2nd Week of Fall Practice Wrap Up (And A Funny Video)

At the indoor practice Friday

Alabama finished up this week of practice getting ready for their next scrimmage tomorrow. This week involved alot of guys moving around positions, as Saban does this every year, just trying guys out in different spots and seeing everything that everyone can do. This is why he recruits typically very versatile athletes. So maybe we shouldn't read to much into where guys are right now in these first practices, even though I did that on the first day, getting excited about Eddie Williams playing WR, cause he looked like Julio Jones, before we lost a couple DB's and he got moved to Safety. But nevertheless I will still fill y'all in on where guys have been moving around to this week and what they have been doing

• Amari Cooper wasn't at practice today. That was the rumor earlier in the day, and it had me a little worried, cause I'm really looking forward to this kid and I think he will be a star. The reason for the misinformation was that he was not with the other WR's during the one short period that the media was allowed to view. But he did drills with them after the media left, and everything is fine there

• Freshman Brandon Greene was working at LT behind Cyrus Kouandjio today. He was getting some really intense coaching from Jeff Stoutland

• Saban said that DJ Fluker is the most physical player he has ever coached, and he reminds him of Flozell Adams at Michigan State. DJ responded: "I don't know if I'm the most physical, but I definitely get down with it"

• Alabama's kicker competition remains a three man race between Cade Foster, Jeremy Shelley, and the incoming freshman Adam Griffith

• Redshirt Freshman Malcom Faciane appears to be the next in line at TE to Michael Williams

• Damion Square said that he is very confidant about Alabama's young defense, saying that "Some of these guys are a secret", and insinuating that we would be perfectly fine with the guys who are replacing all our lost veterans

• There was a formation on D that had Vinnie Sunseri and Ha'Sean Clinton Dix on the field at the same time with Robert Lester. That excites me greatly, as I don't want to chose between Vinnie and Ha Ha. Clinton-Dix gave a good interview Wednesday, saying that he got the name Ha Ha because that's what his grandmother called him as a kid. He said that Saban LOVES his name

• They also worked on having Nico Johnson and CJ Mosley on the field at the same time too. They are both great players, who have had to share time, rotating at the same position, so it'd be great to see them out there together as well. Saban is all about getting the best players on the field, so I think we're gonna see some new stuff like that this year, with all the new young talent competing for limited positions

• New Offensive Coordinator Doug Nussmeier has been working really closely with true freshman QB Alec Morris and giving him some really tough coaching. If he makes one mistake, he is told to do something over and over again until he gets it right. It will be interesting to see if Morris redshirts. I'll say again that I don't think he will, because I think he will be AJ's backup this year, moving ahead of Phillip Ely, and seeing the field right away in mop up duty in the blowouts

• Darius Paige has been cleared to play at Foley High this year, and everything has been proven to be on the up and up in that situation with his transfer from Pensacola for academic reasons

• Saban said that Kenny Bell has had some "nagging things" through fall practice so far, but that Kevin Norwood has really had a great camp and is stepping up into that leadership role. I think Norwood is gonna be our go-to veteran for the next couple years

• Saban continues to praise AJ McCarron's progress and maturity, calling him a perfectionist this week and saying that whenever a play doesn't work, you can see him kicking the ground and yelling at the other players and getting things right. I am so in man-love with AJ McCarron right now

• Thursday, we got a look at what appears to be Alabama's Dime package on defense at this point, with Sunseri, Lester, Clinton-Dix on the field with Deion Belue and John Fulton as the outside corners and CJ Mosley as the lone linebacker in the middle. That's gonna be a scary pass defense when it all comes together

This was from Wednesday, but it is some really good stuff from one of our greatest offensive linemen in history

And another good one from DE Damion Square

Links

Yahoo Sports with a pretty good article about Alabama's title defense that I think everyone would enjoy reading

GREAT ARTICLE from Athlon Sports about the best QB in the SEC

It got out this week that Michigan is practicing what they call the "Duece Package", with 2 QB's on the field at the same time. So I'm glad Saban will be prepared. You can read about that HERE

Robert Lester feels good about the Alabama secondary in 2012

DJ Fluker said that AJ and Saban are "just like brothers"

HA'SEAN CLINTON-DIX I love this guy

Now for something that is funny as hell!

This guy calls himself Clemson Tom. He is a huge Clemson fan, who recently traveled to Auburn to make this AWESOME trash talking video in preparation of Clemson playing Auburn on Sept 1. It's really funny, but I think he should take into account that Sammy Watkins is suspended and not supposed to play against AU before he goes threatening them with Sammy. But like I've said before, I think Sammy will still end up playing, so either way. This guy is welcome to come hang out with me any time he wants though

According to something my Auburn friend Will Duncan tweeted, it appears that alot of Clemson fans might not think the guy is too funny, though. You can see evidence of that HERE

Scouting Michigan (The Offense: An In Depth Position By Position Breakdown)

Alabama will face off against the Michigan Denards, I mean Wolverines, on Sept 1st. I have been looking forward to this game since it was announced, since one of my friends at work is a HUGE Michigan fan. I have worked with him for 7 years now, and we are finally getting to play against each other. And during a time when Bama is the dominant team, as it appears.

So let's talk a little about Michigan and what kinda team we can expect to face in 2 weeks. I made reference to him a second ago, but Denard Robinson is clearly one of the best players in college football right now. Every single time I was at Buffalo Wild Wings last year and they would have a Michigan game on one of the TV's, it seemed like every time I glanced at it, Robinson was off on a 40 or 60 yard TD run. The guy is amazing. He is crazy fast, and he made news this past week by publicly stating that he could beat Usain Bolt in a 40 yard dash. That's awesome. It's always worked out great for the other team when they talk shit like that before playing Bama. Makes me happy. For reference, see Miami in 1992, LSU in January, Georgia in 2008, Clemson in 2008, I could go on and on.

But let's get down to what we will see on the field from Michigan

The Wolverines are coming off an 11-2 record that included a BCS bowl win over Virginia Tech and defeating Ohio State, ending a streak very much like the one Auburn had over us a few years back. Last year might be a tough act to follow. It was a hell of a first year, and definitely have Maize and Blue fans optimistic about the future. And with good reason. I really respect the type of coach that Hoke is. He is all about Michigan Football, the way that it should be played. Similar to the way we know that Alabama Football should be played. Great up front play on both lines, great defense, and tough hard nosed smash mouth football. Hoke will have his team in regular contention in the Big Ten for a good while, I believe

Michigan averaged 33 points a game last year on offense, which was good enough for second in the Big Ten. By contrast, Alabama averaged 35 points a game.

I will breakdown the Michigan defense later, but today it is the Offense. Which, according to Michigan fans, is the best most unstoppable offense in the country.

QUARTERBACK

Robinson passed for 2100+ yards. Alabama's returning QB, AJ McCarron passed for 2600+ yards last year, and against better defenses. The difference between the two players is obviously rushing yards. Robinson ran for over 1100 yards last season. Containing him will be the key to beating Michigan. If Alabama can keep Robinson from being able to run the ball effectively, or break any big plays, then it could be a beatdown

Robinson is a great player. But his backup will be one to watch for as well. The reason I say that, is because Robinson seemed to come out of half of Michigan's games last year with one injury or another. His style of play lends it's self to injury and facing the hardest hitting defense he will face all year is not gonna be good for that. I expect to see the backup, at least a few times when Denard has to sit out a couple plays, if not for the rest of the game if Denard gets put out completely, which wouldn't surprise me at all. Devin Gardner has switched from QB to WR so their backup might be a guy named Russell Bellomy, who is a freshman. I wouldn't be surprised to see Gardner actually play the role if Robinson goes down though

RUNNING BACK

At running back, Fitz Toussaint is Michigan's returning star. He ran for over 1000 yards and will be counted on to be a star for them as well this year. But his backup will be important to know about as well, because Toussaint was recently arrested for a DUI and has been suspended for the fall, though he has been allowed to practice this week. Hoke said that it is still "undecided" whether he will get to play against Alabama or not, but I think we all know what will happen. He will play. Whatever it takes. They will say that he has done everything that was asked of him since the suspension, met certain conditions, blah blah blah, and he will be re-instated the week before the game. That is my prediction. If not though, expect to see Thomas Rawls as the starter. He's a little bigger than Toussaint and about the same type of runner. Vincent Smith could also play

Whether Toussaint plays or not, I'm not worried about any team's running game against Bama's defense, which has specialized in stopping the run for the past 5 seasons. Only one player has rushed for 100 yards in a game against Bama since 2007, and that was Tennessee RB Tauren Poole, mainly because he broke a 50 or 60 yard run at one point in the game. Nobody runs against Bama, and neither will Michigan

WIDE RECEIVER

Roy Roundtree is Michigan's best guy, and is expected to be a breakout player this year. But he just had knee surgery this week, though they are saying he will only miss two weeks and will be back just in time for the Bama game. Roundtree will be wearing number 21 this year in honor of Desmond Howard. We will see if he is ready for primetime at kickoff on that day

As I stated in the QB section, Devin Gardner will see time at this position going forward. Other guys to watch for are Jeremy Jackson and Jerald Robinson. Robinson was arrested in the spring for destruction of property, and then he got injured in the spring game, but is expected to compete for a starting position this season. Jeremy Gallon and Drew Dileo are a couple of other guys competing for starting positions

Michigan lost 3 very good receivers from last year in Junior Hemingway, Kelvin Grady, and Martavious Odoms. This unit in 2012 remains to be seen, but I think as far as the first game goes, they will be raw and probably a good warm up for a young Bama secondary that is replacing a couple of great players as well

OFFENSIVE LINE

I see this as a potential weakness for the Wolverines this year, mainly because of so much youth and little quality depth.

At Right Tackle, it is looking as if a true freshman will start. Kyle Kalis is a 5 star recruit, rated as one of the top 5 offensive linemen coming into college this year. He will most likely be a good one down the road, but my God, his first start ever in college will be against ALABAMA. That's not good for the youngster. His backups are walk ons. I know it's unprofessional in this format to use the following, but I can't help it: L O L

At Right Guard, Patrick Omameh returns as a 3rd year starter. Well look at this shit, a VETERAN! But his backups as well are freshmen and walk ons. L O L again

Ricky Barnum is a senior starter at Center, but guess what his backups are? I know. This is getting repetitive

At Left Guard, a couple of walk ons are competeing for the starting position. This is getting ridiculous. I would be embarrassed and terrified if Alabama was entering the season with this level of youth and lack of talent over the entire o-line

Left Tackle is Taylor Lewan. He's not bad, but his backups are nobody freshmen and walk ons as well.

This line is gonna get beat to hell and back throughout this entire game and if ANYONE goes down with an injury, Denard Robinson better have developed the ability to FLY during the offseason, cause he isn't gonna have anywhere to run

At the end of the day, I think that Michigan's offense will probably once again average over 30 points a game for the season. They'll probably rack up over 40 against a few of their Big Ten opponents. But they'll be lucky to get 13 in this game, for the main reason that their offensive line will be overmatched and unable to allow Denard the time and space he needs. Denard is a busted play specialist. He makes his big plays on mistakes that opponents make, when a large area is left uncovered. That might happen once or twice in the first game against Bama, cause we have a couple new young guys in the secondary. But even if that does happen, the chances of Denard getting to that space are slim

Practice (News and Notes)

Saban continues to talk about how pleased he is with the practices. That makes me very happy, cause every Tide fan knows that Saban rarely openly states that he is pleased

Nico Johnson, who will be a senior Linebacker this year, and one of the leaders of the defense said that there was more intensity in the scrimmage Saturday than he has ever seen in a scrimmage. The young guys are getting after it and I can't wait to see who the future stars are that will step up this year. We all know there will be a few. My big bets on defense, as I have previously stated, are Vinnie Sunseri and Adrian Hubbard

True Freshman Landon Collins is every bit the stud that he was made out to be in recruiting. He looks like a 3rd or 4th year starter and is going to see ALOT of time this year backing up Robert Lester and Vinnie Sunseri, along with Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Nick Perry is another safety, from Prattville, that is competing for playing time. Lester is probably the only guy at that position who can rest assured that his spot is secured

Jarrick Williams, another promising backup at the Safety postion, tore his ACL in practice Friday. That, along with the departure of JUCO transfer Corner Travell Dixon is a blow to a secondary that was already one of the only concerns on the team. Williams had surgery Tuesday morning

Corner is probably the one major concern on this entire team, offense and defense, as Dee Milliner is the only returning guy who has really played much. He has the ability to be a first round draft pick after this season if he decides to go pro, but he can't play both sides of the field. The other side will most likely be manned by JUCO transfer Deion Belue. Everyone is saying great things about Belue so far and it sounds like he will be as least decent, but will face competition from some young guys, John Fulton, Jabriel Washington and Geno Smith. Alot of quick growing up to do at that position. Hopefully all those great safeties and linebackers can have their backs if they are not ready for primetime by the Arkansas game when our secondary will matter most

Eddie Lacy has had his carries limited so far, as they are babying him along since he has still been recovering from his turf toe injury. Still, he had the most rushing yards in the scrimmage and from most accounts, he should be ready to bust some ass come the Michigan Game

Nobody except for the QB's were wearing the black non-contact jerseys in practice Tuesday, but Adrian Hubbard's wrist and elbow were wrapped. No big deal there though.

Jalston Fowler, one of my favorite guys, has been blowing it up at Tight End and H-Back, blocking and recieving. I love that, cause I know he will be on the field as much as possible this year, even when he's not running the ball. He can do so many things, and it has been a hallmark of Saban recruiting to recruit guys who are versatile and can move around when needed

On Tuesday, several guys made moves and appeared to have shown where they will be in backup roles. Ryan Kelly looks to be Barrett Jones backup and future replacement at Center. Kellen Williams is behind Cyrus Kouandjio at Left Tackle. Redshirt freshman Isaac Latua is battling the hell out of Anthony Steen at Right Guard. Anthony is a 3rd year starter and Latua is a new guy but people are saying it wouldn't be a surprise if Latua takes over at some point. That's saying alot for a freshman

Alabama will practice twice on Wednesday, once on Thursday and Friday, and then scrimmage again Saturday. And then it'll be time to start preparing for Michigan and Denard Robinson. I can't wait to talk about that game.

Yesterday, Alabama reported 27 secondary violations. This is normal stuff and nothing to worry about. Only 4 of the 27 were in football and just involved a few impermissable texts. For perspective, Ole Miss reported 44 just recently and South Carolina reported like 100 something last year. Auburn never reports any of this stuff, cause they keep it down home, but this is typical of every program in the country. The worst that can come from secondary violations are restrictions on certain assistant coaches contacting recruits and stuff like that

Cecil Hurt wrote a pretty good article about how difficult it is to avoid trouble and keep players from finding touble, with the recent news of the Honey Badger and others. You can read it HERE

We already know Saban is the best coach in the country, but it's not just on the field and in recruiting. It's in developing, as is pointed out in Cecil's article. Saban is the absolute best at making players mature and stay out of trouble. Can't love this man any more than I do

The Sabanization Of College Football - Sports Illustrated Great article here from Andy Staples about other programs trying to copy the way Saban has done things at Bama and LSU. There is no match for The Process

Also, I'd like to point out. It was just found out that AJ McCarron played almost the entire season last year with a separated shoulder. He is about to absolutely go OFF this year. You watch and see.

No reason to include this pic of TJ Yeldon, but I just wanted to celebrate once again the fact that this future Heisman winner is a freshman at Alabama this year. Roll Tide to that!