Auburn Tigers Football: A New Attitude For 2010

Energy and intensity are remarkably higher than in 2009. It seems expectations are rising at every practice. Goals are being met and exceeded. Leadership is rising up and taking over on the field. These are all things that are making the 2010 Auburn Tigers a better team, day by day.

The sheer increase in power and stamina along the defensive and offensive lines is obvious. Leaders like Mike Blanc and Josh Bynes are pushing the defense to higher levels of performance.

There are many areas where the team can and will improve in the coming week. The expectations are being set higher by the coaching staff, team leaders, and most importantly, the players themselves.

Not one player is being allowed to go stale with the attitude that they are “good enough.” Every player is expected to improve every day. This is the new attitude and mind set for the Auburn football team.

Random Points

There are more and more facts slowly trickling out after Saturday’s scrimmage. While it was closed to the media, it is relatively easy to get a picture of how the different elements of the team performed. One fact is certain, the offense put out a full effort to stress and test the defense.

Philip Pierre Louis was the star of the scrimmage until he injured his knee. He was witnessed on crutches after the scrimmage, although the extent of the damage is unknown at this time. He has got the attention of the staff at this point. If his injuries are not too serious he will be another big weapon for the offense in 2010.

Both the quarterbacks and defense commented on the speed of operation for the Auburn offense. It seems Gus Malzhan has finally got it going at full strength. Some defensive players commented that, “you don’t even have time to breathe.”

Cameron Newton commented on how easy the team makes his position. He said he is used to having to make the plays, at Auburn he just gets the ball in the play makers hands. He also commented on the large number of play makers. (I thought this interesting from a player that was once at Florida.)

Mike Blanc and Nick Fairley will be two names to watch at defensive tackle this year. They seem to have shifted into a higher gear for 2010.

Linebacker Josh Bynes commented on getting better despite the tremendous tempo of the offense. He said they have to get better at handling the tempo even though no other SEC team comes close to it.

Mario Fannin and Onterio McCalebb are having a good spring at running back. Dontae Aycock is learning the offense. Mario Fannin seems to have settled into the feature back role and Onterio McCalebb is still more of a change-of-pace back.

Gus Malzhan has been pleased with the running backs. He said you have to have two running backs to be successful. He said it is good that a player like Mario Fannin is there to step up and lead.

More than one Auburn quarterback is finding multiple play makers regularly. There seems to be better field vision and decision making in the group.

Gus Malzhan said the offensive tempo was better than at any time last year.

Most Improved Units

The receivers have to get the nod for the most improved unit. Their improvement as a whole is very noteworthy.

The defensive line is showing a lot of improvement. They are bigger, stronger, and have better technique. This has transformed their on field results remarkably.

Great Interviews

These were some really telling interviews on the web.

Looking Ahead to Week 3

It is the time of year when younger kids run around looking for brightly colored eggs and hidden surprises in the bushes and grass. The Auburn football team has also been the benefactor of some unexpected surprises.

Walk-on Ikeem Means is being compared to 2009 All SEC Freshman Daren Bates. This was certainly an unexpected and much needed surprise.

Roszell Gayden and Brandon Mosley have impressed the coaching staff so thoroughly while competing for the open offensive tackle spot, that coach Gene Chizik has mentioned the loser being utilized at another offensive line position. He says they want their best seven linemen ready to play. This would lead one to assume both of these players have worked themselves into that category.

Nick Fairley has progressed in both strength and technique to the point of being ready to perform as a dominant defensive tackle that can be counted on. This is certainly a good, if not unexpected, surprise.

Antoine Carter is stepping into the vacated defensive end position with authority. While this was expected, he seems to be exceeding the initial expectations.

The defensive line is performing well against the run. This was a problem at times last season, especially with containing speed backs on the perimeter. This problem seems to be shrinking every day.

The offensive line is better than expected, and expectations were already high. This group is experienced and effective.

The defense is aggressive and is forcing errors and turnovers. Auburn fans can look for a lot of forced turnovers during the upcoming season.

The receiving corps is vastly improved and getting better daily. There is depth and precision in this group far beyond what most expected.

Auburn will have a very good quarterback. While it remains to be seen who that will be, there is not a bad choice in the group.

Thoughts

The battle for the No. 2 position in the depth charts at quarterback might be just as important as the battle to be starter. With the tempo of the Auburn offense, a backup could be essential to rest the starter at certain key points during the season. There should not be a large fall off in production if this occurs.

Auburn will be stronger at running back in 2010. This is obvious at this point. Auburn fans can relax and look forward to a great year of production from this position. Mario Fannin does appear to be the feature back at this point.