Auburn fans loyal even if unhappy

My wife and I are very loyal Auburn fans. Even in the midst of the now-called "rebuilding" with young players, I will still wear my AU cap in public and when I travel. I will be loyal, but that loyalty doesn't mean that I sit by and be happy if things could be better. We were very unhappy with how the team played and how they were coached.

Brandon Cox appears to have not added any capabilities to his game since last season. His play in the Miss State game was not of a six-year senior. Brandon shouldn't have ended the game the way that he did. He shouldn't have thrown the final play to win the game on 4th down by floating a ball across the middle while falling backwards and throwing off of his back foot. Coach Tubberville (CTT) is supposed to use the team to the best of its abilities. After Brandon's poor games with Kansas State and South Florida, Tubberville should have been working hard to get the freshman quarterback ready for the game. Brandon just doesn't seem to recognize the defense and doesn't have the vision and speed to not telegraph his passes.

Either Burns wasn't ready or the coaches didn't get him prepared except for the "change up" option plays for Cox. That mistake is on CTT. Calling what is going on bad or being unhappy doesn't mean that I am disloyal to Auburn. The national media didn't expect this year to be a rebuilding year based on the pre-season ranking. CTT is now talking rebuilding, but he didn't start that way.

We live in a democratic society with mostly-free speech. We are expected to make some noise if we are unhappy. Brandon shouldn't be happy with his play at the end of the game and he shouldn't be surprised by the crowd's response. The booing was a result of fans caring about the game. If they were unconcerned, then they wouldn't cheer or boo. Just like being unhappy with Bush about the direction of the war in Iraq doesn't mean that I am any less patriotic, wanting change and being vocal is not any less loyal to Auburn. When something isn't working, please change course (Bush and Tubberville).

In Seattle both weeks the last 2 weeks, I saw other Auburn fans still wearing their colors like me. All the way across the coast, I can still say "War Eagle!" proudly and we can still talk about mistakes. And, we are still loyal Auburn. Go Tigers! (Florida fans are now popping up everywhere, too.)