Where did it all go wrong?

Chris Todd is our starting QB. For the SECOND straight year, Chris Todd is our starting QB. Sorry I know the news is a week old but I am still playing catch-up. It was just another shocking development in a long line of shocking developments. I was asking a friend and fellow Auburn grad a few days ago "where did it all go wrong?". Where did the train go off the tracks? I mean things were seemingly going very well just a few years ago. I remember sitting in the stands with my son in November of 2007 watching us notch #6 in a row over Bama and $aban. It was his first Auburn/Bama game and it went much better than mine which was in 1984 (and about the maddest I ever got at Pat Dye... kick the field goal and get the LEAD coach!!!... )

Anyway, back to that lovely night in 2007... There was Tub hugging all the assistants including Al Borges and the players soaking in another hard fought win over the Tide. We had hit a few rough patches in 2007 but had righted the ship, finished 8-4 and again notched #6 against Bama. There was happiness and just a sweet satisfaction over the entire stadium...


We were bringing a ton of people back for the 2008 season and it appeared would keep our 2 coordinators together for a 3rd season. This looked like a team ready to make a serious run at the SEC title. The sun was seemingly shining bright on the Plains. That when the avalanche started. Here is the timeline of shocking developments for me...
1. Jay Jacobs and Tuberville start a ridiculous childish battle against each other with Auburn being the loser.
2. Al Borges is fired and Tony Franklin is brought in.
3. Auburn wins the Peach Bowl and Franklin is given all the love when the offense really didn’t score any more points than they had all season and the defense is what really won the game.
4. Jay Jacobs runs off one of the best defensive coordinators in the nation in Will Muschamp and Auburn is now back to breaking in two new coordinators.
5. Auburn recruits Chris Todd out of JUCO and we have to endure a ton of sunshine pumping about Franklin and the spread throughout spring and fall practice plus the ridiculous “QB race” between Kodi Burns and Todd.
6. Chris Todd is made the starter.
7. Tony Franklin, Chris Todd and the whole ridiculous offense go down in flames during the 2008 season.
8. Tommy Tuberville and his longtime staff go down in flames as well bottoming out in the 36-0 massacre in Tuscaloosa.
9. Tommy Tuberville is fired/quits, whatever you want to call it, 5 million dollars richer while doing a Terry Bowden-esque job recruiting his last 2 recruiting classes (which at this point produced nearly zero offensive linemen and defensive tackles). And of course in Tuscaloosa, $aban starts his recruiting run that he is still on.
10. Jay Jacobs then performs one of the most pathetic and embarrassing coaching searches ever.
11. Auburn hires Gene Chizik as head football coach
12. Chris Todd is made the starter AGAIN.

While he has hired a seemingly good staff and kept his mouth shut I am still just flabbergasted that at this time it appears most people are now thinking Chizik is a good coach as documented at the JCCW . I mean don’t we at least need to see the guy coach a few football games first?

He is going to have to do A LOT for me to forget a head coaching career record of 5-19, a 10 game losing streak, an 11 game road losing streak and finishing 2-14 in the Big 12. Yes it was Iowa St but while it is a lower tier job they have been to FIVE bowls this decade which is better than several SEC teams. It is not quite the "wasteland" many AU fans make it out to be. Bottom line for me, winners win even at tough spots or at least they do better than Chizik did. So for the record, I am still not on the Chizik bandwagon till I see some proof on the field, actually make that a LOT of proof on the field. And of course that brings us back to the future…

Chris Todd starting... again. The JCCW did a great job outlining Todd’s deficiencies. However let’s be real clear here, Todd was AWFUL last year. He was slow, weak-armed, indecisive and a "statue in the pocket". He wasn’t particularly accurate or seemingly strong at anything. I know, I know, I am just a stupid fan and Gus Malzahn is now somehow the greatest OC we have ever had but all I know is I watched the 3-2 embarrassment against Miss St. I saw how bad our offense was against UT and Vandy. Do we really think all of that was due his arm problems and the coaching? Wouldn’t a good QB have shown SOMETHING in those games? I think so and that is why I see another train wreck in our near future.

However if somehow our offense is pretty good against SEC competition then I guess I will have to say that maybe Gus Malzahn in the greatest OC we have ever had…