12.30.2008

Is This Guy Sen's Agent?

Marks said he believed he would be a Day 1 pick, but acknowledged that he was making his decision before receiving any feedback from the NFL advisory committee.

http://blog.al.com/auburnbeat/2008/12/family_prayer_convinces_marks.html

I never begrudge a player for leaving college early when that type of money is on the table but I'm not sure what Sen'Derrick is thinking here. Not that he's leaving early but how could he not get feedback from the NFL before making his decision? That seems a little foolish to me. That service is there for players, take advantage of it.

WRAS Exclusive: The Napkin Andre Smith Used To Sign With An Agent


Cadillac Tears Pateller Tendon In His Other Knee

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80dc09c0&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true

Sen'Derrick Marks Going Pro

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3799449

12.29.2008

Can You Say "Antonio Langham"?

http://blog.al.com/rapsheet/2008/12/smiths_suspension_possibly_lin.html

Once a bunch of cheaters, always a bunch of cheaters.

Auburn Is Prejudiced Against People Without A "Z" In Their Name

As you already know, Gus Malzahn has been hired as Auburn's new offensive coordinator. I love this hire. Before Coach Tuberville was firesigned, I hoped that Malzahn would be the guy brought in as OC. Tulsa ran more than they threw the ball and Malzahn has proven he can win in the SEC and adapt his scheme to the current players, which is something Tony Franklin was unable to do. Malzahn will run with the running backs while Franklin wanted the QB to be the primary ball-carrier.

I will say though that I am surprised by the hire. I guess with Coach Chizik's statements that Auburn would get back to being a smashmouth running football team and with former Pat Dye players popping up as candidates, I never expected this. It looks like Chizik wants to be a run-first team for the 21st century.

And now Auburn gets the guy who started the "Wildnutt" formation trend. Ironic after the post I made the other day. Looks like we'll have to change the name to "Wildgus". Thanks, AUbarnie.

The GMAC Bowl Just Got A Lot More Interesting

http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/sports/1230545749314450.xml&coll=3

12.24.2008

Enough is Enough

Football needs to come up with an official name for the Wildcat formation. I was watching the TCU-Boise State game last night and TCU was running the Wildfrog. Please. I've heard Wildhog, Wildfrog, Wildcat, Wildflash, Wildrebel, and who knows what else. Auburn called it something else but I can't remember what. Miami probably even calls it the Wilddolphin.

It's not like teams that run the wishbone, shotgun, spread or whatever change the name to incorporate the team's nickname into it. Can't we just come up with one name for this phenomenon? I'm going to start calling it the Wildnutt in honor of Houston Nutt since he started this thing and a coach on his staff went to the Dolphins and now it's everywhere.

Wildnutt it is.

12.22.2008

Oklahoma Doesn't Stand A Chance Against Florida

I mean, with sorority girls like this, how can they? You think any Gator co-eds cry like this? Hell, they don't even wear underpants.

I Had A Dream...

...last night that Patrick Nix was named Auburn's new OC. Or was this premonition a nightmare? I'm conflicted.

12.20.2008

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

I especially like the quote regarding Rhoads' "familiarity with our institution".

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3783455

Auburn's defensive coordinator replaces Chizik at Iowa State
Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Iowa State hired Paul Rhoads as its football coach on Saturday, giving the Auburn defensive coordinator and former Cyclones assistant a five-year deal worth $5.75 million.

Rhoads spent last season with the Tigers after serving as Pittsburgh's defensive coordinator from 2000 to 2007. A native of nearby Ankeny, he was an assistant with the Cyclones under Dan McCarney from 1995 to 1999.

"Paul Rhoads is an outstanding and intelligent football coach, a highly successful national recruiter and has nearly 10 years of experience as a BCS coordinator," Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard said in a statement on Saturday. "He was the one candidate that clearly demonstrated both extensive experience and an extreme passion for and familiarity with our institution.

"In addition, and most importantly, he also has a comprehensive plan for how to be successful at Iowa State."

Iowa State said Rhoads' contract also includes incentives that could increase his salary. The school will hold a news conference later Saturday to introduce Rhoads, 41.
Former Cyclones coach Gene Chizik was introduced as Auburn's head coach on Monday. Chizik was technically Rhoads' boss for about a week.

"In my two face-to-face meetings with Paul this week, it was obvious that his enthusiasm, energy and warm personality would be well-received by our players, fans and university community," Pollard said. "He has a presence with a 'look-you-in-the-eye' style that makes you feel comfortable."

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

12.19.2008

Webber Must Not Be Happy About Barkley's Comments Either

Auburn Talks To UGA O-line Coach Searels

http://www.ajc.com/uga/content/sports/uga/stories/2008/12/19/georgia_searels_auburn.html

By Tim Tucker
The Atlanta Journal-Consitution
Friday, December 19, 2008

Athens — Auburn has received permission from Georgia to talk with Bulldogs offensive line coach Stacy Searels about a position on new coach Gene Chizik’s staff.

“They’re talking to him,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said today. “So we’ll see [what happens].”

Searels is in his second season on Georgia’s staff after coaching the offensive line at LSU for four years. He is a graduate of Auburn, where he was an All-American lineman for the Tigers in 1987.

“We’d hate to lose Stacy,” Richt said. “We’d hate to lose anybody.”

Searels, who does not talk to the media, has been often praised by Richt and others for his work with Georgia’s young, injury-depleted offensive line this season.

There also have been rumors that Auburn might pursue Rodney Garner, Georgia’s defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator, for a spot on Chizik’s staff. However, Bulldogs defensive tackle Jeff Owens, who announced Thursday he will return to Georgia next season rather than enter the NFL draft, said Garner told him he’s staying.

This Will Get You Fired Up

Eltoro Freeman from Inside the Auburn Tigers

"I committed to Auburn coming out of high school," Freeman tells Inside The Auburn Tigers. "Auburn University stood behind me when I was at a down point in my life (after not qualifying). They have continued to stick behind me.

"I know Auburn is down right now," he adds. "I have decided to stick behind them. A lot of people have talked about Coach Chizik, a lot of Auburn fans maybe didn't want him as a head coach because of his Iowa State record. I believe in Auburn University. I believe they hired the right guy. He was in a situation of rebuilding Iowa State. When I heard Iowa State was giving him a two-year contract it just answered all the questions I had about him. I"m 110 percent behind him."

Freeman is familiar with Chizik from his coaching days at Auburn when he was part of an undefeated season in 2004. The linebacker says Chizik's past tells you all you want to know about what kind of coach he is and what he gets out of his players.

"I already know he was a great defensive coach with Auburn and Texas," Freeman says. "I also know he's coached three (Jim) Thorpe Award winners. I'm here to tell you right now he's getting ready to coach a Butkus Award winner. To all the people that decommitted or don't want to come to Auburn, good. If we can't get ya we'll beat ya. I'm going to Auburn and I can't wait to get down there and help Coach Chiz and the Auburn family get things turned around."

Bammer of the Week




Auburn's Newest Sociology Major?

Carver lineman Brandon Moore from Inside the Auburn Tigers

“He came by the school today,” says. “At first I thought as a coach he was kind of shaky, but he explained to me why he left Auburn and went to Texas and why he left Texas and went to Iowa State, and then why he left Iowa State and went to Auburn.

“He told me when he was at Auburn they had one of the top five defenses in the country and then had the number one defense in the country,” Moore adds. “Then he left and went to Texas and he was the assistant coach of the year and they won a national championship.”

Because of Auburn’s struggles and the coaching change the Tigers had fallen down Moore’s list with schools such as Alabama, Florida, Miami, Tennessee and Clemson prominent on his radar, but he notes that Chizik’s visit has put Auburn right back in play with him.

“At first they were a little shaky,” Moore says. “Then they were real shaky. Then they were really shaky. Now they are back to ground level.

12.17.2008

Contact WJOX

http://www.wjox690.com/contactus.asp

Paul Finebaum is using the AU coaching situation and controversy to fuel his ratings and get his bald head on ESPN as much as he can and he knows it. He knows what he is saying isn't true but that isn't stopping him.

Contact WJOX and ask them why they don't have an African-American or female personality on air? Shouldn't they? Are there not qualified candidates out there?

The Media Is Coming


12.14.2008

Some Of The Text Messages I Received Yesterday

Please tell me we are not about to hire f****** Chizik? We will be the biggest joke of college sports.

The end of AU football is upon us.

What can we do about this?

We need to overthrow the powers that be at Auburn. We are a joke!!!

Let's go kidnap Turner Gill and take him to the press conference and see what happens.

Chizik??? For serious???

Don't think we made a good hire...may give up the season tickets...there were better choices out there.

It's Lowder, Rane, McWhorter, Dye and Jacobs we should be mad at.

You buying tickets this year?

WTF?!

The only game I'm going to next year is the WVU game. I want to get back at those m***** f******.

Gonna take a whole lotta bourbon and some luck to fix this.

This is the worst coaching hire by an SEC team since Ole Miss hired Orgeron. Looks like Bobby and the BoT got their "yes" man.

Guess who is Gene Chizik's agent?

Jimmy Sexton.

This is a great hire. A really positive step for Auburn and couldn't possibly be anything but a decision made with honesty, integrity and the University's best interests in mind.

12.12.2008

I'm Drained

Will We Replace WDE with BMF?


I've relapsed and have been listening to Birmingham radio this week. Though I knew it would be okay because there wouldn't be much Auburn bashing since everyone feels so sorry for us right now. Al Del Greco and Jay Evans were talking about how an outlet in Mobile and ESPN were saying that Will Muschamp could be named head coach today.
Do I think Turner Gill is the best candidate? Yes. Can I get on board with Muschamp? Yes. I've said all along if it wasn't Gill, Muschamp or Paul Johnson, I would be disappointed. Do I still think Muschamp is the most likely candidate to leave for a better job? Yes, and that worries me.
Another interesting note from this morning's WJOX show was that they actually brought up Al Borges' name in connection with AU's offensive coordinator and also at Iowa State under Gene Chizik. I could live with Al and Will getting the band back together a la Jake and Elwood Blues.

12.10.2008

Blog...The Case for Turner Gill

http://cfn.scout.com/2/820060.html

Check out my above CFN blog piece on Turner Gill.

The Coaching Merry-Go-Round

Jimbo?
Muschamp?
Butch?
Spurrier?
Johnson?
Gill?
Hoke?!
Dooley?!?
Garner?!?!
Nix?!?!?
Graham?!?!?!

Come on, Jay Jacobs, do the right thing and hire Turner Gill. Auburn needs to rock the college football world and send a message. Quit doing everything in your power NOT to hire him with these token interviews to Pat Nix and Rodney Garner. If recruiting is one of your main concerns, then hire Gill. He will be able to keep the majority of the committed players in the fold. Not to mention increase Auburn's footprint to Texas, the midwest and the northeast. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that he'll put people on his staff who are familiar with the southeast. But take a look at Buffalo's roster and you'll see there are a lot of kids from Florida and Texas on it. He recruited them to Buffalo!!!!! The coldest place ever. You think he can't get good kids to come to Auburn?

I don't see anyone else beating down Garner, Nix, Graham, Hoke or Dooley's door to hire them as their head coach. Jimbo isn't leaving FSU and Muschamp will leave to go back to Texas in 5 years. Spurrier is past his prime and will he have the patience to turn around AU's roster before he wants to retire? He is 65 years old after all. Paul Johnson and Butch Davis aren't leaving their cushy ACC jobs. And you say you want a head coach with SEC experience, Todd Graham doesn't have any.

Hire the best candidate. Hire Turner Gill.

Not to mention the added good publicity Auburn will receive nationwide. People will be talking about Auburn and this hire for the next couple of months. Pushing Alabama to the backburner. National media love Turner Gill and hate Nick Saban, give them added fuel to their fire. Get Tom Osborne in your corner. All of these things will just be a bonus added on top of getting the best coach available. If you don't, Jay Jacobs, someone else will and that football program will be the better for it.

12.09.2008

Comment If You Want Turner Gill As Head Coach

Auburn Students Plan Protest

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3757771

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/auburn_students_plan_protest_o.html

Students at Auburn University are planning a protest over Tommy Tuberville's departure as football coach.

Planners say hundreds of students are expected to march from the center of campus to the president's mansion today. They say Tuberville was wrongly forced out after 10 years that included an undefeated season and a conference championship.

An organizer of the demonstration, Taylor Jones, says many people believe Tuberville was fired despite the university's claim that he resigned. They're pointing to the school's agreement to pay Tuberville more than $5 million he wouldn't have been due unless he was fired.

A university spokeswoman says Auburn is standing by its statement that Tuberville resigned.

Congratulations, Carnell

One of my all-time favorites is looking more and more like the rookie of the year he was in 2005 each week. He had a great touchdown run last night where he ran right into a linebacker and pushed him back 5 yards for the touchdown. Looked a little like Bo versus the Boz.

12.08.2008

Gogue and Jacobs' E-mail Addresses

athldir@auburn.edu Jay Jacobs
jgogue@auburn.edu Jay Gogue

For The Change We Need

What Happened To The Gatorade Shower?

Hugh Nall Is Doing What?

http://blog.al.com/goldmine/2008/12/auburn_searches_heads_to_new_y.html

One Auburn assistant coach isn't an assistant coach, anymore. Tuberville's offensive line coach for 14 years -- one Hugh Nall -- is out of coaching. He's now the Chief Operating Officer for Southern AG Carriers of Albany, Ga.

12.05.2008

WRAS Exclusive: The Napkin JJ Is Using To Conduct The Coaching Search


You Get What You Ask For

If Auburn got rid of Tommy Tuberville for Houston Nutt, then JJ and BL are dumber than I thought. I will not buy season tickets next year if Bobby Petrino is hired and am inching closer to the same thing if they hire Houston Nutt.

12.04.2008

FORE!

The Puppet Speaks

Don't look at the man behind the curtain with his hand up JJ's ass...

Auburn AD Jay Jacobs on Tuberville, coaching search










Worst. Season. Ever.

So I'm sitting there last night drinking out of my Tommy Tuberville souvenir stadium cup, watching The Story of the 2004 Auburn Tigers and periodically pulling tissues from a Kleenex box when it hits me: this is the worst season in Auburn football history.

We were one of the worst offenses in the country and never played one good football game.
We won a game 3-2 and were laughed at because of it.
We lost to Vanderbilt.
We fired our offensive coordinator halfway through the season.
We lost to Bobby Petrino.
We lost in Morgantown and almost got Auburn fans killed in the process.
We lost to Houston Nutt (again).
We lost for the first time ever in Tuscaloosa.
We had the 6-game winning streak snapped.
We suffered the worst Iron Bowl loss since the 1960s.
We broke our 8-year bowl game streak.
We got rid of Tommy Tuberville.
We watched SPUAT go 12-0.

Metaphorically Speaking...

...is Tuberville the penguin and the BoT are the killer whales?

Truer Words Have Never Been Written

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=maisel_ivan&id=3743358

Auburn split with Tuberville echoes other SEC changes

By Ivan Maisel
ESPN.com

Updated: December 3, 2008

Tommy Tuberville Out As Auburn Head Coach

You're Auburn University and your cross-state rival Alabama, after lying dormant for a decade, has become formidable again. You've had a mediocre season and you won't play in a bowl game for the first time in nine years. But you're OK. You have a coach who has been the model of stability in an unstable business.

You've had Tommy Tuberville for 10 seasons. That became the longest tenure of any coach in the Southeastern Conference once Tennessee fitted Phillip Fulmer with a pair of cement coaching shoes. Even after going 5-7, your coach has won nearly 70 percent of his games against everyone (85-40, .680), and exactly 70 percent (7-3!) against the hated Crimson Tide.
Tuberville has won one SEC and five Western Division titles and been unbeaten one season. That 2004 team performed well enough to play for a national championship. Too bad the BCS ripped you off.

Having a coach like that is good. The last thing you want to do when facing Nick Saban Inc. is call in the moving vans and start over. Only someone with an athletic death wish would trade in a coach with 10 years of recruiting ties throughout the Southeast for a staff that might not be able to find 6A finalist Hoover High with a pack of bloodhounds and a Garmin.

You're Auburn, and you're too big, too sure of yourself to panic every time someone in Tuscaloosa raises a trophy. Once upon a time you panicked. Remember five years ago, when the university president led a secret delegation to interview Bobby Petrino at Louisville? That president and the genius boosters who egged him on forgot that Auburn still employed a football coach. They also proved to be about as clandestine as Inspector Clouseau.

Tommy Tuberville coached the Tigers to an 85-40 record during his Auburn tenure.The media mocked you for months, and you looked even dumber when Tuberville took the team to a 13-0 record a year later.

Good thing that president is long gone. You've got a new athletic director, too. Surely they wouldn't be stupid enough to make the same mistake and run off Tuberville. During games, he barely has a pulse. They call him the Riverboat Gambler for his play-calling guts. And big games? Not only is he 7-3 against Alabama, he has won nine of his past 14 games against top-10 teams.

Off the field, his players don't get in trouble. They go to class, too. In 2007, 20 players had at least a 3.0 GPA.

It's like they say on Wall Street. When the masses are selling, the smart guys are buying. The SEC masses are selling. Tennessee is starting over with 33-year-old Lane Kiffin. Mississippi State forced out Sly Croom. You want to know what not to do? LSU fans are grumbling about Les Miles one year after he held the crystal football!

That leaves Ole Miss and Arkansas, and if you're worried about them, you're not the Auburn you claim to be.

Sure, Tuberville doomed this season to mediocrity the minute he hired that offensive coordinator, the high school guru who promised to install the spread offense. Turns out that knowledge-wise, the guy had outkicked his coverage. Tuberville fired him a month into the season, admitted his mistake, and tried to minimize the damage. He didn't pawn off the responsibility on anyone else. He took the blame and promised to fix the problem.
Yeah, those boosters, the ones who embarrassed you over Petrino, are still unhappy, but you're Auburn. You're bigger than that. No coach is going to win in the SEC every season. Tuberville has delivered for you for 10 years. Surely that engenders some loyalty from you to him.
Besides, you signed a contract that promised him $6 million if you let him go after the 2008 season. In these economic times, with people everywhere trying to hold on to their jobs and their mortgages, you surely aren't stupid enough to spend $6 million paying a guy not to coach. No one could be that insensitive to the message that would send. Talk about misplaced priorities.

What's that?

You let him go?

You're going to pay him $6 million not to coach?

And start over from scratch? Against Nick Saban?

You're kidding, right? Is there something about Tommy Tuberville that causes you to make agonizingly stupid decisions?

Forget I ever brought it up. Good luck finding a coach better than the one you just forced out.

Whoever he is, give him a message:

Hoover High is just south of Birmingham.

12.03.2008

Say A Silent Prayer For Al Del Greco

I stopped listening to Bammerham radio propaganda back in October nor have I clicked on articles written by obvious Bammers, but people have been keeping me updated.

These last few months must have been hard for Al to come to work every day. Trying to squeeze by Tony Kurre's nose and oversized ego into the WJOX booth, being blinded by Jay Barker-Evans' mystic tan and having to look at the clothes that Sara Evans laid out for him.

Now comes this week and he probably just wants to take a 2-iron to everyone around him.

Meetings, Schmeetings

Why does Auburn do this song and dance routine every year with Coach Tuberville? Auburn's coaches, players, recruits, employees and fans hang in limbo while the powers that be decide what to do. All the while Tennessee is hiring one of the hottest young coaches (not as hot as his wife though) in football, Texas and Florida State name former Auburn assistants coaches-in-waiting and Washington has flown Mike Leach in to Seattle to talk about their vacancy. They know whether or not they want to keep Tuberville and there is no way in hell Tuberville is quitting and paying his part of the buyout. So come out and say it and end this madness. I'm sure they are talking about the assitants, most of which I don't expect back in 2009. Tuberville is not the problem, he deserves to be back and I think he will. The problem is Jay Jacobs and the meddling Board of Trustees. They have to go, Auburn and Tommy Tuberville deserve better than this.

12.02.2008

At Least Spell His Name Right, Bammers!

I get these emails from Pleasure is All Wine (though this will be the last one as I'll never shop there again) and here is today's, as requested by Nick Sabin...

NEW CORK TIMES

"Removing snobbery from wine, one cork at a time."

ROLL TIDE ROLL

AS REQUESTED BY NICK SABIN... WE HAVE POSTPONED OUR SIDEWALK SALE TO SATURDAY DECEMBER 13TH 10am to 6pm Free Wine Tastings, Door Prizes, Live Music & More!!! GREAT GIFT IDEAS FOR CHRISTMASGourmet Gift Baskets Wine of the Month Club Membership Gift Cards Specialty Wine ItemsGourmet Food 205-985-4760

THIS FRIDAY....DECEMBER 5 @ 6:00 pm PLEASURE'S TREASURE'S TASTING!!!

Just in time for your Christmas gatherings...great wines for great value!

Our Largest Tasting of the Month!! Pleasure's Treasures "exceptional wines for exceptional value" all wines are under $15. We are tasting 25-30 wines from our Treasure Chest! $10 plus tax ($5 back with the purchase of a wine/s tasted at the event of a value of $14.99 or greater) includes sampling Pleasure's gourmet goodies! Don't forget.....10% off all cases! Call and reserve your place as we have to limit the number of guests at this event to ensure everyone attending can taste through the wines. 205-985-4760

Pleasure Is All Wine 200 Bowling Lane, Suite 210 Pelham, AL 35124
205-985-4760 http://www.pleasureisallwine.com/
(Located up the hill from McAllister's and down from Oak Mt. Bowling Lanes)

But is she hotter than Fulmer's wife?

You be the judge.