Love Letter to Jay Jacobs

[AUChizad]

The Hivemind stubborn mules here will disagree. I agree.

http://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/football/2013/11/11/5090038/auburn-football-jay-jacobs-takes-2nd-edition-volume-10

TAKES: 2ND EDITION, VOLUME 10

By theplaymaker on Nov 11 2013, 12:00p 39
Todd Van Emst/Auburn University photo

A PIPING-HOT LOVE LETTER TO JAY JACOBS.
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Hey, gang! It's your old pal The Playmaker here delivering takes hotter than a pawn shop pistol. I took last week off because I didn't get to see the game. You see, I was at VooDoo Fest in New Orleans watching Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails and The Cure. And man oh man was it good! So good! But this week, I was back in the Magic City. I rolled out of bed in time to roll to my couch and watch our beloved Auburn Tigers defeat the mighty Tennessee Volunteers. I really wanted to make the trip, but that 11 a.m. kickoff is hard when you try to make some extra scratch on Friday nights by covering high school football. But it was a great game to watch! I loved the touchdowns! So much fun!

Come closer. Shhh. I didn't want to write this blog post until after the season. But it's time. It's time because nothing that happens from here on out changes going from nine losses to nine wins this quickly. It's time because I hope I have a lot of super cool stuff in these two rivalry games to rave about.

Dear Jay Jacobs,

Hey, pal. You remember April? I sure do. Man, people were really mad! It's funny what a football season will do, ain't it?

See, I don't want to neglect you. People will say that you ruined the swimming and diving program by ruffling some feathers. People will argue that basketball is terrible, and I mean, it is, but it's traditionally one of the two worst basketball programs in the SEC, so I've never blamed your tenure. People aren't thrilled with baseball, but I mean, you made a pretty cool hire and there seems to be potential. That fella sure knows how to make some funny videos for AUHD!

Here's the thing, though: Folks were mad because some of those things weren't doing well (it can happen) AND football had a really terrible year. So people lit their torches and marched on the complex. They wanted you gone. But I tried to tell them, Jay, I tried to tell them, "Look, sometimes coincidences happen."

What bad hire had you made? Everyone thought Tony Barbee would be pretty cool. He wasn't, but who is? Auburn basketball is a dumpster fire and it always will be. No one liked your Gene Chizik hire, but he won a national championship! What the WHAAAAAA? Amirite?

But today, you need to be thanked. You did something in both 2009 and 2013 that other schools [COUGH COUGH GEORGIA COUGH COUGH] don't have the balls to do: You realized when a relationship had run its course and you cut ties.

We loved Coach Tuberville. I did not want to see him go! Winning nine games a year and maybe competing for an SEC Championship every five was awesome! Or should I say AUsome? [WINK] But you, Jay, you realized that Auburn could do a little bit better at its favorite sport. And you dug through a pile of coaches including one that was the preferred choice, an African-American man, and chose the worst possible candidate.

You knew he would win a national championship, didn't you? You sly fox. You knew it! You knew that this cat with a 5-19 career record would put together Auburn's most memorable season! I see you, Jay.

But THEN? This fool got power hungry. He wanted to prove it was his show. He coddled his players. He ran off the man that made it possible. And he absolutely and predictably went into the toilet. What did you do, Jay?

You didn't give him another year. You got it done, son. You knew it was time to cut that tie and move on. And rather than hire the sexy name with a sexy past that could have easily been had, you made the comfortable hire.

AND IT WORKED.

You marvelous genius. You thought, "What is Alabama doing right now to be so good?" And you said, "I'M GOING TO DO THE OPPOSITE OF THAT."

And goodness gracious, we're grateful.

No one is telling you that. They had plenty of time to tell you that you sucked in April when everything was bleak, but no one has taken the time to tell you thank you for the things you have given this football program.

I want to see swimming and diving dominate the way it once did. I want to see baseball be as competitive as it was under Baird. The latter is a pipe dream with the lottery, and I get that. A lot of folks don't, but I do. And I get that basketball is always going to suck. I hate it, because we cheated our asses off when I was in school and it was a lot of fun, but I prefer doing it on the up and up. I mean, I guess. But really, would probation be that much worse?

Jay, the thing you know and the thing that basically keeps those torches and pitchforks at bay is football. And frankly? You've killed it. I wouldn't have fired Chizik last season. He was a great man that brought a national championship to Auburn. But, brother, you knew just when to pull the cord. Just like you did with Coach Tuberville, whom I also would not have fired.

Auburn is playing a major rival this weekend that has no idea how to do that. Maybe Georgia wins, and if it does, this opinion doesn't change. If the Bulldogs don't? You've manufactured the biggest turnaround EVER. Like, it's sort of a hazy dream. No idea how you did it. If Auburn wins 10 games this year and you don't have people sending you flowers, I just don't know, pal. Come to Birmingham. I'll literally buy you anything you want on the menu at Courtyard. Cee Lo is the chef. He can probably invent something really fancy if I ask and pay him enough. Let's do this.

I love you, Jay. You need to know that. I hope you have a great Monday.

xoxox

Blake

The fact remains that Jacobs hired the right guy when he hired Chizik. He won us the only championship in my lifetime. He also recognized when the wheels fell off and sprung to action. It would have been inappropriate to fire him after and 8 win 2011. He fired him at the right time.

No one here had a bad word to say about Barbee when he was hired. And maybe he's just the best we can do. Another bad season and his seat is likely piping hot. Can we replace him with someone better? I doubt it.

I will punch anyone in the face that says Malzahn wasn't 100% THE best hire Auburn could have gotten. I was wrong in wanting Petrino. I can admit when I'm flat-out wrong, and boy was I. Honestly, we dodged a major bullet by Jay not doing what I wanted him to do for that hire.

Galloway & Myers are both rock star hires in baseball & softball. Even if they both have abysmal seasons, the "wait and see" aspect is irrelevant. Jay has completed his part of the process. The hire. What they do on the field is beyond his capabilities or his job description. Auburn absolutely could not have done better with either of those hires.

So in conclusion, I think Jay has earned some people jumping off his nuts for a while.

[AU_Tiger_2000]

So in conclusion, I think Jay has earned some people jumping off his nuts for a while.

Until the conference games start in basketball.

[Townhallsavoy]

I'm not an old mule, and I still think Jacobs has a long way to go before he's forgiven.

The fact remains that Auburn was good in pretty much every sport until Jacobs took over and it didn't take long for every program to take a hit.  The football team went into the trash and it was well known that Jacobs allowed outsiders to meddle in Tuberville's program.  The basketball team has been and still is one of the most embarrassing programs in the country.  The baseball team went from competitive to in desperate need of rebuilding.  The swim team went from the best in the world to just another good program.  Then we can bring up the numerous women's sports that have tanked over the last decade as well. 

The Chizik hire brought us an NC, sure, but it was by no means a good hire.  It was exactly what everybody thought it would be - disastrous.  2011 was close to being as bad as 2008 and 2012 was something that no Auburn fan has ever experienced before - finishing the season with a good evidence that Auburn was the worst team in the BCS. 

He has seemingly hit a homerun with Malzahn.  The jury's still out if Gus is prepared to build and sustain a program.  But basketball, baseball, women's basketball, softball, equestrian, swimming, soccer, and the rest of Auburn sports are by no means up to the standard of excellence we expect from a university with our resources.  Perhaps the hires were good in some sports, but has Jacobs created an environment that allows those coaches to succeed? 

That's definitely still yet to be seen. 

[Lurking Tiger]

Being good at your job and being lucky at your job are two different things. They aren't mutually exclusive though. Unfortunately for Auburn, Jacobs isn't both.

[Tiger Wench]

Being good at your job and being lucky at your job are two different things. They aren't mutually exclusive though. Unfortunately for Auburn, Jacobs isn't both.

This.

[AWK]

Being good at your job and being lucky at your job are two different things. They aren't mutually exclusive though. Unfortunately for Auburn, Jacobs isn't both.

Agree.  He took the easy way out with hiring Malzahn and got very lucky.  Malzahn is an amazing coach, but that doesn't reflect shit on Jacob's incompetence.  I.e.  Giving Chizik that huge buy out, every other hire in every other sport, etc...

Also, I refuse to accept the "Auburn Basketball sucks and there is nothing we can do about it" mentality.

[AUChizad]

The fact remains that Auburn was good in pretty much every sport until Jacobs took over and it didn't take long for every program to take a hit.  The football team went into the trash and it was well known that Jacobs allowed outsiders to meddle in Tuberville's program.  The basketball team has been and still is one of the most embarrassing programs in the country.  The baseball team went from competitive to in desperate need of rebuilding.  The swim team went from the best in the world to just another good program.  Then we can bring up the numerous women's sports that have tanked over the last decade as well. 

Revisionist history. As the article mentions, Auburn basketball has never at any point in our history been good. Yes, Barkley's presence elevated them temporarily to slightly above horrendous. So did Cliff Ellis's cheating.

Did you have a problem with the Barbee hire at the time? Did you have someone better in mind? Did you think we should have gone after Krzyzewski? It sounds like you're expecting our AD to have psychic powers. Auburn basketball is a dumpster fire. It was when we hired Barbee. It is today. It will be when we fire him and hire the next best we can do. To demand NCAA appearances every year from Auburn basketball is akin to Kentucky demanding BCS bowls every year for their football team. They're not going to get a Spurrier or Saban or Malzahn to come in and have an immediate impact. They shouldn't expect to.

Also, as the article mentions, our state lottery is more to blame for Auburn's mediocrity than the hiring of Pawlowski. And if think Auburn could have hired anyone better than Sonny Galloway, you don't belong in the conversation.

Women's sports? What are those?

Fortner had success, although Jacobs didn't hire her. She had two bad years, and she was out of there. Replaced with Williams-Flournoy. From her bio.

In her first season at Auburn, she led the Tigers to 19 wins, the most in four years, and an appearance in the Women's NIT quarterfinals. Auburn set a school record with 402 steals during the 2012-13 season while forcing 701 turnovers, a mark that ranks second all-time on The Plains.

Known for her defense, Williams-Flournoy made an immediate impact on the team in her first season as the Tigers finished the year ranked second in the SEC and 15th nationally with 11.8 steals per game. Three Auburn players finished the season ranked in the top 10 in the SEC and top 250 in the country in steals per game.

Williams-Flournoy became the first Auburn women's basketball coach ever to lead her team to the post-season in their first year. Additionally, after the team's season-opening 71-41 win over Maine, she became just the second AU women's basketball coach to win their first game as head coach.

A 20-year coaching veteran, Williams-Flournoy came to Auburn after leading Georgetown to a four-year run from 2008-12 that was the most successful period in the program's history, while posting an overall mark of 143-104 during her eight-year tenure. In her last four seasons, the Hoyas were 93-41, advancing to the NCAA tournament in 2010, 2011, and 2012, while making a Sweet 16 appearance in 2011. They were a WNIT quarterfinalist in 2009.

What more are you expecting form the hire? Who was a better women's basketball coach available to replace a recently floundering Fortner in 2012?

Softball your beef? Jay hired bar-none the best softball coach in the NCAA. Two time National Champion. Brought ASU to the CWS 7 out of the 8 years he was there. There is literally no better coach that ANY NCAA school could have hired, let alone Auburn.

The Chizik hire brought us an NC, sure, but it was by no means a good hire.  It was exactly what everybody thought it would be - disastrous.  2011 was close to being as bad as 2008 and 2012 was something that no Auburn fan has ever experienced before - finishing the season with a good evidence that Auburn was the worst team in the BCS. 

I don't know about you, but I would take five 2012s if it meant one 2010. I wouldn't trade being in University of Phoenix stadium when Byrum kicked that game clenching field goal for literally anything else Auburn football related, and possibly venturing into actual life achievements and events. If not for 2012, this year wouldn't have been as sweet as it was. Yes, I'd take five 2012s. Fortunately, our AD didn't submit us to five. He cut ties when it was appropriate to do so.

He has seemingly hit a homerun with Malzahn.  The jury's still out if Gus is prepared to build and sustain a program.  But basketball, baseball, women's basketball, softball, equestrian, swimming, soccer, and the rest of Auburn sports are by no means up to the standard of excellence we expect from a university with our resources.  Perhaps the hires were good in some sports, but has Jacobs created an environment that allows those coaches to succeed?

That's definitely still yet to be seen.

Pppffffttt. Again, it's not in Jacobs' job description to predict the future. If he hired the right guy today, then he hired the right guy. What that guy does with the opportunity is on him.

All I know about equestrian is what the inside of that one chick's vagina looks like from the emails that were passed around in college. A quick google search tells me that Auburn won the National Championship last year, and is currently ranked #2, and will be playing #1 Georgia, whom they beat in the National Championship to end last year's season, this weekend.

There is no men's soccer team. All I can find on the recent history of the women's team is that we've made the SEC tournament for 13 consecutive years.

So exactly what is the standard of excellence you expect?

The one, and only legitimate gripe I see about Jacobs is letting Marsh go, but that was six years ago, only two years into Jacobs' tenure. Hold on to that grudge forever, if you want.

As of today the Men's team has won 15 straight SEC titles. That streak is still alive. The women's team is still quite dominant as well. We're still easily amongst the best programs in the country. To go apeshit over three years without a National Championship is akin to Bammers wanting to burn their entire athletic department to the ground once Saban leaves and his replacement can "only" win the SEC every goddamn year but can't make it to the NC game in three.

[AUChizad]

Agree.  He took the easy way out with hiring Malzahn and got very lucky.  Malzahn is an amazing coach, but that doesn't reflect shit on Jacob's incompetence.  I.e.  Giving Chizik that huge buy out, every other hire in every other sport, etc...

Also, I refuse to accept the "Auburn Basketball sucks and there is nothing we can do about it" mentality.

Name the sports, as I have.

There's a bullshit generalization that we suck at everything. We don't.

You can't hire better than he is.

And we do suck at basketball. We always have. Except when we cheated when we were in school.

[Townhallsavoy]

I'm not reading all of that but I think I got the gist of it in the beginning -

I'm not the AD.  I don't have anyone else in mind for Jacobs to hire.  All I can do is look at results, and the fact is that every sport has suffered under Jay Jacobs besides a 2010 football team that just so happened to sign the GOAT at quarterback and a great first year for Gus Malzahn. 

Hopefully you're right.  I hope to see Auburn baseball, softball, and every other sport at least competing for conference titles.  Haven't yet.  Not at all.

You also seem to be focused in on hires as if hiring the right person is all the athletic director does.  He's made plenty of bonehead decisions (Tuberville and Chizik buyouts), meddled in how coaches run their program (Tim Jackson's office next to Tuberville's), and run off good coaches (Will Muschamp's bowl game ticket fiasco, swim team coach). 

Jacobs has to create an environment that fosters success.  He could hire Nick Saban but if he makes decisions that hamper Saban's ability to do his job correctly, it won't matter that he hired him. 

[AUChizad]

I'm not reading all of that but I think I got the gist of it in the beginning -

Then I'm not reading the rest of your post.

Continue on in ignorance, though.

[AWK]

Name the sports, as I have.

There's a bullshit generalization that we suck at everything. We don't.

You can't hire better than he is.

And we do suck at basketball. We always have. Except when we cheated when we were in school.

http://www.nevertoyieldfoundation.com/2013/the-truth-is-often-unpopular/

[AUChizad]

http://www.nevertoyieldfoundation.com/2013/the-truth-is-often-unpopular/

All of the sports that were struggling, the proper coaching firings and rehirings were made.

[AWK]

All of the sports that were struggling, the proper coaching firings and rehirings were made.

But we do not have the results from those hires yet...And, correcting your previous fuck ups does not make you good at your job. 

[AUTiger1]

I don't know about you, but I would take five 2012s if it meant one 2010. I wouldn't trade being in University of Phoenix stadium when Byrum kicked that game clenching field goal for literally anything else Auburn football related, and possibly venturing into actual life achievements and events.

2010 was the greatest and most fun year of my fandom, but I can say with absolute certainty that it can't compare with my crowning achievements and proudest life events.  It couldn't even get close to venturing into those. I know you are far from it, but that is bammer talk.

[AUChizad]

2010 was the greatest and most fun year of my fandom, but I can say with absolute certainty that it can't compare with my crowning achievements and proudest life events.  It couldn't even get close to venturing into those. I know you are far from it, but that is bammer talk.

All I'm saying is I've shed tears of joy exactly once in my life. I don't have kids. Maybe when I do, that could be the second time.

But I cried in Glendale.

[GH2001]

All I'm saying is I've shed tears of joy exactly once in my life. I don't have kids. Maybe when I do, that could be the second time.

But I cried in Glendale.

I'm pretty sure I saw you cry once during an engaging twitter battle.

[AUChizad]

I'm pretty sure I saw you cry once during an engaging twitter battle.

But that was because my feewings were huwt.

Not tears of joy.

[AWK]

All I'm saying is I've shed tears of joy exactly once in my life. I don't have kids. Maybe when I do, that could be the second time.

But I cried in Glendale.

Liar.  I saw you cry at an Andrew W. K. concert before.

[Vandy Vol]

Who wants to read the love letter that I wrote to Snags' testicles?

[noxin]

Who wants to read the love letter that I wrote to Snags' testicles?

Does the word Nantucket appear in there somewhere?