By Ken Rogers
Alabama coach Nick Saban seemed in a good mood Monday, and why not?
It’s game week.
“It’s time to set sights on someone else,“ Saban said. “I think the players on the team who are great competitors, obviously, their energy, their enthusiasm, intensity, sense of urgency realize now is the time to get it done.“
The coach presented the Tide’s depth chart, which I’ve listed below.
There weren’t many surprises, particularly at quarterback. Junior Greg McElroy will lead the Crimson Tide offense. He’s the subject of my story in Tuesday’s Dothan Eagle.
The biggest surprise on the chart is at safety. Justin Woodall has moved from strong safety to free safety. Mark Barron wins the job at strong safety. It’s worth noting that Woodall and Barron are fierce hitters with imposing physiques. They’re both 6-2 and can deliver punishment.
Here’s the Tide’s depth chart:
OFFENSE
LT James Carpenter, Alfred McCullough, Taylor Pharr
LG Mike Johnson, Brian Motley, Anthony Steen
C William Vlachos, David Ross
RG Barrett Jones, John Michael Boswell, Chance Warmack
RT Drew Davis, Tyler Love, D.J. Fluker
TE Colin Peek, Michael Williams, Undra Billingsley
HB Brad Smelley, Preston Dial, Baron Huber
QB Greg McElroy, Star Jackson OR Thomas Darrah, A.J. McCarron
RB Mark Ingram, Terry Grant OR Roy Upchurch, Trent Richardson
WR Julio Jones, Mike McCoy, Brandon Gibson
WR Marquis Maze, Darius Hanks OR Earl Alexander
DEFENSE
DE Lorenzo Washington, Marcell Dareus, Milton Talbert
NG Terrence Cody, Josh Chapman, Kerry Murphy OR Nick Gentry
DE Brandon Deaderick, Luther Davis, Darrington Sentimore
SAM Cory Reamer, Alex Watkins, Chavis Williams
MIKE Rolando McClain, Chris Jordan, Nico Johnson
WILL Dont’a Hightower, Jerrell Harris, Tana Patrick
JACK Eryk Anders, Courtney Upshaw, Damion Square
LC Javier Arenas, Marquis Johnson, B.J. Scott
RC Kareem Jackson, Chris Rogers, Dre Kirkpatrick
SS Mark Barron, Ali Sharrief, Rod Woodson
FS Justin Woodall, Robby Green, Tyrone King
Posted by Ken Rogers on 08/31 at 08:18 PM
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By Ken Rogers
Alabama coach Nick Saban said his team’s season opener against Virginia Tech next Saturday in Atlanta will be as tough a task mentally as it is physically.
“We’ve worked hard in the offseason. Everything you do in the offseason really leads up to what you do in the games and everything that you learn and have tried to improve on leads up to what you do in the game. All the practices that you’ve had, even though it’s always been against yourself to this point, leads up to what you get, what you do in the game,” Saban said after Thursday’s practice.
“What our commitment is to a standard of excellence will certainly be the trademark of this team in terms of how they play and what they do and how they compete, down in, down out, to dominate the other team. That’s sort of a mental toughness thing. Play one play at a time, they all last six seconds and when things get difficult, that’s when the guys that can dominate really do show up with a relentless competitive attitude.
“Every time you play somebody, you’ve got to change how they think. That’s not easy to do. That’s the challenge, that’s what makes it fun. We’re looking forward to the opportunity that we have against a very good team that we have a tremendous amount of respect for.”
The coach spoke at length about flu and flu-like symptoms that have sidelined a few players, most notably All-American nose guard Terrence Cody.
More on that and a look at defensive lineman Marcell Dareus’ development are the subject of stories in Friday’s Eagle.
Posted by Ken Rogers on 08/27 at 08:54 PM
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By Ken Rogers
Alabama released its basketball schedule for the 2009-10 season, the first under coach Anthony Grant.
The Tide will play two exhibition games before playing Cornell at home on Nov. 14—the same day of the Alabama-Mississippi State football game in Starkville. Here’s the lineup:
2009-10 Alabama Men’s Basketball Schedule
Date Opponent Site Time Television Network
Nov. 4 Montevallo (Exh.) Tuscaloosa, Ala. 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 10 Augusta State (Exh.) Tuscaloosa, Ala. 7 p.m.
Nov. 14 Cornell Tuscaloosa, Ala. TBA
Nov. 17 Jackson State Tuscaloosa, Ala. 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 20 Providence Tuscaloosa, Ala. 7 p.m.
Nov. 26 vs. Baylor ! Orlando, Fla. 5:30 p.m. ESPN2
Nov. 27 vs. Florida State/Iona ! Orlando, Fla. 4/6:30 p.m. ESPN2/ESPNU
Nov. 29 vs. TBA Orlando, Fla. TBA ESPN2/ESPNU
Dec. 2 North Florida Tuscaloosa, Ala. 7 p.m.
Dec. 5 Louisiana-Monroe Tuscaloosa, Ala. Noon
Dec. 12 Purdue Tuscaloosa, Ala. 3 p.m. ESPN2
Dec. 16 Samford Tuscaloosa, Ala. 7 p.m.
Dec. 19 vs. Kansas State Mobile, Ala. TBA
Dec. 23 Mercer Tuscaloosa, Ala. 7 p.m.
Dec. 30 Tennessee State Tuscaloosa, Ala. 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 4 at Toledo Toledo, Ohio TBA
Jan. 9 at LSU Baton Rouge, La. 4 p.m. FSN
Jan. 13 Vanderbilt Tuscaloosa, Ala. 8 p.m. CSS
Jan. 16 at Arkansas Fayetteville, Ark. 12:30 p.m. SEC Network
Jan. 19 Tennessee Tuscaloosa, Ala. 6 p.m. ESPN and ESPN360.com
Jan. 23 Mississippi State Tuscaloosa, Ala. 11 a.m. CBS
Jan. 27 LSU Tuscaloosa, Ala. 7 p.m. SEC Network
Jan. 30 at Auburn Auburn, Ala. 3 p.m. SEC Network
Feb. 4 Florida Tuscaloosa, Ala. 6 p.m. ESPNU
Feb. 6 at Mississippi Oxford, Miss. 5 p.m. FSN
Feb. 9 at Kentucky Lexington, Ky. 8 p.m. ESNPU
Feb. 13 Arkansas Tuscaloosa, Ala. 3 p.m. SEC Network
Feb. 20 at Georgia Athens, Ga. 3 p.m. SEC Network
Feb. 24 at Mississippi State Starkville, Miss. 8 p.m. CSS
Feb. 27 Mississippi Tuscaloosa, Ala. 1 p.m. ESPN2 and ESPN360.com
March 3 at South Carolina Columbia, S.C. 6 p.m. ESPNU
March 6 Auburn Tuscaloosa, Ala. 12:30 p.m. SEC Network
March 11-14 SEC Tournament Nashville, Tenn.
Posted by Ken Rogers on 08/22 at 03:00 PM
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By Ken Rogers
Alabama Nick Saban was in a good mood after Thursday’s practice.
Of course, athletic equipment director Tank Conerly was in a better one.
“Tank is really glad it rained today because he said it was going to rain so we went inside,“ Saban said with a smile. “So, if we would have gone inside and it hadn’t rained, guess what Tank would have gotten? I know y’all think y’all get it sometimes, but he really would have gotten it because it wouldn’t have been on the air. Just think about that one.“
Actually, Saban said he felt his time had “sort of turned the corner” the last couple days.
“I was a little disappointed two practices ago – not yesterday, not today – we didn’t respond very well and handle the circumstances out there, the heat,“ he said. “Didn’t practice as well as we needed to, didn’t get the kind of execution that we needed to get. Then, yesterday and today, I think a lot of the players responded, pushed themselves through it, especially with the idea that school started. Other things are going on with them right now that are important things in their life, but we’ve certainly been pleased and happy with the progress that we’ve been able to make in the last two practices.“
The coach said Friday’s workout will involve “a lot of polish” and some opponents before Saturday’s second and final fall scrimmage.
“We’ll spend a little bit of time working on ... things that we don’t see from our offense, things that our offense doesn’t see from our defense. And also special teams things that are issues and problems,“ Saban said.
Posted by Ken Rogers on 08/20 at 09:06 PM
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By Ken Rogers
Alabama coach Nick Saban used a prop to demonstrate how players must deal with managing the mistakes and frustrations of training camp.
Asked about Saturday’s first scrimmage, the coached noted a couple players didn’t perform as well as they wanted to.
“The good news is, they will learn from that and they will grow from that,“ Saban said. “One of the biggest things that these young guys have to learn how to ... and I actually did it today in a meeting.“
Saban pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and demonstrated.
“I wrote ‘mistake’ on this side (of the paper) and ‘lesson’ on this side. See this?“ he said, holding up the paper.
“When you make a mistake, there is a lesson. Now what do we do with this when we’re done and the play is over?“
He tore the paper in half, wadded up the “mistake” portion. “See this part right here?“ he asked, and threw it to a reporter.
He held up the “lesson” half.
“This is the only thing that has any value – is the lesson. It’s what you learn and how you grow,“ Saban said.
“I am a little surprised that some of the guys were able to do as well as they did. That’s a good thing. But this is the most important thing that they take on right now – every player on our team, especially the younger players that don’t have experience—and they can learn from the mistakes that they made and have valuable lessons that can help their development as football players.
“And I think that is what will benefit our team the most and that’s how they’ll be able to develop the best and be able to get to where they can play winning football on a consistent basis for us and that is sort of a process for us that a lot of young people haven’t had to go through when they’ve been better than everyone they’ve played against.
So I am pleased with the progress that we’re making with them and I know that we have a few out there that are very capable of making a contribution this year.“
Posted by Ken Rogers on 08/15 at 08:20 PM
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