Thoughts - Championship Week

[Townhallsavoy]

What does it feel like to witness and experience history? 

What seems to be every four years, a kid comes through college football that seems to be head and shoulders above everyone else.  He is athletically superior and has the determination to be the best. 

These are the guys that make the list of legends - the ones who will have their highlight tapes shown multiple times every year for the rest of college football history. 

Guys with names like Tim Tebow, Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Ricky Williams, Charles Woodson, Peyton Manning, Desmond Howard, Barry Sanders, Bo Jackson, Herchel Walker, Marcus Allen, Archie Griffin, and Billy Cannon.

Now, a name like Cameron Newton.  It simply fits in the long line of players who represent one of the greatest games in the world. 

And this is history.  We are witnesses of something extraordinary.  Something that may be more than special. 

Cam's name has rolled off the tongue of many respect analysts as being the greatest.  The Muhammed Ali of college football.  The Superman in orange and blue. 

While it will be debated for a long time and never will there be an absolute answer, the fact that Cam is part of the discussion is important enough. 

Think about how many years Bo Jackson was simply the greatest player in Auburn history.  How many times people audaciously compared a running back (Carnell) or a recruit to Bo's historic program changing performance.  How many times you heard those comparisons and simply laughed it off.

And now Bo is officially in the past. 

One more game to go, and Cam will usurp Bo Jackson as THE representative of Auburn University football. 

Auburn...

- Nothing to see here.  Just the first complete blowout against a top quality opponent in a meaningful game for the 2010 Auburn Tigers.

- Nothing too important.  Just a perfect 60 minute gameplan from our disrespected defensive coordinator.  Only implemented against one of the most respected minds in offensive football.

- Not too much.  Just Cam Newton proving that he not only has Mike Vick's legs and Tim Tebow's strength and Goliath's size...he also has the ability to read defenses like Peyton Manning with an arm like John Elway. 

- Ignore what really happened on the field.  An Auburn team dismantled a South Carolina team.

- Forget about the implications.  With the status of Auburn's program on the line and the naysayers ready to pounce, guys like T'Sharven Bell, Darren Bates, and Darvin Adams took over and helped put up the most points in SEC championship game history.

- Who are these guys, anyway?  Bell and Bates are hardly on the NFL radar.  Four out of the five guys on the offensive line aren't considered to be decent draft picks.  Darvin Adams had a big year last year...yes, he did...but to put him on the preseason All-SEC roster?  Psh.  Not enough talent. 

- Who is Craig Stevens?  Wasn't he a starter on that pathetic 2008 team that went 5-7? 

- And Josh Bynes?  Why he's too slow to be a dominant linebacker in the SEC.

- Really, who does this team think they are? 

- This team has not only put together a great season for Auburn fans to enjoy.  I truly believe this is one of those special seasons that rarely come around.  A season where the underdogs are the favored.  A season where disrespected are revered. A season where those who have been deemed impossible to succeed are successful. 

- Chizik - Booooo!  We want a winner not a loser!

- Cam Newton - Laptop thief.  Pay for play.  Juco QB's never succeed in the SEC. 

- Malzhan - High school offense.

- Who do these guys think they are? 

- SEC champs.  That's who they actually are. 

Oregon...

- "Last spring." 

- Last spring, Chip Kelly had lost control of his football team.  LaMichael James had been arrested.  Jeremiah Masoli was booted from Oregon's campus.

- Chip Kelly, last spring, did not have a clue how his football team was going to perform.

- Which is why it was exceptionally smug for him to give that answer last night when he was being interviewed in a split screen with Gene Chizik. 

- Chizik said he saw the makings of a championship caliber team when the guys showed their resilience against Clemon and South Carolina in consecutive weeks. 

- Chip Kelly said he knew it all along.  Last spring.  Because he was "watching his guys in practed and observing his football team."  And he just knew it because he's that good of a coach who has that much confidence in his players. 

- Did James ever get that scratch fixed on his Range Rover before his sold it?

Lou Holtz...

- Needs to retire. 

Craig James...

- Needs to be fired.

Mark May...

- Needs to leave ESPN. 

- I kind of like Mark May.  I think he's simply stuck underneath the control of ESPN's production managers.

Gameday...

- Needs to kick Corso and Howard off of the stage. 

The Bowls...

- Here is a list of teams who do not deserve a postseason:

1. Anyone with less than a 7-5 record. 

- Bowl games should not feature teams that are .500.  I get it.  Money is the answer for everything. 

- But these teams are no good.  They win half of the time.  A majority of their wins came against nobodies.

- I'm happy Dooley got Tennessee up to .500 to end the year.  But two of their wins came against UAB and Tennessee State.  One came against Memphis.  And one came against Vanderbilt. 

The NCAA...

- "At this time."

- "At this time" means "unless some ridiculous out of left field evidence surfaces, this case is closed at this time." 

- "At this time" means "it's obvious Cam is guilty and Auburn will vacate all of their wins and get hit with USC-like sanctions." 

- "At this time" has drawn a big line in the sand between those who support Cam Newton and those who do not.

- Thanks, NCAA. 

ESPN...

- I hope the ESPN building burns down. 

- Why?

- Simply because they have the audacity to premiere a special on SMU's death penalty the night Cam Newton wins the Heisman. 

- It follows the broadcast of the trophy presentation.

- I hope Cam Newton simply walks up to the podium, gives his speech, and declines any and all interviews. 

- If ESPN cameras come by, moon them. 

Final Thought...

- We.  Are.  SEC.  Champs.

- And AT&T sucks.  My internet has been out for a week.  Every time I call them, I get transfered to a different person who is supposed to know how to fix my problem.  Yet, for some reason, they all start the same way by asking for my name, account number, and last four of my social. 

[Saniflush]

Good read. 

Should I see if Peggy can do anything for you?

[AU_Tiger_2000]

One more game to go, and Cam will usurp Bo Jackson as THE representative of Auburn University football.

May be true for a lot of people, but not for me.  Bo was the reason I became an Auburn fan rather than a Turd and nobody could ever top that.

But I could see how the same will be said for Cam for a whole new generation of fans.

As an aside, what makes Bo a legend is that he was statistically great but nobody talks about the stats.  He is the Paul Bunyan, Casey Jones, Pecos Bill of American Athletics.  When you talk to someone about Bo it is never about the stats.  You bring up Dimaggio and people talk about the 56 game hitting streak.  You bring up Bo and people talk about breaking a baseball bat over his knee.  You bring up Barry Sanders and people talk about the collegiate rushing record.  You bring up Bo and they talk about how he ran over the Boz.  You talk about Marino and they talk about the TD record.  You bring up Bo and you get people talking about how he was the only guy they had ever seen who could hit the scoreboard in the Superdome by throwing a football (punters had hit, no QB ever had).  You bring up Ted Williams and people talk about .400.  You bring up Bo and people talk about him bare handing a ball in the outfield or running up the outfield wall in defiance of gravity.  You hear about him running a 40 in sub 4.2 in the combine.  Etc, etc, etc.  All hail Cam, but for me it will always be Bo.

[Saniflush]

As an aside, what makes Bo a legend is that he was statistically great but nobody talks about the stats.  He is the Paul Bunyan, Casey Jones, Pecos Bill of American Athletics.  When you talk to someone about Bo it is never about the stats.  You bring up Dimaggio and people talk about the 56 game hitting streak.  You bring up Bo and people talk about breaking a baseball bat over his knee.  You bring up Barry Sanders and people talk about the collegiate rushing record.  You bring up Bo and they talk about how he ran over the Boz.  You talk about Marino and they talk about the TD record.  You bring up Bo and you get people talking about how he was the only guy they had ever seen who could hit the scoreboard in the Superdome by throwing a football (punters had hit, no QB ever had).  You bring up Ted Williams and people talk about .400.  You bring up Bo and people talk about him bare handing a ball in the outfield or running up the outfield wall in defiance of gravity.  You hear about him running a 40 in sub 4.2 in the combine.  Etc, etc, etc.  All hail Cam, but for me it will always be Bo.

This is a really good summation..

[AUTiger1]

May be true for a lot of people, but not for me.  Bo was the reason I became an Auburn fan rather than a Turd and nobody could ever top that.

But I could see how the same will be said for Cam for a whole new generation of fans.

As an aside, what makes Bo a legend is that he was statistically great but nobody talks about the stats.  He is the Paul Bunyan, Casey Jones, Pecos Bill of American Athletics.  When you talk to someone about Bo it is never about the stats.  You bring up Dimaggio and people talk about the 56 game hitting streak.  You bring up Bo and people talk about breaking a baseball bat over his knee.  You bring up Barry Sanders and people talk about the collegiate rushing record.  You bring up Bo and they talk about how he ran over the Boz.  You talk about Marino and they talk about the TD record.  You bring up Bo and you get people talking about how he was the only guy they had ever seen who could hit the scoreboard in the Superdome by throwing a football (punters had hit, no QB ever had).  You bring up Ted Williams and people talk about .400.  You bring up Bo and people talk about him bare handing a ball in the outfield or running up the outfield wall in defiance of gravity.  You hear about him running a 40 in sub 4.2 in the combine.  Etc, etc, etc.  All hail Cam, but for me it will always be Bo.

This^^ Especially the bold.

Good stuff as always THS!  Bravo sir!

[djsimp]

Nice read THS! You hitting on all cylinders huh? I do think Cam will mean to Auburn as much as Bo has. Like AUT_2000 said, I became an Auburn fan because of Bo. I certainly can see this same thing happening because of Cam.

Chip Kelley is a smug little punk every time I hear him talk. I hope he feeds this confidence to his team on a silver platter because when the Duck meet the Tigers in Glendale, he is gonna need whats left of that confidence just to walk out of the stadium. The Ducks have not played a team like Auburn and they will lose because they will not be able to match up with our physicality.

[eagleair89]

    You talk about Marino and they talk about the TD record.  You bring up Bo and you get people talking about how he was the only guy they had ever seen who could hit the scoreboard in the Superdome by throwing a football (punters had hit, no QB ever had). 

Bo stood around the 45 yd line and threw the ball underhanded........the ball hit the screen about half way up (not at the bottom).

I was there, BO was nonchalant, all his teamates just shook their heads and laughed, iirc.

WAR EAGLE

ps:  I am not sure Cam has played a whole game this year at full speed.......his performances are effortless (like all the great ones).............I think we saw a bit of his full power in the LSU game and in his incredible ability to concentrate an operate the passing game against uat (2nd half) and USCe (first half).

[AU_Tiger_2000]

One of my favorite Bo stories was from George Brett.  He said they were stretching in the Metro Dome and some guy was working on a catwalk somewhere in the upper deck.  He started heckling Bo and Bo without any warming up grabbed a baseball and chucked it at the guy, in the upper deck, on the catwalk.  George finished up by saying, I don't know what amazed me more, that Bo threw the ball that far, or that the guy caught it.

Also my friend Bill Brasky was a two ton man-mountain who could palm a medicine ball! 

[Snaggletiger]

To Bill Brasky

[Tiger Wench]

I love Cam. 

He has definitely left his mark on Auburn University.

I have no doubt that Cam will always be grateful to Auburn for giving him a chance, and for sticking by him through all the bullshit.  He will probably say "Auburn University" when he is introduced on Monday Night Football.  We will retire his number and claim him as our own.

But Cam is a one and done journeyman. 

And Bo is an Auburn man, through and through.  He will always be an Auburn man, to his soul.  He comes back to keep the team pumped up.  He continues to be associated with Auburn.  Bo loves Auburn just like we all do, without reservation, and with his entire being.  And as others have mentioned, he helped make it possible for me to go to school on the Monday after the Iron Bowl with my Auburn gear on and my head held high.  He helped start the dream that Cam is living right now.

So while Cam makes history at Auburn, Bo IS history at Auburn.  And to me, Bo will always be the greatest Auburn football player of all time.

[GH2001]

To Bill Brasky

Hell of a guy...

[Snaggletiger]

I love Cam. 

He has definitely left his mark on Auburn University.

I have no doubt that Cam will always be grateful to Auburn for giving him a chance, and for sticking by him through all the bullshit.  He will probably say "Auburn University" when he is introduced on Monday Night Football.  We will retire his number and claim him as our own.

But Cam is a one and done journeyman. 

And Bo is an Auburn man, through and through.  He will always be an Auburn man, to his soul.  He comes back to keep the team pumped up.  He continues to be associated with Auburn.  Bo loves Auburn just like we all do, without reservation, and with his entire being.  And as others have mentioned, he helped make it possible for me to go to school on the Monday after the Iron Bowl with my Auburn gear on and my head held high.  He helped start the dream that Cam is living right now.

So while Cam makes history at Auburn, Bo IS history at Auburn.  And to me, Bo will always be the greatest Auburn football player of all time.

Pffffft.

Signed, Lectron Williams

[AWK]

Cameron Newton Stats 2010

Passing
YEAR              CMP    ATT    PCT            YDS            AVG           TD    LNG    INT    RAT

2010           165    246    67.1    2589    10.5    28    94      6    188.16

Rushing
YEAR               ATT    YDS           AVG    LNG    TD    FD    FUM    LOST
2010      242    1409    5.8    71    20    0    0    0

Unbelievable, arguably the greatest college football player of all time...not just Auburn.

[ssgaufan]

I love Cam. 

He has definitely left his mark on Auburn University.

I have no doubt that Cam will always be grateful to Auburn for giving him a chance, and for sticking by him through all the bullshit.  He will probably say "Auburn University" when he is introduced on Monday Night Football.  We will retire his number and claim him as our own.

But Cam is a one and done journeyman. 

And Bo is an Auburn man, through and through.  He will always be an Auburn man, to his soul.  He comes back to keep the team pumped up.  He continues to be associated with Auburn.  Bo loves Auburn just like we all do, without reservation, and with his entire being.  And as others have mentioned, he helped make it possible for me to go to school on the Monday after the Iron Bowl with my Auburn gear on and my head held high.  He helped start the dream that Cam is living right now.

So while Cam makes history at Auburn, Bo IS history at Auburn.  And to me, Bo will always be the greatest Auburn football player of all time.

So, you're saying that Cam is a Hired Gun?

[Snaggletiger]

Cameron Newton Stats 2010

Passing
YEAR              CMP    ATT    PCT            YDS            AVG           TD    LNG    INT    RAT

2010           165    246    67.1    2589    10.5    28    94      6    188.16

Rushing
YEAR               ATT    YDS           AVG    LNG    TD    FD    FUM    LOST
2010      242    1409    5.8    71    20    0    0    0

Unbelievable, arguably the greatest college football player of all time...not just Auburn.

He's good.  But he's noFreddie Kitchens

[ssgaufan]

He's good.  But he's noFreddie Kitchens

Whatever.

Signed,
Jay Evans Barker

[AU_Tiger_2000]

Hell of a guy...

Did you know he uses a live rattlesnake as a condom?

[AUTailgatingRules]

Cameron Newton Stats 2010

Passing
YEAR              CMP    ATT    PCT            YDS            AVG           TD    LNG    INT    RAT

2010           165    246    67.1    2589    10.5    28    94      6    188.16

Rushing
YEAR               ATT    YDS           AVG    LNG    TD    FD    FUM    LOST
2010      242    1409    5.8    71    20    0    0    0

Unbelievable, arguably the greatest college football player of all time...not just Auburn.

Just to make sure you have the stats right, Cam did have 1 fumble lost this weekend in the game.

[Snaggletiger]

Yeah, but he smiled at the statistician and he took away the fumble and gave him a 7 yard gain.

[AWK]

Just to make sure you have the stats right, Cam did have 1 fumble lost this weekend in the game.

ESPN.com provided the stats.