I officially proclaim this...

[jadennis]

Do we even have that one?  Maybe Todd can't throw the slant....can't remember last time he was asked to try.

The intermediate routes I like are the ones to Eric Smith. 

[Snaggletiger]

Buzz can help me out here but I believe the first pass Todd threw in the scrimmage the week before the season was a slant.  It wasn't the real quick hitter but was about 10-15 yards downfield.  Todd threw a bullet and the crowd all kind of breathed a sigh of relief because it was obvious his arm strength was 10X what we saw last year.

[Jumbo]

Eric Smith must have been tired from the Furman game.

May be a crazy analogy here but I liken Gus' playcalling to that of Steve Superior in his heyday at UF.  He was just as likely to call a triple reverse on 3rd and 1 as anything.  Spurrier rarely worried about strategy because he knew that 90% plus of the time he was going in with way more talent than the opponent.  It would occasionally bite him in the butt, as it did against Auburn twice when he kept chunking the ball around with the game in hand.

The most distrubing call of the night to me was one seemingly docile play where Tate goes up the middle for 6-7 on first.  Our D is tired and in need of a break.  Instead of pounding it...or running a sweep or a swing pass..whatever..something to get a first down, he has Todd drop back and heave it 30 yards downfield up for grabs.  It's literally like he's brought his bag of tricks and just calls whatever the next play is that comes out of that bag.  He was constantly calling the Mildcats over the last 5-6 games in situations that all you can do is ask "Why?"  1st down from our own 25?  Why? 

And when it's apparent that as the game went longer and longer, their D-line was pinning their ears back and coming after Todd.  Still...he calls slow developing pass play after slow developing pass play.  Just no rhyme or reason to what's being called.   

Ben should take a knee after he gains 3 yards, he's got to be a team player.

[CCTAU]

Todd is one of the better passers with the crossing routes that we have seen here in a while (he was 9-9 the first two drives). He sees the short to medium field across the middle really well. Why we do not use it more is beyond me. The first two drives, we ate the middle up. After that I think we only had like 3 passes down the middle. The slant out of the spread is a tough pass. The slant usually goes to the slot guy and more likely is run from under center. Throwing a slant to any one from the shotgun is tough. You really want to hit that slant right out of the break. Unfortunately the ball is in the air from the center to the QB while the break is happening. That is probably why we do not see it more. But having the lanes cleared out and running a drag should be staple pass. Find out if the LB is on a fast slot guy and then run it. Hard for an LB to cover a WR.

[Snaggletiger]

Todd is one of the better passers with the crossing routes that we have seen here in a while (he was 9-9 the first two drives). He sees the short to medium field across the middle really well. Why we do not use it more is beyond me. The first two drives, we ate the middle up. After that I think we only had like 3 passes down the middle. The slant out of the spread is a tough pass. The slant usually goes to the slot guy and more likely is run from under center. Throwing a slant to any one from the shotgun is tough. You really want to hit that slant right out of the break. Unfortunately the ball is in the air from the center to the QB while the break is happening. That is probably why we do not see it more. But having the lanes cleared out and running a drag should be staple pass. Find out if the LB is on a fast slot guy and then run it. Hard for an LB to cover a WR.

To his credit the first couple of years, Terry Bowden had a bad azz drag route designed.  They seemed to hit it at just the right time too. 

[Mr. Sensible]

I know he likes to be on the field, but I wonder if he would benefit from moving up to the box?

He's never coached from the box so it would probably further complicate his rhythm. Plus, he's the one making the substitutions on the sidelines. Trooper's too damn busy waving his towel and being hype man.

[War Eagle!!!]

Trooper's too damn busy waving his towel and being hype man.

Lay off Troop...he just does what he does...

[Buzz Killington]

Buzz can help me out here but I believe the first pass Todd threw in the scrimmage the week before the season was a slant.  It wasn't the real quick hitter but was about 10-15 yards downfield.  Todd threw a bullet and the crowd all kind of breathed a sigh of relief because it was obvious his arm strength was 10X what we saw last year.

Yup.  I believe that was the first and last time we have seen the slant in action.  Maybe they've been saving it for the bammer game, since the Utes had so much success with it last year?!?

[Mr. Sensible]

Lay off Troop...he just does what he does...

My disdain for Taylor isn't a personal thing. I've met him; he's a nice guy. I just think he gets a lot of undeserved hype for coaching and recruiting. Tommy Thigpen is way more of a recruiter. 

[AUTiger1]

My disdain for Taylor isn't a personal thing. I've met him; he's a nice guy. I just think he gets a lot of undeserved hype for coaching and recruiting. Tommy Thigpen is way more of a recruiter. 

While I might agree that Thig is a better recruiter, I don't think Taylor's is all hype.

Taylor was lead recruiter on: Coleman, Reed, Bonomolo and Goodwin.  That list is nothing to scoff at.

[Snaggletiger]

While I might agree that Thig is a better recruiter, I don't think Taylor's is all hype.

Taylor was lead recruiter on: Coleman, Reed, Bonomolo and Goodwin.  That list is nothing to scoff at.

I still say Sonny Bono is too small to play DE.  And being dead doesn't help with that speed rush thing either.

[jadennis]

My disdain for Taylor isn't a personal thing. I've met him; he's a nice guy. I just think he gets a lot of undeserved hype for coaching and recruiting. Tommy Thigpen is way more of a recruiter. 

It's interesting to me you can have "disdain" for someone that's admittedly a nice guy and isn't bad at what he does.

He may not be as good of a recruiter as he's sometimes made out to be, but he certainly holds his own and isn't strictly hype by any means. 

As far as being a coach...just look at the units and players he's coached everywhere he's been.  He coached four receivers at Tulane that spent time in the NFL.  At Tennessee he coached Riggs Jr. and Cedric Houston to be the only tandem of 1000 backs ever at UT.  He coached Jayson Swain, Bret Smith and Robert Meachem at UT, then, after losing all three, he coached Lucas Taylor, Austin Rogers, and Josh Briscoe to 2,130 yards receiving the next year.  (thanks wiki). 

Add a pretty successful group this year, including a former nobody Darvin Adams.

Anyway, he may get some extra hype because of his personality, but I don't really get what there is to "disdain", especially considering he is one of our coaches and has hardly been a weak link in the staff or anything like that.