Monday Night Live

Hey everyone. We're listening to Tiger Talk, coach Gene Chizik's weekly radio show, and we may watch some Monday Night Football in a bit. Since it's Thanksgiving Week, and Le Bowl D'Iron is on Friday, I guess the natural decision for the people at Auburn ISP Sports was to broadcast on Monday.

Please stand and sing.

TIGER TALK TIDBITS

• Hans is on the air babbling about who knows what.
  
  
• On how he used the off week: ``It's a fine line between making sure you work enough and getting the rest we need. It's been four straight months of football -- no days off. It was really good to let our football team have some time off. They came back Sunday and I think they were refocused."
  
  
• On being off schedule last week: ``We really tried to focus on the fine details. We concentrated on that and moved on to Alabama."
  
  
• Rod says Alabama is the best team in the conference. Florida may disagree: ``To survive in this league, you have to be physical on both sides of the ball. They are."
  
  
• Jane from Auburn wants to know about the 20th anniversary Auburn Iron Bowl and who will give The Big Pre-Game Speech: ``We'll draw on a couple of different people. This week, I've got two or three people to speak to our team. Today, Karlos Dansby called in. We talked for a long time. He said he wanted to talk to the team. I put him on speakerphone with no coaches in the room and let him talk about what this game means. The feedback was tremendous."
  
  
• Jane is still up. She's flipping through her notes. She wants to make sure Saban leaves Jordan-Hare 0-5: ``Good statement, Jane."
  
  
• FIRST CALL of the night (oh goodie) is from Melvin in Bammerham. He wants to know if they're on the radio ("So are you, Melvin," Chizik said) and he loves Auburn and he says it's hard being an Auburn fan in light of Alabama's "accomplishments" and how Alabama fans think Auburn fans are "inferior" and (gasp) he wants to say good luck. No question, of course: ``We're going to have a lot of fun this week. We appreciate your comments."
  
  
• Leigh and Kathy from Auburn want to wish Gene a Happy Thanksgiving and how much they appreciate everyone. No question, of course. And they're having a Thanksgiving dinner at their tailgate spot near Plainsman Park. She's so nice. No question, but she's really nice.: ``I do appreciate that very much. That's what Auburn is about -- it's about family. My wife and I feel blessed. We're in the place we always wanted to be."
  
  
• Ron from Bammerham wants to know if the Thanksgiving break will affect the players: ``We talked earlier about being creatures of habit. We're trying to keep this week just the same -- just as if school was in. We're trying to keep them on the same schedule. That seems to work (Where?) We really don't change anything."
  
  
• T.J. from Bammerham is upset because he won't be able to watch the game. He's going to watch the Leeds Green Wave. No question. That's 1-for-4 from the phone tonight. ``Thanks, T.J."
  
  
• Meagan from Denver wants to know how Chizik is going to PUMP UP THE TEAM before the Iron Bowl: ``Our biggest challenge is to make sure they're not ready to play the game tonight. Everywhere they turn, they hear it, they see it. They can't escape it. There's not a lot you have to say. When we hit Sewell Hall for Tiger Walk, it'll be all we can to to keep them from going absolutely crazy. I do some things to bring to them the realization of how big this is. We're not playing this game for us; we're playing it for all the people who came before us. Great question."
  
  
• On the 20th anniversary: ``That is such a piece of history. We've got guys on our football from states other than the state of Alabama. Here, when you're on the playground at 6 years old, they ask you: Which side are you on? We're trying to educate them on how this came about. That game was so significant for taking that game from Birmingham to here. There are a lot of similarities of where that game was 20 years ago and where this game is today."
  
  
• Phillip from Murfreesboro, Tenn., is on a cell phone and he wants Chizik to know fans believe Auburn "has a chance" if the Tigers play hard. No question, of course. That's 2-for-6 on the phone: ``We have a chance to win the game. We're playing the game to win the game. We're going to play hard."
  
  
• On Alabama's defense: ``They're very talented. It starts with their front seven. You have to get past them first. They don't give up big plays. Defensively -- they hang their hat on that. When we've had success in games and won games, you can look at turnovers. The same things have happened to them. They're getting the ball back to their offense and they're controlling the ball. That's why they're winning game."
  
  
• On Alabama's offense: "Their offense has some great talent. They have Julio Jones out there. He has great big-play capability. Mark Ingram is fast, makes quick cuts."
  
  
• Bubba from Who Knows said all his brothers and sisters graduated from Alabama and he'd love to "give them hell on Friday" ... and no question. That's 2-for-7 on the phone. ASK A QUESTION, PEOPLE: ``War Eagle, Bubba."
  
  
• Hailey from Tallassee wants to know about Demond Washington. YES, A QUESTION ... though not from the phone: "He's done great. He almost didn't make the first couple of practices. He's really come on this last month. He's really helped our football team."
  
  
• Matt from Auburn, who is about to graduate, wants to say that he'd like to beat Alabama and he thinks Gene has done a nice job. Phone people are now 2-for-8: ``Thank you, Matt. We feel really, really good about what's going to happen down the road."
  
  
• Ryan from Ozark wants to know if Eltoro Freeman will be back ... and how Auburn will stop Ingram: ``With Toro right now, it's really day-by-day. He hasn't been able to do a whole lot. To be able to stop this running game of Alabama's, you've got to be able to put some guys up there (on the line of scrimmage). When you stack people tight, you've got some issues in the secondary to deal with."
  
  
• Paul from Hartselle thinks Auburn can win this game and believes Chizik can get "75 young men" to defy what "10,000 non-believers" say Auburn cannot do. He thinks Gene is a good coach and a fine man. NO QUESTION: ``Very nice comments, Paul. Thanks."
  
  
• On the players' appreciation for the game: "They're in the middle of the forest and they cannot see the trees. We're just trying to educate them about why this rivalry is the way it is."
  
  
• On getting ready for the big game: ``In our team's mind's night, it's Tuesday night. Tomorrow it'll be Tuesday but it'll be Wednesday in terms of practice. On Thanksgiving morning, we'll do our walk-through. We'll have some team-building functions and have a Thanksgiving meal before I cut them loose to be with their families."
  
  
• On the recruits: ``We've got some great recruits coming in. A lot of them are committed to Auburn and some of them aren't."
  
  
• On the fans: "I want to thank the fans for what they've done all year long. I'm really excited for them and I appreciate them."
  
  
• THAT'S A WRAP. "Until next time, War Eagle. So long, everybody."