The Sunday After
Hey everyone. Glad to see the overwhelming majority of HOTTIES acting responsibly on the comments thread. That's why you > everyone else on the planet. Classy, classy group of fans.Notice I didn't say Auburn fans, FSJ.
LOOKING AHEAD: Tuberville will hold his weekly teleconference this afternoon at 3 o'clock CST. I'm aiming to live blog that. I expect Tuberville, Jay Jacobs and Jay Gogue to meet no later than Wednesday to discuss the program's direction.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN?: No idea just yet. I still hear people preaching patience, but I don't see how Tuberville (and his defenders by extension) can explain away the 36-0 incident.
Recall, though, that Tuberville was remarkably chatty and serene Tuesday with long-time supporters Paul Spina (trustee) and Vince Saia in tow. Was that a sign? We shall see.
Photo credit: Todd Van Emst/Auburn University
Questions? Comments? Post directly to the blog below or email me at jgtate@gannett.com.
posted by Jay G. Tate at
11:00 AM
157 Comments:
Thanks Jay
Chris brought up an interesting point in the other thread.
He said Tuberville half-assed the interview process with Franklin. Chris certainly isn't alone in expressing disdain about that.
My thing is: What does that have to do with anything? I've told you all both here and on the radio that Franklin was "suggested" to Tuberville from people on the inside.
Plus, it's not like assistant coaches are hired the way regular people are. They don't submit resumes. They don't submit lists of references.
It's the excuse de jour, Jay.
It's what Tuberville is going to attribute all the failures of this year to.
Tuberville should have researched franklin's system a bit more. And at least interviewed a couple of other candidates.
Tubs needs to go out and spend the big bucks on a new staff and start throwing our hat in the ring for some of these big time recruits out there. I'm all for "diamonds in the rough" guys but that doesn't seem to work with skill position layers.
*players not layers
Incog, he's already done it.
Should be interesting if he is meeting by Wednesday, what he thinks it will take to turn around the program. Have you heard of any changes shout TT stay Jay?
I understand your point, however, knowing how a man schemes is one thing but knowing how a man prepares and his phylosophy on parctice, grades, recrutings, choosing starters, is important.
My point was that I hope he's learned from his catastrophic mistake that cost these seniors a shot at having a good final year.
He once had a pass with me as in "let him be. He knows what he's doing" but I have to admit, that's waning.
And Jay, what conversation were you speaking of earlier and what decision?
He's going to hire a new OC and let that man decide who works under him. So that seems pretty substantive to me.
shout = should
Chris, I looked back for a reference to "conversation" and couldn't find it.
Show me what you're talking about.
Any leaders on the OC front?
From the last thread:
Oh, we'll all know something this week.
I'd be shocked if Wednesday night came and we didn't have a firm conclusion. Tuberville wanted to have this talk last week; he's motivated.
Sorry, you said talk. I was curious as to who and what talk he's wanting to have.
Also:
Did you just say and do you believe that the new OC will have hiring rights? Meaning, he can come in and say, this guy goes - this guy stays?
CTT said, "I'm going to give them [the new OC] an opportunity to bring some guys in."
Said that in the post game interview on the Auburn Network.
fake Steve, big congrats on yesterday.
Your program earned that win and I for one, can admit that.
Can't say good luck the rest oif the way. I'm not one of those posers who say --- "oh oh, I pull for Alla when they're not playing Auburn."
Can't do it. I work with too many mouth-breathing, slobbering mulleted Bammers who can't name any of the players or coaches but, for some reason this year, are vocal again.
So, great game yesterday. I hope your house doesn't burn down.
"I'm going to give them [the new OC] an opportunity to bring some guys in."
Oh.....how nice of him to do that. I'd hate for him to hand-cuff the next OC.
Oh and I think Lane Kiffen's a good hire -- imo.
Great piece on ESPN about the pass rush, the qb sack, Deacon Jones, etc. Wish we could send our guys to that off season camp in Atlanta.
I for one am encouraged by CTT's plan, as endorsed by offensive mastermind Steve Ensminger: (1) Figure out an offensive strategery; and (2) recruit big-time talent.
Some cynical people might ask why, a decade into his tenure, CTT hasn't been recruiting offensive game-breakers. Others might point out that Saban has done that in less than two years.
Well, enough of your gloom and doom!! This coach has a vision for the program. You can't discount the vision of a man who's averaged 8-4 over a decade and has been to Atlanta TWICE!
The future is bright, I tell you. There's a PLAN!
There is no explaining away 36-0. There is no explaining away the incompetency that has infected this coaching staff and brought the Auburn football program to its current state of malaise.
Unless the afternoon presser is CTT resigning, then I'm not interested in listening to the same double talk coach speak that we have heard all season.
Yesterday made it very clear to me. As long as CTT and the current staff remain at Auburn, then Auburn Football = Epic Fail.
Gasp, Tuberville has never said one thing and done another. I will believe the asst coach comment when I see it happen.
I have lost all hope in Tuberville ever moving us beyond mediocre.
Did I shave my legs for this?
Let me say this.....
I believe hiring a guy who can RECRUIT is as big as hiring a guy who can scheme offensive football.
Borges could scheme but not recruit.
and anyone else see AMC's AFI'S TOP 10 OF 10?
vurry nice.
This comment has been removed by the author.
I'm soooooo close to being right there with you James. Sooo close.
I will say without hesitance that 2009 better eb way way different PERIOD.
Someone's going to swoop down and pick up all the good young coaches....like Jim Leavitt and Lane Kiffen.
I'm torn. TORN I TELL YA!
You know, this loss didn't hurt all that bad. Didn't expect a win.
I've taken a new attitude towards Auburn football... Have no expectations! That way, you are never disappointed and are occasionally pleasantly surprised with a win.
We could call it the 'Vandy' rule.
James in B'ham- my new hero. How people can keep making excuses for this man who has made a disaster out of this program is beyond me. Jay, whatever the interview "process" was, don't Franklin's comments about meeting with CTT no more than(I think) 5 or 6 times during his tenure there strike you as odd, or is that normal? I just sort of figured the HC and his OC kind of, you know, talked.
As far as an offensive coordinator goes, Shane Montgomery is looking for a job as of yesterday.
He was a really good OC and I believe Tub was interested in him when he hired Petrino or Borges.
If this loss had been 36-21 or 17-7 or something, it wouldn't have hurt that bad because it would have show that we were at least somewhat prepared to play.
Instead it was 36-0. I don't guess it hurt as much as it disgusted me to see that after two weeks of getting ready to play your biggest rival that you couldn't muster up enough to even get on the scoreboard. Even as bad as some of the Bama teams we have played during the 6 game streak have been, they still made us earn it.
Who's Sahne Montgomery?
And how about some other ne=ames? Some we think about and some Jay's heard floating - like a turd - around the FB complex.
I think someone with a connections to what Okla does would be nice.
Well I woke up this morning and the sun was still there albeit covered by rain clouds. although there is no excuse for the beating we took yesterday, I still support CTT. He is the best choice to have these team in the hunt next year.
I hate losing as much as anyone but I also know when a person is good for a program. I was on campus during the twilight years of Dye and the glory year (singular) of Bowden. These teams were a disgrace off the field and not that impressive on it. CTT has more than earned the right (on and off the field) to get this team back on track.
I am kind of disappointed that Tuberville said he would let the new coordinator bring in a few people. The issue I have is that when he didn't allow Franklin to choose his position coaches, the failure of the offense can't be purely blamed on Franklin.
Additionally, things got worse after Franklin was let go. Once Franklin was canned, we won one game. With Franklin we won 4.
I believe Tuberville can turn things around and I don't buy into the miserable state of the program that many seem to have. We didn't suddenly loose all the talent that was predicted to win the west. We just didn't put that talent in a situation to succeed.
As for the loss, I am seriously disappointed. It isn't because of the loss. It is because we didn't look prepared. I, more than most, am willing to accept losses to very good teams, but Bama beat us worse than virtually any other team they played. I think only Western Kentucky got beat by more points.
I also have a problem with the firing of Borges, because I think he was a good offensive coordinator. From comments, it appears he wasn't that great of recruiter, but when we get a good coordinator that is willing to stick with Auburn, we need to keep him and work through the recruiting issues. I consider recruiting one of the main jobs of a head coach.
The real question here is what is best for Auburn. Auburn's football program has been built on stability in terms of a head coach. We have only had 4 coaches since Shug Jordan, who was at Auburn for about 25 years. I don't want us to get in a coaching carousel and certainly not in a Notre Dame situation.
If the administration thinks they have a potential head coach with previous head coaching experience that will do a better job, I am for it, but currently I don't see many coaches that would fit the bill.
We need to hire Turd Ferguson as the next o-coordinator.
Shane Montgomery was the OC at Miami of Ohio when they had Ben Roethlisberger and when they were the pride of the MAC in the early 00's.
He ended up getting promoted to the HC job and didn't do as well and got fired yesterday.
I believe he interviewed with Tub either when Petrino or Borges got the job.
Turd Ferguson has a big hat, which would look great on the sidelines.
big hats are funny
Well said Steve!
Why does the next HC have to have HC experirence?
Had Oklahoma made that a requirement they wouldn't be a PERENNIAL contender.
Why not get a young hot-shot assistant like Bob Stoops.
So, Jay, is it your belief that he felt he had to follow this "suggestion" as though it was a directive?
If he continues to be micro-managed then I definitely have a problem with that. But I also wonder where he was when our personnel was being "transformed" to run this fast-pace offense. He has repeatedly said that he wants an OU type offense, yet that wasn't anything like the Tony Franklin System.
So, it appears to me he was either absent during the interview process or he is spinning now when describing what he wants.
Steve,
If you make the right hire the first time you don't get in a carousel.
I agree, I believe Tub can turn it around to his usual 8 to 9 win seasons with the occasional season with a little more than that. However is that what we want?
Do we want 2nd or 3 in the West every year with a chance every 5th year to play for the SEC title? Or should we expect more?
I just googled Shane Montgomery and all I saw were sites dedicated to firing him. Although it goes without saying that good OCs dont always make good HCs, do we really need two coaches coming off of extremely low periods in their coaching lives trying to prove themselves? I think we need an OC with confidence that is coming in with energy and momentum.
What happened to Butch Davis? He was many of the naysayers perfect coach to replace CTT around a month ago. Oh...that's right ...he lost a couple of games since then, so time to move on to another coach? I mean, he lost 41-10 to NCSt. That's a 31 point loss to the rival. But..but ...but....the naysayers were very clear with strong declarative statements that he was perfect. Is he now? He just went 8-4 in the ACC. Who is the next perfect coach?
That's OK..the naysayers are NEVER accountable to their own mistakes..they just move on to another complaint or coach.
Good fanbases cheer loudly and complain quietly and respectfully. Good fanbases consider themselves to be an extension of the team. The team doesn't criticize itself..especially during the season. Many recruits do take into consideration the fans personality.
When Jim Rome first started..having a take meant a negative comment against a rival or positive one for your team. Now slamming the team that you love is in vogue. It hurts the team...ask BOZ.
I'm gonna let the PTB do their job and make the best of it, regardless of the decision.
Chris,
Unfortunately for every Bob Stoops & Mark Richt there are 100 people you have never heard of who were hot shot coordinators who didn't pan out.
I think it's best to go the Ohio State route and find the best winning HC at the 1-AA level and give them a try. Tressel won 3 national titles at Youngstown State and has had OSU in 3 BCS title games since he has been there.
I would beat that there are alot more young hot shot OCs without HC experience that drive a program further into the ground than those that become Bob Stoops.
See Hoopie....that's why you're the MAN!
If we keep Tubberville we will be in this same situation next year. Mark my words. Cut him loose now before another season is in the sh*tter.
Did yall see the latest classic CTT quote? Regarding the interest he's received from potential OC's.
to paraphrase:
'I've got a stack of resumes about a mile high'
Lets hope he reads through them this time and not send Eddie Gran out to conduct the interview.
Hoopie,
Delusional fans consider themselves to be an extension of the team. Good fans know that there is a difference between themselves and the team. Big difference. I dont expect Jason Bosley to say bad things about Tubbs. I DO expect objective fans to say what they feel.
"the naysayers are NEVER accountable to their own mistakes"
And by keeping Tubberville for another season OR paying him $6 million, how is he being held accountable for his laundry list of mistakes?
Sorry for all this Hoopie, I just dont get the lovefest for Tubbs.
And it's good to know that after ten years of coaching here, Tubbs best solution is to come up with an offensive plan and recruit talent for that plan.
Now I see why we want to keep him so badly. It only took him 10 years to find a plan! It may take the next coach 20!!
My mistake, it only took him 10 years to DECIDE it was time to FIND a plan!
He still hasnt actually made that plan yet.
Apparently Hoopie's theory on public discourse is this:
Keep your mouth shut.
Don't question the PTB.
Leadership will always do what is best.
I'm sure it was just complete feeling of disgust that caused Tubs to look the way he did on the sidelines in the 2nd half, but the man looked as though he could care less about what happened. You'd think if he cared about the game, he would have at least attacked the refs like he did against UGA (even though that was a poor choice of timing). I'm just saying, Tubs, at leastact like you care. Show some fire out there. Your players need you to show them you care even more than they do.
I'm not accusing him of actually not caring. All I'm saying is that he is giving me that impression by his outward appearance.
We will never compete with Bama again as long as Tubbs is at Auburn.Saban has too much energy and will out work Tubby.He has been good for Auburn, but it is time for a change.We need new direction and enthusiasm.If he stays it will get worse.That team quit yesterday and that is inexcusable.
My thing is: What does that have to do with anything? I've told you all both here and on the radio that Franklin was "suggested" to Tuberville from people on the inside.
Interesting comment. So are these the same people who will decide Tommy's fate this week? Will they "suggest" our next coaching or OC hire?
If we keep Tubberville we will be in this same situation next year.
If we fire CTT we will be in this same situation 4 years from now.
Maybe we need an OC that can be our "Coach in Waiting?
This comment has been removed by the author.
"If we fire CTT we will be in this same situation 4 years from now."
Why?
If we make the right hire, why would that be an issue?
Just because Bama and Notre Dame made bad hire after bad hire doesn't mean we'd do the same thing.
"Tuberville saying that they just need to recruit more playmakers and do better is absolutely classic."
No joke, it's like he just discovered that was something that was needed to be successful.
my mom and her friend went to the game last night, they are both auburn fans. They were given the bird, cussed out, had beer poured on them, ha, and that was just the pre-game, she said it was the worst she had seen, whats worst is no other bans around them apologized. So Im not saying all are like that, but I know at Auburn we treat visiting fans alot better, especially women.
To quote ol' Verne..."Oh Myyyyyy"...Folks can criticize the team or coach without compunction, but when they get criticized.....
Just to see how silly it really is:
I'm not sure that those criticisms are consistent with your previous criticisms.....I smell spin.
The lack of composure when being criticized is not consistent with how "I" feel a naysayer should act, therefore you should be "removed" from the ranks of a naysayer.
Reasonable discourse and respectfully worded disatisfaction is great...no problem. Negative opinions and speculations expressed in strongly worded declarative statements as if they are the truth is harmful. For an example.....see how some folks were hurt when they were slammed above. Don't hurt your team.
That trip to UAT sounds like my 2 trips to UF. I refuse to go to the Swamp again.
Thank you RK, my point exactly.
People are assuming we will make the wrong hire. But for some reason they also assume that what they KNOW to be true (tubbs' mediocrity) will somehow change.
That being said, do we trust Jacobs and others to make the right hire?
That's probably the biggest question of them all if a change is made.
Hoopie,
You didnt answer my question. When will Tuberville be held accountable for his mistakes?
I dont know, RK. That scares me to death. But fear of the unknown is one thing. Fear of what we already know is another. I say roll the dice and see rather than continue on the same path that brought us to this point. Just my two cents.
Hip...
Exactly.
CTT was schooled last night. Unfortunately, that was the type of drama-less, crushing, nothing fancy, beat down usually reserved for homecoming opponents. The Tide was relentless.
We probably could have played another 60 minutes and not scored.
CTT should resign today.
With all the talk of school being out and no 20 hour rule and long practices and staying over for thanksgiving and 2 practices on Thanksgiving day, where did that put us?
Did you guys see the sweet double reverse we had for a touchdown, or the flea-flicker for a TD, or how about the WR pass back to a wide open Burns for a TD? Me either.
Instead of the tricks, did you see us use those to weeks to pound the ball at bama, utilize Burns' legs, Fannin go crazy? Dunn or Davis for a TD?
Me either.
See ya CTT, time for you to go.
Preach on it, hip-hop. Amen and amen.
Mark:
Yesterday I think we saw why Franklin was hesitant to play Burns. After the first five minutes of the game, he looked totally out of sync, with the exception of the missed field goal drive.
Kodi is not our answer for next year.
hip-hop...I am not going to speculate on that.
First of all...your statement ASSUMES that there is something to be accountable for. Maybe b/c your "opinion" is such.
Next.. for me to SPECULATE "when he is to be held accountable", I would have to speculate exactly WHO is going to hold him accountable? The: AD, Prez, BOT or the PTB? Whoever knows this answer please stand up and present the evidence.
THEN... I could make a speculation based on the previous speculations regarding WHEN.
Any statement made that is based on that much speculation and assumptions would have absolutely no VALIDITY and would only serve to further negative speculations regarding a team that I love.
I realize this season has been bad. Correct me if I'm wrong, but ever since Tuberville has worked here, isn't Auburn in the top 5 or top 10 in the nation in winning percentage? That doesn't seem like mediocrity to me.
He made a bad decision with Franklin, yes. Can he turn it around? He sure as hell did after 2003.
Steve from Columbia:
I pointed out last night that you'd have a little more credibility if you hadn't said that people who judge the quality of a season based on number of wins were "ignorant."
I'd like to amend that:
You'd have a little more credibility if you knew the difference between "loose" and "lose."
I'm convinced you're either (a) 12 years old; or (b) a closet bammer.
Am I close?
Cotton Hatin':
Tuberville's finished in the top 10 twice in the decade he's been at Auburn.
Prior to this year, Mark Richt had 6 straight top-10 finishes.
Perspective.
In the past 10 years, I'd say Auburn would be around 15th or so in wins and winning %.
There is a website where you can calculate this, but I'm not sure where it is.
At some point it stops being about 1 great and 4 good seasons out of 10 and has to start being about 1 championship in 10 years and 5 years where there are a lot of questions as to what happened.
The thing that bothers me is that people like Hoopie make it seem like questioning Tubs is questioning the team or the university. In fact, it is the players that I feel for the most. Of course Boz is going to defend Tubs, but I would bet money that in the back of their minds the players are wonder what went wrong and who is responsible.
I will never blame the players for what happened this season, it was clear after every loss that the players were not to blame. It was the coaching and recruiting. After 10 years, who is responsible for a lack of talent (if that is the excuse of the day)?
There has been a complete lack of passion on the sidelines the entire season. And, let us not forget that last season wasnt exactly 2004 either. In fact, each season since that season has been worse than the previous. So, the question is. Do we let the team continue to decline?
Explain to me how Tubs has not been able to improve on the previous year for the past 3 seasons? If this season is just our "down" year, then what were the other seasons? I am not asking for perfection every year, but we have had an opportunity to set a foundation and it appears that its crumbling. The SEC is not going to get weaker over the next several season, the question is.... Will Auburn?
Dont tell me that its not becoming of an Auburn man or woman to question our coaching staff, we are not looking at a second or third year coach. We are looking at a man who has had 10 seasons, and has promised each year that we would see improvements. If you call this season an improvement, fine. But I see a lack of passion and an uncertainty in the direction of our program. It is not wrong for me to openly question the coaching staff. Further, what hurts the team is not the fans questioning the coaching staff, its the coaching staff putting the team at a disadvantage by their poor decisions in staff and recruiting.
Monica I noticed you made a TR MIller reference the other noght. Are you from Brewton?
Yes, I'm from Brewton.
People sure are in bad moods today!
It is a perfect day to eat your leftovers and check out Lord of the Rings Marathon on TNT right now. Should ease the pain a little.
Cotton,
We were 14th in winning % over since 1999 under Tub before this season. 80-33 for a just under 70% winning %.
This year will probably drop us around 20 or so just going by the different teams and %'s on the list.
That's a far cry from top 5 or top 10. It's good, but should be a lot better.
My cousin played on Miller's 86 state championship team. My uncle was mayor of East Brewton.
Wow - Did someone really just call out Steve from Columbia?
Where are all of the guys that were screaming for Burns to play earlier this season? You guys wanted him in there....defend your statements from earlier this season. Don't tell me the naysayers have already moved onto the next QB solution.
Burns looks better now than anytime he has been at AU. That is not saying he is an SEC caliber QB, but finally it seems possible. What will happen between with the QBs between now and next season....that answer would require solving variables times variables.
I graduated from TRM in 84. Who was your cousin? Was his name Anonymous too? :-)
I almost always compare the numbers to Pat Dye. Under him we were 6th in the nation in winning % at 76% after his 10th year.
After Tub's 10th year his winning % is 68%.
Dewayne Clark
He got killed in a car wreck his soph year at auburn.
It ain't the ones you get rid of that kill you, it's the ones you keep.
Jet - I liked your plane better
Hoopie,
"Burns looks better now than anytime he has been at AU."
Did you see the game yesterday? He was so scared back there he wouldn't throw the ball far beyond the line of scrimmage.
Burns finished the year with a 2:7 TD to int ratio. That has to be the worst or among the worst in school history.
He looked decent at times this year, but never close to being SEC calibre and after seeing him yesterday, he wilts under the spotlight. I know Jay said he has bad issues with performance anxiety, well you can't have that and start in the SEC.
Also, for the record I wasn't one of those calling for him to play earlier this year. I said he just offered something different than Todd. Neither was a good option, which is stating the obvious.
Oh wow - I knew Dewayne. He was such a super nice guy and his death was truly tragic.
Yea I thik everyone in Brewton was at his funeral. He was a great human being.
Comparing Shug to Dye to TT is a dangerous thing ... you can prove or disprove anything.
I think there are some fundamentals we can agree on.
1. Shug was a good coach for his time who a title under the rules they had the time.
2. Dye MADE the program where it was until yesterday.
3. Tuberville has done a good job of keeping Auburn competitive until this year.
This season has the feel of 1980, 1998 and 1991 -- two of those seasons we changed coaches, and the other one we gave Dye another year and it served no useful purpose.
Our PTB have hired well, and I trust they can do it again. It's just time for them to do their magic.
Plane is in air ... can't be photographed.
Or I'm just trying to be nicer.
AU1N04, some people make silly comments. It is best to just ignore them. They will eventually return to the al.com forums.
Must be the weather
Steve is the rare person you find on the interent message forums who always sees the bright side of everything.
It's rare, it's sometimes refreshing.
Jet - It is the season of giving. Nice works.
I have a new idea for a nickname for this place.
The HOMER Auburn Blog on the Net.
WarEagleRK, I do believe that Todd was a good choice early on, but his arm gave out. It was most apparent in the second half of the LSU game. You could tell he was done. Overall, Todd played better than Burns this season, although I seriously doubt Todd could have contributed much more. He should have never even seen the field against Vandy and probably not against UT.
Burns has talent but he needed to be put in a situation where he could be brought along, not thrown into the fire. Jason Campbell had similar issues because he was played before he was ready. At times this season, Burns has made some good decisions, but he was not ready to be a starting quarterback.
The real question should be why we didn't have a QB gaining more experience while Cox was the guy. People criticized Cox, but he was a good quarterback that would have made a big difference in this season.
One of the limiting factors with Auburn's offense has always been a failure to develop a good backup QB. The situation we put these quarterbacks in is not fair.
The biggest issue I have with Todd is that he seems to get his ego hurt if another QB plays a series. Franklin's alternating QBs thing in the first game was ridiculous, but a starting QB should be able to let someone else run a seried occasionally without falling apart. Todd didn't seem to be able to do that.
Here's the scedule for next year from AuburnSports.com
2009 AUBURN FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sept. 5 LOUISIANA TECH
Sept. 12 MISSISSIPPI STATE
Sept. 19 WEST VIRGINIA
Sept. 26 BALL STATE
Oct. 3 at Tennessee
Oct. 10 at Arkansas
Oct. 17 KENTUCKY
Oct. 24 at LSU
Oct. 31 OLE MISS
Nov. 7 FURMAN [HC]
Nov. 14 at Georgia
Nov. 28 ALABAMA
OPEN DATE: Nov. 21
*Ball State is undefeated this year.
*Tennessee will be back on top of the SEC with Lane Kiffin, Monte Kiffin, and Ed Orgeron.
*We play 11 straight weeks without an open date.
*A very tough road schedule.
*I don't believe Furman counts as a win towards being bowl eligible because they aren't a D-1 school.
Without a change at the top, I for see another poor year full of excuses.
RK...I should have qualified my Burns statement to say "up until yesterday".
I'm not happy, but no hatin' on the Hotties is allowed ... or the jet will become a bomber.
Who starts at QB next yr? Anyone have any thoughts? Just asking.
Many people seem to assume that being a good OC means a guy will be a good HC. That is not the case. It can happen and does happen, but the jobs are very different.
AU1N04, I have no idea who should be the starting QB next season. My gut tells me Kodi, but that is just a gut feeling. Somehow I don't think Todd's arm will recover, plus he will be a senior. I don't want a new one year QB. If I remember correctly, Caudle will be a senior also. Trotter might be an option, but he has no experience. At least early on, it looks like it would have to be Burns.
Jay, since TT is on record that the new OC can bring in whoever he wants, am I to presume that these guys are just going to stick around and recruit hard without knowing whether they have a job until after the first of the year?
QB will be Kodi or Trotter, IMO
Jet, I don't think CTT said a new coordinator would be able to bring in whoever he wants. At first, I hoped that is what I was hearing, but I think it was more like he could bring a couple of people. If CTT will not let the new OC decide what is best for the offense, I think we do need a new HC. The problem I have with blaming Franklin is that I think Tuberville handcuffed him to a large extent.
Steve, I agree ... Franklin was a questionable hire ... and TF must take the blame for Todd ... but TT is ultimately responsible for this Hiroshimatic season.
I'm for HC change. But I think I've mentioned that before.
"Jason Campbell had similar issues because he was played before he was ready."
Campbell struggled in 2001, but he never looked as bad vs anyone (even Syracuse and UNC) than Burns has looked this year.
The Campbell/Cobb combination of 01 & 02 is far greater than the Burns/Todd combo this year. It's not even close.
On a good note Carnell Williams got his 1st TD in a long long time today.
I think the plane gave away your opinion Jet.
Nice pic.
I believe the 4 interviewed when Borges was hired were:
Shane Montgomery, then OC at Miami-Ohio
Rob Spence, then OC at Toledo, recently fired at Clemson
Borges
Chris Peterson, then OC at Boise, now HC
That's awesome about Carnell.
This year's Final 4:
Charles Weis, who appears to have some collegiate and professional experience.
Turbo Prop, X-Box O.C. of the year three years in a row.
Steve "Farmer Fran" Ensminger, who has the ability to coach special teams as well.
Tony Franklin, he's available.
As for if there is a new head coach, who should it be, I have the perfect answer. It really depends upon the criteria used to make the selection, but if you go by irony and humor, Houston Nutt would be the obvious choice.
As for if there is a new head coach, who should it be, I have the perfect answer. It really depends upon the criteria used to make the selection, but if you go by irony and humor, Houston Nutt would be the obvious choice.
I think every position should be up for competition. I think burns will be qb, although I think todd is a much better pure passer. Shoulder willing. What I continue to have problems with is how long will CTT stay at AU? 1 year, 2,3,4 more years even if things go great. He is going to have to rebuild his staff, we know that. I just do not know if that translates to sucess. That quote about a few coaches scares me. I would think if he is serious about this challenge then he would let the OC bring whomever.
If you can handle his crybaby attitude he would be a good one. I cannot believe I said that. I am not a nutt fan at all.
Anonymous 1:39
A-freaking-men
Houston Nutt gets more out of less with his teams.
That being said, he also gets more arrests out of his teams than the average coach too.
I remember a few years back at media days he opened his part of the show up with "Cedric Cobbs couldn't be here, he's in jail". That's the guy you select to represent your team?
KJtiger, if I were making the decision on CTT's future, everything would ride on his plans for the future. I would definitely ask what flexibility the coordinators will have in choosing their staff. If Tuberville comes back and says that he wants specific position coaches to stay, but a new OC can replace one or two other coaches, I would say bye bye to Tuberville. This is not to say that Tuberville shouldn't try to sell the assistants he has to the new OC, but the responsibility for ensuring the offense is prepared should ride solely on the offensive coordinator's shoulders.
Jet, I heard that when Tubs interviewed Peterson, Peterson was told he may be able to bring in a WR coach, he was going to take the job and then Tubs told him that he would have to make it work work the current staff. We ended up with Borges.
If you want a coach that shows fire, and possibly a bit touch of psychotic tendencies, Nutt is the man.
Houston Nutt?
Giggity, giggity, giggity!
I don't know how he'd do, but if we went into a Quagmire, it would be fun.
In reality, he's not a legitimate threat to leave OM, and he's not what we need.
Shane Montgomery was the guy I was hoping we would get when we got Borges.
I want a program with conviction.
Preferably multiple. Just kidding.
Couple of points:
First, Tuberville saying that he just needs to recruit playmakers and do better is classic.
It reminds me of the time I was told by an editor, after a round of layoffs, that we were gonna focus more on content and advertising.
There's only one response to both: What have you been doing?
Second, comparing Burns to Campbell can't be done for five reasons: Williams, Brown, Obamanu, Aromashodu and Taylor. Campbell also was a much better passer and had much better mechanics. And he still needed all those playmakers around him to really come into his own.
Jet Agree totally!
Steve I think CTT is in a bind with this hire. If he does not allow the new OC to bring in whomever then it will be seen as more of the same. I do not think one or two changes makes a difference. If the OC comes out and says I want to keep gran and emsminger then maybe but I think a total change has to be made to please the masses. Right or wrong.
Josh, you make a good point in terms of judging QBs. That is why I think Cox got a raw deal. He didn't have the play makers around him in 2007 and to some degree in 2006. At times he tried to make something out of nothing and it hurt people's opinion of him.
Campbell and Burns are very different, but Auburn's lack of ability to develop a backup QB has been pretty consistent. It was most glaring when Craig graduated. Bowden wouldn't give any other QB any playing time.
I love the "what have you been doing" comment. I don't think our talent level is bad. I think our coaching has been very bad on offense. I think a large part of it had to do with contrasting philosophies. We have landed some high profile recruits. The 2007 class was outstanding, but we turned good recruits into average players.
KJtiger, I don't care whether the new OC keeps every member of the offensive staff or gets rid of every one of them. Give him the choice and judge him by the results. As for pleasing the masses, I really don't care for that. Winning games will cause the masses to settle down.
Can't say I've enjoyed the afternoon one bit. I'll be curious to here JGT's report from the Tubsfest.
Check ya later, hotties.
Tubs has stated for several years that recruiting has gotten better and better each year. Now he says we need playmakers as we don't have any. Meanwhile, any player that shows a pulse on offense is mysteriously buried on the bench for vague, unknown reasons. Tubs= used car salesman.
Steve,
Let me ask you this, in regards to your comment about offensive talent/poor coaching: Everyone is blaming the hiring of Franklin for the problems, and rightfully so in one instance, but does it not seem to anyone else that the move to the spread was made in an attempt to mask the lack of talent on offense?
I don't know how you say that we were trying to mask the lack of talent when we went to a passing offense with our best receiver being rod smith.
I just don't think tuberville knew what he was gettting with tony franklin... and that's something he should have looked more into before hiring him.
Josh, I don't think Franklin is solely to blame. I believe Tuberville should take a lot of the blame for that himself. I don't believe he gave Franklin the flexibility to do what he wanted.
As for masking problems with talent level, I have heard that, but I don't really think that is the case. I think CTT recognized that we needed a change to take Auburn to the next level, similar to Dye going away from the wishbone.
Are teams such as Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas, and Penn State hiding a lack of talent by running versions of the spread? I don't think so. I think Tuberville recognized that the spread is where college football is headed.
sorry for the language earlier. i feel let down this season, and have year after year since 2004. where is this national championship that we were promised by Tubs? Also, what time does Tubs leave for his annual hunting trip in Ark.? Lastly, i have to agree with Hip-Hop that we will be here next year talking about another let down if we keep Tubs. Anonymous...BM!
Ron, we have a lot of talent at wide receiver, but very few good wide receivers. Zachery, Hawthorne, and Slaughter were all supposedly very talented. Swinton was too, although to a lesser degree. It is important to distinguish the difference between talent and actually getting the job done.
Prior to Saban, LSU was constantly an example of this. They always seemed to have great recruiting classes, but never seemed to be able to take advantage of that talent.
Another more current example is Tennessee. They have a lot of talent. They spend more money on recruiting than any other team in the nation. They are last in the SEC East, and it isn't even close.
Ron,
Because when you're dealing with the spread -- or any "system" offense, for that matter -- the level of talent you have is not necessarily indicative of success. For example, a QB who isn't a great passer but makes really good decisions and is accurate would struggle in the standard, pro-style, two-back offense, but can be very good in the spread. Same with receivers. You don't have to be a great, physical receiver to do well in the spread. If you're smart, find the open spaces and catch the ball, you're OK.
Now, don't get me wrong. Having a spread offense that performs to the level of Texas Tech or Oklahoma depends upon getting the super fast receivers and quality QBs. But you can do average, even in the SEC, without them.
Josh, the reason Todd was a good fit at Auburn was his decision making ability. There was a huge difference between him and Burns. Todd had the knowledge, Burns had the talent.
One big mistake is all it took for this year to fall apart. Not the hiring of Franklin but Tubbs not letting Frankiln have control of the offense. I think Franklin will do well at another school inthe future, but I will bet the HC let's him run the offense the way he sees fit. Even though we looked bad on offense early on, I think if he stayed, we would have won more than 1 more game.
Burns is not the answer. next year he will be a slot receiver to get him on the field. With anew OC the QB job will surely be up for grabs and Trotter will have a great shot at it.
I see your point, but you still gotta have some receivers with quickness to get off the line and get open and I just don't know if rod smith and robert dunn had those abilities.
If Tubbs wants to run an Oklahoma style offense, he better get some athletes. Did you guys see how bbog and fast the TE or WR's were inthat game last night? BTW-I got hammered last night for stating someone ahd no heart for allowing the fumble to be taken away form him. Did yous ee Sam Bradfors run toward the goal line last night. Diving over the CB and getting hamered by a LB. That is heart and desire to do everything to win. We have no one or VERY few that will do that.
The Big 12 might play much defense (or do they and their offenses are just that good) but they are running the spread offense with 300lb linemen. Why get linemen down to 270lbs? HUGe mistake.
Spot on Ron. Anybody notice how many times we were 3rd and 8ish and Burns threw a 2-3 yard pass. I remember one where we were 3 & 20 and he threw behind Lester, but if he caught it we would have gained 3 yards cause Hightower was all over him.
I wanted to put a rock through the TV when we do that. And we've done that for the last 3 years.
That's not necessarily true, Ron. I would almost guarantee you that half of the top receivers in the NFL right now are not anywhere near the fastest or the most talented in the league. It comes down to desire and coaching.
Perfect example: Steve Largent.
He wasn't the fastest, wasn't the most talented. But if the ball was in the air, he went and got it. He understood body position and angles, knew where to find the holes in zones and if the ball was near him he caught it.
AU's issue right now with receivers is coaching. Pure and simple. If you can't point out one overachieving receiver on a team, there's only one problem.
Tubs is here to stay--- WDE! If you dont like, go be a BAMER!
I'm probably the biggest anti-greg knox person on the HABOTN. He's been a problem for years. But you said, "does it not seem to anyone else that the move to the spread was made in an attempt to mask the lack of talent on offense?"
Mask Tuberville laziness in recruiting and coaching offenses?
Maybe, he assumed quarterbacks and receivers were just going to flock to Auburn with our transition to the spread.
Mask the talent?
I don't think so, because TF's system was designed to get receivers in space and run with the ball. I just don't see how installing a system was going to transform our receivers into playmakers. While pretty much using the run to throw the defenses off and not utilizing our three best players on offense in our running backs.
I guess we won't be doing much recruiting of those stellar Texas quarterbacks since that falls outside CTT's 300 miles recruiting radius.
or we tell them to go to Kentucky like in Mossakowski's case... i still can't wrap my head around that one.
Josh, I very much agree that coaching has been the offensive problem, and coaching the receivers have been the biggest issue.
As for Tuberville being lazy, that is kind of ridiculous to say. Tuberville appears to work more hours than anyone here.
As for Tuberville not coaching the offense, he shouldn't. Actually, I think that may be part of the problem. He needs to let the offensive coordinator coach the offense. Tuberville is the head coach, not the OC.
tuberville has gotten lazy when it comes to recruiting... that's why we are consistantly competing with UAB for recruits
Tuberville should have a say in the offense... he is the head coach and ultimately he gets credit for the losses... I am not saying for him to call plays, but he should some input on gameplanning throughout the week.
Ron:
I agree with you 100%.
I think Tuberville's problems stem from the recruiting side....
It was much easier to recruit against Shula. He was coming close to splitting the elite in state talent, which is huge when you combine that with what Auburn recruits in Georgia and Florida.
Saban has made that much tougher.
I do think that a HC should have a say in the offense (i.e philosophy, 4th down calls, etc). However, I think that the OC has to have the freedom to make whatever call he wants within that framework mandated by the HC. Like you said, the HC's hide is on the line.
I watched the Iron Bowl in
Atlanta and was disgusted at the report by CBS commentators that Saben told the players on his bench not to stop playing hard. He then said "Do you know how much I HATE those _______ people?" (You can fill in the word!) I thought this would at least be mentioned somewhere by the UA and AU fans. I would remind Saben, the UA president, and Mal Moore that UA is a state-supported (our taxes) university and that a $4 million per year coach should at least be able to motivate his players without using a comment like that. Saben was talking to 18 to 24 year old young men who are still forming their characters. He is the one they look to for guidance. Is this the way for a coach to influence them? No wonder so many young men are in prison today. Saben owes his players and fans a public apology for using such language for motivation!!!
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home