Nobody really want's Kaos' opinion, but here goes anyway.
1) I can accept the fact that firing Franklin in mid-week had to be for reasons other than the "official" explanation. Having coached before, I can also accept that it is an utter impossibility to completely revamp a gameplan if you're starting Wednesday afternoon and have a game on Saturday. You would essentially have one practice to get it in. That being the case, I can accept that what we saw last Saturday was the last vestiges of the Franklin abortion.
2) I can accept that the coaching staff wanted to give Todd another chance so that some of the scrutiny might possibly be deflected from him. I also respect that they have now moved on. Todd is out of the rotation -- as he should have been from Week One on. It is my considered opinion that Tony Franklin would still be the OC and his offensive scheme would be sputtering to Frankensteinien life had Chris Todd simply kept that job at Dominos. Todd was Franklin's downfall. I will believe that forever.
3) I can accept the fact that the coaching staff truly believed it could fuck around with a bad Arkansas team and still win. Because AU has been so resilient for so long, these coaches honestly believed they could coast past Arky and then have two weeks to get their crap together for the second half. Significant miscalculation. Arkansas was inspired, well coached and once the ball got rolling, AU really sort of quit. The defense finally got tired -- and tired of carrying the load.
4) Tuberville is a survivor. He has always found ways for AU to respond just when it seemed all was lost. This particular situation will require his best effort and I don't know if he has enough mojo at the moment to salvage this situation.
5) Tuberville does SO many things right. If AU was building a perfect coach Tuberville would be 90% there. AU players play (normally) with tremendous heart and emotion. The program is clean and an example to others that you CAN win with class, diginity and respect. AU's defense is almost always fierce and a source of tremendous pride. He has AU in an annual position to be highly ranked and to compete for SEC titles. Always a contender. Before this season, when was the last time you looked at an AU schedule and thought to yourself "that's almost certainly a loss?" For me, it's been nearly ten years. That, in itself, is of significant value. Tuberville also understands the rivalry with Alabama. He learned a painful lesson years ago and places the proper import on that game. Not too much focus, not too little. Just right.
6) BUT... while Tuberville is 90% there, being 90% there makes me yearn for that final 10%. And that final 10% is offense. AU plays conservatively. Relies on defense to win. Nothing wrong with that. But what is so, so frustrating is that if AU had even a STALE offense over the last decade, we'd probably be looking at LSU-style domination nationally. Both titles taken by LSU could have easily been won by AU instead had the team had the capacity to score points. Look at Tuberville's record. If AU scores 30+, the winning ratio is something like 2kabillion - 1. I think Tuberville tried to rectify that this season, but he made two critical mistakes. First, he hired the wrong person and second, he didn't give himself over to the change completely. It blew up in his face.
7) After much thought, I don't believe all is lost yet. I'm not going to give up. There isn't much to play for this season and the crush of expectations is a hard burden to bear. But I loved Auburn in the 70s when Bryant's decrepit ass was cheating from hell to breakfast. I loved AU when Bowden was screwing everything up. Going to love AU still, no matter what. Those kids who put on the AU jersey do so because they chose Auburn over other schools. They're giving their heart to the program and I'm going to support that. Well, except for Chris Todd.
8) The question I have to ask myself today is whether AU is better off with or without Tuberville. While this season has been a disappointment, and while he's also left some things on the table that frustrate me, I am still willing to stay the course. I think he WANTS to fix it. I also think he will learn from this debacle and hopefully find the right solution. I hear the braying from across the state about that diminuitive douchebag and their inflated ranking. But regardless of how this -- or any other -- season turns out, I'd prefer to have Tuberville representing the school I love instead of an assclown like that. At the end of the day, wins and losses on the football field will be largely forgotten. It's the character of the men who represent Auburn and the players who come out of the program that will define us all. Fuck Bama and their pit-bull breeding, cocaine-selling, gun-toting program. They can win the next 448 pretend national titles. I'd STILL rather be an Auburn Tiger. I sure as hell don't want to be them
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