News of the day, 9/9
Hey everyone. It'll be a long day of reaction an analysis about what exactly happened to the Tigers on Saturday night. Keep in mind that I had South Florida at No. 18 in my poll prior to the game, so it's not like Auburn lost to Appalachian State. So I think it's outrageous to start demanding a complete overhaul -- as some fans have advocated.
With that said, there need to be some significant changes made. See below for reaction.
Thanks for stopping by for another hit off the HOTTEST Auburn blog on the 'net.
In his mid-afternoon press conference, Tommy Tuberville said he is not inclined to make any changes at quarterback. He said the Tigers will stick with Brandon Cox. Remember, though, that Brandon's strength is supposed to be mental excellence. Yet he's the guy with five turnovers in two games. I think something is wrong with Brandon. His regression is undeniable. Offensive coordinator Al Borges will be talking in the next hour. I'm anxious to hear what he has to say.UPDATE: Borges said Brandon played "OK." Also, Borges said the offense looked better on film than it did in person. I'm just reporting what he said.
Tuberville didn't sound particularly optimistic about the injury situations facing safety Aairon Savage and linebacker Tray Blackmon. Both players missed the USF game. Their availability for this week's game against Mississippi State is in doubt. Chris Evans played almost the entire game in Blackmon's stead (he's the only middle linebacker left) and that's probably a bad thing for Auburn. Not that Evans is a bad player. He's a good backup. He's overexposed when asked to play 80 defensive snaps plus his usual special-teams work.UPDATE: D.C. Will Muschamp said he fully expects Savage and Blackmon to play this week. Whom to believe? Your call.
Al Borges, asked about making some offensive changes this week, responded thusly:If you've got weapons, you've got to find some way to use your weapons, period. That's what we're exploring right now. We're trying to find a way to get the ball to some guys that can help us score some touchdowns. That's our job.
UPDATE:After talking to players, it appears that Chris Slaughter and Tim Hawthorne were bumped up to the first-team offense today. Slaughter plays flanker and Hawthorne plays slot receiver with Rob Dunn. Apparently, Dunn was playing outside with Rod Smith today at split end. Slaughter was splitting first-team reps with Prechae Rodriguez.
Auburn's MVP so far? It has to be freshman kicker Wes Byrum. The kid has connected on 6 of 7 field-goal attempts. He has great range. Byrum's only miss was a 47-yarder against Kansas State.A little trivia. TE Gabe McKenzie now has touchdown catches in consecutive games. Who was the last Auburn tight end to accomplish that feat?
posted by Jay G. Tate at
3:49 PM
8 Comments:
Don't know what everyone else saw, but we need a change at quarterback. Have somebody else start a game, so Cox doesn't take the starter's job for granted. It doesn't seem like he's playing very motivated. It's also clear that you need to be an athlete to play quarterback in the SEC, and Cox is far from being an athlete. War Eagle
I really don't think a lax approach is Brandon's problem.
I concur that AU needs to make a change at quarterback. It's a tough situation. If they yank Cox, then he may never be the same player. Then again, maybe that wouldn't be an issue if Blake Field was more effective.
Al Borges' job hangs in the balance. I know that.
Brandon has a dibilatating disease. What is it called jay? Could this affect his mental capacity?
The answer to that question is Zach Shweiger(sp?) right?
The correct answer is JACK Schwieger. I'll give you full credit because Jack and Zach are basically the same.
Brandon has myasthenia gravis, which was descibed to me by a Vandy doctor who studies it as "ALS Light". ALS is Lou Gehrig's disease. Bad stuff.
Could it be affecting him mentally? I don't think the disease works like that. It's a neuromuscular thing. Cognition, as I understand it, is not affected.
Here it is
The hallmark of myasthenia gravis is muscle weakness that increases during periods of activity and improves after periods of rest. Muscles that control eye and eyelid movement, facial expression, chewing, talking, and swallowing are especially susceptible. The muscles that control breathing and neck and limb movements can also be affected. Often the physical examination is within normal limits.[3]
The onset of the disorder can be sudden or rapid. Often symptoms come and go over time. The diagnosis of myasthenia gravis is often initially missed.
In most cases, the first noticeable symptom is weakness of the eye muscles. In others, difficulty in swallowing and slurred speech may be the first signs. The degree of muscle weakness involved in MG varies greatly among patients, ranging from a localized form, limited to eye muscles (ocular myasthenia), to a severe or generalized form in which many muscles - sometimes including those that control breathing - are affected.
"Al Borges' job hangs in the balance. I know that."
That's a pretty big statement. I wasn't aware he is on the hot seat. Any indication of a disagreement between Borges and Tubs about who should play QB?
I can't believe Borges is the problem. Over the last three years, when Cox and Campbell were executing the offense he was brilliant. Now Cox isn't making the right decisions and it looks bad all the way around. I would think Borges sees his screw-ups in practice and scales back the plays for gametime which makes the play calls look odd. My question is how is Cox practicing?
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