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12.14.2008

Moving into Sunday

Hey everyone. The search is over. The first order of business is to thank the HOTTIES for making this the most exciting time in HABOTN history. I never in my life thought we'd have 10,000 pageviews in a day here.

We went way beyond that several times during the search. Thanks for your support.

HOTTIES > everyone else on Earth.

Enough of that. Let's get to business.

********************

Gene Chizik is the Auburn coach and that's that. As a casual glance through our comments section will show, opinions are pretty split about this hire.

Here are the advantages and disadvantages of this hire as I see them.

ON THE PLUS SIDE:

He has Auburn ties (SEC ties by default) and was an important part of the 2004 team that went 13-0.
He won a national title at Texas in 2005.
Defensive-minded guys always are welcomed at Auburn.
He's a disciplinarian.
He's passionate.

ON THE NEGATIVE SIDE:

He went 5-19 as head coach at Iowa State.
He probably was one poor year away from being fired there. The popular web site Coaches' Hot Seat listed Chizik as the nation's third most in-jeopardy coach. He was not a hot property.
He has no offensive identity.
Auburn will take a public-relations hit for turning down Turner Gill, a relatively successful black head coach, to hire a relatively unsuccessful white head coach.

INTERESTING READ: Matt Hayes of Sporting News, a guy whose work I respect, writes this morning that Auburn hired Chizik because of The Lowder Influence.

PLANE CRAZY: Chizik is due back in Auburn later today for a meeting with players. Auburn's newest jet left AUO early this morning and currently is stationed in Ames, Iowa.

UPDATE: Flight is due to arrive at AUO at 5:10 p.m.

Photo credit: Todd Van Emst/Auburn University

Questions? Comments? Post directly to the blog below or email me at jgtate@gannett.com.

254 Comments:

scott,will not,from tucson said...: gotta have some dippin' sauce with the jeno rolls, though.; 3:47 PM
Brawndo said...: Borges, Nix, Ensminger? Please, no. No more buddy-hires.

Please search the country for the best OC available, Chizik.; 3:48 PM
Anonymous said...: Denny...Paul Johnson was our best chance to stay at our current level.....solid winning football, minimal player issues, every now and then something special.

TGill, I felt, was our best chance to gamble and swing for the fences.

I'm pretty sure Johnson turned us down, if we even asked. Who knows the real story with Gill. If that article link from the front page is on the mark...how many legitimate choices did we have?; 3:51 PM
Monica said...: Chris - I posted something about the Elf on a Shelf on my Facebook and I've heard all SORTS of cool stories! One sister has one and the other knew about it and now plans to get one. I'm going to have one in my house when I move back to Alabama and am around my nieces and nephews.

Thanks for the hookup!; 3:51 PM
J. Kev said...: Jefferson lost his mind when he went to France. He was overrated as a founding father.

I didn't make a threat against Jacobs. It was more of a fantasy.

see, "hyperbole."; 3:51 PM
Denny Crum said...: No, it doesn't invalidate the comment. But Jefferson didn't live many of the things that he said. Additionally, he died hugely in debt from his big spending ways. I love Jefferson quotes, unfortunately, he didn't practice what he preached. The Louisianna Purchase was in direct polar opposite of what Jefferson preached. Good for America, but not his philosophy.

I suggest a good read, John Adams, by David McCullough.

I stongly disagree about the amount of executions during the French Revolution. It was excessive and much too violent.; 3:52 PM
Monica said...: In what ways was Jefferson overrated?; 3:53 PM
Chris in Inverness said...: Its a trip.

My daughter gets up every morning and we have to find him.

I've had him eating cookies w/ crumbs everywhere and also had him write a note - by cutting out letters from a magazine -- because she touched him and it says if you do, he loses his magic.

The letter say -- Dear Lane, please don't touch me, love Eddy -- she flipped.; 3:53 PM
BoKnew said...: This is not good.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Gene-Chizik-meet-Auburn-s-finest-torches-and-pi?urn=ncaaf,128957; 3:54 PM
Monica said...: I've read John Adams by David McCullough and who among us always practices what they preach?; 3:55 PM
Denny Crum said...: Monica, you would appalled at the amount of intrigue Jefferson got into while he was the Secretary of State under Washington and while he was the Vice President to John Adams.; 3:56 PM
Monica said...: LOL Chris - love the letter (the ransom letter touch is very Christopher Moltisanti of you...hmmm)

Also, love the name Lane.; 3:56 PM
Monica said...: Denny - I happen to be a huge supporter of intrigue. Don't be so presumptuous.; 3:57 PM
AUBigCat said...: Denny I never said the man ran the ISU program into the ground. Reread my post. I said since 2000 ISU was about a 7 win team. Statistically it is actually 6 but the point was that he did nothing to make that program better.

Eaglesteeler he was forced to remove those coordinators. The point there is that a HC has to have the judgement to select the correct staff and again he failed in that as well.; 3:59 PM
Chris in Inverness said...: Sorry Bo -- that's a waste of time.

Wait and I'll write something and post it on the internet to.

And Kevin Scarbinsky - a college football insider? Umm, ok.; 3:59 PM
Denny Crum said...: few of us, but Jefferson would do the opposite.

Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan practiced what they preached. Andrew Jackson especially practiced what he preached.

My feeling on the ISU program when Chizik got there was that it was a program in freefall without a saftey net, i.e. fan support.

ISU is more of a basketball school than football. Jkev or whoever said is right, Iowa gets all the players football wide. Iowa is a hard program to recruit to itself. Iowa as a state is tough to get kids too. Iowa in November, no thanks.; 4:00 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: plane left the ground. est arrival 5:52 CST; 4:00 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: and what Andrew Jackson preached and practiced was wrong and even unconstitutional; 4:01 PM
Denny Crum said...: That was his first job and I am going to say he learned a few things about picking buddies.

I picked the last 10 years because that was how long CTT was at Auburn.; 4:02 PM
Chris in Inverness said...: ISU had one football player and he was a good college QB.

I'll be interested to see how well the next guy does in that craphole program.; 4:02 PM
AUBigCat said...: Denny I just re read my original post and I didnt say since 2000. I was going by that same info you had but on wikipedia and was looking at the 2000 season til now. My mistake.; 4:04 PM
Chris in Inverness said...: Here we go.

I guess a history discussion beats what's been posted in the last 24 hrs.

Well, its Sunday December 14 at 4:05 and I still love and support Auburn university.; 4:04 PM
Denny Crum said...: I am with Chris.; 4:05 PM
Monica said...: Denny - I know you're not THAT old. You only know what you READ about what they practiced. :-); 4:05 PM
Chris in Inverness said...: I'm just curious, what would CGC have to do in his 1st 30 days for this to be a pleasant suprise for anyone?

Does he need to do one thing or a few things to gain support?; 4:06 PM
Denny Crum said...: TarHeel, don't get me wrong, I am no Jacksonian. He was darn near a dictator. But he was a man of his word.; 4:07 PM
Denny Crum said...: Chris,

Just put together a solid staff that is committed to bringing in the type of players that CTT and his staff brought in that got us to 2004. Solid, not splashy. Hard working, well organized is all I want. What about you? Anybody else?; 4:10 PM
Unknown said...: AUBigCat, how much money did he have to spend on staff at Iowa State and who were the other coaches willing to come to Iowa State for that salary?; 4:11 PM
AUBigCat said...: But Denny in what other program does failing at your first job get you a promotion and a raise?; 4:11 PM
scott,will not,from tucson said...: Denny, the pre-revolutionary violence in france is seldom discussed. suffice it to say you wouldn't have been happy living in that world. Muschamp would have straightened it out better than LaFayette.; 4:12 PM
michael said...: Uh oh. You mean this wasn't all a dream?; 4:13 PM
Chris in Inverness said...: PMarshall wrote an article stating that he felt the staff would have a much more Aburn feel to it than what CTT had. Meaning former AU players which I love!

I think there's a few names that are wavering on their AU pledge I'd like to see brought back in.

Also, the OC is going to be a HUGE hire. He hits a home run with that and we could be off and running.

I scratched my head about this hire as well but there's no way I think he's just locked in asa a failure.

Hard work and knowing how to coach football can get you a long way in his business.; 4:14 PM
Unknown said...: AUBigCat, who were the candidates that you feel Chizik overlooked when he selected his staff at Iowa State? Who were your favorites?; 4:14 PM
Unknown said...: Holy Crap, Billy Joe Bob was able to make Auburn look like a bunch of stupid rednecks on rivals. Way to go Billy Joe Bob!!!

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Gene-Chizik-meet-Auburn-s-finest-torches-and-pi?urn=ncaaf,128957; 4:15 PM
eaglesteeler said...: BCat,

I really want to hear what AU officials saw in him the last 2 yrs. I know it will be asked, and based upon previous comments from JJ and others they will "politicize" it.

I know there were other pluses, but this is NOT a rebuilding hire.; 4:15 PM
AUBigCat said...: Steve he was given the third-highest assistant coach salary pool in the Big 12 and hired his friends.

3rd highest in the Big 12 includes TX, OK, TT, TAMU, OKST, NEB...

You're running out of excuses for this man.; 4:16 PM
Unknown said...: On the plus side, Billy Joe Bob seems to have arms that function well.; 4:17 PM
Unknown said...: AUBigCat, what excuses? And excuses for what? Who were the candidates that you were for?; 4:18 PM
Chris in Inverness said...: So, there's nothing that the new coach of your football program to do to gain your support?

War Eagle - we'll remember you.; 4:19 PM
Unknown said...: AUBigCat, by friends I assume you mean ordinarly people with no coaching experience. That is pretty shocking.; 4:19 PM
AUBigCat said...: Agreed Eaglesteeler! I just need them to make me believe that THEY actually thought he was the best person available.; 4:21 PM
Denny Crum said...: Well, Big Cat, Nick Saban was a proven loser at Miami, Gene Stallings had no success and was proven loser, hate to use them for examples but they are the only ones that come readily to mind. He was completely handicapped at ISU because he had to compete with Big Ten teams for recruits. He did as well as anyone could at ISU. One could make the argument that the successful, err, year was the anomoly.; 4:22 PM
JD said...: I read Hayes article...I can't help but think that the people who look at the program from a national level say that Auburn was idiots for ever letting Coach Tuberville go with the record that he had. However, people in the local area who follow the program daily and understand the complexity of the situation and saw that the program had become stale on multiple fronts and something neeed to be done to fire the program.; 4:22 PM
AUBigCat said...: Chizik is not the real problem. He didnt hire himself to be our HC; 4:23 PM
Denny Crum said...: You hire friends because you want to hire people you trust. I am sure he thought his guys could get it done. I know I would reach out to people that I trusted and that I thought could get the job done. Who wouldn't? Especially in your first HC job. Would you surround yourself with people you didn't know except by reputation? Of course not, no one does.; 4:26 PM
AUBigCat said...: Denny do you honestly belive that 2-10 is the best he could have done against:

SO DAKOTA ST
Kent State
Iowa
UNLV
Kansas
Baylor
Nebraska
Texas A&M
OK State
Colorado
Missouri and
Kansas State?; 4:26 PM
Unknown said...: AUBigCat, you really need to head to the Iowa State message board. You are way off base.; 4:29 PM
eaglesteeler said...: BigC,

They will NOT make me believe he was the best available. And its not because of CHizik, but the way the AD and others make comments about the CTT resignation(?) and hires. They simply cannot not tell the whole truth about a situation.

I'm just so tired of hearing how AU and the way we do things when it comes to our Football program.

the media, and others just don't beieve we do things honestly.; 4:30 PM
Unknown said...: eaglesteeler, why does it even matter if he was the best candidate or not? He is the head coach. This entire thread of logic is just kind of bewildering. I don't know what is to be accomplished by trashing Auburn.; 4:33 PM
barkley for governor said...: Has anyone heard Pat Dye talk lately? Have you noticed how out of touch with reality he is?

Pat Dye was the greatest coach in Auburn history, but do you really want him making the decisions right now?; 4:35 PM
Denny Crum said...: BigCat,

How about we agree to disagree and then we both just say we love Auburn?; 4:36 PM
eaglesteeler said...: I am not trashing AU. I care deeply for AU over the last 35 years.

But I want this Athletic dept to handle things the RIGHT way.

If you can tell me that the CTT resignation and CHizik hire was handled the right way by those in control, then tell me how?

If you strip it down to basics, there are problems that create the doubts.; 4:38 PM
AUBigCat said...: ES I'm with you. I just something to belive in at this point. LOL; 4:39 PM
AUBigCat said...: Denny Crum I still love you man! And we both love Auburn!; 4:40 PM