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ESPN Carwash Day 1: Hugh Freeze Les Miles Gary Pinkel Gus Malzahn Mark Richt Derek Mason Mark Stoops
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) July 21, 2014
SEC Football: Current State of Recruiting in the Western Division - Team Speed Kills
Alabama is putting on a recruiting clinic and we all must bear witness. I don't see any team catching Alabama, and for the fifth year in the row they'll claim the top spot in the recruiting rankings. They are even outpacing their historical rate of an already ridiculously high 73% blue-chip rate.
Typically speaking, chest thumping over recruiting rankings in July is seen as a bit silly, but considering Alabama has nearly already locked up the #1 class 8 months before NSD is worth at least a hearty Roll Tide.
Nick Saban, Alabama players explain Lane Kiffin's impact after seven months with the Tide | AL.com
Yeah. Very well," Jones said. "He was a head coach at Tennessee and an OC. Coming from USC, winning championships, he understands what type of standard we set here at Alabama, and it's sort of the same type of standard he's used to." Fellow receiver Amari Cooper likes the evolving structure of the playbook and philosophy.
"I think Coach Kiffin takes advantage of match-ups," he said. "I think he has a good sense of what it's like to be an offensive coordinator. He's a very calm person and brings that calmness to the team when things get serious and when you are battling for a national championship every year."
Alabama certainly has the weapons on the outside to create mismatch nightmares for SEC defensive coordinators but questions marks regarding Coker's possible ability and talk of a "two QB system" have me more nervous than excited..
The Alabama coach just can't -- with 100 percent certainty -- say it will be a one-man show behind center, especially with athletic senior Blake Sims in the mix.
"It's not something that I would hope would happen," Saban said Thursday at SEC Media Days, referring to the possibility of running a two-quarterback system. "Is it something that I can totally rule out? Not really, because I think the skill set of Blake Sims can create problems for a defense. "If we wanted to utilize him to do that in some kind of way, I guess you could say that we could possibly have a two-quarterback system."
DO NOT WANT
Super Smash Coaches: SEC Free-For-All - Rock M Nation
In the Legend of Zelda universe – and all of the gaming universe really – Ganondorf is the ultimate villain, so it would make sense that Nick Saban would mold his fighting style after the Great King of Evil. The thing is, the similarities don't stop there. Both Ganondorf and Saban employ a methodically slow fighting style highlighted by its immense power. They also seem to always run into a young, flashy hero that foils all of their maniacal plans for world domination. Ganondorf couldn't seem to get past that pesky Link, and Saban never did seem to figure out Johnny Manziel. Regardless of their faults, both Ganondorf and Saban have recruited too many five-star attacks to be taken as anything less than a powerhouse in the foreseeable future.
This list is pretty funny and worth the read but man, it's annoying how people forget the first three quarters of the A&M game last year and only remember the insane come back...We had him "figured" out pretty dang well for 80% of that game...
Marcell Dareus out after failing Buffalo Bills' conditioning test | AL.com
The Bills are the first NFL team to open training camp as they prepare to play in the first game of the preseason. Buffalo plays the New York Giants on Aug. 3 in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.
Key point in this article? We have our first NFL preseason game on August 3rd, which is only two weeks away.
SOOOOOOOOOON
Saban to be tough on discipline? Hard to tell at SEC media days - CBSSports.com
Richt actually seems harder on crime than ever. The Bulldogs dismissed safeties Tray Matthews and Josh Harvey-Clemons this offseason. "Just because we've got guys suspended isn't evidence we have a discipline problem," Richt said. "It's evidence that we discipline our players. It's evidence there's accountability. ... Sometimes when you make part of your discipline playing time, it becomes a very public thing. Some of your dirty laundry gets out there in public. I'm willing to take that risk if the process will help these guys grow into men. If we ignore stuff they do and act like it didn't happen and sweep it under the rug, let them get away with it or whatever, what are we teaching? We are setting them up for failure down the road."
I think Saban's message, at its core, was similar, and maybe he has a well-defined plan. He just didn't deliver that clearly at SEC media days.
That gif is not only for the writer of this pathetic article but also for Richt, who seems to be completely clueless...
I agree with the last part of his statement but that beginning is just full of stupid. Yes, Mark, you do seem to have a firm grasp on accountability and discipline but if your team had better discipline, you wouldn't have to kick five players off your team every off-season.
Look, using fatherhood as an example, if I have to spank my kids multiple times a day because they are consistently breaking the rules and misbehaving, that's not only a poor reflection on my kids but also me as a parent. So perhaps I'm doing something wrong as a parent and it's not really my kids who have the issue.
So Mark, quit passing the buck and take responsibility for the fact your players are consistently in trouble and getting arrested...
As for Saban, his remarks were a bit confusing or at least unorganized but I think his overall point was pretty clear. Kicking kids off the team isn't always the best answer for the player long term but at times, when the player refuses to fall in line, being removed from the team is necessary for the good of the team and eventually the troubled player. And the decision to kick a player off the team isn't always clear cut and needs to be taken case by case.
I actually think the Pettway story is a great example of Saban having to kick a player off a team but also leaving the door open for him to return if the player does the things necessary to change his behavior. No, Saban didn't detail his "10 Point Step by Step How To Handle Troubled Players" plan to the media, but honestly, he didn't have to. He has a process (pun intended) on how to deal with team issues, and so far, for the most part, it seems to be working. If the rash of suspensions and arrests that we've seen since the beginning of last season continue, maybe then we begin to question his methods but for now, I'm willing to give the man the benefit of the doubt.
Amari Cooper is explosive... when he plays. Yet, he's struggled to stay on the field. And who emerges after that? Deandrew White has been okay. The rest? Meh both in production and talent. O.J. Howard is the exception to that rule, but Lane Kiffin tends to ignore the TE. Not to mention, the loss of McCarron has me begging, what do they do without the safety blanket that was Kevin Norwood? It's the one spot Bama has not recruited exceptionally.
Whoever wrote that needs to get a job with TBS, cause he knows funny.