Karlos Dansby comments

Check this out, too. This is Karlos Dansby on Paul Finebaum's radio show, explaining why he introduced himself not as an Auburn Grad, but rather listed his highschool. He pretty much calls out Paul Finebaum for being a Bama fan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HA7ayMiHy8

Recruiting...

Check out this site. It is a fascinating approach to predicting where high school football recruits will sign, and it is strikingly accurate at 71 percent.

http://ssbea.mercer.edu/recruiting.htm

It is put together by a group of economists at Mercer University who happen to take an interest in college football recruiting. They base their predictions on factors such as distance away from home, whether the athlete has taken an official visit to the school, whether or not the school is in a BCS conference, the newness of the team's facilities and where the team ended up in the previous year's AP rankings, among other factors. Check it out, it's worth your time if you're interested in recruiting analysis.

Griffey Jr. update

Well, reports were wrong. The AJC reported that Ken Griffey Jr., had basically come to an agreement with the Atlanta Braves to sign a one-year deal. But in fact, he signed with the Seattle Mariners yesterday.

I apologize for prematurely reporting this. 

The move makes some sense for Griffey, as this is where he began his career and we all know how players love to come full-circle with their careers. Although rumors were out there for years that he wanted to come play in Atlanta at some point in his career, they are clearly not true, or he would have decided to become a Brave next year. After all, at this point in his career it can't be about the money. I mean, I may never make $5 million in my entire life - he's made it in just one year of his career, probably even as a simple signing bonus - and I'll probably be okay. 

Anyway, so much for that idea. I still think we'll have a pretty good team this year.

Atlanta Braves...

So the rumor is that Ken Griffey Jr. has agreed to sign a one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves. Before I get started, let me tell you something about me and the Braves: we go way back and I love them.

I remember back in 1991 when they went worst-to-first to win the pennant. Back when David Justice, Ron Gant and Otis Nixon anchored the outfield, Terry Pendleton was at the hot corner, Jeff Blauser and Mark Lemke up the middle and Sid Bream on first. Greg Olsen was behind the plate and Steve Avery, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine were the aces on the mound. Man, those were great years. I'll never forget watching Francisco Cabrerra hit the line drive into left field with Bream racing around third to beat the throw to the plate, then watching the team eventually lose in the playoffs - but it didn't matter because we were happy just making the playoffs.

Then in 1994, when Griffey was on-pace to shatter the single-season homerun record until the strike. I remember watching the Braves that year, wishing we could land a star like him.

Then in 1995, Chipper Jones was young and awesome, and so was Andruw Jones. They brought the star-power I was looking for. I'll absolutely never forget watching the Braves in the World Series. I was at a friend of mine's house named Jeff Fields for a Halloween party when Justice hit the go-ahead homerun, followed shortly thereafter by the Braves claiming the World Title. That day will always mean something a little extra to me because only a few years later, my friend Jeff died in a car accident. Halloween night was the last time we hung out outside of playing baseball together.

Anyway, SNAP BACK TO REALITY. 

So the Braves are going to sign Griffey. I love it, but I think it may be a few years too late. I think we're talking about the best pure baseball player to EVER play the game. This guy has 600 homeruns and hasn't played a complete season in ten years. And he's done it the right way with NO STEROIDS. Don't get me wrong, I'm very glad we finally have him.

On top of him, it looks like the Braves have bolstered their pitching staff somewhat close to what it was in the 90s. Although Smoltz decided to leave the Braves - a shock to say the least - he has been replaced by Derek Lowe. I hate to say it, but at this point in Smoltz's career, Lowe is an upgrade. Combined with Tim Hudson, Jair Jurrjens, Javier Vazquez, Mike Gonzales and Rafael Soriano, this is a pretty solid staff. So maybe, just maybe, the Braves will have a shot at the playoffs again.

Mike Leach...

If you ask me, this whole ordeal between Mike Leach and Texas Tech is absolutely ridiculous.

The latest is that he was offered a 5-year deal worth $12.7 million and he turned it down because of some of the fine print, which includes his buyout and a $1.5 million penalty for interviewing with another team without proper permission. The deal included a $4.4 million buyout if they wanted to fire Leach in his first year.

Here's my take: I think both parties need to be a little more mature about this. Texas Tech seems like a girlfriend who is holding on a little bit too tight. If they would just give him a little bit of the freedom that he wants - and frankly, deserves - I think he would be much happier and more likely to sign an extension.

I think Leach is fairly unhappy in Lubbock anyway and is looking for a very lucrative offer to keep him there. I think he is sure he can find another job if Texas Tech goes sour on him and he seems to not be afraid of it. He is not going to accept any offer that is not exactly what he wants. But, for him to have a problem with receiving proper permission to interview with other schools is a little bit weird. I would think that since the AD told him he would never decline him the opportunity to speak with another school, you would think the two could find a way to put that in the contract somewhere - that way, both parties are happy. Not only can Leach talk to whoever he wants, but the AD will know about it just like he wants. 

Aside from that, if Texas Tech decides to fire Leach, which is apparently a possibility since he failed to meet the deadline to sign his extension, I think they would be sending a terrible message to any future coach. If they fire him, they will drop back into obscurity. What they need is for Leach to have another great year next year without his super-stud receiver and quarterback, then offer him a better contract to keep him there. That's how they need to proceed if they want to build their program into a perennial contender. Tech needs to realize how important football can be to a university.

AND, I totally agree with Leach when he said this: "I am not familiar with the notion of firing someone for failing to sign an extension to a contract. That notion to me is mind-numbing. But I guess stranger things have happened. I don't know what part of this is based in rumor or fact, but I can't fathom it. Maybe there are reasons I don't know about."

Evaluating the 2009 Recruiting Class: Offense

Here we go:

RB Onterrio McCalebb - This is one of our top-rated prospects and I believe he will live up to that potential. He is and absolute BLAZER who seems to have very good vision. If you want to make comparisons, I would put him in the same category as Noel Devine and Brad Lester (but much faster than Lester - McCalebb definitely has the breakaway speed Auburn was missing last year). He should contribute next year.

RB Dontae Aycock - This is an interesting sign if you ask me. After watching his tape, I'm not sure what we have planned for him. He looks to be a clone of Georgia Tech's current quarterback - which makes him a perfect triple-option quarterback. Unless I'm missing something, I wouldn't be surprised to see him make the move to safety. But then again, he is pretty highly rated as an athlete on the offensive side of the ball, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Plus, I believe his brother is Dwight Smith, an NFL cornerback for the last eight years or so and I think there's another NFL player in his family - that always bodes well in my opinion. I see him redshirting next season.

RB Brandon Jacobs - At 6'2" 230, he's a very big and physical back - draws the obvious comparison to former Auburn running back and current New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs and I really like his vision on the field. Also, he's a Parkview High School guy and they spit out great players (Brad Lester and Jeff Francoeur) As talented as he seems to be with the ball, I see him possibly making the move to linebacker - he fits the NFL prototype with his size and speed. He could also be a bang-up defensive end, but I doubt he would go for that move. Anyway, I'm just not sure he really fits in well as a running back in the new offense, as he is a bit more of a straight-ahead guy, but again, we'll see. With Eric Smith 2nd or 3rd on the depth chart at RB next season, if Jacobs stays as a RB, I think he'll redshirt. Obviously, if they move him to LB he will also probably redshirt.

RB Anthony Gulley - They list him as a running back, but he's really more of a scatback, slot receiver type. He's small, very quick and shifty and fast. He reminds me of Brad Lester with the ball. I think he will be a good receiver for Auburn. He has great moves and he should be able to contribute early.

***Auburn is still trying and in good shape to land RB David Oku. If he signs with Auburn, I think he'll play next year, for sure. He is one of the most impressive backs I've seen in a long time - just see the previous post. He would be my favorite player in the class if we sign him. And obviously, If RB Bryce Brown were to decide that he wants to come to Auburn, we would absolutely make room for him and he would likely start next year - he's that good.

QB Tyrik Rollison - This is one of my favorite players in this class, assuming he qualifies. And if he doesn't, we need to stay on him and get him to re-sign next year. He is the real deal as far as spreading the ball around. In my opinion, he is perfect for Gus Malzahn's offense. He reminds me of Jason Campbell with his ability to pick out the open man and get him the ball. He is very efficient and seems to make good decisions. Plus, he's a great athlete. As for passing, I don't know of any other high school quarterback who threw for more than 8,000 yards in two years, but then again, I haven't really checked. I watched a video interview of him at one of the all-star games and he is very well-spoken, so I'm quite sure he has the intelligence to be a great college football player. If he qualifies, I expect him to compete for the starting job and if he doesn't win it, it wouldn't surprise me to see him redshirt.

QB Clint Moseley - This guy is a winner, and that's very important in quarterbacks. I also think he's a great leader. He came from a 2A program, which is why a lot of schools probably shied away from him. His numbers were very impressive and he has the size at 6'4" to be a big-time quarterback. He was also Alabama's Mr. Football this year. If he can make the adjustment to this level, he WILL be a great quarterback for this team - fully expect him to compete for the starting job in a couple years, but I think he'll probably redshirt next season. He already knows the spread offense pretty well, but I think he'll need a little time to adjust to the speed of the SEC.

WR DeAngelo Benton - This guy was a huge land for Auburn. He should step in and immediately compete for a job. He has a lot of experience already and oddly enough, still has five years to play four. He should bring a lot of leadership to the Auburn receiving corp and I expect even if he doesn't win a starting job, that he'll make a big impact on the offense as a deep threat. He's not the fastest guy in the world, but all indications point to him being pretty physical and he seems to knows how to fight for the ball. Being that he is older, I don't think Auburn would consider redshirting him and I don't think he go for that anyway. However, I don't expect him to start from day-one, being that he didn't play football last year. But three to four games in, look for him to be a big player for Auburn.

WR Emory Blake - Many consider Blake to be one of the best players in this class for Auburn. He's got a great bloodline, being that he's the son of former NFL quarterback Jeff Blake. And at 6'2" 195, is physically ready to compete in the SEC. I expect him to contribute next year and compete for a starting job. He reminds me a little of Tim Hawthorne when he came out of HS, so who knows what will happen under the direction of Trooper Taylor. The difference between the two as I see it is that Blake has great moves and does special things after the catch. Hawthorne seems a little bit more like a possession receiver. Blake scored in a lot of different ways his senior year, including punt and kick returns, receiving and running from the wildcat formation. He will no doubt see some balls come his way this season.

WR LaVoyd James - I really don't know much about this guy, but at 5'10" 175, he has OK size is pretty fast at 4.4 forty. He may get lost in the shuffle, but eventually whould emerge. For some reason, I don't expect him to be a major contributor, but then again, what do I know?

ATH Travante Stallworth - He is one of the better athletes Auburn has signed in the last few years. He is going to be one of the Mario Fannin-type guys who Auburn is going to feel the need to get the ball to somehow. I don't see him winning any starting jobs at any one position, largely because of his size (not big enough to be an every-down running back) but he is too good to sit on the bench. He's listed at 5'10" but I don't believe it. He reminds me of Philip Pierre-Louis a little bit, so I FULLY expect him to contribute early.

ATH Demond Washington - This guy can absolutely FLY. He runs in the 4.2 forty range and should be a serious threat as a return man. I'm not sure about his vision when he has the ball, but I know he wants to be on offense. As a defender, he reads quarterbacks well and appears to be very physical. My fear is that he is going to be just another Montae Pitts (from 2004 - was considered the weakness of the defense). However, I'm probably just biased because both guys are/were extremely fast and came from the Loachapoka/Tallassee side of Auburn. Anyway, I expect him to contribute early wherever they put him, and I honestly expect him to be a cornerback when it's all said and done. He's an exciting player.

TE Philip Lutzenkirchen - This guy is the real deal and total package. Although he's not the most exciting player in the world to talk about, he might be the most valuable player in this class. He has really soft hands and is very intelligent and aware on the field, which can't be taught. And he can block pretty well, to boot. At 6'4" 245, he has all the physical tools to be a serious threat in the SEC and should be the tight end Auburn has really needed the past few years. He should immediately give Tommy Trott and Gabe McKenzie a run for their money as a starting TE and even if he doesn't win the starting job, don't expect him to redshirt.

OL John Sullen - at 6'5" 338, he is a really big guy who is expected to be a guard. He has the size to be a tackle, and may end up there since Auburn is fairly thin in that category. He is from Auburn High, which is a bit odd - Auburn doesn't usually sign kids from Auburn High for whatever reason. Being that he's from Auburn High, you know he's been playing against the highest quality teams in the state, but I watched Auburn High play once this year and really didn't notice him, which doesn't mean anything. However, with a 28 on his ACT and 3.8 GPA, he is very intelligent, which, from what I know about the offensive line, is important mostly for guards and centers. If he's nimble on his feet, he could turn out to be very good. I don't expect him or any other OL to redshirt this year.

OL Andre Harris - He is another guy with tremendous size, at 6'4" 327. He, along with Sullen, are physically ready to play in the SEC. He is listed as a guard, but with a 5.7 forty yard dash, I'm not sure he's nimble enough to play guard in this offense. So he may be the guy who converts to tackle. 

David Oku...

So, this guy looks to be the real deal. He is the No. 1-ranked All Purpose back in the country by Rivals. He reminds me a lot of Ronnie Brown. 

He is currently committed to Tennessee, but took a visit to Auburn this weekend. He has since said that he a lot to think about and will delay his signing until after National Signing Day. 

At one time he was thought to be a lock for Auburn, as he was looking hard at Auburn a couple of years ago. When Tony Franklin was hired, he changed directions and started looking other places. Since the new staff came in, he is now reevaluating Auburn and like what he sees in Gus Malzahn's offense, which he is very familiar with since he is from Oklahoma.

As for the guys left on our list of potential signees, Oku and Tana Patrick are at the top of my list, with Oku being No. 1.

More on this to come.