For those of you who think firing Malzahn for Harsin was a mistake

[bigbird 60,580]

3 minutes ago, 1716AU said:

I ended up with a heart attack in my first month at the age of 40.  Thinks about that.  I was ONE person.  I didn't have a staff, I had to build the program working 16 hour days (that GREATLY upset my wife and daughters) and bloody fly all over the Southeast recruiting, as only a small number of people knew me and anything about my career prior.

Sound familiar?

I promise, Harsin and Co. are working overtime, and they know what they are doing.

I left the program, after 6 years is dramatically better shape than I found it.  Harsin will, at least, do that.

We played one game, the HC calls up and is jumping all over me about the other team passing and scoring at will. I said, "Coach they have 3 receivers over 6'2" and all of them run sub 4.7. Our DBs are 5'3", 5'8", 5'10", and 5'7" and each run around a 5.0. I can either jam them, let them get bitch slapped and have them run past us or I can back them off and they'll just see the blur as the run past them." There was about 5 seconds of dead silence, then he just started laughing.

[augolf1716 21,432]

8 minutes ago, bigbird said:

We played one game, the HC calls up and is jumping all over me about the other team passing and scoring at will. I said, "Coach they have 3 receivers over 6'2" and all of them run sub 4.7. Our DBs are 5'3", 5'8", 5'10", and 5'7" and each run around a 5.0. I can either jam them, let them get bitch slapped and have them run past us or I can back them off and they'll just see the blur as the run past them." There was about 5 seconds of dead silence, then he just started laughing.

A 5'3" DB WTH 

[bigbird 60,580]

1 minute ago, augolf1716 said:

A 5'3" DB WTH 

He was the fastest we had, ran about a 4.9 and would stick his nose into anything and anyone. Tough as nails, not really bright, but had a lot of heart. Gave it all he had every single play. 

[augolf1716 21,432]

1 minute ago, bigbird said:

He was the fastest we had, ran about a 4.9 and would stick his nose into anything and anyone. Tough as nails, not really bright, but had a lot of heart. Gave it all he had every single play. 

Can he play OL? maybe Deep Snapper

[bigbird 60,580]

7 minutes ago, augolf1716 said:

Can he play OL? maybe Deep Snapper

Made a great wedge buster

[augolf1716 21,432]

2 hours ago, bigbird said:

Made a great wedge buster

AKA Brandon Jacobs

[cbo 7,967]

4 hours ago, DAG said:

I often wonder what you do for a living? 

Motivational speaker

[DAG 34,034]

Just now, cbo said:

Motivational speaker

I was thinking a therapist. 

[I_M4_AU 8,049]

4 hours ago, bigbird said:

We played one game, the HC calls up and is jumping all over me about the other team passing and scoring at will. I said, "Coach they have 3 receivers over 6'2" and all of them run sub 4.7. Our DBs are 5'3", 5'8", 5'10", and 5'7" and each run around a 5.0. I can either jam them, let them get bitch slapped and have them run past us or I can back them off and they'll just see the blur as the run past them." There was about 5 seconds of dead silence, then he just started laughing.

Is this where you honed your debating skills?

[SRBautigerfan 1,040]

1 hour ago, augolf1716 said:

AKA Brandon Jacobs

Oof, I thought he almost killed a kid on a kick off back in the day.

Edited January 4, 2022 by SRBautigerfan

[augolf1716 21,432]

1 minute ago, SRBautigerfan said:

Oof, I thought he almost killed a kid on a kick off back in the day.

Same here just damn

[cole256 17,084]

4 hours ago, bigbird said:

We played one game, the HC calls up and is jumping all over me about the other team passing and scoring at will. I said, "Coach they have 3 receivers over 6'2" and all of them run sub 4.7. Our DBs are 5'3", 5'8", 5'10", and 5'7" and each run around a 5.0. I can either jam them, let them get bitch slapped and have them run past us or I can back them off and they'll just see the blur as the run past them." There was about 5 seconds of dead silence, then he just started laughing.

If you had a 4 man d line then it wouldn't matter. 4 man d line solves everything

[johnnyAU 3,668]

6 minutes ago, SRBautigerfan said:

Oof, I thought he almost killed a kid on a kick off back in the day.

Was against Vandy too right? Kid probably weighed 175lbs. It was brutal.

[SRBautigerfan 1,040]

6 minutes ago, johnnyAU said:

Was against Vandy too right? Kid probably weighed 175lbs. It was brutal.

I don’t recall but it was an ugly lesson on physics.

[augolf1716 21,432]

24 minutes ago, johnnyAU said:

Was against Vandy too right? Kid probably weighed 175lbs. It was brutal.

yep

[bigbird 60,580]

2 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

Is this where you honed your debating skills?

By halftime I was rocking back and forth in the fetal position

[Hank2020 3,223]

7 hours ago, augolf1716 said:

A 5'3" DB WTH 

Short people got to play somewhere!!

[AUx 3,016]

5 hours ago, cbo said:

Motivational speaker

I see that  

[fredst 9,064]

9 hours ago, bigbird said:

We played one game, the HC calls up and is jumping all over me about the other team passing and scoring at will. I said, "Coach they have 3 receivers over 6'2" and all of them run sub 4.7. Our DBs are 5'3", 5'8", 5'10", and 5'7" and each run around a 5.0. I can either jam them, let them get bitch slapped and have them run past us or I can back them off and they'll just see the blur as the run past them." There was about 5 seconds of dead silence, then he just started laughing.

They must not have turned to look for the ball when they were in coverage….

[fredst 9,064]

4 hours ago, SRBautigerfan said:

Oof, I thought he almost killed a kid on a kick off back in the day.

 

[bigbird 60,580]

8 hours ago, DAG said:

I was thinking a therapist. 

A certain show attendant in Tijuana

2 hours ago, fredst said:

They must not have turned to look for the ball when they were in coverage….

I'm not sure they knew what sport they were playing

[rockfordpi 91]

15 hours ago, 1716AU said:

I greatly appreciate your opinion, and it is a good and valid one. And you are so spot on with your third paragraph. 

But I will ask this due to your first few lines:

How much worse would Gus have made the program if he completed his contract here?

I think he would have has as good, if not better,  season than this year and I am confident he would have had a better recruiting class. He definitely would have had a better call on that last 3rd down VS UAT.

But you are right, he was trending down. However, I would argue that was because he was competing with 13 other SEC teams and HALF HIS OWN FAN BASE AND BOOSTERS (the same half that originally jumped on the Gus Bus that I fear will eventually turn on CBH). 

In my opinion, and it's just my opinion after observing the past three years, it would have been worse than what Tennessee has experienced. Vandy-esque. Then just how would the fanbase have reacted?

I differ from your opinion, at least to the extent of the decline, but I respect yours. It would have been very hard for him due to the people internally working against him, so, as much as I hate to admit, it probably was time for him to go.

The key question is, will things be any better with the new coach or will the fan base/boosters turn on and undermine him and place him in the same position as CGM. 

Harsin will need REAL time and patience to clean this mess up.  I get frustrated, like everyone, when you see the results of the MSU and USCe games.  But that is because of just where the last dawber left the program.

If you have never walked into a program that is basically a nuclear waste land, you don't understand that it take a bit to figure out the lay of the land, and just what the task will ultimately be.  Trust me, I've been there and done that, and the first years is scary as hell because you have to play with the hand that your dealt. 

To be fair, CBH was not dealt Mike Bobo nor the receiver's coach he fired mid year. 

That is tough.

Gus will leave UCF in the same shape. 

I do not think so, but you could be correct, only time will tell.  

I do think when CGM has had talent close to as good as his competition, he was very competitive. He did more with less than most. He never played a game vs UAT where he had better, or even equal, talent. To be fair, he also lost some games where he had better talent. 

It is also a fair argument that CGM is responsible for the talent deficiency and he had. The question is, is there another coach AU has a reasonable chance to hire who could recruit and coach better?  

CNS recruits 4 and 5 star players AND coaches them up. Those who think AU can hire a coach who can recruit 2 and 3 star players and coach them up to be better than the 4 or 5 stars who have been coached up, are dreaming. 

It's his M.O.  Harsin will leave a program that is strong, but it will take time.

I hope you are correct, regardless, CBH is my coach and I am 100% behind him.

Auburn folks need to get over the Fast Food mentality. 

I agree 100% with that statement.

I don't get on here much any more (and that has done wonders for my mental health, LOL) I just check in when I am looking for inside info like on Hudson and Flanigan. So if I do not get a chance to respond to your reply (if you make one) let me say in advance I respect your opinion and the refreshing civility in which you express it. 

 

[aubiefifty 17,072]

22 hours ago, AUwent said:

People keep bringing up the schedule yet want us to keep playing Georgia every year. Sigh.

you stop the oldest rivalry in the south? or quit playing bama? personally i do not want to hear the stories of what a chicken squat team we have. we would be eaten alive and it would be such a smear to auburn i would rather that not happen. we have been up there before and we will be up there again but it takes hard work and it will take a little time. the mighty saban lost his last five games at bama tho he did win his bowl. a bama friend friend told me this yesterday for the truth and i have no reason not to believe him. harsin has a ton of stuff to deal with besides fielding a team. he depends on a lot of other folks as well. i think bobo was a necessary for recruiting and it did not work out as well as he hoped. AUwent i understand your frustration but lets not give up our pride. we have always prided ourselves with playing anyone anywhere and i have loved that about us.

[Viper 3,139]

On 12/30/2021 at 7:30 PM, EagleEye67 said:

 

In todays world, every coach is on the clock the moment they sign their contract.

[gravejd 3,272]

Firing Malzahn was definitely needed. I think he probably does better than 6-7 this year had he stayed but thats just my opinion. No one knows one way or the other. But overall Malzahn had hit his high mark as a coach and we were getting further and further away from being a championship level team.  Will Harsin get use closer to championship level?? Not sure on that but If he doesn't firing Malzahn still gets us closer to the right coach regardless of what Harsin does. 

I thought the Harsin hire was a good one. He has a long track record of running a good program at Boise. Its true Boise was already good before he got there and its his school so i'll give you there are some special circumstances that went into his success there. But success is success imo....it does not always translate but its the best we have to go on. I think Harsin is probably the most accomplished coach AU has ever hired. Tubby might have an argument but you get the point....as far as previous success running a football program Harsin was top of the list. 

Now do i think Harsin will ultimately be successful at AU? I give him about a 55% chance right now. If he can plug the holes on our team with an elite QB and get some really good transfer OL in then that percentage goes up. If he does not plug those holes then that percentage goes down. I give him the 5% benefit of the doubt so i think he will plug the holes. 

My biggest complaint so far has been the terrible job he did hiring his first offensive staff. I don't think it would be possible to hire a worst offensive staff. This year was an absolute waste on offense. We'll be trotting out pretty much a brand new scheme with all brand new players and coaches next year. I think the biggest key to a new coach is they have to be building toward something and Harsin failed to do that in his first season. About the only good thing he did on that side of the ball was retain Caddy as the RB coach. 

I also think the collapse to end the season cannot be overlooked. But really i don't think people should get too high or low on how a coach does in their first season so i don't want to harp on it too much. But AU was bleeding and he had no answers to stop the bleeding. When things get tough again what does he do? Is he able to adapt when plan A is not working? 

Outside of the OL i think he is doing a good job recruiting and i think the players staying paint a good picture as far as confidence in the coach goes. I also am a fan of his OC hire this go around and i think Davis better fits what Harsin wants to do which is run Harsin's offense while having input and wrinkles added from the other coaches. Why he went with the Bobo hire in the first place i will never know. So i think he is fixing his initial mistakes but we'll have to see how that translates next year to on field performance.