Gus cost us the Ole Miss and Georgia games that year because we were running it down their throats those games feeding Jovon. We stopped with that gameplan and barber was inserted in the game and we get beat. That is what I meant. He was in the doghouse for a lot of that season but gus was un truthful and said he had some injury.

[AUwent 3,756]

4 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

2017 was our most complete team top to bottom since 2004. We lost 4 games. But that is not when I first knew Gus was a failure. 2014. Wasted arguably the most complete Auburn offense of all time. Lost 5 games that game. All the embarrassing failures of his High School QBs he has recruited. Just look at his staff on the offensive side of the ball. Would any of them Besides Larry Porter be a hot commodity if they were to hit the streets and this staff would be fired by a big boy school? Absolutely not. But the thing that most made me realize he was a failure? 2015. Malzahns INSISTENCE ON PLAYING PEYTON BARBER AHEAD OF JOVON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMGSH IDK if I have ever lost my mind and got so mad over a bad AU team before. Him being so damn married to Peyton Barber cost us AT LEAST the Ole Miss and Georgia games that year off the top of my head. Jovon in college it was clear to even Ray Charles that he was the much more superior back to Barber. After that I was completely done with him.

Don't forget going after JF3 instead of Jerod Evans.

[GwillMac6 20,689]

Just now, AUwent said:

Don't forget going after JF3 instead of Jerod Evans.

O man. that was ugly. SO TRUE. WOW I had totally forgotten about this.

[DAG 33,997]

The funny thing is Jimbo Fisher, who a lot of you guys like, offered JF3 and not Cord Sandberg out of high school.

[Swamp Eagle 5,144]

16 hours ago, Eagle-1 said:

He loves Auburn alright. To the tune of 49 million dollars. 

Keep drinking the kool aid aubiefifty. If you're the last one off the bus please turn the lights off.

Regardless of what the feelings on Gus are, collectively, I would think that ALL Auburn people would hope for him to turn it around and not subscribe to the "if continuing to lose gets him gone sooner, I'm for it" nonsense. If the losses continue (as I expect them to as long as he is HC), he'll eventually be gone; I just refuse to 'hope for it' at the expense of the team. 

[Swamp Eagle 5,144]

I know it's wishful thinking, but the honorable thing for Gus to do at this point is offer to resign with a negotiated payout. His problem is he can't see that he is the problem. That and the prospect of being owed $32 MM if fired, of course.

Nah, Kristi wouldn't go for that. Hell, neither would I.

[corchjay 5,311]

For me things seemed to change when he started coaching scared.   Worrying about keeping his job and letting the pressure get to him.  

Second was slowing down the offense trying to call the perfect play in every situation.  Sometimes just run the fricking play and to go along with that letting down and distance directly affect so much of play calling.  

3rd trying to mesh two totally different philosophies to cover weaknesses in his own scheme.  Along with this letting or listening to complaints from fans, PTB, alumni, boosters of what the offense needs to be more successful.  Identify your own weaknesses and address them if others are having to point them out then that's not being very self aware.  

Recruiting, development, retention, NFL draftees all fall on many people, head coach, position coach, strength coach, and the player so not sure he's really to blame for all that.  When RG was the recruiting coordinator our team was about as balanced as it could be both in position groupings and defense vs offense.  Now just 2 years later we are out of balance again.  Example the OL and running backs.  

But I do have to say over his tenure he has for the most part each season done the things to address bad areas with bringing in players or different coaches to address problems.  Some have worked, some haven't.