re: Aubie has suffered some significant pre season losses

Good to see you burning the mIdnight oil reading up on your favorite team, anti.

FWIW, this time last year we had already lost our top WR and TE to graduation, had only one RB with experience, and although we had some decent returning talent on OL, they were coming off a season in which they had allowed 37 sacks and anchored an offense that was among the worst in the FBS. And we had just named our starting QB, a guy whose major college experience was as a backup DB and who had been on campus all of three weeks. Meanwhile we lost three starters on defense during fall camp, including our leading returning tackler. And yet, we did alright last year, albeit with some room for improvement.

I share your concern over our recent setbacks in the injury department, but I have confidence we'll manage to get 11 guys on the field on either side of the ball in a fortnight's time. And it should be noted that, save for Robinson and Mason, every single player you mentioned whose absence will be so keenly felt this year were virtually unknown and, to borrow your phrase, "unproven in SEC play" 12 months ago. Guess their rapid rise from obscurity to irreplaceability was just more of that dumb Barner luck.

In any case, just as you I look forward to another season of following Auburn football. I certainly hope you continue to enjoy watching the Tigers as much as you do thinking about them and starting threads about them.

War Eagle, my friend!