Saban Discusses T-Town Destruction

((HT: MyFoxAl.com/WBRC-TV Birmingham))

Sports Director Rick Karle caught up with Alabama head coach Nick Saban to ask him about how his team is doing since the horrible tornadoes that destroyed a lot of the town of Tuscaloosa earlier this week...


The video of the tornado hitting Tuscaloosa actually happened during Fox6's 5PM newscast... their tower cam is hyah...

National Signing Day Wrap

The HQ understands about signing day...
It's kinda like this...
A - Always
B- Be
C- Closing

Always, be, closing...



But Georgia kept 19 players home in their 25 signee class... that's huge...
And Isaiah Crowell even brought props...
((HT: ESPNU))


FOSG Buck Lanford talks about the greatest hits...
((HT: MyFoxAtlanta))

It's High School Football Signing Day: MyFoxATLANTA.com

The national champs had a pretty good day...
Here's the Chiz watching the Enrique Florence signing...
((HT: WBRC-TV Birmingham/MyFoxAl.com))


Nick Saban's day is hyah...

Shelley Smith catches up with Jimbo Fisher...
Everyone thinks Florida State had the best class in the country...
The HQ isn't so sure...
((HT: ESPNU))


Donnitra Gilbert is at Thomas County Central to check in on the cross-state class, thanks to our friends at WCTV

Man-mountain Cyrus Kouandjio picked Auburn over Alabama- the place where his brother currently is.
((HT: ESPNU))


That didn't sit well with Cyrus' parents. After the selection at DeMatha ((MD)) High School and all the consternation, he left school to "figure things out..."

And, apparently, Cyrus was developing a nervous tick over the whole process...
((HT: Brooks via Kristen Kenney/Scout.com))


Clemson got top prep linebacker Tony Steward...
((HT: WSPA-TV))


And the HQ is still trying to figure out how the OBC got 30...
((HT: WSPA-TV))


And FOSG Jeff Hullinger turned an interesting piece on Ralph David Abernathy IV...
Yes, THAT family of Abernathy's...
((HT: WXIA-TV/11alive.com))


That should get you started...
More when we know more...

2010 Iron Bowl: Survive And Advance

Walking towards Bryant-Denny Stadium on the Tuscaloosa campus, it seemed neither side wanted to acknowledge there was a game going on.

Alabama fans had a sense of dread as if they were getting their ass haded to them and staring at a three-loss (gasp) season at the end of Friday afternoon. Auburn fans were going into the game feeling that, since they were the underdog, they must be the underdog after all.

There wasn't any smack talk on the boulevard. There were just merchants trying to sell "Scam Newton" and "Got Laptops? Cam Does" t-shirts.

By the way, the HQ now has a few of those for Festivus gifts.
They were on special after the game...

But when you see Mark Ingram run for nine without being touched, when Julio Jones is left to run free in a two-deep zone as corners think safeties are there for support and vice versa, and when Darius Hanks catches a 15-yard fade that everyone could see was going to work, it a 21-0 lead that took all of 17 minutes to put on the board.

Full disclosure... I went as a civilian this year. TBH got tickets in the endzone and I went since I had never gone in that capacity. It was wet. It was cold. And I couldn't get a cell signal out to save my life.

And when the lead was that big for Alabama, TBH wondered if the beating was going to be worse than the one in Tommy Tuberville's last year- 36-zip.

But it wasn't...

I reminded her that her team had been a second-half team all year- all 32 games they've played in, they've trailed. There were a half-dozen games where the Tigers/Plainsmen/War Eagles had trailed in the fourth quarter and had escaped. They were also getting two defensive starters back after they had thrown punches in the UGA game and had to sit out the first half. All the depth you would have had in the first half would be there in the second half.

But the two marquee defensive plays in the first 30 minutes, the Nelson punchout and the Nick Fairley bench press/fumble recovery, kept the team hanging around. Emory Blake caught the TD pass in the first half with all the confidence his father had on some Sundays as a quarterback ((Remember "throw up a moon ball and hope someone in the same colored jersey runs under it?")).

They got the ball at the start of the second half, and made the most of it. Terrell Zachery was the lucky recipient of an overplay in the Bama secondary to make it 24-14, and all the yards that Greg McElroy threw for in the first-half (something short of eleventy-billion), didn't mean a thing.

He threw for thirty-something yards in the second half before he was suplexed by Tasharvin Bell in a way that would have made Chris Benoit proud. From that moment on, McElroy thought he was Scott Hunter and wanted his mommy.

Evidence below...
((HT: SEC on CBS/youtube))


Compare/Contrast...
Continue...
((HT: WWE/youtube))


McElroy didn't get to finish- that was left to AJ McCarron. And we found out why he was a redshirt freshman who signalled in plays instead of ran them. Especially after getting his ass slapped and his ears chewed in the Miss State game by Nick Saban.

But the defensive adjustments made by Ted Roof and the staff were top notch in a season where there have been two ways Auburn had to win- come from behind and make Vegas mad, or outscore everyone and make Vegas money.

As all the Crimson people were leaving, it turned into a blue-and-orange celebration. All of the Bama fans were left with was a bunch of expletive-laden retorts on their way to a weekend's worth of sulk. For every win that the Tide thinks is "bought and paid for," all the Auburn fans had to do was point to a scoreboard. But it wouldn't be that simple, would it...???

It's a game where families are divided. It's a game where middle school principals wander over to former students on their way to concession stands and make fun of their allegiances. And, on the next play when things go south, the father of the student makes a point to race to the stairwell and offer an answer to the question previously posed.

None of it clean... for the next 365 days...

It's where Auburn fans sit next to Alabama fans and send their index fingers as close to their seatmates and second-guess their neighbor. It's a game where your color choice is looked at as nothing short of Goodwill-bought and there is never any Goodwill sold.

And the land where there is nothing short of a Paul Bryant Drive will make a point to reinforce that every coach on the staff should be drawn and quartered, after being shot and killed and not a moment before.

Monday will be a fun day... for half a state, anyway... because some coaches, probably, will...

Kirby Smart and Joe McElwain are looking for work...
And so is Nick Saban, but we aren't supposed to know that yet...

Right, Pawwwwlllll...??????

TWTW: LSU Finds Offense To Beat Bama

((HT: WVTM-TV Birmingham))

Admittedly, this was the game the HQ had on in the car and on the telly the instant we got home Saturday afternoon.

It gave most of the college football world the opportunity to sample the daytime hatred LSU has for Alabama and, specifically, Nick Saban.

Hey, look at it this way, this gives Saban an out to go be the new head coach for the Dallas Cowboys next season...

((Who said that...???))

Wright Thompson penned a piece on what Saban means, outwardly, to the folks on the bayou- it is here and it is required viewing...

LSU gashed Bama for big plays on offense in the second half. This can only widen the supposed rift between Saban and DC-On Paper Kirby Smart...

((Who said that...???))

Here's our weekly visit with Don Hawes...who looks just plain chapped...


And here's your sample of the Saban Presser...


To Saban's point, from a few weeks ago, that his players hadn't proved s***, well, he may actually be on to something...

TWTW: Bama Rebounds Against Black Bears

((HT: WTVM Birmingham))

The HQ has heard another really wild stat...

There's this quarterback... for Alabama... and he's lost, like, only one game since he was an eighth grader or something...

That just AMAZING!!!
We've never heard that mentioned... ever...
Yep... we couldn't believe it, either...

And we still think that Houston Nutt is playing with karmic fire since he brought Jeremiah Masoli into the SEC- thus, all of his great numbers in a 23-10 loss to Alabama in front of 101-thousand people Saturday night...

What was he...? 4-for-12 or something...???
Enjoy your time as a grad student...

Chris Pollone was the one who had the really late night telling us what went down...

TWTW: Saban Wipes The Floor With Meyer's Gators 31-6

((HT: WVTM-TV/NBC 13 Birmingham))

The HQ thought it would be easy, but this easy...???

Florida, against quality competition not named Ohio University, finally showed the civilized world two things:

1) They're rebuilding and John Brantley is not a quarterback that fits the Meyer system. He may as well just go ahead and put Trey Burton in there right now for the remainder of the season at QB...

2) Polls don't need to be anywhere close to being published until, about, right now... Florida is not the 7th-best team in the country...

Alabama made it look too easy... and it, probably, was...

It's time for another visit with Don Hawes...


Here's Nick Saban trying not to laugh about how easy it was to smack any kind of wry grin off Urban Meyer's face...

God Help us all, Nick Saban now has his own movie....

This isn't a joke/courtesy: al.com

If this isn't a surefire sign of the apocolypse, I don't know what is. This past Tuesday night in Birmingham, Alabama fans/crazy people were treated to the debut of a new movie. That movie...Nick Saban: Gamechanger.

Yes, you read that correctly, Nick Saban agreed to allow a Memphis based production company to do his life story...in movie form.

Kevin Scarabinsky of the Birmingham News previewed the premier...RIGHT HERE

And Hal Yeager from the same paper did a photo story...see it RIGHT HERE

One of the numerous funny parts of this story was the part about Saban not being able to attend his premier, instead, a cardboard cutout played the part of the Alabama football coach. (Try and refrain from the obvious joke here)

I'm sorry, knowing how fanatically obsessive the fans in Alabama are about their football and knowing how they worship the very ground that Saban walks on, this whole thing creeps me out.

The big question, at least to us is, why? There are no real answers and we just for the life of us can imagine him being forthcoming about some of the more highly controversial moves in his career. Maybe we are wrong, but we doubt it.

Rather than pontificate further, we'll let you see the trailer and if you want to see the movie yourselves, by all means do so and judge it that way.

Here it is, courtesy of Flashlight Media Group:

Nick Saban : Gamechanger from Flashlight Media Group on Vimeo.

Ess-E-Cee Media Daze Day One: Saban Speaks, UGA Next For NCAA...

Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban did not address the Marcell Dareus "did-he-or-didn't he" monkey with an agent issue at the Wynfrey Hotel...

Not that the HQ thought he would or anything like that...

He did go off on agents, and even went as far as suggesting that the university's attitudes may change toward agents and professional coaches if the dynamic does not change post-haste-and-toot-suite...

We did enjoy the idea that Saban called rogue agents "pimps."

Here's the greatest hits from Saban's presser, thanks to the SEC and ESPN...
As an added bonus we get analysis from Joe Schad...


Or, if you should so choose, here's the Saban presser in its entirety, thanks to our friends at WVTM-TV in Birmingham... and, of course, the SEC...


2330 UPDATE: Tim Tucker, on top of all things UGA for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, reports that Athens may be the next stop on the NCAA itinerary.

Just in time for head coach Mark Richt's appearance at Media Daze...

You like apples...???

From Tucker:

Georgia associate athletic director Claude Felton confirmed Wednesday’s call from the NCAA and said UGA Athletic Association officials responded by pledging full cooperation.

Felton said the NCAA requested that UGA officials, coaches and student-athletes decline further comment on the matter “until the inquiry is completed.” Georgia interim athletic director Frank Crumley declined to comment when reached by the AJC.

Tucker also relays that UGA wideout AJ Green told SI.com before the inquiry was announced that he was not an attendee in South Beach...

Won't Day Two be fun, boys and girls...???

Alabama Fans, Jolly Ole St. Nick Wants You

Alabama Crimson Tide fans have the market cornered concerning spring football. Remember 92,000 showing up for Nick Saban's first spring game in 2007? Well the attendance numbers have dwindled since.

Now the Nic-tator is decreeing that Crimson Tide fans show up in huge numbers for the A-Day game this Saturday.

"I know our players are really looking forward to this Saturday," Saban said Thursday. "This has been a special day at the University of Alabama, at least the three years I've been here, because of the great fan support that we've had. I know our players appreciate it tremendously."

"I'm hopeful that we'll have the same kind of turnout for this game this week, Our fans have always done a fantastic job of that."

So Crimson Tide fans, forget your day bass fishing on the lake, playing 18 holes on the Robert Trent Jones golf trail, etc. You have been summoned to a meaningless intra-squad scrimmage in Tuscaloosa because Jolly Ole St. Nick wants you there.

Roll tide.

Photo Courtesy: Sports Illustrated

Kirby Smart and the Dancing Defensive Coordinators

This probably doesn't hold the interest of many folks north of the Mason-Dixon line, the question; Will Kirby Smart take the Defensive Coordinator job at Georgia? If he doesn't, will Todd Grantham, currently the Defensive Line Coach for the Dallas Cowboys get it? If Smart goes to Georgia, will Grantham go to Alabama?

The answer to these questions isn't simple and there are multiple stories out there circulating about them. Let's try to clear things up.

((Kirby Smart says "Either way...I win//Photo Courtesy: rollcrimsontide.com))

According to TideSports.com, Smart has been offered the UGA job...the story RIGHT HERE

The 4-Letter Word (ESPN) and Mark Schlabach says the same thing...RIGHT HERE

According to both of these stories, Georgia is offering to double Smart's current salary at Alabama, which is $360,000.

Also chiming in, the website footballcoachscoop.com who says the same thing RIGHT HERE and adds that an announcement of the hire is "Coming very soon".

Now. Here is where Grantham comes into play. He has apparently been approached and according to several reports, already interviewed for the Georgia Job.

((Todd Grantham says "Either way, I win!"//Photo Courtesy: John F. Rhodes/DMN Photo Staff))

The Dallas Morning News reports the contact RIGHT HERE.

FootballCoachScoop reports that not only is Georgia interested, but that Grantham has interviewed with Alabama too. You'll have to scroll down the webpage RIGHT HERE

Does this make any sense yet? Should it? Well, if you are an SEC Football fan, you will find it interesting. Georgia needs to make a splash with their Defensive hire after the last couple of horrid seasons with former Coordinator Willie Martinez. By the way, FootballCoachScoop in its Saturday update says that Martinez met with Head Coach Mark Richt about rejoining the staff as a position coach.

Alabama has a different issue. Smart is the winner of the Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant coach this year and was the coordinator for the national champions. Smart however is somewhat underpaid and many give Nick Saban credit for the defense. And oh, by the way, Smart is a Georgia grad.

Grantham by contrast is currently coaching with the Cowboys who won their first playoff game on Saturday and won't be available until they lose. He may be the big winner in this. It looks like, at least on the surface, after the Cowboys are done, that he will be the D-Coordinator at either the reigning national champs or a traditional SEC Powerhouse school. Not bad for him either.

Stay tuned, at some point an announcement will be made. We are betting that Smart goes to UGA and Grantham comes to Alabama for what it is worth.

Nick Saban's Victory Bath.

You can't get enough of watching not only Nick Saban getting a Gatorade bath but how Chris Rogers and Kryk Anders walloped Saban upside the head in the process.

Thanks ESPN/ABC/Youtube.com







Here's another look from al.com

Nick Saban gets a Gatorade bath after winning the national championship

In case you are wondering Rogers and Anbers are seniors. No fear of repercussions.

Crimson Tide Blacken The Eyes Of Texas, Win BCS Championship

[HT: collegepressbox.com]

Congratulations to jolly ole St. Nick. Your 3 year plan to bring the Alabama Crimson Tide back to the top of the college football podium is complete. Thursday night in Pasadena the Tide rolled in the first half then got lucky in the 2nd half taking advantage of Texas costly turnovers to win the BCS National Championship Game 37-21.

You know Texas was playing with 2 hands behind their backs when quarterback Colt McCoy went down in the 1st quarter when he took a lick from Alabama's Marcell Dareus and never returned.

"I really have no pain in my arm, I just can't feel my arm." McCoy said after the game. "That's a hit I've taken over and over in my life and playing this game I know you're going to get hit, but I guess I got hit the right way. Like I said, I'm not in pain, but my arm's dead. Feels like I slept on my arm, woke up and it's just dead.">

"Marcell Dareus, I think, got the hit on him, and it certainly changed the game." Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. "We thought we had a pretty good game plan for if he played, what they did, and until later in the game, they didn't really do that. So it sort of threw us off a little bit, as well.">

Texas freshman quarterback Garrett Gilbert got thrown into the fire and in the first half Gilbert looked overwhelmed, as if his head was spinning. Facing that Alabama defense will make you soil your britches.

Give the kid credit though, his Texas teammates rallied around the young Gilbert and in the 2nd half, he started to make some plays and got the Longhorns within 3 points. Those of us at the OSG HQ were impressed with Garrett Gilbert. Mack Brown was to.

"Here's a guy standing there on the sidelines cold as can be, and all of a sudden in the National Championship Game, it's like, ‘okay, son, you've got it.’" Texas head coach Mack Brown said. "I can't even imagine. It's a credit to him, the kids around him and Coach (Greg) Davis for putting him in a position where he came back and actually had a chance to win the game.">

Late in the game Gilbert threw a critical interception late in the game that Alabama took advantage of scoring a touchdown and Texas' fate was sealed.

So the Alabama Crimson Tide wins its 13th National Championship. Those are Alabama's numbers not ours. The SEC can boast about winning the conference's 4th straight BCS National Championship. Nick Saban can start planning his museum next door to Paul W. Bryant's and the Crimson Tide nation can breath a sigh of relief that all is right in the world. Alabama is the king of college football again.

Here's a post game report from CBS Sports.com with Dennis Dodd and FOSG Tony Barnhart.



Let's add the work from our friends at NBC13 in Birmingham...


And the work from our friends, including Brian Sanders, at KXAN-TV in Austin...


Photo Courtesy: Bill Starling/The Birmingham News

The SEC, West this time

SEC West Preview

The Southeastern Conference as usual will be one of the, if not the best football conference in America this season. From top to bottom, this conference plays some of the best football in the land. Just look at the past several National Champions, and you can see just what we're talking about.

This week, I will look at the Western Division, next week, I'll take a look at the top heavy SEC East.

Auburn

Offense- This year brings a different look on the plains. Well, not just different, dramatically different. The Tigers bring in Spread Offense guru Tony Franklin to change what was already a pretty good team.

Gone is long-time starter QB Brandon Cox and in comes QB Kody Burns. Burns took some snaps late last season, including quite a few in the Tigers 23-20 victory in last seasons Chick-Fil A Bowl over a tough Clemson squad.

Other returnees include Senior Running Back Brad Lester and a whole host of offensive lineman. The key to this unit, this year will be how fast they pick up and cohesively run the new offense.

Defense- The defense is also sporting a new coordinator. Gone is longtime Coach Will Muschamp and in his place comes Paul Rhoades, the former Defensive Coordinator at Pitt.

As always, this defense is full of standouts, such as Defensive Lineman Sen'derick Marks. It's a veteran unit that will again be only as good as the adjustment to a new coordinator makes them.

Outlook- The Tigers, I feel will be the team to beat in the SEC West. Though they certainly will have a hard time getting to Atlanta, I think they will be successful. Tommy Tuberville is a smart coach who knows what needs to be done to survive the usual viscous schedule. Look for the Tigers to be a 10-2 team and be playing in Atlanta come the beginning of September. (Prediction 1st in the West, 10-2 overall)

LSU Tigers-

Offfense- This part of the Bayou Bengals looks to be the biggest question mark. Gone is Ryan Perriloux, who had he learned how to behave, would have been the starter on a team that may have contended for another national title. The probable starter now, Harvard transfer Andrew Hatch, though true freshman Jordan Jefferson is certainly waiting in the wings.

Also gone from this team, Jacob Hester and wide receiver Early Doucet, both huge contributors on the National Championship team. The cupboard in Baton Rouge is hardly bare. Running Back Keiland Williams is back, along with receivers Brandon LaFell and Demetrius Byrd.

Defense- The D in de tiger stadium will be just fine. Coach Les Miles still has a gumbo bucket full of defenders on whom to count on this season to carry the team. Gone of course is Glenn Dorsey, along with Safety Craig Steltz and Linebacker Ali Highsmith. Returning for the Tigers is Dorsey's counterpart, Ricky Jean-Francois and Linebacker Darry Beckwith.

Outlook- As always, this will be a very good team. At this point, there are enough question marks to wonder if this will be a great team. A lot of there success hinges on the battle at Quarterback. So goes the QB, so go the Tigers (Prediction- 2nd in the West, 9-3 overall)

Mississippi State Bulldogs-

Offense- Few teams grew more over the course of the 2007 season than Sylvester Croom's Bulldogs. All of a sudden this became a very dangerous team. Now Sophomore Quarterback Wesley Carroll seemed to figure things out last year as the season drew on. With a full year under his belt and the extra big Running Back Anthony Dixon to hand off to, this looks to be a year where Miss. State will not be able to surprise anybody.

Defense- On defense, Senior Derick Pegues and Linebacker Jamar Chaney headline a blue collar, hard hitting unit. This group much like the Offense was grossly underrated last season and thus the Bulldogs shocked quite a few teams. This was a young unit last season, look for them to improve even more this year

Outlook- I like this team. I like where Coach Croom has them going. Beating Auburn and Alabama last season did wonders for this groups confidence. Look for them to do well this year and again reach a bowl game. (Prediction 8-4, 3rd in the SEC West)

Alabama Crimson Tide-

Offense- This should be a good starting unit, the only question will be depth. Quarterback John Parker Wilson is in his 3rd year as a starter, should be a good SEC quarterback. He has the arm, but hasn't had the success that many thought he would. Running Back Terry Grant provides Wilson with a great run option and all the folks in Tuscaloosa have been raving about incoming Freshman Julio Jones at Wide Receiver. If Jones is half as good as the hype than this offense should not have too much to worry about

Defense- The D is another story. This group has been hit hard with offseason legal problems. That combined with the lack of depth mean one thing. This could be trouble.

Outlook- I'm not sure anyone really knows what to expect from this team, this season. Any team coached by Nick Saban will probably be good, but we don't know how good. The probation and loss of scholorships the past few years has really begun to hurt the Tide. It will take everything Saban has to coax a Bowl Game out of this bunch. (Prediciton 7-5, 4th in the SEC West)

Ole Miss Rebels-

Offense- This team also is a very intriguing one for 2008. In comes Texas transfer Jevan Snead and out goes the chaos that has passed for the QB position in Oxford. Snead has the ability to put up big numbers and open up a lot of options for a team that has been offensive in many ways for the past several years.

Defense- The "D" may be a bit shakier this year for incoming coach Houston Nutt, but that won't last for long. With defenders like Jamarca Sanford holding things down, the hope is that these guys will keep the Rebels in ballgames.

Outlook- This is another up and coming team in the SEC. With Coach Nutt, they may not be great "this" season, but as he puts his players in place, they will only get better in the seasons to come. (Prediction 6-6, 5th in the SEC West)

Arkansas Razorbacks-

Offense- No team in the SEC was hurt more by graduation than this bunch. Gone is All-World Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and Peyton Hillis and Marcus Monk. Returning however is Casey Dick at QB and new Coach Bobby Petrino has to find someone who can make plays for Dick and the Razorbacks to be successful

Defense- On defense this team will be OK, but not spectacular. Defense has never been a strong point on a Bobby Petrino team and don't expect this group to change that. The good thing they have going for them is they are young and will get better as the season goes.

Outlook- Don't expect much from these guys in 2008. Everything for them was geared for 2007 and it didn't work out the way they hoped. With a new coach comes a lot of rebuilding, if Petrino sticks around (big "IF"), they will get better, but don't expect anything for the next 2 years. (Prediction 3-9, last in the SEC West)

Overall- The teams here are all for the most part young and will improve. I don't feel any of them will walk away the winner in Atlanta in December, but during the 2008 season, you don't want any part of the top 3 teams in the West.

SEC Media Days, Day 2

Nuggets…We Got Nuggets (SEC Day 2)

Yes, we have stepped into what can only be described as Bizarro land here in beautiful Hoover (outside Birmingham) Alabama. It was truly a strange, strange day here in well, I’m not sure really how to describe this place.

You Got Served…

Obviously, the big news of the day was Tennessee Coach Phil Fulmer receiving a subpoena upon his arrival at the luxurious Wynfrey Hotel. There are a few different versions of how this occurred. I’ve heard it was handed to him as he walked through the hotel, before making the rounds with the media hordes.

The new information is that according to ABC 33/40 (Can’t think of the call letters) here in Birmingham, the document was “Thrown” at Fulmer when he got out of his vehicle. He supposedly picked it up and upon realizing what it was, kept it and went about his business. Unfortunately nobody got this on videotape, but, what can you do?

Fulmer didn’t want to talk much about it today, but he didn’t have to. When he arrived in the room I was in and was asked about it, he said “There are a lot of nice fans who are dedicated to rooting for there team, but there are also some who are just plain Jerks. I’ll stick to that word since this is going to be on TV”. Nice, he obviously wasn’t happy about it, but didn’t deny it like he did to the Knoxville News-Sentinel either.

Great Satan…

The other pariah today, none other than Alabama Head Coach/Traitor Nick Satan…I mean Saban. If you haven’t been to Alabama you probably don’t realize how the people worship and I’m talking fawning at the mere sight of there “Football Coach”.

Much to my amazement, Saban actually had my favorite line of the day. When asked about having to go to LSU (one of several former employers), he responded this way: “When we get on the busses to head over to the stadium, I’ll probably be on one bus by myself, I’m pretty sure that my guys will not want to be near me”. Wow! Self-Deprecating humor. Somewhat out of character for the Great Satan, but amusing never the less.

Other Stuff…

Really there wasn’t much else to report. Mark Richt and the Georgia Bulldogs were in the house today. There really wasn’t much to report on with the ‘Dawgs, they were asked a gazillion times about this years high expectations and last years Florida game, but that was about it. Both the Coach and his players, Jeff Owens and Mohammed Massaquoi were classy and answered every question…except when someone asked Massaquoi “If you don’t win the SEC this year, who do you think will?” He kind of smiled and just said “I’m not really thinking about that”. What else can you say.

Friday’s session should be interesting, among the scheduled guests, Tommy Tuberville of Auburn, the ‘Ol Ball Coach himself and the happy wanderer Bobby Petrino, currently of Arkansas (for now). There probably won’t be much hoopla with the first two guys, it’ll be real interesting how Mr. Stiff Petrino, answers questions from the Atlanta media in attendance.

“The time has come, my song is over, thought I’d something more to say”- Time (Pink Floyd)

Liars, Quitters, Losers

OK, something going around college football has really started bugging me.

Why the F*CK would you sign a contract, telling your owner or AD you planned on sticking around and honoring it, if you didn’t MEAN a damn word of it?

Nick Saban and Bobby Petrino – you’re in my sights.

Nick – you denied and denied and denied and denied...
Bobby – you just signed, and the ink is barely dry, a contract in July to stay in the ‘Ville for TEN more years (dude, you could have won a national championship next season. Woulda, coulda, shoulda.)

I guess I can fault the University of Alabama and the Atlanta Falcons just about much as the two Liar, Quitter, Losers. It takes two to tango.

What kind of example are you setting for today’s athlete? I mean, when I played at Wake Forest (yes, now you know I’m bitter against Petrino ANYWAY), Bill Dooley didn’t jump ship or chase the almighty dollar. He helped recruit me, and I helped win the ’92 Poulan Weedeater Independence Bowl for his last collegiate victory. He left as the 10^th winningest coach in college football history.

What about Brian Brohm? What about Lou Groza award winner Arthur Carmody?

Carmody said this about Petrino’s mutiny. "I'm in shock right now. We're coming off a great Orange Bowl win and we were all thinking national championship. I didn't think this would happen. He said he enjoyed college football. He's a great coach and we're going to miss him."

Petrino said in July he wanted to prove to his new recruits he’d be there through their entire Cardinal career. All he did was prove he cared more about the Benjamins than he did the Brohms, the Carmodys or the Harry Douglases.

Saban followed the same path. He kept saying he was committed to Miami, committed to owner Wayne Huizenga, and did NOT want to accept Mal Moore and Alabama’s offer.

Did he think if he denied it over and over again, we (the media) would go away and leave him alone to take it?

I’m an old school kind of guy, as the true OSG/Sports Smack followers can attest. You have nothing but your word. You have nothing but the respect you earn. Saban no longer has a word I can trust, and no longer has the respect of a truly winning coach in the NCAA or NFL.

Say what you mean and mean what you say. The only games you should be playing are between the hedges, not between our ears.

I’m not usually this deep, just deep in it...trust me.

--John V. Wood