re: Why would any kid who plays defense ever want to play for Gus Malzahn?

quote:

---

Or Van Gorder, or Ellis Johnson. All of these guys were supposed to be the fix to Auburn's defense. It hasn't worked. For whatever reason, no one seems to be able to put together a defense there.

---

Ted Roof eventually failed as DC while at Auburn.

Van Gorder was sold a false bill of goods. The guy had no idea what he was jumping into when he took that AU job.

Ellis Johnson was a good DC when he was hired. Ellis and Cheese Harbison provided a young head coach like Gus with valuable experience.

If any coordinator can make a defense successful with Gus' offense, it's Muschamp. I'm eager to see what he can do - there are really no excuses for AU to field a bad D anymore. They've got talent, experience and now a top shelf DC.

Thread Closed.

quote:

---

Van Gorder was sold a false bill of goods. The guy had no idea what he was jumping into when he took that AU job

---

Agree, but it also had nothing to do with Gus as they didn't cross paths at Auburn. He ran his defense alongside an impotent Leoffler pro-style offense.

So are you saying that defensive guys won't want to play for Malzahn because they are mad at him based on some ideological defensive philosophy? I bet you're wrong.

quote:

---

stevo1905- Is Gus' offense predicated on handicapping the defense? Yes or no. We both know the answer is YES".

---

Its predicated on taking advantage of the defense using the rules as they exist.

quote:

---

Gus wants to eliminate defensive scheming and defensive down and distance substitutions.

---

Gus hasn't eliminated either. He's just made it harder for you and isn't handing it to you on a silver platter. Has he stopped your coaches from working harder at schemes? (No.)

Has he forbidden your coaches from substituting? (No.) You might be stupid enough to believe that its illegal to substitute on defense if the offense is coming to the line, but its not. Auburn hasn't had problems making defensive substitutions against HUNH teams. Some teams (notably A&M) haven't had problems making defensive substitutions against Auburn's HUNH. You just have to know the moment and get'em on and off fast. You and your teams coaches don't want to work that hard though.

Whoa whoa whoa.

It's incorrect to say Gus Malzahn won at Shiloh with lesser talent.

Shiloh recruited kids and played against small towns with zero depth. They took a lot of kids from the 4 7A cities in NWA and any of the small towns that had a kid with promise. He often had a sideline of 60 kids against schools with barely 30 on the squad.

Gus has always stacked talent.

quote:

---

Gus has always stacked talent.

---

Coaching 101. Football games are overwhelmingly won by the team with superior talent.

quote:

---

That destroys the defenses ability to defend - and turns the game into an offensive contest. That's not a fair contest.

---

It is so cute you think that.

If the current HUNH trend continues with no rule adjustment to level the playing field and take away some of the gross advantages the offense currently has over the defense big defensive lineman will become obsolete. They're too heavy and slow to sub against HUNH offenses. But they sure are a major part of the NFL.

If HUNH isn't checked and some of it's advantage diminished smaller faster but less talented, less powerful athletes will replace the bigger more powerful players on defense and smaller replacements will go undrafted in the pros. Classic power aggressive defensive football players and their coaches will disappear from college football game altogether. The game will devolve into HUNH Offensive matches with small quick defenses reacting but never attacking - all college games will be high scoring affairs with no-name less talented plug-in kids playing defense - all the ALL STARS will be on Offense. Why would a kid want to play defense under any circumstances for any college football team if HUNH becomes the standard?

What does HUNH and all it's advantages do to that big strong kid who plays on the defensive line? Answer: We can't use you in the college game anymore. But the NFL will still wants you. The NFL won't forsake defense for track meets with ZERO defense

Malzahn doesn't want to waste any time recruiting defensive players - he wants to cull defensive players from the 2nd tier - players who are smaller, slower, that don't have offensive skills. He wants to force all teams to adopt the same strategy because he wants all of the emphasis in college football on scoring as many points as possible in an offensive contest only - Never in in any way, shape, or form competing in a defensive game.