2009 – Rebuilding Year for the Tigers

I’m sure everyone has opinions, thoughts, praises, and criticisms of the 2009 version of the Auburn Tigers.  I will try to convey mine and hope some of you find them interesting and even thought provoking.

Everyone who follows the team knows about the 5-0 start and the slump that followed, and I will not try to justify any reasons or talk about “Moral victories”.  Looking at it from a true fan prospective, I saw true brilliance, real talent, great effort, and amazing determination.  I also observed major breakdowns, questionable (I won’t say stupid) decisions, and disappointing performances.

Looking at the negative side, the one major item that hurt the won-loss total was penalties.  Some were obvious (False starts) and some more subtle.  As a referee myself, I will not ever criticize officiating, but come on guys, call it both ways. (Just kidding)   Be that as it may, penalties cost us the opportunity to win a few that we lost.  This should be a point of emphasis going forward. 

Addressing the other observations on the “Debit” side, fans from most teams can say the same thing and hopefully, the Tiger’s staff can rectify these problem areas.  A lot of the breakdowns, and bad performance was due to depth.  Tired players make mistake.  Recruiting quality players is the key fix to those problems.  

The bright spots this year were truly bright.  After 2008, along with everyone else in the Auburn family, I waited expectantly for the 2009 kickoff.  I for one was not disappointed.  A team that more or less went through the motions the previous year came out and played inspired, exciting football.  The 2009 Tigers had heart, they had moxie, and they never quit.  I credit the wonderful group of seniors and the outstanding coaching staff for that.

Going 7-5 would be so-so for a lot of schools, Auburn included.  But this team has a long climb to get back on top. The progress made, the accomplishments earned in 2009 were more than satisfactory.  I can find little to complain about.

All in all, for a rebuilding year, 2009 was a learning experience for everyone.  If the coaching staff stays mostly intact, and the recruiting class is as good as appears so far, the lessons learned and experience gained, will put the Tigers way ahead of the game in 2010.  Can we reach the summit?  Can we?  Hell yeah.

War Eagle