So I joined a group of UT fans to make the trip up to Knoxville for the game. Let this post serve as validation that I HATE TENNESSEE. It didn't take me long to remember what they are like. In the midst of the process and UT failing for a living the last 6 years or so, I had almost forgotten what they are.
OFFENSE
The Good....
When the moon hits your eye, that's Amari....
I am almost convinced that he may end up better than Julio Jones by the end of his more than likely 3 years at Alabama. The thing I see with Cooper that Julio still isn't quite as good about is his approach to the game. He knows how to get space even if he can't out run the defender. He knows how to run the route the right way and get his QBs attention because of it. He knows how to concentrate in traffic and make the tough catches every week. His first touchdown was all him. He broke the defender down and was 15 yards from anyone. Cooper the rest of the year will probably be the go to WR and when teams focus on him that will create opportunities for Norwood and Jones and Bell. Julio was more physical and has a lot of natural abilities that not many get in life, but Cooper is a better player because he can be coached and can keep himself in the game even when he is not the target for 7 or 8 plays.
McCarron's 2nd half
His whole game was probably his best since the BCS game. His 2nd half was better than that. The thing that impressed me most was that he came into the game, started a little slow, but got the tempo he wanted established in the game and systematically destroyed a UT defense that has to be getting punch drunk at the knees right now. He did a good job of picking up Sunseri's blitz schemes and they were throwing a lot of looks at him trying to get him to check. Hard to say how many times he checked out or bluffed, but either way, it worked.
Yeldon continues to grow
There are just rules in football that hold true for any running back. One of those rules is that most running backs look better on carries 11 and up than they do the first ten. Yeldon is one of those players. The thing to watch with any young RB is that they are going to not get off like they want to and there are some that get out of the game mentally when that happens. Isaiah Crowell comes to mind. Yeldon is well ahead of where he should be as a freshman. He has a lot of patience and drive to win, and those are traits that a great running back has to have. Lacy compliments him well and it has to suck to see the tandem coming at you play after play after play.
Conditioning
Alabama's offensive line did not have a great night as a whole, but as the game went on, the conditioning factor was a big reason that a 13 point halftime lead blossomed into a blowout. The difference in the drive that the line was getting in the 3rd quarter and what it got in the 1st and 2nd was a lot different. So a helmet sticker needs to go to Coach Cochran for doing what he does better than anyone in the nation.
Oh My God....You threw to Kenny....You Bastards!
Bell is a lower option in the passing game. There are reasons for that. However, Saturday he did a better job of working into space and getting the attention of his QB to get the ball.
The Bad...
Run Blocking from Opening Kickoff to Mid Third
The offensive line early on just got stoned by a tougher than usual UT defensive line. Bama could not run up the middle at all and they are not designed to run wide a whole lot. Lacy and Yeldon had a really hard time getting yards and getting beyond the 1st line because the OL was getting backed up or stood up every play. It wasn't until UT's offense couldn't create a drive for most of the 2nd half and wore down, that they were able to rack up yards.
Letting Sentimore look good
Sentimore is a bull rush end/tackle in the 4-3 or 3-4. He is big and strong, and has good speed, but he's a total basket case. DJ Fluker let a guy that he should have known better than any player he will ever see, look better than he was. To Michael Williams credit, he did stand Sentimore up a good bit and kept him out of the play as much as he could. However, there is a reason why he was never going to play big minutes at Alabama, and they should have exposed that by messing with him more.
The Ugly....
Little worn out on the read option
Does anyone really think that the opponents when Sims and Drake come in cannot scout that? I understand the concept is to burn the clock and get to the bus, but Sims is one good hit to McCarron away from having to play a lot. It is time to start letting him run a full offense to get him some real experience.
DEFENSE
The Good....
The depth chart guide is blurry after the game
Before the game got out of hand, there were a lot of players coming in and out of the game. Pagan, Devall, Pettaway, Ivory and a few others were in the game a lot early and made a lot of impact in the game. Pagan lived at Bray's hip pocket and flushed him about every time he was in. Devall wears 30 and looks like Hightower, and in time I can see him playing like him more.
Making their ass quit on 3rd down
Against Ole Miss, they let them survive too much. Tennessee on third down was ready to punt before the snap. Another thing that happened was that the fans quit on the game early. Once Bama scored their second TD, the stadium lost its energy. I can tell you that the TV sound was better than what they really were. Bama's defense absolutely smothered the UT offense short of about 3 plays.
No Nuke Threats on Offense
If you listened to anyone at Tennessee, all you have heard is how awesome the Nuke Patterson is. The awesome one netted 19 yards offense. He's a kick returner boys and girls. He lacks the football knowledge to be anything more. You can't let him get past you because he is fast, but he doesn't really do anything at this level that tells me he can play as a receiver at the high level that folks hype him at. I will put it like this, Belue didn't have a great game, but he and Millner basically went straight Geneva summit on him. There was no threat of nukes once the kickoff was over.
What Mosley and Millner started, Lester ended it.
The game was over when Lester broke on the ball and snagged what should have been a score for UT. In all of Lester's interceptions, that was probably his best one. It also is the one that shows how far he has come as a player. 2 or 3 years ago, he probably doesn't break on the ball, but the job Smart has done with him is pretty much a resume builder for both.
Cyrus is a virus
Cyrus Jones is going to be a special player. The thing that he does that Ch. Jones didn't is that he waits for the play to happen and doesn't try to force things. The Vols punter has a huge leg, but Jones didn't panic about it. He snagged the punts and made the plays because he let his teammates make their plays. I can see him breaking one soon.
The Bad....
3 really bad breakdowns
Dooley was pissed at his offense for its lack of production. Bama did a lot to help with that. However, there were three plays that were almost mirror images of each other. They figured out when Bama covers, they don't do a good job of sliding and releasing and checking off. The TE play was basically where they released from the corner and linebacker and then the safeties didn't get to him. On a good side, Dickson showed he's got a lot of want to because he stopped the play and did so coming across the trash to get him. The Hunter pass was similar just a different check down where the corner again released and the safeties didn't pick him up. That play happened right in front of me.
The Ugly...
Anything you can kick, we can't kick better...
Nothing makes a coach scream more than missing extra points. It is a play that is automatic and it needs to be a given and not a maybe. Foster wasn't in the game. He is the reason that the Nuke threat was real on special teams. There wasn't any wind going through the stadium and the air wasn't cold at all. So there isn't any nature excuses to play here. He just wasn't kicking it like he should have. Same with the field goals, he can't kick from right to left and he got out of the game. His team knows it too, that's why you see them grab him first thing and talk to him.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
BCS Troubles
So Oregon is miffed that their awesome wins over nobody hasn't gotten them higher. Let me think....awwww. They back loaded their schedule and the BCS doesn't reward for that. There are 3 things that the BCS rankings are saying right now.
One, if Bama loses a single game, they won't get another shot. Bama's computer and SOS is too weak this time to sustain a loss even to a team like LSU.
Two, if Notre Dame wins out, they will pass an undefeated Pac or Big 12 team. Their schedule and pollster favoritism is still there. Any team that beats Michigan State, Michigan, Miami, Stanford, OU and USCal potentially is gonna be in the game.
Third, KSU and Oregon's worlds are crossing. KSU front loaded their schedule and had a few late season games that didn't pan out. So they are now in a root for the teams played mode. Oregon is now hitting their real schedule. They are rooting for both KSU's opponents to fail and KSU to stumble to Okie State or TCU or Texas.
Florida is no joke
I know I thought Muschamp had a Shula mark to him. That is Dooley. More on that in a second. However, Muschamp did the one thing Shula couldn't- he made tough staffing choices. Charlie Weis was a bad fit. Now, they are playing at a really high level and played a much tougher schedule than most. Brent Pease is a very very good OC and has found Driskell's zone and calls plays right into it all day. I don't see UGA with their weak run defense having much of a chance.
The coaching hot seats wear hot pants and are brick jawed....
I can tell you that from sitting with the Tennessee fans and tailgating with them, they know. They were not really into the game as a whole. The stadium was unusually low key early in the game as if they expected to get blistered. His frustration level is high and it came out in his post game talk. To call his QB out and talk about the offense as a whole the way he did, well it was the sound of a guy who is all but checked out. The over under on how long after the season is over to fire him is about 12 hours.
Chizik is a whole different bag of cats. He does have the BCS title there, but that was a long 2 years ago. Cam Newton is proof that good players can make average coaches look better. Hell, look at the Panthers before and now. They were attrocious and he at least makes them competitive. I can see that Shula staffing moment coming where they tell him to clean staff or clean the desk out. Will he do the God thing to do????? The over and under on this is 48 hours.
October 22, 2012
October 14, 2012
The Good...The Bad...& The Ugly- Missouri
Over the 100 posts on this site, you will see several times where I say the following "it was a tale of two games" or something akin to that. That is what the Mizzou game would be- the game before the delay and after the delay.
OFFENSE
The Good....
Getting back to basics
The thing that had begun to happen before the break was the playcalling was getting away from what they do well. Saturday, they got back to basics before the delay. Lots of running, lots of plays that set up other plays, and both of which got the line going in the right direction and made them play more aggressive. That in turn made things easier for AJ early on. The other basic that had become missing was TJ Yeldon and using him again. The carries had diminished as they leaned on Lacy, but they found ways to utilize both and it made the offense look better.
Running from the Shotgun
Something that has been sorely missed in the scheme of things is to be able to effectively run from the shotgun. I thought that Bama was able to keep Missouri off balanced in the early going because they couldn't read how the play was going to go. When you can disguise your plays and there are plays where you can run or throw from the same look and design, it is a good thing. It makes play action work better, it makes draws work better, and it makes safeties freeze which creates one on one situations to the outside.
Finding the TE again.
It was one of the things that Nuss wanted to do, but it too had gone into hibernation during the season. Williams is their best option, but he is also their best outside blocker. That includes the two tackles. So, he won't get all the chances they would like, but featuring him 4 or 5 times a game is something else that can make them honest each week.
Back to the pulling linemen
Bama's double 100 yard rusher performance can be accredited to 3 things. Their talent. Missouri's lousy defense. Third, the ability to pull Warmack, Jones, and Steen outside and clear out space for Lacy and Yeldon to create from. Both backs are good enough that when you get them to the 2nd level, they can make players miss and create space and scores. See Lacy's chug run. I thought by pulling Jones more, they were able to get him back into a role that he was more comfortable with. His performance against Ole Miss was his worst in a long while, but he bounced back and had probably his best game as a center.
The Bad...
Playcalling after the delay
Nuss forgot in the delay what had worked. I thought they regressed back to that cute stuff that had not worked well and it was just not clean or coherent. There was some execution issues, but a lot of it was just sloppy playcalling and personnel usage.
Was there a reason to keep the starters in that long?
Thankfully, there was not any major injuries, but there were plenty of near misses. I don't claim to know more than anyone, but I would have a much smaller ulcer today if Bama had ran Sims and Drake out there about half way through the 3rd quarter. In all honesty, if they were going to slop around and do what they did, I'd rather saw Ely and Sims do those assignments. It also was a miss for getting younger backups more reps. That part is probably the biggest bad part of the game on both sides of the ball.
The Ugly....
My underwear after AJ's knee injury
I said it then did it when he crumpled to the ground. I kid, but you get the point. The simple fact is that if McCarron goes down, Bama has zero chance of winning the BCS. Zero. As I said above, I don't know why they were using him, and I don't know why they felt he needed to play in the conditions and a huge lead, but they did and it nearly was a total disaster. It was another unnecessary risk that they seem to inadvertently take this year.
DEFENSE
The Good...
Pagan will be the next big thing
I like his effort and how he always seems to be around the play when he's on the field. The guy has all the traits and the look of a good bull rushing end and I won't be shocked if he doesn't end up winning the bulk of the carries down the stretch because he does all the things that Dial and Stinson cannot do. That isn't a knock on them, but more of a compliment to a young player that is starting to realize his potential.
Dee Millner has made his NFL resume stand out from the rest
What else is there to say? Right now he is the best defensive back in the BCS and is by a long distance. Teams don't throw at him as much. They can't run at him because he gets into the trash and makes the hit. He just does all the phases of his role better than I ever thought he could.
Mosley left imprints on Mizzou players
I thought this was his best game of the year as Missouri stretched the field and created a bad mismatch for themselves that CJ took advantage of. DePriest and Johnson had moments in the game, but with all the 5 wide looks, it put Bama in the Dime and gave Mosley an easy opportunity to find gaps to bust plays and make things difficult for a rookie QB.
The Bad...
Once the delay happened, things just got sloppy
This isn't really just a defense/special teams thing, it is the entire team thing. They lack a leader in the huddle on both sides of the ball. That's why you see so much lackluster with this team at times. I would have liked to have seen them come back out and really broken Missouri in two, but instead they lost their edge and got relaxed thinking the game was in hand. While it was, you can't assume that in the 2nd quarter against a team that has beaten Oklahoma and other quality schools in the recent past.
Fanning
While I didn't think it was the most bastardish thing in the world of warcraft or whatever Gary Danielson was going for, it was bush league play. You are taught to anchor down and drag them down. You never try to pick up a player, the risk of injury is as high for you as it is them. He probably gets a game suspension from the SEC, but it wasn't the most horrible thing ever in football. Woody Hayes punching a player is still that honor.
The Ugly...
The return of shitty special teams
It is what it is. The return that had 0 chance of being stopped. Some weak punts that didn't help matters. Christian Jones fielding punts at the 5 after not backing up where he should have been and his continued desire to run back punts that needed to be fair caught. All of those things added to the old complaint about how badly they play special teams. The kick makes the 5th return for a TD against the Tide in the last 2 years. That isn't cutting it.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Aubsession still seems to dominate over Bama's season
I get it still, but folks, the eyes need to be on the prize. All of Auburn's implosion fun will still be there in January. They won't be able to fill the job before Bama finishes their season (barring AJ being asked to play middle linebacker). I know this much, I would like to be able to flip through Bama sites and read something other than Aubsession.....
The Hat cannot be flattened long
Despite all the theories that Miles is an idiot or a lousy coach, he is a guy who doesn't lose many games and hasn't lost 2 in a row in a long while. He only has once, 2008, and he always seems to follow a loss with some of their better games. LSU is not where it was last year. Nobody will tell you that at this point, but they are good enough to win the SEC even after losing all the talent they have lost. Do not sleep on the Hat's ability to befuddle Saban in a week's time.
Jawga likes LSU winning, but Jawga needs to man up and win one for once
There is nothing more satisfying than to hear Georgia fans, players, and even Mark Richt find joy in LSU barely beating USCar. Spurrier just mindscrews them without trying these days. The ol ball coach is getting the best from his best team at Carolina, no question, but they just didn't have the start they needed to survive LSU. That doesn't give Georgia a reason to smile today. That tough Missouri team has been debunked now. Carolina and Bama both shred them to pieces. Tennessee had another flop against Mississippi State, and they look and sound like a team ready to collapse. Georgia doesn't have a quality win on their resume, and I would be surprised if Florida lost to them. So, the Fla/USCar game is probably the play in to play the LSU/Bama winner.
In Beano's last season, Notre Dame (notrah dahme) is running for first
Lots of Bama fans used to loathe Cook because he was pro Penn State and pro Notre Dame, and that meant he was anti-Bama. He was good for football in a lot of ways because he wanted what was best for it. There aren't as many of those guys left in College Football because the money doesn't work that way any more, but Beano's legacy is both in humor and legend. Ron for Heisman was serious to him, but the ND QB never got the point....Cook normally did, and his point will carry on long after his last act.
OFFENSE
The Good....
Getting back to basics
The thing that had begun to happen before the break was the playcalling was getting away from what they do well. Saturday, they got back to basics before the delay. Lots of running, lots of plays that set up other plays, and both of which got the line going in the right direction and made them play more aggressive. That in turn made things easier for AJ early on. The other basic that had become missing was TJ Yeldon and using him again. The carries had diminished as they leaned on Lacy, but they found ways to utilize both and it made the offense look better.
Running from the Shotgun
Something that has been sorely missed in the scheme of things is to be able to effectively run from the shotgun. I thought that Bama was able to keep Missouri off balanced in the early going because they couldn't read how the play was going to go. When you can disguise your plays and there are plays where you can run or throw from the same look and design, it is a good thing. It makes play action work better, it makes draws work better, and it makes safeties freeze which creates one on one situations to the outside.
Finding the TE again.
It was one of the things that Nuss wanted to do, but it too had gone into hibernation during the season. Williams is their best option, but he is also their best outside blocker. That includes the two tackles. So, he won't get all the chances they would like, but featuring him 4 or 5 times a game is something else that can make them honest each week.
Back to the pulling linemen
Bama's double 100 yard rusher performance can be accredited to 3 things. Their talent. Missouri's lousy defense. Third, the ability to pull Warmack, Jones, and Steen outside and clear out space for Lacy and Yeldon to create from. Both backs are good enough that when you get them to the 2nd level, they can make players miss and create space and scores. See Lacy's chug run. I thought by pulling Jones more, they were able to get him back into a role that he was more comfortable with. His performance against Ole Miss was his worst in a long while, but he bounced back and had probably his best game as a center.
The Bad...
Playcalling after the delay
Nuss forgot in the delay what had worked. I thought they regressed back to that cute stuff that had not worked well and it was just not clean or coherent. There was some execution issues, but a lot of it was just sloppy playcalling and personnel usage.
Was there a reason to keep the starters in that long?
Thankfully, there was not any major injuries, but there were plenty of near misses. I don't claim to know more than anyone, but I would have a much smaller ulcer today if Bama had ran Sims and Drake out there about half way through the 3rd quarter. In all honesty, if they were going to slop around and do what they did, I'd rather saw Ely and Sims do those assignments. It also was a miss for getting younger backups more reps. That part is probably the biggest bad part of the game on both sides of the ball.
The Ugly....
My underwear after AJ's knee injury
I said it then did it when he crumpled to the ground. I kid, but you get the point. The simple fact is that if McCarron goes down, Bama has zero chance of winning the BCS. Zero. As I said above, I don't know why they were using him, and I don't know why they felt he needed to play in the conditions and a huge lead, but they did and it nearly was a total disaster. It was another unnecessary risk that they seem to inadvertently take this year.
DEFENSE
The Good...
Pagan will be the next big thing
I like his effort and how he always seems to be around the play when he's on the field. The guy has all the traits and the look of a good bull rushing end and I won't be shocked if he doesn't end up winning the bulk of the carries down the stretch because he does all the things that Dial and Stinson cannot do. That isn't a knock on them, but more of a compliment to a young player that is starting to realize his potential.
Dee Millner has made his NFL resume stand out from the rest
What else is there to say? Right now he is the best defensive back in the BCS and is by a long distance. Teams don't throw at him as much. They can't run at him because he gets into the trash and makes the hit. He just does all the phases of his role better than I ever thought he could.
Mosley left imprints on Mizzou players
I thought this was his best game of the year as Missouri stretched the field and created a bad mismatch for themselves that CJ took advantage of. DePriest and Johnson had moments in the game, but with all the 5 wide looks, it put Bama in the Dime and gave Mosley an easy opportunity to find gaps to bust plays and make things difficult for a rookie QB.
The Bad...
Once the delay happened, things just got sloppy
This isn't really just a defense/special teams thing, it is the entire team thing. They lack a leader in the huddle on both sides of the ball. That's why you see so much lackluster with this team at times. I would have liked to have seen them come back out and really broken Missouri in two, but instead they lost their edge and got relaxed thinking the game was in hand. While it was, you can't assume that in the 2nd quarter against a team that has beaten Oklahoma and other quality schools in the recent past.
Fanning
While I didn't think it was the most bastardish thing in the world of warcraft or whatever Gary Danielson was going for, it was bush league play. You are taught to anchor down and drag them down. You never try to pick up a player, the risk of injury is as high for you as it is them. He probably gets a game suspension from the SEC, but it wasn't the most horrible thing ever in football. Woody Hayes punching a player is still that honor.
The Ugly...
The return of shitty special teams
It is what it is. The return that had 0 chance of being stopped. Some weak punts that didn't help matters. Christian Jones fielding punts at the 5 after not backing up where he should have been and his continued desire to run back punts that needed to be fair caught. All of those things added to the old complaint about how badly they play special teams. The kick makes the 5th return for a TD against the Tide in the last 2 years. That isn't cutting it.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Aubsession still seems to dominate over Bama's season
I get it still, but folks, the eyes need to be on the prize. All of Auburn's implosion fun will still be there in January. They won't be able to fill the job before Bama finishes their season (barring AJ being asked to play middle linebacker). I know this much, I would like to be able to flip through Bama sites and read something other than Aubsession.....
The Hat cannot be flattened long
Despite all the theories that Miles is an idiot or a lousy coach, he is a guy who doesn't lose many games and hasn't lost 2 in a row in a long while. He only has once, 2008, and he always seems to follow a loss with some of their better games. LSU is not where it was last year. Nobody will tell you that at this point, but they are good enough to win the SEC even after losing all the talent they have lost. Do not sleep on the Hat's ability to befuddle Saban in a week's time.
Jawga likes LSU winning, but Jawga needs to man up and win one for once
There is nothing more satisfying than to hear Georgia fans, players, and even Mark Richt find joy in LSU barely beating USCar. Spurrier just mindscrews them without trying these days. The ol ball coach is getting the best from his best team at Carolina, no question, but they just didn't have the start they needed to survive LSU. That doesn't give Georgia a reason to smile today. That tough Missouri team has been debunked now. Carolina and Bama both shred them to pieces. Tennessee had another flop against Mississippi State, and they look and sound like a team ready to collapse. Georgia doesn't have a quality win on their resume, and I would be surprised if Florida lost to them. So, the Fla/USCar game is probably the play in to play the LSU/Bama winner.
In Beano's last season, Notre Dame (notrah dahme) is running for first
Lots of Bama fans used to loathe Cook because he was pro Penn State and pro Notre Dame, and that meant he was anti-Bama. He was good for football in a lot of ways because he wanted what was best for it. There aren't as many of those guys left in College Football because the money doesn't work that way any more, but Beano's legacy is both in humor and legend. Ron for Heisman was serious to him, but the ND QB never got the point....Cook normally did, and his point will carry on long after his last act.
October 1, 2012
The Good...The Bad....& The Ugly....Ole Miss
Ok, I gonna be honest. For the first time since Shula's final year or Saban's first year, I couldn't sit through an entire replay. Just couldn't. It was just too annoying to sit and see a team going through the motions and letting a weak sister look fair. For the record, I made it through about half way thru the 3rd quarter. I will also say that part of that frustration has mounted over the season (minus Arkansas).
OFFENSE
The Good....
Yes...Amare Cooper in German is "Das Shiznit".
He is as good as advertised and now due to injury, he gets to show it off. The thing I do like about him is that he is well ahead of where a freshman should be. His route running is better than several much older than him on the team.....ahem, Bell....and he is an above average blocker. He may not have the straight line speed that White had, but his ability to create separation is enough to compensate for that. He put about 3 jukes on defenders that were senior level quality and broke them down. Sadly, they forgot his number in the 2nd half for the most part.
Despite the Line Issues....Lacy Performed
Circle Button has been getting his game legs back, and in spells, he displayed that he's good to go now. Lacy needs to put together 4 or 5 top end games where he hits around 20 carries and 100 yards. The team needs him to do that because it will get the weight off AJ McCarron's shoulders. He needs to do it to show himself he can and to show scouts he can.
Statistically speaking, McCarron did well
There are liars, damn liars, and statistics. That's what Twain once thought, but in today's time it speaks the same. Statistically speaking, he did very well. The eye test? Keep reading. However, he did set the school record for passes without an interception. However, he needs to thank Mr. Cooper for that streak being in tact today.
The Bad...
Red Zone Zilches
When I play golf, I often hit a stretch where I get the shanks, worm burners, etc. It happens, but the trick is to get rid of them. Bama right now can't shake the red zone shutdowns. They did have 2 scores in the red zone, and that is getting better than some other games, and yes they are 100% in scoring in red zone, but yet again, in the 1st and 4th quarter it was the shanks. 4 field goals in the 2 quarters set the tone for underachievement.
Making a small, bad defense look good....
Let me be blunt. I don't give a flying shit if you think they are good or about some horse shit theory about stacking the box. Why? Well one, they gave up 600 yards to Texas at home. AT HOME. Two, 7 in the box is not stacking and for the most part that's what they had was the regular 5 to 7. Corners don't count kids. The bottom line is that the offensive line is regressing, don't know why or how, but it is.
Barrett Jones wants this one back or to sweep it
The best lineman in America got his lunch stole, eaten, regurgitated and given back to him by a really small and lesser player. Is he the best center in the BCS? Don't know, but as I have said in the past, this season is a down year for football in general, and it is contagious apparently. He isn't alone in the "Had a Bad Day" video clip. Steen was confused and on the wrong foot almost all night.
The Ugly....
Whomever in the Sports Info Department coined "Best Offensive Line in College Football".
It wasn't dreamed up by the media or any conspiracy theory like that. Someone went out there from Tuscaloosa with that slogan. Someone needs a Snickers?????
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
The Good....
Handling the hurry up
It is hard to prepare for 3 QBs and the hurry up offense. It is hard for a team to prep for that in a week. I thought for the most part, they did as well as they could with it. The one thing they needed to do a little more was putting a little more heat on them and punishing them for playing hurry up. If you hit the guy and he wants to get up and run it again fast, hit him some more. 3 licks in 45 seconds will equate to a broken QB in about 15 minutes.
Feasting on opportunities
While they did run a hurry up and they rotated heads out there, they still weren't good. Bad offenses give gifts and they just kept giving and giving Saturday night. The thing that is important is that you have to execute when the time comes. For the most part, Bama did.
Dee Millner likes SEC QBs
He definitely has come out of the shadows of Dre and Menzie with a bang and probably had his best game of the year Saturday. The thing he is doing better than he did in the past is that he is getting into the routes and blowing things up before the ball leaves the QBs hand more. Teams are throwing at him because they have seen on film that he gambles. Teams are missing the part where he recovers and picks bad passes. The good passes thus far have been few and more to Belue in between.
Youth Movement Grows
There was a lot of PT for guys that I have been high on for weeks. Pettaway and Pagan played a lot of minutes Saturday. Some of this was from Ivory's injury. Most of it was because they rush and disrupt better than Dial and Square are right now. Don't be shocked if by the end of the year it isn't Hubbard/Williams/Pagan/Square (or flip Pagan and Square).
The Bad....
The Blahs caught up to the Defense too...
The spin will never end from some about how Bama never plays well before the bye week, or they don't play well after a bye week, or they never play well on a Saturday following a Friday where there was a Tuesday with a even number......Playing blah is what it is. It is about leadership, it is about maturity, and it is about desire. The defense started out strong. Got lax, got back on track and then spent the better part of the late 3rd and 4th quarters struggling to get off the field.
The Ugly....
Nearly 50% on 3rd down, and perfect on 4th
It didn't burn them real bad, but Ole Miss isn't that good. Texas, for what it is worth, held them to 25% on 3rd and 50% on 4th.
RANDOM THOUGHTS.....
Keeping me accountable
http://rlb002-thegoodthebadtheugly.blogspot.com/2012/07/10-things-you-might-not-believe-now-but.html#comments
In the summer, I said there were 10 things you might not believe. I am on pace for 7, missing on 2, and 1 is still to be seen. I missed on McElwain. I thought Nuss would add some wrinkles and make things flow just as good. That hasn't been the case all year and they seem to have abandoned the TE in the passing game.
I also have probably missed on the Secondary, but the best QB they have seen will be a NFL WR. I also may have missed on Steen, but it says a lot that there is not an adequate backup there after 5 years of recruiting.
Yes....Arkansas is the black plague of football
Only John L Smith can make Mike DuBose look good.
The East will be decided by Saturday.....maybe.....
The thing to watch is how Florida does. Of course, either UGA or USCar will lose so that leaves that winner and Florida. A bad loss by a young but tested Florida could all but seal it up for the winner of the other game. For most of us, the best thing that could happen is Florida wins and faces the winner of UGA/USCar to finish things off. It works because LSU loses. So Saturday, many Bama fans need to be Gator fans.
I say it again....
College football is down this year. I do wonder, if you take the 2010 team, put it on this schedule against these teams, do they do better? Likewise, if you take this team and play the 2010 schedule with Mallett, Cam, and USCar being as solid as they were, could they do as well? That is interesting discussion on an off week.....
OFFENSE
The Good....
Yes...Amare Cooper in German is "Das Shiznit".
He is as good as advertised and now due to injury, he gets to show it off. The thing I do like about him is that he is well ahead of where a freshman should be. His route running is better than several much older than him on the team.....ahem, Bell....and he is an above average blocker. He may not have the straight line speed that White had, but his ability to create separation is enough to compensate for that. He put about 3 jukes on defenders that were senior level quality and broke them down. Sadly, they forgot his number in the 2nd half for the most part.
Despite the Line Issues....Lacy Performed
Circle Button has been getting his game legs back, and in spells, he displayed that he's good to go now. Lacy needs to put together 4 or 5 top end games where he hits around 20 carries and 100 yards. The team needs him to do that because it will get the weight off AJ McCarron's shoulders. He needs to do it to show himself he can and to show scouts he can.
Statistically speaking, McCarron did well
There are liars, damn liars, and statistics. That's what Twain once thought, but in today's time it speaks the same. Statistically speaking, he did very well. The eye test? Keep reading. However, he did set the school record for passes without an interception. However, he needs to thank Mr. Cooper for that streak being in tact today.
The Bad...
Red Zone Zilches
When I play golf, I often hit a stretch where I get the shanks, worm burners, etc. It happens, but the trick is to get rid of them. Bama right now can't shake the red zone shutdowns. They did have 2 scores in the red zone, and that is getting better than some other games, and yes they are 100% in scoring in red zone, but yet again, in the 1st and 4th quarter it was the shanks. 4 field goals in the 2 quarters set the tone for underachievement.
Making a small, bad defense look good....
Let me be blunt. I don't give a flying shit if you think they are good or about some horse shit theory about stacking the box. Why? Well one, they gave up 600 yards to Texas at home. AT HOME. Two, 7 in the box is not stacking and for the most part that's what they had was the regular 5 to 7. Corners don't count kids. The bottom line is that the offensive line is regressing, don't know why or how, but it is.
Barrett Jones wants this one back or to sweep it
The best lineman in America got his lunch stole, eaten, regurgitated and given back to him by a really small and lesser player. Is he the best center in the BCS? Don't know, but as I have said in the past, this season is a down year for football in general, and it is contagious apparently. He isn't alone in the "Had a Bad Day" video clip. Steen was confused and on the wrong foot almost all night.
The Ugly....
Whomever in the Sports Info Department coined "Best Offensive Line in College Football".
It wasn't dreamed up by the media or any conspiracy theory like that. Someone went out there from Tuscaloosa with that slogan. Someone needs a Snickers?????
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
The Good....
Handling the hurry up
It is hard to prepare for 3 QBs and the hurry up offense. It is hard for a team to prep for that in a week. I thought for the most part, they did as well as they could with it. The one thing they needed to do a little more was putting a little more heat on them and punishing them for playing hurry up. If you hit the guy and he wants to get up and run it again fast, hit him some more. 3 licks in 45 seconds will equate to a broken QB in about 15 minutes.
Feasting on opportunities
While they did run a hurry up and they rotated heads out there, they still weren't good. Bad offenses give gifts and they just kept giving and giving Saturday night. The thing that is important is that you have to execute when the time comes. For the most part, Bama did.
Dee Millner likes SEC QBs
He definitely has come out of the shadows of Dre and Menzie with a bang and probably had his best game of the year Saturday. The thing he is doing better than he did in the past is that he is getting into the routes and blowing things up before the ball leaves the QBs hand more. Teams are throwing at him because they have seen on film that he gambles. Teams are missing the part where he recovers and picks bad passes. The good passes thus far have been few and more to Belue in between.
Youth Movement Grows
There was a lot of PT for guys that I have been high on for weeks. Pettaway and Pagan played a lot of minutes Saturday. Some of this was from Ivory's injury. Most of it was because they rush and disrupt better than Dial and Square are right now. Don't be shocked if by the end of the year it isn't Hubbard/Williams/Pagan/Square (or flip Pagan and Square).
The Bad....
The Blahs caught up to the Defense too...
The spin will never end from some about how Bama never plays well before the bye week, or they don't play well after a bye week, or they never play well on a Saturday following a Friday where there was a Tuesday with a even number......Playing blah is what it is. It is about leadership, it is about maturity, and it is about desire. The defense started out strong. Got lax, got back on track and then spent the better part of the late 3rd and 4th quarters struggling to get off the field.
The Ugly....
Nearly 50% on 3rd down, and perfect on 4th
It didn't burn them real bad, but Ole Miss isn't that good. Texas, for what it is worth, held them to 25% on 3rd and 50% on 4th.
RANDOM THOUGHTS.....
Keeping me accountable
http://rlb002-thegoodthebadtheugly.blogspot.com/2012/07/10-things-you-might-not-believe-now-but.html#comments
In the summer, I said there were 10 things you might not believe. I am on pace for 7, missing on 2, and 1 is still to be seen. I missed on McElwain. I thought Nuss would add some wrinkles and make things flow just as good. That hasn't been the case all year and they seem to have abandoned the TE in the passing game.
I also have probably missed on the Secondary, but the best QB they have seen will be a NFL WR. I also may have missed on Steen, but it says a lot that there is not an adequate backup there after 5 years of recruiting.
Yes....Arkansas is the black plague of football
Only John L Smith can make Mike DuBose look good.
The East will be decided by Saturday.....maybe.....
The thing to watch is how Florida does. Of course, either UGA or USCar will lose so that leaves that winner and Florida. A bad loss by a young but tested Florida could all but seal it up for the winner of the other game. For most of us, the best thing that could happen is Florida wins and faces the winner of UGA/USCar to finish things off. It works because LSU loses. So Saturday, many Bama fans need to be Gator fans.
I say it again....
College football is down this year. I do wonder, if you take the 2010 team, put it on this schedule against these teams, do they do better? Likewise, if you take this team and play the 2010 schedule with Mallett, Cam, and USCar being as solid as they were, could they do as well? That is interesting discussion on an off week.....
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