Game Week

Another game week is here for the start of a new Auburn football season. The excitement will build all week. Let's just hope for a happy outcome next Saturday night.

Never Know

Sometimes you never know how Auburn players will perform profesionally. Recently I saw a Chris Bootcheck highlight on ESPN. This morning, I saw a Devin Aromashodu clip. I don't know how well the former has done in MLB, but Devin has only 7 career catches for 96 yards. However, I read that he is competing for prominent playing time with the Chicago Bears.

It's Getting Closer

It's getting closer by the day to the start of another college football season. It's best not to think too much about it but in reading Philip's site each day I have to think about it.

I do enjoy reading about the depth chart---the likely two-deep depth chart---who will likely play and who might be redshirted. According the today's post, the backup QB position is still open. I suppose the decision on Rollison revolves around whether the coaches think it's worth burning a redshirt year if they think he can help win games this year.

It's fun to read good things about freshmen like Anthony Gulley and Darren Bates. Here are two guys who were not highly recruited and yet they are apparently pretty good. It makes you realize how misleading player ratings are coming out of high school.

The Start of Another Season

I haven't thought much about the impending start of another football season. It will come when it will come. Pelham HS had a scrimmage against Tuscaloosa County last night. I meant to go but it rained and I assumed it was rained out but lo & behold they had it anyway. I missed it! Auburn has commitment from Jake Holland, a Panther linebacker.

It will be an interesting start of the season with new Auburn coaches. Who knows how good this team will be. We like to think our starting 22 can compete with anybody but we have depth problems in certain areas.

La Tech is coming to town. By then I'll be ready to kick it off.

I'm Not Surprised

I am not surprised that Chris Todd is named the starting QB. I AM surprised about moving Kodi Burns to receiver. Now that I think about it, I remember hearing in the past intimations from some that Burns could end up at another position. Now it's happened.

I hope Neil Caudle is the backup and we reshirt the freshman, but I predict now that Rollison will be number 2 and Caudle will be out of luck.

Here we go!

The Start of Fall Practice

We come to the start of Fall practice. What will this season bring for Auburn? The question is always more pertinent than usual with the beginning of a new coaching staff. The short answer is that nobody knows. The long answer is that this team could be a good one but only IF certain things happen.

This coaching staff needs to jell and be as good as the impression they have created so far. Coach Chizik is low-key---he doesn't exactly fire anybody up---but we get good impressions about the assistants. Will they jell?

Who will start at QB? I'm guessing Neil Caudle or Chris Todd.

We read that we need to avoid injuries especially in the offensive line and at linebacker where there is little depth. There will always be some injuries. Let us hope there are no severe ones especially at these positions.

I think a big concern is Mike McNeil at safety. We certainly need him to come back from injury strong. And we will need some freshmen to step up.

By the time La Tech comes to town we will know about the injury situation and we will know the starting QB. We won't know anything for sure until we play that first game. It's mostly talk until then

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."