Yesterday was VERY long...almost too long. Didn't get to update, so I apologize.
But today, we move along like normal.
Alabama is a 3.5 point favorite against Vanderbilt in Nashville this weekend. So, in betting terms, that means that on a neutral field we would be 6.5 point favorites, and at home we would be 9.5 point favorites. Little do they know, Bama fans bought almost every ticket available for this game...so it'll be like Bryant Denny North for us Tide fans. Haha.
VandyMania.com lets us know that this weekend's game is one that Vandy has circled and still views as "winnable." It's almost a must-win for Vandy if they want to have a winning season and make it to a bowl game.
Rolando McClain's debut was far from quiet. He had 7 tackles, including one for a loss, and a pass breakup. Not too shabby for his first ever collegiate game. He's impressing Coach Saban.
Star Jackson committed to the Tide yesterday. Yes, that's right. That's another 4-star prospect that's committed before the calendar turns. Everybody says he'll be a qb, but I don't buy that. 6'3" 180lbs and can run a 4.4? I'm looking at either wide out or safety. But, who knows.
Justin Britt thinks Coach Saban is the best coach in the country. He says he wishes he was just starting his freshman year rather than his senior season, so he could have 3 more years to play for him. Read more here.
The offensive line is looking MUCH improved already. Amazing what they can look like without Capps in the game, ehh?
Vandy keeps having to remind people that they've pulled off upsets before. They've taken Florida to the wire the last two years. They won at Georgia last year. They won at Tennessee and at Arkansas two years ago. Now they just have to win on a consistent basis.
Finebaum is amazed at himself for talking about Vandy being "a true test." But, he's right - they're definitely a pretty difficult task, especially nowadays. Read his article here.
Communication is the key to Bama's defense. If a player didn't get a call...Saban will absolutely explode, because it's the player's responsibility to get it.
We'll be starting a new segment called HATS OFF! thanks to my friend Richard, who brought up the idea. We'll have a pic each week of the best hit that we make that knocks off an opponents helmet. This week, we've got Darren Mustin and Rolando McClain absolutely killing Western Carolina's starting running back.
Regarding the whole Baumhauer ordeal - I don't really care. The guy played at Alabama and then played a significant portion of his career under Don Shula with the Miami Dolphins. Of course he likes Mike Shula. Of course he thought he should get another year. They're FRIENDS. That's what friends do.
Of course, after listening to it, I don't feel like he was hating on Coach Saban at all. I think that, once the conversation turned towards that topic, he really just wanted off the air. It's not his responsibility to defend Coach Saban or anyone else for that matter. He doesn't want to alienate any Tide fans, and he doesn't want to alienate any Dolphins fans either. His biggest problem is going on the radio in the first place. He's a business owner, so rather than going and stirring the pot about ANYTHING, he should just keep his mouth shut and run his restaurant. Not too hard to figure out.
¶ 9:02 AM