Michael Elkon makes a compelling case here that Gus Malzahn is more valuable to Auburn than Gene Chizik is, which makes me wonder what the school might do if faced with the real threat of Malzahn receiving a tempting offer to coach elsewhere. After all, messing around with the long knives behind the head coach’s back is a tradition on the Plains.
The cynic in me notes that Camgate might turn out to be a case of very convenient timing for some people.
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I say Cam is more important than any of them. Without him, Auburn is a 6 to 7 win team at best. Most any OC would look like a genius with Cam at QB.
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Doesn’t Malzahn deserve credit for Cam’s development? He was an awful passer the times I saw him play in a Gator uniform.
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Which makes the whole price on Camgate just completely unbelievable to me. $180k for Cam? Right now it looks worth it, but he was hardly a can’t miss prospect from Blinn, right? I would believe $20k or $50k, but 200?
Or, maybe, I don’t understand these things. Still, if Cam was worth $200, then AU’s payroll (and damn near everyone else’s) must resemble a small market MLB team.
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If Albert Means was worth $200k then Cam was worth at least that amount.
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Heck yeah, just look what he did with their QB last year.
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Newton threw for 2833 while at Blinn, completing 61% of his passes and 22/5 TD/INT in 12 games.
At Auburn, Newton has thrown for 2038, completing 68% of his passes and 21/6 TD/INT in 11 games.
I’m not sure Malzahn has turned Newton into a great passer. Every QB looks like a better passer when they are such a threat to run. See Tebow, Vince Young, etc. It’s when that threat is taken away that the deficient passing game is revealed. So far, no one has been able to stop Newton’s running game, though. So, maybe Malzahn deserves credit for that.
(Not that Malzahn is not a great offensive coordinator… just thinking out loud.)
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Well, not every passer.
Perhaps every passer save the ones at Tech.
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Auburn better not drop the soap with Coach Malzahn around.
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I give CGM a lot of credit in QB development.
Chris Todd progression from ’08 to ’09 was incredible.
’08 Todd was really bad, ’09 Todd was a serviceable SEC QB…
Difference was in ’08 had poor coaching and in ’09 CGM coaching…
Cam was very green in the 1st few games…
3 int in his 1st 33 passes…
CGM has brought him along and plays to his strengths…
And it still takes a good coach to bring out the best in players…
AU in ’03 had Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown but both were not used properly..
And someday, probably sooner than later, CGM will be a head coach..
I just hope it is not in the SEC….
and got to give props to Coach Chiz too, he did hire CGM…
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Malzahn is definitely more valuable to awburn than Chizik. Not sure what Malzahn’s contract situation is, but he’ll certainly be offered a head coaching position soon. Colorado, now open, will need a high scoring O for the PAC.
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Don’t you just hate when you’ve almost finished with your popcorn and the movie hasn’t even started yet?!
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Without Cam, AU is a 6-7 win team at best….much like the year before
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True, but think where they’d be last year without Malzahn?
Chizick’s Ds at Auburn were good under Tuberville, but have been lousy the past two seasons.
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