A little something from Tristan Davis
It's obvious significant changes have been made to the offensive structure. Davis has been really good about explaining certain elements of strategy to reporters, who sometimes understand.
Remember the talk immediately following Tony Franklin's dismissal about how the gameplan wasn't being communicated all that well? Sounds like that has been rectified.
- On what's changing: "The big issue is everybody knowing what they're supposed to do. Sometimes, how things were, we were guessing. We really weren't 100 percent sure. You can't play football thinking. You have to be there mentally. You have to know what you have and go do it. You can't be out there thinking: I think I've got this, I think I've got to throw the ball to this person. Right now, they're making it a point in knowing what we have. By the end of the week, we will know what we have."
- On what he means by `know what we have': ``We might run the same play three times with three different groups so everybody can see how the play unfolds with three different looks. Before, we might have run the play against one look and gone to the next play."
Remember the talk immediately following Tony Franklin's dismissal about how the gameplan wasn't being communicated all that well? Sounds like that has been rectified.
posted by Jay G. Tate at
9:57 PM
97 Comments:
Keep it coming. Pretty soon I will actually believe they will turn this thing around come Thursday. Seriously, there's no other way to go than to go simple and run it hard. I don't think UGA can control it. I don't think Bama can control it without Cody. Ole Miss may be another story. The beat Alabama up front pretty good.
I'm headed to the hizzle.
Gotta be back here at high noon tomorrow. A morning workout will put me back here at 11:59.59.
Right on time.
Peace.
Ok, I'm just as tired of talking about Franklin as everyone else, but good grief! He would run them through a play once? Did I understand that right?
We had gameplans?
Hmmmm, interesting.
Hard to believe that. I just think it gets back to the coaches not being on the same page.
There are a lot of things a coach can do. Let's hope CTT has things turned around.
UGA, WVU, UM and UA are not going to lie down.
Very interesting...hopefully we'll see a new team on Thursday night.
However I won't get my hopes up too much.
Let's just be cautiously optimistic. Nothing wrong with that, right? Wait, what am I saying.
I'll admit it. I am optimistic. I blame it on my hatred of WVU.
WAR DAMN EAGLE!
Seems like they're saying all the right things. Just have to wait and see now. Really look forward to seeing our defense face off against WVU's offense. We must contain Pat White.
I try to be optimistic, but any time one of our QB's drops back to pass I just hold my breath and pray we don't turn the ball over.
That isn't the way it should be, but it's been like that for several years now.
barkley, it's because they're afraid. Maybe Kodi will come out of his shell. Just maybe.
What do you guys expect from the WVU defense? Are they solid?
aight. I am not saying this because I am a homer. I am saying it because it is just the way things go. I am saying it because CTT has a way of leaving everyone standing there scratching their collective heads and saying, "what in the hell was that?" and "where has that been all year?"
We beat the snot out of WVU.
I don't think WVU's defense is that strong.
It all really depends on which Auburn defense shows up.
If we play like we did against Arky then we don't have a chance. I think Paul Rhoads will have them ready Thursday though. Don't ask me why because I have absolutely no reason whatsoever.
somebody please say ... Phred - that doesn't make any sense
Phred, that doesn't make any sense?
Too bad I am cautiously optimistic and in line with your comments
Thank you.
See, that's my point. It doesn't make any sense at all which is exactly why it makes complete sense. It all a part of the whole CTT Zen experience. You have to not understand anything in order to be able to understand everything.
I've been working on that all day.
Phred, I'm afraid it made too much sense and by your posting it this should only mean we hire you as the head coach. Because, for once, we would like to have someone calling the shots that makes too much sense.
Make sense?
Where's Mr Sensible?
i've been believing for 3 weeks now on blind faith for this O to take a step forward. is there now something tangible to back up my devotion? please!
maybe, just maybe with Tubs and the BBQ bunch circling the wagons things will be different. i'm optimistic too. i can't help it.
hahahaha @ CTT Zen
On that note I'm going to go meditate before bed and pray for the attainment of awakening for our team.
Or maybe I'll just drive over to Morganhole tomorrow and put a hex on the mountaineers...
g'night hotties
All of this optimism is scaring me....
If Lou Holtz picks Auburn I am just going to turn my TV off.
scottie, what happens if they turn it around? I mean turn it around completely and win out? Do we still get our OC? Does Tubs go? If Tubs stays and we get our OC does the OC bring in his OL and WR coaches?
Things to ponder this brisk Sunday night.
see, these are all Zen questions. Are the parts the sum of the whole? Or is the whole the sum of the parts?
Be sure to check out my new book available soon in a store near you.
Zen and the Art of Auburn Football
that's a lot to consider Crud. i discovered that Comcast up here in Knoxville added FX HD to our lineup (finally). i'm in heaven and i can't break away from THE SHIELD. since i'll be sleeping at my desk tomorrow hopefully i'll have some sort of revelation. i'll keep you updated. ;) i like the 'winning out' part, though.
FX does HD? nice. I've been liking Sons of Anarchy...then again, I have decided that I'll like pretty much any show that FX cares to put on.
Did someone rearrange the furniture in the Athletic complex? Sounds like the feng shui is looking solid. Hopefully, the football looks solid Thursday. I think Kodi gets better every game from here out, but I have my doubts about the outcomes.
There is only so many times we can simplify things. Either this works or it doesn't.
My conclusion on CTF is similar to my conclusion on Borges. They were coaches that knew and couldn't teach. It is entirely possible that the guru talked down to his position coaches and they wouldn't put up with it, so CTT funged his shway for him.
As for the WV defense, I read about them long ago and believe they had graduated a lot of defensive players. My guess is our offense has as much of a change of working against them as it did Arkansas.
As for our defense, their performance against Arkansas wasn't horrible. When your offense spends enough time on the sidelines to read a small novel during the game, your defense is in trouble.
I am cautiously optimistic.
I like all the optimism, but I'm not sold. I want to see the proof in the pudding first only because I've been waiting for offense for almost 3 years. The last game we played great on offense and looked like we had a clue was Washington State in 2006. It is very hard to change much of the offense in a short amount of time without have mistakes. If we avoid the big mistakes (Turnovers), then I like our chances.
Monica- To answer your question earlier, they apparently were only running the play against a certain defensive front, and when they got to the game and defensive front was different it equalled mass confusion for everyone. It looks like they are running the same play agaisnt multiple fronts to make sure everyone understands and knows their assignments.
Good AM HOTTIES!!!!
This is the beganing of a New ERA!!!!
Thursday the Tigers find some offense and will make things very interesting for the rest of the season!!!
WDE!!!
Peter,
I'm pretty much an FX junkie so I'm pretty stoked. My 10pm(ET) Tuesday nite is a happy time. Happy time. I haven't really tried the Anarchy show, though. My wife can't handle FX stuff so I usually get to chill by myself. ;)
Hope springs eternal with the Hotties
Fantastic looking day. Everybody have a good one.
Deep Thoughts by Phred ... when yue drop something important on the floor of a major league dugout, let it go ... cause man, you don't want it back.
cheers Phreddie. have a blessed day my friend.
Phred and Crudup,
Here's what scares me about WVU.
They play with a lot of team speed. That's what Arkansas did to beat us. LSU as well. They ran our defense ragged throughout the game (that and the offense couldn't buy a first down at times). That's how to attack Auburn's defense - get them flowing one way and cut back with speed against it.
Just my thoughts for now. I'll have more before Thursday.
Good one Phred.
I agree Mr. Sensisble. I fear that the counter play with Noel Devine. That dude is little and has a lot of speed and I have seen big creases in the past against the AU defense on that type play.
It doesn't matter who our D-coordinator has been, cutbacks have killed us for a long time.
The two prime games that has happened in were the 01 Alabama game and the 02 Arkansas game.
Sometimes having speed can kill you.
The thing with playing WVU is keeping everyone in their set zone. It's like playing a team that runs the option, it's just assignment football. You have to know your assignment.
Eddie,
I wrote at the beginning of the season that Michael Smith from Arkansas would give Auburn a good taste of the backs (like Devine) at West Virginia.
I had now idea how much Smith would shred the defense.
I fear what Devine and White might do.
WVU is one dimensional and we should dominate. One dimensional teams do not fair well against us. We shut down McFadden last year.
HAving said that, it was close at the end.
We will see. This game needs to be one of the ones that get us to a bowl game.
We need a win now as badly as I have ever seen an Auburn team in some time. This year is just jaw dropping bad. We could be 2-5 to 7-0, and we are probably at where we deserve to be considering our Offensive output.
And Vegas says.....West Virginia -3.5
Mark, West Virginia has always been one dimensional and it seems to have worked well into their favor for the most part until this year. They still have a lot of very good players and they too are coming off a buy week. This game will be close either way, but I just don't see how people believe we will go there and just shut them down, run power football at them and suddenly our offense is magically alot better.
eddie:
I just think that the PTB understand the situation and with the week to rest our D, we will be in much better shape there.
I think they are somewhat successful, especially if Pat White plays; but, I also believe that we will have more offense in our arsenal. More, play action, more I, more boots. Even some Wildcat.
I think it makes the difference. Auburn needs this victory to get a bowl game.
I think we get it.
I nominate Phred's CTT Zen Experience(TM) quote for Front Page Goodness.
Well Played, sir!
That line is a-droppin'.
I think it has become very clear why CTK is seeking other opportunities. After the Vandy game many players seem to have expressed that they didn't know what they were suppose to do. I get the impression that the Tuesday hyper practice resulted from that.
When CTT saw that CTF was attempting to teach everyone in the Tuesday hyper practice, he had to have called Franklin to his office and said why wasn't he letting the position coaches coach. The response is likely what caused CTF to be given the opportunity to pursue other opportunities.
I suspect CTF said that the offensive position coaches didn't know what they were doing. That wouldn't sit well with CTT, since it is basically the offensive coordinators job to make sure the offensive coaches know what the plan is.
So, the blame game began. The conflicts between the coaches came out. And we are where we are now.
That being said, I think we will see a lot of improvement this game. Having a staff that works well together is much more important than having a guru. I think CTT did the right thing.
Congrats, phred.
Your post now guides the HABOTN.
(ps: I bought the "HABOTN.com" domain last night.)
That news will surely disappoint the folks at Harry's African Bat Ovary Trapping Nets. I heard they were looking into starting a website soon. Atta boy, Jay! Sell those nets elsewhere, this site's taken!
Michael, I like the way you think.
I could make Millllllll-eons.
Congrats on the purchase Jay. This blog seems to be becoming a pretty decent Auburn chatroom. Some cool slogan like "99% Bambi Free" works for me too. There doesn't appear to be any flamers on here, although I do believe you have sent a few off into the digital oblivion during the campfires.
The BANHAMMER definitely makes chat flamers come correct ...
It's difficult to regain composure after being walloped by its force and significance.
Jay: Good job on buying the site. You might want to think about JAYGTATE.com as well.
Due to the impending success of the website, you also might want to buy "habotnsucks" and "firehabotn" to head off some of the negative responses that are sure to come.
I heard at work this morning that Chris Todd isn't even making the trip to WVA...Burns, Caudle and Trotter are the 3 QBs going. What a (deserved) demotion.
I love it Michael. We are after all, Auburn fans.
I would be very surprised if Todd doesn't make the trip. That would be a bad move. Since this is a non-conference game, they can take as many players as they want. I would expect to see Todd there, but unless some injuries occur, I wouldn't expect to see him play.
People are not giving Todd credit. The reason our offense had the success it did early on was because of Todd. Yes, he looked bad against Arkansas, but so far we have no proof that we have anything better.
Sad about Todd. I would almost rather him go for the one or two snap injury that occurs sometimes. I will hate it if Trotter loses the shirt over three or four plays this year.
Steve - I know you've been backing Todd the last few weeks and I'm fine with that. I'm sure he's a great kid in a TOUGH situation in his life. However, he has no future as the QB at AU. whether that is bc of an arm injury or lack of skill is irrelevant to me. I'd rather see our QB's develop so we're ready for the next few years. I hope he finds a place to contribute at a Georgia Southern or Appy St.
Question,
What would our record be if CTT would have left and Paul Johnson was our coach this year?
I say 6-1
7-0 and ranked number 2
Can any of you name the 4 NCAA QBs who have started and led their team to a victory in 3 consecutive New Year's Bowl games?
Todd has his benefits. I don't see him going anywhere. I also don't see him starting the rest of the season. I wouldn't write him off as the QB for the long term, but short term I don't think he has the arm strength to do the job and it limits his upside. Notice his performance early on. He played very well, but our offense was limited by penalties. Todd has talent, but he isn't in the kind of shape now that he needs to be. He was a good choice as a short term fix early.
As of Kodi, he has a much bigger upside. It he can be a solid passer, he can be a real threat running the ball. The thing with Kodi is that if he can't pass, he isn't going to be able to run. That is pretty clear.
As for Trotter, I think it idiotic to waste his redshirt. I see nothing that would indicate he would be as good as Todd or Burns.
As for Caudle, from what I have read from JG, Caudle isn't the answer. I don't think we will ever see him as a starter.
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The Answers:
We play one of these Thursday
Pat White - West Virginia
2006 Sugar Bowl W/38-35 Georgia
2007 Gator Bowl W/38-35 Ga. Tech
2008 Fiesta Bowl W/48-28 Oklahoma
David Greene - Georgia
2003 Sugar Bowl W/26-23 Fla. St.
2004 Capital One W/34-27 Purdue
2005 Outback Bowl W/24-21 Wisconsin
Peyton Manning - Tennessee
1994 Gator Bowl W/45-23 VA. Tech
1996 Citrus Bowl W/20-14 Ohio State
1997 Citrus Bowl W/48-28 NWestern
David Humm - Nebraska
1972 Orange Bowl W/40-6 Notre Dame
1973 Cotton Bowl W/19-3 Texas
1974 Sugar Bowl W/13-10 Florida
David Humm? Looks a little out of place there doesn't it?
Thursday needs to get here quick. I view the WV game as the turning point of the season. A win and we should be bowl eligible. A loss, and things aren't looking so hot. We could still end up bowl eligible, but who wants to make a bowl trip to Birmingham? The only good news would be that it is closer than Shreveport.
Going to the game on Thursday. Anyone have thoughts for a sign? Wife wants to make one. We will be the only Orange in a Sea of Yellow
Phred
Two things. The picture is hilarious. Pure Gold.
Congrats on the headline.
Did you guys see the referee hit the South Carolina QB. That was unbelievable. If he is not fired for that forearm shiver, he should be. That was horrendous.
http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/10/19/game-official-takes-down-south-carolina-quarterback-stephen-garc/
love the pic, phred. so, what's the sound of one hand clapping, zen master? i'm thinking it would be the crowd at jordan hare at the tenn. martin game if things don't pick up. can't wait for thursday.
Eddie - Thanks for the calrification. That's still not good, but at least it makes more sense.
Jay:
How do you publish a link to show up as a link.
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Mark,
Email me and I'll send you the info.
mr_sensible_auburn@yahoo.com
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In the meanwhile, here's the link to the video of the ref decking the QB from South Carolina.
LINK
mark,
he that ref did put a good shoulder into the guy. hilarious. it was like he was pissed the guy was running into his area so he gave him a little pop.
wow. it looks so much worse in slo-mo.
I'm surprised Saban hasn't offered him a scholly yet.
Right now, every defensive player needs to be meditating in order to get in touch with their inner Bobby Boucher. Until the offense can prove that they're going to contribute to this years team, "Tacklin' Fuel" is all that's keeping us afloat.
Thank you Mr. S for the help on how to LINK.
Here is a sampling of the print media here in West Virginia.
WVU Football: Auburn faces native son White
Is WVU offense set for breakout?
WVU-Auburn shouldn’t light up scoreboard
P.S. As a newcomer I'm not sure what your collective feelings are about Erin Andrews, but she will be on the sidelines Thursday.
I can't believe the official blocking the quarterback. I am not sure what he thought he was doing. I do believe a play used in the movie the longest yard should have been called after that. You know, the one where the QB says let the guy through. I got a plan. Then he does is a second time and the entire team piles on the guy. Yes, that is the appropriate play call in this situation.
And the Gazette is the huge WVU homer paper in this state. Though it's much closer to Marshall than WVU - not that I'm bitter about that. WVU calls themselves Marshall's "big bro" and all the same kind of stuff Auburn hears from bama folks.
WVU HOMER PAPER
Erin Andrews will be there?
I might lose concentration throughout this one. I haven't seen her at an Auburn game in a while.
the ref had good form--stepping to the tackle. that's crazy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWt1tGTHdkc
gotta check this out
Mr. Sensible:
Thanks for the posting link info. Great stuff.
I'll feel kind of like a programmer doing that.
That ref needs to learn to wrap up.
Some players will fall down to the shoulder/forearm, but the real athletes will just bounce off and keep going.
Wrap up!!!
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where is Jay???
I guess he must be working of sump'n. What a loser.
Just kidding as always.
good point, rk.
it looks like to me that the ref leaned into him even before Garcia decided to cut up field. That could have cost SC the game..
If any of you watch Friday Night Lights, did you notice the latest episode there is pressure on the coach of Dillon to go to the spread offense?
I thought that was interesting...
Was at New Orlean Country Club for a wedding reception Saturday night watching the game, almost bit a hole through my lip wanting the cocks to pull it out. Surrounded by hundreds of trashed LSU fans dressed up in suits is almost as bad as Tiger stadium.
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