Why I love this place Mack. Not the passion of a few years back but still the best off season CFB STUFF on the net.
MD, RT, SR, DL, CCB, and others make discussing CFB off-season fun and interesting.
I love this stuff but after my last ban....haven't been as pro-active as maybe I could be. Still a bad taste!
AU doesn't have a back on campus capable of filling Johnson's shoes. I expect more of a running back by committee than Malzahn has used in the past.
We could have an idea after spring practice who the go to guy will be, but I don't think Malzahn will name a starter before the first game.
Kam Martin is the most likely candidate to start the first game. But, if he is as good as advertised, expect Asa Martin to inherit a bigger part of the game plan as the season progresses. He needs a year in the weight room but I don't think the situation will allow that.
If there is a surprise back this season I think it will be will JaTarvious Whitlow. The kid turned lots of heads on the scout team last year. Miller and Barrett can't be ruled out but at this point the staff doesn't trust either as a feature back.
I live in the same area as RB Asa Martin. Have watched him in many practices and several games. The kid is very
talented and needs to gain some strength and toughness. Good kid with a good attitude and may be a player that
contributes early for the Tigers.
Since many of my relatives went to Auburn....I'd tell them to worry more about the offensive line.
talented and needs to gain some strength and toughness. Good kid with a good attitude and may be a player that
contributes early for the Tigers.
Since many of my relatives went to Auburn....I'd tell them to worry more about the offensive line.
where i always get it from.....
Rivals
if you're getting yours from CBS then that's your own fault. i don't need to search around for some numbers that fit my narrative i just go to the #1 source, Rivals
http://public.tableau.com/views/RivalsTeamRankings/RivalsTeamRankings?:embed=y&:showVizHome=no
(change over to florida and this will give you ever year through 2016)
2015:
| 23 |
| Florida | 21 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 3.29 | 1844 |
2016:
| 14 |
| Florida | 25 | 1 | 9 | 13 | 3.36 | 2219 |
here is 2017:
| 9 |
| Florida | 23 | 0 | 15 | 7 | 3.61 | 2291 |
here is 2018:
| 18 |
| Florida | 18 | 0 | 14 | 4 | 3.78 | 2040 |
39 3-4 stars in L3 recruiting classes to work with? yeah, at least 115 coaches in america would like to have that, ahemm, problem
The OL actually has 3 returnees who started at least 6 games last year -Wanogho (T), Harrell (G) and Horton (G). But you are right - the OL is a huge question mark and their development is key to AU's success.
Who starts is very fluid at this time but from an experience standpoint, the ideal situation would have Wanogho starting at LT, Harrell LG, Horton RG, Kim or Brahm at the center position and Ashley RT. That scenario is unlikely to happen however. Unless Kim or Brahm show dramatic improvement this spring, Horton will probably move to center. If that happens, AU will start the season with a center who has never snapped in a game, a right guard who has never started and a right tackle who has never even dressed out. Not exactly an ideal situation considering they open against a veteran Washington team with 9 starters returning on D.
To further complicate the situation, AU has a new OL coach this year. Well, kinda new, J.B. Grimes who coached the OL from '13 to '15 replaces Herb Hand. Grimes can't recruit a lick but is a pretty damn good teacher. He's old school (coached the OL under Malzahn from '13 to '15) and in my opinion a huge upgrade. It could take some time for the kids to adopt to his style of play, but baring injuries I expect some improvement as the season progresses. With that said, people shouldn't expect miracles. This is not a very talented group. Certainly not a group capable of dominating solid defensive fronts like bama and Ga.
I agree w/ most of what you say, but I'm very concerned about the QB position. Franks, imo, is damn near un-coachable. It seems he doesn't have the "it" factor; cannot make the quick decisions. Jones has a lot of potential, but his HS passing numbers are a concern (he didn't throw very many passes and had around a 60% completion rate, which is not great for a top HS QB). So far, the word coming out of Gainesville is all positive (w/ Mullen)....but I'm sure that's common w/ most new coaches. The S&C program under McElwain was apparently a complete disaster and this team needs to be committed. UF may have more 4-star players than some of their competition, but you have to understand - on the offensive side of the ball these guys were being coached by a band of retards. Martez Ivey, a 5-star OL, blocks like a true freshman. 3 of the other OL's are 3-stars who are mediocre at best. Essentially, the "player development" side of UF coaching hasn't happened much the last 3 years. Miss State is well coached and UF has a history of completely shitting the bed on the road vs. SEC West teams. I would hope we can beat Muschamp, but again, he's going to bring his A-game every time he plays UF, as he has a big chip on his shoulder about UF. I'm sticking w/ my prediction of 7 to 8 regular season wins. In fact, I'm going to guess Vegas puts UF at 7.5 o/u when the lines come out.
RT, thanks for the Rivals info (the CBS article is simply a composite ranking). So, according to Rivals UF has 1 top 10 class in the last 4 years (#9), but the 247 composite has #11. I agree, Rivals is the best out there. UF is chock full of mediocre players who have not lived up to their 4 or 5 star ratings (in fact, there's only two 5-star's on UF's roster: CeCe Jefferson and Martez Ivey - both senior starters). Franks is a 4-star that looks like a walk-on (at QB). 14 of the 4-stars are true freshman. Again, I don't expect much from UF this year except to be much, much more competitive. McElwain was a getting blown-out machine. Mediocrity has set in in that locker room....hopefully Mullen can turn that around quickly. Also, not sure what your angst towards me is. I've been posting here for 10+ years...
Coach: Does college football need a "Heisman or all-American quality" QB to win a National Championship or even a top-10 ranking anymore. I'm certain it wouldn't hurt but Alabama's NC with Hurts comes to mind, he is more than "walk-on" caliber but certainly not All-American yet the Tide did win it all (on the field) with Hurts at the helm.
The way these defenses with their size and speed play today, a good QB often ends-up looking bad. Are the days of another Joe Montana, Steve Spurrier, Joe Namath or Dan Marino....... et al over ? Just an observation of mine..........
The way these defenses with their size and speed play today, a good QB often ends-up looking bad. Are the days of another Joe Montana, Steve Spurrier, Joe Namath or Dan Marino....... et al over ? Just an observation of mine..........
clearly don't need one to win a title if you have stars all over the field. the only really shitty roster to win it all because of the QB was sCam and the barn. that team was just not very good but he was beyond dominant.
bama won titles with Greg McElroy, AJ, Jake Coker, and Jalen Hurts.
Mullen's system is different because he asks his QB to do so much...gotta come through for a combined 4000+ yards or his teams are 6-6/7-5 and not sure Florida has a guy ready to post 4k number in 2018.
To put that into perspective Coker barely eclipsed 3k total yards in 15 games and Greg Mac didn't have 3000 total yards in either year he started.
It's exactly why i don't like Mullen at all ... way too reliant on one position and not a good enough recruiter to put a full team together. That being said he's never coached this much talent before
Agree w/ RT's take that if you have a team loaded w/ stars, like most Alabama teams, you don't need a star QB (Bama's proven that). But they have had solid, very good QBs. Clemson has had some good teams the last few years, but I don't think they stay within 14 points of Alabama in either game (the one they lost and the one they won) w/ out Watson, who was a phenomenal QB. Even UGA's team this year, had they won, was a team loaded w/ talent and a lot of seniors. The freshman QB is very good, but he was pretty much asked to do the same things the Alabama QBs have done over the years.
Agree w/ RT on Mullen. He's way, way too reliant on the QB....and there's not a QB on UF's roster to take on that role. Jones might eventually be, but I'm not confident in a true freshman. And Franks needs 10 years of coaching!
I agree Cam had a dominate season but shitty roster, really? If you would have said the 2010 AU team wasn't the most talented team to win a championship, I would agree. But it is delusional to say the roster was shitty or imply Cam was a one man show.
Lets take a closer look at that shitty roster.
The offense. First team all sec selections Pugh (C) and Ziemba (LT), as well as, 2nd team all sec Islom (G) comprised the best offensive line in the conference - maybe the best in the country. The other starter on the line, Brandon Mosley, was an all conference selection in 2011 and went on to play in the NFL for 4 or 5 years. Lutzenkirchen set an AU record for TD's in a season by a TE. Dyer and McCalebb rushed for almost 2000 yards. The offense scored over 50 points 6 times (over 60 twice) and 49 another time. That kind of production is not the result of just one player.
Now the defense. Nick Fairley, the SEC defensive player of the year and Lombardi Award winner had a monstrous season. He was just as important to the D as Cam was to the O. All conference players Antoine Carter and Josh Bynes along with future NFL'ers Neiko Thorpe and Daren Bates were paramount to the team's success. Back-up contributors who went on to solid NFL careers, Dee Ford and Corey Lemonier, further refute any shitty roster reference.
if you go agree that the following 3 drafts would be the players that most contributed to that title the barn put out the following:
2011 - sCam first round, Fairley first round, and then nobody else until 7th round
2012 - ONE fourth rounder
2013 - ONE third rounder
that's it DL .... two first rounders who were great college players and good pros then a 3rd, 4th, and two 7th. that is a single draft for Ohio State or Bama title teams and that's all the barn produced off their title winning roster in the following 3 drafts. a total of 6 draft picks and only two 1st or 2nd rounders with one, of course, being the player that won the title pretty much on his own.
reevaluate who is delusional. i have no problem standing behind the thought that the barn's title team was the least talented one in history....it takes nothing away from the title but it shows that without sCam that is a 9-3 team, at best
Auburn would have been lucky to win seven games without Cam Newton who had one of the greatest seasons ever
for a college quarterback. Newton passed for 30 of the team's 31 passing scores. He ran for 20 of the teams 42
rushing scores. He accounted for 50 of Auburn's 73 touchdowns.
His backup during the 2010 season was Barrett Trotter who's career consisted of 7 starts and a four year total
of 1,248 yards. His senior year (2011) he threw for 1,184 yards and 11 touchdowns. Auburn was 7-5 during
the 2011 season.
Newton was Auburn during the 2010 NC season...PERIOD!
for a college quarterback. Newton passed for 30 of the team's 31 passing scores. He ran for 20 of the teams 42
rushing scores. He accounted for 50 of Auburn's 73 touchdowns.
His backup during the 2010 season was Barrett Trotter who's career consisted of 7 starts and a four year total
of 1,248 yards. His senior year (2011) he threw for 1,184 yards and 11 touchdowns. Auburn was 7-5 during
the 2011 season.
Newton was Auburn during the 2010 NC season...PERIOD!
RT, that is a fair response. 9 or 10 of the 22 starters off that team made an NFL roster (at least 5 as undrafted free agents) but it was not a team loaded with NFL talent. I should have said that in my original post.
It did have some very good collegiate talent, however. Much more than it is given credit for. Take Ryan Pugh, he was undersized for the NFL but a 4 year starter at center, first team all sec, freshman all american, etc. Isom was another all conference selection that went undrafted. His draft status doesn't change his contribution to that team. You aren't recognized as one of the best in the SEC without being a solid player. Michael Dyer was a freshman all american with a bright future until weed derailed his future.
Bynes, Thorpe and Bates went undrafted but played multiple seasons in the NFL. I would say making a NFL roster is a better indicator of talent than their draft status.
Darvin Adams was another solid contributor off that team and another who went the undrafted free agent route. I believe he still holds the record for receiving yards in the SEC championship game. He played a number of years in the Canadian League after being let go by Carolina. I know he made the active roster when with Carolina but I don't think he ever played. If he did it was insignificant.
Another player who sniffed the NFL as a free agent was McCalebb. He was converted to a DB and made a roster (not sure if he saw any game action). Another very good collegiate but too small for the NFL.
If you believe this was a one man team - a dominate QB surrounded by a bunch of shitty players - I guess we will have to agree to disagree. Hell, lots of AU fans agree with you. In my opinion, it was a solid team with a dominate QB. Not nearly as talented as the 2004 AU team that had 4 drafted in the first round, but clearly more talented than the 2013 team that was 13 seconds away from a Natty.
Auburn's record in 2011 has nothing to do with the 2010 season. The team was gutted after 2010 by graduation and early enrollees to the NFL. If Cam Newton had returned the record wouldn't have been much - if any - better.
Also, Trotter was not Newton's backup in 2010. Neil Caudle was.
Clover, I'm not going to debate this anymore. You are entitled to your opinion (even if it is wrong).
Fine, but get your facts right. Trotter was Newton' backup during the 2010 season. Caudle was 4th string and
threw 1 pass and 2 runs during the entire season (3 fucken plays).
1. Cam Newton 2. Barrett Trotter 3. Kodi Burns 4. Neal Caudle was the QB order during the 2010 season.
And you are claiming that Trotter would have led the Auburn team to an undefeated season because of the
great players around him. BS!
No doubt about it, if someone wants to participate in the "debates" here in the Rx College Football forum, one needs to have their "facts" right".
Many posters who live, eat and sleep college football do their homework (and research) before they jump into the fray, especially some of these Alabama boys
Talk about hardcore...........................There are few Georgia, Florida. LSU and Clemson faithful to mention a few who aren't far behind.
Many posters who live, eat and sleep college football do their homework (and research) before they jump into the fray, especially some of these Alabama boys
Talk about hardcore...........................There are few Georgia, Florida. LSU and Clemson faithful to mention a few who aren't far behind.
