Days 'til Kickoff: 12 Days 'til I hit the beach: 10
Man, I caught the Kid Rock show last night, and while the American Badass was...well...badass...the guys opening the show stole it for me. I've seen them before, but they were on fire last night. The band is called Back Door Slam. It's a blues band from the UK, and they're awesome. It's three kids, probably early to mid-twenties, who can just wail. Check them out here. It was awesome. Kid Rock puts on a hell of a show nowadays. I saw him before and it was just kinda boring, but last night was great. He's almost completely rock n roll now, as opposed to almost completely rap in the past. Even his set with Rev Run was pretty good. Not to mention it was about 75 degrees with a nice breeze out there at Mud Island last night, and there were attractive females everywhere. Made for a perfect night. Haha.
Fall camp is officially over, so now it's time for us to get ready for Clemson. I would like to trick myself and believe that the Tigers aren't really taking us seriously...but I don't really believe that. They know what's coming. The question is whether or not we're still better than they are, and I think that's very possible. We have a lot of speed on defense now, and we've got some big cogs in the middle of the line, so their running game is going to have trouble. The biggest thing is whether or not we're able to slow down their qb...who, according to scouts, has the same problems that JPW has - he doesn't look off safeties and he relies heavily on one receiver, because he doesn't get through his progressions. Should make for an interesting test for our young secondary.
If you want an opportunity to check out one of Alabama's newest commitments, Rod Woodson, then turn on ESPN on Saturday, August 30th and watch his Olive Branch Conquistadors playing in Miami against Pahokee, FL at 12 noon CST. Kinda exciting for me because I graduated from Olive Branch back in 2001.
I guess this week I'm gonna rock out with my Crimson and White Roundtable...
1. Will JP use Julio as a crutch the same way he did with DJ Hall for the past two seasons?
My gut actually tells me no this time. I have a feeling that the ball will be spread more evenly this season than it has in the past two years - by a longshot. I think Julio will get his grabs, but Maze, Scott, Stover, McCoy, and others are all incredibly capable of being big play receivers. Now, on 3rd and 10, defenses don't know where we're going with the football, which is definitely an advantage.
2. Would a loss in the opener be more beneficial for the freshmen than a big national win?
Shut the hell up. Nothing good ever comes from a loss. Ever. I don't care who you are. As Herm Edwards said "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME." Period. I don't believe the coaching staff will let these guys get overconfident at any point in the season, even if they blowout Clemson by 4 touchdowns. Won't matter. It's just one game.
3. What will be the tailgate food of choice for opening weekend?
You better believe it man - brats, burgers, and beer. And potato salad. Definitely. I'm down with a case of Coors Light, about 5 brats cooking on the outside of the grill in some aluminum foil, and burgers marinated in Dale's steak sauce and huey's burger sauce. Haven't tried it? Do it...I'm tellin ya, it's like heaven. Should make for a great evening. Fire up the grill at 5pm, put the meat on around 5:20, eat by 5:45 or 6 or whatever, then get in the gameday mood. I'll be good and stuffed, then I'll have my jersey on, ready to roll.
¶ 9:39 AM
Comments:
I feel ya with the grillin'! I can't wait for gameday! I in no way want us to lose to Clemson. However, a loss might be a needed slap in the face to the unrealistic fans who are callin' for a NC this year. # posted by JC : 8:05 PM
I hear ya about the unrealistic fans. I'm looking forward to a good game and Bama coming out on top. Look for me in the corner of the endzone.
