With the first full day of practice out of the way, plenty of "narratives" are starting to take shape. As per usual, the veterans worked out yesterday morning and the n00bs took to the practice field last night, with one very awesome exception. Dequan Menzie worked with the first group in the afternoon practice and considering even Julio Jones and Terrence Cody didn't practice until the evening during their first fall camp...well, either the coaches know he's good enough to start right away or are really just desperate for bodies. DeMarcus Milliner was working with the young guys in the evening despite having been through spring camp, so for right now the top four corners duking it out for playing time are Menzie, B.J. Scott, Dre Kirkpatrick, and Phelon Jones. They're short on experience, but that's still a pretty solid group to sink or swim with.
Moving over to Safety, Blake Sims was finally cleared and shocking no one began working last night with the DBs. Mark Barron and Robert Lester were the only two scholarship safeties working in the afternoon yesterday, with Sims, Kendall Kelly (who appears to be a full time DB now), Jarrick Williams and Nick Perry working at night. We'll just have to keep an eye out for which of those four are getting looks with Barron and Lester over the coming weeks.
On to the links:
Alabama #1 in the Preseason Coaches Poll | USA Today
Inevitable, certainly, though I'm sure Saban isn't happy about it, but its the rest of the poll that's of interest here. Ohio State at #2 shouldn't shock anyone, but Florida at #3 after losing so much of their team seems way too high and Georgia even being ranked at all with a first time starter at QB and a brand new defensive scheme is kind of silly. And poor Boise returns just about everyone from an undefeated team and still can't get past #5.
William Vlachos back in action | Birmingham News
You know how Vlachos sat the spring with a foot injury? Turns out he played half the season with a broken foot:
"The ball of my foot behind my big toe, which is called your sesamoid bone, first it just formed a tendonitis-type of deal, but as I kept practicing on it and playing on it, it finally split into three pieces, so they had to do what they call a bone graft," he said.
"It took awhile to heal. I was on crutches for six weeks and in a boot for six weeks after. It was painful. The first X-ray we took was in Lexington, Ky., after the Kentucky game. It was fine. I guess it was after Ole Miss the break finally happened. You can live with it for a while, but I'm looking forward to not having any problems with it."
You are not tough.
Tide's Luther Davis carrying 'a different attitude' as a family man | Mobile Press Register
As if being a football player at a major college program wasn't hard enough, try juggling twins (not literally, of course). DE Luther Davis became a father shortly before last year's season opener, and is doing just that:
"I haven't even been to a team party since my sophomore year," Davis said. "So that life is long gone. ... I'd say I'm just more mentally focused. A lot's changed in my life that has made me a better person, a more God-fearing person and a better student of the game."
Gators open fall practice with Alabama on mind | Associated Press
Considering we spent a whole year preparing for a rematch last year, I wouldn't expect any less out of Florida.
And etc...