Heart Palpitations...!

Well, both The University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the New Orleans Saints football teams had me on the edge of my seat all weekend. It wasn't pleasant, at least not until the final guns of either contest.
Inconsistent quarterback play and failure to punch the ball into the end zone in short yardage situations continue to haunt The Tide. Thankfully, Terrence Cody has some mighty big meat-hooks.... and armpits! Alabama was fortunate that Lee Tiffin has gotten into a groove, or we might have been cringing in anguish today.
We have a week off to heal and prepare for the always-dangerous LSU Tigers. Have to play a LOT better on the offensive side if we are to remain undefeated down the stretch.
Roll Tide.




The New Orleans Saints had to come from behind-- waaay behind-- to defeat the Miami Dolphins and remain undefeated. The Phins were playing waaay over their heads for three quarters, but the Saints finally got it together. Drew Brees threw more picks today than he has all season, but New Orleans didn't collapse. They stayed with their game plan, and pounded their way to victory.
Whew!

Roll Tide ANYway... And Happy New Year!

Well, The Crimson Tide lost to Utah in The Sugar Bowl to finish 12-2 for the season. We were flat and distracted, and The Utes were fired up about the bowl, about lack of respect, and for playing The Tide. I am proud of our team for getting this far and honestly surprised that they were as successful, as I figured BAMA would go 9-3, optimistically 10-3.
The BAMA Twins, Cole and Wade Ellis were treated to the best year The Tide has had on the field in a while, and the highlights were many (36-0, anyone...?). Some of our regular attendees to our weekly football gatherings didn't show for the last two games (you know who you are...!), and it is apparent that this disruption of our 'mojo' cost us victories.
Coach Saban has the boys ahead of schedule, and Andre Smith notwithstanding, look to be even better next year. If recruiting plays out like projected, we'll finish with another top-5 haul. Let's see how many coaches get 'Sabanized' next year...!
Happy New Year, and ROLL TIDE!

First Picks of October

Ah-ight. Last week is over, The TIDE is #2, and an undefeated Kentucky Wildcat team is coming to visit in a nationally-televised SEC matchup. Alabama has been reminded and lectured all week about the second-half letdown in the Georgia game, so don't look for anyone to come out flat. Kentucky has been opportunistic if un-spectacular, but they ARE 4-0. Not sure how well they'll do if we can stop them outside of the red zone. We have to avoid giving up the big plays.
The 'Cats match up pretty well at skill positions, but will be out-slugged and mugged by our big D. Look for Bama to pull away in the second half.
ALABAMA 42, Kentucky 14.

Okay, here's the rest of the picks:

Tebow & the Gators take out their frustrations on a reeling Razorback squad. Arkansas should be able to finally score a few points, but not nearly enough. Will Petrino last the season...? Florida 54, Arkansas 14

tennessee is just not very good. It's obvious that David Cutcliffe has always been the one responsible for much of tennessee's success. The 'viles' should get some relief against Northern Illinois. But not much. Will fatty fulmer's time finally be up....? If so, who's next in line...? tennessee 14, NI 10

The Gamecocks visit The Rebels in a wacky match-up that's anybody's ball game. Spurrier is not very happy with the lack of progress by South Carolina's squad. If he can't find a quarterback to run his offense, might the Ol' Ball Coach reeeeally consider making a move over to Knoxville...? Ole Miss 21, Carolina 13

Now the UGLY: Isn't that 'spread offense' something...? auburn better hope they get it together. ESPN's Gameday is in Nashville for the first time EVER! To see -- this is not a typo-- an UN-DEFEATED VANDERBILT host the tigers/war-eagles/plainsmen/whatever. The Commodores are ranked and rolling while making very few mistakes, and tubby's tigers have been less-than-impressive so far this season. Will the Vandy Cinderella story continue...? Or will auburn find their footing and bring the 'Dores back down to Earth...? Can the tigers overcome their own ineptitude...? Will they implode on national tv..
And don't be surprised to see THIS guy outside the stadium in Nashville. If things go as they have all season, he MAY just have a job by halftime...!
Not likely. auburn 21, vanderbilt 17

COOL BAMA SPORTS ILLUSTRATED ALTERNATE COVERS

Click on the title of this post to see some cool alternate BAMA Sports Illustrated Covers....!

IRON BOWL WISH

ALABAMA PLEASEpleasePLEASEpleasePLEASE PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE
BEAT auburn......!
I'm still so full of turkey & dressing that I can hardly move.
Hopefully, The TIDE can end this string of embarrassing losses and 'right the ship'.
Arkansas (barely) beats LSU (in 3OT) to end the Tigers' national championship hopes. LSU will still represent the West in the SEC Championship game. MSU comes from behind to beat Ole Miss and send Orgeron packing. Kentucky and Tennessee looks to be a good matchup, and with a win the vols can be right back in the SEC Eastern driver's seat. Crazy season!

WRONG.......AGAIN...!

WTF...?
Bama.
Arkansas.
Vandy.
auburn.
Can you say "Belly up"....?
The Tide slogged around and were beaten--again--by Mississippi State and Sylvester Croom. Arkansas apparently sent McFadden alone out to lose to the vols. Vanderbilt let Kentucky get by them. And the cow college looked helpless in the fourth quarter against Georgia.

It's official. I have proven again that I know absolutely nothing about college football, specifically SEC teams.
ROLL TIDE ANYWAY.

Reauxll Tide ANYWAY!

Well, I didn't get a chance to post my prediction for the Bama-LSU game(which was Bama 31, LSU 27), but it was a goodie anyway! The Tigers took advantage of weak offensive line pass-protection, and capitalized on numerous miscues and call-reversals by the officials. The Tide played 'em tough, though, and lost(barely)by a score of 41-34 after a qb sack/fumble by John Parker Wilson.
Our defense was surprisingly effective with 3 interceptions, but just barely missed on the game-winning LSU td. We matched up pretty well overall and even enjoyed the lead in this competitive contest. The Tigers did a good job of stuffing our rushing game in a very exciting and entertaining 4 hours of football. I don't believe this turned out to be the cake-walk many Tiger fans expected. I feel good about the effort put forth by The Tide, and will only feel better as Coach Saban loads up blue-chip recruits.
The game also displayed the parity that is the SEC. Look around the league. Not a whole lot of separation. Just ask Carolina. Or Arkansas. Or Vandy. But that's another entry.......

POW!! RIGHT in the KISSER...!! SEC Football Tops 'Em ALL!

41-17. BAMA beats Tennessee. Things are starting to get back to normal. The Tide whipped the Vols in the second half like we're supposed to. Coach Saban, shuffling players after suspensions of key personnel under scrutiny of some unfortunate textbook/benefits/possible violations, earned his paycheck again this week.
JP Wilson looked sharp. DJ Hall was again impressive. The newly-shuffled offensive line provided time and protection and opened holes for the shifty and explosive Terry Grant. The defense stepped it up a notch, played tough together and The fat orange got an old-fashioned spankin'.
Unfortunately, I had to work and could only semi-listen to the game live. But I stayed up until 2:00 late Saturday night (After the LSU/Auburn game) watching EVERY minute. Beautiful.
GREAT weekend for SEC football. Florida squeaks by Kentucky. Vanderbilt up-ends Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks. And the LSU/Auburn 'tiger tangle' was as exciting a nail-biter as you'll see.

The TRUTH About the OLE MISS Mascot

Well, it's "Ole Miss" week again. The University of Alabama plays the Rebels in the annual SEC matchup in what promises to be a boring, low-scoring matchup between two evenly inept and mediocre programs. But the Tide should prevail. Again. And again. Heck, there won't be any Mannings for a couple of decades, so we should be safe for years to come. Why do I say this? Because we beat them regularly. Even in our worst campaigns ever, we beat Ole Miss. Always. Mike Shula beat them. Even Mike DuBose beat them.
Which brings me to my topic:

Colonel Rebel. The symbol of the University of Mississippi, the last vestiges of a dying culture, was actually inspired by this man:

"BLIND JIM" IVY was a concessions pioneer who sold peanuts at early Ole Miss football contests. (Editor's Note: Not to be confused with Blind Jim Brewer, the bluesman who fled to Chicago) So, to be historically accurate, shouldn't their mascot look more like this....?

I know it's not 'politically correct' but it is more accurate. And, after the Rebels lose a couple of more ugly games, the fans will be jumping ship. Sipping Mint Juleps and talking about the 'War of Nawthun Aggression'.
If they're gonna switch loyalties, my suggestion would be The Vanderbilt Commodores, with minimal mascot/merchandise changes other than color:

Actually, we're pretty evenly-matched. Not much difference between SEC teams. Bama-Arkansas-Georgia-Kentucky-tennessee. Mississippi State shut LSU down for three quarters, but were killed by their own quarterback. The cow college beat Florida. Heck, the Rebels even took the Gators to the wire...! It's that whole 'any given Saturday' thing....

PREDICTION: ALABAMA 24, Ole Miss 13

Good Local High School Football on ESPN2 (And LOU..!)

Wow! Two local (well, regional, since they're in Baldwin County) teams squared off with a national ESPN2 audience last night. I watched most of it, and at first I thought it was going to be 'The JULIO JONES Show'. Which would have been fine with me. This kid makes it look easy. And he played both ways! I sure hope he comes to THE University of ALABAMA.
And we got to see and hear Kenny 'Snake' Stabler at the game. But the announcers talked more about Mobile than either Foley OR Daphne. Weird.
Now, usually, I hate to watch Lou Holtz's halftime rants. This washed-up 'Granny Clampett' look-a-like who sounds like Sylvester (excuse me-- 'thoundth like Thylvethter) is such a homer and Notre Dame apologist that I just can't sit through his insane 'pep talks'. I mean, he literally rambles incoherently and makes such vague references that even I sometimes can't make them remotely relevant.
Last night, however, during the South Carolina-Kentucky game, he did this:

I LOVE the old 'tearing paper' trick.

ANYhow, The Tide should take care of the Houston Cougars handily. It's Homecoming, so maybe they can put on a show for everyone. And win big. Hopefully, the mistakes can be corrected. If so, this game should be just what Bama needs.
PREDICTION: ALABAMA 38, Houston 14

Florida visits LSU in a good night-game matchup that could get ugly if the Gators play like they did against auburn. LSU has typically started their games slowly, but I think they'll come out clawing Saturday night. And what's with Les Miles and that 'trucker hat'...? That thing sits a mile on top of his head! The Bayou Bengals fans will have been drinking all day, so look for some ugly behavior if Florida comes out on top. It'll be a close one.
PREDICTION: LSU 38, Florida 28

Okay, honestly, I don't care about any of the other games, and as evidenced by last week's picks I obviously don't know much about college football, either. ROLL TIDE.

Missed a Follow-Up

Well, following the games last week, issues with either my browser or my Blogger service prevented me from giving my take on the ALABAMA-GEORGIA game. It was a fairly even match-up, as I predicted, only The Dawgs came out on top in overtime.
Quite honestly, there's not a hair's bit of difference between ALABAMA, Georgia, Arkansas, Kentucky, and whoever else in The SEC other than LSU and Florida.
And auburn might just surprise the Gators. (Please ask Ed O for details....!)
Bama will surely rise back to the top--eventually. We're not quite ready to assume the top of the heap just yet, but give Coach Saban a couple of years hoarding the studs and star recruits. Once we get his players assimilated into the system -along with the skeletal talent already in place- we will be dangerous. Dominant, even.
Watch out, Meyer. Move over, Spurrier. Quit crying, Miles. Everyone prepare to resume your positions. Behind Bama. It won't be this year. Maybe not even next year. But just wait.
There's a new Dark Lord in town. His Force will be strong.
And Crimson.
ROLL TIDE.

1 Day 'Til KICKOFF!

In the spirit of the season, and in anticipation of tomorrow, I have decided to post some tidbits to get everyone fired up. Like this classic:


And one of my personal favorites:


Who can forget this?


Or.....

And, although I know it's not The Crimson Tide, it's still football.... kinda.....


Hopefully, we can look forward to many more highlights and good memories of ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE FOOTBALL....!
ROLL, TIDE, ROLL...!

2 Days 'Til Kickoff!

Well, here we are, only 2 days away from ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE Football...! I am very excited, and can hardly wait! Tonight, SEC Football premieres on ESPN as the highly-overrated LSU Tigers visit the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a nationally-televised much-expected spanking.I sure hope that Sylvester Croom's Bulldogs can make a game of it. I would like for them to win, but that is highly unlikely.
PREDICTION: LSU 41, MSU 14

The Crimson Tide will take to the field for an expected drubbing of a cupcake opponent in a PPV telecast Saturday night. At least now we as fans don't have to be apprehensive about games we're SUPPOSED to win....! The Nick Saban era will begin, and hopefully will bring back the confidence and optimism in the team and program that has been missing.

Injuries and suspensions aside, The Tide simply will be too much for an out-manned and out-muscled Catamounts squad
PREDICTION: ALABAMA 49, West Carolina 7

Out of respect for tradition, I am also posting the Classic Alabama Logo, the one with which we ALL grew up, and my brother had prominently displayed in our bedroom when I was a kid:


ROLL TIDE!

PRIORITIES

Well, only 4 days 'til kickoff! (Only 2 for SEC college football, as ESPN will have a Thursday night SEC game featuring LSU and Mississippi State...!) As an ardent fan, I appreciate "All Things Bama", and wanted to share with you an image from someone whose priorities are CLEARLY in order.
Luke Coley, a University of Alabama Law School grad, got married recently. Below is a photo of his groom's cake:


I WANT ONE! Not necessarily a 'groom cake', but I like the idea of anything chocolate with a big ol' BAMA Logo! (Not sure how it will go with the customary beer and sausage on the menu Saturday, though.....) Maybe I'll get a cake decorating kit and start making and selling them.........!!
ROLL TIDE!

Everybody's Jealous-- And That's FINE...!

Well, it's official. Nick Saban is on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and everybody's gunning for THE University of Alabama Football Program. (Note the capitalization of the entire title!) This strikes me as kind of hypocritical, since EVERYone was proclaiming The Tide's 'irrelevance' not long ago.

Say what you want about the man or the program, but you can't deny it. Once again, Tuscaloosa has become the center of the universe. And rightfully so. Everyone hates us because of our arrogance and perceived superiority. (Decades of winning and expecting to win will do that to a fan base.) Sure, we became lax and had a few down cycles. But we were always 'this close' to victory.
Just ask last year's national champion Florida Gators, who we played oh-so-close but gave away a fumble on a tying/winning drive. Or the Arkansas Razorbacks. Or the Fat Orange In-breds up in Tennessee. All of these games weren't in reality won by those teams as much as given away by ours. Now that we have a legitimate championship-caliber coach, and kids who want to play for the man as well as the program, things are looking up.
No more '3 runs up the middle and punt'. No more sitting on a 1-point lead and 'hoping' for the best. The fire is back. We're going straight for the jugular.
6 Days 'Til Kickoff. I can't wait.