Ray Melick Tries (And Fails) To Compliment Auburn

[AUChizad]

http://blog.al.com/ray-melick/2009/09/melick_auburns_offense_has_a_n.html

Melick: Auburn's offense has a new spin
Posted by Ray Melick -- Birmingham News September 06, 2009 6:15 AM
Categories: Auburn Football

Chris Todd avoids Louisiana Tech's pass rush to loft a pass downfield in Auburn's season-opening win at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday. There were no boos from the Auburn faithful. (The Birmingham News / Hal Yeager)

AUBURN -- A year ago he couldn't have made the throw.

No, not the 93-yard, perfectly-executed pump fake bomb to Terrell Zachary that puts Chris Todd's name in Auburn's record book, right in there with names such as Pat Sullivan and Jason Campbell, as the quarterback of the longest play from scrimmage in school history.
 

The pass that really made it clear that Todd is back, the pass that showed the off-season surgery was successful and his shoulder is no longer dead and his aim is no longer shaky came early in the fourth quarter.

It was a 17-yard fade route, thrown just high enough so that it came down just in front of the end line of the end zone where nobody but Darvin Adams could have caught it. And that's exactly what Adams did, giving Auburn a 30-13 lead and crushing any Louisiana Tech dream of a comeback after the Bulldogs pulled back to within a touchdown.

That pass came after three quarters of throwing short passes and long passes and over-the-middle passes and out-patterns that really test a quarterback's arm strength.

Compare this game to Todd's opener last year, when Auburn completed 13 of 27 passes for 85 yards with one interception. Saturday, Todd completed 17 of 26 for 255 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, including seven of eight in the fourth quarter.

I know Auburn fans don't want to talk about last year, or a former head coach who they now say didn't leave the program in very good shape, with less than a full number of scholarship athletes.

But the offense new head coach Gene Chizik unveiled Saturday was much closer to Tony Franklin than Pat Dye. Huddles were rare. The quarterback kept his distance from his center. There were receivers and running backs spread all over the field. There was none of that hard-nosed, straight-ahead running of Tiger tailbacks of yore. But there were plenty of delays, end-arounds, draws, and lateral zone reads.

At times the offense even got to the line of scrimmage and then looked expectantly to the sideline for the call - although at least the offensive linemen stayed down and avoided that infamous "meerkat" look that Auburn fans came to despise last year.

As much as Auburn fans might not want to admit it, Tommy Tuberville's vision for a new Auburn offense apparently wasn't that far off. He just brought in the wrong guy to execute it, or kept the wrong staff to install it, or both.

Yet for the similarities, this offense felt different. This looked like more fun, a mix of the short-passing attack with spread option runs.

There is no question that offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn is not that guy from last year, and the staff that is working with Malzahn backs him in a way the previous staff never backed that other guy. And don't think Chizik's no-nonsense approach hasn't brought a renewed focus to this team. Whatever the similarities to last year, the differences are greater because this staff is doing it right.

Nothing about last year matters anymore, not even for Chizik. After Saturday, Chizik is no longer a 5-19 coach. He's the Auburn coach. And today, he's undefeated.

I guess he didn't see the same game I did.

How many rushing yards did we have in that game?

[AWK]

http://blog.al.com/ray-melick/2009/09/melick_auburns_offense_has_a_n.htmlI guess he didn't see the same game I did.

How many rushing yards did we have in that game?

Over 200, I do believe. 

[Tiger Wench]

Over 200, I do believe. 

Closer to 300... jackass.  He must have been refilling his adult beverage while Ben Tate and Co were doing their thing...

Yet for the similarities, this offense felt different. This looked like more fun, a mix of the short-passing attack with spread option runs.

This is the way I feel.  SO MUCH FUN.

[AUChizad]

Over 200, I do believe. 

By Ben Tate alone. It was more like 400. More than the total yardage we had in a game all season last year.

[Tiger Wench]

By Ben Tate alone. It was more like 400. More than the total yardage we had in a game all season last year.

302 yards rushing

[AWK]

302 yards rushing

He exaggerates way too much...

I have a 14 foot penis.

[AUChizad]

302 yards rushing

Didn't Tate alone have over 200? Didn't McCaleb have around 150? Didn't Burns do ok?

I'm seriously asking, cause I could have sworn I read that...

[Snaggletiger]

Tate had about 112 and McCalebb about 148 if memore serves me.  Sometimes it doesn't..when important things come up.

[Godfather]

Tate had about 112 and McCalebb about 148 if memore serves me.  Sometimes it doesn't..when important things come up.

You are correct sir. HI----yooo

[AUChizad]

Tate had about 112 and McCalebb about 148 if memore serves me.  Sometimes it doesn't..when important things come up.

Tate had 117. I read the ridiculous misquote in a premium article that said he had 117 and "finished with 2,076 yards" as 207 or 206. My brain didn't even process it correctly, it was so ridiculous.

My bad.

Anyway, the fact remains, over 300 rushing yards, and this ain't the pass happy pure spread that Melick is trying to paint it as.

[weagle251]

Tate had 117. I read the ridiculous misquote in a premium article that said he had 117 and "finished with 2,076 yards" as 207 or 206. My brain didn't even process it correctly, it was so ridiculous.

My bad.

Anyway, the fact remains, over 300 rushing yards, and this ain't the pass happy pure spread that Melick is trying to paint it as.

Maybe you were reading total yardage for the running backs.  They had around 88 rec yds, I think.

[Godfather]

It was a 17-yard fade route, thrown just high enough so that it came down just in front of the end line of the end zone where nobody but Darvin Adams could have caught it. And that's exactly what Adams did, giving Auburn a 30-13 lead and crushing any Louisiana Tech dream of a comeback after the Bulldogs pulled back to within a touchdown.

This is my favorite part.  In what area of civilization does 23-13 equal 7?

[chinook]

This is my favorite part.  In what area of civilization does 23-13 equal 7?

duh...bammer math.  bearstein

whoops...you mentioned civilization. 

[Pell City Tiger]

This is my favorite part.  In what area of civilization does 23-13 equal 7?

Thats Birmingham math. That's why the city is as fucked as it is.

We wouldn't be subjected to these dunderheaded errors if Bishop Doctor Antoine had been elected!

[Saniflush]

Thats Birmingham math. That's why the city is as fucked as it is.

We wouldn't be subjected to these dunderheaded errors if Bishop Doctor Antoine had been elected!

Are you sure he does not know that he didn't win?

[Aubie16]

I think you guys are being a bit sensitive on this article.

Yes, Ray Mellick is a douchecanoe of epic proportions, but this article is pretty true.

There was none of that hard-nosed, straight-ahead running of Tiger tailbacks of yore. But there were plenty of delays, end-arounds, draws, and lateral zone reads.

That seems to be a pretty accurate statement about our run game. And the rest of the article was complimentary of Chizik and Todd.

[Tiger Wench]

Yes, Ray Mellick is a douchecanoe of epic proportions

My new favorite word...

[Snaggletiger]

My new favorite word...

I chortled out loud too.

[Saniflush]

My new favorite word...

I still prefer bag of dicks for his description but to each their own.

[AuburnChopper 3.0]

I heard him called a "twatwaffle" earlier...  made me lollercoaster!