SB Nation User Blog: Bamagrad

Tracy Wolfson

Bamagrad — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 02:51:09 -0000

Did anyone notice the look in Tracy Wolfson's eyes after the game Saturday when she interviewed John Parker Wilson? I saw it on College Football Final and I'll tell you, I've seen plenty of her interviews and I've seen a lot of girls; the last woman to look at me like that was my wife and I don't want to tell you what happened next.

I think Tracy Wolfson is in love with John Parker Wilson.

Agree or disagree?

Who wins the SEC East in 2008?

Bamagrad — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:07:10 -0000

What a difference two years makes. I'm normally very impatient with Bama football, whether we're playing well or playing like we played in three of Mike Shula's four seasons. This year, however, I've finally learned to pace myself. I'm not looking ahead to LSU and Auburn because we'll need to play well to beat Ole Miss in thirteen days. That is our next assignment. We pass that, then we focus on going into Tennessee and winning there. But Ole Miss, first.

Strangely, the three biggest SEC games this year, in my opinion--and this is due largely to the effect they've had (and will have) on the division races--are Ole Miss beating Florida, Bama beating Georgia, and Vanderbilt beating Auburn. It's very easy to forget about how important inter-division SEC games are because we tend to focus first on the Western Division, but think about something. To make it to Atlanta, you must have the best record against all SEC opponents, not just East or West, and as a result of the three aforementioned games, there's a very good chance neither Florida nor Georgia will win the East. Both already have one loss to a Western division opponent, and both still have to play LSU and each other. Simply stated, a 6-2 conference record will probably win the East. With three SEC wins already, Vandy can legitimately make it to Atlanta if they can finish 3-2 in the conference and beat either Florida or Georgia. That's no small task, but it is certainly possible.

As for us...I am ecstatic that we are in a pennant race. 3-0 in the SEC with five conference games remaining. Let's have a great game against Ole Miss and we'll go from there.

Points of Concern: UGA

Bamagrad — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:02:03 -0000

Going into the Georgia game, I am extremely excited about the opportunities in front of our football team. We have played well this season and have earned a high ranking. That said, I have several points of concern.

1. Our pass rush-

We're not getting to the quarterback enough and Matthew Stafford has such a strong arm that he can pick us apart if we don't. This must change.

2. Vulnerability to screens-

Georgia is a notorious screen team and yesterday Arkansas showed that we are still vulnerability to this type of pass play.

3. Our pass blocking-

While we haven't given up many sacks, our opponents get to JPW a little bit faster than one would like. Georgia has a dominating pass rush. I seriously doubt we'll be able to pound the ball on them for 200+ yards, so we're going to have to throw and we're going to have to block well when we do so.

4. Our kickoff coverage-

Point blank, it needs to improve. We're giving up too much kickoff return yardage.

5. JPW-

I do think he has managed games well, but other than parts of the Clemson game, he hasn't exactly shredded opposing defenses. I think we all know that Georgia has an awesome rush defense. No matter how well we run the ball, JPW will have to make throws and minimize incomplete passes.

6. Creativity in offensive playcalling-

I realize that Jim McElwain has more in his playbook than he has shown and that he's a good enough coach not to call plays prematurely, but I hope we are not so predictable on first and second down. I know Saban and Co. don't want to put the game on JPW's shoulders, but I honestly think that UGA has too good of a defense for us to simply try to run right over. Hey, I'd love it if we did and I'd be the first one to admit I was wrong, but my gut tells me we're going to have to pass well to beat them. Nobody wants to see Alabama in a lot of 3rd and 9's next Saturday. Hopefully Coach calls a good game and makes it easier on the players to succeed.

No matter what, something has got to give. They're undefeated and ranked third. We're undefeated and ranked ninth as of this moment. If we can manage to win a game like this on the road, we'll know our team is for real. It's going to take a great effort. I know we have it in us. Roll Tide, Roll!

The CSS Coverage of Bama/WKU

Bamagrad — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 01:11:26 -0000

Before I complain, I'll admit that it's my fault for living in California, but I don't know if I can watch another Bama game on CSS without losing my head. Is there a reason the picture quality resembles something from 1978? Why is the grass mustard yellow and the crimson in Bama's jerseys a bright red. Some of the shots look orange.

It looks like a high school game on public access. Is it too much to ask for CSS to buy some new cameras? In this day and age, how hard is it to improve picture quality? We have video cameras in our cell phones that record better than this. I feel like I'm watching a John Holmes movie on an 8mm projector in my dad's basement.

Otherwise, Roll Tide, Roll!

Why did we hire Bill Curry?

Bamagrad — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:08:02 -0000

Can someone please explain to me (again) why we hired a coach with a 31-43-4 record in seven years at Georgia Tech?

New York Times
January 5, 1987 COLLEGE FOOTBALL; ALABAMA NAMES CURRY AS COACH AP

LEAD: Bill Curry was named football coach at Alabama today, and Steve Sloan, a former Crimson Tide quarterback, accepted the athletic director's job.

Bill Curry was named football coach at Alabama today, and Steve Sloan, a former Crimson Tide quarterback, accepted the athletic director's job.

Both resigned their current coaching posts - Curry at Georgia Tech and Sloan at Duke - to take the positions vacated by Ray Perkins, who resigned Wednesday. Perkins was selected as head coach and vice president of operations of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after leading Alabama to a 10-3 record.

Joab Thomas, Alabama's president, said at a news conference at the Crimson Tide's football complex that he ''can't stand to lose,'' adding that both Curry and Sloan ''can bring a continuing winning program to the University of Alabama.''

The 44-year-old Curry said that until he received the offer from Alabama, he never thought he would surrender the coaching job at Georgia Tech, his alma mater. He held the post for seven years, compiling a 31-43-4 record.

''I want to thank the incredible Georgia Tech family that I thought I would never leave,'' Curry said. He said that after talking it over with his wife and children, he had an ''intuitive compulsion that this is the right thing to do.''

''I've always been fascinated by the Alabama mystique,'' Curry said. He said the mystique stems from a university family ''that really loves this institution and what it means. My job as football coach is to carry on the Alabama tradition.''

''I do know that a concerted effort has been instituted to graduate every single player and I would like to be part of continuing that and building on it,'' he added.

Curry said that with the combined efforts of all sectors of the university, ''We will give you the program that Alabama people deserve.''

Thomas said the search committee that he headed to find a successor to Perkins considered three main criteria.

''First and foremost, we wanted people who had unquestioned integrity,'' Thomas said. ''Second, we wanted people who would assist in the continuing efforts to improve academic records for our student athletes, and third, we wanted to win.''

A Raleigh, N.C., television station, WRAL-TV, reported that Sloan and his staff had nominatedan assistant coach, Richard Bell, to replace Sloan as head coach at Duke. Sloan, who was quarterback at Alabama from 1963 through 1965, compiled a 13-31 record at Duke.

Brutal Schedule

Bamagrad — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:02:07 -0000

I know the preseason rankings don't have a lot of meaning past the first two weeks of the season, but some of the publications have Georgia, LSU, Auburn, and Clemson ranked in the top ten, all of whom, in case you haven't noticed, are on our schedule. Are there other teams who are going to play four of the preseason top ten teams? I know three of them are in the SEC, but I'm curious to know if there are any other teams who have a schedule as brutal as ours.

The Definitive Football Argument

Bamagrad — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 01:31:34 -0000

Loyalty to the Crimson Tide--like blogging, sex in the missionary position, and intravenous drug use-- is not only an addiction, but an endless rite of passage we all endure. When confronted by equally loyal fans of rival teams, we grasp our loyalty, and hope to gain the upper hand when defending our "boys". We bring up championships, they talk of recent history. We talk about probation, they talk about Mike Shula's incurable case of Vaginitis.

Considering this, I have found a short video that captures the logic of 99.9% of football arguments. Here it is, tell me what you think:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-flQmtL_IQ

Is Wilson that bad?

Bamagrad — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:57:56 -0000

I was lying in bed last night, thinking about Alabama football, and I had an epiphany: John Parker Wilson really isn't that bad of a quarterback. I mean, I know he doesn't singlehandedly dominate people, but compared to his peers, he's not that bad.

I live out on the West Coast and watch a lot of Pac-10 football in addition to Bama's games. After Matt Leinart left Southern Cal, every Trojan fan I knew ranted on and on about how much John David Booty sucked. They blamed him for every loss, booed him at the Coliseum, and never appreciated the fact that he played hurt. Honestly, they really blamed him for not being Matt Leinart, which is as ridiculous as it sounds because he was one of the top quarterbacks in the nation and led them to a pair of Rose Bowl victories. Leinart on the other hand, wasn't nearly as good (and still isn't) as Carson Palmer, but he benefited from playing on better teams at SC. This brings me back to my initial point about Wilson.

He's not that bad. I think we sometimes go a little nuts because his turnovers seem to be the difference in the games we lose, but just like Leinart and Booty, we have to be fair about what happens around him. Wilson struggles when he tries to do too much, and maybe we just have to accept that he'll never be a great enough quarterback to win no matter who his supporting cast is (but which quarterbacks can? Brett Favre? Elway? Marino?) Coach Saban has voiced something similar to what I've stated about Wilson's play, so I think we really need to be fair. He's not that bad of a quarterback, if you really think about it. His stats are pretty good, he competes well, throws pretty well, and he can win games with the right support.

Oh, and for the record, I will now refer to him as John Parker Willis. Don't ask me why because I don't truly know.

The Six Beer Challenge

Bamagrad — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:45:18 -0000

When I was a younger man, a few friends of mine invented (or maybe they just passed it on) a game called "The Six Beer Challenge". The objective of this game, other than getting completely bombed, is to drink at least six beers in thirty minutes. If you drink six beers in twenty-five minutes, well hey, you're a hoss, and you better get seven.

Looking at the SEC's returning quarterbacks in 2008, I got to thinking, who, if you brought all of them into a room together, would win the six beer challenge?

Remember, there are no losers in this game.

Poll

Which SEC Gunslinger would win the 6-Beer Challenge

Freddie Kitchens

56 votes

Matt Stafford

30 votes

Casey Dick

4 votes

Tim Tebow

22 votes

John Parker Wilson

14 votes

Chris Smelley

2 votes

Ryan Perrilloux

19 votes

Wesley Carroll

1 votes

The Guy From Kentucky

4 votes

152 votes | Poll has closed

Crimson Caravan

Bamagrad — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 22:08:30 -0000

I might be a little late for noticing Nick Saban's "Crimson Caravan", but considering this is the first year of it, it seems like an obvious answer to the changes the NCAA has instituted in recruiting during the upcoming months. They try to do something about Saban's handling of the "Bump Rule", and Saban forms a recruiting tour that just so happens to take place during the restricted time period.

I for one, am extremely happy to see something like this. As soon as the SEC and then the NCAA agreed to restrict spring recruiting (because of men like Saban, Pete Carroll, and Urban Meyer) I was curious to learn how coaches would work around it. A ha. And I suppose a few recruits in each of the seven stops might just happen to be curious about what's going on at their local convention center, and maybe they'll be in attendance.

Good work, Coach.