Truth

[War Eagle!!!]

Will Collier Article

There weren't any surprises in this year's rendition of the South's Oldest Rivalry; as far as that goes, there was barely any evidence of a rivalry, and almost none of an actual football game.

Georgia did whatever they wanted to do. Auburn didn't do much besides show up and get clobbered. Again.

At this point it's much easier to identify the few guys who are playing well than it is to laboriously go through all the places where Auburn continues to stink. Gabe Wright is out there making plays on defense; Dee Ford is battling. On offense, Tre Mason, Jay Prosch, Onterio McCalebb and Emory Blake all could play for a good football team. Jonathan Wallace got rattled late, but all in all didn't play badly for a true freshman getting absolutely no help from his coaches or his offensive line.

And that's about it.

Defensively, the rest of this team quit after the LSU game and has been in double-quit since the fourth quarter against Vanderbilt. There's been no hustle, no intensity, no real interest in playing actual football in longer than I care to remember. They didn't even put up a token fight in the last two SEC games and there's no reason to expect anything different going forward. The less said about the not-an-offense, the better.

It's not worth arguing any longer if Gene Chizik's tenure will end this year. No Auburn coach could -- or should -- survive going winless in the SEC, mostly by blowouts, young players or not, change in coordinators or not.

To put it bluntly, Chizik has been forgotten but not gone for over a month now. The last two epic SEC debacles only served to display just what a terrible job he's done during the past two years.

But Auburn will fail badly if head coach is the only position that gets a new occupant. Plenty has to change off the field before anything substantial is going to change on it.

Auburn is suffering from a failure of leadership at every level. President Jay Gogue continues to dither, offering only an anodyne press release and acting as if he'd rather just muddle through until his own retirement with as little actual effort as possible. Gogue's well-known dislike for firing subordinates and unwillingness to make difficult decisions is harming both the athletic department and the university as a whole.

Gogue and his predecessors failed to reform the athletic department when they had the opportunity. Too many people in power at Auburn still wish the department could be what it was in the 1970's: A sleepy office that prints tickets, books travel and provides cushy sinecures for old buddies and former teammates.

A prime example is Jay Jacobs, who never had any business being athletic director. Jacobs was chosen over the vastly more qualified Dan Radakovich (who was later hired by Georgia Tech and more recently Clemson) and Greg McGarity (now athletic director at Georgia) and Scott Etheridge, who had a business background that puts Jacobs' time in Auburn's ticket and fundraising operations to shame. There's a big difference between doing business in a competitive marketplace and just cashing priority "donation" checks.

In any sane organization, Jacobs would have finished a distant fourth out of that group. In Auburn's case, Jacobs parlayed personal relationships and fear of change within the department (and myriad would-be Jerry Joneses among Auburn's power brokers) into a job that he proceeded to run into the ground.

A perhaps even more perfect example is Jacobs' longtime co-worker and BFF Tim Jackson, who ran the AU ticket office for many years in which that office earned a reputation for incompetence and poor customer relations. By all accounts, the attitude of that office was a reflection of its leadership.

For reasons few can justify, Jacobs elevated Jackson from a position where he was already doing a poor job into one where he could do actual damage. Jackson, who deems himself Auburn's "general manager" for football, participates in interviews for coaching positions (notably including the one when Chizik was hired) and exerts authority over player discipline and other matters that are the proper purview of the head coach. Jackson is also widely believed to be responsible for the abrupt departures of both current Florida head coach Will Muschamp and David Marsh, the most successful college coach in the history of the state of Alabama.

For all the ire directed at Jacobs and Jackson, though, they're just the most public examples of the overall long-simmering dysfunction in the Auburn athletic department. Until and unless the university's leadership starts treating that department like what it is -- a $100 million business and the public face of the university for most of the country -- we'll see fiascoes like this continuing to happen in every sport.

By Gogue's own choice, decisions to make fundamental changes remain on his desk for the moment. However, if he continues to vacillate and/or chooses unwisely, he'd be well-advised to buckle up, and I'm not just talking about the board that has the power (and responsibility) to fire Gogue himself if he does not act in Auburn's best interests. If the toxic atmosphere around Jordan-Hare Stadium last Saturday is any indication, President Gogue is one more bad move away from having an Auburn Tea Party marching up Samford Avenue to his mansion, bearing an ample supply of tar and feathers.

[oldautiger]

Gogue is part of the "Unholy Three" (Gogue, Jacobs & Chizik) as far as I'm concerned.  Georgia could have absolutely stomped the shit out of us worse than they did, Richt must have felt sorry for us and called off the "Dawgs".  Saban won't call off anything, he's not happy about losing to A&M.  Since we won't help bama's SOS, they have to run up at least 50 on us to improve their chances with the BCS.  Just beating us by only 21 or so ain't gonna get it done for them.
Gogue needs to get off of his dead ass and fire Jacobs & Chizik or alumni donations are gonna drop big time.  God this fucking situation pisses me off.

[JR4AU]

When is somebody with the power to act going to?  How long will this drag out?  How far will we fall?

[Yoda]

While I agree with firing both Chizik and JJ, I am starting to agree with waiting.  If we are going to have a chance at retaining any of our current commits waiting for the change might be best.  We fire Chizik now it changes nothing.  Fire JJ now then the writing is on the wall for Chizik's future.  I'd much rather the recruits not know for sure if current coaching staff will be around.  We should wait till December to make the move and have the replacement ready to go at the same time so he can contact recruits and see if he can retain them.

[AUChizad]

http://247sports.com/Board/59457/Auburn-Update-13941128

* Barring a complete reversal of plans, which is always possible but is unlikely, Jay Jacobs will be retained as Auburn's athletics director.

* If there is a coaching change, Jacobs and president Jay Gogue will work together, probably with some sort of committee, in the search for a replacement. Gogue will be much more involved than he was in the search that resulted in the hiring of Gene Chizik and will have the final say.

* The desire is for the process to move very rapidly.

* Chizik's chances of returning as head coach, already low, are even lower in the wake of last Saturday's 38-0 loss to Georgia.

* It is unlikely an NFL head coach will be in the mix.

* The names I hear most often as potential replacements, if there is a change, are...

To read the rest of this update, please visit AuburnUndercover.com...

 

Fuck. Don't normally do this, but I'm firing up a tersely written email to jgogue@auburn.edu

Wish we could go above his fucking head. Does anyone but the fans have any fucking sense at Auburn??

[The Six]

I think Phillip Marshall is a like a mushroom...fed a lot of shoot and kept mostly in the dark.

[RWS]

In regards to Wallace, from the little bit that I watched, he actually looked salvageable.  I think there is some talent there that hasn't been mindfucked beyond recovery.  He looked like he knew what he was doing, and wasn't a pussy.  If he wasn't running for his life nearly every snap, I think he could put some points on the board.

[GH2001]

When is somebody with the power to act going to?  How long will this drag out?  How far will we fall?

This doesn't happen if Lowder is still in power. But a generation of student activists insisted on him being gone. Be careful what you wish for.

[AUownsU]

This doesn't happen if Lowder is still in power. But a generation of student activists insisted on him being gone. Be careful what you wish for.

I ain't saying always made the right choice but his ass reigned over Auburn football for almost 30 years and it was probably the best 30 year run we've had.

[jmar]

This doesn't happen if Lowder is still in power. But a generation of student activists insisted on him being gone. Be careful what you wish for.

Is Jimmy Rane still on the board?

[Pell City Tiger]

So, I'm thinking next years X-gate will be held on the campus of Samford University.

[jmar]

So, I'm thinking next years X-gate will be held on the campus of Samford University.

Arrests to follow.

[AWK]

So, I'm thinking next years X-gate will be held on the campus of Samford University.

Shorter drive for most of us.

[The Prowler]

I ain't saying always made the right choice but his ass reigned over Auburn football for almost 30 years and it was probably the best 30 year run we've had.

Exactly. He knew what he was doing and knew what he wanted.

What we have now, is a rift between those that don't know what they're doing and those that don't know what they want, led by President Gogue who has no clue what he's doing nor what he wants, so he refers to AD Jay Jacobs that has no business making big decisions and has help from his buddy Tim Jackson who doesn't know anything and fucks up everything he touches.

[bottomfeeder]

Exactly. He knew what he was doing and knew what he wanted.

What we have now, is a rift between those that don't know what they're doing and those that don't know what they want, led by President Gogue who has no clue what he's doing nor what he wants, so he refers to AD Jay Jacobs that has no business making big decisions and has help from his buddy Tim Jackson who doesn't know anything and fucks up everything he touches.

We are worse off than we were four years ago.

[The Prowler]

We are worse off than we were four years ago.

5 years ago, when Jay Gogue was hired as President.

Winning the National Championship was apparently the worst thing that could've happened, in regards to TPTB at Auburn. They're too stupid to hire the right guy. They want a ”good Christian Family” guy that they can use as a puppet. Like I said before, if we're going to fire Coach Chizik, then we should start up a lot higher and not stop until everyone is gone (no more traces of the BBQ gang).

[CCTAU]

We are worse off than we were four years ago.

That just means less hope and no change!

[The Six]

Question: Are you all ready to accept a couple of years of reset which will more than likely be marked with many losses as a result of changing horses in midstream like this?

I'm playing devil's advocate here, I know, but it was worth asking.

I'm not sure we are in a good position reputation and $$$$ wise to get into a bidding war with Arkansas and Tennessee. Then again, is that enough reason to hold on another year or two?

Call me conflicted. 

[AWK]

Question: Are you all ready to accept a couple of years of reset which will more than likely be marked with many losses as a result of changing horses in midstream like this?

I'm playing devil's advocate here, I know, but it was worth asking.

I'm not sure we are in a good position reputation and $$$$ wise to get into a bidding war with Arkansas and Tennessee. Then again, is that enough reason to hold on another year or two?

Call me conflicted. 

Um, first off, we are past midstream.  There are only 2 games left in the season.  Second, we have to the money to compete with any SEC school.

[The Six]

Um, first off, we are past midstream.  There are only 2 games left in the season.  Second, we have to the money to compete with any SEC school.

midstream of tenure and/or contract

$$$ may not be the issue but damn sure believe reputation is