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Kentucky and NCAA
Mark Stoops' Pre-Alabama Press Conference - A Sea Of Blue
Alabamian, 'dual threat guy' to lead upset-minded Kentucky against Crimson Tide
"He missed some things; he missed some throws, but he did some very good things, as well," Stoops said. "It was nice to see him compete. It was nice to see him run. He ran hard at times. He ran physical at times and he made some better decisions. So I think overall, that was a real positive, and it's good to see and I think it gives us a little confidence moving forward.
Two NFL execs: Jadeveon Clowney sitting out no big deal - SBNation.com
"If he's healthy, works out well and most importantly interviews well, it won't hurt him."
I'm actually shocked so many people are making excuses for JC and acting like this is no big deal. No one knows whether or not JC is intentionally mailing in the 2013 season but the idea his attitude won't "hurt" his draft stock is sickening. Just for a second let's assume JC is holding himself back for his NFL future. What does that say about his work ethic? His dedication to his team, coaches and to himself? What happens when he gets hurt or has a contract disagreement? Don't these NFL execs think he'll take this same mindset with him to the next level? Just sit out because it's what's best for me.
He may be a once in a lifetime player (though he really hasn't shown that to be the case) but if I were an NFL GM I would have very real concerns about his mental approach to the game i.e. Jamarcus Russell.
Alabama
Alabama Crimson Tide young DBs move forward without Ha Ha Clinton-Dix - ESPN
It was an awkward position for both sophomores to be in. Neither had started a game or played a meaningful snap at free safety in their careers. Smith was a cornerback all of last season before being moved to safety this fall. Collins, meanwhile, played almost every position but free safety prior to this week. The former five-star athlete learned cornerback, money, star and strong safety already, but he'd never tackled Clinton-Dix's position.
GSU was the perfect game to allow our young secondary to become acclimated in their new positions and Kentucky should provide further teaching opportunities.
My fear is, like Geno and Faciane before him, Ha Ha will not see the field as a starter the moment he is reinstated; he will have to fight to get his spot back. And if he isn't reinstated well before the LSU game, we may not see him back on the field before the Auburn game. HFTB
No change for Clinton-Dix yet - TimesDaily: Alabama Football
"Our concern is we get our players to do the right things the right way, all the time," Saban said. "We are not going to be willing to worry about anybody’s perception of what’s happening if we have to get guys to do the right thing all the time. "If players are committed to doing the right things, we won’t have those issues to deal with."
Well Coach, this is great in theory and all but no one does the right thing all the time and expecting that is kind of silly. I could go on a rather lengthy diatribe on the innate ugliest of man but I'll spare you the theological lesson. My point is you can't simply prevent evil by trying hard and unless a person fully understands the consequences of their actions, and actually cares about said consequences, they aren't going to do the right thing.
Unfortunately, some people, like yours truly, need to be hit over the head before they can fully learn that doing the right thing isn't about just following rules.
NCAA may not have the stomach for a fight with Alabama - CBSSports.com
The story seems mostly benign -- Clinton-Dix had reportedly packed his 2012 Dodge Charger for a trip to see family in Florida, but the car was broken into and his cash was taken -- but it raises questions like this one: If Clinton-Dix or his family can afford a 2012 Dodge Charger, why was he so strapped for cash that he needed to borrow money from a coach? And if Clinton-Dix or his family can't afford a 2012 Dodge Charger, um, who bought it? There could be a reasonable explanation. No, really. There could.
Yep, cause no young black man has parents who can afford a dodge charger. It's absolutely not possible. And if a black college football player, or really any college football player for that matter, is driving around in a nice car you have to assume he obtained it illegally, right? I know he goes on to detail the reasonable explanation but leading with "who bought it" is bad form.
We just don't worry about it," quarterback AJ McCarron said. "It's not affecting me as a person. It has nothing to do with me. It has nothing to do with anybody else. It's whoever it's going on with. Us as a team, we can't let anything like that affect us that we have no control over."
Adversity builds character and will define leadership. Ha Ha being out for an extended period of time does not bode well for the defense long term but it will provide this team an opportunity to come together as a unified force. They will either rise to the challenge or collapse under the pressure. Again, hope for the best.
"I find college football coaches are the prickliest of them all because often they're kind of the emperors of their own domains," Schaap said. "They're very thin-skinned often, and they have high-pressure jobs and everybody's coming after them, especially these days with the blogs and Twitter. It's very difficult to turn off that feedback loop. So they live in these bubbles, and they feel they're constantly under attack, even if they're winning. And they rarely have any sense of humor anymore.
If feels odd to say this but Schapp makes a great point here. Saban only seems to have fun after his team wins a national title...