My Thoughts - Auburn

My dad was a high school football head coach for over two decades and he's always had many sayings. But the one I always remember the most is, "The worst feeling in the world, son, is not being able to stop the other team." That was the sick feeling everyone in the stadium wearing red had last night. And while the defense was mostly at fault for that, the smash-mouth Auburn running game and the inept Hogs offense played their part, too.

And it's sad because just a little playcalling innovation on offense would do wonders. Everything we did offensively last night that was a little bit "different" was successful: the quick pass to Monk on the first drive; the McFadden reverse; the dump pass to Hillis dragging over the middle. All worked great and were a complete shock to the Auburn defense (and, quite frankly, the home crowd). Now if I could just name more than three new plays per game...we might be on to something here.

But you know...these "My Thoughts" posts are starting to get repetitive. Playcalling is simplistic and predictable, execution only good against the "lesser" teams, defense is worse than last year, etc. We aren't learning anything from our past games and this week was no different. Offense (second half sputtering), defense (24 straight points allowed) and special teams (blocked field goal) all played their part in the loss. But as this season languishes on, it feels like the tone of these weekly posts needs to get a little more blunt. So...here goes:

Robert Johnson should be replaced. There's no other way around it. As stated above, he wasn't completely responsible for the loss last night. But he also didn't do much of anything to keep it from happening. And while his completion numbers may always look decent, his turnovers and failures at the most crucial times...third downs and in the red zone...have shown he is not the man to lead this team on the field. And in that vein...

The season is over...it's time to find out who can play next year. That means seniors on the bench. That means experiments at all positions. That means more players exposed...both in good and bad ways. There is no need to wonder anymore if someone can play. If you're planning to redshirt some of them, fine by me. But the ones that aren't should start showing up on the participation report.

But here's the problem...if Houston Nutt doesn't win a couple more games, some are saying (even within the "homer" media) that he'll be fired. And it's been proven over the years that self-preservation is something that comes very naturally to HDN. Translation: "No changes...I need some wins...love that helmet."

Finally, Keith Jackson is on the way to becoming the next Joe Kleine. Listen to the heresy spoken by Jackson during the radio broadcast last night: "Send more receivers past the first down marker on third down." And: "Spread the offense. You've got the athletes to do it." Whoa there Keith...you better have a little talk with your former co-worker Joe Kleine. The ARSN company line will not be crossed. You will not go against "Big Daddy" Frank or the program. This is your final warning. Otherwise, Wally will be writing another "taking the bullet" column...but this time it'll be about you.

Also: Auburn -- HogBlogger Quick Thoughts

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