Injuries

This seems like a good summary of the injury situation. I think Philip's first question was depth. We have depth issues mainly at offensive line and linebacker and maybe the defensive secondary.

Question No. 2: What about injuries?
By Phillip Marshall, Senior WriterPosted Jul 28, 2009Copyright © 2009 AuburnUndercover.com

Wide receiver Tim Hawthorne has a chance to be ready for opener/Todd Van Emst
Over the course of this week, we will examine five major questions facing Auburn football going into preseason practice, which begins Aug. 5. Today, we look at Question No. 2: What is the status of injured players?
AUBURN - First-year Auburn coach Gene Chizik doesn’t like to talk about injuries. And he usually doesn’t.
“I don’t think it’s fair to the players or their families,” Chizik said last Friday.
But there is no question that how some players rebound from injuries could have a significant impact on Auburn’s football season.
Here is a look at what we believe about some prominent players who are coming back from injuries:
Junior wide receiver Tim Hawthorne: Suffered a broken bone near his ankle during summer workouts. Will probably miss most of preseason practice but should be physically ready to play early in the season, probably in the opener against Louisiana Tech.
Junior safety Mike McNeil: Suffered a broken leg late in spring practice. Will probably be limited early in preseason practice but is expected to be ready to play in the opener.
Junior offensive lineman Bart Eddins: Underwent offseason knee surgery and missed much of spring practice. Should be ready to go if there are no further complications.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Barrett Trotter: Suffered a torn ACL during spring practice and underwent surgery. Is unlikely to be ready until sometime during the season.
Sophomore running back Eric Smith: Suffered a leg injury late in spring practice. It was not thought to be serious at the time. Should be ready at the start of preseason practice.
Junior defensive end Antoine Carter: Suffered a leg or knee injury during spring practice. Information about his status is sketchy. As far as we know, he also will be ready for practice.
Senior safety Aairon Savage: Suffered an Achilles injury during summer workouts and underwent surgery. After missing all last season because of a knee injury suffered in preseason practice, will probably miss all of this season. Has told teammates he will probably apply for a sixth year of eligibility.
Chizik said he and his staff will have to find a balance between having physical practices and trying to keep the injury list from growing in the month leading up to the season.
"We don't have a very deep football team," Chizik said. "Obviously, you want to keep the physical mentality, but you also have to be very smart on your approach. We’ll do that.
"We know that we have to take our best players into the game on Sept. 5. We have to have a fresh football team. That's our whole goal."

About Gene Chizik

I read Philip Marshall's post on Coach Chizik at SEC Media Days. It is clear that Chizik is a low-key guy. He is not one to do alot of talking. He makes it clear that it's about Auburn and not about him. He is not exciting and motivating to listen to, but he seems to carry himself with dignity and class. Let's just hope he can coach.

Is this our Year?

Picked to finish 5th in the SEC West and with a history of doing well when least expected, the Auburn Tigers should have a great year. Is this our year?

This & That

While commuting Auburn yesterday I was able to hear part of "Sportscall," the Auburn talk show that is on 93.9 FM in Montgomery. It was SO good to hear Auburn talk. You certainly don't hear any Auburn talk in Bamaham where I live.

So Bamer gets the Opelika running back. I hope that means that kid thinks we are going to get Dyer and Seastrunk. It will be interesting to see if that happens.

We do pick a 4-star receiver out of Atlanta. They get one and we get one.

Tom Watson - So Close!

Normally I don't pay much attention to professional golf. Then today I received an email update from the NY Times that said Tom Watson was in a playoff with Stewart Cink. I knew that the 59-yr. old Watson was leading the field going into the final round today. I turned the TV on to watch the playoff. Unfortunately Watson bogied the 18th in regulation to force the playoff. But then in the 4-hole playoff, Watson falls apart and loses the British Open. I found myself so hoping that this 59-yr. old would win this major golf tournament. We 59-yr. olds need to pull for one another!

I Can't Help but Be Excited

I can't help but be excited at the thought of the start of another football season. Yet sometimes I wish college football weren't such a year round thing now. I think we need a true off-season. With the rise of interest in recruiting, I doubt this is possible now.

This Weekend

We read about another recruiting event this weekend. It would be nice if Seastrunk and Dyer would commit.

Cries of War Eagle at Commencement

I read this post on "The War Eagle Reader" (http://thewareaglereader.wordpress.com/):

At a recent commencement ceremony at George Washington University, there were cries of “War Eagle.”

On her name card, Auburn alumna Sara Elisabeth Burson (class of ‘07) slipped our school’s illustrious battle cry in between her middle and last name.

She handed it to the announcer.

The announcer looked at it. A gag? Native American? Are you sure?

So sure.

So sure Sara graduated with a Masters in Tourism Administration from GWU not as Sara Elisabeth Burson, but as Sara Elisabeth War Eagle Burson.

The All-Star Game

Of all the professional all-star games, the baseball one has always been the biggest. There was a time when this game meant something. I used to watch it and look forward to it. But then I virtually stopped keeping up with major league baseball and now I pay no attention to it. As you get older, some things that used to mean something can lose their significance over time.

I Agree

Jay G. Tate, the Auburn beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser, has this prediction. I agree.

The crystal ball for 2009: Caudle begins the season as Auburn's No. 1 quarterback.

It's Year Round Now

It's amazing how college football is a year round thing now. Recruits visit in the summer and commit before they start their senior years. There are constant postings and updates on websites. A player like Tim Hawthorne gets hurt in summer workouts. It never ends.

Talking to Coach Vakakis

Talking to Coach Vakakis
I happened to run into Fairfield head football coach Jim Vakakis at our local CVS drugstore this afternoon. Coach Vakakis coaches in Fairfield but he lives in Pelham. He used to sponsor Auburn bus trips to our away football games, but he had to give that up once he got the Fairfield head coaching job.It was good chatting with such a strong Auburn person. I asked him what he thought about Auburn football prospects. He tells me he liked Tuberville and wished they had not made a coaching change. He thinks we might win 7 games.He hears from his connections that sooner or later Alabama will receive another letter from the NCAA. They will likely not get the death penalty, but they should be severely penalized with scholarship reductions. Saban is a big cheater and everybody knows it. When the hammer drops, Saban will blame the boosters and walk away.He likes Kodi to win the QB job. He doesn't think much of Chris Todd. I mean he REALLY doesn't like Todd!Again, it was good to talk to a strong Auburn person.