By Intheknow72
On this Saturday afternoon, just one week from the kick-off of the 2008 college football season (thank you, Lord), thanks to CSS, I am enjoying the sights and sounds of college football already. As I work on a few projects around the house, Auburn-LSU from two years ago is on the tube. And as I watch it, two realities are becoming clear:

1. Auburn will miss having a real offense
2. Auburn will sorely miss Brandon Cox

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The physical, intimidating style of offense that the Tigers had brought to the table for so many years has been replaced by a “dink and dunk” gimmick offense made famous by the likes of Kentucky and Troy. It’s been well documented on this website the kind of athletes this sort of offense attracts, and the kind it deflects. Unfortunately for Auburn, the deflections are the ones everybody else wants. Kentucky hasn’t won the SEC East, let alone the conference in my lifetime. And Troy? Well, they beat Missouri a few years ago. That’s about it.

The Auburn defense will still be good, but no one in their right mind believes it will have the same intensity Will Muschamp’s defenses had, with unpredictable and relentless pressure and blitzes that came from everywhere. But the secondary has more holes than a whiffle ball. It’s the kind of unit a 5th year senior salivates to face at home. Ask Tennessee.

Auburn will also miss Brandon Cox. He wasn’t sexy. He wasn’t flashy. But he was consistent, and more importantly, Brandon Cox was proven. He had the kind of ice-water-in-the-veins poise that make a team you hate to see win do just that…a lot. I watched him with this God-given ability way back in high school at Hewitt-Trussville. He had an uncanny presence and ability to move in the pocket to avoid pressure, never taking his eyes off his receivers. In short, Auburn doesn’t have this anymore. The new QBs are good, I’m sure. But they aren’t Brandon Cox.

You can’t do anything about losing a starting QB to graduation. But Auburn’s politician…er…head coach has once again rushed to campaign for his program, selling its heart and soul for the latest offensive craze…one that will soon join the wishbone and wing-T out to pasture.

25 thoughts on “Auburn will miss…old offense & Brandon Cox”

  1. You haven’t actually seen the offense yet. I’d say your pronouncing it a failure is a bit premature there, sparky.

  2. And before both the Bama and Alabama PolyTECHnic Institute folks start cutting new and old Brandon Cox jokes, I want to address the fact that he was a class act who had to overcome a lot of adversity to get where he was.

    I know he was a member of the “enemy squad”, but regardless of where he played, he is one of the few athletes you’re forced to respect.

    He had a rare medical condition, but that didn’t stop him from doing what he loved. He played his heart out on the field and was ridiculed for simple mistakes that all quarterbacks make and trust me when I say his good performances overshadow his bad. He was A GIFTED quarterback and even as an Alabama fan, I’ll certainly miss seeing him strive to lead his team to victory.

  3. Bama Fan in NYC, The classiest post I’ve seen since I’ve been trolling the CSR. rtr & wde

  4. Auburn has never learned that…..you get what you pay for.
    Every year they try to pawn off thier 1973 Ford Pinto of a program as a Porsche. And every year they end up looking like a bunch of gullible yokels who got stuck buying into the latest crap fad at the County Fair. This year’s crap fad? The discount offensivive scriblings and gray matter diahrea of Tony Franklin. (The Russ Whitney of the Football universe). And all the time they are pushing the whole concept like they have done something on the cutting edge. Like they have discovered a secret no one else is smart enough to know about. Damnit….Aubbos are dumb.

  5. tmc ilove what you said but please repent on the lord’s name when at church today. rolltide roll………..tide

  6. tmc, joking and cutting each other down on this blog is alot of fun. However, using GOD’s name in vain is for losers. It’s Sunday morning and you soon will be put on our prayer list.

  7. You’re whistling in a Graveyard.

    BC was a warrior and his presences will be missed. However, Auburn’s new offensive strategy will only open the doors to the Old style offense. NO more 9/10 men in the box to shut down the running game. BC would have excelled in this new offense as well. It only took 9 days for BC to grasp the offense and beat the team that is about to pound UA this Saturday.

    Auburn’s new offense will average more rushing yards, passing yards, TOP, and Points per game this season than the 2004 team. This does not bode well…for Auburn’s opponents.

    It would be nice to read how the Crapstone expects Alabama is going stop Auburn. We know they have no answers. What is Alabama going to do to stop- Clemson, UGA, LSU, UT, Ole Miss and MSU.

    The Crapstone, being a representative of the U of Crap, should write how well the UofC won’t play. I see another 6-6 season for Bama, including a bad loss to Auburn.

  8. And yet, tmc, that ’73 Pinto (as you call it) has kicked your team’s ass consistently. To follow your metaphor, I guess that makes your program a Yugo.

  9. Did ya’ll see something I didn’t…. I didn’t see any of “your” lords name takin’ in vain, hell all I saw was the word damnit… not g_d damnit… not as much of a big deal as you sunday christians want to try to make out of it!!!
    Besides if ya’ll sunday/hypocrite christians really know and apply your beliefs… no sin is greater than another sin…it’s all just as bad, no matter if it was said or committed on sunday, monday, tuesday, wednesday, thrusday, friday, or saturday.
    So go forth and be ‘WHOLLIER THAN THOU!!!!
    From an TIDER agnostic!!!!

  10. tmc, major kudos on a yet brilliant comparison. We’ve missed you dearly since you’ve been gone (wherever that was). Without a shadow of a doubt, Tubs and Alabama Tech didn’t read the fine print when they were quick to sign Tony the Tigger. After he fails to lift their offense off the ground, they’ll can him quickly, like they did Borges; but unlike Borges, Franklin will have a counter strike already devised, leading to violations on behalf of Alabama Tech and Tubs, which will ultimately lead to his retirement. Losing to Alabama consecutively (while they’re no longer buried with restrictions) and hearing frequent rumors of possible NCAA sanctions will be his career’s proverbial nail in the coffin.

  11. “Auburn’s new offense will average more rushing yards, passing yards, TOP, and Points per game this season than the 2004 team. This does not bode well…for Auburn’s opponents.”

    Oh… he… ha, and I thought my jokes were bad!

    Don’t let false hopes spoil your appetite kid. Unless youre talking about two entirely different offenses here. But if you are talking about the same Troy State offense Franklin coordinated, then I guess we are both talking about the same offense than only scored 3 points against UAB one year, and only had 10 on the board in the third quarter against UGA, UNTIL they took the starters out and suddenly ignited the scoreboard. But they may average more passing yards against the second and third string after the opposing offense obliterates API and decides to put their second string offense and defense in the game.

  12. Well Bama NY you seem to have a man crush on an enemy QB!! LOL I’m kidding!! Did you know he wanted to play for us but Franny passed him up just before he bolted to A&M?? I’m sure you do because the guys calling the Iron Bowl always seem to rub it in our faces.

  13. Chrissy,
    What is Alabama going to do about stopping this offense? Why do you necks feel the need to convince Auburn fan that this offense won’t work. It appears in a round about way the crapstone is trying to convince itself.

    If the Crapstone was commenting on Troy’s offense and Hogaboon(SP?)then I would not disagree Chrissy. However, this is Auburn. You know, the Team that has a current winning Streak on your beloved Tide!
    It would be interesting if the Crapstone had the balls to discuss how Alabama will fair against this New Auburn offense and QBs. Right now, like I said, the Crapstone Bammers are whistling in the graveyard.

  14. sixgodown,

    How can you be ridiculing a man that has a website that is committed to Bama and downgrading the barn, yet you are visiting the Bama site? That tells all of us one thing….YOu’re an idiot.

    Go to a cow college website and have some fun. Get lost.

  15. Tmc1….I see that you have decided to grace us with your presence…..Oh, and thanks for bringing the psycos out from under thier rocks..#@#%&&%^ or whatever you call yourself, for goodness sakes , calm down man. This is just another smoke and mirrors column to divert attention from the 7th ass kickin in a row that is coming….If our “old” offense was so great, why were we ranked 93 in the country last year ? Think before you type such B.S.

    FACTS ARE LIKE KRYPTONITE TO A BAMMER.

  16. intheknow, you write this offense off as a dink and dunk “gimmick” and you haven’t even seen it? You’re only basis for that statement is that Kentucky didn’t win the East while Franklin was there, and that Troy hasn’t “beaten” anybody besides Missouri? (I guess you forgot that Troy beat Okla State 41-23 last year, the same team that beat Bammer in the 06 loser bowl. Then again, bammers don’t really like to talk about Sun Belt teams beating BCS teams…kinda conjures up some bad memories.) As to UK not winning the East, give me a freakin’ break. UK will never win the East. UK went to back to back bowls for the first time in years while Franklin was there. As far as Troy is concerned, all Franklin did was take them from being ranked 109th in the country in total offense to 16th, and took them from last in the Sunbelt in total offense to first (along with 2 Sunbelt conference titles). It’s amazing how defensive you bammers are about Franklin. Are you really that scared of the guy?

  17. Yes Julio…They are that scared of the guy. I would like to think , that if my team sucked as bad as Bama, that I would wait until something happened on the field before I shot my mouth off. I would like to think that i would wait and see how my rivals offfense actually worked, before I discredited it. We BEAT Clemson the last game that we played. WITH THIS OFFENSE !!!!! Clemson was a top 10 team at the time !!!!!! If that is a gimmicky offense, Ill take it with the win every time. What will your excuses be when Clemson Beats the snot out of you in 6 days ?

  18. A couple of short years later and you see can see why BP and Julio are twoo four-hundred pounders at the all you can eat crow buffet we call life.
    Well done boys..!!!!

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