Jay Tate speaks to Gus Malzahn...

Catphish Tilly · « **on:** February 25, 2009, 07:03:21 PM »

also Boulware and Grimes (but you'll have to follow the link for those).

I didn't see this posted/discussed anywhere.

http://jaygtate.blogspot.com/2009/02/gus-malzahn-speaks-225.html

Hey everyone. Auburn's "new" offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn spent some time Wednesday discussing a variety of topics that will interest you. Please take a peek.

NOTE: I will be updating this for the next few hours.

On the quarterback competition: "It's going to be wide open. Everyone is going to start new."

"There is no pecking order."

He has watched tape of all offensive players, but he wasn't assessing the way you might think: ``We're not going to go crazy with what they've done in the past. It was about positions."

He won't use a two-quarterback system: "We're a quarterback-oriented system. You've got to have a guy and you need a leader. We will have one guy."

On how important speed is at quarterback: "We don't have to have a 4.4 or 4.5 guy, but we need a good operator. We will have to have a quarterback who can make plays with his feet."

On the two freshmen quarterbacks (Tyrik Rollison and Clint Moseley): "They both have that it factor."

On the possibility of a freshman playing in 2009: "Every now and then, you'll find a special guy who can come in and do that. It's really hard for me to say that right now but both those guys are very talented quarterbacks."

On Chris Todd's availability: "It's hard to say exactly where he'll be. He wants to get out there this spring."

On the pace of his offense: "We're going to play faster than anybody in the country."

On why he assigns numbers (rather than letters/names) to skill positions: ``We go so fast. We try to take a lot of the wording out. It helps us call (plays) quicker."

There will be a designated "wildcat" guy. He said Mario Fannin is the top candidate among returning players, but Malzahn said he also plans to audition Dontae Aycock, Emory Blake and Travante Stallworth in that spot.

(UPDATED @ 4 p.m.) On how his offensive line will handle 80 plays per game: "We try to get our guys into basketball shape. I don't mean that as a soft word. Our guys are going to recover quickly. They're going to mentally and physically recover. Our offensive line will run more than any offensive line in the country."

(UPDATED @ 4 p.m.) On being open-minded during the game: "It goes back to taking what they give you. Last year, we were perceived as a passing team at Tulsa. At times, we were. Against New Mexico we threw for almost 500 yards. The next week, I think we ran for 300. They were playing two safeties. They were playing cover 2. We ran the football. It was common sense."

(UPDATED @ 4 p.m.) On what he ran at Arkansas in 2006: "That was kinda two offenses and two philosophies put together."

(UPDATED @ 4 p.m.) On his role in recruiting: "I'll have the state of Arkansas and Louisiana. At the same time, our main offensive recruits, I'll be helping with that and have a big part and influence in that."

(UPDATED @ 4 p.m.) He said (as a general rule) offensive tackles will be in two-point stances. Guards will be in three-point stances.

Greaseyweasel · « **Reply #1 on:** February 25, 2009, 10:19:52 PM »

Tulsa was a football juggernaut.
How long before he is ran out of the SEC(?)..... again.

Ogre · « **Reply #2 on:** February 25, 2009, 10:24:20 PM »

Quote from: Greaseyweasel on February 25, 2009, 10:19:52 PM

Tulsa was a football juggernaut.
How long before he is ran out of the SEC(?)..... again.

Um, having a top 2 offense both years he was there is not a bad thing. If we can get our offense to crack the top 30, we will be successful.

Greaseyweasel · « **Reply #3 on:** February 25, 2009, 10:34:06 PM »

Yeah he and chizik both coached against world beaters didn't they.
Let me think for a minute..... oh yeah, trade players to Arky for a coaching gig. Get run out of town and laughed at... take over offense at super amazing football powerhouse Tulsa who has to play top rated defenses week in and week out..... discover super duper offensive geniusness and then get hired back into the SEC by 4-19 (I don't count his win over a division II school) football genius.
Yep it is a blueprint for success.

Ogre · « **Reply #4 on:** February 25, 2009, 10:42:04 PM »

Quote from: Greaseyweasel on February 25, 2009, 10:34:06 PM

Yeah he and chizik both coached against world beaters didn't they.
Let me think for a minute..... oh yeah, trade players to Arky for a coaching gig. Get run out of town and laughed at... take over offense at super amazing football powerhouse Tulsa who has to play top rated defenses week in and week out..... discover super duper offensive geniusness and then get hired back into the SEC by 4-19 (I don't count his win over a division II school) football genius.
Yep it is a blueprint for success.

Your hatred for all things Chizik is shining through.

Do you honestly believe Arkansas fans were laughing at Malzahn when he left? They were pissed as hell at Nutt. Our resident Arkansas fans can attest to this.

You talk about the top rated defenses that Tulsa had to play against, but you don't talk about the similar talent level that Tulsa had to work with on offense. It's not like Tulsa is loaded with USC-type talent. All things equal, he lit up opposing D's.

Fuck it, I'm sure you'd be much happier with another year of Nallsminger's offense and being ranked near the bottom of every offensive statistical category if it meant Chizik wasn't our coach.

Greaseyweasel · « **Reply #5 on:** February 25, 2009, 10:59:01 PM »

Honestly it was time for a legitimate change. But to change and startoff behind the 8 ball with a fuckwad for a head coach was not what we needed. So no I do not give a flying rats ass for anything that gene chizik (from here on in this post to be shortend to fuckhead) the goat ass fucking sucker of uncircumcised homeless wino cock in the head coaches seat does.
I do not trust him so the ability to trust his hires (and that goes for GM) is not possible either. I feel that GM is a way better coach than fuckhead but he has tarnished hios coaching legacy, his reputation and his soul just by accepting this job. He's a full grown man and no one held a gun to his head so I don't feel sorry for him. Maybe he can take an assistant girls volleyball coaching gig at Montevallo when this all blows over.

The Prowler · « **Reply #6 on:** February 26, 2009, 01:01:42 AM »

Quote from: Greaseyweasel on February 25, 2009, 10:59:01 PM

Honestly it was time for a legitimate change. But to change and startoff behind the 8 ball with a fuckwad for a head coach was not what we needed. So no I do not give a flying rats ass for anything that gene chizik (from here on in this post to be shortend to fuckhead) the goat ass fucking sucker of uncircumcised homeless wino cock in the head coaches seat does.
I do not trust him so the ability to trust his hires (and that goes for GM) is not possible either. I feel that GM is a way better coach than fuckhead but he has tarnished hios coaching legacy, his reputation and his soul just by accepting this job. He's a full grown man and no one held a gun to his head so I don't feel sorry for him. Maybe he can take an assistant girls volleyball coaching gig at Montevallo when this all blows over.

Hey, how about this....why don't you stop posting in anything dealing with football, since you have ZERO Clue about what you're talking about. Hmmm, goat fuckin', uncircumcised homeless cock sucker? Or, you can just go be with your bammer buddies, because your fuckin' clueless garbage has been getting tiresome since the second day that you were here.

I found an Auburn picture that I think you should set as your wallpaper.....

Kaos · « **Reply #7 on:** February 26, 2009, 06:04:39 AM »

Quote from: The Prowler on February 26, 2009, 01:01:42 AM

Hey, how about this....why don't you stop posting in anything dealing with football, since you have ZERO Clue about what you're talking about. Hmmm, goat fuckin', uncircumcised homeless cock sucker? Or, you can just go be with your bammer buddies, because your fuckin' clueless garbage has been getting tiresome since the second day that you were here.

I found an Auburn picture that I think you should set as your wallpaper.....

That picture makes me want to vomit. It's among the top ten dumbest things I've ever seen.

While I won't be as vociferous as GW, I'd be lying if I said my concerns were allayed much by that article.

Greaseyweasel · « **Reply #8 on:** February 26, 2009, 06:39:07 AM »

It was just another article filled with coaching cliche's. There was nothing of substance or origional thought in it. Prowler could have taken the "Coaching cliche'" handbook and given the exact same replies and I would have left from there with the exact same insight. The man is probably a better coach than fuckhead but then again who isn't?

Saniflush · « **Reply #9 on:** February 26, 2009, 07:34:48 AM »

We will know soon enough about the success or lack there of but concerning Malzahn's stint at Arkansas you should hit yourself up with some knowledge before you make yourself look any dumber.

Kaos · « **Reply #10 on:** February 26, 2009, 08:14:46 AM »

Come to this k of it, that dumbass photo might be prophetic.

A big brown wall of shit storming down on Auburn. Yep. That's it.

Snaggletiger · « **Reply #11 on:** February 26, 2009, 08:31:56 AM »

I have to admit I'm not overwhelmed by the "We're going to play faster than anybody in the country" comments. That opens too many Franklin wounds that haven't quite healed. I read that and then cringe while I wait to hear the dreaded, "We don't have the talent to be fast right now" backtracking.

I've kind of been hoping he'd come in and evaluate what we have and fit the system to that talent level. His stint at Arky gives me hope on that because he had two horses and he fed them the ball all night long. Some say that was Nutt was holding him back but I see what Nutt did at Ole Miss and that didn't look very conservative to me.

Saniflush · « **Reply #12 on:** February 26, 2009, 01:38:19 PM »

Quote

Auburn will be on 'fast' setting
Thursday, February 26, 2009
By EVAN WOODBERY
Times Auburn Writer evan.woodbery@htimes.com

New OC Malzahn wants quick snaps, one starting QB

AUBURN - Gus Malzahn had spent most of the interview giving brief and straightforward answers to dozens of questions, so when he paused mid-answer and requested to make one point clear, reporters leaned forward in anticipation.

"You hear a lot about no-huddle and a lot about 'fast,' " Malzahn said. "Our goal is to play fast. That's who we are. That's what we do. I like to think we're a little bit different than everyone else."

It was the closest that Auburn's polite, affable and utterly uncontroversial offensive coordinator came to being forceful and insistent in a 30-minute sit-down with beat reporters Wednesday.

The emphasis was needed because reporters, fans and possibly even players are inherently skeptical after former coordinator Tony Franklin - whose hiring and stunning mid-season firing were at the center of a bizarre 2008 season - preached speed at every opportunity.

"We play fast. We practice fast. We led the nation in the number of snaps per game (at Troy)," Franklin said during his introductory press conference.

So all that emphasis on speed will help players adapt to Malzahn's system, right?

"Hmmm...uh, I'm not sure," Malzahn replied quietly.

Malzahn never mentioned Franklin by name, but he made it clear that his idea of "fast" is a different kind of speed. You won't see Auburn's linemen get to the line and look to the sidelines for a signal (a shuffle that has been compared to meerkats peeking out of their habitat).

"We're not so much a no-huddle, look-to-the-sideline team," Malzahn said. "That's not really who we are. I like to think we're a little bit different than everyone else."

Malzahn said he shoots for 80 or more plays every game (Franklin had 81.5 per game in his final season at Troy) and wants his players at the line and ready to go almost immediately.

"With the old rules, we were going to snap it within five seconds of when the referee puts the ball down," Malzahn said. "Boy, I tell you what, these new rules they put in last year are really good for us. We'll be extremely fast. As soon as the ball is handed to the referee, I'd say within 12-15 seconds after the guy's getting up, we'll have the ball snapped."

As for personnel, Malzahn repeated the mantra he used the day after he was hired: When spring practice opens March 24, every position will be open, including - or perhaps especially - the quarterback spot.

"It's going to be wide open," he said. "We're coming into this thing new and everybody's starting new, and they're going to have to earn it. Early on, you will see some equal reps (at quarterback). As soon as possible, and I can't tell you exactly when that is, we definitely want to narrow it down."

Ideally, one quarterback would stand out in the spring and go into summer as the No. 1 starter.

"Now I can't tell you for sure right now that that will happen, but that is a goal," Malzahn said.

Kodi Burns and Chris Todd shared the job early in 2008, an arrangement that even Franklin admitted was doomed from the start. Malzahn said he doesn't use a two-quarterback system.

"We're a quarterback-oriented system, and I think you've got to have a guy that's the leader," he said. "So that's what we're looking for."

Joining Burns and Todd in the spring competition are redshirt freshman Barrett Trotter and junior Neil Caudle. Signees Tyrik Rollison and Clint Moseley will be added to the mix in August.

The large number of quarterbacks means the competition could be pared down quickly. What must a player do to stand out?

"It's not just the physical part of execution, but it's the guy who helps you score points," Malzahn said. "I'm looking for a guy who's not only a good player, but a good leader, and somebody who makes the guys around him better than they really are."

Snaggletiger · « **Reply #13 on:** February 26, 2009, 01:56:26 PM »

Personally, the Prairie Dog look wasn't a problem at all...until they started sucking..which was right off the bat. Then, they looked like clowns.

I don't give a shit what they look like as long as they're moving the ball and scoring points. But the speed, speed, speed, 80 plays a game thing was exactly what we heard from Franklin. And having our guys in "Basketball shape" is just another way of saying we're going to be trimmed down, fast and have exactly zero ability to shove the ball down your throat.

I sincerely hope it works and I'm not trying to be Debbie Downer. I really am taking a wait and see approach and hoping for the best. I just don't like the sound of that at Auburn.

boartitz · « **Reply #14 on:** February 26, 2009, 02:08:28 PM »

Quote from: Harvey Birdman on February 26, 2009, 01:56:26 PM

Personally, the Prairie Dog look wasn't a problem at all...until they started sucking..which was right off the bat. Then, they looked like clowns.

I don't give a shit what they look like as long as they're moving the ball and scoring points. But the speed, speed, speed, 80 plays a game thing was exactly what we heard from Franklin. And having our guys in "Basketball shape" is just another way of saying we're going to be trimmed down, fast and have exactly zero ability to shove the ball down your throat.

I sincerely hope it works and I'm not trying to be Debbie Downer. I really am taking a wait and see approach and hoping for the best. I just don't like the sound of that at Auburn.

Shoving the ball down someones throat won't matter if you can score on any given play. Gus is not a 3 yards and a cloud of dust type of coach. He may do that for a series or two, but he's just setting you up for a surprise.
If he gets to call the plays yall will like it. You will not be bored. I can't wait to actually see what he will do for yall.

Hogwally · « **Reply #15 on:** February 26, 2009, 02:33:33 PM »

Malzahn will be successful at Auburn and all the casual fans will love his offense. Auburn will absolutely blow out a lot of teams that don't have defensive talent. Personally, I am on old fat lineman and I believe sooner or later, at some point in a tight game football comes down to who can line up and push the other team off the ball, and that's where Malzahn's offense will fail. In his short marriage to Houston Nutt, they came within a muffed punt of an SEC championship and perhaps a shot at the MNC in 06, it will be interesting to see what he does at Auburn.

boartitz · « **Reply #16 on:** February 26, 2009, 03:16:23 PM »

AUChizad · « **Reply #17 on:** February 26, 2009, 03:40:56 PM »

Thrilla · « **Reply #18 on:** February 26, 2009, 03:44:12 PM »

Quote from: Chizad on February 26, 2009, 03:40:56 PM

K.

That shit they smoke in Arkansas is gooooooood, man.

Snaggletiger · « **Reply #19 on:** February 26, 2009, 03:45:44 PM »

I think I'm sold on Mal now. That red X convinced me.