Regarding the Auburn departures
It seems as if it’s been a while since The Jungle Cat chimed in on the goings-on in the world of Auburn football. A lot has happened since the last post over a month ago (February 6 to be exact). The poisoning of the oak trees at Toomer’s Corner has been discussed in the media ad nauseam, so there’s no need to delve into the lunacy of that event (The Jungle Cat doesn’t weep for trees, but agrees that this was a bizarre occurrence). What does need to be pondered aloud is the departure of five malcontent players and one terrific coach.
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A fond farewell to Eric Smith, Football Player
In separate incidents, senior-to-be Eric Smith and a group of four Tigers (senior-to-be Mike McNeil, sophomores-to-be Shaun Kitchens and Antonio Goodwin, and redshirt freshman-to-be Dakota Mosley) were dishonorably discharged from the football team. Smith’s dismissal came after a public third strike: being charged for domestic assault. The other four were booted in a swift, concise manner following robbery charges.
Smith, our back-up at the h-back position (behind Philip Lutzenkirchen), was a favorite of The Jungle Cat. He announced for Auburn at the Seffner, Fla. Beef O’Brady’s in front of his family and the genuine happiness about being an Auburn Tiger that exuded in the announcement’s aftermath was contagious. He built an on-field reputation for being a dependable blocking back and emerged as a safety-valve/final option in the Gus Malzahn spread attack. Unfortunately, his off-the-field antics preceded him: he beat the holy hell out of a frat boy at an Auburn bar (The Jungle Cat would like to know the whole story instead of hearing shady student accounts), he was ruled academically ineligible for the 2010 Outback Bowl, and was perpetually in the Gene Chizik dog house. With the latest charge, it’s tough to give a third (or possibly fourth) chance to a kid on scholarship. Coach Chizik and staff should be applauded for working to keep him on board and trying to right his ship, but nothing seemed to take for No. 32. Alas.
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TJC to Mike McNeil: “Have you lost your damn mind? ‘Cause I’ll help you find it.”
As for the other morons, a similar sympathy does not exist. The four were arrested early Friday for being sought in a burglary of a house in Auburn. One player – none of the media outlets have pinned which one – carried a pistol. The dumbest of the bunch has to be McNeil, our starter at safety last year following Aairon Savage’s season-ending injury. The fifth-year senior was slated to be a full-time starter this season. It’s clear that McNeil failed mightily on being a team leader during this situation. The remaining three were only on the Auburn campus for a year. Big things were expected from Kitchens and Goodwin at the receiver position, but both only played sparingly last season. Mosley was given a “friend-of-the-superstar” scholarship before last season after he and high school teammate Michael Dyer committed to Auburn. The loss of Mosley will actually be addition by subtraction: The Jungle Cat doesn’t have an affinity for dudes, but in terms of attractiveness, Ol’ Dakota was an eyesore.
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Mr. Rocker goes to Nashville: This one will hurt
It’s the nature of the business that coaches move and shake in the football industry. Any assistant coaching gig – especially if the coach is good – will inevitably see turnover. Such was the case with former defensive line coach Tracy Rocker, who just left Auburn to accept a position with a pro football squad in Nashville. And rightfully so: in his two years as an assistant under Gene Chizik, Rocker reinvigorated the Tigers’ d-line culture, turning Nick Fairley into a game-changing, hated-by-opponents monster.
A coach of his kind has the ability to make average players with promise realize their potential. Without Rocker and the 2010 Auburn football season, Fairley – who didn’t originally qualify into Auburn and joined the Tigers following a season in the junior college ranks – would have merely been a fat kid from Mobile. A coach of Rocker’s kind is rare and his replacement has awfully big shoes to fill.
Mike Pelton, like Rocker, played at Auburn and has produced successful d-lineman for another southern school (Troy). Pro football stars DeMarcus Ware and Osi Umenyiora became high-paid talents out of Troy after Pelton’s seasoning (Ware and Umenyiora are both from Auburn, further proving that Tommy Tuberville was a gawd-awful recruiter).
There’s every indication that Pelton is a coach first, recruiter second. That’s a good thing. If he can turn boys into Auburn men, it’s a great thing.
The Jungle Cat is an online magazine dedicated to Auburn Tigers Football, written by David Smith.
