AUBURN
If you don’t know the name Michael Lombardi, he’s one of the most unfiltered, while at the same time, knowledgable minds in sports media.
Lombardi has experience as an executive in the front offices of the 49ers, Browns, Eagles, Raiders and Patriots and has worked at various media outlets such as Sports Illustrated and The Ringer. His new outlet for sharing his takes is a podcast called “The GM Shuffle” that he co-hosts with former ESPN studio host Adnan Virk.
The latest episode of “The GM Shuffle” deals mostly with Lombardi and Virk reacting to the 2019 NFL Draft. While discussing some potential late-round value picks NFL teams may have found last weekend, Lombardi quickly turned to former Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham. Keep in mind, Lombardi has a very close relationship with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, and after Stidham was selected by New England at the end of the fourth round, it’s not hard to envision a scenario where Lombardi reached out to Belichick about his new quarterback.
“Jarrett Stidham, the kid from Auburn. Here’s this kid, he was a five-star, four-star kid at Baylor with Art Briles, okay? They have the absolute fiasco that happens there and then he decides to leave Baylor and goes to Auburn,” Lombardi says on the podcast. “Really if the kid was smart, he would have stayed at Baylor with Matt Rhule. Because if he plays with Matt Rhule at Baylor, he’s probably going to throw. He probably would have been a first or second-round pick. He’s easily better than Daniel Jones if he plays in an offense that would have highlighted what he can do.”
That’s a very bold statement considering Jones was drafted sixth overall in the draft by the Giants, however, most were stunned by that decision by New York so Lombardi may not actually be that far off in his assessment of the two prospects.
To continue that thought, Lombardi then really went all in on Auburn’s offense, which he says could be the worst offense in all of football.
“That offense at Auburn, I’m not sure what the hell it is,” Lombardi said. “They run power, they run unbalanced… But anyway, that offense, seriously, might be one of the worst offenses in football, so you can’t evaluate a quarterback in it or they can’t train a quarterback, that’s the other thing. (Gus Malzahn) can’t train them.”
Clearly, Lombardi doesn’t hold back when asked to give his opinion. While there’s no way Belichick would ever say something like that publicly, you have to wonder if he feels much the same or if he relayed similar comments to his former coworker during the lead up to the draft or following Stidham’s selection.
Either way, it’s hard to argue with Lombardi’s take on Malzahn’s lack of development of his quarterbacks. Outside of Jeremy Johnson and Sean White, both of which disappointed during their time on The Plains, Malzahn typically has to reach into junior college or the transfer market to find a quarterback. That won’t be the case next season, so Malzahn will have a chance to silence his critics in the fall, but if he doesn’t, this narrative will only get louder next offseason.
Hahaha. Gus sucks
Why does Saban keep losing to sucky coaches?
Saban is 4-2 against Gus… Even a broken clock is right twice a day…
I believe he’s 1 one 2 coaches to have multiple wins against Saban with Dabo being the other. And Gus’s offense gives nick fits. 09, 10, 13, 14 and 17 all were over 300 total yards of offense and half of those were over 400.
I can’t think of anything more auburn then bragging about the numbers you put up in a loss.
3 out of 5 are wins..
And how many were Bama nattys?
Also 3. But that literally has nothing to do with the article.
As far as not having anything to with something… When did Gus take over at Auburn? Or do we give coordinators the credit over the HC?…
Gus took over in 13 but has called plays for auburn every year, except 2012, starting with the 09 season.
Was jalens improvement as a passer last year due to Saban or Enos?
It was due to enos but again that has nothing to do with the comment. The HC is credited with the wins and losses not the coordinators…
Also Gus called the plays all last year? That’s strange considering the articles about Gus taking play calling back over during the bowl…
I mentioned the wins versus nick but I also stated that Gus’s offenses still give Nick some fits. We give credit to coordinators when there job is to call plays, hence why I mentioned the wins for auburn when Gus was OC. It wasn’t all him but Nick struggled with it 2 out of the 3 years.
Correct, wins and losses are credited to the head coaches. Offensive production is credited to OCs usually unless the head coach is also calling places like Gus and Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma. When Gus was at Auburn as a coordinator his offense gave Nick fits and it continues to do so now. As far as Gus calling plays, he has the majority of the time as a HC. Lindsey brought more of a passing attack but it wasn’t his offense and people close to auburn have said that Gus was calling plays.
The Barn certainly has a treasure in Malzahn. My biggest fear is they will extend his contract another 5 years. :)
First 7 years as coach:
Saban: 51-30
Gus: 62-30
Results speak for themselves so it’s hard to argue with the points he made. It’s always been a major criticism of Malzahn.
This is the make or break year. He’s either going to develop a young QB with plenty of raw talent and win some big games, or he’s going to be fired.
Uhhh…huh?
I’ll get criticized for saying this but I’m in the minority on Gus for developing quarterbacks.
For starters, Gus has never been known as a qb guru. He’s been known as an offensive guru and non traditional schemes.
Newton had a total of 12 passes in two years at Florida then went to juco. Threw for 336 times for a completion percentage of 61. Went to auburn and threw 280 passes for 66%. Had more yards, better completion percentage and touchdowns with only 2 picks all under Gus.
Marshall was was a defensive back at uga before being kicked off. He moved to qb and completed 57% of his passes with 20 interceptions. Went to auburn and improved to 60% with only 6 ints his first year. Year two, he was 60 percent again but threw more yards, touchdowns and only 1int.
Stidham was a polished passer out of high school like Nix. Went to a pass heavy offense and shined in limited action at Baylor. He was a 69% passer then went to auburn in a run heavy offense and tougher conference and it dropped to 67%. Last year the o line was terrible and we didn’t have kerryon. His stats dropped but only to 61 percent. 36 tds and only 11 ints under Gus. He’s still struggling in moving around the pocket better.
Other QBs under Gus were Sean white, who led the conference in his first year as a starter in completion percentage. If he could’ve stayed healthy there wouldn’t be a stidham. Chris Todd who was 3rd in the SEC in yards passing (behind Tebow and Ryan mallett) and 4th in completion percentage.
The one QB who couldn’t make it was Jeremy Johnson and everyone points to that and says “Gus can’t develop a qb!!” Johnson had all the tools and just couldn’t grasp it mentally with all the pressure on him.
Don’t let facts get in the way of good recruiting fodder.
I am not going to criticize you. I do want to put a different spin on your stats. If you throw the ball 30 times but 8 of them are jet sweeps Your completion % should be high. Colt McCoy is the record holder in % while having the lowest yards per catch. This doesn’t included YAC.
Well jet sweeps aren’t passes unless you are talking about touch passes and in that case fair point.. kinda. Gus doesn’t really use that play in his playbook.
When did jet sweeps stop being passes? Pop (touch?) passes and jet sweeps are the same thing. Wasn’t that the play that was called back with Shivers? Swartz had at least one that game. Is it a staple anymore? You would know more than me. Thanks for reasonable & polite response.
Jet sweeps are a hand off. Touch passes are passes. The schwartz TD against Bama in 18 was a jet sweep. Touch passes to my knowledge have not been known in gus’s system. Kiffin is known for that though
The shivers play you are talking about is a jet sweep which is a run play
You are correct on both accounts. I confused my terminology.
It’s looks close live so it’s understandable. No worries.
With all due respect, Sean White couldnt hold Stidhams jock strap.
I dont care if White was an established 3 year starter who never missed a game due to injury. If Stidham still wanted to come to Auburn, he still would of been recruited, and he still would of started over White.
White, at his best was never in the same stratosphere as Stidham.
That’s debatable imo. White had the offense rolling in 2016 until his injury. Stidham was a better passer no doubt though
Say what you want about the offense, but it’s produced countless records and sent quite a bit of players to the NFL. Is Gus a qb guru? No. But 1 thing is certain, he’s drastically developed Gatewood over the past year as evidenced the past 2 spring games.
Tell me more about the auburn offensive players in the NFL. Let’s not count scout teams and Canada. TIA.
Yeah 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th rounders as well as UDFAs arent ANYTHING to brag about. We (Auburn) have had a grand total of 1 (ONE) player drafted in the 1st round since 2010. 0 (ZERO) since 2014s draft.
Our draft acumen under Malzahn is NOTHING to brag about.
Your the first Auburn fan I’ve seen point that out. I have a different criticism about that. His average class signing is 8th or 9th. That’s a lot of talent according to the recruiting services. The players that are drafted appear to stick in the league and ado well. It does seem like a talent issue. It’s not fair to say Gus doesn’t develop the player but it fair to say his program doesn’t.
His average signing class is in line with Auburn’s NFL numbers too. Auburn ranks 9th in representation on 53 man rosters and Auburn had the 7th most NFL draftees in 2019.
1st round talent is important but rounds 2-7 make up 86% of the draft. Those rounds also make up the majority of 53 man rosters.
Wow, Talk about Captain Obvious. The majority of the players are from 6 of the 7 rounds. You must have spent all night doing the math on that.
8-5,10-4,8-5,7-6,8-5,12-2 His best season at Auburn was his first year. I’m not sure what kind of records Bringtherain is talking about but at best he’s a pedestrian coach. Period.
He’s set over a dozen offensive records for Auburn, SEC, and bowl games. I’ve tried to list them but it won’t let me.
Saban is 7-4 vs auburn. 2007 2010 2013 and 2017..
Gus wasn’t the HC for 07 or 10… It’s not a hard concept…
He said Saban was 7-4 vs Auburn not vs Gus. It’s not a hard concept…
I see you don’t know Thomas.. He doesn’t ever use the reply button when he replies to people… That’s clearly a reply to the earlier conversation. He even posts a correction below without using reply… Like I said, not a hard concept…
A reply to what earlier conversation? He never said Gus wasn’t the HC in 07 or 10. He is talking about Saban vs Auburn not Saban vs Gus
A reply to my post about Saban being 4-2. Why else post a random stat that isn’t attached to anything? That’s why he lists Sabans record… If you have ever seen him post you would understand. Just click his profile… He replies but never uses the reply function…
He some times puts the name of the person when he is “replying” to someone instead of the reply button.. not a guarantee he was replying to you
And how would he be replying to you if you said vs Gus and he said vs Auburn?
8-4 now my bad
Gus doesnt hang his hat on developing first round QB selections. His offensive successes rely on quick O-linemen, power RB’s, and legit duel threat QB. Stidham was very good, but didnt cast well in the DT role. Also, Auburns O-line last year struggled. So, while this dopes comments are entertaining snark, I dont see them as particularly relevant.
Except they are.
Gus doesnt even know what kind of offense he wants to run. You say he runs a legit DT QB… The last 3 starters have not been DT QBs so he doesnt even know what type of offense he wants to run. He is running pocket passers in a spot where he needs a legit DT QB. At least this season he will have that in Gatewood.
So this guys comments are right on par. They are exactly correct.
Its do or die for Gus this year. Then assuming he turns it around this season (which is a huge assumption) he needs to sustain that success. This nonsense of having a successful season followed by a 5 or 6 loss season has to stop.
I’m not trying to be mean, but Michael Lombardi is a trusted professional within the industry and has decades of experience within the NFL. His take on QBs I would trust more than the average person behind a computer screen. To disagree with his take is one thing, but to dismiss him as some dope is a bit naive.
Gus doesn’t need a DT quarterback to succeed. Go look at his years at Tulsa, Arkansas and some years at Auburn.
Again, I respectfully disagree. Tulsa is well…Tulsa. Production at a school like Tulsa should not be said in the same breath as SEC success.
Let’s look at this objectively. Arkansas yes Gus had success at Arkansas for one season. Which featured 2 1st round RBs. QB play was a wash. Also he coached there 1 season. He had very little to do with their production. It was widely known Nutt would hamstring the offense he wanted to run.
Auburn… The only real success he has achieved was with a DT QB. 2010 Cam Newton and 2013 Nick Marshall.
2017 was a successful season however it was dependent on our NFL RB. That was clear in the SEC Championship. Also for some strange reason, Stidham was considered a DT QB. But let’s not pretend Stid was a DT in the same breath as Cam and/or Marshall. However technically Stid was a DT QB. So… every year at Auburn without a DT QB he has gotten 5-6 losses per season. The 3 seasons with a DT and you have 1, 2, and 4 losses.
It’s clear Gus needs a DT QB to have success at a high level when he gets to run the offense he wants to run. The only exception being 2006 Arkansas team that relied heavily on 2 first round RBs that Malzahn had NOTHING to do with their recruitment or development.
Success is success. You can’t disregard his success from another school based on who they are.. that is how coaches move up.
Yes lets please look at.. you can’t throw away the type of qb play he had at Arkansas just because he was there for 1 season and didn’t recruit them. The offense was still ran by him for the most part despite Nutt holding him back. Chizik also held Gus back while he was the OC from 09-11.
Success isn’t only championships.. 2010 and 13 were both ring years and with DT quaterbacks.
2009 – no dual threat – 3rd in the sec in O
2010 – dual threat – 1st in sec
2011 – no dual threat – 7th in sec
2013 – dual threat – 2nd in sec
2014 – dual threat – 4th in sec
2015 – dual threat – 8th in sec
2016 – no dual threat – 6th in sec
2017 – no dual threat – 4th in sec
2018 – no dual threat – 8th in sec
With DT – avg O in sec – 3.7
Without DT – avg in sec – 5.6
He clearly has had success with both types. He offense isn’t dependent on a DT qb. It is dependent on an experienced line and a good 1-2 punch in the backfield. Cam wouldn’t have the success he had with the line that played last year.
It would fair to say that the offensive line is very important and y’all didn’t have a good one last year. His success is tied to the line as much as the QB. With a seasoned group back this year your offense should be fine.
Would I like to see more success from our QB’s? Of course! However, I think we have had a lot of great moments and winning, so I can’t complain too much.
Wow! Michael Lombardi’s didn’t hold anything back on that one.
Thing is it’s completely true. Even with a quarterback with the talent of a Jarrett Stidham you could clearly see that he regressed in his second year under Malzahn.
Stidham came into a brand new offense and led the SEC in completion percentage with 66.5%. Then in his second year in the offense he fell all the way to 9th in the conference with 60.7%.
Without the SEC offensive player of the year and 4 new starters on O line..
wde0012, If it was only one year and one player I could agree but name me any QB that Gus has developed. Malzahn has not taken a signal player from a freshman and developed him into a legitimate college QB, much less a NFL prospect.
But that’s not what Malzahn’s offense is about. It does have one strength over most other college offenses in that it’s not that far removed from the offenses that most QB’s played in high school.
That is the point that Lombardi was basically making. Malzahn’s offense is not the best as far as developing and advancing a QB’s skills, especially for the NFL.
Exactly. His offense isn’t set up to translate to develop well into the NFL.. it is an unconventional offense. It’s different. It’s the same reason why option quarterbacks, wishbone quarterbacks in the 70’s and other non traditional offenses don’t translate.
Auburn fans are the fakest, most soggy flakes in the bowl. They can turn any off topic unheard of stat into a positive! Face it AU, without Cam there wouldn’t be a Malzahn for y’all to be Gus’n about. Stidham might be decent, but Gus didn’t have anything to do with that. Luck is often defined as when chance meets opportunity, but those were 2 dots Ol’ Gus couldn’t connect against the Vols last year. I define luck as when AU pulls an upset out of their loser Eagle ass. AU=most overrated SEC team ever!
So why are they one of the 5 teams being praised too much after the spring games? All these talking heads make about as much sense as nothing.