Capstone Report

RECRUITING TALK: Could recruiting shed light on future Alabama offense?

UPDATE: Looks like Underwood may play fullback instead of TE due to his size.

Another recruiting weekend past and another strong showing by Saban and the new Alabama staff.

Over the weekend, the Tide landed Demetrice Goode. Goode is listed as a 3-star running back by scout.com and a 4-star by Rivals.com. Goode of Chatham, Va. is 5'11" 200lbs with a 4.5 time in the 40. Goode informed Saban of his commitment Saturday during the basketball game. I guess the football players weren't distracted by the pitiful play of the basketball team.

Saban also landed a commitment from Chris Underwood, a Vestavia Tight End, according to Internet reports. Underwood was not rated by Rivals.com or Scout.com. Which brings up an interesting point. Much of the recruiting reporting/evaluation is voodoo. In some instances, you have parents who will retain assistance in getting their kids higher rankings from recruiting services. So, not only is the recruiting evaluation subjective, the whole process is about as reliable as budget time in Montgomery.

That's not to say there isn't value in the recruiting rankings. There is. But it isn't Gospel.

What offense might Alabama run in the future?
That's the subject of much speculation. And with a great article in Sunday's Birmingham News, Major Mastermind, about Major Applewhite's offensive philosophy, perhaps we can begin putting together a few clues.

1. Saban's focus is on athletic ability, not necessarily high school accomplishment. That's a really big point to remember. Saban has a tendency to see raw ability and has success at improving the player. Alabama's interest in Nick Fanuzzi was fueled not only by Marve's weakness, but by Applewhite and Saban's desire to find the most athletic persons available for every position. Fanuzzi is big and strong, but according to at least two high school sports observers, Fanuzzi isn't the best passer Alabama has offered in the past few years. (That's opinion, not fact...just like everything else recruiting "experts" say.)

2. Offering a tight end could indicate a real desire to improve both blocking for power running, and a desire to have a versatile passing attack. Tight ends are very important to running something similar to a I-formation in the pro style (think Dallas with Aikman and Smith in the backfield.) Tight ends are critical to any sophisticated passing attack from standard power formations. Remember the success Homer Smith had with Gary Hollingsworth at QB? Much of that success was fueled by a passing game that utilized every eligible receiver. And can there be any doubt about the usefulness of a good blocking tight end in the I-formation (or any formation for that matter)?

On defense, Saban wants bigger and faster. Luther Davis told Scout.com that he wouldn't have fit into the old defensive scheme at Alabama, but he believes he'll fit into what Saban wants: "I weigh about 255 or 260, but with coach Saban the reason I am really drawn to Alabama is because everything he is trying to do is very similar to what he did when he came to LSU. He wants bigger ends." To say the least, Saban wants to improve the defensive line. If nothing else comes from this class, we'll have a very strong group of defensive linemen. And a good defensive line is the building block of any good defense.

Once more
Getting the best athletes, with the most up-side potential, is what we can expect with Saban's recruiting. So, when Saban offers a recruit who hasn't been on the national recruiting radar, it is safe to assume there is a good reason (ie: Underwood.) So, take heart. If he signs an unrated player or a two-star, then he has good reason. Plus, it just exposes some of the excessive hype and unreliability of recruiting sites. ALSO, when some prominent boosters of rivals begin to mock Saban's decisions to offer some of these lesser-known players, you know Saban is on the right track. Call that a contrarian view if you like, but it is obvious Saban knows more about recruiting than Internet posters.

Rumors out of Knoxville
Rumors swirling from UT, according to Internet gossip mongers, indicate Fulmer's wife wants Coach Phil Fulmer to retire, while they can still enjoy it. Some of the discontented Vols fans are happy--they remember it has been almost a decade (1998) since Fulmer won the SEC championship. For point of reference, Mike Dubose led Alabama to an SEC crown since Fulmer last accomplished that feat. It'll be fun to watch what unfolds in the next year on the Fulmer situation.

A lost season: Alabama basketball

What happened to the talk after the Iron Bowl about Alabama being a basketball school?

That's gone. It's forgotten.

This year's basketball team...sucks.

There really isn't a kinder way to say it. There are legitimate issues. Steele is injured. Davidson has intense personal problems dealing with the death of his brother and girlfriend.

But the problems with Alabama basketball go deeper. It isn't one or two players. Right now it is the entire team and yes, perhaps even a little Mark Gottfried.

Anyone remember the Kevin Scarbinsky column in the Birmingham News from early January? Remember how he hinted that Gottfried and the basketball team were jealous of the money and attention Saban and the football program was getting?

Assume for a moment Scarbinsky was right. (Yes, I know that is a big stretch, but play along!) If it were correct, I believe we have a good clue as to what is wrong with the basketball program: they were focused on externals instead of doing what it takes to win.

Anything and everything has distracted this team from its mission. The talent is there, but the commitment to winning isn't. Instead of achieving, the team looked for reasons to be offended and looked at press clippings of how good they were. A good coach finds a way to reach the players and motivate them to achieve. So far, Gottfried is failing this year.

Sidenote: Here's the game boxscore. Hendrix had an exceptional game. He was really the only bright spot. The 3-pt. shooting was horrible: 1-13.

POLL: Vote here, is it time to fire Mark Gottfried?

Alabama basketball preview: More questions than answers

Tide faces big test against Arkansas

Here we are in the midst of the SEC season, and once again an Alabama team is failing to meet expectations. This time it is basketball, but the storyline is the same: the Tide seems to give up, whether it is the first half or the last.

Will that change today? Alabama owes Arkansas payback for the 88-61 thumping in Fayetteville. That road loss started the bleeding for Alabama, and Gottfried continues to look for a solution, according to the AP.

If Alabama is going to get even with the Hogs, then it could start in the paint. Arkansas spent the last couple of practice sessions working on getting physical in defensive rebounding. Against Ole Miss and South Carolina, Arkansas gave up lots of extra shot attempts.

For the most part Arkansas has done a good job in the paint, but has been very inconsistent in road losses. Can Alabama step its game up inside? It has the talent in place with Hendrix and Davidson.

Of course, Alabama has so many areas to improve in, especially defense. In the loss to Auburn on Tuesday, Alabama gave up 46 points after halftime. Alabama's defensive play is so sloppy and bad at times that it is unwatchable.

But this is a home game. Alabama plays at a different level at home and Arkansas hasn't beaten Alabama in Tuscaloosa since 2001.

Of course, this is a must-win type game because Alabama has failed to inspire much confidence for the post-season. Cecil Hurt's column from earlier in the week pointed out Alabama's chances for a turnaround are diminishing with each game.

Alabama's at home, but over the last three weeks this team has created more questions than answers. It required a 15-point rally to defeat Georgia at home--does anyone know what to expect when this Tide team takes the court?

Coming this weekend

Basketball preview & reaction
Recruiting update

We can't blame Shula anymore?

This goes in the No-Shit Sherlock file, but what else do you expect from the Montgomery Advertiser?

L.C. Johnson's incoherent rant at Alabama, misses on so many levels it really isn't worth reading or writing about. But, sometimes you just have to examine what the media says about a program.

Johnson is the poster-child for clueless. Case in point this quote from the article:
Some may counter with, "Yeah, but what about the Mississippi State loss?" Well, that team is purportedly on the upswing under the direction of Sylvester Croom, who some suggested should have been the Tide's choice instead of Shula. Secondly, that game was is simply a byproduct of the evolving culture of the SEC. How else do you explain Vandy beating Georgia, which clobbered Auburn, which pinned the lone loss on Florida?

This guy isn't very bright. I'm not going to pick on the grammar, because I make more than my fair share of errors, but how could anyone could say MSU was on the upswing? To say that you either have to be drinking. Heavily.

More commentary on Alabama football
I detest Brandt Ayers. He's the most liberal newspaper guy south of the NY Times. However, he has a superb guest column on the importance of Alabama football in the Montgomery Advertiser.
"Searching through mental clutter for a classical allusion, I came up with: Saban as Beowulf leading fearless warriors against that monster of pure evil, offspring of Cain, Grendel. Nah, Phillip Fulmer is too much of a tub to play Grendel. Antiquity is too distant a place to look for Alabama football legends; they are much closer to home." --Ayers guest column in Montgomery Advertiser

Ayers is worth reading for a unique perspective on Alabama football.

Basketball
I'm going to avoid making any comments on basketball. The simple fact that Alabama is 0-3 on the road and barely defeated Georgia at home is all the commentary one needs. I hear lots of Alabama fans making excuses for the poor gameplay. I'll just try to ignore that today and make it to the weekend, when I'll focus more on recruiting.

ALABAMA NEWS
For constantly updated breaking news about Alabama football and other sports, visit our news page.

COMMENT
To comment on this post or anything on the blog, click here and visit our forum. You'll also find discussion about other news, the Arkansas soap opera and other news.

Site News
Updated blog coming soon. Less clutter, easier to navigate.

This is Alabama basketball?
Unacceptable.

There's no other way to describe the play and coaching of this iteration of the Alabama basketball team. Alabama can't win on the road and it can barely win at home.

What are the causes? Inept defense. Inept defense. Inept defense.

“We didn't defend well at all” in the second half, Gottfried said, according to an AP story on MSNBC.

Here's the boxscore in case you want a closer look at the sickening statistics.

Now is not the time to fire Mark Gottfried. He's a good coach.

But Alabama must examine the state of its program. What has Gottfried accomplished at Alabama? What were his signature wins?

Obviously, it was the run to the Elite Eight, but with what might be the most talented team in the state since 1986, Gottfried has underachieved.

In what was a body blow to the Shula regime, Cecil Hurt wrote a column in the Tuscaloosa News asking the question: Does Alabama have the best coach it could have?

That same question could be asked about Alabama basketball.

The honest answer, is that Yes. Alabama probably has the best basketball coach it could have.

Right now.

But that evaluation constantly changes.

And with each lopsided loss to conference rivals, Gottfried gets closer to being a David Hobbs rather than a Wimp Sanderson.

Gottfried can save the season, but what could have been a special season is rapidly becoming a bad distraction from the more important tasks of recruiting and spring football.

ALABAMA NEWS
For constantly updated breaking news about Alabama football and other sports, visit our news page.

COMMENT
To comment on this post or anything on the blog, click here and visit our forum. You'll also find discussion about other news, the Arkansas soap opera and other news.

Losing Marve would be blow to 2007 recruiting class
Is Marve the next Tim Tebow? He was Florida's Mr. Football for 2006, and his numbers are impressive. Marve set state records with 48 touchdowns, 280 completions and 4,380 passing yards--all single season Florida records.

Marve continues to lean toward Alabama, but does leaning mean he's wobbly? And just what does a commitment mean? Apparently, not much in the world of recruiting. The more I watch recruiting, the more confusing it gets.

Is Marve gone?
That is a strong possibility. Why else would Saban invest so much time in another QB, San Antonio's Nick Fanuzzi. Most recruiting services place Fanuzzi lower than Marve. While Marve was an Alabama commit, Fanuzzi was a Miami commit. Fanuzzi does have one big positive: he's taller than Marve, which could make it easier for him to see the field.

Have the QB's flipped? The staff's attention to Fanuzzi creates some interesting points for speculation. The most interesting point: Would Saban extend scholarships to both quarterbacks? My guess is no due to the lower number of scholarships this year. So, that probably means Marve has bolted.

The consensus amongst persons I spoke with was that Marve would bolt to Miami. If that is the case, that can only be said to be a loss. Marve played very well in Florida and Saban indicated he wanted to build this year's offensive class around Marve. But apparently that changed quickly following Marve's official visit.

Losing Marve would certainly drop the overall rank of the class in most recruiting service estimates.

Of course, that may mean very little in the grand scheme. What's the real difference finishing 12 or 13th or 10th in recruiting? But anyway you slice it, losing Marve would be viewed as a blow to Saban by most persons outside the Alabama program.

BASKETBALL
Alabama has potential with a healthy Steele, says FoxSports.com.

Alabama faces Auburn tonight and hopes to make it 8-in-a-row over Auburn. What Alabama team will show up? I guess, the more specific question is how healthy will Ronald Steele be tonight? Alabama is 0-2 on the road in the SEC and needed a last second off-balance shot to defeat Georgia at home. Alabama needs this win.

ALABAMA NEWS
For constantly updated breaking news about Alabama football and other sports, visit our news page.

COMMENT
To comment on this post or anything on the blog, click here and visit our forum. You'll also find discussion about other news, the Arkansas soap opera and other news.

16 Days remain: Alabama set for solid class, Defensive linemen are a bright spot
It is 16-days until National Signing Day and what some a month ago considered a dangerous time for UA football has turned into a time of optimism. Since Nick Saban signed with Alabama, Alabama is now in the mix for many players. No doubt it will be tough for Saban to land some of these recruits as most recruits have already made verbal commitments; however, that is not stopping Saban.

Leading up to National Signing Day, I'm going to spend some time examining many of the key players from this year's class and important stories coming out of recruiting.

First, we'll look at some general problems with measuring a recruiting class. Next, we'll look at what I believe could be the best element of this year's recruits (defensive linemen) and then take a brief look at what the future of recruiting holds (here's a hint: expect animosity not from AU or LSU, but UT.)

Recruiting:
Alabama has a top 20 recruiting class, according to most recruiting "experts." The ranking ranges by expert, but at the very least, Alabama is moving up in most estimates. I posted over a week ago, that Alabama would finish with a Top 15 class and had a real shot at a ranking between 10-12. I stand by that analysis, and I am now even more optimistic moving forward, even though Scout.com ranks Alabama at around #27.

One thing to remember about recruiting rankings is not only how subjective they are in ranking the players, but the rankings are even subjective in how each computes where the classes rank.

Do you focus on quality or quantity? Most of the rankings try to balance, but so far no ranking system provides a way to rank which teams got the help they needed the most.

Of course, you aren't always recruiting to fill a need. In most years, you are able to recruit talent and build a class with a goal or two in mind.

I think this year, Robert Marve is the centerpiece of this offensive class. At least, Saban told Marve he was going to build the offensive side of the class around Marve. That sounds very plausible and when you consider Saban's efforts to land players like Joe McKnight and Brandon Gibson and Chris Culliver--Saban wants the best athletes on the offense as well as defensive side of the ball.

Speaking of defense, while Marve is impressive on offense, the real bright spot of this class is on the defensive side. The defensive players I believe who will make the greatest impact on the team for the next few years are: Nick Gentry, Kerry Murphy and Alfred McCullough.

DEFENSE
I had the opportunity to see Gentry, Murphy and McCullough in person for at least one or two games this year. Each player is special, with McCullough being (in my estimation) the best of the group. Some may disagree, but I think McCullough has lots of upside potential.

McCullough helped Athens to the 5A state crown and in the championship game notched four tackles; his senior season he made over 60 tackles. McCullough was emotional after the state championship; while his team danced around mid-field, McCullough was kneeling at about the 20-yard line taking in the scene.

McCullough is a play maker, who brings a lot to the tackle position.

Gentry is another player with who was in the state championship (6A) and made some big time plays. Gentry had 5 tackles with 2 tackles for loss (12-yards) and one sack.

Those stats came against a very good Hoover offensive line. Gentry is versatile and could play many different positions.

"The main message is he told me he wasn't going to redshirt me so don't expect it. That was a big plus for me because I didn't want to redshirt, I wanted to go in and show my thing and try to start. I really didn't get to do that my senior year (at Prattville) because of injuries. He got into the academics -- coach (Mike) Shula and them really didn't talk much about academics. He told us he expected us to get a degree more than he expected us to go into pro ball and that's a big plus for me because that's what I want to do." ---GENTRY quoted in the Montgomery Advertiser.

According to the Montgomery paper, Saban told Gentry the defensive lineman could end up playing several different positions including: defensive end, defensive tackle, linebacker or possibly fullback. It will be interesting to see if Gentry ends up at linebacker in Saban's scheme.

Kerry Murphy is considered one of the best defensive tackles available. Murphy is big (over 300 pounds) and strong. Murphy in the 6A championship made four tackles in a losing effort. However, Murphy is a big time player on the line.

When you look at these three players, and I've seen each of them in person, you can't help but be impressed with Alabama's future defensive prospects. If each of these players gets to play on the line, you'll have the makings of a very deep and talented line corps.

This season, one of our biggest problems was lack of pressure from the line. You won't have to worry about that with these types of players. They've shown in high school an ability to stop the run and pass rush. The only real limit to their potential is how much work they are willing to put into becoming a contributor at the next level.

These are good players, with a history of success. With the right coaching staff now in place (a coaching staff who will improve the talent), expect great things from these three.

COMING SOON: A look at Marve and some offensive prospects.

More recruiting talk:
In a Saturday Birmingham News column, Ray Melick said recruiting in the SEC will get nastier in the coming years thanks to having Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa. While his premise is probably correct, Melick missed a few important points.

A few problems with Melick's analysis:
1. Auburn hasn't dominated the state and never will. Even during probation, Auburn could at best only be considered even. Auburn depends on out-of-state recruits from Florida and Georgia. These bases are diminished even more with the rise of Florida, Fisher at FSU and Richt at Georgia. Auburn faces a serious problem with diminishing returns from every ground it recruits.

2. Melick mentions the Alabama, LSU and Auburn alumni base as something to worry about in recruiting. He forgets the main one to worry about--Tennessee. You can't forget Roy Adams, whenever you talk about recruiting and Alabama. What do you think Adams and other UT alumni's response will be the first time Saban gets a high profile recruit out of Memphis, a recruit the UT people really want? Alumni are always a problem, but Melick forgot a major area of concern.

Already UT fans are screaming about an alleged contact by Saban with a student enrolled at UT.
One outraged Vol fan said on a message board: "Again this is Alabama arrogance that they can do no wrong because they are Bama. Pick- up the coach this will surely put the last nail in the coffin since Bama is still on probation."

Yeah, things are going to get nastier in the SEC. And it'll get nastier once Saban ends a drought against Alabama's biggest rivals.

ALABAMA NEWS
For constantly updated breaking news about Alabama football and other sports, visit our news page. You can find this great link to a story on how Saban's arrival has helped weaken a Michigan commit (a great all-around player) and how the recruit is now considering Alabama.

COMMENT
To comment on this post or anything on the blog, click here and visit our forum. You'll also find discussion about other news, the Arkansas soap opera and other news.

COMING THIS WEEKEND: RECRUITING ANALYSIS & PROJECTION
I'm working on a recruiting analysis and a few projections. I should have it done soon. Will post it once it is completed.

ALABAMA NEWS
For constantly updated breaking news about Alabama football and other sports, visit our news page. You can find this great link to a story on how Saban's arrival has helped weaken a Michigan commit (a great all-around player) and how the recruit is now considering Alabama.

COMMENT
To comment on this post or anything on the blog, click here and visit our forum. You'll also find discussion about other news, the Arkansas soap opera and other news.

Weather fun: James Spann and the global warming debate
With football recruiting season in full swing, what better time for a non-football distraction!

Weather in Alabama is just as interesting as recruiting (perhaps even more interesting when temperatures drop and there is a good flow of moisture into the state.) You go to a meeting, people talk about the weather, you visit with family and the weather inevitably comes up. And for good reason, you either get severe storms, excessive heat or snow concerns living in this state--Alabama weather is interesting.

Weathermen here are celebrities. And who could argue in the Birmingham area that James Spann is the biggest name.

Now, Spann has gotten national attention standing up to the global warming thought police.

Earlier this week, Dr. Heidi Cullen of the Weather Channel posted, in her blog, an attack on weathermen who "deny man-made global warming." Cullen went so far as to urge the American Meteorological Society (AMS) to pull its certification from weathermen who deny the truth. That generated a lot of criticism from meteorologists.

Spann responded with a blog entry last night:
Well, well. Some climate expert on The Weather Channel wants to take away AMS certification from those of us who believe the recent global warming is a natural process. So much for tolerance, huh?

I have been in operational meteorology since 1978, and I know dozens and dozens of broadcast meteorologists all over the country. Our big job: look at a large volume of raw data and come up with a public weather forecast for the next seven days. I do not know of a single TV meteorologist who buys into the man-made global warming hype.

Spann's opinion made the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee blog, which even got him a mention on the front of the Drudge Report.

Spann's blog is worth checking out even when not in the middle of a global warming controversy.

COMMENT
To comment on this post, click here and visit our forum. You'll also find discussion about other news, the Arkansas soap opera and other news.

ALABAMA NEWS
For constantly updated breaking news about Alabama football and other sports, visit our news page. You can find this great link to a story on how Saban's arrival has helped weaken a Michigan commit (a great all-around player) and how the recruit is now considering Alabama.

Another recruiting weekend
ALABAMA NEWS
For constantly updated breaking news about Alabama football and other sports, visit our news page. You can find this great link to a story on how Saban's arrival has helped weaken a Michigan commit (a great all-around player) and how the recruit is now considering Alabama.

COMMENT
To comment on this post or anything on the blog, click here and visit our forum. You'll also find discussion about other news, the Arkansas soap opera and other news.

Recruiting
Alabama has a busy recruiting weekend with visits from top national and local players. Alabama hosts Nick Fanuzzi (QB at Churchill in San Antonio, Texas), along with the state's top-rated DL Sidell Corley of Mobile.

The southern part of the state is well-represented for weekend visits, with Corley, UMS-Wright's Brandon Gibson, B.C. Rain's Elliot McGaskin, O.S. Neal's Jared Cooper, according to the Mobile Press-Register.

Mobile was open for raiding by Florida, LSU and other SEC powers before the arrival of Saban. Are those days over? Maybe not this recruiting season. But watch Saban build a fence around the state, which forces SEC opponents to have a more difficult time landing prospects.

And Saban isn't just using this season just to recruit players. No, he is recruiting coaches, writes the Birmingham News. The way Saban recruited reminds me of how hard Pat Dye worked during his early days at Auburn. Dye and his staff were everywhere on the recruiting trail. Alabama still did well in recruiting (even Ray Perkins and Bill Curry were able to land players.) But Dye pushed his staff everywhere--they weren't going to miss a possible recruit.

Saban isn't going to miss a player or a coach.

"He was everywhere," Hoover coach Rush Propst said. "Everywhere you turned, you saw Nick Saban. Of course, you could probably say that about three or four states. He's relentless."