ed. - bumped from the fanposts

Its been expressed in several threads on RBR throughout the off season that there seems to be a calm optimism surrounding Greg McElroy. Many have even suggested that McElroy will even be an upgrade from John Parker Wilson who was a three year stater and fifth year senior. So why all this optimism? Why are we so optimistic over a (RS) junior quarterback who hasn’t started a game since his high school days?  I’d like to summarize why we have nothing to fear going into Saturday’s match up with an unproven commodity under center.

 - He can do exactly what the coaches ask of him– As has been pointed out in several posts and stories during spring training and fall camp, Saban seems to be very happy with his new starting quarterback. I firmly believe that the coaches trust McElroy to do everything that will be asked of him. We have heard several reports of his leadership abilities, as well as his knowledge of the system. The players respect him because he’s been around. He’s paid his dues and that counts for a lot.

 - He won the starting job handily – As fans, we love hearing and talking about the new highly touted recruits making an impact early. But this is just not realistic for the position of quarterback. The fact that your experienced (comparably speaking) junior quarterback came into spring and won the starting job with little resistance is actually a very good thing. Had we been heading into fall camp right smack in the middle of a three way battle for the starting QB job, how nervous would we be then? Star Jackson and A.J. McCarron will have plenty of time in the system to grow as did McElroy. Their time will come.

-  Having a top notch defense will curb the pressure – For the first time since the Stallings era, Alabama is loaded with talent at nearly every position on defense. I can’t remember in my lifetime where we were talking about fierce position battles between high end athletes literally all over the field. Alabama will be fielding a defense that many are already comparing to the 1992 squad. Alabama was no slouch in 2008, and it returns 8 starters from a unit that ranked 3rd in total defense nationally. Alabama was crowned National Champions after the '92 season with a young, unproven quarterback under center. A dominant defense, strong running game and solid play at the quarterback position proved to be the winning formula. Sound familiar?

- Surrounding Talent on Offense – This is not the same surrounding cast that sophomore QB John Parker Wilson inherited in 2006 as a newly minted starter. Alabama will have depth at running back that rivals only the most elite programs in the country. We may arguably have the deepest backfield in the country. I don’t think that’s a stretch by any means. I would put our backfield up against Southern Cal’s any day of the week. And that’s before we even get to our other skill position players. Julio Jones is the best WR to play at Alabamain recent memory. He won’t revolutionize the position like Don Hutson did, but he will be just as memorable to Tide fans when its all said and done. Jones himself won’t have to do it alone this go around either. The Tide will field one of the better TE’s in the SEC in Colin Peek. A good TE is a quarterback’s best friend next to his offensive line. Aside from Julio and Peek, Bama will return some good WR’s in their own right. Marquis Maze looks to have a break out year in 2009. And this is Mike McCoy’s last chance to make a lasting impression, so there’s plenty of incentive there. All told, Greg McElroy will have some deadly offensive weapons at his disposal. All he really needs to do is get them the football.

 - Motivation– To say there is some motivation to erase last year’s memory of losing the final two games of the season may be the understatement of the year. McElroy, however, has some added motivation here. To put it simply this is his time to shine. He has held a clip board and worn the headset long enough. This is his team now and he knows it.

- The offensive line will be more than adequate– All throughout the off season I’ve heard our rivals and detractors claim that this will be a hard year for the Alabama offense due primarily to replacing three starters on the line from a year ago. As I stated previously, this isn’t the same team that our last new starter at QB inherited. Its true, the offensive line was a major strength last year particularly in the run game. But one cannot simply draw the conclusion that just because we struggled in the Tulane and Utah games without Andre Smith, that that will be the case going forward. With the exception of Drew Davis and Mike Johnson, these aren’t the same players from a year ago. They’ve had an entire off season to work, improve and gel as a unit. There is a significant difference between that, and throwing together a patch-work line due to injury and/or suspension on short notice. For the first time in recent memory, Alabama has quality depth at nearly every position. And the offensive line is no exception. Personally, I would much rather take my chances with an unproven group of elite players, than an experienced group of average to poor players.

 The common theme of course is McElroy’s surrounding cast. You just can’t ask for a better scenario for a new starting quarterback. A defense that has the potential to not only be dominant, but be tops in the country. Offensive weapons that rival only other elite programs such as Florida and Southern Cal. Not to mention McElroy’s inherent qualities such as leadership, respect of his teammates and a sound knowledge of the system. So then the question becomes, given all that we know, what fan wouldn’t be optimistic?

Let's face it. It has been a while since Alabama football has been anything close to "full strength." We have endured a rough decade to say the least. And none of the events that led to those struggles need repeating here. I have been thinking lately that now since Alabama is nearing what you could call full strength, wouldn't it be nice to go back in time and replay some of those games that got away? I am reserving the years of 2002 to 2006 because those were the years that were most affected by coaching changes and probation.

Here goes...

1. Oklahoma 2002 (L 37-27) Fear the Shovel

The first regular season meeting between two of the most storied programs in college football. The 3rd ranked Sooners welcomed the Tide into Norman and went into halftime looking like the third best team in the land with a 23-3 lead. But Alabama, maybe being fueled on pride alone, stormed back into the game in the third with two TD's, one being a blocked punt returned for a TD. But two shovel passes broke the Tide's back in the 4th quarter as Oklahoma scored two TD's inside 3 minutes to win 37-27. We couldn't help but wonder what could have been.

2. Oklahoma 2003 (L 20-13) Shula's first primetime game

Mike Shula's debut on a national stage (even though the South Florida game was on TV the week before, I don't count that). The Tide once again faced a top ranked Sooner squad but this time in Tuscaloosa. Bob Stoops brought in his vaunted defense that most were predicting to be one of the nation's best. And that was evident as Brodie Croyle's first pass was intercepted by Antonio Perkins which led to the Sooners taking an early 3-0 lead. Once again it was a big play that killed the Tide's momentum. Late in the 3rd quarter and trailing 13-10, OU was forced to punt the ball back to 'Bama, or so we thought. On a fake, punter Blake Ferguson completed a pass to a wide open Michael Thompson giving the Sooners a first down. On the ensuing play, Jason White hit Brandon Jones for a 47 yard TD pass giving them a 17-13 lead. The Sooners never looked back. So there it was, back to back heartbreakers at the hands of the Oklahoma Sooners.

3. Auburn 2002 (L 17-7) Somebody please tackle Tre Smith

This is easily one of Tommy Tuberville's best games. The Tigers struggled all season with sub par QB play and injuries to key players Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown. Many in the state were starting to question the future of the Auburn coach. Leading up to the Iron Bowl, there weren't many people in this state that would've predicted the unranked Tigers would pull one of the biggest upsets in the rivalry over the 9th ranked Crimson Tide. But that's exactly what happened. Freshman RB Tre Smith got the start in place of injured tailbacks Williams and Brown. Smith made the most of the opportunity rushing for 126 yards on 25 carries. A surprisingly calm and confident Jason Campbell led the Tigers to three scoring drives in the first half, taking a 17-0 lead into halftime. It would prove to be all the Tigers needed. The Alabama offensive line, which mauled opponents all season, looked caught off guard by Tuberville's inspired defense. A late TD run by Santonio Beard was the only highlight of the afternoon, as Auburn improved to 4-0 in Bryant Denny Stadium, and what would also be the first of the now infamous "Streak." Looking back, you can't help but wonder what would've happened had Alabama taken care of business, and sent Tuberville packing in 2002 instead of waiting to do it 7 years later.

4. UCLA 2001 (L 20-17) Dennis Franchione's Alabama debut

Alabama fans look forward to the start of football season like no other fan base. Coaching debuts add no shortage of nervous emotion to the mix. Franchione was the first coach in 70 years to make his debut in Tuscaloosa. Unfortunately, after the night was over, he became 5th in school history to lose their debut. The DeShaun Foster-led UCLA Bruins came into Tuscaloosa ranked 15th in the country. Tide fans no doubt remember the 35-24 defeat suffered in the Rose Bowl a year earlier in what was the beginning of the end for Mike Dubose. Alabama took a 10-7 lead into halftime off a fluke play in which Tyler Watts received the ball from center off of his head, caught it, and threw a long TD pass to Antonio Carter. But that lead evaporated in the 3rd as Cory Paus hit a 53 yard TD pass to Tab Perry. UCLA later added two field goals. Andrew Zow came in late in the 4th quarter and hit a long TD pass to Freddie Milons, but Bama still came up short 20-17.

5. LSU 2005 (L 16-13 OT) And then there was silence

2005 was year in which Alabama fans lived by the seat of their pants. Sans Alabama's 31-3 defeat of Florida earlier in the year, narrow victories won by defense and timely forced turnovers was the name of the game. A surprisingly undefeated (9-0) Alabama squad welcomed the 8-1 LSU Tigers who were going through a bit of a transition themselves. Still dealing with life post-Saban, LSU had a roster full talent to help console them on many a cold night. Led by future number 1 pick Jamarcus Russell, the only defeat the Tigers suffered was a 30-27 OT loss to Tennessee. This was easily the biggest game of the year for both squads, as the winner would advance to the SEC Championship game. Perhaps fueled by pride and a new found confidence,  Alabama's suffocating defense held LSU's talented backs to only 46 net rushing yards. LSU had a formidable defense as well, let by a pair of DT terrors, Kyle Williams and Claude Wroten. Alabama once again played above themselves, taking a 10-0 lead into halftime. But LSU put together a 9 play 80 yard drive in the 3rd capped off by a Justin Vincent TD run. LSU would add a field goal later in the third to tie the game 10-10. As the game went into OT, tension mounted on every play. Alabama drew first blood on a 34 yard field goal by Jamie Christensen. With the lead, 13-10, Alabama looked poised to cap off an unprecedented and implausible Atlanta-bound season in Mike Shula's third campaign. But it wasn't meant to be. On the ensuing possession, Jamarcus Russell found Dwayne Bowe for an 11 yard TD score, ending the game 16-13. You could cut the silence with a knife.