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SEC Preview: Media Days
ALABAMA
- Coach: Nick Saban
- Record: (0-0, 1st year)
- Last year: 6-7
- Starters returning: 9 offense; 5 defense
- Outlook: Crimson Tide fans have deified Saban since his arrival this spring. But Alabama will win more games with its offense than its defense. The Tide should win more games thanks to a favorable home schedule (Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and LSU all visit Tuscaloosa), but an SEC title could be a few years off.
If there’s a word that best describes Alabama this football season, it’s intense.
It starts with the Crimson Tide’s new coach, Nick Saban, and his reputation as a taskmaster. It continues with the fans, which showed up 92,000 strong for Alabama’s spring game.
It even reaches down to junior quarterback John Parker Wilson.
“John Parker is really intense,” says center Antoine Caldwell. “He is probably the most focused and intense quarterback I have ever been around. He is always focused on ways to improve his game.
“And he is really intense on getting everything just right and playing to the best of his ability.”
Alabama returns plenty of ability, even if it didn’t do much in Mike Shula’s final year.
Nine starters return on offense, led by Wilson and receivers D.J. Hall and Keith Brown. Alabama’s offensive line returns 101 career starts among its five starters. Behind Wilson in the backfield, though, the Tide will miss tailback Kenneth Darby and fullback Le’Ron McClain.
Cornerback Simeon Castille returns as one of the SEC’s best cover men, but the Crimson Tide’s defense took a hit up the middle, losing its two starting tackles, two linebackers and a safety to graduation.
There’s also a new scheme to learn, led by new defensive coordinator and former University of Tennessee assistant Kevin Steele.
“We did make some progress and improvement in the front seven,” Saban said. “We don’t have a lot of depth at that position. We don’t have a lot of size. You know, we’re going to have to adapt the way we do things probably to be able to persevere this year.”
Persevere might not be a word Alabama fans want to hear.
Saban left the Miami Dolphins after two seasons and signed a deal worth $4 million per season to return to the SEC after five seasons at LSU. Expectations have hit a high-water mark.
But the reality is Alabama is coming off a 6-7 season and a 2-6 record in conference play. Last November, the Crimson Tide lost its fifth consecutive game to rival Auburn and lost to Oklahoma State on a last-second field goal in the Independence Bowl.
“There’s no waving a wand and making all that happen,” Saban said, referring to Alabama’s turnaround. “We work hard and go from where we are right now to try and get where we want to be. There’s no real formula for what the timetable is to do that.”
There are, however, some good building blocks.
Brown needs 157 yards to become Alabama’s all-time leading receiver. Wilson threw for 2,707 yards. Castille had six interceptions and three fumble recoveries, both team highs.
That’s the potential. But there’re plenty of questions left to be answered in an SEC West that includes league favorite LSU, as well as Arkansas and Auburn.
“I definitely think we’ll be competitive,” Castille said. “A lot of people ask me, ‘How do you think coach Saban will do with it being his first year and all?’ I don’t look at it as his first year; I look at it as my last year, and I want to go out and make this year the best possible. I want us as a team to make as much noise as we possible can.”
Drew Edwards may be reached at 865-342-6274.
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Comments » 20
tnvoloh#528914 writes:
simply put...Who gives a flip?
GreerVol22 writes:
I agree, whats with the lovefest with BAMA football on this site recently?
todd#529269 writes:
Bama sucks!!
waterskier3#226480 writes:
the KNS has always tried to rub alabama in the face of UT fans. its just bama used to win all the time so they enjoyed it now we're the winners so they are trying to make us worry again...... we'll just have to see how fulmer reacts... I know he hates bama with a passion just like most ut fans so that alone should give us some edge on saban.
IdahoVol writes:
I am always amazed at the negative comments towards the KNS (although I do agree with todd - Bama sucks!). If you look, they have already done stories on Miss St, Kentucky, Auburn, etc. And now because they continue by doing a story on Bama you say there is a lovefest? I'm guessing you guys are also the same ones that say who cares when there are stories about softball, baseball, or anything other than football. I appreciate reading about other SEC teams as we head into the season, as well as other sports. Keep it coming!
VolMoment writes:
Phil Fulmer has a passion to beat Ala. The players say they can see it in his eyes and his walk during the week leading up to the game.
jlange#632002 writes:
"Intenseness"???? You mean intensity? You got spellcheck up there yet?
rockytopking20 writes:
Bama woopy de do. we are gonna beat bama this year and for many years to come. idc who there coach is he wont be scoring touchdowns for them.
GreerVol22 writes:
OK, lovefest may be a bit harsh, even for KNS. Aplology. But I'd rather read about a fat girl in the band , falling down practicing the circle drill than this. Marc_ash is right, let him win something and then give him his due. Tennessee site, Tennessee news and info. Try cfn or something else if you need to know about other teams.
shoalcreekvol writes:
Don't apologize, Greer. It is a lovefest and it's flat ridiculous. Every time someone comments about it a KNS staffer will jump in and declare that this site is for fair, balanced coverage of all teams and if we want spin we should go to UTsports.com. This of course ignores the facts that 1) The title of this website has the words "GO VOLS" in it, fair and balanced hardly; and 2) UTsports is the official school site for records documentation and press releases, not spin. These KNS folks are more interested in building up their own arrogant egos as "sophisticated impartial observers" than giving their readers what they're looking for. That's not spin, it's UT coverage. Unfortunately the AP awards voters are spread around different regions so they all have to be stroked...
Colliervol writes:
Haven't looked it up but somebody said on a sports talk show that, outside of the national championship season at LSU, Saban's teams have always lost 3 or 4 games every year. Anybody got link to his career records? I was just curious if that's accurate.
shoalcreekvol writes:
Nick Saban's coaching record:
College career
Year...Team...........Overall...Conference
1990...Toledo..........9-2......7-1
1995...Michigan St....6-5-1...4-3-1
1996...Michigan St....6-6......5-3
1997...Michigan St....7-5......4-4
1998...Michigan St....6-6......4-4
1999...Michigan St....9-2......6-2
2000...LSU..............8-4......5-3
2001...LSU..............10-3.....6-3
2002...LSU..............8-5......5-3
2003...LSU..............13-1.....8-1
2004...LSU..............9-3......6-2
TOTALS...............91-42-1...60-29-1
National Football League
Year...Team......Overall...Playoffs
2005...Miami.....9-7.......None
2006...Miami.....6-10......None
TOTALS..........15-17
Colliervol writes:
Thanks shoal. That's what I thought the guy said. Doesn't look to me like Saban is the next Bear Bryant, does it? There's a bunch of losses in there. How in the world did he get the LSU job based on his Mich. St record?
shoalcreekvol writes:
LSU was coming off Gerry DiNardo and he was the best they could get. Winning 9 at MSU will get you 3 months of attention, so he jumped at the only job that wanted him. 48-16 at LSU is pretty good but he was inconsistent as all get-out. Funny he's only put up double-digit wins twice in his 11-season career and lost at least 3 games in 8 out of 11 college seasons, but he's gonna take Bammer back to glory? FYI Stallings averaged 10 wins a year for 7 years, and Saban's only been there twice ever...
shoalcreekvol writes:
Let's solve this Bama thing once and for all:
<a href="http://govolsxtra.ning.com/profiles/b... A Bammer By Any Other Name</a>
shoalcreekvol writes:
Sorry that link didn't work right. Try again:
http://govolsxtra.ning.com/profiles/b...
orangebloodgmc writes:
I saw/read lots of Saban interviews while he was here in Baton Rouge and he was often sarcastic, defensive, prickly or a smart a**. Reporters just chuckled nervously and gave him a free pass ... as long as he was winning. He doesn't field challenging questions graciously at all. Once he has a big loss or 2 at Bama, its gonna begin to get ugly there.
Southland writes:
He is a liar. He is a jerk. Bama fans will take anything they can to win. When you develop that attitude you usually don't better yourself. Bama(and I can't stand them) at one time had some pride about them. Now they have angry arrogance and they have a jerk coach that matches them. If I could have my wishes filled they would lose every game they played for the next ten years and then get caught for cheating and receive the death penalty in football. That would be sweet. I would love it even for Auburn's sake.
threehundredbowler writes:
alcofc,I don"t believe you like Bama very well,do you?
Southland writes:
I am old school Florida and Georgia are just short termers Bama is the evil empire and always will be. Florida has been good for twenty years. Georgia is as up and down as we are. Bama is a consistent evil. My day was made the other day in a college class when the students did not know who Bear Bryant was. I loved it. He was a crook that got by with cheating for his career.
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