Everyone on the net tonight seems to think that "Ears" Tuberville will be the next head coach at R-Kansas. This is crazy if it is true.
There is some other scuttlebutt regarding the fact that Nick Saban may be in line for the job at LSU. I would not be surprised.
Maybe Alabama could hire Ogeron.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Auburn 2007
After seventy-two hours of letting the football season soak in, it is necessary to take a hard look at the past three months.
Unfortunately for Alabama the season had to be three months. Fans would be glad to have ended the season in November clear above .500. But the Tide had to play two teams from Louisiana, Mississippi State, and Auburn. What failed the Tide in the month of November? Was it something to do with the leaves falling?
An answer to this question is going to difficult and hard to explain. It will sound like an Alabama/Nick Saban bash, but here goes.
Coach Saban could not reach the players after the LSU game. Alabama fans want to put the blame solely on the players, players that Mike Shula recruited. Alabama fans essentially want to say, “It wasn’t Saban’s fault, it was Mike Shula’s; Alabama is great because we’re Alabama.” Translation, I don’t know a damn thing about psychology and football. Why psychology, because that’s where Saban lost the players. The players got tired of being yelled to by Nicky and just quit. He realized this fact after Louisiana Monroe and that’s when he threw the players under the bus in his post game press conference.
Then the offensive coaches put together an offensive game plan that would have made Mike Shula happy. Go to the “I” formation, JP and don’t fumble away the game. Well, JP didn’t lose the game for Alabama, but he sure as hell won the game. Why go to this conservative game plan after playing Tennessee tossing the ball around like a hot potato? Saban was afraid. He was afraid of the players and that he did not have control over them. He did not have control. That’s why fans saw Travis McCall line up as a fullback in the “I” formation. (This is a formation that Saban has repeatedly lambasted in the media as unimaginative and predictable.) The game plan might have worked if DJ Hall had paid attention to a pass in the end zone, if Keith Saunders does not hit Brandon Cox two seconds after he throws, if Alabama does not run into the kicker on a punt deep in Auburn territory. But those things happened, Alabama players were not disciplined enough to refrain from committing mental mistakes like those. That falls on coaching.
Everyday Alabama fan says: “Yeah, I can’t wait for next year, we’ll have Saban’s players and JPW won’t be the quarterback.” Yes and No. Saban’s players will be freshman and Sophomores, a minority of the team still. Who’s going to play quarterback if JPW doesn’t? … The quarterbacks that were on the bench this year? Some quarterback still going to Sonic after school today? No. JPW will still be the Alabama gunslinger that he is. (He is 1st and 2nd in the Alabama record books in single season passing yardage 2006, 2007, look it up). Saban is still going to have to learn to motivate players that he didn’t recruit. He’d better learn fast with four big road games on the docket next year.
All that said, Saban is still the better guy for the job. He is the last ditch effort to resurrect a program from the obscurity of the middle tier college football programs.
Unfortunately for Alabama the season had to be three months. Fans would be glad to have ended the season in November clear above .500. But the Tide had to play two teams from Louisiana, Mississippi State, and Auburn. What failed the Tide in the month of November? Was it something to do with the leaves falling?
An answer to this question is going to difficult and hard to explain. It will sound like an Alabama/Nick Saban bash, but here goes.
Coach Saban could not reach the players after the LSU game. Alabama fans want to put the blame solely on the players, players that Mike Shula recruited. Alabama fans essentially want to say, “It wasn’t Saban’s fault, it was Mike Shula’s; Alabama is great because we’re Alabama.” Translation, I don’t know a damn thing about psychology and football. Why psychology, because that’s where Saban lost the players. The players got tired of being yelled to by Nicky and just quit. He realized this fact after Louisiana Monroe and that’s when he threw the players under the bus in his post game press conference.
Then the offensive coaches put together an offensive game plan that would have made Mike Shula happy. Go to the “I” formation, JP and don’t fumble away the game. Well, JP didn’t lose the game for Alabama, but he sure as hell won the game. Why go to this conservative game plan after playing Tennessee tossing the ball around like a hot potato? Saban was afraid. He was afraid of the players and that he did not have control over them. He did not have control. That’s why fans saw Travis McCall line up as a fullback in the “I” formation. (This is a formation that Saban has repeatedly lambasted in the media as unimaginative and predictable.) The game plan might have worked if DJ Hall had paid attention to a pass in the end zone, if Keith Saunders does not hit Brandon Cox two seconds after he throws, if Alabama does not run into the kicker on a punt deep in Auburn territory. But those things happened, Alabama players were not disciplined enough to refrain from committing mental mistakes like those. That falls on coaching.
Everyday Alabama fan says: “Yeah, I can’t wait for next year, we’ll have Saban’s players and JPW won’t be the quarterback.” Yes and No. Saban’s players will be freshman and Sophomores, a minority of the team still. Who’s going to play quarterback if JPW doesn’t? … The quarterbacks that were on the bench this year? Some quarterback still going to Sonic after school today? No. JPW will still be the Alabama gunslinger that he is. (He is 1st and 2nd in the Alabama record books in single season passing yardage 2006, 2007, look it up). Saban is still going to have to learn to motivate players that he didn’t recruit. He’d better learn fast with four big road games on the docket next year.
All that said, Saban is still the better guy for the job. He is the last ditch effort to resurrect a program from the obscurity of the middle tier college football programs.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Auburn Game
Alabama Notes:
With the Iron Bowl comes tradition. This year it seems more like the toilet bowl. Auburn comes into the game with token ranking of #25 while Alabama played itself out of the rankings in its last two games. A win for the Tide gives both teams a solid 7-5 record and a exciting bowl games likely in Memphis and Shreveport. A win for Auburn might give them a Peach Bowl Birth.
Around the SEC:
Tennessee looks to be enough for Kentucky as I observe. How ironic is it that the best team in the SEC, Georgia, is likely not going to be playing next week? I think I noted on another website before the season started that LSU would be coached to a few losses this year. Who would have thought those would come to Arkansas and Kentucky? I hope Les Miles is in the SEC for a long time.
Coaching Changes:
I glad things worked out for Dennis Franchione out in College Station. He was such a good person and the Aggies were always on his short list. Tuberville will not be taking his place at Texas A&M. Too bad there are no fast athletes in Michigan. If there were any, Lloyd Carr might still have a job. Too bad Les Miles might get the job in Ann Arbor. His idiot coaching is good enough to win ten games a year at Michigan. Nebraska fire Bill Callahan. Funny how the national media pays little attention to their coaching woes and loves to hate Alabama and Nick Saban. Nebraska has about the same past as Alabama.
Sly Croom:
He's the man. I never thought he stood a chance.
Charlie Weis:
...
Nick Saban:
...
Keys to winning the Iron Bowl:
The winning team is going to have to exhibit confidence, move the ball, stop the other team, and score more points than the other team. The winner is going to be the team that blocks the other team better.
IT'S THE SAME LOGIC IN EVERY DAMN GAME!!!
I wish the Tide well and hope they win. I think it happens today. With this crazy and whacky season it only seems fit for a downtrodden Tide to beat an unemotional War Eagles.
With the Iron Bowl comes tradition. This year it seems more like the toilet bowl. Auburn comes into the game with token ranking of #25 while Alabama played itself out of the rankings in its last two games. A win for the Tide gives both teams a solid 7-5 record and a exciting bowl games likely in Memphis and Shreveport. A win for Auburn might give them a Peach Bowl Birth.
Around the SEC:
Tennessee looks to be enough for Kentucky as I observe. How ironic is it that the best team in the SEC, Georgia, is likely not going to be playing next week? I think I noted on another website before the season started that LSU would be coached to a few losses this year. Who would have thought those would come to Arkansas and Kentucky? I hope Les Miles is in the SEC for a long time.
Coaching Changes:
I glad things worked out for Dennis Franchione out in College Station. He was such a good person and the Aggies were always on his short list. Tuberville will not be taking his place at Texas A&M. Too bad there are no fast athletes in Michigan. If there were any, Lloyd Carr might still have a job. Too bad Les Miles might get the job in Ann Arbor. His idiot coaching is good enough to win ten games a year at Michigan. Nebraska fire Bill Callahan. Funny how the national media pays little attention to their coaching woes and loves to hate Alabama and Nick Saban. Nebraska has about the same past as Alabama.
Sly Croom:
He's the man. I never thought he stood a chance.
Charlie Weis:
...
Nick Saban:
...
Keys to winning the Iron Bowl:
The winning team is going to have to exhibit confidence, move the ball, stop the other team, and score more points than the other team. The winner is going to be the team that blocks the other team better.
IT'S THE SAME LOGIC IN EVERY DAMN GAME!!!
I wish the Tide well and hope they win. I think it happens today. With this crazy and whacky season it only seems fit for a downtrodden Tide to beat an unemotional War Eagles.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Iron Bowl 2007
After the forty-eight hour rule?
Yes, after a loss to ULM, I needed to take a forty-eight hiatus from commenting (after my initial comment) on the Tide. We as fans need to take a step back and a deep breath. We as fans need to also realize that football is not everything. Everyone needs to keep the family of Siran Stacy in their thoughts. He and his family was in a horrible automobile accident.
The knee-jerk reaction is to condemn Nick Saban and the football team for this past Saturday. Fans, although they cannot forget what happened, need to realize the bright future ahead. This past week’s loss has been equated to the loss five years ago to Northern Illinois. The ULM loss is probably worse on paper, but it stands to be a tool for teaching. The current team has not gotten the point until now. They have not seen the whole picture. Maybe the coach has not gotten the point until now. He has said that he has.
I would hate to be Auburn today.
The Alabama team might actually be hungry. The best thing for Auburn would have been Alabama beating ULM by forty. Isn’t there enough reason for Alabama to be hungry? Did they really need another reason? Judging from the performances in the MSU game and the ULM game, the players need as many reasons they can to perform. There is the potential in that team. That potential has been evident in games this season.
It is Coach Saban’s task to aid the team in realizing its potential. He has not succeeded in aiding the team in that for two weeks now. Maybe he needed a wake-up call. That call was placed November 17, 2007. Who says Alabama will win? I will be sure to watch the game.
Yes, after a loss to ULM, I needed to take a forty-eight hiatus from commenting (after my initial comment) on the Tide. We as fans need to take a step back and a deep breath. We as fans need to also realize that football is not everything. Everyone needs to keep the family of Siran Stacy in their thoughts. He and his family was in a horrible automobile accident.
The knee-jerk reaction is to condemn Nick Saban and the football team for this past Saturday. Fans, although they cannot forget what happened, need to realize the bright future ahead. This past week’s loss has been equated to the loss five years ago to Northern Illinois. The ULM loss is probably worse on paper, but it stands to be a tool for teaching. The current team has not gotten the point until now. They have not seen the whole picture. Maybe the coach has not gotten the point until now. He has said that he has.
I would hate to be Auburn today.
The Alabama team might actually be hungry. The best thing for Auburn would have been Alabama beating ULM by forty. Isn’t there enough reason for Alabama to be hungry? Did they really need another reason? Judging from the performances in the MSU game and the ULM game, the players need as many reasons they can to perform. There is the potential in that team. That potential has been evident in games this season.
It is Coach Saban’s task to aid the team in realizing its potential. He has not succeeded in aiding the team in that for two weeks now. Maybe he needed a wake-up call. That call was placed November 17, 2007. Who says Alabama will win? I will be sure to watch the game.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
ULM
Is anyone really surprised?
Is any Tide fan that has survived the past twenty-five years surprised that the Tide lead by the 4 million dollar man and the 25 cent quarterback got trampled on by (make sure I spell this right) Louisiana Monroe? If anyone answers yes to this question, get real. It is not surprising, only self-fulfilling.
I was the biggest advocate for Nick Saban coming to Alabama. I thought things with the football program would be different. As I sit here typing this, I wonder where my allegiances lie. It hurts over and over again to put so much into cheering for a team that continuously lets you down. (See Boston Red Sox prior 2004.) Would it not be easier just to spend my Saturday afternoons reading and studying and preparing for a career? Why don’t I start playing golf? There is greater utility in that I imagine than sitting through a football game that is not even on pay-per-view television. It was on the radio. Alabama just lost a game that was not televised. Let that sink in.
So Lord Saban rolls into town, not on a white stallion, but in a white Lear Jet. He hires a crackpot staff and installs a new “4th quarter” program. Eleven games later preparing to face Auburn, Alabama sits with the same record as a year previous, having spent millions of dollars in paying off Shula and paying for Saban. It’s evident. Welcome to middle (bottom) tier Southeastern Conference football. Stuck in the muck Alabama is.
A trip into Tuscaloosa for the traveling team no longer means a loss. It means a once in a lifetime chance for every player on that visiting team to imprint history. Unfortunately for Alabama fans, a four or five year stint dawning the crimson jersey no longer means excellence. It means mediocrity. It means losing to Auburn six straight years (trust me). On Saturday, who had more to play for? La Monroe or Alabama? The question does not even need answering. Alabama players could care less about playing on Saturday. They are more interested in drinking, yelling in the streets, stealing textbooks, and playing on Sunday.
This negativity does not help the football program but it does help me sleep at night. Additionally, I think Alabama proved my point for the SEC not being that good.
Is any Tide fan that has survived the past twenty-five years surprised that the Tide lead by the 4 million dollar man and the 25 cent quarterback got trampled on by (make sure I spell this right) Louisiana Monroe? If anyone answers yes to this question, get real. It is not surprising, only self-fulfilling.
I was the biggest advocate for Nick Saban coming to Alabama. I thought things with the football program would be different. As I sit here typing this, I wonder where my allegiances lie. It hurts over and over again to put so much into cheering for a team that continuously lets you down. (See Boston Red Sox prior 2004.) Would it not be easier just to spend my Saturday afternoons reading and studying and preparing for a career? Why don’t I start playing golf? There is greater utility in that I imagine than sitting through a football game that is not even on pay-per-view television. It was on the radio. Alabama just lost a game that was not televised. Let that sink in.
So Lord Saban rolls into town, not on a white stallion, but in a white Lear Jet. He hires a crackpot staff and installs a new “4th quarter” program. Eleven games later preparing to face Auburn, Alabama sits with the same record as a year previous, having spent millions of dollars in paying off Shula and paying for Saban. It’s evident. Welcome to middle (bottom) tier Southeastern Conference football. Stuck in the muck Alabama is.
A trip into Tuscaloosa for the traveling team no longer means a loss. It means a once in a lifetime chance for every player on that visiting team to imprint history. Unfortunately for Alabama fans, a four or five year stint dawning the crimson jersey no longer means excellence. It means mediocrity. It means losing to Auburn six straight years (trust me). On Saturday, who had more to play for? La Monroe or Alabama? The question does not even need answering. Alabama players could care less about playing on Saturday. They are more interested in drinking, yelling in the streets, stealing textbooks, and playing on Sunday.
This negativity does not help the football program but it does help me sleep at night. Additionally, I think Alabama proved my point for the SEC not being that good.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
SEC, the best conference or are we in the South brainwashed and not objective?
Is the SEC the best conference in the land this year?
No.
Plain and simple, the evidence is pretty demonstrative.
1. California beating Tennessee
a. This occurred on the first week of the season.
b. Cal utterly dismantled Tennessee and now are not even ranked.
2. South Florida beating Auburn
a. Second week of the season
b. USF utterly dismantled Auburn and now are not even ranked (déjà vu)
3. Alabama lost to Florida State
a. This was the Fifth week of the season
b. FSU utterly dismantled Alabama and now are not even ranked (see a pattern)
4. West Virginia whipped Sly Croom’s Bulldogs
a. This happened in October
b. WVU utterly dismantled MSU but at least they are ranked (whew)
c. However MSU went on to beat three ranked teams (what?)
i. Auburn
ii. Kentucky
iii. Alabama
5. There are ten bowl eligible teams
a. This shows that there is parity
b. But it also shows that there aren’t really any good teams. (What about LSU?)
c. It also shows that the sun belt sucks worse because that is were the SEC gets its non-conference victories
6. LSU
a. They have talent
b. Their coach is a moron (He beat Nick Saban, well Nick Saban sucks (jk))
c. They will lose in the SEC title game or the BCS title game
i. I only hope they lose in the SEC title game so they aren’t embarrassed by Oregon, Oklahoma, or Kansas.
7. There is no offense in this league
a. “But the defense is so good”
i. I take issue with this statement. This might have been true over the last couple of years but recently it’s not the case.
ii. Non-conference teams are holding the SEC offenses at bay.
iii. Maybe the SEC defenses are so good because the offenses are appalling.
I’m going to stop there because I’m going to lunch. If anyone wants to refute, post a comment. If anyone wants to add another reason, post a comment.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
MSU 2007
Maybe Shula wasn’t that bad?
One year ago at this juncture of the season, the University of Alabama football team had six wins and four losses after playing ten games. Likely this year, they will have one more victory with Louisiana Monroe on the schedule but I would not put it past the Tide to lose. But, Alabama will in all comprehensible reality lose, for the sixth straight season, to Auburn. So Alabama paid $4 million for a single additional regular season win.
I was the biggest advocate for the coaching change and Nick Saban becoming the coach of Alabama, but this past week against Mississippi State I wondered if this was the same coach that has held the Sears Trophy. It has been evident ever since the Florida State game that the Alabama offense was sketchy. After the Tennessee game, however, it appeared that the problem was rectified. But the problems were still there for the LSU game.
What is the problem? John Parker Wilson? Maybe. The offensive play calling? Maybe. The offensive system? More likely. What is the system? Is Alabama a power running team? No. Is Alabama a spread-the-field passing team? Is Alabama a balanced-attack team? No. There is no identity. One week they try to run, run, run. The next they play five wide receivers. Coach Saban has been preaching the term “identity” since he arrived and apparently the offensive players haven’t heard. Maybe coach Applewhite hasn’t heard either. Maybe Assistant head coach Joe Pendry missed the memo. Whatever the case there is no offensive identity.
There are four suspensions right now and two of those are with the offensive line and another is a power running back. Those absences hurt and Alabama does not have anyone to replace them. (Note: I saw Chris Capps in the game and couldn’t believe it).
What remedies exist to help this benign offense get going? Would replacing John Parker Wilson help? This doesn’t seem plausible because I think the backups are no better. But, after the two interceptions doesn’t Nick Saban at least try and make a change at the Quarterback position? Honestly, he didn’t think Wilson would stay that bad and would improve to win the game. But when has he played well? Wilson has had some good moments this season but three losses are easily attributed to him: FSU, LSU, MSU. Maybe he can’t just play against ______________ State University. Again though, the backups are not any better so it would do little good to replace Wilson. (The only utility it would serve would be just to get him out to show him he can be replaced.)
Only time can tell what is in store for the Tide the next two weeks. It is both going to be fun and exciting or sad and disappointing.
One year ago at this juncture of the season, the University of Alabama football team had six wins and four losses after playing ten games. Likely this year, they will have one more victory with Louisiana Monroe on the schedule but I would not put it past the Tide to lose. But, Alabama will in all comprehensible reality lose, for the sixth straight season, to Auburn. So Alabama paid $4 million for a single additional regular season win.
I was the biggest advocate for the coaching change and Nick Saban becoming the coach of Alabama, but this past week against Mississippi State I wondered if this was the same coach that has held the Sears Trophy. It has been evident ever since the Florida State game that the Alabama offense was sketchy. After the Tennessee game, however, it appeared that the problem was rectified. But the problems were still there for the LSU game.
What is the problem? John Parker Wilson? Maybe. The offensive play calling? Maybe. The offensive system? More likely. What is the system? Is Alabama a power running team? No. Is Alabama a spread-the-field passing team? Is Alabama a balanced-attack team? No. There is no identity. One week they try to run, run, run. The next they play five wide receivers. Coach Saban has been preaching the term “identity” since he arrived and apparently the offensive players haven’t heard. Maybe coach Applewhite hasn’t heard either. Maybe Assistant head coach Joe Pendry missed the memo. Whatever the case there is no offensive identity.
There are four suspensions right now and two of those are with the offensive line and another is a power running back. Those absences hurt and Alabama does not have anyone to replace them. (Note: I saw Chris Capps in the game and couldn’t believe it).
What remedies exist to help this benign offense get going? Would replacing John Parker Wilson help? This doesn’t seem plausible because I think the backups are no better. But, after the two interceptions doesn’t Nick Saban at least try and make a change at the Quarterback position? Honestly, he didn’t think Wilson would stay that bad and would improve to win the game. But when has he played well? Wilson has had some good moments this season but three losses are easily attributed to him: FSU, LSU, MSU. Maybe he can’t just play against ______________ State University. Again though, the backups are not any better so it would do little good to replace Wilson. (The only utility it would serve would be just to get him out to show him he can be replaced.)
Only time can tell what is in store for the Tide the next two weeks. It is both going to be fun and exciting or sad and disappointing.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Open Letter to Sly Croom
Props to Sly Croom, he just may have saved Alabama football (if in fact [the administration] lets Shula go or he resigns).
-Andy Robinson November 5th 2006
Dear Sly,
Thank you so much for what you’ve done for the University of Alabama. Your playing days were very memorable and you showed great discipline and work ethic, things that are the indicative of a great Tide player. As a coach you led the Tide to many bowls and two national titles. You are the epitome of class and everyone should strive to live up to your example.
Roll Tide. Your heart has been in Tuscaloosa as well as your knew home, Starkville. There, you are carrying on a tradition of great coaches to have graduated under Denny Chimes. Even while conducting your duties as a coach of the Bulldogs, you managed to save ‘Mamma from endless mediocrity.
You beat the daylights (there are other words) out of a Mike Shula coached team in Bryant Denny Stadium. This victory eventually resulted in the firing of Michael, a great day in Alabama history. The administration in Rose should rename the field, Croom Field at Bryant Denny for you provided the catalyst to end the second worst period in Alabama football history. Roll Tide.
Sincerely,
The Crimson Tide Nation
-Andy Robinson November 5th 2006
Dear Sly,
Thank you so much for what you’ve done for the University of Alabama. Your playing days were very memorable and you showed great discipline and work ethic, things that are the indicative of a great Tide player. As a coach you led the Tide to many bowls and two national titles. You are the epitome of class and everyone should strive to live up to your example.
Roll Tide. Your heart has been in Tuscaloosa as well as your knew home, Starkville. There, you are carrying on a tradition of great coaches to have graduated under Denny Chimes. Even while conducting your duties as a coach of the Bulldogs, you managed to save ‘Mamma from endless mediocrity.
You beat the daylights (there are other words) out of a Mike Shula coached team in Bryant Denny Stadium. This victory eventually resulted in the firing of Michael, a great day in Alabama history. The administration in Rose should rename the field, Croom Field at Bryant Denny for you provided the catalyst to end the second worst period in Alabama football history. Roll Tide.
Sincerely,
The Crimson Tide Nation
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Seriously...
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that in Tuscaloosa there are no females this skanky...Maybe I'm wrong, but please.
This is worth reposting
http://www.al.com/sports/press-register/pfinebaum.ssf?/base/sports/119434419178700.xml&coll=3
This is Finebaum's column for November 6 2007
This is Finebaum's column for November 6 2007
Is this a recipe for disaster for Alabama against Mississippi State?
2 cups………………………emotional loss to LSU
1 cup………………………..up and coming MSU program
1 ½ cup…………………….the game is in Starkville
1 teaspoon………………….I’ve got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell
6 ounces…………………...Sly Croom has a special place for this game
1lb…………………………ground beef of John Parker Wilson
½ dozen……………………textbook thieves
2 tablespoons………………MSU won last year
Directions:
Brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain the excess grease. Combine the “emotional loss” and the “up and coming program” in a large sauce pan and bring to boil. Add the half dozen thieves, the location of the game, the teaspoon of cowbell, Sly Croom’s special place for this game, and the fact the MSU knows they can win. Bring all of this to a boil and reduce by half. Is this a recipe for disaster for Saban and the ones in crimson?
2 cups………………………emotional loss to LSU
1 cup………………………..up and coming MSU program
1 ½ cup…………………….the game is in Starkville
1 teaspoon………………….I’ve got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell
6 ounces…………………...Sly Croom has a special place for this game
1lb…………………………ground beef of John Parker Wilson
½ dozen……………………textbook thieves
2 tablespoons………………MSU won last year
Directions:
Brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain the excess grease. Combine the “emotional loss” and the “up and coming program” in a large sauce pan and bring to boil. Add the half dozen thieves, the location of the game, the teaspoon of cowbell, Sly Croom’s special place for this game, and the fact the MSU knows they can win. Bring all of this to a boil and reduce by half. Is this a recipe for disaster for Saban and the ones in crimson?
Monday, November 5, 2007
LSU 2007-aftermath
I sat down at my computer last night to write this piece (of shit) but refrained from typing more than a paragraph. I was full of anger. But was it anger? No, I was full of jealousy. I received this jealousy by watching a team full of heart and desire get beaten by a team of superhuman androids. Louisiana State University has a football team that is full of men that could all wrestle against live bears and win. It is a team that when it faces all adversity, turnovers, penalties, and ball bounces go against it, it still wins. That’s what happened.
Alabama was beaten hands down. There was no running game, there was no short passing game. Alabama’s offense consisted of big plays that were explosive. Alabama’s defense, played as well as it could but could not stop LSU on two possessions that began inside its ten yard-line. Why was I jealous?
For years, I’ve viewed many football games with Alabama and I think that the majority of big games that have championship ramifications, Alabama has lost more than it has won. Alabama has lost to Auburn and Tennessee more than it has beaten them. But if you go back twenty-five years (before) I was roaming the earth, the University of Alabama fielded teams of great stature and athleticism, teams like LSU. I’m jealous of LSU fans who get to enjoy their team beat up on weaker, smaller opponents. I’m jealous of Auburn fans who get to enjoy six consecutive wins (about to be seven) over their in state rivals. I’m jealous of Tennessee fans that get to enjoy Rocky Top forty-five times a game in Bryant Denny Stadium. What happened twenty-five years ago to make Alabama football so irrelevant? (Okay there was one national championship but that is a minor blip on the radar when the last twenty-five years are viewed in the aggregate.)
Poor management happened. Egos in administration happened. Cheating happened. Paul Bryant probably paid some players in his days, but it was not uncommon for that to happen. When the NCAA began to issue serious punishment to violators, Alabama and the football program did not adjust. Those terrible and idiotic things bring us to present day, 6-3 in Nick Lou Saban’s first season. It’s not a bad record, but it’s not impressive considering victories over Western Carolina, Houston, and Ole Miss are nothing to write home about. (It’s also worth noting that Ole Miss should have beaten Alabama and Houston almost did). Is this coach Saban’s fault? No. Now, I’ve been negative and cynical up until this point to say this: things are changing.
Gone are the days of moral victories (A phrase that mediocre coaches use to hide the fact that they cannot coach). Last night, Nick Lou Saban told the press that he was unhappy with losing. Really, me too. But what’s impressive is that some coaches see the opportunity to make excuses (Mike Dubose, Mike Shula, Bill Curry, et cetera) and Nick said it was his fault and he had to get the team more prepared. He could have easily blamed the referees, John Parker Wilson, Keith Brown, ____________ (insert and offensive lineman’s name). He didn’t. It’s his fault. But in all reality it’s not his fault. It’s twenty-five years of paying players, half-assed coaching, and an uncaring administration.
Bama is not back, and I don’t know if Bama will ever be back, but I feel better about this program after a seven-point loss to LSU than I did a year ago with a fourteen-point loss. There’s leadership on Bryant drive, and there are high expectations on the sidelines.
Alabama was beaten hands down. There was no running game, there was no short passing game. Alabama’s offense consisted of big plays that were explosive. Alabama’s defense, played as well as it could but could not stop LSU on two possessions that began inside its ten yard-line. Why was I jealous?
For years, I’ve viewed many football games with Alabama and I think that the majority of big games that have championship ramifications, Alabama has lost more than it has won. Alabama has lost to Auburn and Tennessee more than it has beaten them. But if you go back twenty-five years (before) I was roaming the earth, the University of Alabama fielded teams of great stature and athleticism, teams like LSU. I’m jealous of LSU fans who get to enjoy their team beat up on weaker, smaller opponents. I’m jealous of Auburn fans who get to enjoy six consecutive wins (about to be seven) over their in state rivals. I’m jealous of Tennessee fans that get to enjoy Rocky Top forty-five times a game in Bryant Denny Stadium. What happened twenty-five years ago to make Alabama football so irrelevant? (Okay there was one national championship but that is a minor blip on the radar when the last twenty-five years are viewed in the aggregate.)
Poor management happened. Egos in administration happened. Cheating happened. Paul Bryant probably paid some players in his days, but it was not uncommon for that to happen. When the NCAA began to issue serious punishment to violators, Alabama and the football program did not adjust. Those terrible and idiotic things bring us to present day, 6-3 in Nick Lou Saban’s first season. It’s not a bad record, but it’s not impressive considering victories over Western Carolina, Houston, and Ole Miss are nothing to write home about. (It’s also worth noting that Ole Miss should have beaten Alabama and Houston almost did). Is this coach Saban’s fault? No. Now, I’ve been negative and cynical up until this point to say this: things are changing.
Gone are the days of moral victories (A phrase that mediocre coaches use to hide the fact that they cannot coach). Last night, Nick Lou Saban told the press that he was unhappy with losing. Really, me too. But what’s impressive is that some coaches see the opportunity to make excuses (Mike Dubose, Mike Shula, Bill Curry, et cetera) and Nick said it was his fault and he had to get the team more prepared. He could have easily blamed the referees, John Parker Wilson, Keith Brown, ____________ (insert and offensive lineman’s name). He didn’t. It’s his fault. But in all reality it’s not his fault. It’s twenty-five years of paying players, half-assed coaching, and an uncaring administration.
Bama is not back, and I don’t know if Bama will ever be back, but I feel better about this program after a seven-point loss to LSU than I did a year ago with a fourteen-point loss. There’s leadership on Bryant drive, and there are high expectations on the sidelines.
Wet behind the ears
In a day in which everyone with a cell phone has a website, I decided to start a blog. I had already posted my views on University of Alabama athletics, SEC athletics, and politics on Facebook in the form of notes (so there is really no need for this since more people will see my posts on Facebook than this URL anyway, but I guess this website seemed like a way to waste more of my time).
My friends, Tommy and Cody have a blog so I decided I needed one. Anyway so enjoy reading my views on society (disregard the cynicism).
My friends, Tommy and Cody have a blog so I decided I needed one. Anyway so enjoy reading my views on society (disregard the cynicism).
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