Jumbo Package: A different kind of Labor Day weekend for the Tide

Happy Friday, everyone. This is definitely a different kind of Labor Day weekend. What should we be seeing tomorrow?

Clint is off by a day, but that’s OK. Alas, we must wait three more weeks this year, along with players who must be chomping at the bit. Ten SEC games should be worth the wait, though.

Notre Dame is excited about their conference season.

Ok, Domers, that was pretty funny.

Still h8 u tho.

Alabama’s players are managing the changes well, it seems.

The oddity of the moment isn’t lost on tight end Miller Forristall.

“No one’s senior year has ever been like this,” he said. “Not coach, definitely not us, I’ve been alive for 22 years. There’s people who have been alive a lot longer than I have and haven’t seen anything like this. This has been nothing like I envisioned. I mean no spring ball. No class. We’re at home all this time. We’re in Zoom meetings.”

It is very different, to be sure.

Huge news out of the Pac 12 yesterday.

The Pac-12 Conference announced today that it has entered into an agreement with diagnostic test leader Quidel Corporation to implement up to daily testing for COVID-19 with student-athletes across all of its campuses for all close-contact sports.

The agreement is a major step toward the safe return of sports competition in the Pac-12. The arrangement with Quidel will provide for frequent testing with rapid results, which had been one of the key concerns in the prior decision by the Pac-12 to postpone sport competition. The testing will also significantly reduce the number of contact traces required and the breadth of contact tracing required, with the goal of relieving some of the burden on local health authorities, as a result of removing or significantly limiting the spread of infection through athletics activity. Any return to competition is subject to requisite approvals from public health officials.

This isn’t going to bring the Pac 12 back in the fall, though, or at least not until the late fall. Schools in California still aren’t allowed to practice per public health guidelines.

In case you missed it, there was a huge flap on social media yesterday when this reporter broke a story about college athletes and myocarditis, then had to retract. Initial tweet that started the firestorm is quoted at the bottom.

These are the silliest times.

There are going to be some lean times in athletic departments for the next couple of years, at least.

Byrne also noted an average 22% reduction to operating budgets across the department.

Other cost cutting measures included limiting expenses to “essential purchases only,” a hiring freeze on non-coaching jobs and a “multiyear staff reduction and compensation containment plan,” Byrne wrote.

The moves made to date have saved $16 million, according to the email.

Malachi Moore is standing out in the secondary, and football IQ has a lot to do with it.

Moore’s intelligence seems to be one of his greatest strengths. Both Talsma and former Hewitt-Trussville defensive coordinator Rudy Griffin (a former defensive lineman for Alabama) can’t help but dwell on that when Moore’s name comes up in conversation.

“Malachi knew what the linebackers did, he knew what the D-line did,” Griffin said. “And that’s not normal. That’s not normal for a kid to know what everyone on the defense did.”

Sounds like a Saban defender.

Last, Lane Kiffin shared some good information and ended with a little bit of witty respect for the Tide.

Fans probably should prepare for a wackier than usual season. These machines aren’t likely to be well-oiled after such a disjointed camp experience.

That’s about it for today. Enjoy your holiday weekend.

Roll Tide.