Newest batch of Villager stuff

Hello --

Here's a roundup of what I've been working on the last few weeks at the Auburn Villager.

- First, I wrote that while the Auburn Tigers may not have many concrete answers after spring practice, they're getting closer to finding them.

- This week, I covered Auburn High school's baseball team and their recent comeback playoff victory.

- And here are the last two week's worth of Mad Men discussion/recap posts: "To Have and to Hold." "The Flood."


Thanks for being here.

Also: Mad Men recaps/discussions!

Also at the Auburn Villager, my colleague Daniel Chesser and I are recapping season six of AMC's Mad Men with Monday morning discussions. They're sometimes serious, sometimes ridiculous but always fun (for me, at least).

Here are the first two.

- Following the two-episode season premiere, "The Doorway."

- And after the third -- or second, whatever -- episode last Sunday night, "The Collaborators."

Auburn Tigers spring practice coverage, A-Day preview

Well there's been some spring practicin' in Auburn over the last month or so. It's all going to culminate with this Saturday's A-Day scrimmage and final rolling of the Auburn Oaks at Toomer's Corner.

There's been some progress, some sluggishness, but lots and lots of speed. Here's what I've been writing as the Tigers wrap up their spring.

- First, the most recent. My overall A-Day preview, mostly focusing (of course) on the sort of telling scrimmage.

And on to the rest:

- This was a spring practice preview focusing on the quarterbacks. Since it's still a neck-and-neck race, it still applies.

- Here is a report after new head coach Gus Malzahn's spring-opening, tone-setting press conference.

- As practice started, I looked at Auburn and the implementation of their new 4-2-5 base defensive scheme.

- This was a notebook-style update as players began adapting to Malzahn's up-tempo system.

- My last update before the A-Day preview questioned where the Tigers were at, progress-wise, and whether they were far enough along or not.


There you are. Thanks for being here.

Auburn Villager, March 14: Auburn AD Jay Jacobs talk, Basketball's over, etc.

Hello again. Another week down at the Villager, and more proof that March is more entertaining than February could ever hope to be.

- First, I wrote about Auburn University athletic director Jay Jacobs, who isn't everyone's favorite around here right now. But I'm not sure he's judged as an A.D as much as a de-facto general manager of the football program. I'm not sure that I still have a good answer for the situation.

Anyway, here's the piece. I liked how it turned out, anyway.

- Here's the final preview for an Auburn men's basketball game this season. They were bounced in the SEC tournament's first round.

- And this is a writeup for a local high school baseball team's Play Against Cancer fundraiser.

Gus Malzahn: QB whisperer; SB Nation football stuff

My big story this week for the Auburn Villager was a look at new Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn and how, save for a few interesting situations, he has basically made every college quarterback he's coached thus far a whole lot better in his first season with them. When he and Cam Newton joined forces it was just plain silly.

- Here's the link.


Elsewhere, wanted to post some recent stuff I've been doing for SB Nation.

- When Jermichael Finley said recently he wouldn't take a pay cut with the Packers this season, I wrote why that wasn't a big deal, since both sides are treating it as a bottom-line business decision.

- After the NFL Combine, I wrote about Houston cornerback D.J. Hayden, just happy to be there after surviving a freak, near-fatal injury on the practice field.

- Last but not least and most sad, I wrote Charles Woodson's free agency profile. I only cried through 78 percent of it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Auburn Villager stuff: February - Now

So the Villager has a new web site that is less dry erase board and more, you know, web site. It's been good so far.

I've been doing plenty, but here are a few recent highlights.

- The Auburn men's basketball team has, wow, been really bad in the new year. I wrote here that even planning for the future in the present doesn't feel optimistic, and here after they lost to Alabama shortly thereafter.

And here's a look at their final home game against Tennessee, and momentum versus habits.

- For the craziness that is National Signing Day, I looked at Auburn's defensive signees, of which there were many.

- Lee-Scott Academy won their third straight state title in girls basketball. The boys lost right afterwards. Their coach talks winning a championship, then losing one in the same night.

More to come tomorrow.

Auburn Villager posts for week of Jan. 31

Hi! Fun week at the Villager, it was.

- I chatted over the phone with San Francisco 49ers cornerback Carlos Rogers about the Super Bowl and state of Auburn football. It was pretty neat.

Link: http://www.auburnvillager.com/story_1359561206006543_20130131-Rogers-talks-Super-Bowl,-state-of-Auburn-football.html

- With National Signing Day next week, I also spoke to Auburn High head football coach Tim Carter about the prospects on his team, including Reuben Foster.

Link: http://www.auburnvillager.com/story_1359561355007185_20130131-Carter-analyzes-senior-signees.html

Enjoy Super Bowling.