Auburn update, 7/24

Hey everyone. SEC Media Days starts on Wednesday, which means it's time for Inane Questions 101. More than 800 reporters were granted credentials for this year's event. That's a record. And while that's a good thing for the SEC in terms of exposure, it's a bad thing for coaches and players.

You wouldn't believe some of the questions they get. It's truly unreal.

So let me go ahead and tell you what Tuberville, Brandon Cox and Quentin Groves will be saying tomorrow. Here are the big (and reasonably legitimate) questions.

FOR TUBERVILLE
*Team's perceived lack of respect.
*Why wasn't Brandon Cox voted by the coaches to the All-SEC team?
*What are your expectations for this season?
*Tray Blackmon: What is going on with that kid?
*At least six questions that begin like this: "Just talk about (player)."
*What do you think about Alabama hiring Nick Saban?
*Some people say your schedule is soft, yet it's ranked among the toughest? Why?
*You've been at Auburn for nine seasons now. How has the SEC changed?

FOR BRANDON
*Team's perceived lack of respect.
*How did you fight through all those injuries last season?
*Upset not to be named to the preseason All-SEC team?
*Are you still an Alabama fan? Remember how you used to be?
*Are you healthy now?
*Does your leg hurt?
*Is your line better?

FOR QUENTIN
*Team's perceived lack of respect.
*Why did you choose to come back?
*Is Sen'Derrick Marks going to be a bad man at end just like you?
*Talk about how tough Brandon is. He fought through all those injuries like a champ.
*Do you like playing for Will Muschamp?
*What happened against Arkansas and Georgia last year?
*Quentin, you're such a funny guy. Have you ever thought about being a comedian?

So there you have it -- Media Days in five minutes.

ALSO: My pick for Newcomer of the Year, wideout Chris Slaughter, still hasn't been cleared by the NCAA. Can I change my pick?



ALSO, Part II: I picked up a copy of NASCAR 08 for the XBox 360 earlier today. I've been looking forward to this day for a while -- first NASCAR game on this platform -- and I'll let you all know my impressions when I get a chance to develop some.

UPDATE: The game is underwhelming from a graphics standpoint. Forza 2 is much better. The deal-breaker for NASCAR 08 is the absolutely unusable online component. Some people can't connect. Some people can't play without lagging out. My box spontaneously locks up. I played some of my other games just to make sure my machine wasn't broken. Everything else plays correctly. I guess EA needs some time to get its multiplayer servers straightened out.