A little reality for the board.

[DKW 86 7,440]

All teams have let down games. Even thise teams we have come to really respect. Oklahoma in all its glory recently lost to Okie St twice. They got hammered by 28 by Kansas St. Got blasted by 36 by

Texas? How many times has Oklahoma ruined their season in the last 5 years?

Notre Dame squeaks by week after week.

under Dooley made a career of squeaking by every team they played for years.

I know, if you play with fire long enough you will get burned. I fully except that. I am horrified by how bad our D is playing. Could it be our new LB Coach? Could it be our new DC? Could it be that we have new coaches and that maybe we are actually playing over our heads?

We won 13 in 2004 with a new OC. Folks, that is nothing short of a miracle with a new coordinator. It spoiled the hell out of us. Shula wont change coaches just due to this.

Do we need to change the DC again? Do we? Do we need to start all over again with these kids? For the first time in 25 years CJW is not our LB Caoch. It is showing a bit. We have the third DC in three years, it is showing up a bit. CWM is going to change us up a bit in the long run. We should be much tougher to run on, IN THE LONG RUN. We just have to keep a cool head and stay the course. We cannot afford to change DCs again at this stage. We dont want to get the same rep uat has about running off coaches and coordinators all the time.

We actually need some stability ourselves in the DC position. I am alarmed myself. But, looking back, we have to just calm down and see the big picture. When we tun the corner on D we will be awesome I bet.

[Ranger12 46]

Totally agree. I tried to make some of those same points about the DC situation on another thread in which some were already calling for the head of CWM. Just like you did, I even mentioned the fact that Borges being so successful in his first year at a new school is an anomaly.

We have to give CWM more then a year too get his players in place to go with his defensive philosophy. CWM is a proven DC and coached a NC defense at LSU. He knows what he is doing folks. Like I said on the other thread also, where would we be if we would have pulled the trigger so quickly on CTT when he first came to AU?

[sntemp 0]

All teams have let down games.

How many let down games are we going to have this year? This defense isn't very good and if it continues to play the way it has in about 6 of the first 9 games we can still lose another game before this season ends.

For the record I'm not calling for anyone to be fired, just stating the obvious about our defense. I hate it when peoples first reaction is to fire a coach.

[Ranger12 46]

All teams have let down games.

How many let down games are we going to have this year? This defense isn't very good and if it continues to play the way it has in about 6 of the first 9 games we can still lose another game before this season ends.

I think the point is we are expecting too much out of this team, especially when it comes to defense. Given how young the defense is and we have a first year DC, we should be lucky that we have had quite a few let down games with only one loss to show for it. We beat high ranked LSU and Florida, so to only focus on our one loss or close calls with lesser teams, well it just does not make much sense too. Sure, we have alot of work to do on defense, but again, given what we have on that side of the ball, we are actually doing very good (see Stats post for the evidence).

Heck, I am more worried about our play on the offensive side. They don't have the excuses that the defense has, except maybe for injuries. Our QB and RBs are in the second year as starters and our OC is going on his third year. I feel a little more justified griping about the offense then I do the defense.

[keoson7 28]

Ark was a letdown game. A win is NEVER a letdown, sorry.

[CircleDrill 178]

The team is what it is. Our team is good. I am behind them 100% as we get into Amen Corner.

[edgecy 3]

Like the post I wrote on the Defense thread, defense is not the problem. We are stopping the run, we are defending the pass, but we are still young and we have mental lapses. Getting bit on play action and blown coverages, those are all symptoms of youth and inexperience, both can be attributed to 3 REDSHIRT FRESHMEN on D and a new D coordinator. One on the DLine, one in LB corps, and one in the secondary.

You want to know what the problem is? Offense not scoring points. Auburn is ranked #59 in total offense coming into the Ole Miss' game. Like StatTiger pointed out couple days ago, our defense is actually doing just about the same as the 2004 season, the only difference is that 2004 squad had the ability to punch it in pretty much every time they hit the redzone.

Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining about the team. Every year is different and we can't expect the same personality every year. 2004 was uber domination, 2006 is roller coaster. If you don't like it, get over yourself. Like DKW said, every teams have let down games. Most teams fold, but this team has shown time and time again this season that they can be down but they can get back up and get the job done. It may not be pretty. It may not be what you want. Get over it. Move on.

All that said, WDE!

[wesfau 0]

Ark was a letdown game. A win is NEVER a letdown, sorry.

Word.

You think USC fans would happily trade places with us today? Any win in your conference is a good win.

[eagle76 1]

The team is what it is. Our team is good. I am behind them 100% as we get into Amen Corner.

I also addressed this in the "Defense" thread. Let's just accept this team for what it is and the way it plays. I know this team is driving the coaches nuts also. They just go out and do things their own way. Sounds like my teenagers. By the way, most of the players are teenagers.

[Bottomfeeder 244]

All teams have let down games.

How many let down games are we going to have this year?

I don't care how many we lose this year. You know why, because I compare it to building a house. Without the proper foundation the house will not stand the test of time. "Time" being the key word here. How long do we want to have a winning program?

I won't call for anyone's head because I'm not that type of manager,and it's not my job. My job, as a fan, is too support the program regardless of the outcome of games. To support Auburn University as the school of choice in this state. That's about it. I just love Auburn University, no matter what.

[AUesquire 1]

One point about our defense. There's one area that I thought was going to be stronger than it has turned out. And I truly think this has a huge bearing on how our D has performed to this point in the season. We simply are not getting any push up the middle. Not to call out players. It's happening throughout the rotation of 3-4 guys playing the middle. Our ends are doing their job and put a serious speed rush on the outside, but rarely is the QB flushed out to them when the pocket collapses.

We saw a little more of it this past weekend but for the most part, teams are stalemating our tackles at the line. I'm a firm believer in the old cliche about having to win the war in the trenches. I think that's where it starts for this unit. Any QB worth a crap will pick any team in the country apart if he has a consistent pocket to throw from. Look at what BC has done the past couple of games when our O-line has held it's own.

[lca408 366]

I'd agree with edgecy. Our defense is playing alright. Our offense is not scoring enough points. BOTTOM LINE. With as many trips to the red zone as we have, we don't score that many touchdowns. One TD in those last three trips yesterday would have sealed the game and we wouldn't be quite as angry today. Our effectiveness in the red zone is kinda pitiful. And the sad thing is, its been like this all year. Remember Wash. St? All those trips inside the 20 in the first half and only 1 touchdown? We've had problems all year. I think Borges has become so predictable. Its not necessarily the players fault, even though, I did see Brad Lester hesitate a couple of times yesterday instead of going to the outside and getting the big run.

The defense is definitely not bad for a first year start. We're 8-1 and might just finish the season 11-1. That's not too shabby. Muschamp just has to get time and the guys need more time to adapt to his strategies. Had this year been next year, I think our D would be unstoppable.

Ryan

[abrnfanatc 6]

Anyone care to remember how many yards per game Chizik's D gave up in his first year?

His style of D was gap control, and that worked great after he got it completely installed with the speedy players they have gotten in the last 5 or 6 years, but it didn't work to perfection overnight.

Same goes for CWM. He has alluded to the fact that the linebackers are undersized for his style of play. Give the man a couple more years to get it installed right and check back. I do agree that they have a tendency to give up the big play on a misdirection, or a Fullback coming out on a wheel route, etc., but those are things that can be corrected.

[TigerGlide 1]

The problem is that we only have 5 seniors in the two deep rotation. CWM won a NC at LSU with probably the best defense in the country that year, I find it very difficult to believe he's forgotten how to coach.

[otterinbham 0]

Hey, I remember the last year of Bowden's tenure when every game was a letdown game. Same for Barfield. Even Shug Jordan. So, as far as I'm concerned we're doing fine. I just wish we had been halfway prepared for Arkansas, because we would be iin the driver's seat right now.

[DCWarEagle 0]

I agree that any calls for Muschamp's head are very premature. Too much turnover hurts a coaching staff. I think the defense is playing okay and he certainly deserves another couple of seasons and we can evaluate then (and by "we" I mean Tub can evaluate).

For those saying that the offense is to blame for not scoring more points, I think one of the reasons the offense is not scoring as many points is b/c they are not getting as many chances. Our defense in a lot of games this season has been doing the "bend don't break" thing where we let the other team march down the length of the field then we stiffen up and create a turnover or make them kick a field goal. The result of this is that the offense doesn't get as many possessions. I think that has happened in a number of games.

[bammanmr 0]

I thought our defense played pretty well sat. The pissys came out and ran 4-5 plays in their first drive that were geared to exploit our speed and they worked. After the first drive, we basically shut them down. The only reason they scored more than 7 was b/c of some extremely 'timely' penalties. Aside from those 2 drives, the defense only gave up around 120 yards, and I'll take that against anyone. TigerGlide has a great point also; this is a young defense.

The real problem with this team, and it was a glaring problem Saturday, is the inability to finish drives with a TD. We should have been leading 21-7 at the half and should have finished the game 35-14. Poor playcalling and sloppy execution by our skill players are killing us in the red zone, and that has GOT to be fixed.

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

The defense is definitely not bad for a first year start. We're 8-1 and might just finish the season 11-1. That's not too shabby. Muschamp just has to get time and the guys need more time to adapt to his strategies. Had this year been next year, I think our D would be unstoppable.

Ryan

I think Muschamp getting players for the schemes and current ones adjusted to them is a big part of what needs to be done on defese.

Look at Sabans first year at LSU, he had several games where they gave up alot of points. Dinardo did a good job of recruiting at LSU while he was there so they were not lacking talent. Notice in Muschamps interviews over the course of the last couple weeks all is discussions involve simplifying things.