Roll 'Bama Roll - All Posts

Bama Basketball Non-con Schedule Released

2013-06-19T22:13:11Z

Remember the Shockers? If you're a college basketball fan, well, of course you do. They're the team that took eventual national champion Louisville to the wire in the Final Four just last season, eventually falling 72-68 (Wichita State also led at halftime of that game).

What does any of that have to do with Alabama? Just that Wichita State is one of several tough non-conference opponents on the Tide's non-conference slate this year, which the university just recently released. And in case you've forgotten, Alabama owes the Shockers a little something for their last meeting, the NIT championship in 2011.

Alabama has plenty of other concerns between now and then, though. The season opens with an attractive Big XII matchup against Oklahoma in Dallas, Texas. The Sooners finished the year with a respectable 20-12 record and a trip to the Big Dance where they lost 70-55 to SDSU. OU played two SEC teams last season, losing a close game at Arkansas before beating Texas A&M. The crowd in Dallas will likely be pro-Sooner, and the Tide squad would be well advised to play with intensity from the opening tip until the final horn.

Bama returns from that game to play its home opener as part of the SEC/Big XII Challenge, a seemingly favorable matchup versus Texas Tech. The Red Raiders finished last season with an abysmal 11-20 record, and they were only one of eight away from home. Still, as we know all too well from last season's losses to teams like Tulane and Mercer, Alabama can ill afford to take any team for granted (pun not intended).

On November 18th and 19th, the Tide will host two games at Coleman in the NIT Season Tip-Off. The opponents for these games will be announced at a later date, but other host teams include Arizona, Duke, and Rutgers.

Alabama then has games versus both North Florida and South Florida, as well as Charleston Southern, before hosting Wichita State, which should easily be one of the toughest teams the Tide tangles with all season. If you're planning on attending this game, I would advise you to get your tickets early.

The Xavier Musketeers come to Coleman next to finish the home slate. Xavier had a disappointing 17-14 record last year and an even more disappointing one-point loss in the Atlantic 10 Championship game to St. Joseph's that would have sent the Musketeers to the Dance.

Before finishing the non-conference portion of the season with another home game against Robert Morris, the Tide will travel to Pauley Pavilion to play UCLA in the first year of a home-and-home matchup with the Bruins. UCLA won 25 games last year and was especially tough at home. They ended their season with a second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Minnesota.

In short, Alabama will have plenty of opportunities to add strong non-conference wins to their resume before January. With a tough conference slate awaiting, as well as some tough criticism of the coaching staff from last season's disappointing finish, Coach Grant's 2013-14 team could use wins in as many of these games as possible. Hope for the best. Roll Tide.

The Jumbo Package | 06.19.13

2013-06-19T12:00:06Z

Rise of uptempo offenses prompts widening divide among SEC coaches

First-year Arkansas coach Bret Bielema raised the issue at SEC spring meetings, framing it as a player safety issue and echoing an opinion voiced by Alabama's Nick Saban last season.

"Not to get on the coattails of some of the other coaches, there is a lot of truth that the way offensive philosophies are driven now, there's times where you can't get a defensive substitution in for 8, 10, 12 play drives," Bielema said. "That has an effect on safety of that student-athlete, especially the bigger defensive linemen, that is really real."

How does that saying go? "The enemy of my enemy is my friend, regardless of scumbag status?" Normally, I'd instruct Bret to not make me love him, but I don't think we are in any danger of that.

In all seriousness, this debate is one of the most important facing the game right now. Personally, I think it is a frustrating style of football to watch, but it is a completely legitimate strategy and I don't begrudge any team using it. The way that those opposing the hurry up no huddle (HUNH) offenses are framing the argument is an interesting one. By claiming this is a safety issue, they establish a legitimate path to effectively abolish the strategy all together. And in my opinion, the rebuttal offered by Malzahn doesn't hold a lot of water:

"No, I'd say that's probably more of an in-shape issue than anything else," Malzahn said.

Really, Gus? Your contention is that Alabama players, for instance, are just "out of shape"? Surely, there is a better way to defend the HUNH.

UCLA borrows 'Linebacker U' on Twitter | CBS Sports

#linebackeru pic.twitter.com/psyVu1hswP
— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) June 17, 2013

Hahahahahaha. No.

Strong and weak: Alabama Crimson Tide | ESPN

Weakest position: Defensive line

Alabama is still looking for consistency up front. The dominant players the Tide are used to having up front just haven't shown up yet. Ends Jeoffrey Pagan and Ed Stinson could have a big year, but they'll need to be consistent going forward. It helps that Stinson can play both tackle and end. Brandon Ivory has a lot of potential, but has to replace Jesse Williams at noseguard. Outside of those three, there are a lot of question marks along the line. Help is on the way with freshmen Dee Liner, Jonathan Allen, Tim Williams and A'Shawn Robinson -- all ESPN 150 members -- coming in for fall camp. Still, this line has a ways to go.

I would disagree with this assessment. To me, our weakest position would be cornerback. I feel confident in Deion Belue, and I actually think Geno Smith and Cyrus Jones will excel as the next two cornerbacks, but there is less certainty about that performance than I feel for our defensive line (which I think could be one of the bests Saban has had at Bama). What do you guys think?

Lem Barney: No football in 20 years | ESPN

"The game is becoming more deadly today," the Pro Football Hall of Famer said Friday. "It's a great game. I think it's the greatest game if you like gladiators. It's the greatest game for yesteryear's gladiators. But I can see in the next 10 to maybe 20 years, society will alleviate football altogether."

No chance. Money is in charge of the game now, and there is too much of it for this kind of talk to ever gain traction. All of the interested parties will be sure to put forth enough energy to keep the game safe enough to prevent it.

Among five surprises at Panthers minicamp? Alabama's Robert Lester (report) | AL.com

A school-record nine players from Alabama were drafted in April. Lester wasn't one of them. But the former Crimson Tide safety, who had 14 interceptions and was part of two national title teams in Tuscaloosa, had a solid spring and is in the mix for the strong safety spot opposite Charles Godfrey. Lester has good size (6-1, 215 pounds) and instincts, and that championship pedigree.

Good news for Lester. He still has an uphill battle in front of him, but we wish the best of luck to him.

Quick Hitters:

How the hell do you score on Alabama? Part 1: Probing for weaknesses

How the hell do you score on Alabama? Part 2: The stats behind the late-season "decline"

Recruiting: SEC Roundup | 247sports

Roll Bama Roll Mailbag | 06.18.13

2013-06-18T13:17:04Z

Alright, folks. Time for another round of our newest feature here on Roll Bama Roll: mailbag, where you submit your questions to get our takes and spark discussions among the readers.

If you have any questions that you'd like to submit for future mailbags, just shoot us an email at RBRmailbag@gmail.com. Let us know if you'd like us to use your first name, username, or be anonymous.

Now on to this week's questions!

What is your take on why everyone in the college football world is complaining about Alabama's Schedule? Bama plays two easier games this year and yet everyone (BIG, PAC12,Big12/10 & SEC) is complaining about the schedule being too easy. For instance, take a look at LSU's Schedule, they have 2 bye weeks just like Bama, but no one is talking about their bye weeks. If you look you will see they (LSU) take their bye weeks before Bama and before A&M. Yet no one is saying anything about it. - James Tew

I think the problem is two-fold. First off, when you're the top dog, you're going to get criticized. At this point, Bama fans really should be used to it, and if you aren't then you need to get used to it, because the criticisms are here to stay until the titan has been felled, at which point we'll reminisce about the good ol' days when people were constantly complaining about Bama.

The second part of the issue is this - the complaint is grounded in truth. Bama's schedule this year is the easiest the program has had since Saban arrived, by a fair margin. Bama avoids the "Big 3" of the East, has bye weeks before both games with the only real competition for the west crown. On top of all of that, the "marquee" out of conference game figures to be the weakest one Bama has faced in the past 6 years.

Also, just to be clear, the two bye weeks are the result of a scheduling quirk, and all schools have two this year. In fact, Big 12 schools have three bye weeks, since a few teams play their last conference games on championship Saturday.

It's no secret Alabama has an embarrassment of riches at running back. How do you see that playing out? What's the depth chart look like? Who gets primarily utilized elsewhere (H-back, kick returns, etc)? - geauxcrimson

Oh, where do you start with this one? The only certainty is that T.J. Yeldon has the starter job locked up. Behind that, I would put Kenyan Drake ahead of Jalston Fowler, but only because I expect Fowler to be on the field already as the H-back. That brings us to the last of the veterans - Dee Hart. I'm one that is surprised that Dee is even still on the team. When he went down with his second knee injury last year, I thought his career in crimson was over. While I am glad that he's still with the team, I think he'll be hard pressed to avoid being passed over by this year's crop of running backs. Look for Dee to make some noise as a kick returner and hopefully unseat Christion Jones as the punt returner. Don't, however, look for him to be taking too many handoffs.

Speaking of the new crop, Bama has four new faces fighting for playing time at running back: Derrick Henry, Tyren Jones, Alvin Kamara, and Altee Tenpenny. Henry had the benefit of being a part of the spring practice, but an injury in the second scrimmage probably offset some portion of that advantage, and I would say he's only a slight favorite to emerge from the new pack. Outside of that timid projection, I'm going to take the easy way out and say it's too early to tell on the rest of the depth chart. The new crop is just too full of talented guys to be able to make any kind of legitimate evaluation before they start practices.

I see this occasionally: O-Line lines up and the QB is under center. The QB makes a motion and the entire O-line at once relaxes. The audible is called and the O-line gets back in their stance. Why is this not a false start? - Robert

This is a question I've heard a ton over the last few years. The best place to start for this one is the NCAA rulebook.

Shift and False Start ARTICLE 2. a. Shift. After a huddle (Rule 2-14-1) or shift (Rule 2-22-1) and before the snap, all Team A players must come to an absolute stop and remain stationary in their positions for at least one full second before the ball is snapped, without movement of the feet, body, head or arms (A.R. 7-1-2-I).

b. False Start. Each of the following is a false start by Team A if it occurs prior to the snap after the ball is ready for play and all players are in scrimmage formation:

Any movement by one or more players that simulates the start of a play.

The snapper moving to another position.

A restricted lineman (Rule 2-27-4) moving his hand(s) or making any quick movement. [Exception: It is not a false start if a Team A lineman immediately reacts when threatened by a Team B player in the neutral zone (Rule 7-1-5-a-2) (A.R. 7-1-3-V)].

An offensive player making any quick, jerky movement before the snap, including but not limited to: (a) A lineman moving his foot, shoulder, arm, body or head in a quick, jerky motion in any direction. (b) The snapper shifting or moving the ball, moving his thumb or fingers, flexing his elbows, jerking his head, or dipping his shoulders or buttocks. (c) The quarterback making any quick, jerky movement that simulates the beginning of a play. (d) A back simulating receiving the ball by making any quick, jerky movement that simulates the beginning of a play.

Basically, the devil is in the details. The offensive line is allowed to move as a unit (called a shift) as long as the movements are not fast and do not in any way simulate the start of a play. Every time I've seen this routine done, you see the Oline casually get out of their stance and look to the sideline. If they snapped up quickly, it would be flagged (or at least flag-able... SEC officials, y'all).

Well, that will wrap up this week's Roll Bama Roll mailbag. Feel free to give your responses in the comments and/or let me know why I'm completely right/wrong about my responses. And remember to send in your questions for future editions of Roll Bama Roll mailbag to RBRmailbag@gmail.com.

Minnesota Center J.C. Hassenauer Commits to Alabama

2013-06-18T00:35:21Z

The Alabama Summer Camps have proved quite fruitful for both the Crimson Tide coaching staff to see prospects in action and for the players to show their stuff. Session II produced an offer to a lesser known center from Woodbury, Minnesota by the name of J.C. Hassenauer.

He may not be a household name but the camps know him well. He was offensive line MVP at three spring combines: the Adidas combine in Detroit, the Nike combine in Memphis, and the Rivals.com combine in Chicago. After working out for the Bama coaches this past weekend, they were convince of his ability. The 6-foot-3, 285-pound Hassenauer is a true offensive center prospect.

Only Vanderbilt and Minnesota has offered him up until Alabama offered Hassenauer on Saturday when he was in Tuscaloosa for the camp. He is sure to get noticed now.

If you have any doubts, watch his video and judge for yourself:

He also plays defensive tackle for East Ridge High School and is a legitimate prospect as a longsnaper:

The last several days has seen Alabama get verbals from a player from Oklahoma, Ohio, and now Minnesota. These young men join three commitments each from Alabama and Georgia, and one each from Colorado, California, Louisiana, and Texas.

J.C. Hassenauer becomes the 13th commitment for the Alabama Crimson Tide Class of 2014.

Poll

How badly do you want college football to start?

Predicting the 2013 SEC Football Season: Kentucky & Missouri

2013-06-17T14:44:10Z

Is it insulting to combine Kentucky and Missouri in one post? Until they start winning some significant games in the SEC, I say not. The fifth in a series leading up to fall camps takes us north and west.

Kentucky Wildcats 2-10 (0-8) in 2012

Synopsis: There was a time, not so long ago, when former UK Head Coach Rich Brooks brought the Wildcats some respectability leading the Wildcats to 4 straight bowl games (3-1). It took Joker Phillips only three season to unravel the whole thing. Kentucky is hoping new head coach Mark Stoops can emulate brother Bob Stoops, head coach at Oklahoma, and not brother Mike Stoops, former head coach at Arizona.
Key Losses: OG Larry Warford, WR La'Rod King, K Craig McIntosh
Key Returners: RB Raymond Sanders, QB Maxwell Smith, LB Avery Williamson
Newcomers: Head coach Mark Stoops, DE Za'Darius Smith, DB Marcus McWilson

The Schedule:

8/31/13 vs. Western Kentucky (Nashville, TN) - honestly, can they beat this Bobby Petrino-coached team? I am feeling charitable - Win
9/7/13 vs. Miami (OH) (Lexington, KY) - Another tough one for the Cats (what a sad statement) - Win
9/14/13 vs. Louisville (Lexington, KY) - Louisville is proof that you can build a winning football program in this hoops-crazy state - Loss
9/21/13 bye
9/28/13 vs. Florida (Lexington, KY) - Loss
10/5/13 at South Carolina (Columbia, SC) - Loss
10/12/13 vs. Alabama (Lexington, KY) - Loss
10/19/13 bye
10/24/13 at Mississippi State (Starkville, MS) - Loss
11/2/13 vs. Alabama State (Lexington, KY) WOOHOO! - Win
11/9/13 vs. Missouri (Lexington, KY) This might be UK's only shot at a SEC win. Toss up goes to the home team - Win
11/16/13 at Vanderbilt (Nashville, TN) - Loss
11/23/13 at Georgia (Athens, GA) - Loss
11/30/13 vs. Tennessee (Lexington, KY) - Will the Vols be humiliated by this point and just give up? - Loss

Let's go Bowling! When does basketball season start?

~~~~

Missouri Tigers 5-7 (2-6) in 2012

Synopsis: By the time October arrives, Mizzou will be 4-0. By the time October ends, they probably still have 4 wins. It seems like Texas A&M has been a part of the SEC for years. Missouri, however, has not quite acclimated to the climate. Coach Gary Pinkel is on the hot seat. Will Dorial Green-Beckham ever live up to his 2012 #1 overall prospect ranking?
Key Losses: DT Sheldon Richardson, OLB Zaviar Gooden, WR T.J. Moe, DE Brad Madison, CB Kip Edwards
Key Returners: QB James Franklin, WR Dorial Green-Beckham, S Braylon Webb
Newcomers: ATH Chase Abbington, DT Josh Augusta

The Schedule:

8/31/13 vs. Murray State (Columbia, MO) - Win
9/7/13 vs. Toledo (Columbia, MO) - Win
9/14/13 bye
9/21/13 at Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.) - Win
9/28/13 vs. Arkansas State (Columbia, MO) - Win
10/5/13 at Vanderbilt (Nashville, TN) - Loss
10/12/13 at Georgia (Athens, GA) - Loss
10/19/13 vs. Florida (Columbia, MO) - Loss
10/26/13 vs. South Carolina (Columbia, MO) - Loss
11/2/13 vs. Tennessee (Columbia, MO) - Can the Vols lose two in a row to Mizzou? Out on a limb - Loss
11/9/13 at Kentucky (Lexington, KY) - home team gets the edge - Loss
11/16/13 bye
11/23/13 at Ole Miss (Oxford, MS) - Loss
11/30/13 vs. Texas A&M (Columbia, MO) - Loss

Let's go Bowling! Is that a 'For Sale' sign I see in Pinkel's front yard?

*Pinkel is starting his 13th year at UM. His two Associate Head Coaches are in their 17th and 12th seasons at the school.

Poll

How many combined SEC games will UK & Mizzou win in 2013?

Four Star Wide Receiver Derek Kief Commits to Bama

2013-06-16T22:20:47Z

Alabama landed its 12th commitment for the class of 2014 this afternoon when Derek Kief announced his intent to play for the Crimson Tide on his twitter account.

Officially committed to The University of Alabama! #RollTide http://t.co/xS7wMU8ynX
— Derek Kief (@DKief10) June 16, 2013

Of all the positions on the football field, wide receiver is probably the one most associated with self promotion. In that respect, Kief appears to be more "rule" than "exception", as evidenced by his website - DerekKief.com.*

Derek is a consensus four star wide receiver hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio. At 6'5" 200 pounds, Kief has the raw measurables to be the type of big target that Bama has found to be few and far between.

Kief doesn't have any official 40 times posted anywhere that I can find, but his tape shows that he has plenty of speed to go along with that frame, as he runs past some well-regarded DBs, even when given a large cushion. He's considered to have good hands, but one thing that I noticed when watching his tape is that he sometimes has a tendency to let the ball come all the way to his body, rather than reach out and catch it away from himself. In all, that's a small quibble, and Kief looks to have the potential to make some serious waves in a few years.

Given the absurd depth at wide receiver right now, I would expect Kief to come in and redshirt his first year, taking the opportunity to fill out his frame and hone his fundamentals. 2015 should be a big year for wide receiver turnaround, though, and Kief should be in the thick of the conversation when the battles for playing time heat up.

As far as the class of 2014 is concerned, Alabama's depth at wide receiver has led to the general thought that Coach Nick Saban will only add two pass catchers in the class of 2014. With the addition of Kief that leaves potentially one open slot. The leading target is Ermon Lane of Homestead, Florida followed by Cameron Sims of Ouachita Parish HS in Monroe, LA.

Lane is ranked as the top 1 or 2 receiver and has been impressive at the various 7-on-7 competitions around the country. He looks to be leaning towards Alabama over Miami and Florida. The freshman success of Miami native Amari Cooper surely has increased the appeal of playing in Tuscaloosa.

The Tide recruiting staff has been making serious inroads into northern Louisiana (Denzel Devall, O.J. Smith) and Sims is a part of that. He is not ranked as high as Lane but looks to be favoring Alabama over Georgia, Auburn, Oklahoma State, and LSU.

Other things to consider, Bama 2013 signee Robert Foster is still waiting on the NCAA Clearinghouse to clear him so that he can enroll this summer. 2014 commit Bo Scarborough has been playing some receiver at the 7-on-7's and has looked good.

Here's a highlight video from DerekKief.com (**terrible music alert**)

And here's another video, this time from Rivals Under Armour Camp. Soundtrack is again original and customized. Someone in his family has the hype machine for this kid at full throttle.

* It should be noted that the website indicates that it is run by Derek's uncle, and is not reflective of Derek's "demeanor". Do with that info what you will, but I tend to disregard it entirely. The uncle apparently takes trips with Derek, and is obviously fed information to post on the site. Whether Derek expressly or tacitly endorses the site, its existence represents a stamp of approval. All of that being said, I couldn't care less about whether a kid runs a website to self promote and try to land in the best situation possible.

Top Quarterback David Cornwell Commits to Alabama

2013-06-14T23:02:08Z

Earlier this month, the Alabama Football Camp was something of a quarterback audition. Several of the nation's top quarterbacks were in Tuscaloosa throwing for the Alabama coaching staff.

Seemingly, one of those signal callers stood out above the others. David Cornwell from Norman, Oklahoma is the 11th commitment to the Crimson Tide Class of 2014. Most of the main recruiting sites rank him in their top 5 quarterbacks with many listing him as the top Pro-Style QB. Additionally, he is thought of as the top prospect out of the state of Oklahoma.

As a junior, he threw 338 times with 191 completions for 2742 yards, 27 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He also rushed 128 times for 755 yards and 6 TDs. He has a great arm and at 6-5 and 230 lbs. he is built to be a QB in the SEC. A full scouting report is available here from SBNation.

Cornwell had Alabama as his top choice for a long time and was finally ready to make his announcement. The thought is that the Crimson Tide will only take one quarterback in 2014.

~~~~

In other recruiting news, the nation's number one player, defensive end Da'Shawn Hand, has eliminated Virginia Tech and South Carolina leaving Alabama, Florida, and Michigan as his final three.

4-star linebacker Christian Miller recently de-committed from Florida and is giving Alabama a good long look. One recruiting expert thinks the Saban is "Devil" comment from the Florida assistant may have had something to do with it. He projects as a Jack at Alabama.

Roll Bama Roll Weekend Sendoff

2013-06-14T15:00:10Z

The RBR weekend countdown is back! Sort of. This time it's not so much a countdown as a sendoff. This week, we'll be matching up SEC teams to track titles off of an album. Which album? Well, what album could be a more appropriate starting place for a Bama blog than Jay-Z and Kanye's masterwork "Watch the Throne"?

Obviously a couple tracks are missing. Some because I'm not interested in controversy, and some because they didn't fit the mold. I'll let you decide which is which. I've included links to each of the tracks if you would like to take a listen, but I'll offer a warning now that these songs have plenty of "adult" language, so you might want to skip out on the tunes if that would offend you.

On to the album!

1. No Church in The Wild (Feat. Frank Ocean) - LSU
"What's a mob to a king?" About one screen pass short of success, I'd say. This track name seems like a perfect fit for the chaotic and godless voodoo children of the bayou. I'm sure they think it's nice to be number one in something again...
Song

5. Gotta Have It - Texas A&M
The "it" in this instance? Revenge. Sweet, violent revenge. I can only hope Manziel keeps taking time to make truck videos during this offseason. Sacks on sacks on sacks, y'all.
Song

6. New Day - Vandy/Ole Miss
A new day? Sure, but only a moderately better one. Ole Miss and Vandy are clearly on the upswing, but their pendulums are only built to swing so high before they snap under the stress and fall to the ground in a fiery heap.
Song

7. That's My B*tch - Auburn
Get your own dog, ya heard? Let this serve as a friendly reminder that it has been 931 days since Auburn has scored an offensive touchdown against Bama. Welcome back, Gus. Why don'y you run another trick play, for old time's sake?
Song

8. Welcome to The Jungle - Arkansas
Good Lord, I am so looking forward to scumbag Bret's first year in the SEC. You're not in Kansas anymore, fella.
Song

9. Who Gon Stop Me - Bama
So many rings, I need eight arms.
Song

10. Murder to Excellence - Kentucky/Tennessee/MSU/Missouri
The dregs of the conference seem to do their dead level best to tear down the mystique of the SEC. By the way, how many days out of the year do you think Tennessee fans realize they are now Kentucky? Do they snap awake every morning in a cold sweat, or does the realization fade from their consciousness, only to sneak up once a week during their morning commute? Fun fact: orange tears taste like jelly beans.
Song

11. Sweet Baby Jesus (Feat. Frank Ocean) (Made in America) - Georgia
Mark Richt is a good, Christian man.
Song

14. HAM - South Carolina
Because watching Clowney go all out gives me funny tingles. (may have to click to animate)
Song

15. Prime Time - Florida
I know it's only been a couple years since we played for a national title berth and I know that Florida was just in the Sugar Bowl last year, but it feels like it has been forever since Florida has fielded a team that would be competitive with Bama. College Football is better when Florida is a legitimate threat (Les Miles prefers this as well), and I'm glad that Muschamp seems to have them back on track to prime time.
Song