Have you noticed our football team isn't doing so well?
We don't really want to admit it, but we are losing. A lot. The Saturday, Oct. 13 loss to Ole Miss seemed to be the last nail in the coffin they have been building since the beginning of the season. If they can't get at least one win in the SEC , then forfeit seems like the only dignified way to close the season.
The team members are showing up to the games, which is good. However, it seems once the first quarter starts, they forget what's going on. Many people are quick to blame Coach Gene Chizik, but we aren't sure he's the one we should hold responsible. Yes, he is the head coach, but the team's failure is a result of more than just a breakdown in leadership.
Chizik is a good leader, whether you believe it or not. However, good leadership can only go so far. We need to look at the team as a whole when trying to figure out why this season is so bad.
Since the end of the 2011 season, the team has had to deal with a shooting and multiple arrests. Some of the arrests have involved high-profile recruits who were supposed to lead our team to victory. Instead, they turned out to be the college football equivalents of Lindsey Lohan.
All this has probably caused team morale to be almost non-existent.
Of course, changes in coaching staff have also caused some difficulties. Scott Loeffler and Brian VanGorder have their work cut out for them, and it's going to take some time for them to make their place at Auburn.
Basically, no one can really put all the blame on Chizik; it's just not fair. Anyone calling for him to be fired needs to step back and realize what they are demanding. Building a team is a long, arduous process, and if our recruits can keep out of jail, we could come back next year better than ever. If the coaching staff can learn from the mistakes of this season, the team's chances could look even brighter.
Auburn has, and always will have, great potential. So we say "War Eagle" anyway and look forward to next year.
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