2010 Highlight Video

Best Auburn Highlight Video - Sadler Evans from Steve Braswell on Vimeo.

It all starts now!

So, this is the week we have all waited for. Anticipated, uneasily, in our college football minds, we pondered the full spring and summer, and all the while basked in the knowledge that we, Auburn, are sitting on top of the college football world.
Time has come for this sport we love to begin anew.
Still we have reason for hope, and excitement.
All of the expectations by the outside media about this young and talented Auburn team, are wrong of course. Not one outlet has given this team a chance to successfully defend the past seasons titles.
Barring major injuries, and a depletion at any one spot, this Auburn team is poised to shock the world. We must look at the predictions, since we must have predictions, with the idea that every team will be as healthy as they are right now, this week for the season ahead.
I had promised all of you that I would post a prediction before the season starts, and Here it is.
I can see that this team lacks a tremendous amount of experience, but they are not lacking anything in talent, coaching, and preparation. From Coach Yox and the grueling summer workouts, to the coaching staff, these young men will be ready for any and all in the best conference in the land.
It would be conceivable that Auburn would lose an early season game and mature throughout the rest to "upset" a few of the popular picks to win it all this season. My surprise loss is going to be Clemson. The learning curve for road travel will be completed, and the rest of the road games won't have as much an effect on this team.
Throw in another loss just because the schedule is so daunting, and you have that magical number that has eluded everyone else. Auburn will suffer two regular season losses, if they can remain healthy throughout. That's it! They will not be a dismal, and floundering bunch of babies, as some have suggested. It's not as if they are just learning how to walk.
So, there you have it. 10-2 regular season record, with losses at Clemson, and either Arkansas, or LSU. Although, I'll say this. If this team gets to 5-0 for the third consecutive season under Gene Chizik.......
WAR EAGLE!

T-WILL "ALL IN" {OFFICIAL VIDEO} @T_WILL4REAL

HERE IT IS!
The highly anticipated release of the new Auburn football season anthem from T_WILL
Enjoy and WAR EAGLE!

Coach Chizik After Fiday Practice

AL.com has posted the Friday pm edition of Coach Chizik's presser.

Kiehl Frazier August 10, 2011

Philip Lutzenkirchen August 10, 2011

Jeffrey Whitaker August 10, 2011

T'Sharvan Bell August 10, 2011

Neiko Thorpe August 10, 2011

The Show Must Go On

Bad Call - "My Bo Jackson Moment" by Deion Sanders

Our House -- rap about the 1989 Iron Bowl

Monday Morning Musings...

Hello once again fellow Tiger fans. This weekend we learned that there is still not a clear leader in the battle for the starting QB position, and that the former QB, some guy named Cam Newton can actually play this game.

We turn to our usual suppliers of life's blood known as the Auburn football “Beat” writers. They are Charles Goldberg, Andy Bitter, and David Morrison.

It's good to see the news that former Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher has an interest in Auburn football, and it has nothing to do with coaching at Auburn. Not that he would be a bad choice as a coach if we didn't already have a proven winner in Gene Chizik. Fisher's son, Trent is a walk-on at Auburn and apparently doing extremely well.

Video evidence and descriptive evidence are enough to prove that Auburn is going to be an extremely competitive, and physical group this season, even if they are young. My personal favorite comment was by Coach Grimes about his young linemen. They are going very hard, and usually when a guy has a question about his assignments, he will slow down, but these guys aren't slowing down, Grimes said that “They may block the wrong person, but they are blocking him with everything they got”.

Plus it's good to be close to mama, no laundry money needed, and home cooking. An unbeatable combination, for a young college student.

WAR EAGLE!

LOCK N' LOAD - AUBURN FOOTBALL 2011 - HYPE VIDEO

Breaking Down Mike Slive's National Agenda

Recently at the SEC media event in Hoover,AL Mike Slive, the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference laid out his national agenda for change in a speech to those in attendance.

Here are the highlights, in case you didn't want to listen to all of his speech.

1. "Our Goal is to provide student athletes, who aspire to become professionals, the opportunity to receive the expert advice they need, on a timely basis".
2. "One of the most important discussion areas of this agenda, is to advance new ways of evaluating freshmen academic eligibility and to support proposed revisions to the two year college transfer model".
   A. Consider increasing minimum GPA from 2.0 to 2.5
   B. Annual satisfactory progress rule for the 4 yrs of High School
   C. May result in the partial qualifying standard reinstated
3. "It's time to push the reset button on the regulatory approach to recruiting in order to move away from the ideas that recruiting rules are designed to create a level playing field. There are significant differences between institutions in resources climate, tradition, histories, stadiums, among many other things that make the idea of a level playing field an illusion".

Commissioner Slive has the best interest at heart of the student athlete, there isn't any need in discussing that point, it's a fact. Where he and several of his SEC coaches are at odds, are numerous, and need further dialogue. They should have been discussed at length at the SEC meetings in Destin, FL, or some other venue.

Let's give our SEC captain the benefit of the doubt, and look earnestly at his proposals.

Item 1.) "Our Goal is to provide student athletes, who aspire to become professionals, the opportunity to receive the expert advice they need, on a timely basis".

I think we all see that there is indeed a time in an athletes college career, that they need professional advice, without having to suffer the disqualification of their amateur status. Case in point would have been Darvin Adams. If he could have sought a professional panel, and heard from them that he would be better served with staying in college one more year, then he may have made a different choice. For the record I support Darvin leaving, and his confessed reasons for doing so.

Item 2.) "One of the most important discussion areas of this agenda, is to advance new ways of evaluating freshmen academic eligibility and to support proposed revisions to the two year college transfer model".

A. Consider increasing minimum GPA from 2.0 to 2.5
B. Annual satisfactory progress rule for the 4 yrs of High School
C. May result in the partial qualifying standard being reinstated

This is by far the more complicated of any of his items in this national agenda. Not just for the reason of multiple talking points, but the task it would be to undertake. Conservatively, it would unite education programs all over the country, and rewrite the required national education requirements. Personally, I feel if he can pull this off, he should be President of The United States.

Let's pretend that Mike Slive can actually create a new education environment in 90% of the school systems across the country. Then, and only then should the minimum level of qualifying GPA be raised. Give the kids in the current system a chance to improve as they get through the system, and the junior high kids a better chance at being able to qualify.

Simply raising the minimum acceptance level is not the answer. It only hurts the chances of those student athletes that do not have a quality education experience available to them. It sentences them to the JUCO system, and decreases the quality of education available to the college athlete. Facts are facts, there is not the same quality of education at every Junior College, that there is at the major universities.

The now defunct "partial qualifier" rule is not the best thing to bring back into college athletics. If you think the "greyshirt" rules are bent, wait until you give some of these schools a license to bring in partial qualifier athletes. It was a nightmare before, it'll be worse with all the legislation it would require. I have chills just thinking about it. This part of Mr. Slive's proposal serves to only increase the length of the NCAA rulebook. Not a good option.

Item 3.) "It's time to push the reset button on the regulatory approach to recruiting in order to move away from the ideas that recruiting rules are designed to create a level playing field. There are significant differences between institutions in resources, climate, tradition, histories, stadiums, among many other things that make the idea of a level playing field an illusion".

This one is a mind blower, and exquisitely simple all at once. While on one hand, I agree that the NCAA rules have not adequately kept up with the times as far as cyber-communication, aka social media.

I also believe that media such as "Skype", facebook, and twitter will continue to evolve and an antiquated behemoth like the NCAA recruiting regulation handbook will never be able to keep up.

So Mr. Slive and I are in agreement that the rules need to be simplified. Have clear and precise dates that an institution can recruit and when they can not. Plain and simple, do away with the gray areas of allowable communication, and recruitment such as, "quiet periods, contact periods, and evaluation periods". Make it simple,two distinct periods, recruiting period, and non-recruiting period. That would work for me.

During the non-recruiting periods, no member of any institution would be allowed to talk, evaluate, or visit with any potential student athletes, coaches, teachers, guidance counselors, or their parents, or legal guardians. How much simpler would that be?

As far as the difference in one institution, and another, this is part of what makes the college football experience what it is.

College football, nay, all of college sport is by far the most enjoyable sporting experience in the universe, and you agree with me, or you wouldn't be reading this, so don't try to tell me otherwise.

There will never be a completely level playing field. Gone are the days of Ivy League national championships, at least at the BCS level. I for one would not relish a return to those "good old days". That could not be good for the sport, it's fans, nor the conferences which they play for.

What a sly old fox Mr. Slive has become, call for a new national agenda, while sitting on that huge stack of cash.

Welcome to the family Mr. Nero,

We have discussed in the past the importance recruiting is to any college football program. “Relationships” Coach Chizik has stated, being built and kept is what it takes to have good recruiting. HERE is a story of Coach Taylor, and his relationship with the family of Eric Berry. The former Tennessee Volunteer, who now plies his trade in the NFL.

The gang at al.com has several good stories, they include Charles Goldberg, Evan Woodbery, and Tommy Hicks.

Andy Bitter has the full story on Auburn's return to practice Wednesday, and what position battles to look for. I for one belive the offensive line will be just fine and dandy, Auburn has recruited 11 4 star or better players over the last two seasons, and only one, has left the program.

David Morrison of OANews has a really compelling look as to why Onterio McCalebb will be the breakout player this season for our Tigers. Interesting stuff.

One of my favorite stories of the week is by Riley Downing over at THE WAR EAGLE READER. Mr. Downing has done an excellent job of writing, and presenting the facts. You will be thankful for this link because of the way you'll feel about Auburn's running game afterward.

In case you haven't heard, 3 star DE Darius Philon has uncommitted from Auburn, and reopened his recruitment. Understandably, Mr. Philon was a little unsure about his early commitment from the start. So, this was not really a surprise. No worries though, as AU landed another DE commit today. 4Star defensive tackle Tyler Nero. What a cool name. Welcome to the family Mr. Nero, and,

War Eagle!

Listen to The Rocket City's Sports Authority WZZN - 97.7 FM Huntsville, AL

Listen to The Rocket City's Sports Authority WZZN - 97.7 FM Huntsville, AL

Tuesday's

Tomorrow starts the beginning of fall practice for the Auburn Tigers. Battles for starting positions are a plenty, and with just a few days to go, 33 as of this writing, before we kickoff the defense of the reigning national champs.
Rivals.com has an interesting look into the offensive line with their coach, Jeff Grimes. Jeffery Lee does an excellent job here.
Jay Coulter of Track Em Tiger fame as an interesting look into the past of the latest accuser of Auburn wrong doing. What a loser this guy is.
Andy Bitter is looking at AU's opponents in the upcoming season. It's worth your time. Andy does an excellent job with his coverage of the Tigers.
Until next time,
WAR EAGLE!