By Ken Rogers
Even for a team with so many question marks and so little depth, it’s impossible for Alabama to contain expectations on the eve of the official opening of the Nick Saban era.
“We’re all on edge right now, tense,” center Antoine Caldwell said this week. “Everybody’s just ready to go.”
Caldwell said it seemed like it would never get here. A coaching change. A major attitude adjustment from a new coaching staff. Practicing at a higher, more intense pace. And the conditioning.
“This team has handled it real well,” Caldwell said. “It was kind of rocky, kind of bumpy there at the beginning. But everybody has kind of settled in now. Coach Saban has got his plan in order and we’ve just been following his lead. This team is ready to go.”
From the chaos of new systems installed in the spring to a product that’s about to be unveiled, running back Terry Grant said his expectations have soared.
“You get that much more excited and you try to set higher goals and want to do better,” Grant said. “You never set a goal to be too low and hit it. I always set it higher. It’s amazing how excited I am. For us as a team, I’m excited. I think everybody’s kind of ready to see where we’re at.”
Darren Mustin, a former walk-on who earned a scholarship at the start of fall camp, will start at inside linebacker. He noted it’s not just the Nick Saban debut. Many players will see their first significant playing time, particularly on defense.
“We have a lot of new people. It seems like there’s new everywhere,” Mustin said. “Even the facilities are new. I don’t say we have to prove to the fans, but we want to prove to our opponents that we are here, and prove to our opponents that we will play four quarters of football fully.“
Mike McCoy, a speedster who will start at wide receiver, said more than wins and losses, his expectations are that Alabama will be a true team this year.
“I expect a lot out of this team. I expect everybody to give the same that I try to give,” the sophomore said. “I try to push myself 100 percent every day, every play. Coach Saban says you’re only as good as your last play. So, after every play I ask myself, ‘Did I give my all? If this was a game, would I be able to get the job done?’ So, when I think about that I think about my teammates doing the same thing. They’re giving their all, so I have to give my all. I feel like the team is coming a lot closer.”
A 6-7 record will do that — so will the attitude adjustment provided by Saban and his staff.
The coach has his own expectations and standards. But he cautions Tide fans to be realistic as the foundation for the future is installed.
“I wouldn’t want to coach any place where they didn’t have high expectations or they didn’t expect to win,” Saban said this week. “You’ve probably heard me say this before: It’s also important to be realistic about what you’re expectations are. It’s great to be optimistic, not very good to be pessimistic, but it’s probably most important to be realistic.”
Still, the coach has noted on many occasions that things aren’t going to turn around overnight, that a struggle is ahead.
“We have a 6-7 team and we’re trying to improve that team. And we are very pleased with the attitude that the team has in doing that,” Saban said during fall camp. “But what I’ve tried to do is create positive energy in the organization and with our fans. And I think when your expectation is that things are going to be difficult, then you’re more willing to overcome the adversities that are definitely going to be necessary for us to build the kind of program that we expect to have here.”
Posted by Ken Rogers on 08/30 at 12:19 PM
(0)
Comments |
Permalink
By Ken Rogers
I guess Alabama cornerback Simeon Castille got an early start on two days off.
The Tide senior made five tackles and intercepted a pass in the end zone during Saturday’s scrimmage at Bryant-Denny Stadium, but apparently he didn’t leave it all on the field.
Castille spent a brief time at Tuscaloosa County Jail after his arrest for disorderly conduct around 2 a.m. Sunday morning. Tide players have Sunday and Monday off.
It’s both easy and tempting to overreact to this story, but the more accounts I’m hearing of the incident, the better I feel for Castille. I wasn’t there, so this is strictly the result of reading between the lines. A carload of unidentified buddies recognized Castille walking the Strip near campus. They screamed at him, apparently in jest. He screamed back, apparently in jest. But a Tuscaloosa police officer thought it crossed the line of “orderly,“ whatever that means. Hey, I’m not taking sides and I wasn’t there. I’m guessing the officer had a watch and it read 2 a.m. “Jesting” stops long before 2 for most cops, and I can’t blame them.
Of all the sports stories I’ve read and written in the past 25 years, I have concluded that nothing good ever happens outside at 2 a.m.
I’ve seen no suggestion that alcohol was involved. No one has hinted that Castille was abusive or confrontational.
The star football player has something else going for him: a good track record. He’s a leader on the team, on and off the field. Other guys look up to him. Nick Saban is counting on him. He was one of two players chosen to represent the team at SEC Media Days in Birmingham. He’s on the Peer Intervention Group that Saban started, where Tide players help recommend solutions for cases just like this one.
There are going to be those who equate his behavior as a betrayal of his coach, his teammates and his good name. He’s worked too hard for all of those entities to lose that with a poor decision of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
He won’t get off lightly, either. He may be running stadium stairs until Western Carolina’s bus arrives for warm-ups.
Posted by Ken Rogers on 08/19 at 09:10 PM
(0)
Comments |
Permalink
By Ken Rogers
TUSCALOOSA—Last Saturday’s scrimmage was certainly a prime opportunity for Alabama coaches to learn more about their players.
Monday in Tuscaloosa, Tide offensive players indicated they were learning about their coaches, too. The offense, which earned praise from head coach Nick Saban, held the upper hand in the 92-play practice at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Several players credited offensive coordinator Major Applewhite with creative play-calling and said they couldn’t wait to see how the offense evolves.
“I think it went real well,“ quarterback John Parker Wilson said. “The offense came a long way. We had a lot of guys make big plays—receivers and running backs.“
Senior wide receiver DJ Hall said Alabama’s receiving corps will be deep and athletic. “We have a lot of receivers who can make big plays. You can’t pinpoint one receiver,“ Hall said. “Once you do that, another one’s open. With this offense, I mean, guys can be open at any time. We’ve got great athletes. And the running backs can come out of the backfield and catch the ball. It’s hard to stop them.
“This offense is well balanced. We don’t base it on the pass. We do a great job in the passing game. When we pass so many times, guys gotta back up—and then there’s Terry (Grant) coming out of the backfield. That’s all we did (Saturday). We kept running screens and draws. They came up and put eight in the box. Then we went over their head. That’s pretty much what we did. Coach Applewhite’s pretty much got it down to a science. It’s so lethal. The coaching staff does a great job calling the plays in the red zone. They can find ways to get a guy open.“
Posted by Ken Rogers on 08/13 at 05:10 PM
(0)
Comments |
Permalink
