After the early barrage to start the game, and our beloved Tide jumped out to a 28 point lead in the first half, the only thought running through my mind was "I know we're going to screw this up somehow."
And, of course, we did. Midway through the second half, Florida cut the lead down to 5, and I just knew we were toast. But, somehow, someway, we found a way to win it in the end. Hitting free throws and actually being smart with the basketball.
The guys played hard and played very physical. They were all over the place for loose balls, etc. Diving on the floor, pulling it away from the opponent. It was great to watch. Now we've got State tonight, and that'll be another difficult test, but it's payback, because they beat us both times in the regular season. Game tips off at 6:30 again.
As far as spring practice goes, all eyes are the new offensive coordinator. Coach Saban likes the chemistry the staff is working with now, and he REALLY likes the toughness that Coach Mac brought in to the offense.
There were some position changes, at least for the moment. "At linebacker, the four players working with the first unit were, from left to right, Chavis Williams (which would be the hybrid linebacker/end Jack position), Jimmy Johns, Rolando McClain and Cory Reamer. The second unit was Charlie Kirschman, Jennings Hester, Charlie Higgenbotham, and Eryk Anders. Alex Watkins was with the third unit." But wait...there's more. Javier Arenas was working as backup for the cornerbacks, and Justin Woodall was practicing with the first group of safeties, alongside Rashad Johnson.
Alabama's pro-day workouts were crazy. Matt Caddell had the best numbers of anyone there, by far, and it wasn't even close. He destroyed both Simeon Castille, DJ Hall, and Keith Brown. He ran the 40 in 4.41 and 4.39, had a 39 ½-inch vertical jump, 10-foot, 8-inch long jump, 4.33 short shuttle, 7.33 cone drill, 13 reps in the bench press, and ran position drills. Take a look here to see the rest. Insane.
¶ 8:53 AM
