Auburn lineman not just 'big jokester'

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) Marcus McNeill loves his job. The gigantic Auburn offensive tackle likes teasing and joking around with teammates, and he goes to work with a smile on fall Saturdays, too.<br> <br> So what if the defensive end in front of the 6-foot-9, 337-pounde McNeill isn&#39;t having such a great time.<br> <br> ``I might be beating somebody down,&#39;&#39; McNeill said, ``but I&#39;m still going to be smiling looking at them while I&#39;m doing it. It&#39;s pretty fun.<br> <br> ``I try to have fun with football because it is a game.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> But the All-Southeastern Conference left tackle is more than just the team funny man. McNeill is also regarded as one of the nation&#39;s best at his position, a senior who opted to stay in college instead of playing for pay in the NFL.<br> <br> A 28-game starter, he was the leading votegetter for the preseason All-SEC team selected by league media. He certainly would have gotten the votes of Auburn defensive ends Stanley McClover and Quentin Groves, who face him in practice.<br> <br> ``I don&#39;t think I&#39;ve ever seen an offensive tackle that&#39;s as dominant and as quick and as blessed with talent as Marcus is,&#39;&#39; McClover said. ``He has to be the best offensive lineman in the country. He&#39;s so quick to be so big.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s kind of hard to run around him. You can&#39;t run through him and you can&#39;t really fake him out.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> But McNeill always has a good time, whether joking with teammates or giving defenders fits in practice or games.<br> <br> ``Marcus is a great guy,&#39;&#39; Groves said. ``In between the white lines, he&#39;s a monster. Off the field, he&#39;s a gentle giant.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> In fact, McNeill takes pains to point out that he only looks like an intimidating fellow off the field, at least. His baseball cap tugged low, he speaks softly about staying humble and trying to live up to expectations.<br> <br> ``I&#39;m a fun-going guy off the field,&#39;&#39; McNeill said. ``I&#39;m easy to be around. I&#39;m never going to make you uncomfortable, unless my stature makes you uncomfortable. Other than that, we&#39;re going to laugh and joke. I&#39;m the same way on the field.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> McNeill says he hasn&#39;t set many personal goals for the season because he doesn&#39;t want to be one of those players who gets a big head and ``just go down the drain.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> ``I don&#39;t want to set myself up for failure,&#39;&#39; he said. ``I don&#39;t want to make it seem like I don&#39;t believe in myself or anything, but at the same time I don&#39;t want to seem cocky or arrogant.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> McNeill said he saw himself projected as high as the No. 6 overall pick in mock drafts at the end of his junior season, though he dismisses those projections as mostly ``entertainment.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> He does feel he has the potential for greatness if he can only live up to it.<br> <br> ``I have it in my mind that I have all the ability to be the best offensive tackle in the world,&#39;&#39; he said. ``God&#39;s blessed me with plenty of ability. I feel like if I go out there and use it, he&#39;s blessed me to this point, so I don&#39;t see why I can&#39;t be the best tackle out there.<br> <br> ``I&#39;m not going to take that claim to fame of being the best tackle, but I definitely have the ability to do that.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> With tailbacks Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown and quarterback Jason Campbell all gone to the NFL, McNeill is one of the offense&#39;s biggest stars unfamiliar territory for a lineman.<br> <br> Offensive coordinator Al Borges, a former UCLA assistant, compares him favorably to UCLA&#39;s 1998 Outland Trophy Award winner Kris Farris.<br> <br> ``When he plays like he&#39;s capable of playing, he&#39;s about as good as anybody I&#39;ve had,&#39;&#39; Borges said.<br> <br> McNeill is also one of the team&#39;s funnier players. Receiver Courtney Taylor describes him as ``a big, funny guy&#39;&#39; and said he&#39;s never been around a more talkative offensive lineman.<br> <br> ``He&#39;s a jokester,&#39;&#39; he said. ``He keeps everybody going.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)