Scarbinsky: Is Gus Malzahn strong enough to change Auburn for the better?

[Godfather]

Saban was on top at LSU, Meyer was on top at Florida, West Virginia almost went to the National Championship under Rodriguez, Spurrier won a National Championship at Florida.  You didn't preface your comment saying they left their program the immediate next year, regardless, it happens.  We settled for mediocrity.

Not to forgot, NO ONE thought Saban was leaving Miami, he was only in year 2....bama went and got him.

Now I have no idea who we offered and if we did offer guys like Strong or Patterson maybe they told us to fuck off.  However, IMO that is still Jacobs fault any way you want to look at it.

[WiregrassTiger]

So, if I understand this correctly, yous guys aren't pleased with the search committee results?

[AUownsU]

So, if I understand this correctly, yous guys aren't pleased with the search committee results?

[AUTailgatingRules]

Saban was on top at LSU, Meyer was on top at Florida, West Virginia almost went to the National Championship under Rodriguez, Spurrier won a National Championship at Florida.  You didn't preface your comment saying they left their program the immediate next year, regardless, it happens.  We settled for mediocrity.

That's not even good "lawyer" talk

[jmar]

So, if I understand this correctly, yous guys aren't pleased with the search committee results?

I agree with a handful here. A few have waffled. The search committee did exactly as it was supposed to: provide Gogue and Jacobs a fucking barrier by placing three Auburn legends in the foreground. Did they interview some coaches? Yes. They vetted some coaches, made some calls, some names emerged but in the end it was as if it was already etched in stone. Petrino wasn't interviewed and Patterson might have been guaged for interest but you talk turkey with a heavyweight like him; up front if you truly want him, same for all of the top coaches. Mora Jr. supposedly declined but we don't a know what actually took place. In the end Jacobs got his man. He lowrates Auburn by his actions. Was it a fail? Yes by my standards for Auburn it is and it has nothing to do with how I feel about any of the candidates, especially Malzahn.
Auburn is a top 15 job but we can't get a guy from TCU or UCLA?
Oh we talked to them.
Really?   

[WiregrassTiger]

I agree with a handful here. A few have waffled. The search committee did exactly as it was supposed to: provide Gogue and Jacobs a fudgeing barrier by placing three Auburn legends in the foreground. Did they interview some coaches? Yes. They vetted some coaches, made some calls, some names emerged but in the end it was as if it was already etched in stone. Petrino wasn't interviewed and Patterson might have been guaged for interest but you talk turkey with a heavyweight like him; up front if you truly want him, same for all of the top coaches. Mora Jr. supposedly declined but we don't a know what actually took place. In the end Jacobs got his man. He lowrates Auburn by his actions. Was it a fail? Yes by my standards for Auburn it is and it has nothing to do with how I feel about any of the candidates, especially Malzahn.
Auburn is a top 15 job but we can't get a guy from TCU or UCLA?
Oh we talked to them.
Really?

In the end, I was more of a Smart guy. The more that I think about his supposed list of demands, the more I realize that there is no way that he could currently come to Auburn. He wanted total control of the football program and we know that JJ won't relinquish that. I think that may have been the deal breaker.

Wanting to coach in the BCS natty isn't a big deal to me. The amount of publicity that AU would have received--positive for a change--is immeasurable. Recruits all across the country watching the game and seeing the next HC at AU prolly win his 3rd BCS natty. Yeah, it puts the HC behind by 40 days but at this point, I don't think it matters. Woulda taken a lot of guts for JJ to make that decision cause it would not have been popular.

I'm cautiously optimistic with Gus. Ellis Johnson (if hired) was a very important hire and a safe one. I would've preferred giving Rock a shot at DC but maybe he will be interested in coming in as a sort of DC in waiting role. I'm hopeful we can retain Grimes and Thigpen. I like Luper but am undecided on TT.


edit: Then I read that Malzahn won't retain any staff? http://auburn.247sports.com/Article/All-Auburn-assistants-are-let-go-by-Malzahn-105293

[djsimp]

To address the QB situation.  Show of hands.  How many here were pissed off we signed the USA Today Player of the Year?  Thought so.

How many teams around the country would love to have signed Frazier?  I saw him play twice in HS and the kid was a stud.  Plain and simple.  But, as can often be the case, Mr. Athletic HS QB did not translate well when jumping to the best division in the nation.  But Malzahn didn't "develop" him.  How exactly do you develop an incredibly raw true freshman when there's no way he's going to be your starter?  Trotter was back with 2 years to go and some game experience under his belt....and 2 years in Malzahn's system.  Decent QB when he had his head on straight.

How do you develop a kid when your O-line goes from the most to least experienced in the country in one year?  When your 240 pound fullback is gone.  When your 2 leading receivers are gone.  When your head coach says you're not going to run the offense the way you want to. 

Oh..and Scott Leftlerzes was the OC but was brought in as much for his work with elite QB's as anything else.  Remember how we talked about that....showed practice footage of him working with the QB's?  How did Frazier's development work out there?  The kid was apparently overrated by everyone.

Zeke Pike?  Kid was running his pie hole and getting in trouble before he got to AU.  You can call it an excuse all you want but I blame Gene Chizik.  I have no problem taking a chance on a kid.  Had no problem taking a chance on Pike.  Still don't think it was a bad decision.  But they brought a kid in with known prior problems and released him into a culture (Thug culture?  Not so off base now, is it) that produced the likes of the Felony 4, Synthetic Mike, DeAngelo "I'ma pop a cap off in yo ass" Benton, Reese Sidewalk Dismukes and on and on.  So bad that it got to the point that Geno had to hire security.  Ole Zekey was in heaven, free to do what he wanted with no Yox to stick a foot up his ass.

The "Culture" and discipline are all on Chizik.  If a counselor says your starting QB ain't going to class, don't call him/her a liar.  It's not up to the OC to set up a system of monitoring and disciplining the players.  Chizik simply was in over his head and it's become more apparent every single day that he did not know how to run a program.  Not at Iowa State.  Not here.  It may have been posted already, but someone who twats on the tweeters, see if you can find Lee Ziemba's comments on the CGM hire.  I was told today you might feel a little better about things changing at Auburn.     

Get the hell out of my head.