Staff Changes

[FoundationEagle 637]

Agree with almost all of this, Barnacle. My problem is that the one hire who would've been both stable in the short term and a long-term prospect was TRob.

Which makes question the Muschamp hire even more. I get it, hindsight is 20/20, but the situation that is quickly unfolding today is one that was very likely to occur. I really think everyone (Gus, JJ, alumni, fans, analysts, etc.) were so drunk on the illusion of Jeremy Johnson that we just turned a blind eye to the very real possibility that Will would be one and done, and that he'd likely take his guys with him.

I never thought Will was that bad of a HC. Look at Florida against Alabama on Saturday. That looked exactly like a Will Muschamp coached team. I think McElwain is going to do very well there, especially once he gets his QB back, but as we all know, if you don't have a QB you don't have a prayer. Florida probably made the right move, but Will was never going to stick around long.

Like I said, I was one of the people who thought hiring Will was the right move. There were many around here who questioned it for these exact reasons, and I feel foolish for not agreeing.

I think TRob was the plan if Champ was one aan done. We just didn't execute.

Isn't Trob a bit inexperienced for the role of developing and calling defenses against SEC teams? He can go with CWM because CWM will pretty much duplicating what Gus does here....Champ will be doing the heavy lifting on the defensive plan and Trob can play the role of Lash.. Not hiring Trob as our DC....seems reasonable to me....not yet ready to take that job in this conference. JMO

Agreed

[WarEagle1983 2,190]

While I hope for staff changes on the offensive side of the ball, I am already proud of the change in recruiting receivers in this class, they actually play wr in high school.

I second that! I don't mind having ATH recruited to WR...we just had too many of them over the years for my liking.

[Always AU 0]

He is the keynote speaker at the Bronco Nagurski Aware Banquet tomorrow in Charlotte

[kd4au 1,145]

So, the Muschamp hire now appears to be a gamble that Auburn lost big on. Don't get me wrong, I was 100% on the Will Muschamp bandwagon last year. Like most everyone else, I was drunk on the thought that with a little help on defense, Auburn was a serious contender to win a national championship. Gus had himself, JJ and CWM convinced that Jeremy Johnson & Co. had the pieces together to bring home the hardware if Muschamp could help the defense only marginally. We swung for the fences, and now it appears that we've missed.

It also appears that Auburn took on all the risk. Clearly, Will Muschamp didn't need to build a great defense, or spend 3 years removed from Florida to get another good HC offer. I think Will did a good job this past year. I still love the guy, and I can't blame him for leaving. However, Auburn is now going to enter its third season in a row with a different D.C. What to show for it? The Birmingham Bowl, uncertainty and instability. That's not to say its all lost. I do believe that Will was at least beginning to change the defensive culture at Auburn. He recruited some fine young players. There are positives to build on. Yet, I would trade all of those for stability at this point. I hope that this next hire/promotion is made with stability in mind.

Its hard for me to blame Gus or Jay Jacobs for hiring Will Muschamp, given what they believed at this time last year. After all, if Jeremy Johnson would have panned out, and Duke Williams would have stepped into his anticipated role, Auburn very well could be having its own "pizza party" today. But, that's not how it turned out. Now, I can't help but feel foolish for believing hiring Muschamp was the best hire Auburn could make. We all convinced ourselves that Will would never leave after just one year, and that no program worth its salt would risk hiring him so soon. Now we know.

I just hope that the next hire Auburn makes is made with the long-run in mind. I hope its a decision that is made wisely and quickly. If not, the positives that Muschamp did leave behind might not count for much. We can't afford to remain stagnate on the defensive side of the ball, and we certainly can't afford to hang our hat on another quick fix.

Good post.But I'm not sure in this day and time you can hire anyone that you would know for certain would be long term hire.I say hire the best you can and hope for the best.

[AU64 10,122]

So, the Muschamp hire now appears to be a gamble that Auburn lost big on. Don't get me wrong, I was 100% on the Will Muschamp bandwagon last year. Like most everyone else, I was drunk on the thought that with a little help on defense, Auburn was a serious contender to win a national championship. Gus had himself, JJ and CWM convinced that Jeremy Johnson & Co. had the pieces together to bring home the hardware if Muschamp could help the defense only marginally. We swung for the fences, and now it appears that we've missed.

It also appears that Auburn took on all the risk. Clearly, Will Muschamp didn't need to build a great defense, or spend 3 years removed from Florida to get another good HC offer. I think Will did a good job this past year. I still love the guy, and I can't blame him for leaving. However, Auburn is now going to enter its third season in a row with a different D.C. What to show for it? The Birmingham Bowl, uncertainty and instability. That's not to say its all lost. I do believe that Will was at least beginning to change the defensive culture at Auburn. He recruited some fine young players. There are positives to build on. Yet, I would trade all of those for stability at this point. I hope that this next hire/promotion is made with stability in mind.

Its hard for me to blame Gus or Jay Jacobs for hiring Will Muschamp, given what they believed at this time last year. After all, if Jeremy Johnson would have panned out, and Duke Williams would have stepped into his anticipated role, Auburn very well could be having its own "pizza party" today. But, that's not how it turned out. Now, I can't help but feel foolish for believing hiring Muschamp was the best hire Auburn could make. We all convinced ourselves that Will would never leave after just one year, and that no program worth its salt would risk hiring him so soon. Now we know.

I just hope that the next hire Auburn makes is made with the long-run in mind. I hope its a decision that is made wisely and quickly. If not, the positives that Muschamp did leave behind might not count for much. We can't afford to remain stagnate on the defensive side of the ball, and we certainly can't afford to hang our hat on another quick fix.

Agree with almost all of this, Barnacle. My problem is that the one hire who would've been both stable in the short term and a long-term prospect was TRob.

T-Rob has hitched his wagon to CWM. He'll either succeed with him or drown with him.

That works best for him...already knows the system and will have CWM doing the serious work about scheme and recruiting.

As for the stability or continuity....is it beyond reason that when Gus is looking for a DC he tells the guy..

.this is what we ran this year, the kids know it and we don't want to start over with something new. Your job is to take that same defensive scheme and make it work for our players.

[FoundationEagle 637]

I would chime in who I thought we'd hire, but we will likely all be wrong as we usually are until some names start actually leaking out. Happens every time it seems.

[wglewgle629 21]

I am so over peeps blaming Gus over not seeing the JJ flop when over half you NFL scouts were praising him when he committed to AU, clamering for him to play over Nick because he couldn't hit the intermediate passes, and declaring him awesome because of the only half he played against Arkansas last year. ALOT of NFL and other sportscasters missed on that as well.

Geez. Half of the sour pusses on this site are that way because they have the big bad Bammer fan in their ear. Get a life and quit depending on college football to make you happy.

The offense had a down year. Doesn't mean they forgot how to coach. The went to the Ship with a guy that is now a DB in the NFL. They got the BEST out of that kid and he gave AU his best. It is what it is. There will NEVER be another Cam at AU. Cam wasn't perfect. We just found ways to get it done and other guys stepped up from time to time as well. This is a down year for the SEC as a whole. Not just AU. Take it all with a grain of salt and step back from the ledge.

I think we all get flustered with the way the season went. I know I do. Enjoy life and quit depending on 20 year old kids to make us happy. I think most of us on here are married or have been. That means we are battle tested and shuld be ready for whatever any updouche can throw at us. I can say that cuz my wife is not on here.

WDE!!

[Malcolm_FleX48 1,877]

So, the Muschamp hire now appears to be a gamble that Auburn lost big on. Don't get me wrong, I was 100% on the Will Muschamp bandwagon last year. Like most everyone else, I was drunk on the thought that with a little help on defense, Auburn was a serious contender to win a national championship. Gus had himself, JJ and CWM convinced that Jeremy Johnson & Co. had the pieces together to bring home the hardware if Muschamp could help the defense only marginally. We swung for the fences, and now it appears that we've missed.

It also appears that Auburn took on all the risk. Clearly, Will Muschamp didn't need to build a great defense, or spend 3 years removed from Florida to get another good HC offer. I think Will did a good job this past year. I still love the guy, and I can't blame him for leaving. However, Auburn is now going to enter its third season in a row with a different D.C. What to show for it? The Birmingham Bowl, uncertainty and instability. That's not to say its all lost. I do believe that Will was at least beginning to change the defensive culture at Auburn. He recruited some fine young players. There are positives to build on. Yet, I would trade all of those for stability at this point. I hope that this next hire/promotion is made with stability in mind.

Its hard for me to blame Gus or Jay Jacobs for hiring Will Muschamp, given what they believed at this time last year. After all, if Jeremy Johnson would have panned out, and Duke Williams would have stepped into his anticipated role, Auburn very well could be having its own "pizza party" today. But, that's not how it turned out. Now, I can't help but feel foolish for believing hiring Muschamp was the best hire Auburn could make. We all convinced ourselves that Will would never leave after just one year, and that no program worth its salt would risk hiring him so soon. Now we know.

I just hope that the next hire Auburn makes is made with the long-run in mind. I hope its a decision that is made wisely and quickly. If not, the positives that Muschamp did leave behind might not count for much. We can't afford to remain stagnate on the defensive side of the ball, and we certainly can't afford to hang our hat on another quick fix.

Agree with almost all of this, Barnacle. My problem is that the one hire who would've been both stable in the short term and a long-term prospect was TRob.

T-Rob has hitched his wagon to CWM. He'll either succeed with him or drown with him.

That works best for him...already knows the system and will have CWM doing the serious work about scheme and recruiting.

As for the stability or continuity....is it beyond reason that when Gus is looking for a DC he tells the guy..

.this is what we ran this year, the kids know it and we don't want to start over with something new. Your job is to take that same defensive scheme and make it work for our players.

Depending on who he finds, yes. Coaches unfortunately are like artists, trained in a specific form of art. Asking one to come in and modify his defense significantly, the one that he came up learning, and was trained in or developed is almost an insult for some. They'd scoff at the job offer because it is impossible. That's at least with a lot of the best coordinators. Some will change small concepts or roles, but if they have to do major alterations, then it's a no go. Now, take someone who possibly runs a similar scheme and you might be able to, though that would have been T-Rob's niche as well as advantage. Now we've got to run the gamut and see what we can get. Heck, might end up with another 4-2-5 Nickel Base D. I'd hope not, but could be the direction to go in with our current personnel and it's growing popularity.

And then there are the Packages and Sub-Packages to get into, which Coach Muschamp's defense was LADEN with. Gotta relearn all of those as well as checks and alerts.

[AU64 10,122]

Thanks AA ...was doing about 75 and could not read the details. Nice to see that Gus is still in the national spotlight. From some of the comments on this board, I think he is suffering from the old problem of a prophet not being respected in his home town.

[AUbritt 611]

Yep. Which is one of the reasons I wanted TRob. There aar other teasons, tto.

[rebdawg 5]

Is Bud Foster available? Or did he re-up with Va. Tech after Fuente was hired?

[wareagleguy 1,397]

Yep. Which is one of the reasons I wanted TRob. There aar other teasons, tto.

Still hitting that vodka?!

[AUbritt 611]

Yep. Which is one of the reasons I wanted TRob. There aar other teasons, tto.

Still hitting that vodka?!

Nope, jjus typing on phone. HAHAHA.

[doc4aday 1,887]

As we all know by now, we are looking for a DC that can come in and get our guys playing tough defense and are able to read and react when needed. I have always been a big fan of a defense that has just the right amount of aggressiveness but is still able to keep a clear head and react to what is coming down with the play at hand.

We need a defensive staff that is 110% on board with what the DC expects and demands from his coaches and his players.

[ausburn 159]

Yep. Which is one of the reasons I wanted TRob. There aar other teasons, tto.

Still hitting that vodka?!

He is slurring his typing......

[WarEagle1983 2,190]

Several people in here have argued that lack of talent at quarterback is our problem. Those of you in that camp, think about the following:

1. Who teaches the quarterbacks?... Lashlee

2. Who recruits and scouts quarterbacks? Members of the coaching staff.

3. Who has the job of doing whatever necessary in play calling to make a quarterback efficient? Lashlee

4. Malzahn and lashlee were convinced that JJ was going to be the next big thing at quarterback. Gus said similar things about Frazier after he left for ASU.

5. We pretty clearly had issues at wr as well, and our defense was inconsistent especially early in the year.

Basically, there is a disconnect somewhere. We are bringing in high rated recruiting classes every year, and there is no way that all of those recruits are busts by luck alone. Either our coaches are awful at scouting, awful at developing, awful at teaching players to execute, or some combination of those. That's why coaching changes are needed. We need to address whatever is lacking in this team.

#4 is what really concerns me about Gus. Of course we know coaches must be confident in their QB but Gus was VERY high on Frazier and JJ being big time QB and both were huge flops. That makes me question his evaluation of QBs. When the lights came on they both looked scared and lost.

KF was trying to run an offense different from what he was recruited for. He also got his brains bashed in from a leaky offensive line.

I don't deny that but he looked nothing like a D1 QB despite that. There were zero signs he could cut it in the SEC.

[NoALtiger 4,006]

Yep. Which is one of the reasons I wanted TRob. There aar other teasons, tto.

Still hitting that vodka?!

He is slurring his typing......

Been a long day, time to cut him off.

[AUbritt 611]

Yep. Which is one of the reasons I wanted TRob. There aar other teasons, tto.

Still hitting that vodka?!

He is slurring his typing......

No. Just can't type well on phone.

[wareagleguy 1,397]

Yep. Which is one of the reasons I wanted TRob. There aar other teasons, tto.

Still hitting that vodka?!

Nope, jjus typing on phone. HAHAHA.

Just checking, was going to call for an intervention if needed!

[around4ever 4,139]

Yep. Which is one of the reasons I wanted TRob. There aar other teasons, tto.

Still hitting that vodka?!

He is slurring his typing......

Been a long day, time to cut him off.

Good day for a few to calm the nerves.

[cole256 17,085]

There aren't too many people that could have succeeded in KF's situation

[doc4aday 1,887]

Bud Foster is an intriguing DC. I wonder if a nice chunk of change could lure him out of Blacksburg?

[kd4au 1,145]

Yep. Which is one of the reasons I wanted TRob. There aar other teasons, tto.

How do you feel about Lance Thompson for keeping stability?

[AUbritt 611]

Yep. Which is one of the reasons I wanted TRob. There aar other teasons, tto.

Still hitting that vodka?!

Nope, jjus typing on phone. HAHAHA.

Just checking, was going to call for an intervention if needed!

I'm cool. Got a bottle of wine today. Hahaha.

[WarEagle1983 2,190]

I am so over peeps blaming Gus over not seeing the JJ flop when over half you NFL scouts were praising him when he committed to AU, clamering for him to play over Nick because he couldn't hit the intermediate passes, and declaring him awesome because of the only half he played against Arkansas last year. ALOT of NFL and other sportscasters missed on that as well.

Geez. Half of the sour pusses on this site are that way because they have the big bad Bammer fan in their ear. Get a life and quit depending on college football to make you happy.

The offense had a down year. Doesn't mean they forgot how to coach. The went to the Ship with a guy that is now a DB in the NFL. They got the BEST out of that kid and he gave AU his best. It is what it is. There will NEVER be another Cam at AU. Cam wasn't perfect. We just found ways to get it done and other guys stepped up from time to time as well. This is a down year for the SEC as a whole. Not just AU. Take it all with a grain of salt and step back from the ledge.

I think we all get flustered with the way the season went. I know I do. Enjoy life and quit depending on 20 year old kids to make us happy. I think most of us on here are married or have been. That means we are battle tested and shuld be ready for whatever any updouche can throw at us. I can say that cuz my wife is not on here.

WDE!!

I don't blame Gus for not knowing JJ was a flop. I blame him for not having a sound backup plan in case JJ was a flop. Also, the lack of adjustments when it came to play calling with Sean. I don't want Gus fired but he has some serious evaluation to do with his offense. Very good coaches can make adjustments quickly. Out of 4 of the teams in the playoffs...2 may be top tier. We don't need an elite QB but coaches have to put them in good positions and i didn't see those adjustments made. Hopefully this was a big learning experience for Gus and from a recruiting perspective it does look like Gus is making changes in how he's looking at the QB position for us.