AUBURN, Ala. — Antonio Coleman isn’t thinking about holding back in practice, even though Auburn can ill afford to lose him and he would want to avoid an injury that might harm his NFL draft status.
AUBURN, Ala. — Antonio Coleman isn’t thinking about holding back in practice, even though Auburn can ill afford to lose him and he would want to avoid an injury that might harm his NFL draft status. It’s just not his style. "That’s hard, man. For me personally, I just get out there and I fly around and have fun," the Tigers defensive end said. "When I step between those lines, there’s no respect for my body. I’m sorry, it’s just fly around and use my body to make plays and pray to the Lord that I don’t get hurt. When I step between those lines … my body is just there. I’m just out there making plays. Hopefully I can keep healthy." The All-Southeastern Conference player is the biggest name on a defense lacking star power. Coleman opted to return for his senior season even though defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks and cornerback Jerraud Powers entered the draft a year early. It was good news to coach Gene Chizik. "Antonio had a chance to come out, make a lot of money and decided to stay here at Auburn," Chizik said. "He loves Auburn." He left spring camp encouraged by Coleman’s finish. "I really thought at the end of spring, he came on," Chizik said. "He was beat up and he was tired. I thought he kicked it into gear and took it to a whole other level at the end of spring. I was really proud to see him do that." Coleman finished last season with a team-high six sacks despite battling through an injury that sidelined him for one game. He spent most of his career working with defensive line coach Terry Price under Tommy Tuberville. Then, former Auburn All-American lineman Tracy Rocker left his job as a Mississippi assistant to return to his alma mater. Coleman describes their relationship now as "like father-son," but it took some getting used to. "He challenged me when I first got here and I was kind of slow starting off in the spring," Coleman said. "People didn’t know what to expect, what type of coach he was. You sit down and talk to him, and he’s going to say what’s on his mind. You have to be a man and stand up and take that." Rocker, meanwhile, said he had a heart-to-heart talk with his star lineman after that slow beginning to spring. It apparently worked. "I just thought that he wasn’t giving his best, and we sat down and we ironed it out," Rocker said. "You don’t know how a kid’s going to react. And in the process, he approached it in a very mature way. ‘I didn’t know this. How do I lead?’ Well, I’ll help you lead. "I think that was the turning point for him. After that, I said, ‘OK, that’s the guy I keep hearing about.’" ______ In photo: Auburn lineman Antonio Coleman talks about the upcoming season in the SEC at an interview session during the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover, Ala. on Friday, July 24, 2009. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill) Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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