How to Watch and Listen - A-DAY

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

It’s spring football!

Today we get our first official look at the new and improved Bryan Harsin version of the Auburn Tigers. Our new coach has said all of the right things, and seems positively straightforward in his direction for the team — “1-0 mentality every day” — so maybe we’re getting a little more of an organized process to things on and off the field.

His support staff has expanded, and he seems to have brought in assistants that cater more to the players than anything else. They’re young, they’re relatable, they’re guys that can connect and bond with current and future kids.

When he was hired right before Christmas, Harsin didn’t really have much time to make an impact on the team, and essentially went on a vacation to Florida for our bowl game against Northwestern. I’m sure he loved what he saw out of the team that day, but there’s plenty to be excited about. Today is the day that we’ll get to see four months of preparation and work come to fruition in the form of some semblance of an on-field product.

Now, the things to remember about A-Day (and spring games in general) are that you have to take almost everything with a grain of salt. For every touchdown pass, there’s a defensive back who got beat or missed an assignment. For every sack, there’s an offensive lineman or blocker that didn’t do his job. It’s a net zero game, on every play there are winners and losers, but at the end of the day they’re all on the same team. We will come out of today saying that someone looked great, someone needs work, someone looked terrible.

I think that one of the things that our current coach and previous coach have in common is a lack of loquaciousness, where we’re not going to get a ton out of Harsin in terms of answers. We’ll have to see the results on the field and see which guys have made strides to becoming impact players and team leaders during spring ball.

In the end, we’re likely going to not be able to take away much aside from whether or not there are injuries and the energy on the field. We’d like to see the strengths of the team play well, which would likely mean that we’re going to see a low-scoring affair since the defense is ahead of the offense. And if there are any stars you’re looking forward to seeing, remember that Cam Newton went 3-8 for 61 yards and didn’t get to show off his mobility in the 2010 A-Day game. There were more than enough defensive struggles under Tuberville before solid seasons.

It’s just a chance to watch some football in the spring, so let’s enjoy it!

Auburn vs Auburn - 4/17/21 - Auburn, AL - Jordan-Hare Stadium

Kickoff Time: 1:00 pm CST/2:00 pm EST

TV: SEC Network +

Video Stream: WatchESPN

Radio: Auburn Sports Network - Find the full list of terrestrial affiliates, and links to listen online via the official athletic site or TuneIn.

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