UPDATE:Roll Bama Roll posted a nice deconstruction of the issues Thursday morning. AOL’s fanhouse featured a confrontation between Brian Cook and Pete Holladay over Nick Saban. Nick Saban has been attacked for everything bad from the subprime mortgage collapse to the war in Iraq. So, why not one more thing. Cook goes after Saban for [...]
Archive | February, 2008
Here come the regulators
As if the clock fiasco from two seasons ago were not enough, here we go again. The NCAA rulemakers are back. Mr. College Football Tony Barnhart details the announced rules changes in the AJC story. (H/T blutarsky.wordpress.com) Two rule changes should change the pace of the game. First, the 25-second clock will be replaced with [...]
Let’s talk about Auburn football
@3:55 p.m. on the Paul Finebaum Radio show, an Auburn fan calls and says he wanted to talk about Auburn football. And I’m sure you can guess his next comments. Nick Saban…Nick Saban…Nick Saban… Nick Saban…Nick Saban…Nick Saban… Nick Saban…Nick Saban…Nick Saban… Nick Saban…Nick Saban…Nick Saban… Nick Saban…Nick Saban…Nick Saban… Nick Saban…Nick Saban…Nick Saban… Nick [...]
Indiana faces NCAA firing squad
I bet Indiana wishes they had Bobby Knight right now. IU’s head basketball coach allegedly provided false or misleading information to the institution, and horror of horror’s the NCAA. The allegations were obtained by the Indianapolis Star and published this morning: Sampson “failed to deport himself … with the generally recognized high standard of honesty” [...]
The Leviathan: The NCAA
The NCAA is the most corrupt organization this side of the Iron Curtain. What? The Iron Curtain doesn’t exist anymore? I guess that makes the NCAA the new evil empire. Aside from selective prosecutions (Hey Myles, what’s going on with Reggie Bush and USC?), lame rules (banning Native American mascots), and self-aggrandizing double-talk, the NCAA’s [...]
Kines to College Station?
The Dallas Morning News is reporting Joe Kines is a leading candidate for defensive coordinator for Texas A&M. One of Kines’ best moments in recent years was Alabama’s 13-10 victory over Texas Tech in the 2006 AT&T Cotton Bowl. The Red Raiders’ high-octane offense managed just 329 total yards against the Crimson Tide, which had [...]
Fans will take any national championship
Alabama fans will take any national championship they can get By Hunter Ford Alabama’s football program has been declared the recruiting national champions and Tide fans are all giddy about it. As an Alabama fan myself, I am hopeful that Coach Nick Saban will improve on last season’s 7-6 record. But the majority of this [...]
Clock ticking for Gottfried
It is Monday. How many more Mondays remain for Mark Gottfried as head coach of Alabama’s basketball team? With each ticking of the clock, the feeling grows that midnight is nigh for Gottfried. It isn’t a pleasant thought. Gottfried is a former player, and someone I supported to replace the feckless David Hobbs. Which proves, [...]
Fans asked to be like Bama fans
As if the #1 recruiting class wasn’t revenge for Auburn and other fans making fun of Alabama’s A-Day enthusiasm, now other coaches across the country are asking their fasn to be like…Bama fans. Colorado is now asking its fans to act like Bama, according to this report. Advertisement: Story continues below McCartney said when Alabama [...]
Rivals vs. ESPN
Tom Luginbill went on the Paul Finebaum Radio Network Friday and fired a shot at other recruiting services, charging his competitors ranked recruiting classes based on a profit motive instead of unbiased opinion. “We don’t have to please anybody,†Luginbill told Finebaum. “We don’t have to generate sales.†Shannon Terry, CEO and president of Rivals.com, [...]
Luginbill alleges other services have agenda
Tom Luginbill went on the Paul Finebaum Radio Show Friday and blasted other recruiting services; Luginbill said the other services have an agenda in their rankings. By contrast, Luginbill is the white knight of innocence that never has an ulterior motive in his comments or rankings. Luginbill ranks for the pristine love of the game. [...]
Rating the SEC
While Alabama’s class has been discussed, analyzed incessantly, I thought it would be wise to look at the other classes and do my best Luginbill impression by arbitrarily ranking the classes. Here goes… 2. Georgia Marc Richt is in the middle of doing something amazing for the Bulldogs. Richt has supplanted Fulmer as the chief [...]
Who gets fired first? Fulmer or Tuberville?
Who has the hottest seat in the SEC? It isn’t the usual suspects like Sly Croom or whoever has the misfortune of coaching Vandy or Kentucky. No, the hottest chairs in the conference reside in Knoxville and Auburn. Advertisement: Story continues below Tennessee hasn’t won a conference title since 1998. While Alabama has spent years [...]
Rodriguez is scum
Rich Rodriguez is a good football coach, but his personal ethics could be worse than Nick Saban or Bobby Petrino—the latest media whipping boys. Rodriguez lied at worst, and misled Alabama at best. But if he truly followed his heart, and stayed at WVU who could blame him. In fact, doing what would make him [...]
Nothing to see here
As Auburn burns, the propaganda machine is out in full force. Here’s a few gems from the Auburn version of Izvestia. It’s not easy being Auburn in the fiercely competitive world of college football, and it’s gotten even harder these days. In almost every state, The University of (name the state) has a recruiting advantage. [...]
What they are saying…
…About Alabama’s 2008 recruiting class Here’s a look around at the commentary on Alabama’s 2008 class: Rivals.com declared Alabama the recruiting national champion. Scout.com declared it High Tide, as Alabama closed like a sledgehammer. The publicity even landed Alabama on the front page, above the fold of USA Today: Advertisement: Story continues below The Press-Register [...]
What the 2008 class means
Nick Saban told CSTV that players from this class could be immediate contributors. “Especially linebackers†like Jerrell Harris. It is difficult for freshmen to contribute in major college football, but it is not unheard of. Even Alabama saw Rolando McClain play as a freshman this last season. McClain did a superb, if at times inconsistent [...]
Alabama lands superb class; credit to fans
“Recruiting is the lifeline..” Nick Saban Nick Saban and the Alabama coaching staff landed one of the finest recruiting classes in recent memory Wednesday. The Tide signed 32 players including 3 five-star recruits, 19 four-star recruits and 8 three-star recruits. The recruiting triumph began Wednesday with the commitment from Mark Ingram. The momentum stayed with [...]
COLLAPSE
In-fighting between Tommy Tuberville, school administrators and boosters will finally yield bitter fruit—the day of reckoning is at hand. Tuberville’s attempt to escape Auburn failed because school officials held Tuberville to his buyout. However, the school administrators/boosters really didn’t want Tuberville (see Jetgate), but decided to stick it to him. Auburn’s crowd cut off their [...]
Prelude to signing day
Mark Ingram announced his commitment to Alabama Tuesday afternoon. Auburn signed a good linebacker prospect, but a low-rated one. Is this a prelude to signing day? Maybe. Does the Ingram commitment herald a Bama sweep on National Signing Day? The signing of a linebacker by Auburn could foretell the direction Jerrell Harris will take on [...]
Rivals, as clear as is the summer’s sun
Rivals.com released its rating formula in a post on its discussion forums today. And it is as clear as is the summer’s sun. Kind of. It’s a very basic formula, which I’m going to explain in general, and then show you what goes into each part: H * ( n / ( n + m [...]
Mark Ingram Watch
National Signing Day is less than 24 hours away, and the foretaste of what may happen starts today at 2:30 p.m. central when Michigan prep star Mark Ingram Jr. makes his decision known. Alabama has emerged as a strong contender for this running back who amassed 1,700 yards, 24 touchdowns and averaged 8.7 yards per [...]
The lazy recruiter’s rule
The SEC and NCAA passed new legislation preventing coaches from visiting high schools during the spring evaluation period. You can read more about the rule in Ray Melick’s Tuesday morning column. The key line from Melick’s column explains the purpose of the rule: But this rule change smacks of coaches who don’t work as hard [...]
COLLAPSE:AU’s class gets worse by the hour
Auburn’s already mediocre recruiting class continues to get worse. PRAVDA (aka auburnsports.com) reported the Tigers have ceased recruiting a four-star wide receiver, Jarmon Fortson, who had earlier committed to Auburn. This follows on Auburn’s decision to stop recruiting Antoine McClain. Tommy Tuberville had more hunting and shopping to do and didn’t want recruiting to interfere, [...]
Luginbill doesn’t understand recruiting
Tom Luginbill was on Paul Finebaum’s Radio show Monday afternoon. On the show, Luginbill talked more about his process, and why Alabama is rated lower than UGA and UF in the ESPN rankings. Luginbill constantly reached to the NFL and draft metaphors to explain how recruiting works, and how his system works. Basically, Luginbill said [...]
Bizarre low in recruiting
A high school lineman from Nevada committed to California because, “Coach Tedford and I talked a lot, and the fact that the head coach did most of the recruiting of me kind of gave me that real personal experience,” Hart said in meeting with the media that attended the announcement ceremony.” The problem? Neither Cal [...]
Getting to know more about Star Jackson
One of the most interesting recruits for Alabama’s future is a top quarterback from Florida—Star Jackson. Jackson has 4.4 speed, good mobility and a great touch on the football. So what does that make Jackson? A dual-threat quarterback? The Times Daily explored that in an article today. “A lot of people think because he runs [...]
Monday morning roundup
Conflicting reports from al.com on the future of Kevin Steele. The Birmingham News declares that Steele won’t be leaving Alabama; the Mobile Press-Register maintains nothing has changed regarding Steele’s candidacy for the USA head coaching job. The Birmingham News reported in a news story by Ian Rapoport and a column by Kevin Scarbinsky that Steele [...]
Super Bowl XLII lessons
The single most important lesson from this Super Bowl is the lesson everyone should already know—defense is the key to winning. Period. For everyone who says the landscape of football has changed, that the spread has made defense obsolete: watch championship football. Watch this Super Bowl. Tom Brady is one of the greatest quarterbacks and [...]
Super Bowl: Halftime show & thoughts
Thanks NFL for wasting my time with these ridiculously long halftime shows featuring washed up, nearly dead rockstars who were has-beens before I was even born. I could’ve watched commercials and been more entertained. For that matter, I could’ve watched the actual game and been more entertained. In regards to the game, it was a [...]
Tony Mitchell’s suspension much needed
As the Crimson Tide takes the floor tonight in basketball’s version of the Iron Bowl (part one, anyway), it’ll do [...]