Alabama 14-21 With Other Thoughts

Well, that was a bit of a let down. If you don’t believe that we don’t have the horses to run with the big guys now, I think you’re a little off in the head.

Will people blame the coaching for this loss? Well, I’d say yes and no. Most people will probably blame John Parker Wilson before the coaching, although that will be #2 on the hit list. Personally, the only coaching I can blame is the offensive play calling. Major Applewhite is an up and coming coach, but he certainly has a lot of ground to make up if he wants to make it in the SEC. I think with time he will.

I think you have to give McElroy some time in the next game against Houston. I don’t want McElroy to start or anything like that, but I would like Wilson to get some kind of wake-up call if possible. What is funny about Wilson is that he doesn’t have horrible stats: 8 touchdowns (6 passing, 2 rushing), 3 interceptions, and 1091 yards passing. He’ll just never be a 60% pass completion guy though.

As for Nick Saban, I really don’t think he did a bad job in this game, I’m not sure he and the staff did as well as they could’ve done. He is a defensive coach, and he has this defense playing way above their heads for most of the game. We just have almost no depth on the defensive side of the ball. You can only play the same group of guys for so long during a game until they get dog tired, which would explain that last FSU score after Alabama finally did something offensively.

In the end though, it all comes down to offense. As John Parker Wilson goes, so does the Tide. No coaching can fix his decision making skills in the middle of a 4 man rush. Once we feel the pressure, we start to make some plays on offense. But, that usually happens after we’re down double digits. What blows my mind is how great we can look in the 2nd half, after looking like a high school offense in the 1st half.

There is one thing I would like to address. Mike Shula and staff were telling us all that if we held on for one more season, we would see a great football team. Well Mike, I’d hate to break it to ya, but you left our defense high and dry in recruiting. We’d be lucky to win 4-5 games with your play calling.

As for Auburn, I’m going to say that they will win. If they don’t win, it’ll be decided by 7 points or less. Tubby shines in these “we have no chance” games. Plus, Florida rarely pressures the QB. Remember this Auburn fans.

The coaching is working, we’re just not there yet. Still, I would feel better had we been able to say we gave it our all.

Alabama vs. Florida State Thread

Here are some observations by Christopher Walsh of the Tuscaloosa News:

• The teams are out on the field and here are some things we noticed:

• Both Darren Mustin and Brian Motley are both in uniform and look ready to go – and Mustin looks like he might actually start.

• Jamie Christensen (groin) did the complete warm-up with the other kickers for the first time this season.

• Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele was the first person to go over and say hello to Bobby Bowden at midfield. There were quite a few other handshakes going on before both staffs turned their full attention to the players.

• It’s REALLY windy here. Alabama kickers came out early to kick into the wind on the FSU side, but did the rest of the warmups kicking against it.

• Ok – we may have an important development here. Evan Cardwell is warming up at center with the other starters. Antoine Caldwell is dressed and has extra neck padding on, but I haven’t seen him do anything yet.

• Florida State just announced that its backup nose guard, Kendrick Stewart, will start instead of Paul Giffin due to an injury. He walked off, which is great news.

Kick-off is minutes away!

First Quarter

If this punt and first series is any sign, we’re in trouble. We’re playing into the wind, so FSU has the early edge in the kicking game. FSU gets the first down after starting at midfield. Richardson is in as QB…… nothing happened. Delay of game on this big 3rd down. FSU gets next to nothing.

Punt is off and another touchback with the wind. Maybe we really should run the 2 minute drill more often (sigh). We can’t seem to get past the 28 yard line. Please let this punt succeed….. delay!?

FSU gets the ball back near midfield again, although we almost got the ball back. I’ll try to save comment for bigger plays from now on. SACK!

We need a big drive out there. 91 yards outta do it. Players are dropping like flies. Travis McCall is down…. that looks dangerous, similar to that Kevin Everrett play. Pray for the guy, he’s hurt.

Short field for FSU, they should get some points outta this with the wind in their favor. We just look so flat yet again on offense. If we can’t make a pass over 5 yards, we’re done. Field Goal is no good, BIG break for Bama.

I’m thinking Weatherford is mile ahead of Wilson right now. About to punt yet again. We have waaaay too much talent on offense for this crap to happen over and over again.

FSU gets a first down on the rush play with Parker. FSU having Tebow envy? I think FSU will get a few points out of this drive. 1st quarter is down and out.

The Gut and I: Florida State

Another weekend of football, and another weekend with a crazy game. The 3rd test in our early gauntlet of games is upon us: Alabama vs. Florida State. There are so many stories lines and so much pre-season hype from the fans, I hope this game doesn’t disappoint. I’m not really sure what to expect, although I’m leaning towards the Tide in this one. We shall see.

Reasons for my gut to say Alabama wins

• We’ll end up with some kind of advantage with the amount of Alabama fans at this game. Tuscaloosa was like a ghost town Friday.
• Terry Grant, Glen Coffee, and Roy Upchurch give one of the best backfields on the SEC, maybe even the nation.
• FSU only rushes 3 men on defense. I hope this means less pressure for JPW.
• Kevin Steele has to know something about FSU’s talent and schemes. He was the associate head coach down there.
• Brian Motley and Darren Mustin will be back (don’t know in what capacity). Mustin is crucial if we want to stop the run.
• We have to come out looking better than we did against Georgia last week. If not, I imagine the players will be making pizzas before Homecoming.
• Drew Weatherford.

Reasons for my gut to say Alabama losses

• This is a HUGE game for Bobby Bowden. I imagine his guys will be giving some extra effort out there for him.
• Jimbo Fisher has had 2 weeks to fix whatever problems the Seminoles have had offensively.
• Mickey Andrews (Bama grad) always puts out a tough defense that has plenty of speed.
• They still have a 5 star RB in Smith, even though their O-Line can’t open up holes for him.
• Bowden is 7-1 in Jacksonville against non-conference opponents.
• Our defense is still going to have to show us that they can step up late in the game. Until then, I have no reason to expect anything other than a tired group of players in the 4th quarter.
• Our Offense is bi-polar at times. Every game from here on out depends on the play of John Parker Wilson.

(Picture from The Decatur Daily)

 

VIP Connection

The super secret Coach Fran E-mail:

Morning Fellas,

INTRO & OVERVIEW

58 players participated in the game against Miami, including 46 on scrimmage downs and 11 on kicking teams only. We opened offensively in a three-wide, one-back set with one tight end, and defensively we were in the usual 4-2-5. We raked up 240 yards on Offense, and gave up 402 yards on defense.

I know what some of you are thinking, and I’m here to tell you that the problems we have are being addressed. I know with hard work and a tough mindset, we can do…… ah heck, I can’t keep this up. Life just plain sucks right now fellas.

I can’t get anybody to listen to me anymore. The fans hate me, the Board wants me to stick it where the sun don’t shine, and I’m about to lose to Baylor…. again!

Don’t even get me started about my players. I thought I could mold young boys into men, but I apparently let Martellus Bennett slip through the cracks in that area. Although I should point out his cookies are delicious, and Kim Possible is the shiz. I mean come on, who wouldn’t want to be 14 again for those kind of adventures? During the night, I sometimes call my wife Kim Mrs. Franpossible…. but only when she is asleep and I’m tired of watching reruns of the Sopranos on A&E. It helps me to get through the day.

A guy can dream, can’t he?

Oh well, we can’t all be so lucky. Back to the task at hand.

Schedule

My schedule for the week is pretty much the same as always. I arrive at the office early in the morning, grab a cup of coffee and head into either a coaches meeting or the film room. We then prepare what we should do in practice and head on out to the field as the players are getting ready. On Friday I plan to head on over to Dick’s to see what the newest shipment of sports bras look like….I hate having man-boobs.

Game Planning

The plan for the game this week is simple. all we need to do is let the J-train do his thing: run his mouth, eat the rest of the team under the table, and give him the ball once his heartburn starts to subside.

Aside from that, it’s still the same as always: run, run, run baby! I might let McGee attempt a pass or two, but I would like to wait and see how Baylor does in the first 3 quarters before I make any finite decision.

Position Overview of The Week: Wide Receivers

This week, I would like to focus on the Receivers. Earvin Taylor and Pierre Brown are very steady, but suffer from average speed. Kerry Franks has great speed, but is inconsistent in receiving. As for the rest (Cody Beyer, Michael Corey, Roger Holland, Terrence McCoy, and E.J. Shankle)… I’d rather not talk about them right now.

By the way guys, your membership fees are due in a week or so. I’m glad we got to discuss Aggie football. I hope this continues for a long, long while. Gig ‘Em!

P.S.
Reveille needs somebody to take her for a walk.

Bowden YouTube Search Gone Awry

So, I was looking for a few good YouTube videos of Bobby Bowden to help hype up the game this Saturday. I typed in “Bowden”, thinking I would find something noteworthy. Instead, I discovered a guy named Scott Bowden on some Memphis wrestling channel claiming to be the nephew of Bobby Bowden. Maybe Memphis Tider can shed some light on this since I’m not up to date on anything in Memphis, Tennessee.

If he were really the nephew of Bobby, I doubt he would be pulling the late shift in a Memphis wrestling ring. Nothing but a lie, just like wrestling. I’ve never understood the people who follow this stuff and think it is real. Whatever works for you I guess….

Midterms

The day when I sleep for 3 hours, eat half a sandwich to fit in more study time, and end up with a state of mind close to a disgruntled mailman (don’t panic, they can’t hear what I’m thinking….. yet). This is what drives most people to drink alone. Sorry, nothing of interest will be posted today. Well, if I’m still a functional human sometime after 3:30, there might be something…. but I wouldn’t count on it.

(HT: Shannon Burns)

Britney Spears Won’t Go Away!

First, go visit Garnet and Black Attack for this week’s edition of the SEC Power Poll.

I had another interview today. I won’t get into the specifics, but I will leave you a hint about one of the topics we covered. I promise you I’m not kidding:

Did Bama & UGA Fans Show Too Much Sportsmanship?

If you ask the guys from Bleacher Bloggers, we apparentlydid. Well, more likely Kyle King (DawgSports)and Todd (RollBamaRoll) when you look at it from their point of view. Check out the first segment of their latest YouTube video:

I guess I should offer my ringing endorsement to both Kyle and Todd since I was one of the Bama bloggers who also offered praise to the Dawgs. They both do remarkable jobs as bloggers, writing entertaining posts every single day. Besides, why shouldn’t they show respect to the other team? Both Bama and Georgia played a tough, physical game. They showed heart, which earns them a lot of respect.

Respect comes from trying to beat the living snot out of each other.

 

The Reverse Samson Theory

In the state of Alabama, people are criticizing the starting QBs for both major universities (UA and AU) like it is going out of style. Cox seems to have taken a majority of the hate talk, although Wilson seems to be catching up if Monday and Tuesday are any indication. Most of the fans are criticizing them for mediocre play, which is better than calling them both a mama’s boy.

So what is affecting their play? Is it mental? Maybe it’s due to pre-existing injuries, or bad mechanics.

What if their hairstyles had something to do with it? Yes, hair. Just take a look at their pictures:

They both have rather long hair. Could they be suffering from a reverse Samson effect of some kind? Just hear me out on this one.

Samson is the Biblical figure who’s strength came with his long hair. Once he lost that hair, he lost his gift of strength. After searching through some google images, I found a picture of Cox during his earlier years as an Auburn QB.

His hair has grown considerably (well, to match his bangs anyways). His best year as a starter in the eyes of the fans came in 2005. While his team did go 11-2 last year, he struggled.

Wilson on the other hand, has had the longer hair since he got to the Capstone. While he set a single season passing record last year, his TD-INT ratio wasn’t exactly stellar. Maybe his slightly better play can be attributed to how he keeps his hair in a slightly neater fashion.

Need further proof of the Reverse Samson? Well, check out the following SEC Quarterbacks. These four are probably having the best years overall in this Southeastern Conference:

I Support Mike Gundy

If you haven’t heard Mike Gundy’s reaction to this article on NewsOK.com, here it is:

I’m glad he said this for several reasons. Not only is he right in what he says, but he has helped to expose certain media members as a group of rank-and-file whiners. If you need an example, check out what Dennis Dodd of CBS Sportsline had to say:

Mike Gundy needs to be reprimanded, definitely suspended, probably fined and maybe fired.

Okie State’s third-year coach verbally attacked a woman, a journalist and degraded his profession after Saturday’s win over Texas Tech. Jenni Carlson, a columnist for the Daily Oklahoman, wrote a fair and balanced column Saturday regarding quarterback Bobby Reid. Typical of his coaching style, Gundy had replaced Reid as starter before the Sept. 13 game against Troy without explanation. As is her job in that situation, Carlson tried to explain why Reid lost his job in her column.

Try reading it and then tell me what is unfair, or personal.

Is it the job of a journalist to call a player a momma’s boy when he has had ZERO public outbursts of any kind? It is the job of a journalist to accuse him of being a panicked sissy? It was nothing more than a smear campaign Mr. Dodd! Please, I ask you to explain to me how a journalist should make the statements in that article with no back up whatsoever. And please, do not give me that “Gundy closed off the media!” garbage you tried to feed us in this article, that is no excuse for what is nothing more than cheap tabloid journalism.