Appreciation

[StatTiger 3,188]

If there is one life lesson I have passed onto my three boys, it's appreciating what you have over what you don't. We are all guilty of doing the exact opposite, failing to take the time to count all the many blessings we have received. We don't realize just how important something or someone truly is until we have them no more. My approach to this year's Auburn team has been completely different from past Auburn teams. Reflecting back to the 2010 season, I failed to soak up and enjoy every moment of the season until it was completed. This is not to say I didn't appreciate or enjoy winning it all but I allowed the media and adversity of the season to take away from the season as it progressed. Rather than truly appreciating each victory, I was constantly looking ahead to the next challenge.

I would imagine the players on this team, who endured the 2012 season, can empathize with someone drinking water after being without for a few days. Even as fans, we can appreciate this season more because of what we experienced as fans during the 2012 season. Because Auburn won only 3 games last season, I soaked in every victory this year. Each time I found myself peeking ahead to the next game, I felt the need to clutch tightly onto the previous victory. Have you ever noticed how quickly football seasons unfold, when Auburn is winning? This was the very reason why I held a firm grip to each game, knowing the next game was one closer to season's end. When Auburn defeated Alabama, I was elated to know I would have the opportunity to see Auburn play an extra game more than the prospect of actually seeing Auburn win a conference championship.

The 2013 Auburn Tigers are a special team having accomplished one of the greatest 1-year turnarounds in NCAA history. We only have one more opportunity to see them play and we will never see this team play again after January 6th. It won't be the last championship Auburn team we witness but it will the last 2013 Auburn championship team. There are 13 seniors on this squad and a couple of juniors who might not return for 2014. The 2014 edition of the Auburn Tigers will have their opportunity to make their own history but the 2013 story is almost completed.

"The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime." - Babe Ruth

The 2012 squad had talent but lacked focus and direction. It took Gus Malzahn and his assistant coaches to sculpt the 2013 team into winners. They made the players dig down deep to bring out the most of their abilities on a physical and mental level. The coaches forged a plan and to the player's credit, they bought into it right away. Winning never comes easy and there is always a price to pay. As fans we forget this because we become enamored by success, losing sight of what the players and coaches accomplished off the field to bring about their success on the field. We see the final product and not the injuries and adversity the players work through during the course of a given season.

The games themselves are the byproduct and highlights of the hard work and sacrifices made by the players and coaches. Not only do we lose sight of the commitments made by the players, we often stand in judgment of their performance. Over the years I have been guilty of this but not this season. I want to savor and relish every moment of this season. I want to store away every moment of this season in my mind, knowing for every bad play made, Auburn made 3-4 great ones. I want to remember how this team grew up and progressed over the course of the season. I want to cherish how this team responded and played it's best football during critical moments of the game. This team like so many other great Auburn teams, was better at the end of the season than from the start.

The 2013 Auburn Tigers embody the Auburn Creed, personifying the "AU" logo on their helmets. The interlocking A over the U represents a strength that cannot be broken. The unyielding belief in one another found only in family. Regardless of the outcome of the 2014 BCS National Championship game, this team has already won me over. I will miss watching these young men compete as a team and more importantly, I appreciate everything they worked for and achieved this season.

War Eagle!

[weagl1 1,781]

Amen,

[oldman 23]

Good and true words

[JDUBB4AU 5,102]

This year feels different. Very very happy and blessed

[banditmwp 711]

Very well said, Stat! I echo many of the sentiments about holding each victory close this season after the debacle that was last year.

[Tigermike 3,007]

Thanks Stat, it's been a pleasure to watch this team grow up and get better each week. I've told several others this team is my favourite AUBURN TEAM of all time. It has been a pleasure.

[RunInRed 16,354]

[kingfish 73]

Nice well written points. Thanks for taking the time to express your thoughts.

[triangletiger 1,599]

Nice post, Stat. Since after the LSU game, I've had confidence that this team would not cave in the 4th quarter as happened in many games in 2012. After we beat A&M, I felt like everything after that was gravy. Even if we had lost to Alabama and Georgia, I would still have been happy with this season. I'm ecstatic with way things did unfold. I really want this team to win on Jan. 6th, but even if they don't, it's been a great ride.

[3rdgeneration 6,469]

Well written, Stat! I have appreciated your analysis and comments all year. This team is most definitely special! The hard work and selfless attitude has forged bonds that I hope will never be broken, even though they will go their separate ways when football season is over. I say it over and over...I am so proud of these young men. They chose to put all doubt aside and BELIEVE. I know it has been hard work with much sacrifice, but the lessons learned this season will serve them for the rest of their lives. I truly love these guys!

[around4ever 4,139]

Excellent post, Stat! This team is definitely special and does embody The Auburn Creed. War Eagle!!

[FHeal 4]

Appreciate the shout out....

... may be the best you've ever written ( w/o stat's ).

[AUloggerhead 2,225]

Very we'll said, Stat. This has been one if the most enjoyable seasons ever. And it's not just the victories, either. Watching this team get better every game has truly been remarkable. Relentless, work hard for every yard and scrap for every stop, no quit, humble -- this team has been a dream every week. You're absolutely right about there's only one game left for this team to be together. WDE

[Nay4AU 2]

I think you summed it up perfectly. You echoed many of my sentiments about this 2013 season. Like you mentioned, I have been guilty of not appreciating things in the past. For example, I'll never forget sitting in Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2004 and being disappointed that Auburn only managed an 8 point victory. I've looked back often & thought how sad it was that I couldn't enjoy a victory over Alabama because I was focused on other things. Also, the distractions of 2010 kept me from totally enjoying that amazing run. Like you, I was able to focus more on each game & it has made this season one of the most enjoyable seasons of my life. I would like to thank the players & staff for making this season such a joy to watch.

[Tigerbelle 5,299]

This season..and this team...made Auburn football fun again. I really do appreciate how hard the coaches and players have worked to get back to the top of the SEC. I hope they are having the time of their lives right now because they have given AU fans one heckuva good time in 2013!

[wakeriderof87 31]

I agree, this year feels different after last year. Late in the season in 2010 I was afraid of losing, I felt like anything but a championship would be a waste. This year I'm just appreciative of the ride. I am definitely hoping for another trophy, but if our boys fall short on the 6th, it was still a wonderful season.

[atleagles 1]

I agree, this year feels different after last year. Late in the season in 2010 I was afraid of losing, I felt like anything but a championship would be a waste. This year I'm just appreciative of the ride. I am definitely hoping for another trophy, but if our boys fall short on the 6th, it was still a wonderful season.

^^THIS^^

[AuburnSpider 2]

I never imagined I'd get the chance to be a part of another season like 10 again. Being born in the late 50s I missed the 57 championship. I became an auburn fan in the late 60s an d while I relished in the great teams like the amazins and others it just seemed like we might never get to the mountain top in my lifetime. Then I was blessed to be in attendance for every home game in 10 and to top it off Glendale too. I had reached the mountaintop. Not long after I came within a whisper of dying. The thought actually ran through my mind at he time, just how great it was to have lived long enough to experience 10. So here I am again on the precipice of attending another once in a lifetime Auburn BCS game. Truly blessed we all are. Truly great to be an Auburn Tiger.

Thanks 2013 Tigers

[damabama 15]

I never imagined I'd get the chance to be a part of another season like 10 again. Being born in the late 50s I missed the 57 championship. I became an auburn fan in the late 60s an d while I relished in the great teams like the amazins and others it just seemed like we might never get to the mountain top in my lifetime. Then I was blessed to be in attendance for every home game in 10 and to top it off Glendale too. I had reached the mountaintop. Not long after I came within a whisper of dying. The thought actually ran through my mind at he time, just how great it was to have lived long enough to experience 10. So here I am again on the precipice of attending another once in a lifetime Auburn BCS game. Truly blessed we all are. Truly great to be an Auburn Tiger.

Thanks 2013 Tigers

that seems to be a lot of the difference to me. before '10 it seemed the pressure to win one (to me anyway) just kept growing as the years passed since '57. we'd come close now and again, but no cigars. the turd wins it in 09 and it ramps up a little more. the 2010 national title was like a pressure relief for me. i kind of look at it from a new angle now. 2013 is gravy. so happy for this team. they are like the '72 amazins as someone said earlier. blood and guts and refuse to lose. the best season of my life too and i'm an old man. it is great to be an auburn tiger.

[younggun 14]

When we beat MSU, I thought, "well at least we won a SEC game." Then to see this team not fold up their tents against LSU, I knew the coaches had this team on the right track. There was no quit in them. Something we saw numerous times last year, unfortunately. Then came A&M. Not only did we see them fight tooth and nail against heavy odds, but we saw their confidence level soar.As Dee Ford said, Why not win it all. I am so very proud of these coaches and young men for what they have accomplished this year. i was going to say, win or lose, but...why not win it all!!!!!!!

[Slammer1 409]

Great thoughts Stat, Truly an amazing year. This team reminds me of the old timey steam locomotive. When it pulled out of the station the wheels would spin but not have total traction with the rails and just sort of inch along. Then the wheels would take hold and the speed just got faster and faster. We spun our wheels at the beginning of this season but we kept moving forward and just like the locomotive, we gained the momentum which has brought us to where we are today. I can picture Gus with his engineer's hat on, leaning out of the cab and going at full throttle toward this debris on the tracks that is FSU. Hopefully, we will blow right through the debris and bring the Crystal Ball to the Plains. It's going to be a great game. WDE!!!!!

[CJBas 4]

Wow! Thanks for that, Stat, and it is SO true. I've felt very different about this team too. In 2010 I was looking to the next Win. this year I've never expected any more from this team than where they were at the moment. By the Miss St game I had seen tremendous improvment over the 2012 team and it was, like you said, because they were starting to come together as a team. If that had been the best they could do then I'd still enjoy watching this team play every week, and cherished avery game.

but they got better...oh my God have they gotten better. And it has been a absolute delight watching them play. Like you, when they beat bama I was elated, but most of all excited to be getting to see them play one more time.

In a way I'm dreading the NC game, because I know that when it's over we'll never get to see this team play again. I do think Auburn will be better next year. But it won't be this team. It won't be our kids who started at the bottom and worked their way up inch by inch and became the best rushing team I have ever seen in any college football team - any place, any time, any level. They are truly a sight to behold. And we watched them grow up.

The rest of the country has seen a couple of plays and called it all luck. We've watched them from the very first and knowluck had nothing to do with it. These kids worked their butts off all off season all summer and continued to work to improve every day in pactice. And they just might be the best Auburn team ever now. God bless them every one.

It's for their sake that I want them to win on 6 Jan. They deserve it. And if they have managed to improve as much in the month of practice as they had in the previous month, then they will be truly AUsome.

[triangletiger 1,599]

When we beat MSU, I thought, "well at least we won a SEC game." Then to see this team not fold up their tents against LSU, I knew the coaches had this team on the right track. There was no quit in them. Something we saw numerous times last year, unfortunately. Then came A&M. Not only did we see them fight tooth and nail against heavy odds, but we saw their confidence level soar.As Dee Ford said, Why not win it all. I am so very proud of these coaches and young men for what they have accomplished this year. i was going to say, win or lose, but...why not win it all!!!!!!!

Hopefully, Dee Ford's words will turn out to be prophetic.

[triangletiger 1,599]

Great thoughts Stat, Truly an amazing year. This team reminds me of the old timey steam locomotive. When it pulled out of the station the wheels would spin but not have total traction with the rails and just sort of inch along. Then the wheels would take hold and the speed just got faster and faster. We spun our wheels at the beginning of this season but we kept moving forward and just like the locomotive, we gained the momentum which has brought us to where we are today. I can picture Gus with his engineer's hat on, leaning out of the cab and going at full throttle toward this debris on the tracks that is FSU. Hopefully, we will blow right through the debris and bring the Crystal Ball to the Plains. It's going to be a great game. WDE!!!!!

So the Gus Bus is actually a steam locomotive?

[Slammer1 409]

Great thoughts Stat, Truly an amazing year. This team reminds me of the old timey steam locomotive. When it pulled out of the station the wheels would spin but not have total traction with the rails and just sort of inch along. Then the wheels would take hold and the speed just got faster and faster. We spun our wheels at the beginning of this season but we kept moving forward and just like the locomotive, we gained the momentum which has brought us to where we are today. I can picture Gus with his engineer's hat on, leaning out of the cab and going at full throttle toward this debris on the tracks that is FSU. Hopefully, we will blow right through the debris and bring the Crystal Ball to the Plains. It's going to be a great game. WDE!!!!!

So the Gus Bus is actually a steam locomotive?

Well, I just thought that a mile long freight train would have more "impact" , if you will, on the debris on the track.