Newton Wants More Praise For Auburn
August 23rd, 2010 11:27 AM║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink
║ Schools: Auburn
No player in the history of organized sports has ever felt that his team has gotten the credit it deserves.
And in the last quarter-century of sports coverage, no single quote has induced more eye rolls than the “we’re not getting respect” line that’s tossed out by numerous players each and every year.
Well, like everyone else, Auburn’s team feels its getting less hype than it actually deserves. So says new quarterback Cameron Newton.
“Oh, no doubt. Anytime you turn on the TV or you turn on the sports talk radio show or anywhere, they’re talking about the other team. … Of course, we know that they’re an excellent team as well. We feel like we’re not being mentioned as we should be.”
Let’s do a quick comparison to help Newton understand why “the other team” (Alabama) is getting more hype than the Tigers:
* Alabama went 14-0 and beat superpowers Florida and Texas in back-to-back games to win last year’s national title. They’re coached by arguably the best head coach in college football today. And they return last year’s Heisman Trophy winner.
* Auburn went 8-5 last season. They finished their SEC schedule by losing five of their last six games (including a loss at home to Bama). Their high-flying offense dropped in production as the season wore on… up until a date with Northwestern in the Outback Bowl. The Tigers are coached by a man who little more than year ago elicited catcalls from fans who were angry over his hiring.
Newton should help the Tigers. Auburn should be deeper on defense in Gene Chizik’s second year, too. But when you look at what Alabama did last season and what Auburn did last season… it’s pretty clear why one team is getting more hype than the other going into this season.
Considering the fact that many people — like ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit — believe the Iron Bowl could decide the SEC West, I think an argument could be made that the Tigers are actually overhyped going into the season.
Again, go back and re-read that recap of AU’s 2009 season.
