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6.15.2007

Correction, and some other stuff

Hey everyone. As a few of you pointed out (kindly), I made a mistake with the OL scouting report. As we all know, Joe Cope was the starting center last season -- not Jason Bosley. Well, to be fully accurate, Cope was the starter when he wasn't injured.

Still, it was an oversight on my part. Apologies to Joe, who was and is a great story. He came to Auburn as a highly aggressive walk-on from south Alabama who always was ready to defend a teammate regardless of the emotional or physical investment. He was a fighter. That never changed, though Cope learned to channel his aggression into more productive tangents. He was an important part of the offensive line last season, and someone teammates always considered a highly valuable player -- even when he wasn't starting.

Other Auburn items of note:
*Dewanna Bonner, Auburn's free-throw-drawing forward, was selected Friday to play for the US U-21 national team. It's a big honor for Bonner, who has played for the national team twice before. Obviously people in the Olympic Development machine love Bonner's game. I love watching her play -- I've said so a million times -- but sometimes think her rare skill set makes her appear more valuable than she really is.

Either way, big up to Bonner for making her way on the national scale.

*I talked with OL King Dunlap today for a story that I hope will run on Sunday morning. Keep an eye out for that. I'll tease you a little by saying Dunlap had some pretty detailed things to say about newcomer Lee Ziemba, Auburn's freshman tackle.

*I talked with former PG Doc Robinson for a story that will run next week. He's working in Atlanta for a transportation company, handling the company's sales and parts. He's the same guy -- talking in that rambling way that makes me smile every time. Awesome guy. It's hard to believe that basketball team was No. 1 at one point. Basketball!

*Speaking of Cliff Ellis, his name has come up in connection with the job at Coastal Carolina. Former Alabama coach David Hobbs also may emerge as a candidate. That made me laugh for some reason.

NON-AUBURN STUFF
*I've been playing Forza Motorsport 2, an XBox 360 game, since its release in late May. Best driving game ever. Book it. If you're into that kind of thing, it's time to invest. There's a heavy online component to the game, too, so you can pimp your rankings.

Yes, I know I'm probably too old for this stuff. So it goes.
6.12.2007

Auburn scouting reports begin

Hey everyone. Not much going on in the Auburn world these days, so I think it's time we start discussing the 07 football team. It's never too early.

One item of note before I get into that:
*WR Rod Smith, one of the coolest guys on the team, has earned a scholarship for the 2007 season. This was a no-brainer, of course, because Smith is the team's only proven wideout returning this year. Some might argue that Prechae Rodriguez or Montez Billings fit the bill. I'm staying with my initial assessment.


On with the scouting report:
Last season, I did scouting reports on individual players. Since that's an old trick now, I'll go by positions. I'll give my overview of the position. I'll tell you who I think the best players are, who the next good player will be and, if applicable, who will lose their job first. Some positions are more flexible than others. Offensive linemen bump in and out of the lineup for peripheral reasons at times, while quarterbacks and tailbacks generally stay in the lineup.

Here's how I want to grade these kids. Three stars is SEC average. One star is a should-be-at-NAIA player. Five stars is a will-be-a-millionaire player.

First number is that player's current grade. Second number is his 2007 peak.

Let's start with the offensive line.

OFFENSIVE LINE
2006 overview: Had a good year while anchored by first-round draft pick Ben Grubbs and senior Timmy Duckworth at guard. Other starters included King Dunlap (Jr.) at left tackle, Jonathan Palmer (Sr.) at right tackle and Joe Cope (Sr.) at center when he was healthy. Run blocking wasn't an overall strength. Pass blocking was. Palmer was a liability early in the season. He learned from his mistakes, though, and became league average by season's end. Bosley is a typical Auburn center -- meaning his intellectual gifts are most important. Quarterback Brandon Cox took some hits, particularly against LSU, but I didn't think he was exposed much more than average. His lack of elusiveness caused some of those 35 sacks.

2006 depth chart:
LT -- King Dunlap
LG -- Ben Grubbs
C -- Joe Cope/Jason Bosley
RG -- Tim Duckworth
RT -- Jonathan Palmer

2007 depth chart
LT -- King Dunlap 3.5 (4.0)
LG -- Tyronne Green 3.5 (4.5)
C -- Jason Bosley 3.0 (3.0)
RG -- Leon Hart 2.5 (3.0)
RT -- Andrew McCain 2.5 (4.0)

The franchise player: The obvious choice is Dunlap, though I consider him more of a steady player than anything else. I'm going with Tyronne Green. He reminds me of Grubbs. Stout kid with good leverage. Not necessarily the quickest feet, but his ability to maintain leverage makes him valuable. Green missed some time early last season with an unusual viral infection. It took him a month to get back. I think he's ready to play immediately. With 10 games under his belt, Green has a chance to be an anchor.

The next generation: Bart Eddins. He'll probably spend this season working behind fifth-year Leon Hart. That's not a bad thing. Eddins was a defensive player in high school, a very good defensive player, and just now is learning how to approach the offensive game. I figured Eddins would play center and another up-and-comer, Mike Berry, would play guard. Not so. Berry is being groomed to take over at center. Both players have a chance to be excellent. Eddins' personality -- he's friendly but takes football seriously -- fits nicely with assistant coach Hugh Nall.

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