SEC football kicks off this weekend in full force for the first time in 2008. We've had a handful of high profile games and good contests, but you can't find more than one game this weekend that doesn't get you interested for some reason. Only South Carolina plays a weak opponent and Kentucky takes the weekend off. Other than that, you could turn yourself into a serious couch potato watching the remainder of good contests in conference this weekend. Here's a rundown of each game, what in interesting or important about each match up and what teams can do some serious "proving" this weekend.
Arkansas vs Alabama - Nearly everyone is picking Alabama....probably just as much for the poor wins by the Hawgs so far as it is for Bama's performance against Clemson three weeks ago. Arkansas can prove a ton by winning this game. They can make a statement that they are a team to be reckoned with and that they aren't going to go down in the West without a fight. It is also the first true test for this Petrino offense against a good SEC team. Alabama has less they can prove just due to the fact that nobody has much respect for Arky yet. An Alabama win will give them a slight bit more credibility in the top 10, but most will be waiting to see the Tide against Clemson in a week. Interesting match ups on both sides of the ball. First, can the Alabama offense, namely John Parker Wilson, be effective against an SEC defense. The Hawgs are very young and honestly have not looked very good on the defensive side of the ball and if Alabama cant move the ball on them, it would be a bad sign. The other match up is truly Saban vs Petrino......can the Hawgs move the ball on a defense that looks much better than many thought it would to this point. Put me with the majority on this one......Bama wins by double digits.
Auburn vs LSU - There hasn't been a better 4 year series anywhere in college football...maybe in any football. Every game close, every game nasty and every game with some form of controversy or strangeness to it. Typically this is a defensive game, especially when played at Jordan Hare. Last 2 results are 10-9 and 7-3....that 7-3 game was the most well played 7-3 game I've seen in my lifetime. Auburn's offense has looked pretty bad, despite an encouraging performance against Southern Miss, the Tigers followed it with a horrid outing at MSU on that side of the ball. LSU's offense hasn't proven much to this point either, especially at QB. The disadvantage for LSU is only having played two games, and them both being against teams that were seriously lacking in the type of size and speed they will see on Saturday. Practicing against it is one thing, playing is completely different for guys like Andrew Hatch and Jarrett Lee. Both teams have a ton to prove and this is normally the game that turns the season for the winner and the loser. The winner will jump into the national discussion and be the outright favorite to win the West and get to Atlanta. I'll bet on the home team in this rivalry until that streak gets broken, but I'm not very comfortable doing it.
Florida vs Tennessee - Is a healthy Percy Harvin really the answer for the Gators? This was to be the premier offense in the conference or maybe even nationally with Tim Tebow coming back and the weapons and returning players at his disposal. Hasn't happened yet. The Vols have looked pretty inconsistent and in my opinion rely on the passing game too often. Crompton has not looked very accurate or poised and too many times they run the ball well early and abandon it later in the drive or game. This is a season saving kind of game for Tennessee after the UCLA debacle. They face Auburn, Northern Illinois and Georgia in the next three weeks and the fans could be looking at 2-4 at the midpoint of the season with Alabama, South Carolina, improving Vandy and Kentucky left to play. Fulmer's extension will get quite a bit of talk the week if the Vols get beaten badly. Florida was a media favorite for the SEC title and BCS title game birth. To live up to that hype, this team needs an offensive breakout game. Nothing like a John Chavis defense to help you out. There isn't a more predictable defensive coordinator in the conference.
Vandy vs Ole Miss - Winner likely gets a bowl trip and has a big leg up on the bottom half of the conference to shore up that spot. Both teams are good enough to beat almost anyone in the SEC on a good day....both are thin enough and inexperienced enough to lose to anyone as well. Not many fans nationwide or even in the SEC region will be watching this game with the headliners that we have this weekend, but it is a monster game for both schools. Vandy has a chance to be 4-0 with a 2-0 record in the SEC...that is just silly.
Georgia vs Arizona State - One of the two out of conference games that matter this weekend. Arizona State struggled last week and some of the luster has since worn from this match up. I expect a better Bulldogs offense and a game that isn't that close. Georgia can prove a lot by blowing out a Pac 10 team as far as the national pundits and polls go. It will be a common opponent between the Trojans and Georgia as well. Expect more Moreno and long balls by Stafford with a suffocating defense against an opponent that didn't look so good against big, physical teams a year ago.
Miss State vs Georgia Tech - Huge test for the Bulldogs after a tough home loss in the 3-2 nightmare game. There defense is built to stop the run, and that is what Tech does. If MSU cant win this one, look for a very long season and Sly Croom being the basement team of not just the West, but the entire conference.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
What we've learned and a look ahead to Week 2
One week down for SEC football and we have at least one team that looked better than expected and two teams that lost games we did not expect them to lose. Normally people want to take the first game and change their entire view of teams after seeing a glimpse of what they offer. Careful now. While some of the things we saw will allude to a big season or a monumental disappointment, many teams will look much different a month from now. There are too many examples to list, it is just part of the game. We will take a look at what we learned last week....what might be meaningful going forward....and what might not.
Alabama - I can recall hearing 2 things from Bama fans and the beat writers for probably the last 3 preseasons - "We are going to use the tight ends more" and "Maybe the best offensive line in the league". So when I heard those things again this year, I laughed them off as the same ole talk until I saw it proven otherwise. Obviously Tommy Bowden and his staff did the same. We've seen the "Bama's Back" moments before in the last 4 years or so - the big win over Florida and the trouncing of Tennessee last year - but I'm not sure we saw the Tide perform as physically as they did this weekend. That to me is a sign that this team is actually improved and will make some noise. For all the hype the young guys got, I was actually more impressed with the improvements of the players that had been on campus a few years. That is really what made Bama look like a team to be concerned with in the SEC. The new guys looked good, but give me a senior QB playing like Wilson did and an experienced offensive line finally living up to the billing it had been given and you can take Julio Jones out of the equation without effecting the wins and loss column. We won't get to see how "for real" this one was for a few weeks as the Tide take on some weaker opponents the next few weeks, but for now I'm sure fans are trying to figure out how many more National Title's they can add to those t-shirts.
Arkansas - Wow. I didn't expect to see that score line coming across the screen. The Hawgs were all but beaten by lowly Western Illinois this weekend and needed a solid late comeback to take a victory. Arkansas is obviously a team in complete transformation and it will be very interesting to watch the next month or so. I predicted Casey Dick would look like a stud.....all indications are that he was the Hawgs best player and looked like a completely new QB. I still say I'll buy it when he's playing Texas, Alabama, Florida and Auburn in consecutive games and doesn't throw 9 picks in those 4 games.
Auburn - Accomplished the mission of not getting upset by Lousiana-Monroe like their rival Alabama did a year ago. A 34-0 score would not lead to much to talk about except that 2 TD's came from the defense and special teams and another was set up by a really short field. Auburn ran the ball as it has for a decade.....very effectively. Auburn passed the ball as it has for the most part of that same decade....pretty poorly. The QB rotation was a disaster and they are changing the way they give out snaps this week. First game jitters and lack of a leader can explain some of the passing game issues, but the Tigers need one guy to step up and fast. Auburn has to get that fixed this week or the chances of beating the LSU's and Georgia's of the world are fading fast. On a bright note the defense looked to be it's typical suffocating self. The young DB's did not look to be a big liability and will be better for having to be forced into large playing roles this early.
Florida - Close and kinda scary early for the Gators. Hawaii looked like a really bad football team that played it's heart out early and ran out of both gas and luck after the first quarter. I didn't see one thing that convinced me that Urban Meyer has found a true starting RB that can run the ball in this offense...unless his name is Tim Tebow. They had success late with the scat back types when the Warriors defense was tired and had given up hope. All we learned from Week 1 with UF is that they are alot more talented and alot faster than Hawaii.....shocker. Florida gets Miami this weekend and we should be able to tell a bit more about this team with that game even though they are still a large favorite. Miami is young but has enough talent to at least give the Gators a good push back.
Georgia - Well, nobody got arrested....so they got that going for them, which is nice. Seriously though, not enough competition here to take anything away from this game. The Dawgs have too many big games coming up to show anything against Georgia Southern....and it won't get any better next week against Central Michigan.
Kentucky - Rich Brooks thinks he has a very good defense, and he might be right. It is so hard to tell with Louisville right now.....we know they have the skill players to make an offense work, but it seems like they cant get anything going since Petrino left. All I can take away from this game is that Kentucky is a little better probably than many SEC fans wanted to give them credit for this year. They won't likely be in the hunt like they were a year ago without some of the studs they lost, but I don't think they are going to be easy wins for everyone either. You'll have to play a decent game to beat the Wildcats this year. Kentucky will now be 4-0 heading into a road game at Alabama in week five. The Tide will be coming off a road trip to #2 Georgia. Mark this one down as a game to watch for both teams.
LSU - Well, we know they can run the ball. As I pointed out last week, the Tigers dominated the line so much we cant tell how good they really are at QB or in the defensive backfield. They were focused and did not overlook this team, nor did I expect them to. Although Troy has been a tough team for some BCS opponents to play, I don't see much different this week for LSU. When you are playing a lesser opponent who has a chance to hang with you on the line of scrimmage you might have a problem. When you can dominate the line, it doesn't matter what the other teams skill players are capable of. LSU won't get tested till it sees teams that have strong lines...and that just isn't happening this week.
Mississippi - The Rebels solidified their spot as the sleeper in the conference. I'm not saying they are a sleeper to win the division, but a sleeper to win some games that nobody expects them to. Jevon Snead is an improvement from every QB that Ole Miss has tried lately and he looked better than any QB that Houston Nutt has had in awhile. SEC fans would be wise to be tuned into the game at Wake Forest this week. If the Rebs win that one, look out. Even though the ACC may be closer to the Division II football than they are to the SEC it would still be a significant win for Colonel Reb.
Mississippi State - When you looked at the MSU schedule you could see probably 6 games that they Bulldogs would be underdogs in. To equal last years win total they'd have to upset a team from the list of Auburn, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, LSU or Alabama while not giving any games away against teams that would be considered a slight underdog to them like Vandy, Kentucky and Arkansas. I don't think many expected the game at Lousiana Tech to be in question after a solid year from Sly Croom's team. The bounces didn't go their way and Wesley Carrol did throw the bad picks and MSU looks alot like the MSU we saw from Croom in his first few years. It will be very, very difficult for Croom to regain momentum here as he looks likely right now to be 1-4 going into their off week. They get a win this week before a tough three game slate.
South Carolina - SSDD(Same Steve, Different Day) Spurrier really tried to be patient with QB Tommy Beecher, but the kid just didn't cooperate. The Gamecock offense didn't look much better than it did a year ago and I don't put any stock in the late game flashes. NC State knew it was beat the minute USC went up by two scores and it looked like they just gave up. This is the same exact team we saw last year.....great defense, poor offense. Except this time I don't think they have as good of a running back. Amazing that a decade after he was the offensive genius of the conference that the calling card of his South Carolina team is defense....just so strange.
Tennessee - The Vols just keep giving the Pac 1 +9 people an argument don't they. It was absolutely amazing to me that the offense felt EXACTLY the same as it did with a different coordinator. They may have lined up differently and may have other looks, but the playcalling and general feel of the offense looked identical to me. 2nd and 6.....lets throw passes on both 2nd and 3rd down even though both Foster and Hardesty looked great running the ball. UCLA basically had 2 great defensive tackles and when those guys got tired, Big Orange owned the line. However they didn't take advantage of it by pounding the ball at them until the Bruins had to take them off the field. The Vols will beat a very good SEC team at some point this year, maybe even a couple. However they looked to be predictable and easy to gameplan against to me. The worst part for Fulmer is that it is very reasonable to see this team sitting at 1-3 after the UF game and a trip to Auburn and very possibly 3-5 after dates with Georgia and Alabama. Unless Dave Clawson has more up his sleeve than we saw Monday night, this team is in trouble.
Vanderbilt - Good win for the Commodores. Bobby Johnson thinks this is the best team he has had in Nashville. We'll know for sure after this weekends date with South Carolina. The only in-conference game of the weekend will tell us something about both squads. Vandy always plays so tough and with tons of heart. They typically stay in games when their talent level doesn't say they should be there. Until proven otherwise, the Dores' are the Dores' and will struggle to get an SEC win.
Alabama - I can recall hearing 2 things from Bama fans and the beat writers for probably the last 3 preseasons - "We are going to use the tight ends more" and "Maybe the best offensive line in the league". So when I heard those things again this year, I laughed them off as the same ole talk until I saw it proven otherwise. Obviously Tommy Bowden and his staff did the same. We've seen the "Bama's Back" moments before in the last 4 years or so - the big win over Florida and the trouncing of Tennessee last year - but I'm not sure we saw the Tide perform as physically as they did this weekend. That to me is a sign that this team is actually improved and will make some noise. For all the hype the young guys got, I was actually more impressed with the improvements of the players that had been on campus a few years. That is really what made Bama look like a team to be concerned with in the SEC. The new guys looked good, but give me a senior QB playing like Wilson did and an experienced offensive line finally living up to the billing it had been given and you can take Julio Jones out of the equation without effecting the wins and loss column. We won't get to see how "for real" this one was for a few weeks as the Tide take on some weaker opponents the next few weeks, but for now I'm sure fans are trying to figure out how many more National Title's they can add to those t-shirts.
Arkansas - Wow. I didn't expect to see that score line coming across the screen. The Hawgs were all but beaten by lowly Western Illinois this weekend and needed a solid late comeback to take a victory. Arkansas is obviously a team in complete transformation and it will be very interesting to watch the next month or so. I predicted Casey Dick would look like a stud.....all indications are that he was the Hawgs best player and looked like a completely new QB. I still say I'll buy it when he's playing Texas, Alabama, Florida and Auburn in consecutive games and doesn't throw 9 picks in those 4 games.
Auburn - Accomplished the mission of not getting upset by Lousiana-Monroe like their rival Alabama did a year ago. A 34-0 score would not lead to much to talk about except that 2 TD's came from the defense and special teams and another was set up by a really short field. Auburn ran the ball as it has for a decade.....very effectively. Auburn passed the ball as it has for the most part of that same decade....pretty poorly. The QB rotation was a disaster and they are changing the way they give out snaps this week. First game jitters and lack of a leader can explain some of the passing game issues, but the Tigers need one guy to step up and fast. Auburn has to get that fixed this week or the chances of beating the LSU's and Georgia's of the world are fading fast. On a bright note the defense looked to be it's typical suffocating self. The young DB's did not look to be a big liability and will be better for having to be forced into large playing roles this early.
Florida - Close and kinda scary early for the Gators. Hawaii looked like a really bad football team that played it's heart out early and ran out of both gas and luck after the first quarter. I didn't see one thing that convinced me that Urban Meyer has found a true starting RB that can run the ball in this offense...unless his name is Tim Tebow. They had success late with the scat back types when the Warriors defense was tired and had given up hope. All we learned from Week 1 with UF is that they are alot more talented and alot faster than Hawaii.....shocker. Florida gets Miami this weekend and we should be able to tell a bit more about this team with that game even though they are still a large favorite. Miami is young but has enough talent to at least give the Gators a good push back.
Georgia - Well, nobody got arrested....so they got that going for them, which is nice. Seriously though, not enough competition here to take anything away from this game. The Dawgs have too many big games coming up to show anything against Georgia Southern....and it won't get any better next week against Central Michigan.
Kentucky - Rich Brooks thinks he has a very good defense, and he might be right. It is so hard to tell with Louisville right now.....we know they have the skill players to make an offense work, but it seems like they cant get anything going since Petrino left. All I can take away from this game is that Kentucky is a little better probably than many SEC fans wanted to give them credit for this year. They won't likely be in the hunt like they were a year ago without some of the studs they lost, but I don't think they are going to be easy wins for everyone either. You'll have to play a decent game to beat the Wildcats this year. Kentucky will now be 4-0 heading into a road game at Alabama in week five. The Tide will be coming off a road trip to #2 Georgia. Mark this one down as a game to watch for both teams.
LSU - Well, we know they can run the ball. As I pointed out last week, the Tigers dominated the line so much we cant tell how good they really are at QB or in the defensive backfield. They were focused and did not overlook this team, nor did I expect them to. Although Troy has been a tough team for some BCS opponents to play, I don't see much different this week for LSU. When you are playing a lesser opponent who has a chance to hang with you on the line of scrimmage you might have a problem. When you can dominate the line, it doesn't matter what the other teams skill players are capable of. LSU won't get tested till it sees teams that have strong lines...and that just isn't happening this week.
Mississippi - The Rebels solidified their spot as the sleeper in the conference. I'm not saying they are a sleeper to win the division, but a sleeper to win some games that nobody expects them to. Jevon Snead is an improvement from every QB that Ole Miss has tried lately and he looked better than any QB that Houston Nutt has had in awhile. SEC fans would be wise to be tuned into the game at Wake Forest this week. If the Rebs win that one, look out. Even though the ACC may be closer to the Division II football than they are to the SEC it would still be a significant win for Colonel Reb.
Mississippi State - When you looked at the MSU schedule you could see probably 6 games that they Bulldogs would be underdogs in. To equal last years win total they'd have to upset a team from the list of Auburn, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, LSU or Alabama while not giving any games away against teams that would be considered a slight underdog to them like Vandy, Kentucky and Arkansas. I don't think many expected the game at Lousiana Tech to be in question after a solid year from Sly Croom's team. The bounces didn't go their way and Wesley Carrol did throw the bad picks and MSU looks alot like the MSU we saw from Croom in his first few years. It will be very, very difficult for Croom to regain momentum here as he looks likely right now to be 1-4 going into their off week. They get a win this week before a tough three game slate.
South Carolina - SSDD(Same Steve, Different Day) Spurrier really tried to be patient with QB Tommy Beecher, but the kid just didn't cooperate. The Gamecock offense didn't look much better than it did a year ago and I don't put any stock in the late game flashes. NC State knew it was beat the minute USC went up by two scores and it looked like they just gave up. This is the same exact team we saw last year.....great defense, poor offense. Except this time I don't think they have as good of a running back. Amazing that a decade after he was the offensive genius of the conference that the calling card of his South Carolina team is defense....just so strange.
Tennessee - The Vols just keep giving the Pac 1 +9 people an argument don't they. It was absolutely amazing to me that the offense felt EXACTLY the same as it did with a different coordinator. They may have lined up differently and may have other looks, but the playcalling and general feel of the offense looked identical to me. 2nd and 6.....lets throw passes on both 2nd and 3rd down even though both Foster and Hardesty looked great running the ball. UCLA basically had 2 great defensive tackles and when those guys got tired, Big Orange owned the line. However they didn't take advantage of it by pounding the ball at them until the Bruins had to take them off the field. The Vols will beat a very good SEC team at some point this year, maybe even a couple. However they looked to be predictable and easy to gameplan against to me. The worst part for Fulmer is that it is very reasonable to see this team sitting at 1-3 after the UF game and a trip to Auburn and very possibly 3-5 after dates with Georgia and Alabama. Unless Dave Clawson has more up his sleeve than we saw Monday night, this team is in trouble.
Vanderbilt - Good win for the Commodores. Bobby Johnson thinks this is the best team he has had in Nashville. We'll know for sure after this weekends date with South Carolina. The only in-conference game of the weekend will tell us something about both squads. Vandy always plays so tough and with tons of heart. They typically stay in games when their talent level doesn't say they should be there. Until proven otherwise, the Dores' are the Dores' and will struggle to get an SEC win.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Game Week - last chance predictions for the SEC and what we will learn.
After months of wait we are finally here....game week. Last week for silly preseason predictions and homer fans getting to think that the team that couldn't make one of the hundred bowls is going to win a title. Next up, reality checks for half of the college football teams and their fan bases.
Here's a breakdown of what each team stands to learn on the first week of the season:
Alabama - Probably the most high profile game for the SEC in week one. Clemson is the favorite and based on talent and experience should win the game....but then again, we've said that about Clemson seemingly many times and they've always found ways to fall short of expectations. It is hard for me to believe that Clemson has never even gotten to the ACC title game. The Tide comes in with new faces in the fold with a big recruiting class that has fans buzzing. Julio Jones looks to be the real deal and I'd expect at least a couple of contributors from the defensive side. Remember though, even if you took the top 50 recruits in the nation and watched them this season, only a moderate percentage would make an impact right away. Here' s the real questions for Bama - Can the defense be decent against the run with virtually no experience in the front 7? Is John Parker Wilson a guy that can get you 9 or 10 wins? Clemson will be a good initial test for that defense and slowing down the like of Spiller, Davis and the very effective Cullen Harper would likely bring riots of joy in the state of Alabama. Wilson needs to move past the tendency to throw bad picks in bad spots and not get rattled and start throwing balls 8 rows deep when the opponent is rushing 2 and dropping 9. Color me skeptical till I see him do it. For now I'm thinking Bama fans will be sounding like Denny Green on Sunday...."He was who we thought he was". Very few QB's change that drastically, and Wilson has been a guy that is gutsy, tough and has a good arm....but he's also gotten rattled, antsy and looked horrible when the pocket has collapsed on him over the years. This time of year fans tend to remember the good games(Tennessee) and not the horrible ones(LaMo, MissState and mediocre Iron Bowls) before being reminded why they were cussing the kid less than a year ago.
Arkansas - With Western Illinois we will learn very little about how good this team will be. At least Arky fans will get a legit look at what the style of the offense will look like. Casey Dick will probably look good and rack up yards, but I'll wait another week or two before buying it.
Auburn - Mission - don't fall victim to the LaMo trap like your in state rival did. Truthfully this one shouldn't be a contest and we won't learn a ton about the Tigers here. Interesting things to watch will be the QB rotation that Auburn uses and what the young DB's look like in coverage. Is it really a true QB rotation or is it a special package for one of them in the likes of the Leak/Tebow situation? Auburn needs it's young DB's to at least look serviceable in the first two games and also needs to avoid injury in that area.
Florida - Last year ended with UF fans screaming about the lack of players in the secondary. Michigan completely exposed the Gators in that area and Chad Henne absolutely tore them apart. Hawaii is probably not a real threat to beat the talented Gators, but they are the perfect team to test that weakness. Hawaii may not have June Jones or Colt Brennan anymore, but they will look to put the ball in the air a ton. The off season was suppose to be a time to develop the younger players and have them solid by kickoff....until injuries started to decimate the defensive backfield. Major Wright is an absolute stud and an intimidator at the safety spot, but guys like Joe Haden and the off thrown at Wondy Pierre-Louis will have to step up for UF to reach it's lofty goals. Playing in a division with guys like Richt and Spurrier is tough on a team with problems at DB.
Georgia - The only thing we can learn from the nations #1 team playing Georgia Southern is whether or not they can go another week without an arrest. UGA also has some top tier freshmen like A.J. Green that we will get to see in a game like this.
Kentucky - Replacing it's best offensive players and playing an in state rival trying to rebound from a devastating season....interesting first game for the Cats. This game will truly reflect what we can expect from Rich Brooks team this year. Kentucky is not likely to reach the levels it did a year ago, but would like to remain a team that other SEC foes actually fear instead of being a game that most just chalk up in the W column. Kentucky fans should have a real idea of what is in store for them after this one.
LSU - While Appy State isn't likely to pull the same stunt on a BCS team twice, they will give the Tigers a good look at a version of the spread offense that they will see from others this season. Because LSU is so good on both lines, I'm not real sure we will get a good read on the new QB in Hatch or Lee or on the Tigers defensive backfield. The thing to look for is if Hatch or Lee struggle making good reads or hitting open WR's. That will probably not hurt them against Appy State as they can likely to to the power running game to bail them out, but it will give SEC defenses something to salivate over.
Mississippi - I can't wait to see Jevon Snead at QB for the Rebs. Houston Nutt has never had an effective passer that I can recall and would have been greatly dangerous if he ever had. Memphis is a game the Rebs have to win and if Snead is struggling, expect Nutt to go his traditional route of power running game and trick plays. The Ole Miss offense has been behind the game for years.....will we learn anything in the opener that leads us to believe that has changed.
Mississippi State - Was last year lucky? Week one won't tell us a lot. MSU hasn't made a habit of blowing out teams like La Tech and I wouldn't expect they do anything to change that. I'll be watching Wesley Carrol and the passing game because I have no doubt that Croom will have a good running game and a solid, tough defense. If Carrol can be better than hitting a few play action passes here and there, State can repeat last years record. If not I'm afraid the bounces won't go their way and they may be back to sitting at home during the bowl season.
South Carolina - Is Tommy Beecher the guy that Spurrier has been waiting on? The only thing missing from his squad has been the spot that is most important position in a Spurrier offense. This one will get lots of attention since the Gamecocks play on Thursday night in front of every guy that has been dying for college football for 9 months. Lots of pressure on Beecher and really, no USCe QB has had a full good game since the Evil Genius arrived there.
Tennessee - New offensive look, new QB and the darkhorse in the SEC East. I've liked what I've seen from Crompton's limited snaps and think that the Vols might actually be better with Erik Ainge gone. The former staff seemed to just put the ball in his hands when it was unnecessary. Look for more Arian Foster and a better balance on downs like 2nd and 6 where the Vols typically seemed to lean on Ainge to throw the ball too often when the running game was working well. I'm interested to see how the game is called from the new OC. SEC opponents should be watching to see if the Vols will have a truly new look or not.
Vandy - ummmm, sorry but who cares. The Dores aren't going to do anything against Miami (OH) that catches the eye of SEC opponents.
Here's a breakdown of what each team stands to learn on the first week of the season:
Alabama - Probably the most high profile game for the SEC in week one. Clemson is the favorite and based on talent and experience should win the game....but then again, we've said that about Clemson seemingly many times and they've always found ways to fall short of expectations. It is hard for me to believe that Clemson has never even gotten to the ACC title game. The Tide comes in with new faces in the fold with a big recruiting class that has fans buzzing. Julio Jones looks to be the real deal and I'd expect at least a couple of contributors from the defensive side. Remember though, even if you took the top 50 recruits in the nation and watched them this season, only a moderate percentage would make an impact right away. Here' s the real questions for Bama - Can the defense be decent against the run with virtually no experience in the front 7? Is John Parker Wilson a guy that can get you 9 or 10 wins? Clemson will be a good initial test for that defense and slowing down the like of Spiller, Davis and the very effective Cullen Harper would likely bring riots of joy in the state of Alabama. Wilson needs to move past the tendency to throw bad picks in bad spots and not get rattled and start throwing balls 8 rows deep when the opponent is rushing 2 and dropping 9. Color me skeptical till I see him do it. For now I'm thinking Bama fans will be sounding like Denny Green on Sunday...."He was who we thought he was". Very few QB's change that drastically, and Wilson has been a guy that is gutsy, tough and has a good arm....but he's also gotten rattled, antsy and looked horrible when the pocket has collapsed on him over the years. This time of year fans tend to remember the good games(Tennessee) and not the horrible ones(LaMo, MissState and mediocre Iron Bowls) before being reminded why they were cussing the kid less than a year ago.
Arkansas - With Western Illinois we will learn very little about how good this team will be. At least Arky fans will get a legit look at what the style of the offense will look like. Casey Dick will probably look good and rack up yards, but I'll wait another week or two before buying it.
Auburn - Mission - don't fall victim to the LaMo trap like your in state rival did. Truthfully this one shouldn't be a contest and we won't learn a ton about the Tigers here. Interesting things to watch will be the QB rotation that Auburn uses and what the young DB's look like in coverage. Is it really a true QB rotation or is it a special package for one of them in the likes of the Leak/Tebow situation? Auburn needs it's young DB's to at least look serviceable in the first two games and also needs to avoid injury in that area.
Florida - Last year ended with UF fans screaming about the lack of players in the secondary. Michigan completely exposed the Gators in that area and Chad Henne absolutely tore them apart. Hawaii is probably not a real threat to beat the talented Gators, but they are the perfect team to test that weakness. Hawaii may not have June Jones or Colt Brennan anymore, but they will look to put the ball in the air a ton. The off season was suppose to be a time to develop the younger players and have them solid by kickoff....until injuries started to decimate the defensive backfield. Major Wright is an absolute stud and an intimidator at the safety spot, but guys like Joe Haden and the off thrown at Wondy Pierre-Louis will have to step up for UF to reach it's lofty goals. Playing in a division with guys like Richt and Spurrier is tough on a team with problems at DB.
Georgia - The only thing we can learn from the nations #1 team playing Georgia Southern is whether or not they can go another week without an arrest. UGA also has some top tier freshmen like A.J. Green that we will get to see in a game like this.
Kentucky - Replacing it's best offensive players and playing an in state rival trying to rebound from a devastating season....interesting first game for the Cats. This game will truly reflect what we can expect from Rich Brooks team this year. Kentucky is not likely to reach the levels it did a year ago, but would like to remain a team that other SEC foes actually fear instead of being a game that most just chalk up in the W column. Kentucky fans should have a real idea of what is in store for them after this one.
LSU - While Appy State isn't likely to pull the same stunt on a BCS team twice, they will give the Tigers a good look at a version of the spread offense that they will see from others this season. Because LSU is so good on both lines, I'm not real sure we will get a good read on the new QB in Hatch or Lee or on the Tigers defensive backfield. The thing to look for is if Hatch or Lee struggle making good reads or hitting open WR's. That will probably not hurt them against Appy State as they can likely to to the power running game to bail them out, but it will give SEC defenses something to salivate over.
Mississippi - I can't wait to see Jevon Snead at QB for the Rebs. Houston Nutt has never had an effective passer that I can recall and would have been greatly dangerous if he ever had. Memphis is a game the Rebs have to win and if Snead is struggling, expect Nutt to go his traditional route of power running game and trick plays. The Ole Miss offense has been behind the game for years.....will we learn anything in the opener that leads us to believe that has changed.
Mississippi State - Was last year lucky? Week one won't tell us a lot. MSU hasn't made a habit of blowing out teams like La Tech and I wouldn't expect they do anything to change that. I'll be watching Wesley Carrol and the passing game because I have no doubt that Croom will have a good running game and a solid, tough defense. If Carrol can be better than hitting a few play action passes here and there, State can repeat last years record. If not I'm afraid the bounces won't go their way and they may be back to sitting at home during the bowl season.
South Carolina - Is Tommy Beecher the guy that Spurrier has been waiting on? The only thing missing from his squad has been the spot that is most important position in a Spurrier offense. This one will get lots of attention since the Gamecocks play on Thursday night in front of every guy that has been dying for college football for 9 months. Lots of pressure on Beecher and really, no USCe QB has had a full good game since the Evil Genius arrived there.
Tennessee - New offensive look, new QB and the darkhorse in the SEC East. I've liked what I've seen from Crompton's limited snaps and think that the Vols might actually be better with Erik Ainge gone. The former staff seemed to just put the ball in his hands when it was unnecessary. Look for more Arian Foster and a better balance on downs like 2nd and 6 where the Vols typically seemed to lean on Ainge to throw the ball too often when the running game was working well. I'm interested to see how the game is called from the new OC. SEC opponents should be watching to see if the Vols will have a truly new look or not.
Vandy - ummmm, sorry but who cares. The Dores aren't going to do anything against Miami (OH) that catches the eye of SEC opponents.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
TWISTED SEC TOP 10
It's that time of year again. Everyone has their top ten lists.....top ten games, top ten rivalries, top ten hypothetical match ups, top ten overrated/underrated teams or players. With college football season on the horizon, the masses start to take what they think are educated guesses at what our season will look like, which games will be classic and who will finish with what record. Here's my look at the Top Ten Crazy Possible moments for the SEC this year. While these may be a bit far fetched, they are all rooted in something within the coach, team or fan base that makes it slightly possible......or probably exactly as accurate as the other lists and rankings that come out before we've seen a snap of football.
#10 - First game coached over web in NCAA history.
Phil Fulmer, exasperated from being served at SEC media days, says he well never physically step foot in the state of Alabama again. Fulmer runs the show from a webcast for the Auburn game, an idea he took from Nick Saban's recruiting tactics. After the game, Fulmer debates using the webcast for all games....including home games. He likes the access he has to the fridge and the ability to reach the jelly doughnuts that the "webcoaching" gives him. Fulmer's statement after the game - "Man that was great. Now I understand why we have some many armchair Quarterbacks. Who could turn this down?"
#9 - Bobby Petrino takes it to a whole new level (again).
Suffering 4 loses already and trailing Kentucky by 14 midway through the 3rd quarter, television cameras catch Bobby Petrino on his cellphone on the sidelines. A little bit of lip reading shows viewers that Bobby uttered the phrase "do you think you can get them to 4.2 per year". After the game, reporters confront Petrino who of course says he was talking to his real estate agent and it had nothing to do with leaving Arkansas. Ten minutes later a note is found in the Arkansas locker room and Petrino is nowhere to be found.
#8 - Les Miles amazes Les Miles by the calls that Les Miles has the guts to make.
In a huge game against Auburn that normally helps determine the winner of the West, Les Miles pulls out all the stops. Miles goes for it on 4th down from his own 18.....he calls a fake punt when he's leading late in the 3rd....he runs a fake FG attempt from the 30 with one second left before halftime thinking he could use the Colt David end around running play to score a TD instead of getting the 3 points. None of those are even close to what Miles does to close the game.
After a drive that included 3 insane 4th down conversions, one on a designed QB draw on 4th and 13, Miles and LSU have a 2 point lead with 0:44 to go. Miles decides that he doesn't want to kick to Auburn "because they could have driven it up for a FG".....so the Hat decides he wants the ball and calls for the onside kick. Confused, the LSU kicker calls timeout, which the Tigers don't have. After a penalty and talking to Miles on the sideline the kicker shakes his head and heads back out to the field. The onside kick is recovered by Auburn and a few plays later Wes Byrum kicks the game winner as time expires. Miles defends his decision in the post game interview by saying "We've been getting alot of those in practice...just didn't happen for us this time. HAVE A NICE DAY!!!!!"
#7 - Steve Spurrier leaves the SEC.....as only Steve could.
Steve Spurrier's frustration with all things at South Carolina come to a head in late October. Despite more wacky calls from Les Miles, South Carolina trails by 28 at halftime. On the way to the locker rooms, Spurrier stops briefly for the interview and tells us in his excellent southern twang "We just ain't got no horses. They got all the horses. They got morons on the sidelines calling plays that my beagle wouldn't try to call. But guess what, they work because they've got players and I've got retarded midget morons over here. Not my fault none of these plays work...hell, I'm a senior citizen and I can throw the ball better than anyone I got on this roster. I think I'm done Holly". Spurrier heads to the tunnel with Rowe frantically following him. We don't see Steve come back out in the 3rd quarter, but by the start of the 4th CBS shows footage of Spurrier landing in a private jet in Augusta.....golf bag in tow.
#6 - Just Urban being Urban.
There are two sides to Urban Meyer.....the robot like workaholic recruiting maniac and the emotional post game crying Urban. After an entire off season being asked about the Georgia celebration, Meyer spends the entire week leading up to the rematch talking about how "it's not been forgotten" and "we remember it well". Meyer calls it the most important game he's ever been a part of as both teams are in the National Championship hunt, the East is on the line, but most importantly to Meyer "our manhood is on the line after what they did to us". Things don't go well for UF early, Georgia jumps out to a lead on an early touchdown....in a sarcastic gesture, the UGA players don't celebrate one bit, they move as uniformly as possible and show absolutely no emotion almost in a march off the field. Problems continue for Meyer and at the start of the 4th UGA scores again to go up 38-10. Meyer is seen kneeling on the sidelines in tears. He is so emotional by the time the game ends that when Erin Andrews tries to interview him, Meyer breaks down to the point of having to be carried off the field.
#5 - Unusual pregame ceremony.
No fan base wants something to celebrate more than those at Alabama. After a tough start with a one sided loss to Clemson in Atlanta the people in power at UA want something to celebrate. Prior to the kickoff of the Tulane game, Alabama rolls out a huge pregame ceremony that includes some of the all time Tide greats like Namath, Newsome and Alexander. What's the occasion you ask........the recognition of the nations #1 recruiting class. Members of the 2008 recruiting class are marched out one by one getting raucous applause from 90,000 fans. Fireworks, jet flyovers and the voice of the Bear himself acknowledge yet another National Title for the Tide. Alabama also presents itself with the 2003 and 2007 BCS titles with their own replica trophies at this ceremony, citing Nick Saban's coaching in 2003 and his players in 2007 at LSU.
#4 - Georgia off the field issues really do show up on the field.
After much debate over whether Dawgs players off the field incidents actually have an effect on the on the field performance we get a very awkward answer. During the first quarter of a revenge game against Tennessee, Athens police walk out on to the field and cuff three Georgia players on charges that they got in yet another bar fight and injured students. One player attempts to flee the scene only to get stopped at the tunnel by Smokey. Mark Richt is quoted as saying "This is really embarrassing, but we have alot of guys still doing the right things."
#3 - Nick Saban finally blows the gasket.....completely.
After battling the media over depth charts, scholarship limits and the availability of his assistants, Nick Saban finally has enough. When questioned about "the process" and what the time frame is before Tide fans can expect to win the West, Saban starts his typical lecture of the beat writers. When one presses him on his 3 game suspension of Prince Hall suddenly becoming a 3 quarter suspension in the Clemson game when Rolando McClain goes down to injury, Saban goes Exocist. After his head stops spinning, he leaps from the podium and starts biting local beat writers Ian Rappaport, Gentry Estes and even gits a nip in on Paul Finebaum. Everyone tests negative for rabies, Saban grants each and exclusive interview as an apology and the following day both the Birmingham News and the Mobile Press Register run stories outlining the gifts and time that Saban spends with underprivileged youth in very football talent laden areas.
# 2 - Tommy Tuberville and Hugh Nall know how to execute the things they teach.
Following a solid victory over former assistant Bobby Petrino and Arkansas, Tuberville heads out to midfield for a circus of a handshake with the guy that almost took his job in 2003. Cameras, of which there are a couple of thousand it seems for this grudge match, catch offensive line coach Hugh Nall circling around behind Petrino. With the quickness of an Olympic 100m champ, Nall hits Petrino low and Tommy turns the handshake into a textbook high hit to complete the chop block. Nall and Tuberville laugh and when asked about it before getting off the field, Tubs says "Well, I wanted to make sure he knew what it felt like to have someone chop your legs out from under you".
#1 - Houston Nutt becomes the first coach in memory to not throw a normal forward pass...and wins.
Arkansas fans will tell you that Houston Nutt is actually allergic to the forward pass and that the only thing that makes it tolerable for him is high doses of amphetamines and trick plays. Nutt hates a standard passing play. He'd much rather run the ball or run a triple flea flicker, hide the midget, double toss back, 360 fakie throwback to the QB bomb than ever, EVER throw a normal slant pattern. Nutt decides to unleash the perfect Houston Nutt game on his newest "big game". When Arkansas comes to Oxford, the mad genius concocts a game plan that features alot of the standard Nutt running game mixed with every trick play he's ever drawn up in the dirt. Nutt actually wears facepaint that mimics the "Joker" from the movie the "Dark Knight" as he comes out of the tunnel. Ole Miss blows out Arkansas while not throwing a single forward pass that doesnt come off some crazy, twisted trick play. Suicide rates in the state of Arkansas set a single weekend record as many Hawg fans see their worst nightmare come true.....Houston Nutt beats them with the type of crazy strategy that made many of them call for his job for the last few years. Nutt tells the press after the game while still wearing the goofy Joker grin...."It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life".
#10 - First game coached over web in NCAA history.
Phil Fulmer, exasperated from being served at SEC media days, says he well never physically step foot in the state of Alabama again. Fulmer runs the show from a webcast for the Auburn game, an idea he took from Nick Saban's recruiting tactics. After the game, Fulmer debates using the webcast for all games....including home games. He likes the access he has to the fridge and the ability to reach the jelly doughnuts that the "webcoaching" gives him. Fulmer's statement after the game - "Man that was great. Now I understand why we have some many armchair Quarterbacks. Who could turn this down?"
#9 - Bobby Petrino takes it to a whole new level (again).
Suffering 4 loses already and trailing Kentucky by 14 midway through the 3rd quarter, television cameras catch Bobby Petrino on his cellphone on the sidelines. A little bit of lip reading shows viewers that Bobby uttered the phrase "do you think you can get them to 4.2 per year". After the game, reporters confront Petrino who of course says he was talking to his real estate agent and it had nothing to do with leaving Arkansas. Ten minutes later a note is found in the Arkansas locker room and Petrino is nowhere to be found.
#8 - Les Miles amazes Les Miles by the calls that Les Miles has the guts to make.
In a huge game against Auburn that normally helps determine the winner of the West, Les Miles pulls out all the stops. Miles goes for it on 4th down from his own 18.....he calls a fake punt when he's leading late in the 3rd....he runs a fake FG attempt from the 30 with one second left before halftime thinking he could use the Colt David end around running play to score a TD instead of getting the 3 points. None of those are even close to what Miles does to close the game.
After a drive that included 3 insane 4th down conversions, one on a designed QB draw on 4th and 13, Miles and LSU have a 2 point lead with 0:44 to go. Miles decides that he doesn't want to kick to Auburn "because they could have driven it up for a FG".....so the Hat decides he wants the ball and calls for the onside kick. Confused, the LSU kicker calls timeout, which the Tigers don't have. After a penalty and talking to Miles on the sideline the kicker shakes his head and heads back out to the field. The onside kick is recovered by Auburn and a few plays later Wes Byrum kicks the game winner as time expires. Miles defends his decision in the post game interview by saying "We've been getting alot of those in practice...just didn't happen for us this time. HAVE A NICE DAY!!!!!"
#7 - Steve Spurrier leaves the SEC.....as only Steve could.
Steve Spurrier's frustration with all things at South Carolina come to a head in late October. Despite more wacky calls from Les Miles, South Carolina trails by 28 at halftime. On the way to the locker rooms, Spurrier stops briefly for the interview and tells us in his excellent southern twang "We just ain't got no horses. They got all the horses. They got morons on the sidelines calling plays that my beagle wouldn't try to call. But guess what, they work because they've got players and I've got retarded midget morons over here. Not my fault none of these plays work...hell, I'm a senior citizen and I can throw the ball better than anyone I got on this roster. I think I'm done Holly". Spurrier heads to the tunnel with Rowe frantically following him. We don't see Steve come back out in the 3rd quarter, but by the start of the 4th CBS shows footage of Spurrier landing in a private jet in Augusta.....golf bag in tow.
#6 - Just Urban being Urban.
There are two sides to Urban Meyer.....the robot like workaholic recruiting maniac and the emotional post game crying Urban. After an entire off season being asked about the Georgia celebration, Meyer spends the entire week leading up to the rematch talking about how "it's not been forgotten" and "we remember it well". Meyer calls it the most important game he's ever been a part of as both teams are in the National Championship hunt, the East is on the line, but most importantly to Meyer "our manhood is on the line after what they did to us". Things don't go well for UF early, Georgia jumps out to a lead on an early touchdown....in a sarcastic gesture, the UGA players don't celebrate one bit, they move as uniformly as possible and show absolutely no emotion almost in a march off the field. Problems continue for Meyer and at the start of the 4th UGA scores again to go up 38-10. Meyer is seen kneeling on the sidelines in tears. He is so emotional by the time the game ends that when Erin Andrews tries to interview him, Meyer breaks down to the point of having to be carried off the field.
#5 - Unusual pregame ceremony.
No fan base wants something to celebrate more than those at Alabama. After a tough start with a one sided loss to Clemson in Atlanta the people in power at UA want something to celebrate. Prior to the kickoff of the Tulane game, Alabama rolls out a huge pregame ceremony that includes some of the all time Tide greats like Namath, Newsome and Alexander. What's the occasion you ask........the recognition of the nations #1 recruiting class. Members of the 2008 recruiting class are marched out one by one getting raucous applause from 90,000 fans. Fireworks, jet flyovers and the voice of the Bear himself acknowledge yet another National Title for the Tide. Alabama also presents itself with the 2003 and 2007 BCS titles with their own replica trophies at this ceremony, citing Nick Saban's coaching in 2003 and his players in 2007 at LSU.
#4 - Georgia off the field issues really do show up on the field.
After much debate over whether Dawgs players off the field incidents actually have an effect on the on the field performance we get a very awkward answer. During the first quarter of a revenge game against Tennessee, Athens police walk out on to the field and cuff three Georgia players on charges that they got in yet another bar fight and injured students. One player attempts to flee the scene only to get stopped at the tunnel by Smokey. Mark Richt is quoted as saying "This is really embarrassing, but we have alot of guys still doing the right things."
#3 - Nick Saban finally blows the gasket.....completely.
After battling the media over depth charts, scholarship limits and the availability of his assistants, Nick Saban finally has enough. When questioned about "the process" and what the time frame is before Tide fans can expect to win the West, Saban starts his typical lecture of the beat writers. When one presses him on his 3 game suspension of Prince Hall suddenly becoming a 3 quarter suspension in the Clemson game when Rolando McClain goes down to injury, Saban goes Exocist. After his head stops spinning, he leaps from the podium and starts biting local beat writers Ian Rappaport, Gentry Estes and even gits a nip in on Paul Finebaum. Everyone tests negative for rabies, Saban grants each and exclusive interview as an apology and the following day both the Birmingham News and the Mobile Press Register run stories outlining the gifts and time that Saban spends with underprivileged youth in very football talent laden areas.
# 2 - Tommy Tuberville and Hugh Nall know how to execute the things they teach.
Following a solid victory over former assistant Bobby Petrino and Arkansas, Tuberville heads out to midfield for a circus of a handshake with the guy that almost took his job in 2003. Cameras, of which there are a couple of thousand it seems for this grudge match, catch offensive line coach Hugh Nall circling around behind Petrino. With the quickness of an Olympic 100m champ, Nall hits Petrino low and Tommy turns the handshake into a textbook high hit to complete the chop block. Nall and Tuberville laugh and when asked about it before getting off the field, Tubs says "Well, I wanted to make sure he knew what it felt like to have someone chop your legs out from under you".
#1 - Houston Nutt becomes the first coach in memory to not throw a normal forward pass...and wins.
Arkansas fans will tell you that Houston Nutt is actually allergic to the forward pass and that the only thing that makes it tolerable for him is high doses of amphetamines and trick plays. Nutt hates a standard passing play. He'd much rather run the ball or run a triple flea flicker, hide the midget, double toss back, 360 fakie throwback to the QB bomb than ever, EVER throw a normal slant pattern. Nutt decides to unleash the perfect Houston Nutt game on his newest "big game". When Arkansas comes to Oxford, the mad genius concocts a game plan that features alot of the standard Nutt running game mixed with every trick play he's ever drawn up in the dirt. Nutt actually wears facepaint that mimics the "Joker" from the movie the "Dark Knight" as he comes out of the tunnel. Ole Miss blows out Arkansas while not throwing a single forward pass that doesnt come off some crazy, twisted trick play. Suicide rates in the state of Arkansas set a single weekend record as many Hawg fans see their worst nightmare come true.....Houston Nutt beats them with the type of crazy strategy that made many of them call for his job for the last few years. Nutt tells the press after the game while still wearing the goofy Joker grin...."It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life".
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Travis Reir....Cmon Dude, Seriously???
In the state of Alabama it is not abnormal by any stretch for writers and media types to show a little bit of homerism in their pontifications and ramblings. It's really not even completely abnormal to see things having a pretty direct slant to pacify the largest fan base in the state when it comes to anything involving the Alabama football program. This is probably typical of most states as I can recall reading some overly positive pieces done on Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas programs when I was living in those states. However, Alabama takes it to a whole different level with anything when it comes to football....and irresponsible, desperate journalism is no exception.
I'd like to introduce a column written by one Travis Reier, a writer for Bamaonline.com which is a Rivals.com site for the Alabama fan base. This is a site that is basically there to be the ultimate homers and back their team whenever possible. That is their business, they aren't around to provide realistic or legitimate news. They exist to be eternally positive and basically as a PR machine for all things UA sports. Despite that, the article written by Reier (linked here ) is so over the top in it's homerism and spin that it still needs to be called out for what it is.......irresponsible, moronic and just plain foolish dribble that sounds like it was written by any 2 bit fan instead of someone that makes their living doing this.
By now everyone in the southern part of the US has heard that Alabama LB Jimmy Johns, former 4 star super hyped HS star, was arrested on 5 counts of intent to distribute cocaine. Even in this day of college athletes and the trouble they get in, that's the kind of headline that grabs you. It may be every other day we hear about another DUI, public intox or Ryan Perriloux going to the casinos......but you just don't see 5 counts of selling coke that often. It's a big deal. Whether Alabama fans want to acknowledge that or not....it doesn't just go away and you shouldn't just dismiss it as "something that happens everywhere", which is pretty much what Reier says in an article that he posted no more than 4 hours after the news hit the wire!!! How's that for the spin machine folks. Here are some issues with the article Travis wrote and a point by point breakdown of the lunacy that he wrote:
OK, here goes: There are several individuals walking campuses around the SEC who have no business doing so. Why? Because major college football demands it. The stakes are so high that schools will reach when it comes to character in some instances.
- So this is intended to make this problem look minor? Hey guys, don't look at us, it happens everywhere. Everyone has bad kids and I'm sure every SEC school has players slinging rock to make a few extra bucks. It's really no big deal and it has to be part of college football. C'mon man...are you serious? This is classic duck and weave stuff here........even though we're in the news and got caught, we're no worse than anyone else because everybody does it. I think he wanted to write the same article when Alabama went on probation for slave trading in Memphis a few years back.
Now, the sanctimonious blowhards (the same ones who are glued to their TV sets every Saturday from September to January) will preach about how these individuals need to be purged from the system. But I wonder what they'd say if a coach signed 25 members of the Alabama Children's Choir every year and went 0-12. I think we all know the answer to that one.
- Nothing like a little hyperbole to make your point sound better Travis. There is a big difference between preaching about how what looks to be a pretty large scale drug dealer at your University should have been recognized for what he was and not given 5 chances to stay with the team versus signing 25 members of the Children's Choir and going 0-12. Here is why they call it "taking a gamble" on a player....when it blows up it your face, your reputation suffers for it. Otherwise they wouldn't call it taking a gamble or a chance, they'd just call it signing another player. Everyone associated with college football knows there are certain risks you are taking with some players....I'm not at all shocked when someone from my favorite school gets a DUI, public intox or gets sent home for the summer or maybe even sits out of few games for something stupid like missing class. I'm not even shocked when a HS star gets sent home after a year or two because he cant keep his head on straight. However I'm a little shocked when I see that a player was one of the biggest drug dealers on campus....call me crazy. The gap between signing guys that end up arrested for 5 counts of dealing narcotics and signing a boy's choir is pretty large. Believe it or not, there are teams that win games that don't have guys dealing cocaine to every party frat on campus....or maybe I'm the naive one.
I guess one could question Nick Saban's "clean slate philosophy" in regards to the players he inherited, the same approach nine out of ten coaches employ when taking over a program. The problem, which I have no doubt Saban is well aware, is that for some guys a coaching change doesn't represent a second chance; it's more like a fourth or fifth chance. There is no spinning what Johns is accused of having done. But you won't hearing me calling for a house cleaning of epic proportions. Considering that I help feed the monster on a daily basis, that would be more than a tad hypocritical.
- The mandatory "the current coach didn't do anything wrong" portion of the article. This was the same story with Mike Shula until the week before he got fired. They defended the way he handle the Juwan Simpson issue in 2006 over and over again. I can't recall how many articles were written and talk shows dedicated to the fact that Shula was doing the right thing. Auburn fans were hung up on on local radio shows for the repeated "ice cream cone" comments and laughing at the UA coaches discipline. However after loses to MSU and Auburn to end the season, "lack of control" was one of the major points given in calling for his job. What a shocking turn, right. In the state of Alabama there is no middle ground for a UA coach....you are a God or you are in front of the firing squad. It's too early to get on Saban's back, so you can assume that he will be defended even if he was caught in bed with a dead girl or live boy. Look, I have no idea (neither does any other fan or probably any journalist to be honest) if Nick Saban could have done anything to make this better. We could debate that for days and days. I do however know that this is the 10th arrest in his first 18 months on the job and at least 2 of them (Jeremy Elders armed assault and Jimmy Johns drug charges) are very, very serious crimes. For a guy that preaches "do all things like a champion" and "being the best at everything you do" this isn't a good start. Maybe 4 years from now Saban will have minimal player issues and the team will be keeping it's nose clean, but the excuse of "not his guys" doesn't work anymore. Jimmy Johns was under Saban for a year and a half and when coach brought in motivational speakers, Jimmy took it to heart. If you're going to sell, sling drugs like a champion...be the best. If I was hired to run someones company and it took me a year and a half to get rid of the bad eggs and the character issues that I was hired to fix I'd likely be looking for another job. They funniest part of this insert is that Reier calls it hypocritical to say anything about Saban's judgement because he "feeds the monster". So I guess if you ever wanted your team to win games you aren't allowed to say anything even if the players you cheered for are out selling narcotics to your 18 and 19 year old kids. Right Travis. All that was was a warning shot across the UA fanbase bow..."Dont question our fearless, perfect leader you hypocrites."
It's amazing to me that this article was slung up literally 4 hours after word hit the wire and no more than 6 hours after Johns was arrested. This is a knee jerk fans point of view on "how my teams no different from yours and it's not that big of a deal" instead of a legitimate breakdown on what happened, what it means for the program and the University and what steps they take to make sure it doesn't happen again. It almost sounds like Travis expects these kind of incidents to take place all over the SEC in the next few years, including at UA again in the future and that they should be considered "part of the business" of SEC football. Wow. I know it's tough to take the bashing from other fan bases and some national media sited along with blogs like EDSBS.com but some days you just have to take your medicine Travis. Some days you really shouldn't be trying to defend your program and coach....you should just take the beating that comes with "a gamble" on a player and leave it at that. Or you could do something constructive, like say call for the players to do a better job policing themselves, the coaches to be more responsible for the character they keep on campus or the University you represent to be more active in making sure guys that are rumored on every single message board on the Internet to be the schools largest drug dealer aren't driving around campus hitting every frat party in 1 hour on their moped without someone digging in a little bit. You could try to rally the fan base that you write for to demand more of their team than the status quot of multiple summer arrests and drug dealing linebackers. You could ask for the level of character to be raised and for the program not to embarrass itself. Of course, that would interfere with your "we didn't do anything that everyone else isn't doing" mentality.
I'd like to introduce a column written by one Travis Reier, a writer for Bamaonline.com which is a Rivals.com site for the Alabama fan base. This is a site that is basically there to be the ultimate homers and back their team whenever possible. That is their business, they aren't around to provide realistic or legitimate news. They exist to be eternally positive and basically as a PR machine for all things UA sports. Despite that, the article written by Reier (linked here ) is so over the top in it's homerism and spin that it still needs to be called out for what it is.......irresponsible, moronic and just plain foolish dribble that sounds like it was written by any 2 bit fan instead of someone that makes their living doing this.
By now everyone in the southern part of the US has heard that Alabama LB Jimmy Johns, former 4 star super hyped HS star, was arrested on 5 counts of intent to distribute cocaine. Even in this day of college athletes and the trouble they get in, that's the kind of headline that grabs you. It may be every other day we hear about another DUI, public intox or Ryan Perriloux going to the casinos......but you just don't see 5 counts of selling coke that often. It's a big deal. Whether Alabama fans want to acknowledge that or not....it doesn't just go away and you shouldn't just dismiss it as "something that happens everywhere", which is pretty much what Reier says in an article that he posted no more than 4 hours after the news hit the wire!!! How's that for the spin machine folks. Here are some issues with the article Travis wrote and a point by point breakdown of the lunacy that he wrote:
OK, here goes: There are several individuals walking campuses around the SEC who have no business doing so. Why? Because major college football demands it. The stakes are so high that schools will reach when it comes to character in some instances.
- So this is intended to make this problem look minor? Hey guys, don't look at us, it happens everywhere. Everyone has bad kids and I'm sure every SEC school has players slinging rock to make a few extra bucks. It's really no big deal and it has to be part of college football. C'mon man...are you serious? This is classic duck and weave stuff here........even though we're in the news and got caught, we're no worse than anyone else because everybody does it. I think he wanted to write the same article when Alabama went on probation for slave trading in Memphis a few years back.
Now, the sanctimonious blowhards (the same ones who are glued to their TV sets every Saturday from September to January) will preach about how these individuals need to be purged from the system. But I wonder what they'd say if a coach signed 25 members of the Alabama Children's Choir every year and went 0-12. I think we all know the answer to that one.
- Nothing like a little hyperbole to make your point sound better Travis. There is a big difference between preaching about how what looks to be a pretty large scale drug dealer at your University should have been recognized for what he was and not given 5 chances to stay with the team versus signing 25 members of the Children's Choir and going 0-12. Here is why they call it "taking a gamble" on a player....when it blows up it your face, your reputation suffers for it. Otherwise they wouldn't call it taking a gamble or a chance, they'd just call it signing another player. Everyone associated with college football knows there are certain risks you are taking with some players....I'm not at all shocked when someone from my favorite school gets a DUI, public intox or gets sent home for the summer or maybe even sits out of few games for something stupid like missing class. I'm not even shocked when a HS star gets sent home after a year or two because he cant keep his head on straight. However I'm a little shocked when I see that a player was one of the biggest drug dealers on campus....call me crazy. The gap between signing guys that end up arrested for 5 counts of dealing narcotics and signing a boy's choir is pretty large. Believe it or not, there are teams that win games that don't have guys dealing cocaine to every party frat on campus....or maybe I'm the naive one.
I guess one could question Nick Saban's "clean slate philosophy" in regards to the players he inherited, the same approach nine out of ten coaches employ when taking over a program. The problem, which I have no doubt Saban is well aware, is that for some guys a coaching change doesn't represent a second chance; it's more like a fourth or fifth chance. There is no spinning what Johns is accused of having done. But you won't hearing me calling for a house cleaning of epic proportions. Considering that I help feed the monster on a daily basis, that would be more than a tad hypocritical.
- The mandatory "the current coach didn't do anything wrong" portion of the article. This was the same story with Mike Shula until the week before he got fired. They defended the way he handle the Juwan Simpson issue in 2006 over and over again. I can't recall how many articles were written and talk shows dedicated to the fact that Shula was doing the right thing. Auburn fans were hung up on on local radio shows for the repeated "ice cream cone" comments and laughing at the UA coaches discipline. However after loses to MSU and Auburn to end the season, "lack of control" was one of the major points given in calling for his job. What a shocking turn, right. In the state of Alabama there is no middle ground for a UA coach....you are a God or you are in front of the firing squad. It's too early to get on Saban's back, so you can assume that he will be defended even if he was caught in bed with a dead girl or live boy. Look, I have no idea (neither does any other fan or probably any journalist to be honest) if Nick Saban could have done anything to make this better. We could debate that for days and days. I do however know that this is the 10th arrest in his first 18 months on the job and at least 2 of them (Jeremy Elders armed assault and Jimmy Johns drug charges) are very, very serious crimes. For a guy that preaches "do all things like a champion" and "being the best at everything you do" this isn't a good start. Maybe 4 years from now Saban will have minimal player issues and the team will be keeping it's nose clean, but the excuse of "not his guys" doesn't work anymore. Jimmy Johns was under Saban for a year and a half and when coach brought in motivational speakers, Jimmy took it to heart. If you're going to sell, sling drugs like a champion...be the best. If I was hired to run someones company and it took me a year and a half to get rid of the bad eggs and the character issues that I was hired to fix I'd likely be looking for another job. They funniest part of this insert is that Reier calls it hypocritical to say anything about Saban's judgement because he "feeds the monster". So I guess if you ever wanted your team to win games you aren't allowed to say anything even if the players you cheered for are out selling narcotics to your 18 and 19 year old kids. Right Travis. All that was was a warning shot across the UA fanbase bow..."Dont question our fearless, perfect leader you hypocrites."
It's amazing to me that this article was slung up literally 4 hours after word hit the wire and no more than 6 hours after Johns was arrested. This is a knee jerk fans point of view on "how my teams no different from yours and it's not that big of a deal" instead of a legitimate breakdown on what happened, what it means for the program and the University and what steps they take to make sure it doesn't happen again. It almost sounds like Travis expects these kind of incidents to take place all over the SEC in the next few years, including at UA again in the future and that they should be considered "part of the business" of SEC football. Wow. I know it's tough to take the bashing from other fan bases and some national media sited along with blogs like EDSBS.com but some days you just have to take your medicine Travis. Some days you really shouldn't be trying to defend your program and coach....you should just take the beating that comes with "a gamble" on a player and leave it at that. Or you could do something constructive, like say call for the players to do a better job policing themselves, the coaches to be more responsible for the character they keep on campus or the University you represent to be more active in making sure guys that are rumored on every single message board on the Internet to be the schools largest drug dealer aren't driving around campus hitting every frat party in 1 hour on their moped without someone digging in a little bit. You could try to rally the fan base that you write for to demand more of their team than the status quot of multiple summer arrests and drug dealing linebackers. You could ask for the level of character to be raised and for the program not to embarrass itself. Of course, that would interfere with your "we didn't do anything that everyone else isn't doing" mentality.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
addition....
forgot to add the link for Whitlock's less than brilliant work. Push HERE if you want to be completely baffled by idiocy.
Congrats Whitlock....You've won again.
Moronic mediot of the day goes to the guy the award might one day be named after......Jason Whitlock. Whitlock is an amazingly frustrating writer, who will pen 5 or 6 good, deep, thought provoking articles and then put out a pile of dung just to throw you off course. This months pile of dung from Jason is a piece about one of his favorite topics....tattoos in the NBA.
Let me preface my rant with this: I am a 31 year old, white, suburban male that lives on a lake in rural Alabama. While I may have had the experience of living all over the country in my 20's, this is where I grew up and really who I am. I (based on race and culture) am the epitome of "the guy" that Whitlock believes would turn off the NBA playoffs because it's "too black" or "too hip-hop". My demographic is highly likely to be one of the ones that doesn't like the tattoos and the corn rows on the athletes on TV. I'll be honest......I hate corn rows. Don't understand them, don't see how they are even close to being considered attractive by anyone and can't see how you'd look in the mirror and think they are a good look. I just don't get them and never will. However, I don't turn off NBA games when there are 4 or more players with corn rows playing at the same time just because I don't like how it looks.....just doesn't happen.
Whitlock asserts the the NBA playoffs are getting better ratings in part to the fact that the Denver Nuggets aren't playing with Carmelo and Iverson's tattoos clogging up your flat screen in HD. He actually believes that people are tuning into the conference finals more this year because there are less tattoos. Really Jason? You actually think that people that watch and love sports are that easily swayed away from a good product or towards a bad one? The truth is that these are the best the conference finals have been in many years. I hate the Spurs after living in Dallas and becoming a Mavs fan, but it's the defending champs making what could be a final run at a title before some of these pieces get too old/banged up to make another run through a brutal and young Western Conference. It's new Kobi (who I also totally loathe) with his brand new toy Pau Gasol playing the best team basketball we've ever seen him play and a Lakers squad that is fun to watch even for L.A. haters. It's Kevin Garnett and the echoes of Boston Garden (even if it is a newer, less cool version) with a chance for a flashback Celtics vs. Lakers Finals. It's the Detroit Pistons, the NBA's nearest thing to Jim Kelley's Buffalo Bills, seeing if they can win more than one title after dominating the landscape in the East for what seems like a decade. There are too many great story lines to count....can KG, Pierce and Allen get rings to validate their careers, can Kobi win a title without Shaq, can Phil Jackson get another ring, is Greg Popovich going to continue an amazing run? That is why we are watching!!
My father is a 54 year old basketball purist. Take him out in the driveway right now and he'll play you one on one and make you look foolish with Bob Cousy/Pistol Pete moves. He loved Larry Bird enough that the first time I saw the man tear up was when he found out Bird was retiring. He's been bored with the NBA since the last Jordan title, as many other fans have probably been. He'd watch a game here and there, but it wasn't a sport he loved anymore. He's been addicted to these playoffs since Round 1...you know, when the tattooed Nuggetts were still playing. He probably hates the long hair of Sasha Vujacic more than he does the tats on Iverson. The bottom line is that he doesn't care what the guys look like on the court...he's not watching a freaking fashion show. He wants to see good, competetive basketball played in a manner that isn't streetball. He wants to see great team defense, good ball movement and high quality play. This year, the NBA playoffs are giving us that......and you could tattoo every player from head to toe with pink tats and it wouldn't make a difference. I know it's a slow day Jason, but please don't burden the sports world with this monstrous pile of dung you call an article.
Let me preface my rant with this: I am a 31 year old, white, suburban male that lives on a lake in rural Alabama. While I may have had the experience of living all over the country in my 20's, this is where I grew up and really who I am. I (based on race and culture) am the epitome of "the guy" that Whitlock believes would turn off the NBA playoffs because it's "too black" or "too hip-hop". My demographic is highly likely to be one of the ones that doesn't like the tattoos and the corn rows on the athletes on TV. I'll be honest......I hate corn rows. Don't understand them, don't see how they are even close to being considered attractive by anyone and can't see how you'd look in the mirror and think they are a good look. I just don't get them and never will. However, I don't turn off NBA games when there are 4 or more players with corn rows playing at the same time just because I don't like how it looks.....just doesn't happen.
Whitlock asserts the the NBA playoffs are getting better ratings in part to the fact that the Denver Nuggets aren't playing with Carmelo and Iverson's tattoos clogging up your flat screen in HD. He actually believes that people are tuning into the conference finals more this year because there are less tattoos. Really Jason? You actually think that people that watch and love sports are that easily swayed away from a good product or towards a bad one? The truth is that these are the best the conference finals have been in many years. I hate the Spurs after living in Dallas and becoming a Mavs fan, but it's the defending champs making what could be a final run at a title before some of these pieces get too old/banged up to make another run through a brutal and young Western Conference. It's new Kobi (who I also totally loathe) with his brand new toy Pau Gasol playing the best team basketball we've ever seen him play and a Lakers squad that is fun to watch even for L.A. haters. It's Kevin Garnett and the echoes of Boston Garden (even if it is a newer, less cool version) with a chance for a flashback Celtics vs. Lakers Finals. It's the Detroit Pistons, the NBA's nearest thing to Jim Kelley's Buffalo Bills, seeing if they can win more than one title after dominating the landscape in the East for what seems like a decade. There are too many great story lines to count....can KG, Pierce and Allen get rings to validate their careers, can Kobi win a title without Shaq, can Phil Jackson get another ring, is Greg Popovich going to continue an amazing run? That is why we are watching!!
My father is a 54 year old basketball purist. Take him out in the driveway right now and he'll play you one on one and make you look foolish with Bob Cousy/Pistol Pete moves. He loved Larry Bird enough that the first time I saw the man tear up was when he found out Bird was retiring. He's been bored with the NBA since the last Jordan title, as many other fans have probably been. He'd watch a game here and there, but it wasn't a sport he loved anymore. He's been addicted to these playoffs since Round 1...you know, when the tattooed Nuggetts were still playing. He probably hates the long hair of Sasha Vujacic more than he does the tats on Iverson. The bottom line is that he doesn't care what the guys look like on the court...he's not watching a freaking fashion show. He wants to see good, competetive basketball played in a manner that isn't streetball. He wants to see great team defense, good ball movement and high quality play. This year, the NBA playoffs are giving us that......and you could tattoo every player from head to toe with pink tats and it wouldn't make a difference. I know it's a slow day Jason, but please don't burden the sports world with this monstrous pile of dung you call an article.
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