All posts by Deaneagle5

Auburn Football All-Access Podcast, Episode 151, Sep. 15, 2017

The Good and Ugly of the Clemson loss, and the “Fix” for the AU Offense

The dead horse that was the Auburn offense versus defending national champion Clemson deserves just ONE more severe beating, and Coach John Ray and Doug Dean are up to the task! With expected “cupcake” opponent, Mercer, up this week, the Tiger offensive brain trust is in desperate need of major solutions to the offensive plan, execution, and play calling.

Join Coach Ray and Dean as they tackle the ugly from game two, but also attempt to be constructive that a mere two games in, the staff at least has the opportunity – due in no small part to what appears to be an elite AU defense – to find some fixes, and playmakers, and get on a run of wins. If Auburn is able to run their record to 5-1 before heading to Baton Rouge on October 14th, the outlook would certainly be dramatically different than at present.

Auburn Football All-Access Podcast, Episode 150, Sep. 7, 2017

In what most consider the biggest game of week two of the 2017 college football season, both Auburn and Clemson will field well-coached, suffocating defenses. If so, which team will find the right offensive strategy and execution to avoid critical mistakes, and be productive enough to claim what would be a pivotal early season victory?

Join Coach John Ray and Doug Dean for the analysis!

Auburn Football All-Access Podcast, Episode 149, August 31, 2017

The lead-up to the 2017 Auburn football season has been marked by fairly high decibel optimism, resulting largely from the arrival of potentially elite QB, Jarrett Stidham. But the upbeat expectations – some coming from within the Auburn program, not merely pundit love – extend beyond Stidham to the belief that the Auburn defense will be stout and deep. If those factors happen to merge with a typically powerful Malzahn ground game, the preseason optimism could prove to be well-founded, and the Tigers contending for the SEC West deep into November.

Join Coach John Ray and Doug Dean as attack the analysis of the Auburn season’s arrival with exuberance arising from the opening weekend of college football!

Auburn Football All-Access Podcast, Episode 148, August 24, 2017

When defensive minds like Coach Nick Saban and Coach Kirby Smart pronounce it as a waste of time to work to scheme to try to stop the vaunted “RPO” (run-pass option) attacks of the day, then it becomes difficult for Auburn fans not to be upbeat about the possibilities with the 2017 AU offense under new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey.

So as the 2017 season is upon us, for both serious and casual fan, what exactly are the tenets of the recent RPO attack, and how might it look when melded with Gus Malzahn’s often devastating ground game?

Join Coach John Ray and Doug Dean as they welcome special guest and friend of the show, Coach Hunter Adams, in a seriously deep dive into the RPO system and what Auburn fans might expect from the AU offense.

Auburn Football All-Access Podcast, Episode 147, Aug. 17, 2017

With the Auburn football 2017 season opener a mere 16 days away, Coach Gus Malzahn posted possibly his most significant tweet since 2013 on Monday, announcing Baylor transfer QB Jarrett Stidham as the clearcut starter. The announcement surprised no one, but is good for this Auburn team in that it allows three good weeks of work with one quarterback and his offensive starters.

Coach John Ray and Doug Dean discuss what Stidham will bring to the table, which very well may include the reclaiming of the level of coaching confidence Malzahn displayed in 2010, and as head coach in 2013.

Auburn Football All-Access Podcast, Episode 146, Aug. 10, 2017

Notwithstanding the challenge of accessing reliable information in its real time “context” from Auburn and most every SEC fall camp, reports appear to point to roughly one-third worries for the Auburn coaching staff, and two-thirds excitement as to how the team is shaping up with the season opener just 23 days out. Not an abnormal reality in most every Power Five football camp, as annual attrition takes its toll.

Not surprisingly, Kevin Steele’s Auburn defense is drawing rave reviews – particularly the front-seven in terms of quality depth – even as the offense works to identify the right five (Braden Smith is a clear starter) O-linemen to get maximum reps, and for transfer QB Jarrett Stidham to demonstrate mastery of the offense equal to his enormous physical upside.

Join Coach John Ray and Doug Dean as they explore the best available sourced information coming out of fall camp in the Loveliest Village!

Auburn Football All-Access Podcast, Episode 145, July 29, 2017

With a mere two days until the start of Auburn football Fall Camp, there is a buzz around the Loveliest Village surrounding numerous questions about the 2017 season. Emotions among fans probably run the continuum from skepticism to exuberance, given the past two years, yet the emergence of potentially elite talent in probable starting QB Jarrett Stidham.

Join Coach John Ray and Doug Dean as they kick off the 2017 podcasting season with a look at the big questions, and answers Coach Gus Malzahn & Co must find leading up to the September 2nd season opener.

Auburn Football All-Access Podcast, Episode 144, April 11, 2017

While Spring A-Day games are notoriously unreliable in gauging talent and results for the coming football season, there were certain observations in Auburn’s April 8, 2017 Spring scrimmage that were undeniably optimistic. At the top of that list would be the performance of heralded transfer QB, Jarrett Stidham, who is all but ordained the Auburn starting quarterback for 2017, and with demonstrably good reason after throwing for 257 yards this past Saturday.

And adding to the preseason optimism is an emerging corps of explosive wide receivers, led by Nate Craig-Myers, and a defense which at least on paper is stacked with SEC-caliber talent.

Join Coach John Ray and Doug Dean for the “way too early” analysis and banter!

Auburn Football All-Access Podcast, Episode 143, Jan. 23, 2017

Coach Gus Malzahn landed his next Auburn offensive coordinator to succeed departed OC Rhett Lashlee, Chip Lindsey, who leaves Arizona State after one year. Although the search for an OC took over a week, it appears Lindsey was Malzahn’s first choice from day one as the ideal fit to solve Auburn’s offensive inconsistency in 2016.

Join Coach John Ray and Doug Dean as they evaluate Lindsey’s pedigree, offensive philosophy, results, and how he might meld Gus Malzahn’s system with his own to create a more balanced, lethal offensive attack for what is clearly a make or break 2017 season for the Auburn head football coach.

Auburn Football All-Access Podcast, Episode 142, Dec. 23, 2016

While it does not compare to a college football four-team playoff in terms of national championship implications, the Sugar Bowl matchup pitting the Auburn Tigers vs the Oklahoma Sooners is arguably the second most important SEC team Bowl game.

Join Coach John Ray and Doug Dean as they tackle an in-depth analysis of this matchup, which will likely boil down to how well the top-ranked Auburn defense can attack and slow the high-octane Sooners offense led by Heisman trophy candidate and QB Baker Mayfield.