To the Auburn Family.....

by Todd92 on Oct 26, 2009 12:38 PM CDT Comment 16 comments

now is the time for patience and unity. Not a time for calling for the benching of players or firing of coaches. What we are seeing is not a repeat of last season so don't even go there. Last season the team was divided and seriously so. This season the team has unity and is on the same page. Two totally different scenarios. It's very predictable, as soon as the offense sputters and becomes and stagnant, people start calling for QB changes as if thats always the problem. Did Todd hold on to the ball too long a few times in Baton Rouge? Absolutely. Did he try to force the ball into coverage a couple of times? Yep no doubt about it. Does he need to be benched? Not a chance. The problems on offense are more than one persons play. The offensive line has been blown up consistantly in pass protection the past three weeks. Penalties have killed drives. Backs in the backfield have failed to pick up the blitz (repeatedly). Recievers have failed to gain seperation and get open. Show me one player that has not made a mistake or not failed to execute his assignment on offense at least a few times each game in the 3 games. You can't do it......if you think you can then you either don't know what the hell you are talking about or you haven't watched the games. This is a team effort (or lack of)and team losses. And, furthermore, if those mistakes across the board are not corrected or correctable then it doesn't matter if we somehow manage to get the second coming of Peyton Manning in at QB then we are just as doomed as we have been the past 3 weeks.

As for the calling for coaches heads......please if you're going to act like an idiot Bama fan just do it in private and keep it to yourself. We are paper thin on Defense no doubt about it and as far as the defense is concerned that is one area that I have the utmost confidence in the coaching. We have one of the best defensive minds in the country as a Head Coach and I have complete faith he understands the deficiencies and reasons why the defense is struggling. If it truly is or was Roofs tactics or coaching I also have every confidence that he would handle the situation by either taking over the defense or making what ever change that would be needed. Now is not the time to be calling for coaching changes and it only serves to make the program look worse in the eyes of outsiders.

Everyone who is a regular on this board knows that I predicted a worse case scenario of 7-5 and a best case scenario of 10-2 prior to the season. I had more optimism than most AU fans coming into this season and I feel like it was for good reason......and I still think we have a good chance of 7-5 or better with something other than the Papa Johns Birmingham trip to look forward to. But to divide as a fanbase at this time or to fail to support your coaching staff and team is counter productive and useless at this point. The time for making coaching changes are after the season and I have a hard time even seeing it happen this season even if we go 6-6 and fail to beat another SEC opponent. Chizik and staff will get at least two more years and most likely 3 more considering the depth problems that we know are prevalent and the fact that Malzahn needs at least another couple of recruiting classes to get the right kind of talent for his system. In short be patient and don't air our families dirty laundry out for everyone to see.

WAR DAMN EAGLE!

AUBURN MAN FOR LIFE!

TODD92

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I agree, Todd. What bothers me a lot is that our players and Auburn fans have to take the sniping from Bama fans as a matter of course. But when we have to hear it from the so-called faithful, then I get mad. Our players read these blogs. The critics have no vested interest in whether our team does well this year, or next year.

But we do. We must keep morale going and stand behind our players. Recruits look at how the fanbase reacts at the first sign of trouble. Would they want to take that kind of friendly fire? Would you?

I’m reminded of an old song by Eric Burden and the Animals. Don’t Bring Me Down

When you complain and criticize
I feel I’m nothing in your eyes
It makes me feel like giving up
Because my best just ain’t good enough
Girl, I want to provide for you

And do all the things that you want me to, but

Oh! Oh no, don’t bring me down
I’m beggin’ you darlin’
Oh! Oh no, don’t bring me down

Sacrifices, I will make
I’m ready to give as well as take
One thing I need is your respect
One thing I can’t take is your neglect
More than anything, I need your love
Then troubles are easy to rise above

Oh! Oh no, don’t bring me down
Oh, no no no no no
Oh! Oh no, don’t bring me down

by KungFuPanda9 on Oct 26, 2009 1:06 PM CDT reply actions

One of my favorite Animals tunes.....

penned by Carole King and Geffrey Goffin before she found fame as a solo artist. If they don’t like Eric Burden and the Animals then they just aren’t cool in my book.

I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU

by Todd92 on Oct 26, 2009 1:20 PM CDT up reply actions

I doubt anybody will read it

but just because we may want to try something else, that doesn’t mean we’re not Auburn Family. I think I gave a pretty good explanation to the other side of the coin.

by Sparkey on Oct 26, 2009 1:38 PM CDT up reply actions

I'm not calling for anyone's head.

I realize these will be tough times, and I still support Auburn through and through. However, I don’t think it’s wrong for us to want Caudle and others to get some more playing time. I have said maybe some bench time to look at things at a different angle might help Chris Todd out. Recruits should definitely be looking at Auburn right now as they’ll certainly get put on the field. Furthermore, what makes you guys so much better for criticizing everyone but Todd and the coaching staff? Sitting there with the high and mighty Robespierre attitude is not a plausible argument. To the ones just screaming nonsense, nobody should pay attention to them anyway.

I’m sick of people calling us uneducated about football because we’d like Caudle to get some playing time in for the rest of the season. Todd will not be playing next year. I’m not sure what’s wrong with the guy, but his accuracy is shot. Plus, our receivers haven’t all of a sudden gotten bad like the aristocratic die-hard Todd fans seem to be claiming. Obviously, you guys have the same staunch support like fanatic zealots who will not listen to any other sensible statements. He’s a good kid, but he isn’t getting the job done and nobody including him knows what’s going on at the moment. If, he’s the best we got then we don’t have very much at all next year in regards to the quarterback position.

What you people are saying, and I do mean YOU PEOPLE , is an argument about supporting Chris Todd no matter what. What we have here is a failure to communicate. Myself and few others are simply stating that we would like Caudle and others to get some experience for next year. Call it luck or whatever else, but McNabb certainly benefited from being benched by Andy Reid. Hell, some rest might do Todd some good so he can heal that arm up and get his confidence back. No doubt about it, he’s in a definite slump. All we’re saying, please start planning for next year so you don’t have fresh new green faces, especially at quarterback that have never played before their first game next year. I don’t think we have a knight in shinning armor, but I’d like the squires to get some more practice during a real battle.

Todd seems depressed, nervous, and like he’s trying to hit a home run every pass. He wants everything to be perfect. He’s out thinking himself from what I can tell. I think he might want to follow the idea of KISS. With all of that said, STOP vilifying those of us who want to see something a little different for a little while and we want to start planning for next season. I’m willing to take the beatings. I don’t mind that as painful as they might be if they are serving a purpose. Furthermore, the desired change does not mean we’ve dropped our loyalty. I support these guys through and through. I just think that sometimes you have to plan for the future. I fully expect the retorts that I’m not really an Auburn guy and all of that, but whatever. I’ll be there Saturday how many of you will be that are claiming I’m not an Auburn guy? How many of you have actually been to some of the games?? Think before you pass judgement on us, we may just disagree.

The Animals are awesome, but House of the Rising Sun is my favorite one of their songs, though that one was definitely good.

by Sparkey on Oct 26, 2009 1:35 PM CDT reply actions

Sparkey.....

did I mention you by name in my post? Fanatic Zealots? Aristocratic? Come on dude get a grip. And yes I recognize Todd’s shortcomings but to blindly say that he is the problem is just plain wrong……..he is having the same type problems that Brandon Cox was having in early 2007. The fans started calling for Cox’s head and for Kodi to start and Tuberville caved to fan pressure (one of the few times I was dissappointed in how Tubb’s handled a situation) only for everyone to realize after the problem was more in the O-line and the lack of a running game and it was making Cox feel like he had to do to win the game. Until we stop the misfires in other facets of the offense any “experience” you put on Caudle, Rollison, whomever….is bad experience much like Kodi in the ‘07 MSU start. I haven’t passed judgment on anyone but merely pointed out the inneffectiveness and bad light that dissention among the AU faithful has on outsiders including recruits and that the calling for Coaches to be fired is not only fruitless but counterproductive to the good of the program. Even if Chizik & Co. turns out to be the second coming of Barfield Auburn will be better off in the long run with the support of its fanbase. Anyone old enough to remember the fractioning of the fanbase in the last of the Jordan era and through the Barfield era can tell you how bad that can be. Hell we have existed with Lowders emperial regime for the past 26+ years because of it. And as for planning for the future…….this all ties into planning for the future. We need unity and support for the program now more than ever to insure a better future.

I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU

by Todd92 on Oct 26, 2009 1:56 PM CDT up reply actions

I never said he is the only problem...

I’m just saying we might want to try some other tactics.

by Sparkey on Oct 26, 2009 2:03 PM CDT up reply actions

Sparkey......

look I’m all for trying other tactics but my faith has to be in the coaching staff and their decisions.

I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU

by Todd92 on Oct 26, 2009 2:06 PM CDT up reply actions

Well put sparkey...

That was a very well thoughtout response sparkey. Chopped full of reasons and future ideas. If they(the coaches) did in fact think that Caudle should get a chance to play then i would be all behind that idea, but if they don’t put him in then why is that such an inexcusable offence to you? It would be obvious to me that they still feel like Todd gives Auburn the best chance to win. A judgement that i have to trust considering they have seen alot more of the 2 than ANYONE else. And surely its your right to complain and offer your opinions for a better result, and who knows you could be right, but considering that we are just watching from the sidelines and don’t actually see everything involved with the coaches decisions on personnel isn’t it prudent to trust in their judgement?

I think thats all we are saying here…

by Paratiger on Oct 26, 2009 2:05 PM CDT up reply actions

I'm behind the coaches

But, I’m just saying that a differing opinion isn’t necessarily so wrong. Though, the ideas of firing a coach at this juncture are idiotic. A mistake I was making earlier myself. I’m willing to lose, I just would like to get better.

by Sparkey on Oct 26, 2009 2:09 PM CDT up reply actions

So would we all....

But i think at this point in the PROGRAM, not season, our support is the most important thing for Auburn football. NOt that offering your opinion is a bad thing. I think offering different views is what being an american is all about, And i wouldn’t strip anyone of that right. However with so many other problems (depth, 1st year…everything, etc., etc…) surrounding this football team patience should be our 1st priority at this point.

by Paratiger on Oct 26, 2009 2:14 PM CDT up reply actions

All I'm trying to say...

is that a different opinion doesn’t mean I’m not supporting the guys. I’ll be at the Ole Miss games. I’ve got my October Fest ready for the result afterward one way or the other.

by Sparkey on Oct 26, 2009 2:23 PM CDT up reply actions

Can't agree more with this post

I think we have to trust that our coaching staff knows who can run this offense best right now. Backups always look better when the starter struggles, that doesn’t mean it will actually solve anything and in this case I think it makes a lot worse.

I’ve already said that I don’t expect Caudle to be the future qb, that’s just my pure speculation. What I am sure about is that benching Todd, without giving him a shot to redeem himself somewhere other than Baton Rouge, could very well break this team’s spirit.

Benching Todd means we forfeit the rest of this season. It means we wait till next year to see this team win again. I don’t think this team wants to give up. The Auburn team from four weeks ago could mop the floor with Ole Miss. Now I’m not saying they can bounce back to the way they were, but this team knows if they can get back to executing, they can win this Saturday.

More than that, there is a team visiting for Thanksgiving that no one is giving us a chance in hell to beat. This team knows if we get back some of that early season mojo, we can shock that team, win something special.

Because, if we lose to Bama this year, we’ll be on our way to a different streak. And don’t expect that to look any better next, when we have to go to their home turf.

Bama is starting to lose steam. They nearly lost to a Tennessee team we beat handily. We shouldn’t give up the season yet. The coaches and players aren’t ready to and that’s because we can still turn this around, but we can only do with Todd.

One more game, I’m telling you there is a good chance we’ll see some improvement, not a complete turn around, but something to bring a little hope.

by flemico on Oct 26, 2009 11:59 PM CDT reply actions

I don't think Todd is all of the problem,or even most of the problem.

I just think that if we must struggle, then we should struggle with Caudle. Todd will not be here next year. Caudle needs to get some precious experience. I’d rather Caudle go out and make mistakes this year when it honestly isn’t going to matter than go out next year when we are reloaded a bit and needing strong leadership at that position.

Caudle may fold under pressuree like an accordion, I’d rather find out now than sometime in October 2010. Caudle may thrive in high pressure situations, we don’t know and we need to find out.

I’m a big Chris Todd fan, but at this point I think we need to focus on laying a foundation.

War Eagle

by WarEagle86 on Oct 27, 2009 5:36 PM CDT reply actions

Caudle & Burns had the inside track to win ...

… the QB job last spring when Todd was recovering from surgery — neither one was able to do so.

In the Fall Todd won the job in two weeks. I don’t believe I heard the coaching staff say if Caudle actually won the #2 slot over Rollison (on the practice field) or if he is in the #2 slot because of the (apparent plan) to red shirt Rollison this year if at all possible.

Now, the coaches are saying that Todd still gives AU the best chance to win. It’s been this way for 2 years. As inept as Todd looks at times, 2 coaching staffs have said it — even with a weak arm — he’s the best we had and the best we have.

Caudle will have another chance to win the job next spring. Maybe the 3rd time is the charm, stranger things have happened.

The fact that he’s not playing much now, is a pretty good indicator that the staff doesn’t think they’d be laying the foundation for the future giving him more P.T. going into ‘Amen Corner.’

by xotus on Oct 27, 2009 7:42 PM CDT up reply actions