New Crimson Tide Uniforms

The Piedmont Gazette recently published another report that has Alabama fans worried. Many might remember the report they did on every fan receiving a breathalyzer prior to entering the stadium (New Game Day changes). The article causing such a commotion this time is about the Tide getting new uniforms (New Uniform Article) .


First of all, this is a fake article. Second, I understand that this would be a big deal, but it is nothing to worry about. The concern people are expressing about an article of clothing is a perfect example of one of the major problems with Alabama Football.

I love and respect the Alabama Football Tradition more than most, but we are also slaves to this tradition. We have a great new coach, a great incoming freshman class and a newly expanded stadium, what would be so bad about having modernized and new uniforms. We could even incorporate our tradition into these uniforms like we did with the houndstooth collars on the 25th anniversary of Paul Bear Bryant earning his 315th win.

I'm not talking about something as dramatic as changing our uniforms to look like Oregon's with Crimson & White coloring. I think people would be surprised at the amount of popularity the Tide will gain outside of the SEC in making a move like new uniforms.

It could also help to ensure that all of our recruiting classes are like this incoming class. Think about it, most of the teams consistently ranked in the top 10 each year have different variations of their uniforms and tend to throw something new on every now and then. It is time we understand that things change. I am happy that things change because if they didn't and I had to settle for the past few seasons we have had, I would not be very happy.

Also another thought, the Georgia black-out was pretty cool to watch last year. That was the first time they ever wore those uniforms. There is no telling what the recruits at that game thought.

Say It Ain't So Jimmy

With many of the facts yet to be released, I am hesitant to cover the arrest of Jimmy Johns, but have chosen to do so anyway. Lets think about some facts that I feel are important:
1) Jimmy Johns was arrested on Tuesday, June 24th at 8 am on 5 counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance
and 1 count of possession of cocaine.
2) Jimmy Johns has been kicked off of the UA football team.
3) Jimmy Johns is facing a minimum of 3 years for each charge unless a plea bargain is reached.
4) Jimmy Johns lived alone in an off campus apartment.
5) Jimmy Johns is the only Alabama player sought after in the investigation.


It is a given that Jimmy Johns' football career at UA is over. As far as the amount of jail time he could be facing, Johns could get 18 years minimum, unless he makes a plea deal. I believe a plea deal will be reached because it doesn't take a genius to know that John's is not the top man in this operation. If you are not the top man in an operation like this, there is always a way to save your own skin. I have a strong feeling Johns will not want to spend 18 years or more in jail, so he will turn his suppliers in for a lesser sentence.

Many Alabama players share apartments on or office campus together, but Johns chose to live alone. This is a good thing because if anyone else happened to live with Johns, they would have been found guilty by the social media until proven innocent, therefore brightening the negative light on the Alabama football program. Johns has also stated to the police that he tried to keep it a secret from his teammates leading me to believe that no other players are involved.

I am not going to call Jimmy Johns an idiot for his actions. I do not know him at all. I do not know his family's financial situation. I do not know the culture he was raised in. I am just going to hope that he receives the proper punishment for his crimes, a punishment that causes him to see the errors of his ways.

Many have said that the coaching staff knew about Jimmy Johns' activities, but did not kick him off the team. Supposedly they tried to drug test him, but he passed every test. Here is my question, if the coaching staff can not prove that Johns was dealing drugs, can they kick him off the team because of some rumors they have heard?

The Offensive Line: To Stand Tall or Set To Fall?

Rivals released their pre-season position rankings for the SEC offensive line. It is no surprise that the Crimson Tide is ranked #2 in the SEC West, but it also does not mean anything.

We are talking about an offensive line, with 87 starts between 4 returning starters, that should have dominated last year. Being ranked very high this time last year, the Tides offensive Line disappointed many. Injuries and suspensions did plague the experienced line, but this is the year they have to step up. Behind Andre Smith, Mike Johnson and Evan Caldwell, the Tide should be able to run to the left side all day long.

2007 low point: With just 20 total rushing yards and seven sacks allowed, the line had no answers for LSU's front seven.

The big question is who is going to step up and take the right tackle position? It could be Drew Davis, who proved his potential over this past spring or could it be the freshman, Tyler Love, pushing his way into the starting line-up?

We do know one thing, these players have been through a lot of adversity together, but can they learn to overcome these challenges that at times stand in their path. Maybe they could avoid these adversities all together when speaking of suspensions.

What do you think is going to happen to the Tide's OL this fall?

Does Anyone Remember Tiki Barber???

The 2008 Super Bowl Champions probably remember him. I definitely remember him as being that guy that retired premature to become a NFL commentator. I also remember him for criticizing Eli Manning for poor leadership skills and Tom Coughlin's poor coaching strategies.

I assume Tiki felt such a need to be accepted as an "intelligent" and "all-knowing" commentator that he told about locker-room information from his playing days for the Giants. He broke a major unwritten rule by going public with locker room information.

Well, Tiki must feel like an ass now. Eli and Coughlin's right hands are a little bit tougher to lift with that big rock that reads Super Bowl Champions.

Save The "Stadium Dog"

It has been announced that Centerplate, Inc., based in Conneticut, will be the new food, beverage and merchandise provider for Bryant-Denny Stadium. Since agreeing to a deal with Crimson Tide Sports Marketing, the company has come in and made some big decisions.

The first decision,which I agree with, is replacing Pepsi with Coke. There is nothing that screams the tradition of Alabama Football like Coca-Cola. Bringing coke back, is like re-applying the numbers to the sides of the helmets after taking them off for years. Besides, I hated to mix my bourbon with Pepsi.

The decision I am almost sick about is the thought of ditching "Stadium Dogs". I feel like stadium dogs a a major contributor to me growing up and being a healthy young man. They have been more essential in my diet than a multi-vitamin. Many people go to the game just to get a "Stadium Dog". This can not happen!!!

Here is an article the Tuscaloosa News write about the potential change: Doing Away With Denny Dogs?!?!

ESPN Releases 2008 Workout Warriors List

Due to popular demand, ESPN has compiled the 2008 offseason Workout Warriors List. No Alabama or Auburn players made this list, but the stats on some of these guys are amazing.

The last time ESPN created this list, was in 2006 and awarded the top spot to West Virginia's Owen Schmitt. I remember last year watching a West Virginia game in which Ray Lewis was in attendance. When asked by a sideline reporter about Schmitt's 480 lbs. power-clean, Ray Lewis was almost speechless. When words finally came out of his mouth, all he could say was unbelievable.

Check out the article at:
ESPN Workout Warriors

Surprise Visit From Five Star Recruit

Rueben Randle, a five-star receiver from Louisiana, has decided to make a surprise visit to the University of Alabama. Rivals.com broke the news today explaining that Randle's goal is to cut his large list of schools to five by the end of the summer. Randle, the #1 rated receiver and #6 overall player in the country by Rivals.com, plans to be in Tuscaloosa on either Wednesday or Thursday.

The decesion to visit Alabama comes a week and a day after four-star running back Trent Richardson surprisingly decided to end his recruitment early (real early) and commit to The Tide. Richard is the #3 running back in the nation and many recruiting analysts predict him to be rated higher if he remains healthy throughout his senior season. Is the Richardson commitment foreshadowing of yet another great Saban recruiting class?

It Must Be The Hormones In The Chicken

Mike Tyson once said, "If you want to see a tragedy, give an uneducated 18 year-old kid $100 million and watch."

I may not have gotten that quote exactly right (not making it a true quote), but it was something along those lines. Young athletes are developing bigger and faster than ever before.

With this, they are choosing to forgo their final year(s) of college and entering pro drafts in their chosen sports. The four and a half years I attended the University of Alabama were vital in my maturing as a person. I could not imagine leaving after my freshman (like in college basketball) or junior (like in college football) years to begin working in the real world. I am 25 now and at times I still feel as if I am still too immature for the working world.

My feeling about forcing college basketball players and football players to attend school for a certain period of time is indifferent. More so basketball than football because of the big difference in athleticism between the NFL and NCAA Football. When it comes to basketball, I feel like that one year of college allows for these athletes to mature at a more gradual pace, but then I think about the ones that are clearly able to enter and compete at the next level.

I am talking about the Lebron James', Kevin Garnetts and Dwight Howards of the world. As far as the game goes, college would have done nothing for these talented players except delay them receiving the payday that they worked so hard for over their lives. I also think about the players that are currently struggling after choosing to skip college and enter the NBA Draft.

I am talking about players like Sebastian Telfair and Kwambe Brown. Kwambe Brown was not physically or mentally prepared for the NBA level and Sebastian Telfair has struggle to stay out of trouble with two gun charges. Would one year of school have helped these two young men?

Different Side of Saban

I finally got a chance to watch the "Under The Lights" feature Fox Sports did on Alabama, and I just thought I would give my thoughts. It is clearly evident that Alabama is on the right track. Saban seems to have filtered out the players that he feels weaken the program and players that probably don't want to be there anyway.

I also felt like the feature showed a more personable side to Saban. The feature had scenes of him speaking with the players and even joking around at times. It exemplified how strongly he really does care about these players. Having now seen this side of Saban and also seeing the side he shows to the journalists, I believe that he is the perfect coach for the Alabama Football program.

He cares about nothing more than developing these players and reviving the program. He doesn't care about being known with the newspapers as personable. He also cares nothing about making the boosters happy just to make the boosters happy. With this mindset, the Tide is definitely on the up.

On a side note: The Saban family has donated $1 million in scholarship money to the University of Alabama. The scholarship money is aimed to assist first generation college students. I guess it is even more difficult to say he is a jerk now huh? More information about the scholarship can be found at al.com.

Boise State Was Something / Hawaii Was Junk

Undoubtedly, one of the top 5 BCS Bowl Games ever was the Fiesta Bowl between Oklahoma and Boise State. Two trick plays to tie and then win the game and then a marriage proposal at the end between a cheerleader and the starting running back. That is something you usually only see in a movie. I have that game as the number 2 BCS Bowl Game of all-time behind USC vs. Texas.

Although Boise State pulled a major upset, we shouldn't have a mid-conference team receive an automatic bid into a BCS bowl game every year. Hawaii played a weak schedule and won a weak conference. It was easy to predict that they would get pounded by Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. There were many other teams in tougher conferences that would have given a better showing.

Saban: A Recruiting Mastermind

Everyone is probably wondering why Nick Saban would schedule Clemson for the first game of the season on a neutral field in Atlanta with a VERY young team. In my mind, the question was answered when he also scheduled Duke in Atlanta for the following season.

Georgia, specifically the Atlanta area, is one of the nations hottest breeding grounds for high school football. The Atlanta based game will give Alabama additional exposure to these players. So far, the 2009 recruiting class has three players from the Atlanta area. Although the Clemson game is going to be very difficult to win, it will give more exposure to the highly talented recruits coming out of this area.