Before the article ( it will come at some point, it will be about Payton Thorne and have bits about Coach Freeze's presser) - You, the Auburn reader and fan, are "know-nothing simpletons of the hive mind". These are not my words and I think YOU deserve an explanation. Take a look at unprofessional stupidity. Some, such as myself, call it trash. It is a casual fan attacking another casual fan in order to set up an "article". It is called fabulation. I have blacked out the name because this particular fan happens to be beloved by many on Auburn 𝕏 and I want to be respectful of him.
Exhibit 1:
Now, after attacking a fan with post that go back a stalker-like number of years, this pretend sportswriter doubles down and struggles to "write" a non-coherent article where the narrative created is that "writer" somehow "knows ball" because he coaches kids of some sort and apparently played high school ball at a very low level...and you, don't. Yeah. He has never written for a major publication in his life or played D1 football, has zero contacts within any program, yet has somehow convinced himself that he is in the "know" and you, the idiot Auburn fan, don't know anything and are idiots.
Exhibit 2:
It is precious that he does the AU thing, which is indicative of a casual fan. By now you are asking yourself "who cares? This is nobody." Which is true... Not so fast. Somehow, for reasons beyond explanation, It gets "published" by another casual fan who runs a casual fan website to give it the illusion of, you know, being anything other than just people typing about stuff in which they have no experience level whatsoever. Click bait at its finest. The kids call this gatekeeping. Most just call it BS. I call it lack of character and honor.
Exhibit 3:
That is where an imbecile, a person you choose to follow and click on, has somehow been given enough ego to that he feels comfortable calling you "know-nothing simpletons of the hive mind."
Normally, I would be in a position where I could not say anything about all of this. At any point in time where I was with a large organization, this would have been a topic brought up in a meeting and promptly dismissed. The thought process would be why would we waste column inches on nonsense AND why give people who are obviously idiots the attention they sorely need and crave to stay afloat. Darwin sorts that out eventually.
Luckily, I have chosen a different path at this point in my career and built up enough professional clout that I can not give a damn about that. I can openly say you should block these people. Don't look at them and they go away.
You should not read their garbage. You should not click and give them the advertising pennies. The entire website is inflated nonsense and "writer" turnover. I will grant that the main guy CAN write funny things on occasion. He has surrounded himself with absolute trash. Is that tiny bit worth your self- respect or allowing yourself to read constant pathetically crafted trash? Is it worth being referred to as morons?
I have been informed that this "man" will go to his little discord and say "get him" and his little minions will come forth from the woodwork. He is doing it now to the Auburn fans that have pushed back. To which I respond:
Do it. Anyone that will openly attack Auburn fans is welcome to FAFO.
Apologies for that readers, On to the Monday Edition.
I had already written most of my article today, but wanted to see what Coach Freeze had to say in his Monday Presser.
He did what any good coach would do, he tapped-danced around the question that is on most Auburn fan's minds. He hinted at line problems and hinted at a possible quarterback change. Then hinted at not. Exactly the kind of thing that exasperates a fanbase.
Here is where I would usually go into a ton of stats and make some proclamation of fact. At this juncture, that is pointless. Most of us know we are 2-7 in out last 9 home games. Most of us can see there is a problem when Payton Thorne tries to complete forward passes against teams that are anywhere near the same talent level. Coach Freeze can try to bail him out a bit with talk of bad protection. He didn't even look like he believed himself.
I have seen several people, respectable writers, that have said this was a multi-faceted problem on offense. Coaching adjustments, bad o-line play, etc. I respectfully disagree.
They kept trying to go back to the base offense and Payton Thorne couldn't run it. Outside of perhaps 2 completions, all of his throws were inaccurate. He held the ball too long. He put the tight ends in the wrong protection schemes. He put the running backs in the wrong protection schemes. He put all the above, and added in a few receivers, into wrong route schemes. You could watch him try to make the adjustments.
It is on Thorne to make sure the guys on the field understand on game day. He didn't do it. Coach Freeze stated in his press conference he wishes we could see the cuts, the film, so we could understand how wide open some of these plays were. I watched the film. I watched Aaron Murray watch the film. I talked to others that watched the film. All four interceptions were on Thorne. The one he got hit should have been thrown a full second before the blitz got to him. This is a fifth year stater that has every advantage in the world and a staff that is calling plays to make it easy for him and he STILL cannot check down, read coverages, read blitzes, throw hot routes, or form any sort of rhythm.
That being said, could we have run the ball more? Sure, we were becoming very effective in the second half and the O-line looked good in run blocking for most of the game. Was there some coaching and player errors. Yes. Also some bad luck and bad officiating.
Here comes the catch. Read this carefully.
It is not Payton Thorne's fault Auburn does not have a quarterback.
His ceiling seems to have been met his Sophomore year. There is no explanation for it. He is a practice champion that just doesn't have "it" when the game gets real.
Freeze had a chance at several quarterbacks in the portal (most of whom have looked great so far at their new schools) and decided to follow ego and save money. He tried to tell us that Auburn would be better, just not great yet. He never lied.
There are a lot of fans saying put in The Baby Goat, Hank Brown. There is no indication he is ready yet. His pure talent is what put him past Holden on the depth chart. He is not up to speed with this level of competition yet. Walker White is still struggling with anything past seven on seven. Some would say that if we are going to watch a QB1 make freshman mistakes it might as well be a young guy. There is some truth to that. What there is absolute truth about, Thorne is never going to constantly be a high caliber quarterback. A reporter from Michigan State told me that when we got him. He is a gunslinger without the upside.
All that builds up to this : He is our gunslinger. Barring injury or Hank being a secret gamer, there isn't much that can be done. Payton was who the trust was placed in. Who got the reps. Who is the best runner. He is the best option currently. He gives Auburn the best chance at a win right now. That is not his fault. It is the coaches.
It is time we accept that.
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Matthew Jacobs is an experienced sports writer who has joined Barner Supply as the managing editor, bringing with him a rich background in sports journalism. With a career spanning major outlets like Sports Illustrated and ESPN, Matthew has built a reputation for insightful coverage of teams across the Southeast. His deep dives into the Auburn Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Memphis Grizzlies, and Tennessee Titans have earned him a loyal following, known for his sharp analysis and engaging storytelling. At Barner Supply, Matthew looks forward to continuing his tradition of excellence, delivering compelling stories and expert commentary to a more focused audience. He can be found on 𝕏 @Mindful_Legacy