Coleman can take Auburn’s D from good to great

By Robert Rousseau  |   Monday, March 10, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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The Auburn Tigers defense will be at least good this season. After all, they have been for many years running now. However, this is a season of change for the Tigers, so how good is hard to say at this juncture. Here’s what we do know, though.

If the injury that defensive end Antonio Coleman sustained on the final play of their first 2008 spring ball scrimmage had been more serious. . . Well, that would have been terrible on numerous levels. First, it would have been devastating to watch a quality young man have to deal with such an occurrence. Second, he is going to be a great player for the club this season. In other words, he’s an athlete that the Tigers defense could use if they are going to be better than good in 2008.

Consider the following:

Auburn’s defensive coordinator from last season, Will Muschamp, decided to leave and join the Texas Longhorns staff. Now Paul Rhoads has joined the team. Their best defensive player, Quentin Groves, is going to the NFL as is defensive tackle Pat Sims. On top of it all, Josh Thompson (nosetackle) and two corners from last season—Jonathan Wilhite and Pat Lee—are also off to the next level.

So 2008 represents a season of transition on the defensive side of things for the club. The good thing is that Auburn always has talent on both sides of the ball. But it’s important to mix that talent with people that have experience. Right now, Sen’Derrick Marks and Antonio Coleman represent the kind of experience on the defensive line that Auburn needs. Further, when you consider how Coleman performed last season—38 tackles and 8.5 sacks after starting only seven games – you have to wonder what’s on the horizon for him.

A lot of good stuff, for sure.

Coleman suffered a cervical sprain and will be back practicing soon enough. Lee Ziemba, the man that was going all out tussling with Coleman on that last play (as he and every other football player has been taught to) has gone on record to say that he’s “thankful to God,” that Coleman wasn’t seriously injured.

Again, the rest of Auburn is too.
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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or ...
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