Gus says: He will be more "Hands On" this spring

[StatTiger 3,188]

Love the Offense hate the play calling. Malzahn has been very fortunate to have been blessed with the Blessed One and a freak athlete for a QB and a once in a decade OT and 2 miracles direct from heaven to make up for a lot a bad play calling.

Wow... what a profound statement. I did not realize championship teams normally have great talent. You think Alabama sent a thank you card to Arkansas? If not for a "miracle directly sent from Heaven" (Backwards over the shoulder lateral that converted a 4th & 17 play) Ole Miss wins the west and the SECC. Alabama is not SEC champs and likely out of the playoffs.

[AU-24 3,128]

Love the Offense hate the play calling. Malzahn has been very fortunate to have been blessed with the Blessed One and a freak athlete for a QB and a once in a decade OT and 2 miracles direct from heaven to make up for a lot a bad play calling.

Wow... what a profound statement. I did not realize championship teams normally have great talent. You think Alabama sent a thank you card to Arkansas? If not for a "miracle directly sent from Heaven" (Backwards over the shoulder lateral that converted a 4th & 17 play) Ole Miss wins the west and the SECC. Alabama is not SEC champs and likely out of the playoffs.

Good point!

[amsterjam 107]

The Moo St. game drove me absolutely nuts. They were just selling out to stop Gus' tendencies and he still wouldn't change them. I'm no expert, but when I see their LBs run blitzing the gaps and slot WRs being totally ignored running wide open up the middle of the field on first downs at some point I would think someone would suggest we need to take what the D is giving us. I'm sure other teams were probably doing it some before then but Moo St was blatant and consistent. Two guys back for the deep ball, everyone else come up and sell out for the run up the gut and the bubble screen. Don't even bother to cover the middle of the field because that's not in our game plan and we ain't changing it.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

The Moo St. game drove me absolutely nuts. They were just selling out to stop Gus' tendencies and he still wouldn't change them. I'm no expert, but when I see their LBs run blitzing the gaps and slot WRs being totally ignored running wide open up the middle of the field on first downs at some point I would think someone would suggest we need to take what the D is giving us. I'm sure other teams were probably doing it some before then but Moo St was blatant and consistent. Two guys back for the deep ball, everyone else come up and sell out for the run up the gut and the bubble screen. Don't even bother to cover the middle of the field because that's not in our game plan and we ain't changing it.

Or, maybe Gus was afraid to let Sean, in his first start especially against SEC talent, get ahead of himself. I honestly can't say that I agree with him not opening the playbook up more for Sean in that game, but it could be that, in practice, Sean showed he wasn't ready for more. This whole "Gus sticks to his plan no matter what" thing is BS and it's getting old. Gus wants to win football games, not prove that he knows best.

[keesler 5,943]

Great post Stat!

We re-hash things over and over but you bring the FACTS.

Gus offensive play selections are stale and predictable ~ we are in a conference with some great defensive minds and they've figured it out.

Here's to Gus stepping outside the box and getting creative with this offense. Break the tendencies, utilize the talented skill players (TE/FB) in various ways and evolve this thing before we get chewed up by the competition.

[amsterjam 107]

The Moo St. game drove me absolutely nuts. They were just selling out to stop Gus' tendencies and he still wouldn't change them. I'm no expert, but when I see their LBs run blitzing the gaps and slot WRs being totally ignored running wide open up the middle of the field on first downs at some point I would think someone would suggest we need to take what the D is giving us. I'm sure other teams were probably doing it some before then but Moo St was blatant and consistent. Two guys back for the deep ball, everyone else come up and sell out for the run up the gut and the bubble screen. Don't even bother to cover the middle of the field because that's not in our game plan and we ain't changing it.

Or, maybe Gus was afraid to let Sean, in his first start especially against SEC talent, get ahead of himself. I honestly can't say that I agree with him not opening the playbook up more for Sean in that game, but it could be that, in practice, Sean showed he wasn't ready for more. This whole "Gus sticks to his plan no matter what" thing is BS and it's getting old. Gus wants to win football games, not prove that he knows best.

Take pressure off of Sean by having him run the zone read instead of throwing to wide open receivers 8 yards away? Moo St didn't have any of that practice footage of Sean supposedly not being able to hit unguarded receivers over the middle but you know what they did have? Footage of Gus' O running it up the gut 77% of the time on first down and either throwing the bubble screen or the deep ball to cover almost all of the remaining 23%. Years and years of it. If we have 2nd year QBs that can't hit WRs who aren't even covered then we need to reevaluate our recruiting process because I've seen multiple true freshmen absolutely wear our defense out.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

The Moo St. game drove me absolutely nuts. They were just selling out to stop Gus' tendencies and he still wouldn't change them. I'm no expert, but when I see their LBs run blitzing the gaps and slot WRs being totally ignored running wide open up the middle of the field on first downs at some point I would think someone would suggest we need to take what the D is giving us. I'm sure other teams were probably doing it some before then but Moo St was blatant and consistent. Two guys back for the deep ball, everyone else come up and sell out for the run up the gut and the bubble screen. Don't even bother to cover the middle of the field because that's not in our game plan and we ain't changing it.

Or, maybe Gus was afraid to let Sean, in his first start especially against SEC talent, get ahead of himself. I honestly can't say that I agree with him not opening the playbook up more for Sean in that game, but it could be that, in practice, Sean showed he wasn't ready for more. This whole "Gus sticks to his plan no matter what" thing is BS and it's getting old. Gus wants to win football games, not prove that he knows best.

Take pressure off of Sean by having him run the zone read instead of throwing to wide open receivers 8 yards away? Moo St didn't have any of that practice footage of Sean supposedly not being able to hit unguarded receivers over the middle but you know what they did have? Footage of Gus' O running it up the gut 77% of the time on first down and either throwing the bubble screen or the deep ball to cover almost all of the remaining 23%. Years and years of it. If we have 2nd year QBs that can't hit WRs who aren't even covered then we need to reevaluate our recruiting process because I've seen multiple true freshmen absolutely wear our defense out.

Take a breath and think about the fact that there is more to a play than being able to make the pass. Sean had 1 week practicing with the 1st team since the season started. Gus knew his backs had the plays down, and that Sean could definitely get them the ball, so he used the known commodity. Like I said before, I wished he had been less timid with Sean, but unless you or I are a ) qualified to coach a team and b ) seeing what is happening at practice, the logical thing to do is assume that there was a legitimate reason why he held Sean back in his first game. The illogical thing to do is is assume that a head coach with a 36-16 record, who has coached several of the most prolific offenses in college football, is going to not have his team do everything he believes they are capable of to win.

[StatTiger 3,188]

The Moo St. game drove me absolutely nuts. They were just selling out to stop Gus' tendencies and he still wouldn't change them. I'm no expert, but when I see their LBs run blitzing the gaps and slot WRs being totally ignored running wide open up the middle of the field on first downs at some point I would think someone would suggest we need to take what the D is giving us. I'm sure other teams were probably doing it some before then but Moo St was blatant and consistent. Two guys back for the deep ball, everyone else come up and sell out for the run up the gut and the bubble screen. Don't even bother to cover the middle of the field because that's not in our game plan and we ain't changing it.

Or, maybe Gus was afraid to let Sean, in his first start especially against SEC talent, get ahead of himself. I honestly can't say that I agree with him not opening the playbook up more for Sean in that game, but it could be that, in practice, Sean showed he wasn't ready for more. This whole "Gus sticks to his plan no matter what" thing is BS and it's getting old. Gus wants to win football games, not prove that he knows best.

Take pressure off of Sean by having him run the zone read instead of throwing to wide open receivers 8 yards away? Moo St didn't have any of that practice footage of Sean supposedly not being able to hit unguarded receivers over the middle but you know what they did have? Footage of Gus' O running it up the gut 77% of the time on first down and either throwing the bubble screen or the deep ball to cover almost all of the remaining 23%. Years and years of it. If we have 2nd year QBs that can't hit WRs who aren't even covered then we need to reevaluate our recruiting process because I've seen multiple true freshmen absolutely wear our defense out.

Take a breath and think about the fact that there is more to a play than being able to make the pass. Sean had 1 week practicing with the 1st team since the season started. Gus knew his backs had the plays down, and that Sean could definitely get them the ball, so he used the known commodity. Like I said before, I wished he had been less timid with Sean, but unless you or I are a ) qualified to coach a team and b ) seeing what is happening at practice, the logical thing to do is assume that there was a legitimate reason why he held Sean back in his first game. The illogical thing to do is is assume that a head coach with a 36-16 record, who has coached several of the most prolific offenses in college football, is going to not have his team do everything he believes they are capable of to win.

The opening drive was great until White made a horrible decision tossing a pick inside the red zone. I am sure Malzahn became reluctant in opening up the offense after that. Auburn gained 296 yds during 1st 6 possessions.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

The opening drive was great until White made a horrible decision tossing a pick inside the red zone. I am sure Malzahn became reluctant in opening up the offense after that. Auburn gained 296 yds during 1st 6 possessions.

Hopefully Gus has learned a lot about handing a QB who throws more pics than they should, over the past year. I don't think he's ever faced that before.

[amsterjam 107]

The Moo St. game drove me absolutely nuts. They were just selling out to stop Gus' tendencies and he still wouldn't change them. I'm no expert, but when I see their LBs run blitzing the gaps and slot WRs being totally ignored running wide open up the middle of the field on first downs at some point I would think someone would suggest we need to take what the D is giving us. I'm sure other teams were probably doing it some before then but Moo St was blatant and consistent. Two guys back for the deep ball, everyone else come up and sell out for the run up the gut and the bubble screen. Don't even bother to cover the middle of the field because that's not in our game plan and we ain't changing it.

Or, maybe Gus was afraid to let Sean, in his first start especially against SEC talent, get ahead of himself. I honestly can't say that I agree with him not opening the playbook up more for Sean in that game, but it could be that, in practice, Sean showed he wasn't ready for more. This whole "Gus sticks to his plan no matter what" thing is BS and it's getting old. Gus wants to win football games, not prove that he knows best.

Take pressure off of Sean by having him run the zone read instead of throwing to wide open receivers 8 yards away? Moo St didn't have any of that practice footage of Sean supposedly not being able to hit unguarded receivers over the middle but you know what they did have? Footage of Gus' O running it up the gut 77% of the time on first down and either throwing the bubble screen or the deep ball to cover almost all of the remaining 23%. Years and years of it. If we have 2nd year QBs that can't hit WRs who aren't even covered then we need to reevaluate our recruiting process because I've seen multiple true freshmen absolutely wear our defense out.

Take a breath and think about the fact that there is more to a play than being able to make the pass. Sean had 1 week practicing with the 1st team since the season started. Gus knew his backs had the plays down, and that Sean could definitely get them the ball, so he used the known commodity. Like I said before, I wished he had been less timid with Sean, but unless you or I are a ) qualified to coach a team and b ) seeing what is happening at practice, the logical thing to do is assume that there was a legitimate reason why he held Sean back in his first game. The illogical thing to do is is assume that a head coach with a 36-16 record, who has coached several of the most prolific offenses in college football, is going to not have his team do everything he believes they are capable of to win.

All valid points but do you not find it bizarre that WRs can consistently be left uncovered with no consequences at the SEC level? I have just never noticed it done so blatantly in any college game and I've been watching AU religiously for over 30 years.

[alexava 6,974]

The Moo St. game drove me absolutely nuts. They were just selling out to stop Gus' tendencies and he still wouldn't change them. I'm no expert, but when I see their LBs run blitzing the gaps and slot WRs being totally ignored running wide open up the middle of the field on first downs at some point I would think someone would suggest we need to take what the D is giving us. I'm sure other teams were probably doing it some before then but Moo St was blatant and consistent. Two guys back for the deep ball, everyone else come up and sell out for the run up the gut and the bubble screen. Don't even bother to cover the middle of the field because that's not in our game plan and we ain't changing it.

Or, maybe Gus was afraid to let Sean, in his first start especially against SEC talent, get ahead of himself. I honestly can't say that I agree with him not opening the playbook up more for Sean in that game, but it could be that, in practice, Sean showed he wasn't ready for more. This whole "Gus sticks to his plan no matter what" thing is BS and it's getting old. Gus wants to win football games, not prove that he knows best.

Take pressure off of Sean by having him run the zone read instead of throwing to wide open receivers 8 yards away? Moo St didn't have any of that practice footage of Sean supposedly not being able to hit unguarded receivers over the middle but you know what they did have? Footage of Gus' O running it up the gut 77% of the time on first down and either throwing the bubble screen or the deep ball to cover almost all of the remaining 23%. Years and years of it. If we have 2nd year QBs that can't hit WRs who aren't even covered then we need to reevaluate our recruiting process because I've seen multiple true freshmen absolutely wear our defense out.

Take a breath and think about the fact that there is more to a play than being able to make the pass. Sean had 1 week practicing with the 1st team since the season started. Gus knew his backs had the plays down, and that Sean could definitely get them the ball, so he used the known commodity. Like I said before, I wished he had been less timid with Sean, but unless you or I are a ) qualified to coach a team and b ) seeing what is happening at practice, the logical thing to do is assume that there was a legitimate reason why he held Sean back in his first game. The illogical thing to do is is assume that a head coach with a 36-16 record, who has coached several of the most prolific offenses in college football, is going to not have his team do everything he believes they are capable of to win.

The opening drive was great until White made a horrible decision tossing a pick inside the red zone. I am sure Malzahn became reluctant in opening up the offense after that. Auburn gained 296 yds during 1st 6 possessions.

It was all about confidence (or lack of) in the qb the whole season. why he didn't have the qbs ready i don't know. but that is what kept the play calling stale and certainly what took the passing game away from the middle of the field. I don't think gus wants to be "stubborn". He was stuck there. It is more a result of player development (maybe his fault , maybe just bad luck) than the offense he planned and called.

[keesler 5,943]

It's bizzare indeed. And i'm sure lionheartkc will have may rebuttals and defense mechanisms for what I'm about to post, he's been working overtime defend Gus but....

The lack of WR development is a problem and has been Gus' entire career. His passing schemes are high school caliber, I see it on my son's HS team.....the same routes, patterns, and the way they utilize their WRs on a HS team.

In practice Gus has used his WRs for blocking so much that they can't catch. Gus has been coaching college ball for 10 years now, how many WRs does he have in the NFL that are doing anything? (Don't mention Sammy, he got drafted strictly off measurables not because of anything Gus' offense did for him.)

[lionheartkc 6,150]

All valid points but do you not find it bizarre that WRs can consistently be left uncovered with no consequences at the SEC level? I have just never noticed it done so blatantly in any college game and I've been watching AU religiously for over 30 years.

There would have been consequences in the Arkansas game, once Gus opened the playbook... but those open wide receivers kept dropping the ball.

As for MSU, all I can say is that Sean must not have had the playbook down yet, or Gus clinched up after that first INT. I'm absolutely certain it wasn't a case of Gus being determined to run it come hell or high water. He thought that was our best shot to win with what he had available to him, and considering that he's been doing this quite successfully for a lot of years, I'm not going to definitively say he was wrong. It could very well be that if Sean had tried to go to those receivers, we would have had 2-3 more INTs. Who knows... maybe part of the reason Jeremy struggled was because our receivers constantly screwed up their routes. There's no way for us to know for certain.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

It's bizzare indeed. And i'm sure lionheartkc will have may rebuttals and defense mechanisms for what I'm about to post, he's been working overtime defend Gus but....

The lack of WR development is a problem and has been Gus' entire career. His passing schemes are high school caliber, I see it on my son's HS team.....the same routes, patterns, and the way they utilize their WRs on a HS team.

In practice Gus has used his WRs for blocking so much that they can't catch. Gus has been coaching college ball for 10 years now, how many WRs does he have in the NFL that are doing anything? (Don't mention Sammy, he got drafted strictly off measurables not because of anything Gus' offense did for him.)

No arguments at all on your point. I'm not trying to defend Gus, just apply logic to the conversation. As I told E in another thread, I'm far more inclined to believe someone who has been doing something professionally, successfully, for many years than I am a bunch of people who like to talk about what that person does. In any case, it's been documented that our receivers run very simple routes and are not given the freedom to adjust those routes based on the defense. It's actually kind of funny, considering that Gus was a wide receiver when he played. Who knows... maybe Kodi will bring a change on that front... I doubt it, since he learned under Gus, but maybe.

The only thing I will defend is the downfield blocking that he's been trying to teach them. Without stellar wide receiver blocking in 2010, we wouldn't have a crystal trophy in our case. Good wide receiver blocking from other teams has also hurt us badly in the past couple of years.

Honestly, I think the biggest issue with our receivers has been recruiting. We hadn't had a good receiver recruiting class since Tubberville. I hope we fixed that this round.

[StatTiger 3,188]

The lack of WR development is a problem and has been Gus' entire career.

Gee... I wonder how he was able to have a top-25 pass-efficiency offense in 7 of his 10 seasons at the collegiate level.

[alexava 6,974]

The lack of WR development is a problem and has been Gus' entire career.

Gee... I wonder how he was able to have a top-25 pass-efficiency offense in 7 of his 10 seasons at the collegiate level.

thx

[SumterAubie 3,075]

The lack of WR development is a problem and has been Gus' entire career.

Gee... I wonder how he was able to have a top-25 pass-efficiency offense in 7 of his 10 seasons at the collegiate level.

Dadgummit StatTiger. Leave the facts out of these threads.

[AuburnSpider 2]

Say what you will and spin if Anyway you wanna spin it the play calling has SUCKED for far too long. He's got 5 months to get his head out of his 150000 dollar sportscar. Hopefully we will see the old play caller and Auburn will be returned to its rightful place of respect. If not he will be gone.

[StatTiger 3,188]

Say what you will and spin if Anyway you wanna spin it the play calling has SUCKED for far too long. He's got 5 months to get his head out of his 150000 dollar sportscar. Hopefully we will see the old play caller and Auburn will be returned to its rightful place of respect. If not he will be gone.

If you are referring to me, what is the spin? Everything I have posted is actual history and facts regarding Auburn's national rankings.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

Say what you will and spin if Anyway you wanna spin it the play calling has SUCKED for far too long. He's got 5 months to get his head out of his 150000 dollar sportscar. Hopefully we will see the old play caller and Auburn will be returned to its rightful place of respect. If not he will be gone.

If you are referring to me, what is the spin? Everything I have posted is actual history and facts regarding Auburn's national rankings.

Ignore Spider... you could hand him a check for $999,999 and all he'd talk about is how it's $1 short of a million.

[amsterjam 107]

All valid points but do you not find it bizarre that WRs can consistently be left uncovered with no consequences at the SEC level? I have just never noticed it done so blatantly in any college game and I've been watching AU religiously for over 30 years.

There would have been consequences in the Arkansas game, once Gus opened the playbook... but those open wide receivers kept dropping the ball.

As for MSU, all I can say is that Sean must not have had the playbook down yet, or Gus clinched up after that first INT. I'm absolutely certain it wasn't a case of Gus being determined to run it come hell or high water. He thought that was our best shot to win with what he had available to him, and considering that he's been doing this quite successfully for a lot of years, I'm not going to definitively say he was wrong. It could very well be that if Sean had tried to go to those receivers, we would have had 2-3 more INTs. Who knows... maybe part of the reason Jeremy struggled was because our receivers constantly screwed up their routes. There's no way for us to know for certain.

Now you seem to be putting words into my mouth. When did I imply Gus being determined to run it come hell or high water? All I said was that during the MSU game we had unguarded receivers running free and failed to change our game plan to capitalize on it and it cost us the game. I never stated or implied any reason for it. Just that it happened. Whatever the reason if you are the HC it falls on you. Especially if you also hand picked every QB on the team.

[NorthGATiger 1,801]

What purpose does Rhett serve if he wasn't hired to run an offense at AU?

Being a Head Coach of a program he size and caliber of Auburn is a huge undertaking for anyone considering the programs we go up against every Saturday in the Fall. The day to day/week to week responsibilities of the HC at a place like AU are tremendous I'm sure.

I hope Gus is organized to the point of being OCD, especially if he's having to implement, and devise an evolved and productive offensive scheme in addition to his other many HC duties. I wish he had an OC that he could rely on to carry out his plan. But if he has to do his job + Rhett's then he will be spread pretty dang thin.

The man can't run a different play after getting a first down and going to the hurry up. VERY STUBBORN AND VERY TELLING OF WHY GUS IS WHERE HE IS TODAY. You would think after all this time he could come up with a few plays in each weekly gameplan to run after gaining a first down and going to the hurry up. NOPE we are going to trick the D by running up the middle. Its like the Wildcat formation under Gus. If all you ever do is run out of it then you are not fooling anyone. The man is not going to self evaluate. He has ran off many good coaches who tried to help him self evaluate.

[WarTim 3,524]

The lack of WR development is a problem and has been Gus' entire career.

Gee... I wonder how he was able to have a top-25 pass-efficiency offense in 7 of his 10 seasons at the collegiate level.

I laughed loudly.

[TheBlueVue 177]

"The man is not going to self evaluate.

Not sure Im buying this. What was the purpose of meeting with Art Briles? I'll with hold judgement of what Gus is going to do until I see his '16 Offense and can compare it to what he's done in the past. i agree wholeheartedly the run up the middle on quick count 1st down plays is stale as hayul.

[StatTiger 3,188]

"The man is not going to self evaluate.

Not sure Im buying this. What was the purpose of meeting with Art Briles? I'll with hold judgement of what Gus is going to do until I see his '16 Offense and can compare it to what he's done in the past. i agree wholeheartedly the run up the middle on quick count 1st down plays is stale as hayul.

Some choose to focus on the bad more than the good. Here is something to consider moving forward. I evaluate offenses based on the following categories:

1) 1st downs per game

2) Rushing yards per game

3) Pass efficiency

4) Total Offense (Yards per game)

5) Points per game

6) 3rd down Pct

7) Impact play ratio

8) Yards per play on 1st down

9) Red Zone TD Pct

10) Yards to point ratio

Here are Malzahn's average national rankings for the above categories by season:

2006: 30th

2007: 12th

2008: 5th

2009: 29th

2010: 9th

2011: 71st

2012: 25th

2013: 16th

2014: 23rd

2015: 72nd

This equates to eight top-30 seasons and six top-25 finishes. 2011 and 2015 stick out the most and the moment he has two of those seasons back-to-back is when I will truly stress over his coaching abilities. His three worst seasons were seasons there was no solidified starter at QB in place. During the remaining seven seasons, the offense was very good with consistent QB play in place.