Auburn changing approach for QB rotation

[Justin5 20]

Definitely good to hear.

http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=844679

When something doesn't work, you go back to the drawing board and come up with Plan B.

That's what Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin is doing this week after his plan to alternate quarterbacks Kodi Burns and Chris Todd each series against Louisiana-Monroe failed.

"Probably the biggest thing is just that neither one got in a rhythm," Franklin said. "That's my fault, the way I alternated them series to series.

"We're going to play them both again. I'll probably have a different way of rotating them. If one guy goes well, then he may stay in forever."

Burns and Todd combined to complete 13-of-27 passes (48 percent) for only 85 yards against the Warhawks.

Franklin said he should have known better than to try the rotation in the first place.

"I've always said you're stupid if you did it," Franklin said. "It's funny the way the world works. One day, it'll come back to you.

"It's a tough deal because they're both really good players. Somewhere along the way, one of them probably will have to play more than the other. This week, we'll have to see how it goes."

Franklin said it appeared that the rotation combined with first-game jitters were the biggest issues with the quarterbacks.

"I think they got tense and tight," Franklin said. "It's hard, I don't care who you are, when you come out in your first game and you know you're not going to be in the next time, you're probably concerned about the reps and stuff and making a mistake -- wondering if that's your last one.

"I have to do a better job."

After leaving the game in the third quarter with a 7-inch laceration on his shin, Burns appears to be healing well according to head coach Tommy Tuberville.

"The one thing they were concerned about was infection because of the dirt and grass, but the doctors did a good job," Tuberville said. "There was no swelling today whatsoever. They said he probably could practice (Monday), but we'll hold him out, just let him jog around, watch a little bit, and he'll go on Tuesday."

Tuberville said part of a facemask cut into Burns while he was being tackled.

With Burns expected back for Tuesday's practice, Franklin is hoping one of his two quarterbacks will begin separating himself from the other so he can have a more consistent starter.

"Somewhere along the way that needs to happen, and it needs to happen pretty quick," Franklin said.

[WREGL3 0]

Definitely good to hear.

http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=844679

When something doesn't work, you go back to the drawing board and come up with Plan B.

That's what Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin is doing this week after his plan to alternate quarterbacks Kodi Burns and Chris Todd each series against Louisiana-Monroe failed.

"Probably the biggest thing is just that neither one got in a rhythm," Franklin said. "That's my fault, the way I alternated them series to series.

"We're going to play them both again. I'll probably have a different way of rotating them. If one guy goes well, then he may stay in forever."

Burns and Todd combined to complete 13-of-27 passes (48 percent) for only 85 yards against the Warhawks.

Franklin said he should have known better than to try the rotation in the first place.

"I've always said you're stupid if you did it," Franklin said. "It's funny the way the world works. One day, it'll come back to you.

"It's a tough deal because they're both really good players. Somewhere along the way, one of them probably will have to play more than the other. This week, we'll have to see how it goes."

Franklin said it appeared that the rotation combined with first-game jitters were the biggest issues with the quarterbacks.

"I think they got tense and tight," Franklin said. "It's hard, I don't care who you are, when you come out in your first game and you know you're not going to be in the next time, you're probably concerned about the reps and stuff and making a mistake -- wondering if that's your last one.

"I have to do a better job."

After leaving the game in the third quarter with a 7-inch laceration on his shin, Burns appears to be healing well according to head coach Tommy Tuberville.

"The one thing they were concerned about was infection because of the dirt and grass, but the doctors did a good job," Tuberville said. "There was no swelling today whatsoever. They said he probably could practice (Monday), but we'll hold him out, just let him jog around, watch a little bit, and he'll go on Tuesday."

Tuberville said part of a facemask cut into Burns while he was being tackled.

With Burns expected back for Tuesday's practice, Franklin is hoping one of his two quarterbacks will begin separating himself from the other so he can have a more consistent starter.

"Somewhere along the way that needs to happen, and it needs to happen pretty quick," Franklin said.

Well, either the coaches have been lying the whole time or they are blind. After the first quarter, definitely the first half, I can tell that Kodi is better than Chris. I thought all along that Todd would be the starter and glad to see that i was wrong. But obviously CTF has a personal agenda to say there is still a battle. Chris Todd will be a great backup to have but Burns is clear cut your starter. m2c

[AUHansel 0]

I'm thinking that CTF is showing loyalty to Todd. He got him to commit to Troy and then he came to Auburn with CTF. I don't think a coach should be so personal with a player and obviously they have known each other for a long time.

Kodi should be number 1. He worked hard last season and helped our team a lot. They say that no one has distanced them selves but I think they are seeing if someone can do it in a game situation. Rotating series is never the answer and either they each need to get a full game in their belt, or they play each for a half or something to that extent.

[Hoopie 6]

The Qb situation will take a while to resolve. Give the coaches time to adjust and trust their judgement. Hope that the WRs get much better. We have a much greater problem there than anywhere.

[BustemBigBlue 181]

Well, either the coaches have been lying the whole time or they are blind. After the first quarter, definitely the first half, I can tell that Kodi is better than Chris. I thought all along that Todd would be the starter and glad to see that i was wrong. But obviously CTF has a personal agenda to say there is still a battle. Chris Todd will be a great backup to have but Burns is clear cut your starter. m2c

Agreed. It's obvious to everyone that watched the game that Kodi should be the guy. I've suspected from day one that CTF was biased towards Todd. After all, Franklin is the only reason Todd got a scholly. Now he's trying to say they both played about the same Saturday which just isn't true.

[Wishbone 0]

I agree. Kodi should be the QB. End of story.

[tiger88 934]

From what I saw burns should be the starter.

[auengineer05 0]

Don't write Todd off just yet. He looked very gun shy at the beginning of the game when making throws. But he looked much more decisive on the last TD drive with his pass to Rod down the sideline. I will be interested to see how he does this weekend after having seen a full speed defense. It had been several years since he had played against a full speed defense.

I will agree that Kodi looked good making plays with his legs, but I think we should reserve judgementfor at least one week before declaring that Kodi is by far the best.

[PChamp119 96]

I've said it before and I'm sticking with it - don't expect a clear starter maybe until the LSU game. The LSU game will be the decisive game. Kodi Burns (or Todd, but I see being Burns) will be named the starting QB after he shows the leadership the team is "looking for" in that game. It is the first true test and the coaches will not risk this alternating crap. They will let one QB take a chance and that QB will take advantage. It will be Kodi Burns in my opinion. A win over the defending national champions - that's enough to earn the starting role.

[WAR-GIGEM-EAGLE 4]

Don't write Todd off just yet. He looked very gun shy at the beginning of the game when making throws. But he looked much more decisive on the last TD drive with his pass to Rod down the sideline. I will be interested to see how he does this weekend after having seen a full speed defense. It had been several years since he had played against a full speed defense.

I will agree that Kodi looked good making plays with his legs, but I think we should reserve judgementfor at least one week before declaring that Kodi is by far the best.

I agree. Kodi Burns is obviously the more "dynamic and exciting" QB -- but to say he's better at this point in the season is showing a biased point of view because we've known Kodi longer. I've been tootin the Todd horn longer than anybody on this board most likely because I've seen him play at Texas Tech and am aware of what he is capable of. Neither QB looked great and I think the rotation held them back some, but for those saying Kodi Burns is the clear cut starter, to me, seems a little like the pot calling the kettle black when accusing Franklin of holding a biased opinion towards Todd.

[PChamp119 96]

Let's compare:

Decision Making Skills: Burns clearly wins this one. Did you see him throw the ball out of bounds (and not to the other team) when guys were not open and when to tuck and run? That great throw in the back of the endzone to Rod Smith? It was fantastic. Todd on the other hand would throw the ball to the other team under pressure (very Brandon Cox like).

Scrambling / Running : Burns, enough said

Throwing: Burns again on this one. I missed most of the 4th quarter, so apparently I missed the one nice throw by Todd to Rod Smith. But Todd throws to the other team too often. Burns had excellent throws that were dropped. But this is the only category that is somewhat comparable since everyone wants to claim Todd as the "thrower" and Burns as the "runner." IMO, this based on race alone. Seeing that Burns was an outstanding passer in HS and hasn't been given much of a chance to throw, I don't buy it.

Experience: Burns has a year of SEC play and Auburn play under his belt.

Spread Offense: Todd based on his experience of it with Tony Franklin. And this is the only reason he is playing.

After one game, Burns is clearly the choice. It could change after next week vs USM, but the two were not comparable this past weekend.

[mcgufcm 4,107]

Kodi gave us a spark. I'm not sure you could watch that game, and not think that Kodi played better. His passing number looked bad, but he had three balls dropped (one of which was a 50+ yard PERFECT deep ball) plus the near miss in the back of the endzone. I'm not willing to say he's light years ahead, but he definitely played better.

I'll also say that we'd be a better offense with EITHER Kodi Burns OR Chris Todd full-time than we are with both guys in equal parts. We'd benefit from making a decision regardless of what the decision is.

[Ranger12 46]

I am amazed on how many people we have on this board that are obviously better at judging the talent on the team then the coaches are. Should we get a mob going and march down to the practice field tomorrow and tell CTT and CTF that Burns is the obvious starter, as many of you have stated, and they need to get with the program. After all, they are only the coaches, while us fans are the experts, right?

Look guys, it is okay to have an opinion and to express it. However, all these "Kodi is the obvious choice" comments are tad bit too much if you ask me. I am trying to figure out what you guys saw this past Saturday from either QB that would make either one the obvious choice as the #1 guy. Did Kodi Burns complete a lot of passes that I must have missed, that would make him the obvious choice, as some of you are saying? I saw two QBs out there that did not offer the complete package needed to run CTF's offense.

I will say it again, let's trust the coaches, who see these kids everyday on and off the field, and know them better then any of us, to do their job.

[HarpyTrain 1]

We may all be a bunch of armchair QB's, but I think we have all watched enough football to make some basic distinctions. It was pretty obvious that Kodi's overall play sparked the team quite a bit. And he did make some excellent throws. Yeah he made some mistakes and some bad throws; but overall his decision making is very good. That throw to Hawthorne was ON THE MONEY. The throw to Rod Smith was just a touch to long. The most important thing though was how quickly he decided to throw, run, or throw the ball out of bounds - he just has good instincts. I don't see how anyone could have watched that ULM game and not believe that not only is Kodi just as good as Todd, but that he has alot of room for improvement which is just Awesome to think about.

[mcgufcm 4,107]

Well, Kodi was 4 of 9 with three of the five being a dropped ball by Chris Slaughter that was at least 50 yards and might have been a TD, a two inch too long catch by Rod Smith in the back of the endzone, and a shallow drop in the first half. Two of those would've made his numbers MUCH better, and the other would've offered some improvement and might've moved the chains. The thing is, Kodi threw the ball at least as well as Chris, and he's clearly a more dynamic ball carrier. If they're even throwing the ball, Kodi's the guy. That said, the coaches know what they're doing, and they'll make the decision that's best for the team.

[Ranger12 46]

We may all be a bunch of armchair QB's, but I think we have all watched enough football to make some basic distinctions. It was pretty obvious that Kodi's overall play sparked the team quite a bit. And he did make some excellent throws. Yeah he made some mistakes and some bad throws; but overall his decision making is very good. That throw to Hawthorne was ON THE MONEY. The throw to Rod Smith was just a touch to long. The most important thing though was how quickly he decided to throw, run, or throw the ball out of bounds - he just has good instincts. I don't see how anyone could have watched that ULM game and not believe that not only is Kodi just as good as Todd, but that he has alot of room for improvement which is just Awesome to think about.

Armchair QB is the keyword. You saw both QBs after one game, one of them only for one quarter. The coaches have spent a little more time then that with both of these guys. Both QBs have room for a lot of improvement and I did not see where either was the obvious choice. Apparently neither did CTT and CTF. If it was so easy to make the "obvious" choice by us fans, then any of us could stand on the sidelines this Saturday against Southern Miss and do what our coaching staff does, right?

Have faith in our coaches instead of making accusations of favoritism and all that crap. It has only been one game and some of you are already slamming our new OC. Sound like anybody you know?

My personal opinion, not that it matters, is if both Todd and Burns wind up being equals when it comes to passing, then Burns would have the edge because of his mobility. He would have the complete package needed for the spread offense. Also, Todd is a junior and Burns is a sophomore, so I kind of like the idea of Burns being our starter for the next three years. That way, by the time he is a senior, he will have the experience and maturity to be a major headache to opposing teams and get us back in the MNC picture.

[mattd 3]

I think Kodi's numbers would have been better if they had given him more chances to throw the ball. Todd sucked...he had 3 int's dropped by La Monroe...

[CCTAU 3,369]

I will say this, until you have stepped out on that field for the first time in front of 90000 screaming fans, don't take away a guys chance for one game. Burns has been on the field in this situation and should have performed even better. The runs that he got with his legs against ULM will not equate to the same thing against an LSU. Burns must be able to compete in all aspects of this offense. In time, I think he will step up, but for now, I'm not ready for another Reggie Ball. I want him to get to the point that he runs the offense without using his legs first.

The book is still out on Todd. First game jitters maybe? It's a whole new experience down there for the first time. A few more games will tell us wonders about both of them.

[LegalEagle 22]

The UCLA QB stunk the place up for a half last night. They stuck with him and in the second half he looked as good as any QB playing. I hope we change the every other series deal, but both QBs getting experience will help us down the road.

[AU1941 6]

Everybody keeps saying trust the coaches.... Well, did the coaches not see for themselves what was happening on the field with both QB's switching like revolving doors?

CTF said himself that he's always thought a 2 QB system is stupid and you don't do it. Then why DO IT? Is he trying to give Todd the benefit of the doubt because he brought him to AU and feels like he owe's Todd playing time? I'm not a football guru, but even my wife could see who the better QB was on Saturday.

You play the QB that makes the least amount of mistakes. Todd came VERY close to thowing 3 interceptions against LaMo. What will happen to him when LSU loads the box and brings that nasty defense right at him? I'm afraid to even think of it!!!!

[War Eagle 96 10]

CTF said himself that he's always thought a 2 QB system is stupid and you don't do it. Then why DO IT?

Because it was ULAMO!

[AU alum 2]

I am terrified about Todd starting for us against USM. Not because he won't play good - he probably will. I am terrified that CTF will start him Saturday, see that he does good , and use that for an excuse to start him the rest of the year. And leave Kodi in as a backup. Todd is CTF's favorite, and I'm just afraid that he'll use that to leave him in all year. I too, think Kodi is the better overall quarterback. No, I'm not a coach, or have I ever played quarterback, but I can't help but see Kodi as Dameyune Craig, part II.

[Tiger1992 1,018]

I am terrified about Todd starting for us against USM. Not because he won't play good - he probably will. I am terrified that CTF will start him Saturday, see that he does good , and use that for an excuse to start him the rest of the year. And leave Kodi in as a backup. Todd is CTF's favorite, and I'm just afraid that he'll use that to leave him in all year. I too, think Kodi is the better overall quarterback. No, I'm not a coach, or have I ever played quarterback, but I can't help but see Kodi as Dameyune Craig, part II.

So...you're terrified that Todd will play well against USM and thus earn playing time? Excuse me if I fail to see the logic there.

Personally, I don't give a damn whether it's Todd, Burns, Caudle, or whoever that plays QB as long as we win. Shouldn't this be about what's best for the team, and not which QB a bunch of armchair internet QB's like best?

[AU alum 2]

I am terrified about Todd starting for us against USM. Not because he won't play good - he probably will. I am terrified that CTF will start him Saturday, see that he does good , and use that for an excuse to start him the rest of the year. And leave Kodi in as a backup. Todd is CTF's favorite, and I'm just afraid that he'll use that to leave him in all year. I too, think Kodi is the better overall quarterback. No, I'm not a coach, or have I ever played quarterback, but I can't help but see Kodi as Dameyune Craig, part II.

So...you're terrified that Todd will play well against USM and thus earn playing time? Excuse me if I fail to see the logic there.

Personally, I don't give a damn whether it's Todd, Burns, Caudle, or whoever that plays QB as long as we win. Shouldn't this be about what's best for the team, and not which QB a bunch of armchair internet QB's like best?

No, to repeat myself, I am not terrified that Todd will play well against USM. I am terrified that he will earn the starter's position and keep Kodi from getting it. Maybe it should be about what's best for the team, but in my opinion, Kodi is best for the team. (Notice, I said "my opinion"). Got it?

[jw 4 au 526]

Any armchair QB can tell by the way he was warming up after halftime that Caudle should be the starter going into USM. It was obviuos, not one dropped ball!

But seriously, I think we will do well with either quarterback once they get in a rythem and the offense comes together, we are stacked int he running department. Maybe we will "run to set up the pass" this time instead of the other way around. It was probably the scripted plays for the first half, but I saw both QB's staring down the primary receiver the minute they got the ball in thier hands. Not to mention the dropped balls, argh! That won't cut it in SEC play. Just my 2 cents.