AURex

And this changes what, exactly? Just curious. I moved on the minute after he announced his decision.

Mark Anthony-Richards signs with Auburn!

Well, you guys can raz him about his explanation for choosing Auburn over LSU, but personally, I'm glad he wants to focus on developing as a football player rather than just playing around. If he knows that he could get pulled into situations he might regret (based on how he was recruited there and his other contacts, he made a good choice and that suggests he may make a lot of good decisions going forward and work hard.

The problem with looking back 30+ years in statistics is that (1) the game has changed, and (2) Whitlow ain't Frederickson, and (3) I don't really give a crap if Malzahn's last team was #16 in history on some meaningless stat. The reality is, statistically and W-L, that Auburn's current football coaching staff is not producing the results Auburn expects. 12th best in the past 35 years be damned. 7-5 be damned. Get the Sh*t outta yer diapers and win some football games!

I've seen offensive linemen called for facemask, but never a player running the ball. Not saying it never happens, because I don't see every game ever. Anyway, I was more interested in you sense of the way targeting gets called and whether a runner could be called for targeting.

When I saw that play, I was thinking it should be called. I saw so many plays like that way back in the day in high school games. But now I also see ball carriers lowering their head, launching themselves forward, trying to get the last inches of gain. I have never once seen a targeting call on an offensive player with the ball. Similarly, I've never seen a facemask call on a player with the ball, even in cases where the ball carrier grabs the facemask of the defensive player and yanks his head around. Whatever the wording of the rules, thew enforcement seems to be entirely aimed at the D.

So, here is an off-the-wall question. Can an offensive player with the ball be called for targeting? In the South Carolina game, the SC RB intentionally lowered his head and launched himself forward (at the defensive played, thus initiating crown of helmet contact and launching himself. The play was reviewed, but I think it it was for *defensive* targeting. Is there any circumstance in which a ball carrier can be called for targeting?

Thanks for your incisive analysis, JMR. I'm sure there are many here who will sidetrack or hijack with their anti-Gus, anti-Stidham agenda, but the reality is, the struggles of the offense are obvious, but Auburn is 4-1 and the sky has no yet fallen!

Here are some things you only see in the movies. Add your own observations. 1. You’re very likely to survive any battle in any war, unless you show someone a picture of your sweetheart back home. Then you’re in trouble 2. The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window of any building in Paris 3. Computer passwords are easy to crack - they are always the third thing you think of, and a picture or poster across the room is the key 4. When the hero and baddie finally meet, both guns are immediately lost and they’ll take turns punching each other 5. All beds have special L-shaped sheets which reach to armpit level on women but only up to the waist of the man lying beside her 6. When playing back phone messages, people will casually wander into the kitchen for the first two short messages, but run to the answer phone for the third call (mother/killer/dead friend etc) 7. When you turn out the light to go to bed, everything in your room will still be visible, just slightly bluish 8. People deal with stressful, life-threatening situations by making quick witted quips 9. No-one, but no-one uses Microsoft Windows – everyone uses unique operating systems. All of these computer systems, however mundane, are full of animated graphics and enormous download bars in the middle of the screen 10. When paying for a taxi, you don’t need to look at your wallet as you take out a note. Just grab one out at random and hand it over 11. The ventilation system of any building is the perfect hiding place. Nobody will ever think of looking for you in there and you can travel to any other part of the building undetected 12. It is not necessary to say “Hello” or “Goodbye” in telephone conversations. Also, if you’ve been disconnected it’s always worth frantically beating the cradle and saying “Hello? Hello?” repeatedly, or holding the phone handset and looking at it quizzically 13. If our hero gets into a fight, he will invariable end up with a small cut in the right corner of his mouth. He’ll make sure he wipes the blood on the back of his hand, and give it a disapproving look 14. Anyone can land a plane perfectly as long as there is someone in the control tower to talk you down 15. Sex is always begun in the missionary position and finished with the woman on top 16. Shots fired at people hiding around corners always strike the edge of the building, exploding some brickwork near the character’s face 17. On a police stake-out, the action will only ever take place when food is being consumed 18. Being an aging detective and drinking whiskey alone in a bar makes you irresistible to women 19. If a good person dies with their eyes open, a friend will tenderly close them. If a villain dies with his eyes open the camera will linger on his face until just before the actor has to blink 20. Every single sporting event is won by the underdogs in the last second 21. All phone numbers, regardless of where they are, have the area code 555 22. When a plane is low on fuel, it helps to tap the fuel gauge – this even works on multi-million dollar jet planes 23. Only men are alcoholics. But luckily, any alcoholic can quit drinking instantly when faced with an important challenge. Not only that, the instant he stops drinking, all his faculties return and he won’t suffer any withdrawal 24. Dogs always know who’s bad, and bark at them 25. All bombs have different colored wires inside 26. If someone has “fixed” the brakes in a car, the driver won’t think to use the hand-brake and gears to slow down – but proceeds to drive at high speed through a busy city or off a cliff 27. Anyone who sheepishly picks up a musical instrument and is humble about their ability can play like a professional 28. If you decide to start dancing in the street, everyone you bump into will be able to dance and know all the steps 29. In space battles, weapons can only be fired when you are in visual range 30. It is always possible to find a parking spot directly outside any building you’re visiting 31. All things are bullet proof – cars, tables, other bodies, etc 32. All police services (particularly in New York) have an unlimited supply of police cars. They also have the unluckiest (and worst trained) drivers, resulting in head on collisions, smashing parked cars, falling into water and of course the obligatory flying-roll, causing the car to land upside down and crushing the lights (with the siren fizzling out as if it’s run out of batteries) 33. Television news bulletins usually contain a story which affects you personally at the precise moment you turn it on – after which you turn the TV off 34. During all police investigations it is obligatory to visit a strip club at least once 35. Any lock can be picked with a credit card or paperclip in seconds. The only exception to this is if it’s the door to a burning building with a child inside, in which case you have to shoulder-barge it. The person banging into a door with his shoulder is never hurt 36. All bombs are fitted with electronic timing devices with large red digital displays so you know exactly when they are going to explode 37. Should you wish to pass yourself off as a German officer, you don’t need to learn to speak German. Simply speaking English with a German accent will do. Similarly, when they are alone, all German soldiers speak English to each other 38. Once applied, lipstick never rubs off. Even when scuba diving 39. Any police officer about to retire from the force will more often than not die on their last day (especially if their family have planned a party) 40. When staying in a haunted house, women should investigate any strange noises whilst wearing their most revealing underwear 41. All grocery shopping involves the purchase of a French loaf and fruit and cheese which are placed into two large, open brown paper bags 42. Don’t panic if you’re heavily outnumbered in a martial arts fight, your opponents will wait patiently to attack you one by one by dancing around you in a threatening manner until it’s their turn to fight 43. Whenever a microphone is turned on it will immediately feedback 44. Guns are like disposable razors. If you run out of bullets, just throw the gun away. You will always find another one 45. All single women have a cat 46. Cars will explode instantly when struck by a single bullet 47. No matter how savagely a spaceship is attacked, its internal gravity system is never damaged 48. If being chased on foot through a city you can usually find cover in a passing carnival or parade or demonstration 49. One man shooting at 20 men has a better chance of killing them than they have of killing him. Baddies have no gun training, are poor shots, and fire in wild panic when confronted by the hero 50. All master villains are evil, but clever – but never actually clever enough to kill their nemesis, our hero. Rather, they devise elaborate devices incorporating fuses, pulleys, deadly gases, lasers, man-eating sharks, etc, which our hero always escapes 51. If a woman is alone in a haunted house and hears a noise, she will creep around dark rooms to find the cause rather than running out of the house immediately! 52. Big Ben / St Pauls can be seen from every window in London 53. When text comes up on any computer screen, it makes a noise 54. “Teenagers” in horror films are always aged around 25 - 30 55. When said teenagers are being pursued by some maniac or demonic figure, they always find it better to split-up 56. Anyone can jump through a window without a scratch, although the window breaks into a million pieces 57. Each and every tiny US village is inhabited by at least one psychopath 58. Mozart's Serenade in G is always played in the background of any diner party 59. No one ever needs to use the toilet, nothing ever happens when the hero is taking a crap 60. The hero can be punched, kicked, shot, etc, without expression, but as soon as his love interest tenderly dabs at a scratch with a damp hanky, he will wince with pain 61. Killers (good or bad) always talk for longer than they should before delivering the fatal blow (or shot), giving the rescuers the vital seconds required to come and ruin it all 62. Cars are always parked with their doors unlocked, and can be started without keys 63. Sex is never messy or embarrassingly noisy 64. The more days the detective goes without bathing, brushing his teeth, shaving, or changing his clothes, the more irresistible he is to women 65. In horror/sci fi movies, the monster from an alien world/center of the earth/secret government genetics lab always appears on the outskirts of a small town in Kansas, Oklahoma, or Texas (never a big city), and the first people he kills are teenagers at a local Lovers' Lane 66. Sociopaths listen to classical music, usually Bach or Beethoven, especially when (or just after) committing one of their gruesome murders 67. Cops only have this one case to work on, and there is never any paperwork to fill out, except as comedic relief 68. Surveillance camera footage can be zoomed in to reveal details at 4K HD resolution 69. They never have to hang around waiting for their table in a restaurant 70. Anything that goes over a cliff will blow up 71. In sci-fi movies, space ships (small and large) fly like aircraft, make noise, and explode just as they would in atmosphere 72. They are always served promptly in a bar 73. Women drink wine, men drink beer or whiskey, only gays and floozies drink cocktails 74. Beaches are never over-populated by fat people 75. If our hero gets shot or beat to a pulp and is on the verge of death, totally defeated, he will find the inner reserve to claw back up and defeat the enemy nonetheless. Because, of course, that's why he is our hero! 76. The retarded guy always does something really smart or saves the day

Ah, yes, Dune. A horrid example. Is there a worse actor than Kyle McLachlan? Well, yeah, Keanu Reeves. Lord help us if the two of them ever appear in a movie together. We will die a slow death of psychological torturous tedium.

As AI develops, I think we will find out. Well, someone will. I think I'll be dead by the time AI advances that far. It was originally just a short story. A lot of those really old (ahem) scifi stories/books are still quite relevant and fun reading today. I keep hearing rumors of more attempts to make a movie of Asimov's "Foundation" trilogy, but I fear it would be schlock like the various Asimov robot incarnations or the Clark Martian Chronicles efforts. And I've never been thrilled with the various efforts at Fahrenheit 451. Would there ever be a Heinlein "Stranger in a Strange Land" movie that was anything close to the impact of the original novel? But I think some better takes on Ursula LeGuin could be possible.

I was thinking just yesterday about all the "great" films and blockbusters I've seen that, even though I recognize their artistic achievement and/or popular appeal, once is enough. I never want to see them again. And then there are the movies I never want to see even once because I cannot stand the star. One of the great movies I love and have watched many times (in all its re-release versions) is Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner." I really liked "The Ninth Gate" which was different enough from the book it was based on (The Club Dumas) that I like both the book and the movie, although the movie eliminates an entire storyline completely. "Young Frankenstein" is such fun, as is "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." A holiday tradition in our house is "Hogfather" based on Terry Pratchett's Discworld book. It is the only holiday-related movie I can stand. I thought "Ex Machina" was a masterly scifi movie. "The Maltese Falcon" is irresistible to me. And another of the "great movies" that I really like is Bogart/Bacall in "The Big Sleep." Have you seen the remake that starred Robert Mitchum and Sarah Miles? An odd remake, but I watch just to watch Sarah Miles. And for total absolute silliness (and gloriously shredding parody), I always turn to "Galaxy Quest."

Trying to decide if that's supposed to be a joke. Maybe your definition of "recently" is different from mine. But I agree, they are not a true "blue blood" in the class of UK, UNC, Duke and KU.

Kick me to the curb if you want, but IMO Nix probably runs a more sophisticated offense at Pinson than Malzahn's basic O. I'm hoping CCL can broaden the offensive repertoire, because Nix certainly has the skills to move the ball.

My bad. Apparently Hand will be back next season, and that will involve a new contract as his current contract is expiring. Doesn't change the fact that Auburn really needs to address the need to improve special teams play -- coverage on kickoffs and punts was scary scary, and the Auburn returns were certainly not scary to opponents.

I agree. The OL did not perform consistently, and sometimes porously. Hand is retiring. Not sure who will replace him. Malzahn just hired another defensive coach who (as yet) has no role, when our more important needs (IMO) are for a real special teams coach and an offensive line coach.

Life is hard when one does not live 24/7 on this site and one has the basic assumption that knowledgeable people mean what they say. How stupid of me. What a fool I am. No longer will I trust anything anyone says unless it is documented by Fox News, the CIA, FBI, Pope Francis, the Church of Scientology, Trump tweets, and Nick Saban. This is how you drive away fans -- by being azzzzzzhles. Geez!

You haven;t been following this thread.

Hmm ... I thought Zamir was a lock for UGA. Would love to have him, even after the ACL, but .... ?????

Always good to look at the numbers. Thanks Stat!

"Auburn has averaged only 23.4 PPG during their last eight games." Auburn is currently 74th nationally in PPG, of 130 teams. When you consider we've played GA Southern and Mercer, that's the definition of "mediocre" -- if not abysmal. Auburn will not beat MSU, LSU, UGA or UA with mediocre, and OM is a tossup. Must do better than that, even for 8-4.

I'm getting a message saying I need to "update you account to enable 3rd party hosting" in order for people to see the photos I've posted. WTF is this?

Most people don't know much about peacocks. For example, peacocks only have that spectacular tail plumage for a few months each year. They molt in the late summer/early fall and then start growing new plumage in the spring. They lose ALL their feathers over the course of the molt, replacing them with their winter coat. Percy just lost his last long tail feather a few days ago. Here he is without his long tail plumage. He is in the process of losing the shorter eye feathers now -- all the feathers up his back. (As an added bonus, you get to see Daffy in the koi pond in this photo. haha)

Percy is a lonely guy, with no female peacocks, so he hangs out some with the turkeys. He is particularly attracted to Snow White. She's not albino, she is a rare ghost turkey. In the second photo here, one of the Toms is not happy to see a peacock courting Snow White.