Bret, Jeris, and Cole weigh in on Cam Newton, questionable calls, and luck. For the record, I didn’t mean lucky teams are bad teams. I just meant fortunate. Oh, and Jeris wins the adjective contest.
1. Is there a better player in the nation than Cam Newton? Give me your three best adjectives to describe him.
Bret: I would have to say no right now, but I haven’t had a chance to see guys like Kellen Moore, Denard Robinson, or Patterson from LSU play too much. If there is a better player out there it isn’t by much, and I doubt he means as much to his team as Cam means to Auburn right now.
Explosive, Charismatic, Mature – Watching and listening to him, he has all the qualities of a great athlete and a great leader.
Jeris: Cam Newton is the best player in the country hands down. I honestly think without Cam Newton Auburn could be 2-5. He is not only a special player, but he is a great leader. He makes everybody around him better.
Three adjectives to describe CAM are Compelling, Astonishing, Magnificent.
Cole: There might be a better player, but there isn’t a player who means more to his team. He would get my 1st place Heisman vote today.
2. What are your thoughts on the questionable calls in last weekend’s game? Both sides benefited on different calls don’t you think?
Bret: As much as I ragged on the refs when I played and even today, I have to admit it’s not an easy job. Often times they are at tough angles and with the speed of the game in the SEC, I don’t see how they get as many right as they do. The fact that college football has instant replay is huge for those exact reasons.
I do remember one roughing the passer I vehemently disagreed with during the game, but again with the speed of the game, mistakes can be made. As far as either team benefiting more than the other I think it somewhat evened out. Some of the questionable calls were verified by replay, but some couldn’t be reviewed. While I disagreed with the calls at the time, I cant say I would’ve made a different one in each of the situations.
For the record I felt like I got held pretty much every play I played in college. Whether they were holding or I was just a bad athlete can not be changed by instant replay, so I’ll stand by my opinion.
Jeris: Yes, there were a lot of questionable calls against Arkansas. I really think the play on the goal line with Mario Fannin was a fumble, and the play in the fourth quarter that Zac Etheridge took in for a touchdown was not a fumble. However, Arkansas got some calls as well. That just happens in the game of football.
I do feel that the best team came out victorious. All good teams have a little luck throughout the season, and our luck just happened on two game changing plays.
Cole: It is what it is. Refs aren’t perfect. And I don’t abide by “should have”, “what if”, or “luck”. They usually even themselves out.
3. Both Auburn and LSU have been very lucky this season. Who gets exposed this weekend and why?
Bret: I think both teams have been exposed plenty this year. To say each team has gotten lucky is a bit unfair. While they havent played great, both teams have found ways to win in tough games. Chalk that up to luck, skill, contracts with the devil, or just living right. Finding a way to win is the name of the game.
I think the team that is able to fix whats been exposed so far the best will be the team that wins.
Jeris: Both Auburn and LSU are two very talented football teams. We have a great offense and they have a great defense, so something has to give. This will be a great showdown between two very highly ranked teams with SEC and BCS title implications. In games like this, talent only does so much. It usually comes down to the coaching aspect. Hopefully this is the big game coach Les Miles gets exposed, and his luck from the last four or five years ends.
Cole: Again, I don’t know about lucky. Fortunate? Yes. I don’t think either team gets “exposed”. I think both teams go conservative and special teams will decide the game.
