Thoughts - Week Whatever

[Townhallsavoy]

Auburn...

- You really think this is excusable?  You think this is acceptable?  You think Georgia just beat us?

- Georgia didn't just beat us.  I told a friend of mine that it's wrong to say the final was 45-7.  That wasn't the final score.  This game was over with 9 minutes left in the 2nd quarter.  It was over.  We were done. 

- You say we have youth issues?  Offensive linemen don't have experience?  Georgia has played the 2nd most true freshmen in the SEC, and they're headed to the SEC championship game. 

- You say our defense is still getting their footing?  Obvious fundamentals and techniques not taught.  Just not there.  Commentators rarely make salient points about the actual game, but they were sure quick to point out some of the flaws in our defensive play - not scheme. 

- We're young?  Clemson has played with almost as many freshmen (redshirt and true) as we have this year. 

- Even if we are young and inexperienced, 35-7 at the half?  That isn't a rebuilding year.  That's a crumbling of a program.

- 2008 featured one blowout.  2011 has featured three so far.  Will feature four.

- I even think the 2008 team would compete with this one.  Possibly win.  The defense was there to stop this clogged artery of an offense.  Any offense could do damage to this anemic defense. 

- Have we really met the expectations?  I mean, Jesus, we could be looking at missing a bowl game this year if Utah State doesn't crumble and Miss State manages to get an extra foot. 

- This year is bad on a deeper level than wins and losses.  It's how we've lost.  That tells a lot about your team, and this team loses bad. 

- 45-7 isn't just a Ted Roof problem.  It's a Gus Malzahn problem.  No, I don't have the answer for Gus's offense.  I can't say exactly what will remedy the woes. 

- But its obvious that our offense is having issues in the meeting rooms.  In the film rooms.  These guys get paid a lot of money to come up with a gameplan that gives s a chance to win the ball game.  Attempting to throw against Georgia's defense for the majority of the first half doesn't do shit for our chance to win the ball game. 

- Exactly what were the coaches expecting?  Georgia's defense has a fearless pass rusher and extremely physical, veteran secondary players.  Our offensive line has struggled with pass protection and Clint Moseley is still green as spring. 

- I just don't understand why we ran Dyer (often at ill-opportune times) 5 times in the first half.  5.  Five.  The guy that could churn out 100 yards on 20 carries against just about anybody.  Five. 

- We might not have won.  They probably still would have beat us.  But at least we would have killed the clock.  At least we would have given our defense a chance.  At least the score may have been respectable.

- Instead we're throwing screens when our receivers and linemen can't block their large-bodied defensive backs.  We're running a quarterback draw when it's 3rd and 11 on their side of the 50. 

- But alas, Gus isn't really the problem.  Offensive coordinators can't dominate the SEC.  It's just not going to happen.  Adjustment years must occur.  Talent has to mature to the level of the sophisticated defenses.

- The real problem was our defense.  It was awful.  Our players look silly.  It's so noticeable that my wife - who knows nothing about football - said, "Why are our guys getting pushed around so much?" 

- It's noticeable.  Three years in and Ted Roof's defenses still need a good spring practice. 

- I really don't know what to say.  Three embarrassing blowouts. 

Since 2005...

- Alabama has been blown out twice: 2005 against Auburn.  2006 against Florida. 

- LSU has been blown out twice:  2005 against Georgia (SECCG).  2008 Ole Miss. 

- Georgia has been blown out: 2007 against Tennessee.  2008 Florida.  2009 against Tennessee and Florida.  2010 against Auburn.

- Florida has been blown out: 2005 against Alabama.  2010 against Alabama, USCe, and Florida St. 

- Now, I consider Auburn one of the premier programs in the SEC.  I think we can be like Alabama and LSU.  I think we can have consistent success.  Even when Tuberville had a few "down" years, they were still ultra-competitive.  See 2002, 2005, 2006, and 2007. 

- We have three blowouts this year.  Most likely four.  It just doesn't sit right.  Losing 31-20 makes me think "youth."  Losing 45-7 makes me think toilet bowl. 

Final Thought...

- We don't have a quarterback.  Don't fool yourself into thinking it's going to get better next year.  Tell me the last time you had a putrid quarterback come back the next year to be awesome. 

- Is Moseley going to suddenly "get it" after this spring?  Where's Kiehl Frazier?  He doesn't throw.  We can speculate that he doesn't "know" the offense.  Anyone really believe that?  We only run a handful of plays.  He used this same offense in high school.  The reality is that he can't do it.  He makes poor reads or he makes bad throws or he's doing something that the coaches prefer to keep him on the sideline. 

- Is Zeke Pike going to come in and set the world on fire?  Barrett Trotter going to regain his position back?  Logan Paul? 

- What about the offensive line?  These guys playing now.  They going to suddenly "get it"?  Are they going to hit the weight room and emerge as a completely different unit?  Maybe Dismukes. 

- Maybe Westerman and Robinson will help out next year.  But who will play tackle? 

- What about receiver?  Emory Blake is obviously awesome.  But are we going to continue to talk about Mario Fannin Trovon Reed?  CJ Uzomah seems to be a quarterback prospect.  Deangelo Benton?  Is he going to suddenly "get it"?  Is he going to suddenly not be a "youth"? 

- Losing 45-7 sucks the life out of you.  Good programs don't feel the life being sucked out of them.  They usually lose in a way that is analyzed and discussed.  We can't even pinpoint a weak spot because it's literally all over the field. 

[CCTAU]

Sadly enough, I can't even muster an alternative thought. One does not exist.

[Townhallsavoy]

Some staggering numbers from a "youthful" team:

- 528 total yards given up.
- Murray was 14/18 for 224 yards and 4 touchdowns (touchdowns scored IN THE FIRST HALF).
- Georgia didn't attempt a pass after 8 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.
- Georgia was 12/15 on 3rd downs.  That's 80%.
- Georgia had 304 yards rushing with two separate 100 yard rushers.
- Auburn had 3 turnovers including a pick six.
- Auburn had the ball on offense for 19 minutes of the game.  Georgia - obviously - had the ball for almost 41 minutes.  That's almost three quarters of the game that Auburn did not possess the ball. 
- Auburn had less than 200 yards of total offense (195).

[The Prowler]

Tell me the last time you had a putrid quarterback come back the next year to be awesome.

Jason Campbell '03 then '04

Chris Todd '08 then '09

The difference there is a change in Coordinators.

[Townhallsavoy]

Would you really say that Jason Campbell was putrid in 2003? 

And Chris Todd did have that injury.  Whatever it was.

[Saniflush]

And Chris Todd did have that injury.  Whatever it was.

Lack of oxygen to the brain.

[Kaos]

Lack of oxygen to the brain.

I thought it was concrete footitis.

[CCTAU]

Stan White. Ben Leard.

[Kaos]

Some staggering numbers from a "youthful" team:

- 528 total yards given up.  Young people don't give a shit about totals. Totals are for old people.
- Murray was 14/18 for 224 yards and 4 touchdowns (touchdowns scored IN THE FIRST HALF).  Young people care about giving others a chance.  Take from one side, give to another. It's all relative.
- Georgia didn't attempt a pass after 8 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Young people embrace the freedom of running and running and running.
- Georgia was 12/15 on 3rd downs.  That's 80%. Young people care about self esteem. How would Georgia feel if they hadn't succeeded?
- Georgia had 304 yards rushing with two separate 100 yard rushers. Young people believe in equality.  Four 200 yard rushers is the goal.
- Auburn had 3 turnovers including a pick six. Young people believe charity begins at home.
- Auburn had the ball on offense for 19 minutes of the game.  Georgia - obviously - had the ball for almost 41 minutes.  That's almost three quarters of the game that Auburn did not possess the ball.  Young people believe in being gracious to others. Let them take what they need.
- Auburn had less than 200 yards of total offense (195). Young people aren't greedy.  How many yards do we really need? 

I've been told it makes me less of an Auburn fan to expect anything other than three wins to close out the season. 

I guess I'm less.  I'm so dismayed by the prospect of being brutalized by Alabama I actually have alternate plans and may not even watch it.  If Moses comes hurtling down from the sky and parts the red sea for us I'll catch it on SportsCenter. 

I've been told it makes me a "fair weather fan" to be disappointed in the results of this season. 

I guess I'm fair weather.   Loss-wise I'm okay.   I looked at the schedule, saw Clemson, SC, LSU, Arkansas and  Georgia on the road and Florida, MSU (who was supposed to be better) and Bama at home and figured there was a good possibility we'd lose four or five of those.  We always get raped like a Second Mile camper when we go to Arkansas so that result was not even alarming.   

But to sit and watch the most putrid offensive effort I've seen since 2008 -- and we all agreed that was an abomination so vile that Tuberville and his entire staff must be stricken from our memories -- combined with the third season of a defense so bad that it rewrites the entire record book is more than I can justify. 

The problems, whatever they are, extend beyond youth and inexperience.  The defensive problems, in particular, appear to my untrained eye to be fundamental issues, failed strategies, poor mechanics. 

I've been told that I'm a blasphemer for criticizing the man who developed the plan that stopped Alabama and dominated Oregon last year. 

I guess I blaspheme.  If one player doesn't make an amazing (fluke) play on the Ewok, if T-Rent doesn't drop a sure TD pass, if Ginger McTurtleneck doesn't go full retard in the redzone we could easily have stared at a 42-point hole in Tuscaloosa last year.  And Bama wasn't a great offense.  Their first-half failures got in their head and they imploded.  As for Oregon?  I knew going in that the speed bullshit was overrated.  It's overrated this year.  We had it too and were a shitload bigger.  I expected us to dominate more than we did (and we did except on the scoreboard).  We shut Oregon down on speed and talent, not because Roof morphed into some kind of one-game genius.  If Oregon (or Stanford) gets into the BCS game and faces an SEC team, they'll be wiped off the map again.  Every team in the SEC (with the exception of Ole Miss, Kentucky and maybe us and Tennessee) would have a good chance at beating them.

I've been told I'm a heretic for criticizing Malzahn because he is the top OC in the country and everybody wishes they had him. 

He did great up until halftime of the Clemson game this year.  Did great everywhere he's been.  My issue with him (and it was an issue in 2009 as well) is that when whatever insanity he's brewing DOESN'T work he has no idea how to fix it even on a one game basis.  Maybe I dream stuff, but we can't block the bubble screen this year.  Haven't blocked it yet and it gets blown up for a loss any time we run it.  But it's in the book so we run it anyway.  We also trick ourselves out of games.  How many times have you seen us start to gain momentum and then run some cross back reverse pass to a lineman that implodes and then we have to recover?  How many times have you seen the ground game begin to pick up steam and then we put Cody Parkey in at wildcat?  Or we're backed up on our own five, need to piledrive forward to get some room and here comes Trovon Reed to take the snap?  Just weird stuff. 

Last year was last year.  That's the way things go.  No carryover. When you're the highest paid OC in the country you can't put up 190 yards and 7 points against a Georgia team that surrendered 35 to Boise, 42 to SC, 28 to Vandy and 20 to Florida.  Just can't. 

Previous resume does buy you additional time to figure it out, but you better be quick about it. 

Losing doesn't upset me.  Teams have to lose. But looking like there is no hope?  Being treated like Coastal Carolina by a mediocre Georgia team?  Taking some of the worst beatings in the history of the program while simultaneously posting the worst defenses on record and appearing completely lost and inept on offense?  I think we have a right to question that. 

[AUJarhead]

Stan White

Except Tommy Bowden was his OC in 91 and 92, when we were meh, and in 93, when we kicked ass.

[Townhallsavoy]

I've been told it makes me less of an Auburn fan to expect anything other than three wins to close out the season. 

I guess I'm less.  I'm so dismayed by the prospect of being brutalized by Alabama I actually have alternate plans and may not even watch it.  If Moses comes hurtling down from the sky and parts the red sea for us I'll catch it on SportsCenter. 

I've been told it makes me a "fair weather fan" to be disappointed in the results of this season. 

I guess I'm fair weather.   Loss-wise I'm okay.   I looked at the schedule, saw Clemson, SC, LSU, Arkansas and  Georgia on the road and Florida, MSU (who was supposed to be better) and Bama at home and figured there was a good possibility we'd lose four or five of those.  We always get raped like a Second Mile camper when we go to Arkansas so that result was not even alarming.   

But to sit and watch the most putrid offensive effort I've seen since 2008 -- and we all agreed that was an abomination so vile that Tuberville and his entire staff must be stricken from our memories -- combined with the third season of a defense so bad that it rewrites the entire record book is more than I can justify. 

The problems, whatever they are, extend beyond youth and inexperience.  The defensive problems, in particular, appear to my untrained eye to be fundamental issues, failed strategies, poor mechanics. 

I've been told that I'm a blasphemer for criticizing the man who developed the plan that stopped Alabama and dominated Oregon last year. 

I guess I blaspheme.  If one player doesn't make an amazing (fluke) play on the Ewok, if T-Rent doesn't drop a sure TD pass, if Ginger McTurtleneck doesn't go full retard in the redzone we could easily have stared at a 42-point hole in Tuscaloosa last year.  And Bama wasn't a great offense.  Their first-half failures got in their head and they imploded.  As for Oregon?  I knew going in that the speed bullshit was overrated.  It's overrated this year.  We had it too and were a shitload bigger.  I expected us to dominate more than we did (and we did except on the scoreboard).  We shut Oregon down on speed and talent, not because Roof morphed into some kind of one-game genius.  If Oregon (or Stanford) gets into the BCS game and faces an SEC team, they'll be wiped off the map again.  Every team in the SEC (with the exception of Ole Miss, Kentucky and maybe us and Tennessee) would have a good chance at beating them.

I've been told I'm a heretic for criticizing Malzahn because he is the top OC in the country and everybody wishes they had him. 

He did great up until halftime of the Clemson game this year.  Did great everywhere he's been.  My issue with him (and it was an issue in 2009 as well) is that when whatever insanity he's brewing DOESN'T work he has no idea how to fix it even on a one game basis.  Maybe I dream stuff, but we can't block the bubble screen this year.  Haven't blocked it yet and it gets blown up for a loss any time we run it.  But it's in the book so we run it anyway.  We also trick ourselves out of games.  How many times have you seen us start to gain momentum and then run some cross back reverse pass to a lineman that implodes and then we have to recover?  How many times have you seen the ground game begin to pick up steam and then we put Cody Parkey in at wildcat?  Or we're backed up on our own five, need to piledrive forward to get some room and here comes Trovon Reed to take the snap?  Just weird stuff. 

Last year was last year.  That's the way things go.  No carryover. When you're the highest paid OC in the country you can't put up 190 yards and 7 points against a Georgia team that surrendered 35 to Boise, 42 to SC, 28 to Vandy and 20 to Florida.  Just can't. 

Previous resume does buy you additional time to figure it out, but you better be quick about it. 

Losing doesn't upset me.  Teams have to lose. But looking like there is no hope?  Being treated like Coastal Carolina by a mediocre Georgia team?  Taking some of the worst beatings in the history of the program while simultaneously posting the worst defenses on record and appearing completely lost and inept on offense?  I think we have a right to question that.

Standing ovation. 

[Saniflush]

I don't think there is anything wrong with being disappointed with some of the results this year and how they have come about.  I think that's what being a fan is about.  The difference between us and most of them though is that when this season is over we are still proud of our school and are so for more reasons than just the football team.  That is the biggest difference between us and most of them.  We truly have a never ending affection for Auburn.  That in and of itself is why nobody except an Auburn person will ever understand or truly grasp what happened at Toomer's.

[Kaos]

I don't think there is anything wrong with being disappointed with some of the results this year and how they have come about.  I think that's what being a fan is about.  The difference between us and most of them though is that when this season is over we are still proud of our school and are so for more reasons than just the football team.  That is the biggest difference between us and most of them.  We truly have a never ending affection for Auburn.  That in and of itself is why nobody except an Auburn person will ever understand or truly grasp what happened at Toomer's.

You venture outside this board, Sani?  There's something wrong with being critical or expressing concern. 

Over at AUEagle they're banning people left and right.  You mention a coach by name and criticize his decisions and you're banned.  Mention a player by name because he isn't performing at the level you expected he would?  Automatic ban. 

And it's not just there. 

I don't know when or how our fans turned into this PC "Read the Creed" and "always trust the coaches" mob.  When I see stuff like that it makes me wonder of the ridicule we sometimes get for being cultish perhaps has some merit.  There's definitely a contingent -- and they seem to be in control of a lot of mediums of expression -- that is a little unbalanced. 

It's about Auburn for me.  Not the football team but the entire thing.  My kid goes there and is going to have a diploma from there.  Her diploma isn't going to say National Champions (or at least I hope it doesn't). 

But if we're going to have a football team (or a basketball, baseball, soccer, wet-tshirt or rodeo team) I want it to be competitive, play with class and honor and exemplify the things that make Auburn great.  Getting run out of Athens by barking dogs doesn't engender feelings of good cheer.  That's all.   

[AUJarhead]

We have a wet t-shirt team?

[AUTiger1]

You venture outside this board, Sani?  There's something wrong with being critical or expressing concern. 

Over at AUEagle they're banning people left and right.  You mention a coach by name and criticize his decisions and you're banned.  Mention a player by name because he isn't performing at the level you expected he would?  Automatic ban. 

And it's not just there. 

I don't know when or how our fans turned into this PC "Read the Creed" and "always trust the coaches" mob.  When I see stuff like that it makes me wonder of the ridicule we sometimes get for being cultish perhaps has some merit.  There's definitely a contingent -- and they seem to be in control of a lot of mediums of expression -- that is a little unbalanced. 

It's about Auburn for me.  Not the football team but the entire thing.  My kid goes there and is going to have a diploma from there.  Her diploma isn't going to say National Champions (or at least I hope it doesn't). 

But if we're going to have a football team (or a basketball, baseball, soccer, wet-tshirt or rodeo team) I want it to be competitive, play with class and honor and exemplify the things that make Auburn great.  Getting run out of Athens by barking dogs doesn't engender feelings of good cheer.  That's all.

I quit going to Scout and Rivals for that reason.  A little unrealistic.  You can't question the coaching, you can't question why a player did what they did........you know.  Hell, we have some here.   It's a message borad, that is why we are here.  To talk about it.  Express our opinions.    Anywho, you let them have control over some of the biggest Auburn message boards and that is the perception that others will always have. 

[djsimp]

Over at AUEagle

That site has become a melting pot of AUEagle, Scout, Rivals and the old AUC. The mods their have their finger on the red button like its the damn Cold War. "NUKE DEM, THEIR ALL COMMUNIST!" Also, its run by a kid barely out of HS; maybe not HS but you know what I mean. Thats why you see some of them come over here and not last but a day or so. They don't know how to handle their asses getting handed to them.

[Saniflush]

Over at AUEagle they're banning people left and right.  You mention a coach by name and criticize his decisions and you're banned.  Mention a player by name because he isn't performing at the level you expected he would?  Automatic ban. 

And it's not just there. 

See all I hear is that it's time to have a membership drive.  Jumbo needs some new folks to stretch out.

[AUJarhead]

See all I hear is that it's time to have a membership drive.

I think we need tit pics of the female members.

[dallaswareagle]

That site has become a melting pot of AUEagle, Scout, Rivals and the old AUC. The mods their have their finger on the red button like its the damn Cold War. "NUKE DEM, THEIR ALL COMMUNIST!" Also, its run by a kid barely out of HS; maybe not HS but you know what I mean. Thats why you see some of them come over here and not last but a day or so. They don't know how to handle their asses getting handed to them.

God help em if they post of pic of their car. 

[Saniflush]

God help em if they post of pic of their car. 

Better be one sweet assed ride.