Saban On The Cover of Forbes

I have been hearing all day about the Saban article in which he is also on the cover of Forbes. This is a pretty big distinction not only because it labels him as The Most Powerful Coach in Sports, but also because he is the first ever coach to make the cover of the magazine which was founded in 1917.

The second distinction I gave you is the most important of the two. Although the way Forbes decided he was The Most Powerful Coach In Sports was through a mathematical formula, it was a formula they created though mathematical variables they feel are important. These variable are an opinion.

I also have a feeling that too many people who follow sports, this is not a big dealto them unless they are fans of an SEC school. Why not a big deal to the rest of the nation? Let me answer that questions with a question. How many people do you know that actually subscribe to Forbes? How many of you actually read more than five copies of Forbes before the Saban issue?

Many have started to question whether the article is a negative for Alabama Football and I say that is To Be Determined. The determining factor is how fans would react if we had an 8-4 or 9-3 season (which to me 9-3 is not bad). It is important to remember that just because out coach is on the cover of Forbes, we are still a work in progress.

I really enjoyed the article and I thought I would give you some excerpts that I feel put to rest many negative rumors people use to put Saban in a negative light.

Football finances 77% of the athletic department, bankrolling nonrevenue sports like swimming and softball. It also has kicked back millions of dollars to university academic programs

Why do Ivy League schools even bother to field teams that are never going to win a bowl game? It keeps the alumni money flowing. That's how you pay for the English department

-University of Alabama president, Robert Witt

Witt can also argue that not a penny of Saban's salary comes from either students or taxpayers. It comes from Athletic department revenue, which consists of broadcasting fees, as sponsors, donations from "boosters"...ticket sales and shoe and apparel endorsements.

While with the Dolphins, he turned down an invitation to dine with President Bush so as not to miss practice.

I find it hard to believe that many coaches would be so determined to win that they would turn down dinner with the President.

Some Good News On The Defensive Side

The latest rumors coming out of Tide preseason camp is that Josh Chapman has made real strides in his game over the offseason. It is real early in the camp, but reports at the moment have the redshirt freshman making a significant contribution this upcoming fall.

This is great news for the Alabama Nation which is hoping to hear more news like this about their shallow defensive. With Chapman stepping up, that would give a great three man rotation at the nose guard position when you throw Booker and JUCO newcomer Terrance Cody into the mix.

I will give you more news as I hear it.

Saban Makes Example of Hall

You do not have to follow the Alabama Crimson Tide closely to know that there is a discipline problem among the players. Hopefully, the three game suspension of Prince Hall is enough proof that the Alabama Athletic program is not going to put up with it anymore.

It is going to hurt losing Hall for those three games, especially Clemson, but this is something that should have been done when Shula was coach.

In other news, all Freshmen report today for Fall practice. All 25 freshmen enrolled in summer school, so they have been on campus for a few weeks now. Preseason starts with two practices tomorrow (August 1st). The returning players will have a 3 pm practice and the freshmen will then have a 7 pm practice. Saturday will mark the first day that they the entire team practices together and that is expected to continue throughout the preseason.

On a surprising note, Sunday's Practice (August 3rd) will be open to the public from 2:30 pm-4:30 pm with an 45 minute autograph session after.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I am excited about there being more to read about on sports websites than baseball.

Upperclassmen Discuss Freshmen

With the way Antoine Caldwell and Rashad Jonhson talked about this year's incoming freshman class, it is very easy to tell that there is a great deal of respect for these newbies. It did not take Johnson or Caldwell to excite the Alabama fans about this year's highly touted recruiting class, but it is a relief to that there is a great deal of respect for one another on the 2008 team.

It shows a great deal of maturity that the upperclassmen are accepting this incoming class that often overshadows the recruit that came in under Shula. All Alabama fans should give kudos to these Juniors and Seniors that put their pride behind for the sake of the team. They realize these Freshmen are special and are a major piece to the puzzle of getting Alabama back to promenance.

I agree with Caldwell and Johnson in that these players are special. I am not talking about just physical talent; these players have the mentality of winners. In their minds, they expect nothing less than a National Championship over the next four years. This commitment for winning is exemplified by all players qualified to attend the university and training all summer. They are attending the football camps that are designed to attract recruits to The Capstone.

Although I believe that this year will be an 8-5 maybe 9-4 season, I also believe the future of the program is in great hands.

Pre-Season All-SEC Team

Alabama, Auburn and South Carolina each had 8 players to make the Pre-season All-SEC Team. LSU (14), Florida (10) and Georgia (9) rounded out the top 3. Looking at the breakdown of this list, I find it difficult to believe that LSU is not getting more recognition as being contenders for this year's National Championship. I know they lost Ryan Perillous, but when you have 14 players make this kind of a list, you are going to have a talented team. Are they not getting the recognition they need because they have Les Miles as a coach?

Another shocker is that Tim Tebow was not a unanimous decision for 1st-Team quarterback. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own players, so everyone that thinks Mark Richt voted for Stafford over Tebow, think again. I really wonder what coach voted for a player over Tebow.

I am proud to say that Andre Smith is one of seven players to be named to their respective 1st-Teams unanimously. Any player that makes a list like this unanimously when Tebow does not, is obviously respected throughout the conference.

To check out the entire list please visit: Pre-Season All-SEC Team

Alumni Association Recruiting Recap Event

I just returned home from The University of Alabama Alumni Association Recruiting Recap. Rodney Orr, from Tider Insider, was the guest speaker and was excellent. He surprised me and just started by taking questions from the crowd and the crowd had plenty of questions. Here is a summary of the important things I heard. You will have to forgive me, for I did not take notes at the event, so I am having to try to remember everything off the top of my head. You also have to remember that Mr. Orr is very good at what he does, but he will be the first to admit that some of what he hears is hear say.


2009 Highly Regarded Players Who Will Commit to Alabama: William Ming, Nico Johnson, Kendall Kelly, Dre Kirkpatrick, Anthony Steen and Gerald West. Many people are worried about rumors that Muschamp and Texas will get Kirkpatrick over Alabama, but Auburn does not even have a chance at the Gadsden players, how is Texas stand a chance?


Prince Kent's father says he is going to Miami.


Reuben Randle is NOT a LSU guarantee and Alabama has a lot better of a chance than most think.


Trent Richardson's commitment to Alabama is very strong.


Prince Hall will most likely be in an Alabama uniform next year. He has also participated in 7 on 7 drills this summer.


There is a major possibility of getting one more major running back in the 2009 class.


College coaches with commitments that fail to qualify are afraid to enroll their players in JUCO programs within a 75 mile radius of Tuscaloosa.


The Virginia Tech game is highly unlikely. (I know this is common knowledge by now, but just letting everyone know).

The New Big Man On Campus

I added the different version of the pre-game video to excite everyone about the approaching season. With preseason camp less than a month away for the Crimson Tide of Alabama and SEC Media Days just three weeks away, I keep catching myself wondering about the upcoming season. The main thing I cannot quit thinking about is what freshmen are going to make an immediate impact. Bama On-line has not helped my curiosity by posting their opinion on the Top 10 Impact Signees.

I have tried to stay off the bandwagon of this year's excellent recruiting class, but I cannot stop myself from believing that there are going to be at least five freshman standouts due to good play. Amongst Jarrell Harris, Courtney Upshaw and Don'ta Hightower, two out of these three incoming freshman linebackers will see success because of the opportunity to gain a lot of early playing time with the shortage in players at this position.

With the athletes that Mark Barron and Burton Scott are, I find it inconceivable for them not to make an immediate impact on either offense, defense or special teams. I wouldn't be surprised if they made a contribution in all three of those categories.

The wild card I am throwing out in this game of seven card stud is Alonzo Lawrence. He came on very strong at the end of his high school career and really proved himself in, not just holding his own, but stopping elite receivers like Julio Jones while practicing for the Alabama vs. Mississippi All-Star Game.

Then there is the question, WWJD (What Will Julio Do)? This young man is going to find his way into the top three wide receivers at one point throughout the season. But there is also another receiver I feel is going to surprise people and that is Chris Jackson. After enrolling at The Capstone this past December and getting the advantage of a spring under his belt, I wouldn't be surprised to see some playing time for this three star prospect, but then again, he might decide to red-shirt.

What freshman do you think is going to make the biggest difference for The Tide?

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.

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?