Auburn's Hugh Freeze Praised by Unlikely Source - ESPN's Paul Finebaum

Playing both sides has been Paul Finebaum's M.O. for decades, and this week, he's playing nice with Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze.

ESPN's Paul Finebaum is playing nice with Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze... for now. / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Paul Finebaum is a smooth and clinical operator, he can sometimes surprise you with unexpected acts of kindness, and when you least expect it.

After the veteran analyst recently took aim at Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze, by casting pretty vicious aspirations that he simply didn't want to be coaching down on the Plains, suddenly, Finebaum is throwing a curveball and praising the coach.

Freeze opting to bench his struggling starter Payton Thorne for the untested redshirt freshman Hank Brown was a risky maneuver, but a savvy one nonetheless, at least according to Finebaum.

"See, now I'm gonna defend Hugh Freeze," Finebaum surprisingly revealed during the McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning Show. "Now we know why Hugh Freeze didn't go into the portal, he knew he had a great backup, didn't he? So I was really happy about that, I thought he played with such amazing poise. I wish I could say the same about the rest of the team."

They might be peeling coach Freeze back off the floor when he finds out that Finebaum has patted him on the back for a change, and through gritted teeth, he might even accept it.

Where Finebaum is absolutely correct, is by pointing out that Freeze is a detail driven recruiting wizard.

Feathering his nest and accounting for worst case scenarios, meant that Freeze didn't forget that he would need another quarterback waiting in the wings. Experience and feel for the job led Freeze to appreciate the harsh reality that having a breakneck succession plan is always the correct procedure to follow.

Brown was identified in high school as an "it" type of guy Freeze would very much like to have under his wing when he was the head coach at Liberty. Subsequently, where Freeze has gone, the statuesque young signal caller has followed.

Finebaum's kind words shouldn't however knock the duo, or Tigers fans off-track. Fact is, Brown's sample size to date is just far too small to organize a ticker tape parade just yet.

Of course, it's always the case that Finebaum delivers his dittys with acid laced caveats attached, it's his modus operandi. This time, ESPN's tormentor-in-chief still decided to cut the rest of the Tigers program down to size, because Finebaum is firm in his belief that areas like the Auburn defensive line lacks core discipline.

"They still look undisciplined at times," Finebaum dropped his bomb. "I'm a little concerned about the defensive line, I'm concerned about a lot of things. But the thing that I'm less concerned about is the quarterback and that's the most important."

Four touchdowns on debut has made Finebaum a believer, at least for now, particularly in the poise and command Brown has shown everyone coming out of the gates.

History tells us that can all change on a dime, especially when the pressure of expectation comes to bear on a young signal caller who's cutting his teeth at a major program.

Therefore, let's not put the cart before the horse.

"We should, but we're not going to," Finebaum noted how fans simply won't temper their enthusiasm. " Because I think Auburn fans were just desperate to cling to something and that's really the nature of fandom. And I certainly understand, I know you well enough, I know Cole well enough. You guys analyze what you know, what you know going into the game, most of us are just reactionary. So good luck trying to calm everyone down right now, Auburn fans feel great and I'm all for it."

Auburn fans know better than to trust the silver tongue of Paul Finebaum. He’s sure to be laying in wait like a hungry predator, especially when Brown and Freeze start to struggle and go through some real adversity.

After all, it's his M.O., and he’s made a very nice living playing both sides.