DKW 86 7,426 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/mobilereg....xml&coll=3 Smith makes a big impactMassive JUCO defensive lineman makes long-awaited arrival in Auburn and declares he'll play in opener Friday, August 18, 2006 By EVAN WOODBERY Sports Reporter AUBURN -- Greg Smith turned heads on his first day of practice, and it had nothing to do with his blocking or tackling. The defensive tackle's long-awaited arrival at Auburn drew curious stares from teammates, who were getting their first look at one of the nation's most heralded junior college prospects. Smith, who is conservatively listed at 345 pounds and is built like a truck, has wide shoulders and a massive chest. But he's also quite nimble, as he showed during a few basic drills in Thursday's practice. "That's a big boy," said running back Kenny Irons, who joked that Smith would have a hard time squeezing into chairs or fitting through doors. Smith thought he would arrive at Auburn by May after graduating from Northeast Mississippi Community College, but he was several hours short of a degree. He spent the rest of the summer finishing up at Chattanooga State and hoping he could make it to Auburn in time. "He's in a tough spot," said defensive tackles coach Don Dunn. "Unfortunately, he couldn't get here early, but that's not his fault. He's done all we've asked, and that shows a little about the kid. Smith, who spoke briefly to reporters before being spirited off to lunch and his first class, said he's just relieved to finally be on campus. Coaches avoided speculating about when Smith would be ready to play, but Smith's goal is to be ready immediately. "I will play against Washington State," he said with much as emphasis as he could muster. "I will." That won't be an easy task. Smith can't wear full pads for another two practices, but he must catch up to his teammates both mentally and physically. And, ideally, he would like to shed up to 20 pounds. If Smith does play early in the season, Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said it might only be in limited, run-stopping packages. "We're going to have to wait until he gets into shoulder pads," Tuberville said. "It's hard to tell just with helmets. The biggest thing is just the mental part, learning what to do." Smith committed to Auburn out of high school and stuck with the Tigers through assorted academic hurdles. This summer, while his status remained up in the air, Smith said he still got calls from Dunn twice a week. "They stuck by me," Smith said. "When they sent me to junior college, all the other colleges backed off. Auburn stuck right there by me." Auburn hopes its loyalty will be rewarded this season. Smith was expected to be an immediate-impact player, and some even penciled him in as a starter. Now it's more likely that he'll play sparingly in early games with the goal of playing a larger role late in the season. Pat Sims and Mobile native Sen'Derrick Marks are currently fighting for the starting job at tackle. For now, Dunn plans to be cautious. "We've just got to see how (Smith) picks it up mentally and how well we can get him ready to survive four or five plays, 10 maybe," Dunn said. "I don't know about Washington State. That would be tough. We'll see next Tuesday or Wednesday when I'll know more." Dunn described Smith as being a bit overwhelmed by his first day of college. After a whirlwind meeting with reporters, Smith was off to find his first class of the day. Smith is accustomed to drawing stares, but he hopes to soon gain attention for his play on the field. His first day of practice was a good start, and Smith said teammates have accepted him warmly, despite his late arrival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vatz22au 142 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUslug 1 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Does Auburn have enough money to feed him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitttger 0 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Does Auburn have enough money to feed him? As big as he is,is there any doubt he should start against wsu??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoic-one 1,546 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Does Auburn have enough money to feed him? As big as he is,is there any doubt he should start against wsu??? Sounds like we all agree he is big!! (like there is a dispute there) How is his footwork, speed, technique, and familiarity with AUs schemes?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saniflush 0 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Does Auburn have enough money to feed him? As big as he is,is there any doubt he should start against wsu??? Sounds like we all agree he is big!! (like there is a dispute there) How is his footwork, speed, technique, and familiarity with AUs schemes?? He may be one of those that we can stick in there at certain times and go "sick'em". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BustemBigBlue 176 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidesnightmare 0 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 LOL......... That is a butterbean, cornbread fed manchild. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draven 0 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Does Auburn have enough money to feed him? As big as he is,is there any doubt he should start against wsu??? Sounds like we all agree he is big!! (like there is a dispute there) How is his footwork, speed, technique, and familiarity with AUs schemes?? He may be one of those that we can stick in there at certain times and go "sick'em". Bingo, on clear running downs he goes in and takes away a center and two guards easy. If I was a coach I wouldn’t want to run right at him might get my Rb eaten. Glad he is going to be in a uniform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKW 86 7,426 Posted August 18, 2006 Author Share Posted August 18, 2006 From everything I hear on him he is cat quick. His endurance is next to nil right though. He has to practice three days before he can put on the pads. I am like you guys, put him in at nose guard, he easily occupies 2-3 OL. Frees up the rest of the D to play run stop. Later on in the year, he plays more as his endurance builds. When you are that big, he could drop 10 pounds in an afternoon and not really notice it. They only want him to drop 20 right now. Heck, it crossed my mind, will we have a uniform big enough for him to suit up? BTW, we are very lucky to have this problem... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saniflush 0 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Heck, it crossed my mind, will we have a uniform big enough for him to suit up? BTW, we are very lucky to have this problem... We keep having this problem I will learn how to sew and make them uniforms by hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarTim 3,456 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Do any of you "older" folks remember a kid that played for Coach Dye by the name of Eddie Blake? He was an o-lineman and was HUGE. I don't know if they had a real problem getting him a uniform, but, his helmet was "special order". H U G E head. His claim to fame was ONE career reception on a deflected Stan White pass. I think he actually gained 7-9 yards! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proud Tiger 4,261 Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 I'm just a young 'un but I remember Big Eddie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashman009 4 Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 I want a pic of this Big Eddie guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuNuma1 1 Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 If we can suit up Marcus McNeil and King Dunlap, we can fit this guy. I mean, is he really that much bigger than say, Josh Thompson or Tim Duckworth or Tez Doolittle...those guys are pretty big...and wide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKW 86 7,426 Posted August 19, 2006 Author Share Posted August 19, 2006 Just a thought here guys. With a team running a zone blocking scheme, GS could mess up that big time. I wont get into the details but in a zone blocking scheme, one side of a double team is supposed to release and get the LB. I just cannot see any double team having a free guy to release with GS in the middle. A guy this big and quick makes too many problems for everyone else. Just another part to add to a pretty good D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sogaaufan 27 Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Do any of you "older" folks remember a kid that played for Coach Dye by the name of Eddie Blake? He was an o-lineman and was HUGE. I don't know if they had a real problem getting him a uniform, but, his helmet was "special order". H U G E head. His claim to fame was ONE career reception on a deflected Stan White pass. I think he actually gained 7-9 yards! I remember Eddie. The thing I remember most about him was that they said he had insanely low body fat (by far the lowest on the team). He was actually leaner than most of the WRs and DBs. He should have been a LEGENDARY player, but I think his attitude wasn't the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKCAUB 0 Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 If we can suit up Marcus McNeil and King Dunlap, we can fit this guy. I mean, is he really that much bigger than say, Josh Thompson or Tim Duckworth or Tez Doolittle...those guys are pretty big...and wide. Yes...he is bigger. They "brought" the house...they were "in" the house...this guy IS a house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.