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Early gaps at LB, WR?


quietfan

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Does anyone besides me suddenly feel a little concerned about how shallow we're going to be at wide receiver and/or linbacker:

http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/huntsvill...1760.xml&coll=1

HOOVER - For Auburn linebackers Kevin Sears and Tray Blackmon, the price for running afoul of police will be high.

Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said Friday morning, before his annual appearance at the Southeastern Conference's Media Days, that Sears, a senior, and Blackmon, a redshirt freshman, will miss "several games." He would not specify how many.

...

"Our guys need to learn you have to pay the price like the rest of your teammates," Tuberville said. "If you don't, you'll pay the price in my house."

The suspensions, Tuberville said, leave the Tigers thin at linebacker. Going into preseason practice, which begins Wednesday, senior Karibi Dede is the starter in the middle and sophomore Merrill Johnson and senior Will Herring are the starters on the outside. Herring, a converted safety, is a preseason All-SEC choice.

Steve Gandy, the starter at strong safety at the end of last season, moved to outside linebacker late in spring practice and will be in the mix, Tuberville said. He said incoming freshman Craig Stevens will also get an early look.

"We've got a tough situation at linebacker," Tuberville said. "We're going to be playing three people that haven't really played at their positions starting out, but we've got the ability to get it done there.

...

Awaiting word: Tuberville said the status of wide receiver Alex Rose, who would be an incoming freshman, and defensive tackle Greg Smith, who would be a junior college transfer, is uncertain.

A math class Rose took at First Coast High School in Tallahassee was questioned by the NCAA Eligibility Clearinghouse. He has not been cleared. Tuberville said he would probably not be on the 105-man roster Wednesday if he has not been cleared.

Smith is working to complete required work to graduate from junior college. If he is successful and is approved by Auburn president Ed Richardson and SEC commissioner Mike Slive, he will probably report by the end of next week.

Wide receiver Chris Slaughter of Fort Valley, Ga., did not qualify and will attend prep school with the intention of re-signing in February.

Tuberville said redshirt freshman wide receiver Ulysses Alexander has left the team and plans to transfer.

I'm not complaining about the suspension of Sears and Blackmon-CTT is right to be a tough disciplinarian. But we were already thin at LB and WR, and these stories make me even more concerned for our first few games. WE should be able to handle WSU and MSU without them, but the LSU game will be close and crucial.

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WSU will be a nice little test for our team in the first game. It will be a challenge but I think we have the talent and ability to win that one by a touchdown or two. MSU will be an easy inbetween. These two games might not be as big as the LSU game, but I think they will help to mentally prepare the guys for LSU. The linebacker position will have solidified by that time. I personally am not worried about WR. Courtney Taylor, Prechae who we know has a lot of talent, Rodriguez Smith, who's not too shabby either. We've got guys who are good and can get the job done. I think the loss of Devin and Anthony and Ben at WR really worried some people because they hadn't heard of guys like Lee and Prechae. I think we'll all be pleasantly surprised at their talent. My biggest concern going into LSU and then SC and Florida is our lack of depth at quarterback. If, God forbid something happened to Brandon, I'm not sure Blake Field could stand and deliver in big games. Courtney Taylor seems to have alot of faith in him though.

Ryan

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A player that isn't talked about much is Cox's old teammate Lee Guess. May not be the fastest/strongest player in the world, but it seems that he has unbelievable hands.

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I'm not too concerned about the WR position. I think it just seems that we are thin there because we aren't as deep as we were last year. The thing is, NOBODY was as deep as we were last year. While we have players who aren't experienced, we have tons of talent there. Tim Hawthorn appears to be the real deal and could provide additional depth, if needed. Last year Ben, Devin, and Anthony had to be the leaders while the youngsters stepped up. This year, Brandon, Kenny, and Courtney will assume that role while the young ones gain experience. I feel that by the end of the year, WR will be a point of strength.

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We've got some AUsome Tight Ends that can catch the ball and well as some sure handed RB's. We'll be ok at WR. I trust CAB with the offense. We'll also be ok at LB. I trust CWM with the Defense.

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We've got some AUsome Tight Ends that can catch the ball and well as some sure handed RB's.  We'll be ok at WR.  I trust CAB with the offense.  We'll also be ok at LB.  I trust CWM with the Defense.

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You guys are going to be Ok... A little inexperence is to be expect when you lose the talent you had at WR plus Courtney returning his Senior year. Now if you guys , like us, could just find a driver for your LBs; it will be a great year. :big:

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the linebacker spot worries me more than the wide receiver spot. that said, i'd be shocked if sears and blackmon weren't there for lsu... not b/c it's a big game but b/c it's enough punishment. sears already lost a game last year, plus the bowl game, plus the first two games this year? that's a four game suspension for something that gets a half at some schools. blackmon is a simple public drunk... two games is enough. they get the point.

the reason receiver doesn't really scare me i guess is b/c we have a horse to ride. it hasn't been the auburn way to go to one guy over and over, but it can be done. ct has the talent to average 7 or more catches a game, and that can be done in the sec (josh reid, ronney daniels, etc.) one receiver can dominate a game. outside of him, we have weapons at tight end (particularly trott as a receiver), we have nice options for possession guys (guess and dunn), and we have a deep threat (rodriguez). that's a great group as long as ct dominates and we don't shhy away from getting him the ball over and over.

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A player that isn't talked about much is Cox's old teammate Lee Guess.  May not be the fastest/strongest player in the world, but it seems that he has unbelievable hands.

253318[/snapback]

My thoughts exactly.

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Now if you guys , like us, could just find a driver for your LBs; it will be a great year. :big:

253330[/snapback]

Isn't that the truth? :rolleyes:

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