Mandel's mailbag

[ziggyg 2]

In this weeks mailbag he wasn't to upbeat about us. I usually agree some of his stuff and he most of the times has seemed to be a closet auburn fan but he doesnt like Chiz obviously but gave props for trooper. I disagree with him on his comments. i think Chizik has put the pieces so far in place to succeed and best at the top in the SEC.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writ....mailbag/3.html

[Duder 259]

I disagree with his take as well. I think Chizik will be allowed time to succeed and as such, patience is already waiting in the wings. This guy should understand the difference between what Malzahn does with the ball and what Franklin did with the ball. Saban has been beaten by "second tier" coaches in the past (see Friday night, UAB/LSU in 2000, Iowa in 2004, etc) so I don't understand the media's infatuation with him or the general consensus that Saban is this world-beater coach that lays waste to everyone.

I think most AU fans have warmed up to Chizik and understand that we have some re-building to do before we'll be a top tier program again. Although, given Alabama's relatively short turn around I'd say we're looking for something fairly soon.

[rexbo 104]

I think he is COMPLETELY wrong on Auburn fans and the spread; I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are so desperate for a strong offensive team that we would take any imaginable concept out there, as long as it put more than 1 or 2 TD's a game on the board. Our problem with last year was that it looked so great in the bowl game even after a few practices, and it just got worse every game from there.

I think after that experience, even with the initial dissatisfaction with Chizik, we will be a little bit more patient and supportive of Malzahn...

[subterranean_jack 113]

Mandel has supported Auburn in the past, and I think he is spot on in this article, taking it in context with his previous articles.

Hiring Chizik may prove to be a smart decision, but that is yet to be determined. His on-the-field results as a HC are not impressive. So far, he has put together a good coaching staff, a better one than the previous one I think. However, the bottom-line will be wins and I am skeptical how long most fans will be patient.

The main problem is talent on the offensive side of the ball. Either you believe the current players are good enough and coaching has been the problem OR the current players aren't good enough and new ones will have to be recruited before the offense improves. I think we are looking at 2-3 years before the offense will significantly improve (Top 40 offense) because recruiting offensive players has fallen off the past 3-4 years. Forget about stars, I'm talking about results on the field.

Can Chizik survive 1-2 losing seasons? Can he hold together the coaches he has assembled long enough to turn the program around? Chizik is off to a good start, but fans are going to have to be P A T I E N T. The offense has been sliding for years. It is going to take time to fix it. A key hire TBD is the OL coach, and that is the position which most needs improvement. Chizik needs to hit another homer with this hire or the offense will continue to struggle.

[OldNewby 27]

Coaching does make a difference.

There was only one year's difference between our 2003 offense and our 2004 offense. Oh yeah, and a new OC.

[au2004ece 30]

Mandel has supported Auburn in the past, and I think he is spot on in this article, taking it in context with his previous articles.

Hiring Chizik may prove to be a smart decision, but that is yet to be determined. His on-the-field results as a HC are not impressive. So far, he has put together a good coaching staff, a better one than the previous one I think. However, the bottom-line will be wins and I am skeptical how long most fans will be patient.

The main problem is talent on the offensive side of the ball. Either you believe the current players are good enough and coaching has been the problem OR the current players aren't good enough and new ones will have to be recruited before the offense improves. I think we are looking at 2-3 years before the offense will significantly improve (Top 40 offense) because recruiting offensive players has fallen off the past 3-4 years. Forget about stars, I'm talking about results on the field.

Can Chizik survive 1-2 losing seasons? Can he hold together the coaches he has assembled long enough to turn the program around? Chizik is off to a good start, but fans are going to have to be P A T I E N T. The offense has been sliding for years. It is going to take time to fix it. A key hire TBD is the OL coach, and that is the position which most needs improvement. Chizik needs to hit another homer with this hire or the offense will continue to struggle.

I don't see any reason to expect TWO losing seasons. Think about this, if we had never hired Franklin and went with the status quo from 2007 into 2008 we would have beaten Vanderbilt and Arkansas for sure. That would have been a 7-5 season in our worst year in a decade. I would think 7-5 would be the mark to shoot for next year.

[quietfan 233]

I'm not sure what to think about our current talent. Pre-season, SEC sportswriters thought we had the the talent to win the west. Obviously that didn't happen, but was it because they were that far off in judging our talent, or was the problem coaching? (...or lack thereof, since apparently the offensive coaches were never on the same page). We're losing some big names on defense (Marx, Powers) and Brad Lester (who wasn't much of a factor this year) but overall, I don't think our talent will be much changed in 2009. Is that good or bad?--I don't know.

I can't imagine us having two losing seasons in a row, however. Except that our road schedule is tough (another odd-numbered year in the SEC), I see no reason to even expect a losing season next year. JMO

[subterranean_jack 113]

Coaching does make a difference.

There was only one year's difference between our 2003 offense and our 2004 offense. Oh yeah, and a new OC.

Three 1st round draft picks in the backfield made a bigger difference.

[subterranean_jack 113]

2009 schedule--

September 05 West Virginia

September 12 Mississippi State

September 19 @Tennessee

September 26 Ball State

October 03 Kentucky

October 10 @Arkansas

October 17 Southern Mississippi

October 24 @LSU

Octpber 31 Mississippi

November 07 Furman

November 14 @Georgia

November 21 OPEN

November 28 Alabama

I think 6-8 wins are within reach, maybe more, but right now a lot of games are toss-ups.

I can see wins again Miss St, Ball State, Southern Miss, Furman, and either Tenn or Arkansas but probably not both since both are road games. That's 5 wins.

Toss-ups would be West Virginia, Tenn/Ark, Georgia, Alabama. Split these, and that's 6-7 wins and a bowl game.

I think LSU and Ole Miss are going to be trouble, and they will likely be able to outscore Auburn, so probable losses.

I think 6-6 or 7-5 are realistic. If the problem has been coaching and not talent, then maybe 8-4. However, if talent IS the problem, then 7-5 is probably a little optimistic.

[Duder 259]

2009 schedule--

September 05 West Virginia

September 12 Mississippi State

September 19 @Tennessee

September 26 Ball State

October 03 Kentucky

October 10 @Arkansas

October 17 Southern Mississippi

October 24 @LSU

Octpber 31 Mississippi

November 07 Furman

November 14 @Georgia

November 21 OPEN

November 28 Alabama

I think 6-8 wins are within reach, maybe more, but right now a lot of games are toss-ups.

I can see wins again Miss St, Ball State, Southern Miss, Furman, and either Tenn or Arkansas but probably not both since both are road games. That's 5 wins.

Toss-ups would be West Virginia, Tenn/Ark, Georgia, Alabama. Split these, and that's 6-7 wins and a bowl game.

I think LSU and Ole Miss are going to be trouble, and they will likely be able to outscore Auburn, so probable losses.

I think 6-6 or 7-5 are realistic. If the problem has been coaching and not talent, then maybe 8-4. However, if talent IS the problem, then 7-5 is probably a little optimistic.

I think Arky will be more of a problem than UT. I don't see UT being a contender for much of anything next year. Not to say Arky will be good--they have very little talent. WVA is definitely a toss-up but my guts tells me that falls in our favor. It's early and they're breaking in a new QB. I think breaking .500 and a bowl game is more than a fair assessment for our team next year. I truly believe we have more talent than we've shown and I believe Malzahn will do a better job of using it than CTT, Ensminger or Franklin did/could.

[Longtrainn 2]

Coaching does make a difference.

There was only one year's difference between our 2003 offense and our 2004 offense. Oh yeah, and a new OC.

Three 1st round draft picks in the backfield made a bigger difference.

Those same three guys were there in 2003 though. However, they were not there in 2005, when we put up the same amount of points per game on offense. That, you could say, was coaching.

[AUTrey 0]

I think changing the name of Ole Miss/Clemson syndrome nee Auburn/Clemson syndrome to Auburn/A&M syndrome was a low blow. Unnecessary piling on.

It really annoys me how the entire national media seems to consistently be one step behind as far as reading the Auburn fan base. When we were angry with Tuberville but still wanted him around, the media said we were trying to run him off. When Tuberville was fired, the fan base mostly supported him, but the media crucified us for running him off (ultimately leading to the renaming of the syndrome). When we hired Chizik over Gill, even though many fans wanted Gill, the entire AUNation was labeled racist. And now, even though many of us were angry about the Chizik hire, most of us said we would support him and are now coming around thanks to a string of excellent hires. But, here we have Mandel saying we don't support him.

[BoJtrueAUman 4]

Look Kodi wasnt a great QB the last half of the season BUT I think had Franklin not kept him out ON PURPOSE he would have found a grove and improved as the season went on. Instead he had to deal with a guy who didn't want him in the game and was pretty clear about that with the fact that he kept putting Todd in. I feel sorry for Todd b/c it wasn't his fault the guy kept putting him into crappy situations. I think our OL hire will be key but I honestly think we will have a decent season come fall maybe I am just a kool aid drinker but I think we have all the ingredients for a good O they just need the right teacher and lets hope Malzahn is that guy.

[AUBoggs 0]

Call me a kool-aid drinker or hopelessly optimistic but I believe 8 or more wins are possible. The offense will stay on the field longer and put up more points. A more rested defense in the 2nd half of games will make the difference.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

Mandel has supported Auburn in the past, and I think he is spot on in this article, taking it in context with his previous articles.

Hiring Chizik may prove to be a smart decision, but that is yet to be determined. His on-the-field results as a HC are not impressive. So far, he has put together a good coaching staff, a better one than the previous one I think. However, the bottom-line will be wins and I am skeptical how long most fans will be patient.

The main problem is talent on the offensive side of the ball. Either you believe the current players are good enough and coaching has been the problem OR the current players aren't good enough and new ones will have to be recruited before the offense improves. I think we are looking at 2-3 years before the offense will significantly improve (Top 40 offense) because recruiting offensive players has fallen off the past 3-4 years. Forget about stars, I'm talking about results on the field.

Can Chizik survive 1-2 losing seasons? Can he hold together the coaches he has assembled long enough to turn the program around? Chizik is off to a good start, but fans are going to have to be P A T I E N T. The offense has been sliding for years. It is going to take time to fix it. A key hire TBD is the OL coach, and that is the position which most needs improvement. Chizik needs to hit another homer with this hire or the offense will continue to struggle.

Good post. I agree 100%.

[AUloggerhead 3,149]

It really annoys me how the entire national media seems to consistently be one step behind as far as reading the Auburn fan base. When we were angry with Tuberville but still wanted him around, the media said we were trying to run him off. When Tuberville was fired, the fan base mostly supported him, but the media crucified us for running him off (ultimately leading to the renaming of the syndrome). When we hired Chizik over Gill, even though many fans wanted Gill, the entire AUNation was labeled racist. And now, even though many of us were angry about the Chizik hire, most of us said we would support him and are now coming around thanks to a string of excellent hires. But, here we have Mandel saying we don't support him.

Bingo. You nailed it. I chalk it up to the "group-think syndrome" among sportswriters. He's paid to put his opinions down on paper. Thet doesn't mean his opinions are correct.

Here's the actual mailbag question with his respone:

You wrote earlier that Gene Chizik has "zero chance to succeed" at Auburn due to lack of fan support. Two questions: What do you think of his recent staff hires, and given the fact that many Auburn fans think he's on the right track with hires, recruiting and convincing Antonio Coleman to stay, do you still think he has zero chance at success?

-- Jerry, Birmingham, Ala.

I would characterize his recent hires as "interesting." All I heard for three weeks was that Auburn fans couldn't wait to be done with the awful spread-offense experiment and get back to some good-old fashioned I-formation football -- and then Chizik goes out and hires one of the reigning gurus of the no-huddle, shotgun-spread attack, Gus Malzahn. I think he's a great coach, but Auburn fans are going to need to do a complete 180 on their opinion of the spread. Wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor, on the other hand, is a fantastic fit and a phenomenal recruiter.

Chizik may well win some games, go to some bowl games, but over the long-term, I'll stick with the "zero chance to succeed" prediction. That's because A) Chizik will always be viewed as a questionable hire, which means any little misstep will be amplified and patience will be at a premium, and Auburn ultimately measures itself against Alabama, and any coach that took that job would be hard-pressed to keep pace with Nick Saban. Auburn ran Tommy Tuberville out of town after a one-game losing streak to the Tide. What happens if Chizik has the bad fortune of losing two straight Iron Bowls?

In the first paragraph, he's just flat out wrong. Period. AU people aren't "done with the spread." We are done with Tony Franklin's spread & CTT's management style. I don't know about the rest of you but I hated Franklin's spread offense because AU was totally ineffective at moving the ball from the opening play of the season, and he & CTT were too stubborn to make obviously needed changes. After Frankilin was fired (and maybe even before) I couldn't wait for the season to be over. To say that AU people hate the spread is incredibly stupid in light of offenses all over the country having success with it. Gus Malzahn brings proven expertise to the table and I'm sure most AU people are like me are happy he's here and they can't wait to see the results.

In the 2nd paragraph he's even more wrong. A) AU people are over the Chizik hire due to Chizik's favorable staff additions. What's up with the 'no patience' line at AU? Clearly, he has no clue about AU's history & what it means to be an AU supporter. I think he's confusing AU with that other school in Alabama that goes through HC every couple of years. Totally wrong. AU does not "ultimately measure itself against uat." What a joke. All Mandel does here is put his sportswriter ignorance about AU on display.

[OldNewby 27]

It really annoys me how the entire national media seems to consistently be one step behind as far as reading the Auburn fan base. When we were angry with Tuberville but still wanted him around, the media said we were trying to run him off. When Tuberville was fired, the fan base mostly supported him, but the media crucified us for running him off (ultimately leading to the renaming of the syndrome). When we hired Chizik over Gill, even though many fans wanted Gill, the entire AUNation was labeled racist. And now, even though many of us were angry about the Chizik hire, most of us said we would support him and are now coming around thanks to a string of excellent hires. But, here we have Mandel saying we don't support him.

Bingo. You nailed it. I chalk it up to the "group-think syndrome" among sportswriters. He's paid to put his opinions down on paper. Thet doesn't mean his opinions are correct.

Here's the actual mailbag question with his respone:

You wrote earlier that Gene Chizik has "zero chance to succeed" at Auburn due to lack of fan support. Two questions: What do you think of his recent staff hires, and given the fact that many Auburn fans think he's on the right track with hires, recruiting and convincing Antonio Coleman to stay, do you still think he has zero chance at success?

-- Jerry, Birmingham, Ala.

I would characterize his recent hires as "interesting." All I heard for three weeks was that Auburn fans couldn't wait to be done with the awful spread-offense experiment and get back to some good-old fashioned I-formation football -- and then Chizik goes out and hires one of the reigning gurus of the no-huddle, shotgun-spread attack, Gus Malzahn. I think he's a great coach, but Auburn fans are going to need to do a complete 180 on their opinion of the spread. Wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor, on the other hand, is a fantastic fit and a phenomenal recruiter.

Chizik may well win some games, go to some bowl games, but over the long-term, I'll stick with the "zero chance to succeed" prediction. That's because A) Chizik will always be viewed as a questionable hire, which means any little misstep will be amplified and patience will be at a premium, and Auburn ultimately measures itself against Alabama, and any coach that took that job would be hard-pressed to keep pace with Nick Saban. Auburn ran Tommy Tuberville out of town after a one-game losing streak to the Tide. What happens if Chizik has the bad fortune of losing two straight Iron Bowls?

In the first paragraph, he's just flat out wrong. Period. AU people aren't "done with the spread." We are done with Tony Franklin's spread & CTT's management style. I don't know about the rest of you but I hated Franklin's spread offense because AU was totally ineffective at moving the ball from the opening play of the season, and he & CTT were too stubborn to make obviously needed changes. After Frankilin was fired (and maybe even before) I couldn't wait for the season to be over. To say that AU people hate the spread is incredibly stupid in light of offenses all over the country having success with it. Gus Malzahn brings proven expertise to the table and I'm sure most AU people are like me are happy he's here and they can't wait to see the results.

In the 2nd paragraph he's even more wrong. A) AU people are over the Chizik hire due to Chizik's favorable staff additions. What's up with the 'no patience' line at AU? Clearly, he has no clue about AU's history & what it means to be an AU supporter. I think he's confusing AU with that other school in Alabama that goes through HC every couple of years. Totally wrong. AU does not "ultimately measure itself against uat." What a joke. All Mandel does here is put his sportswriter ignorance about AU on display.

You it too AUloggerhead!

Mandel's research assistant

[AUman43 5]

I think he's wrong. Auburn folks were excited about the spread when Franklin was hired...however, nobody would stay excited about an offense and a coach that wasn't working. That's the difference! Those earlier assumptions that the PTB were dissatisfied with the spread were obviously wrong as well since CGC has apparently been allowed to hire the type of personnel he has hired. As for patience, Auburn has always been more patient and forgiving than the Bammers. Their "elitist" attitude has never provided much patience as evidenced by the # of coaches they've had over the past 15 years or so. Let Sabear have one or two really bad seasons and see what happens within the Turd nation. I say things are looking up at Auburn and I predict much better things for us next year.. I also predict Chizik, Malzahn and Taylor will salvage this years recruiting into one of the top 10-12 in the nation. JMO

[GoAU 1,708]

When it comes to offensive terminology / strategy I think too many people (including most sportswriters) are "spreading" the spread. What I mean is that term is being applied to just about anything that isn't power I football.

Franklin ran what I call the spread - no huddle, nothing but shotgun, and 1 RB at most (if any). The play calling is vastly slanted toward the pass, and passing success opens the run.

Gus has said he will run to open the pass, and then use a lot of play action (and vertical) passing to exploit teams selling out to stop the run. IMO this is NOT spread. But, then again maybe I'm wrong as I am not a sportswriter I do think Gus may abandon the idea of a huddle, which IMO is a good thing - it's better for the O to set the tempo. The use of a vertical play action passing attack is a much better fit for us than a pure spread attack, and by definition will be more balanced.

What I do think is overlooked is that while Gus has shown to be able to shape his O to work with the players he has, Franklin was very mush a one trick pony.

The other statement made in the article that I flat out disagree with is the "Chizik will always be viewed as a questionable hire". I think most people already support the hire, but regardless of that, come September people will no longer be worried about the hire, but look at his results.

I also can't stand the way the media seems so convinced the Saban is the "high and mighty" - he's a good coach, but no man can live up to the crap that spew about him. Why hasn't the media criticized his ability to "coach and motivate" his team into recovering from a UF loss instead of getting killed by Utah? The same thing happened to bama last season, just earlier - they lost one game and then followed it up by sliding into a 6 game loosing streak. You would think the "greatest coach that ever lived" would be able to stop tailspins. Anyway, I digress.

The biggest thing to remember is - it's a long way until next season, and the sports writers will need to invent stuff to write about until the prediction mags start showing up so expect more of this type of garbage.

[Ashandarei 0]

Eh, I think you are being too specific with what you call the spread. I mean, I'm not coach, but I think anything not a pro style, or option based has moved to being called a spread. It's doesn't mean you won't run the ball, or even go into the I formation. I think it more revolves around keeping your skill players on a constant mismatch with the defense. By multiple wr formations (more than 3) most of the game, you are now called a spread team. Utah was one, and they didn't run the ball only because they didn't have to. Basically it's all in perception.

I think I made some sense, but probably not.

[weagle251 1]

CGC's staff hires have made it much easier to be optimistic about the football program, but it's still just January. I'll be curious to see what everyone thinks if we stumble out of the gate next season or, even worse, have a season just as bad as last year. I think we could look very good in two or three years, but there's a chance we could look like Michigan in this season coming up. The challenge will be not to go all knee-jerk and pull the torches and pitchforks at the first sign of struggle.

[OldNewby 27]

Last year we lost five games (LSU, Vandy, AR, Ole Miss, UGA) that with a scooch more offense, we could have won. Instead of 5-7, we could have been 10-2. And we were leading at halftime in Morgantown before going south in the 2nd half.

My point is that we don't have miles to go to have a better record in 2009. Our D had too much of the load to carry in 2008. I expect an improved offense in all phases with CGM, CCL, ad CTT teaching our skill players. If the new OL coach is anywhere near their level, watch out! I also expect improved special teams.

I know we have lost some key players with some entering the NFL draft and others having used up their eligibility, but we're not alone in that regard. We're still a young team, and I look for some of them to step up and fill the void.

[AUloggerhead 3,149]

... The biggest thing to remember is - it's a long way until next season, and the sports writers will need to invent stuff to write about until the prediction mags start showing up so expect more of this type of garbage.

The predictions will start right after the OU-UF game and will be in print tomorrow.

[cadillacattack 0]

Mandel has supported Auburn in the past, and I think he is spot on in this article, taking it in context with his previous articles.

Hiring Chizik may prove to be a smart decision, but that is yet to be determined. His on-the-field results as a HC are not impressive. So far, he has put together a good coaching staff, a better one than the previous one I think. However, the bottom-line will be wins and I am skeptical how long most fans will be patient.

The main problem is talent on the offensive side of the ball. Either you believe the current players are good enough and coaching has been the problem OR the current players aren't good enough and new ones will have to be recruited before the offense improves. I think we are looking at 2-3 years before the offense will significantly improve (Top 40 offense) because recruiting offensive players has fallen off the past 3-4 years. Forget about stars, I'm talking about results on the field.

Can Chizik survive 1-2 losing seasons? Can he hold together the coaches he has assembled long enough to turn the program around? Chizik is off to a good start, but fans are going to have to be P A T I E N T. The offense has been sliding for years. It is going to take time to fix it. A key hire TBD is the OL coach, and that is the position which most needs improvement. Chizik needs to hit another homer with this hire or the offense will continue to struggle.

I also agree 100%.

Those criticizing Mandel for his characterization of AU fans and our level of "patience" need to understand that Mandel is speaking about the only fans that really matter in this, and that's the PTB. And he's correct, IMHO. For example, even in 2007 the fanbase was behind Tuberville & Co. but I doubt that anyone would say that about the PTB. The divide was always there, but the PTB was simply biding its time and waiting for a vulnerable moment.

[AUTiger1 0]

Bothers me not that PF, Brando, Mandel or anyone else gives us 0% chance. As a matter of fact I would rather have it that way. It seems to me, and maybe just my imagination, but we seem to play a lot better when are disrespected and have a chip on our shoulder.