With visions of turkey dancing on my mind, I take a moment to give thanks that I can log on here and see arguements about Corey Smith and who's bitch is who's....
Best since 1985
Here's a fun discussion, who is the best at what position since 1985? Here's my top 5s for each. Yes it is a slow week....Here is the criteria- W/L, stats, victories over AU, UT, LSU, etal.
Quarterback
1. Jay Barker. There will be this theory that he's not 1 because his freshman and sophomore year statistically were poor. That's a true statement, but with a defense like the 91-92 teams had, he didn't have to do much. Also, when Mal Moore is your coach, do you really expect greatness? The bottom line is he never lost to UT, AU, or LSU. His stat lines were good in the end because Homer taught him the way, but the W/L matters more.
2. Gary Hollingsworth. Won an SEC championship, beat UT, but not Auburn. Was statistically probably one of the best QBs on the team.
3. Brodie Croyle. Statistically, he is the best in class. Win and loss, not quite so much. If he had beaten Auburn once, he probably finishes 2nd to me, but he didn't. He also stayed on his back or on a sling a lot.
4. Tyler Watts. I'm a homer for Watts really. However, he's a big cog in the SEC title in 99 and beating UT and the 10 win season in 02. The thing about him is that he had heart and gave it every play. His career is embodied in the Milons reverse where he hunts 2 UF defenders and clears them out of the lane so that Freddie houses it.
5. Mike Shula. He was more grit than talent if you really get down to it. He was one of the better field generals in Bama's time and lead Bama to 2 last second wins vs. UGA and AU. Statistically, he was tops on the list until Croyle came along.
Honorable Mention- Freddie Kitchens Zow, and JPW, who if he wins Saturday could have a valid case for number 5.
Worst QBs- Brandon Avalos, Brian Burgdorf, Spencer Pennington, Marc Guillon, Lance Tucker
Running Back
1. Bobby Humphrey. No one player has ever been more dominant on the offensive side of the ball in the modern era at Bama than Humphrey. His stats, great games, wins over UT, AU, LSU, were all large and the biggest thing was he was a bruiser as well as a sprinter.
2. Shaun Alexander. Stats wise, he's the top of the chart, but he also was feast and famine. He has an SEC title and the rushing records, but if you watch him and Humphrey side by side, there is no comparison to me that he's not quite as good. Not saying he sucks, but Humphrey was a horse every Saturday.
3. Sherman Williams & Derrick Lassic. The tie goes to these two because they practically worked together every year. Williams was the scatback and Lassic was the north south runner. Both had excellent careers in both wins and stats and big games.
5. Dennis Riddle. May be a shocker for the stat junkies and younger folks that Darby isn't here, but Riddle was just as good and had big plays in big games and wins over Auburn and UT (1994).
HM- Darby, Sh Williams, S Stacy, G Coffee, G Jelks
Worst- Shaun Bohannon
Wide Receivers and TEs
1. David Palmer. No brainer here. The most dynamic player of the 90s led the Tide to big wins and a NC in many ways. Had about as many TDs and kids, but that doesn't detract to his greatness as a player.
2. Al Bell. Those of you younger than say 20, probably don't know Bell, but Al was a catch magnet in the 80s and caught the winning TD against UGA.
3. Freddie Milons. The system made him great, but when the ball was in his hands, good things usually happened. He was probably the 3rd best return man of the period behind Palmer and Arenas.
4. DJ Hall. Stats push him this high, his demeanor and play push him downward.
5. Toderick Malone. He was Barker's go to man in 94 and a real vertical threat his time at Bama.
Top TE- Patrick Hape & Howard Cross.
Worst- Zeke Knight but in his defense, he shouldn't have played WR. Pierre Goode, fast as fleas but hands of rock.
Offensive Line
1. Chris Samuels. He was just as dominant in the huddle as on the field. When you took him out of the equation, they weren't as good or as confident.
2. Andre Smith. Dre is a rare find at any level when you consider he started from day one and was ready.
3. Evan Mathis. He wasn't as big a name as Smiley or Britt, but he was a better ball player.
4. Antoine Caldwell. He's the best OL talent wise since Samuels because he can play all 5 spots if needed.
5. Larry Rose & Neighbors. Back when linemen didn't weigh 300 pounds or have to be 6-6 to play it and were in shape and mean, these two were fine as you could find.
HM- A Ephraim, Smiley, Britt, Patterson
Worst- Von Ewing (biggest waste of scholarship ever when you look at the names you could have gotten), Lannis Baxley, Charlie Dare, Bart Raulston, you know what, the list is extremely long.
Defensive Line
1. John Copeland. I think some kinda kick his name a bit because he had Eric Curry next to him a lot, but I think that defense would have been just as good with just Copeland.
2. Eric Curry. Same for Curry as with Copeland, he was a beast on his own.
3. Jarrett Johnson. Morehead and King got all the recruiting hype, but this guy was the lunch pale, I'll kick your ass guy that made those defenses good.
4. Michael Myers. By far the best pound for pound lineman in a while. He did what Cody is doing plus got to the QB on a regular basis. He'd be higher if he hadn't messed up with the NCAA.
5. Kindal Morehead. He was undersized but was a pure rush end and had a motor that ran 4 quarters.
HM- Antwan Odom, Mark Anderson, Kenny King
Worst- Loescher. What a worthless turd he was off field.
Linebackers
1. Cornelius Bennett. If you are from the ESPN SportsCenter culture that says sacks make you a great player, he wouldn't be on the top of the list, but as far as being the most well rounded player, he was it.
2. Derrick Thomas. The all time leader in a lot of categories, and owner of one of the finest games I've ever seen v. PSU.
3. DeMeco Ryans. A true throwback player to the days of Jordan and Lowe for sure. I just wonder how good he'd been if Kines put him at MLB?
4. Wayne Davis. A name forgotten because of McCants and the top 2 there, but this guy was just as good as Ryans in a lot of ways.
5. Antonio London. Another name forgotten because of those around him, but this guy was the ultimate OLB in the 90s. Always around the ball, always around the QB, and always in position.
HM- Roach, R McClain
Worst- You know, my memory is fuzzy because I can't put my finger on one. Maybe you can refresh me?
Defensive Back
1. George Teague. Langham got press, but Teague was the reason he could gamble. This is the guy that your kids need to watch and learn from.
2. John Mangum. John was a coach's favorite at all levels because he hustled every down and probably touched more footballs in 4 years than 3 defensive backs combined.
3. Antonio Langham. Despite how his career at Bama ended, he was one of the last great cover corners they've had.
4. Tommy Johnson. Another member of the 92 defense mostly forgotten, but this guy was just as good as the rest of the pack. He just didn't have the stat lines they did.
5. Kermit Kendrick. The 80s secondaries are kinda no name for the most part, but Kendrick was a fine DB to compliment the front 7 those teams had.
HM- Peprah, Harper, S Castille
Worst- Kecalf Bailey and the whole host that came through from 1998-2001ish.
Special Teams
1. Van Tiffin. Need I say more?
2. Daniel Pope. When you hit around 44 per kick, you are a game changer.
3. Phillip Doyle. Every bit as good as Tiffin just didn't have the game winners he did.
4. Lane Bearden. Toughest kicker I ever saw.
5. Michael Proctor. A true big legged kicker for the championship teams.
HM- Chris Mohr.
Worst- Hamp, Tank, and about everyone that punted for Curry.
Coaches
Keep in mind, Bear has already passed away by 1985.
1. Gene Stallings. He won, won a lot, didn't do it pretty or clean exactly, but you can't put anyone above the guy who has a championship ring.
2. Nick Saban. No other coach has had the fanfare or the results.
3. Ray Perkins. Perkins was an ass to people, but that doesn't take away from the turn around job he did. I still think he'd won a championship if he hadn't left.
4. Mike Dubose. You'll see his name twice....
5. Bill Curry. Ugh, the coaches have been that bad haven't they?
Worst- Any coach named Mike can be here.
November 29, 2008
November 17, 2008
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly- MSU
When Coach Saban puts the challenge out to fans to be loud, to summarize in PG format, there is only one thing to do. You send the RLB 3 down to step up for the crowd. Yeah, we'd been there if he'd said sit your asses at home and leave the stadium empty. I'll say this, things have changed a bit when you go to a game from when I first went 25 years ago, but I digress....
The Good...
The fans got loud for a change
Bryant Denny has a habit of sounding more like a Country Club bar than a football stadium at times. Season ticket holders will balk and say they yell and blah blah blah blah blah, but we've all sat at home and can confess, when the stadium is loud, you know it, when it is not, you know it too. I really wish that it could be that noisy and up tempo each home game. We'll see if the mold is broken or if it was a special guest appearance by the fans. It was colder than a well digger's ass, but I didn't give a shit either.
Defense keeps things in check
The biggest winner of the night was Bama's defense, again, because they pretty well clogged up and shut down Mississippi State for all but about 3 series. On those three, one was the TD, the other two stalled out thanks to MSU's lack of execution. The rest of the game the defense really flexed its muscle for the national television audience. They aren't flashy, and they aren't like the 92 or any host of the 70s defenses, but they can win games like all those did. The biggest thing this defense does is they move well to the ball. Sitting in the stands, you could see all the safeties and linebackers flow to the play and not get frozen on their assignments. In the past, the defenders would stick to their assignment even if the play had already been put in motion and their guy wasn't the play. Rashad Johnson and Rolando McClain are a big part of this, as well as the growth of Hightower, of course ridding themselves of Marcus Carter didn't hurt matters because Woodall and the others really hunt the ball every play.
Special Teams
It isn't normal for them to be here, but against MSU, they did have their best game of the year. Taking out Arenas's touchdowns, which were great but you can't use that to evaluate because it won't happen every week, the key was keeping Pegues bottled up as well as possible. The punts were high and kept things in play, the field goal kicking was straight (hallelujah!), and the coverage units had minimal mistakes (Prince Hall's nub arm tackle was it). For once, the special teams led the way and didn't keep the game in play for the opponent.
Sightings
There was a Darius Hanks sighting or three, and the Internets will buzz about him again, there was a Griffin sighting, and he'll be there with Darrah on the Internets, and we saw a whole host of backups doing some mop up work. That's always good because you can see what a player has in actual game situations and not just on A Day. I thought most mentioned and participated looked good. Boswell has real big potential at RT, Vlachos did fine with the center/quarterback exchange and the shotgun snaps were okay, you could tell he was excited to play. Griffin is a nice north south runner that may get more looks if Upchurch and Grant have issues.
Arenas time
The MSU game reminded me a lot of the Tulane game. The offense was under performing and the defense was getting left out on the field a bit too much, but Arenas generated the offense for them. It isn't a great plan to live on, but when it works, it works. The thing that I notice is when Arenas has a return, he's usually got Marquis Johnson leading him to the seam. Both returns had Johnson at convoy running him to the gap and in the past few weeks where Arenas has struggled, he's been on his own. I don't necessarily think Johnson lead blocking was the difference, but it seemed to help Arenas calm down and not press as much to see another player make the gap and him follow suit. I do think that Arenas knew his leash was short and the returnman role was not his in stone. Sometimes, that will motivate you more than anything else is knowing you can lose your job.
Bobby Greenwood
Some folks want Zo Washington to start, some want Dareus, some want Santa Claus or whomever. That's just the way fans are, they always want the backup to be the man. See Bobby Greenwood. Here's the guy who was a big splash as a freshman, but then had a sophomore slump, played out of position his junior year, and this summer everyone was going to beat him out. You could roll out the post logs across the Internets to find nobody wanted him to start long if at all, because he had underperformed. Well, thankfully, football is played on the field still and not in the minds of some. The big things for Greenwood aren't surprising as far as why he's stepped up. One, he's back at rush end where he needed to be all along. He, like Gilberry before him, are not guys that can play inside the tackle because their frames and style aren't made for that. Second, he's a senior and he knows this is it, his name and mark will be remembered for the 12-14 games he plays this year. So, when you see him playing all out, it isn't a surprise, it is just getting the right guy in the right spot.
The Bad...
Offensive Line play
I don't know who the end was that played against Andre Smith was, but the guy probably upped his stock because he whipped Smith a good bit of the night. MSU is physical, no questioning that, and they know how to play, but then there is the fact that this defense is bottom feeding in the SEC. This is the defense that gave up 500 yards and a slew of points to Georgia Tech, 400 to LSU, and so on. There wasn't a valid excuse as to why the OL could not get things done. Don't try the crowding the box routine, that doesn't explain why Wilson got flushed out seemingly all game long, nor should you say that the DL was that good, they weren't. It was just a bad night for the OL, no sugar coating about it.
The stadium couldn't swallow McCoy fast enough
I don't know if he'll be benched or put in a lower role. I do know that the staff's patience with him is worn thin. McCoy is just one of those guys that looks good in practice, but when the lights and the roar of the crowd hits him, he wilts. Call it the Zeke Knight complex, he always was great in practice and then in the game he couldn't catch crabs at a crab shack. He isn't alone, but he is the starter on the WR core and he could stand to have a game that justifies him being that player. If you need proof of what I'm saying, why do you think they are courting every big name WR prospect? It isn't depth, they're hunting playmakers and Bama is way short at WR in playmakers. That includes Gibson, Maze, McCoy, and the rest.
The Ugly...
Post Game show
I am starting to see why fans at other schools say Bama fans are whiners. Bama gets a win over a MSU program that really was a big boulder off its back. They are 1 game away from a perfect regular season. What do fans want to talk about on the radio? Florida. Geez. I guess the Iron Bowl needs to be canceled and just let Bama have a 1-0 win. I doubt UGA would tell you they are easy this morning. What's worse is that the calls weren't about that game but more about complaining about "respect" and how they should beat Florida. I did get amused that nobody wanted to ask Stewart a question, it is a waste of time because he's useless, but really how many times can you ask Tyler Watts about that game when Auburn, your most hated rival, the team that has beaten Alabama 6 straight, the team that stands between you and destiny, etal. is right there ahead of you? Just curious because I haven't even started looking at Florida yet.
One big empty patch in the stadium
Kinda like a hideous mole on an otherwise hot chick, it pissed me off. Going off rumor and assumptions, I'm guessing it was the "block" of the frat in question. Now, there may be valid issues involved in it, but that's not real important if your frat/sorority is built on school spirit and involvement. You suck it up and deal with the politics Monday thru Friday, but on Saturday when America watches Alabama, you better see a united Damn front. I guess things have changed since I went to school because the frats usually dealt with the business internally and the school and athletic programs never really had to deal with much or knew about it. Greek justice used to be swift and unmerciful, that must be antiquated like looking for the ball, and going to the game to watch the game.
Random Thoughts
Gameday has changed a lot over 25 years. I enjoyed the Walk of Champions and the entire atmosphere that brings to the game. The players seem to enjoy the moment too, which is key. I do hope that they keep it special and not just a thing you do before the game. Don't think that happens, ask Clemson how cheap the walk is now. Dabo had to make it special again since he took over because some didn't even follow the ritual, they just went on down in waves, not as a team, and it left a lot to be desired by fans' expectations. The one thing that bothered me, and maybe it was just where I was, was the number of roaming around fans there were. Like I said, it might have just been where I was, but it seemed like I was having to reorganize and move to let people in and out most of the night. My family and I were entertained by the drunk in U4 that decided to show us his ass crack and dance. He summarily pissed off the guy under the rail that he was grinding on and was escorted out. Drunks were nothing new to BDS, but they used to be contained to their seats and didn't roam as much. I guess when you add seats, you add to the atmosphere? One other thought, when they add another 10,000 seats, they'll have to develop a bypass or more lanes for 59/20 because it took 3 hours to get to Birmingham. I hope that is in the works down there because it is a real problem for a road system that is already in poor shape.
Now, about Florida. I took a second to think on them and after watching the highlights of them v. USCar, I can understand why the media thinks they can beat Bama. I think anyone who says they can't is probably the only people in the conversation not keeping it real. Instead of the reasons why Bama could lose, I'll tell you how you beat Florida. (Cutting out the typical givens like not turning it over, playing mistake free, etc.)
First, you better be ready to pressure them. You can't zone out Tebow and the option game. You have to force them to pitch or run the play faster by pressuring off the ends. If your DE's can do it, then you can leave the LBs off in space to corral the play. If you have to send the linebackers, you will have to do it with the faster options and it will need to come through the ends and not up the gaps in the line because the option moves away from the gaps and puts those blitzers out of position fast. They also tend to tip their hand faster and give the QB a chance to check out of the play or make his decision on the hand off. So, you must go off the ends and clog the middle with your down linemen. The middle shouldn't be an issue with Cody and Chapman and Dareus there, but the outside might cause a problem because Arenas or Sharrief can't bring down Tebow alone.
Second, when the spread goes to pass mode, you still must pressure. However, a zone blitz is highly effective because the speed that Florida brings is going to make it hard for Bama defenders to keep up step by step. It also can fool the QB into seeing something that isn't really there because he won't see a lineman or linebacker sliding back into the flat.
Third, on offense, you can't let a deficit get to you. If you are down 10 or more to them, early, you can't abandon the basics of who you are. I see teams do this a lot with Florida and Texas Tech. It is a true statement that their offenses are their best defense because they change the game in a hurry at times. Staying to what you do best is going to be the best way to survive and win. Bama can't go into a pass on all downs mode and expect to win. Bama must establish the run and run between the tackles because Florida's speed is going to force it middle. Running straight ahead neutralizes the speed and gives you some chances to pop the backers and safeties in the jaw. That usually slows them down after about 5 or 6 good licks. Running to the outside only plays into the Gators strength and gives them momentum.
Last, you cannot let the speed get to you. Yes, they are fast. Yes, they can turn a 2 yard play into a long touchdown. Yes, they are that good on both sides of the ball. However, if you play sound and play how you have played all season, that speed will stay in front of you. You beat speed by keeping it in front of you and not chasing after it. Alabama can't out race Florida, I don't think anyone will say so. They can use their power and speed to force Florida to react faster than they'd like and force the play to move in front of the defenders more. I don't think you can rush either safety and survive Florida because Tebow has a big enough arm to throw one deep under pressure. The pressure must force the play into the teeth of the defense to create turnover or short yardage results. Pressuring just to flush Tebow isn't enough because he's good on the run. Also, on short yardage plays, Tebow will go left, stack the left side, keep man coverage on the TE's and WR in their jumbo package for the jump pass.
Buy/Sell/Hold
Anyone feel stupid for bad mouthing Javi now?
Sell. One, fussing about his lack of concentration to fair catch, hold the ball, not put the offense behind the 10, etc. is valid. Two, if that is bad mouthing, you need to spend a week in practice somewhere, that's soft compared to what coaches yell on an average day.
Fire Gottfried!
Hold. But not long, I think the time and patience thing is short this year. He is really out of excuses and a loss to Mercer which is about as big as UAB or Birmingham Southern is embarrassing. I think the results will be needed soon or else Mal will have to actually do something for a change. Of course, putting Mal on a coach hunt is like putting a two peckered tomcat in a room full of cats in heat.
The offweek will be good for all.
BUY. The players look worn down right now and the pressure of the BCS and SEC are starting to take their toll. LSU and MSU came loaded for bear and put their best foot forward, and there is nothing telling me Auburn and Florida won't either. This week will be good to get Cody, Upchurch, and some others the rest time to get them back to as close to 100% as a player can be during the season. The thing to remember is that when you are an active player, you are always going to be hurt, every team is hurting by now, but there is a big difference in hurting and being injured. Teams with a lot of injuries tend to fail down the stretch, teams that are hurt can overcome and win.
Jeramie Griffin will be a big contributor in the future.
Sell. Griffin can contribute, but I knew sitting in the stand that fans would start hyping him up on here and on the other sites. The problem isn't him or his capacity, it is the players in front of him. Next fall, Coffee and Upchurch return for their senior year, Ingram will be a sophomore, and Trent Richardson should be contributing to the rotation too. They are all just better options on the field. It isn't anything bad and when you start signing top end players, these things happen. It is good for the team, good for fans, but kinda sucks when you are good but not good enough. I do see him in a jumbo type situation or a receiving fullback role maybe, but at tailback, I don't see him in a big role without injury problems. Yes I left out Grant because...
Terry Grant will still be around next year.
Hold. If he wants to play and has aspirations to the NFL or whatever, it won't be at Alabama outside of return team roles. If he wants to get an education and be able to say he played at a top school, he has that covered as is. Grant hasn't played well when he's played, and the excuses can flow as to why, but it is what it is. So, does he stay or transfer? Hard to say without knowing his mind. I won't be surprised either way. Like mentioned above, when you start getting top end players, the next tier often gets left out and that's bad for some but good for more.
The Good...
The fans got loud for a change
Bryant Denny has a habit of sounding more like a Country Club bar than a football stadium at times. Season ticket holders will balk and say they yell and blah blah blah blah blah, but we've all sat at home and can confess, when the stadium is loud, you know it, when it is not, you know it too. I really wish that it could be that noisy and up tempo each home game. We'll see if the mold is broken or if it was a special guest appearance by the fans. It was colder than a well digger's ass, but I didn't give a shit either.
Defense keeps things in check
The biggest winner of the night was Bama's defense, again, because they pretty well clogged up and shut down Mississippi State for all but about 3 series. On those three, one was the TD, the other two stalled out thanks to MSU's lack of execution. The rest of the game the defense really flexed its muscle for the national television audience. They aren't flashy, and they aren't like the 92 or any host of the 70s defenses, but they can win games like all those did. The biggest thing this defense does is they move well to the ball. Sitting in the stands, you could see all the safeties and linebackers flow to the play and not get frozen on their assignments. In the past, the defenders would stick to their assignment even if the play had already been put in motion and their guy wasn't the play. Rashad Johnson and Rolando McClain are a big part of this, as well as the growth of Hightower, of course ridding themselves of Marcus Carter didn't hurt matters because Woodall and the others really hunt the ball every play.
Special Teams
It isn't normal for them to be here, but against MSU, they did have their best game of the year. Taking out Arenas's touchdowns, which were great but you can't use that to evaluate because it won't happen every week, the key was keeping Pegues bottled up as well as possible. The punts were high and kept things in play, the field goal kicking was straight (hallelujah!), and the coverage units had minimal mistakes (Prince Hall's nub arm tackle was it). For once, the special teams led the way and didn't keep the game in play for the opponent.
Sightings
There was a Darius Hanks sighting or three, and the Internets will buzz about him again, there was a Griffin sighting, and he'll be there with Darrah on the Internets, and we saw a whole host of backups doing some mop up work. That's always good because you can see what a player has in actual game situations and not just on A Day. I thought most mentioned and participated looked good. Boswell has real big potential at RT, Vlachos did fine with the center/quarterback exchange and the shotgun snaps were okay, you could tell he was excited to play. Griffin is a nice north south runner that may get more looks if Upchurch and Grant have issues.
Arenas time
The MSU game reminded me a lot of the Tulane game. The offense was under performing and the defense was getting left out on the field a bit too much, but Arenas generated the offense for them. It isn't a great plan to live on, but when it works, it works. The thing that I notice is when Arenas has a return, he's usually got Marquis Johnson leading him to the seam. Both returns had Johnson at convoy running him to the gap and in the past few weeks where Arenas has struggled, he's been on his own. I don't necessarily think Johnson lead blocking was the difference, but it seemed to help Arenas calm down and not press as much to see another player make the gap and him follow suit. I do think that Arenas knew his leash was short and the returnman role was not his in stone. Sometimes, that will motivate you more than anything else is knowing you can lose your job.
Bobby Greenwood
Some folks want Zo Washington to start, some want Dareus, some want Santa Claus or whomever. That's just the way fans are, they always want the backup to be the man. See Bobby Greenwood. Here's the guy who was a big splash as a freshman, but then had a sophomore slump, played out of position his junior year, and this summer everyone was going to beat him out. You could roll out the post logs across the Internets to find nobody wanted him to start long if at all, because he had underperformed. Well, thankfully, football is played on the field still and not in the minds of some. The big things for Greenwood aren't surprising as far as why he's stepped up. One, he's back at rush end where he needed to be all along. He, like Gilberry before him, are not guys that can play inside the tackle because their frames and style aren't made for that. Second, he's a senior and he knows this is it, his name and mark will be remembered for the 12-14 games he plays this year. So, when you see him playing all out, it isn't a surprise, it is just getting the right guy in the right spot.
The Bad...
Offensive Line play
I don't know who the end was that played against Andre Smith was, but the guy probably upped his stock because he whipped Smith a good bit of the night. MSU is physical, no questioning that, and they know how to play, but then there is the fact that this defense is bottom feeding in the SEC. This is the defense that gave up 500 yards and a slew of points to Georgia Tech, 400 to LSU, and so on. There wasn't a valid excuse as to why the OL could not get things done. Don't try the crowding the box routine, that doesn't explain why Wilson got flushed out seemingly all game long, nor should you say that the DL was that good, they weren't. It was just a bad night for the OL, no sugar coating about it.
The stadium couldn't swallow McCoy fast enough
I don't know if he'll be benched or put in a lower role. I do know that the staff's patience with him is worn thin. McCoy is just one of those guys that looks good in practice, but when the lights and the roar of the crowd hits him, he wilts. Call it the Zeke Knight complex, he always was great in practice and then in the game he couldn't catch crabs at a crab shack. He isn't alone, but he is the starter on the WR core and he could stand to have a game that justifies him being that player. If you need proof of what I'm saying, why do you think they are courting every big name WR prospect? It isn't depth, they're hunting playmakers and Bama is way short at WR in playmakers. That includes Gibson, Maze, McCoy, and the rest.
The Ugly...
Post Game show
I am starting to see why fans at other schools say Bama fans are whiners. Bama gets a win over a MSU program that really was a big boulder off its back. They are 1 game away from a perfect regular season. What do fans want to talk about on the radio? Florida. Geez. I guess the Iron Bowl needs to be canceled and just let Bama have a 1-0 win. I doubt UGA would tell you they are easy this morning. What's worse is that the calls weren't about that game but more about complaining about "respect" and how they should beat Florida. I did get amused that nobody wanted to ask Stewart a question, it is a waste of time because he's useless, but really how many times can you ask Tyler Watts about that game when Auburn, your most hated rival, the team that has beaten Alabama 6 straight, the team that stands between you and destiny, etal. is right there ahead of you? Just curious because I haven't even started looking at Florida yet.
One big empty patch in the stadium
Kinda like a hideous mole on an otherwise hot chick, it pissed me off. Going off rumor and assumptions, I'm guessing it was the "block" of the frat in question. Now, there may be valid issues involved in it, but that's not real important if your frat/sorority is built on school spirit and involvement. You suck it up and deal with the politics Monday thru Friday, but on Saturday when America watches Alabama, you better see a united Damn front. I guess things have changed since I went to school because the frats usually dealt with the business internally and the school and athletic programs never really had to deal with much or knew about it. Greek justice used to be swift and unmerciful, that must be antiquated like looking for the ball, and going to the game to watch the game.
Random Thoughts
Gameday has changed a lot over 25 years. I enjoyed the Walk of Champions and the entire atmosphere that brings to the game. The players seem to enjoy the moment too, which is key. I do hope that they keep it special and not just a thing you do before the game. Don't think that happens, ask Clemson how cheap the walk is now. Dabo had to make it special again since he took over because some didn't even follow the ritual, they just went on down in waves, not as a team, and it left a lot to be desired by fans' expectations. The one thing that bothered me, and maybe it was just where I was, was the number of roaming around fans there were. Like I said, it might have just been where I was, but it seemed like I was having to reorganize and move to let people in and out most of the night. My family and I were entertained by the drunk in U4 that decided to show us his ass crack and dance. He summarily pissed off the guy under the rail that he was grinding on and was escorted out. Drunks were nothing new to BDS, but they used to be contained to their seats and didn't roam as much. I guess when you add seats, you add to the atmosphere? One other thought, when they add another 10,000 seats, they'll have to develop a bypass or more lanes for 59/20 because it took 3 hours to get to Birmingham. I hope that is in the works down there because it is a real problem for a road system that is already in poor shape.
Now, about Florida. I took a second to think on them and after watching the highlights of them v. USCar, I can understand why the media thinks they can beat Bama. I think anyone who says they can't is probably the only people in the conversation not keeping it real. Instead of the reasons why Bama could lose, I'll tell you how you beat Florida. (Cutting out the typical givens like not turning it over, playing mistake free, etc.)
First, you better be ready to pressure them. You can't zone out Tebow and the option game. You have to force them to pitch or run the play faster by pressuring off the ends. If your DE's can do it, then you can leave the LBs off in space to corral the play. If you have to send the linebackers, you will have to do it with the faster options and it will need to come through the ends and not up the gaps in the line because the option moves away from the gaps and puts those blitzers out of position fast. They also tend to tip their hand faster and give the QB a chance to check out of the play or make his decision on the hand off. So, you must go off the ends and clog the middle with your down linemen. The middle shouldn't be an issue with Cody and Chapman and Dareus there, but the outside might cause a problem because Arenas or Sharrief can't bring down Tebow alone.
Second, when the spread goes to pass mode, you still must pressure. However, a zone blitz is highly effective because the speed that Florida brings is going to make it hard for Bama defenders to keep up step by step. It also can fool the QB into seeing something that isn't really there because he won't see a lineman or linebacker sliding back into the flat.
Third, on offense, you can't let a deficit get to you. If you are down 10 or more to them, early, you can't abandon the basics of who you are. I see teams do this a lot with Florida and Texas Tech. It is a true statement that their offenses are their best defense because they change the game in a hurry at times. Staying to what you do best is going to be the best way to survive and win. Bama can't go into a pass on all downs mode and expect to win. Bama must establish the run and run between the tackles because Florida's speed is going to force it middle. Running straight ahead neutralizes the speed and gives you some chances to pop the backers and safeties in the jaw. That usually slows them down after about 5 or 6 good licks. Running to the outside only plays into the Gators strength and gives them momentum.
Last, you cannot let the speed get to you. Yes, they are fast. Yes, they can turn a 2 yard play into a long touchdown. Yes, they are that good on both sides of the ball. However, if you play sound and play how you have played all season, that speed will stay in front of you. You beat speed by keeping it in front of you and not chasing after it. Alabama can't out race Florida, I don't think anyone will say so. They can use their power and speed to force Florida to react faster than they'd like and force the play to move in front of the defenders more. I don't think you can rush either safety and survive Florida because Tebow has a big enough arm to throw one deep under pressure. The pressure must force the play into the teeth of the defense to create turnover or short yardage results. Pressuring just to flush Tebow isn't enough because he's good on the run. Also, on short yardage plays, Tebow will go left, stack the left side, keep man coverage on the TE's and WR in their jumbo package for the jump pass.
Buy/Sell/Hold
Anyone feel stupid for bad mouthing Javi now?
Sell. One, fussing about his lack of concentration to fair catch, hold the ball, not put the offense behind the 10, etc. is valid. Two, if that is bad mouthing, you need to spend a week in practice somewhere, that's soft compared to what coaches yell on an average day.
Fire Gottfried!
Hold. But not long, I think the time and patience thing is short this year. He is really out of excuses and a loss to Mercer which is about as big as UAB or Birmingham Southern is embarrassing. I think the results will be needed soon or else Mal will have to actually do something for a change. Of course, putting Mal on a coach hunt is like putting a two peckered tomcat in a room full of cats in heat.
The offweek will be good for all.
BUY. The players look worn down right now and the pressure of the BCS and SEC are starting to take their toll. LSU and MSU came loaded for bear and put their best foot forward, and there is nothing telling me Auburn and Florida won't either. This week will be good to get Cody, Upchurch, and some others the rest time to get them back to as close to 100% as a player can be during the season. The thing to remember is that when you are an active player, you are always going to be hurt, every team is hurting by now, but there is a big difference in hurting and being injured. Teams with a lot of injuries tend to fail down the stretch, teams that are hurt can overcome and win.
Jeramie Griffin will be a big contributor in the future.
Sell. Griffin can contribute, but I knew sitting in the stand that fans would start hyping him up on here and on the other sites. The problem isn't him or his capacity, it is the players in front of him. Next fall, Coffee and Upchurch return for their senior year, Ingram will be a sophomore, and Trent Richardson should be contributing to the rotation too. They are all just better options on the field. It isn't anything bad and when you start signing top end players, these things happen. It is good for the team, good for fans, but kinda sucks when you are good but not good enough. I do see him in a jumbo type situation or a receiving fullback role maybe, but at tailback, I don't see him in a big role without injury problems. Yes I left out Grant because...
Terry Grant will still be around next year.
Hold. If he wants to play and has aspirations to the NFL or whatever, it won't be at Alabama outside of return team roles. If he wants to get an education and be able to say he played at a top school, he has that covered as is. Grant hasn't played well when he's played, and the excuses can flow as to why, but it is what it is. So, does he stay or transfer? Hard to say without knowing his mind. I won't be surprised either way. Like mentioned above, when you start getting top end players, the next tier often gets left out and that's bad for some but good for more.
November 12, 2008
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly- LSU
I had to take a mini-vacation after this past week's game. As far as the game goes, this was one that the team needed for several reasons. First, they had to prove to the rest of college football they could take a real punch, check. Second, they had to put the whole Saban-LSU thing to bed for 12 months, a loss would have only continued to fuel that flame, check. Third, the players needed to see themselves overcome in November, check for now. As to the game, there were several G's, B's, and U's, but I'll try to narrow down to worthwhile discussion material.
The Good...
Weathering the storm
To be honest, Alabama well deserved to either be down big at the half or lose the game when you look at how poorly they played in the first half. When you take the turnovers and poor execution and that deer in the headlight look they had through the game until RJ got his pick six, it was a small miracle they were tied at the half and not down. The good in it is that they held on and weathered through to stay in position to win the game. The Bama teams from the last 3 or 4 years would have gone down in flames due to the pressure.
Help from LSU
Bama wasn't alone in mental errors. LSU helped Alabama out a lot. They put a freshman QB out to the wolves too often and it led to 4 picks. They misused their timeouts in the 4th. They went away from the run to the point you thought they couldn't, yet had 4 yards a carry at will. It may be just me, but I'd ran the shit out of Scott and Williams before I'd thrown 20 times with a young QB, especially if the run is working.
Julio Jones
Let's be honest, if Alabama didn't have Julio, do you think they beat LSU? I wouldn't even begin to argue that one, but luckily they have him and he continues to write his resume with hard nosed play. Right now, the rest of the WR core has really fell off the map and Julio is about the only option that Wilson can rely on to be consistant. I really don't know what Bama's record would be without him, but it wouldn't be 10-0. The thing I like most about his play is that he never settles for just the yards on the route, he almost always turns upfield and tries to get the extra 3 or 4 yards.
Rashad Johnson
Earlier in the year, I would have said RJ had been the lesser of the two safeties playing. I thought at times he got lost in coverage and was really playing down more than up. The last 3 weeks or so have been his best football in his college career. It wasn't just the INT's, that's a sportscenter culture reflex to be honest, it is the other things. Being in the right place to break up passes, make tackles, moving players and reading plays, etc. that has been where Johnson has really improved his play in the last month.
Getting the running game going for at least 1 drive.
I'm just one of those people who says that if a team stacks the box, you answer the challenge. I thought too often the play calling helped LSU because they knew they could slow down Alabama if they took out the run. Bama's 3rd quarter scoring drive got back to basics and back to what Bama does well when they are moving the ball- they run right at you. Now, stat junkies will puke out how many yards Coffee had, and that's true, but after his first run of 31 yards, he maybe had 15 to 20 yards the rest of the half. The scoring drive he had around 40 or so on just that one. It also was the best looking drive they had all game. After that drive, it was up and down for the run game with all the worthwhile runs being to the left still. My fear is that Florida or whomever down the road will stack left and force Bama to run right which has been rough at best.
PJ Fitzgerald
It may be the only time he ever gets here with me, but his big punt early in the 4th quarter really turned momentum back. Of course, it was momentary as LSU scored on their best looking drive of the day. He was about it for the special teams.
Defense in the 2nd half
In the first half, LSU gashed the defense. Credit LSU for using that huge OL to make things happen. You could tell that LSU wanted to test Cody's stamina and see if he was healthy or not. He was healthy, but I would be willing to bet even Cody would tell you he's not in game shape. They took advantage of that early, but at half, they made a few key adjustments like keeping the linebackers back off the line and using some of the other DT's and DE pairs to slow down LSU's running attack.
The Bad...
Mental Farts Gallore!
The first one being Wilson's cellphone moment. For starts, they shouldn't be finding players numbers and harassing them, but still you gotta be bigger than that. That penalty took the wind out of the team's momentum and sent them down hill fast. I don't care who else did what, by the way what the hell are we five with all this so and so did it stuff?, but a senior leader needs to set an example. Then there were the turnovers and Javy Arenas' continued struggle to understand his role as returnman. Alexander's fumble I am ok with because he was hustling but you stretch with 2 hands, Wilson's INT never should have been thrown, Arenas's fumble was more doghouse material for him, the bizzare sandlot play where the quick toss to Ingram was muffed, the special team woes, and more were all enough for LSU to beat them and Florida will if they pull that crap again.
Secondary play outside of Johnson
I guess I come from an older antiquated time where you looked for the football. Jackson is still going through his sophomore slump, and teams have begun to pick on him. It seems like every good corner Bama finds goes through it and most don't return to form, for Bama to win out, they need him to step up and get his head in the game and away from the past mistakes. LSU did what I was afraid of, they put a tall athletic WR on Marquis Johnson. It was shades of FSU all over, minus the long TD plays, and really I'm surprised they didn't target him more. I thought Woodall probably had his worst game as he seemed out of position a lot on backside help situations. When Bama goes cover 2 and the corner releases, Woodall's job is to pick him up. He, for reasons unclear, never really picked up the zone gap and LSU's passes in the 4th were attributed to that. Part of their struggle came from the lack of pass rush. Anders has been solved by film study and the rest are not great rushers. Greenwood missed Chapman being there most of the game to help him get inside faster. With the run being effective, it bit back the pass rush options and LSU did a good job of protecting their QB most of the game, both led to the secondary being on an island more (shades of 07).
The Ugly...
Special Teams
Getting really tired of having to go here, but the unit as a whole continues to be the problem spot and came real close to costing the game. I really wonder if Tiffin's name were Scott or Jones or Smith, would he still be the kicker? I worry that legacy is trumping performance because he's missed enough kicks now to warrant a tryout during practice. Arenas is a great weapon to have, but he lacks the understanding that not every return is a highlight reel moment. His muff this week was just sloppiness on his part. It is basic fundamentals that you cover the ball in traffic. I'm gonna be blunt, if it comes down to special teams being the difference in a Bama win or Florida win, Florida will win. Bama's failure to improve special teams from last year to this year is about the only disappointment fans should and will have this year. Most years, that wouldn't be that big a deal, but with anything from the SEC to the National Title in range, fans won't reflect much on what all was good, but how this kick or this play changed the year.
Random Thoughts
I don't feel sorry for Fulmer. Paybacks are hell and he's getting his back to him. The fall of the Fulmer isn't real hard to see, he got lazy in his recruiting. He thought with Bama out of the way and the Carolinas and Virginia easy pickings for him, he'd have his inroads for a long time. Well, with Groh, Davis, Saban, Bowden, Spurrier and even Bobby Johnson cutting off parts of West TN, his map got changed. He never worked harder than those coaches for the players and began to recruit the way Shula did, he took what he could get. Could you see Crompton or Stephens there back when they tried to recruit? No. The second half is that he went away from his basic offense that still worked. This "spread" thing they jumbled up has no flow or coordination to it. It is just a play by play getting by thing. When you are scripting drives, you have to have some flow to it. Their play calling looked like two kids playing XBox 360. So, the fate that Fulmer has is his own, he dug it, and the SEC and ACC helped push him in it.
The bowl picture begins to clear, but the BCS is still muddy. The SEC will send Bama, UF, UGA, USCar, LSU, Ole Miss, KY Jelly, and possibly Vandy if they can get 1 more win. Auburn, Arkansas and MSU could go if they win out, but only Arkansas has a faint shot at that. The SEC looks to send 2 teams to the BCS, which is the max, and will if Bama and UF win their remaining regular season games. Their matchup in Atlanta will determine one of the two BCSC spots, and probably the champion. The loser will go to the Sugar Bowl and face off against an At-Large pick, likely Boise St/Utah. So, my updated guess at it is:
BCS- Bama/UF- if you asked me today, I'd say Florida just because they've unloaded on everyone after their slip up against Ole Miss. They'll play Texas Tech because OU has 0 defense.
Sugar- Loser of SECC vs. Boise St.
Cotton- LSU v. OU (should be a worth watching game)
Cap 1- UGA v. OSU (a battle of true underachievers)
Outback- USCar v. Michigan St
Chick Fil A- Ole Miss v. UNC
Liberty- Vandy or Kentucky if Vandy doesn't get 6 wins v. Tulsa
Music City- Kentucky or vacant if Vandy doesn't get 6 wins v. Ga Tech
The rest the conference will not seat because they don't have enough teams this year. The strongest conference has eaten its young....
What did this game teach me...
TCU v. Utah- Utah has a lot of grit. They could have lost this game real easy, and TCU isn't a bad team, but Utah will probably get the snub from the BCS because Boise is roaming with better wins and SOS.
OSU v. Texas Tech- Tech has proven itself to be a real player in the BCS hunt. Beating Texas was not a fluke, but the letdown factor was present but not accounted for because Tech blistered OSU without mercy.
PSU v. Iowa- Reality catches up to you eventually. PSU was a pretender and we all saw it, they had no resume and no claim other than beating OSU (who hasn't) and fate stepped in to cure the BCS mess slightly. Ferentz is a guy that I'm surprised UT hasn't started sniffing around at, he'd be good for the style they like to play.
UGA v. Kentucky- Bad football is contagious. If you watched this one, you realize how bad UGA is when you get down to it. That much talent should not have to struggle with KY, but they lack discipline.
Wyoming v. UT- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Sorry, but your medicine is good for you Vols.
Ark v. USCar- USCar is starting to get that look in their eyes again. Their defense is imposing its will on opponents and they look real good winning 6 of their last 7. If they can get some consistancy on offense, they probably would threaten UF more.
UF v. Vandy- The powerful reign supreme. This game was over before the 1st quarter was over. You could see their swagger and confidence and they imposed it. They are as hot as anyone right now because they've found their rythem.
Buy/Sell/Hold
The blocked FG wasn't Tiffin's fault.
SELL. The kick was low, period. I know some flock out here to do spin control and damage control on things because some players hold special places with you, but the block was on him, not the line, not the hold (stupid), not the moon or earth rotation, etc. If he gets on it right, that ball should be able to clear the pile easily, and from that close it has no reason not to. Thankfully, they overcame and went for the win and not the FG in OT. I doubt he'd made it if they trotted him out in OT.
Bama fans are getting real whiny these days.
BUY. Alabama wins a big game, what do they talk about? Wilson's penalty being total bull or that the ref pushed him trying to get him out of the student section or what some talk show host said that wasn't 100 percent pro-Bama, or that ESPN/CBS did this or is at fault for that. Who cares? To answer the questions though, Wilson't penalty was legit, the Ref didn't push him just because he wanted to, he was trying to get him out of the student section before they threw stuff, I don't want every newscaster or talk show host to be for Bama, it would be boring that way. I also don't care what ESPN or CBS says or does, they keep paying the SEC who pays Alabama good money. I don't care if they mispronounce a name, they aren't Eli and mystery assistant, they don't have to remember every jersey and name. Geez.
Without Julio Jones, Bama wouldn't have a descent WR.
HOLD. It is hard to say without him how they'd do. As I said, I don't think they'd be where they are, but at the same time, I'd hope/pray/think that someone would step up in that spot to be there. Nick Walker where are youuuuuuuuuuu.....
Saturday we will get a good look at how Florida will do against us when they play USCar
BUY. I think if there was any litmus test for the SECC preview this would be it. Outside of who they practice against, USCar is the only other D in the SEC or nation that is similar to Bama's. I would say Bama has several bodies focused on breaking down the film on this game afterwards because Florida is doing the same with the LSU (the team most like them) film.
The Good...
Weathering the storm
To be honest, Alabama well deserved to either be down big at the half or lose the game when you look at how poorly they played in the first half. When you take the turnovers and poor execution and that deer in the headlight look they had through the game until RJ got his pick six, it was a small miracle they were tied at the half and not down. The good in it is that they held on and weathered through to stay in position to win the game. The Bama teams from the last 3 or 4 years would have gone down in flames due to the pressure.
Help from LSU
Bama wasn't alone in mental errors. LSU helped Alabama out a lot. They put a freshman QB out to the wolves too often and it led to 4 picks. They misused their timeouts in the 4th. They went away from the run to the point you thought they couldn't, yet had 4 yards a carry at will. It may be just me, but I'd ran the shit out of Scott and Williams before I'd thrown 20 times with a young QB, especially if the run is working.
Julio Jones
Let's be honest, if Alabama didn't have Julio, do you think they beat LSU? I wouldn't even begin to argue that one, but luckily they have him and he continues to write his resume with hard nosed play. Right now, the rest of the WR core has really fell off the map and Julio is about the only option that Wilson can rely on to be consistant. I really don't know what Bama's record would be without him, but it wouldn't be 10-0. The thing I like most about his play is that he never settles for just the yards on the route, he almost always turns upfield and tries to get the extra 3 or 4 yards.
Rashad Johnson
Earlier in the year, I would have said RJ had been the lesser of the two safeties playing. I thought at times he got lost in coverage and was really playing down more than up. The last 3 weeks or so have been his best football in his college career. It wasn't just the INT's, that's a sportscenter culture reflex to be honest, it is the other things. Being in the right place to break up passes, make tackles, moving players and reading plays, etc. that has been where Johnson has really improved his play in the last month.
Getting the running game going for at least 1 drive.
I'm just one of those people who says that if a team stacks the box, you answer the challenge. I thought too often the play calling helped LSU because they knew they could slow down Alabama if they took out the run. Bama's 3rd quarter scoring drive got back to basics and back to what Bama does well when they are moving the ball- they run right at you. Now, stat junkies will puke out how many yards Coffee had, and that's true, but after his first run of 31 yards, he maybe had 15 to 20 yards the rest of the half. The scoring drive he had around 40 or so on just that one. It also was the best looking drive they had all game. After that drive, it was up and down for the run game with all the worthwhile runs being to the left still. My fear is that Florida or whomever down the road will stack left and force Bama to run right which has been rough at best.
PJ Fitzgerald
It may be the only time he ever gets here with me, but his big punt early in the 4th quarter really turned momentum back. Of course, it was momentary as LSU scored on their best looking drive of the day. He was about it for the special teams.
Defense in the 2nd half
In the first half, LSU gashed the defense. Credit LSU for using that huge OL to make things happen. You could tell that LSU wanted to test Cody's stamina and see if he was healthy or not. He was healthy, but I would be willing to bet even Cody would tell you he's not in game shape. They took advantage of that early, but at half, they made a few key adjustments like keeping the linebackers back off the line and using some of the other DT's and DE pairs to slow down LSU's running attack.
The Bad...
Mental Farts Gallore!
The first one being Wilson's cellphone moment. For starts, they shouldn't be finding players numbers and harassing them, but still you gotta be bigger than that. That penalty took the wind out of the team's momentum and sent them down hill fast. I don't care who else did what, by the way what the hell are we five with all this so and so did it stuff?, but a senior leader needs to set an example. Then there were the turnovers and Javy Arenas' continued struggle to understand his role as returnman. Alexander's fumble I am ok with because he was hustling but you stretch with 2 hands, Wilson's INT never should have been thrown, Arenas's fumble was more doghouse material for him, the bizzare sandlot play where the quick toss to Ingram was muffed, the special team woes, and more were all enough for LSU to beat them and Florida will if they pull that crap again.
Secondary play outside of Johnson
I guess I come from an older antiquated time where you looked for the football. Jackson is still going through his sophomore slump, and teams have begun to pick on him. It seems like every good corner Bama finds goes through it and most don't return to form, for Bama to win out, they need him to step up and get his head in the game and away from the past mistakes. LSU did what I was afraid of, they put a tall athletic WR on Marquis Johnson. It was shades of FSU all over, minus the long TD plays, and really I'm surprised they didn't target him more. I thought Woodall probably had his worst game as he seemed out of position a lot on backside help situations. When Bama goes cover 2 and the corner releases, Woodall's job is to pick him up. He, for reasons unclear, never really picked up the zone gap and LSU's passes in the 4th were attributed to that. Part of their struggle came from the lack of pass rush. Anders has been solved by film study and the rest are not great rushers. Greenwood missed Chapman being there most of the game to help him get inside faster. With the run being effective, it bit back the pass rush options and LSU did a good job of protecting their QB most of the game, both led to the secondary being on an island more (shades of 07).
The Ugly...
Special Teams
Getting really tired of having to go here, but the unit as a whole continues to be the problem spot and came real close to costing the game. I really wonder if Tiffin's name were Scott or Jones or Smith, would he still be the kicker? I worry that legacy is trumping performance because he's missed enough kicks now to warrant a tryout during practice. Arenas is a great weapon to have, but he lacks the understanding that not every return is a highlight reel moment. His muff this week was just sloppiness on his part. It is basic fundamentals that you cover the ball in traffic. I'm gonna be blunt, if it comes down to special teams being the difference in a Bama win or Florida win, Florida will win. Bama's failure to improve special teams from last year to this year is about the only disappointment fans should and will have this year. Most years, that wouldn't be that big a deal, but with anything from the SEC to the National Title in range, fans won't reflect much on what all was good, but how this kick or this play changed the year.
Random Thoughts
I don't feel sorry for Fulmer. Paybacks are hell and he's getting his back to him. The fall of the Fulmer isn't real hard to see, he got lazy in his recruiting. He thought with Bama out of the way and the Carolinas and Virginia easy pickings for him, he'd have his inroads for a long time. Well, with Groh, Davis, Saban, Bowden, Spurrier and even Bobby Johnson cutting off parts of West TN, his map got changed. He never worked harder than those coaches for the players and began to recruit the way Shula did, he took what he could get. Could you see Crompton or Stephens there back when they tried to recruit? No. The second half is that he went away from his basic offense that still worked. This "spread" thing they jumbled up has no flow or coordination to it. It is just a play by play getting by thing. When you are scripting drives, you have to have some flow to it. Their play calling looked like two kids playing XBox 360. So, the fate that Fulmer has is his own, he dug it, and the SEC and ACC helped push him in it.
The bowl picture begins to clear, but the BCS is still muddy. The SEC will send Bama, UF, UGA, USCar, LSU, Ole Miss, KY Jelly, and possibly Vandy if they can get 1 more win. Auburn, Arkansas and MSU could go if they win out, but only Arkansas has a faint shot at that. The SEC looks to send 2 teams to the BCS, which is the max, and will if Bama and UF win their remaining regular season games. Their matchup in Atlanta will determine one of the two BCSC spots, and probably the champion. The loser will go to the Sugar Bowl and face off against an At-Large pick, likely Boise St/Utah. So, my updated guess at it is:
BCS- Bama/UF- if you asked me today, I'd say Florida just because they've unloaded on everyone after their slip up against Ole Miss. They'll play Texas Tech because OU has 0 defense.
Sugar- Loser of SECC vs. Boise St.
Cotton- LSU v. OU (should be a worth watching game)
Cap 1- UGA v. OSU (a battle of true underachievers)
Outback- USCar v. Michigan St
Chick Fil A- Ole Miss v. UNC
Liberty- Vandy or Kentucky if Vandy doesn't get 6 wins v. Tulsa
Music City- Kentucky or vacant if Vandy doesn't get 6 wins v. Ga Tech
The rest the conference will not seat because they don't have enough teams this year. The strongest conference has eaten its young....
What did this game teach me...
TCU v. Utah- Utah has a lot of grit. They could have lost this game real easy, and TCU isn't a bad team, but Utah will probably get the snub from the BCS because Boise is roaming with better wins and SOS.
OSU v. Texas Tech- Tech has proven itself to be a real player in the BCS hunt. Beating Texas was not a fluke, but the letdown factor was present but not accounted for because Tech blistered OSU without mercy.
PSU v. Iowa- Reality catches up to you eventually. PSU was a pretender and we all saw it, they had no resume and no claim other than beating OSU (who hasn't) and fate stepped in to cure the BCS mess slightly. Ferentz is a guy that I'm surprised UT hasn't started sniffing around at, he'd be good for the style they like to play.
UGA v. Kentucky- Bad football is contagious. If you watched this one, you realize how bad UGA is when you get down to it. That much talent should not have to struggle with KY, but they lack discipline.
Wyoming v. UT- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Sorry, but your medicine is good for you Vols.
Ark v. USCar- USCar is starting to get that look in their eyes again. Their defense is imposing its will on opponents and they look real good winning 6 of their last 7. If they can get some consistancy on offense, they probably would threaten UF more.
UF v. Vandy- The powerful reign supreme. This game was over before the 1st quarter was over. You could see their swagger and confidence and they imposed it. They are as hot as anyone right now because they've found their rythem.
Buy/Sell/Hold
The blocked FG wasn't Tiffin's fault.
SELL. The kick was low, period. I know some flock out here to do spin control and damage control on things because some players hold special places with you, but the block was on him, not the line, not the hold (stupid), not the moon or earth rotation, etc. If he gets on it right, that ball should be able to clear the pile easily, and from that close it has no reason not to. Thankfully, they overcame and went for the win and not the FG in OT. I doubt he'd made it if they trotted him out in OT.
Bama fans are getting real whiny these days.
BUY. Alabama wins a big game, what do they talk about? Wilson's penalty being total bull or that the ref pushed him trying to get him out of the student section or what some talk show host said that wasn't 100 percent pro-Bama, or that ESPN/CBS did this or is at fault for that. Who cares? To answer the questions though, Wilson't penalty was legit, the Ref didn't push him just because he wanted to, he was trying to get him out of the student section before they threw stuff, I don't want every newscaster or talk show host to be for Bama, it would be boring that way. I also don't care what ESPN or CBS says or does, they keep paying the SEC who pays Alabama good money. I don't care if they mispronounce a name, they aren't Eli and mystery assistant, they don't have to remember every jersey and name. Geez.
Without Julio Jones, Bama wouldn't have a descent WR.
HOLD. It is hard to say without him how they'd do. As I said, I don't think they'd be where they are, but at the same time, I'd hope/pray/think that someone would step up in that spot to be there. Nick Walker where are youuuuuuuuuuu.....
Saturday we will get a good look at how Florida will do against us when they play USCar
BUY. I think if there was any litmus test for the SECC preview this would be it. Outside of who they practice against, USCar is the only other D in the SEC or nation that is similar to Bama's. I would say Bama has several bodies focused on breaking down the film on this game afterwards because Florida is doing the same with the LSU (the team most like them) film.
November 3, 2008
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly- Ark. St.
Now the fun part starts, Alabama is the hunted for the rest of the way. Pending they keep winning. I will say this, I'd rather been 2nd going to LSU because they'd love nothing more than to beat no. 1 Alabama. So, the biggest test of the year is this week's LSU game, forget the Dome and Clemson (or UF), forget going to Athens at night, this one is it. So with that, here's a short and quick review of ASU...
The Good...
Taking care of the business
They weren't sharp at times, but they did take care of the work that needed to be done. I'd be willing to bet that if you asked the players, they'd probably tell you this was a circle game. Not for the usual reasons, but they've had to live with the LaMo failure for 12 months and listen to how embarrassed everyone was, namely Saban, and this was their shot to re-write history. It also got the horrible November jinx off of them some. The monkey that has been on the program's back for the last few years slid from the shoulder to their ankle for now. What gets it off of them? Depends on who you are really, some will say win this game, others will say it is already off, then guys like me say win them all. So your guess is as good as mine.
Nice defensive beatdown
The offense was very conservative when the passing game fizzled, but he defense allowed for it because it was pretty clear by about the 2nd quarter that Arkansas St couldn't move the ball on this defense. State was pretty basic in their "spread" offense. It didn't have as many wrinkles to it as Florida or Utah or West Va runs at you, so it was pretty easy to cover, if you have the players to do it. The shutout was big, not because of who it was, but because they let UT have a cheap TD last week and they needed to redeem themselves after that.
Run Baby Run
Ingram broke out of his funk on a lower rung defense, Coffee didn't fumble and had a nice Coffee like game, and Upchurch continues to show his attitude adjustment each week by doing little things to earn PT. With the passing game being pretty much void, they carried the load and drove the ball and rode the clock down with it. (even though they didn't win TOP, they did draw down the clock with each scoring drive in the 2nd half)
No injuries
Maybe a few bruises and nicks but nothing that will hold anyone out for the biggest game of the year. That was key coming into the game was to win, not get hurt, and look good doing it. I'd say that's all that could be asked for.
Barron raids
Geez, the poor guy he licked is probably missing a tooth, testicle, and his pride. Rumor has it that Saban asked the grounds crew not to mow until they find 2 out of 3.
Some nice individual performances
I mentioned Ingram, but there were some really good showings from guys like Bobby Greenwood, Brandon Fanney, Mike Johnson, Travis McCall, and Rashaad Johnson. A lot of folks want so bad to make Zo Washington this best player ever routine, but folks, Greenwood is well ahead of him and his motor runs harder. Last year, he played out of position. He's not big enough to play inside end, he has to be the rush end like Gilberry was last year. That's the biggest difference in his play is that he's back where he is comfortable playing. Fanney isn't the ideal Jack per se, but he is good against the run and locks down his end allowing the linebackers and safeties pursue the ball. In the ideal Saban defense, the Jack would do both, but his ILB and MLB are more agile and quick than his normal/ideal ones too. If he can continue to be strong against the run and take up space on passing downs, he'll do more than Saunders ever thought about. Saunders spent more time sniffing jocks than playing football from what I could tell. Like Greenwood, Johnson is playing at his natural position (guard) and his performances look better because of it. At tackle, he lacked the mobility to cover the rush ends that the SEC is known for. At guard, he's not required to cover as much space and it put him on interior players that his power can be best used against. The rule of thumb I remember was you wanted your tackles to be more technique and "faster" and your guard and center be more power and push. He fits that mold well. I stay impressed with McCall's play and how big a part he is in the run game. If he goes down to injury, Bama's run game will be impaired greatly because every key block that springs the back, usually you find McCall there making it. Rashaad needed a good game to build on because he's been up and down most of the year. He had a good one against UT and this one was there with it. He does a good job of getting the defense in step and reads the play well, his coverage skill is ok and is what gets him in trouble at times, but for the last 2 weeks he's not been a liability.
The Bad...
Special Teams again
The return coverage was ok this time, but I'll be damned if they can't find something to cause problems. Arenas is special, no doubt there, but he's becoming a real liability out there when he tries to field a punt in traffic. He did know to fair catch his first one, and then it reverted back to the old form for a while, then he semi-redeemed himself with a nice put return. The problem is this, LSU is good enough to make those mistakes cost the team, so is Florida. He's got to get it together and quit this mental fart he's been in the last month or so. I don't know how Tiffin missed a chip shot, but he did. Thankfully, they didn't need the 3 points. It just kinda piled on the growing pain that is the special teams.
Red Zone issues
There was the missed field goal and then there was the pick in the endzone that never should have been thrown. It was hauntingly familiar to past years where the 20 and in was no man's land for Bama. Let's just hope it was a random occurrence.
The Ugly....
Singing Rammer Jammer for Arkansas St?
Why? Were we surprised to beat the hell out of them? I'd rather save it for worthy games than to make it an every week thing. Just me I suppose.....
Random Thoughts
Get ready, if you think McCain and Obama have used the PR and media like a pawn, you haven't seen anything yet. You can pretty well expect the following teams to begin their opening arguments for why they are the rightful heir to the top 2 in the BCS:
The Good...
Taking care of the business
They weren't sharp at times, but they did take care of the work that needed to be done. I'd be willing to bet that if you asked the players, they'd probably tell you this was a circle game. Not for the usual reasons, but they've had to live with the LaMo failure for 12 months and listen to how embarrassed everyone was, namely Saban, and this was their shot to re-write history. It also got the horrible November jinx off of them some. The monkey that has been on the program's back for the last few years slid from the shoulder to their ankle for now. What gets it off of them? Depends on who you are really, some will say win this game, others will say it is already off, then guys like me say win them all. So your guess is as good as mine.
Nice defensive beatdown
The offense was very conservative when the passing game fizzled, but he defense allowed for it because it was pretty clear by about the 2nd quarter that Arkansas St couldn't move the ball on this defense. State was pretty basic in their "spread" offense. It didn't have as many wrinkles to it as Florida or Utah or West Va runs at you, so it was pretty easy to cover, if you have the players to do it. The shutout was big, not because of who it was, but because they let UT have a cheap TD last week and they needed to redeem themselves after that.
Run Baby Run
Ingram broke out of his funk on a lower rung defense, Coffee didn't fumble and had a nice Coffee like game, and Upchurch continues to show his attitude adjustment each week by doing little things to earn PT. With the passing game being pretty much void, they carried the load and drove the ball and rode the clock down with it. (even though they didn't win TOP, they did draw down the clock with each scoring drive in the 2nd half)
No injuries
Maybe a few bruises and nicks but nothing that will hold anyone out for the biggest game of the year. That was key coming into the game was to win, not get hurt, and look good doing it. I'd say that's all that could be asked for.
Barron raids
Geez, the poor guy he licked is probably missing a tooth, testicle, and his pride. Rumor has it that Saban asked the grounds crew not to mow until they find 2 out of 3.
Some nice individual performances
I mentioned Ingram, but there were some really good showings from guys like Bobby Greenwood, Brandon Fanney, Mike Johnson, Travis McCall, and Rashaad Johnson. A lot of folks want so bad to make Zo Washington this best player ever routine, but folks, Greenwood is well ahead of him and his motor runs harder. Last year, he played out of position. He's not big enough to play inside end, he has to be the rush end like Gilberry was last year. That's the biggest difference in his play is that he's back where he is comfortable playing. Fanney isn't the ideal Jack per se, but he is good against the run and locks down his end allowing the linebackers and safeties pursue the ball. In the ideal Saban defense, the Jack would do both, but his ILB and MLB are more agile and quick than his normal/ideal ones too. If he can continue to be strong against the run and take up space on passing downs, he'll do more than Saunders ever thought about. Saunders spent more time sniffing jocks than playing football from what I could tell. Like Greenwood, Johnson is playing at his natural position (guard) and his performances look better because of it. At tackle, he lacked the mobility to cover the rush ends that the SEC is known for. At guard, he's not required to cover as much space and it put him on interior players that his power can be best used against. The rule of thumb I remember was you wanted your tackles to be more technique and "faster" and your guard and center be more power and push. He fits that mold well. I stay impressed with McCall's play and how big a part he is in the run game. If he goes down to injury, Bama's run game will be impaired greatly because every key block that springs the back, usually you find McCall there making it. Rashaad needed a good game to build on because he's been up and down most of the year. He had a good one against UT and this one was there with it. He does a good job of getting the defense in step and reads the play well, his coverage skill is ok and is what gets him in trouble at times, but for the last 2 weeks he's not been a liability.
The Bad...
Special Teams again
The return coverage was ok this time, but I'll be damned if they can't find something to cause problems. Arenas is special, no doubt there, but he's becoming a real liability out there when he tries to field a punt in traffic. He did know to fair catch his first one, and then it reverted back to the old form for a while, then he semi-redeemed himself with a nice put return. The problem is this, LSU is good enough to make those mistakes cost the team, so is Florida. He's got to get it together and quit this mental fart he's been in the last month or so. I don't know how Tiffin missed a chip shot, but he did. Thankfully, they didn't need the 3 points. It just kinda piled on the growing pain that is the special teams.
Red Zone issues
There was the missed field goal and then there was the pick in the endzone that never should have been thrown. It was hauntingly familiar to past years where the 20 and in was no man's land for Bama. Let's just hope it was a random occurrence.
The Ugly....
Singing Rammer Jammer for Arkansas St?
Why? Were we surprised to beat the hell out of them? I'd rather save it for worthy games than to make it an every week thing. Just me I suppose.....
Random Thoughts
Get ready, if you think McCain and Obama have used the PR and media like a pawn, you haven't seen anything yet. You can pretty well expect the following teams to begin their opening arguments for why they are the rightful heir to the top 2 in the BCS:
- Texas- Has a good resume with wins over OU, OSU, Missouri, and Arkansas. They should win out and be 11-1 going into championship season.
- Oklahoma St- with a win over Texas Tech, they will have as good a resume as Texas with wins over Missouri, Tech, Troy, and Houston. They do have OU waiting though...
- Oklahoma- It isn't November unless Bob Stoop is bitching about his place at the table. I think history is keeping OU out this fall, much like Ohio State would be too. They've had ample shots to take care of business and prove themselves at the national stage and just haven't. They have wins over TCU and Kansas, but they finish the year with OSU and Texas Tech. My hope is that they lose both and it finally ends the Boomer Get Us There Sooner crap.
- Texas Tech- The last of the circuit in the Big 12 South is the leader and controls their destiny. If they win out, the other 3 stay quiet, lose one, and then it hits the fan. Tech's resume is the weakest because they didn't play anyone out of conference better than SMU or Nevada. If they lose, they'll probably be out of the BCS at large picture because of that.
- Penn St.- Sensing their place at the table is slipping, they'll send Joe Pa to battle ground positions like ESPN and ABC to plead to the voters that he deserves one more game. I love nostalgia and all, but PSU's resume is as bad as Tech's. Really, it is worse, Tech will play good ranked teams, the Lions get junk all year with the benchmark of OSU (that really doesn't carry as much as it used to).
- Alabama- not to be out done, Bama will have to politic its way as well. Poor showings against MSU and/or Auburn could have voters questioning them. As far as resume goes, they are fine with Clemson, UGA, and if they beat LSU will have that to round it out along with the SECC. The bad part for Bama is that they have to win out to get there. I don't think they'll get as lucky as LSU did last year and have everyone in front of them lose at the end.
- USCal- Not to be forgotten, the Pac-10 heavyweight has a better than realized resume with wins over Va, Oregon, OSU, and more than likely Notre Dame to go on. They're always going to be the darlings of the BCS because they earn style points and traditionally put on a good show in the BCS bowls.
- Florida- The beatdown on UGA really springs them up the chain now. They have the resume with wins over Miami, LSU, UGA, and more than likely USCar and FSU. They will have to beat Alabama to have a real claim, and they are like USCal in their style point wins.
So who deserves it? I think we'll be poised to a Big 12/SEC showdown. I can see why many think Florida will be there given how well they've played, and I think the SECC will determine the national championship this year.
What did this game teach me?
Texas v. Texas Tech- Texas is good, but a fair defense was enough to beat them. Also, Tech uses its offense as a defensive tool each week. Their offense intimidates a lot of teams because there is this sense of urgency that they have to score and it forces teams to rush and press. Teams that remain calm and do their thing on offense and keep Tech dulled down in the 20s or 30s tend to beat them most of the time. Texas got ambushed and rattled early and then calmed down and got back in it.
Nebraska v. OU- It ain't what it used to be. Man, Nebraska used to be about D and now they have none, but then again the Big 12 doesn't have a good defense in it.
Washington v. USCal- The state of Washington is the worst sports state in America. Mariners stink, Sonics left to remove the stink, Seahawks stink, UW and WSU are horrid. Rest my case.
Florida v. UGA- Paybacks are hell. Living in the midst of UGA fans, all week was about getting to the SECC to play Bama. This morning they got an email saying "Richt promises players he'll get them to Atlanta for the championship (click here link went to ticket sales for the Dome)- yes, I'm mean.
Tulsa v. Arkansas- Even a mid-lower tier SEC team is better than non- BCS conference teams any given day. Tulsa should have ripped Arkansas, but Arkansas did a 180 on them and kept them heeled all game. Petrino haters need to pay attention, he's a good coach, and knows what he's doing at the college level, but he is a jerk.
Tulane v. LSU- So tell me again how good that Tulane team was again??? Where's TN at now?
UT v. USCar- Spurrier loves slapping Fulmer around, and if he had more talent he's ran the score up. He will take pleasure in being the guy that broke the camel's back.
Buy/Sell/Hold
Tennessee will get Mike Leech/Jon Gruden/Nick Saban/Santa Claus.
BUY on the rumor mill being high ended, SELL on who they get. They probably will visit Cutcliffe, Kevin Steele, and some other UT ties out there. Bobby Johnson's name will come up some too.
I'm not impressed with UF!
SELL. I guess the sting of Tebow jilting Bama in recruiting still clouds reality doesn't it? Anyone who isn't impressed with Florida is either lying to you and themselves or an idiot. Florida doesn't do things the way Alabama or LSU does it, but they are going to reach the same point or objective that everyone does. They focus on speed and matchup mismatches where as the traditional West team focuses on power and speed at skill positions.
Alabama missed Cody on Saturday.
HOLD. I think they did miss him because he's a good player, but they didn't need him to win. Really, Chapman is good and plays the position as well as can be asked. To be honest, if Cody were somewhere else and Bama had started Chapman all year, I think the results would be close to the same. He doesn't get the double teams, but he uses his power to open gaps for Greenwood and the linebackers/safeties to get in.
Tubberville is on the way out too.
BUY. I think this is a given, but I think he's already told them he's out. Of course, I thought Fulmer was too dumb to see the writing on the wall and quit. In time we'll find out though.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)