Tide Fans -
This one hurts real bad. I was hoping I would not have to write this analysis, but here we are. The dream season came to an end Saturday night in the Georgia Dome, the same exact place it started. A very depressing MARTA ride back to the hotel. I literally got back and just went to bed. It was only 8:30, but I was emotionally drained. Losing to Florida totally sucks, especially since I think we are a better team than they are. I cannot stand their fans, their coach, and Tim Tebow. He makes me physically ill. We had them beat...we had them - take away 2 or 3 plays and we win this game. Losing our shot at another National Title to Florida really stings. It will be VERY hard for me to want the Gaytors to win their next game....very hard. I do not want the Big 12 to win the championship, but I really don't want Florida and Urban Meyer to get it either. What an arrogant SOB - I do not like him, and I cannot wait until we get another shot at him.
There were 3 things in this game that totally made the difference...3 things. 1 - Javier catching that ball on the 3 yard line instead of letting it go out. Florida got it back with great field position and scored. 2 - A terrible no call on an obvious grounding by Tebow - (even Vern Lundquist thought it was a bad call). Florida scored 2 plays later instead of it being 4th and long. 3 - a terrible....TERRIBLE face mask call against us in the 4th quarter. I have watched the replay and they should have never called that - he barely touched the side of his helmet, and let go before he took him down - he was not holding his face mask. Absoloutely game changing blown call - it would have been 4th down - instead Florida gets 15 yards and goes on to score. I am not making excuses - we still had our chance to win, but these instances did not help us at all, and Florida capitilized on each one of them.
We absoloutely dominated the gaytors in the 3rd quarter - it was powerful, and looked like we were just going to finish them off in the second half like we have opponents all year. Saban says it all the time - we did not "finish" in the 4th quarter. Even with the bad calls, we still had our chances to win - but we just couldn't get it done. I feel for our players who have worked their asses off this year. I know this loss sucks for us as fans, but I bet it really hurts for the players. Our chance for another title slipped through our fingers, and all our hearts were broken. It was, and still is a terrible feeling, but there is hope for the future. We lost this battle, but we will win the war. I am VERY proud of my team and what they have accomplished this season - it has been unbelievable! Who would have thought at the start of this season we would go undefeated and play in the SEC Championship game? What an incredible ride it has been - a ride I never wanted to get off. Coach Saban has turned this program around in the blink of an eye, and I for one hope he stays here for 100 years! Great times are ahead for The Alabama Crimson Tide! We will have another shot at the title in the very near future, and with Saban's leadership - I am confident our time will come soon!
We will learn from this experience and only get better. I for one would not want to be on the Utah football team in this upcoming Sugar Bowl. I think The Tide is going to "unleash the pain" on this group. It's not the National Championship, but still a great bowl game, and one most of us thought we were a year or two away from playing in. Hold your head up high Tide Fans, Bama is back - and we are here to stay!
Until the Sugar Bowl - Roll Tide!
Jason
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Week 13 - The Streak Ends!
Tide Fans -
93,000 fans said it best..."Hey Auburn...We just beat the Hell out of you"! Rammer Jammer Tide Fans...what a way to break the streak, and finish the regular season undefeated!!!! Complete and total domination of your arch rival is just a beautiful thing. Add on top of that 6 long years of frustration to losing, and you get the loudest Rammer Jammer cheer you have ever heard. Bryant-Denny was deafening many times throughout the evening, but unless you were at the game I cannot put into words how loud it was - truly awesome!! The Alabama Crimson Tide is 12-0 and on our way to the SEC Championship. Well done Coach Saban...well done Team.
I must admit, I was a little nervous before this game. The number 1 ranking and the fact that Auburn sucked had me thinking, this is their entire season right here...watch them pull off a miracle. All of that nervousness immediately left my body when I saw ex Tide star Siran Stacy accept his commemorative game ball, and then promptly take off down the sideline jumping up and down getting the crowd fired up - it was incredible! It changed the entire pre-game energy in the stadium. Watching a man who had lost his wife and 4 children just a year ago in a car accident, accept the game ball, and then just explode with enthusiasm for The Tide got me so fired up - I could have run through a brick wall! Our guys saw him, and then they got all fired up too - it was incredible! I was already emotional from having just heard one of the greatest renditions of our National Anthem sung by the lovely Sara Evans, but then to see Siran Stacy get the entire crowd fired up and watch him launch that commemorative game ball into the crowd....I can't even describe how I felt. I'm getting a little misty eyed just writing this - man it was powerful! As soon as that ball landed in the sea of Tide fans, I knew we were going to kick Auburn's ass.
There is really not even a need to analyze this game - it was beautiful. Our team came out and just did their thing, which is good ol smash mouth football. The defense played amazingly, and offense just pounded it down their throat - textbook Alabama! Auburn is a bad football team, but it is never easy to beat up on your rival like this - we made it look easy. Some of the holes that Coffee and Ingram had to run through were big enough for Cody! I loved how we switched things up and ran a lot to the right side instead of the left like we normally do - that is just great preparation, and great coaching! Saban even had our team practicing with wet footballs all week in anticipation of a wet game - genius!!! Tubberville looked like he had repeatedly been kicked in the family jewels, and I loved every second of that. I hope Auburn keeps Tubby for a long time, because I want to see that look on his face several more times. It was so cool to send the Seniors on this team out like this. Watching them all get to make a final wave to the Bryant-Denny crowd as the second string came in, was truly special. There are some guys we will really miss in this small but talented group. JP, Rashad, Antoine, Nikita, Nick, Travis, Bobby - we will miss you, and thank you for all that you have done for this team! You have all helped lift the weight of losing 6 years in a row to Auburn off our shoulders, and we truly thank you!
Players I love from this week:
- Glenn Coffee (seriously, how awesome is he?)
- Nikkita Stover (great catch and score - gonna miss his occasional clutch plays)
- Bobby Greenwood (huge blocked field goal - kept the momentum going into half!)
- Mark Ingram (more awesomeness)
Now - let's talk a little about the SEC Championship! As expected, we are not given the time of day by all the talking heads - they all have Florida as a "heavy" favorite. Never mind that we are UNDEFEATED, and the best team in the country - let's go ahead and just hand the trophy to the Gaytors. I mean come on....give me a freaking break! I love love LOVE coach Saban's reaction to questions about being an underdog and having to play Florida. Tracy Wolfson from CBS "Coach Saban your team is going to be an underdog in this game, how do you feel about that?" Saban's answer..."That's all right...doesn't bother me any!" Saban will have our team ready to take on Tebow and his gaytors - I guarantee it! He will find a weakness, and The Tide will exploit it - it is going to be a great game. Let all the media fall over Florida and Tebow, and Oklahoma...we will just keep doing what we have been doing all year - play smash mouth football, and win. It makes me sick to think how much CBS commentators, Vern Lundquist and Gary Danielson will be routing for Florida in this game. I mean listening to most of their calls this year was just nauseating. Vern needs to stick to being the color commentator for Figure Skating - he does much better with Scott Hamilton at his side. Thankfully, I will be in the Georgia Dome to witness this one!
Win or lose next week this has been one hell of a year! Who would have thought we would be 12-0! I predicted 10 wins, but thought we were another year away from being really good. What a special team, and what a special coach. I am so proud of this team, and so proud to be an Alabama Crimson Tide fan. I am going to swagger into the Georgia Dome next week knowing we have a great team, who does what it takes to win. I plan to laugh at many Gaytor fans in their jean shorts, or "jorts". Their fans will be rude and thinking that they are going to wax us. I am just going to smile and let The Tide do all the talking - it worked last time!
Proud to be an undefeated Crimson Tide fan! Until next week...Roll Tide!
Jason
P.S. Here is a small clip of Sara Evans (Mrs. Barker) singing the National Anthem!
Rammer Jammer!
93,000 fans said it best..."Hey Auburn...We just beat the Hell out of you"! Rammer Jammer Tide Fans...what a way to break the streak, and finish the regular season undefeated!!!! Complete and total domination of your arch rival is just a beautiful thing. Add on top of that 6 long years of frustration to losing, and you get the loudest Rammer Jammer cheer you have ever heard. Bryant-Denny was deafening many times throughout the evening, but unless you were at the game I cannot put into words how loud it was - truly awesome!! The Alabama Crimson Tide is 12-0 and on our way to the SEC Championship. Well done Coach Saban...well done Team.
I must admit, I was a little nervous before this game. The number 1 ranking and the fact that Auburn sucked had me thinking, this is their entire season right here...watch them pull off a miracle. All of that nervousness immediately left my body when I saw ex Tide star Siran Stacy accept his commemorative game ball, and then promptly take off down the sideline jumping up and down getting the crowd fired up - it was incredible! It changed the entire pre-game energy in the stadium. Watching a man who had lost his wife and 4 children just a year ago in a car accident, accept the game ball, and then just explode with enthusiasm for The Tide got me so fired up - I could have run through a brick wall! Our guys saw him, and then they got all fired up too - it was incredible! I was already emotional from having just heard one of the greatest renditions of our National Anthem sung by the lovely Sara Evans, but then to see Siran Stacy get the entire crowd fired up and watch him launch that commemorative game ball into the crowd....I can't even describe how I felt. I'm getting a little misty eyed just writing this - man it was powerful! As soon as that ball landed in the sea of Tide fans, I knew we were going to kick Auburn's ass.
There is really not even a need to analyze this game - it was beautiful. Our team came out and just did their thing, which is good ol smash mouth football. The defense played amazingly, and offense just pounded it down their throat - textbook Alabama! Auburn is a bad football team, but it is never easy to beat up on your rival like this - we made it look easy. Some of the holes that Coffee and Ingram had to run through were big enough for Cody! I loved how we switched things up and ran a lot to the right side instead of the left like we normally do - that is just great preparation, and great coaching! Saban even had our team practicing with wet footballs all week in anticipation of a wet game - genius!!! Tubberville looked like he had repeatedly been kicked in the family jewels, and I loved every second of that. I hope Auburn keeps Tubby for a long time, because I want to see that look on his face several more times. It was so cool to send the Seniors on this team out like this. Watching them all get to make a final wave to the Bryant-Denny crowd as the second string came in, was truly special. There are some guys we will really miss in this small but talented group. JP, Rashad, Antoine, Nikita, Nick, Travis, Bobby - we will miss you, and thank you for all that you have done for this team! You have all helped lift the weight of losing 6 years in a row to Auburn off our shoulders, and we truly thank you!
Players I love from this week:
- Glenn Coffee (seriously, how awesome is he?)
- Nikkita Stover (great catch and score - gonna miss his occasional clutch plays)
- Bobby Greenwood (huge blocked field goal - kept the momentum going into half!)
- Mark Ingram (more awesomeness)
Now - let's talk a little about the SEC Championship! As expected, we are not given the time of day by all the talking heads - they all have Florida as a "heavy" favorite. Never mind that we are UNDEFEATED, and the best team in the country - let's go ahead and just hand the trophy to the Gaytors. I mean come on....give me a freaking break! I love love LOVE coach Saban's reaction to questions about being an underdog and having to play Florida. Tracy Wolfson from CBS "Coach Saban your team is going to be an underdog in this game, how do you feel about that?" Saban's answer..."That's all right...doesn't bother me any!" Saban will have our team ready to take on Tebow and his gaytors - I guarantee it! He will find a weakness, and The Tide will exploit it - it is going to be a great game. Let all the media fall over Florida and Tebow, and Oklahoma...we will just keep doing what we have been doing all year - play smash mouth football, and win. It makes me sick to think how much CBS commentators, Vern Lundquist and Gary Danielson will be routing for Florida in this game. I mean listening to most of their calls this year was just nauseating. Vern needs to stick to being the color commentator for Figure Skating - he does much better with Scott Hamilton at his side. Thankfully, I will be in the Georgia Dome to witness this one!
Win or lose next week this has been one hell of a year! Who would have thought we would be 12-0! I predicted 10 wins, but thought we were another year away from being really good. What a special team, and what a special coach. I am so proud of this team, and so proud to be an Alabama Crimson Tide fan. I am going to swagger into the Georgia Dome next week knowing we have a great team, who does what it takes to win. I plan to laugh at many Gaytor fans in their jean shorts, or "jorts". Their fans will be rude and thinking that they are going to wax us. I am just going to smile and let The Tide do all the talking - it worked last time!
Proud to be an undefeated Crimson Tide fan! Until next week...Roll Tide!
Jason
P.S. Here is a small clip of Sara Evans (Mrs. Barker) singing the National Anthem!
Rammer Jammer!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Week 12
Tide Fans -
Who would have thought before this season started that I would be typing the week 12 analysis and I could say...."Undefeated baby"!!!! Yes sir, the Alabama Crimson Tide stays on top for another week. I could get used to this! How awesome is it to turn on Sportscenter and hear them talking about number 1 Alabama! Of course most of them are doing it with a certain tone in their voice like..."should they really be number 1?" If I have to hear them love on the Florida Gaytors any more, I am going to puke! Here we are undefeated...and they still love Florida. How quickly they forget that the same Florida team lost to Ole Miss...don't forget that!! I don't care how good they are playing now...they lost to Ole Miss at home. They are already predicting Florida to easily beat us in the SEC championship. Well, we shall see about that in 3 weeks.
On to the game...it was nice to beat down the bulldogs of Mississippi State this past weekend. Yes, they are not very good, but we have lost 2 in a row to them so it was good to get that monkey off our back. It looked a little scary at first, but honestly I was never really worried in this game. For those of you who went, I hope you have thawed out by now. It was COLD in that stadium, and it wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't windy, but of course it was windy! And, to top it all off we got a nice little unexpected 10 minute shower. Thankfully I timed my trip to the concession stand at this exact moment and missed the rain. Quick shout out to the concessions this week - long lines, and no food...awesome! They were also selling cold chocolate in case you wanted any!
Even though it was cold, the fans packed into Bryant-Denny, and thanks to Saban's rant earlier this week on his radio show - the fans were loud! It is awesome when the fans get loud - the defense always plays better. My stomach muscles were sore about half way through the first quarter. I'm glad Saban gave a fiery pep talk on his radio show, because he did make a great point. No matter who we are playing we should be there, loud and proud to support our team. They deserve it more than ever this season! I have a feeling the fans will be loud and in full support in 2 weeks when the barn comes to town!
The Tide did what they needed to do this week to win. It was not mind blowing, and a lot of it was special teams, but we got it done. The most important thing is getting the win! We got the win, and we didn't have to stress out which was a welcome relief! Miss. State is a very physical team, and their defense is solid, so I will take this win - even with the not so explosive offensive performance. Minus about 1 or 2 plays the defense played a good game. We got screwed on several different calls, and on several spots. I'm not one to normally talk about officiating, but there were some terrible calls this week. Thankfully, none of them effected the outcome of the game, and we also escaped another game injury free - that is huge!
Players I Love from this week:
- Javier Arenas (No fumbles, solid defense, and incredible returns)
- Mark Ingram (couple of big runs - I love how he just runs over people)
- Leigh Tiffin (nailed every field goal attempt!!)
- Rolando McClain (11 tackles - and those don't include the stupid guys who tried to pick a fight with him this week!)
Things we need to improve so I can sleep better:
- Just work on consistency with the offense - let's get some more points up there when we have the opportunity
Well Tide Fans, it is Auburn week!! Well, actually we get 2 Auburn weeks since we are off this weekend. I cannot wait for this game, as I have a good feeling about this year. I want Rolando McClain and Mt. Cody to personally wipe that stupid grin off Tubberville's face. Watching him on the sidelines with the little smirk and his stupid little orange shirt..it is time we take those 6 fingers and shove them where the sun don't shine! I would love to finish off Tubby's career at Auburn just like we did with the great pumpkin from Knoxville! The streak ends this year Auburn, and you are not going to a bowl. I don't think I can wait two weeks for this game - I want to play it tomorrow!!! Bryant-Denny will be rocking! I am going to personally not talk much in the next 2 weeks to save my voice for the game. So, if you start getting a lot of texts from me it is because I am saving my voice!
I think Saban will have us more than ready to take on Auburn. Yes - it may be close at first, but I just see us pulling away with this one. You may think I sound cocky, but I'm not - just confident. We all know that Saban will work his ass off to make sure we are prepared for this one. So get ready Bama fans, The Tide has had an incredible season, and this will be icing on the cake. Let's get loud and let Auburn hear that Bama is Back, and we are here to stay!
Until next time...Roll Tide!
Jason
Who would have thought before this season started that I would be typing the week 12 analysis and I could say...."Undefeated baby"!!!! Yes sir, the Alabama Crimson Tide stays on top for another week. I could get used to this! How awesome is it to turn on Sportscenter and hear them talking about number 1 Alabama! Of course most of them are doing it with a certain tone in their voice like..."should they really be number 1?" If I have to hear them love on the Florida Gaytors any more, I am going to puke! Here we are undefeated...and they still love Florida. How quickly they forget that the same Florida team lost to Ole Miss...don't forget that!! I don't care how good they are playing now...they lost to Ole Miss at home. They are already predicting Florida to easily beat us in the SEC championship. Well, we shall see about that in 3 weeks.
On to the game...it was nice to beat down the bulldogs of Mississippi State this past weekend. Yes, they are not very good, but we have lost 2 in a row to them so it was good to get that monkey off our back. It looked a little scary at first, but honestly I was never really worried in this game. For those of you who went, I hope you have thawed out by now. It was COLD in that stadium, and it wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't windy, but of course it was windy! And, to top it all off we got a nice little unexpected 10 minute shower. Thankfully I timed my trip to the concession stand at this exact moment and missed the rain. Quick shout out to the concessions this week - long lines, and no food...awesome! They were also selling cold chocolate in case you wanted any!
Even though it was cold, the fans packed into Bryant-Denny, and thanks to Saban's rant earlier this week on his radio show - the fans were loud! It is awesome when the fans get loud - the defense always plays better. My stomach muscles were sore about half way through the first quarter. I'm glad Saban gave a fiery pep talk on his radio show, because he did make a great point. No matter who we are playing we should be there, loud and proud to support our team. They deserve it more than ever this season! I have a feeling the fans will be loud and in full support in 2 weeks when the barn comes to town!
The Tide did what they needed to do this week to win. It was not mind blowing, and a lot of it was special teams, but we got it done. The most important thing is getting the win! We got the win, and we didn't have to stress out which was a welcome relief! Miss. State is a very physical team, and their defense is solid, so I will take this win - even with the not so explosive offensive performance. Minus about 1 or 2 plays the defense played a good game. We got screwed on several different calls, and on several spots. I'm not one to normally talk about officiating, but there were some terrible calls this week. Thankfully, none of them effected the outcome of the game, and we also escaped another game injury free - that is huge!
Players I Love from this week:
- Javier Arenas (No fumbles, solid defense, and incredible returns)
- Mark Ingram (couple of big runs - I love how he just runs over people)
- Leigh Tiffin (nailed every field goal attempt!!)
- Rolando McClain (11 tackles - and those don't include the stupid guys who tried to pick a fight with him this week!)
Things we need to improve so I can sleep better:
- Just work on consistency with the offense - let's get some more points up there when we have the opportunity
Well Tide Fans, it is Auburn week!! Well, actually we get 2 Auburn weeks since we are off this weekend. I cannot wait for this game, as I have a good feeling about this year. I want Rolando McClain and Mt. Cody to personally wipe that stupid grin off Tubberville's face. Watching him on the sidelines with the little smirk and his stupid little orange shirt..it is time we take those 6 fingers and shove them where the sun don't shine! I would love to finish off Tubby's career at Auburn just like we did with the great pumpkin from Knoxville! The streak ends this year Auburn, and you are not going to a bowl. I don't think I can wait two weeks for this game - I want to play it tomorrow!!! Bryant-Denny will be rocking! I am going to personally not talk much in the next 2 weeks to save my voice for the game. So, if you start getting a lot of texts from me it is because I am saving my voice!
I think Saban will have us more than ready to take on Auburn. Yes - it may be close at first, but I just see us pulling away with this one. You may think I sound cocky, but I'm not - just confident. We all know that Saban will work his ass off to make sure we are prepared for this one. So get ready Bama fans, The Tide has had an incredible season, and this will be icing on the cake. Let's get loud and let Auburn hear that Bama is Back, and we are here to stay!
Until next time...Roll Tide!
Jason
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Week 11
Tide Fans -
Still Undefeated!!! How good it feels to be ranked #1 and have just beaten a tough opponent on the road in a VERY hostile environment. Death Valley is never an easy place to win, and with the pressure of being ranked #1 in the country and the return of Saban, I was VERY proud of our team to come out of there victorious! That was HUGE! Of course we had to do it in typical Alabama fashion by stressing all of us Tide Fans out to the point where I literally almost threw up in my seat. I have never thrown up at a Tide game, but that was the closest I have ever come. Having the pure elation of cheering for a Bama TD ripped away from me by a more than questionable holding call, and then having to watch us line up for a field goal for the win....you want to talk about a roller coaster of emotions. I know many of you were on that same roller coaster with me...it was brutal. Settling for the field goal attempt after getting screwed out of a TD - I was not feeling confident. And of course they blocked it, which really didn't surprise me. I just had a bad feeling about it. Tiger stadium was rocking, and they had the momentum going into overtime. Enter my official new "man crush"...Rashad Johnson! What a huge play to intercept that ball in OT - HUGE PLAY!!! The pass to Julio was incredible...what a freaking catch! JP takes it in from the 1...game over...pure elation from the Alabama section...it was awesome!
Games like this make me love The Tide even more, which I didn't think was possible. Sitting up about a mile high in the upper deck surrounded by other Tide faithful...it was beautiful. I think I hugged about 50 people I didn't know, but strangely I felt like I was hugging and high fiving close friends. Our fans are so awesome! Before the game, the group I was with came across a very gracious group of Tide fans - I believe they were actually students. The reason I assume this, is because before I knew it we were drinking their beer and doing Jeager Bombs with them. Aaaaahh I felt like I was 21 again. In case you don't know what a Jaeger Bomb is, allow me to explain. A Jaeger Bomb, is a rather large amount of Jaegermeister mixed with Red Bull. I was unfamiliar with this shot, because Red Bull unfortunately had not been invented when I was in school. Putting aside any fear of catching a disease from whomever had used the cup I took my shot out of...I slugged it down. Aaaaahhh sooo smooth! I have to say - I enjoyed the Jager Bomb.
A big shout out to my new friends who so graciously accommodated us.
I also need to give a shout out to most of the LSU fans. I wasn't really sure what to expect going to Baton Rouge with all the Saban haters, but most of them that we saw acted as civil as LSU fans can. One girl, dressed in her LSU garb complete with Tiger ears on her head approached me blowing a whistle. I was like...oh great here we go. I let her blow her whistle at me for a few seconds and then calmly responded..."Honey, you can blow your whistle all you want at me if you can find us 3 beers" She stopped blowing her whistle, smiled and said..."Sure - come on over here" The whistle blower turned out to be very nice and offered us food and drink. Before I could even thank her she had joined in with a line dance that had formed around the tailgating spot - it was wild! There were a few rowdy LSU fans before the game, and if I hear the expression "Tiger Bait" one more time...man they love saying that. Except it sounds more like "Tigah Bait" - the "r" is silent, and the "e" is apparently replaced by the letters "a" and "h" in Cajun speak. Overall the fans were OK to us before the game. I could go on telling stories of my travels to Baton Rouge, but you probably want a little analysis also.
Overall this was kind of an ugly game for us, but that is about what I expected. The running game was almost non existent in the first half, but thankfully we had Julio to catch some passes. What a performance he gave in this game! This kid is phenomenal. Yes, he did drop a few but he made some huge catches, and he is not easy to take down. I love watching him stiff arm and bull his way for more yards. I lover Javier, but seriously...if he fumbles again I am going to lose it! The defense played poorly against the run, and thankfully Jarret Lee is terrible so most of their passes ended up in the dirt, or in Rashad's hands. Did I mention that I love Rashad Johnson as much as a straight man can? We delivered when we needed it though, and that is the true sign of a champion! This was bound to be an ugly game, but LSU has some big boys so we knew we would have some trouble. There are many areas we could have played better, but the only thing that matters is that we played well enough to get the win, and clinch the SEC West title! We are going to Atlanta!
Players I love from this week:
- Rashad Johnson!!!!!!!
- Julio Jones....(nuff said)
Things we need to change so I can sleep better:
- Destroy Miss. State (we owe these guys a butt whipping)
The Tide is number 1 and I am loving it. I have so much swagger now that I may explode! The best way to tell when you have a great football team is when people start hating you, and there were a lot of Tide haters on Bourbon Street Saturday night. Not just LSU fans, but all kinds of random people who cheered for random teams. This may sound funny, but I love it when people hate us because then I know we are a damn good football team. I cannot wait for the rest of this season, and I cannot wait to play Florida in the SEC championship game. I sooo had hoped we would get the chance to play Tebow - I want to crush him and his Gaytors! People are already saying that Florida will crush us...right. I am fine if everyone wants to make us the underdog - they did the same thing in 1992. Bring it on Florida...bring it on!
Hold you heads high Tide Fans - we are Undefeated and 10-0! I hope to see you all in Tuscaloosa for the Miss. State game. I think Sylvester Croom and his Bulldogs will be in for a long night.
Until next week - Roll Tide!
Jason
Still Undefeated!!! How good it feels to be ranked #1 and have just beaten a tough opponent on the road in a VERY hostile environment. Death Valley is never an easy place to win, and with the pressure of being ranked #1 in the country and the return of Saban, I was VERY proud of our team to come out of there victorious! That was HUGE! Of course we had to do it in typical Alabama fashion by stressing all of us Tide Fans out to the point where I literally almost threw up in my seat. I have never thrown up at a Tide game, but that was the closest I have ever come. Having the pure elation of cheering for a Bama TD ripped away from me by a more than questionable holding call, and then having to watch us line up for a field goal for the win....you want to talk about a roller coaster of emotions. I know many of you were on that same roller coaster with me...it was brutal. Settling for the field goal attempt after getting screwed out of a TD - I was not feeling confident. And of course they blocked it, which really didn't surprise me. I just had a bad feeling about it. Tiger stadium was rocking, and they had the momentum going into overtime. Enter my official new "man crush"...Rashad Johnson! What a huge play to intercept that ball in OT - HUGE PLAY!!! The pass to Julio was incredible...what a freaking catch! JP takes it in from the 1...game over...pure elation from the Alabama section...it was awesome!
Games like this make me love The Tide even more, which I didn't think was possible. Sitting up about a mile high in the upper deck surrounded by other Tide faithful...it was beautiful. I think I hugged about 50 people I didn't know, but strangely I felt like I was hugging and high fiving close friends. Our fans are so awesome! Before the game, the group I was with came across a very gracious group of Tide fans - I believe they were actually students. The reason I assume this, is because before I knew it we were drinking their beer and doing Jeager Bombs with them. Aaaaahh I felt like I was 21 again. In case you don't know what a Jaeger Bomb is, allow me to explain. A Jaeger Bomb, is a rather large amount of Jaegermeister mixed with Red Bull. I was unfamiliar with this shot, because Red Bull unfortunately had not been invented when I was in school. Putting aside any fear of catching a disease from whomever had used the cup I took my shot out of...I slugged it down. Aaaaahhh sooo smooth! I have to say - I enjoyed the Jager Bomb.
A big shout out to my new friends who so graciously accommodated us.
I also need to give a shout out to most of the LSU fans. I wasn't really sure what to expect going to Baton Rouge with all the Saban haters, but most of them that we saw acted as civil as LSU fans can. One girl, dressed in her LSU garb complete with Tiger ears on her head approached me blowing a whistle. I was like...oh great here we go. I let her blow her whistle at me for a few seconds and then calmly responded..."Honey, you can blow your whistle all you want at me if you can find us 3 beers" She stopped blowing her whistle, smiled and said..."Sure - come on over here" The whistle blower turned out to be very nice and offered us food and drink. Before I could even thank her she had joined in with a line dance that had formed around the tailgating spot - it was wild! There were a few rowdy LSU fans before the game, and if I hear the expression "Tiger Bait" one more time...man they love saying that. Except it sounds more like "Tigah Bait" - the "r" is silent, and the "e" is apparently replaced by the letters "a" and "h" in Cajun speak. Overall the fans were OK to us before the game. I could go on telling stories of my travels to Baton Rouge, but you probably want a little analysis also.
Overall this was kind of an ugly game for us, but that is about what I expected. The running game was almost non existent in the first half, but thankfully we had Julio to catch some passes. What a performance he gave in this game! This kid is phenomenal. Yes, he did drop a few but he made some huge catches, and he is not easy to take down. I love watching him stiff arm and bull his way for more yards. I lover Javier, but seriously...if he fumbles again I am going to lose it! The defense played poorly against the run, and thankfully Jarret Lee is terrible so most of their passes ended up in the dirt, or in Rashad's hands. Did I mention that I love Rashad Johnson as much as a straight man can? We delivered when we needed it though, and that is the true sign of a champion! This was bound to be an ugly game, but LSU has some big boys so we knew we would have some trouble. There are many areas we could have played better, but the only thing that matters is that we played well enough to get the win, and clinch the SEC West title! We are going to Atlanta!
Players I love from this week:
- Rashad Johnson!!!!!!!
- Julio Jones....(nuff said)
Things we need to change so I can sleep better:
- Destroy Miss. State (we owe these guys a butt whipping)
The Tide is number 1 and I am loving it. I have so much swagger now that I may explode! The best way to tell when you have a great football team is when people start hating you, and there were a lot of Tide haters on Bourbon Street Saturday night. Not just LSU fans, but all kinds of random people who cheered for random teams. This may sound funny, but I love it when people hate us because then I know we are a damn good football team. I cannot wait for the rest of this season, and I cannot wait to play Florida in the SEC championship game. I sooo had hoped we would get the chance to play Tebow - I want to crush him and his Gaytors! People are already saying that Florida will crush us...right. I am fine if everyone wants to make us the underdog - they did the same thing in 1992. Bring it on Florida...bring it on!
Hold you heads high Tide Fans - we are Undefeated and 10-0! I hope to see you all in Tuscaloosa for the Miss. State game. I think Sylvester Croom and his Bulldogs will be in for a long night.
Until next week - Roll Tide!
Jason
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Week 10
Tide Fans -
Everything is right in the world...The Tide is #1...at least for now! Yes, it is nice to see The Tide back on top, and Auburn sucks! We have some big games coming up, and I hope this number 1 ranking isn't the kiss of death. For now, I am going to enjoy it, because I think this team is very special. I believe they can handle all the hoopla that will be over the news this coming week. Focus, Focus, Focus Bama...get the job done!
Now - let's talk about our latest victory...what a nice Homecoming win! What started out a little slow, turned into another dominating effort by the men in Crimson. What a beautiful day for football, and for homecoming - it was perfect! I still find it hard to believe that for the people sitting on the East side of the stadium (where I happen to sit) it felt like the middle of August on Nov. 1! Wow that sun is brutal over there, and the 2:00 kickoff gave us the pleasure of full sun for the enitre game. I saw many people thinking, "I should not have worn this sweater vest today" as they found their seats. The sun was literally "leaning" on us all game. I once again made the idiotic mistake of taking my 5 year old little girl to this day game. We had not even kicked off before I got the "Daddy, I'm hot and I want to go!" 2 Dipping Dots, 1 bag of peanuts, and 2 cokes later I convinced her to stay until the end of the 3rd quarter. I would like to personally thank the gentleman sitting behind me, who gladly shared his bag of peanuts with my child. The amusement of cracking open the shells kept her distracted for at least 1 quarter, so again thank you sir!!
Ok - on to some actual analysis. The Tide did what they needed to do to get by the Red Wolves of Arkansas Satate. Or, for our Spanish speaking friends - the Lobos Rojos. Alabama put on a good performance and got out of this game with a decisive victory, and injury free!! I was pumped to see our running game continue to kick ass, and our defense contiues to play solid as well! Huge shout out to Rashad Johnson this week - an interception for a TD, plus 13 tackles!!!! He continues to get better and better. He is starting to remind me of Roman Harper - just very business like, and always there making a play when we need it. I was glad to see Mark Ingram get in some great runs this week - he is going to be an incredible running back. He just refuses to go down on the first hit. Another great game by Roy Upchurch as well - I love watching him get the ball, as he may actually be our most exciting running back. How awesome is it that we have 3 incredible running backs???
JP did what he needed to do in this game, but is going to have to be spot on next week against LSWho. For us the come out of death valley with the W, we are going to have to be balanced, and JP determies that. I know he can do it - we have seen him do it already this year. He needs to complete some good passes early to get comfortable, and get into his rhythm. I think if we can get some passes to the tight ends early, that will open up our running game and off we go!
Players I love from this week:
- Rashad Johnson (just gets better every game)
- Mark Ingram (very strong performance - great power running)
- Brandon Fanney (big game - lots of tackles)
Things we need to change so I can sleep better:
- Don't really have anything here - just need to play our game
Well, can you believe we are 9-0 heading into Red Stick, Louisiana?? What a season it has been so far, and still so many games left to play! This is a huge week for our team - I think we find out this weekend if we are true champions. If we can go down there to another very hostile environment and take care of business, then I think there is absoloutely no reason we can't go all the way. This has been such an exciting and powerful season - I see no reason for it to end now. I believe The Tide will rise again for this next challenge and keep the undefeated season alive! It will be a battle against LSU, but if we play our game and control the ball, we leave very satisfied. LSU is good, but I just think we are a better team. The atmosphere will be electric with the sounds of drunk cajuns and the smell of jambalaya in the air. I think this game is very important to Nick Saban - I think he really wants to whip Les Mile's ass, and shut him up. Les Miles has spurted nothing but disrespect to our football program for the past two years, and it is time he ate those words.
If you are going to the game, and I hope many of you are, we need to be loud and support our # 1 Crimson Tide! We always play well down in Red Stick (Baton Rouge), even when we suck. It's time to bring back the old slogan..."The Tide don't lose in Baton Rouge". I have a good feeling about this weekend...I am looking forward to writing next week's analysis. Until then...Roll Tide Roll!
Jason
Everything is right in the world...The Tide is #1...at least for now! Yes, it is nice to see The Tide back on top, and Auburn sucks! We have some big games coming up, and I hope this number 1 ranking isn't the kiss of death. For now, I am going to enjoy it, because I think this team is very special. I believe they can handle all the hoopla that will be over the news this coming week. Focus, Focus, Focus Bama...get the job done!
Now - let's talk about our latest victory...what a nice Homecoming win! What started out a little slow, turned into another dominating effort by the men in Crimson. What a beautiful day for football, and for homecoming - it was perfect! I still find it hard to believe that for the people sitting on the East side of the stadium (where I happen to sit) it felt like the middle of August on Nov. 1! Wow that sun is brutal over there, and the 2:00 kickoff gave us the pleasure of full sun for the enitre game. I saw many people thinking, "I should not have worn this sweater vest today" as they found their seats. The sun was literally "leaning" on us all game. I once again made the idiotic mistake of taking my 5 year old little girl to this day game. We had not even kicked off before I got the "Daddy, I'm hot and I want to go!" 2 Dipping Dots, 1 bag of peanuts, and 2 cokes later I convinced her to stay until the end of the 3rd quarter. I would like to personally thank the gentleman sitting behind me, who gladly shared his bag of peanuts with my child. The amusement of cracking open the shells kept her distracted for at least 1 quarter, so again thank you sir!!
Ok - on to some actual analysis. The Tide did what they needed to do to get by the Red Wolves of Arkansas Satate. Or, for our Spanish speaking friends - the Lobos Rojos. Alabama put on a good performance and got out of this game with a decisive victory, and injury free!! I was pumped to see our running game continue to kick ass, and our defense contiues to play solid as well! Huge shout out to Rashad Johnson this week - an interception for a TD, plus 13 tackles!!!! He continues to get better and better. He is starting to remind me of Roman Harper - just very business like, and always there making a play when we need it. I was glad to see Mark Ingram get in some great runs this week - he is going to be an incredible running back. He just refuses to go down on the first hit. Another great game by Roy Upchurch as well - I love watching him get the ball, as he may actually be our most exciting running back. How awesome is it that we have 3 incredible running backs???
JP did what he needed to do in this game, but is going to have to be spot on next week against LSWho. For us the come out of death valley with the W, we are going to have to be balanced, and JP determies that. I know he can do it - we have seen him do it already this year. He needs to complete some good passes early to get comfortable, and get into his rhythm. I think if we can get some passes to the tight ends early, that will open up our running game and off we go!
Players I love from this week:
- Rashad Johnson (just gets better every game)
- Mark Ingram (very strong performance - great power running)
- Brandon Fanney (big game - lots of tackles)
Things we need to change so I can sleep better:
- Don't really have anything here - just need to play our game
Well, can you believe we are 9-0 heading into Red Stick, Louisiana?? What a season it has been so far, and still so many games left to play! This is a huge week for our team - I think we find out this weekend if we are true champions. If we can go down there to another very hostile environment and take care of business, then I think there is absoloutely no reason we can't go all the way. This has been such an exciting and powerful season - I see no reason for it to end now. I believe The Tide will rise again for this next challenge and keep the undefeated season alive! It will be a battle against LSU, but if we play our game and control the ball, we leave very satisfied. LSU is good, but I just think we are a better team. The atmosphere will be electric with the sounds of drunk cajuns and the smell of jambalaya in the air. I think this game is very important to Nick Saban - I think he really wants to whip Les Mile's ass, and shut him up. Les Miles has spurted nothing but disrespect to our football program for the past two years, and it is time he ate those words.
If you are going to the game, and I hope many of you are, we need to be loud and support our # 1 Crimson Tide! We always play well down in Red Stick (Baton Rouge), even when we suck. It's time to bring back the old slogan..."The Tide don't lose in Baton Rouge". I have a good feeling about this weekend...I am looking forward to writing next week's analysis. Until then...Roll Tide Roll!
Jason
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Week 9
Tide Fans -
Rolllllllllllll Tide!!!! Hell yes, I love beating Tennessee! I am writing tonight from New York, where they could care less about college football. So, I have had to walk around with a sh*t eating grin on my face all day without any acknowledgement from any fans - except for one dude on the airplane that gave me a Roll Tide! It's ok, because even if I don't get to share my joy with other Tide fans, I can live with the pure inner joy of crushing the big orange! Man it felt good to watch Fulmer wince in pain on the sideline as Saban and The Tide were handing out their 2nd ass whipping in a row on his team. Did I already say how much I enjoyed and am still enjoying this win?? Eat it Fulmer!!!
This game started just about how I thought it would. I knew the vols and their fans would be all fired up thinking they could pull the upset. I also knew as soon a Lou Holtz predicted UT to win that we had this game in the bag! A few stupid mistakes on our part kept Tennessee in the game early, but the Tide finally got into their businesslike performance and started putting unanswered points on the board. There is nothing I love more than watching a long clock consuming drive that ends up with 7 points - it is delightful. Our bevy of running backs started cruising down the field, and JP was passing with great accuracy - it was beautiful! We actually had 10 more passing yards than rushing - I loved the switch up on play calling - great game plan. Julio just gets better every week, and plays like a seasoned veteran. Roy Upchurch is just a spaz when he gets the ball - he just flies down field - it is great!
Our defense was just powerful. The blitzing, pass coverage, run coverage, etc... it was all incredible. Tennessee did not know where we were coming from - several plays it looked like we had about 15 guys on the field - they were flying everywhere. Rashad Johnson played awesome, and led with the most solo tackles. Donta Hightower and Josh Chapman had great games as well. Just a very solid performance from our defense. Just a very well rounded game on both sides of the ball for Bama.
Saban, once again has done an excellent job of preparing our team to play in a very hostile environment. I mean, look at our road games this year and see how well we have played! Seriously, let's put the white jersey's on at home and see what happens! Our players played 4 quarters this week, and never let up in the second half - that was nice to see after we have had some squeakers lately. I think Saban's message of finishing is finally starting to set in. I for one am very "pleased and happy" about this performance!
Players I love from this week:
- JP Wilson (Great game...just looked really solid)
- Julio...need I say more!
- Roy Upchurch (3rd string and just runs wild when he gets the ball - very fast)
- Rashad Johnson (several huge blitzes, and some great coverage)
- Leigh Tiffin (solid kicking!!!!)
Things we need to change so I can sleep better:
- Just stay focused on the next opponent - 1 at a time!
I know Tennessee sucks this year, but this was a big win for us. Anytime you have to play a rival at their place - throw the record books out. Everyone thought we were prime for an upset, but we crushed that notion. To be honest - I was more nervous about this game than I am LSU. This was the game I thought we needed to escape to reach our goal of an SEC championship, and we got it done! If we can keep playing games like we did in this one, then we are on our way to Atlanta, and possibly something even bigger! I know we have some big games left, but if we keep playing like we are, I feel confident about our chances. Man it feels great to be playing good football again - we have waited a long time for this Tide Fans, so enjoy it. Go ahead, walk with a little more swagger, and stick your chest out - we deserve it! We are the Alabama Crimson Tide, and this is how it is supposed to be!
A quick shout out to all the Bama fans who made the trip to Knoxville - you guys were loud - it was awesome!!
Until next week...Roll Tide my friends...Roll Tide!
Jason
Rolllllllllllll Tide!!!! Hell yes, I love beating Tennessee! I am writing tonight from New York, where they could care less about college football. So, I have had to walk around with a sh*t eating grin on my face all day without any acknowledgement from any fans - except for one dude on the airplane that gave me a Roll Tide! It's ok, because even if I don't get to share my joy with other Tide fans, I can live with the pure inner joy of crushing the big orange! Man it felt good to watch Fulmer wince in pain on the sideline as Saban and The Tide were handing out their 2nd ass whipping in a row on his team. Did I already say how much I enjoyed and am still enjoying this win?? Eat it Fulmer!!!
This game started just about how I thought it would. I knew the vols and their fans would be all fired up thinking they could pull the upset. I also knew as soon a Lou Holtz predicted UT to win that we had this game in the bag! A few stupid mistakes on our part kept Tennessee in the game early, but the Tide finally got into their businesslike performance and started putting unanswered points on the board. There is nothing I love more than watching a long clock consuming drive that ends up with 7 points - it is delightful. Our bevy of running backs started cruising down the field, and JP was passing with great accuracy - it was beautiful! We actually had 10 more passing yards than rushing - I loved the switch up on play calling - great game plan. Julio just gets better every week, and plays like a seasoned veteran. Roy Upchurch is just a spaz when he gets the ball - he just flies down field - it is great!
Our defense was just powerful. The blitzing, pass coverage, run coverage, etc... it was all incredible. Tennessee did not know where we were coming from - several plays it looked like we had about 15 guys on the field - they were flying everywhere. Rashad Johnson played awesome, and led with the most solo tackles. Donta Hightower and Josh Chapman had great games as well. Just a very solid performance from our defense. Just a very well rounded game on both sides of the ball for Bama.
Saban, once again has done an excellent job of preparing our team to play in a very hostile environment. I mean, look at our road games this year and see how well we have played! Seriously, let's put the white jersey's on at home and see what happens! Our players played 4 quarters this week, and never let up in the second half - that was nice to see after we have had some squeakers lately. I think Saban's message of finishing is finally starting to set in. I for one am very "pleased and happy" about this performance!
Players I love from this week:
- JP Wilson (Great game...just looked really solid)
- Julio...need I say more!
- Roy Upchurch (3rd string and just runs wild when he gets the ball - very fast)
- Rashad Johnson (several huge blitzes, and some great coverage)
- Leigh Tiffin (solid kicking!!!!)
Things we need to change so I can sleep better:
- Just stay focused on the next opponent - 1 at a time!
I know Tennessee sucks this year, but this was a big win for us. Anytime you have to play a rival at their place - throw the record books out. Everyone thought we were prime for an upset, but we crushed that notion. To be honest - I was more nervous about this game than I am LSU. This was the game I thought we needed to escape to reach our goal of an SEC championship, and we got it done! If we can keep playing games like we did in this one, then we are on our way to Atlanta, and possibly something even bigger! I know we have some big games left, but if we keep playing like we are, I feel confident about our chances. Man it feels great to be playing good football again - we have waited a long time for this Tide Fans, so enjoy it. Go ahead, walk with a little more swagger, and stick your chest out - we deserve it! We are the Alabama Crimson Tide, and this is how it is supposed to be!
A quick shout out to all the Bama fans who made the trip to Knoxville - you guys were loud - it was awesome!!
Until next week...Roll Tide my friends...Roll Tide!
Jason
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Week 8
Tide Fans -
First I would like to say...Roll Tide! Second I would like to say...WTF!!!! Seriously, do we have to win every game like that in last minute fashion? I cannot take this anymore. I am very glad we got the win, but come on!! As I was leaving the stadium a gentlemen who somewhat resembled Santa Clause could see the look of concern on my face, and he said "at least we are 7 and 0!" Yes, yes we are - but I am not going to live to see 8-0 if we keep up these last minute victories.
Anyway - thank God we came out of there with a victory, and yes we are undefeated and ranked #2 - that is nice! A friend of mine suggested I write 2 analysis - one for each half. Boy, would those two be different!
The first half was awesome - classic smash mouth Alabama football. We had our way with them on the ground and in the air. Big shout out to JP for finally dialing in Marquis Maze - beautiful pass and catch! I continue to love the duo of Mark Ingram and Glenn "I run for Jesus" Coffee. Those two played a great game minus the fumble from Coffee. If you heard Coffee's post game interview from the Kentucky game, you will know why I called him that - he is a great kid!
I loved the play calling in the first half! Putting Mount Cody in at halfback was awesome - he just paved the way for Ingram. I seriously thought they were going to give him the ball - that would have been incredible! The flea flicker was nice also - great execution on that, and another great pass from JP! I watched the replay, and Mike McCoy actually catches that pass one handed! Our defense was playing spot on as well in the first half - big plays from the secondary, and even though he didn't get one of the picks, Javier played very well. As a matter of fact the Defense played pretty good the entire game - they just had no support from our offense in the second half. This must change, or we will not remain undefeated for long.
I thought this would be a pretty tough game for us, and it ended up being that way. I don't know what it is, but for some reason the number 21 and Houston Nutt haunt the Alabama Crimson Tide! 3 out of the past 4 times we have played a Houston Nutt team we have been up by 21 points, and each time they have come back to even the score. So, in the second quarter when I looked at the scoreboard and saw we were up by 21 I got a bad feeling. I saw it unfolding before my eyes again - Nutt was chipping away at the lead and damn near evened it up. He is a total spaz, but he keeps his teams in games.
We have got to figure out what it takes to finish someone off in the second half. We cannot let some of the teams coming up on our schedule to have the ability to do what they want to us in the 3rd and 4th quarter. Either that, or we need to score twice as many points in the first half! As I said earlier - I seriously cannot take these games that are in jeopardy until the final play. It is just not healthy for any of us!
Players I Love from this week:
- Julio Jones (just a stud receiver - loved his big catch and run in first half!)
- Nick Walker (I love the fact that we throw to him all the time now!!!)
- Mark Ingram (just does not go down on the first hit)
- Glenn Coffee (ditto)
- Eryk Anders (very underrated defensive player who has made some huge plays this year)
Things we need to change so I can sleep better:
- Somehow figure out a way to make Terrence Cody's knee better immediately!
- score points in the second half
Well, it is Tennessee week now! Many of you may know that I absolutely Despise UT, and their coach. Everything about this football team makes me physically ill, and I want to crush them severely. Last year's game was a thing of beauty, and hopefully something we can repeat in Knoxville. I have never seen The Tide win in Knoxville while I was in attendance. You will all be glad to know that I will not be attending this years game! One of these days I will go back, but not this year. We better bring it this week, because Tennessee has nothing left to play for except beating us. That is the only thing left in which they can be satisfied with for the rest of this season, and it may keep Fulmer's job. So, they will be ready to play us, and we need to play all 4 quarters next Saturday. I want to put the nail in Tennessee's coffin this season. They are not a good football team, but I know they will play us as hard as they can. I will be spending Thanksgiving in Tennessee this year, and it sure would be nice to greet everyone there with a big 'ol Bama smile on my face!
If you are heading to the game this week - scream loud, and good luck getting your ass to fit in the 6 inches they allot you to sit. I hate that stadium - it absolutely blows! We need a consistent, mistake free game this week. Let's head up to Knoxville, smash them in the mouth, and put the great pumpkin out to pasture! Roll Tide!
Jason
First I would like to say...Roll Tide! Second I would like to say...WTF!!!! Seriously, do we have to win every game like that in last minute fashion? I cannot take this anymore. I am very glad we got the win, but come on!! As I was leaving the stadium a gentlemen who somewhat resembled Santa Clause could see the look of concern on my face, and he said "at least we are 7 and 0!" Yes, yes we are - but I am not going to live to see 8-0 if we keep up these last minute victories.
Anyway - thank God we came out of there with a victory, and yes we are undefeated and ranked #2 - that is nice! A friend of mine suggested I write 2 analysis - one for each half. Boy, would those two be different!
The first half was awesome - classic smash mouth Alabama football. We had our way with them on the ground and in the air. Big shout out to JP for finally dialing in Marquis Maze - beautiful pass and catch! I continue to love the duo of Mark Ingram and Glenn "I run for Jesus" Coffee. Those two played a great game minus the fumble from Coffee. If you heard Coffee's post game interview from the Kentucky game, you will know why I called him that - he is a great kid!
I loved the play calling in the first half! Putting Mount Cody in at halfback was awesome - he just paved the way for Ingram. I seriously thought they were going to give him the ball - that would have been incredible! The flea flicker was nice also - great execution on that, and another great pass from JP! I watched the replay, and Mike McCoy actually catches that pass one handed! Our defense was playing spot on as well in the first half - big plays from the secondary, and even though he didn't get one of the picks, Javier played very well. As a matter of fact the Defense played pretty good the entire game - they just had no support from our offense in the second half. This must change, or we will not remain undefeated for long.
I thought this would be a pretty tough game for us, and it ended up being that way. I don't know what it is, but for some reason the number 21 and Houston Nutt haunt the Alabama Crimson Tide! 3 out of the past 4 times we have played a Houston Nutt team we have been up by 21 points, and each time they have come back to even the score. So, in the second quarter when I looked at the scoreboard and saw we were up by 21 I got a bad feeling. I saw it unfolding before my eyes again - Nutt was chipping away at the lead and damn near evened it up. He is a total spaz, but he keeps his teams in games.
We have got to figure out what it takes to finish someone off in the second half. We cannot let some of the teams coming up on our schedule to have the ability to do what they want to us in the 3rd and 4th quarter. Either that, or we need to score twice as many points in the first half! As I said earlier - I seriously cannot take these games that are in jeopardy until the final play. It is just not healthy for any of us!
Players I Love from this week:
- Julio Jones (just a stud receiver - loved his big catch and run in first half!)
- Nick Walker (I love the fact that we throw to him all the time now!!!)
- Mark Ingram (just does not go down on the first hit)
- Glenn Coffee (ditto)
- Eryk Anders (very underrated defensive player who has made some huge plays this year)
Things we need to change so I can sleep better:
- Somehow figure out a way to make Terrence Cody's knee better immediately!
- score points in the second half
Well, it is Tennessee week now! Many of you may know that I absolutely Despise UT, and their coach. Everything about this football team makes me physically ill, and I want to crush them severely. Last year's game was a thing of beauty, and hopefully something we can repeat in Knoxville. I have never seen The Tide win in Knoxville while I was in attendance. You will all be glad to know that I will not be attending this years game! One of these days I will go back, but not this year. We better bring it this week, because Tennessee has nothing left to play for except beating us. That is the only thing left in which they can be satisfied with for the rest of this season, and it may keep Fulmer's job. So, they will be ready to play us, and we need to play all 4 quarters next Saturday. I want to put the nail in Tennessee's coffin this season. They are not a good football team, but I know they will play us as hard as they can. I will be spending Thanksgiving in Tennessee this year, and it sure would be nice to greet everyone there with a big 'ol Bama smile on my face!
If you are heading to the game this week - scream loud, and good luck getting your ass to fit in the 6 inches they allot you to sit. I hate that stadium - it absolutely blows! We need a consistent, mistake free game this week. Let's head up to Knoxville, smash them in the mouth, and put the great pumpkin out to pasture! Roll Tide!
Jason
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Week 6
Tide Fans -
It's an SEC win and I will take it! It was not pretty, not dominating, and it came down to the last few plays, but we got the W. In a league where any team can pretty much beat any other team, getting out with a win is all that matters - ask Florida and Auburn!!! Coming down off the huge dominating performance against Georgia, I was actually fully expecting a performance like we had Saturday. The off week comes at a perfect time, so our team can get some rest, and come back strong for the second half of the season. We are still undefeated!!!
I know Kentucky had not really been tested by an SEC team before they played us, but I do think they have a decent team - especially their defense. There will be more teams this season that struggle with Kentucky. Our passing game was not very good on Saturday, and JPW looked like his old self. This following a week where I was singing his praises. I will add that he was pressured several times, and this is why I think Kentucky does have a strong defense. Julio was just about the only target JP could get the ball to, and he was double teamed many of the times. Julio is good...Julio is damn good! Our running game was pretty solid - not as many holes as last week, but they were good enough to get us some points. Not nearly as consistent, but they did make some big plays, we just couldn't keep a rhythm there and with a few lost fumbles, cost us at least 10 points. Leigh Tiffin didn't make things any better there...come of Tiffin we all know you are better than that! He did nail the clutch kick at the end, so kudos for getting it dialed back in.
I have to say the defense did their job, and they were asked to play a lot thanks to the many 3 and outs provided by the offense. I am still very concerned about covering the quick crossing routs over the middle. That is our weakest point in the defense. Almost every team we have played this season has been able to hit that quick slant across the middle, and it drives me crazy because that is usually how they pick up the first down. I don't know what we can do to stop that, but we need to figure something out there. I know he had an interception, but does Kareem Jackson ever turn around and look for the ball when he is playing man to man? Maybe that is what he is taught, but how can you make a play on the ball if you have no idea where it is? That reminded me of good 'ol Milo "Sweet Tea" Lewis.
Overall, a lack luster performance, but one that was good enough to keep us undefeated. As Saban said, "we gave a clinic on how to keep the other team in the game". With our upcoming schedule, we must find ways to put points on the board when we have the opportunity. You all know I hate the stress riddled, tight sphincter last second win, but I will take it all day if we can keep winning. I wish we could play more games in the state of Georgia, because that seems to be our sweet spot! Here is an idea - I think Coach Saban should make us wear the white uniforms at home also - we seem to be kicking some ass in those! It was way to quiet in Bryant-Denny for my taste on Saturday. The crowd did come alive when we needed to on Defense, and coach Saban acknowledged that - I love Coach Saban!
Players I love from this week:
- Glenn Coffee (Powerful...just powerful!)
- Julio Jones (Was there another wide receiver playing on Saturday?)
- Antoine Caldwell (created some running room for Mr. Coffee)
- Rolando McClain (just an awesome linebacker with heads up skills)
Things we need to change so I can sleep better:
- keeping a rhythm on offense - stop the 3 and out!
- Dial it back in JP!!
- Hold on the the football!!!!
- 4th quarter song that the MDB plays - Seriously...we are still playing Green Day??? I think I was in 6th grade when that came out! There are other "pump you up" songs out there!!!!
Tip of the Week:
- Enjoy the off week - I know I will! We have a long way to go this season!!
Again, it was definitely not a great game, but we need to all be happy that we won! Not too long ago we would have not pulled that out. In a season where Vandy is 5-0 and beating teams they have not beaten in 50 something years, we need to be happy with every win! I think the Tide takes advantage of the week off and gets rested for the remainder of our brutal schedule. We have some BIG games coming up, and I am fired up! This has been an awesome season so far, so let's keep cheering on The Tide and bringing home more victories! Roll Tide Roll!
Jason
It's an SEC win and I will take it! It was not pretty, not dominating, and it came down to the last few plays, but we got the W. In a league where any team can pretty much beat any other team, getting out with a win is all that matters - ask Florida and Auburn!!! Coming down off the huge dominating performance against Georgia, I was actually fully expecting a performance like we had Saturday. The off week comes at a perfect time, so our team can get some rest, and come back strong for the second half of the season. We are still undefeated!!!
I know Kentucky had not really been tested by an SEC team before they played us, but I do think they have a decent team - especially their defense. There will be more teams this season that struggle with Kentucky. Our passing game was not very good on Saturday, and JPW looked like his old self. This following a week where I was singing his praises. I will add that he was pressured several times, and this is why I think Kentucky does have a strong defense. Julio was just about the only target JP could get the ball to, and he was double teamed many of the times. Julio is good...Julio is damn good! Our running game was pretty solid - not as many holes as last week, but they were good enough to get us some points. Not nearly as consistent, but they did make some big plays, we just couldn't keep a rhythm there and with a few lost fumbles, cost us at least 10 points. Leigh Tiffin didn't make things any better there...come of Tiffin we all know you are better than that! He did nail the clutch kick at the end, so kudos for getting it dialed back in.
I have to say the defense did their job, and they were asked to play a lot thanks to the many 3 and outs provided by the offense. I am still very concerned about covering the quick crossing routs over the middle. That is our weakest point in the defense. Almost every team we have played this season has been able to hit that quick slant across the middle, and it drives me crazy because that is usually how they pick up the first down. I don't know what we can do to stop that, but we need to figure something out there. I know he had an interception, but does Kareem Jackson ever turn around and look for the ball when he is playing man to man? Maybe that is what he is taught, but how can you make a play on the ball if you have no idea where it is? That reminded me of good 'ol Milo "Sweet Tea" Lewis.
Overall, a lack luster performance, but one that was good enough to keep us undefeated. As Saban said, "we gave a clinic on how to keep the other team in the game". With our upcoming schedule, we must find ways to put points on the board when we have the opportunity. You all know I hate the stress riddled, tight sphincter last second win, but I will take it all day if we can keep winning. I wish we could play more games in the state of Georgia, because that seems to be our sweet spot! Here is an idea - I think Coach Saban should make us wear the white uniforms at home also - we seem to be kicking some ass in those! It was way to quiet in Bryant-Denny for my taste on Saturday. The crowd did come alive when we needed to on Defense, and coach Saban acknowledged that - I love Coach Saban!
Players I love from this week:
- Glenn Coffee (Powerful...just powerful!)
- Julio Jones (Was there another wide receiver playing on Saturday?)
- Antoine Caldwell (created some running room for Mr. Coffee)
- Rolando McClain (just an awesome linebacker with heads up skills)
Things we need to change so I can sleep better:
- keeping a rhythm on offense - stop the 3 and out!
- Dial it back in JP!!
- Hold on the the football!!!!
- 4th quarter song that the MDB plays - Seriously...we are still playing Green Day??? I think I was in 6th grade when that came out! There are other "pump you up" songs out there!!!!
Tip of the Week:
- Enjoy the off week - I know I will! We have a long way to go this season!!
Again, it was definitely not a great game, but we need to all be happy that we won! Not too long ago we would have not pulled that out. In a season where Vandy is 5-0 and beating teams they have not beaten in 50 something years, we need to be happy with every win! I think the Tide takes advantage of the week off and gets rested for the remainder of our brutal schedule. We have some BIG games coming up, and I am fired up! This has been an awesome season so far, so let's keep cheering on The Tide and bringing home more victories! Roll Tide Roll!
Jason
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Week 5 - Dawgs Pounded!
Tide Fans -
Blackout reported in Georgia...No need to worry, Alabama Power has arrived on the scene!
Alabama Power is right - we absolutely crushed the Georgia Pups. Another incredible display of a power running game, and a stifling defense - it was textbook Alabama! I loved watching the fan reactions, all dressed up in their stupid black outfits, getting it handed to them on their home field. They truly were dressed for their own funeral. It is great to be a Tide fan...great indeed!
All day long I have been basking in the glow of this Tide victory. I even watched the entire game again - it was just as good the second time. We crushed them - it is as simple as that! They really got nothing on us except a few cheap TD's at the end. "No Show" Mareno was completely shut down - he had a whopping 36 yards. I'm pretty sure Glenn Coffee had that by his 3rd carry. Stafford was irrelevant as well. Oh and hey Georgia...our #8 is waaaaay better than your #8.
We had so many great players in this game, but I have to give the game ball to John Parker Wilson! What an incredible job of directing the offense and protecting the ball. 13 of 16 for passing, I think this was JP's best game. The touchdown pass to Julio was absolutely perfect! JP has matured big time in one season, and he is truly leading this team and making much better decisions. I have given him grief in the past, but I am convinced now that he is the man for the job - great game! Going back and watching the game I saw several key decisions he made that were very smart. I think our new offensive coordinator has had a lot to do with this, and I think he is doing and awesome job.
What a statement we sent to the Nation - going into a very hostile environment with a "blackout" theme (which I thought was soo gay), and just smacking them in the mouth. Crushing the # 3 team in the country on their turf. Roll Tide Roll! All the way up to a #2 ranking. While I enjoy the high ranking it also makes me nervous - we are now no longer the hunter, we are the hunted. Don't get me wrong, I have swagger, and a lot of it now because we should, but we have 2 potential "trap" games coming up with Kentucky and Ole Miss. Kentucky has not really played anyone yet so I am not as concerned about them as I am Ole Miss. We just need to listen to Saban and stayed Focused - one game at at time. By the way...Nick Saban is worth every penny!!!
Players I love from this week:
- John Parker Wilson (incredible game, getting to be a very smart QB)
- Glenn Coffee (could possibly be my "Man Crush" in a few more games)
- Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuulio Jones!!!
- Justin Woodall (starting to become a very impressive safety)
Things we need to change so I can sleep better:
- I got nothing
Tip of the Week:
- If you are going to the game this weekend - you better leave yourself plenty of time to get there - I have a feeling it will be packed!!
I am still just ridiculously pumped about this victory, and loving The Tide sooo much right now. It is clear we have come a long way under coach Saban, and great things are ahead. I don't think anyone thought we would be where we are right now - this is truly a special team. We have a long season, and some tough games ahead, but if we continue to play like we did against Georgia, then great things are going to happen! Roll Tide everyone - enjoy this win!
Jason
Blackout reported in Georgia...No need to worry, Alabama Power has arrived on the scene!
Alabama Power is right - we absolutely crushed the Georgia Pups. Another incredible display of a power running game, and a stifling defense - it was textbook Alabama! I loved watching the fan reactions, all dressed up in their stupid black outfits, getting it handed to them on their home field. They truly were dressed for their own funeral. It is great to be a Tide fan...great indeed!
All day long I have been basking in the glow of this Tide victory. I even watched the entire game again - it was just as good the second time. We crushed them - it is as simple as that! They really got nothing on us except a few cheap TD's at the end. "No Show" Mareno was completely shut down - he had a whopping 36 yards. I'm pretty sure Glenn Coffee had that by his 3rd carry. Stafford was irrelevant as well. Oh and hey Georgia...our #8 is waaaaay better than your #8.
We had so many great players in this game, but I have to give the game ball to John Parker Wilson! What an incredible job of directing the offense and protecting the ball. 13 of 16 for passing, I think this was JP's best game. The touchdown pass to Julio was absolutely perfect! JP has matured big time in one season, and he is truly leading this team and making much better decisions. I have given him grief in the past, but I am convinced now that he is the man for the job - great game! Going back and watching the game I saw several key decisions he made that were very smart. I think our new offensive coordinator has had a lot to do with this, and I think he is doing and awesome job.
What a statement we sent to the Nation - going into a very hostile environment with a "blackout" theme (which I thought was soo gay), and just smacking them in the mouth. Crushing the # 3 team in the country on their turf. Roll Tide Roll! All the way up to a #2 ranking. While I enjoy the high ranking it also makes me nervous - we are now no longer the hunter, we are the hunted. Don't get me wrong, I have swagger, and a lot of it now because we should, but we have 2 potential "trap" games coming up with Kentucky and Ole Miss. Kentucky has not really played anyone yet so I am not as concerned about them as I am Ole Miss. We just need to listen to Saban and stayed Focused - one game at at time. By the way...Nick Saban is worth every penny!!!
Players I love from this week:
- John Parker Wilson (incredible game, getting to be a very smart QB)
- Glenn Coffee (could possibly be my "Man Crush" in a few more games)
- Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuulio Jones!!!
- Justin Woodall (starting to become a very impressive safety)
Things we need to change so I can sleep better:
- I got nothing
Tip of the Week:
- If you are going to the game this weekend - you better leave yourself plenty of time to get there - I have a feeling it will be packed!!
I am still just ridiculously pumped about this victory, and loving The Tide sooo much right now. It is clear we have come a long way under coach Saban, and great things are ahead. I don't think anyone thought we would be where we are right now - this is truly a special team. We have a long season, and some tough games ahead, but if we continue to play like we did against Georgia, then great things are going to happen! Roll Tide everyone - enjoy this win!
Jason
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Week 4
Tide Fans -
Powerful...just powerful! I love winning like that, especially with 2 defensive touchdowns, and 2 long runs. Old school hard nosed Alabama football!!!!! The Tide could do no wrong on Saturday against the little pigs of Arkansas, and I know all of you enjoyed every second of it just as I did. It was beautiful, and we made it look easy. No nerve wracking tight sphincter win this week, just a good 'ol Alabama butt kicking! I could get used to games like this...unfortunately we are going to have to get over this one quick and get focused on what could be our biggest test this season.
I said before the Arkansas game that if we could run the ball early - it would be over, and that is exactly what we did. Coffee and Ingram were just punishing - damn I love those guys! I wanted to just chest bump both of them after their runs!! The pole results from last week on this blog had Ingram heavily favored as the best Alabama running back, but after this week I bet it would be even with him and Coffee. Hell, Upchurch kicked some tail too - we are just loaded at running back!!
I am very excited about this win, and about next weekend. What a HUGE game!! The Dawgs and The Tide both undefeated - ESPN will be falling all over themselves this week promoting this game (as they should). Georgia is good...Georgia is very good, but I think Alabama is better. We will have to play at least as good as this past week if not better to come out with a win. JP was good on Saturday, but he will need his best game yet. He is still missing some throws that he needs to be making and that concerns me a bit. We can run, but we will have to have solid passing against Georgia to be successful. I know we can beat them, we just need to stay in our rhythm and take care of the ball.
Players I love from this week:
- Glenn "I'll have some more" Coffee!!!!
- Mark "I'm a true freshman and kicking ass" Ingram
- Javier "I can do everything" Arenas
- The entire secondary - I think they all got a pick!
Things we need to fix so I can sleep better:
- Just work on JP a little to fix that little knack he has to throw the ball behind the receiver (or over his head)
Tip of the Week:
- Love The Tide...but please don't get carried away and start yelling Nat'l Championship yet!! We have a long way to go!
I am soo fired up about playing Georgia - it is going to be tough to concentrate at work thinking about this game. Saban needs to get his boys focused and have a great week of practice for this Monster of a game! I have a feeling Saban has already discussed being focused with the team, and the he is no longer "pleased and happy" with the Arkansas win. This week we will really find out how far we have come, and win or lose I have a feeling this is going to be a great game. I have swagger right now....conservative swagger...but swagger none the less. Let's go over to Athens and put a beat down on the dogs!!!! Roll Tide Roll!!!!!!
Jason
Powerful...just powerful! I love winning like that, especially with 2 defensive touchdowns, and 2 long runs. Old school hard nosed Alabama football!!!!! The Tide could do no wrong on Saturday against the little pigs of Arkansas, and I know all of you enjoyed every second of it just as I did. It was beautiful, and we made it look easy. No nerve wracking tight sphincter win this week, just a good 'ol Alabama butt kicking! I could get used to games like this...unfortunately we are going to have to get over this one quick and get focused on what could be our biggest test this season.
I said before the Arkansas game that if we could run the ball early - it would be over, and that is exactly what we did. Coffee and Ingram were just punishing - damn I love those guys! I wanted to just chest bump both of them after their runs!! The pole results from last week on this blog had Ingram heavily favored as the best Alabama running back, but after this week I bet it would be even with him and Coffee. Hell, Upchurch kicked some tail too - we are just loaded at running back!!
I am very excited about this win, and about next weekend. What a HUGE game!! The Dawgs and The Tide both undefeated - ESPN will be falling all over themselves this week promoting this game (as they should). Georgia is good...Georgia is very good, but I think Alabama is better. We will have to play at least as good as this past week if not better to come out with a win. JP was good on Saturday, but he will need his best game yet. He is still missing some throws that he needs to be making and that concerns me a bit. We can run, but we will have to have solid passing against Georgia to be successful. I know we can beat them, we just need to stay in our rhythm and take care of the ball.
Players I love from this week:
- Glenn "I'll have some more" Coffee!!!!
- Mark "I'm a true freshman and kicking ass" Ingram
- Javier "I can do everything" Arenas
- The entire secondary - I think they all got a pick!
Things we need to fix so I can sleep better:
- Just work on JP a little to fix that little knack he has to throw the ball behind the receiver (or over his head)
Tip of the Week:
- Love The Tide...but please don't get carried away and start yelling Nat'l Championship yet!! We have a long way to go!
I am soo fired up about playing Georgia - it is going to be tough to concentrate at work thinking about this game. Saban needs to get his boys focused and have a great week of practice for this Monster of a game! I have a feeling Saban has already discussed being focused with the team, and the he is no longer "pleased and happy" with the Arkansas win. This week we will really find out how far we have come, and win or lose I have a feeling this is going to be a great game. I have swagger right now....conservative swagger...but swagger none the less. Let's go over to Athens and put a beat down on the dogs!!!! Roll Tide Roll!!!!!!
Jason
Monday, September 15, 2008
Week 3
Tide Fans -
Now that is more like it - Roll Tide! Granted it was against Western Kentucky, it was a much needed display of offense. This is no excuse for last week, but it does look like Tulane may be a better team than expected taking East Carolina to the wire. This was a very entertaining game, one that was fun to watch and enjoy with other Tide faithful. Unfortunately I was unable to see the first half thanks to Charter Communications. I normally always go to the games, but this weekend I was unable to attend, so I ordered pay for view. After inviting several people over to watch the game we all got settled in to watch and were presented with a blank screen. No Tide, no sound....nothing! To say that I was irritated is an understatement. Scrambling for the only radio I could find in the house - my extremely small emergency weather radio, I was forced to listen to Eli. Of course the batteries were dead, so I had to use the emergency crank to charge up the radio. Many of you may have seen these types of radios - they have a handle on the side you can crank if there is no power, and it charges and internal battery for a few minutes. Needless to say it was entertaining to watch me dial the cable company, crank a radio, and try to listen all at the same time. Much to the surprise of my wife and myself, I actually remained somewhat calm. Normally faced with this situation I would have exploded, and more than likely dropped a few choice words.
After being on hold for well over 25 minutes, and technical representative came on the line. Long story short, they could not fix the problem and I was left with - "sorry, there is nothing we can do!" This entire process literally took the entire first half. Thankfully The Tide was playing well, and I was not stressed about the outcome - although I was PO'd about missing everything. So, if you have Charter Communications (and for those of us in Birmingham that is who you are stuck with if you have cable) - do not order pay for view, because it will not work!
On to the game! I finally got to see the second half by running down to the local watering hole where they had it on about 60 TV's! Our running backs looked AWESOME - just like they did against Clemson! I love when we can just pound the ball up the middle, gaining big yards. Mark Ingram and Glenn Coffee are unstoppable once they get in a grove. Both just power runners. The offensive production was just incredible, and the amount of players we used was unbelievable! At one point I thought the were just going to let Mt. Cody play running back. This is exactly the kind of game we needed to get ready for the SEC schedule. This allowed us to give our backups some much needed playing time in the event we ever had to use them. I must say, I feel really comfortable about McElroy should he ever have to go in for JP. I said 2 years ago in my analysis that this kid would be good, and I think you saw just a little on Saturday. His passes are dead on accurate, and he has a very good ability to control the flow of the game. I wish we would have left him in more. I truly think he will be running the team next year!
A great game to build up some confidence and go on the road for our SEC opener against Arkansas. I hate this game...every year it makes my stomach churn no matter what the records are. This will not be easy for us - but I believe if we stick to our game plan and execute well, we will come away with the W. If we can run the ball early, than this game will be over! Pound that ball all day as far as I am concerned!! The only way I see us losing this game is if we make stupid mistakes and beat ourselves. If we can pressure their QB, I believe we can capitalize on some turnovers. Come on Defense!
Players I love from this week:
- Glenn Coffee (powerful)
- Mark Ingram (even more powerful - still have Man Crush)
- Courtney Upshaw (very surprising effort - great game, and some big hits!)
- Entire Offensive line (great job this week!)
- Marquis Maze (can you say hands???)
Things we need to change so I will sleep better:
- I really have nothing here to complain about
Tip of the Week:
- Go to the game...don't rely on pay for view!
Big game this week Tide fans!!! We can get things really rolling into Athens with a big win in Fayetteville. We must play focused in this game - do not look ahead - one opponent at a time! I am fired up and it is only Monday!!! Come on Saturday - hurry up.
Until next week - Roll Tide!
Jason
Now that is more like it - Roll Tide! Granted it was against Western Kentucky, it was a much needed display of offense. This is no excuse for last week, but it does look like Tulane may be a better team than expected taking East Carolina to the wire. This was a very entertaining game, one that was fun to watch and enjoy with other Tide faithful. Unfortunately I was unable to see the first half thanks to Charter Communications. I normally always go to the games, but this weekend I was unable to attend, so I ordered pay for view. After inviting several people over to watch the game we all got settled in to watch and were presented with a blank screen. No Tide, no sound....nothing! To say that I was irritated is an understatement. Scrambling for the only radio I could find in the house - my extremely small emergency weather radio, I was forced to listen to Eli. Of course the batteries were dead, so I had to use the emergency crank to charge up the radio. Many of you may have seen these types of radios - they have a handle on the side you can crank if there is no power, and it charges and internal battery for a few minutes. Needless to say it was entertaining to watch me dial the cable company, crank a radio, and try to listen all at the same time. Much to the surprise of my wife and myself, I actually remained somewhat calm. Normally faced with this situation I would have exploded, and more than likely dropped a few choice words.
After being on hold for well over 25 minutes, and technical representative came on the line. Long story short, they could not fix the problem and I was left with - "sorry, there is nothing we can do!" This entire process literally took the entire first half. Thankfully The Tide was playing well, and I was not stressed about the outcome - although I was PO'd about missing everything. So, if you have Charter Communications (and for those of us in Birmingham that is who you are stuck with if you have cable) - do not order pay for view, because it will not work!
On to the game! I finally got to see the second half by running down to the local watering hole where they had it on about 60 TV's! Our running backs looked AWESOME - just like they did against Clemson! I love when we can just pound the ball up the middle, gaining big yards. Mark Ingram and Glenn Coffee are unstoppable once they get in a grove. Both just power runners. The offensive production was just incredible, and the amount of players we used was unbelievable! At one point I thought the were just going to let Mt. Cody play running back. This is exactly the kind of game we needed to get ready for the SEC schedule. This allowed us to give our backups some much needed playing time in the event we ever had to use them. I must say, I feel really comfortable about McElroy should he ever have to go in for JP. I said 2 years ago in my analysis that this kid would be good, and I think you saw just a little on Saturday. His passes are dead on accurate, and he has a very good ability to control the flow of the game. I wish we would have left him in more. I truly think he will be running the team next year!
A great game to build up some confidence and go on the road for our SEC opener against Arkansas. I hate this game...every year it makes my stomach churn no matter what the records are. This will not be easy for us - but I believe if we stick to our game plan and execute well, we will come away with the W. If we can run the ball early, than this game will be over! Pound that ball all day as far as I am concerned!! The only way I see us losing this game is if we make stupid mistakes and beat ourselves. If we can pressure their QB, I believe we can capitalize on some turnovers. Come on Defense!
Players I love from this week:
- Glenn Coffee (powerful)
- Mark Ingram (even more powerful - still have Man Crush)
- Courtney Upshaw (very surprising effort - great game, and some big hits!)
- Entire Offensive line (great job this week!)
- Marquis Maze (can you say hands???)
Things we need to change so I will sleep better:
- I really have nothing here to complain about
Tip of the Week:
- Go to the game...don't rely on pay for view!
Big game this week Tide fans!!! We can get things really rolling into Athens with a big win in Fayetteville. We must play focused in this game - do not look ahead - one opponent at a time! I am fired up and it is only Monday!!! Come on Saturday - hurry up.
Until next week - Roll Tide!
Jason
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Week 2
Tide Fans -
Alabama 20, Tulane 6. First off, I am glad to say we got the win. It was not pretty, not pretty at all - as of matter of fact...it was Coyote Ugly! These are the games I can't stand to play - a sub standard opponent after a huge win. Alabama (including the fans), always comes out flat. Thank God for Javier Arenas!
Sitting in Bryant-Denny as we kicked off, you could tell everyone was kind of ho hum about this game. I have to admit, even for me - it is hard to get up for games like this. Unfortunately way too many times we have had to stress out until the last few minutes of play against teams like Tulane. I need to reserve that stress for bigger and better games - not Tulane!! Come on Tide you are killing me! Why am I pacing back and forth in my seat begging the clock to run down in the 4th quarter against Tulane! Aaaah the joys of being a Tide fan!
It is really a no win situation, because if you go out and crush them...well you were supposed to, and if you lose... we all know what that is like. I came away from this game happy with the win, but a little concerned. I know we will not always play like this, but the offense better get some things dialed in soon before we get into SEC play. I have no doubt that these areas will be addressed in practice, and that next week we will comfortably beat Western Kentucky. It will help having some of our starters back on the offensive line.
JP Wilson looked about like he did last season, but again, I just don't think their was any intensity, and our team played like it. There was no big game Georgia Dome atmosphere, no big opponent, and no beer sold. I would like to give a shout out for having Coca-Cola back in Bryant-Denny where it belongs!! By the way...anyone happen to notice those new drink prices? If you have plans on going to a home game this year...bring some cash!
Special Teams played awesome - they won it for us. I did like how one part of our team stepped it up when the other was struggling - that is kind of early to mid 90's Tide like! You all know how I love early to mid 90's Tide!!!!
I think the Tide sheds this sluggish performance off, and comes out next week back on track. Hopefully well enough to get our backups some playing time. Does Greg McElroy even know where they keep his helmet during games? Let's just hope we can dodge the injury bug for the next few weeks,and get our rhythm back ready for some BIG opponents.
Players I love from this week:
- JAVIER ARENAS!!!!
- Mark "Man Crush" Ingram (finally got us some good yardage on the ground!)
- Roy Upchurch (huge blocked punt!)
Things we need to change so I can sleep better:
- Uhhhh....Offensive production!
- finding a back up kicker (what in the world was that display!)
- taking advantage of these "games we are supposed to win" to polish up our team, and not stress the fans out until the end!
Tip of the week:
- Don't take a very tired 5 year old to the game...it doesn't work out well!
Don't worry Tide fans, Saturday's performance was not what we will see the rest of the season. Shake it off, and just be glad we got the win! Saban will have them good and focused next week...I have a good feeling about it!
Roll Tide!
Jason
Alabama 20, Tulane 6. First off, I am glad to say we got the win. It was not pretty, not pretty at all - as of matter of fact...it was Coyote Ugly! These are the games I can't stand to play - a sub standard opponent after a huge win. Alabama (including the fans), always comes out flat. Thank God for Javier Arenas!
Sitting in Bryant-Denny as we kicked off, you could tell everyone was kind of ho hum about this game. I have to admit, even for me - it is hard to get up for games like this. Unfortunately way too many times we have had to stress out until the last few minutes of play against teams like Tulane. I need to reserve that stress for bigger and better games - not Tulane!! Come on Tide you are killing me! Why am I pacing back and forth in my seat begging the clock to run down in the 4th quarter against Tulane! Aaaah the joys of being a Tide fan!
It is really a no win situation, because if you go out and crush them...well you were supposed to, and if you lose... we all know what that is like. I came away from this game happy with the win, but a little concerned. I know we will not always play like this, but the offense better get some things dialed in soon before we get into SEC play. I have no doubt that these areas will be addressed in practice, and that next week we will comfortably beat Western Kentucky. It will help having some of our starters back on the offensive line.
JP Wilson looked about like he did last season, but again, I just don't think their was any intensity, and our team played like it. There was no big game Georgia Dome atmosphere, no big opponent, and no beer sold. I would like to give a shout out for having Coca-Cola back in Bryant-Denny where it belongs!! By the way...anyone happen to notice those new drink prices? If you have plans on going to a home game this year...bring some cash!
Special Teams played awesome - they won it for us. I did like how one part of our team stepped it up when the other was struggling - that is kind of early to mid 90's Tide like! You all know how I love early to mid 90's Tide!!!!
I think the Tide sheds this sluggish performance off, and comes out next week back on track. Hopefully well enough to get our backups some playing time. Does Greg McElroy even know where they keep his helmet during games? Let's just hope we can dodge the injury bug for the next few weeks,and get our rhythm back ready for some BIG opponents.
Players I love from this week:
- JAVIER ARENAS!!!!
- Mark "Man Crush" Ingram (finally got us some good yardage on the ground!)
- Roy Upchurch (huge blocked punt!)
Things we need to change so I can sleep better:
- Uhhhh....Offensive production!
- finding a back up kicker (what in the world was that display!)
- taking advantage of these "games we are supposed to win" to polish up our team, and not stress the fans out until the end!
Tip of the week:
- Don't take a very tired 5 year old to the game...it doesn't work out well!
Don't worry Tide fans, Saturday's performance was not what we will see the rest of the season. Shake it off, and just be glad we got the win! Saban will have them good and focused next week...I have a good feeling about it!
Roll Tide!
Jason
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Week 1
Tide Fans -
I have no voice,my throat hurts, my insides ache, my feet are sore...but I feel no pain! I have heard it over and over in the past day, and there is no better word to describe it...DOMINATION! That was a full fledged old school Bama ass whipping, and I loved every second of it! I was a mere spectator at the game, yet I feel like I played in it. I could possibly have a hernia from yelling so loud, and my calves had not seen that kind of a workout from jumping up and down in years. The atmosphere in the Georgia Dome was incredible before, during, and after the game. You would have thought a National Championship game was about to take place - both Clemson and Alabama fans were loud and proud. Clemson stopped enjoying the atmosphere soon after kickoff. As ESPN said...."The Pontiac game changing performance play for this week took place when Bama got off the bus!"
Alabama has not played Clemson in a very long time, so I have really not had any reason to dislike them. At 7:20 Friday evening before kickoff,and after a few adult beverages, I began to dislike Clemson. I didn't really have a reason, except for they were The Tide's next opponent, and it is a natural reaction for me. My dislike of Clemson grew to near hatred after and evening of listening to the stupid one cheer they have, and listening to their fans mouth off about their ACC power. ACC power? Do those words go together? My animosity to Clemson only grew the next day leading up to the game. Same cheer, same annoying ACC fans, etc... only to be capped off by finding 2 snappily dressed Clemson fans sitting directly in front of me at he game...right in the heart of the Alabama section. They actually talked about how this was their first step towards the National Championship...all I could do was just smile and let The Tide do the work!
I love a powerful defense, and we could not have asked for more Saturday night. Our team looked focused, and on a mission. The defense reminded me of the swarming Tide defenses of old - the ones that won all our games when we had no offense. The offense was like a machine...just driving and driving down the field...it was soo satisfying to watch 7 and 8 minute drives. We looked in control the entire game. The team exuded a confidence we have not seen in some time. It was a beautiful sight, and I could not get enough of it!
There was a lot of talk about our freshman on this team. Most of the time when there is a lot of hype - it doesn't pan out. Our freshman delivered in a huge way. While many people thought Julio was going to steal the spotlight, it was another true freshman that took center stage. I am now officially declaring my "Man Crush" of this season, and it is #22, freshman, Mark Ingram. What an incredible display of power running from an 18 year old. He made the Clemson linebackers look like pee wee football players. Running through, over, and bouncing off their would be tackles - it was ridiculous!! If you have not watched a replay of the game, please do so, because you will once again be in awe of his running display.
There are sooo many good things to talk about from this game, but I can only cover a few without posting an 10 page blog, and having several of you fired for wasting work time reading this blog (even though I hardly think it is a waste of time)!
This was an incredible game, with a very old school Alabama approach. Big defense, and a punishing clock consuming offense. It was as close to a perfect game as we have seen in a while. We are off to a great start, and it will be hard for many Bama fans to not get big headed and start talking about championships. While it was an incredible performance, The Tide still has a long ways to go, and the schedule only gets tougher in a few weeks. If we can keep up this defensive intensity with the consistency at offense I think we will all be very pleased by this seasons outcome. While I would like to yell and scream about how we are going to crush everyone we play, I am going to maintain a quiet confidence. We have only played one game - it was a great one, but it is still only one game. I am extremely proud of The Tide, and Saturday proves that hard work pays off, and Coach Saban's process does work. We are not "there" yet, but I think we are getting much closer!
Players I love from this week:
- Mark "Man Crush" Ingram (unbelievable running display)
- Terrence Cody (Mount Cody is for real, and surprisingly fast for 365 pounds)
- Julio Jones (Loved how after scoring his first of many touchdowns for Bama he just hands the ball to the ref!)
- The entire defense - what a performance!!! (Speed kills...ask Clemson QB Cullen Harper)
Things we need to improve so I can sleep better:
- I have nothing here this week! :)
Tip of the week:
- If you ever go see a game in the Georgia Dome, take plenty of cash...beer is expensive!!
I am looking forward to this next game against Tulane, and I hope to see the same intensity from our team. We cannot look past anyone - one game at a time. I may have just a little swagger going in to the next game....just a little!
Until next week - Roll Tide!!
Jason
I have no voice,my throat hurts, my insides ache, my feet are sore...but I feel no pain! I have heard it over and over in the past day, and there is no better word to describe it...DOMINATION! That was a full fledged old school Bama ass whipping, and I loved every second of it! I was a mere spectator at the game, yet I feel like I played in it. I could possibly have a hernia from yelling so loud, and my calves had not seen that kind of a workout from jumping up and down in years. The atmosphere in the Georgia Dome was incredible before, during, and after the game. You would have thought a National Championship game was about to take place - both Clemson and Alabama fans were loud and proud. Clemson stopped enjoying the atmosphere soon after kickoff. As ESPN said...."The Pontiac game changing performance play for this week took place when Bama got off the bus!"
Alabama has not played Clemson in a very long time, so I have really not had any reason to dislike them. At 7:20 Friday evening before kickoff,and after a few adult beverages, I began to dislike Clemson. I didn't really have a reason, except for they were The Tide's next opponent, and it is a natural reaction for me. My dislike of Clemson grew to near hatred after and evening of listening to the stupid one cheer they have, and listening to their fans mouth off about their ACC power. ACC power? Do those words go together? My animosity to Clemson only grew the next day leading up to the game. Same cheer, same annoying ACC fans, etc... only to be capped off by finding 2 snappily dressed Clemson fans sitting directly in front of me at he game...right in the heart of the Alabama section. They actually talked about how this was their first step towards the National Championship...all I could do was just smile and let The Tide do the work!
I love a powerful defense, and we could not have asked for more Saturday night. Our team looked focused, and on a mission. The defense reminded me of the swarming Tide defenses of old - the ones that won all our games when we had no offense. The offense was like a machine...just driving and driving down the field...it was soo satisfying to watch 7 and 8 minute drives. We looked in control the entire game. The team exuded a confidence we have not seen in some time. It was a beautiful sight, and I could not get enough of it!
There was a lot of talk about our freshman on this team. Most of the time when there is a lot of hype - it doesn't pan out. Our freshman delivered in a huge way. While many people thought Julio was going to steal the spotlight, it was another true freshman that took center stage. I am now officially declaring my "Man Crush" of this season, and it is #22, freshman, Mark Ingram. What an incredible display of power running from an 18 year old. He made the Clemson linebackers look like pee wee football players. Running through, over, and bouncing off their would be tackles - it was ridiculous!! If you have not watched a replay of the game, please do so, because you will once again be in awe of his running display.
There are sooo many good things to talk about from this game, but I can only cover a few without posting an 10 page blog, and having several of you fired for wasting work time reading this blog (even though I hardly think it is a waste of time)!
This was an incredible game, with a very old school Alabama approach. Big defense, and a punishing clock consuming offense. It was as close to a perfect game as we have seen in a while. We are off to a great start, and it will be hard for many Bama fans to not get big headed and start talking about championships. While it was an incredible performance, The Tide still has a long ways to go, and the schedule only gets tougher in a few weeks. If we can keep up this defensive intensity with the consistency at offense I think we will all be very pleased by this seasons outcome. While I would like to yell and scream about how we are going to crush everyone we play, I am going to maintain a quiet confidence. We have only played one game - it was a great one, but it is still only one game. I am extremely proud of The Tide, and Saturday proves that hard work pays off, and Coach Saban's process does work. We are not "there" yet, but I think we are getting much closer!
Players I love from this week:
- Mark "Man Crush" Ingram (unbelievable running display)
- Terrence Cody (Mount Cody is for real, and surprisingly fast for 365 pounds)
- Julio Jones (Loved how after scoring his first of many touchdowns for Bama he just hands the ball to the ref!)
- The entire defense - what a performance!!! (Speed kills...ask Clemson QB Cullen Harper)
Things we need to improve so I can sleep better:
- I have nothing here this week! :)
Tip of the week:
- If you ever go see a game in the Georgia Dome, take plenty of cash...beer is expensive!!
I am looking forward to this next game against Tulane, and I hope to see the same intensity from our team. We cannot look past anyone - one game at a time. I may have just a little swagger going in to the next game....just a little!
Until next week - Roll Tide!!
Jason
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
2008 Pre-Season Analysis
Tide Fans -
Can you feel it? Can you feel that electricity in the air? The office chatter has started, the rivalries are already heating up - it is football season!!
I don't know about you, but in my office the buzz for college football is growing stronger every minute we get closer to Aug. 30th! I'm pretty sure someone will get a blind side full on tackle before the first game gets here. 10 days….10 days until The Tide takes the field against a top 10 ranked Clemson team. I am soo fired up about this game…a little nervous, but still very fired up! I have to admit - it is going to be a little weird opening the season at a neutral site, but in a way it makes it even more exciting. If you all remember, the last time we played in the Georgia Dome we left very happy, and I think we will be happy this time as well. This will be a very tough test for us, but I think playing this game early in the season somehow works to our advantage.
A lot of people are saying that how we play in this first game will tell us how the season will go. I do not believe that. Even if we happen to lose the opening game, I still think we end up with a 9 win season with possibly a surprise victory in there to give us 10. I definitely think we do win one of the games we are "not supposed" to win. I believe that win comes either against Georgia or LSU. And yes - the streak ends this year! Every time I see an Aub with that stupid "6" sticker in their back window I want to ram them. Some of you are probably shaking your head right now as you read this thinking I have lost my mind, but I really do think this will be a good season for The Tide. We finally have some depth in most positions, and along with that some very talented freshman who will see a lot of playing time this year. I was very nervous about our linebacker situation, but I have calmed down a little about that with the reports coming from practice about some of our young talent. Having Prince Hall back in the 3rd game will help tremendously there. Clemson will really test us by running to those young linebackers in our opener, so we will see what our famed freshman can do.
I believe that having more time under Coach Saban; the team has learned his system and is now fully ingrained in "The Process". I also believe, and now some of you may really think I am crazy, that John Parker Wilson will have a good season. I think Applewhite had his technique all messed up last year, and that we will see a totally different JPW. He will have plenty of good experienced targets to throw to in Mike McCoy and Nikita Stover, as well as some really, really good freshman. Can you say Julio!!!! He is the real deal folks - look for #8 in the first game - he will be out there! Also look for good use of the tight ends this season - I think we will hear Travis McCall and Nick Walker's names called out a bunch! As far as the running game - we have more running backs than we know what to do with, and I honestly have no idea who is going to play. I'm sure my "Man Crush" from last season Terry Grant will start, but I believe we will see a bevy of running backs utilized in this new system.
Special teams bring us Javier Arenas and Leigh Tiffin. I am very exited about having a solid kicking game, and an incredible return man. Javier makes things happen when he gets the ball - look for more this season!
I could go on and on with this post, but I don't want to make this pre-season post too lengthy! I just want everyone to be excited for this upcoming season, because I think it could be very special. We knew it was going to take some time for Saban to get things turned around, and it may be another year before we really look like we are “back”, but I think we are going to surprise some people this year, and that we will have fun watching the Tide. I look forward to another season of the Weekly Tide Analysis, and I welcome your comments.
I hope to see all of you in Atlanta….Roll Tide Roll!
Jason
Can you feel it? Can you feel that electricity in the air? The office chatter has started, the rivalries are already heating up - it is football season!!
I don't know about you, but in my office the buzz for college football is growing stronger every minute we get closer to Aug. 30th! I'm pretty sure someone will get a blind side full on tackle before the first game gets here. 10 days….10 days until The Tide takes the field against a top 10 ranked Clemson team. I am soo fired up about this game…a little nervous, but still very fired up! I have to admit - it is going to be a little weird opening the season at a neutral site, but in a way it makes it even more exciting. If you all remember, the last time we played in the Georgia Dome we left very happy, and I think we will be happy this time as well. This will be a very tough test for us, but I think playing this game early in the season somehow works to our advantage.
A lot of people are saying that how we play in this first game will tell us how the season will go. I do not believe that. Even if we happen to lose the opening game, I still think we end up with a 9 win season with possibly a surprise victory in there to give us 10. I definitely think we do win one of the games we are "not supposed" to win. I believe that win comes either against Georgia or LSU. And yes - the streak ends this year! Every time I see an Aub with that stupid "6" sticker in their back window I want to ram them. Some of you are probably shaking your head right now as you read this thinking I have lost my mind, but I really do think this will be a good season for The Tide. We finally have some depth in most positions, and along with that some very talented freshman who will see a lot of playing time this year. I was very nervous about our linebacker situation, but I have calmed down a little about that with the reports coming from practice about some of our young talent. Having Prince Hall back in the 3rd game will help tremendously there. Clemson will really test us by running to those young linebackers in our opener, so we will see what our famed freshman can do.
I believe that having more time under Coach Saban; the team has learned his system and is now fully ingrained in "The Process". I also believe, and now some of you may really think I am crazy, that John Parker Wilson will have a good season. I think Applewhite had his technique all messed up last year, and that we will see a totally different JPW. He will have plenty of good experienced targets to throw to in Mike McCoy and Nikita Stover, as well as some really, really good freshman. Can you say Julio!!!! He is the real deal folks - look for #8 in the first game - he will be out there! Also look for good use of the tight ends this season - I think we will hear Travis McCall and Nick Walker's names called out a bunch! As far as the running game - we have more running backs than we know what to do with, and I honestly have no idea who is going to play. I'm sure my "Man Crush" from last season Terry Grant will start, but I believe we will see a bevy of running backs utilized in this new system.
Special teams bring us Javier Arenas and Leigh Tiffin. I am very exited about having a solid kicking game, and an incredible return man. Javier makes things happen when he gets the ball - look for more this season!
I could go on and on with this post, but I don't want to make this pre-season post too lengthy! I just want everyone to be excited for this upcoming season, because I think it could be very special. We knew it was going to take some time for Saban to get things turned around, and it may be another year before we really look like we are “back”, but I think we are going to surprise some people this year, and that we will have fun watching the Tide. I look forward to another season of the Weekly Tide Analysis, and I welcome your comments.
I hope to see all of you in Atlanta….Roll Tide Roll!
Jason
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)