House of Pain

By Jon Johnson

Published: August 21, 2008

It seems like every day when Collin Mickle’s daily notebook arrives in our system following an Auburn practice, there’s yet another report of a Tiger missing in action due to an injury.
Not that there’s been major injuries this preseason, with the exception of Aairon Savage going down with a season-ending knee injury, but there’s definitely been a lot of bumps and bruises hampering players this preseason.
My theory? Here’s thinking Auburn’s really been holding some extremely physical practices - those lay-it-on-the-line practices in trying to separate the men from the boys. There’s seemingly been more practice scuffles than in recent years, which again signals to me some real battles in the trenches.
While injuries can obviously result when players are going at it full speed, I do believe it certainly better prepares the players for the rugged wars ahead in the SEC.
Auburn will ease up in the coming days with opener creeping closer. But come opening night against Louisiana-Monroe, they’ll be able to unleash their fury on an opponent.
They should be chomping at the bit for that.