Tomorrow’s Notes Today—The “all rain, no pain” edition

By Andrew Gribble
Auburn University Beat Reporter
Published: March 31, 2009

Gene Chizik saw the nasty red spots on the radar and opted to cancel practice today.

We didn’t get the memo.

Up top, we’ve got converted offensive lineman Vance Smith. In the middle there, Mike “Don’t call me Big Snacks anymore” Berry. And all that text? Just another meaty batch of notes.

Feast on.

Smith’s switch to O-Line a heavy ordeal
Most of Auburn’s offensive linemen are gaining weight to increase the power they already have.

Vance Smith, meanwhile, is and will continue to put on the pounds out of necessity.

Smith, who was shifted from tight end to offensive tackle before spring, wants to weigh in between 290-295 pounds by the start of fall camp. And he’s made good progress, having already gained 10 pounds since the move was made official.

There’s just one problem that makes Smith’s weight-gain story a little more arduous than the rest.

He’s still at 262 pounds.

“I haven’t hit the wall,” Smith said, “yet.”

Smith said he and assistant strength and conditioning coach Joseph Walker have devised a diet/workout plan that will put the pounds on gradually, as to not shock his body. The goal is two pounds per week, which puts him right on schedule to meet his mark by August.

“Obviously, he’s a little light in the pants right now, but I really like that kid’s mentality,” offensive line coach Jeff Grimes said. “He’s got a grittiness about him and a real coachability and a real desire to please and work hard.”

Smith, who played sparingly at tight end but was active on special teams last season, said he approached offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn with the idea to shift to the line. With a lack of bodies on the offensive line and plenty of depth at tight end, Smith likely has a better chance of seeing meaningful playing time at his new position.

He said he considers the move to be permanent.

“At first it was tough,” Smith said. “But now I’ve just accepted it and work hard at it and try to be a good player.”

Practice canceled
Auburn canceled its practice Tuesday in anticipation of a storm cell that passed through the area in the late evening.

The Tigers will practice today to make up for the cancelation.

Berry holding steady
Mike Berry stands alone among Auburn’s offensive linemen as the only maintainer of his current weight.

Berry, who was nicknamed “Big Snacks” by a number of graduated Auburn linemen, said he’s trying to stay within his standard playing weight of 310-315 pounds.

As for the nickname, Berry said it’s a thing of the past.

“All the vets are gone,” Berry said. “They’re the ones who used to call me that.”

‘The Nall way’
In highlighting the differences between former offensive line coach Hugh Nall and Grimes, Berry was prompted about how the coaches reacted when a player totally screwed up.

“Nall was going to get after you. That’s just the type of guy he was. You gotta love that,” Berry said. “Grimes, I would say, is more balanced. He’s a pretty easy-going guy. He’s going to coach you hard but he knows how far to go.”

But can he truly put a scare into the linemen?

“Not for real,” Berry said. “Not the Nall way.”

Number up
After a little more than a week of practice, it has already become clear that fans and reporters alike will have to learn the lingo of Malzahn’s offense if they want to know what he or the players are talking about.

Each position is designated a number, a la basketball, where a small forward can also be known as the “three.”

Here’s what we know so far:
-    The “three” is similar to an H-back, currently Mario Fannin’s position.
-    The “four” is the closest thing to an everyday tailback.
-    The “five” is an inside receiver, the “Y.”
-    The “two” and “nine” are the two split wideouts, the “X” and “Z.”

When prompted about the “one,” wide receiver Quindarius Carr could not confirm nor deny if it was, in fact, the quarterback.