SB Nation - Javier Arenas

All-SEC Ballot: Draft

Gamecock Man — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:04:08 -0000

The SEC Power Poll is hosting an All-SEC poll. Here is a draft that reflects my first impressions--let me know what you think, and we may revise a bit if necessary.

Offense

QB: Ryan Mallett (Arkansas Razorbacks)

RB: Mark Ingram (Alabama Crimson Tide)

RB: Dexter McCluster (Ole Miss Rebels)

OG: Mike Johnson (Alabama Crimson Tide)

OG: Mike Pouncey (Florida Gators)

OT: Ciron Black (LSU Tigers)

OT: John Jerry (Ole Miss Rebels)

C: Maurkice Pouncey (Florida Gators)

TE: Aaron Hernandez (Florida Gators)

WR: A.J. Green (Georgia Bulldogs)

WR: Shay Hodge (Ole Miss Rebels)

Defense

DE: Cliff Matthews (South Carolina Gamecocks)

DE: Antonio Coleman (Auburn Tigers)

DT: Terrence Cody (Alabama Crimson Tide)

DT: Malcolm Sheppard (Arkansas Razorbacks)

LB: Eric Norwood (South Carolina Gamecocks)

LB: Rolando McClain (Alabama Crimson Tide)

LB: Rennie Curran (Georgia Bulldogs)

CB: Javier Arenas (Alabama Crimson Tide)

CB: Patrick Peterson (LSU Tigers)

S: Eric Berry (Tennessee Volunteers)

S: Joe Haden (Florida Gators)

Special Teams

PK: Blair Walsh (Georgia Bulldogs)

P: Drew Butler (Georgia Bulldogs)

RS: Javier Arenas (Alabama Crimson Tide)

You've got some explaining to do...

Many of these choices go without questions; nobody, for instance, will disagree with me about Mark Ingram, Rolando McClain, or Eric Berry. However, I do have a few bones to pick with conventional wisdom. Here's how I see such cases:

Ryan Mallett / Tim Tebow

As most people around here know, I'm a pretty big Tebow fan. The guy has had a great career, and although his sanctimonious, humble-but-really-not attitude can get to you sometimes, overall I don't have too many problems with him as a media phenomenon. It is what is. However, while I've been as guilty as anyone when it comes to giving Tebow confidence by inertia, I've come to believe it has to stop somewhere: Mallett was just better this year.

By the way, Ryan, if you're reading this, go to the NFL.

Dexter McCluster / Anthony Dixon

OK. I believe Anthony Dixon had a better year than McCluster at RB. However, I also believe that McCluster was one of the best and most valuable players in the SEC. I'm talking about on a par with Tebow, Ingram, you name it. So, I think we have to get him on the list somewhere. This is where I'm putting him. Unfortunately for him, McCluster was probably never used in the right way enough; this guy really was a minor Reggie-Bush-like talent.

Cliff Matthews / Carlos Dunlap

Dunlap is a jackass that showed his true colors when he signed with Florida instead of Sou...wait, when he drunkenly fell asleep at the wheel before the biggest SECCG ever. He failed his team. Despite his talent, that failure will always make him worse than Matthews in my mind.

Rennie Curran / Brandon Spikes

What can I say? I know it's surprising to see an UGA player on the defensive first team, but I think Curran is a great player. That might have something to do with his success against USC, but whatever. If this guy had a halfway decent DC, he'd be the talk of the nation. Spikes is a great player, but he's also a cog in a machine to some degree.

Well, that's a wrap on this draft. Let me know what you think.

SEC Championship Autopsy

mlmintampa — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:36:36 -0000

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- Urban Meyer checking himself into Shands for dehydration after the game was just another paragraph in this incredibly bizarre season. It could be the flu, it could be food poisoning, it could have been throwing up because of the game, and it could have been his brain cyst acting up. It could be anything, which was the only consistency UF had this year; anything could happen.

- Educated Florida fans know that when UF runs the ball, they win. Yet, one of the glaring stats coming out of the game was the four non-Tebow carries UF had. They were losing the whole game, and big comebacks do not happen with 4-yard dive plays. But, there was no desire to grind some clock, keeping the Gator defense on the field even longer.

- Focus is the easy excuse for the Gator defense's awful play. From Charlie Strong's next job, to Carlos Dunlap's DUI, to Florida's front seven getting knocked off the ball every play, it seemed as if no one was ready. I don't believe focus was the problem because that is an insult to the team and Alabama. Of course, some guys thought UF would win because they won last year. There's also the complacency of champions in that they think they can flip a switch and win. But losing 32-13 is not Florida losing because of a lack of focus. It is Alabama winning because they had a superior game plan. On offense, it was spreading UF out and pounding the line. Greg McElroy is an efficient quarterback and has been winning games since he was 16 years old. Bama was the guy at the poker table who everyone is scared of because you never knew what his cards were. On defense, dare I say, they wanted Tim Tebow to throw the ball. I don't believe Tebow has regressed, but I think he has not improved. With Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy (or David Nelson in SEC and BCS games), Tebow could afford to not be perfect. With Riley Cooper, Aaron Hernandez and Deonte Thompson, he had to be perfect (how many incomplete passes this season hit guys in the arms?). The interception to Javier Arenas was an example of something else; Tebow still struggles with reading coverage. Remember, he threw a similar pick (where an hidden defender gets in the way) against Oklahoma.

- Panic was a large reason why Florida lost Saturday. While Tebow stayed calm, Cooper and Hernandez were in panic mode after every near miss. Brandon Spikes and the rest of the defense were getting caught running themselves out of plays. It got to the point where guys were diving for tackles and not breaking down. That's not a lack of focus or lazyness; that's being so desperate to make a play that you ignore your fundamentals.

- People who should be blamed for Saturday's loss;

1. Whoever picked the white helmets.

2. My friend Hanson for not wearing his lucky shirt.

3. Charlie Strong

4. Steve Addazio

5. Urban Meyer

10. Carlos Dunlap. The kid made the mistake of his life during one of the biggest weeks of his life. He is a huge dumbass. But now he has to live with the possibility that his mistake cost the Gators a shot at a National Championship. It didn't. Jevon Kearse could have replaced Dunlap and it would not have made a difference. Sometimes, the other guy plays better than you could and wins. I hope Dunlap comes back and plays well enough. If not, I don't blame the guy for going pro.

- While I will criticize a college player for the way they play, I have a hard time doing it after a loss in a championship game. As fans, we get upset and bitch and moan about blown tackles and dropped passes. But we get on with our lives. College athletes don't. Of the 44 starters yesterday, very few will be successful NFL players. That means the most dominant memory of their college career will be a blowout loss and a season of a division title. That stays with you forever. Some jackass who was a student, donates money and writes a blog has no authority to talk about how they are hurt by this loss. The guys in that locker room just worked 11 months to finish second place in their league. Consider their pain before you think about how much you were hurt.

- My pick for best Gator performance Saturday? Chaz Henry.

- I always use death as a metaphor for a season ending. The loss was like watching a loved one get a stroke, start rehabbing, and getting another stroke and slowly dying. It sucked. You keep thinking if they had stopped smoking, or Jeff Demps caught that ball in the first quarter, or if he ate healthier, or if UF stopped a few more third downs, that things would be different. You'll go crazy thinking that way. One or two plays in a 19-point deficit will not make a difference.

- Speaking of death, my friends and I finished Saturday night in the only acceptable way for Italian and Irish Catholics; by going out and eating and drinking until we felt a little better. Our first toast of the night was to John Brantley, we screamed curse words at Colt McCoy, wondered if Les Miles was running Texas and Hanson was working women like he was Tiger Woods. It was also nice to see so many people in Gator clothes. Like I told my 13-year old sister after the game, after she insisted she could never go to school again, you never turn your back on the team. If you're willing to be for the team in good times, you have to be there for the bad times too. She will be wearing her Gator jacket to school Monday.

- We'll be back later when Florida is officially announced for the Sugar Bowl, likely playing Cincinnati.

Almost Perfection

outsidethesidelines — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:36:55 -0000

In the preview of SEC Championship Game this past Friday, looking at what it would take to beat the Gators, I wrote the following:

In short, what we really need is perfection. Of course, a football game (not counting kicks) usually consists of 120-130 snaps, and that's just entirely too many snaps to not expect some breakdowns, particularly against a team of Florida's caliber. Thus, as with most things, perfection is an elusive goal in football, and it is one that we will not attain tomorrow. Nevertheless, the harsh reality is that we are going to have to come very close to that level if we are indeed going to knock of Florida.

And as expected, perfection was indeed unattainable. We made some mistakes throughout the course of the game, obviously. Leigh Tiffin missed an extra point. Julio Jones had a key drop, and may have misplayed a potential big play on a deep pass.We missed a couple of sacks here and there. But it wasn't perfection only because achieving perfection is practically impossible even on a purely theoretical level.

In terms of the legitimate possibilities of human performance, however, our collective performance yesterday in Atlanta was probably as close to perfection as anyone could ever realistically expect. Just take a general look at the stat book... we racked up almost 500 yards of total offense. Mark Ingram had almost 200 total yards and three touchdowns. Greg McElroy averaged almost 14 yards per passing attempt. We held Florida to 13 points -- the fewest points an Urban Meyer team has scored since our 31-3 thumping of them in 2005 -- and pitched a shutout in the second half. We held Florida to under 100 yards rushing, and players not named Tim Tebow combined to run for all of 26 yards. We didn't have a single turnover, and we ended up with one penalty for all of five yards.

Even on a non-quantitative basis, yesterday was about as good as it gets. Greg McElroy played the game of his life, and made plays with both his arm and his feet. Mark Ingram may have won the Heisman Trophy with his performance. And Trent Richardson, really, was even more successful running the football than Ingram. Colin Peek had the best game we've had from a tight end in ages. Marquis Maze was a game-changer. Marquis Johnson found redemption. Terrence Cody dominated the Florida interior offensive line. P.J. Fitzgerald made a touchdown-saving tackle against an elite returner in the open field. Javier Arenas, fittingly enough, put the final dagger through the Gators heart not with his return abilities, but with a fine play on an interception as a defensive back.

Even the coaching staff was on fire. Jim McElwain constantly changed things up on offense, and the Gators were always a step behind the adjustments. Effectively everything that you could do on offense yesterday, we did it. And the same thing went for us defensively. Nick Saban and Kirby Smart constantly changed our defensive packages, and there was no inherent tendencies to anything that we did.

And remember that Friday post I referenced in the introduction? In that piece I outlined eleven different things that we needed to do in order to get the victory. In hindsight, we did ten of those things, and in many of those categories we far exceeded what I thought we needed to do. Regardless of how you analyze it, you really cannot heap enough praise on the way that we played yesterday.

Again, absolute perfection really isn't attainable, but our performance yesterday was probably as close to perfection as you could ever realistically get.

And in all fairness I cannot say that Florida was really anything less than I expected. They are a truly great team in their own right, and in many ways they were exactly what I feared. Their offense is still unbelievably good, they are outstanding in every aspect of the kicking game, and the defense is as tough as nails. If you look at their performance yesterday, it wasn't that they really did anything wrong. By and large they played a fine game in their own right, and their shortcomings were really more about great plays that we made than anything that they did wrong. Again, they are a great team and should be recognized as so. I imagine they annihilate Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl, and should probably finish up #2 in the country.

All in all, we needed a great performance to win yesterday, and we went above and beyond that level. We didn't just play great football, we came as close to perfection as we probably could have gotten. In all honesty, given the quality of the opponent, this was the best game an Alabama team has played since January 1st, 1993 against Miami and perhaps even the best we've played since January 1st, 1966 against Nebraska. Bottom line, a performance of this caliber is extremely rare even on a historical level. We needed to play like this in order to win, and we rose to the occasion. With absolutely no doubt whatsoever, to date, yesterday was this team's finest hour.

Saturday NFL Draft watch notes: Florida/Alabama

Mocking Dan — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:30:13 -0000

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Joe Haden, CB, Florida: There is no better college cornerback than Haden. He's come along this season as a complete corner capable of shutting down a side of the field and helping against the run. Although Haden struggles at times against shiftier receivers in man coverage, he has good speed and can out-muscle opponents. He'll get matched up today against Alabama sophomore Julio Jones.

Brandon Spikes, MLB, Florida: Spikes is an incredible linebacker who could have been a first-round pick this year. His production has dipped some this season, but he's missed two games and slowed by injuries. Spikes is an excellent leader and good all-around player. Spikes' instincts are that of an NFL veteran and he should start immediately in the pros.

Jermaine Cunningham, DE, Florida: Cunningham has quietly had a very good season, even while battling through injuries. Cunningham is at his best when he can rush the passer, which could limit him to being a 3-4 outside linebacker candidate. He's dropped into zone coverage at times this year and held his own. Where he struggles is against the run, especially when it comes right at him.

Aaron Hernandez, TE, Florida: Another short tight end prospect, Hernandez is dangerous with the ball in his hands. The Chris Cooley comparisons are apt. Hernandez can get open in space and is hard to take down after the catch.

Tim Tebow, QB, Florida: By now, everyone knows the strengths and weaknesses in Tebow's game. But a good game against a pro-style Alabama defense and Tebow could start to make people think differently about him.

Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida: A junior, Pouncey has had a dominant season. He's very strong and anchors a line really well. He gets into position quickly and has the agility to move around. He plays with a low center of gravity and gets good leverage.

Michael Pouncey, G, Florida: The junior guard really burst onto the draft radar against Alabama last season when he routinely beat Terrence Cody in one-on-one situations. He's a power blocker and excels in the run game. He's not as agile as his brother, but he's a good all-around guard.

Riley Cooper, WR, Florida: With good hands and the ability to get open, Cooper projects as a classic fourth receiver possession target. Cooper doesn't run the best routes, but he's a heady player who knows how to get open.

Rolando McClain, MLB, Alabama: As mentioned on MTD before, McClain may be the best linebacker in the nation. Find more on McClain here. He'll be the best player on the field today.

Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama: The shine started to come off Cody against the Gators last season. He's proven to not have good lateral movement and doesn't break double teams. He's mostly just a space eater, and a big one at that.

Javier Arenas, CB, Alabama: Size and speed concerns will knock Arenas down in the draft. But he's a flat-out gamer. He's a good zone corner prospect because of his ability to makes plays on the ball. He closes really well and, like most Bama defenders, has good instincts. He's also a good return man with seven punt return touchdowns.

Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama: While Arenas is a top zone prospect, Jackson will fit best in a man scheme. He can jam big receivers at the line and breaks up a lot of passes. He's a sound tackler and if he tests well he could go in the first 50 picks.

Mike Johnson, G, Alabama: Johnson just might be the best senior guard in the nation. He's a powerful drive blocker who uses his natural length to create space. His base could get stronger, but he has starter potential at the next level.

An early primer on the SEC Championship Game

outsidethesidelines — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:33:04 -0000

Enough about Auburn, the goal coming into this season was to get back to Atlanta for a rematch with the Gators and we have done just that. Obviously there are a lot of issues to address this week, so I want to go ahead and write a rough primer addressing many of them. Let's get started:

Pythagorean Wins

Many of you are aware of my research into the application of the concept of Pythagorean Wins into SEC football, and with the 2009 SEC regular season officially coming to an end this past weekend, we can now get an early estimate on Pythagorean Wins. I won't get into the nitty gritty just yet -- I'll save the 2009 Pythagorean Wins post for a later day -- but the highlights of this year's analysis is that Alabama and Florida are still a head above the rest of the SEC, Florida stills lead the SEC very narrowly over 'Bama, but the gap between the Tide and the Gators is much smaller than last year, and both 'Bama and Florida are pretty big overachievers relative to their Pythagorean projection.

Last year Florida outscored conference opponents by a total of 259 points, and the Tide did so by a highly impressive 140, but things are a lot closer this year. The Gators "only" outscored conference opponents by 125 points this year, and the Tide outscored their opponents by 123 points. That's a long way down for the Gators from last year, and now the margin of razor thin in terms of the two teams Pythagorean projections. The gap between the two teams last year in conference point differential was 119 points, and this year the gap is down to a mere two points. Had Leigh Tiffin converted on his partially blocked field goal attempt in the Iron Bowl, the Tide would lead in this category.

It turns out the Gators are indeed human, but...

The good news for those of us praying not to see a repeat of last year's outcome in Atlanta is that Florida is not necessarily invincible this year. Last year the Gators average margin of victory in conference play was roughly 38 points, and in terms of sheer domination, that was probably the most dominant team we have ever seen in the history of SEC football, and perhaps the most dominant we will ever see, well, ever. Those guys went through the SEC last year like Lawrence Taylor in Tecmo Bowl, but fortunately they have came back to Earth a bit this year.

On the other hand, don't read too much into that. Florida has not been completely invincible this year, but they did go undefeated and for the most part they weren't seriously challenged. Only Arkansas gave them a true scare, and they won every other conference game by 10 points or more. The fact that Florida hasn't annihilated teams at the same clip as they did last year says more to the reality that last year was a once-in-a-lifetime type season more than it does about any inherent weakness in this year's Gators.

A Vertical Element in the Passing Game

Some teams throw the football down the field. We don't. And some teams throw the football to their wide receivers. But we don't do that either. Or, more precisely put, we apparently cannot do that. Oh I'm sure we would love to, but, um, you know...

In any event, it just doesn't happen. We just do not throw the football down the field, period. Again Mississippi State we threw literally two passes all day further than fifteen yards beyond the line of scrimmage, both of which came on busted coverages. Against Auburn, once again we threw literally two passes all day further than fifteen yards beyond the line of scrimmage. And we cannot get the football consistently to wide receivers not named Julio Jones, either. Against Auburn not a single wide receiver outside of Jones caught a pass, and on the year our second leading receiver in terms of receptions (Marquis Maze) is barely averaging two catches per game.

Why is that the case? I really don't know because we don't have sufficient information. It's either a function of a quarterback entirely too quick to check down, wide receivers unable to consistently get separation, or some combination of the two. My gut instinct is that it is mostly on McElroy's shoulders because he does check down very quickly, but again that's all speculation, and unless you have the coach's film to get the birds eye view of the entire play developing, you really don't have enough information to adequately assign blame.

Either way, regardless of whatever the cause of this problem happens to be, it is something we have to get fixed by the opening kick-off in Atlanta.

Brandon Spikes... the game of his life on the horizon?

Speaking of the lack of a vertical threat in the passing game, Ted Roof and the rest of the Auburn defensive coaching staff altered their defensive gameplan accordingly to that and it paid big dividends. They stuffed the box and consistently committed a lot of personnel to stopping the run. They were putting a hat on a hat for every blocker we had, and still had enough to let middle linebacker Josh Bynes roam free. Not surprisingly, Bynes had arguably his finest day at the collegiate level, racking up 10 tackles plus a tackle for a loss. He roamed free on the interior running plays and Jonathon Evans -- starting his first game -- largely did the same thing to runs on the outside, and racked up 8 tackles in his own right.

Rest assured Florida will do the same thing. They have a much better defensive line and they will commit the resources that Auburn did. That will allow Brandon Spikes to largely roam free, and if that happens he will literally end up with a tackle on basically every single interior running play. And, as an added boost to the Gators, it will make the loss of A.J. Jones a moot point.

Again, we have to find a way to throw the football vertically against these guys. If not, Spikes will have a career day and our offense will be ineffective.

The 'Bama offensive line in pass protection... a weak link?

I know what you are thinking, our offensive line a weak link in pass protection? But, they've done a great job this year on that front, right? Well, in raw terms yes they have. We have only given up 14 sacks in 316 passing attempts, and that gives us an Adjusted Sack Rate of only 4.4%. That will surely be one of, if not, the best rates in the SEC.

But that is not necessarily to say that they might not be a weak link. Yes they have protected the quarterback very well so far this year, but on the other hand they have had an easy job too. We don't throw the football down the field, we check down a lot, and the ball comes out very quickly. All in all it makes life very easy for them in pass protection. But against Florida, that will likely be a very different story. We'll have to take some shots vertically, and the Gators have a great pass rush in the front four.We'll find out a lot about just how good these guys are this weekend.

Slow starts

No putting a pretty face on this one, slow starts have plagued us all season long and that is one of the major reasons we have been forced to rally from behind in the fourth quarter three times to remain undefeated.

Florida International led us in the second quarter. LSU jumped out to an early 7-0 lead against us. The Arkansas game was scoreless going into the second quarter. The Ole Miss game was 3-0 late in the second quarter. We led Kentucky only 7-6 with 45 seconds remaining in the first half. The Tennessee game was a 3-3 game midway through the second quarter. Mississippi State had two good drives to start the game, mixed with a three and out by our offense. Auburn jumped out to a 14-0 lead before our offense even managed a first down. Hell, we even went three and out against lowly Tennessee-Chattanooga.

The only time our offense has scored a touchdown on their opening possession against a BCS conference opponent was Kentucky. The end result of our opening offensive possession the previous seven games have been as follows: punt, interception, three and out, punt, three and out, three and out, three and out. Am I the only one who wants to drop an F-bomb when reading that?

In any event, starting fast isn't everything, of course, but slow starts can sure as hell get you beat. We've been playing with fire on this front all year long, and it may very well get us burnt in Atlanta. If we come out of the gate against the Gators like we have much of the year, we may very well find ourselves down 14-0 again before the game really even gets started. And to paraphrase Verne Lundquist from a few years back, there are few certainties in an uncertain worlds, but one of them is this: Florida ain't Auburn. And we had better not start as such come Saturday.

Arenas probably won't be a factor as a returner...

Javier Arenas has been an impact player for us in the return game ever since he first stepped foot on campus in 2006, and he even had a couple of big returns for us in the Iron Bowl this past Saturday to boot. However, we probably shouldn't expect him to have any major impact in the return game come Saturday. Florida has been nothing short of perfect in kick and punt coverage this year, and return yards have been almost non-existent against them.

On the year, they've allowed only four punt returns this year for a grand total of 13 yards. They are netting almost 43 yards per punt, and basically they boom it deep and high, and usually the kick either sails out of bounds or the returner is forced to call a fair catch. Likewise, things have been very good on kick returns as well. They only have nine touchbacks on 73 kickoffs, so Arenas and company will get chances there, but the Gators are averaging only 20 yards per kick return, one of the best in the country.

So, unfortunately, you probably shouldn't expect Javier Arenas to play a big role in the return game here, and it certainly doesn't seem like our offense will get any great help from this area. On the other hand, though, if our kick coverage issues continue, rest assured Brandon James will make us pay.

All of this Ingram v. Tebow hype, don't buy it...

I notice that many of the national talking heads are already billing this one as an Ingram v. Tebow battle, but don't buy into that talk. Tebow may be that near that important just because of the position he plays, but even so this game will be decided by the group effort of 80+ players, and to be so myopic that you look at only two players is simply overestimating the value of one individual in the ultimate team sport.

Certainly our chances of winning are better if Ingram can get healthy and play at a high level, but it's far from a death knell for us if he is a relative non-factor like he was against Auburn. Both Trent Richardson and Roy Upchurch are fine players in their own right, and the drop-off from Ingram to them isn't very much. There are more important issues out there that will likely decide this game other than the Ingram situation.

Uncharted Waters

All in all, you have to keep in mind that this is a very hard game to project because this game is uncharted waters for both teams. Simply put, Alabama hasn't played a team yet that is anywhere near as good as Florida. Florida hasn't played a team that is anywhere near as good as Alabama.

The best team 'Bama has faced all season is probably either LSU or Ole Miss. Florida, on the other hand, probably faced their toughest opponent against LSU, and after that their toughest opponent may very well have been 7-5 Arkansas in Gainesville. So, again, this is uncharted territory for both squads, and this makes this game very difficult to project. There is probably a lot more inherent unpredictability in a game like this than there are in most others.

Want Meyer to go to Notre Dame?

Okay, so you want Urban Meyer to go to Notre Dame, right? Well, if you want that to be the case, you had better find a way to beat Florida on Saturday. Think about it this way... Notre Dame is probably going to fire Charlie Weis any day now, and we might even get official word today. But if Florida wins this Saturday, Meyer will be in the BCS Championship Game yet again, and Notre Dame won't even get a legitimate chance to talk to him until January 9th. In real terms, that means the Irish will probably just move on in the next couple of weeks and hire someone like Brian Kelly.

Now, admittedly, I really don't think there is much of any real chance of Meyer going to South Bend anyway. Oh I'm sure the powers that be at Notre Dame will kick the tires on him a bit -- they will definitely do that, and it would be idiotic if they didn't -- but I'd still be really surprised to see him leave Gainesville. Nevertheless, though, if you want that to even remain a viable option, you've got to find a way to knock off Florida on Saturday. Notre Dame is probably the only job that Meyer would leave Florida for, and If the Gators win in Atlanta for the second year in a row, you can guarantee that Meyer will be in Gainesville another four or five years at a minimum.

Oh, What Might Have Been!

Acid Reign — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:40:51 -0000

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Alabama escapes from Auburn, 26-21.

War Eagle, everybody. It's time now for the Acid Reign Report on the 2009 Iron Bowl. I'm of two minds about this game. Honestly, I think we should have won this game, but a few mistakes held us back. However, there is no questioning that Auburn put forth a superhuman effort. If Coach Gene Chizik and his staff can summon forth that sort energy in future Iron Bowls, we will do well!

In my keys to victory post 10 days ago, I said that the Tigers needed to chiefly do three things: run the ball, stop the run, and play turnover-free. There was a little bit of success running. Auburn stopped the run emphatically. Turnovers were costly. Both Chris Todd turnovers, a fumble and an interception, set up Bama field goal attempts. Leigh Tiffin honked one of those wide right, but the other was good, pulling Alabama within 1 point. Had we not had those turnovers, Wes Byrum might have been attempting a 54 yard field goal at the end to send it to overtime. I like Byrum's chances a lot better than a Hail Mary! Auburn also gave up avoiding kicking to Javier Arenas, and that cost Auburn. A 56 yard punt return set Alabama up at the Auburn 33, which resulted in another field goal. We'd have been better off punting it out of bounds for no gain, on that one!

The Tigers came out with a wide-open offensive game plan, utilizing all sorts of misdirection plays, reverses, double passes, and swinging gates. The scheme really slowed down the Alabama pursuit, and forced them to attack more than they wanted. When Alabama started crowding the line, that opened up the Auburn passing game. Unfortunately, the Tigers did not do a good job of taking advantage. Tommy Trott was doing such a good job blocking on the corner that Tide defenders were avoiding being in the same zip code with Trott. We tried several slant passes to Trott, and missed them all. We had a number of opportunities to get running backs loose on screens, but didn't pull the trigger till 3^rd down, when Bama was sitting back in zone coverage. We managed to burn Alabama's corner blitz package with an out and up for a 72 yard touchdown, but never tried it again. Alabama secondary members totaled 5.5 tackles for loss. There was opportunity to throw over them, but we could not do it.

Special teams had a few good plays, but were not very good, overall. There were multiple kickoffs out of bounds, multiple fumbled punts, short punts, and line drive punts. We let Javier Arenas get 3 returns, and he burned us for 102 yards on those. The few bright spots were a successful onside kick, 2 punts killed inside the 20 by Clinton Durst, and 99 kick return yards on 4 kickoffs.

For the first time all season, Auburn utilized a run-blitz package, and it paid dividends! Bama was forced to operate from the shotgun and try mostly short passes. When you've held Alabama to 73 rushing yards, with a first year linebacker and two first year safeties, you've done really well! With good pressure, Greg McElroy avoided the costly turnover, but he was forced into drive-killing bad throws. I'd say defensive coordinator Ted Roof called a brilliant defensive game plan, except for one play. On third and nine from the Auburn 33 in the second quarter, we went with a safety blitz and left a linebacker in man coverage with Colin Peek. That decision resulted in an easy Alabama TD pass. You just don't call safety blitzes on 3^rd and long! ESPECIALLY if you're going to hand an all-SEC tight end off to a linebacker to cover!

Unit Grades, after the jump.

Defensive Line: A. There is little to find fault with, here. Auburn had their best day of the season, up front! Antonio Coleman and Antoine Carter both proved that they could sacrifice personal glory and stats, to play great contain on the Alabama running game. When it was an obvious passing situation, Coleman took James Carpenter and Drew Davis to school a few times. The tackle-end twist worked well too, with Nick Fairley able to turn the corner on Bama tackles. Mike Blanc and Jake Ricks stoned the Bama line, and plugged the middle. Points off on one Jake Ricks offside penalty.

Linebackers: B+. This might have been the best game of the season for the linebackers. It certainly was, against teams with a pulse! True freshman Jonathan Evans stepped up and did not back down against Heisman Trophy candidate Mark Ingram. Bama ran it right at Evans and Evans responded with 8 solo tackles! Josh Bynes was a force, with ten total tackles. Points off on Craig Stevens vs. Bama's Preston Dial, Brad Smelley, and Colin Peek. Bama blockers mostly handled Stevens. Points off also on Josh Bynes letting Peek loose for a second quarter touchdown. Bynes should have never been put in that situation, though.

Secondary: B. Auburn did a good job in two deep zone, taking the long pass away from Alabama. The Tide did try to force a couple into coverage, and both Walter McFadden and Neiko Thorpe responded with pass breakups. Run support from the whole secondary was good, but not great. On Alabama's last drive, the safeties got played a bit. The big 17 yard catch and run on the screen to Trent Richardson was on the safeties. Bates barely hung on at the ten. The fullback on the game-winning touchdown was Washington's man. As you might expect, that was a difficult adjustment to ask of a first year player.

A note on the Auburn defense this season: When Gene Chizik first arrived in Auburn in 2002, he had a very talented defense to work with, including future pro stars Carlos Rogers, Carlos Dansby, Dontarrious Thomas, Reggie Torbor, Spencer Johnson, and Jay Ratliff. Still, it took awhile before those guys "got it." We were diced pretty badly, in the first half of the season, including giving up record rushing yards to Arkansas at home in a 38-17 loss. The light didn't really come on till late in the year, against Georgia, Bama, and Penn State. This year, Chizik and Roof have had to deal with a sub-par interior line, and a woefully thin back seven. Against Alabama, the light came on for this defense. There now seems to be some chemistry, and understanding of what the coaching staff wants. When the light came on in 2002, we were treated to some awesome defense for the next few years. For the 2009 Tiger defense, the light is now on again!

Punting: C+. If Clinton Durst had kicked every punt out of bounds for a 30 yard average, I'd have given the punting unit an A! Auburn did that early on, but in the second half they gave Javier Arenas some chances. Overall it was a solid performance. I hated giving up the 56 yard return, but we are hardly the only team Arenas has done that to! We ended up averaging a mediocre 40 yards per punt, with only a 31.6 yard net. Two punts killed inside the 20 helps this grade.

Punt Returns: D-. On five punts, dropped two on the ground. I pass this unit only because Auburn got both bobbles back. Priority one in the offseason is recruiting, priority two is finding and grooming a new quarterback. But I'd say that next on the list is finding a punt returner. This has been the worst year for Auburn punt returners EVER. We've had some bad years before, but nothing like this!

Kick Returns: C. Demond Washington averaged 24.8 yards on four returns. If that stat is compared to team averages this season, Washington would be tied for 3^rd in the SEC. Not bad, but against the last-place kick coverage team in the league, I had hoped for more.

Kickoffs: B. Morgan Hull kicked deep 3 times, and two of them went out of bounds. Against Javier Arenas, that's a favorable result. I'm surprised Bama didn't make us kick it again, on those! The two out of bounders gave Bama the ball at the 40. When we DID kick it to Arenas at the goal line, he returned it to the 46. Should have kicked all three out of bounds! The Tigers had a perfectly executed onside kick. It was brilliantly conceived, with the team acting lackadaisical, and not even lining up before Byrum suddenly just bunted that ball, and raced with it. It caught Alabama totally off-guard. That cat's out of the bag, I think. We won't be able to catch anyone else on that for at least five years!

Placekicking A+. Wes Byrum continued a near-perfect season by hitting all of his extra points. Byrum finishes the season having converted 14 of 15 field goals attempts, and 100% of his extra points. Magnificent!

Offensive Line: B+. It wouldn't be an Auburn football game without a Lee Ziemba false start. At least he got it over with in the first quarter. Ziemba had a pretty good day blocking on Lorenzo Washington and Brandon Deaderick, as did Andrew McCain. The two Tide ends combined for only 4 tackles, none for a loss. Auburn had less success dealing with Alabama blitzers. Eryk Anders was particularly elusive, racking up 3.5 tackles for loss, and 3 quarterback hurries. The Auburn line basically held their own, but didn't generate much push. Nearly all of Auburn's successful running plays were on trick plays to the outside. Pass protection was decent, most of the time.

Receivers: A. You can't ask for much more than these guys produced. They had great downfield blocking, no drops, and got a lot of separation on a very good Bama secondary. The greatest failure in this game was not utilizing these guys more. Both Darvin Adams and Terrell Zachary looked FAST against the Bama secondary.

Running Backs: C. Ben Tate ran hard, as did Onterrio McCalebb, but that's about all you can say. Great catch early for a touchdown, by Eric Smith. Blocking was quite poor, in this one. The only times the backs slowed Tide defenders down was when Ben Tate picked up a holding call. Mario Fannin bobbled a screen pass away that had the potential to go for a long TD. This might have been the worst day by the backs all year. Bonus points for no fumbles. Still, we needed a LOT better production blocking.

Quarterback: C-. Auburn had a plan to exploit the Alabama defense. When it moved to phase two, and we had to hit some short passes, we couldn't. Chris Todd had some nice downfield throws to Darvin Adams, but none to any other outside receivers. Terrell Zachary can run down the field all alone, and Todd will never look his way. Todd completed a decent amount of screen passes, but these were usually on third and long, and ended up well short of the first down. Todd missed the slant to Tommy Trott three times way high, ending up with an interception on the last one. Todd missed the quick hitch three times. Todd had a sack-fumble. Sack-fumbles are somewhat excusable from the blind side, but Todd was hit from the front. Sometimes a QB just has to fall down and eat it. After the first quarter, Todd kept us in the game with the 72-yard pass to Adams, but did very little beyond that. A half dozen better throws would have given Auburn a double digit win over the Tide.

I hate losing to Alabama, make no mistake about it. At home, it's an even more bitter pill to swallow. This one is easier than the last two Iron Bowl losses in Jordan Hare, because we appear to be on an upswing with our program. This is a game a more experienced Auburn squad might have dominated. It also makes one wonder where we'd be if we had played like this against Arkansas, against Kentucky, against LSU. Carrying the momentum over will be a challenge for the returning players and coaching staff.

My hat's off to Alabama. They got a lot more than they bargained for on this road trip, but they didn't panic. They didn't turn the ball over, and they didn't give up. Perseverance gave the Tide their second perfect regular season in a row. I think the Tide folks also know that they'll need a LOT better performance in the SEC Championship game, if they are to defeat the Gators.

It will be an exciting bowl and off season, for Auburn, but we must temper our expectations with realism. As Pat Dye said last week, next year's team won't be much better than this one. Problems will have to be worked on, and newcomers brought in that will play immediately. Nowhere will Auburn be hit harder by graduation than on the defensive line. The loss of Antonio Coleman and Jake Ricks will be huge. The loss of Walter McFadden will be big, too. McFadden was a top-flight cover corner, AND a great leader. Auburn will be solid kicking the ball, but will have to find a new punter. Returns and coverage were an absolute mess this season, and should see a lot of work. The offensive line will have to replace a tackle, and the replacement of seniors Tommy Trott, Ben Tate, and Chris Todd will not be easy. The quarterback race will be critical. Unless Kodi Burns makes a dramatic comeback, we'll be starting a green QB, next fall. If we learned nothing this season, we know that Malzhan's offense is heavily tied to quarterback play.

War Eagle to all, and have a great finish to Thanksgiving Weekend!

The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Weekend Happiness Hangover Edition

Truzenzuzex — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:54:51 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

Was that thump some people heard on Saturday the sound of Uga VII rolling over in his grave?

Browse more photos »

And what a weekend it was. The Gridiron Felines show that they are not going to look gift horses in the mouth this year, as they took advantage of a 4-0 turnover margin to upend the Dawgs in Athens.

Then the basketball team showed why almost everyone has them in their top five by effortlessly handling Rider, 92-63, in a game that was arguably not as close as the score. This Kentucky team is only limited by their own willingness to learn and work hard, and as the competition gets tougher (beginning tomorrow night), we will see if Calipari's coaching and system will take hold early, or late.

Returning to football, it is simply beyond belief that UK managed to pull out a victory in Georgia on Saturday if you look at the box score. But one thing that deserves further highlighting is just how well UK's special teams played. Kentucky got outstanding field position on every kickoff. A missed PAT and a poor Ryan Tydlacka punt were really the only blemishes on an otherwise sterling special-teams performance.

Another point that needs a little extra emphasis is the ridiculously outstanding play of Sam Maxwell. Who would have believed that Maxwell would come into the starting line up this year and outshine Micah Johnson? True, Micah has suffered from a turf toe injury that has limited his mobility the last few games, but Maxwell has stepped it up to a very high level.

The news follows the jump.

Tobias Harris signs with Tennessee - Rocky Top Talk
Rivals' #1 power forward and #5 overall player has signed with Bruce Pearl and the Vols, arguably the biggest recruiting get in the history of Tennessee Basketball.
Kings Of New York: Syracuse 87, North Carolina 71 - Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician
Syracuse crushes North Carolina. The way to 2000 wins just got a little easier.
This Isn't Exactly The Start The SEC Had In Mind - SB Nation
The SEC is off to a slow start in the non-conference season.
Caribbean Kings: Puerto Rico, Paradise Jam Tournaments Highlight Sunday In NCAA Basketball - SB Nation
Louisville has a much closer than expected game against Morgan State.
Paradise Jam: Tennessee 57 DePaul 53, Vols play for title Monday - Rocky Top Talk
Remember that 129-49 throttling of UNC Asheville by the Vols? Depaul was having none of that.
UK showed its better half in upset | KentuckySports.com
"We're not getting style points," Brooks said after the game. "It's not always pretty and this one wasn't pretty, but it looked like Bo Derek running down the beach to me late in the fourth quarter."

Brooks is hilarious. Great win, no matter what it looked like.
UK Recruit Brandon Knight Scores 28 in First Game
I'd like to see Knight take Wall's place next year.
Orlando Sentinel - Gators juniors already thinking about NFL draft by
Florida will be a much different team next year. Can Urban resist the siren call of the Big Golden Dome?
Charleston Classic Finals, South Carolina vs. Miami: A Quick Recap - Garnet And Black Attack
More bad news for the SEC. Dominique Archie may have torn his ACL.
Villanova stops Mississippi to win Tip-Off | Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/23/2009
Ole Miss tries, but fails, to handle #5 Villanova.
Wildcats finally conquer Athens | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
It was UK's first win in Athens since 1977 — the year the Cats' current coach, Rich Brooks, took Oregon to Sanford Stadium in his first game as a collegiate head coach.

In that game 32 years ago, Brooks' team held a late lead and lost.

What is the old Klingon proverb about revenge being a dish "best served cold?" "I said (to the team) I've been waiting a long time — long before they were born, and most of them before their parents even met and married — and we finally got one back for the old man today," Brooks said. "It's a great win."
No. 10 Wildcats fall in volleyball | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
Hoops hall another link for Bird, Magic - KansasCity.com
But they [Larry Bird and Magic Johnson] liked even less — and this was saying something — how little playing time they received on that all-star team. Joe B. Hall was the coach, and he played his guys, a Kentucky squad that had won the national championship the year before, over the two Midwestern kids.

Via Rush the Court.
IRON BOWL: Alabama focused on task at hand | montgomeryadvertiser.com | Montgomery Advertiser
"It's the type of game where you can't give a pep talk before the game," said Tide senior cornerback Javier Arenas, a native of Florida. "It takes care of itself. If you can't get yourself fired up to play in this one, there's something wrong with you."

The Iron Bow. In my opinion, the most intense rivalry in all of sports, college or professional. I watch this game every year, and it rarely disappoints. But on Friday? I wish it were on Saturday.
Kicking Off Week 13 with Rivalries and Trouble in Athens // 11.23.09 - Team Speed Kills
This might be humorous if it were gallows humor, But I'm pretty sure the Senator was being serious when he said this:

I’m being a little unfair to Kentucky with this. There’s a clear talent gap between the ‘Cats and the Dawgs – Georgia’s coaches aren’t as good as Kentucky’s at getting their charges prepared to play hard for sixty minutes.

To recap: A Georgia fan thinks his coaches were outdone by a centenarian, a man named Joker and a defensive coordinator whose name know one knows. This movie doesn't end well.

The Georgia faithful are not happy.
Kentucky Wildcats 34, Georgia Bulldogs 27: Chicken Little Was an Optimist - Dawg Sports
Statistically, Kentucky never should have been in this game. The Bulldogs outperformed the Wildcats in passing yards (291-137), rushing yards (196-123), first downs (22-15), and time of possession (33:13-26:47). That ought to be a recipe for success, particularly for a team that has home field advantage on its side. The usual suspects reared their ugly heads, however, as two interceptions, two lost fumbles, and five fifteen-yard penalties, almost all of them at the most inopportune times imaginable, doomed the ‘Dawgs.

If you didn't see this game, there is no way you would believe that UK had won. Georgia dominated every statistic except two -- turnover margin and final score.
Les Miles Denies Calling for a Spike; Video Evidence Proves Otherwise - And The Valley Shook
Heh. Ouch.
Charlie Weis says indeed, 6-5 not good enough for Notre Dame Fighting Irish - ESPN
"If they decide to make a change, I'd have to say I'd have a tough time arguing with that. If they decide to make a change, I'd have a tough time arguing that because 6-5 is not good enough," the Fighting Irish coach said Sunday. "Especially when you've lost five games by a touchdown or less and several three-point games that went right down to the wire.

Is this coach arguing that he should be fired?
Bobcats end 7-game slide - CharlotteObserver.com
To paraphrase the Dean Smith/Michael Jordan line, only Larry Brown could hold Nazr Mohammed to 18 points.

Good for Nazr. Via Walter's Wildcat World.
European influence has lasting effect on U.S. basketball -- chicagotribune.com
My, how the world has changed since Wildcats last beat Vols on gridiron - Kingsport Times-News Online
Week 12 in Review - AthlonSports.com
How about the job Rich Brooks is doing with Kentucky this year? The Wildcats lost starting quarterback Mike Hartline to a knee injury, but freshman Morgan Newton has played well and was a big reason why the Wildcats scored a huge 34-27 upset over Georgia. Don’t be surprised if the Wildcats give Tennessee all they can handle this Saturday.
Is this Kentucky's year? | When You're Strange | GoVolsXtra.com
No streak lives forever and this may be the week Tennessee's domination of Kentucky finally comes to an end. The Vols have found a way to beat the Wildcats 24 consecutive years, the longest streak in any major college football rivalry. Usually, UT had better players up and down the line.

It's time for the streak to die.
Kentucky Wildcats Arrive in Cancun, Mexico
UKCoachCalipari All checked in. Will practice in an hour or so. The place seats about 1300 fans and I hear Kentucky fans will be close to half of them.

I know how it was in Vegas last year. Tons of Kentucky fans, and a few of every other team.
Kentucky Sports Radio "Stacey Poole Discusses HS Basketball, Why He Chose the Cats and Improving
Q&A with Kentucky’s John Wall | Vaught's Views
Adams: UT, Kentucky treading on similar path " GoVolsXtra
The same Rich Brooks, who was on the brink of being fired a year later, is now an established SEC coach with two dazzling rebuilding jobs on his resume, first at Oregon, and now at Kentucky. And UT’s Lane Kiffin is the first-time head college coach who is just getting started.

Interesting.
" BBL: What they said from Athens on the UK football win John Clay’s Sidelines
John Clay's Big Blue Links.
Brooks’ priority is finishing 2nd in SEC East | Vaught's Views
Column: UK’s best perimeter ‘D’ found underneath | The Kentucky Kernel
"I know they have taken a bad rap for some of the 3-pointers that have gone in against them, but I watched every game and a couple of kids went nuts against them," Rider coach Tommy Dempsey said. "They gave up open shots, but you can’t expect them to not give up open shots in the course of the game, especially when they are pressing, jumping in passing lanes and trying to create offense with their defense."
Rick Bozich | UK's front line looks top of the line | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
It was delivered by DeMarcus Cousins, a UK freshman forward. It was accepted by Daniel Orton, another UK freshman forward. It was the result of Cousins, a guy who had started the first half as well as the Wildcats' first three games, suggesting to coach John Calipari that Orton should take his starting spot for the second half of Kentucky's 92-63 victory.

This group is showing signs of becoming a real basketball team.

Senior Day in Bryant-Denny

outsidethesidelines — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:26 -0000

by Ed Reinke - AP

Kentucky running back Moncell Allen is tackled by Senior Eryk Anders, bottom, Senior Javier Arenas (28) and Rolando McClain (25) during the first half of the Crimson Tide's victory at Kentucky.

View full size photo »

Saturday morning in Tuscaloosa will feature more than just the game against Tennessee-Chattanooga, for Saturday will also bring Senior Day, and for the senior class this will be their final game in Bryant-Denny Stadium. After spending years and years performing at 100 Bryant Drive, this will be the final time that this senior class will strap it up in front of the home crowd.

Given such an occasion, I think it's only fitting that we should pause for a moment and take a bit of reflection on this class and just how they got here. Things haven't always been easy for this group, and far from it in fact it has almost always been difficult. Most of them weren't very highly-touted recruits, and most of them signed with Alabama when our program was struggling. Adversity has really been a constant for them almost throughout their entire time at the Capstone, and what these men overcame to reach this level should not be forgotten.

Eryk Anders was a one-star recruit coming out of San Antonio that played nose guard in high school at a mere 195 pounds. He didn't get a single offer before Alabama swept in late, and was actually planning on being a walk-on at Ole Miss before Alabama came along in late June of 2005. Coach Saban himself didn't think he'd ever be a contributor when he arrived, and Anders actually told his father he was going to transfer in his hotel room the night of the 2007 Independence Bowl. His father encouraged him to stick with his commitment and get his degree, and he died later that night in his sleep with a heart attack. And Anders not only stuck around, but he came out of nowhere to thrive.

Cory Reamer was a two-star safety out of Hoover who drew little interest from most BCS conference schools. He actually grew up an Auburn fan, but the Tigers signed two more highly-touted safety prospects in the previous class -- Tony Bell and Lorenzo Ferguson, both of which eventually became busts -- and never really gave Reamer much of a look. He signed with Alabama, and then proceeded to blow out his left knee as a true freshman, and when Saban arrived he looked to be the epitome of a player that would get caught in the crunch of systems turnover. Yet Reamer turned into a starter at outside linebacker on an elite defense.

Mike Johnson was a two-star offensive lineman out of Pensacola. He participated on the camp circuits, but no one really ended up biting. Alabama offered and he was Tuscaloosa bound, which was just about the only major school recruiting him. He came out of nowhere in 2007, and will finish his career as a three-year starter and an All-SEC player. A lucrative career in the NFL awaits him when his tour of duty in Tuscaloosa comes to an end.

Javier Arenas was a late signee in the 2006 class. His only other offers were from Florida Atlantic and Florida International, and not only was he not a big deal on the national scene, he really wasn't even a big deal in his hometown of Tampa. Then UA special teams coach Dave Ungerer argued vehemently on his behalf for a scholarship as a returner, and after we missed on some other guys like in that class -- Peanut Whitehead, Tim Hawthorne, and others, most of which turned out to be busts -- we signed Arenas. We signed him thinking he'd be a returner, but since he has became arguably the greatest returner in Alabama history, and an All-SEC defensive back who will play on Sunday.

Drew Davis was a two-star recruit in the 2004 class. He played at a tiny private school, and drew really no interest whatsoever on the recruiting trails. Alabama, in fact, only gave him a greyshirt offer, despite a complete lack of depth along the offensive line, and more than a few 'Bama fans questioned his viability as a legitimate SEC caliber player. And in the first four years of his career, he was an afterthought. But in 2008 he burst onto the scene as a starter, and in 2009 he has been an All-SEC caliber player who has kept at least two five-star prospects sitting on the bench. So much for his viability as an SEC player, eh?

Others went through much of the same. Tyrone King was a walk-on transfer from Grambling... we never recruited him, but he decided to chase a dream anyway. Roy Upchurch has fought through no less than three major surgeries including two season-ending ankle injuries that threatened to end his career before it ever began. Mike McCoy turned down both of his home state schools to play at Alabama, had a redshirt year wasted by the previous coaching staff, and then watched arguably the biggest recruit we've ever had take away his role. Lorenzo Washington spurned his in-state Georgia Bulldogs for 'Bama, then endured a tour of duty at Hargrave, a redshirt year in Tuscaloosa, a major injury, played out of position at nose guard, and found himself relegated to the bench when Terrence Cody arrived. And speaking of Cody, he had to overcome poor academics and poor physical care of himself to be a star, but he conquered both obstacles. Marquis Johnson became the pin cushion for the entire fan base after he was forced into a situation that he never should have been in against Florida State in 2007, but he persevered and turned himself into a fine football player. Justin Woodall was put through pure hell when the hometown homers in Oxford realized he wasn't going to sign with the Rebels. Leigh Tiffin has endured more criticism than any kicker ever should. Ali Sharrief lost his role in the coaching turnover, but he remained a valuable contributor nevertheless. Colin Peek spurned 'Bama the first time around, but nevertheless still ended up in Tuscaloosa. Brandon Deaderick passed up on in-state Kentucky out of high school and turned into a starter at 'Bama. And then he got shot. Twice. And he kicked ass in the Georgia Dome four days later.

Obviously a lot of things have changed in Tuscaloosa the past several years. Most of these players actually signed with Mike Shula. When Lorenzo Washington and Drew Davis signed with the Tide, Alabama was coming off a 4-9 season, ineligible to participate in bowl games, and playing in a stadium that held all of 83,000 people. It had been a mere eight months since Mike Price was fired for his actions with Arety's Angels. Nick Saban, fresh off of a national championship, had signed what most LSU fans hoped would effectively be a lifetime contract to stay in Baton Rouge. Most 'Bama fans at the time were just hoping we could show enough improvement in 2004 to get somewhere like Shreveport or Nashville.

Now, though, Alabama finds itself at the opposite end of the spectrum. Nick Saban now resides in Tuscaloosa, and we look to play for a spot in the national championship game for the second year in a row. At the very least, we'll end up with back-to-back BCS game appearances, and we may very well find ourselves back in Pasadena for the first time an SEC team has made the trek since Frank Thomas' War Babies wrapped up an undefeated season by crushing USC in 1945. Recruiting is better than it has been since the glory days of the Bryant years, and shows no real signs of slowing down any time soon. We've got more top-end talent and quality depth in Tuscaloosa right now than we've had since the late 1970's. And Bryant-Denny Stadium? It will hold over 100,000 people this time next year.

Again, the times have changed in Tuscaloosa, and we should all acknowledge the role that all of these young men played in delivering us out of the dark ages. Our newfound recruiting juggernaut has helped tremendously, of course, but realistically recruiting has a very long lag time before it translates into on-field success -- rest assured, even for an elite recruiting class, players like Julio Jones and Dont'a Hightower are very much rarities -- and if you are going to have success in the interim, you are going to need some otherwise unknowns to turn into high-end players in their own right, and that is exactly what many of these young men have done. It has never been easy for them, but they have persevered in the face of adversity and played an immeasurable role in rebuilding our program.

Moving forward, I have no clue where we will go from here. We will thump Tennessee-Chattanooga and these men will walk out of Bryant-Denny for the final time as winners, that much I know, but after that I really haven't the slightest clue. We'll probably beat Auburn, but who knows? Maybe we fall at the hands of Florida in Atlanta again, maybe we pull off the upset. Maybe we beat Texas in Pasadena, maybe we lose to TCU in the Sugar Bowl. Who knows? Only time will tell for certain.

Regardless of how the season ultimately plays out, though, nothing should take away from what this group has done. They have literally played an instrumental role in rebuilding the Alabama football program back as a national powerhouse, and all those who bleed crimson and white ought to be forever indebted to them for that. If we have had a better senior class than this one in my lifetime, I'm not aware of it. And, moving forward, we can only hope that the senior classes to come can legitimately match what this group has done.

How to Win The Iron Bowl.

Acid Reign — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:00:12 -0000

Bama's last visit to the Plains didn't go so well!

War Eagle, everybody! Like the Auburn football team, I've taken a few days off from college football. For the team, it was all about the fatigue. Auburn has played 11 straight weeks in a row. Only Vanderbilt has it worse. The Commodores will have played 12 in a row, when this season ends. They'll be rewarded by a 2-10 season, most likely. For me, the time off has helped me purge the taint of a bad weekend all around. Auburn's loss was painful, but I salute the effort of a fatigued, undermanned squad. I can't say the same for my Dallas Cowboys. When the first frost hits, the Cowboys' collection of superstars and veteran free agents pack it in. Who would you rather have pulling the strings: Bobby Lowder, or Jerry Jones? Things could be worse, Tiger fans!

After some well deserved rest, it's time to gear up for a visit by the Alabama Crimson Tide. Many Auburn folks I've talked to this week are already conceding a Tide win. I say that it doesn't have to be that way! Auburn can play with anyone, when they are executing well. The Tigers can beat Bama, if they run the ball, stop the run, and don't turn the ball over. The Iron Bowl last year was a tight game, till Auburn handed Alabama the ball 3 straight possessions in the 3^rd quarter. We can't do that, this year at home!

Keys to Auburn victory, after the jump!

Auburn needs to effectively rotate defensive linemen. There was a Zach Clayton sighting in the Georgia game, and here's hoping he's healthy for the Iron Bowl. We need to rotate both the tackles and ends, and keep them fresh for Bama's 4^th quarter push. If we have Antonio Coleman and Antoine Carter playing every snap of the first three quarters, we won't be able to stop Bama in the 4^th with the game on the line.

At linebacker, Auburn SORELY needs Eltoro Freeman back. It's no coincidence that Georgia outscored Auburn 31-10 after Freeman left due to injury. With Freeman, Auburn stopped the run. Without him, Georgia moved the chains. Craig Stevens, and Josh Bynes need to have career games. Auburn's linebackers must attack, and shut down Bama's running game.

Rotation in the secondary will be important, too. Safeties WILL have to come up and make tackles, in this one. Bama gets a lot of successful blocks out of their receivers, tight ends, and fullbacks. While I applaud the efforts of young Darren Bates and Demond Washington, we need meaningful snaps out of Mike Slade and T'Sharvan Bell, too. Neiko Thorpe MUST keep his man in front, this game. Alabama WILL try a few play-action bombs at Thorpe, and he's GOT to be ready! If Bama tight end Colin Peek returns for this game, I wouldn't be surprised to see Alabama throw some passes in the flat to him. Auburn safeties will have their hands full trying to cover Peek. Walter McFadden must continue his excellent play. Last season in the Iron Bowl, McFadden limited Julio Jones to 3 catches for 36 yards. If Jones is held to 36 or fewer yards this year, Auburn has a great chance.

Clinton Durst needs to have a great game in this one. His numbers may not be helped, but he should avoid punting the football where Javier Arenas can get it. Arenas is averaging over 13 yards per return. A 35-yard kick out of bounds is an improvement over letting Arenas possibly break the game open. Likewise, this might be the one game where I'll approve of the squib kickoff strategy. On returns, we've got to find some way to keep Demond Washington fresh for these. Did you know that Bama is dead last in the SEC, in kickoff coverage? Bama averages 38.6 net yards per kickoff, which is even worse than Auburn's 39.7.

Auburn's offensive line will have a tough task in this Iron Bowl. Bama has three HUGE defensive linemen, and big backups as well. All three linemen nearly DEMAND a double team block, then Bama usually sends an outside linebacker (Eryk Anders, Cory Reamer) as a rush-end. You don't know till the snap which side that end is coming from. The double team on Terrence Cody is probably inevitable, with the other guard pulling, for Auburn. I'd expect Alabama to attack Andrew McCain, who's been very vulnerable to the speed rush this season. On passing downs, McCain MUST get that first step back with the correct foot, and get his shoulders turned. On run downs, he's got to get his head across. Auburn must get the front four blocked, to get the running game going. Bama is number one in the league in run defense, giving up only 2.4 yards per carry. Please! No false starts or illegal shifts! Lastly, if we've got 3^rd and 1 or 4^th and 1, we've GOT to STOP trying to pull linemen!

Guess which Bama player leads the team in tackles for loss? Would you believe that it's Javier Arenas? Nick Saban LOVES him some corner blitz! Arenas is tied for 3^rd in the SEC, with 10.5 tackles for loss. How do they DO that? Well, safety Mark Barron slides over when Arenas blitzes. Barron has 7 pass breakups and 4 picks, which ties him for the lead in the SEC in passes defended. Justin Woodall, the other safety isn't bad either. Auburn needs some sort of "automatic" check when Arenas slides down the line just before the snap, both the receivers AND Todd. Bama always tips it, a second or two before the snap, AFTER you've meercatted to the sideline and changed the play. Auburn needs a two man route and quick throw underneath, to defeat that Arenas corner blitz. No one blends coverages like Alabama. Auburn's going to HAVE to be patient, and rely on crisp throws under the coverage. The Tide defends from the inside-out. To attack that, you've got to throw successfully to the outside. Auburn's greatest offensive failure in last year's Iron Bowl was only TRYING two passes to the sideline. Bama will bait quarterbacks into trying deep balls. Chris Todd must choose his times carefully.

For Auburn backs, it's really simple, this game. Eric Smith and Mario Fannin have to block like they've never blocked before, and Ben Tate and Onterrio McCalebb have to run like there's no tomorrow. Extra hard fought yards move the chains, and are the difference against really good defenses like Alabama. There won't be big holes and lanes. The backs are going to have to create. Above all else, Auburn must hold onto the ball no matter what! A deep interception is kind of like a punt. But even a single fumble in Auburn's own end of the field could lose the game.

Chris Todd, this is it. This is your big chance! Todd has had an amazing story this season, coming back from the brink to lead this team. It's been an up and down year, but now Todd can cement his legacy. If Auburn beats the Tide, Todd will go down as a legend. Todd needs crisp, accurate throws, and must avoid throwing into coverage. We'll certainly need that 5^th year senior maturity and leadership, in this tough ball game.

In other strategy notes, I'm not sure we need to run the Wildcat at all. Alabama has a series of defensive packages for it, including a two deep zone that still manages to overload the sweep side of the formation. A counter might work against that, but a Kodi Burns lob ball against that zone could be disaster. One thing I'd like to see occasionally is a flipped offensive line, and a Todd half roll to the right. With Ziemba out front, and McCain somewhat protected by the motion, Todd can do some damage throwing to the right, especially on the wide side of the field. I'm not sure about the hurry-up offense, in this one. I think it backfired, last week. We got tired on the line faster than Georgia got tired on defense, it looked like. Bama's not really a team you can wear down, defensively. We need to run some reverses to Fannin, Zachary, and McCalebb. Bama will not likely be vulnerable like some teams, but we need those plays to keep the Tide defense honest. Defensively, we've got to use more run blitzes. We're not going to be able to sit back in cover-two all day with Josh Bynes dropping in the middle. Bama will run it till we stop 'em.

It's soon to be Iron Bowl week, folks! I'm fired up already! I'm looking forward to a great week of analysis and fever pitch!

Did Arenas Signal for a Fair Catch?

PeteHoliday — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:30:43 -0000

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With under two minutes left in the half, Alabama downed a P.J. Fitzgerald punt at the Mississippi State 1-yard-line and then held the Bulldogs to a three-and-out, hoping to set themselves up for a quick score before half-time.

The Heath Hutchins punt didn't quite make it to return man Javier Arenas, who attempted to keep the return team away from it by waving them off. A fortunate bounce landed right in his arms and he took off -- only to have the flags fly in, the whistles blow, and the Tide be assessed a 5 yard penalty for attempting to return a ball after a fair catch signal.

'Bama fans, and even Eli Gold, were understandably confused, since even on the replay it did not appear that Arenas called for a fair catch. At halftime, Gold conferred with the officials who told him that a rule change for 2010 allows any motion by the return man to suffice for a fair catch signal.

This isn't entirely true -- it doesn't seem that this rule has changed at all from 2009 -- but it appears that the refs made an arguably correct call on the play.

NCAA football rules 2-7-2 and 2-7-3 define a valid and invalid fair-catch signal. They read as follows:

Valid Signal
ARTICLE 2. A valid signal is a signal given by a player of Team B who has obviously signaled his intention by extending one hand only clearly above his head and waving that hand from side to side of his body more than once.

Invalid Signal
ARTICLE 3. An invalid signal is any waving signal by a player of Team B that does not meet the requirements of a valid signal (Rule 6-5-3).

So, as we can see, one hand above the head waving back and forth signifies a fair catch. According to 2-7-3, however, any other waving signal is considered an "invalid signal."

Rule 6-5-2 defines the penalty for attempting to advance the ball after a fair catch signal (emphasis supplied):

No Advance
ARTICLE 2. No Team B player shall carry a caught or recovered ball more than two steps in any direction after a valid or invalid fair catch signal by any Team B player (A.R. 6-5-2-I-IV).
PENALTY—Dead-ball foul. Five yards from the succeeding spot [S7 and S21].

The key to this rule is that an invalid fair catch signal works exactly the same way as a valid one for the return man, the primary difference (for everyone else) being that making an invalid signal provides less protection from getting hit after the catch.

The first thing to understand about the construction of this rule is that it serves a very important purpose: to keep return teams from employing trickery (fake fair-catch signals) to gain an unfair advantage on the return. Expecting players on coverage teams to be able to distinguish from a barely correct and a barely incorrect fair catch signal is a recipe for disaster, so anything that even slightly resembles a fair catch signal is going to be treated like one (valid or invalid).

If you're suspicious that the scenario that played out against MSU might not be a situation that the rule authors had contemplated, consider approved interpretation 6-5-VI:

Team A’s scrimmage kick is rolling beyond the neutral zone when B17 alerts his teammates to stay away from the ball by a "get away" signal at his waist or below. RULING: Invalid signal. The ball is dead by rule when either team recovers.

So from the above, it's pretty clear that the officials were easily within the letter of the law on the Arenas call but, if you're anything like me, your first reaction is something like: "Baloney, return guys wave their teammates away from kicks all the time and they're not flagged." After spending some time this afternoon thinking about it, I came up with two possible explanations for this apparent discrepancy that might suffice for an answer:

For starters, we're definitely talking about a judgment call made by the official as to how close what Arenas did was to a valid fair catch signal. The official thought it was close enough to be confusing, and thus considered it an invalid fair catch signal.This is an issue, though, because it seems to conflict with everything we think we know about how fair catches work, and it could leave an awful lot of confusing standards for return teams to try to keep up with.

The other option I've come up with was that the primary deficiency with Arenas' signal was the fact that he made it with only one hand. In order to be valid, a fair catch signal must be a) above the head, b) one hand only , and c) waved more than once. You can bet that any waving motion above the head is going to be considered a fair catch signal. Arenas, as you can see from the image above, was waving his hand at chest level, waved only one hand, and did it multiple times. Which puts him about 45 degrees of inclination from a valid fair catch signal . . . which is pretty close.

My guess (and this is purely speculation on my part) is that if Arenas waved both hands -- maybe like an "incomplete pass" officiating signal or even waving them in a direction like a "wide left" signal -- he would have avoided the appearance that he was making an invalid fair catch signal and might have been allowed to return the ball.

So it appears that the officiating crew made the correct call on Saturday night, but it was still a frustrating situation and I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is something that the coaching staff covers in some detail with the special teams unit this week in practice.