Tide Weekly Analysis

Tennessee

2011-10-23T21:52:00.002-05:00

Tide Fans –

A beautiful day in Tuscaloosa…the trees starting to turn colors, the air was crisp and cool, and The Tide once again unleashed the pain on a hated rival! That’s five wins in a row against Tennessee, as the Volunteers felt the wrath of Saban once again. It always feels good to beat Tennessee…even when they are terrible! Bama plays with its food in the first half, and then makes a meal out of the Vols in the second. Not even Derrick Dooley’s obnoxiously bright pants could help his team…they were doomed. Undefeated and less than two weeks away from November 5th…let the pandemonium begin!

Sitting in the stadium watching a very lackluster performance from both teams in the first half, I never got concerned about the outcome of the game. It surprisingly did not bother me that we were tied at half…I just knew we were going to come out fired up, and crush them in the second. Two quick scores from The Tide in the 3rd quarter were reassuring to all fans…and it justified my earlier air of confidence. Just before the scoring frenzy, my friend Paul who sits in front of me leaned back and said, “Here come the Buzz Saw”…and it certainly did! This team is fast, they are strong, and they will not be denied.

Let’s take a look at The Tide.

Offense:

After only producing two field goals in the first half, the offense comes roaming out of the tunnel in the second to make some big plays, and rack up points fast. Power running and precision passes led the way to victory. AJ McCarron had a spectacular night, throwing some huge passes with dead on accuracy. I like this guy more and more every week. He takes what he can get, and runs the offense with confidence. People compare him to Greg McElroy in that aspect, but AJ McCarron does it better in my opinion. On many of the plays when it looks as though AJ will have to tuck and run, he never gives up on the play, always looking downfield. Many times we have seen him run all the way to the line of scrimmage only to dump it off to Trent or Smelly at the last second, gaining more yards. I will admit at the start of the season I was nervous about AJ being cocky and forcing throws that should never be attempted. He has shown me every week that he is not what I thought. I am more and more impressed as I see him lead the offense, and make smart calls. AJ is only going to get better, and I think we have a real special talent in him.

Trent had several Heisman highlight runs again. My favorite is when he scored in the 3rd on the 10 yard run straight up the gut. He broke 5 tackles to reach the end zone…it would have been 6, but the last defender saw him coming and just stepped aside. No kidding, it’s like the dude was about to try and make the tackle and he just says… “You know what…I ain’t gonna stop you, so why even try”.

Hanks made some great grabs that were a little overthrown, and Maze continues to do his thing. Great catch by Kenny Bell for the TD…we have receivers out the wazoo!
Our offense will need to have the game of their life on Nov. 5th, and I have full confidence in them. I am pretty sure we have some special stuff saved up for LSU!

Defense:

I am beginning to run out of things to talk about with this ridiculously awesome defense! I should just say… “See last week’s post,” because they are consistently dominating. Keeping Tennessee out of the end zone, and allowing just 2 field goals against a hated rival…I love it! Shout outs go to Donta Hightower, and CJ Mosley, both playing excellent games. I thought Hightower was going to get into the end zone on his interception. I had no idea that he played running back in high school.

Defense not really being tested much with the pathetic offense they were facing. At times I almost felt sorry for Tennessee…but then I remembered how much I enjoy crushing them. It was good to get to see some of our 2nd and 3rd string guys get some playing time(again). I love that Sunseri recovered a fumble…that kid is fun to watch! I don’t think these guys will get much time next game. We will need to be firing on all cylinders against the Bayou Bengals, and like the offense, will have to have their best game to date.

Well, we are 8-0 and heading into what is being called the “Game of the Century”. We have been waiting for this for several weeks now, and it is almost here! The best two teams in the country slugging it out on the gridiron in Tuscaloosa. Believe it or not, there has never been a 1 vs 2 matchup at Bryant-Denny. That all changes in about 12 days. I thought they hype before the 2009 SEC Championship was big, but this is going to be ridiculous!! Moving the game to 7:00 will only intensify everything…the crowd will be fired up, loud, and the anticipation of waiting all day for the game will come to an all out explosion when Saban leads the Tide down the tunnel. I cannot wait…this is HUGE! This game is so big, that I may have to write a pre-game post just to calm myself down.

Get ready Tide Fans…use this week off to rest up, clear your head, and think about how loud you are going to yell on Nov. 5th! I may take a vow of silence the week before just to save up my vocal chords…I suggest everyone going to the game do the same. If for some reason you have tickets and decided not to go…sell them to a Bama fan. So help me God, if I find out any of you sold your tickets to LSU fans I will come after you…I am not kidding! Our crowd is going to play a huge role in this game…every voice counts! As coach Cochran would say… “Get out yo seat…we gonna be the loudest stadium in the country…yeah yeah yeah YEAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

Until next time…Roll Tide!

Jason

Ole Miss

2011-10-16T22:09:00.001-05:00

Tide Fans –

Dominating your opponent is always fun. Giving them a false sense of hope in the opening minutes of the game, and then crushing them to no end is even better! The Tide once again gets caught early, and then unleashes shock and awe on the Rebels / Black Bears of Ole Miss. Rolling on to 7-0, and looking like a team on a mission…The Tide just keeps getting better!

After throwing my hat across the room and letting a few expletives fly at the sight of Ole Miss scoring so easily on their opening drive, I took a deep breath and said…”It’s fine, we will still punish them”. Thankfully I was right. Watching us drive down the field on the ensuing possession, I had no worries about a close game. This team is so ridiculously powerful…they just go out there and execute the game plan to almost perfection. Trent was running like a man possessed, and AJ was throwing darts all over the field. Another great win on the road for Bama, and it feels real good to be a Tide fan….real good!

Let’s take a look at The Tide.

Offense:

A game full of highlights, and in particular a 76 yard Heisman run from Trent that has been re-played on ESPN about 1,000 times! Just an incredible performance from our offense all around. Passing, receiving, blocking, and running were all spectacular. They executed as I said earlier…almost to perfection. Our 3rd string back was running crazy as well…Jalston Fowler is a powerful runner, and he will be a threat to deal with in the future, and really already is now. AJ played very well again, and this all under the stress of finding out just hours before the game that his father had to have an emergency appendectomy. DeAndrew White, Maze, Bell, Hanks and Michal Williams all had big games…lots of guys contributing which I love! Offense is looking good…we have a balanced attack, and I think they only get better.

Defense:

Once again, we get caught sleeping in the first few plays of the game, but not for long. The defense allows nothing after the first Ole Miss drive. The remainder of the game Ole Miss looked confused, and our D was in the backfield constantly pressuring the quarterback. Hard hitting, great coverage, and speed make our defense the best in the country. They are scary fast, and close on the ball in the blink of an eye. It really does look like we have 14 guys out there sometimes. I love the fact that a lot of our 2nd and some 3rd stringers got some playing time also. You have to love it when Vinny Sunseri gets to take the field!! Another rock solid performance from the defense…what a great feeling! You all know I have a “man crush” on Mark Barron…the dude is just amazing. Make a point to watch him on every play…he is always near the ball or making the tackle. He will go down as one of the greatest (if not the greatest) safeties to play at Alabama.

It’s Tennessee week people! Time to get fired up and pound the Vols. We have beaten them 4 times in a row now, and I look forward to making that 5 this weekend. Tennessee is still not a very good team, but you just never know what you are going to get in this game…need I remind everyone of 2009. I think by 2nd half we have this game in control…and Trent starts to light up the scoreboard once again. Once again Saban will school one of his pupils and show them that he is still their daddy. I cannot wait to see what we have in store for this week! Enjoy the video below…one of the funniest clips I have ever seen in reference to the Alabama – Tennessee rivalry!

Until next week…Roll Tide!

Jason

Vandy

2011-10-09T20:51:00.001-05:00

Tide Fans –

A gorgeous day in Tuscaloosa for Homecoming! The Tide shuts down the Commodores of Vanderbilt, keeping the undefeated season in tact as we get one week and one victory closer to November 5th! Bama’s defense doesn’t allow one point, and our offense shows signs of balance. We saw lots of young talent create some big plays, reinforcing the fact that we have lots of depth. Bama is big…Bama is mean…Bama is awesome! A slow start, but a powerful finish as The Tide knocks another one down…dang I love this team!

Saturday was Homecoming, but for me it held an even more special meaning. Saturday was the first game my wife and I have taken our son to, and it was long overdue! It is always a special moment when a father takes his son to their first Tide game. I took our daughter when she was only 3 months, and she was on the Jumbotron within the first few minutes…it was awesome! This week we decided to take our 3yr old with us…any of you that have young boys know this was a high risk move. I chose Vanderbilt, because I wouldn’t really mind missing half the game going to the bathroom with him, or standing in a concessions line. It being late in the day, he was vey tired and we were preparing for the worst…but he actually did surprisingly well! As soon as we walked through the tunnel, he looked at the field, smiled, and then asked me where Trent was. It was on the verge of tearing up, and was very pumped that he was happy to be there! It was a great moment, and minus one interesting trip to the bathroom, he did really well. The little man wearing his Trent Richardson jersey, was watching The Tide in person for the first time…it was awesome!

Let’s take a look at The Tide.

Offense:

The Trent Richardson for Heisman campaign is in full force now, because the man is incredible! The dude is just awe inspiring…running through, over, or around would be tacklers. He was a man amongst boys Saturday night. Our offense while it started a little slow, had a great well balanced game. We didn’t just rely on Trent…AJ was slinging the ball and making some big throws. Of course there were some great catches as well! We saw what DeAndrew White is going to bring to the table with his two big TD catches. Both of those passes were pretty much up for grabs, and DeAndrew went up and got them. We will be hearing his name a lot in the future! Maze had another great game as well…I love the little quick slant across the middle. He seems to always make some guys miss and get an extra 10 or 15 yards on that play.

How about Jalston Fowler…What a huge game he had, and what a powerful runner! He was bulldozing over the Vandy linebackers and sometimes requiring 3 or 4 guys to bring him down. It is nice to see that even when Lacy is out…the next guy in line just picks it up and does a great job of running the ball. I hope Lacy is back soon, but until then Fowler has got us covered. At one point during the game on one of his power runs I got so excited that I stood and and said…”Look at Tarrant Lynch…he is just awesome!” For those of you who don’t know or remember, Tarrant Lynch played fullback on our 1992 Championship team and wore the same number as Fowler, #45. I realized what I had said and corrected myself laughing about it…and then I sat there for a few moments thinking about how awesome he was back in ’92…ahhhh good ‘ol Lynch!

Offense had a good game, especially in the 2nd half…our line was really blowing open some holes. I’m pretty sure something was said to them in the locker room at halftime, because they were pounding Vandy in the 3rd quarter. We still have some things to work on, but it is starting to all come together.

Defense:

I’m really starting to run out of things to say about how awesome our defense is. I mean allowing no points…can’t really complain about anything here this week. I’m sure someone could find something to bitch about, but I’m just not even going to waste my time. The defense will continue to crush opponents. Shout outs go to Upshaw, Hightower, Barron, and Milliner. Mark Barron is freaking awesome!

A trip to Oxford awaits us next week, and I expect The Tide to continue to dominate here as well. Ole Miss has had an extra week to prepare for us, so they will be all fired up and ready…but again, it really won’t matter. They may hang early with us, like Florida…but in the end Trent will just run all over them. Seeing as the Ole Miss fans will have all day to catch a buzz in the grove, they too will be fired up…but it will end with a drunken irritated group of pissed off Ole Miss fans as usual. They really hate losing to us, and always think they are going to beat us. I guess they have to have some motivation to go see their team play…or maybe it is just the tailgating that brings them back. Or, maybe it is the new Black Bear mascot they have…yea that’s it! If you are making the trip to Oxford, have a great time, and cheer extra loud for me!

Until next week…Roll Tide!

Jason

Florida

2011-10-02T16:19:00.008-05:00

Tide Fans –

There is nothing better than watching your team dismantle a hated rival. I despise the Florida Gaytors, and it was truly exhilarating watching The Tide impose their will on Muschamp and his over-hyped team. Everyone was calling upset on this game…Demps and Rainey are too quick for Bama…Florida wants revenge for last year’s beat down, Charlie Weiss’ offense is awesome, etc, etc, etc… So what does Bama do? They did what they do best, and that is to dominate their opponent in every aspect of the game. Florida’s highly touted offense was held to 22 total rushing yards…yes that was 22 yards! And the supposed super fast runners Demps & Rainey…4 yards each. Florida proved to be no match for The Alabama Crimson Tide, and it feels like we are getting better every game! I will go ahead and ask the question…Can anyone stop us?

Beating the snot out of Florida has become routine for Saban and The Tide, but it never gets old to me! I love watching those oh so cheesy Florida fans get all pumped and beat their gold chain adorned chests, claiming that this time they were going to chomp us. The fact that we spotted them 10 points made it even better. Throngs of fans adorned in jean shorts, tank tops, and many other ridiculous clothing combinations, were soon quieted by Bama’s powerful defense and punishing run game. The Swamp was drained…and once again Florida goes home a big loser.

I love this Alabama team! We didn’t get rattled when Florida came out and scored quickly. We just lined up, ran our offense, and started to methodically pound the ball down their throat. The Florida fans were jumping around and fired up as can be after that first touchdown, but that was about it for them. After they saw what Trent could do, and how powerful our defense was going to be…there wasn’t much to cheer about in the Gaytor Nation.

Let’s take a look at The Tide:

Offense:

A punishing run game is all we needed to run up the score on the gaytors. Trent goes back to his home state, and shows them his awesomeness! What an incredible display of power running from Trent…he was unstoppable. Florida knew we were going to run the ball all day, and they still couldn’t stop us! Our line played an incredible game, blowing open holes and protecting AJ all night…. he was never even touched! Not a huge passing game, but enough plays to get the big win. Hanks had a few grabs, as well as Maze. My boy Michael Williams dropped a big pass, but that’s ok…it won’t happen again! I am really impressed with AJ so far…yes he made a few overthrows last night, but overall his poise and game management have been superb. The one moment AJ lost his poise, Saban had a few choice words for him as he ran off the field celebrating. I think it was something like…”Calm the (rhymes with duck) down!” Ahhh…classic Saban! I think AJ is only going to get better once some timing issues are worked out on the deep ball. We have the offense to beat anyone…and we can always rely on our defense to have our back when we are not playing well. Our offense only gets better form here on out…and all we really need to do is keep pounding that ball!

Defense:

Speaking of defense…dear Lord we are good! There were white jerseys flying all over the field last night, making big sacks and hard hits. Minus 1 or 2 busted coverages from Dre “Swaaga” Kirkpatrick, we were spot on. Even Dre redeemed himself throughout the game with several big stops and huge hits. Our pass rush was phenomenal, and we not only “disrupted” the quarterback a few times…but I lost count of how many actual sacks we had. Courtney Upshaw is an absolute beast! After having sacked the QB (and causing a fumble which was somehow never ruled a fumble)…what does he do? He lines back up and sacks the QB again, taking him out of the game. This game started to resemble the Michigan State game with the hard hits, and banged up players…it was awesome! Florida had no answer to our D…they were running around scared like a bunch of little boys. Charlie Weiss was literally sitting on his fat butt for most of the game…pitiful. I didn’t know they made khaki pants that big…wow! Our defense is awe inspiring…and like the offense, I think they too are only going to get better. That is scary!

A huge win over another ranked team. They line up, and Bama keeps knocking them down. I know we must take one game at a time, but right now I cannot wait until Nov. 5th! We have homecoming next, and the Commodores from Vandy will be paying us a visit. Under the new coach, Vandy has shown signs of trying to put together a decent football team, but they will be no match for us. I’m not trying to be cocky…it’s just after watching our defense play last night…they should have a field day against the ‘dores.

The Tide is looking good my friends…looking real good! I am going to enjoy watching us destroy more opponents this season, as we march our way to the SEC and hopefully on to New Orleans (and I don’t mean the Sugar Bowl)! I hope to see you all down on campus for homecoming…it should be a fun time!

Enjoy this win Tide Fans…it was awesome!

Until next week…Roll Tide!

Jason

Arkansas

2011-09-26T22:10:00.004-05:00

Tide Fans –

A beautiful day in Tuscaloosa! The Sun was shining, the quad was jumping, and the Alabama Crimson Tide completely dominated the pigs from Arkansas! At the end of the game I swear I could hear Ned Beatty in that famous, yet disturbing scene from Deliverance…you all know what scene I am referring to. Yes, we made Arkansas squeal all the way home! Alabama opens the SEC schedule with a dominant performance over what is supposedly the best offense in the SEC…and I liked what I saw!

The greatest thing about this game is that every aspect of our team scored a touchdown! Offense, Defense, and Special Teams…you can’t ask for more than that! The fake field goal on our first drive was ballsy, and executed to perfection. I was watching the replay yesterday, and the look on Saban’s face is priceless after the trick play worked. He looks across the field towards Petrino with a sh*t eating grin on is face…I loved it! As I say at least 15 times a year…I am so thankful Nick Saban is our coach…he never ceases to amaze me. The Jedi mind tricks he played on Petrino all day were just amazing. It’s like they would line up and he would wave his hand, and next thing you know Tyler Wilson is laying on his back…just an awesome defensive mind. He is Yoda, and Kirby Smart is Luke Skywalker…the force is definitely with them!

Ok, enough Star Wars references…let’s take a look at the Tide:

Offense:

A solid day for the Bama offense. AJ had time, never seemed under pressure, and the blocking was probably better than ever. I think our O-line is starting to gel…they were blowing some holes open for Trent and Lacy. Our passing game wasn’t spectacular, but it was effective. We utilized the tight end, and that little dump pass to Trent (which I love). That play seems to always gain big yards for us…it did with Ingram as well. The great thing is that we didn’t have to throw the long ball, because we seemed to find ways to move downfield by running over and around them. The defense was playing so well, offense just needed to burn up some clock. Our offense has weapons, and I still don’t think we have seen a whole lot from them. At some point this season we will be in a situation where they have to win the game…and I feel confident they will get it done!

Defense:

Where do I even start? Just an outstanding performance, shutting down one of the highest powered offenses in NCAA football. Our defense was tired of hearing how good the Arkansas offense attack was. Bama shut them down. Petrino looked so irritated on the sidelines throwing stuff, yelling, and just looking genuinely pissed at his team. Our pass attack was relentless, and Tyler Wilson spent more time on his back than he did standing. Speaking of Tyler Wilson…he had the bright idea of mouthing off to one Courtney Upshaw early in the game. I don’t know if you noticed on the interception return my Menzie…but Upshaw finally put an end to that, by searching for Wilson while Menzie was running the ball into the endzone and completely leveling him…it was awesome! What kind of an idiot mouths off to Upshaw…knowing that he is just going to hit you even harder? I have a feeling Tyler Wilson is still sitting in an ice bath somewhere in the Ozark Mountains, and it serves him right!

So many big hits, and heads up plays by the defense…they all played spectacular! Even when CJ Mosley went out injured and was replaced by Adrian Hubbard, and Trey DePreist…we didn’t miss a beat. This is one of the best Bama defenses I have ever seen…and that is saying a lot!

Special Teams:

I have never had to write a separate paragraph about our special teams play but wow…what a game! The Fake field goal was a thing of beauty…perfectly executed. I LOVE Michael Williams, and was soo pumped when I saw him catch that almost perfect pass from AJ and take it to the house! He has had some huge plays this season, and I know we will see more.

Marquis Maze…wow! That punt return made Javier Arenas say “Damn…that was good!” The twists and turns Maze made to break the return were unreal…and I love the fact that he slowed down some to wait for his blockers…too good! Someone I have failed to show much love to this season who deserves it is Vinnie Sunseri. That kid has been all over the place on special teams! Making tackles, making huge blocks, the kid is everywhere! I love how he just plays with no fear of injuring himself. He will just launch into someone like a missle to make a block…unbelievable! Special teams played a huge role in this game…we just need to get our punter to kick more consistently, and our kickoffs to go into the end zone more often. Of course then we wouldn’t get to watch Sunseri and DePreist make huge tackles now would we?

Huge game this week Tide Fans!!! This is the biggest game of the season in my mind. I say this because if we can get out of the swamp with a win, then I don’t think anyone stops us! Yes, LSU is still on the schedule, but that is at home and I just feel better about that game than this one. I will not lie…I am very nervous. I do not like the fact that it is at night either…just gives Florida more crowd noise. I know that we are a better team, and that Florida really hasn’t played anyone yet (Tennessee doesn’t count, and Kentucky is terrible).

If we can go down there and play focused Nick Saban football then we should have no problem. They have a pretty good defense as well, so our Offense is going to have to make some noise this week! We cannot make turnovers, and we must keep the ball away from them. Nice long pounding drives and we will wear their defense down. Our defense will need to contain their fast running game, or it could be a long night for us.

Again, I am nervous but I always feel relief when I think about our defense and our coach…he will have them ready to roll on Saturday!
I hope some of you make it down for the game…we need the support!

Until next week…Roll Tide!

Jason

North Texas

2011-09-18T20:31:00.000-05:00

Tide Fans –

The Tide cruises to an easy shut out over a not so stellar opponent. A great way to get some of your depth playing time, and to finish up the dress rehearsals before the real season begins. Bama crushes North Texas, and now turns their focus to the SEC, and the Arkansas Razorbacks!

I don’t really have a whole lot to say this week. No interesting trips, strange happenings, or anything out of the normal. Just a good time in Tuscaloosa, and a stress free win! Games like this past Saturday can be kind of boring, but it is good to not have to stress out and enjoy the game. It’s these types of games when you don’t worry about how long the line is at concessions (which by the way is ridiculous in my section at any point of the game), and you just sit back, relax, and enjoy yourself. My laid back approach to this game will all change next week, when I return to my normal nervous, stressed out self, for our SEC opener. Yep…I’m already trying to decide if leaving at 8 in the morning is too late for the 2:30 kickoff.

Offense:

It was great to see Hanks back on the field! He didn’t do a whole lot, but I know he will be a big contributor as we go through the season. Running game was solid…a little slow to start but it definitely improved with Lacy and Trent’s huge runs! Passing was pretty good…Kenny Bell had a good game. He looks like Julio to me out there…not in his talent and ability…but literally his look. Dang I miss Julio!

Defense:

What can I say but just powerful! We continue to dominate…and this time keeping the opponent to zero points. You can’t ask more than that! I would have liked to have seen a little more pressure on the QB in this game, but I seriously think we are holding back on purpose. I think Saban has been waiting to unleash the pain until he needs to…no need in letting future SEC opponents know how we plan to dominate them! The defensive backs better be ready for next week, because they are going to be tested all day. It’s time for Kirkpatrick to back up his “Swagga”.

Huge game this week…always a big one getting the SEC season started! Arkansas has been highly touted by most everyone…and it is time to shut them down. Everyone tries to get on the Arkansas bandwagon early, and then they play us and everyone jumps off. I expect the same this year. Yes, they have talent in several positions, but they can’t hang with us for 4 quarters…just like last year. I certainly hope this one is not as close as last year, and I don’t foresee it. I’m not trying to take Arkansas lightly…I just know we are a better team than they are, and we are playing at home. I see Saban and Kirby Smart blitzing the Hogs all day, and getting their young QB rattled early on. If we can accomplish this, it will be a long day for Arkansas. If we don’t get pressure on him, then like Mallet last year – he will complete some big passes. I still say we shut them down, and get our first SEC victory on Saturday!
We need to be loud people! I know this past week was hard to get excited for, but the crowd needs to play a big role in this game early…help the defense rattle the quarterback. So, if you are going to the game, plan on getting loud early…it helps!

Have a great week, get pumped, and bring the noise! I know The Tide will!

Until next week…Roll Tide!

Jason

Penn State

2011-09-12T22:27:00.002-05:00

Tide Fans –

A classic matchup between two traditional powerhouses…the plainest uniforms in college football…both schools with legendary coaches past and present…and the largest crowd to ever witness the Alabama Crimson Tide! A great setting for this classic game in Happy Valley, and once again The Tide imposing its will on the Nittany Lions.

My trip north started on Thursday before the game with a nice 6:00am flight. It was still dark outside when the plane took off from Birmingham, but you would have thought it was kickoff with the amount of Bama fans on the flight…it was awesome! I always get a kick out of it when the flight attendants say something stupid like…”Boy there are a lot of Alabama fans on this flight…is there a game or something?” I so wanted to respond…”No, we just all got up at the ass crack of dawn to get on this plane dressed in Alabama apparel…there’s no game we just thought it would be fun!” Instead I just smiled and said…”Roll Tide!”

After arriving in Pittsburgh my father and I headed to the rental car counter…I knew it was a good sign when we found the car and it was red! Little did I know how much time we would spend in this red Toyota Camry…more on that later. After hitting a local sandwich joint, and a quick visit to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, we were headed off to our hotel in Altoona, PA. It was about 35 miles south of State College…close as we could get.

On Friday we decided to visit Gettysburg. I am kind of a Civil War history fan, so I was really looking forward to this! It was only about 2 hours away, so off we went. Unfortunately after having dealt with Tropical Storm Lee in Birmingham for several days it followed us up north, and camped out for a while. So, our visit to Gettysburg was very wet, and mostly viewed from the car. If you ever get the chance to visit, you need to, and leave yourself plenty of time…it is huge! You could easily spend 3 days there looking at stuff. I have to tell you about something my dad overheard in the gift shop…it was hilarious! While looking around my dad saw a boy with a confederate soldier hat on…he also overheard the boy’s mother scold him and I quote saying…”What are you doing…take that hat off…we are for the Blue Army” I thought that was hilarious, because we are the ones who get made fun of for having a loyalty to the south! Had the battle been fought that day I’m pretty sure the south would have won…seeing as there were a ton of Bama fans there!

Our plan was to make a dry run to State College after Gettysburg, to get acquainted with campus and find our tailgating spot for Saturday. We made the awful mistake of trying to save a little distance by heading east to Harrisburg to go up and over to State College. This was a 6 hour mistake! Once arriving in Harrisburg looking for our route to State College we noticed some of the streets we needed to access were closed due to flooding…correction…all the streets we needed to get on were flooded! Now, I’m sure there are some nice areas in Harrisburg, but every street we drove down, and every part of Harrisburg we saw made 3rd world countries look nice. Several times while turning around on dead end streets that led to nowhere, I was pretty sure we were going to die! Nervous and irritated we finally turned both GPS systems off and I used my Eagle Scout knowledge and went old school with a map and compass. Pulling over the car, taking a deep breath…we plotted our escape. Thankfully, with a little luck it worked, and we were finally headed back to the hotel in Altoona agreeing to ignore our dry run to State College…we needed food, alcohol and relaxation!

Unfortunately our little trip back was not as smooth as we had hoped! About 30 miles from the hotel there were these signs that said “Expect to Stop Ahead”. Well, we didn’t see any construction or anything so we thought nothing of it. About 3 miles later we were at a dead stop…for about 2 hours. Once the traffic cleared we angrily noticed that we had stopped for no reason. There was no construction, no wreck, nothing…just cars and tons of trucks halted on the interstate! What kind of bullsh*t Pennsylvania highway traffic crap was that?? No clue…everyone just stopped and crawled along…so irritating. My impression of the State of Pennsylvania was not very good after this day…not good at all! So, after leaving Gettysburg we got back to our hotel six hours later! Tired, wet, thirsty, and hungry we finished the day off with a good meal and just a little Jack!

Gameday! We got up early to head to the game, nervous that traffic would suck and we didn’t know where to park. Heading down to the lobby of the Hampton Inn I thought we would be some of the first fans leaving…boy was I surprised. The elevator opened to a sea of Crimson clad fans all taking advantage of the free breakfast! Nervous, I grabbed a banana, two cups of coffee, and we hauled ass out there only making one stop to get tailgating supplies!

As soon as we left my impression of Pennsylvania began to get a little better. The sun actually started to come out, and we had a beautiful and thankfully uneventful drive to State College! The traffic was no issue, and the routing to the stadium was clearly marked with loads of traffic cops helping out! I was really impressed with their handling of game day traffic…they actually do a fantastic job getting people in and out. The Penn State fans for the most part were very friendly and seemed happy we had made the trip. After a few hours of tailgating and walking around it was finally game time! I was pumped and ready for some Tide football!

Let’s take a look at the game:

I thought Bama overall played well, and the game kind of went about like expected. Yes, I was frustrated about several things offensively, but really we played well. I was very impressed with AJ McCarron and how he looked so comfortable out there on a huge stage…he did not seem to ever be rattled, and played really well. His pass to Michael Williams was a perfect bullet…it’s the only way that pass could have worked. What an incredible pass and catch in double coverage…well done! AJ has secured the starting quarterback position in my mind.

I was frustrated about our running game early on…but eventually we banged out some good yards, and I had to keep reminding myself we were playing a pretty good defense. Trent and Lacy ended up with some nice runs. I feel like Lacy was hitting the hole faster when he was in…maybe Trent is still having some little issues with his leg…who knows. Our defense was awesome, minus a few pass plays. We pretty much shut them down when we needed, only allowing one late touchdown that was meaningless at that point. Mark Barron, Dre “Swagga” Kirkpatrick, CJ Mosley all had big games. I swear if Dre had held on to that easy pick six, he would have high steeped it from the 50 all the way in…not caring how cussed at he would get from Saban. Dre is cocky…he better keep up the big plays to go along with his big confidence.

We have some things to correct, and I’m sure Saban and the coaches will work on these, but we have a very good team, and I feel really good about what lies ahead!
I know this post is getting long…just so much to share from this trip! Thankfully Saturday night the drive back after the game was uneventful…and no traffic!

Sunday morning, Sept. 11th we headed back to the airport in Pittsburgh. On our way we were listening to the 9-11 ceremonies on the radio. They rang a bell at 10:03 signaling the exact time when United flight 93 went down in a field near Shanksville, PA. That very same moment we drove by the exit for the flight 93 memorial…it was very surreal. A plane full of heroes had gone down 10 years ago near the very spot we were driving by, sacrificing their lives to save hundreds of other Americans. About 2 hours later we saw Air Force One take off. Politics aside…it is pretty cool to get to see Air Force One no matter who is in it!

Roll Tide, and God Bless America!

Jason

Kent State

2011-09-06T12:58:00.001-05:00

Tide Fans –

Roll Tide! I apologize for the delay but I just now have access to a computer that works thanks to power outages from Tropical Storm Lee. Anyway…a great way for The Tide to get started on Saturday with an easy win over Kent State! This was the perfect game for some of our new starters to get into the rhythm of a live game, and gain some valuable playing time. We saw both quarterbacks play, and we also saw who is ahead of the other. A lot of young players in this game with a lot of talent, but still much to learn. All in all it was a good performance over a weak opponent…now the real season begins!

This game left me feeling pretty good about our team, but I do have some concerns. In my opinion there were too many plays where our QB was pressured…O line needs to tighten up a bit! I’m sure they will get this worked out, because we certainly don’t need to be heading up to Happy Valley without giving our QB’s time to get rid of the ball. I also was a little concerned about Trent’s production. Having said that, I do think that we were not showing much of our offense…we played a very vanilla game plan, and it was plenty to pound Kent State. I think Trent unleashes the pain on the Nittany Lions!

So, addressing the quarterbacks…McCarron has the obvious lead over Sims. He just seemed much more in rhythm, and much smoother on his passes. I think AJ get most of the snaps next week, but I still think we have not seen the last of Sims. He shows flashes of extreme talent…he just needs to work on consistency and rhythm. We may still see him some next week, but I have a feeling we see one QB for most of the game.

Let’s look at The Tide:

Offense:

Trent had some good hard nosed runs, but I have to give the game ball to Eddie Lacy! I absolutely love the little dump screen to him. This was Ingram’s bread and butter play, and Lacy looks like he picked up right where Ingram left off. I also LOVE the 70’s spin move that Lacy uses…just awesome! I feel like I am playing the old arcade game 10 Yard Fight when I see him do this move. Come on guys…you remember that game…shaking the handle back and forth to get your man to spin off the blockers…it was awesome! Anyway, it was good to see him move the ball for big chunks of yardage. Maze also had a great game! Minus a few bobbles on punt returns, he really stepped it up at the receiver position. Maze is looking to be our go to receiver, but he is going to need some help. I must give a shout out to DeAndrew White…very talented! He wears number 2, and I saw flashes of the “deuce” when he ran with the ball after catching, and on punt returns (except for when he fumbled). I think he is going to be really good, and we will see a lot more of him. I think we have a lot of young talent on offense that we will see more throughout the season. Finally, hats off to Barrett Jones for playing 3 different positions on one game – that is pretty cool!

Defense:

Just as I expected….powerful! Our guys are fast and furious out there, and I think they were at half speed this week. Some hard hits, and basically shut the opponent down minus 1 or 2 plays. I hate that they scored on us, but hey…I’m not complaining about holding them to 1 touchdown that was set up by an interception. I think our defense wins the game for us this coming week at Penn State. They are only going to get better as the season goes on…you can count on that! So many talented players…Hightower, Upshaw, Mosley, Square, Barron…the list goes on! I think the defense will allow us time for our offense to get into rhythm and get running smoothly. Don’t forget…Defense wins championships!

Well, it’s Penn State week folks! I will be making my first trip ever to Happy Valley, and I sure hope it is a happy one! Penn State is going to be fired up and ready to play us, so we better be ready. I know Saban has never won in Happy Valley and would like to change that. He will have our guys ready…I have no doubt about it. Their crowd is going to be very loud and fired up, so my only fear is that they jump out on top early in the game and keep the crowd noise a factor, rattling our untested quarterback. I am pretty sure we will start by trying to pound the ball with Trent and Eddie, and hopefully this works! If we get our running game going early, than I will feel really good. They will be expecting this, so McCarron is going to have to make some throws early, to free up some space for our backs. I think this game is close either way…not like last year. We must stay focused, not get rattled by the crowd, and not make turnovers giving them the ball with good field position.
If we can play our game and get into a rhythm offensively…we should be fine. Defense will be key in this game…they will determine the outcome!

I hope to have some great stories from my trip to State College to share with you next week! Until then…think positive about The Tide, and cheer your ass off if you are going (or if you stay at home). I know I will!

RTR

Jason

2011 Pre-Season Analysis

2011-08-29T19:18:00.004-05:00

Tide Fans –

Yesterday in Birmingham, Alabama there was a little cool breeze in the air. I even saw leaves falling from trees as if to announce fall was here. The leaves were actually falling because they were dead due to heat and lack of water, but regardless it got me excited! As I sat on my porch I felt the breeze telling me…”Hey buddy…football season is almost here…get off your ass and write the pre-season analysis!” It is game week… the greatest time of year is upon us, and I cannot wait!

Big things are expected from Alabama this season. Every poll and every magazine has The Tide ranked either 1st or 2nd. I am not a big fan of pre-season rankings, etc…It is just opinions of people who more than likely have never even played football. Don’t get me wrong…I like where they think we are, but it also makes me nervous. Hopefully Sports Illustrated didn’t give us the kiss of death by ranking us number 1. I do believe we have a very good football team…a very talented football team, and a team with revenge on their mind. Last year we missed our shot at playing for another national title by about 4 busted plays. 1 or 2 plays in the LSU game, and dare I mention the couple of plays against Auburn that would have changed the outcome.

This team is hungry, and they have a lot to play for. Riding on the emotions of a city rebuilding from the deadly tornado, to the death of a teammate…The Tide will be a highly motivated juggernaut. If we can use our emotions in a positive way, stay focused, and execute…I don’t believe there is a team out there that can stop us.

Let’s take a quick look at The Tide:

Offense – 2 words…Trent Richardson! Most of you know that I loved Mark Ingram…keep that in mind when I say this – I think Trent Richardson is better…and not by just a little! Trent will be a front running Heisman candidate all season. He may not win it, but he will be in New York – no doubt about that! His arms are just ridiculous…have you seen them? It’s like he has thighs coming out of his shoulders!
Obviously our entire offense will not just consist of Trent and his spectacular running…we have a host of talent to help him out! Returning receivers Darius Hanks and Marquis Maze will try and pick up where Julio left off…God I miss Julio!!! We also have some young talented receivers who I think will make a big impact this season. DeAndrew White, Kenny Bell, and as of today Duran Carter! Let’s not forget the tight ends…I think Michael Williams, and Brad Smelly play a big role this year as well.

Obviously quarterback has been all the talk this summer. I really don’t care who starts, because I believe they are both very talented. I think Saban plays them both, and feels them out for who plays better in certain situations. The good thing is that we have 2 capable QB’s! I think they will both experience some growing pains…let’s just hope they get over those really fast!

Defense – I don’t even know where to start. Whenever I start to get worried about who might beat us, or if our offense doesn’t produce…all I have to do is think about how ridiculously awesome our defense is going to be! I pity the first QB that gets sandwiched between Donta' Hightower and Courtney Upshaw…just ask all 3 of the QB’s Michigan State went through in the bowl game…they are still hurting.

Our secondary is going to be solid…which means we can blitz more…which means sandwich time for our front guys! You can’t move the ball really well when you are laying flat on your back! Our guys are fast, and they are going to be flying all over the place – it will look like we have 15 men on the field. We are about 3 deep at every linebacker position, and the line has depth too! It is going to be a fun season…man I love a powerful, punishing defense!! I just chest bumped the wall…I am fired up about the D!

Let’s run through the schedule:

Kent State – good warm up for our QB’s to work the kinks out and get some confidence.

Penn State – Our first test, and one I am a little nervous about. Going up there with untested QB’s makes me a little apprehensive…but then I just think about the defense again and I feel better. We just need to play conservative smash mouth football and our defense will take care of the rest!

N. Texas – Yawn

Arkansas – First SEC game, and always a close one! A lot of people are high on the hogs this year…not me…I think we make the pigs squeal…again crushing them with our defense

Florida – They will be fired up and ready to play us in the swamp…but I just don’t think they can hang with us for 4 qrtrs. This one may be close…but the Tide rolls in Gainesville…Trent runs wild!

Vandy – bring your kids to this one…it should be fun! 

Ole Miss – Bama pounds the “Black Bears”…seriously…how gay is the new mascot?

Tennessee – They put up a fight…but they just can’t hang with the big boys yet…but they are getting better.

LSU – If they have a team coming into this game, and are not all subpoenaed…then it may be interesting. LSU has been highly touted as well, but I just don’t see it. I think they have possibly 2 losses before we play them.

Miss. State – This is the game that bothers me…it’s a trap game that follows a big one against LSU. We have to go over there, and I am nervous…they are getting better. I think this one is close either way

Ga. Southern – Another game to take your kids to!

Auburn – “Never Again” is posted all over the weight room and locker rooms at Alabama, referring to the melt down in last years game. I would love nothing more than to go down there and whip that ass…but we have to be careful here. You never know what tricks Auburn is going to pull. I think we beat them, but not by as much as everyone thinks we will. It is always a fight…but I sooo want revenge!!

I can’t believe kickoff is like 4 days away!! This should be a very exciting year for us Bama fans…one that hopefully ends to the tune of Zydeco music, red beans and rice, and beignets! Sounds good doesn’t it?? I am not making hotel reservations for New Orleans just yet (I did that last year and it backfired on me). But, if we can get through our first few obstacles unscathed then I may consider it. We have the weapons…we have the will power…and we definitely have the coach to get it done!

Another season of Crimson Tide Football is upon us…how sweet it is!

See y’all soon!

RTR!

Jason

Capital One Bowl

2011-01-03T10:42:00.001-06:00

Tide Fans –

I’m not sure the phrase “total domination” is strong enough to describe what I saw this past Saturday. What an awe inspiring performance by The Alabama Crimson Tide! How nice was it to just sit back and watch us destroy the co Big Ten Champion Spartans from Michigan State? I must admit…I was not expecting this. This may have been the greatest display of defensive domination I have seen since 1992. Our defense was everywhere…and fast! They played with passion, energy, speed and aggressiveness… they played like champions! This was a team that was denied a shot at a repeat National Championship by four points. I believe they took it out on Michigan State, and they looked really good doing it!

Watching the Capital One Bowl was fun, but in a way it was frustrating. Frustrating because you see how well we can play, and that we should be playing in another National Championship game. With a complete dominating performance like we had, I don’t think there is any team that could beat us. Our defense played out of their mind, and offense moved the ball with ease. This is what was supposed to happen all year, but we all know how that worked out. The one good thing is that we get a lot of this team back next year, and I have a really good feeling about the 2011 season! If we somehow manage to keep a few of the juniors who are thinking about the NFL…wow – look out! I mean can you imagine if Julio and Ingram decided to stay?? I know it is a long shot…but wow – I would be walking on air if any of our NFL prospects return for their senior year. I think we will lose some, but I have a feeling that we may get a surprise or two…keep your fingers crossed!

I want to give huge shout outs to our seniors. These guys have played a lot of football, and have helped our team win lots of games… most notably, Greg McElroy. While there were times that some of us (myself included) did not think McElroy was getting the job done…the kid won a lot of games! He put his heart and soul into the team, and even though we have some great talent coming along at QB, I think this may be one of our biggest weaknesses next season. Greg’s leadership as a game manager will be missed, and his leadership off the field as well. McElroy had some of those characteristics that are hard to replace…even with a super talented newcomer. Other seniors we lose are James Carpenter…he will be missed on the O line, Earl Alexander, Luther Davis, Chavis Williams, Brian Motley, Davis Ross, and Rob Ezell – who never really played, but could do a hilarious imitation of Nick Saban! Thank you to all the seniors on this team who have given their time and effort to play for the Crimson Tide!

It is hard to believe that this season is already over. While not the season we wanted, we still end on a very high note! Michigan State was only a few points from possibly playing in the National Championship as well, and that was a good team we dismantled! I think our team will learn a lot about themselves from this season, and what it takes to get back to winning a championship. Our defense was very young this year, but grew up over the season, and I think will be extremely tough next year. Offense will have some changes…most notably at the quarterback position. We have 2 very talented guys who will battle it out, and we may even see the double QB system. Either way, I feel really good about next season! Our schedule is a little less brutal this year, with our SEC road games being at Florida, Ole Miss, Miss. State, and Auburn. Who knows what those teams will look like next season with all the changes of players and coaches. I think Miss. State may be our toughest road game!

Not the season we all wanted Tide Fans, but 10-3 is not bad…especially with the schedule we had this year. Let’s all look forward to next year, and what it may bring. Keep you head up high, and don’t let all this Auburn stuff drag you down…just ignore it – that’s what I do! It irritates them even more than if you try to argue with them. Just let them have their fun for now…they will be in a different world next year.

The future is bright, and The Tide will rise again!

Until next season…Roll Tide!

Jason

Week 12 - Auburn

2010-11-30T12:10:00.001-06:00

Tide Fans –

I apologize for the lateness of this post, but quite honestly I just didn’t have the words. I am slowly coming out of my post Iron Bowl depression. I don’t know that is there is anything for me to say…I don’t have an explanation for what happened, or even a way to look at this loss and come away with anything positive. We lost a game we had won, and should have crushed Auburn into submission last Friday. Instead, we let them come back in record fashion and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. I am pretty sure this has been one of the toughest losses for me to swallow…I think the entire Bama Nation feels the same.

Standing in my seat at Bryant-Denny in complete shock at what I had just witnessed, my wife and parents both asked me if I was ok, as I stared blankly at the field. I think they were concerned at the fact that I was non responsive and was rocking back and forth. The second I saw $cam Newton run around the field shushing the crowd I quickly snapped out of my trance and screamed a few choice words at him. I truly dislike him, his attitude, and everything about his rock star status at Auburn. I will have the last laugh though…when he bolts to the NFL, and Auburn is left to clean up the mess he and his father created…I will have the last laugh! I can’t say how his situation will all pan out, but I can tell you one thing…Auburn is going to look really stupid if any of these allegations are true. Auburn went “All In” for Cam and his family, and I personally think this has been one enormous bluff.

So, what happened? How did we give up a 24 point lead at our home stadium? Why did we not finish? There is no one answer…but there are several things you can point to. Dropped passes in the end zone, 2 fumbles inside the 20, and other things are key factors. We score on these plays and even if we play like we did in the second half I still think we win. We would have been so far ahead score wise, I honestly don’t think Auburn would have had enough time to catch up. Think about it…it could have easily been 42 – 7 at half. Ingram doesn’t fumble while streaking to the end zone, Trent catches a TD pass, and McElroy doesn’t fumble on the 10…that’s 3 more TD’s! I will stop now, because it just opens up more wounds…and I don’t need to re-visit these as my blood pressure rises just thinking about it. We beat ourselves…we gave them the game. Auburn only had about 3 successful plays that made the difference. Very similar to the LSU game…we dominated minus a few plays that made the difference.

A very frustrating game, that took us through a roller coaster of emotions…from absolute elation in the first half to disbelief and shock in the second. I will say, the crowd at Bryant-Denny was ridiculously loud at points…it was awesome! Even several of my Auburn acquaintances were commenting on how loud and awesome our stadium was. You can’t blame anything on the fans…we did our part!

I guess we will find out what bowl we play in this weekend…not that I really care. It will be fun to see how Auburn plays in the SEC Championship…can they keep the streak going, or did we give Spurrier enough ammunition to use against Cam and company? I think this will be a good game…Auburn better not be looking ahead to Glendale!

Sorry I have nothing more positive for you this week Tide Fans…this one just broke my heart. I still love Alabama, and will support them in any situation…I just need a few more days to heal.

Until the bowl game…Roll Tide!

Jason

Week 10 - Mississippi State

2010-11-15T07:06:00.000-06:00

Tide Fans –

The boys are back! The Tide shakes off last week’s loss, and puts together a solid game. Gone was the lackluster effort , and the team we all know and love came back to whip up on a fairly decent Mississippi State squad. We ran, we threw, and we even played some pretty good defense…Bama was firing on all cylinders. No more stuffed up the middle runs, and terrible triple coverage throws…I think I even saw at least 3 toss sweeps in this game!! It started off a little slow, but got turned around quickly in the 2nd quarter. This type of game came at the perfect time, so let’s enjoy it, and get prepared to destroy Auburn’s dream! You may be in the SEC Championship game Auburn, but the National Championship comes through Tuscaloosa…and we will be ready to take on $cam Newton!

Another beautiful day in Tuscaloosa, and perfect weather for the game! I will admit I was nervous about this game, and was not going to be shocked if we even lost. Mississippi State is not a great team, but they are much improved and have had a good season. Factor that in with an extra week to prepare for us and playing hard for a fallen teammate, I felt as if we might be in for a rough night. Thankfully, we found our offense and made some big plays to put this one out of reach by the 3rd quarter. It was good to see our offense open up and move the ball more consistently. Defense played solid as well, keeping the Dan Mullen style offense in check. No, we were not perfect and there are still areas we need work on, but we did play much improved. I still believe our best game is ahead of us…and I don’t mean Georgia State!

Big plays in this game are what made the difference. These are the type plays we had go against us last week. It only takes a few to put a game out of reach, and we made the most out of them Saturday night. It was great to see Maze get the ball with some open field to work with, and also nice to see Ingram bust some big ones. These type plays were almost non-existent against LSU. I believe we have an explosive offense…we just need to get the ball in the hands of our playmakers in the right situations. Easier said than done, I know…but I believe we will need these type plays the day after Thanksgiving to win. It was great to get the win, and I think our team is getting back on track…just in time!

I know we have a game this week, but all I can think about right now is the Iron Bowl. I think this is going to be an incredible game, with an awesome atmosphere! We will be ready to play Auburn, and somehow I think Saban and company will figure out a way to slow down Cam. I don’t think you can completely take him out, but as long as we can slow him down, and screw up their rhythm – we stand a great chance! I think our defense rises to the occasion and with some help from the Bryant-Denny crowd, get more pressure on Newton than he has seen all year. If there are any Bama fans not planning on going to the game, and you are selling your tickets – all I ask is that you DO NOT sell your tickets to Auburn fans!! There will be Aubs looking for tickets left and right, and willing to pay…do not give in…DO NOT give in and sell to them!

More on the Iron Bowl in next week’s post…just had to get that off my chest! It should be an interesting week seeing as we play again on Thursday night! I typically think Thursday night games are gay, but I think this was an ingenious move by Saban and our athletic department to make this happen so we can get the extra rest and practice for the Auburn game. I know our opponent is less than desirable, but I hope we have a good showing crowd wise. I am usually fully concentrating on The Tide by Thursday night anyway, so I might as well be at the game! Plus we get to welcome back two Alabama favorites…Bill Curry and Star Jackson! ;) Aaahhh…it should be a great return to Tuscaloosa for both of them…just don’t throw any bricks at Curry.

Short week, so I will be posting again soon…until then…Roll Tide!

Jason

Week 9 - LSU

2010-11-08T12:39:00.001-06:00

Tide Fans –

This one hurts…this one really hurts. I apologize for the delay, but I honestly just now have the time and energy to write a post. New Orleans / Baton Rouge kicked my butt, and broke my heart. I have gone through all of the emotions in the past day and a half…anger, frustration, humiliation, and depression. Alabama football means so much to me, and I am just crushed right now at the fact that we will not repeat as National Champions, and more than likely have no chance to play for an SEC championship. Our destiny has taken a different path this year, but there is one thing I do know for certain…I am still very proud to be an Alabama fan! No discouraging loss will ever take that away from me, and I hope it never will any of you. Now is not the time to give up on our team…we must stay positive and finish the year strong. Everyone wants to see us down…everyone wants to see our fans bicker about this and that. I am not going to give them the satisfaction. I am going to remain focused on the remainder of our games, and continue to support our team just as I would if they were undefeated. Our team needs support now more than ever, so I ask that you remain positive, and look forward. We have some big games ahead, and can still make some noise…plus, how fun would it be to ruin Auburn’s dream season? No it’s no consolation for another championship season, but it sure would be fun!

I have so many stories from this little excursion to Tiger Stadium, but I will just address a few. I will start out by saying that LSU fans are crazy – I knew this, and was fully expecting it. It is usually kind of a “friendly” crazy if you will. I don’t know what it was on this trip, but wow…crazy is not a strong enough word. I saw things that were just downright disturbing, and at one point while walking through a “carnival” like tailgate area, was pretty sure I was having an out of body experience. Strange dances, weird music, ridiculous outfits, and things hanging from trees that people were drinking some sort of alcohol from. I literally felt like Will Ferrell in Old School when he shot himself with the tranquilizer dart…everything sort of moved slow motion as we walked through, and was just really weird. I really felt like saying…”Your crazy….you’re crazy man!” Thankfully we made our way through Sodom and Gomorrah relatively unscathed. We did enjoy some good Cajun cooking with another (more mature) group of LSU fans we encountered, so that was nice. They can be crazy…but some of them are really nice…until you lose to them. More on that later…

Sitting about 2 miles up in the steeply pitched upper deck of Death Valley we watched the game unfold. Maybe it looked different on TV, but it seemed our team just came out flat with no real fire. We had several opportunities to drive down the field and score points against LSU, but poor execution prevented this. Our defense actually held LSU, minus about 3 plays which is all they ended up needing. 3 busted coverage’s on our part made the difference. I felt like we could have still beaten them, but our offense was just sputtering, and the plays were not there. I really got tired of us trying to run up the gut after being shut down time and time again. Do we not have a toss sweep anymore?? I am not a coach, but it just seems we really needed to throw some different looks at them in the second half. It just felt as if we were handcuffed…we have the playmakers…let’s get them the ball! This type of game is so frustrating as a fan, because you know we have the ability to beat the other team, and somehow we just don’t execute or run the right plays and it is just painful to witness. We had plenty of opportunities to score, we just didn’t get it done, and made some stupid mistakes. Falling for the trick play on 4th and 1, and not holding them at the end on 3rd and 13 were the most disappointing. You can’t let that happen if you want to win the game!
I could go on and on about different things we could have done differently, but what is the point. We lost a game we should have won, and that is the most frustrating thing about it.

If you have never been to Tiger Stadium after a loss, let me tell…it is not fun. I warned my wife about this minutes before the game ended. LSU fans know how to party, but they do not know how to treat people after they win. Constant in your face chants of “Tiiiiiigah Bait”, and choice expletives were yelled at us as we made our way back to the car. Now, I know we have some sidewalk alumni that don’t know how to treat the opposing fans as well, but this was ridiculous. Every single group of LSU fans we passed on the way to the car were just downright crude. I don’t mind if they want to yell “Tiiiigah Bait” at me, but the language and crude other things that were said were just wrong…it was pure hatred. Again, I know we have our share of bad fans, but this was ridiculous! Learn how to win with some class – you won the game…have fun, party, celebrate, whatever…just don’t be complete asses to the people from the other team. I lost a lot of respect for LSU fans this weekend, and as a matter of fact…they can all “bleaux” me!

Now that I have that off my chest…looking forward. Again, I ask you not to give up on our team. Yes – losing sucks, and I hate it more than anyone…especially when we play poorly. You have to remember…this is a completely different team from last year. We have a very young defense, and our offense, while they still returned many starters, we lost a lot of key leadership guys, and I think this is making a difference – especially on the O line. Something is just not clicking right like it was last year…maybe it’s not having Mike Johnson, or maybe it’s not having Colin Peek to help out with run blocking. Whatever it is, it is effecting everything we do offensively. It all starts on the line, and we play as they play. I am not blaming anyone here, just think we are missing an intangible that we had last year. The defense is a completely different story – they are very young, and I believe have played about as well as they can – this defense will be very good next year, as they have had time to grow up. You have to take a step back and look at some of these areas objectively before you start just yelling “We suck, fire the coach, etc…” We had a lot of changes to the championship team, and we are seeing the effects.

Next week will be another tough test for us, as Mississippi State brings in a pretty solid team. Do not get all pissed and sell your tickets, and just give up – we need to support this team. I will be there, rain or shine, and I am going to be yelling my ass off. I love The Tide, and look forward to what we can still accomplish this season…let’s finish strong! It is hard to be a Tide fan after a loss like this past Saturday, but just step back and thank God that you are, because there is nothing better than being an Alabama Crimson Tide fan!

Until next week…Roll Tide!

Jason

Week 8 - Tennessee

2010-10-25T07:10:00.000-05:00

Tide Fans –

What started out as looking very ugly, turned into something beautiful! Julio, Trent, Maze and Ingram found their groove and made some huge plays to put this game out of reach by the end of the 3rd quarter. I don’t know what Coach Saban said at halftime, but whatever it was it worked like a charm! The Tide rolls big in Knoxville, crushing the Vols with their inspired 2nd half play. Now it’s time for some much needed rest for the team, (and the fans) so we can get ready and defend our SEC title – we have to win them all!

As soon as this game started I thought to myself…I should have gone. When we got down early I was really mad at myself for not going to the game. I feel so much more in control if I am at the game, versus watching it on TV. I don’t know why, but I just do. It’s not as if The Tide knows I am there and play better because of this (I would like to think this is true, but I know it isn’t). I’m pretty sure Coach Saban and the team do not feel my presence when I am in attendance, and as much as I wish that I was part of the pre-game checklist for the coaching staff and the team…I fear that I am not. Regardless, I always feel better attending the game.

To make things even weirder – I was actually attending a Halloween party during the game, and was in full costume. This was not helping my Tide vibe, and was convinced it was effecting our first half play. I know it was effecting the party as I am not a fun person to be around when Bama is playing poorly. Here I was standing next to my friends dressed in the following costumes - a quilted leisure suit (which apparantly was very comfortable), Jason (machete and all), Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation, and I am fully decked out as a member of the Dharma Initiative from the TV show LOST. You can just imagine how that looked – not your typical group of fans watching a game! At halftime I was soo irritated I removed my costume wig in disgust, and it never went back on. I usually take my Halloween costumes very seriously, and like to stay in character – but something had to change, and apparently it helped! The Tide dominated the 2nd half, and suddenly I didn’t mind hanging out watching the game with a bunch of people in costume!

We needed a win like this very badly. Our confidence just didn’t seem to be where it needed to be, and while I know this was not a very good Tennessee team, it is always nice to get a big SEC road game win against one of your biggest rivals. This was just what the doctor ordered as we go into our off week, and as most of you know…I love crushing Tennessee!

Offense finally found their rhythm and made some big runs, and some ridiculous catches by Julio. What an incredible game he had – just amazing. This is the Julio we love…this is why it is so important to get the ball to him – he can make things happen. Nevermind that his hand is broken…he was pulling in balls that were overthrown, underthrown, and some that were actually perfectly thrown. All in the process he breaks the single game record for receiving yards – just awesome! Can I get a Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuulio!!!!! I must give shout outs to Trent and Marquis Maze also – great games by both of them. I love the fact we are utilizing Maze more – he is a playmaker, and this was long overdue in our game planning.

Overall defense played well again, minus a few busted coverages. Dre “Primetime” Kirkpatrick needs to step it up, as I feel he got schooled on several plays. How about the hit Miliner put on that guy…good Lord it was insane! That is truly one of the hardest hits I have ever witnessed, and I am shocked (and glad) the guy was able to walk off the field, because at first I thought he was dead. It was nice to see some other guys get some playing time in this game – Phelon Jones, BJ Scott, and Miliner all got some great experience. Phelon needs to learn how to catch – he could have had a few picks! Our Defense is pretty beat up right now – the week off will help tremendously. Upshaw and Dareus are still not full speed, and it will be great to get them a few weeks to recover. We need everyone full strength for our final stretch, as we have some big games ahead.

Bama heads to Baton Rouge in two weeks. Even though they lost this past weekend, this is still a huge game for us. LSU has not played great this year, but they are a dangerous team. You really don’t know what you are going to get with them, but believe me – they will be fired up and ready to play. Offense must play aggressive with them, and keep our running game going. Defense will need to play smart and not over think things. I think if we can get a good pass rush on either of their quarterbacks our chances improve drastically. We must play smart and not make sloppy mistakes in this game. McElroy needs to make some passes early in the game to get our rhythm going, and we must establish the run threat. We get a running game going, and play solid defense – this one is ours!

I look forward to this game, as I will actually be in attendance! I love making this trip, and always have great stories to tell after. You never know what experience you will have amongst the Cajun faithful, and throw in 2 nights in New Orleans…it should be interesting! Enjoy the week off Tide Fans – I know I will. Rest up and get ready for a Championship run – it’s ours to take…we just have to win baby…just win!

See you in 2 weeks…Roll Tide!

Jason

Week 7 - Ole Miss

2010-10-18T20:25:00.001-05:00

Tide Fans –

First off, I would like to apologize profusely for the delay in this week’s post. I have been in the fine city of Mobile, and unable to get a post up until now. I was once again watching my daughters gymnastics meet, this time in Mobile and on a Sunday evening…nice! This is normally when I am writing my analysis, but on this Sunday evening my wife and I were hanging out chasing an extremely tired 2 year old around a somewhat warm gym, trying to watch our daughter compete. Good times…good times! Actually, the Sunday meet worked out fine because there was no interference with the game…and that is huge. It was a great trip and we got to see some of our dear friends while we were there. A big shout out to the Carter Family, Ed’s Seafood Shed, The Battle House Hotel, and The Battleship USS Alabama!

On to the game…

It was a beautiful day in Tuscaloosa – a great day filled with Homecoming festivities, parades, lawn decorations, and of course football! The Tide gets back on track with a win against a struggling Ole Miss team. It was hardly a great game by The Tide, but a win is a win, and we must move on and continue to improve. An overall impressive performance by our defense, but we are still not clicking on all cylinders on offense. We must improve here, or we will not be heading to Atlanta!

My lovely wife told me today in the car ride home from Mobile, that I am sometimes too hard on our team. This stemmed from me being completely irritated throughout most of the game about our lack of offense. Yes, we had some good plays, but in my opinion overall we just did not look very good. At one point, and yes I will admit this, I was actually questioning whether we should take McElroy out. I just didn’t think he was playing well, and taking too many sacks or missing too many passes. It was wrong for me to think like this, as I know he can run the offense better than any of our backups right now. I guess I was just frustrated with field goals, and I wanted to crush our opponent. Anyway, I know Greg is the man for the job, I just want him to be the old Greg, and play like a champion. I am sure the team will work hard to make improvements, and I still have a lot of faith in McElroy, and the entire offense!

Our defense played well. Massolli was running around like a wild man out there trying to avoid getting crushed on just about every play. That dude is fast! It almost looked as if you were watching him on fast forward 1 arrow (you TiVo users know what I’m talking about!) Massolli ran fast, and could sling that ball really fast…thankfully he just wasn’t very accurate, or his receivers just suck. The Tide defense did a great job pressuring him all night – it was night and day compared to last week’s game.

I came away from this game a little nervous, thinking we have a lot of work to do if we are going to get to Atlanta. Now that I have had time to calm down a little, and look at it more objectively, I am glad we got the win. No, Ole Miss is not great, but they were well rested and could have been a real pain. We were never really in doubt of losing that one, and it is an SEC West victory, so let’s be glad that one is over.

It’s Tennessee week now – time to head up to Rocky Top and beat some ass! Most of you know – I absolutely despise Tennessee, and want to crush them every year! I will not be attending this game …as I have never witnessed a victory in person there. I cannot stand going up there and cramming myself in a tiny 6 inch space that is supposed to be my seat. You have to sit sideways in that stadium because they put the numbers so close together…it is ridiculous. The Tide better bring their A game this week, because it is another SEC road game, and you never know what you’re going to get when you play Tennessee. No, they do not have a very good team this year, but this is one of those games where you throw the record book out. Need I remind everyone of what they almost pulled off last season against us? Defense better show up, and for the love of God please take some offense too! Let’s run that ball all over Rocky Top!!!

We have a lot of football to go fans, and we need to win every game! We got a little help from some teams this weekend for our championship hopes, but we cannot stumble again. Let’s concentrate on the Vols, and then enjoy that week off to rest up for the brutal November schedule. We can do this…have faith!

Until next week…Roll Tide!

Jason

Week 6 - South Carolina

2010-10-11T07:02:00.003-05:00

Tide Fans –

Something didn’t feel right when I woke up Saturday morning. Besides the massive head cold I had acquired the day before, something just didn’t feel right. I was actually looking forward to a nice day at home watching football without interruption from gymnastics meets or other distractions. I was looking forward to kicking back, watching gameday, and getting mentally prepared for our game against South Carolina. It was a beautiful day in Birmingham, Alabama, and then all of a sudden as I fixed a cup of coffee preparing to watch ESPN, our power went out. Yes – no storms, nothing but blue skies, and our power goes out…fantastic. This got me really concerned, not only because I was missing gameday, but it just seemed like a bad omen. All morning I had this feeling of unpreparedness – like I had not done something to get ready for this game. It was a bad start to a day that would only get worse. Our beloved Crimson Tide loses to the Gamecocks of South Carolina…I was crushed.

Words cannot describe how I felt at about 5:30pm on Saturday. Actually, there are several words that were blurted out of my mouth within earshot of my kids, which described exactly how I felt. I can only pray that these words are not ever repeated by them. I know most of you feel the same way, and are just as down as I am right now. It is a feeling we have not had to deal with in a long time, and it totally sucks. At the beginning of the season I predicted that we would lose a game…I just hoped it never would actually happen. We are now facing the reality of a loss, and how we respond to it will tell a lot about us as Tide fans, and our team. The one thing I ask of all of you is to stay positive – there is a lot of football to be played, and the Aubs want nothing more than to see us get all irritated when asked about the loss. Let them talk all they want…their day is coming, and I personally cannot wait to play them.

We knew it would be tough to get through this gauntlet of games undefeated. I think our team was mentally tired, and that is what got us beat. We were not ready for this game and it showed. There were way too many errors creating costly penalties, and busted plays. Our team did not look like themselves on the field, and quite honestly I thought they looked very slow – there was no hustle. They looked hung over…and that is what I was afraid of last week. At one point I swear I saw Donta Hightower walk over to try and make a tackle. Our heads were simply not in this game, and in the SEC if you don’t come ready to play every week, you lose. I have to give some credit to South Carolina – they played a great game – probably the best they ever have, but they are not a better team than us. I wish them the best of luck, because I want to play them again. I want to play them again so bad! You may have shut down our run, and completed some ridiculous passes this time…but you will not do it again…you will not do it again!

This is a tough one to swallow Tide Fans…a very tough one. As hard as it is, we must press on and get ready for the next game. There is no time to sit around and sulk all week, because if we do Ole Miss may come in and shock us. We have to get our mind right, and go on to fight for the rest of the season. We control our destiny, and while our championship dreams took a hit – they are far from over. I believe our coaches and our team, are going to be stronger after this and I believe we will go undefeated for the remainder of the season. There a several huge games ahead, but I know we have the team to do it. Our players like McElroy, Ingram, Dareus, Hightower, and Julio are going to step it up a notch, and demand more from their fellow teammates. The Tide is going to play with fire and passion for the rest of the season, and whoever lies ahead better watch out – a big ‘ol pissed off Crimson giant is heading your way, and it wants to crush you.

Heads up Tide fans, we have a lot of football to play, and we are still the defending National Champions…we are still The Alabama Crimson Tide! Have faith in your team, and think positive. Just before I started typing, I looked out my window and saw the sun shining on my Bama flag flying in the wind, and it made me smile. Good things are ahead…the season is far from over.

Until next week…Roll Tide!

Jason

Week 5 - Florida

2010-10-04T07:10:00.002-05:00

Tide Fans –

Domination: supremacy or preeminence over another. This is the definition according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. I believe they hit the nail on the head, and no other word best describes what happened in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night. The Alabama Crimson Tide destroyed the Florida Gaytors, and I enjoyed every single second of it! There is nothing better than crushing the team, and the cocky, cheesy, “jort” wearing fans from Gainesville. The night sky was buzzing with deafening roars from Bryant-Denny, and everyone in Crimson was having the time of their lives. Bama rolls big…and I’m not sure anyone can stop us!

What a beautiful day for college football in Alabama…the weather could not have been more perfect! My day started with an early rise for an 8:00 gymnastics meet in Bessemer, Alabama. Yes – once again I start my game day off rushing to get kids dressed and shoved into the minivan in time to make the 7:45 check in time for the level 3 Mountain Brook Pirates team. Nothing like having to wake up at 6:00 on Saturday to drive to Bessemer and sit in a gym on hard bleachers…ahhh can’t beat it! The only good thing about the very early meet was that it would not interfere with my planned departure time for Tuscaloosa…and that is something I take very seriously. Thankfully they made it worth the drive as the team stayed undefeated! A big shout out to my daughter, and the entire team – way to go girls!

My plan was to drive back to my parents, meet my friend Bill, my cousin in-law Joe, his girlfriend Becca, and all ride down together in one car. My dad had threatened not to go earlier in the day saying he wasn’t feeling well. My response to that was “Dad, it’s the Florida game – so please get your ass in the car and let’s go!” After a series of cooler shifting, discussions on who should sit where, and who was driving, we hit the road. Within 2 minutes we had already pulled the car over and switched drivers…after I finally convinced my dad that if he wasn’t feeling well, then he should not be driving. Surprisingly enough the rest of the trip down was smooth sailing!

Not long after arriving on campus I saw the first set of Gaytor fans and immediately wanted to vomit in my mouth. I really dislike Florida’s fan base, and seriously just cannot get along with them as much as I try. Their culture is completely different from the rest of the SEC, and it just irritates me. The clothes they wear, the hairstyles, the weird accents…it’s just not my cup of tea. This is probably why I enjoy beating them almost more than any other school! To see their fans all cocky and acting like complete tools before the game, and watching them try to make excuses as to why they got crushed afterward is hilarious. My section (which is truly an all Alabama section) for some reason had several Florida fans in it, which really bothered me. A quick note to anyone else that sits in section GG – selling your tickets to opposing team fans is ridiculous. Selling your tickets to a Florida fan is downright ludicrous, and you seriously should be removed from Tide Pride. I am serious – that is absolutely ridiculous. There are millions of Tide fans you could have sold your tickets to…and you sell them to a Florida fan…unbelievable. The only good thing about it was that I got to see several of them squirm as we crushed them all night long!

In 2005 when we played Florida at Bryant-Denny was the loudest that stadium has ever been. This past Saturday came very close. I love it when we are so loud that the opposing team gets all confused and our defense just swarms them – it is powerful. It wasn’t the loudest, but it was definitely rocking Saturday night in Bryant-Denny! Just to reminisce – the other two loudest moments in our stadium were in 2007 when JP Wilson threw the game winning touchdown to Matt Caddell in the final seconds against Arkansas, and last year when Cody blocked the field goal…damn that was loud! I love a loud stadium, and wish the crowd would be more consistent with their volume in all games.

This game was just delightful to watch! I knew we would beat Florida, but I did not think it would be that easy. The high fives were flying in our section as we watched The Tide score on practically each possession in the first half – we could do no wrong. Running, passing, and scoring defensively…it was beautiful. Seriously, if our defense plays like this every game – I do not think anyone will even score a touchdown on us. We were flying all over the field, and constantly pressuring the quarterback, leading to several interceptions. Huge shout outs go to Dareus, Upshaw, CJ Mosley, and Dre (Primetime) Kirkpatrick! I just hope we can keep up the intensity like this every week, because our schedule just doesn’t get easier.

Offense was equally impressive. The balance of our running and passing game is truly a force. We have so many weapons – Ingram, Richardson, Julio, Hanks, Maze!! I LOVE the play were Marquis threw the touchdown pass out of the wildcat formation – it was perfect! I have to give huge props to our guys up front in the trenches – they are truly incredible. Everything starts on the line, and these guys play like professionals. They are very well coached, and are just machine like in getting their job done. McElroy had all day on most of the pass plays…all day. The Tide looked so smooth and almost unstoppable throughout this game – we played championship football, and Florida got swamped!

Leaving Tuscaloosa late at night is never easy after a long day of tailgating and watching the Tide. Everyone in our group was exhausted…hell I was still exhausted from last week! I knew traffic was going to suck after the game, so I decided to take another route out of town. I had done some map research earlier in the week and was convinced I had found the way out of Tuscaloosa that would avoid a major chunk of traffic. Unfortunately I forgot the map I had printed and highlighted to get us out. I decided I could remember it from memory, as I turned the opposite way that everyone else was turning (much to the dismay of everyone in the car). I was convinced I could remember the streets I was supposed to turn on for my new route out. We are now on the outskirts of Tuscaloosa in the town of Holt. I proceed to drive down very dark and somewhat narrow roads with literally no traffic. There were some groans coming from the back seat and some “where the hell are you going” comments. I drove with confidence…until we hit a dirt road. At this point I had lost all confidence on where I was going. I was thinking...great I have really screwed up now...I had to leave my map at home...how stupid! After a quick U turn in Bubba’s driveway (if you can call it that), we headed back the direction we came. Thankfully Bill noticed the sign I was looking for right before we hit the dirt road and directed us back. A few more tense miles, and finally we popped out onto the main road heading home – awesome!! My new route worked like a charm, minus one wrong turn! Everyone was happy to see smooth pavement and other cars. We made it home in record time seeing as we didn’t leave until the game was over! I was pumped, and no I am not telling you my new route…it’s a secret!

Once again we have another huge game this week Tide Fans! South Carolina is coming off a loss to Auburn, and will be rested and ready to play the defending national champs. Every team we play for the rest of the season will be rested and ready to play us. Every week we will face another team wanting to take down number 1. Our schedule is brutal, but we have to stay focused and push through. I have been very confident about most of our games, but I will admit that I am a little nervous about going to South Carolina. Not because of the team we are playing, but the fact that we will be on the road again after a huge win – I just hope we don’t have a hangover in Columbia. If we do, it could be a tight game like Arkansas. I do not think the Gamecocks can even come close to hanging with us physically for 4 quarters, but if we do stupid things, and keep them close in the game, their crowd will be fired up, and they will play us tough. If our same defense that we saw this week shows up – they have no chance. I will not be making the trip to Columbia this week, so if you are going, yell extra loud for me!

Enjoy the win over Florida Tide fans, but we need to get focused and ready for our next opponent. In my mind – this is the game that assures our spot in Glendale…we win this one, and I don’t think anyone beats us from here on out. Let’s keep the championship repeat dream alive and crush the Gamecocks!

Until next week…Roll Tide!

Jason

Week 4 - Arkansas

2010-09-26T23:26:00.004-05:00

Tide Fans –

Champions find a way to win…they dig deep, and put it all on the line. Most teams fold when they are down 13 points with a little over a quarter to play on the road. Alabama is a team of champions…and they got it done. Amongst the squeals of 75,000 hog fans, Alabama sucked it up, made the plays, and took the win away from Arkansas. You have to play the game for 60 minutes…Arkansas found that out the hard way. Arkansas knows why we hold up four fingers at the start of the 4th quarter…Saturday was living proof. The Tide rolls in Fayetteville keeping our championship repeat hopes alive! Well done men…well done.

There are so many stories from this little journey I took to the Ozark Mountains this weekend. So many, that I will only be able to cover a few without writing a 10 page blog. Where do I even start? I guess I will just try and paint a picture of how a few events transpired. My journey started on a Southwest flight from Birmingham to Little Rock where I was met by my parents who had driven out earlier in the week to visit with old friends. Believe it or not, we used to actually live in Arkansas for four years – very early in my childhood. The day we left Arkansas I remember my dad telling me…“Now son - we live in Alabama now, and you are an Alabama fan, and always will be!” I remember this, even though I was only 5 years old. Since that August day in 1979, I have been and will always be a ridiculously loyal and dedicated fan to The Alabama Crimson Tide. That is some of the best advice I have ever received from my dad…and I have lived my entire life around it. Yes, we masqueraded as semi Arkansas fans for a few years while we lived there, but when we moved back to my dad’s home state, the Great State of Alabama, the words “pig sooie” were never spoken again. Thank you dad for moving us back to Alabama…thank you!

Back to the trip – as we left the airport headed towards Fayetteville I asked what our hotel arrangements were going to be. In the words of my dad, “I got us a suite with two rooms at this new hotel!” I was thinking – cool that will work. We probably should have known this, but apparently a suite in Springdale, Arkansas consists of 1 bed and a pull out sofa bed…in the same room. Not quite the two room “suite” we were imagining, and not even two rooms. A small sofa bed separated by a coffee table and a wall cutout of about 6 inches constitutes a suite in Springdale.
There were no other available rooms, so we were going to have to make the most of it. Thankfully, my wife and kids went to Nashville for the weekend to visit with her parents – otherwise it would have been real interesting!

That night we ate at a local rib/steak joint called Herman’s, and it was pretty good! It is a local favorite so we were told to go early like 4:45. Well we got there at about 5:00 and there was no one there – it looked empty. We went in and were greeted by friendly staff all decked out of Razorback gear. We asked where everyone was, and literally before we had finished our first drinks the place was packed – amazing what about a 15 minute difference made. Believe it or not, my dad’s real name is Herman, so of course we had to have pictures made, and every server in the place knew my dad’s name was Herman before we left. If any of you reading this know my dad, and have ever eaten with him, you know he likes to find out everything about his server. Where are you from?, what do you do?, is this home?, are you in school?, etc…he will start a conversation with anyone! It is usually a very entertaining conversation, but sometimes I think he forgets that the servers have to wait on other tables also. Anyway, the ribs were good so if you ever make the trek to Fayetteville you need to check this place out, and go early like they say, or be prepared to wait in a very long line!

Back at the hotel, we pull out the sofa bed and it is the old school kind with the metal bar and thin mattress…I could live with that…but I just about gagged looking at the mattress which looked as if someone had been murdered on it. I am not a big fan of hotel beds…they kind of gross me out, but this one almost had me sleeping in the car. I decided to cover it with 3 sheets thinking that would keep away any disease or bed bugs that might try to visit in the night. I’m pretty sure I slept a total of about 45 minutes – it was a long night on the thin somewhat disgusting bed.
The next morning I awoke (or should I say just got out of bed) and drank about 4 cups of coffee. I was irritated about my lack of sleep, worried with the fact that I would not be able to concentrate on The Tide, and the big game ahead. It was going to be a long day, and I had little energy. After my shower, (which I scrubbed my skin with soap until I turned pink trying to rid myself of any mattress funk that managed to get through the 3 layers of sheets), I felt better. A quick meal and a coke zero got me focused and ready to take on the day – I could get through on adrenaline if I had to…little did I know I would get plenty of that during the game!

The Arkansas fans were so jacked up for this game…you would have thought we were playing in the SEC championship. To them, this game was their season…this was the big one that would put Arkansas on the map! Most of their fans were nice, but they were very confident that they were going to win this game. If I had to hear one more damn word about Ryan Mallett I was going to punch someone in the face…good Lord that is all they could talk about. All throughout the day friends were calling me trying to get my take on the game…most of them nervous. I never got nervous about this game. In my mind I knew they could not stop our running game…they could not stop 4 quarters of pounding runs from Ingram and Richardson. Did I think we were going to blow them out…no. I knew Arkansas would score, and I knew Mallett would make some big passes against us. I was confident we would outscore them if it came down to a shootout.

My seats were up close to God in Razorback Stadium. Thankfully Bryan, a dear friend and old work colleague sat next to me. We had not seen each other in a while and it was good to catch up and laugh. Funny thing is he is from Arkansas, but not a Hog fan…Alabama all the way! Our seats were supposed to be in the Bama section, but Arkansas gets creative and separates the visiting teams fan base by sprinkling in lots of Hog fan season ticket holders. So, there were plenty of people calling the hogs up in what was supposed to be part of the Bama section. That cheer is really annoying, not just the sound, but how long it is…I mean do you really have to yell “whooooooo pig” three times slowly before you finish the cheer? Finally we got a few Bama cheers going in our section to which the Arkansas fan in front of me said “Is that really one of your cheers… Ala – Bama? That’s kind of lame.” I quickly reminded him that their main cheer consisted of calling a pig…he turned back around with no response.

I knew Arkansas would come out with guns blazing, and they did. Of course the crowd was all fired up, and then they make that first touchdown in like 2 plays… it was loud. Many Bama fans in my section were all irritated and I heard several “well that’s great…gonna be a long day for us.” I was not fazed at all by this first touchdown – I knew they would come out and score quickly. I turned around and reminded as many people that could hear me that the game was four quarters, and to calm down…we got this. Bama answered quickly thanks to the awesomeness of Mark Ingram – dude is ridiculous! Did you see the 2 stiff arms on that run to stay in bounds…2 stiff arms! I’m not going to give a complete recap of the game – you all saw it, and I know this post is getting long.

Offensively we moved the ball, and defensively we couldn’t stop the pass in the first half. McElroy made some terrible throws, but he also made some critical passes in the 4th quarter when we needed them. Defense finally got their head out of their ass and figured out how to slow Mallett down. I know we were trailing for the majority of the game and did not look very good, but deep down I just knew we were going to win. I never really got nervous – I was willing us to win. The only time I got nervous was at the very end on the 4th and 1…but what a great call. You don’t give that ball back to Mallet for a last second heave to the end zone…no sir. A very ballsy call by Saban!

As Julio was quoted in the Arkansas paper “This game is 60 minutes…ain’t no 30!” I love this quote, and how true it is! Alabama started to gel in the 4th quarter, and did what they had to do to bring home that sweet SEC road victory. Huge interceptions by Lester and Kirkpatrick, and just gutsy running by Ingram - he is unstoppable! Shout out go to Julio, Hanks, and Trent also. One of the catches Julio made late in the game for a first down was amazing – it was thrown way behind him and he still makes the grab! I wish I could repeat what my friend Bryan said after Lester intercepted the ball and was running it back, but I have been asked not to quote him. All I have to say is – it was hilarious!

The look on the faces of the Arkansas fans after the game was astonishing. They were absolutely devastated, and it was so quiet leaving the stadium, minus a few Roll Tide’s. It was like a funeral march down the 15,000 ramps we had to walk to get down. No “pig sooie”, no “go hogs”…nothing - just 75,000 silent Arkansas fans leaving the stadium. I have to give them some credit – they played a great game, but you have to play 60 minutes to beat Alabama!

I am so tired today…the game and lack of sleep just wiped my ass out. Another fantastic night on the sofa bed was just delightful! Add to that the 9 hour drive back from Hog Town to Birmingham…I’m whipped. Yes – I flew out and drove back with my parents…more stories there – just not enough time to tell them. I know our team is tired too, but they can’t rest long – we have another huge game this weekend! Florida comes to town in a week, and all their “jort” wearing cheesy fans. Let’s welcome them with a loud crowd, and swarming defense! Florida has had this game circled since we whipped them in December. This will be a very tough game with another high powered pass attack. I know Saban and the staff will be working to smooth out some wrinkles, and that we will be ready! We really need to be loud in Bryant-Denny this week – it needs to be deafening. Yes, we are all tired from the stress of this past game, but it is time to do our part and suck it up! Our team needs us big time in this week, so if you are going…you better be loud! If you are not going and I find out that you sold your tickets to a Gaytor fan - I am coming after you!

Come on Bama…rest up this week, and get your game face ready for Saturday – it is going to be awesome!

Before I sign off - I have to say this:

Don’t ever give up on The Tide – don’t ever doubt. This was another one of those games that tests your belief in what we can do…you have to believe – even when it is not looking good – if there is still time on the clock you better believe that we will find a way to win!

Until next week…Roll Tide!

Jason

Week 3 - Duke

2010-09-19T18:48:00.001-05:00

Tide Fans –

What a beautiful day in Durham! The Tide takes advantage of their first road trip to get in some playing time for just about everyone except the trainers…and I think I may have seen a few of them take a snap as well. We knew this wasn’t going to be a tough test, but it is always nice to get a huge win on the road. Nothing was better than seeing # 22 and # 57 back on the field. How awesome is Mark Ingram? He looked like he had been shot out of a cannon on some of those runs. He has not lost a step at all, and actually looks better than before - if that is at all possible. I know we only got to see him carry the ball 9 times, but he made each one of them count! The Heisman Trophy winner is back, and he looks damn good! A fun game for Tide fans, and a good way to head into our brutal gauntlet of the next 3 opponents.

I was a nervous wreck before this game…not because of who we were playing, but because of the fact that I was not going to see the first half. Yes – you heard me correctly…I was not at the game, nor was I in front of a TV. I cannot remember the last time I was not either at the game, or firmly planted in front of an enormous TV as The Tide took the field. Instead, I was in the parking lot of a gymnasium in East Montgomery at my daughters gymnastics meet. Thankfully the meet ended just barely before kickoff, so I was able to find the local radio affiliate and listen to Eli. I must give a huge shout out to the Level 3 Mtn. Brook gymnastics team, as they won the meet, and are currently undefeated! Saban would be proud, as anything less would have been unacceptable. I was very proud of the team, and my daughter who placed 2nd on beam! Watching this was well worth the sacrifice of missing the game! PS – I will never do this again.

You would have thought we were about to play in the National Championship as anxious and nervous as I was, when we pulled out of Montgomery in the minivan. Thankfully the 2 year old had fallen asleep allowing me to fully concentrate on The Tide (and the interstate). Looking back, I probably should have let my wife drive. The hour and a half drive home felt like an eternity as the Tide racked up incredible plays. Thankfully, Eli Gold does a fantastic job at painting a picture of the setting and the game. My favorite is when he describes our uniforms in full, as if we had never seen them before. It is something I had not heard in a long time, since I am usually at the game. Quoting Eli - “Bama wearing the road white today, with the Crimson helmets, white stripe down the center, and two red stripes down the pant leg – and the white jersey with the Crimson numerals” It was actually kind of cool – it got me all fired up! I was pumping my fist in the air as I set the cruise on about 90….ahh good times! We finally got home right as the first half was ending, and thanks to TiVo I was able to catch up on the first half during the halftime break. Seriously…what did we do before TiVo and DVR’s???

Our offense looked incredible, scoring at ease, and making big plays. Yes, we were playing Duke but it is still fun to watch, and great practice for our team. Again, Mark Ingram just is awesome! 48 yards on his first carry back from injury, and 151 yards on 9 carries – 2 of those combining for 98 yards…as Vern Lundquist would say… Wow!!! We had so many nice plays in this game…Trent’s kickoff return, Darius Hanks super catches, Ingram’s runs, it was delightful to watch. Our offense looks very good, and I think we are ready to hit the tough stretch we have ahead of us. McElroy looks smooth and comfortable, as well as McCarron – I think we would be ok if we ever had to go to our backup QB. I hope this is not the case, but it is good to see him run the offense smoothly as well.

Defense looked pretty solid. I know we gave up a touchdown and people are concerned about that, but good Lord…you can’t expect to go all season without giving up a TD. Minus a few plays we shut down the pass, and Duke was supposed to be a heavy passing team. I actually think they gained more yards on the ground against our D. We are still very young here, but I really think it is going to come together. We have tons of talent, and it usually takes a few games for the Defense to gel. Linebackers are just powerful – all of them, and our DB’s are good – they are gaining more confidence every down. I would like to see more pressure on the QB, but I think we are saving that package for next week.

Speaking of next week…this is going to be a huge game! I am not scared of Ryan Mallet, and neither should you. People think he is just going to pass all over us. I’m sure he will complete some passes, and I am sure they will score some points, but they will not score as many as we will. Everyone is going to be calling upset next week, thinking Mallet will just pass all over our young DB’s. I am so sick of hearing this. All I am going to say is this…it is rather hard to pass when you are laying flat on your back! Mallet has not seen pressure like he will see next week, and if you remember last year – he is not very good when he has to throw under pressure. Here is another angle…so if they do pass all over us – we will just keep the ball away from them with our running game, and score more points…they can’t stop our running attack. Ingram, Richardson, Lacy…pound that ball all day long against the pigs! Mallet can’t throw if they don’t have the ball.

Please don’t get me wrong, this will definitely be our toughest test so far, and playing on the road in the SEC is never easy. You have to keep you swagger about our team – we are the defending National Champions, and we are not just going to go over there and lay an egg. It may be a very close game, but I have full confidence in our team and coaching staff – they will be ready for this game. They will execute the plan, and dominate!

I am so pumped for next weekend – it is going to be awesome! Yes, I am making the trip out to Fayetteville – one that I have never made. I am also sitting smack dab in the middle of the Arkansas section, so I am sure I will have some fantastic stories to tell. I hope pigs can swim, because there is a High Tide warning in Arkansas, and The Tide is going to Roll! The Ryan Mallet love fest ends next week, and I plan on rolling in with some confidence and swagger…you should too!

Until next week…Roll Tide!

Jason

Week 2 - Penn State

2010-09-13T08:23:00.001-05:00

Tide Fans –
What an incredible day in Tuscaloosa! A much anticipated re-birth of an old rivalry between two of the most traditional teams in the country. Alabama – Penn State brings back so many fond memories. The Goal Line Stand, The Block, the Bobby Humphrey run at Happy Valley on a rainy night, the list goes on… The Alabama – Penn State series was always a great one, and I am so glad they decided play it again! As if we needed anything else to make the game more electric, Game Day was there, along with the likes of the two winningest football coaches of all time, Coach Paterno and Coach Bowden brought together on the birthday of the man they passed to achieve this record, Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant…just an incredible setting on campus.

This game was so special, that my family all agreed to take a limo. We figured it would be a great way to sit in traffic and enjoy ourselves to and from the game. If you know anything about my family, (and I know some of you do) anytime we get together for pretty much anything it turns into what I call a “Griswold” experience. Well, this trip didn’t disappoint. Our limo was supposed to comfortably fit 12 people…well we had 10 so we thought that would be plenty of room. Just a quick heads up…when they say 12 people can fit in a limo, they really mean about 6. We manage to pack ourselves in finally and we were on our way. About half way down we have to pull over for a bathroom break…and thank God we did! As we were opening the door to get out, a roach about the size of Terrance Cody decided to join the party! It proceeded to crawl up my dad’s pant leg onto his shirt and crawl up around his collar area before he even realized what was going on. I am not kidding you when I say this is the biggest roach I have ever seen. It had a neck and a head about the size of a pencil eraser…I was literally stunned by it’s size. Had we been on the road, I am sure the driver would have wrecked due to all the screaming. I have never seen 10 people clear out of a limo as fast as we did…it had to be amusing to anyone watching in the parking lot of the Flying J truck stop! To make matters worse – we weren’t sure if we killed it…so it may still be in the limo. With no choice but to load up and head down the road…there was a little tension in everyone for the remaining drive down. Thankfully, we made it the rest of the way without incident…except for almost getting the limo stuck on the top of a parking deck.

Bryant-Denny was buzzing before the start of this game. The new addition looked incredible, and the place was rocking with excitement. The new pre-game videos are just powerful, so make sure you get to a game early to check these out! The stage was set for Alabama – Penn State…as I sat in my seat, for some reason I was not nervous at all. I usually get nervous before big games, but I was not in the least bit nervous for this one. I guess I have just fully accepted the fact that we are once again just so powerful that no team makes me nervous…I have swagger…and lot’s of it! Not cocky swagger…just confident swagger. I just felt like our defense would take care of business…and they did!

As the teams came out onto the field I thought it was ingenious of the staff to have both teams run out at the same time. There would be no opportunity to boo Penn State, even though I am pretty sure after Coach Saban’s rant that no one was planning on it. We shouldn’t boo any team when they come into the stadium…I do not like this, and never really have (unless it was Tennessee w/ Fulmer or Auburn anytime). I have a feeling this little tradition our stadium has will die off soon…and that is probably a good thing. Besides, you don’t need to boo anyone you plan on destroying on the field. The only thing that deserved booing on Saturday night was the officiating. Not a very good crew from the Big 10. I know it didn’t really make a difference, but watching the replay today, there were some really bad calls! It was a classy move by our fans to applaud Paterno as he headed to the locker room at half…good job Bama fans…that was a nice gesture!

Alabama looked solid all around! I am convinced that Trent Richardson is not human. His running was absolutely awe inspiring…he just does not want to go down. His highlight reel runs were against a good defense also…not some division II school. We are truly blessed to have the skill in our backfield that we have with Ingram, Richardson, and Lacy. I thought McElroy made some great passes as well, and our core of receivers made some great plays - I love Darius Hanks…he always has a big catch or two! We also saw good use of the Wildcat on Saturday, and I still don’t think we have shown anything near what our offense is capable of. I have a feeling this is somewhat by design.

Defense played solid all around. Some of our rookie corners got picked on a little, but not much. The fact that we held Penn State to just 3 points is awesome! It is kind of scary to see how easy it looked for us to contain a top 20 team to only 3 points…wow! We have so much talent on defense, it is just awesome to see the amount of players that get rotated in and out. Believe it or not, I don’t even have all the defensive guys memorized yet – there are just so many!! I think this defense only gets better throughout the season…and we will need it to as we have some tough tests coming up soon!

This was a classic low scoring Alabama – Penn State game, and for many was probably boring – especially in the 3rd quarter. Just two good old school football teams, but Bama was just way more superior this time. A great win for Bama on a great day for college football! We have now seen Bama play well against a much better opponent, and I believe after next week’s game against Duke we will be full throttle heading into our opening SEC game. Keep in mind we have not even had our two best players on offense and defense play yet…that is scary! The Tide is looking good my friends…looking damn good!

The only thing that didn’t look good on Saturday was the traffic on the way home. Good Lord!!! I knew it was going to be bad, but we didn’t get home until 1:15. Thankfully we could sit back and let Stacy (the limo driver) do all the work. Even being in a limo it got a little old sitting in traffic…that is until our little friend decided to show up again! Yes, you guessed it…Terrance Cody the cockroach had apparently survived our first encounter, and was back for more! This time there was nowhere for anyone to go, so we swatted, screamed, squirmed, and spilled drinks until Cody the cockroach was finally declared dead. If only I had a video of this experience…words do not do it justice! Good times…good times!

Before I wrap up, I must give a shout out to the Penn State fans – they were great! On the way out of the stadium after the game, I asked this guy who was a Penn State fan if they had had a good time this weekend. He looked at me smiled and said, “Dude…next to my child being born, this has been the greatest day ever!” I can’t imagine what he would have said had his team won! Anyway, they were a very courteous group of fans, and I hope we all return the favor when we go up there next year.

Our first road test next week against Duke, should go smoothly. I believe our 2’s and 3’s will be getting more playing time, which is just awesome! Let’s just try to get through this week injury free, and hit the road for our first SEC game healthy and ready!

Until next week – Roll Tide!

Jason

Week 1 - San Jose State

2010-09-06T10:37:00.002-05:00

Tide Fans –

What a beautiful day in Tuscaloosa! The weather was perfect…the atmosphere was spectacular, and The Tide was high! The 2010 season is under way, and what a better way to start than with a dominating victory in our newly re-furbished stadium. Bryant-Denny is truly awe inspiring! In my opinion, (and many others) it was already the best stadium in the country, and now with the new South end-zone expansion…it is hands down the best college stadium in the land! I could go on and on about how nice it is, but I will let the stadium speak for itself. If you have not seen it, you need to check it out…and the team that plays there is pretty good too!

Our quest for “14” started this past Saturday, and we definitely looked like the reigning national champs! I know our opponent was weak, but it’s the little things that get me really excited about what this team can accomplish. We were able to see so many of our players get valuable playing time. We are truly loaded in several key positions, and I really did not see much drop off when some of the 2’s and 3’s were playing. Yes, I know we weren’t playing an SEC team, but it’s the things like lack of penalties and lack of mental mistakes that was really pleasing. Usually when the 2’s and 3’s play you see more penalties, and the rhythm gets messed up. It was great to see our depth at work, and even better to see them play with confidence. This is very important as we have a brutal schedule, and will need to play many of our backups at times this year.

Alabama’s offense ran like a well oiled machine. Yes, we were missing our beloved Mark Ingram, but the production was still there. We are so fortunate to have the stable of running backs we do. We all knew that Richardson would do just fine, but Lacy made his first appearance count! Wow – he is big, fast, and I love the spin move he has! You kind of feel like you are playing the old video game “10 Yard Fight” when you watch him hit a pile of would be tacklers, and just spin to get away for more yards…powerful! I want Ingram back as soon as possible, but I think we will be ok without him for a few games. Richardson and Lacy will be great runners, but it is hard to match the heart and determination of #22!

Our passing game was very impressive as well…I mean Julio…seriously…he is just amazing! That airborne, horizontal, 1 handed catch was incredible! Many great receiving plays in this game, as well as great passes. McElroy played like a seasoned general directing his troops, and putting the ball right where it needed to be. The future of our passing game looks bright as well - AJ McCarron did an outstanding job! His passes are so smooth looking, and placed right where the receivers need them to make plays. I feel very good about our QB situation this year, and in the future!

Minus about 1 or 2 plays the defense looked great! I think we played a very conservative defense this game, not to give away some of our surprises for next week. We had excellent pass coverage, and stopping the run seemed effortless. We rotated so many linebackers in and out of the game, it was hard to keep up with who was in and who was out. This is a great problem to have…we are stacked at linebacker! How impressive was Freshman CJ Mosely?? Wow – this kid is going to be great! Donta Hightower compared him to Rolando McLain…not to bad!! Again, I know we were playing San Jose State, but I think we got a good look at the amount of talent we have available on defense. We are young, but it looks like we are also very talented!
Our special teams play was much better than expected! The punting game was very solid, as well as the kickoffs. How nice was it to see the ball go into the end zone all but one time. Cade Foster can boot the ball, and is also not scared to make a tackle! The field goal kicking was a success as well. It is good to see this area of concern play well. Let’s hope they can continue to be consistent here, as we all know they play a crucial role on any team.

Huge game this week Tide Fans! Another traditional power, Penn State comes to town. We don’t know a whole lot about what they have this year, but I guarantee you they will come down here ready to play. We will need to play a solid, mistake free game to come out with the win. This game will give us a better idea of what our team is capable of. While we played great this past week, we will be tested for the first time this Saturday. I see a hard fought battle in the first half, but I think Bama starts to take over in the second, pounding the ball and making big plays to receivers. I think we see a lot of pressure on their young quarterback, which may lead to some turnovers!

The campus will be crazy next weekend! Penn State fans travel well, and I bet there will be as many fans outside the stadium without tickets as there are in. Gameday is broadcasting from the Walk of Champions, and it is time to break the Tuscaloosa Gameday curse. In the past, Bama has not fared well with the Gameday crew on our campus…but that all changes this week! Herbstreit will be catching a lot of flack for picking Auburn to win the west. Herbstreit is an idiot…I predict Auburn loses on Thursday to Miss. State.

We need to get loud this week Tide Fans! Let’s hear how loud we can make the new stadium, as we put massive pressure on the Penn State offense. I can’t wait!

Until next week…Roll Tide!

Jason

Pre-Season Analysis

2010-08-30T19:28:00.002-05:00

Tide Fans -

The greatest time of year is upon us…can you believe it? I feel like I just got back from Pasadena, watching The Tide win their 13th National Championship!!! The anticipation of the new season, the completion of the new addition to Bryant-Denny, and the pressures of being the defending National Champions are almost overwhelming! We have huge expectations from everyone this year…we are ranked pre-season #1, and every team we play will be gunning for us. Everyone will want to see if we can repeat as National Champs, and the majority of those will want to see us fail. People say it is extremely hard to repeat…no doubt about that. We have a brutal schedule, with many of our toughest games on the road. It will truly take our team playing on all cylinders for every play of every game, but it is possible. It will always be possible as long as Coach Saban is walking our sidelines. We are truly blessed to have the greatest coach in modern day college football at Alabama. We may not win championships every year, but you can guarantee that we will be in the hunt with Saban as our coach. Thank you again Mal Moore for doing whatever it took to bring him here…thank you!

The Tide is back for another season, and I have big hopes for this team. Yes, we lost a lot of great players who I will dearly miss, but guess what…we got a lot more where they came from! Set your swagger on high Tide fans, because The Alabama Crimson Tide is about to make another championship run! If you don't believe me, then just go watch "Nick Saban - Gamechanger". You will be ready to suit up, run through a brick wall! I highly recommend you go see this, and watch the "Training Days - Rolling with The Tide" that aired on ESPN before the season starts…which leaves you like 4 days. Any doubt you had about our ability to field a championship team this year will be erased. We have the weapons, we have the leadership, and we definitely have the coaching! Some of you may think I am over confident…but I have studied this in depth. We may lose a game this season…but it won’t be the one out in Arizona! It's time to get it started...it's time to get focused...it's time to make it happen!

Let's take a quick look at our team:

Offense - We have never in my lifetime had as talented of a group returning this year! I mean look at our weapons on offense…Mr. Heisman - Mark Ingram…Trent Richardson…Julio Jones…Greg McElroy…Marquis Maze…Darius Hanks…the list goes on! If you are worried about the offensive line…don’t be. They may be better than the group we had last year. We have so many different things we can do now…we will not have to rely on either the pass or the run…we have solid games in both!! This may be the first time Julio has been at 100% as well. Most people don't realize his time so far at Bama has been injury plagued…he is just tough enough to play through it! A healthy Julio could be scary!! McElroy did a great job last year…imagine how good he will be with a year under his belt…I am very confident in his ability, and we have strong backups if needed. This is going to be an explosive offense, and one that will be very fun to watch!

Defense - lots of changes and new names here, and the biggest area of concern for some fans. Do not forget who watches over and plays a very “hands on” role in coaching our defense…Nick Saban. People are worried about stopping a high powered passing game. Look at it this way…if a team is beating us on the pass, we will just simply have to outscore them! (I for one am not worried about our secondary, as most quarterbacks will not even have the time to get a pass off - and don't forget…they are learning from the best!). Having Donta Hightower back is awesome! He will fulfill the huge void that Rolando left, and then some. We have so many new weapons on defense with our line and pass rushers…I can't wait to see how Saban mixes these guys in. I envision a swarming defense with a relentless pass rush, which keeps teams off balance. We have so much talent and depth here now…it is just incredible. Our defense will be young…but they will be brutal!

Our Schedule at a glance:

San Jose St. - Seriously?
Penn St. - First test of the season…don't think those Yankee boys can handle us and the humidity! Close, but Bama wins by 10 at least.
Duke - Uh huh….
Arkansas - Saban unleashes the non-stop all out pass rush on Mallet…Arkansas is the Ole Miss of last season…way overrated…Tide wins by 14
Florida - Gators have had this date circled since we whipped that ass in the SEC Championship. Saban gets our team ready and we take care of business. A very hard fought game, with The Tide coming out on top!
S. Carolina - People are worried about this game…why?? They will play like they have the last several years…very average…Tide by 14…probably more
Ole Miss - Tide by 21…maybe more
Tennessee - Closer than it should be…but Bama pulls out a win in Knoxville
LSU - This game is the one that makes me nervous. Late night…drunk Cajuns…the Mad Hatter…you never know…but I think Bama squeaks it out!! Saban does not ever want to lose in Baton Rouge!
Miss. State - Yawn…Tide by 21
Ga. State - Curry gets crushed…plenty of time for backups to play
Auburn - Bama unleashes the pain on Auburn this year…Cam Newton gets crushed…Bama wins big in this one. Don't fall for the Auburn hype.

It’s hard to believe another season is upon us. So much to look forward to! There is nothing better than waking up on Saturday, pouring a cup of coffee, and watching Game Day while getting ready to head to Title Town. I am smiling just thinking about it!
What will this season bring? Only time will tell, but I can tell you this…I have hotel and plane reservations to Phoenix, and I hope to see you there!

Roll Tide!

Jason

National Championship

2010-01-10T22:46:00.003-06:00

Tide Fans –

“Remember the Rose Bowl…we’ll win then!” A perfect place for us to finish our perfect season…undefeated, and National Champions for the 13th time! What an incredible year, what an incredible coach, and what an amazing team. I have witnessed a lot of Alabama football in my life, but there has never been a year quite like this. The ups and downs of nail biting finishes, to complete and total domination of our opponents – we have seen just about everything. We fought and scratched our way through the season with more “pluck and grit” than I have ever seen from a Bama team. It is a season I will never forget, and yes, one that I am sure I will tell my grandkids about over and over. The Alabama Crimson Tide is the 2009 National Champion - it is truly official now…Bama is BACK!

Standing in my seat in the Rose Bowl minutes before kickoff, I made a quick call home to check in. My 6 year old daughter spoke to me and I could not help but tear up when she asked if Alabama was going to win “the big trophy”. It was then that I truly realized that I was about to watch Alabama play for the National Championship. I had not missed a game all season, sacrificing precious time with my family, and it just all hit me at once when I spoke to her. Before I write one more comment about the game or this team I must thank my wonderful wife who allowed me to have my “perfect season”. I know you were not physically with me at all the games, but you and the kids were always on my mind through every second of the season. I cannot thank you enough, and I love you soo much!

In case you already forgot, The Alabama Crimson Tide are National Champs…again!!!! Hallelujah! It still really has not sunk in to me that we just won the National Championship!!! I have read every article in the papers, and even picked up the commemorative Sports Illustrated – it’s just taking some time to set in. I’m sure when the first Auburn douche says something to me…it will completely soak in. I will smile and say, “Yes, yes we are National Champs” and then remember how irritated they seem to get when we win. Ahhhhhh…sweet irritated Auburn fans…I love it! I know there are a few good Auburn fans out there, and even some who read this blog, but the majority of them were all pulling for Texas, and if they deny it then they are lying! For the few Aubs that were truly pulling for Alabama (or the SEC) – thank you for your support. For all the Auburn fans that were pulling for Texas…I have 13 reasons why you shouldn’t!

How awesome was it to watch Alabama win their latest championship on the same field we won our first! For those who have never been it is truly an awesome spectacle, nestled in the San Gabriel Mountains surrounded by old eucalyptus trees, and the ghosts of past champions. The Rose Bowl is rich in history and tradition…but there are some things it is not rich in…like bathrooms, and concessions. Don’t get me wrong…I love a tradition rich stadium, but there is absolutely something entirely wrong with the design of the Rose Bowl. You have to leave the stadium to go to the bathroom, which somewhat resembled the bathrooms on the infield of the Talladega Superspeedway. Also, after you make the 20 minute trek through one of the “tunnels of death” you then stand in a nice line for the bathrooms or for concessions. I would hate for there ever to be a situation where fans had to get out of the stadium quickly, because it is just not possible. If you ever go, bring something to pee in, and something to eat or you will miss a good portion of the game!

Speaking of the game…what an incredible one! We all got our money’s worth out of this one. To watch Texas score 2 quick field goals, and then to watch Bama pound the ball down the field was awesome. Mark Ingram took the Heisman jinks and ran all over it! Our running game was just old school ridiculous – and I really love the fact that we ran all over the number 1 ranked rushing defense! Take that Bevo!! Texas mounted a solid comeback, but once again Bama’s defense seals the deal at the end. What a great game! I guess I will have to address the Colt McCoy issue…yes – I know McCoy did not play for most of the game, but that does not diminish our victory in any way. Alabama was not playing Colt McCoy…Alabama was playing Texas, and many people seem to forget that. You cannot sit and speculate on how the game would have been different, because how does anyone know? We had a completely different defensive scheme for Colt, and had to completely adjust everything when he went out. Who is to say we would not have shut him down just like Tebow…nobody knows. No team should rely so heavily on one player, and I for one would be pissed at Mack Brown if I were a Texas fan for not having played my backup in some of the blowout games earlier this season. Texas can bitch and moan all they want, but we won the game, and we are National Champs!

There are so many things I want to cover, but I just don’t think I will have to time to squeeze them all in this blog. So many players to talk about, and to thank for giving it their all. Players we will truly miss like Javey, Cody, Mike Johnson, Tiffin, Washington, Deaderick, PJ, Upchurch (my boy Roy!!), and possibly Rolondo McClain should he decide to come out early. Thank you seniors and thank you Rolondo for all you have done for this team – you are true champions, and we will never forget you!

Words cannot truly express how incredible this season has been. An undefeated season, an SEC Championship, a Heisman Trophy, and our 13th National Title…WOW! (no, I was not trying to sound like Vern Lundquist there). I hope everyone has enjoyed this season as much as I have. From Georgia to Alabama to Kentucky, Mississippi, and California…we have won them all across the land. I will never forget this season, and all the experiences I have had with friends and family along the way. I am truly happy, but exhausted now, and like Forrest Gump said…"I’m kind of tired…I think I’ll go home now”

Enjoy this Bama fans…enjoy every minute of it – I know I will!

Until next season…Roll Tide Roll! We are number 1!!!!

Jason

Heisman Winner

2009-12-13T10:21:00.004-06:00

Tide Fans –

What a beautiful site on Saturday night! At last, and Alabama player hoisting the Heisman Trophy!! As I watched with a large group of co-workers at our company Christmas party, you would have thought Alabama had just kicked a 60 yard field goal to win a National Championship. Complete silence followed by a huge cheer when they called Mark Ingram’s name…it was awesome! I could not help but get a little emotional when Ingram was giving his speech. He is truly a special kid, with tremendous talent. I have never seen a running back play with as much heart as he does. Ingram is the epidomy of a team player…he does whatever he is asked to do, and is so grateful for his teammates. I am so happy for him, and the entire Crimson Tide Family. I don’t care what anyone says about the other candidates…Mark Ingram was the clear choice for Heisman.

Congratulations Mark, we are so proud of you! Only one more award left for this season…and this one comes in crystal. Roll Tide!

I hope to see some of you in Pasadena…if you have tickets I expect to see you there! If you have extra tickets…I expect you to let me know…I need 2!

SEC Championship

2009-12-06T22:39:00.005-06:00

Tide Fans –

There are no words to describe how I feel today. I am sore, I have no voice, I am tired and slightly hung over, but I am grinning ear to ear! No lack of sleep, dehydration, or complete exhaustion is going to ruin this day for me, because The Tide is number 1, we are SEC Champs, and we are heading to Pasadena for the National Championship!!! Yes, my friends everything is just fine! Oh, and did I mention that we just crushed Tebow and his Gaytors to get where we are? It could not have been scripted any better. I have waited for this day since I walked out of the Georgia Dome last December. Alabama (and I) made a vow to return and extract revenge from Florida, and how sweet it was!

What an absolute dominating performance we put on last night – truly incredible! The Tide could do no wrong, as we crushed Florida all 4 quarters. We ran, we threw, we blocked, we tackled…we whipped that Florida ass up and down the field! We showed the entire country what Alabama Football is all about.

For the past few weeks all I have wanted Alabama to do was just get through the regular season undefeated. I knew if we could get to the SEC Championship game that we were going to win. I have never felt more confident going into a game than I did yesterday. I don’t know what it was, but I just knew we were not going to let Florida beat us again. We had unfinished business, and we were pissed about how our season ended last year. This year we would not be denied our SEC Championship from Tebow again. I have never anticipated a game more than this one. All week long I could not concentrate on anything besides this game. This was the game of the decade – #1 verses #2…playing for all the marbles. The atmosphere inside and outside the Georgia Dome was just awesome! We had a blast tailgating with friends and random Tide fans, and most of all throwing darts at my friend Bill’s "Tebow" dart board – it was very entertaining and here is a picture so you know why.

I never wanted this game to end. Watching us just man handle the high powered Florida offense, and score points with ease on their #1 ranked defense was outstanding. If they don’t give the Heisman Trophy to Mark Ingram, than it is truly rigged. He just ran for 113 yards against Florida, and had 76 receiving yards…end of discussion…hand over the Heisman! Incredible performance by Mark…just incredible.

There were so many great things to take away from this game, that I could sit here and write all night, but I won’t, because I am tired and need to go to bed. McElroy was awesome – he played his best game yet. The offensive line was just outstanding – they gave McElroy the time he needed, and blew open holes for our running backs. Great job by a group of players who never get enough credit!! Our defense was ridiculous good, as usual. They never really even gave Florida or Tebow a chance to do anything…the game plan was perfect! Florida had about 4 decent plays the entire game – that’s it. My hats off the Coach Saban and his staff for putting together this game plan…it was one for the ages!

We are in the national championship game…can you believe it? I have watched the replay of the game last night, and the BCS bowl shows today, and I still cannot believe we are headed to play for our 13th national title! It has been a long 17 years since we last had this opportunity. All day long it has slowly soaked in…we are actually playing for the title – I am fired up beyond belief. Huge shout out to my wife for dealing with me last night on the phone in a loud Georgia Dome blabbing out directions to book flights for Pasadena. I know she could barely hear me, and had kids running around screaming back at home, but she got it done! Thank you Jenn…thank you for allowing me to be the huge Tide fan that I am!!!

Again, there are so many things I could talk about, like Tebow crying, comments about cheesy Gator fans, etc…but I am just plain wore out! I know you are all on cloud nine like me, so let’s all enjoy the moment. The Tide is high…we are SEC Champs, and headed to play Texas in the National Championship…it’s all good!

Until next post…Roll Tide my friends…Roll Tide!!!!

Week 12 - Auburn

2009-11-29T11:20:00.003-06:00

Tide Fans –

Sweet Victory!! The Tide stays undefeated in a thrilling win over arch rival Auburn! What a classic Iron Bowl… a slug fest back and forth with The Tide coming out on top. What started out to look disastrous, turned into a big time gut check for Alabama. Down 14 points to your hated rival on their field, and coming back to pull off the win on the final drive…that was classic old school Alabama 4th quarter football. This team never gave up...they kept pushing and pushing, and when we had to have points in the end, we produced what will be known as “The Drive” to seal victory. How sweet it was to crush Auburn’s hopes of a huge upset with one final drive, and one incredible play for a touchdown. McElroy to Upchurch…just beautiful! We are 12 - 0 my friends, and headed for a much anticipated rematch with Florida!

This game told me a lot about this team…I believe this is exactly what we needed to prove to ourselves that we can stay calm and execute under pressure to get the job done. You cannot ever count this team out. Many fans were mad about how we barely beat Auburn, etc…but how can you be questioning this team after this 4th quarter performance? This was the Iron Bowl, and it is never an easy game! As coach Saban said, we knew we would be entering a “sh*t storm” as he called it, and sure enough we did. Auburn laid it all on the line and did whatever they could to try and pull off the upset. We fell victim to the smoke and mirrors trickery in the first quarter, but we ended up on top at the end and that is all that matters. I don’t care if we beat Auburn by 1 point – It is a rivalry game and anything can happen. Yes, I was extremely stressed out to the point where I literally thought I was going to die, but how sweet is it to win a huge game like that? It is a great way to win and a terrible way to lose…just ask Auburn! I am very proud of our team and what we pulled off Saturday, and I cannot wait to play Florida for the SEC Championship – Roll Tide!

I have only been to Auburn twice before this game, and we lost both times. The first was 1989 when we were ranked 2nd in the nation and Auburn pulled off the win. The 2nd time was in 1995 when we got screwed – Curtis “Touchdown” Brown clearly caught the ball in bounds for the TD, but it was ruled out and Auburn won. I am somewhat superstitious when it comes to Tide Football. I have little traditions I keep up before each game, like what outfit I wear, doing a Jaeger Bomb shot, etc… and I started to get nervous before this game because in 1989 I went to the game with my dad. I went with my dad this year also, and both times we went into this game, Alabama was ranked 2nd. When we were down quickly by 14 points I was thinking…Oh no – I knew I shouldn’t have come to this game, as was my dad. At half I felt a little better, but then Auburn scored again in the 3rd. At one point late in the 3rd quarter I decided we were going to win the game. We were down by 7 points, and not doing much offensively, but I just knew we would pull it out. I began to will us to win – I was not going to accept defeat. I didn’t care how we got it done, we just needed to go out there and win it…and that is exactly what we did.

There are few better things than a last minute drive to victory over your hated arch rival. Visions of the 1996 Iron Bowl filled my head when we lined up for our final drive. As you may recall in ‘96, we drove 90 yards for the game winning TD. We had about 80 to go this time, and it felt very déjà vu to me. Calm and cool, our guys took the field and methodically marched their way to the end zone. Incredible passes to Julio and gutsy runs by Ingram and Richardson got us to the 4 yard line. Tiffin was warming up on the sideline for a game winning field goal…but we had other plans. Enter Roy Upchurch on 3rd and 4. Many of you who read this blog, know Roy Upchurch is one of my favorite players on the team. He does not play much, but when he does he gets results. On 3rd down when it looked like we were just lining up to position for the field goal I see Upchurch come into the game. As soon as I saw number 5 come in, I knew we were going to win. It’s like he has this magical super power on 3rd downs. What came next was one of the most beautifully executed plays ever…the play action pass! At first I thought Richardson had the ball and got stuffed at the line, but no no…McElroy played a beautiful fake and tossed the ball perfectly to Roy Upchurch in the end zone…Touchdown Alabama…pandemonium in the stands…and the State of Alabama is Crimson!

I hate going to Auburn. I usually start to feel nauseous around Alex City. The past two times I had been for a football game, their fans were obnoxious and loved to shake their shakers at very high speed in your face. This time was different – we actually had a very pleasant experience in Auburn. Most of their fans were nice, and we even tailgated with a big Auburn group before the game. I would like to give a big shout out to an old friend of ours Anthony, who hosted us at their tailgate and provided us with a delicious deer stew! Great hospitality and great food! I have now beaten my personal Jordan-Hare jinx and can enjoy my time in Auburn. (but not too much – I will always be a little queasy)

Huge week ahead Bama fans…the SEC Championship awaits! Do not worry about how Florida played yesterday…Florida State is terrible. Florida is beatable this year, and we have almost seen this happen twice. Yes, they are a very good team – but so are we, and we can beat them. We have unfinished business. We had them beat last year and we did not finish in the 4th quarter. Our team knows that even if they do fall behind that we can come back and win – we will not quit. Our coaches will have a game plan to attack Florida offensively, and keep them at bay defensively. This will be a battle, and we will come out on top. Florida is ready to be beat, Florida will be beat, and the Crimson Tide is headed to victory for an SEC Championship!

Keep the faith Tide Fans…this is a huge week and we need big time support! Let’s all get fired up and ready to play the Gators. It is time to teach those cocky jean short, tank top wearing, Tebow loving fans what a real football team looks like. Until next week…Roll Tide Roll!

Week 11 - UT-Chattanooga

2009-11-22T16:49:00.006-06:00

Tide Fans –

Roll Tide! That is exactly how you are supposed to beat a team like UT Chattanooga – dominate them early, and get your 2nd and 3rd strings in by second half. This was a great game to get some fine tuning done before we head over to the plains for the Iron Bowl!
11 down and 3 to go…you are next Auburn.

The only thing I really like about playing lesser opponents is that I can actually take my kids to the game. Even if I have to get up 15 times for dippin’ dots, pretzels, hot dogs, or whatever the request may be, I don’t feel like I have missed something vitally important. A bad thing about these games is you never know who is going to be sitting next to you. Many people decide to sit these games out, leaving their tickets for other people to use, which is fine. This week I had the pleasure of sitting next to an older gentlemen with a houndstooth hat and some nice side burns. He was very nice, it’s just that for some reason he felt it necessary to repeat to me what had just happened after every play. For example: Terrance Cody comes into the game and I feel a nudge and hear “Hey, ‘ol Cody just came into the game...he’s number 62 – do you see him?” I just smiled and went along with it for a while, but seriously – every play he did this, and it got to be really old! When we made a good play, he would explain to me what had just happened (as if I hadn’t just seen it), and then do this little creepy old school Southern back woods country giggle. I really wish I had an audio clip of his laugh, because it was classic! “Hey looky there…’ol Julio caught it…he heee heee heeeeee hee heeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” I will never forget that laugh!

On to the game…we really only got to see our first string offense and defense in the first half, but everything looked good. Ingram had some Heisman Trophy like runs, and Julio made some nice catches. How awesome in Javier Arenas? I mean the dude just keeps getting better! It was great to see him break the SEC record for punts returned for TD’s on Senior Day, and I hope it was not his last! I am very glad to see us get out of this game without any injuries – I was worried about that. Our 2nd string guys did pretty good – especially on defense. I was not overly impressed with the play of Star Jackson at QB, I think there is a scary drop-off between McElroy and Jackson – let’s all hope we don’t have to rely on him this year. I think Star needs a little more time to mature and learn the offense. I’m not sure he will ever start as QB at Alabama – that job will belong to AJ McCarron after McElroy – just my opinion. It was great to see all the seniors get some playing time – much of it well deserved. Many of these guys practice hard all four years and never get to see the field. I tip my hat to all the seniors who have helped make our team what it is now!

It’s Iron Bowl week Tide Fans -Time to get pumped and get ready to beat Auburn! I believe our team had Auburn on their minds as soon as the clock ran to zero on Saturday. I know they say you can throw the record books out for this game, but I don’t believe that. This team is on a mission, and it does not end in Auburn. We have an awesome team, with a ridiculously good defense. Any time I get nervous about an upcoming game I think about the defense. If you get nervous this week, think about the defense and how punishing they are. Chris Todd will throw at least 2 picks if we pressure him, and I’m pretty sure he will get some pressure! Visions of Marcel Dareus swallowing the quarterback, and Javier on a corner blitz are running through my mind…ahhhhhh! The only thing I am a little concerned about if kickoff coverage. We do not need to let them get big chunks of yardage on kickoff, or God help us return one for a touchdown. The barn may hang around with us for a little while at the start of the game due to crowd noise and adrenaline, but we will begin to out play them by no later than the 3rd quarter. I see this game going kind of like the Miss. State game did, and that turned out just fine for us. They will use all kinds of smoke and mirrors, and probably a few gay trick plays, but they will not be able to hang for 4 quarters. The Tide is high my friends, and last I heard there was a High Tide warning in Auburn!

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving, and let’s all remember the many things we should be thankful for. Say a prayer for our soldiers who will not be home for the holidays, and continue to fight for our freedom. Enjoy your time with friends and family and everyone please be safe if you are traveling!
Until next week…Roll Tide!

P.S. – I still need SEC Championship tickets!!!!!! Please – somebody help a brother out!

Jason

Week 10 - Miss. State

2009-11-15T22:13:00.003-06:00

Tide Fans –

Powerful…just powerful. The Tide rolls on to another victory, and stays undefeated! Many people thought this was a “trap game” for The Tide, and that we may slip up, but no no…instead we crush another opponent dressed in black. I guess Dan Mullen didn’t get the memo from Mark Richt about black jerseys and Alabama…it don’t work!!!!! A somewhat fired up cow bell ringing crowd was silenced by a quick and powerful defense, while our offense brought the pain with some big runs and throws. Yes, it was a beautiful site in Starkville to watch the Crimson Tide dismantle their opponent, and get one step closer to the SEC Championship Game. I cannot wait to play Florida…I cannot wait!

Two years ago when I went to the game in Starkville, parking was an issue. I know this seems funny, as there seemed to be many available fields and grassy areas to park, but for some reason you can’t park in any of these. Every parking lot is reserved for the “Bulldog Club”. Remembering this from last time I prepared this year, got a campus map, and found out ahead of time where the “public parking” spots were for game day. When my wife and I arrived this year we found the public parking – not too close to the stadium, but not that bad. We actually were very close to the main road to get off campus so we thought we had a great spot (More on this later) We tailgated for a while before the game, and had the car radio on. About 45 minutes into our tailgate, the radio cut off randomly. Yes – my battery had died. Great…stuck in Starkville and my windows are all down, and my car won’t start! Thinking quickly, I checked the trunk and thank God I had a pair of jumper cables. (always have jumper cables – you never know!) I was worried about time, and missing kickoff so I flagged down the first car I saw. I must give a huge shout out to the friendly Mississippi State student who helped me jump my car off – I don’t remember your name, but thank you, and I’m sorry we whipped your team’s ass!! With the car started we rolled up the windows let the car run for a while to charge the battery, did our undefeated Jaeger Bomb shots, and headed to Scott Field.

I must say, the campus at Mississippi State has come a long way. What used to be pretty much nothing, now has a much better atmosphere, and a nicer look. I am pretty sure the new Jumbotron in the stadium uses more power than the entire town of Starkville – man that thing was huge! The stadium is still pretty small, but it does the job. We made are way up the myriad of ramps to our seats in the Bama section in the upper deck. Surprisingly we sat next to the same dude we sat next to at the Kentucky game – how weird is that! The new scoreboard was nice, but the speaker system was ridiculously loud. They had that thing cranked so damn loud that it was just annoying. What was even more irritating was the piped in crowd noise they play through the sound system to make it seem louder – just ridiculous! It didn’t help…The Tide came out and took care of business and it was awesome!

I knew when Miss. State came out in those black jerseys that the game was over. No little gimmicky things like cow bells, jersey manipulation, or simulated crowd noise are going to intimidate The Tide. In fact, I’m pretty sure it just irritated us, making our team want to crush them even more. Minus one or two plays, our defense just dominated. Mark “The Red Barron” was all over the place – catching balls, and hitting people so hard their fillings rattled. What and outstanding individual performance he had. Huge shout out to Marquis Johnson also – he has come a long way this season. The defense just keeps getting better, and I believe will continue to do so. So many talented players, so much speed, so much power…I am grinning ear to ear as I type this. Keep it up defense…keep it up!

Huge plays from our offense this week! We had several game changing plays that were fun to watch! I don’t try to get caught up in the Heisman hype, but I swear if they don’t give that trophy to Mark Ingram this year I will forever protest. There is not another game changing, explosive, reliable, team player than Mark – he is the man! He just continues to get the job done. McElroy had a good game, and got the ball to our receivers creating some huge plays. The pass to Hanks was awesome, as well as the Julio play. I swear when he first threw that ball to a wide open Julio it looked like he had overthrown him. Thankfully he didn’t, and Julio makes the grab for another TD. Shout outs also go to Hanks, Trent, and Maze – great games as well!

Returning to the car after the big win, I first just prayed that it would start…it did!!! All right let’s get on out of here…oh wait…why are all these cars jumbled up and not moving?? There were only 58,000 people at the game…traffic can’t be that bad! Oh yes people…remember that public parking lot we parked in? Apparently what seemed to be a great spot close to the road to leave turned out to be the last parking lot of cars to get out. Over two hours we sat there without moving a foot! There has got to be a better traffic directing effort than that Miss. State…come on! Two hours and no movement!!!!! It almost ruined the win for me. Here is a tip – if you ever go to Starkville, just park on the side of the Hwy and walk!

This was a big statement for Alabama to come off the big LSU win and pound an opponent that was apparently very fired up and ready to beat us. We could have come in with a big victory hang over, but we didn’t. We were focused, and played with good intensity, and came away from another tough SEC road win looking really good. I know we have two more very important games before the SEC Championship, but I want to play Florida sooooo bad right now. I’m glad the coaches don’t think like me and take each opponent at a time. All I can think about is Florida. I know our team is already focused on the Mocs of UTC now, which is what they need to be doing, but all I can think about is watching our defense crush Tebow! One game at a time Jason…one game at a time…I need to settle down.

Enjoy this win, and have a great week Tide Fans!

Jason

Week 9 - LSU

2009-11-08T21:45:00.006-06:00

Tide Fans –

Sweet victory!! Hallelujah and Praise the Lord…Alabama is still undefeated and heading to the SEC Championship for the 2nd year in a row! What an incredible day in Tuscaloosa – great weather, great fans, and a great performance from our men in Crimson! The atmosphere was outstanding – you could just feel the energy building before kickoff for a big Tide victory. This was such a huge game for both schools, and it lived up to the hype! Bama gets the win and clinches the West for a much anticipated re-match with the Florida Gaytors. (yes I meant to put the y in there). We are heading to Atlanta my friends, and I cannot wait to play Tebow and company. We are coming for you Florida…and we are bringing the pain!

How fun is it to have an awesome team? I just love the fact that we are consistently powerful again. It is so nice to have swagger and confidence back. Football is fun again, and it just makes me smile when I hear people stressing over how they are going to get SEC tickets. No, the process of finding SEC tickets is not fun, but it just gets me fired up that we have to stress over that! And yes, I do need tickets!!!

Well, we finally found ourselves a little offensive production on Saturday! We actually had a good mix of running and passing the ball. It is amazing how different you see and feel things when you are at the game versus watching it on TV. For some reason I felt as if McElroy was having a terrible game watching it in the stands, but after watching the replay it actually was not that bad. Yes, he did miss two wide open touchdown throws, and made a few other bad judgment throws, but overall he got the job done. Is there room for improvement – absolutely! I think the good things he did Saturday outweighed the bad, and again he did what needed to be done, and we got the W.

One thing I did notice watching the replay was that CBS’s Vern Lundquist and Gary Daniels still suck. They make me want to vomit. Seriously CBS…that is all you have??? If I have to hear Vern say “Wow” one more time of Gary say “Oh my” again…just ridiculous. At one point Gary actually made a comment about how we were tackling too hard. What??? It’s football Gary – you are supposed to hit your opponent as hard as you can. Thank God I had the game on TiVo, so I just fast forwarded most of their terrible banter. A network that big, carrying SEC football should be able to come up with some better commentators – just my opinion.

I know Julio had the incredible catch and run for the big score in the 4th quarter, but I have to give the game ball to Mr. Mark Ingram. Ingram’s play in the second half is what won us the football game. He single handily took the team on his shoulders again and powered his way to crucial yardage. The man continues to blow my mind. He runs and runs, and then runs some more. He never quits, and plays with so much heart. Thank you Mark Ingram…thank you!

I have to give props to Marquis Maze also – big game for him. Maze had a ton of catches, and I love the quick slant play, and the yardage he gets after the catch…he had a great game! Julio obviously had a great game – not just the big play, but he made several other clutch catches – it is good to see him get the ball! Shout out to Hanks also – big catch for a TD! Almost all our receivers contributed, and it was good to see the ball thrown around.

Our defense delivered once again as they have all season. We did not get as many sacks as I thought we would, but still – they were solid! We held a very good opponent to only 15 points (really 13 since they got 2 from a safety). I love our defense…I love being able to rely on them when we need to, and know they are going to get the job done. They have stepped it up all season, and deserve even more credit than they get. Defense truly does win championships…and ours is playing at a championship level!

LSU is a good football team…in fact I will say they are very good. This win is not only huge because we stay undefeated and lock up the West, but because we beat a very good team. They are an extremely fast team and have loads of talented players…probably more than we do. Talented players help make a good team, and LSU probably had more talent than us…but on Saturday we had more heart.

Speaking of heart, I must give a huge shout out to my beautiful wife!! There was a point in this game that I actually began to doubt our ability to win, and she kept me thinking positively. Whenever I started to doubt what we were doing she kept me on track. Why do I ever doubt The Tide?? Why???? I should punch myself in the face for ever letting a little doubt enter my mind during the game. She told me to keep the faith, and it worked, so thank you Jenn!! Thank you for putting up with all my rants, and keeping me focused on The Tide and our ability to win these type games!

We have won the West, but we still have a lot of football to play my friends. The next game on our schedule makes me a little nervous. It is a trap game after a big win - the type that can sometimes be overlooked. Yes, we are a better team than Miss. State, but they are getting better under their new coach. This team played Florida very close and almost beat LSU as well. We cannot go over there with a hangover from this big victory. I believe we will win, I just don’t want to have to squeak one out in Starkville. I know our coaches will preach focus this week and they will have us prepared. Having our offense perform better against LSU does make me feel a little better for next weekend. I know the defense will be fierce as always, we just need to play our game and not make stupid mistakes. McElroy will be key in this game – he must manage the ball well. My game plan for next week would be run run run! You know what...nevermind - I am not nervous about this game anymore. I have full confidence in our team and we are going to go over there and play solid football. Roll Tide!!!!

Big win for us on Saturday Tide fans – we are still undefeated and once again have a shot at the SEC title! Let’s stay behind this team and continue to cheer them on to victory. If you can find tickets – please go to Starkville next weekend – we need a good presence to help drown out the cow bells! The Tide is 9-0, let’s stay fired up and keep this train rolling! This is a special season, and I think there are great things ahead, so until next week…Roll Tide my friends...Roll Tide!!!!

Jason

LSU Pre-Game

2009-11-05T12:59:00.002-06:00

Tide Fans -

I am writing a special note during the week, because I felt I needed to send out a message to all Tide Fans. This is a HUGE game this weekend - we win and we secure a spot in the SEC Championship Game. I am ridiculously pumped, and will be ready to explode by Saturday!! I hope everyone is getting fired up…we have GOT to be extremely loud! The last few games have been weak as far as crowd noise (except for when we blocked the kick). We are undefeated and may have a chance the play for another National Title - that should get everyone fired up! Do not sit on your hands if you are going to the game - you must cheer loudly. I want your insides to hurt the next day, and for you to have very little, if any voice left. We are playing LSU for the Western Division title, and we are going to beat the snot out of them!!! Come on Tide Fans - get fired up, because Bama is going to whip that bayou butt!!

All week I have heard people say they are nervous about this game. Being nervous is not going to help at all - why waste your energy on being nervous when you should have lots of swagger and confidence in our team. Be proud of our undefeated record, and have some dang confidence in our team!! The Tide has had a week off to rest which they badly needed. The coaches will have us prepared for this game, and the offense will have success - I can just feel it!

I want Bryant-Denny to be so loud when LSU has the ball it makes your ears hurt! Remember Florida 2005?? That is what we need on Saturday! It was so loud during that game, the place was shaking - it was incredible!!

We are going to will our team to victory, and we all need to do our part as fans by cheering like there is no tomorrow! Just think about our lightning fast, bone crunching defense and how awesome they are…think about Mark Ingram running all over the place…think about Julio and how he played last year against LSU - he was unstoppable! Are you pumped yet? Do I need to mention Marquis Maze, Trent Richardson, Javier Arenas, and Roy Upchurch??? Now are you pumped?? Come on TIDE!!!!!!!

If I can't get you fired up, perhaps this video will - I have watched this 100 times and it makes you want to run through a brick wall. These are highlights of last year's LSU game. Listen to Coach Saban's speech - if you are not fired up after watching this, then you should go get checked out at your nearest hospital because you may be dead. Time to get LOUD Bama Fans…time to Roll on to victory!!!! Let's Go!!!!!!!!!!

Week 8 - Tennessee

2009-10-25T21:55:00.003-05:00

Tide Fans –

Can you hear it? I can still hear it. I heard it all last night, and in my sleep. The sweet sound of the “thud” heard round the world. That “thud” being Terrance Cody’s hand blocking a last minute game winning field goal for Tennessee. From absolute agony to pure elation, every Tide fan in the stadium, and all around the country let out a roar when victory was secured by the slap of a paw from Mount Cody! How sweet it was Bama fans…how sweet it is! The Alabama Crimson Tide is still undefeated, and the drive for 13 is still in full force!

Standing at my seat pacing wildly back and forth, I could not believe what I was watching. We had all but secured the victory until something that never happens happened…Mark Ingram fumbled the ball. When the replay confirmed the fumble I knew we were in trouble. I knew UT would score and attempt the onside kick. I didn’t think they would get the onside kick, but of course they did. I don’t know why I thought we would actually recover the onside kick and run the clock out…that would be too easy on us Tide fans. We like to make it as painful as possible to win games. If I had had a piece of coal with me, it would have ended up as a diamond before this one was over. I have witnessed many nail biting close games for Alabama, but this one had so much riding on it. With one snap, place, and kick our dreams for a chance at another championship could have been crushed. I have to hand it to Tennessee…they played a hell of a game. I would like to give a shout out to Jerry, my “polar opposite” – a Vol fan who is Tennessee’s version of me. I know that had to suck…but you know what they say – nothing “sucks” like a big orange! Sorry Jerry… had to get that in!

Anyone who thought this game would be a blowout, has obviously never watched many Alabama-Tennessee games. Yes, there are a few that get out of control, but seldom do you not see a very hard fought close game. This is a huge rivalry, and even when one team is not having a great season – it is always brutal. These teams always play hard, and Saturday was a classic! The kicking game has been the decision maker countless times, and once again it proved to be the difference on Saturday night. Huge shout out to Leigh Tiffin – what a game! Tiffin doesn’t hit that last 50 yard field goal and we lose. I must say, Tiffin has not received a lot of love from me this season, but he has played very solid. I have a feeling he hasn’t won the last game for us this year.

The Alabama offense once again struggled. We did get the ball into Julio’s hands a few times this week, so hooray for that! We only had about 1 or 2 drives where it looked like we actually knew the plays and how they were supposed to be executed. I knew we would have trouble against UT’s defense, but I didn’t think they would keep us from scoring a touchdown. Once again we had our chances, but some “interesting” play calling inside the 10 yard line kept us out of the end zone. I’m sure there was a reason we didn’t run the ball on 2nd and goal and 3rd and goal…but I was really dumbfounded as to why we didn’t. The Wildcat seemed to be working – why didn’t we Wildcat that bitch all the way to pay dirt? Again…I am not a coach, I am just a 35 year old dude who played two years of football in 9th & 10th grade at 130 pounds soaking wet… but I’m just sayin’ – the Wildcat was looking good. It’s going to get better Bama fans – the offense will figure it out, and we will find our balance again. We better find it in about two weeks!

Minus about one play toward the end of the game, the defense delivered as usual. It was great to have Javier back in the lineup, as he made the most solo tackles in the game! I absolutely love when we blitz Javier…he is so fast and always brings the guy down fast. Mark Barron had another great game as well, and had our only interception (as I predicted last week)! All in all the defense did their job, and they deserve this week off more than anyone. They have saved us in several games this year, and are the reason we remain undefeated! Terrance Cody was playing at an entirely different level. Blocking two field goals – that is unbelievable! I love Cody’s quote about lining up against UT’s Cory Sullins before the 2nd blocked field goal – “He’s probably thinking ‘Oh snap! Here we go again…dang that’s a big guy’ Cody said. “He was probably thinking a lot of things…I’d be scared of me too!” I love it! Mount Cody may get his Daniel Moore print after all…I know I would buy it!

Thank God we have a week off! I know the coaches and the team really need it, but all of us need it as well. I am looking forward to a weekend of not having to worry about how we are going to win, and handing over ridiculous amounts of cash to a babysitter who has watched our kids all day. It will be nice to relax and watch other teams play while not having to nervously think about things like…did we leave early enough to avoid traffic backing up on 459, did I bring enough beer, do we have any food, did I forget the tickets, did we bring the Red Bull and Jagermeister? I am going to really enjoy our well deserved time off! What’s good for The Tide is good for their fans also! By the way – we did not leave early enough to avoid traffic on 459 – thank God for the Old Tuscaloosa Highway in McCalla!

Huge game in two weeks folks! LSU comes to town in what will basically be the “Battle for the West”. For some reason I feel really good about this game. I think our defense will man handle LSU’s offense, and the “Mad Hatter” won’t be able to score many points on us. This may be a low scoring game, because if our offense doesn’t get it together their defense will shut us down. How our offense plays will be the key to this game being close. I’m not worried about our D stopping them, but at some point we have to score some points to win. I should be a lot more worried about this game, but I just feel really good. I think the week off comes at a perfect time, and LSU has not shown me much this year. I can’t wait to see their fans come to town with their pimp outfits and crazy Cajun talk – it cracks me up! I just hope we don’t hear a bunch of “Tiger Bait” (pronounced Tiiiiiiiiiiiiigaaaah Bait) cheers after the game. Bring your corn dog smelling, jambalaya cooking asses on up here and let’s have a good time! (Insert strange Cajun yell)

This was a huge win for us Saturday Tide Fans…I know we just squeaked it out, but it was a big rivalry game. We could have lost, our season could have been ruined…but it wasn’t. What a great way to beat a rival – on the last play! As I said before, champions find a way to win and yes – the Alabama Crimson Tide is still undefeated! Sooooo smooth!

See you in a few weeks – Roll Tide!

Jason

Enjoy this video - this is why my ears are still ringing!

Week 7 - South Carolina

2009-10-19T07:00:00.002-05:00

Tide Fans –

It was a cold night in Bryant-Denny, but we all left with a warm feeling in our heart. Alabama didn’t play anywhere near their best game, but we made it happen and The Tide is still undefeated! Many people are concerned about our offense…but I am not. When one part of our team doesn’t play well, someone else steps up and takes the load – that is what great teams do, and this is truly a great team. We may be ranked 2nd in the BCS, but everyone knows who has the best team in the country right now, and it ain’t Florida.

Sitting in the stadium on chilly night, I never really got nervous during this game. Even when the score was close for some reason I was never really concerned. In the back of my mind I knew we would pull it out. I will admit I got a little nervous (and angry) when we had about 6 flags thrown on us in about a 3 minute time period, but I still felt ok. My wife would probably tell you differently as she watched me explode in boos directed to the refs, but I really was ok. This team knows how to win, and I knew we would figure something out. I know I say this all the time, but our defense is just insane. We were playing without our best cornerback (Javier) and we still punished the Gamecocks! I knew if the defense kept them at bay, then our offense would find a way to put points on the board, and they did it in record breaking style. I am referring to the play of Mark Ingram – absolutely incredible display of running. He single handily took over this game and just ran like a man possessed. 246 yards in one game for one player…breaking a Bryant-Denny record, Mark Ingram just took the ball and ran wherever he wanted to with it. A good majority of these great runs came from the Wildcat formation which I thought was a brilliant way to go after we realized McElroy just wasn’t getting it done. This is no ding on McElroy, but we had to get something going and this worked like a charm. Again, great teams figure out how to win, and our fantastic coaching staff realized we needed to get the ball into the hands of our stud running back. I am officially changing my “Man Crush” to Mark Ingram.

I would be remiss to not mention our first score coming from the defense. What a return off an interception! I said earlier this year that Mark Barron was going to be a force on defense, but he is developing much quicker than I thought. He is becoming one of my favorite defensive players, and I even mentioned his name in the same sentence as Rashad Johnson – and you all know how much I loved Rashad Johnson!!! We have so much talent on the defense…I just smile when I think about them. Anytime I get a little nervous about our next opponent and start to have doubts, I just start thinking about the defense and all my worries go away. Just saying the names, McClain, Dareus, Washington, Barron, Anders, Reamer, Javier, Cody, etc…puts me at ease. I have so much swagger now, and I have our defense to thank for that. Thank you suffocating, bone-crunching, in-your-face defense…thank you!

I have had a request to put back in a few things I used to write in the analysis, so I will now go over my Players of the Game:

Mark Ingram – 246 yards…enough said!
Mark Barron – 77 yard “Pick 6”…nice!
Marquis Johnson – Surprised on this pick? He stepped up and played for an injured Javier and did a very nice job! 3 TD pass break up on one drive alone…nice job Marquis!

As I mentioned earlier – many people were concerned about our lack of offense in this game. Every great team has a few “not so great” games. This was one of those games against a good opponent where you just have to gut it out and get the win however you can. I know our offense will get things worked out, and I still have full confidence in Greg McElroy. He did not have a good game, and he knows it – he is dedicated to this team and he will work even harder to correct the issues we are having. Have faith Tide fans – this is a very good, very talented team that I (and many others) believe really is the best team in the country. One game at a time…and don’t forget – defense wins championships!

It’s Tennessee week folks!! This is always a great game, and we will need to bring it next week. Not only the team, but the crowd also – we got to get LOUD! People are worried about what UT did to Georgia last week – I am not. I think Georgia is terrible and has zero defense. If you let Jonathan “I eat Possum” Crompton put up NFL numbers on you – you have a terrible defense. He will not know what to do when 3 or 4 Crimson jersey’s come barreling down on him play after play after play, and we should get at least one interception from him. Most of you know I can’t stand Tennessee and love nothing more than crushing them. I believe we put a full game together this week and take UT behind the wood shed. Look for G Mac to improve, and our defense to once again rise up and smother the opponent.

It’s great to be an Alabama Crimson Tide fan! Until next week my friends…Roll Tide!

P.S - Huge shout out I missed last week to my friend Bill who somehow found me in “the grove” and delivered to me our traditional road game Jaeger Bomb. This was important, because we are undefeated with these!

Jason

Week 6 - Ole Miss

2009-10-11T21:34:00.010-05:00

Tide Fans –

Hotty Toddy gosh almighty…The Tide is undefeated! Yes, my friends it felt so good to come out of Oxford with a convincing victory over the Ole Miss Rebels. This was their self proclaimed super bowl, and they got it handed to them by a powerful crushing Alabama defense!! The score doesn’t do us justice, as The Crimson Tide absolutely man handled the Rebels all four quarters. This was not even close. I was sitting in my seats located in the lovely high school bleacher end zone section of Vaught- Hemingway stadium, just laughing at the fact that Jevan Snead was actually once considered a Heisman Trophy candidate. Seriously?? That is about as big of a joke as the pre-season hype about Ole Miss was. Jevan Snead could be the worst quarterback in the SEC – right behind Jonathan Crompton of Tennessee (who surprisingly had a good game this week). Heisman trophy candidate…please! That makes the Heisman trophy look about as legitimate as the Noble Peace Prize. This was a great win for Alabama on the road, which is always a tough task. This is the game everyone thought we would slip up and lose, but no sir – we came, we saw, and we whipped that ass!

Every time I go to Oxford it is always an interesting experience for me. Since there are about 2 hotels in the Oxford area, my wife and I decided to drive over early the morning of the game. Big shout out to our babysitter Jesika who go to our house at 6:30AM – she is awesome! I have been to Oxford at least 10 times, and about 8 of them it has rained. I don’t know what it is, but it always seems to rain when we play over there. This in turn usually causes a problem with the tailgating experience in Oxford. I’m sure many of you have heard about the Grove, and what a great tailgating experience it is. For those of you who don’t know what “The Grove” is here is a quick description. It is basically like the tree lined section of the quad where people tailgate in Tuscaloosa – a large grassy wooded area. Any way – it is a fun experience…unless it is raining or has rained within a few days of the game. I know there are probably some Ole Miss fans who read this so please don’t take this the wrong way, but could they PLEASE put a few sidewalks in the grove so it does not become what looks like an enormous mud wrestling competition. Walking through the grove to attempt to meet up with friends for tailgating was like walking through a slippery, muddy, disaster area. All which could have been avoided had there been a few sidewalks for people walk on. The mud was so thick in places it literally pulled my shoe off, and mixed with the hay they throw down to cover some of the mud – smells like a barnyard. Again – not making fun of the grove folks – just wondering why they let this happen – it just destroys the ground. I asked a few alum why they don’t put a sidewalk or path in and they say it is to preserve the area as natural…well it’s natural all right – a natural disaster. It really is fun tailgating, but I just can’t get past the mud – it was everywhere!

Finally out of the mud, we headed to the stadium only to be greeted by a friendly police officer who took our shakers from us and cut the plastic sticks in half! I was like..."What the hell are you doing??" He said it could be used as a weapon. Yes officer, I was planning on stabbing many people with the nicely blunt rounded off tip of this plastic shaker. Not only was that the dumbest thing I had ever heard...what once was a dull smooth tip to my shaker handle was now a razor sharp piece of plastic thanks to him cutting it in half. That has got to be the most idiotic safety precaution I have ever seen! Taking my shaker which I quote "may be used as a weapon" and actually turning into something that could have been used as a weapon. I am still irritated about this - it makes absolutely NO sense...neither does not having sidewalks in the grove!

On to the game. Even though Ole Miss had lost to South Carolina a few weeks back – I felt like this would be a very close game, with The Tide overpowering in the second half. This was a big game for Ole Miss – they wanted to beat us bad, and were pretty confident that they could do it. Well, they didn’t, and didn’t even come close, as our defense just toyed with Jevan Snead and Dexter McCluster. They had a total of 19 yards and 1 first down in the first half…yes that’s correct, I said 19 yards. Our defense is just ridiculous good! Rolondo McClain gets better every week (if that is possible), and so many of our guys just play lights out each game. The Bama defense continues to amaze me – a defense without Donta Hightower! Our guys have stepped it up and just taken over games.

Offensively not our best game, but we put enough points on the board to take home a convincing win. Yes, we had way too many red zone issues coming away with only 3 points instead of touchdowns, but these are easily fixed. We have the manpower to score in the red zone – I think we were running the wrong attack inside the 20. There were too many passes to Julio in triple coverage down here, when Mark Ingram should have been getting the ball. By the way, can I switch my “Man Crush” to Mark Ingram? The score could have easily been 55 to 3 – and I am not kidding. Don’t let anyone try to say that Ole Miss could have beaten us, because go back and watch the replay – they are lucky we didn’t score 100 points! They never had a chance thanks to our defense.

I love this team, and have a really good feeling about the rest of this season! Yes, we have some tough games ahead, but as I have said before – we have the talent, we have the coaches, and we have the fan support. Our fans are awesome – I love them! Can’t say the same for the group of Ole Miss fans that were sitting next to us. Again – this is not a shot at Ole Miss fans as a whole – just this one group. The girl sitting next to us has to be the worst Ole Miss fan ever. She would watch Bama fans coming up the aisle and make fun of them all game. Comments like “Nice outfit, where did you get that Wal-Mart?” I can take annoying fans to a certain extent – but this girl was ridiculous! Constantly saying stuff about our fans, team, etc…all while her team was getting it handed to them on the field. She would pop off at me if I stood up and cheered when we scored (on numerous occasions). When they were really getting crushed her husband/boyfriend walked over to me on his way out and actually said “Florida is going to kill ya’ll” I was like…nice – that’s all you got? She ended it all by dropping a few choice F bombs on her way out (with 10 minutes still on the clock). I know we can have annoying fans also, but this girl was ridiculous. My wife actually had to switch seats with me so I did not explode. So with that said I would like to post her picture on this blog as “The worst ole Miss fan Ever”

I love going to Oxford...really - especially the drive over! Tip - make sure you have a full tank of gas, and have eaten recently because there is nothing between Birmingham and Oxford. On our way home - I thought I was either dead or in the twilight zone - because you just keep driving and there is nothing...it is kind of freaky! All dark and just nothingness.

Homecoming week in Tuscaloosa! I am pretty sure this is the first time that our Homecoming game will be played at night! How weird is that going to be? Parade in the morning…game 12 hours after. Anyway – this has now turned out to be another big game as well. South Carolina has been looking pretty good, but I still don’t see them hanging with us too long – we are just too powerful. Spurrier will have them ready to play, but a few pass rushes on Garcia, and we get at least one pick 6! Defense will once again get it done, and our offense will return with a nice balanced attack – no more kicking field goals all day!

We have moved up to number 2 in the polls, but we all know who the best team in the country is…The Alabama Crimson Tide! Trust me, I am not the only one who thinks this – Florida has not shown me much this year. We have a great team, and I think we are headed for great things!!

Until next week…Roll Tide!

Jason

Week 5 - Kentucky

2009-10-04T23:10:00.001-05:00

Tide Fans –

Our first SEC road game of the year and we come out with a win! It wasn’t the best game we have played, in fact it was kind of weird, but the important thing is that we got out of Commonwealth Stadium undefeated. These are the type games that can really ruin a season if you look past them, but we got it done in the bluegrass state and you have to be happy about that!

I enjoyed our time in Kentucky as the fans were friendly, and the atmosphere was great for college football. Lexington is a pretty cool town - if you have never been, I would recommend making this trip next time we play up there. A heads up for anyone who ever stays at the Doubletree hotel – on Friday nights they like to play a little smooth jazz very late into the evening in the courtyard lobby of the hotel. I have no problem with the smooth jazz, it’s just that when I get back from a night out and need some sleep for the early game – I would rather not have to try and fall asleep to the sounds of department store shopping music. I know I am getting old, but don’t you think midnight is a little late to have Kenny G blasting throughout the hotel? The dude may as well have been standing in our room with his saxophone – it was ridiculous!

Another heads up – the Doubletree also provides your room with a free little tube of sunscreen. This would have been great had we noticed it before the game and not after. Needles to say it was a beautiful day – very sunny, and very windy. The combination of sun and wind left my wife and I looking like John Candy in Summer Rental – very sunburned. We weren’t the only ones – there were a lot of bright red faces out Saturday night with the oh so cool raccoon eyes. We are hurting today…and I will probably look like a leper in a few days when I start to peel. It was all worth it, as we once again got to witness a Tide victory!

I knew this game would be interesting. SEC road games always are – especially when they are the early game. This had disaster written all over it, but The Tide fought through the first quarter and a half before we unleashed the pain! It was nice to see us put together another 99 yard drive for a touchdown – that shows guts. With 40 seconds left in the first half we had just scored so I figure what a great time to bolt for the bathroom before the line gets too long. You guessed it…I missed the fumble recovery for the touchdown. I heard the crowd roar and thought…crap Kentucky freaking scored. I bolted out of the restroom much to my surprise to find out what had happened. This always seems to happen to me – missing a big play. I was at the 1996 Summer Olympics and decided to go get something to eat right before Carl Lewis took his final long jump for the gold medal…yes once again I hear the crowd roar and wonder what could have happened. Same thing happened when Mark McGwire was about to beat the home run record – a commercial came on so I went outside to check on my dog real quick, and he hits the record breaking home run while I am outside. I am starting to find it comical.

On to some actual analysis. Offense looked ok in this game – not great, but not terrible. I was a little disappointed in how Kentucky stopped our running attack, minus a few plays. We could not run up the middle. Passing looked pretty good – McElroy was solid here. He just throws great passes! Watching the replay, I was amazed at how spot on his throws are! I know I say this every week, but he is just damn good. Julio had a few grabs, but nothing real big. Colin Peek made some great plays, as did Darius Hanks. Ingram and Richardson were contained more than they usually are, and I am a little worried about this. We are going to need the run next week in Oxford – so hopefully our power run will be back.

Defense looked pretty good, and came up with some great turnovers! I was concerned about how Kentucky was moving the ball by running it. I think we really missed having Hightower in the middle here. This is an area that Ole Miss will try to exploit next week with their Wildcat, so we better pin this up! Some big plays by Rolondo McClain, including an interception and a tip ball to lead to another interception. He is an awesome player and it is amazing to see how he is always near the ball. I hope he plays his senior year so we can once again have McClain and Hightower in the middle!

Big game next week! Ole Miss has lost, so they were finally exposed. I still think they have a very dangerous team, and now the pressure of being highly ranked is off of them. They will be ready to play next week, so we will need our “A” game all day. If we can contain their flashy wildcat running plays, and get their QB Snead rattled with a good pass rush, we should come out just fine. I think our offense will do well against Ole Miss. We need to find a way to get the ball to Julio more, and I think our running game will be back where it has been next week. It will be a close game, but I think the men in Crimson put together a solid effort and come out on top!

Once again I will be heading to Oxford, so let me know if you will be there! I’m sure we will have a great showing of fans – we always do! Let’s get loud and show those Rebel fans how to play football when you are highly ranked! Hopefully we will have great weather for the game, and yes – I have already packed my sunscreen.
I hope everyone has a great week, and Roll Tide!

Jason

Week 4 - Arkansas

2009-09-27T21:27:00.004-05:00

Tide Fans –

Ryan Mallet? Ryan Mallet??? Where the hell was this Ryan Mallet kid from Arkansas who was supposed to shred our defense with his passing fury? He must not have shown up, because last time I checked Arkansas only scored 7 points on The Tide!!!! What an awesome way to make a statement - keeping the “highly touted” offense of the Arkansas pigs to 7 points, and making their quarterback look like a junior high bench warmer! All week long we heard about what a gun he had, and how he was going to throw all over us. Mark May of ESPN even went as far as to say that Mallet was “the best quarterback in the SEC – possibly the best overall”. Excuse me Mr. May, but I will take Greg McElroy over anyone! I love this team we have, I love our coach, I love the way we play, and I truly believe that The Alabama Crimson Tide is the best team in the nation.

Sitting in Bryant-Denny stadium among 92,000 of my closest friends, I thoroughly enjoyed our performance Saturday afternoon. It took a little while for us to get started, but with the defense playing like they were I knew it was only a matter of time before we made something happen on offense. And the first thing to happen has allowed me to declare my official “Man Crush” for the 2009 season…Trent Richardson!!! What an awe inspiring 52 yard run for a touchdown. What looked like it would be a run for no gain, turned into our first 7 points. Absolutely amazing watching him just shrug off would be tacklers, as he trounced toward the end zone – the dude in not human! Trent Richardson may only be 18…but make no mistake…he is a man. Trent is going to break records at Alabama, in the NFL, and he may turn out to be our first Heisman!

Many of you probably watched the game on TV, so did any of you notice how dirty Arkansas was playing? I don’t normally complain about this kind of thing, especially when we whip the opponent, but there were several cheap shots taken by Arkansas. A few they were actually flagged for, but there were many that were missed. A chop block here, block in the back there. Watching the replay of the game, I was surprised at how much they got away with. The one that hurt the most was the play that injured Donta Hightower. I could be wrong, but it looked to me like one of their lineman dove straight at Hightower’s knees to take him out of the play. I have a bad feeling that they have taken him out for the season, and that makes me mad. Hightower and McClain are the heart and soul of our defense, and he will surely be missed if the injury is that severe. Being taken off the field by a cart is never a good sign. Say a prayer for Hightower – he is a great player, and our defense will not be the same without him.

The loss of Hightower will give some other guys a chance to step up, and a few showed they can play on Saturday. A big shout out to Eryk Anders who came in and played linebacker. He stepped it up and had a great game! We have some talented guys that can play, and I know they will work hard to fill in for Hightower. Courtney Upshaw, Cory Reamer, and Eryk Anders will get the job done. I’m not sure what the deal is with Jerrel Harris, but now would be a great time for the NCAA to let us know if he will be eligible! Thank God we have some depth here, and at most positions now when injuries occur – we just move the next guy in. I love how the coaches have prepared these guys to play several positions also. That fact that Saban and company have cross-trained our linebackers to play at every linebacker spot is brilliant. A few years ago, we lose a player like Hightower and we are screwed - now we just re-load! Shout outs to Rolondo, Mark Barron, Javier, and the entire secondary – great game guys! I love the corner blitz – Javier comes at the QB like a heat seeking missile – locks on, and down he goes. Mark Barron was huge on run support as well – he looked as though he was almost lining up as a linebacker. A great overall display of defense against Arkansas. Keeping a Bobby Petrino coached team to 7 points is outstanding!

Once again, McElroy has a solid performance. The dude just goes out there and gets it done. Not cocky, not flashy, just puts the ball right where it needs to be, runs the offense smoothly, and leads his team to victory. He is the type of quarterback that you need to win a championship. Put that in your pipe and smoke it Mark May! Our offense came to life after the Trent Richardson run, and we had some fun watching. The Wildcat reverse play was awesome! Julio was so wide open I was afraid they would overthrow him, but of course G-Mac put the ball right on the money and we high step it in for 6 more points! I would be remiss if I did not give a huge shout out to Upchurch. He owns 3rd and long! Whenever it is 3rd and long and I see number 5 come in – I know we will get the first down. He is so valuable on that little half back screen play - when we need 8 or more yards – he delivers!

I am so excited about this team, and the potential we have. Yes, we have a long season with some very tough opponents ahead, but I just feel really comfortable with how we play. We are becoming so diverse and unpredictable on offense, and our defense just continues to amaze me! We may have some closer games, but I feel as if we can beat anyone right now. I have a lot of swagger, and I think our players have confidence, and our coaches know how to get them prepared. We are just coming together all around as a very good football team. As soon as the game was over on Saturday I immediately started looking forward to next weekend’s game against Kentucky. I’m sure they will be fired up to play us, but once everything settles down do you really think Kentucky can stop Ingram, Trent, Julio, and McElroy? Do you think the Kentucky offense will run or pass all over our defense? No, the answer is No.

First true road game of the season Tide Fans – time to ramp it up! I will be heading up to the Bluegrass state to watch The Tide Roll! I have never been to Commonwealth Stadium and am looking forward to it – especially when I see Bama come out on to the field! Until next week…Roll Tide Roll!

Jason

Week 3 - North Texas

2009-09-20T23:03:00.006-05:00

Tide Fans –

Now that is more like it! Saturday’s game was exactly what we needed – an old fashioned butt whipping, while getting our backups plenty of playing time. There was no unnecessary stress on the fans - it was fun, relaxing, and entertaining. I never was nervous, never stared at the field in disbelief, and I am pretty sure not one cuss word came out of my mouth the entire game. The Tide rolls on to an easy victory in preparation for the start of our SEC schedule! Bama came out strong, and played hard until the very end. It was exciting to see many of our talented 2nd and 3rd string play for much of this game. Our depth is looking real good, and now that they have a little game action under their belts it will build confidence if ever called upon. I think Star Jackson did a pretty good job – he needed the live reps, so I was glad to see him play. These are the games you schedule to get your backups some playing time, and we did just that!

We saw more of our awesome quarterback Greg McElroy – this kid is phenomenal! He just seems so cool and confident out there throwing beautiful accurate passes and managing the offense to a tee. I just can’t wait to see more of him – I know I brag about McElroy a lot, but damn he is really good! I have not had confidence in a quarterback like this in a long time. He broke an Alabama record this week for proficiency in his 3rd game how awesome is that? I expect good things out of Mr. McElroy against Arkansas - he should find many open receivers!

Trent Richardson and Mark Ingram continue to blow my mind! These two are just so powerful when they run the ball – it’s like they enjoy running into and over linebackers. I love our rotation of backs to keep the legs fresh – what a luxury to have 4 running backs that are all very good, and all have different styles. Another great performance out of our receivers as well. Maze and McCoy each had good games, as well as a few others. Must give a shout out to Javier – incredible punt returns!

The Defense is just awesome. We didn’t sack the quarterback this week, but I think that was on purpose. I believe we did not blitz much so they can rest up and crush Ryan Mallet, the QB at Arkansas. Mark Barron had an awesome week, and he gets the game ball. He seemed like he was everywhere, and made several big plays. When he hits someone you can hear it up in the stands. We will continue to see more of him, and I think he gets better as the season goes on. Solid play from our secondary all around, which is good because they will be tested big time against Arkansas. I don’t know if any of you watched the Arkansas – Georgia game, but they threw the ball all over the place. They have a big QB (Mallet) and he likes to throw, which makes me a little concerned about Marquis Johnson and Kareem Jackson. Johnson better be ready, because they are going to throw to his side of the field all day! Our safeties are going to need to help out a lot this week. I am not worried about Javier – he will stick to his man like glue!

The Tide is ranked 3rd in the country, but after watching all the top five teams play, I believe we have the best team. Florida looked like crap, and USC is pathetic. I really think if we play our game and our defense continues to be punishing, that we can go all the way this year – possibly meeting up with Texas in the end! We have some huge games to play, but if we don’t beat ourselves I just don’t see any team out there right now that is better than us. I love our offense – so balanced, so awesome! I get a buzz just thinking about the defense!! We have to just take each game one at a time, stay focused, execute, and we will win. It is going to be fun!!

Arkansas comes to town next week, and we better be ready! No more lackluster attendance, no more quiet crowd, it is time to get loud and pumped Bama fans – Bryant-Denny needs to be rocking! I would like to point out that someone who works the stadium sound system must have read my blog last week, because they did play more music during the breaks – it was nice! I still think they could turn the sound up just a tad – I’m sure they will get all the kinks out soon. Arkansas lost to Georgia in a shootout, but they will be good a pissed off this week, so we better be on our toes. I think our defense will be too much for them, and our offense should move the ball because I think the Arkansas secondary is terrible. G-Mac should have some fun this week with Julio back in the mix. It’s SEC time baby – the warm up is over…time to get down and dirty and play some hardnosed football! I am really looking forward to next weekend…I hope you all are too…Roll Tide!

Jason

Week 2 - FIU

2009-09-13T23:05:00.002-05:00

Tide Fans –

Saturday was a classic example of why I hate playing little Sun Belt teams after a huge victory the previous week. It wouldn’t matter if we had the absolute best player in the country at every position on our team – we love to play down to our opponent, and screw with our fans. Yes, we won the game, and yes deep down I knew we would win, but why do we have to start these games like this? It is so painful, stressful, gut wrenching, etc… to sit there and struggle with a much inferior opponent until the 4th quarter. Do we just like to play with our food before we eat it? I for one would rather we just devour the opponent instead of letting them stay within 6 points before crushing them in the 4th quarter. My nerves can’t take these type of starts! Another reason I really do not like these games is the crowd. Our crowd was quiet and reserved for 75% of this game. This was due more than likely to the way the team was playing, but it just makes everything that more stressful.

I despise a “quiet” Bryant-Denny Stadium – it is eerie when 92,000 fans are sitting in there and you can have a conversation with someone 2 sections over. I know it is hard to get loud when you are stressing out like I was, but we have got to do a better job in these situations – me included. I tend to block everything out and just stare in disbelief at the field thinking about what the headlines may say in the paper the next morning. We all need to let the swagger out, get loud, and cheer on our team in these type situations…not sit on our hands. I actually summoned the strength on a few occasions to cheer for the team when we were not playing well. I would do it more often, but the sad thing is people around me look like I have lost my mind. What is that??? Why do people sit there and stare at you if you get up and try to cheer on the team when we are not playing so well? A couple of times when I stood up to cheer, you would have thought I just got up and screamed “I’m not wearing any pants!!” I wish everyone would show a little more support in times of need. Is it just me or does this happen to any of you? I seriously want to know. I guess the only thing that really matters, is that The Tide finally began to turn, and we came out on top with a nicely padded victory - Roll Tide to that!! Looking back at the replay of the game, we really didn’t play that bad in the first half. The offense moved the ball with ease, except for the red zone – we stalled here a few times and this cost us points. FIU got their 14 points on a lucky return, and then a gift of field position after a botched kickoff making it easy for them to score the second time.

Some positives about Saturday - we were able to see how deep we are at several key positions. A few examples if I may. Julio goes out with a bruised knee, and Mike McCoy finally steps it up and gets 1oo yards in receptions – nice! Mark Ingram and Upchurch both hampered by injury or illness, keep them out of much of the game, and true freshman Trent “You can’t stop me” Richardson takes over! WOW – this kid is 18, and has a ridiculous amount of potential. We all heard about how good he was going to be, but Saturday we got a taste – and it tasted good! Trent is a super fast, hard running machine, who may end up breaking several of our rushing records before he leaves. The game ball this week goes to Trent! And how about the play of Terry “Remember Me” Grant!! He has really stepped it up this year, and I am so happy for him! Just 2 years ago Terry Grant was my official “Man Crush” and he is playing on his game again which I am thrilled about.

I said it in pre-season, and I said it again last week – Greg McElroy is going to be fantastic. I mean the dude was 18 of 24 in passing, and Julio just plain dropped one of those, and someone completely blew a route on another play. He is so accurate and efficient and threw for 241 yards! He was throwing lasers to our receivers – all of them. I would like to give a shout out to all the Aubs who kept saying pre-season that McElroy was not going to do well – I know he has only played in 2 games, but already you can tell this kid is special! He is not flashy, not cocky, just gets the job done!

Our special teams play must improve. Giving up another kickoff return for a touchdown is just simply unacceptable. That type of slip up could easily cost us a game later this year, and we must improve. I know Coach Saban will make changes in personnel on kickoffs if he needs to – it will get corrected.

Defense took a little time to get their rhythm – especially on pass coverage, but we finally figured out if you get to the quarterback quickly – he cannot throw it. Marcel Dareus, Rolondo McLain, and Donta Hightower played well, and made many tackles. I love sacking the QB for a loss, and we did this 6 or 7 times. I love our defense, and actually enjoy the game more when they are on the field. This reminds me of an early to mid nineties Tide!! Of course our offense is a lot less boring than our early to mid 90’s offense – a lot less! I do miss the old toss sweep left toss sweep right every once in a while, but I will take this offense over that one any day.

Not a pretty game until the end, but we got it done. Next week we face a very similar opponent, but I just have a feeling we are not going to come out as flat this time. Hopefully breakfast at Bryant-Denny will be another chance for us to see some of our depth in action, especially at quarterback. I think our backups need the work as there is a huge differential in talent after McElroy. I would love to see more of Trent Richardson as well – I know I am not the only one.

It is an early kickoff, but I hope many of you make the trip to Tuscaloosa to cheer on The Tide. There is a new sound system in the stadium and it sounds good – speakers everywhere so you don’t lose the sound when the wind changes direction like the old system. I do wish they would play more music during breaks – there seemed to be a lot of gaps which made the lack of crowd noise that more obvious. Crank up that new system and let the fans jam out – keep the energy level up! I only ask that you do not play any Green Day – the Million Dollar Band still has that covered. I hope to see you all in T-Town - I know I will be there polishing off a tasty Bloody Mary right before kickoff. Sounds good doesn’t it?

Until next week…Roll Tide Roll!

Jason

Week 1 - Virginia Tech

2009-09-07T21:28:00.001-05:00

Tide Fans –
Another Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic….another big win for The Tide! What a great way to start the season!! You know it is a good game when the next morning you have no voice, your insides hurt, and your calves are sore from jumping up and down. For some reason I always feel as if I have played in the game. It is probably because I am getting older, or it could be from the hours of screaming, yelling, cheering, jumping, stressing, and arguing with opposing fans - but I swear I almost felt like I needed to head to the training room on Sunday. Roll Tide to that!

There were many unknowns for us heading into the game Saturday night. How was our QB going to play? How was our offensive line going to be? Who has the flu? Did anyone else get shot? I for one am just glad the season finally started. I thought I was going to have a stroke a few days before the game due to all the distractions. Players getting shot, the flu, and NCAA rulings on eligibility. I wanted to call Coach Saban Monday night and ask if they could just put the entire team in a hermetically sealed padded room until kickoff – I could not believe all the crap they have had to deal with this week! Thankfully, it all worked out.

The atmosphere in the Georgia Dome was once again electric! Just about an even split of Alabama faithful and Virginia Tech fans. It was loud, and rowdy before the game – outside and inside the dome. Virginia Tech felt very confident they were going to beat us. I of course felt the exact opposite, and gladly shared that thought with thousands of other people. I knew in the back of my mind that if our offense could not get the job done, our defense would…and they did!

Even though the score was only 10 points different at the end…Alabama whipped the Virginia Tech Hokies! I believe they really only earned one of their touchdowns…the rest were gifts from our mental mistakes. Their offense could do nothing against our ridiculously quick pass rush. Tyrod Taylor ran for his life for most of the game. Yes, they were beating us at half, but we were still winning the war – I knew we were going to rise up in the second half, eliminate stupid mistakes, and take control of the game. It took a little longer than I wanted, but when the fourth quarter came around, the Tide turned drastically. Pounding defense, and some powerful runs, throws, and catches brought home a big win for Alabama.

Although I thought Greg McElroy did a good job in his debut in a huge game, I have to give the game ball to Mark Ingram. He took control of the game, and ran like he was possessed. Running over would be tacklers, and finding the end zone when we needed it…truly amazing. He is a stud, and he has a strong first place hold on my official “Man Crush” of the season. I have to give props to Roy Upchurch as well – I just freaking love when he gets the ball. Upchurch was a heat seeking missile that sought out linebackers and then ran them over! Please watch the highlights of his runs – he literally knocks out one of Va. Tech’s linebackers after lowering his shoulder and running over him…it is awesome!! Roy Upchurch has no idea how much I love his style of running.

Back to McElroy – I believe he was very solid. For a first time start in a huge atmosphere against a top 10 team…he delivered. After watching the replay twice, I noticed how many smart decisions he made in the game that many people don’t notice. A couple of time he was sacked, and took the sack for good reason – there was nowhere to throw the ball. He also ran very wisely when he had to, and did a pretty good job! He made the throws when we needed them – some of them very gutsy! I thought his overall game management was very good. McElroy is very smart, and very talented and is going to be a very good quarterback for us!

Other players I want to mention. Darius Hanks had a couple of huge clutch catches – he stepped it up big time! Julio was basically triple covered on every play, so someone else needed to step it up and Hanks did just that. On defense - there are so many good players, but I just want to mention a few. Huge shout out to Brandon Deaderick who on Monday night was shot, and played on Saturday…that is awe inspiring! A name I knew would be big this year, Marcel Dareus. We are going to see him sacking the QB a lot this season. Javier also played great defense and had some big quick hits when he was called to blitz…he is lightning fast on the corner blitz!! Our defense just swarms to the ball – I love it!

Last shout out goes to Brian Selman and PJ Fitzgerald. Yes – I gave a shout out to the long snapper and punter. Selman downed one punt on the 5 yard line, and then recovered a fumble on another. PJ was very consistent with his punts – great job!
As I mentioned earlier – Virginia Tech was lucky to even be in this game. We gave them so many gifts. This is a point I argued over with a couple of cocky Hokie fans after the game. Many of you reading this blog were witness to this argument which I of course felt like I won and was correct on every point! (almost all of them) I ended the argument by letting the two Hokie fans know how I felt about the ACC and that I predicted Ga. Tech would beat them. They did not like that prediction. ACC fans seriously think they have an awesome conference and I just had to laugh about that. Really…I mean really???? Don’t ever argue with me about SEC vs. ACC you are not going to win. I bet that guy felt pretty stupid with his “Beat Bama” shirt on after the game.

Tide Fans it is going to be another fun season, so get ready! The Tide is going to do lots of damage this year, and I for one believe we will be heading back to Atlanta in December! With our offense only going to get better, and our defense just ridiculous already…I feel very good about what lies ahead. We have a couple of warm up games the next few weeks, so hopefully this will give our team more time to gel, and be ready to take on the SEC. Let’s keep our players healthy, eligible, and gunshot wound free!

Until next week…Roll Tide!

Pre-Season Analysis 2009

2009-08-20T20:46:00.002-05:00

Tide Fans –

The summer days are winding down, the kids are back in school, and it is almost time for the greatest sport ever…College Football! Can you say 15 days until kickoff?? The other day I got home from work, and when I got out of the car I could hear the local high school band practicing…the sound of the drums in the distance got me all fired up! I actually pumped my fist and shouted ”Come on Tide!” What a great time of year…what a great time to be an Alabama Crimson Tide fan! Alabama is back among the national championship contenders, and back to where we are supposed to be. The future looks bright, and I cannot wait to see what The Tide has in store for us this season! I would like to share a quote I read somewhere – I have no idea who said this, but I love it! “Football at Alabama is not a matter of life or death…it’s a hell of a lot more important than either one of them!”

We have come such a long way since Nick Saban first stepped off the plane at the Tuscaloosa Regional Airport, and I thank him from the bottom of my heart! It is so nice to have a coach like Saban that makes all the other teams want a coach like him. They are so jealous - all they can do is try and find ways to tear him down…but they really can’t. They know he is good…they know that our team is much better now…and they can’t stand it. I love Saban’s no nonsense Jedi approach to everything he does, weather it be practice, talking to the media, or recruiting…it is truly amazing. Some people say “He’s not very friendly to the media”, well who really cares – he was not hired to be friendly to the media – that doesn’t win you football games!!! I think his press conferences are hilarious – you ask a stupid question, and you are going to get blasted from Saban – as you should be. I dare any reporter to ask him about the depth chart one more time!

With only a few weeks until kickoff, I am just giddy with excitement! Last year was absolutely incredible, even though it ended on a bad note. Our team played way above their heads and we went undefeated in regular season play – amazing! Of course seeing as we did so well last year the expectations are off the charts now from the Bama faithful and the media. I am expecting a great season, but I do not think we will go undefeated. Don’t get me wrong – I hope to God we do, I just think we may lose 1 or 2 – still a great season. We have so much talent now, the majority of it still very young…but dang we have some talent! I get so fired up reading about how well the freshman are doing in camp, and that some may even start. It makes me wonder what we will be like in 2010, with an experienced QB and much more experienced depth…WOW! Anyway, back to this upcoming season…like last year our very first game will tell us a lot about this team. If we go in there and push Virginia Tech around I see us winning almost all of our games. If we come out of the Georgia Dome with a loss, then we will know that we still have some work to do, but we will still put together a great season. I beg of all Tide fans to not get too disgruntled if for some reason we lose the first game – Virginia Tech is good. I for one, believe we will win this game – I have visions of us pressuring their QB so much that he either gets sacked numerous times, or throws a few picks. Even if for some reason our offense struggles, I see a low scoring game with our defense bringing us the victory! Our defense is going to be off the charts good!!!! Can someone say 1992? It is well documented that I LOVE an early to mid 90’s Tide defense. Visions of Teague, Langham, Lemanski Hall, Curry, Copeland, the list goes on….wow they were powerful, and it looks as though the big D is back at Bama!

Looking at the rest of the season – there will be plenty of competition. We have no idea what to expect out of Arkansas, the first SEC game is always big! Ole Miss….I am sooo tired of hearing about how good they are going to be. Really….I mean really??? Yes they have a good returning QB, and a few other good skill players, but I think overall it is a bunch of smoke and mirrors. I cannot wait to go over there and crush them in Oxford! I hope they are undefeated when we play them so it makes our victory even better. Ole Miss fans hate losing to Alabama…they hate it!! South Carolina will give us some fits early on, but then our D will settle in and begin to make their QB throw picks. Tennessee is always a good game – they will have a better team than people think, but we still hand them their 3rd loss in a row to us. LSU – not really sure what they will have this season, but they will be tough. That will be a barn burner in Tuscaloosa with The Tide coming out on top! Our trip to StarkVegas to play Miss. State should end better than our last visit, and then we head to Auburn to play on a Friday. I will go ahead and tell you – this games scares me a little. It always does, but it being on a Friday this year just feels weird, and you just never know what will happen in that game. I think we win, but not nearly as easy as last year – they will put up a fight down on the plains.

I think the SEC West comes down to LSU or Alabama. I do not see Ole Miss in the picture – they are overrated, and I think LSU is a little underrated. I would love a chance to play Tebow again…I really want to see him flat on his back after getting crushed by Rolando McClain! This is assuming Florida makes it to the SEC game. I am so sick of Tim Tebow. Tebow this and Tebow that…give me a freaking break – the media just falls all over themselves for this guy. I predict that Urban Meyer leaves him in too long in the Tennessee game and he gets injured from a cheap shot. I don’t wish this…I just predict it.

Many things to talk about…sorry if this post is a little long! I cannot wait to see what we do this year, and I really cannot wait to see G Mac lead the team (Greg McElroy to all of you who don’t know his nickname yet!) I think McElroy is going to be a very smart, very consistent quarterback. He knows the offense really well, and will have some incredible targets to throw and hand the ball to. Our running back situation is ridiculous!! Our 4th string RB could probably start in the NFL. I believe Ingram and Upchurch will get the most reps early on, but we will see Trent Richardson early in the season, so be on the lookout for # 3 in the backfield. (Not Kareem Jackson - Trent Richardson…he will be wearing # 3 also). To steal a word from Eli Gold, we have a “bevy” of talented running backs! Julio will have plenty of support as well – we will see Marquis Maze step up, and some new freshman talent as well. Plenty of targets for G-Mac to throw to! Every time I think about Julio, I am immediately drawn to the catch he had in overtime against LSU – it was amazing! I also love the fact that it takes 5 men to bring him down – just incredible. I have a sh*t eating grin on my face right now just thinking about what Julio will do this season!

The defense will be powerful – this is what gets me so fired up! We have so much depth here now, that we can just rotate in and out after every few downs. We will see a swarming D getting to the QB very quickly which will help out our backfield who has experience, but may be the weakest part of the defense (and they are not weak). Javier and Kareem Jackson will be solid at DB, with possibly some help from a very talented freshman Dre Kirkpatrick! I think the safety position is also going to work out – sounds like we have good competition there between Robby Green, Justin Woodall, and Mark Barron - which means we have a few guys that will make it work. They have big shoes to fill from Rashad Johnson…..damn I love Rashad Johnson!! I wish he had made one of the Daniel Moore paintings – I would have wall papered my office with it! Anyway…the Defense will be stout, and may be the reason behind several of our victories this season!

We may not win every game, but I do know that Saban will have us ready to play every game. I do not think you will ever see a Sugar Bowl debacle again. If we lose, it will be hard fought down to the last play. This team is going to be physical, quick, alert, and punishing! It will be a fun season, and I for one am making this the “Perfect Season” by attending every single game! Yes, believe it or not in my 35 years of life I have never had a perfect season – I have come very close, but never made every single game. That all changes this year!! I know this will enhance my weekly analysis as I always have something interesting happen to me which I will be happy to share! Several good road trips in store for the season! I look forward to posting every week, and I thank all of you for the kind words you have sent me about the Tide Weekly Analysis. I truly enjoy sharing my love for The Tide, and sometimes giving you a peek into my world as a Tide Fan, and family man! What started off as a way for me to share my joy or vent my frustrations through an e-mail to about 35 people, has now become a blog read by people across the world. Yes, apparently I have created Tide fans out of people who don’t even know where Alabama is – and that makes me happy!

Another season is upon us, so get ready Tide Fans – fill up that flask, clean out your coolers, line up your babysitters if necessary, it is football season in Alabama, and The Tide is about to Roll! See you in a few weeks…RTR!

Jason

NCAA Ruling

2009-06-13T07:36:00.003-05:00

Tide Fans -

First of all I would like to say Roll Tide! It has been a while since I have written anything and it feels good to be writing an update!! Unless you have been living under a rock, you have heard all about our NCAA ruling. Weeks of worrying and speculating what their decision would be have finally come to an end. First of all I must say that I am extremely happy they did not take away any scholarships. This does not mean that I am happy with what we received - I am a little concerned about the 3 years probation. The main reason is that 3 years is a long time, and there are so many NCAA rules now that it is nearly impossible to not have some kind of infraction (even if it is very minor), I mean, now an athlete sneezes and you have to report it. Now that we are on double secret probation we will be under the microscope even more. Many people are not happy with what they are referring to as "vacated" wins. I personally could care less about this - what a stupid type of punishment. Like we are all going just forget that we actually won the games they are making us vacate. They did the same thing to us back in 1993 and no one even remembers that - all it does is put an asterisk in the media guide. I for one can live with that! The probation is what we should all be concerned about.

The thing that irritates me most about the NCAA is that they don't treat the same exact violations equally between schools. If one school does something and another does the exact same thing - they should get the same punishment. Sounds fair right? Well, it doesn't work that way with the NCAA. Several other schools have had extremely similar "textbook" situations, and received no more than a warning from Indianapolis. I don't have any problem receiving a punishment for something we did - I just want them to hand out consistent punishments across the board. Where is the USC punishment for the Reggie Bush chronicles, and where was the punishment for Tennessee when Tee Martin admitted to receiving at least $10,000 from boosters????? The last thing we got slammed for (Albert Means) was never even proven, but we got crushed for it. If you are going to hand out rulings to us for things we did, then you better keep them consistent with what you have done with other programs, and so far that has not been the case. One last thing about the NCAA that really chaps my ass is even when we follow the procedures they put forth, they still crush us. We self discovered the textbook situation and self reported it. We suspended the players involved until the NCAA cleared them to return. We brought this entire situation to their attention and did everything we were supposed to do. My point here is why do we even bother doing this if it in turn it does not help you out with any rulings??? Had we not reported this, the NCAA would never have even known about it - we did the right thing and reported it, and what do we get…3 years probation and "vacated wins". So I say in the future forget about self reporting - what good has it done us in the past???

Probably the best thing about the ruling the other was listening to all the Aubs reactions - they were soo irritated they couldn't stand it! The majority of them wanted us the get the death penalty over a textbook scandal (if you can call it that). I mean come on!!!! Auburn needs to worry about their own damn team and stop worrying about ours - perhaps then you might build a competitive program. The only way you have been competitive lately is due to us being crushed by the NCAA. You enjoyed success for several years while we re-built our program - well guess what - we re-built, and whipped your ass! So, now all you can do is revel in the fact that we are in trouble with the NCAA and you continuously try to spread ridiculous rumors about illegal recruiting in various cities across the state. As I said earlier - you need to worry about building your own program and stop trying to bring ours down with convoluted rumors about this and that - you are wasting your time! Auburn fans that obsess over this stuff are pathetic.

Even though I am not happy with how the NCAA treats Alabama, I am glad that this is over and we can now focus on the upcoming season. I am already fired up as we are only 84 days until kickoff!! I cannot wait to see what our beloved Crimson Tide unveils this year. There are many unknowns with key positions to fill, but I feel confident Coach Saban has it under control. I feel confident about everything Coach Saban does - he knows what he is doing. There are some days I wish Coach Saban would just call me and tell me what I am supposed to do that day! Our defense should be punishing and I can't wait to watch us rotate fresh players in and out, blitzing like crazy!! Aaaaah good things to come - I love a powerful Defense!!

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and looking forward to the fall. I will check back in with my pre-season analysis in August - until then…Roll Tide!!

Sugar Bowl / Post Season

2009-01-10T09:32:00.004-06:00

Tide Fans –

I would like to first apologize for the lengthy delay in getting this post out. After the Sugar Bowl, I honestly didn’t even want to write anything. After some time to cool off and reflect, I decided that I owed it to everyone to send out one last post for the season!

Several things have happened since the powerful display of Alabama football at the Sugar Bowl. We found out Andre Smith was going pro officially (shocker), and also just today found out that Glenn Coffee will declare for the NFL draft. I died a little inside when I heard about Coffee. I am going to miss him dearly, and really wish we had him for one more year! I didn’t even get to say goodbye to him….dang! Thank you Glenn…thank you for all your explosive powerful runs and for all of your interviews about “running for Jesus”…I truly will miss those! Whatever NFL team that you play for, I will consider myself a fan of – just like I do with Leron McClain!

I like many of you also had to watch the freaking Florida Gaytors win a national championship last night. The sight of Tim Tebow flailing him arms in the air getting his fans to cheer makes my physically ill. Tebow……please! I really hope we get one more shot at him next year…there is some unfinished business!

Well, the season is finally over. The 2008 version of The Alabama Crimson Tide went 12-2! It did not end like we wanted it, but we all have to be happy with this season – really happy! I thought I was being overzealous with my 9 to 10 win prediction in my pre season blog. We ended several streaks…the most important being the 36-0 shellacking of Auburn. We even played a role in getting ‘ol Fat Phil, Sly Croom, Tommy Bowden, and Tubby fired….haaaaaaaa! What a great year to purge some of our old nemesis coaches – I love it. So many awesome things took place this season starting with the opening game against Clemson. After that game we knew this was a special team, and they proved it all season long. How fun was it to watch us destroy Georgia in their stupid black jerseys and ruin their “blackout”. Watching The Tide dismantle Tennessee up in Knoxville was just as good. The overtime win in Baton Rouge…truly awesome! Capping it all off – the absolute annihilation of Tommy Tubberville and his little tigers!! What an incredible year…we played over our heads all season long, and I am very proud of what this team accomplished. We have some big gaps to fill next season, but we are starting to use the term “reload” instead of “rebuild” and that is very comforting. Thank you Coach Saban for all that you have done so far for our program!

I cannot wait for the future, and what it holds for our Tide. Who will be quarterback next season? Will it be the playbook knowledgeable “Texas Gunslinger” Greg McElroy, or will it be the super talented inexperienced Star Jackson? One thing I do know, is that Nick Saban will play the best one, and I am fine with that – whoever it is! We have a schedule that should lend to many victories next season, so I hope we make the most of it! I believe our toughest game will be the opening one against Virginia Tech in Atlanta. We owe them one for the 1998 Music City Bowl!

I hope everyone has a wonderful off season – I know there are many wives that are glad it is here, so they don’t lose their husbands for the weekend. I look forward to another incredible season of Alabama Football, and until the 2009 Pre-Season Tide Weekly Analysis…Roll Tide!

Jason

SEC Championship

2008-12-07T22:16:00.004-06:00

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

Week 13 - The Streak Ends!

2008-11-30T21:55:00.005-06:00

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!

Week 12

2008-11-16T20:58:00.002-06:00

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

Week 11

2008-11-09T20:16:00.002-06:00

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

Week 10

2008-11-02T15:58:00.004-06:00

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

Week 9

2008-10-26T18:36:00.006-05:00

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

Week 8

2008-10-19T21:32:00.003-05:00

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

Week 6

2008-10-05T09:07:00.005-05:00

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

Week 5 - Dawgs Pounded!

2008-09-28T15:27:00.003-05:00

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

Week 4

2008-09-21T18:07:00.003-05:00

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

Week 3

2008-09-15T10:46:00.006-05:00

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

Week 2

2008-09-07T14:21:00.004-05:00

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

Week 1

2008-08-31T21:51:00.005-05:00

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

2008 Pre-Season Analysis

2008-08-19T09:57:00.001-05:00

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

Tide Weekly Analysis - Week 13

2007-12-31T11:18:00.000-06:00

Tide Fans -

Happy New Year, and Roll Tide! It wasn't pretty in the second half, but we got it done, and we escaped with a victory! I don't know what happened to the Alabama team that was playing lights out in the first quarter, but I want that team to show up ALL the time - not just one quarter! That first quarter was incredible, but sadly I could not fully enjoy it because I kept waiting for us to get back into our normal routine...and we did. How frustrating is it to see your team play like the New England Patriots at first, and then finish up like the Miami Dolphins. It is torture on the fans...to tease us with incredible play early on, and then just falling flat on your face. I know Coach Saban talks about "finishing", but they must not have been listening to him.

Anyway, enough bitching - we won and I am glad to finish the season out. This has been a stressful year being a Tide fan. Half of our games came down to the last play this year - we have all aged twice as much as we normally would in this 4 month period. I'm all for exciting games, but this was a ridiculous season as far as nail biters!!!

I predicted 7 wins for us this season, and we got them. We did not win and lose the games I thought we would, but either way we got 7 wins. This is not great, but we have something to build on now. I think next season we will be a little better, 8 maybe 9 wins - but we have a very tough road schedule. 2009 should be our breakout year - we will have an awesome home schedule, and we will be 3 years into "The Process". As I have said many times before...good things are coming!

Players I Love from this week:

- Matt Caddell (We will miss him!!!)
- Nikita Stover (Where has he been?? - Awesome catch, run, and flip into the end zone!)
- Wallace Gilberry - (Really going to miss him - if they all played like he does we would have won a few more games this year!!)
- Glenn Coffee (punishing runner)
- Roy Upchurch (Another punishing runner!)

As I wrap up another season of the Tide Weekly Analysis, I look forward to next year. I hope I will have some great things to rave about - and maybe just a few things to bitch about! ;)

Until next season, Roll Tide everyone...Roll Tide!

Jason

Tide Weekly Analysis - Week 12

2007-11-28T16:43:00.000-06:00

Tide Fans -

I HATE Auburn. I don't even know where to start - I have been delaying this week's analysis because I was so irritated at first, and then it turned to depression over having nothing to say. So, after a few days to think about it I will give it my best shot. I can't stand the fact that we have lost to Auburn 6 times in a row - that kills me! Especially when I see pictures of their coach and their players holding up six fingers (I didn't think they could count, so I will have to give a shout out to the basic math skills of the Auburn football players). Nothing makes me more mad than seeing that little smug look on Tubberville's face. He single handily makes me hate Auburn more than I already did. I hope he stays at Auburn, so one day soon I can laugh in his face after a big Tide victory.

What makes the entire situation more irritating is that we should have won that game. Several times we should have taken the game over, but we just couldn't pull it off. Auburn was really not playing a very good game. Our defense was doing an adequate job, once again our offense just stunk it up big time. I mean we could not catch any passes - even the few that were right on target. I think the only person on offense who came to play that night was Glen Coffee. He was gutting it out for every yard he could get. DJ Hall might as well have been wearing a blue & orange jersey. I don't think Keith Brown even knew he was in the game. It was just an overall very lackluster performance for the offense - they did not have the look in their eyes like they were there to win. They were just simply going through the motions. Even Coach Saban looked like he was just there - not intensity at all.

I don't know for sure what is going on in Tuscaloosa with the team, but it appears as though they have just all given up. Saban needs to have a "Come to Jesus" meeting this Spring, or even sooner. I think it needs to go something like this:

Is there anyone in here that does not want to give their all to play on this football team? On this team we don't get to put on the Crimson jersey and half ass it - we play hard on every play, or we don't play at all. Am I clear on that??? If you are not willing to give 100% to this team, and this great University - then get out! Think of all the champions before you that wore that Crimson jersey. They earned those championships with blood, sweat and tears. They worked hard every day, and did what they needed to do to get better. If you are not willing to do what it takes to be a champion, then I don't want you on this team. Every single person on this team needs to give everything they have - if we all can agree to do this, then we will be a great team.

I'm sure it will be different than that, but do you see my point? I know our coach will get this program turned around, it is going to take time, and the full dedication of his players. I know people are tired of hearing about it taking time to change the program, but it does - there is no way around it. We are just going to have to stick it out, and in a few season we will see the results. Next year will be OK, but nothing huge - maybe 8 wins. I predict 2009 to be our breakout year - this is when things will start to happen!

I predicted us to have 7 wins this season, and we may still get that if we go to the Poulan Weedeater Bowl or something like that. Honestly I'm not sure I can stand to witness another sub par performance from The Tide - especially against the likes of a very sub par Big 12 or Big 10 team. I only want the bowl game so our young guys can get some practice - I seriously don't even care if any of the seniors (besides Wallace Gilberry) make it to the game. I would be ok with all new guys on the field who are busting their ass to play.

Bowl or no bowl, this season is over, and it is time to look to the future. There were some great moments this season, and some terrible ones. Through it all, I remain a loyal Tide fan - not even a terrible ending and six losses in a row to Auburn can effect that!

Until next time...Roll Tide!

Jason

Tide Weekly Analysis - Week 11

2007-11-18T20:23:00.000-06:00

Tide Fans -

I really don't know what to say. I know you are all just as shockedas I am, and I really just don't know what to say. I have askedmyself 100 times how that could have possibly happened, and I don'thave an answer. Who would have ever thought they would see the scoreLA-Monroe 21 Alabama 14?? I keep waiting to wake up from thisnightmare. We lost to a Sunbelt conference team - a conference wehave never lost a game to. We lost to probably the worst team Alabamahas ever lost to in it's entire football history. I will echo thewords of John Parker Wilson..."We're Embarrassed". That just aboutsums it up.

Yes, there were some terrible plays...yes there were some terriblecoaching calls, and yes our team played terrible.
I'm not going to waste my time blaming coaches, players etc... Whatgood is it going to do? Anything I say can't change that loss, so Ihave decided to just move on. I decided about 10 minutes beforechurch started, that I am going to move on. It is the only way I canreally cope with a loss like that.

I don't want to hear people talking about firing the coach, paying himtoo much, etc... If you talk like that, then you are not looking atthe big picture. It is very hard for a lot (actually the majority) ofAlabama fans to look at the big picture. The first time somethinggoes wrong, out come the nay sayers. I know I have my moments, butoverall I try to put my passion aside and be objective.

Yes, that loss totally sucked, but it is not the end of our program.It is going to take a few years for us to be where we need to be.Now, in a few years we lose to a team like LA-Monroe, then yes...Iwill be right at the front of the boo birds.

For now, I am just going to suck it up, as painful as it may be andsupport my team through thick and thin. I will always love The Tide,and losing to LA-Monroe does not change that at all.
If you think you feel bad after that loss, think about the players.
It is tough being a fan in times like this, but we have got tocontinue to look at the big picture. Next year will be tough also,but I am going to keep my head up because I know we will be back soon. We are all going to look back and probably laugh at this lossthinking...how in the hell did we lose to them?

I'm sure everyone thinks we are going to go down and get killed atAuburn. We may not win the game, but we will not go down there andjust lay down. I think our team will have something to prove afterthis week. I am sick of losing to Auburn, and I sure as hell hope wewin. I am not going to kill myself if we do lose, because I know weare going to have our way with them soon...payback for many years ofbeing Auburn's whipping boy. Like I said last week...our time iscoming!

I would like to end this with a quote from coach Saban.
"The only way I know to get it right is to fix the things that arewrong, improve our team, and give us the best chance to play well nextweek. I'm not going to quit."

I'm not going to quit either coach....Roll Tide!
Jason

Tide Weekly Analysis - Week 8

2007-10-22T07:49:00.000-05:00

Tide Fans -

Roll Tide!!! I would like apologize for the delay in sending this week's analysis out. I just started a new job today, so I have been a little tied up!Do any of you still have a huge grin on your face? A huge grin brought on by the satisfaction of crushing one of your biggest rivals!! There is nothing better than taking Fat Phil and his banjo playing Volunteers to the woodshed! I am not sure I have enjoyed a game more than that one in Bryant-Denny…it is a game I will not soon forget. 2005 Florida was close, but this is sooo much sweeter to me personally, because I cannot stand UT. I was like a kid in a candy store in that last quarter - just knowing we were crushing them…the only question was by how much would we crush them. Coach Saban talks about dominating our opponent - Saturday we DOMINATED Tennessee!!!
The weather was perfect on Saturday, the atmosphere was incredible, and The Tide was almost perfect! For those of you who have not been to a game this year, then you have not witnessed the new entrance of the team into the stadium. I will do my best to describe the entrance, but you really need to see it for yourself! It starts with a powerful highlight video, and then the camera zooms into the locker room on a live shot. Saban comes around the corner with the team behind him…the crowd goes wild! He leads them down the tunnel and the team is all jumping and very fired up behind him. When they get out of the tunnel onto the field, Saban turns around and gets them all huddled up, and then they explode out on the field and of course the crowd goes wild again! I get chills just thinking about it! For this game it was even better - when they cut to the live shot of the locker room Saban and the team were already behind the doors they open, and you could see the Sabanator pacing back and forth like a caged tiger…it was awesome!!!! I knew it was going to be a good game after I saw this!!!
The Tide played the best they have all season in this game. Our offense moved the ball well, and JP had a career game - he and DJ Hall were unstoppable!! He was making plays like a true veteran QB on Saturday - things I have never seen JP do! Finding alternate receivers on busted plays, running the ball, and even pin point accurate passes!!! John Parker I am VERY proud of you!!! DJ Hall was a machine. Breaking the single game receiving record - that is huge! There were so many positives to take away from that game - it was just awesome! Keep in mind this was all done without 2 of our starters as well. I just hope we can keep this kind of play up…especially in 2 weeks! I think The Tide may be clicking now, and the offense has found their grove. Big shout out to the defense also - what a killer second half!! We pretty much shut down Erik "I'm from Oregon" Ainge, and the rest of their offense.

Players I love from this week:
- JP Wilson (Best game ever!) - DJ Hall (Ditto)
- Kareem Jackson!!!!!! (Incredible game - got burned early, but redeemed himself big time!!!!!! - He is # 3 for those of you asking who Kareem Jackson is - he made 2 huge interceptions, and had several other big plays)
- Javier Arenas (I just hope they kick to him in the future - UT only did it once and they regretted that decision!)

Things we need to improve so I can sleep better:
- Nothing here this week - it was awesome!

Tip of the Week:
- Call a friend who cheers for UT and laugh at him (if you know any - if not let me know, I will give you some names!)

Tide Fans we have a HUGE game in 2 weeks, and one I think we can definitely win! LSU is good, but they are not unbeatable. If we play with the same intensity as we did this week - it will be a great game. Don't get me wrong, this is going to be the toughest game all year, but I think Saban may have a few things up his sleeve that we have not seen yet, and I know The Tide will be prepared for this match up!

Tide Weekly Analysis - Week 2

2007-09-10T07:35:00.000-05:00

Tide Fans -

Greetings from sunny Tuscaloosa! I know I am supposed to talk about The Tide, but first I must give a shout out to Auburn for sucking. I know I was not the only one on this list who enjoyed trying to stay awake and watch the South Florida Bulls beat Auburn in overtime. "Vaya Toros!!" (Go Bulls) It sucks doesn't it Auburn?? Now you know how we felt while losing to Northern Illinois under Shula. Ok - on to better things! I will start by saying that I hate playing Vandy up in Nashville. Every time it is usually a squeaker of a game, no matter how good we are , or how bad Vandy is - it is always close in Nashville. Although I did go up to vandy with a little more "swagger" this week, I still got nervous right before the game. That nervousness was made worse by trying to get to my seat in lovely Vanderbilt Stadium! For those of you who have never had the opportunity to visit this little gem...don't bother. This could possibly be the worst designed stadium in the country. Getting in one of the 4 gates, is not the problem (believe it or not). It is trying to get to your section through one of the 2 tunnels that leads you in. Imagine 20,000 people in a funnel, trying to get down to a single file line - that is the best way I can describe it. It is kind of like when they are doing construction on a 4 lane highway, and they try to move all the traffic to one lane. I know Vandy does not normally have fan traffic issues, but this was ridiculous! After switching to a less crowded tunnel and squirming over 2 sections through a barrage of Tide fans we were in our seats! It was very powerful once seated, to notice that Vanderbilt stadium was filled to capacity with 75% of the crowd being Tide faithful, and to top it off we were in Crimson jerseys!! Immediately following kickoff Vandy went to the air using both of their 2 weapons - and it worked. I cannot describe the feeling in my stomach watching that play develop. I bet I felt like a lot of the Auburn fans did watching the South Florida receiver zip into the end zone in overtime! (Haaaaaaa...sorry just had to get one more jab in!) Thank God there was a flag...Thank GOD!!! We dodged a big bullet there, and then countered with an incredible punt return! Javier Arenas is soo fast, he literally had to wait for his blockers to catch up with him on that punt return. I love going in there and easily punching it in form the goal line like it was nothing - that is a nice change! A big shout out to # 29 this week!! With our dismal passing game, Terry Grant (man crush) took the burden, and got it done. I don't know what is wrong with JP Wilson, but he better fix it of #17 will be our starting QB real soon! I am only hoping he had a bad game, or something was bothering him with his arm, because his passing was miserable. The best way to describe the majority of his passes is like when you try to throw the frisbee on the beach, and it gets caught in the wind and goes straight up and just hovers there. He has got to put more zip on that ball, or there will be a myriad of interceptions as we get into our SEC schedule. I just hope to God this is not some new technique that Major Applewhite has taught him. I am very glad we have a good running game to rely on when the pass is not working (and it definitely was not working). Come on JP...I know you can do better than that!! One thing that is really cool - Terry grant did not even play in the second quarter, and he still got 170+ yards!! It is good to see that even when a player is making big plays, Saban is not scared to chew him out and sit him on the bench because of a missed assignment. I must say - I was glad to see # 29 return in the second half! Speaking of the half - if anyone reading this was there, how bad is Vandy's band??? I mean show a little effort! You have a full house for probably the first time ever in your marching band career, and you play (and march) like you had been out drinking all night. Then again, if I were in the Vandy band I probably would be out drinking all night! Note to Vandy: Please warn us before you blast off a bunch of unexpected fireworks! The band performance certainly didn't get any ones attention, but the small explosion at the end of the half certainly did - good Lord! Everyone in my section ducked as a reaction, as it all scared the sh*t out of us!! I was not pumped about our overall effort in this game, but I was pumped to get out of there with a win! Anytime you can get out of that game with a somewhat comfortable lead it is nice! I was irritated about the last TD we gave Vandy, and Saban obviously was too. I don't know if they showed him on TV while Vandy was driving, but Saban looked as if he had been shocked by his head set. He was livid!!!! A much different reaction than the good ol Shula hand on his face looking into the distance stare. I love seeing a coach get fired up, and we could actually hear his clapping from our seats - he was mad! We have a big test this week with Arkansas! As many of you know - this game usually determines how our season will go. We must stop the double threat of McFadden and Jones, or they will beat us. We stop, or at least slow them down, then we should win the game. If I were coaching, I would design our game plan around # 29, #10, and #38, and run it down their throat! With the passing game this past week - we can't afford to turn the ball over in this game! Run, Run, Run!!!

Players I love from this week:

- Javier Arenas!!!!!
- Terry Grant (could possibly make my list every week)
- Andre Smith (couple of big pancake blocks!)
- Rolondo McClain (still can't believe he is a freshman!)
- Mike McCoy (This guy is unreal!)

Things we need to improve so I can sleep better:

- Passing game (Please JP - bring back the magic!)
- Secondary (I know they contained Earl Bennett well, but still several holes
- I am very nervous about this area)
- Passing game (did I already mention that??)
- Crowd participation (We need to get loud this week in Bryant-Denny)

I look forward to an exciting game this weekend, and I do feel that this game will show us what we really have this season. We must have solid play by our defense (especially linebackers) to help stop that running threat that Arkansas brings. Note to defense: Please watch for the half back pass - they love this play, and execute it well! I for one plan to be eating some pig this weekend...I hope the Tide does too! Until next week...Roll Tide! Jason

Tide Weekly Analysis - Week 1

2007-09-03T20:32:00.000-05:00

Tide Fans -

Roll Tide! I would like to start first by saying that we have played our first game under new head coach Nick Saban, and I still can't believe he is our coach - it is still awesomely weird to me! Is it just me, or is it still hard to believe he is actually our coach??
On to the game - Wow, what a way to start a season! I entered Bryant-Denny stadium with a confidence and calmness that I have not experienced in some years. The pre game beers helped, but it was almost as if I were walking into the stadium and it was 1994. I think a lot of it had to do with knowing we have a coach who is going to make sure the team is prepared. Gone are the days of the tight sphincter squeekers against Duke, Florida International, La. Monroe etc... Our performance this past Saturday was one of clean execution, swarming defense, and domination. Yes, it was Western Carolina, but you could truly see a difference on that field. It's almost as if Alabama has their swagger back. Yes, I said it - Alabama football officially has its swagger back!!! I love swagger, and I love the feeling that we can go out and play against anyone. Some of you may think I am pre-mature on the "swagger" talk, but I know you feel it too! A little bit of my swagger was taken away about 10 minutes into the game. Not because of how we were playing, but because an enormous bird decided to take a sh*t on me!!!!!!!!! Yes, as I sat there watching the Tide play, I felt a sharp pain on my left shoulder. I figured it was some drunk in the upper deck throwing ice, but much to my surprise (and disgust) I realized...I had been singled out in a group of 93,000 people and this bird decided to relieve himself on me. I know many of you are probably laughing right now, saying "no way", but yes - this really did happen!! I could not believe it either, but the proof was right there on my white shirt. Trying not to call attention to myself, I casually leaned over to my wife and said.."Hey, I just got sh*t on by a bird!" Which she replied..."WHAT????" It is at this point my mother, who was sitting on the other side of me said very loudly "What is that brown stuff all over your shirt??" Once again, trying not to draw attention to myself I explained what had happened. This information was of course relayed to my father who was sitting next to my mother. My father, trying to help out, poured water all over my shirt, and then my mother tried to wipe the excess off with a napkin. This not only made the "stain" even bigger, but now people in our section were starting to look at me. It is at this point where I wished I could just disappear - this truly was not happening to me - but it really was! Now with onlookers from several rows watching, my parents continued trying to get the bird sh*t off of my shirt. I finally said - "Screw it...I am going to go buy a new shirt" Many of you know there are souvenir stands inside the stadium that sell shirts, hats, etc... Many of you also know that they sell what my sister refers to as "non-graduate" type of t-shirts. The selection was slim...it was either a shirt that had some slogan on it like "Bear is looking down, and he still hates Tennessee", or some terrible busy logo shirt. I finally found what I considered the most conservative looking shirt, purchased it, and changed shirts immediately. Yes, it was crisp and new, and not normally the type of shirt I would wear, but it did not have bird sh*t on it - and that was more important then looking good to me at the time! With a new, sh*t free shirt I proceeded to watch The Tide dominate W. Carolina! Again, I know we were playing little more than a high school team, but you could just see a difference in how we played. One big difference is how well our receivers blocked down field. Even true freshman McCoy had several great blocks, allowing Terry Grant to do his thing. No delay of games, no lumbering out of the field looking worn out - everyone looked fresh. It was so nice to actually sit back and enjoy a game, instead of holding our breath in the final minutes. Roll Tide to that!!!!!!!!!!!! I look forward to an exciting season this year - a season that may actually be better than many of us thought. I am going to try and keep my hopes realistic, but I just have a good feeling about our "new" team. I can't wait to go up to Vandy next weekend and watch Terry Grant run like a mad man over their defense. Yes, just a few days ago I was dreading the trip to Nashville to play Vandy, but now - I feel very good about it. Back to Terry Grant...he is my official "man crush" this season! I think this kid is going to break records here at Alabama. His running style reminds me of good 'ol # 20...Sherman Williams. It is like he just glides across the field, and I love it!!!!

Players I love this week:
- TERRY GRANT (need I say more!)
- Mike McCoy (Awesome freshman receiver...Keith Brown may be keeping his seat warm this season
- Rolondo McClain (Another freshman talent - unbelievable game!)
- Glen Goffee (solid backup running effort - I think we are loaded back here!)
- Javier Arenas (run Javier...run like the wind!)

Things we need to improve on so I can sleep better:

- Nothing football related (at least not yet)
- Sound system in Bryant Denny - please crank it!!!!
- 4th quarter Green Day song that the band plays (you all know how I feel about this song - if not refer to last season)
- Better shirt selection at souvenir stand (just in case)

Tip of the week: (New this season!)

- If you look up into the sky at Bryant-Denny...keep your mouth shut!

Coach Saban has brought a new attitude to this team. This attitude is going to change our team, and I truly believe that they will "work to be a champion". I look forward to a fun season - we may not win them all, but I know that we are going to at least play hard, and leave it all on the field. For all of you dedicated Tide fans heading up to Nashville this weekend - take a little swagger with you...we deserve it! Until next week...Roll Tide!

Jason