DKW 86 7,440 Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/huntsvill....xml&coll=1 Details: dawn past duskWednesday, August 16, 2006 By PHILLIP MARSHALL Times Sports Staff pmarsh9485@msn.com Borges keeps a sharp eye guiding Auburn's offense AUBURN - As Auburn offensive coordinator Al Borges settles into his seat in the meeting room, the lights go down and the practice that ended just an hour earlier comes to life on the large screen. The picture is crystal clear, made that way by modern computer technology. But for Borges, it's not a lot different than what he did 30 years earlier, when a projector whirred and everything was in black & white. It's still football, the focus of his professional life since he was a teenage coach in California. Borges, line coach Hugh Nall, tight ends coach Steve Ensminger, running backs coach Eddie Gran, wide receivers coach Greg Knox, graduate assistant Joe Hollis and administrative assistant Doug Lichtenberger are ready to grade the players and even themselves. A running play goes nowhere, bringing grunts of frustration. "That should have been a big gainer," Nall says, and Borges agrees. "We're trying to get everything out of these plays," says Borges, nearing the start of his third season at Auburn. "Maybe we are asking too much. We are not a well-oiled machine right now." It's another day in the grind that is preseason camp. The work day starts a little before 7 for Borges. Munching on the Cheerios his wife, Nikki, sent with him for breakfast, he is soon busy putting the final touches on plans for that morning's practice. He decided a day earlier that he would hold off on plans to install new elements of the offense. He wants to see his players get sharper at what they already have. Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp comes in for a quick discussion about walk-on Jonathan Vickers, a former quarterback trying to find playing time at safety. Muschamp says Vickers has agreed to help out at quarterback if he's needed in some practice drills. "He's a great kid," Borges says. "He just wants to play." Soon, Borges is on the field with his four quarterbacks - junior Brandon Cox, sophomore Blake Field and true freshmen Neil Caudle and Steven Ensminger. They're throwing at a plastic trash can some 35 yards away. There are drills with running backs, with tight ends and with wide receivers, skeleton drills, pass rush drills and finally 11-on-11 work. "Details!" Borges says. "Pay attention to detail!" Attention to detail is at the core of Borges' football philosophy. The largest sign in the offensive staff room reads "Championships are won by the discipline of attending to details." "The little things together are big things," Borges says. "There are so many little things - a footwork flaw, an extra step on a route, holding the ball too long. There are so many things that go into it for a quarterback, so many things he has to ingest." Borges is seldom quiet for more than a few seconds. His quarterbacks take in every word. "Let's do it right now! Come on!" Borges says during drills with wide receivers. "That's it! Get the nose up. Make it an easy ball to catch." "Timing! Timing! Timing!" he shouts a few moments later. "I can't emphasize that enough." "Get that nose up!" he tells Caudle. "That's a hard ball to catch. I don't care if it wobbles. Split the numbers!" As practice ends, Borges has seen enough good things to be optimistic and enough bad to be bothered. "I think a good goal for team situations is to try to win half the snaps," Borges says. "We're right around there. If you are winning all the time, you probably have a bad defense. We sure don't have a bad defense. We are still so rough around the edges. Now that we have pulled back on the installing, we should start getting better fundamentally." three pages more to read..... Borges is under paid.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAR-MATT 2 Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 Whatever school gets Borges as a HC is going to be getting a good one. If you guys could pick one of our cordinators to follow in Tubbs footsteps, who would it be? I would go with Muschamp. I just like a HC that comes from the defensive side of the ball. He will be a hot HC prospect in 2 to 3 years. He might get a HC job before Chizik. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottomfeeder 244 Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 Reminds me of basic training. Rings true in every aspect of life. It can keep you alive and prosper you. "Championships are won by the discipline of attending to details." I love it. I think the educators at Auburn may want to consider elective classes, dedicated to certain disciplines, with this as the core for the courses. Jr. or Sr. level courses. I know it's something that comes with time on the job, but being aware of it and where to look could positively impact the first years of employment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKW 86 7,440 Posted August 16, 2006 Author Share Posted August 16, 2006 Whatever school gets Borges as a HC is going to be getting a good one. If you guys could pick one of our cordinators to follow in Tubbs footsteps, who would it be? I would go with Muschamp. I just like a HC that comes from the defensive side of the ball. He will be a hot HC prospect in 2 to 3 years. He might get a HC job before Chizik. Chizik or Borges. I want the one that will keep the off the field program going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottomfeeder 244 Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 Whatever school gets Borges as a HC is going to be getting a good one. If you guys could pick one of our cordinators to follow in Tubbs footsteps, who would it be? I would go with Muschamp. I just like a HC that comes from the defensive side of the ball. He will be a hot HC prospect in 2 to 3 years. He might get a HC job before Chizik. :big: Don't talk like that. Speculation on the loss staff is not conducive to a successful season. One day at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAR-MATT 2 Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 Whatever school gets Borges as a HC is going to be getting a good one. If you guys could pick one of our cordinators to follow in Tubbs footsteps, who would it be? I would go with Muschamp. I just like a HC that comes from the defensive side of the ball. He will be a hot HC prospect in 2 to 3 years. He might get a HC job before Chizik. :big: Don't talk like that. Speculation on the loss staff is not conducive to a successful season. One day at a time. Take it easy there Francis - I was just asking a rhetorical question. I've had this conversation with friends before and it's always a pretty good debate. Offensive minded coach or a defensive minded coach? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TigerOne 1,152 Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 Reminds me of basic training. Rings true in every aspect of life. It can keep you alive and prosper you. "Championships are won by the discipline of attending to details." I love it. I think the educators at Auburn may want to consider elective classes, dedicated to certain disciplines, with this as the core for the courses. Jr. or Sr. level courses. I know it's something that comes with time on the job, but being aware of it and where to look could positively impact the first years of employment. Some Sociology teachers need to get out of their cosmic dream world and attend classes by Borges. They might learn something, like how to work within the system. Most of them would flunk. From Wikepedia Sociology is the study of society and human social action. It generally concerns itself with the social rules and processes that bind and separate people not only as individuals, but as members of associations, groups, and institutions, and includes the examination of the organization and development of human social life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottomfeeder 244 Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 Whatever school gets Borges as a HC is going to be getting a good one. If you guys could pick one of our cordinators to follow in Tubbs footsteps, who would it be? I would go with Muschamp. I just like a HC that comes from the defensive side of the ball. He will be a hot HC prospect in 2 to 3 years. He might get a HC job before Chizik. :big: Don't talk like that. Speculation on the loss staff is not conducive to a successful season. One day at a time. Take it easy there Francis - I was just asking a rhetorical question. I've had this conversation with friends before and it's always a pretty good debate. Offensive minded coach or a defensive minded coach? It's okay. I just get a little nervous when that topic surfaces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarTim 3,457 Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 WE are truely BLESSED with this Coaching Staff. From TOP to bottom, This may very well be the BEST Staff we have EVER had @ Auburn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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