Roll Tide!

I posted this on my personal LJ a couple of weeks ago and just now realized people here may be interested in the rule changes.

The Birmingham News has a list of some of the new rule changes for the upcoming college football season. It's all about the offense.

40/25-second play clock:

At the end of every play, the 40-second clock will start, as is the rule in the NFL. College rules will still use the 25-second clock after a stoppage, such as a change of possession or a penalty.

Under college's old rules, only a 25-second clock was used and it did not start until the officials marked the ball ready for play. Some coaches wanted the change because officials used different amounts of time to mark the ball ready for play.

This is probably one of the more reasonable rule changes the NCAA has instituted in recent years. I'm ok with this one.

Player out of bounds:

[A]fter a player runs out of bounds, the game clock will now start when the ball is ready for play. This will not apply in the final two minutes of each half. Previously, the game clock did not start until the ball was snapped.

I'm not sure there's any real advantage here except to potentially speed up the game. That's really what the NCAA has been trying to do for years. (Remember the stupid rule about starting the clock before the snap after a change of possession? Yeah, that only lasted for one season.)

I have a better idea to speed the game up, though: Quit holding up the game to run commercials we've seen eleventy billion times already. TV time outs absolutely kill any momentum a team might have. I don't know about you, but I'm against a television network helping to determine who wins a game. It's even more annoying when you're actually attending the game and all you can think about during a break is how much you want to snipe the man in the red cap.

Zero Bama players drafted this weekend. That says two things to me:

1) Shula's recruiting wasn't so awesome.
2) Saban's indirect message this past season of a lack of senior leadership was true.

I was listening to Vince Ferrara this morning on my way to work, and as much as I really despise hearing him speak, I think he was accurate in his assessments of some players. Simeon Castille didn't really seem to care about much while he was here. D.J. Hall wasn't a leader. Wallace Gilberry apparently had some issues with effort in the weight room that translated into "his body just isn't the NFL type." (He did sign a free agent deal with the NY Giants, however.)

Meanwhile, Vanderbilt had three players drafted.

Let that sentence sink in for moment.

The good news is I don't expect this kind of thing to happen for much longer. I think we can all agree that Saban has the program back on track, and that we all sleep better at night than under the previous regime. Tommy Hicks also points out that "LSU had seven players chosen this year - players signed by Saban and his staff when he was at LSU."

Thoughts?

x-posted to uofalabama

Jay Barker is engaged to Sara Evans? WOW!

She's hot but she's a butt load of trouble! That mix just don't quite mix but best of luck to them anyway!

ATTN: NASCAR FANS...

I have 3 tickets to the Saturday SHARPIE MINI 300 and 3 tickets to the Sunday FOOD CITY 500 in Bristol....

Face Value:
Sharpie Tickets $56.00 = $168.00
Food City Tickets $92.00 =$276.00

I'll sell:

3 Sharpies for $110.00 ($58 below face value)
3 Food City for $180.00 ($96 below face value)

Get all of them for $290.00

If you're local (in Nashville area) I'll bring them to you! Or YOU pay the shipping for Fedex overnight!

You know how to keep Vols and Auburn fans from voting for OBAMA?

Put a "G" in front of his name:

GOBAMA!

When was the last time BAMA was is the top 25 in recruiting...much less the #1 recruiting class in the nation according to rivals.com?

Awesome job by Nick and staff.....maybe they'll all come through and get us where we want to be!!!!

Roll Tide on the off season!

This community should see more action! I'm going to try to move my football related posts away from uofalabama, which should really be more about the school in general, to here.

Ian Rapoport wrote a very good column, published today in the Birmingham News, about the lack of senior leadership on the Crimson Tide team. The three permanent captains (chosen by the players) to get their hands imprinted at Denny Chimes were Rashad Johnson, Antoine Caldwell, and Darren Mustin. Not D.J. Hall. Not Keith Brown. Not Simeon Castille. Johnson and Caldwell are juniors. Kind of telling, isn't it? Mustin seems to be the only senior leader on this team. I reaaaally wish we had him longer.

Some good quotes from Mustin:

"It makes me extremely mad because I feel like I didn't do my job to instill that into them," Mustin said. "I'm to blame because I didn't lead them where they need to go."

"(But there are) some people out there that just do not care, and they will not care," Mustin said. "Those are the type of weeds that you have to pull out. You regrow and you rebirth."

Here's the last part of Rapoport's column:

So what would have happened if the players had offered a total commitment?

"It could've been totally different," said Johnson, the recently named All-SEC selection. "Every game we lost this year was by seven points (or fewer). We won a couple of those, it could've been totally different."

As Saban says, "It's a process." Have to weed out Shula's guys. And speaking of Shula's guys, here's part of a column by Ray Melick:

As for Saban's problems at Alabama - well, some people close to Mike Shula say the former coach is not terribly surprised at what has happened in Tuscaloosa this year.

He [Shula] is not interested in talking about Alabama football, not even to answer some of the claims that the players his staff recruited have, to be politically correct, "character issues."

Shula is not interested in getting into that conversation because, according to a person close to Shula, he recruited these players and is loyal to them. But also, he knows he was taking some chances with some of the players he signed in his first couple of recruiting classes.

Apparently Shula felt forced to roll the dice a little. He was, after all, facing an uphill battle. The program was under NCAA sanctions and the school's football reputation was suffering because of the turmoil. Shula was a first-year head coach with no college experience, which made him fodder for the not-so-subtle doubts planted in recruits' homes by rival coaches.

Although Shula has said nothing, you get the impression from talking to people close to him that he wasn't surprised by many of the stories that came out of Tuscaloosa this past year.

Add that to Saban's reputation for being demanding and impatient - everything that Shula was apparently not - and it's easy to see why players who might have been protected by the first coach didn't respond to the next one.

Things are going to get better, guys. It's just a matter of finding out which players really want to be here and which don't. Personally, I think getting rid of some of these seniors is going to help a lot.

I guess I can't really blame Saban for it all. The way I see it!

We need an offensive coordinator.....a 25 year old doesn't have enough experience to be top notch anything in the professional world.

We desperately need a quarterback.

And ALL of our players need a class in STUPIDITY...hopefully to learn how NOT to be Stupid!

I don't understand how we looked SOOOOO good in beating the SEC East Champs and looked really good against the SEC West Champs and went straight to hell after that!

That's 6 Iron Bowls in a row and Auburn should not have beaten us this year, even though I knew before the game started that we would lose.

we lack a lot but I'd think we be able to put together a better team than this.

We don't even deserve a bowl.

Maybe Saban can put together a real coaching staff on the off season and maybe he can find some talent for this NO talent team. So for about the 8th year in a row I can say we have had yet another dissapointing season.

Thanks for the great players Shula!

Maybe next year, right?

Fill out this survey so we in the community can get to know you better:
Name (first only): Katy
How long have you been an Alabama fan? I've always been a Penn State fan, but I routed for Bama over Auburn since I was a kid. I became a full fledged Alabama fan when I finally moved to Alabama in 2003.
Which Bama team is your favorite (if you have one)?
What is your favorite play in Bama history?
Who is your favorite Alabama coach? I think Saban has definite potential, but you have to love the Bear!
Why do you love Alabama football? The thrill and the atmosphere and the ups and downs, and the tradition. Honestly, it's the same thrill of Penn State, but of course Bama just tops!

if you have not seen this poll by espn, check it out.  bear is on the list.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/specialsection/citirosebowl/2007/index

 

..we paid 4 million dollars for the same result as last season!!! It was cheaper with Shula. I know, I know, He needs to get his recruits in and I really like Saban..it's just very disappointing to lose one like this...we played tremendously well against Tennessee and I was proud of our boys against LSU..then..what happened? Next week ain't gonna be pretty!

I have two tickets to this Saturday's game vs. La. Monroe. They are located in the lower level, Section N-5, Row 29, Seats 5 and 6.

This game will not be televised. The price is $75 for the pair. I can meet in Tuscaloosa to make the exchange.

crossposted to uofalabama

FYI, I requested some Bama football icons at dupontdesigns and they're here, if anyone else is interested.

Final Score:

Alabama Crimson Tide: 41
Tennessee Volunteers: 17

ROLL DAMN TIDE BABY!!!

Wow... Alabama hasn't played a game like that since the 2005 Florida massacre. The big story of this game was Saban's coaching to win the game right from the start. He had the balls to open with an onside kick that shocked us all. I was scared out of my mind in the 1st quarter when Ainge looked like he was going to shred us to pieces. Still, I have to have it to the team. Our offense, especially the passing game, played LIGHTS OUT. D.J. Hall set the school record for catches, and he just had an overall monster day. John Parker Wilson probably played the best game of his career as well, and our offensive line protected him pretty much all day (Even with multiple linemen out due to suspensions). Our defense played over their heads and really shut down Ainge in the 2nd half. Kareem Jackson, a freshman defensive back, earned player of the game honors in my book with two critical interceptions and some key pass breakups. I could talk about this one all day, but I just want to savor the win. You don't know how sweet it is to put a beat down like this on Tennessee. The victory cigars were firing up all over the Quad... I love it!

Just to rub things in...



More pictures from the game:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/diamondduste/sets/72157602561671946/

Heard about this on a radio show...sounds pretty interesting, since they're signing Freddie Milons, Ahmaad Galloway, and some other Crimson Tide greats of yesteryear...

http://www.allamericanfootballleague.com/index.php

...the best part? The FAQs section of the website reveals that game tickets are expected to start as low as $13!

A weird day yesterday at homecoming in Tuscaloosa. I was very excited after the safety and the 23 points scored in the 1st quarter.

But then back to the same ole, same ole. It's got me really worried about every other game on the schedule except UL-Monroe and I'm not so sure about that one.

I guess I should have expected more from our team this year but I do know that I need to be patient....and wait....for Saban to get his style in there and get his recruits in also.

I have a hard time with the play calling....I'm not sure that someone as young as Major Applewhite has the experience to be a coordinator in Major College Football.

I sure hope that we can recruit a good quarterback one of these days...the University of ALabama that has had so many great quarterbacks NEEDS another great quarterback!

Kudos to the defense, although not the best in the land....they give our offense EVERY opportunity to win every game....there is however ONLY so much you can do to win a game!

Was it the band or someone else who blew the whistle in the middle of the play that Houston had the ball? that was BAD!

The officials? OMG!

And we are always being reviewed for our "close" touchdowns..why weren't they on the goal line touchdown?

Thanks to Houston for all the bad throws and dropped passes when they were wide open..we'd not have won otherwise!

And nevertheless, congrats to the boys for a win.....it counts and maybe we'll come up with something next week for Ole Miss!

Final Score:

Alabama Crimson Tide: 30
Houston Cougars: 24

I'm going to keep this one short and sweet since I have a splitting headache that is a result of Coors Light and roasting in the sun during the 1st half of this game.

The game itself was one of the weirdest things I have ever seen. We opened up with 23 straight points on Houston, and due to the heat and nature of the game, people started to leave. The crowd really wasn't into this one that much. Anyways, Houston comes roaring back in the 2nd half. They get in position to win the game at the end, but thank goodness our secondary was able to intercept a fade pass to three bunched Houston wide-outs. We looked good at times, but then we regressed. Story of the season, but I'll take a win any way I can get it.

Pictures might tell a better story... they include the Homecoming Parade on campus. Hard to believe it'll be 3 years since I graduated Alabama this coming December... Class of 2004!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/diamondduste/sets/72157602290252248/

My high hopes this year are gone. Maybe we can just win a few games and beat Tennessee.

The last two games, if we had played ANY quarter besides just the fourth quarter we'd have won them both!

The defense held FLorida State 7 points until the Fourth Quarter and one of the last two touchdowns is on Wilson!

I feel like the Defense did their part, the offense just never decided to do theirs!

I'm afraid this year folks, we're dealing with the same ole BAMA!

See ya at homecoming..hopefully we'll get up for THAT one!

New member here!  Lived in Huntsville for 16 years and now I am in New Jersey.  I miss SEC football discussions so much so I finally decided to track down some LJ communities!

I watched the Georgia game from my inlaws house and although the loss was dissapointing, I was still so proud to be a Crimson Tide fan!  We were stomped pretty regularly last year so it was really nice to see the Tide hold their own up until the very end.  It really could have been anyone's game.  That last 80+ yard drive was AMAZING and it gives me so much hope for the rest of the season!  We have a lot more great football ahead of us!  ROLL TIDE!!!