A Question About Defenders

[ScotsAU 1,343]

 

So, I haven’t seen this as much on here as on social media platforms like Facebook.  There’s still a surprising number of Auburn fans standing behind Harsin despite how bad the direction of the program seems to be.

But, given that I legitimately don’t understand their position, perhaps someone can shed some light on it. Why are people still supporting Harsin?

[Didba 5,282]

6 minutes ago, ScotsAU said:

 

So, I haven’t seen this as much on here as on social media platforms like Facebook.  There’s still a surprising number of Auburn fans standing behind Harsin despite how bad the direction of the program seems to be.

But, given that I legitimately don’t understand their position, perhaps someone can shed some light on it. Why are people still supporting Harsin?

No clue man, has to be casuals that don't understand how bad the decison-making and play-calling was in crunch time last night.

[DAG 34,036]

7 minutes ago, ScotsAU said:

 

So, I haven’t seen this as much on here as on social media platforms like Facebook.  There’s still a surprising number of Auburn fans standing behind Harsin despite how bad the direction of the program seems to be.

But, given that I legitimately don’t understand their position, perhaps someone can shed some light on it. Why are people still supporting Harsin?

Some of these people aren't fanatics like us. People have to realize this. Some fans want AU to have a coach who makes sure the players have a good graduation rate and does their best to represent Auburn on and off the field. This is more than good enough for them.

[ScotsAU 1,343]

7 minutes ago, DAG said:

Some of these people aren't fanatics like us. People have to realize this. Some fans want AU to have a coach who makes sure the players have a good graduation rate and does their best to represent Auburn on and off the field. This is more than good enough for them.

I’ll say it again… then why are they supporting Harsin? I care about those things. Harsin doesn’t seem to be that guy either from the critiques of the players that left. Seems to only care about winning, and is very bad at it.

Edited September 25, 2022 by ScotsAU

[Viper 3,139]

Oh they’re still here too. That turtle neck is just retracted unless he pulls another rabbit out of his azz crack. 

[DAG 34,036]

16 minutes ago, ScotsAU said:

I’ll say it again… then why are they supporting Harsin? I care about those things. Harsin doesn’t seem to be that guy either from the critiques of the players that left. Seems to only care about winning, and is very bad at it.

They are supporting Auburn. There are fans who support Auburn who still don't understand why Gus got fired. You cannot compare fanatics to the average football fan. You are on an Auburn football thread asking why casuals don't care enough to let their time at Auburn be over ruled by a 3-1 Auburn team lol. They aren't there for specifics. Some of these people have no clue where Auburn is at with recruiting. 

Edited September 25, 2022 by DAG

[AUx 3,016]

I heard one assert that it’s all Auburn’s fault that Harsin can’t recruit - the February gossip assassination. Therefore, they think we must endure Harsin regardless as pennance. 
This is business, so two wrongs don’t make a right for Auburn. Never going to make everyone happy. But i think there’s a lot of deference and ‘poor Harsin’ at play (among the local non-fanatics). They go to most games but leave at start of 3rd quarter (even in big games still undecided) to beat the traffic. 

Edited September 26, 2022 by AUx

[AcUmen 242]

2 hours ago, ScotsAU said:

But, given that I legitimately don’t understand their position, perhaps someone can shed some light on it. Why are people still supporting Harsin?

I think they just want to see the season play out and believe we benefit none by making a change now.  And if Harsin shocks the world and goes 8-4, then they can say that we have a good coach who was able to turn it around despite a horrible start.  

For the record, if Harsin goes 8-4, I would also be in favor of keeping him on.  I am not hopeful about this, however, and I think he was a bad fit (with bad blood from the boosters) from the very start.  Doesn't mean he is a bad coach, it just means he isn't a guy who can recruit in the SEC.  He might tear it up in the Pac-12 or another conference, though.

[autiger88 3,777]

I thought for a second this was actually gonna be about football and not another Harsin thread but yet here we are. 🤣 Couldn't you have just asked this in the many threads dedicated to Harsin already?🙃

[JMassie11 1,610]

I’ve defended Harsin and still do to a sense bc the shape of the program primarily the Oline was in shambles and has been for 3 years and was projected to be terrible last 2. Most people use the easy out and refer to the portal to “fix” it all but not that simple with the lack of support since day one. No coach can call magical plays to hide a terrible oline. Those are just facts. All that being said as a coach Harsin I believe is still good and will be hired quickly unless he chooses a break. As a coach you also can’t loose the team. Saturday at least 3 wheels fell off.

[jAUSon 2,836]

30 minutes ago, AUx said:

I heard one assert that it’s all Auburn’s fault that Harsin can’t recruit - the February gossip assassination. Therefore, they think we must endure Harsin regardless as pennance. 
This is business, so two wrongs don’t make a right for Auburn. Never going to make everyone happy. But i think there’s a lot of deference and ‘poor Harsin’ at play (among the local non-fanatics). They go to most games but leave at start of 3rd quarter to beat the traffic. 

This. Half the world is "Auburn=Bad, look what they tried to do to Harsin". I'm not convinced the rumors weren't true. I also think Auburn handled it perfectly. They looked into it. Then they dropped it. The outside world exploded into this Harsin vs Jaba epeisode and half the fans got sucked in. About those rumors: if they were actually true (I believe it's likely) then not only are we in this mess, but *he*caused*it. 

[Swamp Eagle 5,156]

2 hours ago, ScotsAU said:

 

So, I haven’t seen this as much on here as on social media platforms like Facebook.  There’s still a surprising number of Auburn fans standing behind Harsin despite how bad the direction of the program seems to be.

But, given that I legitimately don’t understand their position, perhaps someone can shed some light on it. Why are people still supporting Harsin?

I support the Auburn football team. Anyone hoping for Harsin to fail is hoping for Auburn to fail. So I try not to pile on but can see that Auburn is going nowhere as it is.  I think that’s the perception and the struggle.

Edited September 26, 2022 by Swamp Eagle

[aublue88 145]

Ok, here goes for you fanatics.  I support Auburn, have my entire life and have seen quite a few down seasons and bad coaches.  I support the Auburn team and as an ex collegiate athlete know of their sacrifice and dedication.  I do not think that the insanity and toxicity of some reactions to a bad coach are helpful or warranted, but you do you.  The way some come across you would think that they  were paying the coaches and the buyouts.  I can also recognize lack of adjustments and mismanaged personnel but once again, I have no hatred towards the aforementioned bad coach because his efforts or lack thereof will hasten his departure.  I hate that his ineffectual game day plans are limiting our success.   His time is done and it is now time to salvage what we can of this season and recruiting.  See, I understand recruiting too.😉  Belaboring the point does nothing towards this goal, it only creates more distraction and makes it more difficult for the players.  So yes, I support the team and hope that they can win as many games as possible because I already know that this regime is over.  Supporting Auburn and not constantly harping about the abysmal state of our leadership(not just coach) is not madness because you choose to do otherwise.  We should all support the team and then next year support the team and whichever fill in the blank super coach you think will right the ship.  

[JuscAUse! 1,500]

3 hours ago, ScotsAU said:

 

So, I haven’t seen this as much on here as on social media platforms like Facebook.  There’s still a surprising number of Auburn fans standing behind Harsin despite how bad the direction of the program seems to be.

But, given that I legitimately don’t understand their position, perhaps someone can shed some light on it. Why are people still supporting Harsin?

Defenders. We should try recruiting some of them for the second half. If they have eligibility and can, and want to ,  tackle..

[Taker 494]

31 minutes ago, aublue88 said:

Ok, here goes for you fanatics.  I support Auburn, have my entire life and have seen quite a few down seasons and bad coaches.  I support the Auburn team and as an ex collegiate athlete know of their sacrifice and dedication.  I do not think that the insanity and toxicity of some reactions to a bad coach are helpful or warranted, but you do you.  The way some come across you would think that they  were paying the coaches and the buyouts.  I can also recognize lack of adjustments and mismanaged personnel but once again, I have no hatred towards the aforementioned bad coach because his efforts or lack thereof will hasten his departure.  I hate that his ineffectual game day plans are limiting our success.   His time is done and it is now time to salvage what we can of this season and recruiting.  See, I understand recruiting too.😉  Belaboring the point does nothing towards this goal, it only creates more distraction and makes it more difficult for the players.  So yes, I support the team and hope that they can win as many games as possible because I already know that this regime is over.  Supporting Auburn and not constantly harping about the abysmal state of our leadership(not just coach) is not madness because you choose to do otherwise.  We should all support the team and then next year support the team and whichever fill in the blank super coach you think will right the ship.  

I think that this is a VERY accurate assessment.  Fans can be fans, they can have their opinions, they can be very impassioned about their stance. But at the end of the day we are all just that FANS!!! Regardless if we are alums or we buy our AU gear at the flea markets or Wal-Mart. 

NOTHING that we say or do will make a difference in the grand scheme of AU football and we will still be FANS at the end of the day. 

I am hoping for a change in direction and hope that it happens with class and dignity and our future hire is a good fit not only for AU but also for the SEC recruiting in general whoever that may be. 

I hope that JABA turns into a good acronym instead of a slanderous Indictment of our great university. 

[Hank2020 3,226]

4 hours ago, ScotsAU said:

 

So, I haven’t seen this as much on here as on social media platforms like Facebook.  There’s still a surprising number of Auburn fans standing behind Harsin despite how bad the direction of the program seems to be.

But, given that I legitimately don’t understand their position, perhaps someone can shed some light on it. Why are people still supporting Harsin?

All us casuals are just on forums so we can glean some NFL caliber understanding from the non-casuals to be able to sound more informative in our FB posts supporting the existing coach ( as long as he is our existing coach) and the existing players.

[AcUmen 242]

1 hour ago, jAUSon said:

 About those rumors: if they were actually true (I believe it's likely) then not only are we in this mess, but *he*caused*it. 

What rumors specifically do you believe?  I ask because there were several flying around.  

[Didba 5,282]

4 hours ago, Viper said:

Oh they’re still here too. That turtle neck is just retracted unless he pulls another rabbit out of his azz crack. 

I’ve seen a couple still do it. Seem like some might be trolling though. 

[Cardin Drake 1,894]

I'm not defending Harsin. He's just a fish out of water here, and every extra day of his tenure is just a wasted day on the monumental rebuilding job in front of us. But I can see how people can think he wasn't given a fair shake with the offseason drama.  I think both can be true. He's not the right coach, and his reputation was unfairly tarnished.

Edited September 26, 2022 by Cardin Drake

[Hank2020 3,226]

Just now, Cardin Drake said:

I'm not defending Harsin. He's just a fish out of water here, and every extra day of his tenure is just a wasted day on the monumental rebuilding job in front of us. But I can see how people can think he wasn't given a fair shake with the offseason drama.  I think both can be true. He's not the right coach, and his reputation was unfairly damaged.

My only comment here is firing today and hiring in december makes no sense. I don’t see much value in that. Assuming firing takes place,  if target is actually a coach they could get now ( don’t see who that is unless they are an analyst or a comentator), I could see it. If not no reason to steal the season from 2022 team, no matter the season outcome.

[auburnatl1 5,253]

There is no doubt Harsin was treated poorly. It still embarrasses me when I think about it.   But unless a miracle happens over the next several games, it will become obvious to everyone that there’s no happy ending possible.  Programs and recruiting are about trajectories - and we’ll be pointing straight down. 

Just minimize the damage to all parties. And  move on. It didn’t work out.

[AURex 2,055]

Just to offer a perspective that might explain the position of the fans described in the OP, here's what one of them (my brother for example) would say.

"Look, Harsin is out of his depth, his communication style is like the barren cliffs of the Rockies, and his Idaho white conservatism has not translated well to the SEC. He lost a lot of Auburn internal university support with his anti-vax-ism. He lost a LOT of talented players to the portal as well as alienated a lot of fans as a result.

"That said, I am an Auburn grad and I love Auburn. I will support my coaches, my team, and my university with every breath I take. There are very experienced and knowledgeable people paid to make decisions for my university and I respect their effort to make the best decisions possible under the circumstances, just as I respect the CEOs and small business owners who lead their businesses.

"Auburn has had down years under every coach in the modern era. We've played for and sometimes won national championships and had spectacular seasons, just to see the same coaches and staffs flop in following years.

"I'm going to stand behind my coaches and players every single season, every single day, every single night. WDE!"

Now, that's my brother, not me, but I understand his devotion to AU and Auburn athletics, coaches and teams. We don't argue. We both cry about the current state of Auburn football and swimming ---- while celebrating the state of Auburn BB, baseball, equestrian, gymnastics, etc.

Just because fans do not rant and rave about how horrible things are does not mean they are stupid, uninformed, or mentally ill. There is no reason to condemn Auburn fans just for being fans.

 

 

 

[Hank2020 3,226]

6 minutes ago, AURex said:

Just to offer a perspective that might explain the position of the fans described in the OP, here's what one of them (my brother for example) would say.

"Look, Harsin is out of his depth, his communication style is like the barren cliffs of the Rockies, and his Idaho white conservatism has not translated well to the SEC. He lost a lot of Auburn internal university support with his anti-vax-ism. He lost a LOT of talented players to the portal as well as alienated a lot of fans as a result.

"That said, I am an Auburn grad and I love Auburn. I will support my coaches, my team, and my university with every breath I take. There are very experienced and knowledgeable people paid to make decisions for my university and I respect their effort to make the best decisions possible under the circumstances, just as I respect the CEOs and small business owners who lead their businesses.

"Auburn has had down years under every coach in the modern era. We've played for and sometimes won national championships and had spectacular seasons, just to see the same coaches and staffs flop in following years.

"I'm going to stand behind my coaches and players every single season, every single day, every single night. WDE!"

Now, that's my brother, not me, but I understand his devotion to AU and Auburn athletics, coaches and teams. We don't argue. We both cry about the current state of Auburn football and swimming ---- while celebrating the state of Auburn BB, baseball, equestrian, gymnastics, etc.

Just because fans do not rant and rave about how horrible things are does not mean they are stupid, uninformed, or mentally ill. There is no reason to condemn Auburn fans just for being fans.

 

 

 

Even the “casual” fans. Thx for the post. I’m with your brother obviously.

[clwn 336]

How any one ever feels sorry for a football coach that gets paid millions of dollars guaranteed whether they do great or take a massive crap is hilarious.