2009 Auburn Meltdown Eerily Familiar?
by War Eagle Atlanta on Oct 28, 2009 1:28 AM CDT
57 comments
Just thinking out loud here about the woes of a first-year coach and a possible tale of two coaches:
Both of their previous two year stints as a head coach left a losing record. They were both hired under tremendous controversy. Both placed a renewed emphasis on recruiting, with the first having his first recruiting class ranked nationally by Rivals, Scout and ESPN as 10th, 22nd and 17th, respectively, and the other, 9th, 16th and 25th. The first one started out with three straight wins, and midway through the season was 6-2, including 4-1 conference. The second started out with five straight wins, but dropped the next three, and was 5-3 midway, 2-3 conference.
Only an idiot would have made it this far and not realized we were comparing the opening seasons of Nick Saban at Alabama and Gene Chizik at Auburn. How close do they run? It's hard to tell yet since Chizik's inaugural run on the Plains isn't complete. Let there be no doubt that Auburn and it's fans are circling the wagons, trying their best to see this losing cycle end. But can it be as bad as the meltdown suffered by Saban and the Tide to end the 2007 season?
Alabama dropped their final four regular season games, including three conference, before pulling out a victory over Colorado in the WeedeaterBowl. They finished 4-4 in the SEC. We're at 2-3 now, with conference games against Ole Miss, Georgia and the Gumps. At the rate we're going, a 2-6 or 3-5 SEC mark is certainly a possibility. 4-4 would be considered virtually miraculous, as would a trip to Shreveport or Nashville. Slight Advantage--Tide.
Yet, we have FCS Furman looming on the schedule. Dropping that game would be about the worst thing that could happen and would defintely land us under Alabama in tanking our current coach's first season. Those were the sentiments in Tuscaloosa right before the Tide lost to Louisiana Monroe and their squad of LSU rejects. Something like that is enough to derail The Process completely. Something like that makes coaches invoke comparisons to 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. Something like that is MUCH worse than getting Croomed at home--unless you get Croomed in Starkville--right before said loss to other FBS state-of-Louisiana school. Advantage, pending a pummeling of the Paladins on the Plains--Auburn.
So what about a tale of two blogs? Readers at TET will note that we contributers and commenters have agonized over our recent failures and tried earnestly to scheme solutions, support our team, and critique ourselves in a most frank, gut-wrenching way. We endure some Bammer trolls who drop in to make snarky remarks, reveling in their team's recent successes and exhalting in our recent failures. How short their memories must be--about as short as their tenure in the blogosphere, which they probably came crawling into about halfway through the 2008 season. But where were they in 2007, all these big Tide supporters?
While the foundation of TET was still with Jay at Football Saturday in the South and the Auburn Fanhouse, SB sister blog Roll Bama Roll had been up for two whole years and running many threads about Saban's opening season. Most stories promulgated the hype surrounding his hiring and his early wins, but what happened when the losing started?
November 3rd, 2007: LSU 41, Alabama 34. The immediate post game writeup consisted of this (Sorry I'm printing the entire text. Please don't report me for copyright infringement. I would have posted just a blurb, but the whole thing was just a blurb.)
Oh well, what can I say? I could complain about the replay officials, but we really shouldn't have even been in that game. LSU is a good football team, and once again they did what good football teams do, pull themselves out of a whole by executing and simply beating the other man. My hat is off to them, and hopefully they will represent the SEC in the national title game. More tomorrow.
But the only thing that came tomorrow was Katharine McPhee.
November 10th, 2007: Miss State 17, Alabama 12. Immediate response? More McPhee. Croom got your tongue? Say some more, printed here:
We had more first downs. We had more passing first downs. We had more rushing first downs. We had more penalty first downs. We had more total yards. We had more offensive snaps. We gained more yards, per play, on average. We had more passing yards. We had more rushing yards. We averaged more rushing yards per play. We had fewer penalties. We had fewer penalty yards. We had fewer punts. We had longer punts. We gave up fewer sacks. And we lost.
November 17th, 2007:ULM 21, Alabama 14. Finally, some gut-check analysis. How many Auburn fans commented to rub it in on the worst loss in modern Alabama history? None. More McPhee pics than Barner trolls.
November 24th, 2007:Auburn 17, Alabama 10. The 4th loss in a row in one season, the 6th in a row to Tuberville and the Barn. Some substantive post-season analysis, but mainly just more of the same TMZ-style dribble.
So, who did the worse job of quitting that year, Alabama's team, coach, or their bloggers? You may not always agree with the content here at TET, but there is one thing that I can guarantee you: that we will always hang with our team even through the depths of despair. We won't desert you for Rachel Bilson or Katherine McPhee or Hank. We take pride in our successes yet air our dirty laundry publically for all to see. We analyze the good, the bad and the ugly on both sides of the ball, in the locker room and in the stands. We take our lumps and dish it back out in kind when it's warranted, but never forget our prime purpose--Auburn football.
While some fans of a certain school may relish in reveling our losses, they shouldn't forget just how long removed they are from a similar fading fate. How many will stick around again when times get lean? Probably not many for the school that pioneered the phrase Dirt Road Alumni. The Million Dollar Bandwagon doesn't run forever, especially when you score one TD in the last 10 quarters and rely on low-hanging fruit field goal blocks to win games. While we welcome all respectful fans to participate at our site, remember that schadenfruede is a German word that means two-way street. Don't get hit in a head-on on the strasse!
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Wow and Bama fans are given grief for living in (our) the past.
What is it when someone else does?
I live in the past and I'm better than you.
German translation
Sorry, “Schadenfruede” may BE a two-way street, but its meaning in German is a joining of two root words, “Schade” (misfortune, adversity) and “Fruede” (joy, happiness).
Interestingly enough, there are two distinctions in German, one is a private feeling felt but never mentioned, and the other is public derision or scorn.
The second is looked upon as dishonorable and crude in the extreme.
The first meaning of the word, which you mentioned,
is considered perfectly healthy by human psychologists. Apparently, if you cannot find a positive in the misfortune of those which you have considered your adversaries, then you’re not a healthy human being.
Red Cup Rebellion - Changing the Culture of Ole Miss Athletics
Take a picture, trick.
by The Ghost of Jay Cutler on Oct 28, 2009 9:31 AM CDT up reply actions
Ach so?
Es ist eine Metapher. Ich spreche Deutsch und wissen was es bedeutet.
Das ist alles.
by War Eagle Atlanta on Oct 28, 2009 10:08 AM CDT up reply actions
Oh mein Gott!
Du kannst Deutsch! So geil.
Red Cup Rebellion - Changing the Culture of Ole Miss Athletics
Take a picture, trick.
by The Ghost of Jay Cutler on Oct 28, 2009 10:50 AM CDT up reply actions
Dag yo.
So you’re really into languages, adept at electronic translators, or have some time in the military. Or all of the above.
You probably just said “Hey Ole Piss War Eagle” or something. That’s my guess at least.
Red Cup Rebellion - Changing the Culture of Ole Miss Athletics
Take a picture, trick.
by The Ghost of Jay Cutler on Oct 28, 2009 1:11 PM CDT up reply actions
The Chinese characters didn't print...
But it was Mandarin for: I use red cups as spittoons…
by War Eagle Atlanta on Oct 28, 2009 1:50 PM CDT up reply actions
It's interesting to see the reversal
TT danced in the streets whenever Bama lost, and now Jay and the boys can’t stand the laughter coming back their way.
Fumbles. It was always Fumbles
Fixed it for you...
Louisiana Monroe and their squad of LSU rejects.
Louisiana Monroe and their squad of LSU Louisiana Tech rejects.
Since LSU is joining in..what would you call the players from Sabans first year loss to UAB?
I live in the past and I'm better than you.
Thanks for using Alabama as a measuring stick for success!
It makes us feel even better about ourselves than we already do! :-D
After spending seven wondrous years in the state of Alabama, never in my life have I seen fans, who claim to be loyal to one team, spend more time AUbsessing over the other more so than they do their very own.
Okay.
I gotta tell you, I think you’re point is clear, but this really could have been a FANSHOT instead of an entire post. Does this mean you’re giving up for the rest of the year? One of those “even if we lose out we’re still no worse than you were when Saban arrived” type posts? Because if you haven’t given up on this year, then I would think you’d have better things to post about.
by HarveyBirdmanAAL on Oct 28, 2009 8:45 AM CDT reply actions
Interesting.....
That I completely understand your point. That it was well thought out, and very specific. Finally, that the SPUAT posters missed the point, the fact, and the rally cap call.
Interesting indeed.
WAR EAGLE!
"An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject"-Thomas Jefferson
Wow
the bammers are up early this morning.
With all due respect to mean Gene, he’s no Nick Saban.
"Jay Jacobs can't go to the bathroom without Bobby Lowder's permission" - Paul Finebaum
I wasn't rooting for Bama to lose any of those games except for the last one....
but don’t get me wrong I got my chuckles in when it happened (especially the ULM game and the sixth finger). It is not the pleasure that the bammers get from our loss that I find obnoxious……it’s the ever present arrogance that I can’t stand. Kind of like Sanfrantool12 not only do more Bammers troll over here than I have ever seen on RTR but he is one who comes here to tell us how we obsess over them…..it’s kind of like a girl who keeps telling you how pretty she is, not only do you quickly lose interest but eventually you can’t stand the girl (hmmmm I just compared Sanfrantool12 to a girl. I wonder….)
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
Metaphorically speaking ...
… I believe you could use a better metaphor.
“Meltdown” just doesn’t quite work. Meltdown is what happened at Chernobyl. Meltdown is what happened in the ‘China Syndrome’ movie.
Meltdown is not what happened to the Alabama football program in 2007. What happened at Alabama in 2007 is ‘The Process’ began to pull the ox out of the ditch. (metaphorically speaking, of course)
And, “meltdown” is certainly not what is happening to the Auburn football program in 2009.
Here’s a possible title for your next essay on the subject:
“I survived the great AU metastasis of 2004-2009” (metaphorically speaking, of course)
If that's the case ...
… then you may have a bone to pick, so to speak, with your ‘Headline Writer’ and your ‘Photocopy Editor’ for your essay’s meltdown.
Seriously?
Did you read what you wrote andthink, “This is ‘good’”? I think I see what you are trying to do, but come on man. It’s like you lost track of what you were trying to prove or disprove – I’m still not sure what you are doing here. You could’ve done a MUCH better job or maybe not… Research is your friend, btw.
Damn...
Guys lay off of War Eagle Atlanta. I’m not why you guys are trashing him so hard on this one. I think it’s a very astute observation.
When all ya got are lemons...
"Jay Jacobs can't go to the bathroom without Bobby Lowder's permission" - Paul Finebaum
make whiskey sour's
and party your ass off!
by AUKingOState on Oct 28, 2009 3:06 PM CDT up reply actions
As long as we're comparing
LSU beat you guys by a bigger margin than Alabama’s losses to Auburn, LSU, and Miss St. combined.
What you're seeing is team spirit. It's like the Holy Spirit, but more powerful.
-Hank Hill
Yes but we didn't lose to......
a school whose players showed up at the stadium in a yellow school bus a’la ULM.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
big question
Bama was able to pull in a great recruiting class despite first year woes
can Auburn keep up its recent recruiting surge even if the season takes a nose dive? There are some big names that are gunna be on board for the barn (5 star running backs), but getting the “complete class” might be more difficult with a rough season in the books
Terrence Cody eats your field goal!
Wrong regarding the recruiting classes:
“with the first having his first recruiting class ranked nationally by Rivals, Scout and ESPN as 10th, 22nd and 17th, respectively, and the other, 9th, 16th and 25th.” Wrong.
You’re right that Coach Saban’s first recruiting class, signed 2 months after his hire, was ranked 10th by Rivals. But if you want to compare apples to apples, you’d have to compare that with Coach Chizik’s from this past February (2009) as well, and it was ranked 19th by Rivals.
If you want to use Auburn’s current recruiting rankings to make this comparison, then you’d have to look at Coach Saban’s first full season of recruiting and first class that was 100% his, which was February of 2008 and ranked #1.
So, as far as Rivals rankings are concerned, it’s really 10 v. 19 and 9 v. 1. I’m not going to bother with the other services, but I’m sure it would be a comparable result.
And, don’t forget, Coach Saban’s 2nd season resulted in a 12-0 regular season and a trip to Atlanta and a BCS game (and a 2nd straight top-ranked recruiting class). Coach Chizik has a long way to go before you’re ready to really make this comparison.
And the recruiting difference is an important one,
since a relatively large number of true freshmen (and other first year players, like Terrance Cody) from 2008’s #1 ranked recruiting class were big contributors to the 12-2 season.
I think that you forget we're not really taking the first year of Chizik's recruiting
The guy got hired very close to recruiting time. The fact that he did bring in a top 20 recruiting class speaks volumes for the guy. Not to mention, the Auburn family went nuts over his hire, whereas Saban was the unanimous choice by the administration and the fans. So, I don’t think the guy’s doing a bad job at all, and next year I think the recruiting will go up again. In addition, Dyer and Seastrunk and Trovon Reed come along, you’ve got a top five recruiting class. Not bad I’d say.
No, I'm not forgetting that at all.
I was sitting in the Opryland Hotel in Nashville a couple of weeks before Christmas last year when I got the word via text message that AU had hired Gene Chizik. I believe Saban’s hire/introductory press conference at UA was in early January. So Saban got hired closer (by just a little bit) to Signing Day than Chizik.
I’m not saying Chizik is doing a “bad job” recruiting, but the whole purpose of this post seems to be to say that Chizik’s first year and Saban’s first year are very similar. One way is to compare recruiting, saying Saban’s 1st class was ranked 10th while Chizik’s is ranked 9th. That’s wrong.
Saban’s 1st class (which he had about a month to finalize) was ranked 10th. Chizik’s (which he also had roughly a month to finalize) was ranked 19th. Saban’s 1st full class was ranked 1st. Chizik’s MAY be heading towards a top 5-10 ranking. Like you say, it’s not BAD, but it’s not on a level with Saban, either, which is what the point of this post seemed to be.
I don’t disagree that Saban’s hire was met with more excitement. But Alabama didn’t do anything to stop Auburn from hiring whomever it wanted. Hiring Gene Chizik and now trying to make him out to be Nick Saban, however, is laughable, and that seems to be the assertion of the original post.
They are saying...
it’s similar situations. It’s not the two are the same, they’re just facing similar circumstances. Saban had proven himself. Chizik has miles to go before he can be considered a good coach. Since, he doesn’t have the perception as of yet, he’s got to work for it. It’s going to take longer for Chizik to fix things than it did Saban that’s a given. Saban was coming back from the NFL and had already won a college championship. Now, Chizik, on the other hand, was hired in the fiasco of lots of controversy. Chizik is doing all right, but we’ll see what happens. I am not sure he’s a top tier coach either. I think he as assembled great assistants outside of Lolley, but I think they’ll be really good. No, I’m not calling for Lolley’s head or anything, I just think that he’s not grade A material. In addition, Schula didn’t exactly leave Saban with an empty cupboard either. Yes, the freshmen made a difference, but there were some big time players already there. Chizik, on the other hand, is starting with basically nothing.
Its either amusing...or at least thought provoking how all things for auburn,
good or bad come back to the University of Alabama.
And yet, here you are, posting on an Auburn blog.
oh, the irony
by KungFuPanda9 on Oct 29, 2009 11:56 AM CDT up reply actions
That's too easy...
I was sent this link b/c (as usual) it was trying to take a shot at or compare to UA…and I may pop in here occasionaly when there is something concerning both teams…so don’t give me the holier than thou crap like the majority of TET doesn’t visit UA sites…so now back to my original point (see above).
C'mon, WEA...
You’ve always said that you are proud of your team no matter how they perform on the field, so why in the world would you start trying to make yourself (and others) feel better by comparing this season to another team’s? If you are truly proud of your team, then another team’s recruiting, SEC record, worst loss, losing streaks, and uniform color don’t matter. Especially when that comparison is drawn from the bitter rival. It just doesn’t make sense to me. Take the good with the bad, and damn anyone who is ignorant enough to forget recent history in the process of pointing out current woes.
Also, it makes you feel better that TET “sufficiently discusses” losses better than RBR? That makes no sense, WEA? Are you saying we are not committed to our team just because we don’t want to talk about a loss on the internet?
If that’s your thinking, then let’s take a look at that:
We both lost to Mississippi State that year, so let’s compare the amount of discussion put up for each loss. TET had two threads with 7 total posts to discuss the threads. RBR had three threads (here, here, and here) with a total of 15 posts to discuss the threads.
Concerning the LSU loss:
There was a very in depth follow up article written by OTS, not just “more McPhee” as you stated; along with 19 post to discuss the thread, along with the 30 posts that went along with the thread you made reference to. By the way, do you have a problem with pretty women? Just asking…
And what kind of discussion did TET have after their LSU loss that year? One thread with two contributing comments. ONE thread.
I could go on, but I think you see my point. If this is the litmus test for fans quitting on a team, then AU seemed to be in much worse shape than Bama in 2007.
Now for some clarity:
No, there were no AU fans coming over to RBR in that particular linked thread to rub in the worst loss in Bama history, but this thread was sure as hell put up in it’s stead. So is talking about someone behind their back better than talking about it to their face?
And as far as “hanging with the team through the depths of despair”, what about booing Brandon Cox with such a feel of unison that it could be clearly heard on national TV for all the world to hear, and then cheering when he got knocked out of a game with a concussion? What about calling for Tubs’ head last year, then wishing he was still here after this last losing streak? And calling for the firing of Ted Roof?
So does all this make you a bad fan or a bad group of fans? NO (except for the booing, that’s pretty bad)! You don’t want to be a fan of a losing team and therefore human nature takes over, so quit acting like Bama is horrible for acting like a bunch of fans who expect their team to be the best. We don’t want to talk about a loss (and obviously Barners don’t either), we want to beat the hell out of UT and AU, and we want to win National Championships every year. Yes, EVERY YEAR! That’s what anyone with pride would want.
And for God’s sake, don’t compare bad times with others’ bad times. Just because you can draw a comparison doesn’t make your current situation any better. And trying to belittle Bama’s season thus far by talking about how many TD’s we have in the last 138 minutes and having to block FG’s to win ballgames is a freakin’ reach, and you know it. I expect that kind of crap out of some writers on here, but that’s not you. Take your lumps, and hope for better days. Cheers!
"There's a lot of blood, sweat, and guts between dreams and success" - Coach Bryant
You must worry a lot about what Auburn fans think about you to post all that, with citations even.
by KungFuPanda9 on Oct 29, 2009 4:19 PM CDT up reply actions
Cut TopDaddy some slack.
He is usually respectfull and does not come here just to troll like some of the other bama fans (best examples being SanFranTool and littlesistersyndrome). While I may not agree with everything TD says, at least he usually says what he needs to say with some level of class.
by Jumpn_JackFlash on Oct 29, 2009 4:46 PM CDT up reply actions
Thanks Jack...
Y’all have enough bammer trolls (e.g. guys that have more posts here than at RBR) over here that we are all grouped together.
Forgive them, for they know not what they do…
"There's a lot of blood, sweat, and guts between dreams and success" - Coach Bryant
I could honestly care less what you, or most AU fans, think...
since, in case reading comprehension is not one of your strongest points, this was written to WEA, not Auburn fans (reread the title of the post if you don’t agree).
I just happen to have a lot of respect for WEA, and I hate to see him write stuff out of frustration, as opposed to the limited bias and level-headedness with which he usually writes.
But I’m sorry, you didn’t want an explanation, you just wanted to flame. So proceed…
"There's a lot of blood, sweat, and guts between dreams and success" - Coach Bryant
It’s all good. Everything was cool until the other bammer weighed in with his comment that Auburn fans seem to obsess about Bama.
by KungFuPanda9 on Oct 30, 2009 11:18 AM CDT up reply actions
I think...
that the two seasons are very similar and are worthy of some comparison. Many Alabama fans seem to have forgotten the rough patch back in 2007, yet come over here and give us grief about ours this season. Out of curiosity, I decided to look back at the posts at RBR and see what was going on with posts and comments. Not much, really, from Alabama fans nor Auburn trolls for that matter.
Maybe someone might look back in a few seasons at what we Auburn fans were saying about Chizik’s first year. When they do, I’ll be proud of how we handled it, both contibutors and commentors alike.
As far as booing Brandon Cox and calling for Tuberville and Roof’s head, that ain’t me or any other editor on here. Some fans do, but you’ll notice how quickly they’re shouted down by the rest of us. This is a fan site, so that is going to happen, but it’s far from being the prevelant feeling in these parts.
by War Eagle Atlanta on Oct 29, 2009 6:39 PM CDT up reply actions
True...
I get shouted at when I simply disagree with the coaching staff. I have never booed one of our players unless he was doing some sort of stupid personal foul or something like that. I don’t, nor will I ever always agree with what the coaching staff says. However, I think you guys are really way out of line WEA on this one as I said earlier. He’s comparing the seasons. Oh, and TopDaddy, you are certainly the pot calling the kettle black in the order of reading comprehension. Bama fans can’t read for shit.
Oh, I see your logic...
because I call out an individual (regardless of his team affiliation) for not reading what I wrote properly, then because you throw out a blanket statement that “Bama fans can’t read”, and since I’m a Bama fan, there’s no way in hell I can read. That makes perfect sense.
Using the same logic, I’d say that you are scared of the dark and piss your pants all the time. I knew a kid growing up that did that very same thing, and his nickname was Sparkey. Therefore, everyone named Sparkey must be scared of the dark and piss their pants all the time, right?
"There's a lot of blood, sweat, and guts between dreams and success" - Coach Bryant
I agree...
that the two seasons were similar, and some comparisons can be drawn. All I’m saying is that you cannot draw the conclusion that an entire fanbase quit on their team due to a slight drop off in posting on one website on the internet. And if you do draw that conclusion, then AU fans had already quit on their team in 2007 due to the amount of threads and comments.
I am also saying that you cannot act high and mighty just because you don’t go over to RBR to gloat a Bama loss. As I pointed out, there was plenty of press about Bama’s dreadful finish to the 2007 on this site, so just because it wasn’t put in your face, doesn’t make it any more right. Coupled with that, you’ve been doing this long enough to know that the guys that come over here and talk crap about AU’s current woes on a consistent basis are more than likely nothing more than bandwagoners, and/or too ignorant to remember recent history. You can’t let those guys get to you, because they do not represent the majority. Yes, there are classy Bama fans that hate AU, and vice versa, but you’ll never hear a word from them. Then there are people like me who want every team that plays Bama to be undefeated (Plus, Mrs. TopDaddy is a Barner).
But to reiterate, I don’t think that RBR did a bad job of continuing to cover the facts during our ‘07 meltdown. You may have overlooked some of the analysis, as it wasn’t always posted by Todd, but I feel it was properly and thoroughly discussed, as tough and frustrating as it may have been for our writers. But also remember that every one of our writers is, and was, in school. Even through papers and preparation for exams in November, they did a damn good job in my opinion.
"There's a lot of blood, sweat, and guts between dreams and success" - Coach Bryant
I wasn't
coming down on the entire Alabama fanbase, just the ones on that specific site. Trying to be as objective as I can, I’d say that the prevailing attitude there at the time was ignore it and it’ll go away. Is that any better than us agonizing over our losses here at TET? Maybe, maybe not.
I dunno, TD. I think there’s something to say about the moral high ground you can occupy by not gloating at someone’s loss. And if one is to talk trash, it is only redeemable if it’s done beforehand and not after the fact. I’m just not that kind of person, either way.
by War Eagle Atlanta on Oct 30, 2009 5:53 PM CDT reply actions
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