The Bodda Getta

Of all the things Malzhan learned at Auburn the first time around, one of the clearest must have been what can and usually does happen when a coach meddles too much with his coordinators.

To me, his hires tell me that he intends to surround himself on offense with guys that he trusts, that are on his same page, and that know what he wants and how to go about it. He won't have to spend much time teaching his coaches so that they can (hopefully) teach the players.

And on defense, the hires seem to suggest that he wants to put together a staff that he can trust to do something he isn't an expert at doing....running a defense. He wants to hand them the keys and say, "have a blast, do your thing".

That isn't to say that he won't bring in new guys on offense. He likely will. But he has also guaranteed, with himself, the OC and the OL coach, that there is a core that is already on the same page. It will be much easier to add a couple more to blend in.

And it isn't to say he won't bring in someone he knows or that's less experienced to work on defense. But again, he's guaranteed that there is a core that have "been there and done that" in running successful SEC defenses. They've recruited it, they've coached it, and I think it's apparent that Gus intends to let them run their own show on that side of the ball.

If this staff needs any "yes" men, it's on offense, under Gus. Check.

If this staff needs any "set in their ways", experienced veterans, it's on defense. Check.

So far, if you ask me, he's right on track.