AP ranking Alabama 24th in preseason poll
August 16, 2008
Not sure what to make of Alabama’s No. 24 preseason ranking by the Associated Press.
My initial reaction was surprise that the Tide was ranked at all.
Then,
Saban: Injury-free camp a combination of preparation, luck
August 14, 2008
TUSCALOOSA—Alabama coach Nick Saban talked about the conditioning drills, the limited contact in practice and his team’s improved strength.
All of those are factors in a comparably injury-free training camp.
But the coach said luck plays a role, too.
“I think sometimes in sports, you just get lucky,” the coach said Thursday after practice. “We try to practice safe. The fact that our players did a nice job in the offseason program, all the way back to offseason conditioning drills before the spring. We’re a lot stronger, we’re more physical. We had a great summer this summer. All the players were here and worked out every day.
“I think the level of conditioning can help that to some degree. I think strength — one of the the things you try to do in the weight room is put yourself in a position to where you can eliminate some injuries.
“But there’s also a certain amount of luck that goes along with guys not getting injured in practice. We try to practice safe, we try to stay off the ground. We try to play fast, get off blocks, thud people, but we try to stay off the ground. We don’t do some things in practice like cut (block), hopefully to keep guys off the ground. Most of the injuries we’ve had here in practice have come because of things that were done outside of the rules relative to how we want to practice. I think two guys last year were injured in practice and both of them were because a guy got cut and a guy got dragged down from behind, and that’s not how we want to do it. I don’t know if you can attribute it to it, but those are some of the things that we try to do eliminate (injuries).”
Moore mum about future football game against Troy
August 12, 2008
Alabama athletics director Mal Moore has been around long enough to know how not to answer a question.
I talked to coach Moore Tuesday night before the Dale County Chapter of the university’s alumni association meeting in Ozark.
I noted that the Crimson Tide played La.-Monroe last year and faces Arkansas State this season. Since we were in the Wiregrass, I asked him why not Troy — and if Troy would ever be on Alabama’s schedule.
That’s when the former quarterback showed he can still be elusive.
“Well, our schedules are kind of ... we wait and see how the SEC aligns each game and then decide how we’re going to pick those teams,” he said.
“So we’re ... I think we’re set for 09 and pretty close to set for 10.”
He disclosed the Virginia Tech game, which has looked on and off at different times the past month, is probably on again.
“That’s very close to happening,” he said. “Some things have kind of happened here in the last week that maybe can make that happen.”
I tried to go back for a Troy comment, adding I mentioned them because of the other Sun Belt opponents on the schedule.
“Yeah,” he nodded.
That’s it. No acknowledgement about playing the Trojans.
Nick Saban has a history of playing in-state opponents in the past. When he was at Michigan State, he scheduled Central, Eastern and Western Michigan.
He played Tulane annually at LSU, as well as add one of the other state schools like Lafayette, Monroe and Louisiana Tech.
But Monroe’s victory over Alabama likely made a matchup against Troy more difficult to sell.
A loss to Monroe, while shocking and embarrassing, fades like a badly blackened eye. An in-state loss to Troy, which beat Monroe 24-7 last season, wouldn’t fade. It would leave scars.
Hit by Upshaw left Huber dazed
August 11, 2008
Junior fullback Baron Huber didn’t play at all in Saturday’s first scrimmage of fall camp.
He was held out with a slight concussion after a big practice collision late last week with Eufaula freshman linebacker Courtney Upshaw.
“I don’t know if y’all have seen the size of his head, but you probably understand why I took the bad end of that hit,” Huber joked on Monday. “He did a really good job. He’s a really physical kid and he hit me right in the right spot.”
Huber, the fullback from Knoxville, Tenn., said the cobwebs have cleared.
“I just got a slight concussion,” he said. “We were just running a weakside power play. I tried to run up there and seal the end and he kind of hit me in the sweet spot in the side of my head. Sometimes it happens. You play hard enough, you’ll get those.”
After sitting out the weekend, Huber was back on the field for Monday’s practices.
“Felt great, felt like I did before I left. No problems really,” he said.
Tide looks younger, more athletic in Fan Day practice
August 04, 2008
I saw more good than bad at Alabama’s Fan Day practice at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
There are more playmakers than there were a year ago, at least on offense. Sure, the Tide loses DJ Hall, Keith Brown and Matt Caddell, guys who produced a lot of yards and points a year ago. But freshmen Julio Jones and B.J. Scott are special. Redshirt freshmen Marquis Maze and Brandon Gibson looked ready to contribute. And Mike McCoy, Earl Alexander, Darius Hanks and Nikita Stover all return with experience. What I thought might be a problem area is going to be a strength at receiver. Plus, tight ends Nick Walker and Travis McCall are both returning for their senior seasons. In new coordinator Jim McElwain’s system, however, we’ll likely see less of Walker and McCall on the field at the same time, the way they were last season.
John Parker Wilson looks good. Star Jackson took a lot of snaps. McElwain will give him a close look early—how ready is he?—before setting the depth lineup behind Wilson.
It was mostly a throwing practice, but there didn’t seem like a lot of running lanes were created in the few periods dedicated to the ground game. Maybe I’m being oversensitive to the “spread offenses can’t run the ball when it counts” mentality. You have to run in the SEC, particularly with four returning starters on the offensive line.
Defensively, Cory Reamer spent a good bit of time at inside linebacker next to Rolando McClain. True freshmen Jerrell Harris of Gadsden, Courtney Upshaw of Eufaula and Don’ta Hightower of Lewisburg, Tenn., got a lot of work at various linebacker slots. Still way too early to tell.
The secondary and receiver corps will make each other better. They put on a good show Sunday. The secondary is more experienced, but I’m worried that teams will throw over their heads. Literally. Not deep, mind you, just high. Bama’s tall receivers had a reach advantage and the quarterbacks, particularly JPW, took advantage of that.
It’s early, but it’s encouraging.
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