(This is both TL/DR and probably little more than venting, so delete button be thy friend.)
So the question is, for the larger Auburn fan base not exactly representative by our lovable (and pretty dang high football IQ) angry mob on the Bunk, when is "enough enough"?. I can tell you that like few times I can recall, a ton of good Auburn people I know are checking out. 2012 was close, but it was only two years removed from a 'Natty. Of course they love Auburn, can handle a tough loss, but they can't continually handle losses so clearly caused by their head coach, one way or t'other. It's on the HC to recruit, organize, hire, quality control both (inferior) personnel and coaching, practice style and management (not against "air"), modernized schemes, team morale and motivation, in-game adjustments, etc. A QB overthrowing or zebras being incompetent to the point they shouldn't be flipping burgers doesn't alibi the fact that the HC set in motion an unnecessarily close game.
So evaporating is some long-time fans' motivation to go to home games for much more than social reasons or to see kids they have at Auburn, and leaning toward dropping out of season tix and going the Snowflake "keep your options open" way of Stubhub. That was coming as a pahrful social force anyway with competition for entertainment dollars relative to game day cost and hassle factor, but AU is doubling down to further motivate the defections, sadly. I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprise if some will redirect the dollars to BRUUCE hoops season tix. (FWIW, I'll be dutifully in Sec. 16 Saturday, mostly for those AU defensive players who have busted their a$$e$, T-Will, Rotnei, Steele, Ryan Davis, Cox, Slayton, dudes like that).
I think in fairness to new AD Allen Greene, most if not all of what we're dealing with is the residual "tail" damage of the Jay Jacobs funnel cake era. So in some respects, perhaps a degree of patience (i.e. Gus's ludicrous buyout, less so the "extension") is in order to avoid digging an even deeper hole through panic. We'll see what Greene brings in decisive leadership, because I've had more than one BOT tell me that dealing with AU football is "out of our hands", it's on the AD and Auburn president (largely). I'm hopeful, but I'll reserve judgment as to how much power ADAG actually has to make firing decisions, and particularly the timing therein. I sort of picture the style in which Chip Lindsey "calls plays". Technically yes, in reality, a big filter somewhere above that cripples and handcuffs, and prevents winning.
1. Give average to slightly above average (after '17 Iron Bowl win) coaches with only moderate success the most insanely fat, guaranteed (75% of $49M) contract extensions so as to get them massively distracted and softened by lake houses, beach houses, BMW i3's, big trucks with endorsement deals. I know, that cash hasn't hurt the Dwarf Lord's drive, but he's fairly rare. Show me a 'can't miss' level HC of Dabo or Saban repute, and I'd say throw the $8M a year at him. Good luck lassoing that unicorn. Some of the Sexton extortion cash could have been allocated to the long-term financial benefits of a new football only facility. With the (yet again) misery we're seeing Gus visit on a perhaps 10 win talent level team if all the right coaching buttons were pushed, WTH would AU have to lose having lost Gus, hired a $3M a year up and comer, and be able to recruit with vastly better resources/facilities? It's as if someone thought by paying the cash bammer does to Saban it would create performance equivalency. LMAO.
2. Auburn boasts THE most screwed up football schedule in the SEC. I "get" that you schedule and don't always know if an opponent is going to be top 10 or very beatable, that happens. But an Amen Corner that makes your path to contention tantamount to drawing a royal flush in 5 Card Stud? I also "get" that hey, it was just an unavoidable consequence of the SEC expansion, but I ask you to name any other of the 13 SEC teams who have a comparable "you are effed" schedule issue. Go look at the "new and improved" Amen Corner Auburn faces in 2019, not to mention NOT A SINGLE AUBURN HOME GAME in the month of October, 2019. I'll help:
10/26 AT LSU
11/2 Ole Mrs.
11/16 UGA
11/30 bammer
Help a brotha, but if memory serves, in 2020, we insert a likely surging aTm into the already rough backloaded 2019 schedule above.
3. Deflated fan base this week notwithstanding, Auburn puts FALL BREAK on Auburn vs TENN weekend! Who does that? Student section poised to flagrantly interrupt the "STRIPE THE STADIUM" to be spotty at best, hope I'm wrong. (Name 10 students who would stay in Arbren for Fall break for any football game not named the Iron Bowl?)
4. The apparent lack of an adult mentor for our still-on-the-learning-curve head coach. I understand there are ADAG meetings regularly with all head coaches as a group, but I'd be curious if those are structured to give even a morsel of leadership development to Rain Man. Probably not a "curable" malady Gus has anyway, else we'd have seen the fix by now. (Side note: after Tom Herman hangs 48 on OU (then nearly "Malzahn's it"), Emanuel Acho, when asked about the miracle offensive turnaround, sez key to Texas turnaround was "Tom Herman finally allowed his OC run an offense that matches his QB! Mmmmm.....what a concept!!!
4a. A head coach, ANY head coach, seemingly getting free reign to hire coordinators at 7-figures who lack the proven SEC level pedigree to actually deliver an ROI on the very performance issues that led to the HC relieving the predecessor of his duties in the first place.
5. The seeming lack of a strategic plan and financial path to play catch up on total athletics facilities, especially Jordan-Hare, and in this vacuum, the "stalemate" position that "we will build it when you raise the money". Leadership and vision like Dabo exerted at Clemson is required to break that stalemate, and get money people excited about getting on board. Gus doesn't have that Bruce level vision in his skill set, putting it mercifully.
I could go on . . . too exhausted. On the bright side, I will have an awesome bow season. Have three lock-ons hung in newly scouted, unhunted sets at my Dallas Co tract. And bow hunting Adams Co. Illinois monsters early November.
E5
So the question is, for the larger Auburn fan base not exactly representative by our lovable (and pretty dang high football IQ) angry mob on the Bunk, when is "enough enough"?. I can tell you that like few times I can recall, a ton of good Auburn people I know are checking out. 2012 was close, but it was only two years removed from a 'Natty. Of course they love Auburn, can handle a tough loss, but they can't continually handle losses so clearly caused by their head coach, one way or t'other. It's on the HC to recruit, organize, hire, quality control both (inferior) personnel and coaching, practice style and management (not against "air"), modernized schemes, team morale and motivation, in-game adjustments, etc. A QB overthrowing or zebras being incompetent to the point they shouldn't be flipping burgers doesn't alibi the fact that the HC set in motion an unnecessarily close game.
So evaporating is some long-time fans' motivation to go to home games for much more than social reasons or to see kids they have at Auburn, and leaning toward dropping out of season tix and going the Snowflake "keep your options open" way of Stubhub. That was coming as a pahrful social force anyway with competition for entertainment dollars relative to game day cost and hassle factor, but AU is doubling down to further motivate the defections, sadly. I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprise if some will redirect the dollars to BRUUCE hoops season tix. (FWIW, I'll be dutifully in Sec. 16 Saturday, mostly for those AU defensive players who have busted their a$$e$, T-Will, Rotnei, Steele, Ryan Davis, Cox, Slayton, dudes like that).
I think in fairness to new AD Allen Greene, most if not all of what we're dealing with is the residual "tail" damage of the Jay Jacobs funnel cake era. So in some respects, perhaps a degree of patience (i.e. Gus's ludicrous buyout, less so the "extension") is in order to avoid digging an even deeper hole through panic. We'll see what Greene brings in decisive leadership, because I've had more than one BOT tell me that dealing with AU football is "out of our hands", it's on the AD and Auburn president (largely). I'm hopeful, but I'll reserve judgment as to how much power ADAG actually has to make firing decisions, and particularly the timing therein. I sort of picture the style in which Chip Lindsey "calls plays". Technically yes, in reality, a big filter somewhere above that cripples and handcuffs, and prevents winning.
1. Give average to slightly above average (after '17 Iron Bowl win) coaches with only moderate success the most insanely fat, guaranteed (75% of $49M) contract extensions so as to get them massively distracted and softened by lake houses, beach houses, BMW i3's, big trucks with endorsement deals. I know, that cash hasn't hurt the Dwarf Lord's drive, but he's fairly rare. Show me a 'can't miss' level HC of Dabo or Saban repute, and I'd say throw the $8M a year at him. Good luck lassoing that unicorn. Some of the Sexton extortion cash could have been allocated to the long-term financial benefits of a new football only facility. With the (yet again) misery we're seeing Gus visit on a perhaps 10 win talent level team if all the right coaching buttons were pushed, WTH would AU have to lose having lost Gus, hired a $3M a year up and comer, and be able to recruit with vastly better resources/facilities? It's as if someone thought by paying the cash bammer does to Saban it would create performance equivalency. LMAO.
2. Auburn boasts THE most screwed up football schedule in the SEC. I "get" that you schedule and don't always know if an opponent is going to be top 10 or very beatable, that happens. But an Amen Corner that makes your path to contention tantamount to drawing a royal flush in 5 Card Stud? I also "get" that hey, it was just an unavoidable consequence of the SEC expansion, but I ask you to name any other of the 13 SEC teams who have a comparable "you are effed" schedule issue. Go look at the "new and improved" Amen Corner Auburn faces in 2019, not to mention NOT A SINGLE AUBURN HOME GAME in the month of October, 2019. I'll help:
10/26 AT LSU
11/2 Ole Mrs.
11/16 UGA
11/30 bammer
Help a brotha, but if memory serves, in 2020, we insert a likely surging aTm into the already rough backloaded 2019 schedule above.
3. Deflated fan base this week notwithstanding, Auburn puts FALL BREAK on Auburn vs TENN weekend! Who does that? Student section poised to flagrantly interrupt the "STRIPE THE STADIUM" to be spotty at best, hope I'm wrong. (Name 10 students who would stay in Arbren for Fall break for any football game not named the Iron Bowl?)
4. The apparent lack of an adult mentor for our still-on-the-learning-curve head coach. I understand there are ADAG meetings regularly with all head coaches as a group, but I'd be curious if those are structured to give even a morsel of leadership development to Rain Man. Probably not a "curable" malady Gus has anyway, else we'd have seen the fix by now. (Side note: after Tom Herman hangs 48 on OU (then nearly "Malzahn's it"), Emanuel Acho, when asked about the miracle offensive turnaround, sez key to Texas turnaround was "Tom Herman finally allowed his OC run an offense that matches his QB! Mmmmm.....what a concept!!!
4a. A head coach, ANY head coach, seemingly getting free reign to hire coordinators at 7-figures who lack the proven SEC level pedigree to actually deliver an ROI on the very performance issues that led to the HC relieving the predecessor of his duties in the first place.
5. The seeming lack of a strategic plan and financial path to play catch up on total athletics facilities, especially Jordan-Hare, and in this vacuum, the "stalemate" position that "we will build it when you raise the money". Leadership and vision like Dabo exerted at Clemson is required to break that stalemate, and get money people excited about getting on board. Gus doesn't have that Bruce level vision in his skill set, putting it mercifully.
I could go on . . . too exhausted. On the bright side, I will have an awesome bow season. Have three lock-ons hung in newly scouted, unhunted sets at my Dallas Co tract. And bow hunting Adams Co. Illinois monsters early November.
E5
