Kirk McNair reminds everyone why Alabama fans are optimistic about John Parker Wilson with this feature story on the Tide quaterback. This is the highlight from the story for all the Wilsond doubters:
Wilson heads up an offense that is expected to be very potent in 2007, in great part because of the numbers the 6-2, 213-pound junior put up in his first year as a starter last year. Wilson set Alabama records for yards passing (2,707), touchdowns (17), attempts (379), and completions (216). He also had a record nine 200-yard passing games.
Two people I don’t like, Dennis Dodd and Bill Cury. Imagine my delight at reading Dodd quoting Bill Curry in his most recent column. Here are a few lowlights:
It is different in the South,” said former Alabama coach Bill Curry, the De facto conscience for the sport, who played for Vince Lombardi and Bobby Dodd before coaching at Georgia Tech, Alabama and Kentucky.
“For the Southern male, Reconstruction was devastating. Then came the Depression and image of the South as redneck ne’er-do-wells. Along comes Civil Rights and suddenly there was this thing called television. The whole nation could see the fire hoses and dogs and Bull Connor.
“The only thing that people had to hook their wagon to is, ‘Our little bitty skinny boys can whip your big Yankee boys on the football field.'”
Curry is the conscience of the sport? Turgid know-it-all would be more like it. Did Curry ever have success anywhere he coached? Why should an abject failure be worthy of quoting?
LSU’s Les Miles is setting himself up for failure this season. He can’t keep his eye off Alabama. In an interesting analysis in The Item it is pointed out that “Les Miles…seems to delight in stoking the passions of LSU’s rabid fan base.”
Why is that? Maybe because Miles understands his only chance at keeping his job is if the fans hate Saban. Miles was an outsider hardly accepted by the LSU faithful until that January day when Saban boarded a plane for Tuscaloosa. For now at least, LSU fans and Miles have something in common—their hatred of Saban. Miles wants to keep that hatred burning. However, it is a recipe for disaster. What happens if Miles stumbles and falls to Saban in their first meeting? The consequences for Miles is hardly fathomable. The mediocre coach believes he has a strong team this year, but he is playing a dangerous game.
And you thought it was a good looking 2008 recruiting class Nick Saban was working on. Turns out Saban is already making progress on his 2009 class. Rivals reported Mike Privott of Norfolk, Virginia is intersted in the Tide. According to the report, Tennessee, NC State, North Carolina, Louisville and Alabama are the Top Five for the linebacker.
Alabama’s basketball team will face 15 postseason teams in the 2007-2008 season, according to the schedule.