Gene Chizik Is Thanking God Every Day for Lane Kiffin at Tennessee

Gene Chizik has been around the block here in the SEC.  He knew he was stepping into a firestorm by attempting to replace Tommy Tuberville at Auburn.  He's seen new coaches come into this league and knows how their every move is scrutinized by not only their own fans, but the fans of other schools waiting to pounce on them, and the press, eager to show their folly.

With this in mind, Gene has kept his profile low and his comments mundane.  He's going about building his staff and his team in a determined and quiet way and not giving the press material to use against him.

He's also thanking God every night for Lane Kiffin, the not yet ready for prime time coach, the new "Mouth of the South," the "Mouse that Roared."  Kiffin has proven to be a lightning rod for stupidity bolts, and the press and Volunteer detractors are loving it.

If I were a Tennessee fan, I'd feel less bad that he called Urban Meyer a cheater than I would in having a head coach who simply doesn't know the rules at all.  Not often do the people actually get to see a man who rises to head coach go out and underscore his own mistakes and actually make them worse.

While Auburn may not have chiseled much into Alabama's dominance of in-state recruiting this year, Chizik did pull in some good recruits and managed to do so without declaring that Saban "Will never get any more of MY guys," like fellow lightning rod Lance Thompson said.

Thompson is clearly in sync with his new boss at Tennessee.  He made this statement announcing to the world that Saban would never sign another Tennessee guy while he was there.  Just hours later Bama added their first 2010 commitment, a young man from Tennessee.  Oopsie!  Talk about not being able to walk the walk...

Now we know why Nick Saban has a rule that doesn't allow assistant coaches to speak to the media.  Maybe with Thompson gone, he'll relax that rule.

Chizik, meanwhile, has stayed on a positive approach to his new job, not trying to create waves or call out the big dogs.  He has impressed with his work ethic and dogged determination to fight for recruits wherever he could get them.

Though I'm sure Chizik will slip up this season and open mouth and insert foot at least a few times, there will always be Lane Kiffin there to take the heat off him by doing something even more preposterously stupid that will take all the heat off Chizik.