Spurrier leaves ‘em laughing

July 25, 2008

By Ken Rogers

South Carolina head ball coach Steve Spurrier looked a bit surprised. There were still many writers in the room.
Spurrier was the last man at the podium, closing out the three-day SEC Football Media Days in Hoover.
“I’ve been waching all these other coaches on television the last couple of days, so I appreciate you guys hanging around to the end,“ the coach said.
C’mon. You’d be nuts to miss a chance to see Spurrier in action.
The coach said he’s got better players than he’s had at South Carolina. “We’ve hopefully got better coaches,“ Spurrier said.
He called last season’s 6-6 season “mediocrity at its best.“ Amazingly, the Gamecocks were 6-1 and ranked No. 6 in the country before collapsing and losing their last five games.
“A couple of heartbreaking losses, at Tennessee, Clemson game, that would have changed things around, but we didn’t quite win ‘em,“ the coach said. “Huge difference between 8-4 and 6-6.“
Being bowl eligible wasn’t good enough.
“We don’t like 6-6. We did qualify for a bowl,“ he noted.
He mentioned Alabama’s Independence Bowl trip came at South Carolina’s expense.
“They had a little bit more pull than South Carolina did,“ he said with a smile. “But that’s OK. That’s the way life is, and we understood it. We need to do better than 6-6.“

Growing up Saban, or playing checkers in a Wii world

July 24, 2008

By Ken Rogers

HOOVER—Alabama head coach Nick Saban loves to illustrate his points with personal anecdotes, often about his own family.
Thursday morning’s appearance at SEC Football Media Days was no different.
Asked about how things have changed regarding discipline and handling players differently over the years, Saban played the parent card.
“Well, I think we’re all aware that they have changed,“ he said. “If you have children of your own, I think you can probably attest to anyone who has gone through adolescence with someone now knows that they’re different.
“My kids just flat-out tell me (things) I didn’t have the guts to tell my dad. When I sit and look at my kids and I say, ‘When I was your age, I worked for everything I had.‘ And they just look at me and say, ‘Well, I don’t know anybody that does that anymore, Dad’—like you came from outer space.
“So it is different. I mean, people grow up different. It’s an instant coffee, instant self-gratification. Everything is on the internet. Everything is a picture. Everything is fast. Everything is quick. There’s not the same long-term commitment to something and sticking with it and learning from your mistakes.“
Saban said young people don’t understand that their actions come with consequences.
“You know, we played checkers when we were growing up. And when you moved the wrong guy, you lost your guy. You got immediate positive or negative self-gratification for it and you learn from that.
“You know, my kids push the restart button. They don’t even know if they got blowed up.“

Nickson battles to get QB job back at Vandy

July 23, 2008

By Ken Rogers

Chris Nickson, the 2003 Mr. Football from Pike County High School, spent a frustrating junior season in and out of the Vanderbilt lineup.
Going into his senior season, the 6-foot-1, 210-pounder from Brundidge is running neck-and-neck with Mackenzi Adams, who emerged as the No. 1 last year.
Nickson won the job going into the 2007 season. But he suffered a hamstring injury early in the game against Alabama. Whispers in Nashville were that the injury was worse than first thought and Nickson was never 100 percent. He completed 5 of 18 passes against the Crimson Tide and 5 of 16 passes for just 38 yards against Auburn. Nickson missed the final three games of what was supposed to be a promising season with a shoulder injury. This a year after he passed for more than 2,000 yards and was the Commodores’ leading rusher as a sophomore.
Vanderbilt head coach Bobby Johnson said not much separated Nickson and Adams last season—and not much has changed this year, either.
“I think they’re both very similar,“ Johnson said. “They’re both very mobile, but they’re also good passers. I don’t think we’re going to have a game plan for Mackenzi or a game plan for Chris. We think both of them can execute the game play we come up for the team.“
Johnson said he’s not ready to declare a starter.
“We’re gonna let them push each other and one of them’s gonna step up and be more prepared or better than the other,“ Johnson said. “But you’ve always got to plan on having two ready to go and maybe even three. So that’s why I feel so good about it. I think either of those can be starters. I think (backups) Larry Smith and Jared Funk are going to push them. And they will be ready to step in if they’re needed.“
What sounds like a mess looks like a surplus to Johnson, whose glass must always be half-full instead of half-empty.
“I think we got a great situation at quarterback,“ the coach said. “We will be better at quarterback this year than we were last year, no doubt about it.“

SEC Football Media Days kicks off in Hoover

By Ken Rogers

The SEC Media Days summed up in one word: humbling.
I went through the steps to acquire a credential into this massive preseason event—retinal scan, DNA profile, three-page essay on why I think the league is superior to the Big 12—and got that little head rush when I was approved.
And then a stroll through the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover deflates the ego a bit. Hundreds of print and broadcast professionals on site, looking for a creative way to tell the same stories.
Hey, I’m not complaining. Twenty-four years out of college and I still get excited about talking to the Heisman Trophy winner or the SEC commissioner. I wouldn’t trade jobs with many folks this week. And neither would hundreds of my colleagues, eager to pick up this year’s media guides and goody bags.
I used to wonder how a coach could get excited each and every season, how the “newness” never fades.
But the atmosphere at functions like this, or alumni association meetings, where coaches interact with fans, has to be rejuvenating. The enthusiasm that surrounds college football on the eve of another season is like a cool breeze on a hot day. It doesn’t get old.
Besides, everybody’s undefeated at this point.

What bothers you most about the Jimmy Johns case?

June 24, 2008

By Ken Rogers

The most difficult part of the Jimmy Johns arrest story is trying to identify which facet of this saga is most disturbing.
Maybe it’s the story itself. The facts are jolting. Johns sold cocaine to undercover investigators five times before his arrest Tuesday morning. Two of those incidents occurred on campus, two more at his residence and one more was a car-to-car exchange.
Or maybe it’s because another black eye has been applied directly to the University of Alabama football program, and certainly to the university itself. If you don’t think other SEC schools are laughing hysterically at this latest gaffe, check out some fan comments at the tail end of internet stories.
Maybe it’s the frustration of thinking a corner had been turned regarding disciplinary issues and then realizing that that corner is the start of a series of S-turns. Coaches had expressed hope that character issues were improving. Maybe they are. But an arrest of a senior football player for selling cocaine sure sets back the perception that discipline has been restored to the program.
Maybe it’s the embarrassment that Johns is the 10th Crimson Tide football player to be arrested in the past year.
Maybe it’s the puzzling revelation that Johns lived alone off campus. How was that possible? No roommates? Actually, I’m not sure I could’ve survived college without roommates, either in a dorm or off campus. I know I couldn’t have afforded it. And we’re in the part of the year when supervision is considerably different than it will be when the team reports to fall camp. Idle hands ...
Maybe it’s the skepticism that must be felt the next time we hear about the Peer Intervention Group, a Nick Saban innovation that lets team leaders be a watchdog and a disciplinary committee for the team. That is a great idea and sounds real nice, but Tide fans can be forgiven for wondering where were Johns’ peers were as one of their own was tainting them all with his criminal activity. Was every player completely blind-sided by Johns’ arrest? There weren’t warning signs? No change in his behavior? Johns betrayed his teammates. Hopefully, no teammate betrayed him by failing to act on a suspicion.
Maybe it’s the cynical reaction to Saban’s statement Tuesday. “This type of behavior obviously will not be tolerated, and he is no longer a part of our program.“
Maybe a little late there. But at least players know there’s a no-tolerance policy for drug trafficking.
Maybe it’s the realization that Johns had so little regard for his teammates, his school and his coaches that he’d risk criminal activity. Folks, his arrest, while repulsive, should be welcome. Because if a guy will sell coke to undercover cops, you’d better believe he’d take money if a gambler wanted him to miss a tackle at a key moment of a close game.
Maybe it’s the disappointment that a guy who had a wonderful opportunity to improve his life, both through football and education, chose to go the other way.
What a shame.