AU FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: First day in full pads leaves coaches wanting more

Just because there was reason to celebrate his team’s first practice in pads, it didn’t mean Gene Chizik had to be happy with what transpired.

The Auburn coach supervised his first full-pads spring practice Saturday, a two-hour session in ominous, but primarily dry conditions.

There was plenty left to be desired, Chizik said.

“I thought, at times, we showed signs of being physical, but we certainly didn’t make a habit of it today, which was obviously what we have to get back to,” Chizik said. “I think they showed signs of having it in them, but at the end of the day, that certainly wasn’t near enough.”

Auburn will practice this evening and has 12 sessions, including today and A-Day, remaining on its schedule. Per NCAA rules, the Tigers must hold one more practice without pads and only 12 of the 15 may involve contact, eight of which can involve tackling.

Tiger coaches expect a better use of the time crunch in the next few practices.

“We’re still learning how to practice and go from what we call tracking and changing tempos,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “I was hoping we were going to be a little more physical than what we were today.”

Burns, Caudle rotating with 1st-team
Saturday served as Kodi Burns’ turn to run with the first-team offense, as the Tigers ran their first 11-on-11 drills of the spring — in pads, at least.

“It started off kind of slow and then we picked it up and then we kind of got slow again,” Burns said. “I think that as long as we know what we’re doing, we’re going to be able to do well.”

Burns said he and Neil Caudle have been swapping back and forth in running with the first team. Caudle said redshirt freshman Barrett Trotter has been heading the “blue group” — Auburn’s second-team offense.

“I think we’re all getting a fair shot,” Caudle said. “We’re all getting equal reps. We just have to go out there and take advantage of the reps we get and try to separate ourselves from the pack.”

Early LB depth chart
Roof, in his first meeting with reporters since spring practice began, set a preliminary depth chart at linebacker Saturday.

Josh Bynes, who emerged as a starter last season when Tray Blackmon was ruled out for the season, remains the first-team middle linebacker. Flanking Bynes, at the moment, are Craig Stevens and Spencer Pybus, Roof said.

Roof said junior-college transfer Eltoro Freeman, redshirt freshman Da’Shaun Barnes and sophomore Wade Christopher are his second-team linebackers — for now.

“It’s something that we continually evaluate,” Roof said. “We’re looking for guys that want to fly around and hit.”

Pugh beefs up
Center Ryan Pugh has joined left tackle Lee Ziemba as a member of the “Get Big” club.

Pugh, a junior, said he has gained 20 pounds of “good weight” and now tips the scales at 290 pounds.

Ziemba weighs in at 308 after gaining 28 pounds this past offseason.

“It helps out a lot because the guy across from you are going to be 300+ everywhere you go,” Pugh said. “Putting that weight on definitely helps as far as being able to get leverage, especially because I’m short already, so I need a little more weight, put a little more lead in my pencil.”

On the mend
Tiny speedster Philip Pierre-Louis said he has not faced contact in practice thus far and isn’t sure when he will.

“They’re really trying to limit me just to be sure but I’ve been doing everything,” Pierre-Louis said. “At times, I feel a little frustrated, but that’s what comes with injuries, things happen.”

Pierre-Louis tore his anterior cruciate ligament on the first play of 2008. He walked off the field under his own power.

“I just thought I twisted my knee. I thought I’d be fine, just jog it off,” Pierre-Louis said. “So when they showed me and told me I tore my ACL, it was a little disappointing, but I knew eventually I’d have to come back and play harder and practice harder.”

Let’s take this inside
Severe storms cleared the area just in time for Auburn to practice as scheduled Saturday morning.

Chizik has said that practicing inside Auburn’s 50-yard indoor complex will not be an option this spring, prompting the almost yearly question as to whether Auburn needs a 100-yard indoor practice facility.

“Obviously, an indoor facility would be something that’s certainly been up on the books,” Chizik said. “I’m sure that’s something that we’re going to work toward in the future. Obviously that would have helped some today.”

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