Am i the only one....

[YaBoyMaxWeezy 0]

hahaha just a simple macro!

[keesler 5,990]

sick and tired of hearing the west will be a 3 team race between Arky, LSU, and Bama because of th talent gap.

I know there is a talent gap with bama and lsu, although i believe it to be very small especialy with th 1st stringers.

There is definitly a talent gap between AU and Arky, and its in our favor. Sorrryi had to vent a little.

Arky has a proven QB (maybe the best in the SEC) and we have major question marks there. We also have a young team (still) with system changes on both sides of the ball.  So, I can understand the low expectations.

No doubt we have more talent than Arky and I really like people not thinking high of us.

There's no reason for folks to think high of us right now.  We got killed by all of our top rivals last year, ended the season with the worst AU defense in school history and an offense that was dismal, lost our top RB in the offseason, don't know who our starting QB will be for '12, and replaced Coord's on both sides of the ball.  AU football is a great big "?" right now.

It's time our players and coaches get ready to take folks by surprise in the Dome.

[YaBoyMaxWeezy 0]

Last year you had a defense in bama that I rated at 69% vs our defense that I rated a 41%....so when you compare them that means Bama's defense was ab 1.7 times better than ours and then you say they returned 9 starters vs our 2 starters, then yeah, they were AT LEAST 1.7 if not twice as good as our defense was (which was obvious).

Now this year Bama's defense I'm Rating a 64% vs our 49%, so I think they will be AT BEST 1.3 times better than us, and when you consider we have twice as many returning starters from last season, I think we are going to be somewhat competitive with their defense. So my point is, at least we are going into some games this season that are manageable. Last year's LSU, BAMA, ARKY, and UGA games we didn't stand a chance when all these things were considered.

Now the part that's gonna bother a lot of people, I don't think our offense is going to be much improved, I think we will be better because we are returning twice as many starters (3 last season, 6 this season), but we are a tad bit younger and have a little more talen which I think is a wash...Unfortunately for us our youth and new starters are at the QB and OL, which is not good IMO.

[Rednilla 5,449]

hahaha just a simple macro!

Hmm...maybe do an alternate version where a redshirt year adds on .5 or something to add a little weight to players who spend a year getting bigger, faster, and stronger. Just a thought.

I would think it would actually work better if you start freshmen at 0 and seniors at 3, since at the beginning of the season that's how many years of experience they will have.

[fjenkins 0]

I want to start & end every season ranked #1 but let's face it, pre-season polls are bunk.  I wouldn't get my panties in a twist over what the "pundits" are saying during spring practice.  If our boys in blue take care of business on the field, they will be discussed.

[YaBoyMaxWeezy 0]

hahaha just a simple macro!

Hmm...maybe do an alternate version where a redshirt year adds on .5 or something to add a little weight to players who spend a year getting bigger, faster, and stronger. Just a thought.

I would think it would actually work better if you start freshmen at 0 and seniors at 3, since at the beginning of the season that's how many years of experience they will have.

If you gave a freshman a 0, then that means their score would be 0. 0 x any number = zero If you are a freshman and starting in the SEC then you deserve some type of credit.

Also it doesn't matter how you scale the numbers if the delta reduction is consistent. I'm basing this on the percent rating, so I could give a freshman 100, and a senior 400 and my percent rating would be the same.

I would have given players that redshirted a 1.5, but I didn't feel like going through all the rosters and seeing who redshirted and who didn't would be worth my time and wouldn't effect the results very much overall.

This is just an overall view of where we are at with respect to our SEC West foes.

[YaBoyMaxWeezy 0]

And now that I have ran the numbers, I'm feeling better that we could finish with a record better than 8-5 again, which I orginally thought.....I'm gonna start pumping sunshine one day!!

Also, did you know our offense on the road was better than it was at home last year?  Home Yds/Gm = 330, Away Yds/Gm = 348.

[keesler 5,990]

And now that I have ran the numbers, I'm feeling better that we could finish with a record better than 8-5 again, which I orginally thought.....I'm gonna start pumping sunshine one day!!

Also, did you know our offense on the road was better than it was at home last year?  Home Yds/Gm = 330, Away Yds/Gm = 348.

Thanks for your work Weezy. 

[GenesChin 9]

When your OLine is going to have 3 new starters and at least 3 people who are underclassmen

When your QB situation is a huge ? without a proven player

When you don't have a returning runningback and are missing an all-sec guy

When your defense last year finished last in the SEC in multiple statistical categories

There is a trend. Arky, LSU, Bama are all returning a good number from the oline, have a solid QB situation if not excellent (arky), Have returning are entrenched running backs and their defenses are expected to be thug nasty minus Arky

Those are all huge measuring sticks that Arky, LSU and Bama all dominate us in

[keesler 5,990]

When your OLine is going to have 3 new starters and at least 3 people who are underclassmen

When your QB situation is a huge ? without a proven player

When you don't have a returning runningback and are missing an all-sec guy

When your defense last year finished last in the SEC in multiple statistical categories

There is a trend. Arky, LSU, Bama are all returning a good number from the oline, have a solid QB situation if not excellent (arky), Have returning are entrenched running backs and their defenses are expected to be thug nasty minus Arky

Those are all huge measuring sticks that Arky, LSU and Bama all dominate us in

^^The very reason most all of the talking heads aren't real high on AU right now.  Our team and coaches have a huge hurdle/rebuilding project going on right now.  Everyone, from the trainers to the players, to the coaches, to the water boys have a lot to prove this year.  Team leadership and team chemistry will be paramount for these young players and new coaches.

I look forward to the day when we see consistancy and stability with this program.  Then we can be measured by the same stick as lsu/uat/arky.

[YaBoyMaxWeezy 0]

When your OLine is going to have 3 new starters and at least 3 people who are underclassmen

When your QB situation is a huge ? without a proven player

When you don't have a returning runningback and are missing an all-sec guy

When your defense last year finished last in the SEC in multiple statistical categories

There is a trend. Arky, LSU, Bama are all returning a good number from the oline, have a solid QB situation if not excellent (arky), Have returning are entrenched running backs and their defenses are expected to be thug nasty minus Arky

Those are all huge measuring sticks that Arky, LSU and Bama all dominate us in

When your OLine is going to have 3 new starters and at least 3 people who are underclassmen

When your QB situation is a huge ? without a proven player

When you don't have a returning runningback and are missing an all-sec guy

When your defense last year finished last in the SEC in multiple statistical categories

There is a trend. Arky, LSU, Bama are all returning a good number from the oline, have a solid QB situation if not excellent (arky), Have returning are entrenched running backs and their defenses are expected to be thug nasty minus Arky

Those are all huge measuring sticks that Arky, LSU and Bama all dominate us in

That is what they dominatED us in, that was last year. We will be improved this year no doubt about it and the defenenses we face are not going to be as good/dominate as they were last year. I've never heard of a defense losing 7 players most the NFL like Bama's and being called "ThugNasty" the following year?

I'm not coming out and saying we are going to win the SEC West. I am saying we will actually be competitive this season and will show vast improvements on defense for sure.

We have one of the best QB coaches in the nation, Frazier has the ability and talent, he just hasn't been coached into becoming a dominant QB, which I think he can be. Go back and look at Tebows stats when comparing his freshman and sophomore year, and then he continued to dominate....I wonder who coached Tebow? Must have been a pretty good coach, probably guy that coached some other players like.......some Tom Brady fella?

Our RBs are going to be just fine, OMC has put up over 3000 yds of offense in his 3 seasons here, and we got a stable of nothing but top notch RBs.

I am slightly worried about the OL, but I think we will be improved for sure. The guys we lost last year weren't that impressive to me....

[Rednilla 5,449]

When your OLine is going to have 3 new starters and at least 3 people who are underclassmen

When your QB situation is a huge ? without a proven player

When you don't have a returning runningback and are missing an all-sec guy

When your defense last year finished last in the SEC in multiple statistical categories

There is a trend. Arky, LSU, Bama are all returning a good number from the oline, have a solid QB situation if not excellent (arky), Have returning are entrenched running backs and their defenses are expected to be thug nasty minus Arky

Those are all huge measuring sticks that Arky, LSU and Bama all dominate us in

We return three starters on O-line: Sullen, Slade, and Dismukes.

We do have a returning running back (two of them, in fact), one of whom was a major player on the national championship team. (Didn't Trent Richardson leave, btw? How is it that Bama has an advantage there?)

The defense, while having issues last year, returns virtually everybody. Neither Alabama nor LSU can say that.

Yeah, we have questions. But EVERYBODY has questions. That's just what the offseason is.

[GenesChin 9]

Well LSU, Arky and Bama all have a lot of returning starters and they dominated us last year. It is hard for a person whose livelihood is to predict these things to take the unproven commodity over the clearly proven commodity. A good number of people on our team who are competing for or expected to start have never started a game and our left side of the oline haven't played a snap. Right now we haven't proven a thing and that is why there is a "talent gap" because those other teams, they are returning the key components for 11+ win seasons

I agree with you an think we are going to be better than expected but right now the facts are we are returning a bottom tier defense which is hard for anyone, even BVG, to improve on (I think he will) and we have an unproven 2nd year ever OCoordinator who is returning less than half of the oline, losing an ALL sec running back and expected to start a QB who has thrown less than 15 passes. To think that any person with their job credibility on the line is going to pick that team is just naive.

Sounds a lot like our 2010 team though doesn't it?

[Rednilla 5,449]

Oh, no doubts. If I were in their shoes, I wouldn't pick Auburn either, though I probably would give Chizik a little more credit than they have been. He won it all two years ago, against the odds, and then last year when they said he'd be lucky to have a winning record, he won 8 games.

Regardless, though, I really don't care what the talking heads think, so on that we agree.

[YaBoyMaxWeezy 0]

How did ARKY get into this conversation? What have they done that's so credible in the last few years? No SEC Championships, No National Titles, No Heisman trophy winners, etc. They had 3 really good WR and that's about it and now they are all gone.  Yeah they have a good QB, but who's he going to throw to now?

LSU is losing all LBs, a DL, and 2 DBs (one who was the best DB in the nation), they are also losing 4 OL, a TE and  QB that averaged 10+ wins a season.

Bama is losing 80% of their defense, an incredible Center, a great TE that killed us in the iron bowl, and the best RB in the nation that is going to be a top 3-5 NFL draft pick that slaughtered us last year.

[suzutiger 0]

How did ARKY get into this conversation? What have they done that's so credible in the last few years? No SEC Championships, No National Titles, No Heisman trophy winners, etc. They had 3 really good WR and that's about it and now they are all gone.  Yeah they have a good QB, but who's he going to throw to now?

LSU is losing all LBs, a DL, and 2 DBs (one who was the best DB in the nation), they are also losing 4 OL, a TE and  QB that averaged 10+ wins a season.

Bama is losing 80% of their defense, an incredible Center, a great TE that killed us in the iron bowl, and the best RB in the nation that is going to be a top 3-5 NFL draft pick that slaughtered us last year.

This

[Stripe 5]

Here is where I think people read too much in to last season as a basis for the upcoming season. 

Each year teams lose players, each year coaches have to rebuild position(S) in their team with new starters.

The part that we tend to forget is that just one player can effect team chemistry and make or break a great team. there is a reason why teams don't repeat NC's very often. It's because the Starting line-up is rarely ever the same multiple years. and just a small change can affect the whole team. It can be the difference in winning a NC and sitting at home having just missed your chance to play for one.

No team is ever the same. returning more players can help you to sustain a high level of play on the field, but often adding in a new starter can affect the efficiency of said team. making an ever so slight change unbalancing what was perfect last year. It's not really a bad thing, just the fact of how things go. The change can be a step to finding balance as well for the unbalanced.

This is also where voters go wrong in the preseason polls, Thinking that replacing a few people will not affect the team as a whole. It just isn’t possible to make changes and stay the same.

I don't expect any team to be on the exact level they were at last year, I expect  improvement for Auburn, and som drop off for the other 3 teams discussed here. Huge change? maybe maybe not. Noone will know until the season is completely over.

As to what the talking heads are saying, let them talk. I love watching them eat their words. It's too bad it doesn't bring any humility to them.

[auburnstudent35 0]

[bigbird 61,008]

How did ARKY get into this conversation? What have they done that's so credible in the last few years? No SEC Championships, No National Titles, No Heisman trophy winners, etc. They had 3 really good WR and that's about it and now they are all gone.  Yeah they have a good QB, but who's he going to throw to now?

LSU is losing all LBs, a DL, and 2 DBs (one who was the best DB in the nation), they are also losing 4 OL, a TE and  QB that averaged 10+ wins a season.

Bama is losing 80% of their defense, an incredible Center, a great TE that killed us in the iron bowl, and the best RB in the nation that is going to be a top 3-5 NFL draft pick that slaughtered us last year.

[Browning4AU 410]

How did ARKY get into this conversation? What have they done that's so credible in the last few years? No SEC Championships, No National Titles, No Heisman trophy winners, etc. They had 3 really good WR and that's about it and now they are all gone.  Yeah they have a good QB, but who's he going to throw to now?

LSU is losing all LBs, a DL, and 2 DBs (one who was the best DB in the nation), they are also losing 4 OL, a TE and  QB that averaged 10+ wins a season.

Bama is losing 80% of their defense, an incredible Center, a great TE that killed us in the iron bowl, and the best RB in the nation that is going to be a top 3-5 NFL draft pick that slaughtered us last year.

Who are you referring to here? Mathieu was just a soph last year, right?

[BPI 0]

Yes, as was most of the defense, hence the high pre-season ranking. Same with Arkansas. Take off the blinders and look at it truthfully and these teams are in the top end of the pre-season rankings for a reason.

Also, looking at last years pre-season polls....They were pretty close. As they are most years (not all).

[keesler 5,990]

Yes, as was most of the defense, hence the high pre-season ranking. Same with Arkansas. Take off the blinders and look at it truthfully and these teams are in the top end of the pre-season rankings for a reason.

Also, looking at last years pre-season polls....They were pretty close. As they are most years (not all).

We will get respect from talking heads/pollsters when we earn the respect.  All our program has to do is prove that we belong in championship conversation year in and year out. 

Win with consistancy and in dominating fashion on a regular basis and the AU program will be in everyone's head all year long.  Let our actions speak for themselves.  To date, for a myriad of reasons too dang many to count, we have been unable to achieve consistancy in this program. 

Here's to Coach Chizik putting the puzzle pieces together for the future.

[GenesChin 9]

When we consistently win10+ games like LSU Bama and Arky of late we will be.

From a rational point of view we have a coach who has never won more than 8 games outside a year with the best cfb player in recent memory, a offense and a defense implementing new schemes under new coaching staff, question marks (read as unproven players) at major positions like QB, RB, OLine, LB , DB and it is pretty easy to understand

[keesler 5,990]

When we consistently win10+ games like LSU Bama and Arky of late we will be.

From a rational point of view we have a coach who has never won more than 8 games outside a year with the best cfb player in recent memory, a offense and a defense implementing new schemes under new coaching staff, question marks (read as unproven players) at major positions like QB, RB, OLine, LB , DB and it is pretty easy to understand

It's not hard for me to understand once I take off my O&B glasses. 

AU football is an uncertainty right now, I fully understand why no one is willing to go out on a limb and put this team/coaching staff in the same category as lsu/uat/ark/uga right now. 

We have a lot to prove this year.  Coach Chizik has made necessary changes to the roster and his staff, we have players returning this year, but entirely new schemes for them to learn.  We simply can not get blown out in games against our rivals this year.  IMO, if we can stay competitive with ark/lsu/uga/uat, then even if we don't pull out a W against them, it will show that we've made improvements.  Our line play on both sides of the ball will determine how well the offense & defense can execute.  Games are won in the trenches, time to man up and dominate the opponent.

[98tiger1345162952 0]

I mean CGC has only been at AU 3 years heading to fourth, his second year he wins SEC, from a numbers standpoint AU has not had the depth to win and compete consistently like UA and LSU. But I expect that to change over the next few seasons. I could care less what taking heads say or do. Yes 2 games is what we are using a measuring stick, AU went 8-5 ,14-0 and 8-5 One season was the first for Chizik (was better than Sabans first year) second season wins national title even though defensive depth is limited and not a full 85 on roster, 3rd season AU loses entire oline less 1 and several seniors off of defense...Not to mention a new QB and an extremely difficult SEC road schedule. 2 8-5 seasons with a BCS title in between. AU is fine, and when the tank is full can compete with and beat LSU and Bama....and Arky too...lol