More thoughts on football

A few more things that have come to mind since the scrimmage:

*OLB Tray Blackmon looks really good. He's a perfect fit for new DC Will Muschamp, who values assertiveness and tackling skill above all. Blackmon has both. He has unusual acceleration for a linebacker, has no apparent regard for his body and knows how to stop someone quickly. I think he'll end up sharing time with Merrill Johnson on the weak side, though both of them have the talent to start.

*QB Cal Booker doesn't look good right now. His passes don't look good coming out of his hand, and he threw without confidence in the scrimmage. I don't understand how he fits into Auburn's plans right now. Blake Field is better right; incoming freshman Neil Caudle probably will be better than both of them soon.

*TBs Ben Tate and Kenny Irons have a good relationship that's going to benefit Auburn for years to come. Think about it: Tate is a high-school senior who came to a major college and (at worst) is holding his own against the top players. Irons is serving as Tate's mentor right now. He's a humble guy, a patient guy, and is instilling those traits into Tate. I'm not sure what will happen with Tate next season. The safe thing would be to redshirt him and avoid additional depth-chart clutter. Then again, he may be able to help right away.

*TE Tommy Trott made a really nice diving grab in the scrimmage -- a pass nobody outside of Courtney Taylor would have pulled off. The kid has top-rate receiving skills. I think he's going to be a star.

*I love watching CB David Irons and Taylor go at it with their verbal sparring. I can't hear them well from my spot on the field, but you can see the helmets bobbing up and down, arms flailing, fingers pointing. I'd love to mic Irons for one scrimmage just to hear all the outlandish things he says out there. The stuff he says on the sideline is bad enough...