New defense, new offense, new quarterback(s), no problem

“Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.” – W. Clement Stone

Today I will set aside my overtly pessimistic ways to lend some optimism to the 2008 Auburn Tigers.

Seriously, I may be the most pessimistic person you’ll ever meet. I could be in a room full of cash and complain it’s all in one dollar bills.

I’m that bad.

I don’t just think of the worst, I expect it.

I expected losses to Georgia, LSU and South Florida last year. I even thought Mississippi State would give Auburn a run for its money; they did a little more than that.

This year, Auburn will play all those teams again, but with an entirely different attitude.

Never in all my years following Auburn football would I have thought I’d see such a radical transformation in one off-season.

Think about it. New offense, new defense, new quarterback. Everything is stacked up for Auburn to fail, yet expectations for the team couldn’t be higher.

And frankly I couldn’t agree more with the talking heads. In fact, I am willing to take it a step further.

How far? The freaking moon! Not a trip to Atlanta Dec. 6. Not an SEC Championship. I’m talking about taking the cake. The whole sloppy enchilada: a national championship.

Yes, I did just make that prediction.

Is it outlandish? Yes. Undeserved? Maybe. Capable? Certainly.

Never in all my time following Auburn football have I seen a team with more talent and potential. That includes the season I choose not to speak of. (The one in 2004.)

Tony Franklin has more toys on offense than Michael Jackson has on Neverland Ranch.

Paul Rhoads has more speed on defense than Keanu Reeves could handle.

To say the Tigers have a few stars is like saying McGriddles have only a few calories. (By the way, whoever invented McGriddles should be given a Rhodes Scholarship. Two pancakes with a thousand calories packed in between spells genius to me.)

Just look at the running backs. There are so many good backs. Franklin moved maybe the best one, Mario Fannin, receiver. Brad Lester is a home run threat. Ben Tate would be starting and have more than 1,500 yards on any other team in the nation. Tristan Davis, when healthy, is a slasher built for the spread offense.

I haven’t even gotten to the so-called “quarterback situation.”

Kodi Burns can take a broken play and turn it into a 30-yard gain. Chris Todd has a canon attached to his shoulder and knows Franklin’s offense inside out. I think Franklin has a great problem having to choose a starter this week.

(Prediction time! Lester and Tate will have more than 10 touchdowns a piece, Robert Dunn will be an ESPN highlight machine, and Fannin will keep opposing defensive coordinators up at night.)

The defense will do what it has always done in the Tommy Tuberville era: dominate. The speed of the linebackers and especially the defensive line will swarm to the ball on every play.

The secondary is young, but talented. Zac Etheridge and Mike McNeil will cause more than a few wide receivers to use their alligator arms.

(Prediction time, again! Tray Blackmon will compete for the Butkus Award. Antonio Coleman will lead the SEC in sacks, and Jerraud Powers will be an All-SEC cornerback.)

In the end, I see the potential for a perfect season, but hey, do you hear that sound?

Knock, knock, knock.

That’s me knocking on wood, because I am scared more than anyone that it could all fall apart.

Rhoads inherits defense built for speed

Auburn fans have heard one word surrounding this year’s team: speed. Tony Franklin promises a high-octane offense built on speed, but lost in the shuffle of all the talk is a defense built on speed.

Tommy Tuberville has long favored undersized athletes with speed in order to cause havoc for the opposing offense.

The star of the linebacking corps, known by some as the “ball of hate,” Tray Blackmon is favorably measured as 6 feet tall in the Auburn Media Guide.

The team’s leader in sacks, Antonio Coleman, is more of an oversized linebacker than defensive end.

Taking over as coordinator for Will Muschamp, Paul Rhoads inherits a squad short on experience with Chris Evans projected as the team’s only starting senior.

Despite key losses, the defense is expected by many to repeat last years success where they ranked sixth in total defense.

Secondary

The secondary will be the big question mark for the defense, losing three of four starters to graduation. Jerraud Powers and Walter McFadden will step into the role as starting corners vacated by Pat Lee and Jonathan Wilhite.

Powers was seemingly all over the field for the Tigers in 2008, tying for the team lead in interceptions and coming in fourth in tackles.

McFadden saw little time on the field until late in the season, while safeties Zac Etheridge and Mike McNeil saw significant time in the secondary. Aairon Savage figures to see time at corner when he returns.

Defensive Line

Junior defensive end Antonio Coleman heads a line, holding what may be the key to the entire defense. If Coleman and the rest of the line can get in the backfield and cover up for an inexperienced secondary, expect similar results as last year.

Pat Sims’ early departure to the NFL will hurt, but Sen’Derrick Marks has already found himself in many All-SEC team predictions moving from defensive end to tackle.

Jake Ricks will man the middle with Marks, boasting a 300-pound. frame to clog up running lanes. Junior college transfer Raven Gray, who Tuberville called one of the most talented players he’s ever recruited, could cause quarterbacks headaches in his first year.

Linebacker

The rock of the defense, the linebacking corps could have many opportunities in Rhoads’ defense.

Tray Blackmon, who has played in all of 15 games in his three years at Auburn because of injury and off the field problems, has become the emotional leader of the defense. Blackmon is poised to take All-SEC honors if he can stay on the field.

His speed and hitting ability is quickly becoming legend among Auburn fans.

Craig Stevens and Chris Evans figure to start on the outside with Blackmon, but the depth is the key for this group. Josh Bynes may be the fastest linebacker in the SEC, while Merrill Johnson could find himself starting early in the year.

Special Teams

Opponents began to salivate when Auburn’s kickoff team came on the field last year. Special Teams coach Eddie Gran hopes to wipe away the mistakes that saw opponents regularly start with the ball around the 35 yard line.

A healed ankle on Wes Byrum should get the ball in the endzone and aid kick coverage.

Field goals may be another issue. The hailed Byrum for his ice cold demeanor for kicking two game-winning field goals on the road, is fighting hard to hold on to the starting job.

Robert Dunn and Brad Lester team up with the return of a healthy Tristan Davis to give Gran three home run threats at kick return.