The Tuberville-to-Arkansas talk is blowing up online today. FootballRumorMill.com is all over, with conflicting stories coming from the different sides. My personal guess is this - Tuberville wants more money (like Saban-type money) from Auburn, but Auburn doesn't want to do that. They'll bump him up considerably, but not to the range that Tubby wants. Arkansas has possibly mentioned that they'll jump him up into that pay-scale. Tubs probably does want out of Auburn to go back home to Arkansas, but if Auburn pays the ridiculous salary that he's asking for, then he's ok with that too. If they don't, he can ride off into the Arkansas sunset, coach for a few years, then retire and go duck hunting in his backyard.
We got a commitment yesterday from the one thing we were really missing last year on defense - the huge, looks-like-he's-gonna-eat-somebody defensive tackle to weigh down the 3-4 defense. Terrence Cody is a JUCO commit from Gulf Coast Community College, and you can bet your ass he'll be starting next year. He's still got two years of eligibility, so he'll be starting immediately next year. What sounds good to me is 2009 when we'll have Cody AND D.J. Fluker, another kid that's 6'5" 325lbs. Looks like we'll be set for yeeeears to come. 2009 could end up being a VERY good year, as long as we get the QB position figured out.
I suppose we can go ahead and move on over to the future of the defensive line now, which, in my opinion, is the most important position on the field, aside from QB. The defensive line can dictate the tempo and direction of a game, and we've got some studs coming in to help out. These recruits are from the last two seasons, and they're not in any kinda order, like usual. I won't bother you with any extra information other than their star count and their sizes. :-)
Defensive Line
Luther Davis - 6'4" 275lbs 4-star DE from West Monroe, LA. Runs a 4.8.
Alfred McCullough - 6'2" 317lbs 4-star DT from Athens, AL. Runs a 4.9.
Jeremy Elder - 6'3" 270lbs 2-star DE from College Park, GA. Runs a 4.9.
Josh Chapman - 6'1" 300lbs 3-star DT from Hoover, AL. Runs a 4.9.
Alex Watkins - 6'3" 218lbs 4-star DE from Brownsville, TN. Runs a 4.65. He'll probably end up at the jack position.
Nick Gentry - 6'1" 265lbs 3-star DT from Prattville, AL. Runs a 4.78.
Kerry Murphy - 6'5" 315lbs 4-star DT from Hoover, AL. Runs a 5.1.
Undra Billingsley - 6'4" 260lbs 3-star DE from Birmingham, AL. Runs a 4.7.
Brandon Lewis - 6'3" 260lbs 4-star DE from Pleasant Grove, AL. Runs a 4.7.
Courtney Upshaw - 6'2" 220lbs 4-star DE from Eufaula, AL. Runs a 4.7. Will probably play the jack position, or linebacker. Seems too small to play anywhere else.
Michael Williams - 6'6" 240lbs 4-star DE from Reform, AL. Runs a 4.7.
Terrence Cody - 6'5" 395lbs 4-star DE from Perkinston, MS. Runs a 5.5.
Damion Square - 6'3" 270lbs 3-star DE from Houston, TX. Runs a 4.6. Will not play DT. Too much speed.
DJ Fluker - 6'7" 325lbs 4-star DT from Biloxi, MS. Runs a 4.9. Class of '09, so one more year before he gets here.
I want you guys to notice. Out of those 14 defensive linemen, only two of them, two 300+ pounders, everyone runs a sub 5 40. Not only are they big, but they're quick as well. This could be a scary group for the next few years. Just wait til Fluker gets here. :-)
¶ 8:56 AM4 commentslinks to this post
The weekend is looming. If we've got anybody on the site that just so happens to wanna take a trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game, check out TickCo.com's SEC Championship Tickets. It is INCREDIBLY doubtful that Alabama will end up in the Cotton Bowl, but if you're a fan of a team other than Alabama that may make its way over to Dallas, check out TickCo.com's Cotton Bowl tickets. Once we find out which bowl we're going to on Sunday, we'll post links to theirs as well.
We'll make today's post relatively short. It appears as though the Liberty Bowl is going to be Alabama's best option. The University was already going to work with them regarding the 25th anniversary of Bear's last game, so it's an obvious choice. Not to mention, of course, that there would still be a bowl game open for Mississippi State or Kentucky, whichever was left out. Geographically it would fit perfectly - Kentucky in Nashville, Bama in Memphis, and State in Shreveport.
It took long enough, but Michigan has finally requested permission to speak with Les Miles. I have a feeling that he was down their list of candidates, and was one of the few that actually wanted the Michigan job. Of course, we all know why Lloyd Carr doesn't want Les Miles - because Miles is an idiot.
Apparently what's holding up contract talks between Auburn and Tuberville is the fact that Arkansas is trying to find a way to pay for his services, according to footballrumormill.com. Arkansas has Tubs high on their list.
Texas A&M downed the Tide in basketball last night in College Station, TX, 76-63. Sucks. We get SE Louisiana on Saturday, so hopefully that'll be another win before we get to play Georgetown next week.
Ok, now to the recruiting. We'll look at the kids that we have coming back and the ones coming in. Today we'll focus on the offensive line, and yes, I'm going to include some kids that Shula recruited as well as Saban. Now, these kids are not in any order right now. This is just showing you the kids and their size. I know a little bit about them, but not a ton...so maybe you'll learn some new names as well.
Offensive Line
John Michael Boswell - Class of 2008. 6'6" 290lbs 4-star from Northport, AL, so he's a hometown boy. Big kid who plays bigger.
Barrett Jones - Class of '08. 6'5" 271lbs 4-star from Memphis, TN. The number one recruit in the state of Tennessee, and boy is he a good one. He'll be a hoss.
Tyler Love - Class of '08. 6'7" 285lbs 4-star from Mountain Brook, AL. He was our first 5-star commitment in this class. He'll be another helluva prospect.
Patrick Crump - Class of '07. 6'3" 285lbs 3-star from Hoover, AL. Lots of raw potential, but sometimes makes dumb mistakes.
William Vlachos - Class of '07. 6'2" 287lbs 3-star from Birmingham. I've heard nothing but great things about him, so I'm kinda surprised I didn't see him on the field this year. Probably red-shirted.
Taylor Pharr - Class of '06. 6'6" 270lbs 4-star from Irondale, AL. One of Shula's boys. He should be a gem - much like Vlachos.
David Ross - Class of '06. 6'4" 295lbs 4-star from Homewood, AL. Quick feet for a center. Should be able to hold his own in the conference. Has added weight since he arrived on campus, but it appears to be more muscle.
¶ 8:46 AM4 commentslinks to this post
Yeah, I'll tell ya what. Went to see HELLYEAH last night, and those guys put on a helluva show. Lots of beer, and a good time too. Don't really dig the singer's voice...but it is what it is. Stayed out waaaaay too late.
The basketball team is rockin and rollin tonight in College Station, TX for tonight's matchup against #9 Texas A&M. If you've got ESPNU, then you get to watch it. Everyone else, we've gotta tune in on the radio or online. Check out freefootballradio.com to find a list of online stations that might be carrying the game.
Latest rumors are that 2 players have been kicked off the team, and more will likely follow suit. As far as the bowl game goes, the Music City has said that they would prefer to have a 7-win team over a 6-win team, so I would have to believe Alabama will not be headed there. So it comes down to a trip to Memphis for the Liberty Bowl - for the 25th anniversary of Bear's last game, a victory over Illinois in Memphis - or a return trip from last season to Shreveport to play Colorado or Oklahoma State. Thanks to the drive, I probably won't be going back to Shreveport, but I will go to the Liberty Bowl. I can guarantee that.
Ok, so I guess we'll continue on with what we were talking about yesterday. Time to move forward to the future, so we'll look at Saban's recruiting class from this year and last year and see what we have to work with.
Cornerback
Kareem Jackson - 5'10" 184lbs 4-star recruit from Virginia. He runs a 4.5, but seems much quicker. Makes incredibly good reads, and plays in position perfectly. He wasn't under the previous regime, so he didn't have time to continue bad habits before the coaches fixed them.
Robby Green - 6'0" 175lbs 4-star from John T. Curtis in New Orleans. He's a helluva player, and even though he hasn't committed, he has said that he really likes Alabama. We need some corners pretty badly, so he would definitely be a good addition.
Robby Green - 6'1" 175lbs 4-star from Tallahassee, FL. Runs a 4.4. Same deal as Robby Green - hasn't committed, but we could sure use him.
Safety
Mark Barron - 6'2" 202lbs 4-star recruit from Mobile. He runs a 4.5, but seems faster in game situations. If he starts in Marcus Carter's spot next year, he'll be our best athlete on the defense at any given moment. Period.
Robert Lester - 6'2" 205lbs 3-star from Foley. Probably only really got looks because he's best friends with Julio Jones, but at the same time, the kid can flat out play. He's quick and makes good decisions. If you saw him against Daphne on the ESPN game earlier this year, you can see he's a playmaker. Hits hard and is aggressive.
Terrance Farmer - 6'1" 190lbs 4-star from Houston, TX. Runs a 4.4. Should be a helluva playmaker.
Linebackers
Rolando McClain - 6'4" 240lbs 4-star recruit from Decatur. If you watched him play at all this year then you understand exactly how good he really is. He'll be the next great linebacker at Alabama, along with Demeco, Cornelius, Derrick, etc.
Don'ta Hightower - 6'3" 248lbs 4-star from Lewisberg, TN. He's not only a helluva player, but he is just as worried about his academics as he is football. He runs a 4.7 40, and is a "seek-and-destroy" type player. He finds the football and attacks. Could be a 4-year starter.
Chavis Williams - 6'5" 220lbs 3-star from Dora, AL. Runs a 4.6. Was a DE in high school, but should be able to play that wonderful "Jack" position.
¶ 9:35 AM2 commentslinks to this post
Houston Nutt to Ole Miss. No idea who's going to be in at Arkansas. Jeff Bower's out at Southern Miss. They'll probably get Tyrone Nix. What on earth will Bower be doing next year? I heard Franchione's name associated with Duke. Would they really want that scum? Honestly?
For once, there's just a ton of jobs opening up - and Alabama's not one of them. We've got our coach. We have our recruiting base nailed down. We're killing em on the trails. We'll continue doing what we do while everyone else tries to figure out how to catch up.
So, let's take a look at the potential that we will have on the field next season with Saban's classes. Not saying these kids will be starters, of course, but it bodes well for the future. We'll go through the offense first.
Quarterback
Nick Fanuzzi - 6'3" 200lbs 3-star recruit from San Antonio, TX. He runs a 4.6, like Star Jackson, and seems to fit into Applewhite's schemes perfectly. He was redshirted this year after playing all of 3 snaps against Western Carolina.
Star Jackson - 6'3" 182lbs 4-star qb that runs a 4.6. He's a hoss and is a quick decision maker. He thinks pass first all the time, but he has the wheels to be able to make a play out of nothing.
Fullback
Jeramie Griffin - 6'0" 230lbs 3-star fullback from South Panola in Batesville, MS. High school team never lost a game while he was on the team. He has breakaway 4.45 speed - which is odd for a fullback. He's a best though - so you could see him more at tailback.
Running Back
Demetrius Goode - 4-star running back, 5'11" 200lbs and runs a 4.5 40. He's big, mean, and best of all, he's fast as who-knows-what. He tore his ACL this year, otherwise he might would have started for us this year.
Ivan Matchett - One of the two rbs we got from Mobile this season. 5'10" 206lbs and runs a 4.5. He's another one built just like Goode. This tandem will be tough to stop for years to come.
Jermaine Preyear - The 2nd of the two rbs we got from Mobile. 5'11" 205lbs and runs a 4.5, just like the other two. Like I said, this tandem will be tough to stop for years to come. You gotta like the fact that they're all big, strong - and fast on top of that.
Playmakers (slot, returners, etc)
Burton Scott - 5'11" 194lbs and runs a 4.4. He's a 5-star athlete with speed like you may not ever see again. He's lightning quick - and having him line up in the slot could allow you to do oh-so-many things with your offense.
Marquis Maze - 5'8" 160lbs and runs a 4.4. Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you the next coming of Tyrone Prothro. His hands aren't as good as Pro's, but I'll be damned if he's not just as quick, if not quicker. He's an amazing athlete - you'll see him returning kicks with Javier next year, and possibly lining up in the slot every now and then. Anything you can do to get the football in his hands, you should do it. Rumor is that every time this kid touches the football in practice, Coach Saban just grins and shakes his head. That's a good sign.
Mark Barron - 6'2" 202lbs and runs a 4.5. Sounds like a beast, right? With so many playmakers already, and the possibility of Julio Jones coming in, I would have to believe that he'll end up playing somewhere in the secondary. He's too big and too quick to not be an outstanding safety. I could be wrong though.
Wide Receiver
Julio Jones - No, he's not committed, but I'm assuming he will eventually. He's the best prospect to come out of the state since God-knows-when. He'll be all-world, as long as we have a qb that can get him the football. 6'4", 215lbs, and runs a 4.48. His vertical is stupid - 41 inches. He's like a damn superhero or something.
Brandon Gibson - Pretty important signee from the '07 class. He's 6'2" 190lbs and runs a 4.5. He's got great hands - as anybody that watched him at UMS-Wright will tell you - and he'll be a GREAT possession receiver. May not be a big play threat, but the kid can catch the football.
Destin Hood - 6'3" 190lbs and runs a 4.5. Another kid that can just flat out catch the football. Mobile is just filled with these kids - and it looks like they're all coming to the Capstone. Haha.
Melvin Ray - Another 4-star recruit, only this one's from Tallahassee. 6'2" 190lbs and another one that runs a 4.5 40. I haven't seen much on him, but my guess is that he's another one that just doesn't drop passes.
Tight End
Chris Underwood - The diamond in the rough. 6'4" 202lbs, and has probably gotten bigger since he's been on campus. Forget Nick Walker and Travis McCall - this will be your pass-catching tight end next season. Bank on it. He was only a 2-star, but he's still a helluva athlete.
We'll focus on the defense tomorrow, and then we'll start working on the offensive and defensive lines later in the week.
¶ 1:22 PM2 commentslinks to this post
ESPN.com is reporting that Houston Nutt is out at Arkansas. Hootens.com is reporting that he will be introduced in Atlanta tomorrow as the new head coach at Georgia Tech.
This guy's going to an institution of higher learning? Seriously?
"Everything he preaches is the right thing. It's just sometimes we didn't go about it that way, and it showed," Hall said. "That's nobody's fault but ours. All we had to do was buy into what Coach was saying. We realize it now, but obviously, it's too late."
Truer words have never been spoken.
So, on this Monday after the yo-yo season has come to a halt, we won't look back at what happened to this season - because DJ Hall just told you in that quote up there. Instead, we'll look at what to expect from next season's squad.
First off, they announced today that Mike Sherman will be the new coach at Texas A&M, so Tubs will be staying to take his beating next year. It is also being reported that Chan Gailey has been fired at Georgia Tech. Just wanted to get that out of the way first.
The 2008 version of the Crimson Tide, aside from the remaining bowl game, wherever that may be, should look considerably different. No longer will we have discipline problems from our "star" receivers, DJ Hall and Keith Brown. They will both be gone. Wallace Gilberry, my favorite player this season, will be in the NFL doin his thing and terrorizing QBs. Simeon Castille won't be getting burned by white guys from Louisiana-Monroe next year. Marcus Carter won't miss any more tackles after getting into the backfield before everyone else. Keith Saunders won't hit the qb after the play anymore, giving Auburn a first down after holding them to a 3rd-and-12. Justin Britt and Chris Capps won't miss their blocks anymore.
Eric Gray, who gave up the deciding touchdown in the 2006 Iron Bowl, will be gone after not playing much this season. Darren Mustin, the heart and soul of this defense, along with Wallace Gilberry, will be gone. Johnathan Lowe, the 5'7" running back/returner/receiver/whatever-you-need will be gone.
And that's just the seniors that will be gone. Don't think that Saban's off-season program won't be enough to run off some members the junior class. Jimmy Johns will probably be gone. I'm not sure what to think about Lionel Mitchell. Cody Davis may not play football ever again.
Coming in will be a whole lot of young-young-young-young kids. Look for probably 70 to 75% of the team next season to be true freshmen, redshirt freshmen, or sophomores. Right now, on the 122 man roster on RollTide.com, there are 47 freshmen (upcoming sophomores), and 36 sophomores (upcoming juniors). That's 83/122. Or 68%. I look for it to possibly be more next season - with all of them being kids that believe in the process.
The process will continue on, probably with John Parker Wilson at QB to start the season, simply because he works his ass off, more-so than anybody else, to get better. If his problems continue (turnovers, misreads, etc), he'll be riding pine, playing behind Nick Fanuzzi or Star Jackson, who both seem to fit Major Applewhite's plan a little better. I expect Greg McElroy to transfer after this season.
I expect the senior class for next season to be better. I expect this team to gel more because of the senior leadership. I don't forsee any discipline issues like we had this season. I don't forsee stupidity from the "leaders" of the team. I think it took an ending to the season, like the one we just endured, to get these guys to pull together. The off-season conditioning program will be ridiculous. The players will be stronger and better because of it.
Don't think for a second that the incoming freshman class will fall away because of the recent losses. These kids know what's on the horizon. So do the younger players already on the roster. They understand, and that's the first step to becoming winners.
Tomorrow, we'll begin to look at who we have coming back at each position, who has been redshirted, etc.
¶ 8:46 AM1 commentslinks to this post
Hell yeah. We're dead serious. And I'm feelin good today. I haven't updated as much...but that shouldn't matter.
As I'm sure you all know, Coach O was fired by Ole Miss this morning after blowing the Mississippi State game yesterday. Going for it on 4th-and-1 at their own 49 yard line with 10 minutes left, up by 2 touchdowns, when State's offense hadn't done ANYTHING for the entire game. Instead, he gave them life. Ridiculous. And finally, Boone and Kayhat realized it. So, he's out. Coaching casualty number 1.
Next, after giving up 65 points to an average Colorado team, Nebraska fired Bill Callahan. That was the 6th game this year that the usually tough Nebraska defense had given up over 40 points in a game. Not good. He also recorded the only two losing seasons for Nebraska since 1962. It's a curious decision why they decided to give him a contract extension and a raise after last season, but we also see that the AD was fired in the middle of the year for being a complete idiot. Coaching casualty number 2.
Finally, everybody expected this one as well, but Dennis Franchione, after beating Texas for the 2nd straight year, resigned from Texas A&M last night immediately after the game. They are 7-5 and will be going bowling, but he never did take the program to the heights that they expected him to when they snuck him into town from Alabama 5 years ago. Coaching casualty number 3.
So who are the most likely candidates for these jobs? Well for Texas A&M, we're looking at Tommy Tuberville...and that's about the only name that I've really heard mentioned. At Ole Miss I've heard Franchione and Houston Nutt (who hasn't been fired from Arkansas yet). At Nebraska I keep hearing Turner Gill (coach at Buffalo) and Bo Pelini, but I wouldn't be surprised if Pelini's name drops off a lot of lists after giving up so much offense to Arkansas yesterday and dropping out of the national title race.
No, this post had nothing to do with the game tonight...but I don't wanna jinx a good feeling that I've got today. Let's just say ROLL TIDE!
¶ 3:52 PM0 commentslinks to this post
So long brotha. Can't win "the big one" at home with the whole world watching. With the most talent in the country, you once again lose 2 ballgames. It doesn't matter if you go 10-2 if you don't win any championships. That's just how it goes. Legends are made by people that win championships - not guys that go 10-2. Yes, 32-6 is a gaudy record...but where are your trophies? Where are the rings? Apparently the best talent in the country can only get you to 3 overtimes when you're being completely outcoached.
I mean, honestly, we saw how well your recruits can play when Beckwith was out of the game, when Hillis ran 60+ yards right up the gut when your linebacker overpursued on the play and ran himself out of position. We saw how undisciplined your team is when you had two straight big gains called back in the 4th quarter due to stupid penalties. Bottom line - we'll see ya in Ann Arbor.
And you, Coach O. Talk about a choke job of massive proportions. Leading 14-0 with under 8 minutes left, and you lose 17-14? I'm pretty sure that this performance sealed your fate. The only reason these guys won't fire you is because nobody on the PLANET wants that job. Congrats on going 0-fer in the SEC. That hasn't been done since Mississippi State in 2002 under Jackie Sherrill.
And to think. If Mike Shula hadn't been the coach, Derek Pegues would've gone to Alabama.
Well, in all honesty, I stayed up drinking waaaay too late last night with some friends of mine.
And now that I'm up, I don't feel like doing a whole lotta research. I might later in the day, but not right now.
I do know that Coach Saban's "Hey Coach" show ended on a great note last night with him mentioning that we need to pull together on this one, and a rousing Roll Tide that continued until he thought the crowd did it right. Haha. Constantly coaching.
Yes, I've been keeping up with the Siran Stacy incident. Our thoughts and prayers are definitely with him. He needs our support, so continue giving it, please. If you haven't heard what has happened, please read this article.
Even with the Iron Bowl this week, it kinda puts football in perspective.
But alas, we must fight on. We've got to keep the Aubs from getting #6.
Groves and Gilberry have kinda gone in different directions this season. Read about them flip-flopping roles here.
Brandon Cox, Auburn's QB, can become just the second Auburn qb with 3 wins over Alabama in his career. He's had an up-and-down career, but he's never lost to 'Bama, so we need to fix that this Saturday. Read more about his roller coaster.
John Parker Wilson has found a new way to study game film in the aftermath of the La-Monroe debacle. He's putting in even more homework, and he's doing what he can. Hopefully that will be enough this weekend.
You can bet your ass that there will be nobody on the field playing harder than Wallace Gilberry on Saturday night. He's wanted a win over Auburn for the last 4 seasons and hasn't gotten one yet. He wants to walk out Saturday, from his last Iron Bowl, with a win.
...on the players that Coach Saban was referencing in his presser yesterday.
But, it's something that needed to be done. We always talked about how the mindset in Tuscaloosa needed to be changed, and for the first time in FOREVER, we finally have a guy that's not going to bullshit anybody. He tells things like they are, and he'll be the one to fix everything. The loss Saturday was due to players not caring. The coaches can't play the games for you, and they can't get players motivated about a game that really doesn't matter. But what they can do is teach kids to be relentless and consistent. It shouldn't matter who you're playing - if you're doing things the right way, and you focus the same and prepare the same for EVERY opponent, then you'll get done what needs to get done.
That obviously hasn't happened, which leads me to believe that there are, as Coach said, some players that don't care. And those bad seeds need to be on the next bus out. I can't wait for winter and spring training next year. These guys are going to REALLY feel what it's like to be in a boot camp.
Pizza, anybody? Haha.
Saban called them on it, and now we'll see what happens next. He said that "people have to care about change," in order for any progress to be made. Yes, it really is a process. Changing a mindset from losers to winners is a HUGE change.
The presser was very telling yesterday. Coach questioned the leadership on the team, and discussed players, especially senior "supposed" leaders making bad decisions that affect whether or not they play on Saturdays. He questioned everything from their commitment to winning, to their character. It's quite obvious that the group Shula left over has been nothing but a bad example of a team wanting to do things the right way. I think Rashad Johnson's interview was the most telling - "Just not going to class, off-the-field issues, different distractions that shouldn't happen," safety Rashad Johnson said. "We're all grown adults. We should take care of our business." Johnson said the problems have gotten worse during the past few years. "Things are starting to get cut down a lot, but there are still things that pop up," he said. "Everybody's depending on certain people to do things and then they mess up. It feels like a letdown or a slap in the face."
Tuberville is kinda dancing around the questions about Texas A&M, and rightly so. He said during his press conference yesterday that he and his staff will be at Auburn as long as they (Auburn family) want them there. Riiiight. Well, with a loss on Saturday, they may not want him much longer. Read more here.
The "textbook five" are back this week, and they'll be back in what had become a regular rotation before the Tennessee game. Hopefully this addition will help spark a "dead-in-the-water" Crimson Tide team that just suffered, in my opinion, the most embarrassing loss possible.
As I'm sure most of you realize, we are currently riding a 5 game losing streak to Auburn. This year would be 6 straight, which has never been done. The last time we lost five straight to Auburn? 1954-1958. The last loss was in Bear Bryant's first season. Regardless, Tuberville doesn't want anybody talking about the streak this weekend. They just want to win.
Getting back to Saban's presser - he described how people changed, and how attitudes changed, after catastrophic events. He went on to describe how America's mindset changed after 9/11, and how it changed after Pearl Harbor. Pretty good examples that will definitely grab your attention - and hopefully the attention of the players that just don't seem to want to listen. Read more here.
Finebaum begins ripping into Saban just as hard as he was kissing his ass earlier in the year. Yes, it will be a little more difficult to recruit, having a loss to La-Monroe on your resume, but it couldn't be as hard as Notre Dame losing to Navy for the first time in 44 years, or being blown out at home by Air Force, etc. For Finebaum to question everything that's being done, after all his brown-nosing over the past few months, is completely disgusting. You should definitely read the article.
At a time when the Alabama nation is reeling - when we REALLY needed some kinda pick-me-up...the basketball team lost at home on a last second shot to Belmont. Yes, Atlantic-Sun conference team, Belmont. 85-83. I don't really wanna talk about it, so read about it.
¶ 8:45 AM0 commentslinks to this post
Yes, I will be watching the Alabama / Auburn game. From the comfy confines of my living room, with the remote control in my hand, just incase the game gets out of control.
If you want to purchase tickets to the Iron Bowl, you can find some REALLY good seats at TickCo.com. Just check out their Alabama section, and if you're a barner over here to poke fun, you can get tickets in the Auburn section.
Boos were very common on Saturday. Luckily, we don't have anyone on the team that took it personally. Mike McCoy said it best. "You can help them stop booing. You can make plays and score points. We didn't do that."
Coach Saban praised John Parker Wilson's practices this week, saying he worked his tail off to become prepared for this game. It obviously didn't translate into the game.
Christopher Walsh's first-and-10 this week tells all about everything that went wrong in this game, from the two interceptions, to the botched punt return, to the fumble in the redzone, to being stopped on third and fourth-and-short in the red zone late in the game.
You wanna find a way to forget about the loss? How about beating Auburn. We figured this was a 7-win football team, so how about we get that 7th win. Remarkably, if we beat Auburn, we could end up at 7-5, along with 4 other teams from the SEC West, and Kentucky. So as of Saturday we could end up anywhere from the Outback bowl to the Cotton Bowl to the Texas Bowl or the Armed Forces Bowl. Or maybe just staying at home. The bowl projections have definitely been weird this year.
Ole Miss Chancellor Robert Kayhat should probably be fired along with the head coach, Ed Orgeron, and that idiot AD Pete Boone. Apparently, the boosters are wanting Orgeron gone and are privately threatening to withdraw their athletic donations until he's ousted. Sounds like times are peachy in Oxford. Hell, after "O" put in Adams at the 10-yard line, after Schaeffer drove them down the field, I would have wanted him fired too.
As much as I hate him, Scarbinsky has a good point about how Saban turns things around against big-time opponents whenever he loses games he's not supposed to, and how this could be just what he needed for a victory at Auburn. Read more here.
¶ 8:59 AM0 commentslinks to this post
Every week I end up saying this...but I've never been so ready for the weekend in my life. It's like I go through entire days in some kind of haze, just waiting to get home and get away from the office, even if it's just to play NCAA 08. Haha.
This weekend should be somewhat entertaining. Since Alabama and La-Monroe will not be on TV, I will be at the Memphis / UAB game at the Liberty Bowl. I don't really have a rooting interest, but it'd be nice for Memphis to finally break that streak, so the coaches don't go absolutely crazy. :-) I figure I'll eat some Central BBQ before the game and all that - and then we've got the show that night. If you're in Memphis and you're not going to the Bama game, head on over to Newby's around 9pm and party with us. It should be a fun time.
They announced yesterday that Geoff Calkins and Gary Parrish will have their own morning show on 730 ESPN starting in January, which should be pretty entertaining. Gary's always done a great job on the Chris Vernon show, and Geoff has always seemed like he'd be better in a different setting rather than having to deal with George Lapides every morning. Should be fun times ahead.
If you want to read up on the history from Louisiana-Monroe's side, check out their school's Alabama preview page.
Alabama signed JaMychal Green, who is the #5 power forward in the country, and the #17 overall player in the country. Looks like he's going to be a stud. Read more about him here.
Coach Saban still knows nothing about the textbook-five, and whether or not they will be allowed to play this Saturday. We're hopeful that they'll be back in time for the Auburn game, but as of Wednesday the NCAA had not even received Alabama's findings from the investigation.
The deal between Alabama and Clemson to play next August 30th at the Georgia Dome is close to being done. Alabama will have to reschedule the game with Western Kentucky on that date...but I'm sure they'll figure all that out.
I wish this guy had talked to JPW before the game last week. "Memo to JPW: Take the sack when Alabama is leading and a field goal does some good. Don't take a sack when you need a touchdown to win the game."
Leigh Tiffin has hit 15 of his last 17 field goals, and is currently ranked #3 in the country with 21 field goals on the season. If that's not a turn around from last season, I don't know what is. Read more here.
This year's senior class is attempting to be the first class since 2001 to win their home finale in Bryant-Denny. That's been 6 years man. I didn't have a clue it was that long. So I guess it started with Auburn in 2002, then LSU in '03, then Auburn in '04, then LSU in '05, then Auburn in '06...and now we get Louisiana-Monroe. Slightly different change of pace there. Oh well...a win is a win. Read more about the senior class here.
¶ 8:32 AM2 commentslinks to this post
Only thing is, it was for that other sport. Haha. You know the one with the round ball. According to Scout.com, Alabama had the #12 ranked class in the country. Not bad for a guy that supposedly can't coach to save his life. Click here to meet the new players.
After listening to the Mercer game on the radio, I am convinced that this team is going to be MUCH better than last year's. Richard Hendrix reminds me an awful lot of Erwin Dudley, and Jemison and Coleman (if he picks up his game) are adequate reserves. Brandon Hollinger is like a poor-man's Pettway, and Tubbs is like a more defensive minded Earnest Shelton. The only thing we're REALLY missing is that guy that can just take over a ballgame, kinda like a Kennedy Winston. I'm thinking Riley or Gee could fill that gap if their play is less sporadic than last season. Regardless, I think we're going to be a much improved ball club because we won't be relying so much on somebody that can't play.
Oh well...back to football. I'm going to take some time off bitching about John Parker Wilson, or anybody else for that matter. The bottom line is this: we're a 6-4 football team that has a good shot to get to 8-4 and a decent bowl game. Yes, our quarterback play is pretty bad. Yes, our offensive line play is pretty bad. Yes, our defense can't stop teams from running the football (see Miss State last week with 6 minutes left in the game). But regardless, we're still an alright football team with a chance to defy expectations and go out and whip some ass. First in line? Louisiana-Monroe.
Calvin Dawson is a machine. The La-Monroe running back has run for at least 100 yards in 14 of his last 15 starts, with the lone exception being against, of all teams, North Texas. Read more about how the Warhawks will try to attack our defense.
Thanks to Alabama and Auburn always playing the Iron Bowl a week early, so either team would have a chance to rest the week before the SEC Championship game, now ALL SEC teams have to play the week before the game, including Alabama and Auburn. Read more here.
The Birmingham News says that the winner of the Iron Bowl will be in Atlanta next month - for the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. That sure would make some Bama fans happy, since we have a damn large contingency in the ATL. Read more notes for the weekend, including an upset pick of Mississippi State over Arkansas, here.
I had already posted it, but I'm posting again. Don'ta Hightower committed to Alabama the other day, giving us another 4* prospect this season. It is entirely possible that we can get as many 4 and 5 star kids in this one year than we've gotten over the last 4. Yes, you read that correctly. Read more about Don'ta.
I had no idea, but Leigh Tiffin is becoming a BEAST at kicker for us. He tied his father, Van Tiffin, as the only kicker to kick two 50+ yarders in one game last week. He's only 3 field goals shy of the year mark set by Phillip Doyle, and he's only 7 points shy of breaking Phillip Doyle's season points record of 100, which was set in 1989. Pretty lofty stats for a kicker. He's been a blessing this season, I'll tell you that much. Read more here.
The seniors are ready to go out and take care of business in their last game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. I have a feeling these guys will put as much of a pounding on ULM as possible before the 2nd string comes in. Look for Bama to hit early and often in this one. No looking ahead this week - not after what happened with Houston, since these two teams are very similar.
Coach Saban won't even discuss the possibility of the 2nd string coming into the game. He's just worried about winning the game. Read more here.
¶ 8:43 AM0 commentslinks to this post
when you're winning, but this season has been filled with John Parker Wilson's bad decisions, which have put our defense in some very tight spots. It started in the 3rd game of the season, and moved on from there.
I'll point out a few of them from the past couple of seasons. I apologize for not having the youtubes ready just yet. I'm going to have to rip them from my dvds and go from there, so it may be this weekend before I get it accomplished. We'll spend today looking at last season's botched plays that have led to his record of 12-11 as a starter at the Capstone.
#1 Vandy at AlabamaSept. 9th, 2006
2nd quarter - With Bama leading 3-0, Simeon Castille had just intercepted Chris Nickson after Vandy drove from their 25 to the Alabama 44. Immediately after that, at the 11:57 mark, JP threw an interception on the very next play to give the Commodores the ball at the Vandy 47. The 'Dores continued driving to the Bama 25, where they were stopped and held to a field goal to make it 3-3.
#2 Alabama at ArkansasSept. 23rd, 2006
3rd quarter - Arkansas had given us a point by missing an extra point, making the score 10-9 in the 3rd quarter. With 4:18 left in the 3rd quarter, John Parker dropped back and was swarmed out of the pocket. He didn't cover up the football, and Arkansas forced a fumble, which they recovered and ran back to take a 17-10 lead, after converting the 2-point conversion.
#3 Alabama at FloridaSept. 30th, 2006
4th quarter - We were down 14-13 and had the ball with under 9 minutes left. We started the drive at our own 10 yard line. JP promptly hit Keith Brown for a 17 yard gain to the 27 yard line. Then, after an incomplete pass, JP threw a pass that was intercepted by Ryan Smith on the Alabama 34. Florida then drove down the field and took a 21-13 lead with 6:16 left in the game.
4th Quarter - After going down 21-13, we still had a shot to tie up the game. 6 minutes left is plenty of time to drive the field. We drove from the Alabama 20 to the Florida 46 in about 2 minutes. Then, on a 2nd-and-10, JP threw a pass that was easily read and picked by Reggie Nelson, who returned it for a touchdown and a 28-13 lead. That was the final score.
#4 Alabama at TennesseeOct. 21st, 2006
4th Quarter - There's not one play in particular that really made the key difference. The bottom line is that John Parker went 4/10 in the 4th quarter and took 3 sacks, including two on the last drive with one minute left and us trailing by three.
#5 Mississippi State at AlabamaNov. 4th, 2006
2nd Quarter - We had already given up 17 points, but our defense had gotten us 7 by returning an interception for a touchdown to make it 17-10. Our defense had held Mississippi State, and while we were down by 7, we had flipped field position on them. Arenas took a fair catch at the Alabama 45 with only 3:28 left in the half and a chance to tie the game up before the half. Darby ran for 2 yards up the gut. Then JP tried to throw and out route that was read perfectly by Quinton Culberson, who returned the interception for 51 yards and a touchdown to make it 24-10. We drove at the end of the half, had 1st-and-Goal at the 1 with just a few seconds left, and from shotgun formation, JP tried to run it into the endzone. He was met by two linebackers who promptly stuffed him from getting into the endzone. We lost the game 24-16.
#6 Alabama at LSUNov. 11th, 2006
3rd Quarter - Trailing 28-14 after Christiansen missed two field goals, Alabama had driven down to the LSU 23 with under 4 minutes left in the quarter, with a good shot at making it 28-21. After Darby ran for no gain, JP threw an incomplete pass to Will Oakley. On 3rd-and-10, Wilson threw an ill-advised pass that was picked off by Chevis Jackson at the LSU 12 yard line. LSU was held to a 3-and-out, but had successfully kept us out of the endzone.
4th quarter - After having driven to the LSU 19 yard line, Alabama faced a 3rd-and-9. LSU brought pressure and JP took a sack, again. Christiansen missed another field goal. It was our last chance to score, cause we never got close again.
#7 Alabama vs Oklahoma StDec. 28th, 2006
4th Quarter - After a miracle punt return, and a spectacular play call to Andre Smith for a touchdown, Alabama and Oklahoma State were tied at 31. Oklahoma State had just gotten the ball back on a kickoff and were driving before Simeon Castille picked off a pass by Bobby Reid at the Alabama 42 with 7 minutes left in the game. After getting a first down to the Oklahoma State 46, we handed off to Ken Darby twice, picking up 6 total yards, leaving us with a 3rd-and-4 with 3:30 left in the game. John Parker, of course, took a sack on the very next play, leaving us to punt to them and give them a shot to win the game - which they did, kicking a field goal with 6 seconds left to win 34-31.
Now, I will admit that all of these games were not completely on the quarterback's shoulders, but I will also admit that he did not give us the best chance to win the games. All we ask is for a quarterback to not lose games. He doesn't have to win them for us...just not lose them. And the holes that were dug in these games were too much for our under-talented squad to dig out of.
¶ 8:41 AM0 commentslinks to this post
Before we get started, as you all know, the game this week will not be on television, so I would suggest that you get your tickets asap to go watch Alabama hammer on La-Monroe for a lil while. Head on over to TickCo.com and check out their Alabama section for more.
I had intended on posting JPW's late game blunders from the past two seasons, but it turns out that's going to take a lot longer than I thought it would. Today we'll just stick with some news stories.
Lloyd Carr is reportedly resigning after the Ohio State game, and word is spreading on campus like wildfire. If you didn't already have Michigan and the points, then go ahead and take them, cause it's gonna be a fight to the death.
Just a little something to tease all of you fans of Saban's work at LSU. According to one of the posters over at TideSports.com, when Saban came to LSU, Gerry Dinardo's recruiting classes the 3 years before he took over were as follows: #7 in 1997, #8 in 1998, and #9 in 1999. Shula's recruiting ranking the 4 years he was there were as follows: #49 in 2003, #15 in 2004, #18 in 2005, and #11 in 2006. Hmmmmm. I see something here. I think Saban had better overall talent when he went into LSU. Especially on the lines.
Ray Melick goes into detail about players that have produced big time in the past, but haven't seen a whole lot of playing time this season. Two of the biggest were Jimmy Johns and Keith Brown. The reason? They haven't bought in, and players that don't do things Saban's way don't get to play. Period.
Finebaum is absolutely blasting the Auburn nation today, thanks to their fairweatherness regarding Tubs. He seems to think that Texas A&M may not even want him now after that dud last Saturday.
Raycom has bought the broadcasting rights of SEC and ACC football and basketball games. This is GREAT news because it could possibly mean the end of the Daves, and it will probably look like a real game now, as compared to a game from the 1980s. The broadcast quality on JP and LF were just awful, along with the announcing. Hopefully all of that will change. Read more here.
The quote I like the most from yesterday's press conference was at the end of a question about John Parker Wilson. Saban went through his usual talk about pointing out the obvious, but he did say this to close out the answer: "This organization can't tolerate bad judgments." Wow. Apparently things got pretty heated between players in the locker room after the game, which is something I like hearing. At least they were all pissed off and ready to get out there and fight, rather than moping around feeling sorry. Read more about all of that here.
Q: Who was the last Alabama quarterback to throw a touchdown pass against Mississippi State? A: Spencer Pennington
In 2004, Alabama was up 23-14 when Spencer Pennington hit Le'Ron McClain for a 4 yard touchdown pass with 5:28 left in the game. The final was 30-14.
Since then, it's been hellacious. We've scored on interception returns, on a fumbled kickoff return, and we've hit a shit ton of field goals. But no offensive touchdowns against Sylvester Croom's defense. Talk about just pathetic.
So, today we'll go through the 4 best scoring opportunities of the first half, which is all I could watch on the DVR before vomiting after watching the interception before the half. Watching Chris Capps try to block ANYBODY was probably the most disgusting thing I've ever seen. Thanks to Davis, Caldwell, and now Stabler being out, we had to start THREE second string offensive linemen against Mississippi State, with a quarterback that wilts under any kind of pressure.
12:31 - 1st Quarter1st-and-10 at Mississippi State 22 yd line
1st-and-10 / We run a play action pass with 2 receivers on the outside, and a slot receiver on the left. JPW watched Matt Caddell on the right side from the time the ball was snapped until the time he threw it. The ball was read perfectly be the defender, and really should have been picked off.
2nd-and-10 / Ran a slant across the middle to Nikita Stover. JPW waited on the throw, and threw it just behind Nikita, making him turn completely and try to catch it with his body, rather than in stride. Yes, it did hit Nikita in the hands, so he should have caught it, but regardless of that, it was still an awful throw.
3rd-and-10 / We have three set receivers (2 on the outside, one in the slot on the right) and a man in motion. Keith Brown is the man in motion. Brown goes in motion towards the left side, stops, and goes in motion back to the left, inside of the slot receiver. Caddell is running a 10 yard in route from the slot position with McCoy and DJ Hall on the outside. Rather than waiting just a second and letting the play develop (Caddell ended up open for the 1st down), Wilson watches Brown from the moment the ball was snapped, waits for him to curl. JPW throws it completely behind him - which was another ridiculously bad pass that should have been intercepted. Even if he had caught the ball, it was only a 5-yard curl route. Are you serious?
10:07 - 1st Quarter1st-and-10 at Mississippi State 40 yd line
1st-and-10 / This was a handoff to Terry Grant off left tackle, on a play trying to break him to the outside. The linebackers read this one pretty quickly and only allowed a 3 yard gain.
2nd-and-7 / Another handoff to Grant, this time running between the tackles on the right of the center. Chris Capps, playing right tackle, helps double the defensive tackle, but is supposed to get off of that block quick enough to block out the middle linebacker, who is sitting and waiting on Grant. The field is WIDE OPEN for Grant to take this one probably 15 yards for another first down, but Capps was too late and missed his assignment. We got 3 yards on the carry.
3rd-and-4 / JPW lines up with 3 receivers again, and this time with Travis McCall at tight end on the right side. McCall runs a 5-yard out pattern with single coverage from a linebacker. JPW, again, telegraphs his pass, but waits for a split-second too long and throws it behind McCall. Yes, another pass thrown behind a receiver. The ball hits McCall's shoulder pad as he slows down to grab it. He almost makes the catch, but the defender was close enough to knock it free before he could get control of it.
10:29 - 2nd Quarter1st-and-10 at Mississippi State 15 yd line
1st-and-10 / This was a handoff to Terry Grant between the tackles again. The defense read it perfectly and just made a good play, stopping him for a 1-yard gain.
2nd-and-9 / The team lined up in a shotgun formation with 2 receivers on the outside and Caddell in the slot, like usual. Grant was back next to the quarterback. We ran a misdirection handoff to slow down Mississippi State's over-pursuit when rushing the quarterback. It could have gone for more yardage, but Andre Smith got pulled inside by his defender. Grant ran into his back and had to try and bounce it outside. The play earned 2 yards.
3rd-and-7 / We line up in shotgun formation again with 4 receivers; 2 on each side. At this point, Capps is still playing right tackle. He allows the left defensive end to blow right by him. Capps didn't even slow him down. JP sees this, still manages to find Caddell WIDE OPEN across the middle in the endzone, but throws off his back foot and the ball sails out of the back of the endzone. Not to mention the fact that, in shotgun formation, Wilso is already lined up 5 yards off the line of scrimmage. Once the ball is snapped, for some reason, he drops back another 5 yards, rather than staying in the pocket. If he had stayed in the pocket, the defender would have run by him, giving Capps more of a chance to block...but probably not much.
00:21 - 2nd Quarter3rd-and-Goal at Mississippi State 2 yd line
3rd-and-Goal / By this point in the game, Saban and the coaching staff have realized that Capps absolutely CANNOT play on the right side of the line. Titus Brown and the other defensive end were killing him on every single play. We don't have anybody else that's efficient enough to keep in the lineup, so rather than trying to pull a freshman off the bench, they instead decide to do whatever they can to beat State off the line of scrimmage. At this point it's 9-3 and we've got a shot to go up 16-3 at the break, which could end up killing any spirit they may have had left. We put Capps over at left tackle, the position he's been backup for all year, and move Andre Smith, our best offensive lineman, over the right side. Andre apparently thought that his assignment was to block down in a double team on the defensive tackle, which leads me to believe that maybe not everybody knew what the play was, even coming out of a timeout. Smith blocking down on the tackle, along with the tight ends all going out for passes on a play action, meant that nobody accounted for Titus Brown.
Let me say that a little more clearly. Nobody accounted for Titus Brown.
Which leads to this question...
HOW THE HELL DO YOU NOT ACCOUNT FOR TITUS ****ING BROWN?!?!?!
He gets pressure. John Parker Wilson makes a God-awful decision to throw the football anyway. He weak arms it. 10-9 Mississippi State, and we lost all momentum.
Now, if we go up 16-3 here, and then come out and move the football on them in the 2nd half, it's the Vandy game all over again. What you do to football teams that have no explosive offense is get a lead, and then keep the ball away from them. That was Saban's gameplan, and it was working to perfection. In 3 years from now, we win this football game 49-6. It's that simple. Recruiting will fix problems, because this team has all the marks of their former head coach: they're weak and make bad decisions.
We'll go into detail tomorrow about just how many games John Parker Wilson has single handedly lost for Alabama in the past two years. In his 23 starts, he is now 12-11. Not very good.
¶ 7:16 PM9 commentslinks to this post
Y'know, looking at this game, and looking at what LSU has been able to do to Mississippi State in the past few years, it's going to be fun going to Starkville and not having to worry about losing - at least in a few years.
However, this year, we don't have a whole lot of ballplayers, and that thin defensive line that we've been complaining about all year - yeah, that one - really comes into play in this game.
I'll be in Starkville at 8 or 8:30am tomorrow, so if you're going down, spot me an e-mail and we'll meet up somewhere.
Special Teams is the name of the game, my friends. They've been the most consistent phase of our team this year, so props to them. RollTide.com goes in depth about all of their accomplishments so far.
The Alexander City Outlook points out that Alabama fans should be ecstatic about what the future holds, just by watching LSU play against Bama the other night. Saban will recruit championship caliber athletes, and he will be able to coach them up to that level. It's a very good thing happening in Tuscaloosa. Read more.
The Selma Times talks a little trash about Alabama, but does point out that there are good things coming. He said that if you thought Saturday night was great, just wait until Coach Saban gets players that fit his recruiting mold. Read more.
I'm sure you've heard enough about it, but the SEC currently has 9 teams bowl eligible - and there's the possibility, with Mississippi State and Vandy, that we could have 11 teams bowl eligible. Sad thing is that the SEC only have 8 bowl tie-ins. Now, if Georgia can win out, but lose to LSU in the title game, there's a shot that they could get an at large bid to the Sugar Bowl, assuming LSU goes to the National Championship game. Read more about that here.
If Nick Saban had been the coach, you can almost bet your house on the fact that he wouldn't have let Titus Brown leave the city of Tuscaloosa. He would've been playing football at the Capstone, rather than 87 miles away in Starkville. But, alas, it is what it is. Read more about Titus Brown here.
This is State's first pre-game sellout since 1999, and their first ever sell-out of the stadium since their expansion. Sounds like a big game, doesn't it? Of course, I would have to assume that a lot of those are going to be Alabama fans, so we'll see what happens.
¶ 8:53 AM1 commentslinks to this post
The weekend is calling my name. I'm ready to get outta the office and go outside while there's still some SUNLIGHT. Seriously.
I'll be in Tupelo on Friday night for the Olive Branch vs Tupelo football game, so if you'll be there, let me know. Tupelo's only an hour from Starkville, and I've got family down there, so I figure it'll make the drive a lil easier on Saturday morning. Not to mention that it should be one hell of a high school football game. South Panola wrapped up #1 in region 1a, so this game is for the #2 seed in the state playoffs, so it's pretty important.
The 'Dawgs aren't letting "bowl talk" be a distraction to them - Coach Croom, Titus Brown, and others make the point that they just need to keep working and finish the year strong. Everything else will take care of itself.
Coach Croom has said that he won't play Anthony Dixon this weekend unless he can fix the fundamentals. In their last game, Dixon was sent to the bench for the 4th quarter because he had fumbled the ball 3 times already in the game.
The suspensions of the 5 players involved with the textbook scandal have led to more players being able to get work, like Taylor Pharr and David Ross. David Ross has been practicing as first-string center, while Cardwell is slowed with back spasms. We may also see the return of Chris Capps to the starting lineup this week, due to Mike Johnson moving over to start at right guard over BJ Stabler. I'm a little bit worried, just so you know.
You wanna talk about a team that has confidence? Mississippi State ran all over us last year and owned the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. They're gonna try and do the same thing as they did last year. Of course, thank God that our players understand that and are ready for it - at least according to Darren Mustin.
The Birmingham News, or at least Jon Soloman, are calling for the upset this weekend. "This is a major trap game for Alabama, which is coming off an emotional defeat to LSU. Nick Saban has a challenge ahead to keep his team physically and mentally prepared before the Iron Bowl on Nov. 24. Teams typically struggle the week after playing LSU because of how physical the Tigers are. Mississippi State has road wins against Auburn and Kentucky, and will make it two in a row over Alabama."
Johnathan Lowe is SOOOO ready to play against his former team on Saturday. He says there will definitely be an adrenaline rush when he takes the field. Read more about him and his uncle and father, who both played for Coach Bryant.
Mainly because I'm in the playoffs in 3 of my 4 fantasy leagues, with a VERY good chance to win at least two of them. :-) Haha.
But it is also incredibly important that we take care of a Mississippi State team that absolutely embarrassed us on our own field last year - a game that changed the landscape of Crimson Tide football, probably forever.
I made the mistake of taking one of my good friends, a Mississippi State grad, with me to last year's game. I will not be making that mistake again. Nope. This time I'll be bringing a newly converted hardcore Tider with me - so hopefully luck will change.
There are still people writing about how crazy the Alabama LSU game was from this past weekend. Here's another one.
Y'know what I like to hear? Players saying things like this: "We got over LSU on Sunday, so that's really in the past," Keith Brown said. "We're working on Mississippi State, focusing on those guys and what they do." Signs of a well-coached team.
Terry Grant is ready to make a statement to his home state this Saturday. Read about what he's had to go through this week.
Josh Cooper details how the Mississippi State game last year has changed the entire Alabama program - not only with the coaching staff, but the mentatlity of the players, etc. Read more here
Yahoo Sports says that Saban has the Tide headed in the right direction, and points to the LSU game as the main reason.
Titus Brown, MSU's star defensive end, is from Tuscaloosa, and he always wanted to play at Alabama - but our previous coaching staff didn't offer him a scholarship. Goes to show why they're no longer employed by the University. Regardless, Brown has a chip on his shoulder, especially for this game. Look for him to be a demon again this weekend, like he was last year.
Sylvester Croom believes that the timing of this game (Bama coming off a heartbreaker, State coming off a bye week) will have nothing to do with the outcome of the game. It's all about who goes out and hits the hardest and doesn't turn the football over on Saturday.
The last time Mississippi State played a big game in Starkville was 1998. This is part of Croom's learning process - learning how to win. They need 7 wins to get to a bowl game, and upsetting Alabama again would be absolutely monumental for them. The question is this: is MSU ready for a big game?
¶ 11:57 AM0 commentslinks to this post
Yeah, I spent way way way longer than the allotted 24 hours on that loss to LSU, but for a game like that, it should be expected. Regardless, Mississippi State is going to be tough to handle this weekend, so the team needs to let the past be the past - focus MUST shift towards Mississippi State.
They've got some big boys on the offensive and defensive lines. They were able to run right over us last year - Dixon gained 121 yards on 25 carries, and they absolutely ate the final few minutes of the clock by getting first down after first down.
And, just a reminder to all of you - we haven't scored an offensive touchdown against Mississippi State since 2004. I call for that to end on the first drive Saturday.
Anybody that is going to the game - let me know. I'll be down there getting my party on. :-)
If you thought that last Saturday was the perfect weather for a football game, just look at the weather report for this Saturday in Starkville.
The Sporting News labels Alabama a winner and LSU a loser after this past weekend's game. They think that, easily, by Saban's 4th year, Alabama will be crunching BCS championship numbers for the national title game. Read more here.
It's a perfect setup for Alabama to have a letdown this weekend against Mississippi State, but I don't think the players or the coaches will allow that to happen - especially against a team that beat them in their own backyard last year.
The transcript from Coach Saban's weekly press conference is now up over at RollTide.com. Sounds like he's ready to get last week's game outta everybody's head, because the last game doesn't mean anything if you don't go take care of business in the next game.
If you will recall, losing to Mississippi State last year put the entire season into a tailspin - which, of course, ended with the firing of Mike Shula as head coach. So really, I guess we can kinda thank them for bringing us Nick Saban. Haha. Anyway, their victory over us in Tuscaloosa was, beyond a shadow-of-a-doubt, the downfall of the previous coaching staff. The inability to win a game that they should have won, along with playing others close and not being able to get over the hump against our rivals. Read more about last season's game and what it meant to the rest of the season here.
Coach Croom says that the players know that they're still looking for respect, even after winning at Alabama, Auburn and Kentucky in the past 12 months. Another win over Alabama would definitely help them with their recruiting efforts, and will go a long way towards making sure they get into a good bowl game.
Jamie Newberg, from scout.com, spoke to the Montgomery Quarterback Club on Monday night, and let everybody there know that Alabama is going to be a killer on the recruiting trail. Alabama is currently 11th in their rankings, but if they can grab Julio Jones and a couple of others, they'll likely be in the top 3 in the country. Read more about what he said about Auburn and other SEC schools.
Barrett Jones, a 4-star OT from Cordova-Evangelical Christian in Memphis, TN, committed to the Tide yesterday. He's the number one recruit from the state of Tennessee - and his dad played basketball at Alabama. Read more about his statement here. He seems like a good kid with a good head on his shoulders.
I know, I know...it's not football, but Alabama basketball season did start last night with a 99-71 exhibition victory over North Alabama at Coleman Coliseum. Richard Hendrix was the dominant force that we're expecting him to be, and we used a 26-0 run after halftime to grab the lead for good and walk away with the victory. The first regular season game will be Friday, November 9th against Troy at Coleman Coliseum.
¶ 9:35 AM0 commentslinks to this post
First off, if you don't already have tickets for the game this Saturday in Starkville, head on over to tickco.com's Alabama section or Mississippi State section to purchase your tickets. The Tide needs a lot of support this weekend after a heartbreaker last weekend. We've still got a shot at a good season, so make sure you get your tickets to cheer on the team!
On to today's topic.
John Parker Wilson's new name is "fumbles."
Seriously. We'll use today's blog to point out his fumbles over the past two seasons that have really been a key component in costing us ballgames. We won't go over interceptions at key points in the game - just fumbles. Now, let me make this clear - this past Saturday can't be blamed solely on John Parker. He also did a lot of things to help keep us in the game to begin with, so this is not a complete low-blow to this kid, but at the same time, it's a reminder of this simple statement that I hope won't get a lot of flack for me.
Winners win. Losers lose.
That's all there is to it. There is a mindset in Tuscaloosa that Nick Saban is working on changing. He's been able to get these kids to play above their heads for a good portion of this season, but he's absolutely going to have to get better players in here to be able to compete with the LSUs and Floridas of the SEC. Period.
Anyway, on to the fumbles...
Arkansas 24 Alabama 23 - Sept. 23rd, 2006
On third-and-12 with 4:21 to go in the 3rd quarter, Alabama had the football on Arkansas's 47 yard line with a 10-9 lead. At the least, we won't get the first down, but we can pin Arkansas deep in their own territory with a good punt. We still would have the advantage as far as field position goes, and our defense had been playing lights out up to this point.
John Parker drops back in a 5-step drop. Rather than tucking the ball once he sees that the offensive line has collapsed, he's still looking to try and make a play. Sure, you can call that a good thing, but when the pocket has collapsed, only bad things can happen when you don't cover the football - as evidence by him fumbling the football and giving Arkansas a cheap touchdown and 2 point conversion, which also gave them a 17-10 lead in a game that we had dominated to that point. I should also mention that it was Arkansas's first turnover of the season.
Auburn 22 Alabama 15 - Nov 19, 2006
John Parker had a couple of miscues in this game. You can't blame it solely on him, because Chris Capps looked like he should've been a 2nd teamer on a junior college team against Quinten Groves, but regardless, you've got to protect the football. Fumbling like that is just ridiculous.
The first came in the 2nd quarter with 13:36 left. Bama was facing a 3rd-and-6 from their own 35 yard line, leading the game 3-0. Momentum was CLEARLY in our favor at this point, but Capps allowed Groves around on the blindside, leading to a clothesline tackle and a fumble that Auburn recovered at the 30 yard line. They scored just a few plays later to take the lead 7-0.
Then, on Bama's ensuing possession, the exact same play happened. On 2nd-and-16 from their own 13, John Parker dropped back, again 5 steps, while Capps allowed Groves around on the blindside. Groves hit JPW from the backside, causing him to drop the football. Now, this one could have been avoided had he been able to feel the pressure coming. Again, once the pocket collapses, you either have to get rid of the football immediately, or tuck and protect the football. One way or another.
Florida State 21 Alabama 14 - Sept 22, 2007
Alabama is still not a good enough football team to turn the ball over and still expect to win a game. Against anybody, really. The defense had held serve for most of the game, other than an opening drive in the 3rd quarter that gave Florida State the lead. We were still in the game, and had a chance to take the ball down the field to tie it up with less than 10 minutes left in the 4th quarter.
Florida State pretty much owned the field position battle all day, so they had us pinned pretty deep in our own territory on JP's mishap in this game. On 3rd-and-15 from our own 8, with 9:20 left, John Parker was in the shotgun. He caught the snap, saw the pocket collapsing from a simple 3-man rush, and, while trying to get out of the pocket to make a throw, got hit from behind and lost the football on our own 2 yard line. When trying to get out of a collapsing pocket, YOU MUST PROTECT THE FOOTBALL. I don't know how many times I can say it.
LSU 41 Alabama 34November 3rd, 2007
Ahh yes - the most recent one. LSU comes to Tuscaloosa to battle us for the SEC Western Division lead.
Remember, we're not blaming everything on John Parker Wilson. His mistake was just a slew of big mistakes made in the game. We could have won had we stopped LSU from throwing to THE MOST OBVIOUS TARGET ON THE FIELD on 4th-and-4 with 2:30 left, while we were still up by a touchdown.
Regardless, it came down to a play by John Parker Wilson in the final 2 minutes of the game. And yes, while he has been heroic in some games this year (Arkansas, Georgia, and Tennessee come to mind), he has also been a big reason why we've lost 3 games this year.
So, with the game tied at 34, Alabama has the football at their own 29 yard line, facing a 3rd-and-12 with 1:50 left on the clock. John Parker is in the shotgun formation, facing a VERY obvious blitz package, which means that you have just a second or two to find an open receiver on a quick slant across the middle, and get rid of the football before being blasted by a safety or linebacker. He takes the snap, watches LSU break through the offensive line, takes his 5 step drop, then gets happy feet, tries to dodge the blitz, doesn't protect the football, gets sacked and loses the ball on his own 2 yard line.
Once again, even if you're about to get sacked: PROTECT THE FOOTBALL.
So there you have it. We'll worry about Mississippi State tomorrow. Today was just a reminder to all Alabama fans that have expectations through the roof. The game of football is about the players. Players are either champions who make plays that can win ballgames, or they're losers who find ways to lose games when it matters the most.
Groves and Gilberry have kinda gone in different directions this season. Read about them flip-flopping roles