http://playgroundsmag.com/Auburn%20Depth%20Chart%202008.html
Monthly Archive for April, 2008
Page 2 of 6
The Auburn Tigers strive as the underdog.
Our recruiting class was not as strong this year, but that is because we always find a way to pick players who will end up being stars. Generally, our recruits have a good head on their shoulders and stay out of trouble. We have established ourselves as contenders year after year and that will only help us to maintain a high recruitment level.
With the exit of Will Muschamp, many people have started to worry about how our defense will fair this year. Paul Rhodes comes in with a solid defensive background from a Pittsburgh team that was 5th in passing defense, 10th in total defense (which was one above Auburn), and 34th in rushing defense. Rhodes gains a lot more speed with the Auburn defense than he had at Pitt so expect our numbers to be at the top again this year.
Offensively, we played a few freshmen last year and they will only get better with the experience they obtained. We have quite a QB contest shaping up, but I do not see this as a negative. Look with Florida did with Leek and Tebow. I wouldn’t mind if we played two quarterbacks this season just to keep the defense guessing, but if one emerges as the best candidate, I believe we need to stick with that QB instead of being quick to swap out like we did last year. We definitely don’t need another booing fiasco.
Other than that, we return all our starters on the offensive line and with Gabe McKenzie and Tommy Trott turning heads this spring, you can be certain they will make an immediate impact as well. What is in question is if any of the receivers will step up and become playmakers this fall. Billings, Dunn, Slaughter, Swinton, Zachary, and Carr will all have a chance to show their worth in this new spread offense. Getting a jump on the installation of the new offense last year might just have been the best thing for our players. The spread that Franklin is bringing in is very complex and how quickly our players can learn it and all the nuances of it will be the key in our early season performances.
We have to play some pretty good teams this year. Georgia will come is as the SEC, and some say, national favorite. With all due respect to our first few teams, it looks like we are set up to slide comfortably into our offense before any real threat. That being said, this is the SEC and we cannot afford to overlook any team (note: Miss. St. last year.) Once again, LSU will be our first real threat but if we can play them defensively like we did last year, I’m sure their last second luck will not save them this time around. Playing West Virginia in their house will be difficult, but with some smart plays (and a little luck) we might slide out of Morgantown relatively unscathed. If we can make it to Georgia undefeated, I believe with all my heart that we have an honest shot at a national championship. As long as we don’t start winning and overlook a team like Vandy or Arkansas, then we should be fine.
After spring practice was over, the team was pretty beat up and bruised but look for strong summer resurgence from most of the injured players. If we can keep these guys healthy and keep focused all season, I could be looking at the best graduation present ever: a national championship.
Anybody else got a better top 10 for 08′?
1. I want to beat Miss State there,
2. I want to beat LSU, and see if the corndogs criticize the hat.
3. I want to beat Tenn, and sing “Rocky flop you’ll always be, 5th in the SEC, good ole rocky flop”
4.I want to beat Arkansas and watch CTT’s face when he shakes hands with CBP.
5. I want to beat West Virginia, there, on a Thurs night on national TV.
6. I want to beat Ole Miss and sing “sometimes you feel like a nut ….”
7. I want to beat Georgia by 28 in Auburn and roll Toomers.
8. I want to beat bammers by 40 points on their own field and sing rammer jammer to them all night long. “da da daaa da – hey alabama….”
9. I want to beat UGA again in the SEC CG by 28 again, and sing & dance to souja boy during the 4th quarter.
10, I want to beat the USC Trojans by 30 in the National Championship game and watch the ESPN football guys whine and cry and moan at the end.
Four years after the release of his Oscar-nominated documentary, Super Size Me, in which he spent 30 days eating nothing but McDonald’s food, Morgan Spurlock is about to release his second feature film. This one’s about his search for the most wanted man on earth. The filmmaker forgoes fast-food binges for another type of physical danger: searching for Osama bin Laden. In an interview with TIME, Spurlock opens up about his quest.
Mamma Mia Pizza Beer, created by Seefurth, 44, and his wife Athena, started selling in Milwaukee a few weeks ago. The beer, which is brewed with tomatoes, basil, oregano and garlic, is also available in Chicago, Madison and Wausau, Wis., Seerfuth said.
I Read this on an auburn football forum. i would love to brew my own beer one day…
“Hundreds of our customers at my homebrew shop have made this. Most swear it’s identical to the original. Dry hopping is essential for classic Cascade flavor and aroma. (5 gallons) ”
Ingredients:
• 8 oz. caramel malt, 30° Lovibond
• 6 oz. DeWolf-Cosyns cara-pils malt
• 6 lbs. light malt syrup
• 1.5 oz. Perle hops (8.2% alpha acid) for 60 min.
• 2.5 oz. Cascade hops (5.4% alpha acid): 1 oz. for 15 min., 1 oz. for 5 min., 0.5
oz. pellets (dry hopping).
• Wyeast 1056 (American ale)
• 11/4 cup dry malt extract
Step by Step:
Add grains to 1.5 gal. water. Bring slowly to 170° F. Remove grains and bring to a boil.
Total boil is 60 min. Boil 10 min. and add Perle hops. Boil 45 min. more, adding water as
needed to maintain liquid level. Make first Cascade addition. Boil 5 min. more. Turn off
heat. Wait 10 min. Add 1 oz. Cascade. Wait 3 to 5 min. Remove hops and transfer to
fermenter.
Top up to 5 gal. Pitch yeast at 70° F.
Ferment three days and rack to secondary. Dry hop with 0.5 oz. Cascade pellets. Ferment
two weeks at 65° F. Prime and bottle.
Unable to agree to a long-term extension with the Arizona Cardinals, franchised linebacker Karlos Dansby plans to sign his one-year tender offer to protect himself in case he gets injured this offseason.
Dansby
The Arizona Republic reported that Dansby might sign the offer as soon as Thursday. Once he signs, Dansby will make just over $8 million in the 2008 season. He will be able to participate in the team’s offseason activities as soon as he signs, although the newspaper reported that it’s doubtful he would take part in any voluntary workouts.
“Our intent is to focus on a long-term deal with him at some point,” General manager Rod Graves said, according to the newspaper. “Obviously, it has got to be a deal that makes sense for both sides. Kirk and I have talked through some concerns but the one thing we agree upon is that he is an excellent football player. He’s a significant part of our team, and we hope to keep him here for years to come.”
The Cardinals can continue to negotiate a long-term deal through July 15.
Dansby led the team in tackles with 117 despite missing two games because of injury. He also had 3½ sacks, three interceptions and four forced fumbles.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound player moved from outside linebacker to inside under new coach Ken Whisenhunt last season to make better use of his speed and playmaking ability. A second-round draft pick out of Auburn in 2004, Dansby has 382 tackles in 58 NFL games.
The Cardinals were reluctant to sign Dansby to an extension before last season because of his history of injuries, but were not going to allow him to leave after his strong 2007 season. The Cardinals last used their franchise tag in 2002 on safety Kwame Lassiter.
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