Urban 'Crier' has issues...

Why on Earth would you want to play for this guy? I understand that you'll probably win a lot of games - so if that's what you're all about then by all means... but if you want to play for a quality person who understands the bigger aspects of life and the world, then I must ask, "Why?.."

Check out this article from ESPN.com:

Meyer: Ex-Gators need to support us

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Shane Matthews played quarterback at Florida and says he supports the Gators and coach Urban Meyer.

But when Matthews criticized Meyer's game strategy during Florida's upset loss to Mississippi on his radio show last fall, Meyer was not happy. And though he didn't mention Matthews by name in a recent Gator Club appearance, it seemed that his comments about ex-players pledging allegiance to the orange and blue were made with Matthews in mind, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

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"If you want to be critical of a player on our team or a coach on our team you can buy a ticket for seat 37F, you're not welcome back in the football office," Meyer said, according to the report. "You're either a Gator or you're not a Gator."

The rift apparently started when Matthews criticized the offense following the 31-30 loss to Mississippi -- the game that produced Tim Tebow's now-famous postgame speech.

"When I watched the Ole Miss game and Ole Miss played our wide receivers about 90 percent man-to-man, it was a slap in the face to our wide receivers and passing game. I can't understand why we didn't take advantage of that," Matthews said at the time, according to the report.

The Sentinel reported it could not reach Matthews for comment to respond to Meyer's remarks. But in a recent appearance on a radio show in Birmingham, Ala. -- hosted by two former SEC players, Al Del Greco of Auburn and Jay Barker of Alabama -- he stood up for his remarks.

"If [the offense isn't] attacking the weakness of that defense it drives me crazy, that's what set me off early in the season," Matthews said, according to the report. "I am a supporter of this program no matter what, but I'm going to give my opinion when things go wrong. When things go well, I state that as well, but a lot of people don't hear that."

“

If you want to be critical of a player on our team or a coach on our team you can buy a ticket for seat 37F, you're not welcome back in the football office. You're either a Gator or you're not a Gator.

”-- Urban Meyer

Other former college football players in the media came to Matthews' defense, but added that former athletes turned commentators need to be honest to do their jobs.

"Shane, because he bled and sweat for the Gators, has a right to say whatever he wants about the program," former Miami defensive lineman Dan Sileo said, according to the report.

"Urban Meyer's not a Gator. He's a caretaker of the Gator program," Sileo said. "Most times these coaches think they're the programs, but really, the program is the players. That's the problem I have with coaches whose egos get too big for their britches. If Urban doesn't like it, that's too bad."

Meyer came to Florida from Utah after the 2004 season and has won a pair of BCS national championships, in 2006 and 2008.

Matthews says he'll keep supporting Meyer and keep voicing his opinions, according to the report.

"The last thing I want to do is stir up anything because there's nothing there," Matthews said, the Sentinel reported. "It's almost crazy when I sit 

Tiger Prowl came through Phenix City today...

For those of you who are unaware, the Auburn coaching staff has taken an unprecedented approach to recruiting. Instead of using this time period, which is generally alloted for seven coaches to go out on recruit evaluations, to send coaches out to as many schools as possible, the Auburn staff has decided to group all seven together and send them in a stretch Hummer (decked out with AU magnets, flags, etc.) to select schools around the state. 

They say this sends a message that Auburn is no longer going to be beaten in Alabama. And I AGREE.

I got the awesome opportunity to meet and speak with all seven coaches for about an hour and a half today as they went about their business in the school. I was only able to get an interview with Luper because they were so short on time, and only had time for a couple questions; I wish I could have asked about ten more... But anyway, They are absolutely as cool as can be. 

The plan was also for them to go to Smiths Station High, Auburn and Opelika Highs, Stanhope Elmore and Prattville High today. I know they made it to Smiths Station (for about 10 minutes), but I don't know about the others.

Basically what they did at Central High (Phenix City) is sit and talk with different coaches (about them, their families and different players/prospects), meet administrators, tour the facilities and watch kids if they are working out or practicing, etc. A few kids tried to converse with the coaches but all they replied with was War Eagle before the HS coach took them aside and explained the rules.

Today, coaches Luper, Taylor, Roof, Lolley, Malzahn, Rocker and Thigpen were on the Prowl.

Oh, and by the way, I asked Coach Roof why he had a different shirt than everyone else yesterday and the day before and he said he spilled coffee on it (haha!) and his wife had to get it dry cleaned. So that's that.

Check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDvFrQLh4TU

I talked to a High School coach today...

and he confirmed that AU DEFINITELY has some silent commitments. Granted, I can assure that NONE are from his school, but he did say he has recently attended a coaching clinic at Auburn and plans to bring his team to a passing camp there soon. Apparently he has had some contact with these coaches and, like I said, is positive we have some silent commitments. Don't know exactly how he would know, but he said it.

I didn't try to get names, but the way I see it, if they are silent, they are silent for a reason and I would hate to be the one to violate that, right?? Not to mention my previous suspicion about what LB7 said a few days ago ( I said I was pretty sure one of the big three guys we've been talking about was one of those silent commits) - I have no further proof and actually am less sure than I was when i posted that. BUT, what this coach told me makes me feel pretty good.

He also gave me some insights as to how Satan recruits. And he said basically everything we talk about as far as helping family members find jobs and suitcases "appearing" on doorsteps is true.

IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THIS COACH IS NOT AN AUBURN FAN.

Check it out:

I know this is a copout as far as a new blog post goes, but I enjoyed reading this article and made a few personal references to Auburn and the possible complacency of the Tommy Tuberville staff.

It's an easy comparison to make, but I guess it's just nice to see that Auburn is not the only school that suffered due to key coaching changes (ie, Borges, Franklin, etc.)

The bottom line is this: Tuberville and his staff have never really produced great offenses. They usually have a strong running game and extremely stout defense. Nine out of ten times, this results in wins. But then there's that tenth time when other teams stack the box, stop your run and begin to wear out your defense (= loss). That's what happened last season and I absolutely loved Tommy Tuberville as Auburn's head man, but it's good to see a defensive guru at the helm who has connections on the offensive side of the ball. Hopefully, when some of his guys begin to leave for other jobs, he'll continue bringing in good coaches who have good chemistry with his other coaches.

Anyway, here's the link:

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3971150&name=feldman_bruce&action=login&appRedirect=http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3971150&name=feldman_bruce

Oh so close...

If you saw last night's NIT quarterfinal basketball game between Auburn and Baylor, you wouldn't have had to watch ANY of Auburn's previous games to understand what the season was like. 

What I mean by that is this: that game was a microcosm of Auburn's season in every way. Falling behind early. Mounting a furious second-half come-back. Falling short because the team can't hit crucial free throws. Not only does that describe several of Auburn's losses, but also the season as a whole.

We all knew it would come down to free throws, one way or another - whether it be last night or the next game or the finals. Quite simply, you can't win a championship if you can't hit free throws. And if you can't rebound to boot, forget about it.

That said, Auburn players played their hearts out last night, at least, that is, in the second half of the second half. The team did a good job keeping it close the entire game and played well in the first half, answering each Baylor run with an equal and opposite run. Then appeared to just coast through the first ten minutes of the second half.

I can't count the number of Auburn players I didn't see in the paint going for offensive rebounds. If you're Jeff Lebo, that has to be infuriating. I know I was yelling at a few players. Guys would pull up and shoot a three, then back off like they knew it was going in - the only problem was that most of them didn't go in. Which brings up another problem: why couldn't Auburn feed the ball into the paint for some inside scoring?

Now, I know Baylor played great defense last night and their 2-3 zone gave Auburn fits. But the way to beat that is to drive to the basket. Where were Frankie Sullivan, Dwayne Reed and Rasheem Barrett early in the second half? These are guys that have to have a presence. Especially Sully and Reed when the play PG. Drive the basket and if there's no shot, kick it out for the open three.

Now let's talk specifics.

The last three minutes of that game were some of the most exciting that i've seen in Auburn basketball. To be down by seven that late and come back to have the chance to win the game on it's final shot - without fouling - was spectacular. 

Quantez Robertson earned his defensive reputation in the final 30 seconds.

I believe Reed played very well when the game was basically on the line (save for his two missed free throws with 8 seconds left that would have tied the game). The way he drove the basket and put Auburn within 2, then drove again, drawing the foul to give himself that opportunity... that was awesome. I'll bet you nobody spends more time this offseason shooting free throws than Dwayne Reed. If it were me, that sort of things could change my whole career. Just think if someone with his ability to make plays could be accountable at the charity stripe.....

This brings us to the final two possessions. 

Who would have thought Auburn would force two turnovers, capitalize on one to bring the game to within 1, then have a Baylor guard who shoots 87 percent from the line miss his final shot to give us a chance to win? Certainly not me.

Robertson got the rebound on that miss, drove the court and dished to Barret, who stepped around Robertson and another guy who created a screen, to finally put up a potential game-winning three. Of course, he missed. But you have to give him a little credit for taking the shot. After all, he was the hottest guy on the court in those last five minutes. Not one whole minute before that shot, he brought the Tigers to within three when he sunk a three.

But here's my question: wouldn't you like to have seen him try to get inside and pull one of his classic "jump inside, stop, jump and fade away" shots from the free throw line? I just know he would have made it - as usual - and it would have sent the game to OT. 

Do I like our chances in OT? Yes. After Auburn got going and began playing like we know we all know they're capable of, there would have been no stopping them. I think just the accomplishment of sending that game to OT would have sparked the team to greatness.

But that's all moot. Plus, how much can you expect of a team when they only have 6 seconds to get the ball down the court and get off a shot?

All-in-all, I'm very proud of this team. I just hope they take it upon themselves to develop some consistency in shooting free throws during the offseason.