BamaBlogOnline

2007 Season Is Here!

2007-08-28T07:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long delay in posting, but I haven't had anything of interest to say for the past 9 months. There is a new season upon us, and things in Tideland have been shaken up tremendously since my last rant. I hope to give my opinions on the current status of the program, as well as some minor predictions of things to come.
First off, let me say "Roll Tide and Welcome!" to the Saban family, as well as the rest of the new coaching staff. We fans owe you a great debt of gratitude for coming to our program and restoring hope in a time that hope had been almost completely lost.
As a rabid fan, I have tried to gather as much information as I could scrape together for the upcoming season, to try to get some insight into what the future holds. I have read blogs, papers and magazines in an attempt to "know" more than the next guy about what is going on. Whether or not I have been successful is yet to be seen, but I will offer my opinions for those who are interested. My impressions of the new coaching staff are hard to put into words. I have been overly impressed with their work ethic, their recruiting prowess, their team management and their class. Coach Saban exudes a level of confidence not seen in Tuscaloosa in many years, and that confidence is the root of championship football. If he can instill that confidence in his team now and in the future, there will be no limit to their successes.
Enough of the sentimental stuff, lets talk football! Starting with the offense, I believe we might be on the verge of seeing one of Alabama's greatest offenses of all time. That sounds like a bold statement, but bear in mind, Alabama has never been known for offense.
Our offensive line will be the key to the success of the offense, but my opinion is that they are greatly improved (and better coached) and will be one of the strong points of our team this year. We have a strong veteran presence with leadership from AC and Andre, and a renewed sense of purpose.
The next extremely strong group is the wide receivers. Both DJ Hall and Keith Brown will likely surpass Ozzie Newsome on Alabama's all-time yardage list this season. That in itself says a lot about our offense that we have two receivers, on the same team at the same time, about to surpass our all-time yardage leader. Also, we have had some serious competition in fall camp from some underclassmen who are ready to rise to the top. Look for big plays all season from Mike McCoy and Nikita Stover.
Running back is a position that, coming into last season, I felt really good about as a team. As the season began, I began to wonder (as did many of you) "what the hell is going on?" My opinion is that last years failures could be chalked up to multiple sources, including poor run blocking, poor play calling, and tentative running by KD. All of that is about to change. As I mentioned earlier, I expect much better performance from our o-line and play-calling adjustments will be made during the game this year, unlike last. The biggest change from last year may come in the form of a redshirt freshman RB named Terry Grant. Maybe I'm just a "Bamoptimist", but I think he is the real deal. Tough runner with speed to burn, defenses had better hope to contain him.
That leaves us with JPW. Not much has to be said about him that hasn't already been said on the field. This guy is a winner, he's calm, he's talented and he's smart. With the combination of receiver options and running backs he'll have to go to, he should get close to last season's totals (which were record breaking).
Defensively, there are a lot more question marks. D-line is thin and inexperienced, linebacker is thin, half of the backfield is new. Couple all of that with the fact that we are changing our defensive sets and going with more of a 3-4 style defense, and you've got a yourself a huge question mark.
With all of that being considered, I am confident in Coach Steele and Coach Saban and their teachings. We will use our personnel better, and blitz and stunt smarter and more effectively than we have for the past few years. We haven't put pressure on QB's from the outside in recent memory, and if I'm not totally wrong, we will do that much better this year. Only time will tell.
As for predictions, I predict we will win 9 games this year and hopefully give Tuberville a thumb to stick somewhere. Maybe I'm overly optimistic, especially since the first game hasn't been played yet, but I think with the level of talent in Tuscaloosa right now, and the coaching staff, and the confidence they bring, and the fan support, we will be pleasantly surprised by the Tide. That's my 2 cents. Roll Tide!

Enough is enough! Stop making excuses!!!

2006-10-25T06:15:00.000-07:00

Every week, it is the same old thing out of our coaches: "We did some things really well" or "We're really close". Well, I've been told since childhood that close only counts in horseshoes and grenades. I might buy the "close" comment after week 1 or 2, but after week 8? HELL NO! We are not close at all. If not for our defense intercepting 3 first half passes, we would have been scoreless at halftime, instead of having a 3 point lead. Oh, and let's talk about that 3 point lead. Your team is on the road with a first year starting QB in front of 107,000 fans and you kick a field goal from 4th and goal on the 1? If ever there was a time to go for the kill, that was it! I realize there was another half to be played, but that field goal was a victory for Tennessee, not us. They were fired up and clapping about OUR field goal! We would not have given them any more momentum and joy had they stopped us on 4th down. Besides, did you really think 3 points would hold up AT Tennessee? Come on Coach! Be realistic.
I, for one, am sick of "playing the percentages" and the NFL mentality. This is NOT the NFL, where "you win some, you lose some" is acceptable. This is Alabama football! We are supposed to win them all!
I want you to think about something honestly. When has Alabama had a better QB, better tandem of receivers, and better running backs and full backs than right now? NEVER! We have never had more weapons than right now, yet we have an anemic offense. Hey folks, that's coaching! I don't know whose fault it is, whether its Rader or Shula. Whoever is calling the plays has got to recognize the problem and ask for help from the other. Don't let your pride get in the way of winning football games.
Oh, and speaking of bad coaching decisions and making excuses, why wasn't Jimmy Johns on the field more Saturday?

"Jimmy was not full speed [against Tennessee]," Rader said. "He was limping around [sprained ankle].

"We played him about the right amount as far as what he could do. We're not going to jeopardize his whole season to get him in there if he can't hold up."

Excuse me? If he wasn't full speed, then why was he our leading rusher on just 3 carries? Maybe we should think about not jeopardizing Darby's future in the NFL by sitting his ass down, too! I'm sure we have some no-name scout team running back that is expendable, let's play him!

Our special teams were also terrible on Saturday. Our punting and punt coverage was atrocious. Our kickoff coverage was terrible. Our gunners don't understand the concept of "breaking down". They just fly right past the returner and barely get a finger on him. It's like they are trying to get that big hit that makes the crowd go "Ooh!" But special teams coach Dave Ungerer said both of those units are "very, very close" to success. I guess I'm supposed to get a warm, fuzzy feeling because Coach U said we were close. Damn it, that's not enough!

One last thing. If you haven't read Cecil Hurt's article from this past weekend, please do so. It is on point and very true. At one place in the article, he talks about Alabama's inability to win on the road.

Alabama didn’t score enough points to win on the road against a quality opponent in Knoxville on Saturday. That happens to every team from time to time – but in the past four years, it has happened to Alabama every time. That’s Every Single Time. The Crimson Tide hasn’t gone away from home and beaten a team worth beating since Dennis Franchione’s 2002 team went to Baton Rouge and blew LSU out of Tiger Stadium.

Whole Article

Overall, Alabama has become an average football team.

Roll Tide Roll!

Coaches are to blame!!!

2006-09-24T05:56:00.000-07:00

Look, I don't have a problem with Mike Shula, and I am not one of these people who thinks his days are numbered. BUT, I saw some things (and didn't see some things) Saturday that disappointed me.
Before I go into detail, let me say that Alabama gave an incredible effort on the road on both sides of the ball. JPW was poised and made great decisions. Our offensive line protected well. Our defense kept Arkansas off of the field.
Now for the bad stuff! No, I'm not going to point fingers at Leigh Tiffin. I'm pointing them at Mike Shula! Late in the game, with the score being tied at 17 and your offense having moved the ball well all day through the air, (and your kicker having already missed one kick) is it a good decision to play for the field goal? Try to get in the end zone, THEN kick if that doesn't work!!! In Tiffin's defense, his first miss came from short distance at a severe angle, and those kicks tend to be tough. As a golfer, I understand how a bad kick (shot) can get in your head.
In overtime, our defense stepped up HUGE and intercepted Mustain, essentially giving us the win. All we need to do is put them away, as they are now somewhat demoralized. But what do we do? We hand off three times up the middle to Darby (more on him later) for four yards. PLAYING FOR THE FIELD GOAL???? When you've already missed a short one and a game winner? Are you lacking confidence in your QB? Come on Coach, that's just stupid, but I guess you realize that now. And don't give me that hindsight is 20-20 bullshit, I was screaming at you before the kick was made!
Then, to top it all off, who do we send out to kick the extra point? A true freshman walk-on who has already had his confidence shot down three times in the past three hours. I'm sorry, but in that situation, I'm either going to go for the 2-point conversion, or send Christensen out to kick the PAT.
The next part of my problem is with the post-game press conference. Shula came out and said: "We didn't hit the field goals or the PAT. But we're not pointing fingers. That's not what we're about. We're about coming together as a football team. We've got to stick together." Isn't that essentially pointing fingers? Shula should have stepped up for his teams sake (and especially for Leigh Tiffin) and said "It was MY fault! I made some poor decisions toward the end of the game and in OT." A truly good coach would not have left his kicker hanging out for the media to beat on, but would have attempted to deflect some of the criticism to himself. This was the most disappointing thing I saw from Mike Shula Saturday!
Now to talk about Darby. I was/am a huge fan of Kenneth Darby. I touted him as the best running back in the SEC, if not the country! He has always been a hard runner who could dance out of the way of oncoming defenders with the grace of Fred Astaire. But now, he needs some pine time! He has lost his forward explosion. He is dancing in the backfield sometimes before he even gets the ball. A lot of people have blamed it on poor run blocking, but why does Jimmy Johns come in and immediately gain 6-8 yards per play behind the same O-line? Because he runs hard into the line! Darby needs to run hard at the line, then try to make people miss. I would bet that he has almost as many negative yardage plays as he does positive yardage plays at this point in the season. That's unexcusable from one of our offensive leaders. Maybe he has watched himself on tape too much, or maybe he is protecting himself from injury. If that's the case, then what are you protecting yourself for, Kenneth? Your future as a used car salesman? If you don't start hitting the holes running downhill instead of trying to cut around in the backfield, you definitely won't make it to the NFL, and might not even be starting by the end of the season!
Arkansas was a hard pill to swallow, and will stick in my craw for some time to come. We were the better football team all around, dominating in every key statistical category, yet we come away losers. Many people have said that the Arkansas game might determine how the rest of the season would go for both teams. Man, I hope not! Hopefully we learned some valuable lessons about scoring in the red zone (a category in which we are dead last in the SEC). Rader or Shula need to stick with the game plan that got them to the red zone. I am sick of seeing us get to the 15 yard line, then start running happy-feet Darby up the middle. Roll JPW out, for God's sake! He can make things happen with his arm OR feet, or he can throw it away if he gets in trouble. Don't put him in a straight drop situation where he may be forced to take a sack, and don't run up the middle against a 7- or 8-man front that's expecting just that. Try to be UN-predictable, rather than predictable!
Okay, that's enough ranting for today. Roll Tide!

Its about that time again!

2006-08-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

32 days and counting til we kickoff another season of Alabama football! SEC Media Days are over, players report soon, and we will be yearning for daily reports on how they look. Having no inside knowledge and relying heavily on published reporting, I will give some predictions for the upcoming season. But first, lets reflect on last season.
Congratulations to the football class of 2005. Bringing the Tide family a 10 win season was very special, and for that we say thanks. Both LSU and Auburn were better than us, and you can't complain (too much) about losing to better teams. That being said, I hope that the days of better teams existing in the SEC West, and SEC as a whole, are numbered. I feel we accomplished more than was expected last year, and now that our stable is closer to being completely restocked, I think we will continue to improve. Coach Shula and the staff did an outstanding job last year.
Congratulations to the seniors who were drafted into the NFL. I hope that each of you have long and prosperous careers, and that you will follow the example set by Shaun Alexander. Always remember that you will represent the University, its past, present, and future, as well as all of its fans, for the rest of your life.
Another congratulation should go to Tyrone Prothro for winning his Espy award recently. Congrats and good luck with your recovery.

Upcoming Season

Now to this year. TRUE we lost some talent and playmakers from last years squad. In my opinion, the talent we lost will be the least of our worries. Our biggest concern will be the leadership that was lost. Roman Harper, Demeco Ryans, Brodie Croyle were all great leaders, and they will be missed. Reports that JP Wilson has stepped up into a leadership role are very encouraging. Also, I think Ramzee Robinson can fill the shoes of Roman Harper in the defensive backfield. On the defensive interior, look for Juwan Simpson to step up. If we can have great leadership from within the team, the sky is the limit.
We had a great recruiting class, and based on recent years, many of those new players will be given a chance to contribute. Our offensive line needed help last year, and they certainly got it in this class, but will they help this year? Who knows. My guess is that at least two if not three of last year's line class will see playing time throughout the season.
Wide receiver is another position that we will see improvement. Nikita Stover is very capable of helping us this year, and hopefully DJ Hall will be back in uniform as well.
All reports on JPW have been very good, and we all know that Kenneth Darby is the best back in the SEC (sorry Irons, but with your offensive line, Darby would have had 3000 yards last year!) Behind Darby, we are as deep as I can remember us being.
Defensive backfield took a hit, but there is a lot of talent coming back. The corners are locked down with Bino and Simeon Castille. Jeffery Dukes is a headhunter with some experience, so I think our DB situation is good.
Juwan Simpson is more motivated than ever after his off-the-field issues of the past months, and together with Terrence Jones, they might be the best outside linebacker corps we have had in some time.
Gilberry and Clark, along with some new guys will hopefully be as dominant if not more so than last year.
On paper, the team looks really solid. Hopefully we will see improvement in the areas we were lacking last year and we will return to dominance in the SEC. ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!

Do we lack the killer instinct?

2005-11-01T04:20:00.000-08:00

Well, I don't know if I would call it business as usual, but we got the job done. We exploded out of the gate, then fell flat on our face for a little while. I realize it is probably hard to get up for every game, but other teams don't seem to struggle with it like we do. We NEVER blow out the weaker teams! Why is that? Do we lack the killer instinct to strike fast and early and keep striking until the opponent is down? It certainly seems so. This has been an issue, for me at least, for several years now. Maybe it doesn't matter, as long as we win. It just seems to me that, in looking at THIS season, the media talks about how Texas is blowing out all their weaker opponents early (except for this past week), and Texas gets lots of votes. Coincidence? Maybe, but I don't think so. I think people (read: voters) expect to see Alabama blow out Utah State by the end of the first quarter and have our backups in getting valuable playing time and experience. If we don't blow them out early, then we must be struggling, right?
Regardless, we are winning and I am still extremely happy with the effort and class of this team. Hopefully we can go to a struggling Mississippi State and take care of business this week before our final two HUGE games. Our future is being called into question more and more. No one gives us much of a chance to beat both LSU and Auburn (assuming we can beat MSU. Dangerous, I know!) Until we lose, we ARE the favorites to win the West regardless of the media's opinions. Keep it up, guys! We stand behind you 110%. Roll Tide Roll!

Thanks, Ears, for saying what needed to be said.

2005-10-27T05:16:00.000-07:00

Tommy Tuberville made some comments about the BCS that have many in the sports world talking. I personally agree whole-heartedly with what he said. The BCS is nothing more than a popularity contest, won by flashy offenses. As I said in a previous post, "Defense wins championships, but offense wins votes". As I listened to RivalsRadio on my drive to work this morning, there were several calls dealing with this topic. The host (Bill King, I believe) was saying that with Bama's offense in its current state, this was not one of Alabama's better teams. I contend that our offense is lightyears ahead of the 1992 Bama offense, and our defense is on par with that one, too. Did anyone give that team a chance? NO! Also, look at the 1998 Tennessee National Championship team. Great offense? I think not! This was the post-Peyton Manning era, and Tee Martin was on the borderline between average and terrible.
Another comment Bill King made was that even though Texas plays in a weak conference this year, they are still a great team. HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?!!! You have to prove you are a great team by playing it out on the field, not by blowing out weak opponents. Texas playing an SEC schedule finishes with at least one if not three conference losses (and you can quote that!)
I am sick of these comments about Georgia and Alabama (and for that matter, Auburn of last year) not being "as good" as these "top tier" teams. BULL$#&*! The SEC has many dominant defenses, just look at the stats. The way you rank defenses is by how little offense they allow. Texas might have a good defense, but they have given up more points and yardage against weaker opposition than Alabama and Georgia. It is next to impossible to finish an SEC schedule and have great offensive stats.
Think back one year to what everyone was saying about Auburn, USC and Oklahoma. "Auburn is pretty good, but not as good as Oklahoma". "Oklahoma deserves to play for the championship because they are obviously better than Auburn".
Find me one columnist after the season that still contended that Oklahoma was better than Auburn! Just one! Auburn's defense would have given USC fits last year. I am not going to go out on a limb and predict who would have won that game, but I will say that it should have been played! I am positive it would not have been a blowout like the USC-Oklahoma game was.
One other point that makes me believe that Coach Tuberville was absolutely right is that last year's Auburn team was chided for playing a weak schedule. Of the remaining unbeaten teams in the country right now, Texas has by far the weakest schedule, yet they already have plane tickets to Pasadena. What does a team have to do to change that?
Let me give you a hypothetical situation. If Georgia and Alabama win their remaining games and play for the SEC championship, Alabama will have played FOUR teams who have been ranked in the top FIVE at some point this season:

Tennessee opened the season ranked 3rd.
By week 4, LSU was 3rd.
Also in week 4, Florida was 5th.
Georgia currently sits at 4th.

Now tell me that Texas plays a tougher schedule than that! They only have 3 teams on their entire schedule who have been ranked in the top 25 (including Colorado at 24). In my opinion, if Alabama OR Georgia were to win out, one of those two MUST play for the National Championship! And that's all I'll say about that! ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!!

Time to Reassess

2005-10-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

We're just beyond the halfway point in the season and its time to reassess the complexion of the SEC and college football in general. I will offer up my opinions on the standings and the future of the SEC for what its worth.
One thing is certain and that is that NO conference plays defense better than the SEC. If you were to take away the weaker teams playing weak schedules, the SEC would probably have 5 of the top 10 defenses in the country. I hesitate to rank them, but I know that Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee all stand above the rest of the conference and the rest of the country in defensive ability. Statistically speaking through 7 games, Alabama is 4th, Florida 5th, Auburn 8th, Tennessee 13th and Georgia 14th in NCAA Total Defense. In Scoring Defense, Alabama is 3rd, Auburn 4th, Georgia 5th, Tennessee 10th, and Florida 11th in the country. Oh, and let's not forget a pretty good LSU defense that is not ranked far beyond these guys. As the old saying goes, defense wins championships, but unfortunately for the SEC (both last year and this year), offense wins voters.
As far as the SEC standings go, the West still appears to be a three team race, while the East has been narrowed to two. Alabama is obviously still in the driver's seat since they have no losses, but a loss to LSU in three weeks would make LSU the favorite. Auburn has to hope for an Alabama win at LSU, then an Auburn victory over the Tide on the Plains the following week. My personal opinion of this race is still that Alabama and Auburn are the best two teams, even though LSU voodooed their way to another home victory this past weekend. I am not of the belief that Alabama's offense is dead without Tyrone Prothro like some media are saying. We definitely miss Pro, but we also suffer from our success. We got Ole Miss' best game of the season last week (and we were perhaps a little flat), and a great effort from Tennessee's defense this week. I think Brodie, Darby, Hall and Brown will be able to score points against both LSU and Auburn, so I am not overly concerned about offense (at this point). I am more concerned about how well Auburn's Brandon Cox has looked under pressure. With Auburn's defense, and their good offensive performances against some good defenses, they still present our biggest challenge ahead.
Georgia basically needs a win over Florida in "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" this week to finish the East, but that looks a little more grim with the news that DJ Shockley will likely miss that game. Georgia's backup QB (Joe Tereshinski) and the Dawg defense will have to really step up their games this week to get out of that one alive. I don't want to predict a Florida victory because the Georgia QB situation is an unknown factor, but Florida will likely be the favorite without Shockley.
My prediction is that Georgia will lose at least one of their remaining games (likely either Auburn or Florida), and that Alabama will beat LSU, and either squeak out a victory or lose a close one to Auburn (hopefully the former). Its just too close to call at this point.
As for the rest of the country, it doesn't appear that Texas will lose a game and they will likely head to Pasadena (unless our old coach fraud can upset them). USC looks almost unbeatable, but they still have to get by Cal and UCLA, which could prove to be two extremely tough matchups. Virginia Tech is playing good football and will be favored in all of their games from here to the end, but they still must play in a conference championship game (likely against Florida State, I think).
Alabama's only hope for getting into the National Championship picture would be for someone to upset either USC or Texas and Virginia Tech. Long odds on that happening, I'm afraid. Who knows what would happen if UGA and Bama both went undefeated and played each other in the SEC Championship game. Maybe that would sway some votes, and it would definitely help the computer rankings, but I don't know if it would be enough. Only time will tell. There's still a lot of football to be played. Roll Tide!

How do you call this one?

2005-10-19T05:30:00.000-07:00

Looking ahead to this weekend's renewal of the Bama-Tennessee rivalry, I have been trying to get a read on how this one might go. As I stated in a previous post, I believe that the close-call win at Ole Miss will be a significant motivational point in practice this week for Bama. Hopefully we will be as focused on our gameplan and execution as we were against Florida. Bama's offense definitely felt the sting from losing Tyrone Prothro in this past week's game, but my hope is that Ole Miss served as a wake-up call to our receiving corps. I don't know the status of DJ Hall, but if he is healthy, I think he and Keith Brown will really step up their games this week. Also, look for Zeke Knight to step out of the shadows with a big game this week. Tennessee's pass defense has been very good, but they have not faced a passing quarterback the caliber of Brodie Croyle yet either.
The offensive line might be the biggest question mark this week as they will be going against the best defensive front Bama has seen all year. If the O-line can pass protect and open up the occasional running lane, look for a good offensive day. Kenneth Darby had a huge game against UT last season, and I believe he will carry that over to this year. I look for him to post another 100 yard game against the stingy Vol defense.
Defensively Bama must be prepared for a two quarterback system. Clausen seems to be better at short, quick passes, which would favor our defense playing a man-to-man scheme. Ainge seems to like to throw the ball down the field more, which would favor more pressure from the defensive front, as well as blitzing often. We need to try to create turnovers in the passing game. Tennessee's running game has not been impressive this year so far, but we still must key on Riggs as he is capable of hurting us.
Special teams may be a wash, as both teams are fairly strong there. Bama has to avoid the costly penalties on kickoff and punt returns. Illegal blocks in the back and holding penalties have been the norm on punt returns this year.
All that being said, I look for this to be an extremely hard-fought battle between two top SEC teams. I think Alabama's crowd and defense will keep Tennessee from scoring more than 13 points. I believe Brodie and KD will both have good days to help the Tide offense to a couple of touchdowns. My prediction: Alabama 24- Tennessee 13.

Whew! That was close, but exactly what we needed!

2005-10-17T06:32:00.000-07:00

Man was that a close call in Oxford? Not to take anything away from an inspired Ole Miss team, but Alabama didn't look to me like the same team that dominated every aspect of the game against Florida. Maybe it was the bye week, or maybe just overlooking Ole Miss. Whatever the case, it might have been exactly the focus-inspiring scare that we needed heading into this weekend's battle with the Vols.
One negative from the game is that might give Fat Phil some ammunition (like he needs any more than he already has) to use against us. My firm belief is that IF we have a good gameplan, and we execute in all three phases like we are capable, we will pull out a close victory over Tennessee. Roll Tide!

Croyle for Heisman

2005-10-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

Isn't it about time the storied and tradition-filled football program at Alabama had a Heisman trophy winner? Not that I am asking for charity from anyone, but the law of averages says that with as many top-notch players as this program has turned out without a Heisman, it's about time we got one. Brodie has proven to be as valuable to his team as any one player in the country, bar none. Name me any one player who is more valuable to their championship level team?
1) Matt Leinart? No way. That team is so loaded with talent at every position that they are still competing for a championship without him. Sure he's a great player, but put him on another team without his weapons, and his numbers are average at best.
2) Reggie Bush/LenDale White? I think Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams proved last year that two great backs could co-exist and flourish, but not even be considered for the Heisman. These two (or at least one of them) will be considered because of the team they play on (sorry Auburn), but they won't win it.
3) DJ Shockley? Great dual threat QB on a highly ranked team, but I don't think that high ranking will last. When that first loss comes, I see his Heisman run fizzling. He may be the best athlete under center in the country, though.
4) Vince Young? Sorry, but I don't buy into the whole "Texas is a championship contender" thing. Texas plays in the weakest of all the major conferences this year, and I think that will show when the first BCS poll comes out next week. Young is good, but I think most people will look at his success in the weak conference as being not-so-impressive.
Brodie has put this Alabama team on his back and carried them to the top of the mountain where they once stood year after year. While it can be said that their rise to the top is based solely on the outstanding play of their defense, I submit to you last years team. Alabama had one of the top defenses in the country, yet finished a dismal 6-6 sans Brodie. Don't get me wrong, I love defense and this year's defense is better than last year's. They are one of, if not THE best in the country as a whole. But Brodie's outstanding play and long-ball ability has opened up an offense that was very one-dimensional last year after his injury. The offense has been very balanced, and very efficient so far. In fact, the offense might have been so well balanced that it will ultimately hurt his Heisman chances by decreasing his passing numbers. I think the most important number to catapult him to the top of everyone's Heisman ballot will be the number of wins the team has when all is said and done. Please be sure and vote for Brodie @ http://voteforheisman.com.

Can we handle the success?

2005-10-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

After watching this past weekend's games, especially the SEC games, I had to really think about the possibilities for the rest of the season for the Tide. Can we really be the best team in the SEC? Can we be one of the elite teams in the nation? Already? I think the answer is a resounding "Maybe!"
In watching Tennessee struggle offensively (as usual) and defensively, I think there is not much question we are a better team than the Vols. Having already proven we are better than Florida and South Carolina, that leaves only Georgia from the Eastern Division to question our SEC title hopes. Georgia has not impressed in any of their games, except a first week blowout of Boise State. I still don't know how good Georgia really is.
As for the Western Division, it still remains to be seen just how good both Auburn and LSU really are. Both are beatable. LSU has failed to impress me in their previous games against both Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Jamarcus Russell has not impressed me as being a consistent SEC caliber QB. They are deep and talented, but do they have what it takes? Personally, I do not think their coaching staff (in its first year together) has what it takes to bring this particular team back to the SEC championship game in Atlanta. Maybe in the future, but not this year.
Auburn, on the other hand, has impressed me with their handling of a somewhat improved Mississippi State team and a struggling South Carolina team. Neither of those opponents ever really stood a chance against a tough Tiger defense and an ever improving offense. The four weeks in a row of playing less-than-stellar opponents has given Brandon Cox more time to find his rhythm and confidence for their future SEC run.
In all truth, Auburn is the team that scares me the most to challenge us for the SEC. It may come down to Alabama vs. Auburn in the Iron Bowl for the true SEC champion, with the winner going on to beat up on Georgia for the trophy in Atlanta.
So, that is how things should go on paper, but that is why they play the games! Anything can happen in the SEC, so each week has to be a season unto itself with concentration being on the next opponent. We cannot afford to slip up against an Ole Miss or a Mississippi State team that would love to knock us back to Earth. We need to stow away the successes of the past games and look forward to each game as it comes. Alabama has been famous in my recent memory for playing to the level of their opponents, while letting one slip through the cracks occasionally. This appears to be the team that will turn that around. Can we handle the success? I think the answer is "yes". Roll Tide Roll!!!

Aftermath of Hurricane Brodie

2005-10-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's almost a week later and I'm still as excited about last Saturday's matchup between Alabama and Florida as I was then. It's truly hard to imagine how the team must be feeling about their accomplishment. This team has dealt with more adversity than just about any major college team ever (just about, but not quite. I hear you talking Tulane). They have, on their recruitment, dealt with recruiters telling them Alabama was going down the tubes. The have dealt with a coward of a coach who couldn't even tell them he was leaving. They have dealt with some of the NCAA's stiffest penalties on a program (even though none of these players had anything to do with what they were being punished for). They have accepted a new coach, who looked good on the outside, but couldn't keep his willy on the inside (of his pants). Now, they have been forced to accept yet a third coach and staff. Last season, while starting to slowly slip out from under the NCAA's penalties, they had to deal with one of the worst injury-ridden seasons ever. Why did they do it? Because they love the University of Alabama, and its football legend. You gotta love that!
This team is so special in so many ways. Each and every player, starting with the seniors, knows how to deal with adversity and they have slapped adversity back into it's corner.
We have had a good ride so far, and the season is still young. Anything could happen. We could conceivably lose every game from here on out, but my opinion of this team will not change. They are one of the most special groups to ever strap on a crimson helmet.
This past weekend, they brought us one of the finest (if not THE finest) games to ever be played in Bryant-Denny stadium. They did it with heart, class, pride and determination. They cannot be commended enough (although the media has tried) for the satisfaction and recognition they have brought to OUR team. Thanks, guys and ROLL TIDE ROLL!