SB Nation User Blog: ArieGold

Ari's 6 Must Win Games

ArieGold — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:26:25 -0000

Hello All!

With the season upon us, I thought it fitting to post the 6 games that Auburn must win to build a solid foundation for the future...

Let's face it. Auburn isn't going to win 8, 9, or even 10 games. Six is a real possibility for this season, and I have compiled my list of the 6 games Auburn must win to consider this year a success.

La Tech- Yeah, I said it. You may say they aren't anywhere near is good as Auburn. But, based on the offensive woes of the last 3 years, it is crucial that Auburn open up the season with a win....they may not be very good, but we aren't either.

Miss St-In the world of recruiting this games is a must win. Hugh Mullen is no coach to scoff at, He will have the Bulldogs playing good football. If Auburn wishes to concede Mississippi totally to the Rebels and Bulldogs-we can go ahead and lose this game. If not, beating Mississippi State will aid Auburn in confidence, and Chizik in further coaching endeavors.

Tennessee- Chizik (like Mullen and Kiffin) is a new coach in this league. Getting the better of the other 2 new guys is very very important in judging this season as a success and building a program for the future. Plus, who wants to be beaten by that dumbass and his croanies.

Ball State-This is a must win out of conference game. Could be a "Trap' if Auburn isn't playing well early.

Kentucky- A very winnable conference game. We all know how poorly we played in conference last year, and it is important to(at least) win the "Winnable" games.

Furman-We'll win this one. Not worried, barring a disaster we should win this one early in the first quarter.

Bowl Game-Wherever it is, and whomever it is against, Auburn must win this game.

Well, there you have it. The 6 games that I believe we must win. Does this mean I don't think we can win any other games? No, but winning these games will help our coaches lay a solid foundation for the future, and that is more important to me than anything else at this point.

I love Auburn, and I am ready for this season. Let's not boo our team, and be poor sports. Let's respect the "Process" and buy-in to what our coaches are selling!!

War Eagle Everyone!!!!

-Ari

Evan Berry?/

ArieGold — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:28:52 -0000

I don't know if any of you guys saw the story, but apparently Eric Berry's 13 year old brother has verbally committed to Tennessee and Lane Kiffin.

Yes, there's no typo! The kid is only 13. By my count(unless he some genius "Man-Child) Berry isn't even in high school yet! This seems to be no problem for Lane Kiffin who continues to astound me from the director's chair in Knoxville.

What will he do next? The circus that is on 'Rocky-top" these days seems to be gradually growing into an even bigger circuse as time passes. I guess next up for Kiffin is to call Urban Meyer and gloat about recruiting a thirteen year old boy to come play with him....I mean for him.

How do we even know this kids got what it takes? That's why I am resigned to posting here, and just watching the games. I don't think that I can handle anymore back and forth banter between myself and an Alabama fan over whether or not a seventeen year old is going to commit to my school next February.

I think I'll just watch it all play out starting September 4th.

My gut tells me that this season will be pleasing to Auburn fans because we'll win 7 or so, and it will be discouraging to Alabama fans because I think that they will win 9 at the most. So, I'll take my leave and wait patiently for the season to begin....and I'll leave recruiting up to the guys that actually know what's going on(minus Lane Kiffin)........

Happy Memorial Day

ArieGold — Sun, 24 May 2009 13:50:13 -0000

I justed wanted to jump in and second the sentiments of some.

In the grand scheme of things, football is merely trivial. Let's not forget about the sacrifices of those that have fought, bled, and died for this country.

There are those in the left-wing media and within the democratic party that have attempted to villainize our men in uniform. Classic Stockholm Syndrome seems to be the fad with these people. Let's not forget where we came from, and how we got here. If it wasn't for those sacrifices, we could not bank on being free(or taunt Bammers) for ever.

Thank a Veteran. It'll be worth it.

WDE

The Barn Rising

ArieGold — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 02:03:29 -0000

Yep, I am totally stoaked for next season. MattCo is one of my best buds, and he and I chat about the status of our beloved school almost on a daily basis. I haven't been this excited about an upcoming season in YEARS. Except 2004- I saw that coming from a mile away.

Anyways, I digress...

Auburn, by all accounts, looks to be headed in a really good direction. I am excited about the Coleman's deciding to play together for one year!(Hey! At least, it's one year) And, what's funny, I know we will lose 4-5 games. But, I feel a real change coming on and that is so important to our school and our athletic program. I, for one, actually believe that there is a method to the madness that we call Jay Jacobs. If, things keep heading in the direction they seem to be, We may be kissing the man's hind-end real soon. Anyways....

I am sorry to those of you Tuberville fans that can't seem to get past his dismissal. It was for the best. And, with time, you will all see that! WDE

P.S. Any of you get a major kick out of Bammers fall from grace? I did! And, as I said before, TWELVE WINS....NO SEC TITLE.....STILL NO BCS WIN.....

EVEN THE "COW COLLEGE" HAS ONE OF THOSE!!!!

WDE!!!!

Auburn Family

ArieGold — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 20:27:51 -0000

I have been rather silent in the last few days, as I have tried to get a better idea of what it is Auburn's leaders have been doing.

Yes, I wanted Tubs out. He seemed to have lost the fire that made him one of the top 15 coaches in America.

But, this is ridiculous! If Chizik is hired, everyone in the Auburn family will know how I felt the day that John McCain sprinted ahead in the primaries over much better opponents.(Sorry, only analogy I knew)

This could be utterly tragic to say the least. And, I agree with other's sentiments. If Chizik is hired I will write letters to the BOT, President Gouge, and others. This is a prank that seems to have gone very, very wrong.

Please, don't hire Gene Chizik. He will never succeed here. Why not listen to the voices of the faithful? Have we learned nothing from our enemies across the state?

Hire the BEST man for the job! And do it now!!!!!

Tubs, IT IS TIME

ArieGold — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:55:23 -0000

Yes, 2008 was without a doubt the most dismal season I have ever experience as an Auburn fan. What about 1998 you ask? Hey! We scored 17 against Alabama in that year! That's a lot better than this bunch mustered.

What happened? Where did the pride and love for Auburn go? It's not just the coaching staff, it's the players too! Yes, I know you're tired of losing Antonio Coleman, but what are you doing to fix it? Running to the NFL early? To suffer the same setback as Stanley McGlover?

I mean really, what happened here? Auburn has been in a steady decline since the 2004 season. It's simple math. We have nowhere the talent that that team had. What are the reasons? Who is to blame for this slide into mediocrity?

All of you who have read my posts know that I have a love-hate thing for Tommy Tuberville. And, that I question a LOT of things that he does. But, ENOUGH is ENOUGH!

This season was absolutely humiliating. Even in 1999, Tubs pulled off signature wins against LSU and Georgia. This year? NADA. Our biggest win was against a VERY, VERY bad Tennessee team. Who, quite frankly, would have beaten us if we had played them later on in the year.

Where do we go from here? What do we, as Auburn fans, do? Well, there's not a whole lot that we can do. I have no clout withe BOT, and I am sure that most of you do not either. A change is necessary. Even lowly Mississippi State has seen the light and is making stride to change their proram's direction.

And, don't tell me I am not a true fan because of one bad year! Has it been just ONE bad year? What about last year? We lost four and very well should have lost more. Is that acceptable? If you like mediocrity and standing in a circle and singing' " We are the World" - then yes, it's acceptable.

But, it's not okay with me. I have watched Alabama go from doormat to setting the standard in the SEC in really just one year's time. How did they do it? Their players bought into it. They are resigned to believing in their coach and to following his direction. Do you see that at Auburn? I have never seen a year when tackling was this bad, or offensive players were so undercoached that they couldn't run more than a dozen plays for fear of total chaos!

Well, in the words of Tommy Lee Jones in "The Fugitive", "Well shit sheriff", these players have no direction and seem totally complacent in their mediocrity. How is this? What would cause this? Could it be that their coach left them hanging in limbo while he threw his name into the hat of every possible coaching opening in College Football? Could it be that he brought in an unstable OC that totally re-vamped and destroyed any semblence of offense we had? Or is it that the conditioning coach seems to have fallen asleep on the job? (We have to have the worst conditioning coach in Yox- I have never seen so many season ending ankle sprains and gingivitis in my life)

What do these kids have to play for? They know nothing of Auburn Pride or Spirit. They are as complacent and as lazy as the man that is leading them. Also included, are mountains of excuses that they have picked up from their coach.

So, what is the answer? Am I no longer in the Auburn faithful because I long for the days when this program put their perverbial foots in the perverbial asses of everyone else in the SEC? I love Auburn, but this insanity and lack of discipline is exhausting.

Tommy, you did a fantastic job for 9 years. But, you became complacent in your job. You held a grudge against the Auburn family for something a handful of people conjured up.What did I do to make you hold a grudge for so long? Hell, one of the guys who was on that plane is dead. It's time to pay the piper Tommy. Auburn has never seemed so miserable of a place to play football until here recently. I can't blame it on the BOT. You did this to yourself. You stopped coaching and became the banner carrier for excuse makers everywhere. You ran this thing into the ground. Now be a man and step aside. I won't let my love for my school cloud judgement here. It's time to go.

War Eagle

It's Coming-Be Prepared

ArieGold — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 14:50:52 -0000

One one side- A team on the verge of collapse. On the other-A team that is steadily getting better and on the verge of a National Championship. A beloved and embattled coach, possibly on his way out VS a coach that is already a legend in his fan's eyes.

If you thought I was talking about 1992, then you are correct. There are eerie similarities in the way this College Football season has progressed. It reminds me of 1992. Auburn had previously owned Alabama. In fact. Auburn had just come off of a 4 game win streak vs the Tide. The Tide faithful's lack of patience in Bill Curry led to his demise and the hiring of yet another legend in College Football-Gene Stallings. Alabama's powers that be lacked the patience to let Curry do his job-as did they with Mike Shula.

So, now here we are. Saban-you have to give credit where it is due-is a very good coach. But, what I'd like to point out as with Bill Curry-Mike Shula DID recruit well for Alabama. I get tired of the "He left the stable empty" excuse. He brought in Andre Smith, John Parker Wilson, Glenn Coffee, Roy Upchurch, and many many more. Yet, here we are. Auburn doesn't appear capable of winning but one more game this year. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Auburn, but if you think I'm giving us a chance against Georgia and Alabama-then you are wrong. I think that we will play well against Alabama, and perhaps lead for most of the game. But, in the end, I think that this Auburn team has given up. They have given up on our coach and most importantly they have given up on themselves. These last 4 games will be a test of the will and the competitve spirit of these young Auburn men. But, I think it's too late.

I, like all of you, never saw this coming and am totally confounded by this season. i don't really want Tubs to go, but you know he won't clean house on his staff. He won't bring in a new wide receivers coach, quarterback coach, offensive line coach, or special teams coach. So what do we do? I say that if he refuses to change certain personnel then he must go with them. I don't want him too, but he needs to listen to reason.

It's going to have taken Alabama less than 2 calendar years to get a shot at a title under Saban. They won't win it, but I like them to win the SEC, and play Texas for the national championship. And, that doesn't sit well with me. Tubs needs to reflect right now and decide if he really is an Auburn man. He needs to win back his team, and do it quickly. There is a slight chance that it could happen this year, but what Auburn needs is a player to step up and lead this team. Who that player is, I have no idea. But, I have faith that there is someone that will lead this team and help get us back on the right track.

We are down right now, and Alabama is flying high. Let's get it together and be the team that craps on Bama's perfect season on November 29th.

War Eagle

Burns-Now You See?

ArieGold — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:28:27 -0000

Four downs, Auburn had inside the five to score. Two relatively wide open receivers missed. One COMPLETELY wide open receiver missed.

Kodi Burns has tried all season to hijack the offense. With comments like: "I'm a big-time play maka" and "I am an NFL style quaata back", Burns shamelessly divided our offensive team and our coaching staff. Well, Saturday, against the SEC's worst defense, Burns got his shot. What did he do? He missed receiver after receiver. He purposely called his own number over twenty times.

In the game, Burns and Todd(not going to place all blame on "Superman") led Auburn on 57 plays for NEGATIVE YARDAGE. Coincidentally, Auburn is number one in the NATION in negative plays.

So, what should happen next? It is my unprofessional opinion that if Burn's attitude doesn't make a shift towards an openess of teamwork that he should never play for Auburn again. Hell, I agree with Franklin. If he really told Burns that he wasn't worth a shit, then hats off to Tony. At least someone on that coaching staff has the testicular fortitude to say it. And, I can guess who the hot-headed lineman was that Franklin fought with......Could it be Super-Kodi's high school teammate LEE ZIEMBA?

I bet my left nut it was. Ziemba has developed quite the hot-head. And, in short, has played poorly all year long. Auburn and Tuberville have some serious problems on this football team, and we need to deal with them immidiately. I have never seen a Tuberville team play less like a real team in my life. It looks to me like, while we were having a good time laughing at BAMA for having serious internal problems-that some severe ones for us manifested.

Auburn is always going to be my team, but I hope that if Tubs wants to keep his job-he will sort out the bad seeds. I don't believe our problem lies with the coaching staff solely. There are guys on this team who appear to have legitamately lost their minds. I hope and pray they sort it out.

Also, I hear that Tubs is exploring MY Barrett trotter recommendation. Hell, even Caudle would be a nice change. Give the man a shot! Anyways, I think that Tubs has seen enough and is actively making changes to this team as we speak.

And, just so we are all clear, I hope that if cooler heads and maturity do not prevail that Ziemba and Burns get their walking papers soon!

War Eagle!

P.S. Burns, if you were worth a shit, you'd be playing!

Couldn't Stay Away

ArieGold — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:32:35 -0000

Well, I hate to say it-No, I actually love to say it......

So, what's worse than losing to a top 10 ranked LSU Tiger football team at home?

Losing to a far inferior opponent like, say, Oregon State......How bout that game? It goes to show you that the underdog does win once in a while. Good for college football, but bad for USC. Our chances of reaching the championship game are better at this point.

Give Auburn's offense some time, and cut Franklin some slack. They will only get better!! We'll take it to Tennessee this weekend, and then on to Vandy!

War Eagle!

P.S. I like Georgia over Bama by 14

But, can you imagine if Bama beats Georgia? They could sneak waaaaay up there! Yeah, I don't see that happening though. Their lack of depth on defense will show up against truly physical football teams. AKA-Georgia, even Kentucky, LSU, and Auburn. Not saying that they're going to lose those, but this illusion of a defense will be suspect by years end.

I decided to not let a couple of nimrods get to me. After all, they know little of what they speak.

War Eagle again!!!!!

Farewell Track 'Em

ArieGold — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 22:24:02 -0000

I have decided that it isn't necessary to read or post on this site for now. I just cannot stand all of the negativity. No one is giving the offense time to come around, and it's pissing me off. I cannot imagine what would have happened to Florida if they had canned Meyer and his offense after a year......We were beaten by a better team plain and simple.....Goodbye fair-weather fans

War Eagle!