« on: August 25, 2009, 08:38:31 AM »
This goes hand in hand with some things I have heard on the skreets.
Is there something going on at Auburn we don't know about?
Posted by Paul Gattis -- The Huntsville Times August 24, 2009 1:15 PM
Bob Gathany/Huntsville TimesNew
Auburn coach Gene Chizik deserves top marks for the job he has done so far.
That's certainly the sense I got when I was on campus last week. In fact, that's exactly the question I posed to guard Byron Isom.
"It does sound about right," Isom responded. "One of the first things Coach Chizik said when he got here was we had to get our swagger back. I believe we've got it back. It's not about talking about it. We know what we've got and what we're going to do.
"We hear what all the critics are say. But we're going out there and practicing hard every day and we know what we're capable of our there."
And then this, the final sentence of Isom's answer:
"I think we're going to shock a lot of people this year."
Yes, there are some harsh realities Auburn must confront before they start shocking anybody. You only have to look at the depth chart to know that.
Still, I got the sense that while no one is paying attention to Auburn, a better football team than you might expect is being developed.
And maybe you can dismiss Isom's comments as nothing more than mundane preseason optimism. And maybe you're right.
But what can't be ignored is the optimism. Chizik has convinced his team they can win this season -- which is the No. 1 job of a new coach. Progress is being made, no matter what I and a lot of other critics thought of Chizik's hiring.
So far, it appears Chizik is doing all he can do. He can't fix the roster in one offseason. He can't turn his collection of quarterbacks into all-stars. He can't guarantee injuries won't happen.
"It's probably the closest our team has ever been," H-back Mario Fannin said. "Any time you have a team that is so close and has practiced and went through everything together and stays so tight together, who knows the possibilities of what could happen?"
Could there be any better testimony for a new coach?
All optimism aside, this won't be a championship season at Auburn. But the next championship may be closer than we think.
« Last Edit: August 25, 2009, 08:49:23 AM by Saniflush »
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"Hey my friends are the ones that wanted to eat at that shitty hole in the wall that only served bread and wine. What kind of brick and mud business model is that. Stick to the cart if that's all you're going to serve. Then that dude came in with like 12 other people, and some of them weren't even wearing shoes, and the restaurant sat them right across from us. It was gross, and they were all stinky and dirty. Then dude starts talking about eating his body and drinking his blood...I almost lost it. That's the last supper I'll ever have there, and I hope he dies a horrible death."
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