A-Day

wesfau2 · « **Reply #40 on:** April 12, 2016, 07:46:15 PM »

Quote from: Godfather on April 12, 2016, 03:11:38 PM

1> We were actually much better organized than I expected. I don't expect much this season, not sure if that is good or bad. I will probably get more hyped the closer we get to the season, but honestly this is probably the most meh I have ever been at this point. That being said I did think we looked better than I was anticipating, yes I know offense didn't look great, but honestly I would rather the defense show up more for A-Day then the offense.

Agreed. Sharp all around (from a non-play-execution perspective.)

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B> I think the defense is really going to be something (obviously provided we stay healthy). I know we have debated this since Tubs left, but I fully expect our defense to keep us in games this year. We are going to need them especially in the beginning. D-Line looks stout and I was more impressed by big #1 Montravious who was flying to the ball. While I am still on the fence about Kevin Steele (I thought Lance Thompson should have been handed the job after the Memphis Game). I am excited to see our defense play this year.

Agree again. Was very impressed with some newcomers. Marlon Davidson, in particular, stood out. The JuCo kid (James??) had a big TFL and looked like he was shot out of a cannon getting there. Lawson and Adams, obviously, looked ready. Depth across the line and the backfield will be yuuuuuge. I thought the LBs had a good day. I saw a lot to like out of Davis and Williams (x2).

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3> This H-Back shit better happen during the year. Gus has a tendency to show stuff during spring practices that we never see again. That being said the H-Backs were a pleasant surprise in the game and one I hope we see again come the fall.

Yep. We get teased with them and the TEs, but Pettway and Cox had some really great plays. They need to be involved if for no other reason than to keep the defense guessing a bit.

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4> Sean White will be the starter come Clemson. (I said this before Spring Practice and I continue to stand behind it). Sean didn't look his best but I was not overly worried about it during a spring game. He will obviously need to play much better than that for us to win against Clemson in the opener, but no other QB that we currently have on campus is more complete than him with regards to throwing the ball.

Yep. He can run just enough (now that he's healthy) to keep the read-option dangerous and he's got the best/most consistent passing game right now.

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5> Lashlee and Gus have both said that JFIII will play this year and there is no reason to not believe them. Here's how I think it will go. Sean will have a series of good plays against Clemson. Then on a first down somewhere around the Clemson 45 yard line Gus will inexplicably bring JFIII who will run up the middle for a 2 yard gain. He will then stay in on 2nd down and miss a throw and Sean White will be brought back in on 3rd and we will have to punt. I don't believe that JFIII will ever see meaningful playing time at Auburn. I think he will be brought in to be the "wildcat" QB and it will fail because most of the time we run and the defense knows it.

Sad, but true ($1 to Metallica). That said, they will force him into the game more often than necessary...breaking any rhythm and stalling drives. Cuz...Gus.

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6> WR's...biggest area of need. I certainly hope that our incoming studs at WR are as good as advertised because we are going to need them big time. Outside of Davis if one of these stud freshman doesn't show up it might not matter who is throwing the rock.

I'm not sweating the WRs. There are enough guys on the roster that should be able to play and we shouldn't be worrying. That said, the RS/Frosh are studs as well. If Kodi can turn this group around (and I think he might pull it off), we will get pleasantly surprised.

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G> I really like the move of using Austin Golson at LT and Dampeer back at Center. Honestly I thought Golson was wasted last year at Center.

Yeah, I prefer his length outside. Would like to see Darius James live up to his 5* hype. And what about Kozan? Isn't he finally healthy? That said, we have depth...just need Hand to get the best 5 out there and let them play together.

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8> Daniel Carlson for Heisman, seriously though can this kid be even more money than he was last year....looks like a yes.

Dude is my preseason MVP. And fuck the haterz...I like the "Legatron" nickname.

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9> Sufficed to Weskie and Uncle Sani's conceded nothing attitude, realistically I just don't see this team as being a championship level team. Now we could possibly improve to that level if the defense is as good as I think they could be and offense gets it's confidence and get's into a grove. The schedule certainly sets up nice outside of playing the #2 team our first 5 are at home, and that could have a snowball effect. Realistically though I see us as an 8-9 win team, improving from last year but still not having all of the pieces in place.

I think Gus lives to see a 2017 AU season.

I'm happy if we win 9 in the regular season and snatch 2/3 in the LSU/UGA/UAT grouping. Regardless, barring a total meltdown, Gus is here another year. And I'm ok with that....barring a total meltdown.

Kaos · « **Reply #41 on:** April 13, 2016, 04:57:34 AM »

Can't sleep. Found the A-Day game on ESPN.

The offense is vastly more putrid than the words I read and the clips I saw suggested.

Shockingly bad.

Townhallsavoy · « **Reply #42 on:** April 13, 2016, 08:11:41 AM »

I try not to put any stock into A-Day games. I told my buddies that I was probably going to skip the 2004 season because I thought we looked worse in the A-Day game than we did in all of 2003.

I remember thinking Cam was nothing special in 2010.

I think Kodi Burns looked like a future superstar going into 2008.

But we did look pretty bad on offense especially at the quarterback position. White had some nice throws but some seriously bonehead mistakes in scoring positions.

The biggest issue that has to be fixed isn't really with the players. It's with the offensive coaching staff. Robinson was obviously far beyond everyone else carrying the ball just like he was last year. Will they let him play in the 2nd half this year? Jeremy Johnson was so bad last year and in the A-Day game that I thought the no-name guy in the white jersey looked better than him. Why is JJ still part of the conversation for starting QB?

And why is Gus growing moobs? And why is he driving around in a $140k BMW?

Defense might pull us out of some games though if we can stay healthy. Linebackers finally looked like they could be considered SEC caliber. Defensive line might be top five in the country. Our secondary looked good and that was with our #1 corner Carlton Davis not playing.

The Six · « **Reply #43 on:** April 13, 2016, 09:34:48 AM »

Quote from: Kaos on April 13, 2016, 04:57:34 AM

Can't sleep. Found the A-Day game on ESPN.

The offense is vastly more putrid than the words I read and the clips I saw suggested.

Shockingly bad.

Quote from: Townhallsavoy on April 13, 2016, 08:11:41 AM

I try not to put any stock into A-Day games. I told my buddies that I was probably going to skip the 2004 season because I thought we looked worse in the A-Day game than we did in all of 2003.

I remember thinking Cam was nothing special in 2010.

I think Kodi Burns looked like a future superstar going into 2008.

All of this.

It was a practice and a purposely vanilla one at that. Let's play a couple games before we totally write this whole thing off the books.

Snaggletiger · « **Reply #44 on:** April 13, 2016, 09:55:42 AM »

One area that looked polished and razor sharp was the long snapping. I fully expect Athlon and Lindy's to have them listed as the top unit in the country this upcoming season.

RottenBottom · « **Reply #45 on:** April 13, 2016, 10:08:33 AM »

Quote from: Snaggletiger on April 13, 2016, 09:55:42 AM

One area that looked polished and razor sharp was the long snapping. I fully expect Athlon and Lindy's to have them listed as the top unit in the country this upcoming season.

Good. They'll have lots of practice this year.

Kaos · « **Reply #46 on:** April 13, 2016, 10:28:32 AM »

Quote from: The Six on April 13, 2016, 09:34:48 AM

All of this.

It was a practice and a purposely vanilla one at that. Let's play a couple games before we totally write this whole thing off the books.

Horseshit.

The things I saw that concerned me can't be fixed. "Vanilla" -- which is the same fucked up nonsense I've heard for years that means diddly shit -- doesn't explain the hesitation, trepidation, failure to make any reads, failure to find open receivers, failure to move the chains, inability to execute or inconsistency shown by most of the QBs. Only White looked to have confidence and command but his physical skill set is limited.

You can hang your ass out there all you want but barring some spectacular play by people who aren't on campus yet the offense will be as impotent as last year.

The Six · « **Reply #47 on:** April 13, 2016, 11:09:06 AM »

Quote from: Kaos on April 13, 2016, 10:28:32 AM

Horseshoot.

The things I saw that concerned me can't be fixed. "Vanilla" -- which is the same fudgeed up nonsense I've heard for years that means diddly shoot -- doesn't explain the hesitation, trepidation, failure to make any reads, failure to find open receivers, failure to move the chains, inability to execute or inconsistency shown by most of the QBs. Only White looked to have confidence and command but his physical skill set is limited.

You can hang your ass out there all you want but barring some spectacular play by people who aren't on campus yet the offense will be as impotent as last year.

What you saw, what we all saw, was an offense unable to establish rhythm because the coaches weren't at all interested in letting them get into rhythm. They wanted to play various mixes of QBs, RBs, HBs, TEs, WRs, and OLs so they can evaluate each and then field the best squads and sets. We have no idea what they will look like at this point. All we can do is look at individual performances.

White plays with most confidence, agreed. Should be the starter based on evidence seen so far. RBs are a solid mix of guys with power and speed. Good committee. OL needs to solidify but looked alright going downhil. WRs really need to step it up. They have a long way to go from what I've seen but until Gus unveils a serious and detailed pass game, I figure it'll be more of the same. Lots of runs and deep shots mixed with bubble screens.

GH2001 · « **Reply #48 on:** April 13, 2016, 12:57:56 PM »

Quote from: Godfather on April 12, 2016, 03:11:38 PM

My analysis.. We are 3 days removed from A-Day and based on what I saw here are my thoughts.

1> We were actually much better organized than I expected. I don't expect much this season, not sure if that is good or bad. I will probably get more hyped the closer we get to the season, but honestly this is probably the most meh I have ever been at this point. That being said I did think we looked better than I was anticipating, yes I know offense didn't look great, but honestly I would rather the defense show up more for A-Day then the offense.

B> I think the defense is really going to be something (obviously provided we stay healthy). I know we have debated this since Tubs left, but I fully expect our defense to keep us in games this year. We are going to need them especially in the beginning. D-Line looks stout and I was more impressed by big #1 Montravious who was flying to the ball. While I am still on the fence about Kevin Steele (I thought Lance Thompson should have been handed the job after the Memphis Game). I am excited to see our defense play this year.

3> This H-Back shit better happen during the year. Gus has a tendency to show stuff during spring practices that we never see again. That being said the H-Backs were a pleasant surprise in the game and one I hope we see again come the fall.

4> Sean White will be the starter come Clemson. (I said this before Spring Practice and I continue to stand behind it). Sean didn't look his best but I was not overly worried about it during a spring game. He will obviously need to play much better than that for us to win against Clemson in the opener, but no other QB that we currently have on campus is more complete than him with regards to throwing the ball. which brings me to JFIII

5> Lashlee and Gus have both said that JFIII will play this year and there is no reason to not believe them. Here's how I think it will go. Sean will have a series of good plays against Clemson. Then on a first down somewhere around the Clemson 45 yard line Gus will inexplicably bring JFIII who will run up the middle for a 2 yard gain. He will then stay in on 2nd down and miss a throw and Sean White will be brought back in on 3rd and we will have to punt. I don't believe that JFIII will ever see meaningful playing time at Auburn. I think he will be brought in to be the "wildcat" QB and it will fail because most of the time we run and the defense knows it.

6> WR's...biggest area of need. I certainly hope that our incoming studs at WR are as good as advertised because we are going to need them big time. Outside of Davis if one of these stud freshman doesn't show up it might not matter who is throwing the rock.

G> I really like the move of using Austin Golson at LT and Dampeer back at Center. Honestly I thought Golson was wasted last year at Center.

8> Daniel Carlson for Heisman, seriously though can this kid be even more money than he was last year....looks like a yes.

9> Sufficed to Weskie and Uncle Sani's conceded nothing attitude, realistically I just don't see this team as being a championship level team. Now we could possibly improve to that level if the defense is as good as I think they could be and offense gets it's confidence and get's into a grove. The schedule certainly sets up nice outside of playing the #2 team our first 5 are at home, and that could have a snowball effect. Realistically though I see us as an 8-9 win team, improving from last year but still not having all of the pieces in place.

I think Gus lives to see a 2017 AU season.

Pretty spot on and reasonable.

GH2001 · « **Reply #49 on:** April 13, 2016, 12:59:51 PM »

Quote from: Kaos on April 13, 2016, 10:28:32 AM

Horseshit.

The things I saw that concerned me can't be fixed. "Vanilla" -- which is the same fucked up nonsense I've heard for years that means diddly shit -- doesn't explain the hesitation, trepidation, failure to make any reads, failure to find open receivers, failure to move the chains, inability to execute or inconsistency shown by most of the QBs. Only White looked to have confidence and command but his physical skill set is limited.

You can hang your ass out there all you want but barring some spectacular play by people who aren't on campus yet the offense will be as impotent as last year.

And this guy knows physical skill sets folks.

Seriously dude, chillax. Neil Caudle looked all world in these things.

Kaos · « **Reply #50 on:** April 13, 2016, 02:04:27 PM »

Quote from: GH2001 on April 13, 2016, 12:59:51 PM

And this guy knows physical skill sets folks.

Seriously dude, chillax. Neil Caudle looked all world in these things.

All well and good. Except for the clusterfuck of last year. Without that, sure. But when the offense looks exactly as inept as it did during that debacle? Don't feed me vanilla. Not buying it.

Gus needed to put on an offensive show to give fans some encouragement and put it back in the heads of our opposition that we can score at will. Instead we got field goals. How many games did field goals in the red zone cost us last season? I've seen that movie before and didn't like it the first time. Don't want a sequel.

And by skill set..... Can you make White faster? His arm is average at best. You talk about Caudle? He'd be ahead of most of these guys. So would Trotter. And maybe Kodi and Cocoa.

Buzz Killington · « **Reply #51 on:** April 13, 2016, 04:16:24 PM »

I am holding out hope that the chocolate and peanut butter comes out on September 3rd. Gus doesn't want to tip his hand too much before the onslaught of Chandler Cox and JFIII hits the crack head tigers in the mouth several hundred times that day. It's either that or Turtle Mosely Redux will see us losing 48-3.

Snaggletiger · « **Reply #52 on:** April 13, 2016, 05:48:31 PM »

I would be fairly optimistic if I knew two things were going to happen. First, Gus names Sean White as the starter and gets him the reps between now and September. Second, that Gus is really going to take complete control of the offense and play calling and get back to the HUNH tempo he's been so successful with in the past. And maybe a third thing as well. He uses Jovon Robinson the same way he rode Ben Tate, Michael Dyer, Tre Alias Mason and CAP.

Malzahn has proven many times over he can light up the scoreboard with a variety of QB styles. White will be fine. He's got the credentials and he showed several flashes of ability last season before getting banged up. Get him the reps and let him know he's the man and he'll wind up being a damn good QB in this system. JJ is a goner. Head case. Can't hit the broad side of my ass. Clifford Franklin XVX is a 170 pounds soaking wet and can't throw. Gus has to know his one viable option is Sean White. Name him and give him the keys.

GH2001 · « **Reply #53 on:** April 13, 2016, 11:14:34 PM »

Quote from: Kaos on April 13, 2016, 02:04:27 PM

All well and good. Except for the clusterfuck of last year. Without that, sure. But when the offense looks exactly as inept as it did during that debacle? Don't feed me vanilla. Not buying it.

Gus needed to put on an offensive show to give fans some encouragement and put it back in the heads of our opposition that we can score at will. Instead we got field goals. How many games did field goals in the red zone cost us last season? I've seen that movie before and didn't like it the first time. Don't want a sequel.

And by skill set..... Can you make White faster? His arm is average at best. You talk about Caudle? He'd be ahead of most of these guys. So would Trotter. And maybe Kodi and Cocoa.

Im more less poking fun of us collectively as casual fans. We think we all know it all. We're experts in hindsight. But as much I won't agree with Gus on some things, he'll always be ten times the expert on this stuff as you or I. White has gotten great accolades from people. Trent Dilfer has praised his abilities. I thought he did as well as he could last year in that circumstance with that vanilla ass game plan they gave him. When he is allowed to throw the ball past a wheel route the kid has a laser arm. Enough that it's been noticed by scouts. I think his skill set is plenty good. As tall or strong or pass range as high as Jeremy? No. But neither was Aaron Murray who white compares favorably too. I think we have 3 qbs of our 5 that simply don't fit the system well. And that is directly on the coaches.