Decision Time for Chizik and Malzahn
by Jay Coulter on Jul 31, 2009 1:00 AM CDT
in Football
28 comments
Remember the days when Auburn fans used to complain about Brandon Cox? Little did anyone know those would be fondly remembered as the good ole days. Auburn's quarterback controversy begins its second third year on Wednesday when new Auburn Coach Gene Chizik opens fall camp on the Plains.
Rivaled in length only by Minnesota's senate race, Auburn Offensive Coordinator Gus Malzahn promises a decision on a starter will be made in the next week or so.
"With the situation we're in we have to find a guy as soon as possible," Malzahn said. "It's hard to say a certain time right now -- a week or two weeks -- but there will be an evaluation stage fairly quick, ideally, to name a guy as soon as we can once we know 100 percent that's our guy so you can start to develop that timing."
Raise your hand if you believe Malzahn will really settle on one quarterback.
No offense coach (and no pun intended), but Tiger fans have been hearing this talk since way back in the day when Al Borges was considered a brilliant offensive mind. Has it really been three seasons since Cox imploded against Miss State and the first of many quarterbacking controversies erupted? Time does fly when you are circling the drain.
The off-season has been focused on the usual suspects, Kodi Burns and Neil Caudle. And then there's Chris Todd, who the very mention of his name induces illness in Auburn fans similar to a case of summer camp Swine Flu. If there's ever been someone guilty by association more than Todd, then I haven't met him.
The money is on either Burns or Caudle, but don't discount freshman Tyrick Rollison. Malzahn seemed to open the door for him (perhaps ever so slightly) this week when asked whether or not he'd start a freshman. "I am familiar with starting a true freshman but at the same time, in this league, you got to have a guy that's not only extremely talented but has to have a little extra as far as leadership and character. It's pretty rare you find a freshman that's capable of doing that," Malzahn said.
And let's not forget, he's done it before.
You'll remember Malzahn's last visit to Jordan-Hare Stadium back in 2006 when he brought heralded freshman Mitch Mustain to campus. Despite the off field issues, Mustain succeeded in ways he hasn't since, leading the Razorbacks to an 8-0 record as a starter.
The big question remains: Will Malzahn make a decision in fall camp and stick with it through the season or will the announcement of a starter be written in pencil and subject to change each week? You have to believe he has an idea already of who he's going to select. After spring practice and eight months of film watching, it's doubtful another week is going to make a difference.
On paper Burns is the prototypical quarterback. This offense was made for his abilities. Watching him play last season and this spring tells you something else entirely. Many like to point to the breakout season Jason Campbell had his senior campaign with a new offensive coordinator.
That analogy is like comparing apples to Martians. Campbell was in an entirely different league from Burns heading into his final year. Whether its game pressure or lack of confidence, Burns is beginning to show signs of a bust not seen since Leon Hart left campus.
Talk about Caudle and you must talk about his backup in the same breath. The highly recruited Spain Park quarterback has been more fragile than peace in the Middle East. After missing most of his senior year of high school because of wrist and knee injuries, Caudle has continued to suffer from nagging ailments.
His stock shot through the roof with fans following his solid A-Day performance. It's probably a good idea for all of us to take a dose of reality and realize that Ted Roof's defense was in a base formation all day and not allowed to blitz. Caudle's performance was promising but must be tempered with reality.
Regardless of who gets the opening day nod, the road is likely to be rocky. Not having a lot of talent to throw to can pose problems even for Tim Tebow. We'll learn a lot about this coaching staff in the next couple of months. When the going gets tough will they stick with the plan or change like the wind?
The same question can be asked of Auburn fans. It will be real easy to jump off the train this year. We need to all remember this one has just left the station and there are plenty of mountains still to climb.
The coming weeks are what makes college football great. Are you ready?
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I really do think that
Malzahn will name a starting quarterback based off of who he thinks gives us the best chance so he can focus 100% on him and getting him ready. If it is Caudle, I think he has the tools to get it done, the problem will be if he gets hurt and all the focus has been on him. If Caudle gets the job, that means that Burns won’t get focused on and will not be ready to play if Caudle gets hurt.
My money is ultimately on Todd getting the nod for the season. If his arm really is close to 100%, he has the head to play in the SEC and he seems reasonably tough. Either way, I think Malzahn plays Rollison as a clean up roll to get him ready for next season.
I have to believe that.....
Rollison will be redshirted this season unless he is named the starter (extreme longshot). I also think that the QB will be Burns or Caudle with me leaning towards Burns due to experience and atheleticism. Chris Todd doesn’t seem to fit Malzahn’s idea of a mobile QB….and I don’t expect AU to ask any QB to sit in the pocket too much this season. Its gonna be interesting to see and these are just my opinions.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
Dude!!!!!!!!!
What the hell man? 7 months later and you are still in love with Burns! Dude say something profound next time! I have one guarantee for you……the starter will NOT be Kodi Burns…Now my blood pressures up..
Sounds like the only one wearing his heart on his sleave....
is you Arie….take a chill pill. Burns may or may not be the starter and I am not in love with nor have ever been any man. Your guarantee isn’t worth much either…not trying to get your blood pressure up anymore than it normally might be, but Burns has the talent to do the job and it is my opinion that with the proper coaching he will most likely be the best option. Our problem last season was not the QB it was the complete disarray with the offensive coaching staff….which resulted in bad O-line play, poor overall execution and yes poor QB play from every person that took a snap last season. Take a deep breath and get over it.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
Our problem most definitely was the complete disarray with the offensive coaching staff for sure
But not having an effective quarterback certainly didn’t help matters much. I still think Caudle will be the opening day starter.
Chlorophyll? More like borophyll!
I'm Thinking Kodi
Maybe Malzahn can turn Kodi into a winner. Like you said he is built for this system. I think Kodi could do even better if we can truly run the ball. Thats our strength on offense. Once the play action gets going, I see Kodi making the throws. However I do think this is his last chance to get the faith of both the coaches and the fans. If he doesn’t start this year, I think he can throw any dreams of starting his senior season out the window.
While the thought of Chris Todd starting again nauseates me, if he has his arm again, and he is the best QB in camp, I guess you have to start him. I’m sticking with Kodi.
If hip hop is dead, then it happened the day that Dilla died.
-Akrobatik
Is Malzahn's offense
built for a running quarterback like Kodi? Does he use a lot of Wildcat formations in his offense? I had thought of Tulsa more like Texas Tech in the way they throw the ball, but I honestly did not watch enough of them to get a feel for it.
"What happened yesterday is history. What happens tomorrow is a mystery. What we do today makes a difference - the precious present moment." -Nick Saban
by HarveyBirdmanAAL on Jul 31, 2009 1:09 PM CDT reply actions
Considering Malzahn was the innovator of the "Wildcat" formation in College.....
your question should have been considered rhetorical. But since you seem sincere in your question……here goes. Malzahns offense both at Arkansas and Tulsa were at the very least evenly split with the pass/run ratio being slightly more to the run. No Malzahns offense at Tulsa did little to resemble the Pirates spread being run AT TT. And yes he does prefer a Mobile QB that can make plays with his feet as well as his arm.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
Brain cramp
I completely forgot about Arkansas running so much Wildcat (I always thought of their offense as the McFadden offense anyway). I had heard the run/pass ratio was a little bit skewed towards the run, but the Tulsa QB put up some really good numbers if I remember right (as did many of their receivers). My question on the passing game was more geared towards the routes run by the receivers when a pass play was called. I thought that, like Tech, receivers would run shorter, horizontal routes (curls, outs, square ins, etc) and get some space to run. I heard a friend of mine refer to Malzahn’s offense as the “power spread” based on the running style, but I didn’t know much else about it besides what I saw at Arkansas.
"What happened yesterday is history. What happens tomorrow is a mystery. What we do today makes a difference - the precious present moment." -Nick Saban
by HarveyBirdmanAAL on Jul 31, 2009 1:50 PM CDT up reply actions
Tulsa used a play action passing game.....
from a spread formation, and always showed the deep threat to keep the safetys and CBs honest. When a team would load the box to stop the run the routes got a little longer and deadlier…..if AU has a modecum of success running this offense this season we should win at least 7 or 8 games minimum.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
I really hope
Caudle gets a chance. I think he has the makings of a great QB.
Upon moving to AL, I let my wife decide who she would root for. After one day at a new job full of Bama fans, she met me at the door with a hearty cry of "WAR EAGLE"
by SandMountainTiger on Jul 31, 2009 3:21 PM CDT reply actions
Caudle
For my money, but I have only pocket change at the moment.
Great piece, Jay! …induces illness in Auburn fans similar to a case of summer camp Swine Flu.
You SLAY me!!
by War Eagle Atlanta on Jul 31, 2009 3:58 PM CDT reply actions
Thank you Kbush
Too many Auburn fans have an either/or mentality about this QB issue.
Back in the glory days of Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown, for awhile Tubby would only play one or the other at a time. But we made our greatest gains when we had both of them in at the same time because the defense couldn’t key on one guy.
Kodi has already proven he can make plays with his legs. He can also sort of pass the ball, too, which gives him an added dimension. His completion ratio hovers around 50% in the air (I don’t know the exact stats, I’ll let a number cruncher nail it down). It is this reasonable “possibility” of success which creates a few moment’s hesitation on defense. Couple Kodi’s presence in the backfield with Tate and Fannin and you have a real situation to contend with.
Add to those three potential ball carriers a good passing QB, and now you have created a viable offense. The wildcat, nee single wing, capitalizes on the strengths of individuals who can run the ball, but also benefits from the possibility of a decent passing game.
I don’t see why Auburn can’t create a dangerous offense with the weapons we have now.
I'd be excited about Burns
If we were still running the wishbone…
Upon moving to AL, I let my wife decide who she would root for. After one day at a new job full of Bama fans, she met me at the door with a hearty cry of "WAR EAGLE"
by SandMountainTiger on Aug 1, 2009 10:14 PM CDT reply actions
At this point I am not excited.....
about any prospective starting QB but I am confident that the coaching staff will evaluate and name the right one (whether we think so or not) very early in the fall camp. Its amazing how quickly people forget how reviled Jason Campbell was before his senior season….and how many people jumped on the bandwagon as he performed magnanimously his senior season forgetting that just a couple of months earlier they were calling him a bust and that he wasn’t smart enough to play QB in the SEC, and he couldn’t handle the pressure. All I am saying is that its moronic to judge the kid on this past season and that with proper coaching he could become the QB everyone thought he would when he signed with AU….no need to scream for his head if he’s capable he will get it done if not somebody else will.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
I don't think people were ever as down on Campbell as they have gotten on Burns
And Campbell had proven he could throw the ball at least decently. Kodi has never proven that.
Chlorophyll? More like borophyll!
Yes thats true....
the vitriol being spewed towards Burns is much more potent. But then again Campbell never had the whole offensive coaching staff and subsequently the offense implode around him either.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
Who will be the QB?
I have to go with a healthy Chris Todd. If his arm is 100%, I say play him! Caudle and Rollison will be 2-3.
You really think....
the coaches will burn Rollisons redshirt to be anything other than the starter? Lift the needle past that scratch on the record and we won’t have to keep hearing the same line over and over again.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
Burns
has had his chance to succeed at QB and has yet to capitalize on his opportunities. He shows flashes but is far to inconsistent to take control of a complicated offense. I vote for Todd, if the arm is healthy. If not,he has the throwing range and strength of a three year old.
The thing about Burns...
……is that I think the guy is smart enough to run the offense. He goes through his reads. He knows where his receivers are supposed to be. And he can create under pressure. The issue, of course, is the delivery.
……I was pretty unhappy, at A-day, 1: with safety play, and 2: with Burns making 6 horrible throws out of 8. Everyone else I was walking in with, cheered when Tate broke loose up the middle, early. I was horrified. Safeties ran the other way, and avoided contact. The idea that Drew Cole would start if the season began his week… Arrrgh!
…..I think if Burns gets his accuracy a little better, he can be a great one. We’re still waiting on that one. Caudle has the accuracy, but not the experience and track record on healty. Todd is accurate, but not terribly mobile. How well has his arm healed? We’ll be pouring over those practice reports in the next few week, to be sure!
Ok....
10-4 good buddy. I’ll dispense with the Burns bashing. I just can’t stand the kid as a football player. I guess that my opinion is based on the fact that we have new talent and a new coaching staff, and I just don’t want to suffer through another year-like last year- of Burns not making his reads and taking off too quickly. New staff=New start…..That’s all.
Issues
While Rollison will more than likely be the future of AU football (maybe even 2010), I still see Burns as the starter this season. Caudle might be the better QB at practice, but get him in full contact and he will get hurt again. He seems to be made of glass. He has been injured in ever season going back to his sophomore year in High School. I just cannot see him staying healthy through the tough SEC, the defenses are too good.
Burns has his problems, there is no doubt about that. Maybe Malzahn can get his mechanics straightened out and get him going. Just the thought of Todd starting again makes my head hurt.
If you are a War Damn Eagle, you can War Damn anything.
Rollison
The guy’s a rail. They claim he’s a mobile QB, but in the SEC you better have some more muscle and weight.
If hip hop is dead, then it happened the day that Dilla died.
-Akrobatik
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