James Willis .....LBer coach for Bammer

[Jethro 0]

did anyone else see the interview of James Willis this evening? Very short interview but one of the best I have heard. He said Au will always be his home and without them he wouldn't be where he is now. He went on to say that where he is coaching now is only business and he hopes everyone understands that. Not bad for a bammer coach....of course he hasn't always been!

[msg6367 1]

Sorry but I have absolutely no respect for JW.

[tigertrounce 0]

Im still ok with Willis.

[Ronald McDonald 0]

I'm fine with CJW.. He was always a classy guy on the Plains and a true Plainsmen. He needed to make a change and i believe he will return to live in Auburn when he retires. Trust me, he's an Auburn football lover.

[gsm1060 0]

you have no respect for james willis ??? why??? just because he left to go to bama !!! what are you 5 years old !!! willis was baning heads for this university and the auburn family while you were on your mamas knee

[guerra aguila 0]

I have no beef with him... he went on to bama to lock up his job serurity... yes Chizik was apparently going to keep him on staff, but with all the chaos surrounding the program at the time... I dont blame him for leaving.

[Ronald McDonald 0]

you have no respect for james willis ??? why??? just because he left to go to bama !!! what are you 5 years old !!! willis was baning heads for this university and the auburn family while you were on your mamas knee

i agree with you my friend.

[CaptainBrannigan 0]

Coaching is a business. He has to do what is best for him and his family. Im not mad at him for leaving, anymore. Chizik did fire him, after he was the only one still recruiting for AU.

But I am absolutely shocked that Saban allowed a coach to do an interview.

[Ronald McDonald 0]

Coaching is a business. He has to do what is best for him and his family. Im not mad at him for leaving, anymore. Chizik did fire him, after he was the only one still recruiting for AU.

But I am absolutely shocked that Saban allowed a coach to do an interview.

That shocked me too to be honest.

[Jethro 0]

I really wish I could find a link to the "interview". It was short and sweet. He even said something to the effect that he hopes all of the educated fans know it was only a business decisions. he knows others will never understand that. he made it very clear his heart was in AU.

The OC for bammer did a lengthy interview earlier in the day. now that was surprising. they showed part of NS interview. he was clearly aggitated.....like always.

[righty1975 0]

Saban is required to make the asistants available for interviews at the BCS bowl. They did them last year too. It is a contractual thing, only reason he let's them.

[msg6367 1]

you have no respect for james willis ??? why??? just because he left to go to bama !!! what are you 5 years old !!! willis was baning heads for this university and the auburn family while you were on your mamas knee

Don't insult me.  I attended AU while JW was there but as a true AU man, I would never go to work or attend college at UAT.  JW betrayed the people that supported him.

He could have easily pursued other college coaching opportunities.

[gsm1060 0]

ok

[parkjas2001 0]

F James Willis!!

[Buckeye Tiger 0]

James Willis is dead to me.  My issue isn't just that he's now a Mulleteer, it was the way he left and the timing of everything.  The way it went down, it was orchestrated by Saban to do maximum damage to the Auburn football program & recruiting.

[tigerbill 0]

Here is a link to the article.  But it sounds like there may have been a video interview as well.don't have that andhave not seen it.

http://blog.al.com/kevin-scarbinsky/2010/01/scarbinsky_willis_left_for_ala.html

[slacker 0]

Auburn may be your "home" James, but you sold it when you sold soul to $aban.  The locks are changed, we've moved on, you're no Auburn man anymore.  It's a shame.

I understand coaches change jobs, Pat Dye, Vince Dooley, etc.  James just did it wrong. 

Enjoy your mullet nation, you turned your back on the Auburn family in a time of need.

[fourthvision 0]

yeah I don't care I'd rather flip burgers at Mickey D's than work for 

[auburn4ever 1,266]

I have no use for him nor do I listen or care what he has to say.

[millejb 0]

Don't see why everybody gets their panties in a wad over Willis, while he was here he was an average recruiter and not that great of a LB coach. I feel sorry for grown men who hold a grudge over where a person decides to coach, whether it be Alabama or the CFL he's an Auburn grad. I also don't understand why everybody was calling for the BBQ gang to be gone then gets pissy when Willis leaves. Auburn is better without him on our sidelines IMO.

[Builder 86]

Id suggest going back and reading the JW posts on this site when he left Auburn for bama...There wasnt any love then and IMO there shouldnt be any now...Just like another poster said, he left AU in an attempt to do maximum damage to the university and OUR players when we needed him most...I think his moniker at that time was

Benedict Willis...( I think I came up with it )....Im sure Benedict Arnold thought he was doing the right thing for his future and  his family too..

[Coastal Tiger 84]

Id suggest going back and reading the JW posts on this site when he left Auburn for bama...There wasnt any love then and IMO there shouldnt be any now...Just like another poster said, he left AU in an attempt to do maximum damage to the university and OUR players when we needed him most...I think his moniker at that time was

Benedict Willis...( I think I came up with it )....Im sure Benedict Arnold thought he was doing the right thing for his future and  his family too..

Didn't CGC FIRE him?  Didn't CGC rehire him when he figured out he was an Auburn Man?  Did not Auburn ask for his severance money back after this?

JW said, "Say What???????" "You gotta be kidding me, you fire me, rehire me, then ask for me to return money after you hire other defensive asst's at more premium pay?"

And you call him Benedict Willis?  WTF?  Yeah, I don't agree with you.  BTW, James Willis wasn't looking to leave, we forced him too.

And no, I'm not a poser.

[millejb 0]

Somebody name me a LB that Willis put in the league

[Coastal Tiger 84]

Will Herring is the first to come to mind.  Don't many come out of Temple or Rhode Island which is where he coached LB's for his first jobs before coming back to AU.  He was a grad asst coaching LB's during the years of some stud LB's:

Travis and Antarrious Williams, Karibi Dede, Dontarious Thomas, and Karlos Dansby...probably does not get any credit for mentoring these guys.

Guess he will get credit for McClain, Upshaw, Hightower, et al when they go.

[Farmer Brown 2,530]

Bye James.