Auburn Football: Preview of an Arms Race at Quarterback

When I was thinking about how to preview the Auburn quarterback situation I kept coming back to the Cold War.

The battle for the elite position of quarterback at Auburn University is comparable to that of superpowers bent on world domination.

Also, it was fairly easy to fit both Burns and Todd into the stereotypes that surrounded the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.

Kodi Burns (America)

Americans have an obsession with speed and flash, and Kodi Burns has speed and flash in spades (maybe even in diamonds). He ran a sub-4.5 40 coming out of high school and has the shiftiness of a feral cat.

If Kodi were a sports car, he would be the Saleen S7 Twin Turbo, a car that goes from Zero to Mach Dammit in a hurry. He—like middle age American sports car owners going through a mid-life crisis—is sometimes all too happy to show off his speed.

The Tony Franklin system (Buy it now!) should give Burns easier reads and fewer rushing attempts. Of course, 2007 Troy quarterback Omar Haugabook led the team in rushing attempts.

Kodi has an arm comparable to the American AGM-114 Hellfire missile. He's a Hellfire missile with a damaged guidance system maybe, but a missile nonetheless. No one questions the strength of Kodi's arm, only the accuracy.

Last season, Kodi seemed to prefer carpet bombing which forced terrorists into caves. Hopefully this year he will switch over to laser-guided tactical missiles, which would be sent into those caves.

Potentate Franklin's work with Kodi has already paid off, as his accuracy and decision making seemed to be much improved this spring.

Like America—the land of the 44 0z. drink and teenage boob jobs—Kodi Burns is all about speed and flash combined with a big, erratic arm.

In all fairness, Kodi did as well as most freshman quarterbacks thrown into the fire their first year. He made his share of mistakes but also showed immense potential that will hopefully be tapped this year.

Preposterous Prediction: Kodi goes All-American over everybody's asses and leads Auburn to an undefeated 14-0 season. He is a unanimous 1st team All American and the only player invited to New York for the Heisman presentation.

Realistic Prediction: Burns splits time with Chris Todd and has an above-average year. Auburn finishes the season 10-2 with a trip to the SEC championship game. Kodi is semi-famous and gets free Momma's Loves from Momma Goldberg's for a whole year.

Pessimist's Prediction: Kodi has a horrendous first few games and losses playing time to Todd. Auburn flounders and finishes with a disappointing 7-5 season. No free Momma's Loves.

Chris Todd (Soviet Union)

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