News of the day, 3/3

Hey everyone. I've got a sick kid and we're headed to the GP soon, so let me get a few ideas out there.

Auburn has canceled its Tuesday morning practice in anticipation of inclement weather. Those of you waiting breathlessly for a full-fledged update on Tuesday are out of luck. I'll try to parlay a few remaining items of interest into something useful.

We're 1/3 of the way through spring drills right now. Here are a few things that have caught my eye:

The play of Jake Ricks: I know Jake. I usually don't notice Jake on the field. That hasn't been the case this spring. Ricks looks like he has made some significant progress during the past eight months and has learned how to apply his skills on the field. His interception in the scrimmage was pretty incredible. CB Jerraud Powers crushed WR James Swinton as he caught a pass, knocking the ball up. Just before the ball landed, Ricks dived and snagged it with one hand.

Granted, it was one play. It was an outstanding play and provides a nice complement to his improved pass-rush work.

Tony Franklin's evaluation plan: He was saying on Sunday night that grades really don't do a whole lot for him. He said he's trying to determine which quarterback can win. That's it. He wants a winner. I like that. I always thought Franklin's predecessor, Al Borges, put a little too much credence into statistical markers. It was weird to me how Borges could watch an entire scrimmage and have almost no opinion on players' performance until AFTER he watched footage. I mean, dude, what were you doing on the field? Playing Nintendo DS?

Franklin had some pretty strong things to say moments after the scrimmage. At least you know he's watching.

The play of Neil Caudle: I really believe he's a better quarterback than Kodi Burns right now, but he is not showing that right now. Caudle was intercepted twice in the scrimmage. He was picked twice more during practice Sunday. You know how Eddie Gran has basically a zero-tolerance policy with fumbles? That's how Franklin is with interceptions. I think Caudle is on the verge of playing his way out of the lineup. It may be too late already.

Chris Todd's situation: What a mess. He told us last week that he suffered a Grade 3 shoulder separation during his next-to-last game for Hutchinson (Kan.) C.C. last year.

Here are the basics. He has, by definition, suffered damage to multiple shoulder ligaments. The first is the "AC" ligament, which isn't a huge deal. That happens somewhat regularly. "Grade 3" means there also is damage to the coracoclavicular ligament, which can be a very big deal.

The problem there, in simple terms, is that the coracoclavicular ligament almost always lengthens as it heals. That's not a huge problem for you and me. For a quarterback, though, it can be a bad thing. The shoulder is "looser" and the power generated for a throw isn't totally transferred to the ball because things are slightly jumbled around in the shoulder. That's probably why Todd complained last week of a "weak" throwing shoulder. He can't get the same zip on the ball because his shoulder is, in a sense, less efficient than it used to be.

Can he get better? Sure. Surgery used to be the standard treatment for Grade 3s a decade ago. A significant number of those patients didn't make huge gains compared to patients who didn't undergo surgery, so there is dissent in the medical community about which path is more useful: surgery or therapy. Doctors so far have advocated therapy for Todd. He's scheduled to meet with an orthopedic specialist in Birmingham this week for a re-assessment.

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.