Hello. I hope you're having a nice day.
- He has arrived.
- He's looking forward to going to Baton Rouge.
- "We're still a very good football team. We have a chance to win every game we play."
- On the passing game: "You can't pinpoint it on one thing. I don't believe in doing that. It's 11 guys. There are a lot of issues in there. We feel very strongly that we're going to get that rectified."
- On Ashton Richardson, a walk-on, who is the son of a great LSU defender: ``He doesn't ask for anything. He does this because he loves football and loves Auburn. I'm proud for guys like that. He's provided a lot of help on special teams."
- On LSU: "They're very talented. Big targets. A lot of guys with big bodies, fast guys. And three senior tailbacks. They've done some really good things."
- On LSU TB Charles Scott: ``It's going to be a challenge for us. We've done some nice things against the run in most games. We've struggled at times. He is a very physical tailback. That's a mentality they live and die with."
- Chizik has a lot of nice things to say about LSU's defense, too. Same 'ol.
- On Auburn's run defense: ``It's going to be a challenge every week in this league with running games. Everybody can run the football. At times Saturday night, I was really proud of our defense. There were times when we let it get away from us a little bit. We've got to be able to hold up. It can't be three quarters; it has to be four quarters."
- On if Chris Todd IS 100 PERCENT: ``Chris Todd is fine."
- On how things change during the middle of the season: ``There are so surprises now. There is no newness anything. Everything at this point is about who executes better. It's that window of the year where you see a lot of crazy things happen."
- On Josh Bynes and Craig Stevens: "It affects you with the way you practice. It affects you all the way through the week. It affects you on special teams. There are more who fall under that same umbrella. Two guys like that have been playing a lotta, a lotta football. (Games) 7, 8 and 9 is where you see it. They're tough guys. They can't come out. They don't have that luxury. They don't come out. That's not easy to do."
- On if Eltoro Freeman will play at linebacker: "He has to earn it."
- On if his team has lost a step because of the staffing situation: "In some cases. It doesn't matter. That can't be a reason. We have to go out and win football games. The reality is: Yes. It's a really fine line for us right now. We have to be very smart about how we approach every practice this time of year."
- On if he relishes being the underdog: ``We don't talk about that. It doesn't matter if we're the overdog or the underdog. We don't pay attention."
- On staying positive: "We're 5-2, not 2-5. Our guys know we have a good football team. Not one of our kids right now is ... we're not going there. Our coaches are very positive. Our kids are very positive. They know the things that help us win and they know the things that don't allow us to win. We're all on the same page. We're all marching in the same direction. We're moving on."
- That's a wrap.
Photo credit: Todd Van Emst/Auburn University
Questions? Comments? Post directly to the blog below or email me at jgtate@gannett.com.
Substance!!
ReplyDeleteNoggin is a great word.
ReplyDeleteWoot! Finally popped my first post cherry.
ReplyDeletemy heart's all aflutter (sp?) with anticipation.
ReplyDeleteE-bro,
ReplyDeleteNothing will be the same for you again. Words will flow easier, thoughts will come clearer, Jet will still be worthless, but Michael will almost make sense.
Scottie: You know this'll be enthralling.
ReplyDeleteI hope we get to hear that Kentucky was a really good team.
ReplyDeleteday-by-day.
ReplyDeletedo what we do.
we'll keep working to get better.
did i miss anything?
A new day has dawned.
ReplyDeleteKeep choppin wood.
ReplyDeleteIt is what it is, Scottie.
ReplyDeleteWe just aren't good enough to make those kind of mistakes.
ReplyDeletethis place was great long before you got here.
ReplyDeleteTake it as it goes.
ReplyDeleteWe're gonna find out what kind of football team we are.
ReplyDeleteNo problems with Chris Todd, his arm is fine.
ReplyDeleteIt's tough to win in this league.
ReplyDeleteJayG, that's a wrap. I think we've covered it all. Go grab some lunch.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if he'll say "Sorry you saw me naked, Jay G"
ReplyDeleteOne the bye week comment from last thread - I couldn't find any college data, but someone compiled the NFL data and found the team playing after the bye week won 53% of the time the last 19 years. Hardly a significant factor... in the NFL. Players there know their assignments better, but also hit harder than the college game. So who knows.
ReplyDeleteAnyway Hoopie, my self important X's and O's are once again valid!
Translated
ReplyDeleteWe got to stay positive boys
You guys left out the weekly "We're playing against a very good team."
ReplyDeleteI remember watching the Arkansas-Tennessee game in 2002 that went 4 or 5 OTS. We were off that weekend and we played the Hogs the next week. I thought, "Wow, we'll be so fresh and they'll be dog tired."
ReplyDeleteWell, they may have been, but they still beat us like 38-17 or something in J-H.
...and there it is!
ReplyDeleteYeah E-bro, if something doesn't heal in one week, it most likely won't heal in two a lot of the time.
ReplyDeleteI think that 53% figure is probably accurate. I am sure it helps more than it hurts, but it is certainly not the first thing you look at. After all, LSU lost after their bye week last year!
'fine' & 100% aren't the same thing.
ReplyDeleteI'm starting to like the "[random player] loves football and loves Auburn" comments. Can we say at this point that that his entered into his repertoire?
ReplyDeleteOn if Chris Todd IS 100 PERCENT: ``Chris Todd is fine."
ReplyDeleteOn if the hull of the Titanic IS 100 PERCENT "The hull is fine"
"We've done some nice things against the run in most games"
ReplyDeleteYeah, we've done SOME nice things, just not A LOT of nice things.
Substance in the Chiz's quotes can sometimes be elusive as FAH.
ReplyDeleteIf Chris Todd is "fine" is Malzahn
ReplyDeletefine?
maybe he was talking about how attractive Chris Todd is
ReplyDeleteShouldn't he just say "we've done a lot of things against the run." Just keeps it so more general. Sounds almost positive, but could mean that we've given up yards and touchdowns just as easily as tackled for a loss.
ReplyDeleteJay G. Thanks. I hope you're having a nice day, too.
ReplyDeleteOn almost every run, the runner has been tackled this year. That is a positive thing, right?
ReplyDeleteEltoro has to earn it, much like Private James Francis Ryan.
ReplyDeletefor the love of Pete 'Toro. freakin' earn it already.
ReplyDeleteI guess this is actually our first game as an underdog, and only 7.5 last I saw. Vegas loves us.
ReplyDeleteI'm an overdog.
ReplyDeleteEvery time there is a chance to make a tackle, we attempt to tackle.
ReplyDeleteE-Bro, will the be a special group sent out to save Eltoro and bring him home?
ReplyDeleteI hope Chizik reads this thread, chuckles to himself,leans back in his seat and thinks "Man, I'm good!"
ReplyDeleteWe never miss an opporunity to tackle we just miss the tackle.
ReplyDeleteIs that good ?
weren't we a 2-point dog to UT
ReplyDeletePF, we're sending 7 walk-ons led by Trey Blackmon to go find him and bring him home.
ReplyDeleteOnly two will make it back alive.
We attempt 100% of the tackles that we try.
ReplyDeleteOh, that's right Harrison. Still can't believe that one.
ReplyDeleteWell, I can now, but not then. My b.
Don't go there.
ReplyDeleteI'm popping in just for a second, but the Chris Todd Comment caught my attention. If Chris Todd is 100%, why not say it instead of vague fine which leads to more questions. Chris Todd is obviously not fine. To what degree, I guess we will have to wait till Saturday to find out.
ReplyDeleteEddie,
ReplyDeleteI concur.
Bro, you sound like Bill Clinton asking the press to define "the" after Monica Lewinsky.
ReplyDeleteAs a rule, isn't Chiz always pretty vague?
ReplyDeletehis chin isn't vague
ReplyDeleteNo, it's well defined.
ReplyDeleteAre we missing opportunities to miss tackles?
ReplyDeleteSome are, most notable would be The Bull.
ReplyDeleteMaybe there should be a tackle % stat.
ReplyDeleteSouth Carolina is going to wear camouflage designed uniforms on Nov 14 for Veterans Day. That's the day they play Florida. Should be interesting.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but what do you gain about being vague about Chris Todd's health? If he is a 100%, come out and say it when asked, don't dodge it with a vague answer because it will be an issue that is much discussed by the fans and the media until Saturday. I think we are going to see a new QB on Saturday. Who, i'm not sure, but based on facebook, I put stock into Rollison having a legit shot.
ReplyDeleteThat's what we need...camouflage uniforms! Tackling problem solved!
ReplyDeleteHe should have responded "It's 100% certain that he has two arms."
ReplyDeleteWe could use the night camo, it has dark blue.
ReplyDeleteScott C- You are still assuming we can make a tackle in great position. That seems like a lot to ask for.
ReplyDeleteWell, if we're camouflaged, all our guys can come off the bench and tackle, too. The officials will never know that we had 25 men on the field.
ReplyDeleteScott,
ReplyDeleteDo we have 25 people who can play D? At least 10 of those would probably have to be offensive guys.
I think what Scott C is saying that with camo uniforms we can sneak out more players and field 14 or 15 on defense during a play. That might be enough.
ReplyDeleteLook, do you want this plan to work or not? Okay, some of them will be NFL players on their bye weeks.
ReplyDeleteA very good football team? When did Chiz start drinking the Coosaide?
ReplyDeleteExcerpt from:
ReplyDeleteYou Can't Send a Duck to Eagle School,
by Mac Anderson
"Two of the all-time greatest coaches in sports history were Red Auerbach, who coached the great Boston Celtics basketball team in the 1950's and 1960's, and Vince Lombardi, the legendary football coach for the Green Bay Packers. When I read their biographies, what struck me most was their "keep it simple" philosophy. While other coaches were teaching complicated offense and defense, both Lombardi and Auerbach only had a few plays, but this was the key...they executed the plays to perfection.
Someone once asked Auerbach what magic formula he had for winning games. He laughed and said, "Our secret to success is what I would call 'effective simplicity.' Nothing complicated. In fact, we only have seven different plays and Bill Russell touched the ball on every one of them."
Under Auerbach's "effective simplicity" philosophy, the Boston Celtics won every championship from 1959 through 1966 - eight years in a row, a record unmatched since.
Lombardi's coaching philosophy was strikingly similar, and he had only five running plays in his offense, but like Auerbach, executed every play to perfection. He'd often say,
"We really don't fool anyone. The opposition knows what's coming, but they rarely stop us because every player knows his assignment and we've practiced it a thousand times."
Lombardi was fanatical when it came to teaching and reinforcing the basic fundamentals of the game. In his mind, blocking and tackling were the keys to winning football games, in fact, to make his point on fundamentals, every year he would begin his training camp by saying..."Gentlemen, this is a football."
This is what I hope we mean by our "simple" plays
I saw a movie with Lombardi when I was young (it could have been actual practice footage or a movie with actors, it was a long time ago and I can't remember.) I remember he was yelling at someone in practice who had just had a bad play that if he didn't want to play football, he could go work at the popcorn stand. The yelling made me a little scared, but I also found it humorous. The player then did much better the next play.
ReplyDeleteSo if you don't want to do HABOTN hardcore, you can go work at the popcorn stand!!
popcorn..most overrated snack of all time
ReplyDeleteGreat coaches are able to teach players to execute, regardless of the offense. Offensive philosophy definitely comes second to players executing well. If we are just able to manage to not jump off sides against Kentucky, we win.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Bill Russell was better than everyone else on the floor, and the Packers were the best team in football aided Auerbach and Lombardi's simplicity.
ReplyDeleteJust sayin'.
sorry I was too serious and killed the thread!
ReplyDeletei almost said thet jet. sounds better coming from you, cause i'm dumb
ReplyDeleteNo you're not Harrison. You were dead-on with your popcorn assessment.
ReplyDeleteIs "overdog" a real word?
ReplyDeleteHe should have said "overlord".
ReplyDeleteI always like looking at stats after the game. We still are pretty high on the team and individual statistics. However, on the defensive side you can see the obvious. I will say that Stevens and BYnes are in the top ten or five in tackles, there is no category for missed tackles though.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.secsports.com/sport_stats/football/confldrs.htm
Wow, there are 2 teams in the SEC who average less than our 4.5 yards per punt return.
ReplyDelete"Chris Todd is fine."
ReplyDeleteInteresting way to answer a question about if he is 100%.
He's fine, FSJ. Don't get all twitterpated over it.
ReplyDeleteSo Jay, I should bet the house on AU -7.5 at the Sports Book on Saturday?
ReplyDeleteany players get to talk pre-practice?
ReplyDeleteI wasn't even supposed to be here today, and it's like I have it all to myself.
ReplyDeleteI'm here with you PF. Does anybody buy the Todd is fine stuff?
ReplyDeleteI can't help, PF, I'm too busy.
ReplyDeletej-z - I've made some really stupid purchases before, but I ain't buying this time.
ReplyDeletePF I thought you were in Vegas? When is the big day?
ReplyDeleteI seem top be buying everything else in the world, so I'm buying an Auburn win.
ReplyDeleteto be
ReplyDeletecincy - can I get you to buy me a few maps?
ReplyDeleteKathy,
ReplyDeleteNope, at work Today and Tomorrow...Vegas comes closer to the weekend... Big day Dec 31.
Does Google Maps satelite view count as a historic map, 'cause some of those pictures are really old?
ReplyDeleteCincy, are you buying Todd is fine?
ReplyDeleteI think Todd is less than 100% and Auburn should burn the the redshirt of the freshman QB.
ReplyDeleteJMO.
:-)
We'll find out if Chris Todd is fine this weekend. And yes it will be the hard way.
ReplyDeleteSure, THT, what do you want? The bank seems to assume we are made of money.
ReplyDeleteAnd, Kathy, I think it is a fire sale, but I'll buy that Todd's arm is fine. I wonder if the hits he took at TN hurt his psyche more than his arm? I hope so, cause that will be easier to fix.
I think yall are reading way too much into the "Chris Todd is fine" statement. This is week 8 in the SEC. No one that is 100%.
ReplyDeleteCincy - this will do for starters, though I'd prefer one where all 20 sheets have been joined to make an 8 foot square wall map:
ReplyDeletePopple Map
I'm in midseason form. 100% is too low a number to contain this!
ReplyDeleteNSFW, THT!
ReplyDeleteLOL Peter..
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing your warning..I had to click on it to be sure.
THT dishing out NSFW stuff? I really want to see what it is! Describe it in great detail, PF.
ReplyDeleteAlso PF, I apologized to you over on Bitter's blog.
$275,000 - kind of pricey for a bit of paper, eh? I had thought I might try to find some neat, old maps of Auburn to use in the condo but at these prices not sure I can swing it
ReplyDeleteHere's what it looks like if all 20 sheets are joined. Cincy, please note that I would prefer one with full original color.
ReplyDeleteLoL, Mikey. Is that like "PF, check your email?"
ReplyDeleteAre we playing Risk?
ReplyDeleteraw native breasticles.
ReplyDeleteho colpito e corro.
ReplyDeleteTHT- you might have better luck acquiring a Popple if you ask Smiley, and while you're at it, i would like the copy of Cosmographia that was owned by Münster. Think he can manage an entire atlas? After all, I do need a reason to come home for Christmas.
out really isn't an important word. I give it the same respect as of and the.
ReplyDeleteI broke a 100 year old globe once by sitting on it.
ReplyDeleteIndeed PF. Bitter's blog is our secret hideaway. No wait, that sounds gay. It is the location of secret messages. Is that better?
ReplyDeleteHi 2.0! Cincy is buying us map presents! I trust her to obtain them from reputable sources.
ReplyDeleteSmiley is out of prison, btw.
"owned" by Münster? Remind me about that one.
You let your girl play with prisoners?
ReplyDeleteTHT,
ReplyDeleteXerox copies are ok I assume?
Cincy - Xerox???????!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI think I'd prefer a bag of M&Ms.
back to work now.
WARRRRRRRRRR EAGLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Chris Todd is fine."
ReplyDeleteWho writes Chiz' quotes? Is Mrs. Jet somehow involved in this? Sounds like something she'd say.
OK, I'll have you an extra large bag of M&Ms at my Halloween Party at the Ole Miss game :) I'll even spring for the BIG bag at Sam's.
ReplyDeleteJet,
ReplyDeleteI do that to Tom sometimes - "I'm fine!" said thru clenched lips.
A BATHTUB of M&Ms, even.
ReplyDeleteBig Snacks,
ReplyDeleteWait..checking out Bitter's blog, I said I was sorry?
Cincy ...
ReplyDeleteWait a minute, are you telling me that women other than my wife say "I'm fine" through clenched teeth, too?
Does this mean that neither my wife nor you aren't really "fine" when you say you are?
Is this prevalent among your gender?
This is a revelation.
rk, I think you did say "Sorry if someone took my words the wrong way" or something like that. So you know, it was accurate.
ReplyDeleteI said that I hate that the guy left and I probably said regret that things blew up like they did. I don't feel a need to appologize to someone though when I don't feel I did anything wrong.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sorry or regret anything that I said.
Listen, I said you said were sorry. Whether you actually said that or not is irrelevant, because you weren't the one saying that you said you were sorry.
ReplyDeleteHere we go again.
ReplyDeleteand stay away from mine and Michael's hideout.
ReplyDeleteOk? Ok? Ok, what?
ReplyDeleteIf you keep this up, I'll start putting words in your mouth all over the internet. Perez Hilton is about one more okay from wondering "who is RK and why is he sorry."
I guess I just don't get it.
ReplyDeletebeep beep
ReplyDeleteJet,
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, we aren't going anywhere again, I just wanted to know where on another blog that I just went to for the first time today it has me giving an appology that I didn't give.
Just found that weird.
"Actually my apology was in here earlier as I told everyone I regreted(sic) that my comments have caused the reactions they have caused"
ReplyDelete-rk
See there? You did apologize!
Why can't everyone put on the big-kid pants and deal? Geez it's getting re-fricken-diculous.
ReplyDeleteI think rk is supposed to apologize to Antonio Coleman though before Aero comes back and Hoopie starts being nice again. What's the status on that, rk?
ReplyDeleteSIAP....
ReplyDeleteAnybody notice that Terry Bowden has his team ranked #1 in their division?
You should go to Bitter's blog more often (after the HABOTN, of course). It's a good source of really long articles.
ReplyDeleteyes, FSJ. He ate the voting crew.
ReplyDeleteFSJ ...
ReplyDeleteWould that division be the Husky division?
Peter,
ReplyDeleteGot a link?
Bitter's quotes are good. And thorough.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, Jay G is da best! Hotties Hoooo!
Michael,
ReplyDeleteTrue, I did appologize for the reaction that it caused.
Sean,
I'm trying to go beyond it man. I just didn't quite expect it to be being discussed when I checked out Bitter's blog for the first time.
Another beat hack's Auburn blog, FSJ. HABOTN RULES!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, back to something important...
ReplyDeleteDoes Chris Todd being fine = Chris Todd is hawt?
If I had known you were gonna go over there, I would've said it in code. Quit being such a whiny pants. People say true things about me all the time.
ReplyDeleteThanks Peter..
ReplyDeleteYou got it.
ReplyDeleteAs I pointed out yesterday, Todd did that crazy little arm/shoulder flex all last year. That told me his arm/shoulder was bothering him. He has not done that this year until Sat. night when he started it again. Been there and done that so I know what that means. HIS SHOULDER IS BOTHERING HIM
ReplyDeleteDoes bothering = not fine, though?
ReplyDeleteI like The Chiz's comment about Freeman the best: "He's got to earn it" (playing time). Because there's no way he's going to play LB by default ... like those times when you have no other LBs to take the field. That's just not happening at Auburn.
ReplyDeleteSeriously I hope he comes back. He will if he wants to. I guess this is an area where I don't understand this blog culture.
ReplyDeleteI didn't intend to come across as a "whiny pants", I had stopped DWWD for a moment, I will keep chopping wood & I will strive to do better.
What else is "fine" these days? Unemployment? GM? Bernie Madoff's cellmate?
ReplyDeleteI hear the TN Titans are doing fine.
ReplyDeleteIf one of our other linebackers goes down, Freeman will have earned it by playing better than air.
ReplyDeleteSee, the thing is, you weren't really being a whiny pants, but it's way funnier to say that than continue down the path we were going with you repeating your shock at me overstepping my bounds over and over.
ReplyDeleteOne HABOTN
ReplyDeleteI will keep chopping wood, I will strive to do better.
ReplyDelete(My new repeat phrase.)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI met a dude once that cut his foot off chopping wood. I hope you don't do that.
ReplyDeleteI hope I don't do that, which is why I'm striving to do better.
ReplyDeleteBecause it is this week..and because I hate Tennessee with a CRIMSON passion..
ReplyDelete*clearing throat*
Oh Rocky Top...you'll never mean
One damn thing to me...
I hate Rocky Top
Go to He... Tennessee!
Although I do like to hear Norah Jones sing the Tennessee Waltz...
She's on my list.
FSJ, i've got an even more vulgar version of that song if you're interested. :)
ReplyDeleteScottie...
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to hating UT...I'm always open for more. :-p
Who else is on your list?
ReplyDeleteJeff Fisher says things aren't that bad and all they have to do is work harder. He also said the sky is red and they will continue to work to prove it is in fact red and not blue.
ReplyDeleteOff the top of my head...
ReplyDeleteNorah Jones
Ashley Judd
Sandra Bullock
Cindy Crawford
I may have missed somebody, but thats a good start.
So were you torn at all when you watched "A Time to Kill"?
ReplyDeleteJessica Alba is always at the to or near the top of any list I'd put together.
ReplyDeleteEliza Dushku would be another.
Ashley Judd is HAWT.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of Sarah Chalke.
ReplyDeleteRK...
ReplyDeleteJessica Alba is a good one too.. If I ever expand the list to 10 she's on it.
Angelina Jolie's kid is gonna be smoking one day.
ReplyDeleteI made up a version of Rocky Top I used to sing to my Tennessee fan friend in high school. The lyrics were pretty simple, I just sang them in a mocking manner
ReplyDelete"uptown, downtown, roundtown rocky top!
rocky top tennesee!
al wilson, tee martin, feerless pearless rocky top!
rocky top tennesee!
(then sing the real chorus)"
Also, you have to do the Seminole tomahawk/throat chop that Pearless Price kept doing when they were on the stand accepting the National Championship trophy.
I'm feelin' Sean. Was just about to say Chalke is at or near the top of my list. Fine looking woman.
ReplyDeleteThe girl from Chuck, Yvonne Strahovski (sp?). Another fine looking woman.
I'm not feelin' Sean (gross), I just hear what he is saying about Chalke.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to clarify.
Wow this really took a turn for the worse.
ReplyDeleteKinda partial to Eva Green too.....
ReplyDeleteRK...
ReplyDeleteI don't think this is a turn for the "worse"....
:-)
Stupid typos.
ReplyDeletei think it all started when someone said that Chris Todd looked 'fine'.
ReplyDeleteweirdos. :)
For my money, it doesn't get any better than Jan Terri in a spacesuit.
ReplyDeleteEva Green...my favorite Bond Girl.
ReplyDeleteOh I wasn't pointing out a typo..
ReplyDeleteI was just saying this is a great thread.
I thought we were going to have a HABOTN "Hottie" countdown this summer?
Did I miss that?
Mine too E-Bro.
ReplyDeleteHas JayG this?
ReplyDeleteHas he seen it?
ReplyDeletePhotoshopped like nobody's business, but figured he'd enjoy.
Seems Jenna killed the thread.
ReplyDeleteToo far on my part?
How would The Chiz respond to his list of top hot/fine chicks?
ReplyDeleteThey're all "fine"
ReplyDeleteFrom the mouth of ElTurbo, warning his dad about an unfulfilled promise.
ReplyDelete"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, say goodbye to your patellas."
Wow. Harsh. He knows you pay his room and board, right?
ReplyDeleteShhh, Jet,
ReplyDeleteI probably wasn't supposed to let that little bit of information about my kind out into the blog world. Forget you ever heard it.
I'm fine.
ReplyDeleteOh, and PUPPET HOUR! AAAHHH!!!
ReplyDeleteAre the puppets fine?
ReplyDeleteHow about the goats, are they fine?
ReplyDeleteHave you heard from Tim lately? Is he fine?
ReplyDeleteI own some coins that are fine. Some are very fine and still more are extra fine.
ReplyDeleteDo I get to flip it?
ReplyDeleteYes!!!
ReplyDelete