News of the day, 4/1
Hey everyone. Today was a reasonably slow day on the Auburn front. I'll address those issues below. I also have a few personal beefs I'd like to air as well, so stay tuned for that as well.
Thanks, as always, for making this the Auburn blog on the 'net.
The football team holds its final practice, what's being termed a "half scrimmage," at the stadium Wednesday night. This ought to be fun. A-Day is a weird deal because the best players sit out for most of the game. I don't expect that tonight.OC Tony Franklin said he'll be working on his short-yard power packages, which are in the spotlight after some A-Day difficulties. This will be the final exhibition before two-a-days begin. A lot of these players want to implant some positive thoughts into the coaches' heads, so this is the time to do it.
I bet Chris Todd finds a way to turn that second-half performance into a full-day thing tonight.
... on that note ...
Why is it so hard for some of the HOTTIES to understand that two guys are going to play quarterback next season? Each kid has his own set of strengths. I am of the opinion that Todd is going to get more playing time because he's a decent runner (Kodi Burns is 25% better), but Todd is a much more refined passer. Kodi was at his best in the A-Day game. That was the best I've ever seen him pass, so maybe that was genuine (read: repeatable) progress rather than a statistical anomaly. I'm skeptical, though I'm more sold on Burns today than I was three weeks ago.Burns has real create-on-the-fly potential. It's just so hard to gauge him because that can't be replicated in practice. He either eludes the kids trying to cripple him or not. And until those would-be cripplers are free to do their thing, we can't know if Burns has that unquantifiable ability.
Franklin has months to figure that out.
I caught the baseball team's series finale against Tennessee on Sunday, which was fun to cover. Auburn fell behind 3-0, then rallied for a pair of runs in the eighth and ninth innings for a 4-3 win. This was 1990s Auburn, the Gabe Gross/Tim Hudson Auburn, where hitters look better during the late innings.If they can get ace Paul Burnside back to the guy he was last season, I really think this is a Hoover-caliber team. That almost automatically means an NCAA bid would await. I see some patient (and good) hitters, a good defensive array and a good bullpen. That's at least a formula for 15-15 in the league.
We'll learn more this weekend. Auburn plays at Arkansas, which is off to a slow start. If the Tigers get swept, as they did at Florida to open the SEC season, then I'll disavow everything I just said. It's my blog and I can do that.
The HOTTIES know I'm a very modest person who never trumpets his own accomplishments. That reserve explains why you all first learned of my recent crowning achievement in O-A News' (shorts-wearing) sports editor Mike Svzetitz's blog.My guess of 34,598.5 was closest to the estimated A-Day crowd of 35,000, which means I won the Bill Beckwith Crowd Estimate Award. I had been 0-for-9 going into this game. I'm just glad that Associated Press ace Josh Zenor was disqualified for not signing his ballot. Big dummy.
In case you didn't believe me or shorts-wearing sports editor Mike Szvetitz, here is official proof.
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So we all know that Sony's Blu-Ray technology has won the high-definition DVD battle, triumphing over Toshiba (and Microsoft by proxy) and its HD-DVD stuff.So I roll into Best Buy tonight. I'm just doing some casual price-checking on the Blu-Ray players. I don't really need one. I just wanted to see what was up.
It's weird. Your standard Blu-Ray player is $599.
A PlayStation 3, which comes with Blu-Ray capability, is $399.
What is that? Why doesn't everyone just buy a PS3 and go with it?
Photo credit: Todd Van Emst/Auburn University
posted by Jay G. Tate at
8:35 PM
45 Comments:
Not understanding 2 QBs. Man, I don't know why. I mean it is as plain as the nose on your face. It's been obvious from the get go. I don't understand the fan aversion.
I feel the same way.
Franklin challenges standard practice in general, so a two-QB system shouldn't be surprising.
With the speed of the no-huddle offense, I really can't see how you'd avoid a 2-QB system. My guess is the key is not that you have 2 QBs, but that you have a solid bench of linemen and tight ends who can contribute at nearly the same level as the starters.
Jay what time is practice this evening?
I don't think Auburn is releasing that information for public consumption.
Lemme investigate further.
Either way, you can bank on updates here no later than 11 p.m.
If KB becomes the starter and the offense becomes reliant on his athleticism to move the ball, then we are in trouble when KB gets hurt. IMO that he will get hurt runnning all the tiem. If we start the season with Ct and learn to read defenses and run the offense utilitzing all the palycalling options available, the KB can at the vry least come in a a spark and he will be encouraged to follow the more intellectual/less athletic aspects of this offense. KB, like most Fr/So needs to learn theoffense and SEC defenses in order to be reliable. That being said, CT knows the offense, how well will he be reading deenses. I guess another rambling question is really how much defense reading/audibling does a QB need to do in a no huddle? It seems that the coaches call the play and immediately run it.
Sincere apologies...I was in a hurry and typed that w/o my glasses on.
I'm just not worried about a two QB system in this offense. The team will adapt one QB or another thing is fraud. This isn't Daniel Cobb vs. Jason Campbell. These are two adequate guys, one being very heady in the passing game and the other a guy that can potentially pick up easy first downs using simply athleticism.
Kodi's already given as that measurement. Where he was failing was in the passing game. Any QB who can line up in shotgun in a must score situation inside the 10 yardline, and then actually run it into the endzone without losing his feet, is a QB who has proven his worth in that regard. See the UF and Clemson tapes. It was just easy and everybody knew it was coming.
There's a lot more to being able to carry the football through a defense than simply burning speed. Kodi just has it, man.
Can anyone name a situation in which a true two QB system has actually worked????? IT NEVER HAS!!!!!
Why does no one realize this? Why do people think Franklin can make it work when no one, anywhere, ever has been able to make it work. It always ends in disaster with the team divided and the fans divided.
Hip Hop...UF won a NC with it. Positive thinking is an incredible tool. We're talking 90 snaps. Not 55.
I was waiting for that to be the only example anyone would give, but UF was a totally different situation.
They had a team leader playing QB (Leak) and a change of pace guy who was the heir apparent (Teabow). The team knew Leak was the leader and Teabow knew his place as well. Leak was willing to give up a few snaps for the good of the team, and Teabow was willing to take a backseat for a year, come in when needed, and be ready to take over as a sophomore. But at the end of the day that was Leak's team and everyone knew it.
This situation is nothing like that. Neither of them is a team leader, and neither of them is the "heir apparent". In situations like this feelings get hurt and egos get bruised. Somebody has to be THE GUY. You cant have two THE GUY'S. It just doesnt work. Neither of them came here to be a co-QB. So pick one and go with it. I'd rather have one of them unhappy and not playing rather than have both of them unhappy AND playing!
How do you know neither of them is a "team leader"? That's a rather ingorant statement.
And you statements about Leak and Tebow seem to be awfully contradictory. Tebow just reeled in a Heisman trophy. He was, by all means, just as much a leader as Leak was. His teammates responded to him, a true freshman.
Hip Hop, I have to wonder why you were waiting for someone to yield the UF response? You completely missed that one.
Anon 9:15, I didnt miss UF. I didnt mention it because it wasnt a two QB system in the same sense as what could potentially be at Auburn. I said what I said, and was waiting for someone to throw out UF as an example.
Crudup, I dont necessarily think it's "ignorant" to assume that neither of them is a leader. One is a true sophomore with limited playing experience, the other is a JUCO transfer who has only been on campus for three months.
And bare with me here Crud, but Teabow won the Heisman in his sophomore season. Not his freshman year when he played behind Leak. So I'm not really sure what one has to do with the other.
Last year's situation at Auburn was much more akin to the situation at UF. We had an established starter (Cox) playing the majority of the snaps, and the heir apparent (Burns, at the time at least) coming off the bench a few times. For better or worse, that was Cox's team last year.
I don't see any reason why a two-quarterback system can't work. The biggest arguments against it:
a.) The offense can't develop chemistry with two guys at the helm.
b.) The player's confidence could be compromised if he's constantly shuttled in and out.
Here are my responses to that:
a.) Useful point. I don't have a retort.
b.) I always thought players would rise to the occasion because they'd savor their playing time more throughly. I'm more precise when playing a non-respawn game of Call of Duty because my playing time is finite.
Yes, I managed to weave an XBox 360 reference into this discussion.
I dont know if I buy the lack of chemistry with THIS 2 QB system. The emphasis is on the system more than the QB. IF the guy can get the ball to the receivers there should be no problem. Both QBs are expected to do the same thing, throw and run. If we average 85 snaps a game, there will be plenty of time for the offense to develop a feel for what each QB tends to do.
ps3 rocks. surf the internet, download movie trailers and games, play your music collection (from the hard drive or remote-connect to your computer), play the best games in hi-def, and watch blu-rays. when compared to other blu-ray players, it is by far the best bang for the buck.
My point on Tebow winning the Heisman at 19 yrs old, as a soph, is that he's a born leader and the one that really sparked UF's offense in 2006 (as a freshman)...until they played Auburn. Todd's been labeled as the guy who comes in 30 min early and leaves 30 min late. Kodi's a guy that compliments all of his teammates verbally and systematically when he can move the football (same scenario as Leak). He's also a very intelligent and emotionally charged guy. People respond to those qualities every day.
hip hop ... I really can't think of too many other teams than UF, but I can tell you about a team who ran the spread with only one good quarterback. OREGON. We see how that turned out.
To Jay's points:
a.) I couldnt agree more. It's hard enough for a QB and WR's to develop chemistry and timing. Now you are multiplying that by 2 and hoping that there wont be a dropoff. Not very likely. There just arent enough snaps in a practice for EVERYONE to be in sync with EVERYONE. There's a reason why the starter gets the most reps.
b.) Confidence is a huge factor. It worked for Leak/Teabow because Leak (and the team) knew he was the guy for that year. He knew Teabow was going to play, but he also knew that if he threw an INT he wasnt going to be permanently replaced. Probably not the same for Kodi/ Todd. There would be an ongoing battle for the top spot and they would be looking over their shoulder with every INT, fumble, botched snap, etc. You cant expect 18-20 year old kids to be able to block that kind of distraction out. I think this is a much bigger issue. You cant have your QB playing good sound football when the thought of being benched is constantly in the back of their minds.
Phred,
There are plenty of teams that have run many kinds of offenses with only one QB. Why you chose Oregon is beyond me, but you do realize that they were doing quite well until their QB got hurt, right?
that was my point
I still dont get your point.
Oregon's best player (who happened to be the QB) got hurt and they went in the tank. And somehow this is evidence that a two QB system is the way to go? Are you saying that they should have given their other QB more reps throughout the season, thereby removing their best player from the field?
Seriously, not trying to be difficult, I just dont see your point.
expanding my point ... use the resources you have. It makes good sense. If you have two good quarterbacks, use them. If one gets hurt, you still have one good quarterback.
Phred you're using logic. You're not creating unpredictable scenarios. Is that OK here? I like it.
Crud,
I hate to break the bad news but the scenario I have created is neither illogical nor unpredictable. Quite the opposite. To assume that this will work seamlessly defies all logic and experience to the contrary.
It has been tested time and time again and has never worked. It is proven that the QB is not an interchangeable position.
The old saying "if you've got two quarterbacks then you have none" wasnt made up by me. And it certainly didnt become an old saying without many coaches trying it and failing.
I declare hip hop the unanimous winner and still undefeated champion.
Is there anything else worth talking about?
I like innovation and the idea of going against established principles provided you have a reason to go against the established principles.
Franklin is convinced a two-quarterback system can work. I'm interested to see him try.
It's important to note that he used a one-quarterback system at Troy. Omar Haugabook was the man, though he had a pretty varied skill set. He also rolled into Troy as a 21-year-old junior.
Is there really a "seamless" offense out there at any level? Seamless pretty much means a automatic, perfect end to end transition in any aspect. It doesn't happen in football. What's predticable, Hip, is Kodi Burns and/or Todd flying solo.
Neither one of those guys Franklin total confidence in everything he wants to accomplish as an offense. Omar couldn't do it either. But he was basically all Troy had to plug in there.
If this was the Gulf Coast offense I'd say Todd is it and I would go ahead and chalk up four losses for '08.
In other words the two QB system would not work for Borges. But Borges wasn't clever, or ballsy enough to thrown in Cox's legs for the sake of faking out the defense. For that simple matter alone I believe Franklin knows what he's doing.
Franklin has the mentality and attitude of a great defensive coordinator. You'll never please him totally. He wants perfection. He throws you in the doghouse for tiny mistakes. Guys like that typically get great results.
Can you be perfect?
You're perefect Crudup.
Alan, you must have great hair?
It's all one happy family here at the HABOTN.
Crud, I dont dissagree with most of what you are saying. But I do disagree with your ultimate conclusion.
I just dont get why people think that Franklin can make this work when no other coach has been able to do the same. Does he have some super power that no other coach has ever had?
I'm just saying that this two QB approach should be looked at with a lot more caution than most of you appear to have. It ends badly more times than not.
And Jay, you as a journalist dont mind watching him tinker with "innovative" ideas because it gives you stories to write. I dont blame you for having that opinion.
I, as a fan, dont want to watch a potentially great year go down in flames because of our coach's ego and thinking he can make something work that has been proven to not work. I'll take wins over attempts at innovation any day of the week.
I don't think the two quarterback system is as big of a deal as it's being made out to be. I also think the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. I am down with the rotation as long as tony franklin would be willing to give it up if it doesn't work.
Like if during a game one guy is effective and one guy is obviously struggling, I hope the one who is struggling doesn't get to go in just because it's his turn in the rotation.
Crudup, what is it with you and hair?
I would like to make the motion that CTF is hereafter referred to as Super T because of his afore mentioned super powers.
Mr. Mexico,
Your 2:40 comment is exactly the problem. Nothing would kill their confidence faster than a few bad series' followed by spending the rest of the game on the bench.
What if you knew that every move you made at work could potentially get you fired on the spot? You might be a little more cautious, huh? Cautious QB's are a bad thing.
This is the chorus for my new rap song ...
Hip Hop can't stop
I'm gettin' fuzzy up top
He just keeps goin'
Like the hands on the tick tock
Round and round
Everybody get some
And when he gets finished
He'll be back where he started from
Hip Hop can't stop ... No ... No
Hip Hop can't stop ... No
so what would everybody here consider a successful season this fall???
9 wins? 10...
division champ, SEC champ???
Lets get something going more interesting than the 2 QB discussion.
Well, we need the QB system to work to achieve the desired success. I don't consider anything less than 11 wins success. I really believe this program is in desperate need of an SEC crown.
This message was paid for by William "Billy" Crudup, founder of Americans Against Americans Hating Americans
I've had the time of my life and I owe it all to you ew ew ew ew.
This is a friendly reminder that I'll be updating the blog tonight after the scrimmage. We'll talk about that and other stuff later.
Play nice.
14-0
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