My rant from ITAT

[BiggestAUfan 0]

I wanted the people from this board to chime in on my rant from "across the street"...

This is in response to an articel written this week regarding our backup (or more to the point lack of a backup) QB...

First, anyone who reads my posts, or knows me, knows my priorities are family first with Auburn football running a VERY close 2nd. That said I feel the need to vent after reading this article, so please bear with me...

Why can't we develop a suitable back up QB????? I mean lets be honest. When was the last time we had a back up QB we all felt comfortable could at least handle the snap, hand the ball off and maybe throw a screen pass??? Yet Flynn comes in and DESTROYS Miami. Tebow plays as a back up and can't be stopped. Compton @ UT was serviceable when Ainge went down. Heck, CSS put in Syvelle Newton for their injured 1st stringer and he almost beat us by himself???

Why do we have 4 QB's on campus (and 1 on the way) and yet we're only able to play 1? If we're only going to develop 1 every 3 years let's use the other 3 schollies on extra OL. We're going to need them to protect the QB since there is no plan B.

What is our QB coach doing? Maybe CAB needs to simplify the O for Fresh and RS Fresh QBs. Same plays just not as many. That way they don't have to learn as much and can grow in the O as they grow in the system. I keep hearing, "we need to simplify things". ?????????????? Uhhhh, ya think!!!

With all the QB's we have on campus there is ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE for not having a serviceable backup.

The coaching staffs mismanagement of our QB situation last season was PATHETIC. Cox should not have played in the second half vs Miss. St. and should not have even dressed for Buffalo, Tulane and Ark St. Had we done this, Field would have a boat load of true game reps and a much better understaning of the O.

And don't give me that, "Oh, we needed to get the O to gel" BS either. If you're telling me our 1st string O playing with our 2nd string QB can't beat the teams I listed above, then this team is in a lot more trouble than anyone on this board will want to discuss in a public setting.

So, my advice? Send Cox to Yoxall starting today. He needs to pack on 15 lbs and work on his throwing arm for the next 6 months. Let Field/Caudle & Ensminger duke it out from know until two-a-days starts for the backup role. The reps will do them, and the Auburn football program more good than a red elephant club member does for bammer recruiting...

That is all,,,,, for now....

[wesfau 0]

Yo, that is impossible to read.

Please change the color.

[saniflush 0]

Yo, that is impossible to read.

Please change the color.

Oh....Now it's a color thing with you!

[wesfau 0]

Yo, that is impossible to read.

Please change the color.

Oh....Now it's a color thing with you!

I've got hate in my heart, so I let it out. My boy Clayton Bigsby said it was kosher cool.

[AWK 0]

First, anyone who reads my posts, or knows me, knows my priorities are family first with Auburn football running a VERY close 2nd. That said I feel the need to vent after reading this article, so please bear with me...

Why can't we develop a suitable back up QB????? I mean lets be honest. When was the last time we had a back up QB we all felt comfortable could at least handle the snap, hand the ball off and maybe throw a screen pass??? Yet Flynn comes in and DESTROYS Miami. Tebow plays as a back up and can't be stopped. Compton @ UT was serviceable when Ainge went down. Heck, CSS put in Syvelle Newton for their injured 1st stringer and he almost beat us by himself???

Why do we have 4 QB's on campus (and 1 on the way) and yet we're only able to play 1? If we're only going to develop 1 every 3 years let's use the other 3 schollies on extra OL. We're going to need them to protect the QB since there is no plan B.

What is our QB coach doing? Maybe CAB needs to simplify the O for Fresh and RS Fresh QBs. Same plays just not as many. That way they don't have to learn as much and can grow in the O as they grow in the system. I keep hearing, "we need to simplify things". ?????????????? Uhhhh, ya think!!!

With all the QB's we have on campus there is ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE for not having a serviceable backup.

The coaching staffs mismanagement of our QB situation last season was PATHETIC. Cox should not have played in the second half vs Miss. St. and should not have even dressed for Buffalo, Tulane and Ark St. Had we done this, Field would have a boat load of true game reps and a much better understaning of the O.

And don't give me that, "Oh, we needed to get the O to gel" BS either. If you're telling me our 1st string O playing with our 2nd string QB can't beat the teams I listed above, then this team is in a lot more trouble than anyone on this board will want to discuss in a public setting.

So, my advice? Send Cox to Yoxall starting today. He needs to pack on 15 lbs and work on his throwing arm for the next 6 months. Let Field/Caudle & Ensminger duke it out from know until two-a-days starts for the backup role. The reps will do them, and the Auburn football program more good than a red elephant club member does for bammer recruiting...

That is all,,,,, for now....

[saniflush 0]

Yo, that is impossible to read.

Please change the color.

Oh....Now it's a color thing with you!

I've got hate in my heart, so I let it out. My boy Clayton Bigsby said it was kosher cool.

"Take off your mask Clayton!"

[BiggestAUfan 0]

I changed the font color,,,, any thoughts or are you guys just going to hijack a football related post????

[Tiger in Spain 0]

It's still blue to me.

[TigerHeat 9]

I changed the font color,,,, any thoughts or are you guys just going to hijack a football related post????

Anybody know anything about parcheesi?

[townhallsavoy 2]

The other day I made a sandcastle.

[AU_tiger_2000 0]

The last time we had a serviceable backup QB? I think we had this kid backing up Jason Campbell named ... oh yeah, it was some Brandon kid.

Wonder what happened to him?

[ssgaufan 0]

OK, we had Brandon backing up Campbell, but he's right about the situation now. We should have somebody on the bench that can come in play without much of a drop off. What if one of Brandon's injuries would have been a season ender, then what? Several losses to finish the season?

And don't even talk about simplifing the O, last year was about as simple as my son's wee wee team, but we did have a backup that came in and made plays for us.

[wesfau 0]

We should have somebody on the bench that can come in play without much of a drop off.

That's nearly impossible. You essentially want two starter-caliber QBs. One guy has to get the lion's share of the reps with the 1s. He's your starter. The other guys don't get the reps, so there will always be drop off when the backup comes in. He doesn't have the timing with the receivers and the linemen aren't used to his cadence.

[BiggestAUfan 0]

au_tiger_2000,,, as I recall no one knew what to expect from Brandon after backing up JC becasue he only had like 6 game snaps (I'm exaggerating a little here, but not much) during his time as the backup.

Had he played in more games when we were ahead in '04 he may not have chunked 4 int's vs GT to kick off the '05 season....

Damn, it's nice being right all the time....

[runswithscissors 33]

au_tiger_2000,,, as I recall no one knew what to expect from Brandon after backing up JC becasue he only had like 6 game snaps (I'm exaggerating a little here, but not much) during his time as the backup.

Had he played in more games when we were ahead in '04 he may not have chunked 4 int's vs GT to kick off the '05 season....

Damn, it's nice being right all the time....

i'm just not so sure that you can have a backup QB come right off the bench and be a world beater from his first snap on. as far as tebow goes, sure he's a backup. how many bombs did you see him chunk last year? not a whole lot. the majority of what he does is run in short down or goal line situation. you can't realistically think you could attract for example two 4 or 5 star QB recruits at the same time and tell one well you'll start and well you'll be 2nd and expect them to sign on with that. playing time is a major factor in a recruit's decision. it would be nice for every team to have a situation such as you describe. but i don't think its very realistic.

[OptionTrader 1]

Man, just think how good we'd have been if we'd had Tyler Watts!! Er...wait a sec...I mean...if Brodie had been healthy it would have been an ENTIRELY different ball game...uh...

My Alzheimer's is acting up again...never mind.

[bigsixfive 328]

My personal opinion is that you should take a positive look at our program and be happy about it. That's not directed solely at you, there's a host of people who tend to get stuck on the flaws without appreciating the big picture. Previously, the complaints have been about the LBs, but recently its been about QB. Well, with those issues in place, the program has seemed to be pretty dang successful, wouldn't you say?

Look at some positives:

-Defense, especially the consistency. Do you know how many programs would love to have that?

-Do I have to mention running backs? Auburn has been both rediculously good and fortunate to get the athletes at that position.

-Offensive line... again, we've had much success here over the years. Look at the good linemen in the NFL that came from AU.

-Great coaching staff

-Great athletes with even better character

Yes, we had some snags at QB last year, but put some trust in the coaches to resolve that problem. Its very rare to have a backup QB that is nearly as capable as the starter. If they're that good, they'll go somewhere else to get playing time. Tebow was a fullback this year, not a QB. Don't crown him yet. Clark was good against Miami, but he's in the same situation as Caudle.

[cadillacattack 0]

while I share the opinion that BC should've been rested more frequently at opportune times last season, i'm not certain it is realistic to expect zero dropoff between the 1 and 2 QB positions at a program like Auburn.

We are a running program - period. it's our bread and butter and everyone knows it. And while that assists us greatly in recruiting quality RB recruits, it does us no favors in recruiting QB talent. Calvin Booker was as talented a QB prospect as I've personally seen in years (dude has a cannon), but he was unable to demonstrate it because he was buried on the depth chart.

The NCAA's limits on practice time barely allow enough snaps for a full-time starter, let alone a quality backup. Using LSU's Matt Flynn as supporting evidence is useless at this point because it could easily be said that Blake Field would've performed just as well at handing the ball off, just like Flynn did against the U .... in other words, it wasn't all that and a bag of chips.

It's easy to be critical of the decision to play a banged-up Brandon Cox last season, but we now know that Field was damaged goods and couldn't be effectively used givin his shoulder problems. Booker would've been a good option, but he was gone well before then.

It's debateable whether Fields will ever fully recover, as can be said for any QB that has such an injury ...... but i trust Borge's pedigree for developing QB talent and he's got enough talent to work with, just not enough time.

[BiggestAUfan 0]

I'm not saying we have to have 5*'s all over the roster at QB, or that the back up has to be able to come in with no drop off (although Pete carroll and his QB coach seem to be able to do this??).

All I want is someone that's better than a 40% (at best) Brandon with 3 int's vs UGA. If Field et al were not any better than Bradons gutsy, but horrible, performance vs UGA, then I go back to my statement about us being in a lot of trouble.

And, yes, I do understand all the positives surrounding our program recently, today and in the future. However, my rant was aimed like a rifle shot at a specific issue, not a OOO buck shotgun blast at the entire program...

[AUloggerhead 2,267]

... However, my rant was aimed like a rifle shot at a specific issue, not a OOO buck shotgun blast at the entire program...

And you were right on target, IMHO. Playing Brandon while he was injured last season was an incredible risk. He could have injured himself even worse. A coach has two ways to develop a back-up with actual playing time: (1) out of necessity, like when the starter goes down with an injury; or (2) by design, like when a game is already won (or lost) and the back-up can get in some reps at game speed. I'll go even further and say Kenny Irons shouldn't have played injured either. AU had plenty of capable back-ups to play in Kenny's place, so the argument that there weren't enough RBs available doesn't wash.

[GalensGhost 0]

I'm not saying we have to have 5*'s all over the roster at QB, or that the back up has to be able to come in with no drop off (although Pete carroll and his QB coach seem to be able to do this??).

All I want is someone that's better than a 40% (at best) Brandon with 3 int's vs UGA. If Field et al were not any better than Bradons gutsy, but horrible, performance vs UGA, then I go back to my statement about us being in a lot of trouble.

And, yes, I do understand all the positives surrounding our program recently, today and in the future. However, my rant was aimed like a rifle shot at a specific issue, not a OOO buck shotgun blast at the entire program...

Ummmm, I'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with you here. Yeah.

[SouthLink02 8]

Tebow came in and ran the entire time and was successful. I am sure AU has a QB that could come in and do the same....Tebow rarely threw except for the Western Carolina game....not a real good comparison

As for the point of your thread, I am not sure I agree with your stance. How much should a backup really be able to produce without preparing and actually starting games constantly as the starter does?

Backups are backups for a reason. Whether it is inexperience or lack of ability compared to the starter.

[subterranean_jack 112]

Yes, Cox should not have played injured as much as he did last season. Yes, Auburn should do more to develop at more capable backup QB. However, I think the real problem last season was the offensive line. There was a huge drop-off between 2005 and 2006 IMHO. Brandon Cox and Kenny Irons played like 1st round draft picks in 2005, not so in 2006. Marcus McNeil and Troy Reddick were sorely missed in 2006, and it didn't help the center was injured most of the season and Cole Bennett missed almost the entire season. Yes, there were some injuries that hurt the offense, but how many times did I see linemen standing around hands-on-hips watching Cox sprawled on the ground after taking a vicious hit. Auburn was very lucky Cox did not sustain a career-ending injury in 2006. Hugh Nall had better do the coaching job of his life in 2007, or Cox is going to be deadmeat. I think Andrew McCain is mean enough and tough enough to get the job done. I don't know about the rest of the bunch. I haven't heard a whole lot of good about the line this spring, and I certainly hope the o-line shows some improvement in Saturday's game.

[tgr4lfe 220]

Do you honestly think the coaching staff does no do everything they can to prepare ALL the QBs for playing time??? You make it sound like CTT and CAB do nothing with the backup QBs. Some may be talented but not able to get teh mental part of reading Ds? They may have less talent but be great at picking up the O, but not reading Ds??

From looking at Ncaasports.com stats, BC played in (had stats in) 6 of the 13 games in 2004. ONly 3 of the 8 SEC games. He finished the year 22 of 34 for 357 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT, 8 rushes -16 yards. In the 3 SEC games he was 5 of 8, 1 TD, 2 INT. Even in 2004 when we blew out a majority of the teams we played, BC never threw the ball much. AU still ran the ball almost exclusively.

It is the nature of college football. Only in rare occasions, will a team have a backup that can come right in and there not be an offensive drop off. This is for many reasons. A backup QB on the sideline doens't have the same feel of the game as the QB in game, adjustment #1, the backup doesn't always have the experience, adjustment #2, the backup QB is not as talented as the starter or else he would be the starter, duh. College QBs have to have playing time to develop.

Maybe the coaching staff felt there was a better chance of winning with a banged up BC than one of the backups, maybe BC built up his condition more than it really was??. I don't know, you don't know. I know AU had two bad games last year that we lost. Blame it on what you want. Player performance, coaching. BC shouldn't have been playing. As jack said, the OL was a big factor in the offensive performance last year. BC had lots of more time to throw the ball in 2006 compared to 2006. Maybe some of reason for the injury. Although the injury against LSU was on a called roll out? I think.

I might see CTT at church on Sunday.....I will tell him I know of a better QB coach than he has now. He is known online as biggestAUfan.