Thoughts - Week 1

[Townhallsavoy]

- I am happy.

- We looked competitive.  Everyone out there was trying and played hard from start to finish.  That's a huge plus considering about halfway through last season, the team obviously gave up.

- I'm not really concerned about Nick Marshall.  He wasn't that exciting as a runner.  He was inaccurate as a passer.  However, he didn't really make any big mistakes.  He didn't put us in position to lose.  He knew how to scramble and move and make something happen when we needed it.  I think Malzahn will help him improve.  I think we'll change our gameplan to suit his strengths.

- Our recruiting of middle linebackers is one of the worst things to ever happen to Auburn football.  I am appalled and flabbergasted that Jake Holland and Kris Frost are the best we have.  Literally every position on the field at all three parts of the game looked vastly improved.  Our middle linebackers looked exactly the same.  Same ole poor pursuit angles.  Same ole failure to stuff the run.  Same old inability to attack and shed a blocker.  Same ole piss poor tackling technique and failure to secure a runner to the ground.  Same ole same ole.  Same ole shit.  This one position has stifled my true yearning to be excited about this season.  It's going to gash us and gash us good especially against tough teams that run between the tackles. 

- Montravious Adams is a beast.  This is a manchild that has some of Nick Fairly traits.  I noticed when he first got out there that after two or three plays, Wash St began double teaming him every play.  They had to.  He was dominating the line of scrimmage.  When Wash St's quarterback busted a few runs outside, our defense adjusted and rolled Adams, a 300 pound DT, out to help with containment.  He moved swiftly, with alacrity and was an imposing force that obliterated the quarterback's running lane thus helping us win the game.  This kid is special and is going to be one of our all time greats if he keeps at it.

- We have a lot of guys rotating in on the defensive line.  A whole lot of guys that we've heard their names for a year or two but never really saw them.  I think this will be huge going forward.  These guys are going to compete.  Crazy thinking that Dee Ford wasn't even out there tonight.

- Valiant effort by the secondary.  They're not studs.  They're not lockdown, shut down guys with NFL futures.  They're Auburn kids who are busting their ass for us, and they did great against a developed Leach offense.  They surpassed our INT total from 2012 within the first half.  Incredible turn around for these guys, and I'm really excited about what they can do when they're not being asked to cover five or six receivers every play.

- We're a three headed monster at the running back position.  Corey Grant is shit your pants fast.  I think he's as fast as McCallebb but a bit more shifty.  Tre Mason dances a little too much, but he's a tough runner.  I feel like his fumble was uncharacteristic.  New Cam looked to have the most potential to me.  He's much more thick and stout but still possesses tremendous speed.  He toughs through arm tackles and has the body to collide and wear down a defense.  Our running game is only going to get better.

- Were we just playing Washington State?  Or was Washington State much improved?  We all know that Mike Leach has the ability to upgrade a program even if it appears to be a lower tier nobody with zero potential (Texas Tech).  There is the chance that Washington State is still a 3-9 team in a major rebuilding cycle and our victory means nothing.  However, they looked like a well coached football team.  They looked like they competed fiercely and they looked formidable as an opponent with their wide open spread passing attack.  If they are improved, then I'm excited.  We could have had three more ints and we did have a few more big plays open if we could have just connected them.  We could have pounded this team, and I think as the year goes on, we'll fix those few mistakes.

- To the girl in the skin tight tube top and frayed jean shorts that could have possibly been painted on your body:  You may have once been a stripper.  You may still be a stripper.  I don't know.  But I do know that you provided the best eye candy I have ever seen at an Auburn football game.  You danced and shook your hips and stuck your ass out and flicked your blond hair and bit your lip and did all the sexy things you did throughout the game while still cheering your heart out for the Auburn Tigers.  I just want to thank you, whomever you are for being part of my Auburn experience. 

[Jumbo]

Wsu is the worst team in the PAC 10 so I'm not very excited.

[Kaos]

 1) Marshall didn't scare anybody.  So what if he can throw it 94 yards?  When that's 33 yards over the receiver's head it matters not how far the ball traveled.  So what if he can throw a 99 mph fastball?  Unless the receivers are wearing catchers' mitts that doesn't help much.  Not sure what the plan was, but every team Auburn's played over the last three years recognizes when the defense gives a cushion and turns the ball inside for an easy pitch and catch slant for 10-12 yards.  Is that too much to ask for the last five quarterbacks we've tried to play?  Trotter, Turtle, Freezer, Wallace, Marshall -- none can handle a simple slant route?  We can't get that to work?  Or even a sideline route?  Let the guy complete a few routine passes to get his confidence up before letting him unleash a  200-yard bomb into the upper deck. 

2) Saw a few things to like about the defense.  Adams has great potential. Had to defend 65 passes (which was stupid on Leach's part when they ran with abandon) and kept fighting. 

3) Holland is the worst player I've ever seen in an Auburn uniform.  He may practice like a beast, but he plays like a girl. No tackles. No assists. Frost got pushed around, too.  New Day?  Still got very little pressure on the QB.  Still had enormous gaps in the secondary.  Was much better in the second half when Johnson said "forget it, I quit ya'll just coach yaselfs" and they just went to playing straight man.  Only two or three times all night did I say to myself, "that was good defense."  But that's two or three more than most of last season.   

4) Washington State isn't going to win many games.  They'll get stroked by USC next week and will fall to Stanford, Cal, Washington, Oregon, one of the Arizonas and either Idaho or Utah.  That was a 4-8 team.  BUT, it wasn't the same kind of win like AU had against Utah State or MSU in 2011.  Or ULM in 2012.  Similarly bad teams that AU struggled to beat.  To me, this one felt like AU was out of sync just enough on offense to prevent a 55-24 type of thumping.   Missed three wide open receivers for touchdowns. Threw away a couple of first downs by lasering the ball in rather than having any touch whatsoever.   Yeah, I realize that AU was a kickoff return and a 76-yard TD run from getting it handed to them at home by a gay pirate, but we could be better than we played.  Didn't so much feel that the last two years.  Marshall can get better.  I never thought Turtle or Freezer had the potential to improve. 

5) I don't ever want that lantern-head Stink-comb Bulldog to do another one of our games.  He clearly hates AU and wasn't able to hide it very well.  "Oh, he clearly stepped out of bounds."  When it wasn't close.  "Should have been a penalty (15 times or more)" When it wasn't close.  Kept his mouth closed whenever WSU was helmet-tackling AU players or hitting them five yards out of bounds.  Hated him passionately. 

[GH2001]

Im not putting too much stock in game 1 either way. Next week will tell more. The old saying about the biggest improvement happening in game 2 is very true. I saw quite a few teams that looked like luke warm vanilla yesterday. Even McCarron had Marshall like numbers. This team isn't going to gel overnight. I think people seriously underestimated the job Gus had in front of him when he became head coach. We are a 6-6 team in reality and its totally what I expected even before last night.

I think WSU is improved under Leach but still not good. They were salty last night. More than I thought they would be.  As weird as he is, Leach is a good coach. They do one thing and they do it good. Their passing game will give some teams fits.

I was simply look for some better play last night and better attitude. I saw that. The guys looked like they wanted to be out there. We are a work in progress and will get better. The fundamentals as a whole looked better. We have a ton of mistakes to correct but I think we're going in the right direction. It was nice to see the DBs play like DBs again. The DL had their good moments. The LBs are shit. The RBs are studs.

On to arky state.

[chityeah]

I can't add much more than anyone else but do have a question. Did the full back forget how to block? Saw a few whiffs.

[wesfau2]

Marshall will get better.  He was way too amped up the first couple of series.

Louis and Uzomah need to help NM out and catch the ball when it is thrown directly to them.

Running game was very impressive and I like the 3-man rotation there.

Adams is the smoothest 300lb kid I've ever seen.  That dude is going to maul people if given half a chance.

LBs still suck and I saw a lot more of Frost than Holland as the game wore on.  I think EJ gave Jake his "live-fire" shot at the job and Jake, predictably, whiffed on the opportunity.

All in all, this was a good showing for a season opener against an offensive philosophy that we won't see again this season.  My only real complaint was all the shit-talking our defense was doing.  I guess the silver lining is that they have some fire this year.

[djsimp]

Marshall will get better.  He was way too amped up the first couple of series.

Louis and Uzomah need to help NM out and catch the ball when it is thrown directly to them.

Running game was very impressive and I like the 3-man rotation there.

Adams is the smoothest 300lb kid I've ever seen.  That dude is going to maul people if given half a chance.

LBs still suck and I saw a lot more of Frost than Holland as the game wore on.  I think EJ gave Jake his "live-fire" shot at the job and Jake, predictably, whiffed on the opportunity.

All in all, this was a good showing for a season opener against an offensive philosophy that we won't see again this season.  My only real complaint was all the shit-talking our defense was doing.  I guess the silver lining is that they have some fire this year.

Egg Zackery.

I would like to add that I saw much much fire in the coaches. Garner was all over the DL all night and of course, Gus looked as though he had an intravenous drip of meth the whole night.

.....and again, Adams is a freaking beast!

[Godfather]

It's like this entire thread is in my head.

Holland sucks.

[bgreene]

I truly believe that we are a much better team than last year.  I think everyone would agree that there is fire there that we have not seen in a while.  Our defense (LB) was a joke.  I can't understand why or how they (the coaching staff) feel as though Holland is the best we have.  Also, I didn't understand why we were loading up the line of scrimmage, knowing they were going to pass the ball.  I'm no football mind, but overall I think we did well.  I don't think we are going to be a contender for the SEC.  However, I think we have a better team.

[jmar]

We have the same two problem areas at guard and mike 


My initial impression of Marshall is that he is beyond refining. He is wired to bail and chuck. Maybe it is  because he can't see the field from the "pocket", I don't know but it complicates matters as far as how we are defended because our receivers do little more than drag a couple of bodies out wide.

NM does mask what would be a so-so offensive line if we had to grind on a consistent basis but he all but eliminates timing routes that require some patience and his constant rollouts render anything aired back against the grain very risky. Back in the day, I would have forfeited two picks and a case of beer to have Nick Marshall on my flag football team because he is a hands down legend but...
as it stands, Auburn will not complete many passes due to the erratic nature of its signal caller. 
We are limited to hit or miss big run plays from scrimage which were indeed electrifying in the Barfield years.

I am overall encouraged defensively with Adams, overall improved tackling and more aggressive coverage from our secondary but we can still be exploited.

Would like to see a replay if someone would be kind enough to post a time and channel. 

 

     

[wesfau2]

Would like to see a replay if someone would be kind enough to post a time and channel. 

 

   

Presto!

[CCTAU]

I can't add much more than anyone else but do have a question. Did the full back forget how to block? Saw a few whiffs.

I saw that but it seemed to be on some of the plays where he had to go out one on one with somebody. His strength is right up the gut. We did not see a lot of that.

Porsche is not an hback

[JR4AU]

More of the encouraging: we got the breaks that have eluded us since 2010.  The pick in the endzone to stop the potential game tying/winning TD was huge.  A dejected, hard luck team doesn't survive that.  A great team doesn't fumble the ball back to the opposing team either, but they didn't roll over and die.  Last season, we'd have lost that game.  Last season Grant's long TD run would have been ruled out of bounds.  Last season, we'd have gotten called for a penalty on the KOR for a TD. 

Bottom line for me: though we suck on D, and are struggling to find identity on Off. (no surprise with all the changes) we won a close game where the team could have quit and didn't.  I don't recall that we ever looked totally clueless and discombobulated.  In the first game, the things that plague teams in the first year of transition, delay of game/substitution and personnel problems/penalties and the like, didn't seem to be a major issue.  The issue?  Talent, or lack thereof.  That's fixable.  Not this year, but it's fixable.   This team could, with the same types of breaks going our way, win 7 or 8.  Could also lose 7 or 8 too, but I don't think so.

[Godfather]

More of the encouraging: we got the breaks that have eluded us since 2010.  The pick in the endzone to stop the potential game tying/winning TD was huge.  A dejected, hard luck team doesn't survive that.  A great team doesn't fumble the ball back to the opposing team either, but they didn't roll over and die.  Last season, we'd have lost that game.  Last season Grant's long TD run would have been ruled out of bounds.  Last season, we'd have gotten called for a penalty on the KOR for a TD. 

Bottom line for me: though we suck on D, and are struggling to find identity on Off. (no surprise with all the changes) we won a close game where the team could have quit and didn't.  I don't recall that we ever looked totally clueless and discombobulated.  In the first game, the things that plague teams in the first year of transition, delay of game/substitution and personnel problems/penalties and the like, didn't seem to be a major issue.  The issue?  Talent, or lack thereof.  That's fixable.  Not this year, but it's fixable.   This team could, with the same types of breaks going our way, win 7 or 8.  Could also lose 7 or 8 too, but I don't think so.

You know I was the biggest debbie downer at the beginning of this year, and I still think we struggle to find 7 wins, but I was surprised by the way the defense played last night.  I think suck is a bit harsh. 

Are we an Auburn defense of old...no.  Are we a Tuberville defense...no.  However they looked 100% better than any of our games last year.  They were aggressive, they attacked the ball.  Were they out of position at times...yes, did we take some poor angles....yes.  Clearly LB is a weak spot.

I saw some things to give me hope for this season. 

I saw us blitz and our corners actually covering receivers.  I saw us pressure and play aggressive.  Most importantly we won a ball game against a team (who many of you think will suck) I will garner they are a 6-6 type team this year. 

[Yoda]

I also agree improvement has been made.  More turnovers were out there secondary just dropped them, that is why they are on defense and not offense.  I'm just concerned about our run defense.  I was hoping to see a bigger improvement but when Holland was named starter that hope kind of went away.

Team played hard, I'm proud of that but the miracle one year improvement that was in my head is no longer.  Should be an interesting year though.

[CCTAU]

- To the girl in the skin tight tube top and frayed jean shorts that could have possibly been painted on your body:  You may have once been a stripper.  You may still be a stripper.  I don't know.  But I do know that you provided the best eye candy I have ever seen at an Auburn football game.  You danced and shook your hips and stuck your ass out and flicked your blond hair and bit your lip and did all the sexy things you did throughout the game while still cheering your heart out for the Auburn Tigers.  I just want to thank you, whomever you are for being part of my Auburn experience.

You guys got it bad. I was sure we would see a request for pics by now!

[JR4AU]

You know I was the biggest debbie downer at the beginning of this year, and I still think we struggle to find 7 wins, but I was surprised by the way the defense played last night.  I think suck is a bit harsh. 

Are we an Auburn defense of old...no.  Are we a Tuberville defense...no.  However they looked 100% better than any of our games last year.  They were aggressive, they attacked the ball.  Were they out of position at times...yes, did we take some poor angles....yes.  Clearly LB is a weak spot.

I saw some things to give me hope for this season. 

I saw us blitz and our corners actually covering receivers.  I saw us pressure and play aggressive.  Most importantly we won a ball game against a team (who many of you think will suck) I will garner they are a 6-6 type team this year.

If I said WSU sucks, then I misspoke, but I don't think I said that.  They are a good team, as in well coached.  They lack top level talent. 

Our defense isn't good.  It's purely lack of talent.  They appear to be much better coached.  Whether we "suck" or not, I guess, is a matter of opinion. 

[Tiger Wench]

Something else I am seeing that we might have now that I don't think we really had last year - playmakers. People that the opposing team must account for. Now there's Artis-Payne, Grant, and of course Adams and Therezie on D. Too early to tell but I had to listen to the radio last night - that makes you really focus on the words being said - and those names were spoken more than any other.

That makes me happy.

[dallaswareagle]

We all see hope and think there may be a brighter future:

But unless the team on the field last night gets a lot better, to use a redneck phrase: 

Lsu, Uga and the Turds will stop a mud hole in our ass again this year.

[GH2001]

If I said WSU sucks, then I misspoke, but I don't think I said that.  They are a good team, as in well coached.  They lack top level talent. 

Our defense isn't good.  It's purely lack of talent.  They appear to be much better coached.  Whether we "suck" or not, I guess, is a matter of opinion.

Leach is a good coach. And they run the air raid well. They are going to get their yardage, high risk high reward. Probably the highest octane passing game we will see all year aside from maybe Aaron Murray.