memphistider

Winning Cures Everything

2011-09-14T11:10:00.002-05:00

Just a heads up -- we've opened a new blog with another writer, Ben Price, called WINNINGcuresEVERYTHING. Head over to the page and check it out!

http://winningcureseverything.blogspot.com

One Last Ode to Roy Kramer

2010-07-05T10:24:00.002-05:00

This latest article is from Pops Tider. Yeah, the site's considered "retired" but when we do some research and find out information like this, we can't help but post and make sure everybody else knows about it.

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In 1989, then SEC Commissioner Harvey Schiller birthed the grand scheme of working around NCAA rules governing scheduling. He set about a plan to create a twelve team league with two divisions and a highly profitable championship game. It was outside the box thinking in its original form. The recruiting of Arkansas and South Carolina were in place and the league could their twelve team, two division set up in 1992; and Shiller stepped down immediately following the 1989 season. Twenty odd years later others (BigX, PAC10) are just getting to the place where they can make it happen. Schiller did it in one move.

The guy who enjoyed the ride was Roy Kramer, ex- Vanderbilt AD and SEC Commissioner during the darkest days of Alabama football. Kramer became the SEC commissioner in 1990, moving straight from Vanderbilt to the conference office in Birmingham. Having been raised in Maryville, Tennessee and returning to Nashville later in life, Kramer’s history is deep in Tennessee and especially in East Tennessee. Kramer has never been one to shy away from the media. His recent bravado with the Tennessee media, the National media, and anyone who wanted to fawn over him for his role in the initial “Conference Expansion” talk from his home in Vonore, Tennessee, was about more that I could bear. Combining that with recently developing information about SEC scheduling has forced me into research mode.

The original scheduling of the 12 team SEC for football began in 1992 with a 5-2-1 format. That simply means that each team played the 5 teams in their own division, 2 regular rivals from the other division, and one rotating team from the other division each year; simple enough to schedule and it takes 6 years to play everyone twice. That format was adopted again in 1997 and the last round robin concluded in 2003. Kramer resigned in July, 2002 and had already changed the format of the schedule to a 5-1-2. This would take eight years to play through and would be Kramer’s last parting shot at Alabama. The change in format meant a shake up of some traditional weekends and gave the SEC office under the control of Kramer a chance to get in one last jab after the hose job by the same office during the Albert Means scandal and the recruiting whines of the fat one, Mr. Fulmer, who, by the way, lives in Maryville, Tennessee, also.

The scheduling format takes the conference schedule and overlays weekends for conference games and weekends reserved for out of conference games. The eight year plan has opportunities for teams to play 64 conference games. As eight of those are “opening weekend” games, the conference office does not figure into the scheduling of the preceding game except on very rare occasions when two teams will open the conference schedule a week early to accommodate television schedules. So to be fair, the conference only has preceding game influence on 7 games a year for a total of 56. Since the 2011 schedule, which is a part of this package, is not complete yet, we;; leave it off and discuss the first seven years.

For the 48 games the conference has scheduled for Alabama since 2004 (including 2010) over which they have had previous game influence, they have given opponents opportunity to schedule as they see fit 34 times. 70% of the time the conference has allowed the team on Alabama’s schedule to schedule an out of conference game or an open date prior to playing Alabama. The balance of that number is incredible -- of the other 14 games, on 10 different occasions from 2004 through 2009, opponents have had the conference office schedule Vanderbilt or Kentucky the week before they play Alabama. Not once in that time frame has an opponent played Florida, LSU, Auburn or Tennessee and only three time has an opponent played Georgia, all by Auburn in 2004, 2005, and 2006 when they used their open date prior to the Georgia game. The sad state of our program in the early years of the bracket gave opponents opportunity to pick and chose their built in wins from 2004 through 2007 by scheduling those the week before Alabama leaving the figures for those years somewhat diluted. But beginning in 2007 and the hiring of Nick Saban, another phenomenon began to appear. Because of the openings arranged by the conference office, rivals began scheduling their open dates the week prior to playing Alabama culminating in our having 6 of 8 conference opponents with the ability to schedule open dates prior to taking on the Tide. All of Alabama’s opponents combined have had only 15 conference games the week before playing Alabama ------ in SEVEN YEARS. By contrast, Tennessee is playing opponents coming off a conference game in almost 2/3 of their conference games in the same time frame. Over 60% of their conference schedule includes games against foes who have played a conference game the week before. I’ve not looked deeper-----I didn’t have to.

If you don’t despise Roy Kramer and Phil Fulmer, you must not pull for the Tide.

The bid farewell...

2010-05-27T08:09:00.003-05:00

So long, and farewell.

In October of 2006, I started this blog to basically get off my chest that there was a change needed at the Capstone. I started by doing my best to back up and defend our coaching staff early in that season, but as the weeks wore on, I helped start a movement, along with other blogs and message boards, etc, to get Coach Shula out of the head seat in Tuscaloosa.

We had been losers long enough. We don't lose 6 games in a season at Alabama. That's not how we're supposed to operate. We especially don't go 24-23 over a 4 year span.

But anyway, the blog started as that, and then turned into the plane tracking headquarters for Alabama's coaching search after the 2006 season. It worked out well because there were about 4 BILLION rumors, and I found a way to post at least half of those, and find a viable explanation for all of them. There was a lot of smoke that offseason, and not very much fire.

The RichRod thing blew up (which we're all happy about), and the Saban thing absolutely set the internet on fire. Blogger's server that hosts Memphis Tider actually crashed the night before Saban was hired, due to the amount of people coming to the page. We had over 100,000 unique page views in one 6 hour span. Unreal, right? Especially considering we've only had a little over 1 million hits all-time.

Memphis Tider was my way to let out what needed to be fixed with the Alabama football and basketball programs. Coach Saban has righted the ship, and Coach Grant appears to be headed that direction as well. There is not a lot that is going wrong down in T-Town, and, to be honest, real life has stretched me past my limits on being able to properly keep up with the blog. There's nothing to bitch about (which is something I used to do really well), and my band and my job have taken up a lot of my free time. I still go to Tuscaloosa a lot, I still watch football at least 4 days a week (yeah, I have a LOT of games on VHS and DVD), I still play NCAA 2010 (and will be getting 2011 in July), and am still just as big a fan as I ever was. I just won't be doing a blog anymore.

From time to time, you'll be able to catch my making points on different things at RollBamaRoll.com, so it's not like I'm gone forever.

I can't thank enough all the people that helped out with this blog -- my dad, the guys at RBR, Pelican State Sports, 3rd Saturday in Blogtober, Chris Vernon, BamaNation.net, The Bama Report, and many many many others that contributed and helped spread the word about the site. This blog was a huge deal to me for a very long time, and it helped me meet and interact with some really amazing people, and I now have friends that I would have never had. All of you have been incredible, and I truly appreciate everything that you've done to help myself and the website become successful in the blogosphere.

So we're going to end this with one last lil hurrah. I want to thank my friend Kleph, from RollBamaRoll.com, for keeping on me to get the last goodbye out there. We're going to end it with my last time hosting the Crimson and White Roundtable.

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1. After hearing as much as I have about BJ Scott, Dre Kirkpatrick, Rod Woodson, etc, is it possible that the secondary this year may actually be better than last year's squad?

I think it will, for sure, be more talented. However, I have a feeling that this group may be a little less disciplined than last year's. Last year's group, with Arenas, Jackson, Green, Barron, Johnson, and Woodall may have lacked overall skill, but their fundamentals were, for the most part, flawless. I have a feeling that some of the kids on this year's squad may get away from their fundamentals a touch. But, it comes with time. Just imagine what the secondary will be like in 2011. Now THAT'S fun to think about.

2. How will all of the awards and honors, especially from his hometown, affect Mark Ingram's performance this season?

I don't believe it will have any effect on this kid at all. At the end of the day, the best possible thing for any of these guys, no matter the awards, is competition. Mark Ingram has 2 or 3 guys behind him that, had they been in the starters role last year, they would have been in New York instead of him. He has people to keep him on his toes, and if you think for one second that some damn trophy means anything to Coach Saban, you've lost your mind. He's just like everyone else on the team, and if he starts slacking, you can bet your ass he'll be riding pine, watching Richardson, Lacy, Goode, and a host of others pick up yards behind that offensive line.

3. Could you see Greg McElroy as a legitimate early round selection in the NFL draft next year? Why or why not?

No, I don't, but I do see him getting drafted. Hell, even Jay Barker got drafted. The NFL has this thing about winners. For some reason, if you bring good team chemistry, and you understand how the game works, there's a spot for you somewhere in the league. McElroy is a great pro-style quarterback. He throws correctly, he's got great field vision, he distributes the ball well, and he knows how to read defenses. To us, and most coaches, that means he's a winner and that he should be able to play. However, GMs will notice that he's not particularly fast, he's not big, and his arm isn't exactly a cannon. All of those traits will drop him, but he'll end up somewhere, and he'll be successful at whatever he ends up doing.

4. James Willis was a master recruiter and one hell of a linebackers coach. We haven't talked much about what the loss of him means to our staff. Tell us what you think the effect will be with him gone to Texas Tech.

I would like to think that it won't matter who is doing the recruiting for us down in Mobile, because Nick Saban is still the coach, and we just won a National Championship. However, recruiting is all about relationships - not only with the kids, but with high school coaches, etc. We are now on our 3rd assistant in 3 years to be assigned to the Mobile area. I don't believe it will make a huge difference because Saban himself focuses on that area, but I wouldn't be surprised if some other schools make some in-roads there.

5. Have you ever seen a state whose political views can be switched by football rumors? The Tim James fiasco is absolutely incredible to me how much football can mean to a state.

The issue with the Finebaum show last week, and the way everything has gone down so far this week has just been ridiculous. It casts a black eye on the entire state, and while I look at it and think it's great that the game of football has such an impact on our political views, the rest of the country still views it as pathetic. I, personally, wish that none of this had come up because, honestly, it shouldn't matter what someone's football allegiance is when it comes to government.

Unless they're a Barner.

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So there we go! The final post for Memphis Tider (unless something insane happens, which I'm doubting. If you'd like to keep up with what I'm doing, check out the following sites. Until then, I'll catch all of you on the flip side! Take care and ROLL TIDE!

aim: proseveregary
http://www.prosevere.com
http://www.myspace.com/prosevere
http://www.twitter.com/prosevere
http://www.twitter.com/proseveregary
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Prosevere/122632915443
http://www.facebook.com/prosevere.gary
http://www.reverbnation.com/prosevere
http://proseveregary.tumblr.com

A-Day reaction and follow-up

2010-04-20T08:02:00.002-05:00

Well, like a dummy, I got busy and didn't even answer my own questions before A-Day. Yup, I am a member of the slacker community.

Regardless, I am going to go ahead and give a brief answer with what I was thinking before A-Day, and then I'll follow that up with the latest post A-Day questions for the Roundtable from our boys over at Roll Bama Roll.

Remember, as always, you can check out everything you need for the Crimson and White Roundtable by checking out the following site: http://cwroundtable.blogspot.com.

First off, here are my questions and answers from the previous week.

1. With Cody being gone to the NFL this season, will this change not only the way the Tide plays defense, but the way that opponents attack? Will this play into our favor or no?

I don't believe it will change our philosophy on defense, but I do believe that teams will no longer be as afraid to run up the middle against us. The Florida game last year was a perfect example of the kind of effect Cody had on opposing teams. They simply refused to run the ball up the middle with their smaller running backs. They ran dive play after dive play against all other opponents, but pulled it out maybe twice against us. Cody completely altered gameplans. Our defense will stay the same, but other teams will try to attack in more ways, I believe.

2. Although it's simply a glorified scrimmage, what are you looking for from Saturday's A-Day game?

Yeah, it's a scrimmage, but I wanted to see whether the offense and defense would be up to par from last season. Everyone talks about how great the offense will be, etc, but there were stretches last year where McElroy simply couldn't get the team to move the football. The defense looked baaad early on, but found a rhythm midway through the first half. Overall, I was fairly pleased with what we saw.

3. How big is the loss of Mike Johnson on the offensive line? Was he the reason the transition from 2008 to 2009 was so smooth?

I think he may have had a lot to do with it, but I don't think it was just him. Bringing back leaders at any position will help stabilize the unit. I think we'll be just fine this year with bringing back everyone else that played. I'm sure we will be set on the offensive line as long as Joe Pendry is there.

4. Is there another strength & conditioning coach in the country that is as important to a plan as Coach Cochran? What is it about him that you love so much (because we know that everyone here loves him. haha)?

Not a chance. The thing that makes Cochran so outstanding is how involved he is with the players. They're on the same level. Not to mention the guy is absolutely relentless. He never quits, and he doesn't let the players quit. By far my favorite coach other than Coach Saban.

5. NBA Playoff time -- who wins it, who pulls off the biggest upset, and why?

I think the biggest upset will be when the Mavericks finally knock off the Lakers. I don't think I like the Lakers that much this year. There's just something off about them, and Dallas is playing some magnificent basketball lately. I think I'm seeing a Cavs vs Mavs finals, so Nike, once again, will not get their Lebron vs Kobe that they've been hoping for. I see the Cavs in 6.

And now, we'll get on over the ones for this week, hosted by our boys over at Roll Bama Roll. If you'd like to see the original post, check it out here.

1. How did you watch the game, and why?

I was actually at the game. However, I did get back home sometime Sunday night and rewatch it. I attended because it's important to keep momentum going. There were going to be a lot of people there, but every single person matters in keeping a positive attitude around the program. The gathering of the masses definitely helped out, with us getting 3 HUGE commitments over the weekend. Stuff like this does matter and it plays a pivotal part in the continued success of the process.

2. Who stood out most on offense, be it for good or bad reasons?

Well, I can actually answer this two ways - Greg McElroy stood out the most to me at first because of how badly he ran the offense. Yeah, they were somewhat successful, but boy, did it look ugly. He made horrible throws, didn't move well in the pocket, and, overall, didn't look like a returning senior quarterback from a 14-0 championship football team. However, he was playing against the first string defense, so that may have had a lot to do with it.

Now, the things that looked really good were, of course, ALL of the running backs and, the show-stealer, AJ McCarron. Richardson and Ingram are both beasts, and both will be big time draft picks in the NFL eventually, but the group behind them would be starting almost anywhere in the country. Goode, Lacy, Griffin, etc. There's no let-down anywhere at all. This stable of running backs is absolutely unreal. And AJ -- well, there's not a lot to say other than he's got one hell of a touch and really knows how to lead a team. I think we're going to be set at the skill positions for a long, long time.

3. Same question for the defense.

Sadly, nobody really stood out to me on defense. It was good to see Hightower out there making plays. I liked the way BJ Scott was playing at corner. I guess the best looking player that I saw was Dre Kirkpatrick. He was a beast at corner. I expect great things from him this fall.

4. Did A-Day make you feel better or worse about our chances for a repeat in 2010?

Actually neither. It's just a scrimmage. Haha. But all in all, I think there's a lot of talent there, and that we will have a chance to win every game on our schedule this year. It's all about whether or not we execute the game plans laid out by the coaches. Fundaments and discipline will be big this year because we have a lot of wildcard talent that will have to see a lot of playing time. If they can stay in position and make plays, this team's going to be very very good again this year.

5. With the long dark of the offseason finally upon us, what's your favorite coping mechanism?

My favorite coping mechanism is different from a lot of people - I tour. haha. Over the summer we're out touring pretty much every weekend. My band stays fairly busy, so that helps me not worry about football or anything else for a while because my mind is focused on the task at hand. But, when I'm at home just lounging around -- I've got games from the last decade that I like to toss in and watch. Including DVDs from the last 3 or 4 years. I think I may watch as much film as some of the players. lol.

New Crimson & White Roundtable!

2010-04-14T09:09:00.002-05:00

1. With Cody being gone to the NFL this season, will this change not only the way the Tide plays defense, but the way that opponents attack? Will this play into our favor or no?

2. Although it's simply a glorified scrimmage, what are you looking for from Saturday's A-Day game?

3. How big is the loss of Mike Johnson on the offensive line? Was he the reason the transition from 2008 to 2009 was so smooth?

4. Is there another strength & conditioning coach in the country that is as important to a plan as Coach Cochran? What is it about him that you love so much (because we know that everyone here loves him. haha)?

5. NBA Playoff time -- who wins it, who pulls off the biggest upset, and why?

Roundtable

2010-04-13T09:52:00.001-05:00

Roundtable questions will be coming this evening.

In the meantime, I would like to announce that Alabama has won the 2014 National Championship with senior QB Phillip Sims at the helm. Thank God for NCAA 2010 from EA Sports. Diggit. Haha.

Crimson and White Roundtable - April 7th

2010-04-08T10:51:00.005-05:00

Our good friend Kleph has started back the Crimson & White Roundtable. I will be hosting the questions next week and then posting links to all of the Bama Blogs that answer. It's great to get back in the fold, especially right before the A-Day game.

1. Is Alabama on the verge of a quarterback controversy? The backup quarterback is always a fan favorite, but A.J. McCarron posted good stats from the first spring scrimmage. What are the chances he some significant playing time in 2010? Would that be good or bad?

There absolutely will be no quarterback controversy. We have a quarterback that is 30-0 as a starter, who just led us to a National Title. While AJ has been awesome through the spring, McElroy was awesome through the spring of 08 as well. Experience and intangibles are things that Coach Saban looks at - I seriously doubt he'll let a freshman start over a national title winning undefeated senior.

2. Were there any other bits of good or bad news from the scrimmage that fans should consider?

Not really, other than the defense looks good and our backup quarterback situation is immensely better than it was last year. I haven't heard much about the special teams units, so that's something we'll have to watch for - probably at A-Day.

3. Homecoming is October 16 against Ole Miss. Thoughts? Is it ever good to play an SEC squad for homecoming?

I see no problem with scheduling an SEC team for Homecoming. While some people have gotten the notion that the homecoming game is always against a weaker or inferior team, a lot of teams prefer a big game for homecoming to draw out more of the alumni and fans. I believe Alabama has been the homecoming game for several teams in the SEC over the years. Homecoming isn't to schedule an easy win - it's for alumni coming home. The opponent really doesn't matter in that case.

4. What does the Menzie injury do to Alabama’s projected depth in the secondary?

It definitely shortens it, but I think we were planning to play with low-depth anyway. Injuries happen and I believe the coaching staff will find a way to get the best players on the field at all times. It doesn't worry me, but it does definitely shorten the depth. Don't forget that Menzie was going to be pretty new to things, and there was no guarantee he would have been a phenomenal asset this year anyway.

5. Happy that Duke won the tournament? Happy the basketball season is finally over?

Honestly, I really don't like Duke, so I'm glad they're done. However, I'm a huge college basketball fan, so I hate to see the season end. I grew up playing basketball and football, and basketball was always my favorite sport to play because it's a lot faster. I'll definitely be following the basketball recruiting to see what happens because I enjoy it when the Tide is successful. I think Anthony Grant is on to something here in T-Town.

Woot Woot

2010-04-06T10:22:00.002-05:00

I'll be in Tuscaloosa next Saturday for A-Day. So, naturally, I'll start updating more regularly.

:-)

Spring practice

2010-03-16T08:16:00.000-05:00

Spring practice is upon us and, of course, there's a lot of new things going on to talk about. I'll be sure and give my opinion on what all's happening down at the Capstone as soon as I get a chance. In the meantime, hope everybody's brackets do well this year! Haha.

Random thoughts from Pops Tider

2010-02-17T09:56:00.001-06:00

Reason and logic. Here's a few random thoughts...

With all the hoopla about the PAC10 & BIG10 looking to expand,and thus throwing the BIG12 into “maybe” expansion mode as well, don’t think for a minute the SEC is sitting around on their hands.

Remember what I’ve always said about TV markets being the driving force? Seems there is a great deal of pressure in the Texas legislature to keep Texas and Texas A&M in the same league. Not enough room for both in the BIG10. If those two went to the SEC, the SEC doubles their TV market overnight and becomes the first super-conference with 14 teams.

That leaves the BIG12 without Texas and Texas A&M and, most likely, a Colorado that moves to the PAC10. They are now three short of a boat.

Nebraska or Missouri to the BIG10 leaves them 4 short. They pick up TCU, BYU, and Utah, moving the entire conference decidedly north while adding New Mexico to the west.

What are your thoughts on this happening?

From Pops Tider to the Boises, TCUs, etc

2010-02-12T12:02:00.002-06:00

Call Obama.

It is now time for the U.S. Senate and House to get back to real work----like screwing with Toyota and borrowing more money from China. I’ve got a solution to their inquisition of the BCS.

In case you haven’t heard, the Big 10 (11) and Pac 10 are supposedly searching for additional teams for their leagues. Their due-diligence will be of the garden variety that so many fans, and SENATORS / REPRESENATIVES do not wish to understand. The questions will be “what can the new additions bring to the table?” and “what will our bottom line look like 5 or 10 years from now if we add them today?”. Pertinent to those questions will be TV markets added, costs of travel to add the teams, geographic fit, scholastic fit, etc… But rest assured, the bottom line will be about money---just like the Senate’s grilling of the BCS. Somebody else has it and we want part of it.

The BCS is what it is. They have nothing to do with the NCAA and nothing to do with College Football----other than using both to make some money and pay the willing participants------a lot. They are simply the pimp for the girls who are going to work with or without a pimp. Sounds a little like what the federal government does with the Internal Revenue Service to me. Cities use the BCS to generate good games (which means games that people will actually pay to watch---you see, someone must have money before this whole process starts) to improve tourism so they can reap a financial reward based on someone else’s labor; the government uses the IRS to extract money from my labor so they distribute as they see fit, based mostly on how much each Senator squeals. No crying allowed. No appeal system. Just STFU and send them my money. They take from me and give to someone else, regardless of who had the most to start with. They expect everyone to participate and support the state of Utah or Texas just because their Senator was one of the most successful squealers------ but they don’t like it much when they perceive someone is taking something from them. So, lets help the schools in question get the politicians out of the game. No one “took” anything from you. You have never done anything to earn a fair shot. Or, maybe, you really don’t want a fair shot-------you are like the welfare recipient. Maybe you think someone should just give you something simply because they have more than you.

Attention Boise State, BYU, TCU, Utah, et.al., There are three openings in BCS conferences. Those openings are up for grabs. You have the opportunity get your names in the mix and participate in something you have whined about wanting to be a part of. Your representatives have gone so far as stating that, unless the BCS lets you guys play, they will attempt to destroy the BCS. So, now is your chance. Prove to those conferences that you belong. Then, just maybe, some of us will begin to believe it, too. Then, and only then, once you’ve gone through the rigors of playing USC on the road, and following that up with a home stand of Stanford, Oregon State, and UCLA ----or, go to Happy Valley for a game that really means something to the opponent in mid-September, and then follow that up with 6 or 7 more games against teams that will have as good a group of athletes as you have, week in and week out for 2 and ½ months, can you say you really belong. If you happen to find yourself at 12-0 in early December, then you can have the pleasure of going to a neutral site (can you say snake pit? Might Boise or Ohio State have more fans at a game in Indianapolis three weeks before Christmas?) and playing another team with athletes just like yours, in another elimination game, before you get to claim a “right” to play for a national championship.

Year in and year out, Vanderbilt is as talented across their first 22 players as any mid-level team in the country, except the elite. After playing six or seven SEC games, they are lucky to be able to field a team. Miami used the 3 game a year schedule for 15 years (early 80’s to mid 90’s) to make themselves a name. When they finally stepped up to play in an almost conference, they didn’t fair quite so well. If any of you really, really, really want that, now is the time to step up. Now is the time to ask. Now is the time to let it be known that you want to pay your dues. Now is the time to step up and work for what you claim you want. Do it. Do it today. Or not.

You see, in the words of Nick Saban, we don’t really care what you do. We are simply tired of politicians sticking their noses into places they don’t belong because you guys won’t do something to help yourselves. You want in the BCS? Openings are now available. If you haven’t done the pre-requisite work to get noticed-----from a facilities angle, from a fan-base angle, from an academic angle----that is not our problem. If the geographic fit is not what it should be, that’s not our problem either. The schools in the BCS conferences have sold themselves and made names for themselves for well over 100 years to ensure they are able to participate in the best anyone has to offer when the opportunity comes along. If you don’t make the cut, it won’t be because there is bias. It will be because you have not done the work or you don’t really want to be involved at the level you claim-------best of luck to you.

Spencer Region = enemy.

2010-02-07T11:29:00.002-06:00

How quickly a kid can go from the next big thing to enemy #1, right?

Here's the run down from what I am hearing. Maybe this will make more sense to those of you that are going "what the hell? he's been a bama fan his whole life and then changed his mind at the last minute?"

During Coach Saban's signing day press conference to discuss the incoming class, he started talking about the word "commitment" and what it means. Here's the text from the story.

"Much of this class had been locked up for months. But Saban knew nothing could be taken for granted.

“When a guy commits early to us, to me then we just become the target,” Saban said. “Every other school keeps recruiting them and they know the kid wants to come to Alabama, so now they’re bashing Alabama every day. ...

“You have to keep recruiting them and sort of manage them. I’m old fashioned. I think a commitment is a commitment ... I would rather you go visit other schools until you’re sure that this is what you want to do rather than making a commitment and then not feeling comfortable and wanting to go explore other opportunities."

He has stated before that he has a "you shop, we shop" way of doing things. If he commits, but he's still out there being recruited, then the coaches will go out and try to find somebody else that really wants to be here.

Spencer Region enjoys the spotlight, it appears. He called a press conference earlier in the week, then they decided to not do it, and then he called it back on again a couple of days later. Go read Andrew Bone's twitter to see exactly when it was.

If anyone can explain to me why a junior in high school, especially an offensive lineman, has to call a press conference in February, the year before he signs, to announce his commitment, I would really appreciate the insight. Because to me, it makes him sound like a fame hungry kid, which is something I, personally, don't want.

So, if you read Saban's comments on Wednesday, and then listen to what Spencer Region had to say in this story, it becomes a little more clear.

"I feel like they really care about me at Auburn … feel like they have my best interest at heart. It’s family down there. They love me. I love them. Me and my family are really excited about this decision ..."

Region had privately committed to Alabama before arriving at Cummings Sporting Goods. But at approximately 10:30 a.m., his decision had changed.

While Region wouldn’t go into specifics about why he changed his mind, he did say he felt more comfortable with the Tigers.

“I didn’t feel at home (at Alabama),” he said. “I didn’t feel they had the best interest for me. I didn’t feel like it was my family, and football isn’t anything without family.

“I’m still going to take my official visits at Ole Miss and Florida State later this year, and Coach (Gene) Chizik said he’s fine with that as long as I stay committed to Auburn.”

Saban didn't want to have to babysit this kid. He said if you're going to commit to me, then you're done shopping. Region didn't want to not be able to take his visits.

And he had already called a press conference.

So what do you do if you can't commit to Coach Saban right now because you're not agreeing on something, but you've already called a press conference and have a lot of media and community coming out to hear what you have to say?

Hell, let's just commit to Auburn. They'll let me go do whatever the hell I want. Because "it's family" and "they have my best intentions in mind." Riiiiight.

If Saban's class doesn't fill up before Region's visits are done, then we'll still probably see him wearing Crimson. However, Saban has been stated as saying that the class is already about 80% locked up and that it's probably the best class that he's ever recruited - so for any prospective recruits out there...if you get an invitation to the club, you may not wanna pass it up. Cause the Tide will win, with or without you. Haha.

Another National Signing Day

2010-02-04T08:13:00.002-06:00

Y'know, it really is nice to be able to look at your watch after the last kid on your board signs, and it be 10am. No drama this year. We got what we needed and we made a lot of headway towards next year's class as well. I'll take a top 5 class any day of the week.

And for Auburn's class - if you can't get the high school kids, take the JUCOs, right?

Biggest signing, to me, was the OL from Maryland whose brother will more than likely be the #1 overall prospect next year. The one from this year was the #1 lineman on our board, and is definitely why we decided to drop the scholarship offer to Shon Coleman from Olive Branch.

Overall, this is a good class. Nobody else got anybody that really scares me. There aren't any Julio Jones' this year, or big time quarterbacks, or anything else. We got the #1 overall QB, so that takes care of that, along with a lot of others. This looks like a group that will buy in quickly, and hopefully bring us #14 sooner rather than later.

Woot woot!

2010-01-26T09:54:00.003-06:00

I'm baaaaack. For now, anyway. Working on a new RIS conversion at work and it's got me swamped, so I apologize for the lack of updates.

Bama basketball is rolling, and the National Championship is back where it's supposed to be.

It's a good time to be a Bama fan. Big game tomorrow night at home against LSU. We've got a shot to get back to .500 in conference play after hitting a 3 game slide against Vandy, Arkansas, and top 10 ranked Tennessee.

We'll have more soon!

Dear Tennessee

2010-01-13T08:39:00.002-06:00

Dear Vol fans,

While I am still celebrating our National Championship from last week's beating of another orange wearing UT, I want you to know that we here at MemphisTider.com do, in fact, feel for you.

You see, we've been in your shoes before.

We had ours for two years, as opposed to your one. We had victories at Tennessee and at Auburn. We were building. We believed.

And then, like a thief in the night, he was gone. At least your dude had the nuts to actually meet with his team. Ours just left in the middle of the night.

So yes, while I will somewhat enjoy the aftermath of him leaving you guys in the cold (just as you enjoyed our coach leaving years ago), I do actually feel sorry for you guys, and I hope things get a little bit better. Just not better enough to beat us. lol.

And just so you know, karma has a way of working these things out.

Appreciate the moment, fellas.

2010-01-08T08:14:00.002-06:00

This is the proudest and best I've felt since my daughter was born over 4 years ago. And aside from that, it may be the best feeling ever, other than that.

I must admit, I was a little bit pissed off at Greg McElroy for most of the evening. I couldn't understand why he was holding on to the ball so long, or why he was so scared of getting hit. He hadn't been like that all season.

Then I read this.

The kid suffered cracked ribs against Florida and was in a ridiculous amount of pain. No wonder he was scared to get hit.

Regardless, we didn't need a Florida-game type of performance from him to be able to handle the Longhorns. Yeah, Colt went out early, but I don't believe it would have affected the outcome. I think this team had found a way to beat everybody already this season, and they were going to do it again, no matter who was on the other sideline.

With that said, I'll remind Tide fans of something that Bear said years ago.

After years of having Joe Namath, Ken Stabler, Pat Trammel, Steve Sloan, etc, Bear's team had a disastrous 6-5 campaign in 1969. As he was switching to the wishbone, he told people that he would never again have his team rely on one guy that could throw the football because you're one play away from the season being over.

So, does anybody really think this team wouldn't have won this game without Greg McElroy? We threw the ball 11 times. That's it.

Texas couldn't exactly do the same.

Appreciate the moment. The Process continues on. We'll celebrate this one for a little while...and then it's time to finish recruiting and start working on San Jose St. Time for me to plan my sabbatical to Tuscaloosa to see the new trophies. I'll have more on the game after I watch it a few more times. Haha. I stayed up until 4am last night watching it a 2nd time to see what all went on. It felt just as good as the first time. :-)

ROLL TIDE EVERYONE!

Ever so close...

2010-01-06T15:34:00.002-06:00

Well, I won my group of friends' bowl picking contest with Iowa's victory over Georgia Tech last night. That's the problem with gimmick offenses. Give a pretty good team a month to prepare for it and they'll stop it dead in its tracks. Take a look at Texas Tech against Alabama after the '05 season, and LSU against Georgia Tech after last season. It's the same story. Play sound defense, and they can't trick you. Discipline, baby.

1. So Texas fans hate their offensive coordinator?

Wow. Gotta be honest. That makes me feel ok.

2. It's fun to see what they think too

There's all of these reasons why Texas fans, especially those over at BurntOrangeNation.com, believe that their team will walk away with the trophy on Thursday night. The only issue with that is that everything that's written on paper looks like a good idea before gametime. Read their "unseen possibilities" here. It's interesting, to say the least. They believe in their team just as much as we do.

3. The fellas over at BarkingCarnival think they'll lose

Barking Carnival is a site run by Texas fans. They think their team is going to lose, even though they're pulling like hell for them to win. Again, interesting to read. Check it out here. It puts to bed all the horsecrap reasons on why Alabama or Texas will win. Like the Heisman myth, or the "Bama worked too hard for Florida" or whatever. He calls this his "no-shit assessment." Great read.

4. Rolo is back to bein cool

Appears his stomach bug is gone, or at least close to gone. That's a good thing. Actually that's a GREAT thing. Probably the one player we couldn't lose at all is McClain.

....

No need for a #5 today. Talk to you tomorrow. Remember - TOMORROW'S THE DAY.

3 days away...

2010-01-04T11:16:00.002-06:00

We're at T-minus 3 days and counting.

I'm going to lose my mind before it gets here.

1. Today's the 3 year anniversary

3 years ago today I was sitting in my office, watching my 5" black and white TV, watching Nick Saban's opening press conference at the University of Alabama. That day changed the future and history of Alabama football. Since that day, everything has been absolutely phenomenal. We couldn't ask for a better opening to a head coach's career at the Capstone. As a matter of fact, it looks a lot like a certain coach that was hired back in 1990.

2. Terrence Cody, live at the Chuckle Hut in Pasadena

Apparently Mount Cody's part of the press conference was pretty funny. You can read more about it here. I'm glad the guys are in a good mood. Just not sure if I like how loose he was with the tongue. Luckily he didn't say anything about the opposition...at least not that I know of.

3. Kirby Smart appears to be staying

Looks like our DC will be here next year, at least according to what he's telling the media. I can dig it. Read more here.

4. McElwain is staying around too

Coach Mac didn't get a whole lot of phone calls about jobs this season. We'll see what happens with him, but I don't see a lot of places for him to go at the moment. He's a genious for what Nick Saban wants to do, and he'll be well compensated, so I don't forsee him headed anywhere anytime soon. Read more here.

5. Rolo says it's been tough

Rolando McClain says practice has been hard work for this bowl game. He's saying it was kinda like preseason practice. Everybody is geared up for this one. It's been physical.

One week.

2009-12-31T08:20:00.003-06:00

Oh yeah, and happy new year, blah blah blah.

We are 7 days away from the biggest game for the University of Alabama in the last 17 years.

Wow.

I'm getting a bit antsy. Can't you tell?

1. Texas Tech is a school of fools

The players are bashing the coach, the administration is bashing him. And we all know how this will end. Leach will win his lawsuit, will get a job somewhere else after next season, and Texas Tech will forever return to the craphole that they were in before he got there. I'm tellin ya, if some kid had shown up to Coach Saban's practice with sunglasses on, talking shit to everyone, he would've ended up behind the woodshed, not in it.

2. Pete Carroll on broadcast for National Championship game?

Is this really happening? I've heard a lot of rumors in the last few days about this. Do we really have to have that weasel on the broadcast so all we hear is Herbie kissing his ass for however long he's on? Jeez Louise.

3. Flu bug hits again

I don't think it's that bad this time around. This is a small strain of the virus and it has more to do with the weather, etc, than anything else. Drew Davis and James Carpenter have already missed a little time with it, but they're both back and are apparently playing well in practices. I think we should be fine. The only injury concerns we have at the moment are Marquis Johnson's fractured thumb. He's got a cast on it right now, but he should be fine.

4. Idaho vs Bowling Green

One of the better ping pong matches I've watched in a while. Robb Akey, Idaho's coach, is a gutsy fella. Bowling Green scores a deep touchdown pass with 30+ seconds left. Then Idaho throws a deep pass and then hits a TD on a slant pattern with :04 left, and then, rather than go for the tie and the overtime, elects to go for two, converts, and wins the game. Unbelievable to watch.

5. LOTS and LOTS of football next two days

I'm really interested to see Tennessee and Virginia Tech tonight, then we'll see what Florida, Auburn, and LSU are made of tomorrow. Arkansas and Ole Miss get to show off on the 2nd. I'm down with it. A whole weekend of football? Diggit.

Processed.

2009-12-26T21:45:00.003-06:00

Before I get to the classy part, this is the first thing that popped into my head, and if you're an Alabama fan, I'm sure you thought the same thing.

Urban finally lost a big game, and couldn't handle it.

Trust me, I understand that he needed to spend more time with his family, etc, but there's something very fishy with this story. Something's just not right. A 45 year old man doesn't resign to spend more time with his family. Especially one that's as successful as Coach Meyer.

WKMG in Orlando is reporting that Coach Meyer had a heart attack in the middle of the year, and was admitted to the hospital in Gainesville again after the SEC Championship game for chest pains. The school released that he was treated for dehydration, but there were rumblings from everywhere that it was much more serious than that.

He was as good a coach as anyone could ever imagine, and I would hope that he'll get everything situated and return to coaching soon. He's a fierce competitor and I enjoyed being able to play against his teams the last two seasons in the championship game, and I was especially looking forward to seeing him back in Bryant Denny Stadium next year. Only 5 years in, he became a victim of the monster. If he couldn't handle the pressure at Florida, just imagine how bad it would have been at Notre Dame.

To read more about it, check out CBSSports.com's article.

We wish Coach Meyer and his family the best, and we hope for his good health and one day a return to college football.

Blasphemy.

2009-12-23T15:08:00.001-06:00

If we weren't motivated to hate those orange-wearing bastards before, we are now.

Monday = FOCUS.

2009-12-21T09:58:00.003-06:00

1. Nick Saban is in the doghouse

Y'know. I've gotta admit that I absolutely LOVE having a coach that is so completely dedicated to this football team that he forgets his own anniversary. In the presser after practice he seemed a lil hellbent. So when he's in the doghouse at home, you better believe the players are feeling the impact of it. Focus, my friends.

Shoulda gotten married after spring practice, Coach. Haha.

2. Steelers beat the Packers

Wow. I can't even begin to describe this game. Normally, I hate ping pong matches, but this was just downright entertaining. Two of the best QBs in the league flingin it around, and Big Ben hit Mike Wallace for the big play with no time left on the clock to win. Now THAT's what December football in the NFL is supposed to be about.

3. Alabama basketball ain't there yet

Not yet. Kansas St was tougher, bigger, and just all around better. They scrapped and fought and hit their shots, and made us work harder for ours, etc. They outplayed the Tide in every aspect of the game. Just goes to show that Coach Grant and this team have a long way to go before we'll be back to the Big Dance.

4. Back to practice

First, congratulations for everyone, then it's back to reality for the Tide football team. The game is getting ever closer, and the players realize it's time to get back into gear. Mike Johnson and Greg McElroy both feel like everybody's hungry and ready to win a national championship. I'm feelin good about it right now.

5. Players beginning to file early

The first player that we've heard that has filed to see his NFL Draft status is Kareem Jackson, and, according to nfldraftscout.com, he's projected to be a 2nd or 3rd round pick. Honestly, it might not be a bad time to go, y'know? If he can be drafted that high, and if we win a national title, going out on top would be the best way to do it. Of course, that'd put us in a hole in the secondary big time. 4 of our top 5 DBs would be leaving after this season. We'll see how it plays out. For now, let's hope they're all staying focused.

Getting close to the weekend...

2009-12-17T09:29:00.003-06:00

I'm so ready for Christmas to get here. I've got all my shopping done. Now I'm just waiting.

I even bought myself a present. UFC Undisputed for PS3. Diggit. Should be in the mail soon. Haha.

1. Bama basketball handles Samford

Mr. Green led Bama to a 60-45 win over Samford last night in a game that felt more like a scrimmage than a real game. Everyone mainly worked on fundamentals and shooting the ball well. It worked perfectly. Lots of minutes for everyone. Good game to help build up to Saturday's game in Mobile against Kansas St.

2. Irvin takes Memphis running backs job

Sedrick Irvin, an assistant running backs coach at UA who joined Saban's staff after last season, has taken the position of Running Backs coach at the University of Memphis. Sedrick was one of those that Mark Ingram thanked in his Heisman speech. We're happy for him to get this opportunity. Looks like Larry Porter is going after winners for his staff. Read more here.

3. Chris Henry from the Bengals has died

Sad day in the NFL. Chris Henry, from Cincinnati, has died after a domestic disturbance yesterday. Apparently his wife raced off in a pick-up truck, but he had jumped in the back of the truck. When the incident escalated, he somehow fell out of the back of the truck, suffering serious injuries which ultimately led to his death this morning. Sucks.

4. Conference re-alignments?

The Big 10 wants to add a 12th member. Candidates are currently a few teams from the Big East or the Big 12. Iowa St is a good fit, but so are Pittsburgh, Louisville, and Cincinnati. If I had to wager, I'd bet on Louisville, because the Big 10 would like to move into the Kentucky market that the SEC has had a hold on for a while. If they were to bring in the others, exactly what would be the point. You're looking to expand your market, right? It'd be like if the SEC brought in Memphis. They've already got a stranglehold on the market. It doesn't make any sense. I'm guessing they take Louisville, and then the Big East take Memphis. Just a guess.

5. NationalChamps.net 2010 preseason #1

We're officially the early bird preseason #1 at NationalChamps.net. I can dig this. Looking at what we have coming back, it's going to be a fun year. Definitely.

Feelin good

2009-12-15T09:50:00.002-06:00

Awww yeah. It's been a good few weeks in Bama land. It feels like I'm in a dream or something.

1. Mark Ingram was on the Dan Patrick Show

Good job, Mark. Here's the link to the interview. He's such a well-spoken genuine young man. It's refreshing to have a kid like him representing the University.

2. Turner Gill is in at Kansas

I can't believe I haven't talked about this yet. Does Turner Gill turn Kansas back around into competing for Big 12 titles? Somehow, I doubt it. I honestly think that Mangino is a better x's and o's coach, but I think Gill will get the players that Mangino couldn't get. Regardless, it'll definitely be interesting to watch. I think he'll have them at 6-6 or 7-5 every year with a bowl game, but nothing too big.

3. Finebaum says Auburn has picked up...

But that they're still not any closer to Alabama than they were a year ago. Diggit.

4. Defensive Coordinators are a hot commodity

Georgia can't find one to save their lives, or so it seems. From what I'm hearing, they've talked to a LOT of guys, and none of them have been really interested. Bud Foster is the only official that I've heard, but I've also heard Kirby Smart, Tyrone Nix, and Vic Koenning, and none of them are even the slightest bit intrigued. Word is that nobody wants to jump on board a sinking ship, which is pretty much what Georgia is viewed as right now.

5. Alabama led the country with 6 first team AP All-Americans

Wow. That's a crazy number, right? 6 first teamers. Incredible accomplishment. Mark Ingram was a unanimous selection. Also on the first team were Mike Johnson, Leigh Tiffin, Rolo McClain, Terrence Cody, and Javier Arenas. Mark Barron earned third-team. Diggit.

Seems like a lot further ago than 22 months.

2009-12-13T14:39:00.004-06:00

Feb 5th, 2008:

Dec 12th, 2009:

Congratulations, Mark Ingram, and thank you for bringing home the University of Alabama's first ever Heisman Trophy.

You've got until 8pm CST tonight to celebrate. Then back to thinking about Texas. Haha. :-)

Tennessee recruiting crap.

2009-12-12T13:16:00.002-06:00

I've been following this Tennessee recruiting stuff over the past couple of days, and when the picture came out with the two so-called "hostesses" at the game with the two recruits, holding that sign up, I realized that I recognized the girl. I had seen her in recruiting pics before.

Then it hit me.

Lacey + Bryce = Bracey - she's apparently Bryce Brown's girlfriend

"Bryce Brown's girlfriend Lacy Earps is a Jr. at UT, and would love
nothing more than to watch her boyfriend play on Saturday's without
having to fly to Miami or Oregon. How serious this "romance" is I
can't say, but if her Facebook profile picture is any indication of
how interwoven this romance is, Brown may be running through the "T"
this fall.

Lacey + Bryce = Bracey? This relationship must be serious, right?..."

"But how serious can girlfriends be? Just ask David Oku, who moved to
Nebraska to be with his girlfriend. The verdict on that case still
remains to be seen.

So, whatever your opinion is on the matter, it's fun to speculate what
could possibly be in the works.

I for one believe Bryce Brown will be a Vol for a number of reasons.
He know's he'll have a chance to play immediately, and will embrace
the opportunity to showcase his talent in front of 107,000 + fans.
Not to mention the television exposure he'll have throughout the
season. Oh, and of course having his lady on campus can't hurt
either."

Ok, first off, she's the captain of Orange Pride, which is the group of chicks that host recruits on campus. Next, while Bryce Brown was a senior in high school, his supposed girlfriend was a Junior at UT? Explain this one to me. A 21-year old white upper class trash chick, that lives in Knoxville, TN, dating a 17 or 18 year old black high school senior from Kansas, who just happens to be the #1 recruit in the country. Who, magically, after months of narrowing schools down to Miami, Oregon, and Kansas St, decides to go play for Tennessee. Pretty much out of nowhere. Hmmm. Smell somethin fishy yet?

So, she's out checking out other recruits, 200 miles away from campus, while her boyfriend, Bryce, is chillin at home in Knoxvegas, right? I'd be very interested to find out who paid for those hotel rooms.

Now, excuse me if I'm wrong here, but the argument that a lot of fans are making by saying that she is not a representative of the school, and didn't realize what she was doing, doesn't really hold up well when there are pictures of her on the field at UT football games. I would assume anyone allowed on the field would be given credentials by either the University or the coaching staff, right? Players families and/or girlfriends are not just allowed on the field. Something REALLY stinks here.

I'm totally jumping to conclusions, but I can do that because I'm just a blogger. It really looks like Tennessee is running a brothel. Check out the comments by Keith Easterwood, a Memphis basketball AAU guy that just so happened to have a son that was a fairly high level recruit last year. These appeared in yesterday's New York Times article.

"Also on Friday, Keith Easterwood, a veteran summer basketball coach, said that on a visit last year with his son, a football recruit, he had to ask a hostess to stop brushing her breasts against both him and his son.

He recalled saying, “Young lady, if you don’t stop doing that, we’ve got a problem.”

Easterwood said that he took a group of basketball players to a Western Kentucky football game at Tennessee this year, and that the presence of the hostesses had his players “literally reduced to blubbering idiots.”

“I’ve been up there five times, four for football and one basketball visit,” Easterwood said. “My observation is that this is a very organized operation. These girls have obviously been groomed. There’s a lot of eye contact and touching.”

I gotta admit. I'm having a damn blast with this stuff. I'm sure a ton more will come out of this. We'll have to just watch and see.

Oh yeah. StiffArmTrophy.com, who has correctly predicted the last 7 heisman winners, and their margin of victory, etc, is predicting that Mark Ingram will win tonight in a close race. So tune in at 7pm CST on ESPN. Should be interesting. Immediately following that, change it over to ESPN2 and watch Anthony Grant's Tide Basketball team take on #5 Purdue. Should be a helluva game.

Clay Travis. Envy is thy name.

2009-12-11T11:45:00.003-06:00

Let's first start out with this:

thanks to our buds at RollBamaRoll.com

That's the SEC graduation rate, which, as you can see, has Alabama at #3 in the conference behind Vanderbilt and Florida. Tennessee is now tied for #12, also known as DEAD FREAKING LAST in the conference, along with Arkansas.

Clay is talking crap about the University of Alabama breaking classes from Jan 6th through Jan 8th for students and faculty that would like to make the trip to Pasadena for the national championship game. His article can be found at http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/12/10/alabama-shows-complete-lack-of-class.

Had he done even a little bit of research, he would have realized that the University of Tennessee doesn't even begin classes until Wed, Jan 13th for the 2010 spring semester. Final exams are taken from May 4th through May 11th. That information can be found at this location - http://registrar.tennessee.edu/academic_calendar/0910_acad_cal.shtml.

Meanwhile, The University of Alabama begins classes on Tues, Jan 5th for the 2010 spring semester, according to http://registrar.ua.edu/calendar/spring_2010.html. Final exams are taken from May 3rd through May 7th. So they're missing 3 days of classes, which, in reality, would only be one to two classes at the most for ALL students, while UT doesn't even begin their classes until 9 days later.

Clay. Brotha. Do some research, you hypocritical in-breeder.

Awards show - ridiculous.

2009-12-11T10:24:00.003-06:00

Wow. That was definitely unexpected. Jenn Brown looked great, as usual. All the more reason to believe that Erin Andrews will soon be out of a job. Haha. Who would you put your money on as the sideline reporter for the National Championship game?

1. Alabama almost completely shutout at ESPN Award Show...

#1 in the country. #1 defense. Heisman finalist. And we get one award? Rolando McClain won the Butkus. That's it. Wow. Talk about some more motivation that Saban can throw at the team, as if they needed anymore. Still no respect. Colt McCoy, Texas QB, won the Walter Camp, Maxwell, Davey O'Brien, and the Johnny Unitas award. Suh won 4 awards as well. Brian Kelly won Coach of the Year, Gerhart won the Doak Walker award, and Kai Forbath from UCLA won the Lou Groza. Yup.

2. Hey, Gambling advocates... STFU!

Talk about ridiculous. The governors do this crap every year. And yet, now that Alabama has won, and the people in the state that are advocates for the electronic bingo halls have a lil bit of ammunition, they're making a story of out of something that doesn't matter. Gov. Riley - take the damn oranges.

3. College Football playoffs --

More ridiculousness this morning. CBSSports.com has drawn up a 64-team football playoff. Yeah. 64 teams. You can vote for who you think would win each matchup by clicking the link above. Bama is the #1 overall seed, facing what would appear to be the #64 team - Florida St. Good opening matchup, for a fairy tale, anyway.

4. Brian Kelly is officially the new Notre Dame coach

Kelly is the guy. Count me as one of the many that believes he will be able to win there for a long time. Of course, I also thought Rich Rod would be a winner at Michigan. Shows how much I know. This hiring just seems to fit really well. Like, reeeally well. Kelly is Irish Catholic, and a guy that's always lingered around the midwest for his entire coaching career. If he can't recruit to Notre Dame, after what he was able to do at Central Michigan and Cinci, then it's only because Notre Dame just absolutely is not what it used to be. Kelly develops talent with the best of them. I would expect a quick turnaround because there definitely is talent on that roster.

5. Memphis hires Mike DuBose

FootballScoop.com has learned that Memphis has hired Mike DuBose as their defensive line coach. Interesting fit there. Talk about a fall. Alabama head coach to high school coach, to Milsaps head coach, to Memphis defensive line coach. Man. We all wish him well though. In the end, he is still one of Bear's boys.

SEC has double standard?

2009-12-10T14:54:00.001-06:00

Interesting read. Thought you guys might be interested. Does the SEC and NCAA have a double standard when it comes to different coaches? click here for the article.

T-Cody. What it is?

2009-12-09T16:05:00.002-06:00

hahahaha.

"There’s no truth to the rumor that ... The janitors around the Alabama practice facilities have had to work overtime mopping up all of Terrence Cody’s drool after he watched games tapes of the Big 12 Championship.

That lil tidbit brought to you by CFN.

Mid-week rockin...

2009-12-09T12:06:00.002-06:00

Dimeday was yesterday. Had a good practice. We always seem to do things well on the day when we remember Dimebag Darrell. Word.

1. NCAA looking into Tennessee recruiting tactics

Lane. C'mon man. Read the damn rule book. The New York Times is reporting about the NCAA looking into your program for your use of hostesses. It doesn't go into a LOT of detail, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn some that some of the things that were going on were INCREDIBLY inappropriate. Does this bring up some memories of Colorado's recruiting tactics back a few years ago? Yikes.

2. Charlie Strong is Louisville's new coach

I'm curious how this is going to play out. The Big East is a big time offensive league. Will Strong's defenses live up to the billing and be able to stop the Cincis and West Virginias? This is a very interesting hire. Read more here.

3. Coaches leaving Tennessee...

Tennessee has already lost their running backs coach to Florida State and their wide receivers coach to LSU. Now I'm hearing they're losing Lance Thompson to Louisville. There will be others, from what I understand. This is a HUGE deal. If this goes through, they will have lost their recruiting connections to Florida, Louisiana, and the Mobile area all in a matter of days. We'll have to see what happens with this one. This could be big.

4. So Notre Dame has picked Brian Kelly...

I've heard some not-so-good things about Brian Kelly. I'd be a lil hesitant to make him my coach. Alas, ND didn't feel that way. Read more here.

5. Awards are everywhere...

I'll post a full list soon, but the Tide is racking up the awards this offseason. Coach Saban won the Amos Alonzo Stag award for best coach, Kirby Smart won the Frank Broyles award, McClain got the Butkus award, we had 10 players on the AP All-SEC team, we had the AP SEC Coach of the year and the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year. And they keep coming in. Ingram may very well win the Heisman, and there's a ton of other awards coming up too. What a fun year. And it's not even close to being over yet.

Tuesday takedown.

2009-12-08T11:02:00.002-06:00

1. Finebaum tells us who else Saban should have thanked

Alabama fans should be thanking all sorts of people. Rich Rod, Tim Tebow, etc. Read the article here. There's a lot to be said for this because if Tebow does come to Alabama, Shula is still here, going 9-3 every year with no sniff of a championship. Take a look at Michigan and imagine how badly he would have done here at Alabama, where the defenses play MUCH faster than they do in the Big 10. There's just a ton of things to look back at, and, in the end, all has worked out to perfection.

2. Rolo wins the Butkus Award

It hasn't been "officially" announced yet, but Dick Butkus is in Tuscaloosa, which would only mean that Rolo has won the award. That's BIG news.

3. The University has canceled all classes from Jan 6th - Jan 8th

At Alabama we don't just play football. We live it. Well, if you wanted proof, how about an entire school canceling classes for 3 days for a game. I don't know that I've EVER seen this happen. I'm sure the national media will be all over this, probably negatively (because they hate us, of course), but I think it's a genious move by the University. This is the biggest thing that's happened to the state in 17 years.

4. Heisman Trophy talk

The two most well known Heisman Trophy sites (HeismanPundit.com and StiffArmTrophy.com) both currently have Mark Ingram as the leader at this point after doing a bunch of updates and trying to see how many people are voting for certain individuals. At this point, it appears that it's down to Toby Gerhart and Mark Ingram. I'll take that matchup.

5. Sports Illustrated again

Anybody down for one more Sports Illustrated cover? I'd like to get one more for the week after Jan 7th...

Monday Morning QB

2009-12-07T09:07:00.002-06:00

Ohhh yeah. I feel incredible. It's just been an unreal couple of days. I've gone back and watched the game 4 times all the way through already. Unbelievable.

1. Alabama vs Texas

It is officially time for some payback. We're 0-7-1 against Texas all time. That's right. We've never beaten the Longhorns. Time to cure that. Thursday, Jan 7th at 7pm on ABC.

2. Florida is tasting Sugar right now

And sugar never tasted so sour. That was us last year. So now you know how it feels. Kinda sucks for the Sugar Bowl. They've been relegated to a consolation prize for two straight years. I'm sure they can't WAIT until they get to host the championship game again. Haha.

3. Alabama opened as a 4 point favorite

Of course they did. Because we demolished what was supposed to be the best team in the country, and they needed a replay to put one second back on the clock to win by 1 point over a team that lost at home to Iowa State 9-7 a few weeks ago.

I've watched Texas a few times this year - against Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Nebraska. I feel reeeeally good about this matchup. If our defense shows up and doesn't come out lackadaisical, like they did against Auburn, then we can own this game the same way we owned the SEC Championship game. If we come out thinking we're better, not playing with a lil bit of a chip on our shoulder, then it will be another tight ballgame, or maybe even another Utah type of game. You don't want to get so far behind that it takes you out of your gameplan, or that it gives the other team enough confidence late in the ballgame to allow them to hang with you.

4. No "Andre Smith" moments this year...

We're about to play in the BCS National Championship game. Pray that nobody on this team is dumb enough, or selfish enough, to do what Smitty did last year. No funny business before this game. National Championships are hard enough to win with ALL of your players.

5. Heisman talk? Does it matter?

Does it really matter if Mark wins the Heisman Trophy this Saturday? In the past, the distractions have hurt QBs. What are we going to do if the distractions get to our running back? Easy - we'll put in Trent Richardson. Simple enough, right? It would be nice to actually have a Heisman, but at the same time, I don't want one. I want to give it to Colt, and then let us squash another Heisman winner. Already squashed Timmy Tebow. We squashed Gino back in '92. I wanna squash another one.

This is gonna be a fun month, my friends.

17 years in the making...

2009-12-06T08:32:00.002-06:00

I smoked a victory cigar with my dad tonight.

This moment was 17 years in the making. That moment when you knew you're going to play for all the marbles. No more having to listen to bitter fans of other schools give you the "gator chomp" or whatever the hell the other Florida cheers were. Nobody can say anything at this point. The Tide has won 26 of their last 28 games. Eat that.

I'll post more later, but at this exact moment, I going to lay back down and watch the game for a 3rd time.

Hahaha

2009-12-04T16:51:00.001-06:00

Chomp chomp chomp. Haha. Gata Bait, right?

One more day...

2009-12-04T08:08:00.000-06:00

Found this over at TideSports. Very interesting, to say the least.

His son's already on the staff, and he and Saban are good friends. Is it possible that, if we lose a defensive assistant, we've already got the replacement lined up?

1. Ducks handle Beavers.

Oregon had just as clutch a drive as we did because you just knew that, if they had given Oregon St the ball back at the end of the game, they were going to score. It just had that kind of feel. Chip Kelly went for it at least twice (that I remember) on 4th down on that drive, and picked them up. They kept the ball for the last 4 minutes of the game, never giving Mike Riley's team another shot to score. Great ballgame, and one helluva coaching matchup. That game's gonna be some kinda fun to watch for a looong time.

2. Pacquiao vs Mayweather looks like a go

AP reports are saying the fight's a go. I can diggit. These two guys are incredible fighters. I actually enjoy watching boxing when they fight because they do it right. They actually know what they're trying to accomplish when they get in the ring, unlike about 90% of the boxers out there today. So March 13th is the date. Lets see if UFC tries to do a pay-per-view that night. They've been known to do things like that. In this case, I think boxing would win out.

3. Florida is going through the "Year of the Weird"

I'll admit. Dodd's got a good story here. It has been an incredibly odd season for Florida. I'm not sure if a lot of the stuff would have gotten as much spin in other places if it had been a worse football team without a rockstar at QB, but it's definitely been crazy. So, are the distractions too much for this team to overcome on Saturday? I guess we'll have to wait and find out. They've definitely responded well to adversity.

4. Loss of Hightower is just as big as Dunlap.

Andy Staples, over at SI.com, has a good article about how much better this game would be if Bama and Florida had one more superstar each.

Hightower would be the guy to spy Tim Tebow, according to this. I don't know if that role doesn't go to Rolando McClain or Nico Johnson right now, but it's definitely an interesting read.

5. Bama places 4 on AFCA All-American team...again.

Last year we had 4, and this year we had 4. That makes us just the 3rd team (along with Notre Dame and USC) in history to have 4 players on an All-American team twice. Pretty incredible. Read the article here.

The line is still sitting at 5.5 and 6 in most places. Think it'll move any before kickoff?

Thursday night Thunder

2009-12-03T09:32:00.002-06:00

Like I said, I'm loving the idea of 5 things a day...

1. Ducks vs. Beavers for the Rose Bowl

The Civil War, as they call it, is for all the Pac-10 marbles this year. It's always a fun game to watch anyway, but this year is going to be ridiculous. Lots of fun skill players in this one. I expect a ping pong match of epic proportions. Total score probably in the 80 or 90s.

Rivalry games always tend to stick with players for the rest of their lives, but could you imagine having to be on the losing side of this one? Your school's first shot at a Rose Bowl in forever? Wow. Big time stuff goin on here.

2. Hey, Willie Martinez. Holla!

Georgia has let go of Martinez and 2 other defensive assistants. According to the message boards, they're really wanting Kirby Smart. Of course, we're also hearing the Florida State would like his services as well. After Steele made the move last year, I guess anything's possible, especially since Smart is a UGA grad.

3. Dennis Dodd talks about finishing...

Dodd, from CBSSports.com, has a great article up about the Tide finishing the 4th quarter this year. It's a really good read.

Of course, he talks about that, and then predicts Florida to win 21-20. Haha.

4. Conference championship games

Is this the first year that all of the BCS conferences, aside from the Big 10, have had, basically, a championship game on the same weekend?

ACC has Ga Tech vs Clemson, SEC has Alabama vs Florida, Big 12 has Texas vs Nebraska, Big East has Pitt vs Cinci, and Pac 10 has Oregon vs Oregon St. Pretty badass, right?

5. Phil Steele picks Florida. Cool.

Phil Steele has picked Florida to win 23-16. Not sure where his rankings, etc, come from, but I enjoy the role of the underdog. Now let's hope everybody else, including Florida, thinks that too.

Wednesday morning QB.

2009-12-02T10:25:00.002-06:00

Ahh yes. Waiting until Wednesday to do the Monday Morning QB? Yup. I think I like the idea of hitting on 5 topics every day. I'll start doing this more regularly.

1. Tony Barnhart looks back at the difference between Jan 2007 and now...

Mr. College Football's latest article tells us all about the difference between Alabama when Saban was first hired, and the present - leading up to their 2nd straight SEC Championship Game appearance. Who thinks it was too much to pay for a football coach now?

2. Carlos Dunlap. You, sir, are an idiot.

My first rule of thumb was to think "don't get too anxious or overly critical, cause I'm sure our guys are out there doing it too." And then this article comes out with possibly my favorite quote ever. Lorenzo Washington said that Alabama players were in bed at 3:30am, and that they act right because "The Boss, he's not with all that". Hahahahahahaha.

3. Ole Miss...c'mon man. That's Houston Nutt for ya...

Handle Tennessee and LSU at home. Then get blasted by Mississippi State, who just got blasted by Arkansas. Give up over 300 yards rushing? 120+ of it to Chris Relf who hardly ever plays? Guys. It's called the option. Just play sound defense and it's easy as hell to defend.

And Jevan Snead. You should be drug out in the street and shot for some of those throws, buddy. At least you've got another year in school to try and fix it. Good lord. And the shots that Dan Mullen was taking at the Rebs were hysterical. We've got a great rivalry in the state of Mississippi again.

4. LSU. Lucky Shits University

If you think that win had anything to do with clock management, you're an idiot. But, I will say this. They played a good game, and didn't quit, which is something some of those boys have been known to do. I personally think they should have lost the game, but, personally, I'm glad they won so they'll keep Lester around for a while. Haha.

5. Charlie Strong rumors are everywhere

Looks like this is finally the year when Charlie will get his chance at a head coaching gig. However, I'm sure he would have loved for it to come after the SEC Championship game. The Louisville message boards are stating that Strong has already agreed, in principle, to a deal with the Cardinals, but now there are rumors that he will be the next head man at Virginia. Regardless, if he's focusing on another job instead the SEC Championship, and his players (i.e. Carlos Dunlap) are out having fun instead of focusing on the task at hand, this could be a weakness that propels Alabama to Pasadena. I suppose we'll just have to see what happens. I'm surprised nobody has started talking about this.

Read this handicapper's view of the game. According to the numbers, Alabama should actually be favored by 3 or 4 points, but are instead an underdog by 6. Hmm. Very interesting, right?

Hey Weis!

2009-11-30T14:17:00.003-06:00

what a good weekend...

2009-11-29T19:32:00.003-06:00

What a great weekend. Seriously. Anthony Grant's basketball team close out the weekend by finishing 3rd in the Old Spice Classic tournament, beating #15 ranked Michigan after a setback to Florida State on Friday night, and a win over Baylor on Thursday. Basketball looks like it's gonna be fun again.

Football is already preparing for Florida. Brief walkthrough today already, and they've been game-planning for weeks now (I would assume, after hearing the players). It's gonna be one hell of a week. They're been waiting on this game for a long long time.

Time to crush Timmy.

Wow.

2009-11-28T09:04:00.002-06:00

Patience. After a couple of quick scores by Auburn, I started dog cussing the players who were missing assignments, etc. It looked like they had been reading the newspapers and watching ESPN - all places that said Auburn didn't have a chance in this ballgame.

And then, Greg McElroy put together a drive for the ages.

I'll leave it at that for now. More later.

Today's the day

2009-11-27T08:17:00.002-06:00

Today is the Iron Bowl. I'm fired up. I'm ready to roll. Let's do this thing.

There's previews everywhere. Here's what I'm seeing.

College Football News's pick has Bama as a 30-17 winner.

Phil Steele has the Tide winning 30-20.

The Harmon Forecast over at CBSSports.com has Bama winning 24-10.

I'm not sure who that was wearing Alabama basketball jerseys last night. Didn't look like any team I've seen for the last 10-15 years. Anthony Grant's club pulled out a 79-76 win over Baylor in the first round of the Old Spice Classic in Orlando. They played good defense, moved around on offense, and ultimately outplayed a pretty good Baylor team. They trapped, they pressed, they made free throws, they rebounded. It was some kinda fun to watch. Read more about it at tidesports.com.

I read this yesterday and couldn't believe it. I knew it was somewhat like that, but this is just ridiculous. Alabama faces more than 3 times as many idle-rested opponents than anyone else in the conference from 2007-2010. We face 16 idle rested SEC teams, while the next closest one is LSU at 5. Sounds a lil bit like a conspiracy, right? Haha.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T15:25:00.002-06:00

Ahhh yes. What a wonderful day to eat turkey and spend some time watching football and being lazy with the family. Two absolutely dreadful NFL games on today, but alas, it doesn't matter. Still fun to sit around and do nothing.

Tomorrow is the 2009 edition of the Iron Bowl. I am beyond ecstatic. I get off work at noon, and I'll be headed home to hopefully eat some smoked ribs, etc. Good times, of course.

Mark Ingram has a chance to break Bobby Humphrey's single season rushing record, which is pretty astounding if you ask me because we have 2 running backs that get to carry the rock quite a bit. If we didn't have Trent Richardson back there, how many yards would Ingram have this year? Just tack on whatever Trent's got and we'll call it even. Pretty incredible, right?

I'm not a big fan of Auburn's trash talking. I think it's gonna come back to haunt them.

There's nothing I would enjoy more than watching the Tide absolutely destroy the Tigers in Jordan-Hare. It was more fun than I could imagine back in 2001, and it'll be equally as fun this go-round because of what happens next week. No celebration needed - just go take care of business.

Hope you guys are having a great Thanksgiving! Talk to you tomorrow before the game!

Confirmed

2009-11-23T23:00:00.001-06:00

Auburn fan was a KKK member.

Read more here.

Auburn week!

2009-11-23T08:26:00.002-06:00

Time to get serious. It's Auburn week.

1. Les Miles is who we thought he was...

Which is an idiot. This guy is a complete joke as a football coach. It's the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. And then, at the end of the game, in the press conference, to act like he didn't know which coach told Jefferson to spike the football - that was unbelievable. He was clearly seen on the sideline SCREAMING for him to spike the football.

What you do in that situation is come to the press conference, tell them that you thought you had a plan in place, and obviously there were communication breakdowns and that it was YOUR OWN FAULT and that it will be fixed. Give your fans some hope because right now, you look like the biggest moron on the face of the planet. Not only are you completely incompetent, but you're a damn liar too. And while some fans were calling for your head before, ALL of them are SCREAMING for you to be fired right now.

2. The Tide had a field day on Saturday

Julio had a touchdown catch. Ingram had two touchdown runs. Arenas had a punt return for a touchdown, along with an interception. Richardson and Upchurch both had one. It was just one hell of a day. And the funny part is that it was looong over by halftime. We got a lot of kids a lot of playing time, and that's good for the future. It provides even more depth. I thought Jerrell Harris played really well at linebacker for us, along with some other players that came in. I'll have to go back and watch tape later on it to see who needs work.

3. What the hell was Lane Kiffin doing?

Talk about excitement. And then to not even check on him afterwards. Gotta admit, it's kinda comical. At least they're bowl eligible. Kentucky may give these guys fits on Saturday.

4. Arizona blew it

They had an INCREDIBLE chance for Mike Stoops to make his first Rose Bowl, and they blew it. Not necessarily any bad calls, etc. They just had the momentum at the end and didn't pull it into a win. You win that game, and you're going to the Rose Bowl because I don't think they would have had trouble with USC in the last game of the season.

5. The Ole Miss KKK rally...

Not sure if this is true or not, but the members of the KKK that were protesting at the University of Mississippi this weekend were actually spotted with Auburn caps on before the demonstration, before they put on their "hoods." I've heard there are pictures circulating. I'm going to try and run some down.

6. Georgia lost at home to Kentucky

And so the misery continues. Mark Richt is in a helluva lot of trouble. As if this season could get any worse, they lose at home to Kentucky, who is playing a 3rd string freshman quarterback. Rich Brooks is a helluva coach, but he has NOWHERE NEAR the talent that Georgia does. I mean, really, how do you take a 20-6 lead into halftime, AT HOME, and lose to KENTUCKY 34-27. They gave us 4 touchdowns in the 2nd half. Jeeeeez.

7. Arkansas is rollin

This team just gets better and better every week. I guess it's a good thing for us that we always play them early in the year because by the end of the year, Petrino will always have them playing some good football. I'm fairly confident that they'll take out LSU and find themselves at 8-4 and in a better bowl game than the Bayou Bengals.

8. It is officially AUBURN week.

I am SOOO ready for this one. We're in the same spot as last year. 11-0. Already wrapped up the SEC Western Division championship. Getting ready to play Florida, who many consider the best team in college football. Auburn is looking to spoil our party. Sound familiar?

Yeah. Just like last year.

Only difference is it's not Tuberville on their sideline this year. It's The Chiz-nik.

Just because Auburn doesn't have as good a record, and the SEC Championship against Florida is the next weekend, don't even think for one second that the Alabama players haven't been listening to the Auburn players talk trash for a few weeks leading up to this game. There is still hatred there. These guys are not friends. This is going to be a war, and the Tide will be ready for it.

It got moved back again.

2009-11-17T09:14:00.002-06:00

Workin alllll the time it seems. Still no excuse.

1. Alabama continues their romp

That's what you do to bad football teams.

I have to admit, it felt like the early 90s all over again. Mississippi State fans complaining about "them cheatin referees" and Alabama laying the smack down on a bad Bulldog team. It was just about the most vanilla offensive gameplan you could possibly think of. Only two attempts to pass downfield. Lots of screen passes, etc. Just play sound defense, remember your fundamentals, and let the other team shoot themselves in the foot.

You could watch exactly what the team was doing - run left, run right, throw screen left, toss sweep right. They ran back and forth all night, and then, in the 4th quarter, ran over them. Hit two big plays because they were visibly gassed.

2. Florida has another close one

South Carolina gave Florida everything they wanted and then some. There's just something that's not right about this Florida team this year, and I'm not sure what it is. The rest of the SEC is so bad, and they haven't played a single decent non-conference team as of yet, so there's no way to know exactly how good they are, but I'm tellin ya, they're not clicking right now. Hopefully it'll remain that way through Dec. 5th.

3. Kentucky is bowl-bound again

The basketball school is going to their 4th straight bowl. Rich Brooks has done about as much there as you can possibly do. To get to 4 straight bowls while having to play against Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and others every year, that's just remarkable. I'm not sure if he'd be much better at any other SEC school, but he's sure shown that he's one helluva coach. Kentucky's lucky to have him.

4. Mississippi State fans are annoying

I used to get along with them, but Saturday left a bad taste in my mouth. Cheering when Mark Ingram went down with an injury was classless, and the constant griping about officiating was ridiculous. And finally, when the stands started clearing out with about 10 minutes left in the 4th, these inbreeders did the only thing they could think to do - the Gator Chomp. The State student section yelled out cries of "GATOR BAIT! GATOR BAIT!" as the Tide fans sang Rammer Jammer to end the night. It really was pathetic to witness. It's like "if we can't beat you, we'll cheer for the only team that might!" Haha. Such a sad sad thing to witness. It sucks to be a loser.

5. Dark Vader is incredible

You can keep him quiet for a lil while, but you best not try to match him up one-on-one with a safety, and you're a damn idiot if you leave him completely uncovered in the secondary. How you have busted coverage against Julio Jones is beyond me. Now, is that because the players are bad, or because Carl Torbush is a bad defensive coordinator? Hmmmmmm...

6. Ben Tate has a big mouth

Really, Ben? Who gives a damn who the better running back in the state is? Nobody really cares in Tuscaloosa. We only care about bloodying your nose one more time. 36-0 wasn't quite sweet enough last year. It'll be much better to beat you like that on your own field, in front of your families and friends. We want your pride and dignity. We will destroy you. We hate you with everything that's in our souls. And no, there will be no mercy. There will be blood.

7. TCU

I do NOT want to play TCU. Period. This team looks like they'd kill anybody they play right now. That may change by December, but I would NOT want to play those guys.

Even better...

2009-11-12T16:07:00.002-06:00

hahahaha

Hahahahahaha

2009-11-12T08:33:00.003-06:00

Hahahahaha.

Three UT football players arrested on attempted armed robbery charges

Hahahahahahahahahaha.

Keep talkin, Kif. So much for that squeaky clean arrest record. Keep on recruiting thugs.

A look at this weekend, etc

2009-11-11T09:47:00.003-06:00

3 days til Saturday, and I can't wait.

Bama Sports Report has a great article up about last night's exhibition game against Augusta St. It was an ugly game that I actually followed online all night. This team has a ways to go. The Tide won 61-55. Of course, Augusta St isn't a crappy team, so that helps, but we still should have destroyed these guys. Coach Grant is gonna need a lot of fan support this year, same way Coach Saban did. Gotta tear it down to build it up.

Ok, now on to Mississippi State.

Alabama opened in Vegas as a 14 point favorite. That dropped to 13 almost immediately, and now is down to 12.5 in some places.

Bama is 7-1 against the spread in their last 8 road/neutral site games. The only loss against the spread was last year at LSU in Baton Rouge. We all understand that one. In that span, we've covered against Clemson, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, and Ole Miss. Not too shabby competition. We didn't happen to lose any of those games either. Bama is 6-3 against the number this year, and Mississippi St is pretty good as well at 5-3. However, Miss St is 1-4 at home so far this year, with their only home win coming in the opener against Jackson St. In 7 of the last 9 years, this game has gone under the total. Could happen again this Saturday.

As far as stats go, here's the comparison --

Bottom line is this - Mississippi State is on the verge of being a really good team. The way to beat them is the way to beat other teams - do what you do, and do it correctly, and take advantage when the other team screws up. Wait for Tyson Lee to throw an interception. Wait for Anthony Dixon to drop the football, or one of their kick returners or something. Let them shoot themselves in the foot, and this could be a rout.

My guess is that the coaching staff will be very vanilla again in their schemes. As long as we execute and don't make mistakes ourselves, this should be a relatively simple game. Take the Tennessee game, for example. We've got the football with 3 minutes left at midfield and we're driving. As long as Ingram holds on to the football, we win by a final of something like 12-3, 15-3, whatever. Instead, we have to sweat out a nail-biter at the end. All because of one screw up. Don't make mistakes and we win this game by 3 touchdowns.

MMQB on a Tuesday?

2009-11-10T08:49:00.004-06:00

Yup. We're doin it on a Tuesday because I didn't get much done on the computer last night.

1. Mississippi State is ready for us...

Or at least they're putting off that perception. They've brought in extra seating, they're selling more tickets, and Coach Mullen even predicted that they'd beat us on his coach's show.

I'll be in attendance, so let's hope the Tide isn't too lazy after a big win over LSU.

2. LSU played well...

...but damn. We beat the crap out of them physically. They had guys falling down all over the field. Jordan Jefferson was cleared to go back in the ballgame, and he didn't go back in. By the 4th quarter, those guys really didn't want to play against us anymore.

3. 2006 seems so long ago...

Do you remember the Shula years? Where we could play with anybody in the country for 3 quarters, and then were so poorly conditioned that you knew what was going to happen in the 4th? Feels a lot better to know that you're doing to dominate the 4th quarter every game. We have depth. We have conditioning. We have the better team. It's refreshing to see.

4. Ohio St again? Really?

Could somebody in the Big 10 please do something? This is getting ridiculous. I mean reeeally ridiculous. Penn St, c'mon man. Iowa? C'mon man. Anybody. Having to watch Ohio St get blown out in a BCS game again is just dumb. Anybody that doesn't realize how bad the Big Ten is, well, you obviously don't know a damn thing about football. Argh.

5. SEC teams vs. Sisters of the Poor

This was the "hey, let's play nobodies!" week in the SEC. Tennessee Tech, Northern Arizona, Memphis, Furman, Eastern Kentucky. If you're gonna play a weak team...at least play a Division 1 school. If Ole Miss doesn't get to 7 wins, they miss out on a bowl because they played 2 D-II schools this year. Christ.

6. Alabama vs. Florida

I don't even want to start on this yet. All we know right now is that it is happening. Still got 3 more games to win, including two SEC road games. Do it to it.

Cheese with your whine?

2009-11-09T10:13:00.002-06:00

Dear Tennessee, LSU, and every other team in the SEC--- Please keep whining.

While you're whining, we'll keep winning. Do something to prove that you're better. If you go out and dominate, questionable calls won't matter.

And for those that thought it was an interception - the ruling was not whether or not Peterson had feet inbounds. Julio touched the football while he was out of bounds before Peterson caught it, and that was conclusive. Therefore, the ball is dead, and it doesn't matter whether Peterson caught it inbounds or not. Simple rule. Again, go read the rulebook before you start complaining about officiating.

Hey Clay Travis. Please go practice law, as you like to toss out that you went to law school so much. Your incessant bitching is getting on everybody's nerves. Your football team is playing well, so either start enjoying it and leave the other shit alone, or go back to being a lawyer. Simple enough.

I'll have a regular Monday Morning QB post later on today, but I wanted to go ahead and get that crap out of the way. Haha.

Game previews

2009-11-06T10:00:00.004-06:00

Outside the Sidelines, over at RollBamaRoll.com, has an awesome preview of tomorrow's game against LSU up on the page. Guy is a genious when it comes to football, and if you want to know what to watch for tomorrow, please check this out. Great reading.

Dennis Dodd, who is known for writing about subjects that he doesn't know ANYTHING about, tries his hand at why Julio Jones has not been successful for Alabama this year. Read up on it here. Best quote comes from Coach Saban who told Julio, while he was recruiting him, that "we're going to win, with or without you." God, that's awesome.

Our boys at "And the Valley Shook" have a great write up about how the LSU obsession with Saban needs to stop.

Roy Exum, from the Chattanoogan, has picked Bama biiiiig in this game. "No. 9 LSU (7-1) at No. 3 ALABAMA (7-0), 3:30 p.m. (CBS) -- So now we come to the "the real game of the year." Alabama will try to put the Dec. 5 "dance" (SEC championship game) on ice while LSU is eying the BCS rankings. LSU fans have been crowing all week that Les Miles has one more win than Nick Saban in the same time frame while wearing the LSU's head coaches' hat, but neither Les or Nick will play tomorrow. Alabama, idle since the UT fright, is an 8-point pick and the guess here is that it will be more than that. The Tide realized 'Bama was now merely mortal against UT and Saban is a master at fine-tweaking a powerful engine. UA has Miss. State and Chattanooga before Auburn (there) while LSU faces La. Tech, Ole Miss and Arkansas this month. MY PICK: Alabama 34-14."

Phil Steele is looking at a 27-10 Bama win. Read his preview here.

So, for the picks, I was 2-3 last week. Not too good, but not winless either. How bout we try our hand again this week.

Illinois at Minnesota (-6.5)

--- We're getting good line value with Illinois this week because of their blowout of Michigan, but they were built better to matchup against a team like Michigan. Minnesota is playing good football, and I don't believe there's anybody on Zook's team that can handle Eric Decker. I think Minnesota wins by two touchdowns here.

Northwestern (+17) at Iowa

--- Northwestern isn't awful, and even though Iowa's undefeated, they're not that great. They got some favorable calls last week against Indiana, and they've been more of a "cardiac kids" type of team - winning games in the 4th quarter, and games that are closer than they really should be. I think this is another one. I could see Iowa winning, but I'm talking 10-14 points, not 17.

Kansas at Kansas St (+2.5)

--- Kansas St has been playing really good football lately, and Kansas has lost 3 in a row. Not to mention Kansas St is 5-3 against the spread, while Kansas is an abysmal 2-5 against the number. I don't have any faith in Mangino to go in and win in Manhattan against Bill Snyder, who has this team clicking and still striving for a Big 12 North division championship.

Rice at SMU (-17.5)

--- Rice has been absolutely abysmal. I mean horrendous. Pitiful. Ridiculously bad. Like, worst football I've seen in a long time. They're 1-6-1 against the spread this year, while SMU has been 5-2. June Jones has his offense rolling, and they're coming off a win at Tulsa. SMU's defense has been pretty good (anybody that holds Tulsa to 13 points ain't bad), and Rice has been giving up HUGE numbers to just about everybody they play. SMU wins by 4 touchdowns, easy.

Duke (+10) at North Carolina

--- Duke has won 3 straight ACC games, and they control their own destiny in the ACC Coastal division. North Carolina has lost 3 of their last 4 ACC games, but they're coming off a win at Virginia Tech last Thursday night, which, I believe, is giving us GREAT line value. And I do mean great. I think David Cutcliffe has got this team playing excellent football, and I don't think that Butch Davis has his kids gelling. VaTech gave away the game to UNC last week. Duke won't do that. Not to mention, Duke is 4-1-1 against the spread, and UNC is 3-4. And if you want even more, this matchup, since 2004, has been decided by an average of 4.5 points per game. 10 points is waaay too much, and I actually think Duke will win this one straight up.

Predictions. Ahhh yes.

2009-11-05T10:24:00.002-06:00

CFN picks Bama this weekend over LSU 23-13. Read up on it here. They're not convinced that Bama's throwing game is going to open up this week, even though LSU's not known for getting pressure on quarterbacks. The last 4 teams Bama has played all have GREAT pass rushes - Kentucky, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Great line play. LSU - not so much. I'm thinking this game will look more like the 2nd half against Virginia Tech in the first game of the year. Lots of playmakers because McElroy will have time to sit in the pocket and find who he wants to throw it to.

Talk about a bland weekend for sports. We just got a new digital projector at work, and I was definitely excited about the possibility of being able to bring it home and watch a night game on my garage door while cookin out Saturday night. And what do I get for Saturday night games? Vandy at Florida. UConn at Cincinnati. Oklahoma at Nebraska. USC at Arizona State. Blah. This is all crap.

I'll be posting picks later. I didn't do too bad last week. 2-3. We'll make up for it this week.

Oh lord...

2009-11-04T11:43:00.002-06:00

I'm not exactly happy that everybody is predicting us to win. But I guess it's like it was last year.

CBSSports.com - all the experts' picks have Bama winning by 3, except for one person who has them winning by 6.

CFN.Scout.com - the experts pick a lil differently on this one - one guy has LSU winning, one guy has Bama winning but not covering the -9, and the other 3 have Bama winning and covering the spread. I can diggit. A lil more parity.

Chris Low, over at ESPN, thinks Bama's going to end up in the Sugar Bowl again. I'd like to wager on that one. Click here.

Coach Saban quoted the New York Yankees' mentality as far as closing out a World Series. Read more here. Just do what got you there. Finish by playing your best.

Larry Burton over at the Bleacher Report has a great article about why Alabama will absolutely bomb away on LSU with the passing game. LSU's defensive is HORRIBLE at rushing the passer, and their secondary is suspect. Not to mention they'll have to worry about stopping Ingram and Richardson the whole afternoon.

I'm not sure I agree with Finebaum here...

2009-11-03T09:45:00.002-06:00

I don't know that I necessarily agree with Finebaum's column today. He paints Alabama and LSU as two heavyweights, but I don't see it that way.

Yes, LSU has done a great job of surviving this year. How they've managed to get to 7-1 and have a shot to win the SEC West is amazing to me. They're talented yes, but incredibly undisciplined. And it's nearly cost them several times, against a crappy Georgia team, a bad Vandy team, and Mississippi State.

It almost looks like LSU and Alabama are in a race, and Alabama has pulled ahead of LSU, while the Tigers have fallen behind.

These teams are not equals. Not even close.

Mondays are for the birds.

2009-11-02T13:40:00.003-06:00

1. Finally LSU-week...

Man. I've been waiting on this game for a loooong time. LSU is a fraud, at least in my mind, and apparently in Vegas's minds as well. The Tide opened as a 10 point favorite. It quickly dropped to 9, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it jump back up to around 11 by kickoff. People know this LSU team is poorly coached. They've got all the talent in the world, but don't know what to do with it. It's a dangerous game, but not so bad if we stay disciplined.

2. Mississippi St is lookin good.

Dan Mullen obviously is one hell of a coach. He has taken players that Sylvester Croom couldn't get to play, and gotten them looking like one hell of a football team. They got handled by Auburn early in the year, and GaTech after that. They should have beaten LSU and Houston, and they played Florida right up to the end of the game. They're believing in themselves, and could actually find a way to beat Arkansas and Ole Miss and make it back to a bowl game. I don't see this team losing to Maine or LaTech anymore, as long as Mullen is around.

3. Georgia looks horrible.

Ever since Alabama went into Athens for "the Black Out," the Dawgs have been awful. Richt is starting to remind me of Phil Fulmer. He was successful while the other teams in the conference were pathetic. He fed off the Shulas, Frans, Fulmers, Zooks, Guy Morris's, Orgerons, Gaileys, etc.

Things do not look good for Mark Richt. The difference between him and Bobby Stoops (both were big-time coordinators and highly successful early in their head coaching careers) is that Stoops is in a muuuch weaker conference. Stoops doesn't have to deal with Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Monte Kiffin, Steve Spurrier, etc, every year. He gets Mike Gundy, Mark Mangino, Bill Snyder, Bo Pelini, etc. Much different, right?

I have a feeling Richt's days are numbered. If Georgia finishes the season with losses to Auburn and Georgia Tech, I wouldn't be surprised to see him bought out. Georgia fans reeeeally want to be able to at least compete with Florida. They can't do that right now.

4. Alabama should be fresh.

Thank the good lord for the bye week. That was one insanely tired football team I watched against Tennessee in Tuscaloosa on the 24th. We got rested, healed, and ready for the home stretch. Not to mention two weeks to think about LSU and how much we hate those damn corndog-smellin bastards.

5. Is this week the return of Greg McElroy?

If you look at the offensive gameplan against the last three teams on the schedule (at Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee), we didn't have to be explosive at all. I don't believe for one second that this wasn't intentional. Saban and McElwain knew they could beat these teams without ever throwing the football, if they wanted to. Hell, the collective score after 11 quarters and 12 minutes through those 3 games was 54-12.

So, against Ole Miss and South Carolina we only needed one touchdown in each game. Against Tennessee we only needed one touchdown until Ingram's fumble. And the only reason anybody is even worried about it right now, both nationally and locally, is because of the close call against Tennessee, which - again - only was close due to a tired football team making mistakes.

I think Coach McElwain will open the playbook this week and throw the football all over the field. They'll go deep a few times to Maze and Jones, etc. I don't look for nearly as many dink and dunk passes. Of course, this will all be setup by running the ball early. LSU's defensive line is suspect at best. I look for a big day from both Ingram and Richardson. Definitely.

6. Back in 3rd. I loooove it. Media is off the bandwagon.

Texas jumped us in the BCS Rankings by demolishing a crappy Oklahoma St team while we didn't play. I want to be third all the way up until Dec 5th. I want everybody to think we don't have a chance. I want to be disrespected.

I don't like having everybody on our bandwagon, y'know? It sets us up for failure. We're not up in that "upper echelon" of teams yet, to where being the best is just common.

The media build their opinions on knee-jerk reactions each week. Read more about the national pundits here.

I was soooo wrong.

2009-10-30T09:57:00.002-05:00

Man. VaTech didn't do ANYTHING last night. What a buncha bums. Not only did they not cover the spread for me, they didn't even win the damn game. This team is falling apart.

It looked very similar to Mark Ingram fumbling the football late in the Alabama-Tennessee game. Kinda weird how that works, right? I guess that's what championships are made of - spectacular plays making up for mistakes.

I'm looking forward to tonight's game - West Virginia against South Florida. I don't know if South Florida can stop this lil slide that they're on. They beat Florida St in Tallahassee, then got embarrassed at home by Cinci, who may very well be one of the top 2 or 3 teams in the country. I think WVU waxes em. Noel Devine is a playa.

I've decided I would like to see South Carolina wear their black jerseys tomorrow night in Neyland stadium. Start a new tradition - the Halloween game between Tennessee and South Carolina. Orange and Black. Hell yeah.

Anybody else noticing that Mark Ingram is still pretty much everybody's heisman frontrunner, even though he didn't hit 100 yards, didn't score a touchdown, and lost a fumble that almost cost us the ballgame last week? Weird what winning does, right?

Off weeks rule.

2009-10-29T09:23:00.002-05:00

I had not heard this - Lane Kiffin told Coach Saban during the post-game handshake "We'll get you next year." Wow. Read more here.

Ahhhh yes. Thursday. And I don't have to worry one bit about a Bama game this weekend. No getting my blood pressure up. No planning on going to the game. Just relaxing. Enjoying a weekend without stress. Haha.

I used to do a thing called "The Picks" on Fridays. I haven't done it this year, but I'm gonna start it back up, but instead of Fridays, we'll do it on Thursdays. So, I present to you..."The Picks."

North Carolina at Virginia Tech (-16.5)
Thursday - 7:00pm ESPN

--- North Carolina is 1-5 against the spread this year. Tied for worst in college football. Virginia Tech is at home, on a Thursday night, and is ready to kill somebody after getting knocked out of the national championship hunt by Georgia Tech two weeks ago. Not a good position for UNC, after they gave up a 24-6 lead and got beat, at home, by a crappy Florida St team last Thursday night.

Georgia Tech (-12) at Vanderbilt
Saturday - 6:30pm CSS

--- Georgia Tech grinds people, and puts up HUGE numbers in the process. Lets just look at common opponents. GaTech put up 42 points on Mississippi State in Starkville, while Vandy put up 3 points on State in Nashville. Advantage - Georgia Tech. Vandy is used to pro-style offenses in the SEC. GaTech runs the Triple Option attack. I think the Yellow Jackets will win this one going away. We're talkin 42-14 style.

Rutgers at UConn (-8)
Saturday - 11:00am ESPN Regional

--- Not only is UConn the best cover team in the country (5-0-1 ATS), but they're playing with a purpose this week. This is the first home game since Jasper Howard's murder, and the team will be playing with emotion after losing a heartbreaker at West Virginia last week. Rutgers has been a smoke-n-mirrors kinda good. They look great against awful opposition, but don't play so well when they play against a decent football team. UConn will be looking to prove something in this game, and I think they'll win by 2 touchdowns.

Central Michigan (+5) at Boston College
Saturday - 2:30pm ESPNU

--- Central Michigan is 7-1 this season, including a win at Michigan State in the 2nd game of the year. Their only loss was at Arizona to open the season. This is one hell of a football team, and, honestly, Boston College isn't. They're far too sporadic. I'm gonna go with the consistent team with the better offense and the better defense. I think Central Michigan wins the game straight up.

San Jose St at Boise St (-35)
Saturday - 2:00pm ESPN Gameplan

--- Boise is doing everything they can to make sure they don't slip anymore in the rankings. The only thing they can do is win. And win BIG. San Jose St doesn't have a prayer in this one, and I think Boise scores over 50 in a beating of epic proportions.

I'll be most interested in the Ole Miss - Auburn game and the Florida - Georgia game on Saturday, of course. I'm gonna watch LSU vs Tulane, but that's not going to show us anything that they're going to show against the Tide.

A bit of history...

2009-10-28T07:50:00.006-05:00

Here's one from the archives that just seems to be so incredibly fitting, given that we've had to listen to Tennessee fans, and their coaches, etc, whine about the officiating in Saturday's game. This was my dad's first, and ONLY, post on MemphisTider.com. It comes from Oct 1st, 2008. You can follow the link here.

"For several years now we have seen the dumbing down of our fan base. From missed holding calls to excuses for lack of on field discipline, some of us have complained and cried and become no better than some of our conference brethren.

We have all made it convenient to believe that SEC officials are not very good.

This first post is to attempt to turn that thought process around. Not that it mattered, but I was left with my mouth hanging open at the missed call in the La. Tech – Boise game Wednesday night. It mirrored the call in the Bama – Ole Miss game last year and the replay official in Boise simply blew it. Not because he made a poor judgment but because he (like many Alabama and Mississippi sports writers and Ole Miss fans) doesn’t know the rule. The SEC officials know the rule, what they can review and what they can’t and why. The on field officials in Boise didn’t know and they got no help from the replay booth---even though they had plenty of time to go look up the rule if they wanted.

Be prepared to hear the Rebels whine even more now that they think they have a call that matches and was made for a team in their same position. Be prepared, as we get better and begin to show that the process is working, to listen to the taunts of the corndogs, bulldogs, tigers, and gators that some of us older fans endured while Coach Bryant was walking the sidelines-----“Ya’ll bought the refs!”

To review the play, a Boise receiver went out of bounds (with some minor contact) and came back in to make a catch. It was called a catch on the field and the replay showed he had gone out of bounds. At the point he left the field of play he is ineligible to be the first to touch the ball and he plainly came back in bounds and was the first to touch the ball. But the on-field official did not rule him out of bounds. When the replay showed he was out of bounds, he is not eligible. Because he was not “ruled” on the field to have been forced out, the only thing the replay official can rule on is whether he went out of bounds. Whether he was “forced” out is not something that can be reviewed. That is like pass interference and cannot be ruled on from the booth. The only review is if the receiver was out of bounds.

They blew it.

We’ll not notice it (until we hear the howls of the conquered). Us older guys expect it. It’s coming. On field discipline will yield respect. A knowledgeable staff, a disciplined team and respect will get you the benefit of the doubt. Lack of penalties leads to even less penalties and more frustration from the opponent---which leads to more mistakes for them. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to hear Tennessee complain about the conference office and the officials."

The Capstone Report has a great question about how the SEC and commissioner Mike Slive will deal with Tennessee - when will he end their questioning of his authority? This is a very serious issue. If the entire coaching staff is talking publicly about how they believe there's a conspiracy in the SEC office, it needs to be squashed immediately before it becomes an epidemic. Read his post here.

Also, Capstone Report has found out that the reason for UT's headset troubles was a tripped breaker - they plugged in ALL of their things onto one power unit instead of evenly distributing them across the numerous ones that the University of Alabama provided. Again proving that the University of Tennessee's employees are complete morons. Read more here.

I had to post this. It's the Tennessee call of the game. Bob Kessling gets so excited. And then is denied. Hahaha.

Only an idiot would compare Gene Chizik to the likes of Nick Saban. But they did. Wow.

Biased officiating?

2009-10-27T10:53:00.000-05:00

Dear Lane Kiffin,
You are an annoying whiny little prick. Your blaming the officials for your loss to Alabama on Saturday is the most ridiculous crap I have ever heard in my life. To say the officiating was one sided in that game is ludicrous. I haven't gone back to see what all could have been called throughout the entire game, but I have two examples from the last drive alone.

Example 1: 1st down & 10 - 1:16 left in the 4th quarter

Notice #88, Luke Stocker, the TE for Tennessee, grab onto #55 Chavis Williams' jersey and just not let go. This is just a minor occurance because there's enough of a rush to fluster Crompson anyway. The play results in an incomplete pass, but rather than 1st and 20, they end up with 2nd and 10 at their own 41 again.

Example 2: 2nd down & 10 - 1:10 left in the 4th quarter

Again, please notice #88, Luke Stocker, the TE for Tennessee, grab onto #55 Chavis Williams' jersey and not let go. Again. This time right in the middle of the field in plain eyesight of EVERYBODY. Still a no call. So, rather than 2nd and at least 20, the pass is completed, and they now have a fresh set of downs at the Alabama 46 with 1:02 left in the game.

We all know how it plays out from there.

So, Lane, we just wanted to let you know that you're quite lucky that you were even in a position to be able to kick the field goal. Had holding been called on either of those plays, I am of the belief that you would have never gotten across midfield.

Enjoy your moral victory, you pompous asshat. See you in Knoxville for that "game (you'll) win next year."

Sincerely,

Memphis Tider.

Insert foot in mouth.

2009-10-26T08:39:00.002-05:00

1) Wow. I was waaaay off.

Tennessee had one hell of a gameplan Saturday, and they played one helluva game. I won't sit here and tell you that I wasn't nervous about that last second kick, but I will say that I was curious why UT didn't attempt to get closer in the last 30+ seconds of the game. It just didn't make a lot of sense.

2) Saban's presser

Coach's press conference after the game basically told the whole story. He said that's how fragile a season can be. You've got the ball, at home, close to midfield, the other team only has one timeout, and you've got a 2-score lead. Your runs are getting at least 4 to 5 yards per attempt.

And then one mistake can cost you a ballgame.

Mark Ingram fumbles for the first time in his career at Alabama, Tennessee scores quickly (the first TD allowed in 3 ballgames, by the way), gets an onside kick, and then, the next thing you know, there's 4 seconds left, and UT is lining up for a game-winning kick from only 44-yards - at your house. That's why coaches preach for NO mistakes. Ever. Ever ever ever.

3) Couldn't have ended any more perfectly...

As I sat at Buffalo Wild Wings in Nashville, TN, surrounded by people with Orange jerseys and shirts and pants, I immediately thought how awesome it would be to watch the viles screw this up. I was admittedly nervous, but I was also thinking to myself that it couldn't have ended more perfectly if they were to miss the kick.

There's nothing better on the face of the earth than to allow those ignorant, hillbilly, inbred bastards to think they're going to win a football game, especially against their most hated rival, and then watch it blow up in their faces in a split second. The looks on their faces and the reactions of these SOBs was priceless, and I've thanked the good Lord a billion times since then that I was able to witness the game at a bar in Nashville, TN, surrounded by those idiots.

4) Good time for a bye week...

This is a football team that was tired and beat up and nicked up pretty good. Great time for a bye week to allow them to rest up and prepare for what should the most difficult test remaining on the schedule. It's the last conference home game, and it's against LSU, a top 10 team, and our main competition in the SEC West. We win this game, and we've secured a spot in the SEC Championship game. Not too shabby.

We already hold a 2 game lead over Ole Miss, and the tie-breaker, 3 games over Auburn, 3 games over Mississippi State, and 4 games over Arkansas. We beat LSU, and we've got at least a 2 game lead over everybody, with only two conference games left.

5) Auburn is officially flat

How they gave up 31 points to a very mediocre LSU team, I will never know. But that once promising offense looks suddenly like they couldn't score on Florida International. It's kinda scary how quickly things have gone sour on the plains, but it's definitely fun to watch. They're already crying for Tommy Tuberville to come back. Haha.

6) Screw Tennessee.

I hate Tennessee. Just had to throw that out there one more time.

I expect a beating.

2009-10-23T11:45:00.002-05:00

I'm seriously expecting a 3 to 4 touchdown win. Here's what I'm looking at - Trent Richardson and Mark Ingram carrying the ball about 15 times each, with Roy Upchurch coming on HUUUGE in the 4th quarter. By midway through the 3rd quarter, their defense, which has such a lack of depth, will be so worn down that it won't matter which running back is in the game. The Tide offense will be able to run for at least 5 yards a pop.

Tennessee's offense won't be able to run the football like they did against Florida to make the game shorter. Our defensive line outmans their offensive line just ridiculously, and the pressure that we'll bring on Crompton will be unlike anything he's seen all year. He was flustered against UCLA's defense, which was rushing only 4 and 5 at a time. Imagine what kinda mistakes he'll make when we bring 7.

Look for a blowout of epic proportions in this series. Nick Saban hates Tennessee with a passion, and this is one of those circle games that he sets up every year. We've only had one so far this year - Ole Miss. Then we have Tennessee, and of course Auburn. He knows that UT and AU are the two games he HAS to win every year to keep us happy. Same way Urban Meyer knew he had to beat UT, UGA, and Florida St every year.

Roll Tide guys!

Day 4...

2009-10-22T12:16:00.000-05:00

...and my hatred runneth over.

I hate Tennessee with everything that is in my soul. HATE HATE HATE.

Because Screw You, Tennessee. That's why.

2009-10-20T10:50:00.004-05:00

Hahahahahahahahahaha. I cannot WAIT until this Saturday. Our hatred for UT is unsurpassed by any other rivalry ever. Seriously.

No, you may not wear those...

2009-10-20T09:05:00.000-05:00

No, you may not wear those disgustingly horrible orange jerseys. We hate the color orange, and there's already going to be more of it in Bryant-Denny than we'd like to have anyway. Thanks. Read more about Bama denying the Viles' request to wear their orange jerseys Saturday.

Finebaum's getting a tad bit ahead of himself. Read today's article about skipping the rest of the season and just jumping to Dec. 5th.

The same officials that goofed up the UGA-LSU game, and the Ark-Fla game, will be in Tuscaloosa on Saturday for Bama-UT. Read more here. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. They seem to favor the higher-ranked teams, y'know?

There are only two teams that I'm going to bet on religiously for the rest of the year - Idaho is 7-0 against the spread so far, and Illinois is 0-5 against the spread. Guess which way I'm bettin. Haha.

Monday Morning QB

2009-10-19T09:44:00.002-05:00

1) Bama's coaching staff put up the playbook

With 14:45 left in the first quarter and Alabama holding a 7-0 lead against South Carolina, Coach Jim McElwain put up his playbook. They put QB Greg McElroy in some awful positions all night to see how he would react to them. Didn't fare so well, but the ballgame was never in doubt. Watching that game, did anybody think that the Gamecocks would ever get into the endzone? Yeah, I didn't think so. If you don't think that they went vanilla, you're out of your mind. Coach Saban and the rest of the team have had the upcoming Tennessee game circled since January when Lance Thompson decided to bolt for Knoxville. Don't get too worried about how the offense played because when they needed yards, they could hand off the ball.

2) If it wasn't for Mark Ingram...

You know that if it wasn't Mark Ingram running the rock like he has, we'd have Trent back there doing it. If it wasn't Trent, it'd be Roy. If it wasn't Roy, it'd be Eddie Lacy. We have a stable FILLED with running backs, and they all could be starting for about 85% of other college football teams. What Mark Ingram has done is incredible, but don't forget about the other guys that are on his level as well. You'll see a lot more of them this weekend, and I'd almost guarantee it.

3) Florida looks...pedestrian?

The almighty Gators have looked very average lately. A home win over Arkansas on a last second field goal? And the only reason you were in the position is because Arky missed two chipshot field goals? Riiight. From what I'm reading about Brandon Spikes, he may not come back this year. And if that's the case, this team is in trouble. Lucky for them, they only play one decent football team for the rest of the season, and that's South Carolina. Biggest deal about that game? It's in Columbia... I think we could see an upset that weekend if they don't start clicking. Of course...I would much rather them be undefeated and still ranked #1 when they get to the Georgia Dome.

4) What the hell, Ohio St?

Ohio St was 5-1 against the spread this year. Purdue was 1-5 overall and just got shellacked by Northwestern at home. So of course I pick Ohio St -14 for this game. And of course, Ohio St responds by getting waxed by maybe the worst team in the Big Ten. Screw you, Senator Sweatervest.

5) Is it a classic if the two teams just ain't that good?

For those people that said USC vs. Notre Dame was an instant classic, ask yourself this question - if it had been UConn vs Louisville in the exact same game, would anybody give a damn? Didn't think so. USC and Notre Dame are not very good football teams this year. It was a fun game, if you like ping pong. Neither defense played worth a crap, and the fact that it came down to Little Jimmy making awful throws into coverage in the endzone only proves how bad these teams are. Count me as not impressed.

6) Auburn's officially out of gas

If you get a chance, go back and watch the 4th quarter of Auburn's game against Kentucky. Wow. Those players look like they're absolutely just worn out. Their conditioning must be awful. Kentucky did anything they wanted to in the 4th quarter, and used that to their advantage by scoring 14 points to win 21-14 on the plains. Chizik is now showing exactly what kinda coach he is, and now that people are catching on to Malzahn's offense, this team is in a lot of trouble. They've got LSU, Ole Miss, UGA, and Bama still left on the schedule...along with Furman. They'll get to 6 wins...but man. Who woulda thought after that Tennessee game that this team would look so bad. As Dennis Green would say - "They are who we thought they were."

It's Gameday

2009-10-17T10:36:00.002-05:00

The worst part about the 6:45 kickoff is that we have to wait like 7 hours after ESPN Gameday before our team actually comes on. The good part is that it gives the fans down in Tuscaloosa plenty of time to get riled up and ready for the ballgame, so by the time we get to kickoff, Bryant-Denny Stadium should be extremely loud.

In the meanwhile, I'm watching Oklahoma and Texas, and I've already seen a screen pass to Demarco Murray take them from their own 30 down to the Texas 8 yard line.

I'm interested to see what's going to happen between Arkansas and Florida today. A lot of people seem to think that Ryan Mallet and the Hogs can give the Gators some real trouble. I think that Florida's defense may be just as good as ours, so I don't expect Arkansas to get much going at all. This is the only good offense that Florida will play for the rest of the season, so it may be the only shot to get them picked off before the SEC Championship game.

I'm curious to see what happens with Alabama and South Carolina tonight. Garcia has been known to make a lot of plays with his feet, and if the pocket collapses on him, like it has every other QB we've played so far this season, he will either make some absolutely huge plays, or he's gonna make some big mistakes and maybe end up in the hospital there in T-Town. I expect more turnovers, personally. I'm looking for 3 interceptions and a fumble at some point in the game.

I have a feeling we're going to get a lot of quick passes tonight. McElroy will have a TON of hot routes and screen passes because of two reasons. First, you want to slow down their pass rush with Eric Norwood from the edge, and two, I have a feeling that Ellis Johnson will probably put 9 in the box to try and stop the run because they've given up a total of about 400 yards rushing to South Carolina St and Kentucky. They know if they just try and play us with a base defense, we'll run for 5 yards a carry and grind out first down after first down.

We want our running backs involved, and our slot receivers to have a chance...so look for hot routes and screen passes.

I may update more later when I get a chance. If not, Roll Tide and we'll talk to you tomorrow!

The day before...

2009-10-16T10:47:00.004-05:00

An Evening with Coach Saban. Chris Low, ESPN's SEC blogger, has written one hell of an article about the "Hey Coach" show. Very good read.

Cincinnati looked like the real deal last night. They handled South Florida, in Tampa, with ease, and with a backup QB, no-less. I was very much impressed by their defense, and how efficient their offense was, even with a backup. Brian Kelly is, in my estimation, one of the best coaches in the country. He knows what it takes to win.

I don't think the betters are buying into Vegas's plot to get you to take South Carolina. The line opened at Alabama -17, which looked like a whole lot of points...but since then the line has risen to as much as -18.5. Wow.

Does anybody seem to think that Arkansas can hang with Florida? I think they'll give them a good ballgame.

South Carolina's gonna be missing some players. Their 2nd leading rusher, Jarvis Giles, has been suspended for this game due to unspecified team rules violations, and Heath Batchelor, their starting left guard, has left the team this week. Not good to come to Tuscaloosa without your full allotment of players, I would think.

CFN has us winning this weekend 24-10. I'll take it.

Wow.

2009-10-15T10:22:00.001-05:00

This guy is definitely bold.

How USC will shock the world.

Just read it.

Who's a fraud?

2009-10-15T09:56:00.004-05:00

I'm gonna start a lil thing on here, I believe, called "Who's a fraud?" Should be interesting. If you've got anyone for any particular week, just toss it in the comments.

1) Boise St Broncos

So really, they were down at Tulsa with not much time left in the ballgame, right? Same Tulsa that got handled 45-0 by a Sam Bradford-less Oklahoma team, at Tulsa, a few weeks ago. If you're Boise, and you're trying to set yourself up to play for a national championship game, you've gotta win that game convincingly.

2) Iowa Hawkeyes

There's no way this team has enough offense to play with the big boys, and their defense, while good, can be exploited. I think they'll lose to Wisconsin this weekend.

3) LSU Tigers

Yeah, they may have lost to the #1 team in the country last weekend, but it was proven that they have ZERO offense. Gary Crowton, even though he was just given an extension, will be run out of town sooner than later. The Hat's gonna have to get rid of somebody this year to eventually save his job, cause I have a feeling this season is about to spiral out of control the same way last year's did.

4) Ohio St Buckeyes

Ok, so they beat Wisconsin at home 31-13 last weekend. But...they had a special teams touchdown (kickoff return), and returned TWO interceptions for touchdowns. That's 21 points right there. Pryor only had 87 yards of offense. Wisconsin's defense shut this team down. In their own backyard. They'll lose a couple more before this season's over, and I'll go ahead and call it right now - they'll get beat by Michigan to close the season.

Vol Calls, and other things

2009-10-13T09:05:00.003-05:00

I listened to a little bit of "Vol Calls" last night on 92.9 ESPN here in Memphis. I laughed so hard that I cried.

Now, I'm not overlooking South Carolina, but man, these UT fans are delusional. One bad win over a crappy Georgia team, and they're ready to dethrone Nick Saban. In Bryant-Denny, no less. They really think that they're going to win the game. Niiiice. Surely they realize that Saban has had this one circled ever since Lance Thompson decided to split to ol' Rocky Top.

Fishy betting lines

Alabama opened as a 17 point favorite over South Carolina. Does that not sound like Vegas is BEGGING you to take SoCar? This is a trap game, but Bama should beat this team by 4 touchdowns.

UConn opened -12.5 against Louisville, and the line immediately dropped to -10.5. Vegas is wanting you to take Louisville so bad in this game it's not even funny.

Illinois is favored AT Indiana by 3. Illinois has not covered a single spread this year. Hmmmm...

ESPN's SEC Rankings

SEC Power Poll - Chris Low thinks Bama's #1. He doesn't see a weakness. I see some, but not much.

I'm not sure if I like all of the media attention we're getting. It's always nice, but I don't know how it affects the team. The last thing we need is for them to actually think they're the best. Keep playin with a chip on their shoulder, and they are the best. Get a big head, and they lose a step.

Monday Morning Quarterbacking

2009-10-12T08:08:00.003-05:00

1) Alabama's demolition of Ole Miss

I seriously don't know the last time that I saw a team just get completely and totally dominated on their home field the way that Ole Miss got shut down against the Tide this past Saturday. A thorough ass kicking on an opponent's home field. It's gotta make you smile just thinkin about it. Haha.

If you'd like to watch the full game again, just head on over to SEC Digital Network to see the full game streaming without commercials. Great website.

The offensive playcalling Saturday was just weird. Especially inside the 10 yard line. We got inside the 10 six different times. One we had a fumble (Trent Richardson's in the 4th quarter). The other five we wasted a down trying to throw into double (and at least once, triple) coverage to Julio. We were forcing the issue down there so much that it reminded me of JPW looking for DJ Hall back in '06 and '07.

I've got a feeling this was Coach Saban's way of answering the critics who, every week, bring up the fact that Julio is not "involved" in the offense. Julio Jones does his job by blocking and drawing double teams, which opens up the offense to basically make it 10 on 9 at all times. That's his role. Same way with Terrence Cody on the defense. He doesn't make a ton of tackles or sacks or anything, but he eats up two blockers, making it 10 on 9 on that side of the ball. That's how you get mismatches. Julio doesn't have to touch the ball to be "involved." Hopefully it was just something else for the team to throw out there and make other teams think about.

2) LSU's an average football team

Florida didn't do anything special. They just beat the crap outta the Tigers. In Tiger Stadium. On a Saturday night. The Gators didn't really need the almighty Tebow. They just needed their defense. Very simple.

LSU is not a good football team. It's growing more and more obvious that the teams they've beaten to this point are incredibly pedestrian. Not much more you can say than that. Their defense isn't that great, their offense is poor, and, overall, it's just not a very well-disciplined football team. They'll lose more games this year, and possibly a lot more. Lester the Hat should have taken the train to Ann Arbor when he had the chance because his stock is about to plummet.

3) Who is the real South Carolina?

South Carolina is 5-1, with a last second loss at a mediocre Georgia team. They've beaten a weak NC State team, on the road, 7-3, a weak Ole Miss team, at home, 16-10, two small schools who have yet to win a ballgame between the two of them, and a bad Kentucky team that played part of the game with a backup quarterback, 28-26 at home.

So exactly who is South Carolina?

Are they one hell of a defensive team? Not sure. They gave up 41 to Georgia and 26 to Kentucky, but only 3 to NC State and 10 to Ole Miss. Are they an awesome offensive team? Well, they only scored 16 on Ole Miss and 7 at NC State, but scored 37 at Georgia and 28 at home on Kentucky.

Count me as wary of this weekend's opposition for the Tide. This is a trap game if I've ever seen one. With Ole Miss this past week and Tennessee next week, The Ol' Ball Coach could catch us napping. I doubt it'll happen, but I think this game will be closer than we want it to be.

4) Tennessee thinks they're ready.

The fans clad in orange were already screaming midway through the 4th quarter of Saturday's blowout against Georgia - "WE WANT BAMA! WE WANT BAMA!"

Are you guys sure about that?

I mean, you've already lost three ballgames, and two of them at home to mediocre competition. You beat a bad Georgia team and you're ready to start calling on us?

Hey Vols. I'd think long and hard before you start talking too much crap. It could be a long day in Bryant-Denny on the 24th if you boys are over-confident. One good smack in the mouth should cure that.

5) Mississippi State is still Mississippi State.

Tyson Lee. C'mon man.

Down 24-17 in the with about 4 and a half minutes left, Mississippi State is driving to tie the game, and Lee fumbles trying to hand the ball off. Houston recovers, scores in like 3 plays, and the game is over. That's what Mississippi State does. It's what they've always done. Mullen has a lot of work in front of him.

NCAA '10 prediction

2009-10-02T16:51:00.000-05:00

I did 5 minute quarters last week for the Arkansas game, and Alabama won 42-10.

This week, I did the same thing, at Kentucky, with partly cloudy skies, 70 degree weather, and an 11:30am CST kickoff, and the Tide won 41-3. I think I'm diggin this.

3-0 and rollin...

2009-09-22T09:28:00.003-05:00

Well, I ventured to Tuscaloosa this past Saturday, and I've gotta admit, it was pretty incredible. I sat in the new upper deck and watched one helluva beatdown. Can't really remember the last time we completely and totally dominated an opponent that badly.

My dad, of course, told me he used to watch it all the time back when Bear was coaching, but that the beatdowns were of teams like Ole Miss, LSU, and Tennessee. I would imagine that would be a lot more fun to watch than just destroying a team like North Texas.

Sitting in that endzone, I was able to see plays develop. I watched holes open up for the running backs, saw pass plays develop, watched players beat their opponent into the ground. It was quite a spectacle. Even in the late quarters, our 2nd and 3rd teamers were able to physically dominate the opposition. It's such a beautiful thing to watch.

This week starts SEC play. I've gone back and watched the Arkansas - Georgia game (thanks to SECDigitalNetwork.com) and I'm not so scared of Arkansas anymore. That game was a big one for them and they got steamrolled by better athletes. Georgia's defense is atrocious, and Arkansas's is even worse. I've got a good feeling about Saturday, especially since it's supposed to rain pretty much all game.

Alabama moved up to #3 in the polls, which means that we control our own destiny in the National Championship hunt. 3 weeks into the season and you don't have to worry about other teams losing or anything like that. All you gotta do is just win. It's a nice feeling. Handle your business, and everything else takes care of itself.

Tennessee-Florida was a snoozer. I don't believe that Florida was really that bad. I think they just realized that UT wasn't playing to win the football game. They knew Crompton couldn't throw the football, so there was no point in going for a lot of points. But, alas, we'll see what happens. I think Georgia can hang with them for a lil while this year, but I could be WAAAY off on that.

More on that later. Adding the twitter account today.

Hmmm...

2009-09-10T11:48:00.002-05:00

I've gone back and watched the tape and here's what I'm seeing:

A team you don't wanna piss off.

There are some mean dudes on this football team that REALLY like to hit. Whether it's Rod Woodson, the freshman from Olive Branch, who was a star on kickoff-coverage Saturday, or Rolo who went batshit crazy on a lineman for VT, or Roy Upchurch who just wanted to RUN OVER Tech's DBs, everybody on the team looked ready to kill.

And man...that kinda football makes me happy.

Y'know I watched the Memphis-Ole Miss game, and when the game was 17-7 at the end of the 3rd quarter, and Memphis had a 4th-and-inches, they lined up in the shotgun formation. It was dumb. They tried to get cute because they weren't as physical as Ole Miss.

What happened to whipping the dude across from you's ass? Nick Saban knows how to play it. The best way to beat a team? Put them into submission. Pound on them until they can't take it anymore.

If you'll notice in this past Saturday's games, our initial runs were gaining between 1 and 3 yards inside the tackles. By the 4th quarter, they were dead and were sick of being beaten up on. Those 2 yard runs turned into 7 yard runs, and eventually turned into 12 yard runs. It was that easy.

Football isn't hard to figure out. Kill the guy lined up across from you every single play. Eventually he'll quit.

Roll Tide...and I'm back.

2009-09-07T21:31:00.003-05:00

Ok, I've been outta the loop, and outta town without a computer (but I just got a new netbook, so that won't happen anymore).

I haven't gone back and really analyzed the game just yet, but here's what I know...

Marquis Johnson should not be playing.

And the points that VaTech scored on that drive where Ro lost his cool on that play that resulted in a huge loss when they were on the goalline - that play (the personal foul calls) is on the coaches for leaving Johnson in the ballgame. He's the one that got lost on his job on the play that went for a huge gain. Rolando is the leader of the defense, and he obviously does NOT want #24 in the ballgame. He's been a liability for 3 years - somebody get him the hell outta there.

I'll have more later, but Roll Tide for the win. Haha.

Holy smokes.

2009-08-21T09:50:00.002-05:00

Holy freakin smokes. It's been a while. No excuses other than work sucks and life's a lil different at the moment. Not nearly as much time to update the blog as I used to.

But don't fret. I'll still be posting from time to time. Just not nearly as much, as I'm sure you've noticed.

I'm headed to the Olive Branch (MS) vs Memphis East (TN) high school football game tonight. I'll be checking in from time to time, I'm sure. Haha.

I may actually just start a twitter account and post to that. I would at least be able to post from my cellphone, which is always on me.

So, what do you guys think? Post from the cellphone? I'm sure that would be muuuch more entertaining. haha.

Weekend, please.

2009-07-30T08:13:00.002-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 37

37.. Alabama 34 Nebraska 7
1967 Sugar Bowl - New Orleans, LA - from allstatesugarbowl.com

Alabama, No. 3 nationally, unleashed its speed and the throwing-catching combination of Ken Stabler and Ray Perkins to overwhelm Nebraska, Big Eight champs, 34-7, before 82,000. By halftime it was 24-0 on a Les Kelly one-yard run, a 14-yard skitter by Stabler, and a seven-yard burst by Wayne Trimbel, plus Steve Davis’ field goal for three points. Davis hit again in the third period to make it 27-0 before Dick Davis scored on a 15-yard pass from Bob Churchich for the Huskers early in the fourth period. The game was more than sealed with a 45-yard Stabler-to-Perkins toss on the next possession.

Diggit. The countdown is rolling right along. We're getting ever closer and closer to the kickoff of football season, and I cannot wait.

Bear Bryant was 3rd on Sporting News' list of the 50 greatest coaches ever, behind John Wooden and Vince Lombardi. Read more here.

Read up some more on this SEC Digital Network - read here. I've gotta admit, it almost seems too good to be true. I would absolutely lose my mind. Nothing would ever get done. I'd be watching old game films ALL the time. Insanely genious.

Midweek blues.

2009-07-29T10:29:00.002-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 38

38.. Alabama 39 Nebraska 28
1966 Orange Bowl - Miami, FL - from wikipedia.org

Alabama scored first on a 32 yard touchdown pass from Steve Sloan to Ray Perkins as Alabama took a 7-0 lead. In the second quarter, Nebraska's Bob Churchich threw a 33 yard touchdown pass to Tony Jeter to tie the game at 7. Alabama's Les Kelly scored on a 4 yard touchdown run as the Crimson Tide led 14-7. Sloan and Perkins connected for the second time of the game, as Alabama led 21-7. An 18 yard field goal before halftime gave Alabama a 24-7 lead.

In the third quarter, Churchich threw a 49 yard touchdown pass to Ben Gregory as Nebraska narrowed the deficit to 24-13. Steve Bowman scored on a 1 yard touchdown run giving Alabama a 32-13 lead. In the fourth quarter, Churchich scored on a 1 yard run making it 32-20. Bowman scored on a 3 yard run as Alabama led 39-20. Churchich threw a 14 yard touchdown pass to Tony Jeter as the final score was Alabama 39, Nebraska 28.

Not too much going on today. The SEC will launch a digital network, along with a much-needed update to their website, etc. They'll over a digital library, etc. I think this is a GREAT idea. Read more here.

Jermaine Preyear has seen the writing on the wall and is planning to transfer to a smaller school so he can get some playing time. Read more here.

I'm baaaaaack.

2009-07-27T08:28:00.003-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 39

I was stuck in training for the past week or so, and haven't gotten a chance to actually update. Didn't miss too much at media days, other than Joe Schad twitting that Rolando McClain will be back for his senior season. A lil too early for that, Joe. Regardless, Media Days were fun, and it definitely got everyone fired up. The guys report at the beginning of next week for camp, so we'll see what happens.

Let's go ahead and get what we've missed of the countdown.

50.. Alabama 37 Boston College 21
1943 Orange Bowl - Miami, FL

I couldn't find a single story about this game to save my life. OrangeBowl.com has the game stats, but there's no actual stories about the game. Even brief paragraphs.

49. Duke 29 Alabama 26
1945 Sugar Bowl - New Orleans, LA - from allstatesugarbowl.org

In a seesaw affair that saw the lead change hands four times, Duke emerged the victor with a frantic finish, 29-26.

Alabama took a 26-20 lead late courtesy of Hugh Morrow's record 80-yard interception return for a touchdown. Moments later, again in possession of the football, Bama took an intentional safety. That strategy backfired, however, as Duke got a tremendous return by George Clark on the ensuing kick and then needed just one play (a 20-yard romp by Clark) to pull ahead 29-26.

Even then the game wasn't over as Duke had to come up with a game-saving, last-play tackle of Bama's Harry Gilmer to preserve the win.

Gilmer, a freshman, put on what was then considered an eye-popping performance, completing eight passes in eight attempts.

48.. Alabama 34 USC 14
1946 Rose Bowl - Pasadena, CA - from rosebowlhistory.org

USC suffers first Rose Bowl defeat in nine appearances as Frank Thomas' Alabama (9-0) steamrolls over the Trojans (7-3) in a 34-14 display of superiority. USC gives up more points in this one game than it allows eight previous Rose Bowl foes combined. Instead of passing USC into submission, Bama quarterback Harry Gilmer runs them, gaining 113 yards in 16 carries himself. James Corbitt adds 46 yards, Gordon Pettus 39 yards and Lowell Tew 43 yards. Only the defensive play of Ted Tannehill in the secondary prevents the score from being more decisive.

47.. Texas 27 Alabama 7
1948 Sugar Bowl - New Orleans, LA - from wikipedia.org

In the first quarter, Texas scored on a 5 yard touchdown pass form Bobby Lane to Blount, as Texas opened a 7-0 lead. In the second quarte, Alabama tied the game on an 8 yard touchdown pass from Gilmer to White. In the third quarter, Texas's Vasicek recovered a fumble in the end zone as Texas took a 14-7 lead. Holder later returned an interception 18 yards for a touchdown making it 21-7. Bobby Layne scored on a 1 yard touchdown run making the final score 27-7.

46.. Alabama 61 Syracuse 6
1953 Orange Bowl - Miami, FL - from ticketcity.com

In 1953, a milestone was reached in college football postseason history. The Orange Bowl Classic was played between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Syracuse. The Tide dominated Syracuse, winning the bowl 61-6. Many records fell on that day in 1953, including a 19 point game for Alabama’s Bobby Luna – who scored two touchdowns and kicked for seven extra points. Hall of Famer Cecil “Hootie” Ingram played for the Tide and recorded an 80-yeard punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter.

45.. Rice 28 Alabama 6
1954 Cotton Bowl - Dallas, TX - from dallasnews.com

The 1954 Cotton Bowl featured one of the most famous plays in college football history. Rice's Dickey Moegle (last name spelling later changed to "Maegle") began a run around from his team's 5 yard line and down the open field. Alabama's Tommy Lewis jumped off the bench and tackled Moegle. The referee, Cliff Shaw, saw what happened and signaled touchdown even though Moegle was "tackled" at the 42 yard line.

44.. Penn St 7 Alabama 0
1959 Liberty Bowl - Philadelphia, PA - from mmbolding.com

Galen Hall, a sturdy sophomore sub for the injured Richie Lucas, led Penn Slate to a 7-0 victory over Alabama yesterday in the first Liberty Bowl game. Hall's pass to Roger Kochman, another sophomore, on a fake field goal was good for 18 yards and the touchdown on the last play of the second period. Sam Stellatella added the extra point by placement and that was the ball game.

A chilled crowd of 30,211 left wide gaps in the 100,000 seat Philadelphia Stadium, normally jammed for Army-Navy games. But the turnout for this inaugural game was regarded as encouraging.

43.. Texas 3 Alabama 3
1960 BlueBonnet Bowl - Houston, TX - from nytimes.com

20-yard field goal by Dan Petty enabled Texas to tie Alabama, 3 -- 3, in the Bluebonnet Bowl today. Petty's kick was made with only 4 minutes 1 second remaining in the nationally televised game, which was attended by 68,000 fans. Ray Poage, a 205-pound sophomore, provided the power for a 71-yard surge that set up the kick.

42.. Alabama 10 Arkansas 3
1962 Sugar Bowl - New Orleans, LA - from wikipedia.org

Alabama scored on a 12 yard Pat Trammell touchdown run, leading 7-0. A 32 yard Davis field goal in the second quarter extended Alabama's lead to 10-0. In the third quarter, Arkansas got on the board following a 23 yard Mickey Cissell field goal. In the end, Alabama's defense proved too much, as they shutout the Razorbacks the rest of the way. Mike Fracchia was named Sugar Bowl MVP.

41.. Alabama 10 Arkansas 3
1963 Orange Bowl - Memphis, TN - from orangebowlstadium.com

A powerful Alabama squad coached by Bear Bryant and led by quarterback Joe Namath take on Bud Wilkinson's Oklahoma Sooners, in a game attended by President John F. Kennedy. Alabama’s Lee Roy Jordan sets a major-bowl record with 31 tackles and the Crimson Tide win, 17-0.

40.. Alabama 12 Ole Miss 7
1964 Sugar Bowl - New Orleans, LA - from wikipedia.org

The game was a defensive slugfest. Alabama scored its first points on a 46 yard field goal by Tim Davis, taking a 3-0 lead. In the second quarter, Davis kicked field goals of 31 and 34 yards giving Alabama a 9-0 lead at halftime. In the third quarter, Davis had a 48 yard field goal giving Alabama a 12-0 lead. In the fourth quarter, Dunn threw a 5 yard touchdown pass to Smith as Ole Miss climbed to 12-7. Alabama held on to win the game. Tim Davis was named the Sugar Bowl MVP.

Dunn had previously backed up Alabama quarterback Joe Namath who was serving a suspension for having had an alcoholic beverage at a fraternity party earlier in the season.

39.. Texas 21 Alabama 17
1965 Orange Bowl - Miami, FL - from espn.com

"Just before the game ended, Joe [Namath, the Tide quarterback] got us to the Texas goal, and on a fourth-down quarterback keep he came that close to winning it. Tommy Nobis met him head on. Our guys thought he scored. Afterward, one of the writers asked me who called the play. I said I had (I always call the ones that don't work.) He said, 'How can a $12,000-a-year coach call the plays for a $400,000 quarterback?' I admitted he had a point."
-- Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, "Bear," Bryant with John Underwood, 1974

NCAA 2010 is INCREDIBLE.

2009-07-16T15:37:00.003-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 51

NCAA 2010 for the PS3 is freakin awesome. Period. I'm playing on All-American at the moment. I started a dynasty and took the first game from VaTech 35-28. Justin Woodall picked off a pass and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown for the game-winning score with 1:49 left in the game. Marquis Johnson saved it with another pick with 29 seconds left on the Alabama 30. Diggit.

Not too much going on today either. I'm headed to Gulf Shores until Sunday, but if something pops up, I'll be back on a computer bloggin about it. Til then, we'll continue the countdown.

52. California 13 Alabama 0
1938 Rose Bowl - Pasadena, CA - from rosebowlhistory.com

Alabama (9-0) ends a four-game Rose Bowl winning streak by falling to California (9-0-1) in a 13-0 display of Vic Botari's ball carrying strength. Botari scores both touchdowns and gains 137 yards in 34 carries. Frank Thomas' Alabama fumbles four times to ruin its chances when California recovers every miscue.

51. Alabama 29 Texas A&M 21
1942 Cotton Bowl - Dallas, TX - from dallasnews.com

Texas A. & M. held Alabama to one first down Thursday, but the Crimson Tide rolled to four touchdowns, a field goal and a couple of extra points to win the sixth annual Cotton Bowl game, 29 to 21.

Thirty-eight thousand fans shivered in a bitterly cold north wind that swept downfield and numbed pass receivers' hands. Despite this unusual Cotton Bowl weather, very few fans left the stadium before game's end, attesting to the interesting play the athletes were putting out. Read more of the story by clicking on the link above - dallasnews.com.

Only 53 days to go...

2009-07-14T16:02:00.002-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 53

Boooyah. Not a whole lot going on today. The Mayor of Birmingham just announced that they finally got the approval to build a dome-stadium in B'ham. Total seating would be between 57,000 and 67,500. Interesting. Will be located right next to BJCC. Hmmmm.

Countdown time!

53. Alabama 29 Stanford 13
1935 Rose Bowl - Pasadena, CA - from rosebowlhistory.com

Frank Thomas' Alabama (9-0) brings the first great aerial circus in Rose Bowl history to Pasadena to hand Stanford's "Vow Boys" (9-0-1) another Rose Bowl defeat, 29-13. The 85,000 spectators are amazed by the soaring footballs propelled by Dixie Howell to Don Hutson. Howell completes nine of 12 passes and averages 44.8 yards with six punts. Howell catches six of six passes thrown to him for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Bobby Grayson, Keith Topping and Monk Moscript try to lead Stanford retaliation but this is the day of Robin Hood's trusty bow.

Let the countdown begin!

2009-07-13T08:36:00.003-05:00

Days' til VaTech: 54

So, over the weekend, we were supposed to begin our countdown of Alabama's 56 bowl games played. Well, I was out of the loop for most of the weekend, but we're kicking it off today.

56. Alabama 20 Washington 19
1926 Rose Bowl - Pasadena, CA - from rosebowlhistory.com

Wallace Wade's Alabama (9-0) launches the "Age of Dixie" by edging Washington (10-0-1) in a 20-19 thriller despite the heroics of the Huskies' great running back George Wilson. In the 38 minutes Wilson is able to play, Washington scores three times and gains 300 yards, but in the 22 minutes he is out with an injury, his team gains only 17 yards and is outscored three touchdowns to none. Wilson has 134 yards in 15 carries and completes five passes. Johnny Mack Brown and "Pooley" Hubert lead Alabama rally after trailing 12-0 with three third-quarter touchdowns. Bill Buckler's two of three conversions makes the victory difference.

55. Alabama 7 Stanford 7
1927 Rose Bowl - Pasadena, CA - from rosebowlhistory.com

Stanford (10-0) ties Alabama (9-0) in a 7-7 standoff despite Stanford's 305-98 yardage to advantage. Stanford takes a 7-0 lead on a George Bogue to Ed Walker touchdown pass and Bogue's conversion. Clarke Pearce blocks a punt of Stanford's Frankie Wilton to set up Jimmy Johnson's fourth quarter touchdown bolt, and Herschel Caldwell ties the game after a trick, quick lineup catches Stanford by surprise before it can attempt to block the effort. Ted Shipkey, Stanford's All-American end, enjoys a 23-yard end around, catches five passes, recovers two fumbles and is a defensive fortress. In two Rose Bowl appearances, he totals 12 catches.

54. Alabama 24 Washington St 0
1931 Rose Bowl - Pasadena, CA - from rosebowlhistory.com

The Rose Bowl is enlarged to seat 81,000, just in time for the fans to see Wallace Wade's Alabama (9-0) administer a 24-0 defeat to previously unbeaten Washington State (9-0). Jimmy "Hurry" Cain at the controls, engineers a decisive attack that produces three second quarter touchdowns with Monk Campbell tallying twice, gaining 114 yards. Washington State has stalwart linemen like Glenn "Turk" Edwards and Mel Hein, but they can't prevent the onslaught. Cain averages 46 yards on six punts to keep the Cougars away from scoring chances except one occasion when they fail at the one.

Awww yeah. Countdown it up, my friends.

Our friend, Ian Rapoport, is leaving the Birmingham News to become the beat writer for the New England Patriots at the Boston Globe. Daaaamn. I can diggit. Read more here.

The Dothan Eagle takes a look at how Julio Jones and Dont'a Hightower will have a bigger impact this year than last year. Good read. Check it out here.

ESPN's Chris Low tackles a lot of subjects regarding SEC Fooball. Read up on it here.

A lil basketball news for ya - Yamene Coleman has transferred to Troy (read here) and Shawn Kemp Jr. is headed to Hargrave for a year before he re-signs with Alabama next year (read here.

Greg McElroy turned a lot of heads at the Manning Passing Academy over the weekend. He looked incredible...better than Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford. Now that's some pretty good company there. Watch some of the videos, etc, here.

All of you know by now that I'm a pretty big UFC fan. If you didn't watch the fights this weekend, you have NO idea what you're missing. I was never a big GSP fan, but watching his fight against Alves was incredible. For boxing fans that can't get into this, UFC has so much more to offer. To see a guy be at an advantage when he's on his back, and be able to escape submission holds, etc...it's just a thing of beauty. There's so much strategy that goes into these fights. The Lesnar match was ridiculous, and Henderson's knockout was brutal.

Mondays. Can you diggit?

2009-07-06T11:49:00.002-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 61

Not too much going on today. Heard some rumblings about Dre and Julio...we'll see if they prove to be true. Somehow, I doubt it.

Other than that, it appears we're about to go through some attrition, which means we'll see a lot of "medical scholarships" given out soon, along with a couple of transfters. You know how it rolls. We'll touch on that soon.

Have a great monday! I'm headed to see A Day to Remember and Saosin in Memphis tonight. Should be a good time. :-) Talk to you guys tomorrow!

Last day of the week. Booyah.

2009-07-02T10:04:00.002-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 64

Wooooohooooo! No work tomorrow! I'm gonna be layin out by the pool, chillaxin all day with my soon-to-be 4-year old daughter. Can't beat that, man.

I'm a Grizzlies fan since I live in Memphis, and I gotta tell you...it's difficult to continue to cheer for this franchise. The owner is an idiot, and the guys hired are NBA rejects. They're "yes" men. Jeez. The trade for Zach Randolph? Please. Randolph only has 2 years left on his contract. Now there's talk about Allen Iverson. I'm tellin you, this is the most ridiculous stuff I've ever heard. Ever.

I've been getting a lot of e-mails about Auburn's so-called (Recuriting) Stars and (Tiger) Stripes weekend for July 4th, or possibly July 18th. Apparently something like 10 or 12 kids are all supposed to commit to Auburn publicly on the same day. Trooper Taylor even hinted at it during a call to Sports Call. But I'm being told Owens isn't one of them. So, exactly who are the kids that are supposed to commit? You mean you can find 12 kids in the entire state that want to go to Auburn? C'mon...you know that's a lie. Haha. We'll see if it happens, but I ain't buyin it.

Michael Bowman has qualified, so that's good news. He'll be one of our top WRs next year. Go ahead and bank on it. With people focusing on Julio, he'll have a lot of space to show what he can do. Think of him like an AJ Green type.

Andre Smith is moving to right tackle. Hmmm. Read more here.

Former Bama player Roman Harper has his own thread over at the New Orleans Saints' forum. Haha. Check it out here.

Short work week!

2009-06-30T08:57:00.002-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 67

The more I read about this movie, the more I wanna go see it. Check out ESPN's latest story about "The Blind Side" with all the SEC coaches that are in it.

So, Kirby Smart kinda dropped a hint that we'll be playing at Big 12 opponent in 2012 at the new Cowboys' stadium. Hmmmm. The Bama Sports Report is all over it. They've got possible matchups, etc.

The composite pre-season poll from all the pre-season magazines is officially out. Check out Paul Gattis' blog here.

CFN's 2009 SEC Preview is up. I can diggit. Read more here.

Melick tackles Coach Saban's problem with recruiting websites and services. Read more here.

Kirby Smart talked in Rome, GA the other night and had some pretty interesting things to say. Read up on it here.

Cecil Hurt discusses how Coach Saban has sucked the suspense out of national signing day for Bama fans. He'll have his whole class done by Christmas. Haha. Read more here.

For real?

2009-06-23T16:26:00.002-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 74

Has it really been a whole damn week since I've updated? Jeeez. It feels like just a day or two. I was out of town from Friday through Monday. Went to Tupelo to hang out with the grandparents. Doesn't get much better than laying out at the pool with your friends and family for 3 straight days, y'know? Played a show Saturday night. We've got another in Greenwood, MS this weekend. Whew. Talk about busy.

For those that don't know, I play in band called Prosevere. Which, if you check this site at all, you know that's my other pride and joy.

Finally figured out why I couldn't update BamaontheBluff.com. Got it fixed, which means - there's a new update here.

Fernando Bryant retired after 10 NFL seasons. He was a lot of fun to watch at the Capstone. We all wish him well in his retirement from the game. Read more here.

We got three commitments over the weekend - 2 for the class of 2010, and one for the class of 2011. Jeez. They just keep rollin in. Read Ian's report here.

Now, we all know that there are other schools that are doing anything and everything that they can to slow down what Coach Saban is building here...but it's getting to the point of ridiculous. Read more about what Coach thinks about some of the recruiting websites that are out there, and what they're trying to accomplish when they talk to recruits.

Finally outta the dark...

2009-06-16T08:40:00.002-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 81

So, a tornado hit Olive Branch last Friday afternoon. So I've been without power at work since then. Talk about a hellacious few days, trying to get everything back up and running.

Ran 4 servers off of generators yesterday. With no air conditioning. Argh.

Paul Finebaum delves into what a lot of people are thinking - is it time for Mal Moore to go? I'm still not really sure what I think on this issue. Read more here.

Phil Savage is the new color analyst for Alabama football this year. I thought he did a great job at the A-Day game. Read up on that story here.

Javier Arenas is the #80 player in the country, according to Rivals.com. Pretty cool accolades for Javy. Read more here.

Aight...opinion time.

2009-06-12T10:41:00.002-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 85

Alright, I haven't said a whole lot, but I guess I can post some opinions on everything now.

The national media, along with all of my idiot friends from other schools that haven't been paying attention to this whole investigation, look at this as Alabama getting off easy. I look at it differently.

These were MINOR offenses.

Let me repeat - MINOR. Yeah. There was no competitive advantage for any sport. There was no profit made off of this. The kids didn't sell the books. They had to return them at the end of the sememster, or PAY THE UNIVERSITY FULL PRICE for the books. Nobody made even one single dollar off of this. They didn't get to keep the books. It was a gap in the system at the University that has since been fixed.

So I, personally, am looking forward to the appeal. I'd like to get back the wins and keep up our records that we currently have. Y'know...if it weren't for vacating the wins in the 90s, we'd already have over 800 total wins. Regardless, it is what it is.

I wouldn't call my opinion biased. I would call it "educated" because I actually have a clue what the hell is going on. And listening to the morons on national radio, or over at sportsline.com, etc, is just really getting on my nerves because these guys haven't studied the case at all.

Weh-heh-heh-hell now.

2009-06-11T16:12:00.002-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 86

Ok, I know everybody's talking about the NCAA stuff. If you wanna read up on ALL the info, go check out these sites:

http://blog.al.com/rapsheet/
http://www.tidesports.com/
http://www.rollbamaroll.com/
http://capstonereport.com/

I don't have too much to say on the matter, other than I look forward to the appeal process, and I appreciate the fact that the NCAA didn't over-bear on this one. We all know those bastards hate our school, for whatever reason, but I thank them for not taking away scholarships, and basically giving too much punishment for the crimes.

We'll eventually get the wins back that were vacated (see Oklahoma's case from a few years ago). So everything will be just fine - we just gotta make sure we don't do anything stupid for 3 more years. Haha.

Midweek blues.

2009-06-10T08:20:00.003-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 87

Nick Saban was in LA doing quite a few things...and one of them was shooting new commercials for ESPN's College Gameday. Read up on Coach and the commercials here.

More crap about the Text-Book case. Scarbinsky's got the low-down on all of it. I'm sure all of us are pretty anxious about it, right?

Gentry goes over the top moments from the past year covering Alabama sports. Pretty awesome. Read more here.

Dennis Dodd tackles Lane Kiffin's 6 (yes...six) secondary recruiting violations so far, along with Auburn's Tiger Prowl and Big Cat Weekend, etc. Read up on it here. Some good stuff there.

Tim Floyd resigned at USC yesterday. Wow. Read more here.

Bruce Feldman held a chat over at ESPN.com last Friday. The first question is about "elite national teams." Pretty cool. Read here.

Starting another week.

2009-06-08T11:06:00.003-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 89

There are 89 days left. So you would think I'd have started the countdown by now...

Nah.

We're gonna wait just a bit. The countdown will be the 56 bowl games. Now, I can do them in order, or sit down and rank the games in order of importance, etc. Not sure how we'll do it yet, but we've got a lil while til we get to it.

Go vote for everything Alabama for today's ESPN College Football Live poll! CLICK HERE and do it ASAP!

We're still waiting to find out about the NCAA verdict on our text book case. Read what the Gadsden Times has to say about it here.

Ian fills us in on something that's been talked about for a long time - an early signing period. The NCAA hasn't caught up to the fact that recruiting takes place WAY earlier than January and February. Read more here.

Tony Franklin, the former Auburn OC, was on Finebaum last Friday and had some very interesting things to say. Josh Moon wrote an article after an interview with Franklin. You'll find it intriguing, to say the least. Read here.

Ready for the weekend.

2009-06-05T10:49:00.002-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 92

Y'know, I find it incredibly funny with everything that has been talked about on the Finebaum show as of late. I had a conversation last night with somebody "in the know" about the Gadsden situation, and from what I understand, the head-honchos down at Auburn - the big boosters and whatnot - are basically trying to get everyone to shut up and leave Gadsden alone. Why would they do this? Because if the NCAA goes snooping around, Auburn fans won't like what they find. Now...without me saying anything else, just stop and think about what that means. Now grin a lil bit. Now laugh.

Alabama picked up a commitment from Demarcus Milliner, 5 star defensive back from Millbrook. Read more here. This may be our biggest get of the year, and it's only June. This kid is a straight up stud. And he's quick too. Runs a 4.35 40. Ridiculously awesome.

Lache Seastrunk, the Auburn recruit that called out Nick Saban last week, actually called Coach Saban and apologized for what he said (which wasn't really that bad), and then spewed a lot of compliments about Saban and the amount of respect he has for him. Definitely came off good for us. Read more here. The rumors are that he stopped in Tuscaloosa and talked with some of the assistant coaches on Monday. Apparently we are still actively recruiting the kid, even though we haven't offered him. Pretty interesting.

ESPN's 50 states tour is hitting Alabama on Monday and Tuesday. We need to vote and make sure the top team from the state is the '92 National Championship team. If we keep splitting the vote between the 79 and 92 teams, Auburn may sneak away with a win. Go here and vote today!

There's talk about Tennessee maybe wearing their orange jerseys in Tuscaloosa this year. Hmmm. More here.

Let's roll.

2009-06-04T09:54:00.002-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 93

If you'd like to keep up with the 2010 recruits, check out this INCREDIBLE excel spreadsheet that BamaNation.com has hosted here. It really is awesome. They spent a lot of time on this thing. I was amazed.

There's more crap talk about the Gadsden recruiting scandal on Finebaum. From what I can gather, it's just sour grapes from Auburn fans. Even the principal of the high school said that Alabama's recruiting staff just outworked Auburn's. Saban was there 30-40 times himself, and Tuberville was there maybe once or twice. Not a violation - just outworking the other person. Remember, there's an opponent in this state that we work 365 days a year to dominate. Cheers.

Mal Moore's been all over the place this week. Read up on some of what he's been doing, along with some quotes he's made over the past few days here.

There's more talk about the limit of signing only 28 players in a recruiting class. This is probably for the better, to be honest. Read up on it here.

There's more information that's been released about ESPN's TV deal with the SEC. I just can't get over the fact that EVERY SEC game will be televised in one way or another. Blows my mind. Comcast has picked up ESPNU and ESPN360.com, etc. Read more here.

Auburn may have committed some recruiting violations during their "Big Cat Weekend" that everyone's talking about. Read up on it here.

Shaud Williams, who graduated in 2003, has been inducted into the Texas High School Sports Hall of Fame. Congrats to him for being a player and stand-up person that all Alabama fans can be proud of. Read more here.

I gotta tell you, I cannot WAIT for NCAA 2010 to come out in July. The rankings were released, of course. Check out the rankings right now - here. Alabama is #5 in the polls on the game.

Sam Keller's a crybaby. This article is old, but I still think we could talk about it. Read up here.

Ray Melick tells us something we already knew - schools don't care about secondary recruiting violations. Read more here.

Still working on a new countdown. This is my 3rd year doing it, so I gotta come up with something good here. We'll start on Monday. Guaranteed. And I'm gonna be updating EVERY DAY from now on. I've been slackin like hell on this site because of all my other activities, but it's getting close to football season, and I'm ready to start it back up for real. Let's roll.

Back to the normal work week.

2009-05-26T09:32:00.002-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 102

We're getting close to starting our countdown to the first football game. You know we're getting closer because the SEC meetings in Destin are starting up today.

I gotta tell ya...I'm really ready for football season. I cooked out yesterday, cleaned up the house, and managed to watch last season's Ole Miss game (that ended 24-20) and the Auburn game (36-0). Those really had me ready to watch this year's squad.

Tommy Hicks states the obvious in his latest article: everybody's waiting to see what happens with Kiffin at the SEC meetings.

If you want to know some of what will be discussed at this year's meetings, check out this article.

Mike Slive is planning on stopping the horse crap at the meetings - most of which started with Tennessee's Lane Kiffin. Read more here.

The baseball team is returning to Clemson, SC - the site of Coach Wells' first regional with Alabama back in 1995. Bama is the #2 seed in this regional and will play #3 Oklahoma St on Friday for the shot to play against the winner of #1 Clemson and #4 Tennessee Tech. Read up on more info about it here.

I picked up the new issue of Lindy's over the weekend. I'll be going to pick up the new Athlon today, along with anything else that may be out that I don't know about. I'm not sure why I pick up all of these magazines when just one of them would do fine. I guess I'm just that enthralled with all of it. Oh well.

More later!

Back to Bama news.

2009-05-20T12:00:00.002-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 108

Lane Kiffin is an idiot. And I hate Tennessee. Haha. They self-reported another rules violation to the NCAA. Read up on it here. They just can't keep from doing stupid stuff.

Pretty interesting lil story about DJ Fluker. I think it's awesome. Read more here.

Craig Sanders became Alabama's 12th commitment for next year's class. All before June. Pretty incredible. Read Andrew Bone's article on it here.

Kellen Williams will be out this year on what he called "a medical redshirt." Interesting. Read more here.

Kent Matthes was named the 2009 SEC Player of the Year. And deservedly so. Read it up over here.

Alabama will open with South Carolina in the 2009 SEC Tournament. They've got the late game. Just like last year when they played Kentucky and the game lasted til almost 2am. I remember. I watched. Anyway, read up on it here.

Wow. How the little step brothers have fallen. Mississippi State's coach is talking shit? Read more here.

Comcast has agreed to terms with the NFL Network, ESPNU, and ESPN360.com. I can dig it. We all knew it would have to happen eventually, thanks to the SEC and ESPN agreeing to a new contract and ESPN taking over the Raycom games. Read more about it here.

3rd Saturday in Blogtober has a very interesting take on the scholarship numbers game. Read up on it here.

Been a minute...

2009-05-15T13:07:00.002-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 113

Only 113 days left! We'll have our annual countdown probably beginning at 100 days. Still not sure what we'll be doing...but you can bet it'll be interesting, to say the least. We may break it up into sections this year.

Saban, in Montgomery the other night, mentioned that Prince Hall "will not be on the team" this season. He then went back and said he's off the team right now, that he's suspended. Another scholarship open? I believe so.

Dr. Saturday thinks Alabama will be a contender for the title. Read up on it here.

Tony Barnhart has Alabama at #4 in the country in his post-spring Top 25. Read more here.

Mark Schlabach has Alabama at #8 in his - right behind Ole Miss. Ha. Read more here.

I'm sure I'll have more this weekend or Monday. Tonight - Memphis in May BBQ Festival!

So...this is what I did on Sunday.

2009-05-05T11:33:00.002-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 123

So, as you can tell, I haven't updated much. It's been a week since the Crimson Caravan and I've been busy with other projects. Namely this one...

Yeah. We played Memphis in May on Sunday. It was HUUUGE. And awesome, too. To anyone that came out...thank you from the bottom of my heart. :-)

I'll post more about actual Bama news later. Haha.

Prosevere at Memphis in May!

2009-05-01T14:24:00.002-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 127

I've been all kindsa busy this week gearing up for this weekend. Incase you didn't know...my band is playing at the Memphis in May Beale St Music Festival on Sunday, May 3rd. 2:15-3:15 on the Budweiser stage, right before Three 6 Mafia, Snoop Dogg, and 311.

If you can make it out, please do. It's gonna be one helluva time. :-)

Last night was good.

2009-04-29T08:55:00.002-05:00

Days 'til VaTech: 129

Last night's Crimson Caravan was absolutely outstanding. The guys at Bama on the Bluff (the local Alumni chapter) did a wonderful job, and we hope to have many more events like this in Memphis in the near future.

Coach Saban is an absolutely magnificent speaker. His talks fire you up and get you motivated more than anybody that I've ever heard. It's almost mesmerizing. Funny thing is, he's preaching the same things that I've been taught my whole life. Simple things like the following:

1) Do your job. Be accountable and handle your responsibilities to the best of your ability. Be disciplined.

2) What happens to everyone else should not affect what we do or how we work. The scoreboard doesn't matter.

3) Be a leader.

4) Stay positive and always give your best effort.

5) Be classy.

6) Don't just be "good enough." Dominate all the time.

It's things like that that I've been taught by my father from the time I was born. It's good to hear it coming from the Capstone again. That stuff comes straight from the book of Bear Bryant. Always has, always will.

I was kinda curious why Coach Mal Moore was not there last night. Not sure what happened with that. The Dean of the College of Engineering was outstanding. That guy's a motivator, and is incredibly high energy to be a Dean. Haha. The Volleyball coach was outstanding as well, along with the head honcho of the National Alumni Association. Eli Gold did a much better-than-expected job as emcee of the event.

Overall, a very good night. I got to meet Chris Wallace, GM of the Memphis Grizzlies. He and Lionel Hollins, the head coach of the Grizz, were there with their wives. Also met Warren St. John, author of Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer. Everyone was incredibly nice. Made me want football season to be here even more. Haha.

I'm sure I'll have more to post soon enough. Have a great hump day!