:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/29426859/bd-yyskcyae6ym0.0.jpg)
As CB pointed out in his article this morning, this week kicks off RBR's coverage of Spring Practice. Starting tomorrow Erik will being previewing the offensive line and I will wrap things up Thursday and Friday with the defensive line. We will also have podcasts each week and some Q&A's thrown in.
RBR coverage schedule:
- March 3rd-7th: DL and OL
- March 10th-14th: DB and LB
- March 17th-21st: QB, WR, and RB
- Special Teams the week of March 24th
Alabama's Nick Saban: 'Sometimes you need a few setbacks to straighten you out' | AL.com
But he admitted Friday that two consecutive national titles and an 11-0 start had some unintended repercussions. "We had three years worth of teams that really never had a loss of consequence," Saban said. "Even when we lost, for two years, we still won the national championship. And then we're 11-0 in this season. So we have three years of players who have never had a significant loss, alright, that had consequences that affected them."
When Slice and I visited Columbia, SC to watch the South Carolina/Florida game I shared with him a secret I vowed I would never openly admit to RBR because at that time it would have been blasphemous. However in retrospect, it seems as if Coach Saban and I are of one mind..
I told Slice that I felt Alabama needed to a lose a game that actually cost the team something. I mean, preferably not in a national championship game but something like what happened in 2008 when the team lost to UF in SEC championship game and then to Utah in the Sugar Bowl. A loss in the regular season wouldn't be good enough, we needed a loss in a big moment.
I felt that, because the team was able to win back-to-back championships even with regular season loss, the team, and the fans, needed a lesson in consequence. A few weeks later the Iron Bowl happened and then a month or so after that Bama lost to Oklahoma. Now, Coach Saban seems to be echoing my sentiments.
If the losses to Auburn and OU means the team is pissed off for greatness and is ready to once again buy into Saban's Process, were they worth it?
In my rather unpopular opinion, yes.
Alabama's Nick Saban talks 10-second rule, pace of play issues - CBSSports.com
The second thing is, can officials officiate the game? They're not in position when the ball is snapped, just like defensive players aren't in position when the ball is snapped, so that's a game administration issue that people should probably look into.
And the third thing, to me, and the last thing, which is not the most important, I think the first is most important, is there any competitive imbalance created by the pace of play. So I think those are all issues that people need to look at. In the NFL, what they did is the officials stand over the ball until the officials are ready to call the game. All right, that's how they control the pace of play. The coach at Philadelphia ran 83 plays a game at Oregon, and ran 65 a game in Philadelphia. So why do they control the pace of play in the NFL? I mean, I'm just asking.
OK, forget point number one because it really is silly but his last two points are to me serious by-products of the HUNH offense. If ref's can't properly call the game , because of the pace, and are missing pre-snap penalties, then the offense is at a competitive advantage and thusly the 10 sec rule is necessary.
Saban and anyone else in favor of the rule need to leave point one out of the discussion and drive numbers two and three into the ground to the point of delirium.
The Crimson Tide committed three errors in the fourth inning and had just five hits in its 5-1 loss to the Seminoles on Sunday at Rhoads Stadium. The loss snapped Alabama's five-game winning streak and came on the heels of Saturday's 1-0 victory over Florida State. Leslie Jury took the loss, her second of the season, as she allowed just three hits, but walked seven in 3 2/3 innings. She didn't escape the fourth, which saw Florida State score three runs thanks to three Alabama errors -- all in the infield.
Man, I hate losing to FSU...
Anthony Grant proud of Alabama's perseverance 'in the face of adversity' | AL.com
"It's still a work in progress to say where we'll be when all things are said and done," Grant said. "The thing I'm proud of that, in the face of the adversity, with the losses and just guys playing well and not playing well and what I'm challenging them to do as a coach, I think they've persevered and responded. I think it's a mark of character when you can do that.
"We've had our share of tough times over the course of the season, frustrating games or moments where you look and say, 'We've got to regroup.' I'm sure you guys are probably looking at this and saying, 'How are these guys going to respond after this one?' The thing I'm proud of is our guys come every day and show up to work and understand we've got to continue to fight for each other, continue to fight together."
Emphasis mine. Most Bama fans want Grant gone, I get that, but I'm watching the rest of the season closely. We all thought the team quit weeks ago but they continue to bounce back and play with heart and effort. If they can somehow pull out a win against UK and then defeat Arkansas at home I'll be very impressed.
However, if they lose to UK and Arkansas and then get bounced in the first SEC tournament game the cries for #FireAnthonyGrant will only get louder. I'm hoping for the first scenario...
"He's not a bad person or a bad coach. He knows what he's doing," Grimble said. "Obviously, everyone's a critic who's not out there or playing for him. He's good with the players. He's a players' coach. "He's more relaxed. People probably take him to be like uptight or kind of stiff but he's actually more relaxed. He's a younger coach.
He's pretty laid back. He gets on us and coaches hard but he's more laid back than people think." As a defensive lineman, George Uko had a different perspective of a coach he described as an "offensive guru." He saw a head coach who "overthought things" because "he saw the game so slow that he would sometimes overanalyze."
I find it rather interesting that Kiffin's former players are talking him up. That could be them taking the high road but much like with Saban, maybe he's not the horrible person we all made him out to be.