Todd should be answer to Auburn’s quarterback debate

By Lee Roberts  |   Wednesday, June 25, 2008  |  Comments( 3 )

Auburn Tigers
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The old adage in football is that if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have any. Times may be changing, though. Quarterback controversies are never beneficial, but if a college football team has two quality players with complementary skills, it might be on the precipice of a championship. The last two BCS champions have integrated a two-quarterback system with great success.

This season Auburn has the ability to win the SEC West, but its chances hinge on head coach Tommy Tuberville’s decision regarding which quarterback should play. Tuberville brought in Tony Franklin from Troy as coordinator to install the spread offense before the Chick-fil-A Bowl, but the Tigers don’t have an experienced quarterback to hand the reins to.

Sophomore Kodi Burns and junior college transfer Chris Todd battled throughout spring practice, but they were unable to differentiate themselves. The battle for the starting job will continue into preseason practice, but the coaches might be best served by looking at the examples LSU and Florida set the past two years.

Both of those championship teams started primarily pocket passers who were accurate and then brought the more athletic counterparts off the bench to keep defenses honest. Fortunately for Auburn, Todd and Burns fit those roles perfectly.

Todd has the better arm and would prefer to play in the pocket. Moreover, he played for Franklin in high school and was recruited to Texas Tech, so he’s familiar with the spread offense. After a stint at Hutchinson Community College, he's reunited with Franklin at Auburn.

Burns proved last season he can create plays with his legs, while his arm leaves something to be desired. He split time with Brandon Cox in the Tigers' bowl victory, running for 69 yards, but only threw four passes, completing one. Clearly, the coaches weren’t enamored with his arm, but they knew his legs could be dangerous weapons.

If Auburn wants to compete for the SEC and BCS titles this season, it needs Todd to be the starter with Burns complementing him off the bench. In an offense that demands accuracy from the quarterback, taking a chance with Burns might be too costly against the ball-hawking defenses in the SEC. Burns will play a vital role, but Todd is the quarterback to lead Auburn to a championship.
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About Lee Roberts

Born in Richmond, Va, I moved south to UNC-Chapel Hill for college and received a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. I currently live in Charlotte, NC and cover Auburn, LSU and the ACC.
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