Jumbo Package: Gump Day!

It’s not a brand new video— about a week old-- and you may have seen it before, but I just want to put this one here so you can start your Gump Day the right way:

Sure, most of the bad moments are edited out. But still, if this doesn’t get your heart to racing, you may want to visit your doctor.

Kansas City Chiefs: A weapon on the practice squad is Chiefs best kept secret

There is another weapon on offense for Mahomes to utilize, a man who has patiently waited for his opportunity, a man who probably has the best hands of any receiver the Chiefs have on their roster. That man is Gehrig Dieter.

Gehrig may not be known around the NFL as of yet, and that is fine for the Chiefs, as he made it all season on the Chiefs practice squad without getting nabbed or cut.

There is a reason Andy Reid has kept Dieter under wraps, to become part of the plan when Gehrig’s one time roommate and good friend Patrick Mahomes takes over at quarterback.

Gehrig Dieter was a 1-year rental starter at Bama last year and never quite materialized as the weapon we had hoped, but he still flashed a solid skill-set with a blend of size, speed, and veteran savvy that kept us all hopeful. He’s been hiding on the Chiefs’ practice squad all season, and just keeps sticking around. He and rookie Patrick Mahomes seem to have developed a bond, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dieter promoted sooner rather than later.

And if you just love heart-wrenching stories, here’s a link to the blog of his fiance about the weekend before the season started when he was cut from the rosters

Roll Tide, Gehrig. We’re definitely rooting for you.

SEC Football by the Numbers: Nick Saban

0 Coaches in major-college football history have won more games in their first 22 seasons than Nick Saban. Saban has a 223-62-1 on-the-field record after going 13-1 in 2017 in his 22nd campaign. Nebraska’s Tom Osborne is second to Saban on the list with a 219-47-3 record with the Cornhuskers from 1973 through 1994. Osborne went on to win 255 games overall in 25 seasons at Nebraska.

If you’re one of those people that likes to memorize random, cherry-picked stats to impress your friends, then boy does AL.com have the piece for you. In any case, it’s really just a big list of a bunch of different ways that Nick Saban is better than pretty much everyone else.

He certainly knows how to impress high school players.

Palm Beach Central shocked, excited by Nick Saban’s helicopter visit

Saban’s presence left the Broncos football players in shock, then awe.

“I didn’t realize what was going to happen,” Woronstoff said. “When I saw the helicopter come down, I was surprised to see Nick Saban come out. It was a really cool experience.”

After watching Saban emerge from the helicopter, junior defensive end Tedrick Patterson immediately reached for his phone.

“I called my parents,” he said. “I called everybody, letting them know Nick Saban was here. I was not expecting this. I had no idea.”

The man is like royalty on a high school football field.

Way-too-early over/unders for 2018: Quarterback

Passing yards for Tagovailoa: 3,000.5

Passing yards for Jalen Hurts: 470

Numbers to ponder: I mean, it’s absolutely 100 percent assured Tagovailoa will be the guy, right? Expect Saban to frame the situation in the quarterback room moving forward as anything but decided. Still, with memories of Tagovailoa’s performance in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game lingering like the aroma of freshly-poured Tennessee whiskey, consideration was given to putting the rising sophomore’s total somewhere in the neighborhood of 6,442,813.5 yards. Alas, temporary sobriety took over and I settled on a total just south of 3K, a number no UA quarterback in the Saban era has hit during the regular season. In passing for 2,988 yards in the 2014 regular season, Blake Sims came up just short. With the weapons UA welcomes back at the other skill positions, 3,000 in 12 games doesn’t seem all that farfetched. As for Hurts, his total is essentially what Tagovailoa passed for during the 2017 regular season.

I think I’m going to take the under on this one. Damien Harris is going to get too many carries as we’re icing the game the entire second half of every game for Tua to break 3000 yards.

But, for betting purposes, that does seem like a good line to draw for the over/under. Which are you gonna take?

Two former Alabama players were named to PFWA’s All-Rookie Team

Two former Alabama players were named to the Pro Football Writers Association’s All-Rookie Team, it was announced Tuesday.

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster and New York Giants defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson represented the Crimson Tide after their first seasons in the NFL.

Despite missing six games with an injury, Foster finished second on the 49ers in tackles during the 2017 season. San Francisco selected Foster with the 31st pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Tomlinson started every game at right defensive tackle for New York. He registered 50 tackles to rank ninth among NFL defensive tackles and registered one sack in his rookie season.

Congrats to Reuben Foster and Dalvin Tomlinson! We all knew that Foster was a monster in the center of the defense and that he probably dropped too low in the draft, but hey, I can’t totally fault the NFL teams for worrying about injury issues.

Tomlinson, though, has perennially been underrated for the last 3 years, and he finally got to prove it. He’s been nothing short of amazing in New York, and is generally considered a top-15 defensive tackle in the league already, if not better.

Get ready for the biggest Auburn-Alabama basketball game in memory

These are documented facts that can’t be repeated enough.

The Auburn basketball team is 16-1. Among the 351 Division I teams, only Purdue and Saint Mary’s at 17-2 have more wins.

The Auburn basketball team that got punched in the throat by the FBI has won 14 straight games. No one in the nation has a winning streak as long at the moment.

The Auburn basketball team that hasn’t been to the NIT since 2009 or the NCAA Tournament since 2003 is currently projected by ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi as a No. 4 seed in the Big Dance. The Tigers also are No. 7 in the latest NCAA RPI. Three of the teams above the Tigers, No. 5 North Carolina, No. 4 Villanova and No. 1 Duke, have won the last three national championships.

The Auburn basketball team that lost its most experienced assistant coach and two of its best players hasn’t lost a game since Nov. 17. The Auburn football team has lost twice since then.

As if navigating all that adversity to produce his best season by far in his four years at Auburn, now Bruce Pearl has to take his team into the most hostile atmosphere of the season to date. On Wednesday night at 6, the Tigers will face Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

It’s not hype to say it’s the biggest game for both teams in the rivalry in memory.

So it wasn’t enough for Auburn to beat us and Georgia only to watch both of their rivals go on to the national championship, but now their basketball squad comes into Tuscaloosa in prime position to be knocked off their unexpected pedestal and give Alabama the momentum we need to really put together a fiery second half of the season.

If you can make it to Tuscaloosa tomorrow night, go to Coleman Coliseum. I don’t care if its a dang blizzard out there— get in there and cheer on the Tide.