Post Tagged with: "eltoro freeman"

Freeman has case of turf toe injury

The Bull has a hurt hoof.

Eltoro Freeman walked slowly out of Auburn’s James H. Watson Fieldhouse on Thursday morning while his teammates sprinted to their spots for early practice stretching.

In a broad sense, this was a familiar scene for Freeman, who has been plagued by injuries and other various issues since he arrived at Auburn last spring. For this particular camp, one in which the fiery Freeman has attacked his second chance to start at outside linebacker with renewed passion, this marked the first humbling setback.

Freeman has a case of turf toe on his right foot that will keep him off the field for the next couple days of practice. It’s “nothing catastrophic,” coach Gene Chizik said, but it certainly doesn’t help

Freeman’s chances of fending off Daren Bates and a number of stellar freshmen at his position.

“He’s got to get back quick,” Chizik said.

AU FOOTBALL: Coaches want more from McNeil, Freeman

Coaches want the bull seeing red.

While ambiguous and sometimes puzzling, Gene Chizik’s player interview policy typically doesn’t exclude players who have impressed him with on-field accolades.

So when he was asked Monday if the opposite conclusion should be drawn regarding safety Mike McNeil and linebacker Eltoro Freeman — both of whom haven’t been made available after all 12 of Auburn’s spring practices to date — Chizik delivered a somewhat telling, but still-ambiguous response.

“I don’t know what you want to read into,” Chizik said. “I don’t know if you should or shouldn’t, but they both need to step it up.”

McNeil is coming off a lost season, the result of a broken leg he suffered last spring. Freeman is one year removed from an up-and-down debut season that had as many highlights as headaches.