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11.16.2008

LIVE -- Tuberville speaks, 11/16


Coach Tommy Tuberville held his Sunday meeting with reporters this afternoon. He answered questions about a variety of topics. Please read and enjoy.

  • "We didn't look like we had an answer to their pass game or their run game. I thought our coaches did a good job of adjusting. Our corners really played well. That's the first time we had them back healthy. That allows everybody else to play well."

  • "Offensively, we were hit or miss. We had a 90-yard drive. We just didn't do much in the red zone. That's where it all counts. Mario Fannin had a great day. It was his best day as an Auburn Tiger."

    NOTE: Auburn is 119th out of 119 in red-zone efficiency this season.

  • "Kodi Burns played 70 plays. He did an excellent job except for four plays. He competed. He went to the right side of the field in terms of throwing the ball. It was a tough game for him. I'm proud of how he grew up, hoe he helped the team."

  • Injuries: Wesley Byrum ("something is wrong with his knee") and Tommy Trott ("he'll be evaluated this week"). Tuberville said they're "doubtful" for the Alabama game.

  • On not playing Mario Fannin late: "We threw the ball 23 of the last 30 times. We didn't know as much with him as far as protections. He was in on some passing plays. With two weeks to prepare for this game, there shouldn't be any problem. At the end of the game, it becomes a mental as well as physical game. He's not there yet. He'll progress along as we go. We just played the odds with Ben Tate."

  • On offense: "We showed improvement. That's not what we're looking for; we're in it to win games. There were two good defenses on the field. There was a lot of cat-and-mouse going on. We don't play for moral victories. We needed to win for a lot of reasons. We needed to finish a game. We just didn't finish."

  • On Iron Bowl: "I wish we were playing this week. It should be played this week. I'm sure they'd love ot play this week knowing there's going into the (SEC) championship game. It was voted on by the SEC ADs. We weren't given that option."

  • Where was Lester?: "He played special teams. We just didn't play him. He's not 100% like the other ones."

  • Mario redux; run him more when he's in there?: "A lot of those were checks at the line. They were playing 8- on 9-man fronts. It was like running into a wall. We were looking to make plays out of something they weren't doing. You try to take advantage."

  • Why not kick on next-to-last possession: "I was going to until I was reminded that (Byrum's) knee wasn't right. We thought about how that was (Morgan Hull's) first time out there."

  • Is Morgan your kicker?: "More than likely, yes."

  • "We haven't cashed in on opportunities for points."

  • Red zone?: "That's inconsistency. It's a little mental, a little physical. We've gotten better between the 20s. It hasn't gotten better down there."

  • "You can't live off a kicker and defense forever. That's why I changed offenses. Obviously, that didn't work."

  • Ensminger's situation: "He's done well. He's been put into a tough situation to put an offense (together) in five weeks. I think he's done a good job with Kodi. Kodi is throwing the ball a lot better. (Burns) is still basically a freshman playing quarterback."

    END OF INTERVIEW

278 Comments:

1 – 200 of 278 Newer› Newest»
Blogger auburnfan71 said...

Ask him why Lester didnt play and Fannin didnt play and see if he walks out like he did yesterday.

3:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

119 out of 119... wow... seriously, worse than MissSt, UtahSt, MTSU, Everybody??? Wow... Oddly, I am still not a bit surprised.

3:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ask why no heaters on the sidelines yesterday? It was pretty chilly yesterday.

3:19 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Allen:

Perhaps they were left in West Virginia?

3:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

dude has no back bone
aonly thing tubs cares about is his boys from ole miss

3:29 PM  
Blogger Kris said...

Holy Crap, the freakin 8 to 9 men box again! Aside from many other things, at least the completion of our 5 and 7 season should end the utilization of that miserable excuse. Dead last in red zone efficiency is directly attributable to being dead last in playcalling efficiency. As the great Dean Wormer quipped when reading Belushi's grade point average, "zero point zero". Byrum's knee bad and Hull's first time out there? Man I know my diploma comes from Auburn, but please stop insulting my intelligence.

3:30 PM  
Blogger Kris said...

Jay, just as an innocent bystander trying to read between the lines, doesn't it seem like Tubbs has already decided this is his last season at Auburn? By the way, your hat yesterday made you look like Bob Sagat's twin.

3:33 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Same ole, same ole situation...just like Motley sang back in the day.

I bet Tommy wishes the IB was played next week - mercy killing.

3:34 PM  
Blogger wartiger said...

yawn..CTT usually has the ability to make me feel better after a loss..I don't know if it's because for some reason this loss doesn't bother me as much as past losses have or if it's b/c it's same ole same ole from CTT and frankly it's boring..

3:39 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

wha wha wha wha blah blah blah blah

3:43 PM  
Blogger Kris said...

In an attempt to figure out how on earth this train wreck of a season happened, I have come to the conclusion that it is a culmination of a behind the scenes dysfunctional relationship that began five years ago. We have made it work with good talent, good coordinators that could utilize that talent and a healthy dose of luck. We lost one coordinator and replaced him with one that was in way over his head, and Lady Luck decided to shine elsewhere. Add that to a staff that had become complacent due to their own success and this is what you get.

3:46 PM  
Blogger Chris in Inverness said...

Not playing Fannin because he's not good with protections?

That's piss poor coaching - bottom line - He's been there three years.

Tuberville is getting annoying. Just think how a recruit feels.

3:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've read/heard the statement from both players and coaches lately "we have the tools" ... so doesn't that say very directly that our coaches don't know how to use them??? Case in point: poor play calling, Fannin not in game, Burns not running/not playing until Arky.... etc etc etc

3:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

chris... I totally agree

3:48 PM  
Blogger Jay G. Tate said...

Kris, man, I just don't think that's it. I haven't seen any evidence that this staff got complacent.

This is a function of a terminally poor decision at O.C., a lack of playmakers on offense and some bad luck. Not a lot of bad luck. Some.

I think Tuberville's head is in it. I know his assistants are/were in it. They're trying. It's just not working this season.

3:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

a new habotn record? I have posted comments from 3 different continents within the past 24 hours....

3:49 PM  
Blogger Chris in Inverness said...

A lazy, lack of recruiting conjoined with bad schemes.

The UGA game from 06 was worse than this one but a complete lack of future NFL talent on defense and the offense (skill-wise) caused this loser of a season.

This **** is rotting from the top and my apathy is overwhelming.

3:50 PM  
Blogger Chris in Inverness said...

Question - would having P. Saint-Louie made a difference?

3:52 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

tubs needs a H.A.B.O.T.N. tee shirt when they come out.

3:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You know....I don't look for the HC comments to be entertaining. They should be boring. We're losing, what should he say to appease you that you wouldn't take cheap shots at? If you are bored with the same old criticisms...then quit piling on...it's easy, cheap and seems to feed some folks egos.

UGA made a lot of early mistakes that kept us in the game and gave us a chance. Overall we looked a lot less confused. The Qb almost looks like a Qb now.

Our WRs are still the weakest link in the offense. I din't understand why UGA backed their defense off the line and allowed us to move the all in the second half. THey had moved up and started stuffing us like all the other teams.

The reason teams put 8-9 in the box is b/c we don't have WRs that garner respect and the other teams cna get away with it. The recruiting for the spread will attract good WRs and eventually help us out of this 3 year problem.

3:54 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

Tubs was a great hire 10 years ago, but sadly his expiration date -- and that of his offensive staff has passed.

3:59 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

dn ... I am proud to share the boad with you

4:00 PM  
Blogger Jay G. Tate said...

d ... that's amazing.

4:01 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Chris, no NFL talent on defense? Where have you been? Marks and Coleman will definitely head to the NFL and Dolittle will likely get some looks.

I find some of the comments on here very strange, such as Tuberville only being loyal the his friends from Ole Miss. That is frankly bizarre. I am not sure what would give anyone that impression.

As for Fannin not knowing protections, if you learn a bit more about this season you will realize that Fannin was a wide receiver most of the season. Geeze, someone please buy a clue.

Jay is right in that these issues are the results of a poor choice of OC along with changing offenses in the middle of the season. I would have thought this would have been obvious by now.

4:01 PM  
Blogger Jay G. Tate said...

Hoopie, I think OL is the biggest issue.

4:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

An AU friend that was late to our AU-UGA pig roast stated that PM said on AUndercover Radio that CTT wasn't going anywhere and that a large majority of the PTB supported him. I didn't hear ths directly, but was wondering if anyone else heard.

4:03 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

I liken the Franklin hire to taking the diet drug Alli, then heading to Mickey D's for a super-sized double cheese burger combo.

A stupid thing to do, if you're not going to commit to it -- staff and all.

4:03 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

What better way to get it done, Hoopie. Have the PTB talk about Tubs staying and Gogue pulling the trigger.

Nice and neat.

4:06 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jay..no doubt that there have been some unexplanably poor performances on the OL. During some games, I fluctuated between blaming the players and the blocking schemes(coaching). Then in almost every instance I looked at the game films and see the effects of facing 8-9 in the box on our running/short pass plays and our offensive inablity to throw downfield when facing the stuffed box. Our WRs are just too easy to cover.

4:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I still think Fannin has had plenty of time to learn the blocking and be coached on the blocking even with the move... Kodi said in his interview after the game that "...Mario is a good runner, receiver, and blocker..." And our offensive line gets beat/pushed around enough that many times I don't think having Crabtree at WR would make a difference.... What I'm saying is what many of you have, this is a cumulative thing with many variables (welcome to football) and who has to take the responsibility??? -Coach

I've been coaching high school baseball for 5 years... I know about taking such blame/responsibility...

That said, I think Tuberville can turn this in the right direction, but I am not too confident in that seeing how bad this has all gotten...

4:09 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

I truly like Tommy ...

But how? We're on the perception is reality, self-fulfilling prophecy train right now.

Who would want to join his staff?

What recruits will want to stay on board?

To me, it's like where we were at the end of the Dye era in terms of perception and where the other guys are.

4:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't think anyone would be too keen on "joining the staff"... but possibly being able to bring in their own assistants (which is still a pretty unusual thing) could be a good/only option....

Perception is a huge problem... and I think the Dye era is a decent comparison...

4:14 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jet....I know that PTB's everywhere are capable of manipulating situations...(look at what Arthur Blank did to Petrino), but it takes a lot of distrustful mental energy to dream up the paranoid scenerios spouted on blogs....of course if those thoughts come easily..then...jus sayin'.

If don't know if it's the effects of listening to "mindbomb" or what, but the undercurrents and conspiracies dreamed up by CFB fans from the state of Alabama teams take the cake. Year in and out you just don't hear nearly as much rediculous stuff at other schools.

4:23 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

Jet is a very cynical man.

And he thinks change is a coming, and it ain't OCs.

4:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jet... what makes you feel so certain about HC change?

4:30 PM  
Blogger ron mexico said...

I agree with hoopie about everyone always criticizing Tuberville's comments. What do you want him to say? We lost, because we suck on offense and can't kick an extra point? We had a coach like that once and he already ruined this season for us.

I think a big problem is we can't throw the ball down field out of a running formation. If we do throw it's a short pass or a roll out both which doesn't back the defenders out of the box.

4:32 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

ltwareagle I agree with you there....why would a decent OC want to come into this mess. AU has a growing group of neurotic fans that are so bad that they even complain about the coaches wording in the interviews.

Of course if the AU fans are that bad, then why would a top HC want to come go to AU? There are many schools that aren't in the ultra-competitive SEC with sensible fans. Why did Bama have to hire Mike Shula or pay Saban a fortune? B/c of their bad rep. It just seems that too many of todays AU fans are freaking out and for some reason want to be like Bammer.

4:32 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

Let's face it ... there are some PTB that want his scalp ... there's a strong argument to make that TT can't turn it around ... PTB has a done a good job of not popping off, keeping powder dry ... say it's Gogue's decision ... this looks like 1992 to me ... and knowing that TT had been ID'd in '97 as the replacement ... it just tells me the wheels are rolling.

I may be dead wrong ... I just don't think so.

4:33 PM  
Blogger ron mexico said...

jet, are you saying more recruits will stay on board if they fire tuberville? Don't see the logic there.

4:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jay - If you see it being the OL. Do you see that getting better next yr? I don't see many OL recruits?

4:35 PM  
Blogger Romberry said...

(Posted a version of these numbers in the game thread yesterday but it moved pretty quick.)

Here is Tuberville's yearly record as a head coach:

Ole Miss:
1995 6-5
1996 5-6
1997 8-4
1998 6-5

(Before anyone starts talking about what an impressive job he did at Ole Miss, I suggest they go back and look at the teams the vast majority of those wins came against.)

Auburn:
1999 5-6
2000 9-4
2001 7-5
2002 9-4
2003 8-5
2004 13-0
2005 9-3
2006 11-2
2007 9-4
2008 5-6 (likely a 5-7 finish.)

SEC record in the previous 20 games going back to Arkansas in 2006: 10-10

Only 3 of those SEC wins were against teams that finished with a winning season.

Tuberville is a consistent 4-5 loss coach. The outliers are the years with fewer than four losses. He's simply regressing to his mean here at AU. Tale out 2004 (hats off to Al Borges for knowing what to do with that talent), 2005 and 2006 and the picture that's left is the accurate one. This is why he needs to go.

I do congratulate Tuberville for his ability to manage perceptions (many people think he's a much better coach/bigger winner than he is), to become the highest paid medicore-to-good (but not close to great) coach in all of college football and for having a winning lotto ticket built into his contract if he is fired. (Cash that ticket, coach!)

4:35 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

Ron ... it depends on the hire ... positive energy can create a good class ... doesn't mean it will ... but CTT would look too shaky in mind.

4:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jet....Even if that is the case, the best thing for AU is to do kinda like Notre Dame does and keep the roar down. that way we don't look like a bunch of meddlesome rednecks with nothing else to do. We may be 'necks with nothing else to do, but let's just act like we have class and keep down the roar anyway.

4:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's hard to argue with roman's point...

4:38 PM  
Blogger ron mexico said...

Even saban couldn't wrangle up good recruits when he was first hired. If tubs is fired this recruiting class will suffer, no doubt.

4:39 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

If Notre Dame is out model, then I'm disappointed.

We're in passionate SEC country, so let's not apologize for it. Let's compete.

4:39 PM  
Blogger ron mexico said...

I wish someone would tell me who is a better coach that we could hire that would actually come here.

4:41 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

Year 2 didn't go so bad for him, and he's working on year 3. And he or Urban Meyer are playing for a shot at a national title in 3 weeks.

There's a saying applies about the toilet. It's time to make a decision.

4:42 PM  
Blogger Romberry said...

I agree with hoopie about everyone always criticizing Tuberville's comments. What do you want him to say?

I want him to make some sense. I want him to stop putting blame on players and start accepting responsibility. I want him to sound like he knows what he is talking about. I want to hear the nonchalant tone go out of his voice and be replaced with some fire. I want to stop hearing about "best week of practice we've had" and see some evidence that the team is actually ready to play. Mostly, I want Tuberville to say "So long and thanks for all the fish" and head off somewhere to write his own version of Vogon poetry.

4:44 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

Ron,

My answer to that is that any number of coaches are better than where TT is now. This isn't 2004 or 2005.

And I think there are plenty of coaches that will be better in 2010 than TT will.

4:44 PM  
Blogger Chris in Inverness said...

Sorry Steve but besides Marks - Who everyone knows is a top 10 pick and maybe Colman, that's about it.

Bynes may develop and McNiel, but that's it.

I'm talking about two years away from playing on sundays like Dansby, Hood and the other AU defenders who've made the jump.

The LB platoon of M. Johnson and C. Evens is a great example of great effort but a lack of talent.

And I see there was no argument about lack of NFL talent in skill positions on offense.

For this staff to have been at Auburn for 10 years and we look up and see this group of players just says to me they've been outworked and didn't take advantage of the 04 season.

And for players like Pybus and Hood to have to skip a redshirt season shows the future isn't much better - talentwise.

4:45 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Getting another OC to come to Auburn will be no problem at all. Compare the costs of OCs with that $6 Million buyout. We should be able to pick and choose in terms of a coordinator.

4:45 PM  
Blogger Jay G. Tate said...

au1n04: I see major changes coming at OL, yes.

4:46 PM  
Blogger Jay G. Tate said...

Tuberville can pay top-top dollar for an O.C.

Money won't be a problem. Remember that Muschamp turned down more than $400k to take the Texas job. Tuberville can offer that kind of money to a new OC. That's a ton of money for an assistant coach.

4:47 PM  
Blogger Chris in Inverness said...

Vogon Poetry is described as "the third worst poetry in the Universe" in the story. The main example used in the story is a short piece composed by Jeltz, which roughly emulates nonsense verse in style.

Thanks Wiki....also, there's a "Vogon poetry" generator out there.

4:48 PM  
Blogger Chris in Inverness said...

So, will a OC be brought in and every offensive coach stay or will he be able to bring his own staff??

4:49 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

Hiring an OC is a first step, but I don't think it's enough, from where i'm sitting.

Every offensive coach has to go -- all of them.

And then, I don't know if that's enough.

4:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why is "ranting" and "what have you done for me lately" considered a prerequestite for passionate competing? Just b/c Bammer does it.......doesn't make it right. In fact old time AU folks pride themselves to not be like Bammer....what happened? I prefer the class of ND to the class of Bama. Don't confuse class with winning or losing....class is how you handle good times and tuff times.

4:51 PM  
Blogger Romberry said...

I wish someone would tell me who is a better coach that we could hire that would actually come here.

That sort of thing gets old. I believe there are any number of excellent, hungry, energetic young coaches at "lesser programs" who would jump at the chance to move up to a top tier program like Auburn. Brian Kelly, Chris Peterson, Turner Gill and a few others come to mind. And if you want to add older coaches with a good track record to the mix, Paul Johnson and Gary Patterson might be worth going after.

One thing's for sure, if you don't try to get a better coach, you won't. Tuberville had a nice run in 2004, 2005 and 2006. It's over.

4:51 PM  
Blogger ron mexico said...

Roman,

No matter what came out of his mouth today you would nail him to the wall. Getting fired up while talking to the media after a loss is clownish. And I think we can all agree that since franklin was let go this team has improved, so you can't say they weren't ready to play or that they didn't have a good week in practice.

and Jet, I didn't hear any names in your response.

4:54 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I am not sure why we would get rid of proven coaches, but that is up to Tuberville. I believe he should let the new OC make decisions on his position coaches, but we shall see. Getting rid of Gran and Nall would seem to be pretty stupid, but you never know. The change to the spread seriously changed how the offensive line needed to be coached. Will a new OC want to traing the current coaches? I don't know. There is big cost in terms of recruiting when you lose mutltiple coaches. To get rid of all of them would seem a bit ridiculous.

4:54 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

Don't equate keeping a coach with having class.

Was it classy when ND ran Tyrone Willingham?

We complete with UAT, UGA, Florida, Tennessee, LSU. If we acknowledge that, we have to make tough decisions. And the decision at Auburn can go either way. I think the decision has been made for change, and I support it.

If I"m wrong, I'll pull for Auburn as hard as ever.

But at $3 million a year ... and a $6 million buyout, class is a nebulous term.

4:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If enough of these modern AU fans complain loud enough.....then we won't get a good OC.....or a good replacement HC. Petrino and $aban have already been bought. There aren't many more coach whores out there to purchase anymore and I can't imagine a good coach that would want to come to a school with the kind of AU fans present on the internet. Maybe the PTB can trick a good coach into thinking that are still enough old style AU fans.

Sorry to start a discussion and leave, but the AU-UGA replay on CSS starts at 6pm.

4:56 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

ron mexico, I disagree. In general our offense got worse after Franklin was fired. That isn't to say firing Franklin was a bad idea. I think Franklin didn't mesh well with the staff and it is very likely that there were other conflicts we have not heard of. In terms of the offense progressing, the last couple of games we have finally gotten back to where we were offensively when Franklin left.

4:57 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

Ron,

I'm for Muschamp, personally. I think he's a star in the making. He has the energy that I think we need and the support of people that are close to the program that aren't PTB.

But for discussion purposes:

Brian Kelly
Tim Brewster
Gary Patterson
Mark D'Antonio
Paul Johnson

All of them have lesser jobs than Auburn and I believe are trending up.

4:59 PM  
Blogger Jay G. Tate said...

IF Tuberville stays, there will be a significant number of staff changes on the offensive side.

I don't know if that means firings, reassignments or what. A new OC will have hiring latitude.

5:00 PM  
Blogger Chris in Inverness said...

Nope. Never ment all of them but if a freakin OC wants his own QB coach, I think the term "rediculous" was thrown around and I think that right there, when a guy's hired to run an offense, who's hired to completely change the offense to where it doesn't resemble the old offense, them him wanting his own coaches should be expected.

Now, as far as proven coaches, Nall and Gran qualify, NONE of the others do.

Knox is about as bad as it gets. I can't think of one WR that left AU after 4 years who was decidely better than when he arrived.

Maybe 86 - name exscapes me - but all the others have either been good when they arrived or were huge disappointments.

5:00 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Even if we were getting a new HC, it would be ridiculous to think we couldn't get someone with head coaching experience. Muschamp hasn't shown any of the characteristics of a good head coach and appears to be a disaster read to happen.

5:01 PM  
Blogger ron mexico said...

steve,

You don't think the offense was better yesterday than it was against Miss St., Tennessee and Vanderbilt. I think you forgot about the number of penalties, sacks and turnovers we had in those games. I think you are wrong.

5:01 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

Hoopie ...

Most coaches are mercenaries. Sorry to burst your bubble. As a middle-aged Auburn fan, whose first game was the 1969 victory over UAT, they don't make Shug anymore. Or Paterno.

Bowden doesn't count because he would have left for UAT in 1987 if they hadn't insulted him.

5:01 PM  
Blogger Just Win AU said...

With regards to Byrum's knee - I saw him hurt it in pre-game warm ups. Why was even out there early in the game for the PAT and then the 42 yard attempt?

5:02 PM  
Blogger Jay G. Tate said...

Jet, some of those guys are decent.

Not Paul Johnson. Not Brewster.

Still not sure on Patterson.

I like the Cincy guys.

5:02 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

chris, I tend to agree about Knox. I really don't know how he is as a coach, but we have had too many high profile receiving recruits that turned into nobodys. There has to be a reason behind that.

5:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm telling you guys..The best 400K you would ever spend on an OC would be for Dave Rader. He would take you to offensive levels you have never imagined....

5:03 PM  
Blogger Jay G. Tate said...

just win ... what happened?

5:03 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

Steve:

We'll save the Muschamp debate for later ... we're reasonable boys as all are in this neighborhood.

5:04 PM  
Blogger ron mexico said...

All those candidates are going to be big gambles. None of those people have ever won at a big program. While we are at it i'll throw $100 on black.

5:05 PM  
Blogger AUBigCat said...

Steve from columbia...thank goodness there is a logical voice in the house.

CTT is a great coach IMO. Some of you will realize that when he's gone. Kinda like appreciating Cox more when Todd was QB.

This offense has improved alot under Burns. The play calling yesterday was good enough to win the game, even with the few questionables. That game was lost on the field not the sidelines.

Things we dont talk about anymore: Can the WRs get open, can Kodi become a passer, can he progress through reads, does this team have talent?

This team has BECOME good enough to beat Bama and I think it will. I cant believe that some of us fans can't see that. The complaining around here has become as redundant as a CTT press conference!

5:05 PM  
Blogger Just Win AU said...

I just saw him practicing field goals and after he shanked one he grabbed his knee. I said right then that I thought he hurt his knee.

5:05 PM  
Blogger Jay G. Tate said...

Chris/Steve: They don't really recruit according to position. They recruit according to territory, so you can't lay it all at Knox's feet of you think WR recruiting sucks.

He certainly peeps all the WR recruits, but a lot of people "vote" on prospects.

If you have a problem with WR development, well, that's different.

5:05 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

I listed Kelly first for a reason ... but I freely acknowledge I'm a muschamp guy -- it's going to take someone who knows the lay of the land -- has the buy in of the PTB and the ex-players who count (Dye era) ... has a control freak streak to him.

I'm not saying 2009 would bring a title ... but I like his chance to take us where we want to go sooner than most.

5:06 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

Touchdown Titans.

14-10. Jax.

5:06 PM  
Blogger AUBigCat said...

I like muschamp but he seems like the next Ed Orgeron in the making.

5:07 PM  
Blogger Jay G. Tate said...

Jet ... Muschamp has no idea how to fix, remedy or even administrate an offense.

If you say "that doesn't matter," then don't rip Tuberville.

5:08 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

I thinking he's more Stoops than Coach O.

Not saying he's Stoops ... more Stoops than Orgeron.

5:08 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Ron, our offense was better yesterday than in most of our games, except possibly the first two and LSU. I am just saying overall we had a big drop off after Franklin left. It wasn't entirely due to Franklin leaving. A lot of it also had to do with how Todd's arm got progressively worse during the season. After the LSU game, he was pretty much done. I think Franklin did a poor job of bringing Kodi along because I think it was blatantly obvious that Todd wasn't going to last the entire season. Playing Kodi in a roll similar to that of the Peach Bowl, except allowing him to throw a bit more would have made sense. That half and half crap in the first game was ridiculous. With the situation we had at QB, the obvious choice seemed to be to let Todd run the majority of the offense while getting Burns some experience with the thought that Burns would eventually take over. Todd had a limited upside. Burns didn't.

5:09 PM  
Blogger Chris in Inverness said...

No no no Jay - I know that they recruit territoies - only ones I know is Gran in So. Fla and Willis in Mobile / panhandle but I can name off 5 or so WR guys who came to AU as big time prospects who stayed "OK" and went on to play for a while in the league.

Anthony Mix comes to mind.

There's no reaso why that kid couldn't have been a major threat while at AU.

5:10 PM  
Blogger barkley for governor said...

I see we are already talking about replacements.

I think Mike Shula needs a job, he was good at winning the Iron Bowl for us.

5:11 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

What matters, Jay, is managing the staff.

And that's where TT got off the track.

You can question his middle management hire (Franklin), but you've got to question letting the front-line personnel (Nall, Gran, Knox, Ensminger?) not commit to the change.

5:11 PM  
Blogger KJtiger said...

I do not think au has cornered the market on fans that expect things. Fans are fans everywhere. Read other boards of all schools and get same stuff. Some love coach, some hate coach and some do not care. Au football is big business. When the fan apathy is there then shirts don't sell and people do not go to games and there is no money comming in. So 6mil is a small price when you are talking about a 56 mil business.

5:11 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Jay, I think we have done well recruiting receivers. What I have a problem with is that high profile recruits turn into nobodys. Chris Slaughter was suppose to be a playmaker. How about Terrell Zachary and Tim Hawthorne? Both have the potential but have underachieved. I like how we have recruited, although I am certain many will disagree. It is the fact that we aren't able to develop the recruits that bother me. I should mention James Swinton, but he was so very easy to forget.

5:12 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

Who's Swinton?

5:12 PM  
Blogger ron mexico said...

the only game we played poorly on offense in after franklin left was arkansas which franklin got fired midweek. I don't think you can count that one. And you thought we played good against ULM? Maybe you should take a glance at the stats instead of the score.

5:13 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

Well said, KJ.

5:14 PM  
Blogger ron mexico said...

the only game we played poorly on offense in after franklin left was arkansas which franklin got fired midweek. I don't think you can count that one. And you thought we played good against ULM? Maybe you should take a glance at the stats instead of the score.

5:14 PM  
Blogger Chris in Inverness said...

Muschamp may not know offense but he knows the hell out of recruiting and knows the hell out of recruiting Auburn territories!

And I imagine that he might take some advise of hiring a staff.

Now, I'm not ready to say Stoops but Stoops and CWM's resume look similar at this stage in their careers.

And Stoops hired the hell out of some offensive coaches - Leach and the Big Fella at Kansas.

5:15 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

jet, I am not sure that the problems on offense were Tuberville's. It really depends. I get the impression that Franklin didn't have the people skills to teach the coaches what he wanted. He didn't even believe in having meetings with his offensive staff. He preferred separate one on one encounters. Is that conducive to bring a staff together? My guess it that Franklin did not treat his position coaches as peers and managed poorly. This is very speculative on my part and only what I perceive rather than some inside knowledge.

5:15 PM  
Blogger michael said...

If the defense was as good as advertised we would have won against Ole Miss, Arkansas, and yesterday. They are still a fine bunch, but not the elite bunch I thought they were early on.

5:16 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

thanks, chris.

Been waiting for reinforcements!

5:16 PM  
Blogger michael said...

we should just stop trying to get someone like stoops and get stoops himself.

5:17 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

ron mexico, we dominated ULM, although we used the tag team QB system, which was pretty ridiculous.

5:17 PM  
Blogger ron mexico said...

we had like 80 yards passing

5:17 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

STeve, I don't think you're wrong, but ultimately the problems become Tommy's.

He's got to say "Hugh, Eddie, Greg, Steve ... this is where we're going. Get on the wagon his way, or get on another wagon."

It's what Coach Yoast did in Remember the Titans to the racist coach!

5:18 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

Collins TD bomb ... Titans 17-14 ... midway in the 3rd.

5:19 PM  
Blogger KJtiger said...

The franklin hire was an easy hire. No effort to vet him or even meet him. Gran said he knew a guy that ran the spread and CTT said ok. I think that the D has been overworked and are tired. They laid their guts on the line the first few games and they were not rewarded when they needed help.

5:20 PM  
Blogger Chris in Inverness said...

I'm not saying its got to be WM - but I want something done before years like this become common-place.

It will be easier to transition with a decent team instead of threee years later and 3 non-bowl seasons.

5:20 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

Couldn't have said it better, Chris.

5:21 PM  
Blogger Chris in Inverness said...

Agree - Without the injuires to key personel, Marks, Coleman, Powers this D's much better.

The injuries came after game where the offense was PUTRID and they stayed on the field forever.

5:22 PM  
Blogger ron mexico said...

Muschamp to me is a bigger gamble than most. It would be like putting in a few extra bullets before playing russian roulette.

5:23 PM  
Blogger Jay G. Tate said...

I don't think anything will get settled this week.

I was optimistic that we'd all get some closure soon -- I could start scouting OCs or HCs -- but that doesn't appear to be an option until after the Iron Bowl.

5:23 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

Ron ...

We'll just disagree on that one.

Otherwise, gotta go ... you kids have fun ... talk to you later.

5:24 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

jet, I am not sure that the offensive coaches didn't buy in, although I could be wrong. I think Franklin had poor leadership skills. He said he was an idiot, and I think the position coaches believed him.

5:25 PM  
Blogger AUfan said...

Jay, I know money talks but don't you think the past history with OC's will ruin the chance of a TOP OC coming here? That and knowing Tubs will be gone without major improvment next season plus a lack of explosive skill players, I just don't see the type of OC we desperately need rolling the dice to come here. Unless he thinks he might be in position to be the next HC-any chance of that happening?

5:26 PM  
Blogger AUBigCat said...

I think Auburn is probably the hardest SEC school to recruit at. We're in the middle of all the big time programs. Dye apparently recruited well but illegally. Bowden was not good if memory serves. AU seems to be a tough sell if you didnt grow up a fan.

5:29 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Jay, after seeing the Georgia game, I am convinced Tuberville will be back. I am certain that after that game, there is no way they fire Tuberville before the Iron Bowl. We showed enough potential that we could upset Bama. Should that occur, the will not fire a coach with a 7 game winning streak over Bama.

I do believe Tuberville will be back and that it is unlikely the Iron Bowl will change that. The only thing that might change it would be for use to loose by more than 3 touchdowns. If we got totally embarrassed, I can see Tuberville getting fired.

5:29 PM  
Blogger AUBigCat said...

Not to mention the way Franklin treated the players (except Todd). An ex walk-on told me during homecoming that Burns was trying to transfer to Michigan because of the way CTF treated him.

5:31 PM  
Blogger Chris in Inverness said...

Franklin is/was a complete idiot.

And his love affair with Todd was sickening and cost this team W's.

5:33 PM  
Blogger McBain said...

Jay G.,

Do you believe that the AU admin. has already decided to keep CTT?

5:34 PM  
Blogger AUBigCat said...

Speaking of recruits...I hear that our 3 big vistors Onterrio McCalebb, Ray cotton, and Phillip Lutz(...) all confirmed their commits as solid!

5:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am not sure that the problems on offense were Tuberville's.

The history of offenses under Tommy Tuberville would tend to not back you up.

Get over to the ITAT forums and read some of the posts by StatTiger. AU's offense under Tuberville has been mediocre or worse for basically all but two or three years of his career. Ben Leard (when healthy) with Ronnie Daniels was able to make Noel Mazzone's offense click. The offense under Petrino was decent in 2002. And in 2004 with Borges having an entire future NFL first round QB and backfield to work with (the same QB and backfield that Nallsminger screwed up), it was very good.

Tuberville's history with the offense is shaky at best. If we'd had a consistently good offense to go with our "D", Tubs record would be much better. But his record** is what it is. I don't expect it to ever be any different.

**See previous post at 4:35pm

5:35 PM  
Blogger michael said...

Ok, I am going to go ahead and challenge the notion that the program has gone horribly down hill the past couple of seasons. I think a lot of what is going on is the statistics coming back to the mean. Let's go through the close games each of the last three seasons and look at some not so close games. For me to consider the game close, the outcome had to be in doubt late in the 4th. In my opinion, if both teams are in position to win at that point, some of it will have to do with luck more than who the better team is:

2008: A wildy unsuccessful season
Miss St - Win
LSU - Loss
UT - Win
Vanderbilt - Loss
Arkansas - Loss
Ole Miss - Loss
Georgia - Loss
W Va - soundly beaten

In 7 close games, we are 2-5. Bad luck season if you ask me. I know, there are some pretty obvious things that have gone wrong, but if we had won more of these close games, they would have been swept under the rug. Compare to other seasons:

2007 - 9 win season. Somewhat successful season, somewhat disappointing:
K state - Win
S Florida - Loss
Miss St - Loss
Florida - Win
Arkansas - Win
LSU - Loss
Clemson - Win
Alabama - Win
Georgia - Soundly beaten

In 8 close games, we were 5-3. Could have been much worse, could have been much better with just a couple of different bounces.

2006 - 11-2 - Quite a successful season in my opinion (though keep in mind my inferiority complex)

LSU - Win
S Carolina - Win
Florida - Win
Ole Miss - Win
Alabama - Win
Nebraska - Win
Arkansas - Soundly beaten
Georgia - soundly beaten

In 6 close games, we were a staggering 6-0 in close games. We got beaten soundly twice, something that hasn't even happened even this season (yet...)

So, regardless whether you like Tubs or not, I would say this season is about par for the course. We are just not winning the close games. I know it is not nearly as simple as this, but I believe Tubs could just as quickly go 11-2 next year. I certainly don't think we have another season like this. And I also don't feel that Muschamp or a lot of other candidates would be much different. If you were cool with '06, then you should be cool with '08. Really not that different other than the one stat we care about: winning. But sometimes things don't go your way.

5:36 PM  
Blogger AUBigCat said...

Nice job Michael...interesting take on this season.

5:44 PM  
Blogger ADP said...

Just kind of skimming, but I see that I mostly agree with the people I mostly agree with. After a day of reflection, I feel good about what happened yesterday. Even as a loss I think it is our most well played game of the year. We did what we had to do, it just wasn't quite enough. It showed me something though. This team doesn't have any quit in them, and because of that, I like our chances in two weeks.

Also, the more I see Tubs lately, the more I think this whole thing is re-energizing him. I think he's starting to get a little pissed off about the whole thing and that's good. An off season with a CTT walking around with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove has, in the past, proven to bring good results. I think that is exactly what will happen at this point. Could be wrong. We'll see.

5:45 PM  
Blogger Jay G. Tate said...

McBain ... I'll report something when I get solid confirmation.

If the administration has made a decision, they're not talking about it yet.

5:47 PM  
Blogger McBain said...

Thanks, Jay. Why do you believe that CTT seems to have the opinion that offense is an anathama to football? In other words, I believe CTT is a smart guy and a good coach. Yet offensive production has really declined since 2005. Is it staff, recuits both. Why has he let it get to this point?

5:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Phred - I agree. I have seen positives along the way. I few more points spread around and less injuries and we are talking differently. Even though I know this is obvious. I think Burns should have had more time to start.

5:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow, I guess Auburn fans aren't the only ones who have noticed the questionable comments coming from Tubs.

http://deadspin.com/5089597/when-blaming-your-assistant-coaches-for-your-own-failures-goes-wrong

5:56 PM  
Blogger ADP said...

I've often wondered what kind of crazy things might come out of my mouth if I were a D1 HC. Man, there ain't no telling what all kind of trouble I would have started by now.

6:02 PM  
Blogger michael said...

I think you can handle it Phred. You have shown time and again your skills at zen-speak

6:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Phred speak = Good speak

6:04 PM  
Blogger ADP said...

thanx for the love ... but here, I have time to think about it.

Live, I can step in it quick. Which was my point I think. It's tough to answer hard questions on the spot in front of a room full of good "question askers."

6:07 PM  
Blogger ron mexico said...

It would take alot of self restraint to answer some of the questions these coaches get. I, personally wouldn't last very long before they dropped the banhammer on me.

6:12 PM  
Blogger KJtiger said...

Questions like why was Lester not in the game?

6:12 PM  
Blogger Jay G. Tate said...

McBain, I look at it this way.

05 -- very good
06 -- not as good, but lucky
07 -- offense tailed off badly

... so he runs Borges, hires Franklin and, well, it couldn't have blown up more spectacularly.

Auburn is an epically poor offensive team right now. It's Tuberville's fault for making a poor hire.

If you think he should be fired for that reason, I'll support you. It makes sense.

However, I don't think the program is crumbling. The players seem fine to me. I don't sense inner tumult other than the frustration that goes along with losing.

Had Franklin (or some other guy) worked out, the numbers would have skewed up, Auburn would be 8-3 right now and most people would be OK with things.

I think it's is a confluence of a really poor hiring decision and a hiccup in offensive talent.

Firing offense? You make the call.

Someone is going to handle an improved team next season.

6:13 PM  
Blogger ron mexico said...

Yeah you say cause Mario Fannin is better and everyone says you are throwing lester under the bus and then you say he's not 100% and then you're a liar.

6:14 PM  
Blogger WarEagleRK said...

The bad thing is it was this year that the schedule set up for us to have a big run this year.

6:16 PM  
Blogger Jay G. Tate said...

McCalebb, Lutzenkirchen and Jermaine Johnson are excellent offensive prospects and, by all accounts, are fully committed to Auburn.

So they have some answers coming in.

I'm not trying to defend Tuberville. He's made some awful mistakes. I'm just saying -- this program is not in complete disarray.

6:17 PM  
Blogger Chris in Inverness said...

Add P. Saint-Louie as well.

6:30 PM  
Blogger michael said...

I certainly blame Tubs for this year, he screwed up. But I think we will be better if he is at the helm for a few more years and is able to go out on his own terms. I may be completely wrong though. I won't lose any sleep or be particularly mad if he is fired, but if it were me making the decision, I would keep him.

6:35 PM  
Blogger McBain said...

Jay G.,

You being the beat writer and therefore consistently around the program, do you feel CTT still has the desire to coach. That is really my only concern. As I said earlier, I believe he is a good coach and is certainly capable of turning things around. However, he just seems to be acting un-Tubs like if you will in his press conferences as well as looking like he is physically not very healthy.

6:35 PM  
Blogger Eddie McCoy said...

Well, I believe this is the same line of comments on this blog from about every Sunday since the vandy game. I thought we were going to do it yesterday when we got up 13-10, but it didn't work out. Oh well, its that kind of season.

I do believe that we will be a much improved team next year no matter who the coach is. Is it an SEC West championship improvement, I doubt it, but look at the West next year. I believe Miles is finally taking LSU back down to the Level of pre-Saban, Alabama will have talent, but no proven QB (a must have to be a championship contender) and Ole Miss (my early favorite in the West). We should be in the mix next year. I truely believe that.

6:42 PM  
Blogger KJtiger said...

Mcbain that is the question that I have also. Does he have the fire and dedication. Also will he seperate himself from the dead weight on the staff.

6:46 PM  
Blogger Jay G. Tate said...

I've said at least a dozen times either here on in campfires that, yes, I think he has the desire to coach and to be at Auburn.

I do not believe he is sick.

I believe he will make major changes to the staff ... if he's retained.

7:06 PM  
Blogger KJtiger said...

Jay are you still at 75%?

7:09 PM  
Blogger Kris said...

Thanks Jay. I guess its just as tough for him (if not tougher) as it us for us watch a season that began with so much enthusiasm go round the bowl and down the hole.

7:10 PM  
Blogger KJtiger said...

Yeah thanks Jay, if that is your opinion that is good enough for me. He probally feels snake bit right now.

7:13 PM  
Blogger Denny Crum said...

I was going to post but I find I agree with Jay G and Steve From Columbia and most everyone else that I tend to see eye to eye with. So, I will wait until there is a new thread.

7:24 PM  
Blogger Kris said...

By the way, the whopping three recruits we were able to entertain (previously referenced by the Blogfather, Jay G.) all reaffirmed their commitments to Auburn. That is great news given that Lutzenkirchen had started visiting other schools. This class is sooo huge to future success and I honestly doubt the wins and losses will affect it at all. A prolonged period of coaching turmoil definitely will and not for the better.

7:26 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Denny - Is that Bobby P?

7:26 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Raymond Cotton was there as well and also confirmed.

7:27 PM  
Blogger scottatl said...

I think if CTT puts up a good game against Bama (win would be good) and shows Gouge in their meeting that he still has a passion in coaching he will be here next year.

7:31 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Totally off topic....I'm watching Cowboys and Indians play. During player introductions, Marcus Washington said Auburn High School, instead of Auburn. Did he leave Auburn on bad terms?

7:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Washington is originally from Auburn so he might have went to Auburn HS. A lot of players name their HS.

7:50 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

He did go to Auburn High School. I just find it odd that they mention their high school. Washington sure has a lot of SEC players.

7:52 PM  
Blogger Monica said...

Did he ever actually graduate from AU?

7:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think there is 13 guys from the SEC on Skins roster.

7:56 PM  
Blogger scottatl said...

Some player mention their neighborhood, who knows?

7:56 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Unfortunately I think the majority of players don't graduate.

7:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mon - Not sure, I know he was undrafted.

7:57 PM  
Blogger Monica said...

If not, that's probably why he says Auburn High. Randy Moss changes his from time to time. Last time I heard him say, "Randy Moss, Rand University."

7:58 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Who are some of the top OC's that you guys think AU can make a run at?
I've got my opinion, but some are not from the SEWC and it seems that anytime one of them is named, the quote 'he has never coached in the SEC and his offense will not work in the SEC', so I thought I would ask who would be a possible candidate.

8:00 PM  
Blogger scottatl said...

MW was actually drafted in the second round, 58th overall by the colts

8:01 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Apparently Marcus Washington graduated with a degree in Forestry.

8:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Scott - You are right. Duh. I was looking at the fact that he was undrafted in Fantasy Football. I didn't graduate either evidently.

8:07 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Shout out to Jay on Andy Bitter's site, ".....as colleague and blogosphere extraordinairre Jay G. Tate says...." Jay's a blogosphere extraordinairre!!!

8:09 PM  
Blogger scottatl said...

no prob au1,

pretty nice dude, he worked out in the student act leading up to the combine and seemed like a cool dude.

8:12 PM  
Blogger Denny Crum said...

Why yes it is Bobby Petrino along with Joe B. Hall and Rich Brooks

8:13 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Great hit by Carlos Rogers on TO.

8:14 PM  
Blogger Eddie McCoy said...

Marcus Washington uses Auburn HS most of the time in his intro. I don't know why, but I know that he loves Auburn University and was a great and up-beat guy to be around while at Auburn. He is always humming or singing a tune.

8:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

War Damn Jason Campbell

8:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

War Damn Jason Campbell

8:17 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

Campbell is really turning into a nice pro QB

8:46 PM  
Blogger Jet said...

Of course, former Auburn HS star DeMarcus Ware sacked former Auburn star Jason Campbell during the game

8:47 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Former Auburn player, Jay Ratliff, also sacked Jason.

8:59 PM  
Blogger WarEagleRK said...

Campbell is doing well, but much like what we've seen over the years with any Auburn quarterback it's a struggle to throw the ball more than 10 yards downfield.

9:04 PM  
Blogger barkley for governor said...

Campbell can toss the ball all over the field these days.

9:16 PM  
Blogger ADP said...

for real ...

JC can throw the ball 100 yards on his knees.

9:20 PM  
Blogger Jim in Scranton said...

I feel like I've been so negative about this team, but I just didn't see the progress that most saw yesterday. We have still not scored more than 14 offensive points in an SEC game this year. The defense gave up a critical TD drive in the 4th quarter again. The special teams mistakes killed us again.

We were in the game at the end and couldn't pull off the win. That's not progress.

9:21 PM  
Blogger Mark said...

Where do you think the line for the alabama game will end up? I think Bama by18

9:25 PM  
Blogger ADP said...

were you there? I ask for a reason.

9:27 PM  
Blogger WarEagleRK said...

Campbell averages one of the lowest yards per completion average in the NFL. They always talk about how he never streches the D. Yes he has played well, but other teams don't fear his arm. I know he has a strong arm, but he's a game manager at this point.


Mark,

As far as the line, I'd guess Alabama -10.

9:27 PM  
Blogger Jim in Scranton said...

No.

9:29 PM  
Blogger Mark said...

We have not shown the improvement necessary to have an impact on the SEC West. I appreciate Roman's analysis of the Tubs record. Sad really. I have always considered him a great defensive coach.

However, it is indefensible that our head coach has lost 4 games (or more) in seven seasons. Add four more to that for the years at Ole Miss and it seems crazy that anyone feels it necessary to continue to defend this man.

At some point, we have to decide that a 4 loss season is not what we want. I personally think that time is now.

9:31 PM  
Blogger barkley for governor said...

Campbell isn't asked to throw the deep ball a lot in Zorn's offense. He's good at just managing the game, but he can throw the ball accurate all over the field.

9:32 PM  
Blogger coosa said...

I've nothing new to add to the discussion; I'm still a Tub's apologist and want him back next year.

For those wanting Muschamp, I remember that when he interviewed with ARK last season he was asked what he would do on offense, since he had no experience on that side of the ball. His answer - I'd hire a guy named Tony Franklin from Troy to run it.

I remember reading that on the internets somewhere; Jay can probably confirm it.

Of course, TF might have worked out at ARK; never know.

Hiring TF was obviously the worst mistake of Tubs career, but he made it because he wasn't satisfied with the "mediocrity" that so many here are talking about. If he would have kept Borges, we'd probably be about 8-3 now. Tubs wanted to do better, it didn't work. I say let him try again. If its this bad again next year, time to go.

JMHO.

9:35 PM  
Blogger barkley for governor said...

I've been on the Tuberville bandwagon... And I want to be now. ..But the more I think about it and watch him, the more I think it is time Auburn move on.

Tuberville=Mediocrity. That's all there is to it. As much as the national and local media will try to make you believe he is the best Auburn can get, it's not true. Auburn can do better than 8-4 every year. Auburn made Tommy Tuberville, Tommy Tuberville didn't make Auburn. He was nothing before he came here.

Tubs doesn't have the fire. He stands on the sidelines with his arms crossed and occasionally jumps on a player or ref to make people think he cares more than he actually does.

He would be a great hire for Clemson, or Miss. St., but Auburn can do better I believe.

9:45 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

I'm with you Coosa. I'm not ready to hand Tuberville his walking papers either. Also, I've been sitting in the same section for 5 years with the same folks around me. Our section was packed yesterday. We were all very enthusiastic and happy with the play of our beloved Tigers. I didn't hear one person who was ready for Tommy to leave. They do expect some changes made on the offensive staff.

9:47 PM  
Blogger ADP said...

That what I was thinking. It FELT different yesterday. The idea of winning was floating in the air. And yes, I was completey sober.

9:50 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

I also heard Tray would not be back. I heard he has 2 kids with another on the way. He is on schedule to graduate in May, and he has to take care of his family. Good luck to him.

9:54 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Considering it was an early game, I was really pleased with the excitement of the crowd. And I didn't see anyone leave this game early!

9:57 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

My motto, a bad day in Auburn always beats a good day in Tuscaloosa, Athens, Baton Rouge, etc. It is GREAT to be an AUBURN TIGER!!!

9:59 PM  
Blogger barkley for governor said...

Auburnundercover's advertisements are extremely annoying.

10:06 PM  
Blogger Denny Crum said...

I just don't buy this idea that a coach doesn't have the 'fire' if he is not animated on the sidelines. I guess Don Shula, Paul Brown, Tom Landry, and Jim Tressel should have hung it up before they started. I would argue that a coach needs to maintain control of his faculties in order to make better decisions and not let emotions seize the day. On the basketball side of the game, John Wooden won his national championships and never got up out his chair. People are who they are. Bobby Knight and Bob Huggins are yellers and screamers, Dean Smith and I were not.

I don't recall CTT ever really being known for being a overtly emotional coach. I would rather have a Cool Hand Luke moniker than that of the opposite.

Fire is demonstrated by how hard a coach works to get his team better. From what Jay G says, they are busting their butts in Auburn, however, things just are not working out.

Call me an apologist for CTT all you want. But I want him back.

10:10 PM  
Blogger Jim in Scranton said...

Good to hear Phred. I had that same feeling in 1992, 1996 and 2002 (except for the sober part). I just can't stand losing to them and anything less than a win was not good enough for me.

10:10 PM  
Blogger barkley for governor said...

Denny, all the coaches you just listed were winners. Tuberville is mediocre, that is my point.

I would love for you to prove me wrong.

10:12 PM  
Blogger Mark said...

Jay, do you have a score prediction for the IB?

10:13 PM  
Blogger Jay G. Tate said...

Mark, it's still a little early.

10:15 PM  
Blogger Jim in Scranton said...

I forgot about the tie in 1994. Yesterday just adds to the painful losses/ties at home against UGA. It's possibly clouding my judgement.

10:19 PM  
Blogger coosa said...

Great post Denny Crum. My all time favorite NFL coach was Tom Landry. Absolutely stoic no matter what happened.

Of all the criticisms of Tubs, going after his sideline demeanor seems the weakest to me.

Mr. Spock could have been a great football coach. ;)

10:20 PM  
Blogger ADP said...

Ding Ding Ding ... I win 200th post.

How many AU guys were on the field tonight. I know at least three.

10:21 PM  
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