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Yea Alabama 2009
"Yea Alabama 2009 prepares the Alabama fan for the upcoming season with detailed player and opponent profiles, as well as in-depth and entertaining features on the team's recruiting and play calling. Of course, no Alabama publication would be complete without a look back at the storied history of the program, and a look forward at what the Saban machine will do next. Edited by Todd Jones and Joel Gamble of RollBamaRoll.com, Yea Alabama is 128 pages of the most in-depth and entertaining Crimson Tide analysis available anywhere."
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ESPN Video: Nick Saban on LSU
by Todd on Nov 7, 2009 8:34 AM CST
0 comments
A little something to get you ready for the day. Game threads closer to kick off.
0 comments | 0 recs
[Julio] Jones was asked if he is 100 percent healthy.
"Yes, sir," he said.
And how long has he been 100 percent healthy?
"A couple weeks," he said
Don Kausler Jr.: Tide's Julio Jones says blocking is as much fun as catching the ball
Perhaps a very telling quote coming from Julio on the eve of the biggest game of the year.
Your Friday Beauty and (Parts of) the Beast
by Todd on Nov 6, 2009 3:00 PM CST
16 comments
I would suggest admiring La Taylor and then moving along. Don't say you weren't warned.
This week I delved back into the bizarre world of Korean snack foods and came back with "Headless Ching Chang Anchovy w/ Sesame." They look like animal poop:
But their looks aren't the worst part. Remember how last week the fishiness of the squid nearly got to me three times? Well this week, ladies and gentlemen, the vomit has landed. Sadly I didn't have access to the Girl's laptop at the time and, figuring this was going to be a walk in the park after the squid, decided a quick cell phone video clip would suffice. Boy was I ever wrong. Sadly, the worst/best moment of this whole experiment is now preserved in nothing but a short, barely discernible video clip. The retching begins at about the :12 mark, and after spitting out whatever was currently being chewed in my trash can I quickly had to run to the bathroom and full on hurl. That's the rustling you hear in the background for the remainder of the clip. Enjoy! I didn't.
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What’s one without the other? If you make the wrong decision, you’ve got problems, and if you can’t throw the ball, even if you make the right decision, you’ve got problems. So if you’ve got those two, you’ve got Joe Montana. If you can’t do one of those two, then what’s the future? … If you have those two things, you have a quarterback. If you don’t have those two things, you’re going to have to dumb it down. You’re either going to have to limit the decisions he makes or take the accuracy element out of it by either not throwing over 10 yards or not throwing outside the numbers. You’re going to have to do something that changes the way you play offense.
Jason Cole: Q&A With Bill Belichick
Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports has a one-on-one interview up with New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick today, and it's a good read. It has a lot more depth than the typical fluff interview, and while Belichick is obviously speaking of the NFL, he does have a lot of insights applicable to college football as well, including topics like quarterback evaluation, offensive balance, and some thoughts on competition. Check it out.
The LSU Preview
by outsidethesidelines on Nov 6, 2009 9:16 AM CST
in Football
77 comments
No smoke and mirrors needed this week. No clever turn of phrase needed to build drama and intrigue with this game. Nope. To paraphrase what they say in the sales business, this is simply a game that sells itself. It's 'Bama v. LSU. Saban Bowl III. National championship implications clearly on the line. The entire country turning its eyes towards Tuscaloosa to play close attention at this contest. Again, this one sells itself. Let's look closer at the match-ups:
Alabama Offense v. LSU Defense
After putting up points and yards by the bushel in the first month of the season, the once prolific Alabama offense has slowly ground to a virtual halt over the course of the past five weeks. The vertical element of the passing game went into the Witness Protection Program in early October, and we still haven't seen any signs of it returning as of this writing. Mark Ingram has been nothing short of phenomenal -- sans the fumble against Tennessee -- but the lack of a vertical element to the passing game, combined with untimely penalties, questionable playcalling, and struggles in the red zone have kept the Tide offensive attack at bay and off the scoreboard.
Admittedly, the level of competition has been high the past several weeks. Kentucky has a good defense, and Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Tennessee rank in the top 25 nationally of more statistical categories than not. But such is life in the SEC... it's a brutal gauntlet of quality opponent after quality opponent, and there will be no rest for the weary this weekend when the Bayou Bengals come to town. Alas, when LSU arrives in Tuscaloosa, they will bring with them a defense that is as good as those we saw in October, if not better.
And unfortunately, injuries continue to take a toll on the Tide. Colin Peek looks to either miss this game or play nowhere near 100%, and that's a very big loss for the Tide. Michael Williams will likely play better than he did two weeks ago against Tennessee because he will be more prepared, but Peek is a critical element of our offense, and unfortunately Williams is an imperfect substitute.
Defensively, the weakness for LSU starts up front at the line of scrimmage. Shocking as though that may be -- I imagine I need remind no one that LSU's defensive line ate us for dinner from 2003-2007 -- it is nevertheless true. To be sure, it's certainly not a bad group, but it isn't a dominating one and it is not up to the level that we have come to expect the past several years out of LSU. Inside, seniors Al Woods and Charles Alexander are good players that any team would love to have, but they probably aren't to the level that we saw the past several years out of LSU with Kyle Williams and Glenn Dorsey. Likewise, the rotation isn't what it has been in previous years in terms of quality depth.
The real weakness for LSU on the defensive line largely comes outside at end. Senior Rahim Alem has been a bit of a disappointment this year. He was always a liability against the run -- which is why, despite leading the SEC in sacks in 2008, he wasn't a starter -- but he hasn't rushed the passer as well this year, generating only three sacks in the first eight games (only one of which came in conference play, and that was against Vandy). Opposite Alem, Lazarius Levingston hasn't exactly played poorly, but he hasn't really made an impact either. He has yet to generate a sack, and only has ten tackles on the year. Making matters worse, they are somewhat undersized, and mixed with their lack of a consistent pass rush, that generally explains why LSU's run defense has been somewhat middling, and also explains why they are at the bottom of the SEC in sacks.
Unfortunately, the rest of the LSU defense is significantly better. The linebacker corps struggled greatly in 2008, but they have made tremendous strides in 2009 under new defensive coordinator John Chavis. There is not one standout at linebacker like Alabama has with someone like Rolando McClain -- or had with Dont'a Hightower -- but it's a good group that gets the job done. Perry Riley, Kelvin Sheppard, Harry Coleman, and Jacob Cutrera are all good football players, and they are in many ways unique players that give Chavis a lot of options. Riley is a big, physical player who excels against against the run, and Coleman's past as a former safety makes him a very versatile player, particularly in passing situations. Kelvin Sheppard is probably the best all-around player of the bunch, and while Cutrera isn't a standout, he's a senior who can really play whatever position they need off the bench. Again, it's not a group that has the one rockstar standout like you find with a guy like Rolando McClain or Brandon Spikes, but it's a good group of players that have produced at a high level for John Chavis.
The real strength of the LSU defense, however, comes in the defensive backfield, where the Bayou Bengals have an absolutely ridiculous collection of talent. Just look at the names and their recruiting hype... Chad Jones, #1 safety prospect in the country in 2007. Jai Eugene, #1 cornerback prospect in the country in 2006. Patrick Peterson, #1 cornerback prospect in the country in 2007. And guys like Chris Hawkins, Brandon Taylor, Karnell Hatcher, Ron Brooks, and Danny McCray? Yeah, they were generally "only" four-star recruits who could have had pretty much their pick of any school in the country.
77 comments | 0 recs |
Nick Saban is promising some changes in what the third-ranked University of Alabama football team does in the red zone, but he’s not saying what those changes are going to be.
The head coach of the Crimson Tide said Thursday night on his weekly radio show that UA has tweaked its red-zone offense, but also said the real key is better execution.
Todd's Friday Embarrassing Admission...
by Todd on Nov 6, 2009 8:15 AM CST
119 comments
...or Todd attempts to curry favor with the Football Gods by admitting his moral, cultural, and intellectual flaws in a very public manner.
We're sucking up to the Football Gods big time for LSU, with a culinary sacrifice last week, one that (believe it or not) tops it later this evening, and now a bonus embarrassing admission. With a win tomorrow we clinch the SEC West and head back to Atlanta for the second consecutive year, but a loss leaves our hopes for another shot at Tebow Florida in the hands of Arkansas and Ole Miss. Scary, right? So this one has to be a doozy (and y'all better be bringing it in the comments section, too), and I think this more than counts. I love the song Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus.
Now, I am happy to say that I have successfully avoided downloading it on iTunes (though now that everyone knows it I might as well, and don't think I won't), but I have pulled up the video on YouTube and the song on iMeem more times than I care to admit and at any given moment at work you can probably find me walking around murmuring "...noddin' my head like yeah, movin' my hips like yeah." So there you go. Ridicule away or, better yet, share your embarrassing admission in the comments below.
119 comments | 2 recs
Your RBR Friday Random Ten...
by Todd on Nov 6, 2009 7:00 AM CST
6 comments
...shows some appreciation for one of the only two good things about Louisiana:
The other being the food, of course.
Y'all know how to play by now, so get cracking.
- The Black Crowes - (Only) Halfway to Everywhere
- Emmylou Harris - Deeper Well
- Kelly Willis - Take It All Out On You
- BeauSoleil - Reel De Dennis McGee
- Beck - The Horrible Fanfare/Landslide/Exoskeleton
- Nirvana - Born a Son
- Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues
- Twisted Sister - We're Not Gonna Take It
- Traffic - Feelin' Alright
- Leftover Salmon - Baby Hold On
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Crimson Tide Football Schedule
@
Virginia Tech
|
Sat 09/05 | W 34 - 24 |
| Fla. International | Sat 09/12 | W 40 - 14 |
| North Texas | Sat 09/19 | W 53 - 7 |
|
Arkansas
|
Sat 09/26 | W 35 - 7 |
|
@
Kentucky
|
Sat 10/03 | W 38 - 20 |
|
@
Mississippi
|
Sat 10/10 | W 22 - 3 |
|
South Carolina
|
Sat 10/17 | W 20 - 6 |
|
Tennessee
|
Sat 10/24 | W 12 - 10 |
|
LSU
|
Sat 11/07 | 2:30 PM CST |
|
@
Mississippi St.
|
Sat 11/14 | 6:00 PM CST |
| Chattanooga | Sat 11/21 | TBA |
|
@
Auburn
|
Fri 11/27 | 1:30 PM CST |
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