By Gregg Doyel
CBSSports.com National Columnist
Nov. 9, 2010
If it’s all the same to you, I’m going to believe in the eligibility of Cam Newton. I’m going to believe in Auburn. I’m not going to believe in the sanctity of college football, because my naïveté goes only so far, but I am going to believe in the eligibility — until proven otherwise — of Newton, the best player in college football.
Why would I do such a thing now, with the world coming down on Newton like a condemned building? Because after Reggie Bush lost his Heisman, and after Butch Davis had an agent’s runner on his coaching staff, and after Marcell Dareus and Marvin Austin and Weslye Saunders, I’m tired of believing in slime.
And, in a possibly related sentence, I’m not prepared to believe in John Bond.
Or in ESPN.com. Or in The New York Times.
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Before we begin, we need to discuss an established problem that plagues the SEC.
The Officiating…
- I’m an Auburn fan, but I’ll be the first to admit that a few of our touchdowns were total bullshit. The replay officials must have been blind or must have been so obsessed with the “conclusive evidence” rule that they were unwilling to overturn two calls on the field that went Auburn’s way.
- But before rival fans jump up and down and say “Auburn won THIS game because of bad calls,” the officials have helped numerous teams over the years win football games when it may have been possible for them to lose.
- Bad celebration calls. Bad fumble calls (who signaled touchdown when Fannin apparently fumbled going into the endzone?). Bad pass interference calls. Bad late hit calls. These bad calls happen enough that I believe it’s time to take a big roll of toilet paper and wipe the shit stains off of the SEC asshole.
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Kodi hauls in a pass from Cameron Newton, he also caught 2 TD passes and was one of the bright spots in Tuesdays practice.
The score was a lopsided 82-25, but there wasn’t an Auburn player or coach to be found Tuesday night that felt like celebrating as if the victory meant something.
This is the year of “eight ain’t it” and “good to great,” after all.
With 17 days remaining until the season opener against Arkansas State, Auburn’s players seemingly all agreed that they were not satisfied with what the team has accomplished after two weeks of camp. Coaches acknowledged the positives, but couldn’t avoid the areas that troubled them, weaknesses they’ve spotted that likely kept them in their offices well after the Tigers’ third scrimmage in six days.
“We’ve got to get better in a hurry. In a hurry,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “The good news is they’re all correctable and we’ll get that corrected.”
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Newton ready, but still has a lot of learning to do.
Cameron Newton was just as surprised by the timing of the news as everyone else.
Less than two weeks after Gene Chizik said the quarterback decision would likely drag through the summer, Newton was doing what normal football players do at this time of the year: lifting weights.
When one of the trainers flagged him down to meet with Chizik and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, Newton was taken aback.
He had no idea he’d be receiving the best news of his rebuilt football career to date.
“My first thought was I ain’t did nothing wrong,” Newton said. “So I was kind of nervous at first. When they told me, I just wanted to scream. I had to keep my composure.”
Newton kept his cool, fighting back a smile because Chizik “probably thought I was just joking around.”
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