The more I hear about Tony Franklin's version of the spread offense, the more I like it.

This offense is very simple. It looks at a defense and says, "We don't need a complicated playbook. We don't need to trick you or confuse you. We don't have to do those things, because we are going to make you run. Hard. We will give you no time to breathe, and then we are going to make you run again. When you have become accustomed to the speed at which we play and you learn to get into your proper defensive stances and positions for the next play, we are going to make you stand, crouch and wait. We will make you not run, yet not rest, for you will be so tense, waiting, knowing that we will snap the ball in the next nanosecond. We will make you stay in that position for what will feel like a very long time. And then we will make you run.

"Eventually, you, even if you really are a good defense, will realize two things. You will realize that you can't keep up. And, you will realize that you don't want to keep up. Because what you want is to be able to breath for ten consecutive seconds without having to run. You want that more than you want to make that takle, to cover that route, to get that football. Eventually, you will realize this. And when you do, we will crush you. We will hit you again and again. You will trade the pain of running for the pain of perfectly executed blocks, blocks that you are now powerless to resist. We will stop going over you and around you. We will go straight through you.

"We are going to do this to you. And no amount planning or scheming will stop us."

This is a simple offense. And though it is different from anything we have ever seen on the Plains, this is football, as it was meant to be played.

Many things on the Plains has occurred over the last few days.

First off, it is sad for the Auburn family to lose another member. I, like Burns, did not know Sam personally, but to lose another member of the family is very sad. It is even more awkward that the Auburn Network has lost two members within the last decade (the other member being the legendary Jim Fyffe.)

My condolences to the families in their loss, and our prayers be with them in their time of mourning. Sam will be sorely missed.

Second order of business, fan day was yesterday, and it was pandemonium as usual. Its always great to see the fans come out for this day. Its controlled chaos at its finest. My brother ended up with 30 signatures I believe. For me, it was another chance to catch up with old friends that are like me in supporting the orange and blue. It was also time to learn the new faces and familiar ones behind those face masks. It was a fun time to be in Auburn.

Thirdly, if it wasn't already underway, the media's attention to the quarterback race is in full swing. I don't mind the fact that we have a quarterback race underway, its just that, like anything else in the state when it comes to college football, it is being way overblown. Personally, I don't really mind which guy will be taking snaps under Jason Bosley. Both of these young athletes have the talent and capability to run Franklin's spread offense. It goes back to what Pat Dye said back in '89 when Auburn first played Alabama at Jordan-Hare:

"It don't make any difference who's carrying the ball, it don't make any difference who's catching it, who's rushing or passing, or who's making the tackles. Just as long as you got a blue jersey on."

Last time I checked, both of them wear that same blue jersey. Both of them get my equal support, along with all the other gentleman on that field.

More updates to come as the season draws closer.

WAR EAGLE!!

Sam Brumbeloe, Auburn ISP Sports Network Coordinator and executive producer of Auburn basketball and baseball broadcasts, died Thursday night. He is survived by a wife and two kids.

Sam started experiencing severe back pain in October 2007. He went to chiropractors and physical therapists but got no relief. He continued to do his job at the Network, including traveling with basketball broadcasts, despite the pain. I worked for him at the Network during that time. I saw how much pain he was in, and I was amazed that he was able to keep working.

By March 2008, the pain and stiffness became too much. He left the Network, hoping to return when the problem had been cured. His got worse, however, and in June he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. I speculate that this was the cause of the back pain all the way back in October 07. Because the cancer was so advanced, radiation treatment proved to be too little too late. On July 28, he was admitted to Bethany House, a hospice at the East Alabama Medial Center in Opelika. He died there three days later.

I didn't know Sam very well, but I talked to the people at the Network about him. He was good, really good at him job. Few people, I'm told, could have handled the behind-the-scenes issues the way Sam did. He will be greatly missed by him family and his collegues.

One final thing: Sam's wife kept an online journal to update friends and family about his situation. Just about every other post contained thanks to all the people who had helped them throughout this trial. That, dear reader, is what it means to be Auburn Men and Women. We take care of our own, right to the end.

Godspeed, Sam. You will be missed. Rest in peace.

The media last week picked Auburn to the SEC West. There's good news and bad news associated with that.

Good News: It means Auburn has built a fine program that is getting a lot of respect (blah, blah, forget I actually wrote that).

Good News: They didn't pick us to win the whole conference. That dubious kiss of death fell upon the Florida Gators. As you know, the media gets the conference champion right, so I'd say that makes Georgia the real favorite to win the conference, with Auburn close behind.

Bad News: By picking Auburn, the media did not endow us with an experience starting quarterback; they didn't give us a roster full of players who are experienced with their respective coordinator's system; and, they didn't grant us immunity from injury problems.

Can Auburn win the West? The answer to that question is yes every year, no matter what the media says. This year may be their best chance, since every other team except Mississippi State is going through some kind of upheaval. But this team has a lot of questions to answer between now and August 30. The fact fact that we open up against Louisiana-Monroe and Southern Miss is a big help, because it will allow them to work out kinks and hopefully get a lot of players some playing time. Personally, I always reserve my predictions about who will win the West until after the LSU game. The answer is usually pretty clear after that. Yeah, I know LSU doesn't have a starting quarterback right now. And if I let that make me think that they can't still beat us and win the division, I'm fooling myself.

Yes Auburn could be very good this year. They could also be very mediocre. If you don't mind the threat of disappointment, please continue to ride the wave that the media created last week. If you're right, you can tell me "I told you so." I promise I'll be to happy to mind.

Oh, one final word of caution: Please do not go bragging to your Crimson-leaning acquaintances about how we're the favorites to win the West. That just makes us look desperate. And you know how God likes to humble Auburn when we get upidy like that.

I'm AUBurns. I'm a second-generation AU alumnus. I was successfully brainwashed to love Auburn by age three, possibly earlier. Two of my three earliest memories involve Auburn football games.

I have loved Auburn since before nine wins was considered a disappointing season. I love Auburn, not because they win, but because of what those colors stand for. I love Auburn because my dad found God there, and there I grew closer to God than I ever thought possible. I love Auburn because the our creed puts in writing what our people (the real Auburn people) take for granted.

This is my fourth consecutive year covering Auburn sports, and it is a pleasure to be here. I thank Tiger Histalmos for giving me the opportunity, and I thank you for coming and reading.

Welcome to Tigers Source. War Eagle!

Here is something I received at work today. It pretty summons up what it means to be an Auburn Tiger:

I am Auburn . I am the 30-year old couple coming back to campus for the
first time with both little ones in tow. One wears her first blue and
orange cheerleader outfit; the other wears #34 even though he is too
young to understand why.

I am the 50-year old man who hoped no one saw tears in his eyes when
the eagle circled the field. I was too choked even to say 'War Eagle'.
For a moment, I felt foolish and then I didn't care. God, I love this
place.

I am the 60 year old woman meeting her freshman granddaughter who is
now the 3rd generation of AU students in our family. Despite my age, I'd
strap it on Saturday and hit someone if it weren't for my gender and
this blasted arthritis.

I am Auburn and I have always believed I was different. You can see it
when you look up into the stands. My orange is not the same as
Tennessee's and my blue is not that of Florida|But the differences go
much deeper than my colors. Read my creed. What other school has one?

I genuinely believe in these things. To be a real Auburn man or woman
speaks of character, not of geography. All are welcome to walk though my
gates, not just the wealthy or the elite.

Georgia and Alabama may have their nations, but we have always been
family. Make no mistake, we loathe defeat, but even in defeat, we would
rather be an Auburn Tiger than anything else. We are family and you are
the sons of Heisman, the sons of Jordan and Dye. You come from a long
line of brothers whose names include Burkett, Sidle, Owens, Sullivan,
Beasley, Jackson and Rocker. It is a great heritage.

So this Saturday, when the warm ups are over and the prayers and amen
spoken, when you hear my thunder growing in the stands above you, when
you stand in the tunnel and the smoke begins to form, listen for my
voice when you run onto my field. Behind the frenzy of the shakers and
deafening roar, I will tell you something in a whisper you may miss. I
will be telling you that you are my sons and I am proud of you for the
way you wear the burnt orange and navy blue. I am telling you that you
are my sons and I love you.

Auburn is so much more than a city or a school or a team or a degree.

It is something that, once you have experienced it, will live inside of
you forever and become a part of what makes up who you are....

It is driving into town on a game day. You may have come from hundreds
of miles away and as you get closer and closer to the city limits, you
feel it rising inside of you. Other cars on the highway proudly display
their Orange and Blue flags or magnets or car tags, and you honk and
wave at them, because, for that one day, you are all on the same team.

It is the smell in the air and the ritualistic act of
tailgating...catching up with old friends, making new ones, and
invitations from perfect strangers to try their ribs or watch their
satellite TV showing all of the day's important match-ups...of course,
all being secondary to the one that will occur in the great cathedral of
Jordan-Hare later that day.

It is the Tiger Walk...where you might just see 300 pound men overcome
with emotion and weeping with pride, because you have come there to
cheer them on. As they walk by, you might exchange a glance with one or
two of them and you can see it in their eyes...it is going to be their
day.

It is the students...dressed in their best, because going to an Auburn
game is like going to church for Auburn people....you show the same
respect as you would if you were in God's house. Those students remind
you of the days when you were walking in their shoes and Auburn was your
home...but then you realize, in many ways, it is still and always will
be HOME.

It is that lump that rises in your throat when the band plays the alma
mater as the eagle is soaring over your head during pre-game.

It is walking around on a "foreign" and sometimes hostile campus. You
are easily identified ( Auburn people always are) and the enemy jeers
and shouts things at you to mask their feelings of intimidation. But
just then, you happen upon a friend you have never met before. You know
they are your friend by the colors they wear or the shaker in their
hand. You exchange a "War Eagle" and a confident grin, because he/she
knows what you know.

It is when your heart leaps with every touchdown, field goal, sack, and
interception...because those are our boys. And win or lose, they will
always have our un-dying support. After all, it is those boys that you
are really there for, and not a coach or a logo or a trustee or a
president.

It is the complete and utter exhilaration of walking away victorious
over a worthy opponent...that feeling of pride and accomplishment as if
it were your own feet that had crossed the goal line scoring the last
points yourself...that feeling of wanting to scream War Eagle" at the
top of your lungs and hug complete strangers...and then there is the
ultimate high of defeating your most hated foes from across the state.

No words can describe what this feels like, but you know because you
have experienced it.

It is the sheer agony of defeat as the last minutes tick off the clock
and you realize that all hope of a victory is gone. You feel like crying
and maybe you do...then you hear the faint sounds of a cheer that grows
louder and louder...."ITS GREAT TO BE AN AUBURN TIGER."

It is knowing that year after year, no matter how things change in our
hectic lives, you can always come back to "the Loveliest Village on the
Plains"...the place where you came from...your home. It will probably
look a little different and there will be new names on the backs of the
jerseys, but deep down, no matter what, it is still the same. You still
love it as much as you always have, because Auburn is as much a part of
you as your arms and your legs and the orange and blue blood that runs
through your veins.

And, finally, it is the feeling you have right now as you read these
lines....the anticipation inside of you, because you know it's almost
time....It's about to start all over again...but then it really never
goes away, does it?



Robert L. Gillette, DVM, MSE
Director

Richard G. & Dorothy A. Metcalf
Veterinary Sports Medicine Program

College of Veterinary Medicine
Auburn University

Considering this has been a summer of discontent as far as summer is concerned, I cannot wait for Auburn football to start.

This will be an exciting year I believe. The ingredients are there to make for a spectacular season, and expectations should not be low for this football team. I cannot tell you if this Auburn team will vie for the BCS title, but they sure will contend for the Western Division crown as they seemingly do every single year.

I am not too concerned with the quarterbacks as far as talent goes. Both Chris Todd and Kodi Burns are exceptional athletes who are good at what they do. I enjoy the fact that our first two games allow these young guys to take hold of what will come of this new offense this season. Either one will be a great fit for Auburn.

Running backs? Sure, we got them. Plenty of them. Wide receivers? We have them too, and I believe they will do more than people think they will. Offensive line? One of, if not THE, best in the SEC.

Defense, same ole, same ole as far as scheme. The depth at defensive line and secondary are a bit shaky, but we will see how things turn out.

The simple fact is that I am optimistic about this season. I like who we have, what we got, and the fans to back this team. This team has the ability to go undefeated as well as lose up to four games this year. That is why I am excited about this team, cause no one really knows what will happen.

Either way, I will still be screaming "WAR EAGLE!" in victory or defeat. Just if your an Auburn fan, you have to like the situation we are in and what is on the horizon. Be excited Auburn faithful, this will be a season to remember for the better. I feel it, and I hope you do as well.

WAR EAGLE!!