The View from Section 109: The A-Day Game

Well, it took about three snaps for me to remember why I never got into the whole A-Day thing. While I thought this year would be different with the new offense and whatnot, I was sorely mistaken as we found a way to make things boring. Now, it must be said that "boring" in this case is not necessarily a bad thing. There were several sets of eyes hoping to get a glimpse of hints of what to expect in the future. All they saw was different personnel running the same plays and sets from the Peach Bowl.

Here are a few observations from the weekend concerning the football team, the baseball team and our tailgate setup...

1.) Kodi Burns is going to be dynamic in this style of offense whenever he's allowed to tuck and run. He may get beat up, but it's the first time we've had a true dual-threat in over a decade at this position. What's awesome is that we have another kid waiting in the wings who is more dynamic as a dual-threat in DeRon Furr.

2.) Ben Tate is our best running back. This says more about Ben than it does about the rest of the group, because I am not skiddish about the ball being in Brad Lester, Tristan Davis or Mario Fannin's hands either. I really think Tate is the best back we've had since Carnell and Ronnie. He's had more time to contribute for Auburn than Kenny Irons and possesses the vision necessary to read a hole off the sweep or power toss we like to run out of the spread.

3.) Josh Bynes may push starting time away from Blackmon. The kid is a beast and has gotten the mike linebacker calls down to an art. The second string defense really didn't miss much of a beat from the first string in backers and secondary, and Bynes was a big reason in all of this. I'm not saying Blackmon's fallen off as much as Bynes has stepped up.

4.) Ryan Williams will be the next Thorpe candidate from our secondary. Aairon Savage is ready for the primetime if he can get the bump and run coverage down just a little more. Jerraud Powers is a true shut-down corner and will make some more huge plays this year. Mike McNeil is the second coming of Junior Rosegreen. In other words, our secondary is S-I-C-K with talent.

5.) The baseball team has a very small margin for error, minuscule even. They're playing very good right now, sans the loss Tuesday night at always tough South Alabama, but a four-run lead can easily become a tie game or deficit if the freshman pitchers take on one too many batters or the normally flawless bullpen has a mental lapse, as was the case in the late innings Saturday. We could have swept Tennessee, but one thing that they're doing that they failed to do past Arizona State last season and earlier on the 2008 schedule is they're winning the winnable series. It's kind of weird that we're in first place but would be the odd man out if the SEC tournament started today.

6.) The tailgate is going to be a lot of fun at University Station. It was a little difficult to find in the dark of night Friday, but once everything was set up, it felt like a home away from home. The people around us are extremely friendly and I can't wait to develop better friendships with them. Plus, we're at the edge of forest for crying out loud. There is a gi-normous cell phone tower right in the middle of the RV park, so you'll always have service (if you are an AT&T customer). All in all, it was a great success.

7.) I've been told, ahem, that I'm too long-winded on my blog. Maybe so, but it was at the personal request of someone who I hold very dear to my heart that a thorough recap be written about THE WEEKEND. I did not want to disappoint by leaving out any minor details which could have enhanced the knowledge of those who could not be with us.

Lots of familiar faces were in town over the weekend (Brad, Amber, Karen Deaver, Andrew and Taylor). Purser had a great initial Auburn experience. He purchased an AU hat and changed his phone's background to the scoreboard from Plainsman Park. We missed Josh and Katie, but there will be plenty of time to catch up with them in the future. Congrats to Katie for making it into Florida State for law school.

Prayers go out to Robert as he begins his Paris educational experience. Also (and probably even more so importantly) to Jennifer as she continues to prod along like a trooper. We love both of you here at Roger Dodger's blog.

The countdown for Jimmy Buffett in New Orleans (May 3) starts now. First, though, a little trip back in time on the docket this weekend to a place that I like to refer to as "prom." More details on that later.

That's all for now, faithful reader(s). As always, War Eagle.

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