So… a question.
Think the SEC is about to end its ban on intraconference transfers? Nick Saban does, apparently.
Category Archives: Alabama
Cruisin’
Tell me, what does it say that Alabama, with the stronger SP+ rating, has less than half the chance Clemson does of going through the regular season undefeated?
Filed under ACC Football, Alabama, Clemson: Auburn With A Lake, SEC Football
Delusions of grandeur
C’mon, Gus. Have you really thought this through?
I’m not sure “fun” means what he thinks it means.
Filed under Alabama, It's Not Easy Being A Mid-Major
Thursday morning buffet
A little noshfest from around the world of football:
- Which wide receivers emerge as starters for Clemson?
- It’s funny how coaches and ADs are suddenly finding religion when it comes to college athletes’ NIL rights legislation. I wonder why. (Radakovich says that having an NIL law in place in South Carolina would “make sure we have the ability to be on the same ground as some of the other states.”) Okay, not really.
- It turns out that Jay Graham’s resignation from the Alabama staff was more serious than we thought. Here’s hoping he gets the kind of help he needs.
- This is some teaching moment you got here, people.
- I’ve noticed Tykee Smith’s entrance into the transfer portal. So has Zamir White.
- Stingtalk’s reaction to the Pickens injury is every bit the classy response you’d expect it to be from those folks.
- Ed Orgeron speaks highly of his new defensive coordinator.
TFW your heart is pure
This shit, via TAMU’s Rivals site, just cracks me up.
Do you believe Georgia and Alabama pay players to commit to their school? If so, why doesn’t the NCAA do something about it, see Question #1. (Big Smoothie)
A: Is water wet? And why doesn’t the NCAA do anything about it? They’re scared, impotent, understaffed and deathly afraid of mutually assured destruction. It’s easier to act like you’re working than actually work.
Jimbo Fisher worked for Nick Saban, with Kirby Smart and is currently at one of the few schools that arguably can marshal greater financial resources in the name of football than either Alabama or Georgia, but, sure, man, whatever hypocritical nonsense gets you through the night. It’s reassuring to hear there is no sausage being made in College Station.
Filed under Alabama, Georgia Football, Recruiting, SEC Football
Georgia’s other “gap”
Mark Schlabach’s just asking, peeps.
5. Can Georgia close the gap on Alabama?
The Bulldogs should benefit from a full spring and offseason with offensive coordinator Todd Monken and quarterback JT Daniels, who played well in the final four games of 2020. Georgia is loaded at running back and wide receiver, and it has good depth on the offensive line. Its defense should again be among the best in the FBS. Its schedule is favorable. Is this the year Kirby Smart’s team finally catches the Crimson Tide?
While my head says it’s as good a time as any, my heart says I’ll believe it when I see it.
Filed under Alabama, Georgia Football
From the (e)mailbag
So, I got this question from a reader (thanks, Sean!):
Good evening, Senator:
I’ve been watching UGA vs Alabama games during my vacation, and i wonder what the difference is, in your opinion.
Ultimately, I’d chalk it up to two factors:
- Alabama’s offensive line
- An extra year of experience under Sarkisian’s belt
As has already been documented, the talent level between the two programs is extremely close at this point. What separated ‘Bama last season, not just from Georgia, but from every other team in D-1, was an offense that was locked and loaded from the get-go. There was no transition to speak of with the Tide’s offense; the skill position guys were experienced and settled in the scheme that Sark ran. He, in turn, had already tweaked what he took from Lincoln Riley (no shame in that, as long as it worked — and it did) for a full season before 2020 and was thus able to focus on in-game play calling, something he clearly excelled at. The o-line was as good as I saw last season.
Compare Georgia with that. Matt Luke took over from Sam Pittman. Not only did he change the blocking schemes, but he had to do so while replacing both tackles. The Dawgs also plugged a new offensive coordinator into the mix, and while Monken was a clear upgrade from Coley, especially as a play designer, he wasn’t given any spring practice time to work with his charges. Add on top of that a quarterback situation that wasn’t resolved until the last third of the season and you’ve got an offense that was clearly working behind the eight ball compared with Alabama.
It feels a little strange to write all that without mentioning the defenses, but that’s how it played out, at least in my mind.
The good news is Georgia should be in similar straits to ‘Bama for ’21 in terms of comfort with the offensive scheme and the quality of the skill position players. What we don’t know — and what may ultimately determine how far the Dawgs go this season — is how well the o-line will mesh.
That’s all I got. What say y’all?
Filed under Alabama, Georgia Football
Don’t cry for me, Tuscaloosa.
Brandon Marcello ranks the 2021 SEC schedules from hardest to easiest. Clocking in at number fourteen is a certain defending national champion. ‘Bama starts with the benefit of not having to play itself, but that’s not all.
Nick Saban hasn’t lost more than two games since 2010. The toughest stretch? Ole Miss and at Texas A&M in the first two weeks of October.
Brutal.
Filed under Alabama
Observations from the Senior Bowl
Perhaps one day Jamie Newman will let us know what he was thinking when he bailed on Georgia’s 2020 season, because based on this ($$), if he followed an agent’s advice, that dude must have one smooth sales pitch.
… Newman is a sturdy, mobile passer, but his 2019 film showed shaky pocket presence and undeveloped passing reads. With improvements as a senior in SEC play, some around the league thought he could turn himself into a top-100 draft pick.
Now he’s hoping for a hot week at the Senior Bowl to get the attention of NFL teams. Good luck with that, Jamie.
Meanwhile, here’s an observation that will blow you away (at least it did me):
Seeing Jones removed from the Alabama offense will be helpful for evaluators. The fact that an NFL prospect all-star game is a slight step down in talent compared to what he had in Tuscaloosa says a lot about that Crimson Tide offense.
I’m not sure when I’ll get over my double take every time I reflect upon the fact that Georgia led Alabama late in the third quarter at Tuscaloosa last season. With Stetson Bennett at quarterback…
**************************************************************************
UPDATE: Stay classy, my brothers and sisters.
Newman will be wearing a Demon Deacons’ helmet as he looks to take the next step with an impressive week in front of NFL general managers and head coaches this week, Senior Bowl officials confirmed.
“We had to put him in Wake Forest stuff,” Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said. “If we put him in Georgia stuff …. the vitriol among DawgNation on Twitter has been unbelievable.”
Haven’t y’all got bigger things to fret about?
Filed under Alabama, Georgia Football, The NFL Is Your Friend.
Today, in leveling the playing field
Bill Connelly makes two points in one here:
Competitive disadvantage done left the barn, people, and paying players isn’t gonna change that.
