Answers will come on the field

By Mike Szvetitz
Sports Editor, Opelika-Auburn News
Published: August 18, 2007

I talked about this in my column for Friday’s edition of the Opelika-Auburn News, but I think it’s important for everyone to understand that question marks are rampant on every college football team across the country.
That’s why it’s preaseason. If there were nothing to second guess, they wouldn’t have to practice. Everyone would just show up on Saturday’s and the games would be played.
You wouldn’t have to go through the two-a-days, the heat, the sunburn, the monotony or the pain of practice. To take a page from the Herm Edwards’ playbook ... “You practice to get better. You don’t practice just to practice. You practice to get better.“ You also practice to make sure you know who can play and who can’t.
Auburn’s no different from any other team. However, Auburn does have some pretty heavy questions still lingering out there. Can a true freshman really play right tackle in this offense? Can the young receivers handle the pressure? Can Brandon Cox stay healthy? Can Quentin Groves dominate a game now that every defensive coordinator in the country knows who he is? Can the Tigers’ kicking game hold its own with new, unproven feet? Can Auburn survive its road schedule?
All legit questions that, right now, there aren’t any answers for. Why?
Because the 2007 version of the Auburn Tigers haven’t played a game yet. And until they do, no one, not even us the media who loves to second, third and quadruple guess, can know what’s going to happen.
That’s the beauty of football. It’s played on the field. All the answers will come out between the lines. There’s no hiding. There’s no running. There’s no fooling. If you are a bad team, you will get exposed on the gridiron. If you can’t play, everyone will know ... individually and as a team. Until then, it’s all a guessing game. Not a football game.
But we’ll find out soon enough.
We’ll all know the kind of team Auburn is once the Tigers play their first game on Pat Dye Field at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Sept. 1 against Kansas State. That’s when the answers will come.
So get your questions ready.