Tide’s future looks bright after a season on the brink
By Shane from Centerpoint

I remember standing above the north end zone at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama during the Crimson Tide’s 1992 SEC Championship game against the Florida Gators thinking that Alabama could beat anybody. I say this because that particular Crimson Tide defense was one of the best I had ever seen. They didn’t let me down. After All-American cornerback Antonio Langham stole a Florida pass and returned it for a touchdown to seal the Gator’s fate and win the SEC, the big red elephants rolled on down to New Orleans and destroyed Heisman Trophy winner Gino Torretta and his Miami Hurricanes to become the undefeated national champion.

The second year of the Nick Saban era at Alabama was close to perfection as well. The only thing missing against the two “spread” teams that beat Alabama – losses that tainted an otherwise perfect 12-0 regular season – were two or three of the type defensive backs that coach Saban requires to run his style of defense efficiently enough to shut down today’s great modern offensive schemes. However, with a 12-win, 2-loss run, a stay of five-plus weeks as the number one football program in the country, and with a large group of even better players on the way, the Tide stands poised to make a reality the prediction that I made when Nick Saban arrived at the Capstone. I said that Alabama would win the national crown in 2009 (Saban’s 3rd year). I think it’s extremely possible, mainly due to a favorable schedule.

Before you jump down my throat, listen to the experts who command far more respect than I could ever hope to. The Atlanta Constitution’s, Tony Barnhart has Alabama ranked 4th in his pre-season poll. ESPN’s, Mark May has Bama at #4 as well. In fact, most of the pundits have Alabama in their top five.

Along with a favorable schedule that brings most of Alabama’s toughest opponents to Bryant-Denny stadium in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide should sign a top three recruiting class in February and be deeper overall, as well as more talented at every position heading into the Virginia Tech game in Atlanta next fall.

Apparently the national experts are in agreement with my opinion that Nick Saban’s teams tend to get perpetually better as his “process” progresses. He will be loading up the stable again on signing day. Alabama fans should look forward to this year’s incoming class and next year will be no different. In my opinion, every place Saban coaches ends up with a team chocked-full of great football players. He has a knack for assembling football talent.

For the first time in years, Alabama fans can relax and look forward to next season’s opening kick-off. With the Tide program in Coach Saban’s hands, the future looks bright and Bama fans can hold their heads high. In two short years under the “Nicktator”, Alabama has regained most of the legendary reputation that makes them one of the most respected college football programs in the history of the game.

It’s an old cliché, but I’m convinced that “defense really does win championships”. Coach Saban, like “Bear” Bryant and Gene Stallings before him, is a master in the art of defense. Alabama’s defensive improvement from year one to year two was astounding. I believe year three will be even better, mainly because coach Saban has one of the best defensive minds around. Besides, his NFL type system will lure many great players who have an interest in playing defense at the next level.

After stacking a top-ten and a number-one recruiting class together, as well as a probable top-three group this year, Alabama is no longer rebuilding. When this year’s signing class is finished, the Tide will be reloaded. Talent will soon begin to overlap and quality competition during practice will build solid depth at every position, something Alabama hasn’t had in a decade.

Once, during the Shula era, after another embarrassing loss to an inferior opponent, I was livid. I told my dad – who was present – that I thought the program was going to remain stuck in mediocrity forever. My father spoke up and told me that as bad as it looks, Alabama would always come back to greatness. At the time I don’t think I believed that it would ever be possible again. As usual, Dad was right! In two short years Nick Saban has Bama on the brink. The timing of his arrival was perfect. Saban and Alabama are a perfect union of a championship coach and a school looking for championships.
[poll id=”14″]



Categorized in : misc

70 thoughts on “Shane: 2009 could be Bama’s year”

  3. You told your Dad that you thought Bama would be stuck in mediocrity forever?? During which year that you predicted that Bama would go 11-1, and then gave the same pre-season prediction the following season, was that??

    P.S. I don’t think it was 2 or 3 missing defensive backs that allowed Utah to sack JPW every time he even thought about passing. It was a missing Andre. I agree Bama will be strong next year, but but they will miss Andre and Caldwell more than most bammers care to realize.

  4. Would somebody please open the GATE where these BARNERS can take their stinking crap to another WEBSITE.

    BAMA………36
    BARN………00

    BAMA………36
    BARN………00

    BAMA………36
    BARN………00

    BAMA………36
    BARN………00

    Sorry about that AZZ kicking Tub, didn’t mean to get you fired.

    Man, all these SEC teams are trying to spend their way out of losing at a record pace. Litte Aubie’s, Tennessee, Georgia, etc.

    Even SEC schools that are as poor as they come spend millions of dollars on coaches (etc) trying to prove their Bear Bryant manhood! I LOVE IT!

    Look what the BEAR did to all these other SEC schools. The BEAR beat the Hell out of them for decades and they have been trying to catch up ever since. LOL

    21 SOUTHEASTERN CHAMPIONSHIPS
    12 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

    Is Pat (LACK OF INSTITUTIONAL CONTROL) Dye through hiring his staff on the PLANTATION yet?

    Shane, it’s amazing to me how you get these General Robert E. Lee County cockroaches out from under their rock’s.

  5. Let’s see….no Andre, no Caldwell, no Coffee, no Wilson, a rookie QB…..maybe Saban should have the defense play offense as well. Could be a new “process.”

    What Shane failed to acknowledge in his blog said more than what he did write!

  6. CB………….I knew it wouldnt be long aforn sumbody started talkin bout BAHR !!!!!

    Newsflash for CB………Bahr has been pushin up daisies for quite a while now.

    Yall won the last Iron bow.

    You dont have to mention BAHR.

    Now , on to other topics. 09 will not be Bammers year. Its gonna be hard for Saban to win without Shulas players.

    The end.

  7. To those arguing against a strong Alabama team next year.

    1) Alabama only loses Bobby Greenwood and Rashad Johnson on defense. All linebackers are returning with depth, in addition to a stone wall defensive line (against the run) anchored by Cody with additions Kerry Murphy (monster JUCO transfer out of Hoover) and a score of experienced back-ups. As Shane stated, all we need is quality cover corners, which I hope either develop or are recruited.

    2). To the Aubie who mentioned the Tide loses our QB; THIS IS A BENEFIT. Now that Sarah Jessica Parker is gone we can have an honest QB competition. Star and McElroy have both spent time under the offense and with a stable of running backs and a reworked offensive line, the run will continue to be the Tide’s primary focus. Anything a new QB can bring, i.e. the legs of Star or some freaking accuracy from McElroy will only be icing on the cake.

    3). The offensive line will be the biggest question, but it seems Coach Saban has prepared for this very instance. With highly touted JC transfer OT James Carpenter -6.5 305 and 09 signee OT – DJ Fluker 6.7 347, the Tide should have more than enough big boys to find at least one quality side of the line to protect our QB’s blind side and step up as the go to guys for the run.

    All in all we’ll see. Utah game sucked but the future is promising. It’s really sad when Auburn fans have to post on here to try and dissuade Alabama fans optimism for 2009 season.

    Roll Tide

  8. Bama will not be more talented at every position. Center and LT will certainly not and TE, RB and QB are a question mark. On defense, you are correct. At every position Bama will be better. What allowed UA to go 12-2 was luck with injuries. Basically, there wern’t any. UA lost two starters for three games total(Cody and Smith). If the answers to the TE, QB and RB questions are positive the tide will challenge. If not, then something less.

  10. I predict Alabammer will finish 0-12 and Opelika will finish 15-0 and Gene Cheez-it will show Nick Saban how to properly win an Opelika Farmer’s Market National Championship!

  11. Jim E. Johns…..a “stable of running backs” and a “reworked offensive line”?!?!?!? You could teach lessons on political spin! What you meant to say was “Bama’s offense will need to play with a large rabbit’s foot up their ass to have any chance of success, because they lose all of the stars from 2008, except Julio….”

    Seriously, I don’t have to put down bama to make myself feel better about AUBURN. The facts are the facts. Auburn is heading in the right direction. I’m not going to pull a Shane and pick my team to win a NC every year, but they will see success again a lot sooner than most of you bammers would like to admit.

  12. Shane never came on the radio and shared his thoughts about mediocrity. Proof that no matter how much Sabanaid Shane sprays out of his mouth, his true feelings of mediocrity will always remain just below the surface.

    Saban’s teams get better in his process??? When was the last time he put together two 10 win seasons? When has he ever finished his plate and gone undefeated?

    Your saban bandaid will lose its stick. Our all-star staff will endure way past the days of satan.

    WDE

  13. YO, PEOPLE! First of all, while I would like to agree with Shane’s prognostication, I SIMPLY CAN’T! Our defense should be very good, but our offense has too many question marks. McElroy has very little experience as a D-1 QB and Jackson has NONE. TE, LT, C; all these positions are up for grabs. Saban & his staff have proven that they are very capable of recruiting the talent and putting them in the position to make plays, but youth and lack of experience could very well factor into the equation. I can see Alabama winning 10 or 11 games in 2009, but I can also see youth & inexperience contributing to 1 or 2 losses.

  14. Bama will be back and better.
    They have arguably the best lineman class int he country coming in. and JPW (while being a game manager) was not a great QB. There is plenty of size, speed and talent at Bama now an more coming in in February. If you are looking to beat Alabama down in Lee County, Dont bet the farm on it. It is entirely possible Bama could win the Iron bowl by 50 points in 2009.

  15. Jim…………I didnt think we would miss Cox either. We all know how that one turned out.

  16. We’ll be fine @ TE. Brad Smelley is great.

    The OL will be fine. We have rivals 5-star DJ Fluker coming in, along with a few other monsters.

    Yeah, we’re losing Smith and Caldwell, but we still have Cody, Ingram, Hightower, McClain, Arenas, Cardwell, and Julio.

    McElroy will make JPW look like a train wreck before it’s all over. No more missed bombs to Julio, who pretty much had to stop his stride to catch JPW’s throws. No more “Let me hold the ball as far away from me as possible to facilitate a turnover, while I take this ill-advised sack to begin with” nonsense.

    We won’t win as many games as we did last year, but if we can manage to not lose more than one Western game, we’ll be OK. I suspect that Ole Miss might beat us!

  18. Yeah, Brandon Cox was merely a “game manager” also. All he did was win 29 ball games in 3 years as a starter. You’ll miss JPW (the way he played as a senior) more than you think. The biggest thing Bama is gonna miss is Andre and Caldwell. If you think you’re gonna plug in a couple of true freshmen and replace one of the greatest o-linemen in conference history and another 1st team All American without missing a beat, you’re out of your freakin’ minds. Your coaching staff is good, but they ain’t miracle workers. Coffee will be missed also, but I think Ingram and Trent Richardson should fill in pretty nicely.

    That’s not to say that Bama won’t be good. But you might want to review the tape of the Tulane Game and the Utah game before you just wave off the loss of Andre. You might also want to remember 2000 after Chris Samuels left.

  19. Would somebody please open the GATE and let these Barners out to pasture.

    Thanks BEAR, for making the SEC the best football conference in the world. BEAR, without you’re domination of the SEC for decades those other schools would not spend millions of dollars trying to get their BEAR BRYANT MANHOOD.

    BAMA………36
    BARN………00

    BAMA………36
    BARN………00

    BAMA………36
    BARN………00

    BAMA………36
    BARN………00

    Will Auburn or Tennessee go on probation first with their new million dollar football arms race. It’s too close to call, that will be one HELL of a race.

    I think Auburn and Tennessee said screw it, the only way we can win is by throwing alot of money around, if the NCAA gets us SO BE IT!

    21 SOUTHEASTERN CHAMPIONSHIPS
    12 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

  20. Has Pat (LACK OF INSTITUTIONAL CONTROL) Dye finished hiring he’s (Aub-Der) football staff yet?

    Shane, it’s amazing to me how you get these General Robert E. Lee County cockroaches out from under their rock’s.

  21. Julio,

    I don’t expect things to be perfect, but they will be better than most folks think. I will not dispute that losing those guys on the OL is gonna hurt, but the cupboard is stocked with potential. They will have to learn some things the hard way.

    Frankly, I think losing to Utah has sped that particular process along. We know exactly what needs work, and our staff is going to address it.

    I hear your points, but I’ll pass on the game manager QB, thanks. LSU got away with it, but teams like your and ours will never get the championship without a really strong quarterback.

    Hell, look at the difference it made down in Ole Miss.

    Oh, speaking of RB’s, did you hear that Terry Grant wants to transfer? Poor guy. Went from being a cog in 2007 to mop-up in 2008.

  22. CB is a flippin idiot!!! I’ll Bet hes ????? And CB NEWSFLASH the BEAR was great maybe besides Robinson the best BUT HES DEAD DUDE!!! we DOnt have to play him anymore and comparing ANYONE to him is a FUKN insult STUPID ASS ROOKIE!

    Jim E. Johns is that the same GREAT defense that the UTES picked a part?

  23. Crimson doosh……….pLease quit embarrassing yourself with the BAAAHR remarks. Its really kind of sad.

    julio, they wont miss there two first team ALL AMERICAN lineman. THEY ARE BAMA !!!!!!!!!!! Did you forget that ? Did you not get the memo ? THEY ARE BAMA DAMMMITT !!!!!!!!!!!! They will plug in 2 true freshman , and it will be business as usual.

    WHY ? CAUSE THEY ARE FREEEEEKIN BAMA … MAN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  25. No Kreskin………That would be the dork who thinks that Caldwell and Smith are just average Alabama linemAn.

  26. CB what are you talking about…”million dollar football arms race” at Auburn?? That was bama who got stupid with the coach’s salary…..5 Million dollars worth of stupid. Looks even more stupid with the present economy.

    Chiz was started at a very modest 2 or so million (and should have been), and word is, he volunteered, if need be, to take a cut in pay in order to get the very best assistants/coordinators to come. We’ll see if that extra 3 million spent was worth it next year.

  27. Who was the last team to STOMP Barrrrr and force him to give up coaching?

    Shame, you dropped your purse.

  28. I can tell you who the last team was that helped show Tubs the door. . . that would be Bama 08 with a big ol 36-0. . . .deny it all you want Aubs

  29. Who was the last coach to show Coach Dye the door? But more importantly, who was the last coach to show Coach Tubs the door? And most importantly, who will be the first coach to show Coach Cheez-Wiz the door?

    I can give you a hint: It’ll be all 12 coaches on Aufarm’s schedule next year?

    By the way, why are ALL YOU BARNIES worried about how our team will perform?

    YOU are the idiots who are returning a 5-7 team, along with KODI BURNS!

    Don’t forget, even as painful as it sounds, in that 36-0 SHUTOUT, our ENTIRE second string beat your ENTIRE first string 7-0.

    Here’s to Aufarm’s 3-9 season next year: ROLL TIDE!

  30. Ballplay, weren’t you the douche who claimed our defense wouldn’t be shit this year? Last I recall, they only underachieved in THREE out of 14 games this year.

    Also, have a look at our incoming recruits. You’ll love the five star lineman we have on track to succeed Mr. Smith. But it looks like you’ll find out the hard way when they’re opening up even bigger holes against the Barnie defense that surrendered 36 points, including 7 points to our second string nearly two months ago.

    Enjoy the 3-9 season next year! Would that be considered as overachieving for Cheez-Whiz?

  31. Yes, it was me. I was wrong as rain. Yall had a good defense.

  32. The Bammer from St Clair is the only bammer on this post that has taken off his Crimson stained goggles and looked at this deal objectively. I dont care how good a freshman tackle is. Or a FRESHMAN CENTER is (center especially). They are freshman. Smith was a decent player as a freshman. Not great , but pretty darn good. That is the same Smith who was arguably the best lineman in CFB. Maybe the best ever at Bama, and even one of the top ten in SEC history. And IMO Caldwell is just nearly as good. So , if you think that you are gonna just fill those two gaps and keep truckin, your sadly mistaken. I do believe that yall will be able to run the ball. Just not like last year. Heck, they could point to a hole and say ” we are going to run it here ” …..And they would, and they would run it well. That is what Im talking about.

    And I know that Ill take flak for this , but , JPW played good ball for yall last year. Say what you want. But he will be missed.

  33. See, you bammers really don’t even want to acknowledge the obvious. You think JPW sucked and he won’t be missed?? You think McElroy is going to be instantly better?? Newsflash kids…if McElroy was already better than JPW, he’d have been the starter this year. I don’t think Saban stuck with JPW because he’s such a sentimental guy that he thought a senior deserved to play over a sophomore. If Saban thought he had even a half percent better chance of winning with McElroy than he did with JPW, then JPW would have been riding the pine all season.

    In fact, let me remind you bammers what Saban said last summer in response to a question about a potential qb race/controversy for the 08 season: “Every time a Tide fan puts their head on their pillow, they ought to hope and pray that John Parker has a good year. Because the best chance that we have to have a good team and have a good season rests on the fact that he’s a two-year starter and he’s improved as a quarterback and played with more consistency.” Yeah, that statement just oozes with confidence in McElroy.

    P.S. That’s not to say that McElroy won’t be any good. In fact, I think he’s got a lot of potential. But there’s a learning curve involved with all new qb’s, and some take a lot longer than others. GM will get his trial by fire in the Georgia Dome against Va Tech.

  35. I’ve been reasonable as well Ballplay, so let’s give credit where it’s due.

    As I said, will losing Smith hurt? Of course it will. Does that mean will will totally collapse? No way.

    And John Parker looked like a rank freshman anytime there was serious trouble, so truly, I’m not going to miss him at all.

  36. Julio,

    There was no reason to make a change because we were winning. However, I challenge you to name ONE instance where JPW’s leadership, skill, and desire lead us to a win at any point in his career.

    Like I said, the guy reverted back to the same old errors whenever he was in trouble, and looked no better than a first-year starter. Those of you who have NOT seen McElroy in person do not know what a gem he is, and how it won’t take a whole season for him to start playing well.

  37. Kreskin………I know hes not a Heisman finalist, O.K.. But he wasnt bad. He rarey made BIG mistakes. The two losses yall had were not on the count of him. Sure he couldve played better against Utah, but he was getting ZERO protection. Wouldnt you agree ?

    As far as the Florida loss goes, they are a great team. Not to mention National Champs.

    Again, hes no Peyton Manning, but he had a good Senior year.

  38. Who was the last great QB at Bama? Joe Willie? Look no further than the National Champion Florida Gators for quality QB’s By the way losers, did you hear Mr. Tebow was coming back for his senior season? He’s going to end his career at UF with 3 National Championships and 2 Heisman’s! You better put all these 5 star recruits that Urban is turning away on the defense because Tebow will conquer the Tide one more time!!

  39. That’s if they even get to the SEC Championship again which I doubt. The SEC and everybody else now knows Bama (because of Saban) was a media darling this year. What’s the current streak at now…2 losses in a row? The good news for the Bama Nation is they were against Florida and the Florida Jr. Varsity known as Utah.

  40. Geez Kreskin, are you freakin’ kidding me?? Have you seriously forgotten how he lit up Clemson and Georgia, neither of which were home games?? He was 22-30 with 2 tds and 0 picks against Clemson, and he was 13-16 for 1 td and 0 picks against UGA. Even though he had an ugly game against LSU, he took you straight down the field with the game on the line in OT. He put a dagger in Auburn’s heart early in the 3rd quarter after the early Auburn fumble by throwing a strike straight to the end zone. Finally, he never threw more than 1 pick in a single game except the Sugar Bowl. If you’re blaming JPW for the Sugar Bowl, you really are a moron. That loss was on Andre Smith and the Bama secondary.

    You can’t have it both ways. You and every other bammer have bragged that Julio Jones had an incredible year. It wasn’t because he was running reverses or lining up in the backfield. Somebody was throwing him passes, and that someone was JPW.

  41. Julio, you should try to actually answer the question instead of stumbling about with this nonsense.

    I asked a specific question, and you went out of your way to avoid answering it. Allow me to explain:

    With Clemson & Georgia, we were never in any danger of losing, or having to come from behind. It was pure pitch & catch the whole way. Therefore, this is not an example of him carrying the team.

    In Baton Rouge, Julio was wide open, and had to STOP to catch a poorly-thrown ball against LSU on OT. If JPW had hit in in stride, we don’t have to use three freaking downs to score. Julio’s ability to pick up JPW’s slack is the only reason that ball is even caught. Julio Jones made that play. If Stover had been over there, we don’t have a catch, and frankly, we’re not even in that situation without Rashad’s pick. And hell, you could have made that QB sneak.

    Auburn never even freaking scored or threatened us with anything more than a single field goal attempt, so there again, no pressure for him to lead us from behind. He did not have to lead us while we were struggling, therefore, THIS example doesn’t fit the criteria either.

    He made several stupid errors against Florida. He made a couple of smart decisions early on, but again, holding the onto the ball too long on the drive after that late Florida scoring drive killed us. He also threw a completely ridiculous INT on our last chance to do something good.

    Nothing would have stopped Utah from beating us, so that’s a wash, though he BADLY overthrew Jones and Stover more than once, one of which was unquestionably a TD.

    The question at hand, which you failed to answer, is below:

    “I challenge you to name ONE instance where JPW’s leadership, skill, and desire lead us to a win at any point in his career.”

    You came up with zero, because there ARE no examples.

    Not once has he lead us from behind on strength & skill to win a game. Not once where we’ve trailed in a tight game did he make a smart pass, be it a dump or a bomb, that changed the complexion of the game. Not once has he taken the team on his back and carried them to victory in difficult circumstances.

    He takes bad sacks, he overthrows or underthrows wide-open receivers, and he can’t protect the ball from turnovers when he’s taking a hit. It hasn’t been this year alone, either. Ask LSU about the gift they got in 2007 which gave them the win in Tuscaloosa.

    And Julio having a good year has nothing to do with JPW’s ability to lead us when the chips were down: JPW is a great QB when there’s nothing on the line.

    Is JPW a *bad* QB. Not exactly. Is he a good QB. Debatable. Is he a great QB? Hell fucking no, he’s not. He is not the guy who could take the team on his back and carry them to a win when the chips are down.

    He could never pull off what Tebow did to us or Oklahoma, or what McCoy did to OSU. He could never do what Harrell & Crabtree did to Texas, or what Snead did to Texas Tech, for that matter.

    THOSE guys are winners, and JPW has never, and will never, be that kind of QB.

  42. Kreskin, you look really foolish when you accuse me of not answering a specific question, and then proceed with a record length dissertation in a feeble attempt to rebut the specific answers that I in fact gave. That makes a lot of sense. Allow me to paraphrase: “Julio, I asked a simple question about what color the sky was, and you couldn’t even give an answer. Now let me explain to you over the course of 23 paragraphs why you’re an idiot by saying blue.”

    For recap purposes, though, let’s repeat that “specific” question you asked: “I challenge you to name ONE instance where JPW’s leadership, skill, and desire lead us to a win at any point in his career.” I guess I and every other person with the ability to read missed the part of your question about “coming from behind.” I foolishly interpreted your question at face value, and quickly cited 3 or 4 instances where JPW’s “leadership, skill, and desire” lead Bama to victory. Bama might not have come from behind in those games, but they were all tied at one point. (think about that and see if you can figure it out.)

    Finally, if your litmus test for a good qb is that they must be the equivalent of Tebow, McCoy, or Harrell, you really are dreaming. Then again, Tebow wouldn’t have passed your test prior to the SEC Championship either. Despite the fact that he had won the Heisman trophy and been the 1st qb in NCAA history to have 20 passing and rushing td’s, he had never “come from behind” in the 4th quarter in any game before. Guess he sucked before the SEC Champ game, too.

  43. I quess what julio is trying to say is …………..Great quarterbacks rarely have to come from behind.

    Why ? Because they are winning.

    Granted, JPW is not a great quarterback. Julio never implied that. He was sayin that you will miss a 3 year starter at quarterback in the SEC.

    Mcelroy will drop a monster load of hock in his britches in his first couple of gomes. Book it.

    Julio, please feel free to correct me if Im wrong.

  44. I hardly have the record around here for a long post!

    Anyways, I’ll grant you that “leading us to a win” required some reading between the lines. I’ll take the hit on that.

    It doesn’t change the fact that he did not lead us to victory when the chips were down.

  45. I FULLY expect growing pains from McElroy, by the way. But I also believe that we’ll see a better QB for the Tide.

  46. Can anyone here sense the denial from the bammers? Bama will be down next year considerably. Period. Inexperienced QB and offensive line.

    Auburn has had great defenses, but without an offense to muster a few points, you will lose games, and not win championships. Period.

  47. Auburnsux, you can expect Bama to win the west this year. . . again. And like you said Aub HAD great defenses when Bama was down, now UAB and Aub can fight over the scrubs. As far as our inexperienced qb goes I would take McElroy over Burns anytime, Burns has it from the neck down just not the neck up, plain and simple. As far as Aub goes, before you think about championships yall better just hope to make it to one of the lower tier bowls for cellar dwellars

  48. Bammur had a chance to step up and win it all this year. Four Coaches were let go. The conference was down. The only team that stood between bammur and their eighth NC was Florida. The team that AUBURN beat two straight years with Tebow. If the SEC teams give you another chance at the GATORS next season, be sure and contact Coach Tubs for some pointers.

    Urban Assault, Keep these bammurs in line.

  49. I would but it seems the Bama Nation only wants to speak to the first 12 games of the season and not the last 2. They seem to only focus on the 12th game…that huge, merciless game against the 5-7 Auburn Tigers. It seems those 7 straight losses to the Tubby Tigers really hurt more than anyone would ever admit. Sad really! This Shane Sez fellow is a real Cool-Aideaholic. I love Urban but Shane’s infatuation with Saban is a bit over the top. I always thought Saban was a bit fruity! This Shane dude does nothing to close that door.

  50. Bamaman…..I’m not thinking about championships this coming year. You see, here lies the difference. You irrational bammurs think ya’ll are about to win an NC every time you string together 3 or more wins. That’s what truly makes bammur fans the laughing stock of college football.

    I really don’t expect any of you sabanaid drinkers to believe your offense will suck putty balls this coming year. It’s just not in your nature to think logically and realistically.

  51. I wouldnt go that far bamasux……….They arent gonna suck per say. Saban will go with what they are strong at. They will still run the ball, and probably do it fairly well. But not to the effect of last year. McElroy or Jackson may indeed step up. Who knows………If The Tide lands Randle………Him and Jones would make me look like an all SEC caliber QB. They will have a GREAT linebacking group. A solids defense all around. Bama wont suck. Heck man look what they did last year. You will see some disgruntled Bammers when they start the SEC schedule. The first couple of SEC games that are played will be a wake up call for whoever starts at QB. If the could get Jacksons head right, and get him to learn the offense, with his running ablility, I think that would help a lot.

    But according to Kreskin McElroy is the second coming of Brody Croyle !!!!

  53. No denial about what bama did last year….unfortunately (for them) not the same team coming back this year.

    The “Utes” exposed the bama offense that will take the field next year, minus Wilson and Coffee. 17 points isn’t going to win you too many games against the good teams.

  54. As an avid Auburn fan, I can tell you that I would have loved to average 17 pts per game in SEC play last year.

  55. Yea, you’re right…..a 17 point AVERAGE would have won us more games, but would have made very little difference, if any, against the better teams. That lofty ambition may work in the Big 10 where the goal is to win a bunch of games against teams of little relevance.

  56. Ahhh, y’all will be fine. That coaching staff is looking pretty damned solid on the surface, and I’m going so far as to say that y’all will surprise a few people next year.

    I’m wondering if anyone will be able to help Kodi Burns be all he CAN be. Frmo what I saw (granted, it was limited) I don’t think that Todd kid has what it takes.

  57. YO! As a BAMMER, I must say that its a GOOD THING to have great expectations from the fans, but when its all said & done REALITY CAN BITE! If Alabama does win the West in 2009, it will be on the back of THE DEFENSE. Our offense will most likely get better as the season rolls along, but don’t expect an offensive line with possibly 2 freshmen starters to be able to provide the type of pass protection that we’re going to need. We will have to face BOTH Kentucky and Ole Miss ON THEIR TURF in ’09. We beat Kentucky by 3 and Ole Miss by 4 at home in ’08. South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU will played in Tuscaloosa, and trust me…ALL THESE TEAMS WILL BE AWARE OF OUR STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES! Seriously, I love the optimism of my fellow Bammers but we MUST BE REALISTS! I can see a rematch with Florida in the SEC Championship Game next year but IF WE GET THERE OUR DEFENSE WILL BE THE REASON!

  58. Kreskin………We havent had a good QB coach at Auburn in YEARS. Al Borges ( believe it or not ) was probably the best wve had at Auburn in 20 years. We have always had a problem of bad quarterback play. Its seems we never have a great quarterback , with the excpetion of Jason Campbell for 1 year. And Brandon Cox was really solid in 05. And 06 until he got hurt and was forced to play. In 07 he just wasnt surrounded by anyone that could help him. Look at the Big 12………..They dont have physical specimans at QB, (except maybe Bradford), they are just really well coached. Thay know how to read the defense and adjust. They know where to throw the FREEKIN BALL !!!!!!!!!! They know how to get rid of the ball in a blitz situation. ETC………. Just well coached. In the SEC it is a little different, on the count of you must run some to win. I realise that. But they just produce great quarterbacks.While we produce all the other players.

  60. Call me crazy, but I still haven’t given up on Kodi Burns yet. I certainly don’t judge him by his performance as a true freshman, because Borges put together a package of about 5 or 6 different plays and that was the extent of his knowledge. As to last year’s cluster*%@#, who the hell would have thrived under those circumstances? Franklin came in and everyone knew that he was gonna go with Chris Todd. Hell, Franklin was the only reason that Todd even came to Auburn. Then Kodi got thrown in after everyone realized that Todd has the arm strength of my 92 yr old grandmother, and Franklin gets fired one week later. The entire offense he spent the last 9 months learning was then entirely dismantled, back yard football ensues, and his new position coach was so good that he currently holds the same position at Smiths Station High School. Amazing he didn’t put up Heisman type stats under those circumstances.

    Burns has the physical tools. He showed he can be a really good passer in the Ole Miss game, but he made some horrible decisions and threw 3 picks in the red zone. Perhaps those decisions could improve with better coaching. He’s probably the 2nd best running qb in the SEC behind Tebow. Obviously, he’s gotta be able to do a lot more than take off and run, though. I just think he’s capable of being another DJ Shockley if he can get his head straight. That’s a hell of a big “if”, though.

  62. Who is the new quarterbacks coach. Will Malzahn pick that up ?

  63. yeah, it’s gonna be Malzahn. My guess would be that Malzahn would be a good qb coach, but I’m not really sure. He was qb’s coach at Tulsa, and that certainly seemed to work out well. The short answer is I guess we’ll have to wait and see. (kinda like Chizik, huh?)

  64. Do you think Kodi has the head to run that offense ? I think he got a little bit of a bad rap last year. Our Offensive line was TERRIBLE………….

    Talented , but it seems they just couldnt learn how to read block.

  65. Did you really say that some national pundits agree with you. Don’t give yourself too much credit.

  66. YO! “Ozarkadian,” welcome to this discussion of AU-BARN football on a ‘Bama site. Which one of the barnies were you calling out? “Julio,” “Bamasux,” and “Auburnisajoke formerly the fan known as Ballplay Indian” are some of the funniest barnies I’ve ever chatted with. Which one said that some pundits agreed with him? What’s your problem?

  67. A tale of two universities…..one amassing great coordinators and assistants…..one losing them at a one a week clip, trying to get away from satan. hahahahahaha

  68. YO! Hey, “BAMADONTSUCK;” the “satan vs. cheez-it” matchup later on this year…we want a prediction!

  69. Ask julio for the score prediction…..if Chizik doesn’t work out by mid season, I propose replacing him with Lebo. At least we would then beat Bammer.

Comments are closed.