Just for the record?
I haven't given up. I haven't packed it in. i haven't thrown in the towel. Okay, I might have at least stacked a few things up in preparation and found a properly weighted towel just right for hurling, but that's all. Doesn't mean I can't see writing on the wall. No quarterback that even looks like he's SEC caliber -- and the last one we had was a converted DB who went through juco. So how come in essentially eight years of association with Auburn Gus Malzahn cannot recruit an SEC caliber QB? Trotter, Moseley, Johnson, Pike, Burns, Frazier, Wallace, Franklin, White... anybody else? Our top RB dismissed. A defense that hasn't looked like much of anything for almost a decade. My expectations have changed.
I'm not quitting on Malzahn. In case you haven't noticed, I've found good things to say about every coach all the way back to Bowden. Doesn't mean I see big issues with his approach to things, trends that alarm me, a significant failure to understand the task. He can talk about going back to the chalkboard and coaching as opposed to being CEO. He's WrrrrrrrrrrONG. If he has to do the grunt work himself, then he lacks the ability to make quality hires. A program at this level needs a CEO, one who imposes his vision on the program and makes sure that the people he puts in charge of things execute his plan exactly as he wants. He doesn't need to call plays, but he needs to have the final say in critical situations. If he wants to call plays and be "that" guy, he needs to be OC and let somebody else run the show. If I'm doing an eval of my employees and they have authority over others and they're doing as much or more actual "work" than their subordinates? I know they're fucking up. I've had that type try to impress me with their own production and I just don't care. I only care about the collective of their group. I don't do any actual "work" any longer at all. I just make sure that each of the departments I have are doing what they're supposed to do (and all the contracts, negotiations, etc. that have to be done). Hell, I sleep until at least 5:30 most mornings now.
I'm not saying Malzahn made the wrong decision on Robinson. In today's climate, if he had an altercation with a woman as is being alleged? Yeah, he had to go. No question, no other choice. Right call. But it's troubling to have the top returning offensive threat one year be a complete clown fuck up and nearly break the team and the next year be a complete clown fuck up who got himself booted. I know "it happens on every team" but it isn't usually the guy you're counting on to be THE weapon. How hard would we laugh at Saban's monkey ass and how much glee would we take in the foundation cracks if he'd booted Derrick Henry last fall and bumbled around with a sulking Amari Cooper the year before? Yeah, he had to kick Robinson to the curb, but the fact that he HAS to and for the second straight year is dealing with a major discipline issue with a major potential contributor..... well, it seems to me that something internally isn't being handled the right way.
I'm not giving up hope.
I just don't think I want to strive to be "them" any longer.
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