Thoughts from the Chick

In the wake of losing Dont’a Hightower for the season, let’s turn to our neighbors to the north to give us some entertainment and make us laugh today -

Take a look at the thread on one of the Tennessee Vols forums on Scout.com -

Word on the street is that Jonathan Crompton’s dad was temporarily ejected from the game???

Whether it’s true or not, who knows - but my favorite response was, “He probably took a swing at the guy, but missed completely and hit somebody three rows up.”

The Tide looked good on Saturday in its 35-7 victory over an Arkansas team touted as having one of the nation’s best offenses. 

Overall, I think that Bama did a good job of playing a smart game.  A tough game.  I mean, talk about toughness…  This team has it.

Once the offense started clicking, I thought things looked very good.  Even Verne Lundquist got caught in the 3rd quarter saying “Oh SHIT!” as Mark Ingram smacked into a defender and bowled him over.

Oh, and Ryan who?  Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Mallet is good.  But he’s got to find a way to not get frustrated and turn it back on if he’s going to last against SEC defenses. 

There were a few negatives.  Costly penalties are going to bite us if we don’t clean it up.  But the biggest negative, and it is a BIG negative, is the injury of Dont’a Hightower. 

I was asked earlier if I thought it was a bad block or if it was just an unfortunate injury.  I originally thought the latter - that he was hit as he was leaping over an Arkansas lineman.  But I went back and watched it again in real time, and I think I was wrong.  The slo-mo replay makes it look like Hightower was off the ground when he was hit, but if you go back and look at it in real time, you see that he is hit first. 

In hindsight, there’s nothing that anyone, other than the Arkansas player who made the play, could have done any differently.  But what a loss.  Hightower will be back, but it’s a shame to lose that much talent right at the start of the SEC play.  For Hightower and for the team.   The positives are - he is a sophomore; he will have the best care and rehab available to him; and Bama has good depth at the linebacker position.  

It was also heartening to see the players rally after that injury.  On the field and off.  Team chemistry is important, and watching Hightower come back on the field in the 2nd half and have players around him (Terrence Cody) to show their support speaks to the cohesiveness and character of this team.  Those are some of those “intangible” qualities that make good teams great.

Now, one last point - It’s my opinion that coaches show their true colors when asked about their opponent.  Whether they win or lose, if a Coach can give their opponent some respect, it shows a glimpse into their true character.  I’m not saying hang your head.  I’m not saying don’t be confident.  But I’m saying, show some respect - no matter who your opponent is.  So, now I know exactly how I feel about Bobby Petrino (and it’s about the same way I feel about Bob Stoops). 

Coach Petrino, I think that the Hogs lacked a little more than confidence on Saturday.  And if you can’t give more credit to your opponent - then I got nothin’ for ya. 

Tomorrow’s test will be the first of many this season.  As the SEC stretch begins, a powerful Alabama defense will take on a high-powered Arkansas offense.

Everyone this week has talked about what will Nick Saban’s defense do against Bobby Petrino’s offense - and no one really knows until tomorrow.

We know the playmakers for the Crimson Tide, but who should we be looking at on the Arkansas side of the ball? 

We know Ryan Mallet.  He’s been hyped more this week than Tim Tebow (if that’s actually possible).  What about his wide receivers?  Well, 12 receivers have made at least 1 catch for the Hogs this season - but the leading 3 are Jarious Wright, Greg Childs, and Joe Adams.  Look for them to be Mallet’s main targets tomorrow.  As far as running backs go - Michael Smith and Broderick Green tend to split carries, but even the Arkansas fan boards admit that they have no run game.

On the defensive front, Malcom Sheppard (lineman) and Freddy Burton (linebacker) are two to watch. 

And on special teams, return man Dennis Johnson has averaged 35.6 yards per return this year - so Alabama’s kickoff coverage team better be ready. 

All of that said - my prediction is this - I think that with the balanced attack Alabama has on offense and it’s solid defense, if they come out and play a good football game from start to finish, they’ll be hard to beat - even with Ryan Mallet on the other side of the ball.   

Alabama was the 1st stop on the “Drive to the National Championship” bus tour put on by ESPN -

Check out what Coach Saban had to say about Terence Cody, Greg McElroy, and getting ready to face Arkansas and Ryan Mallet.

Who Cares if Trooper Taylor said the N-word?  But if you want to hear it, just click on the link! 

Can the people on the radio beat an issue into the ground any further????   

Really - who cares if Trooper Taylor said the N-word?   

I certainly don’t.  Do I think it’s appropriate?  No.  But unfortunately people say the word every day.  Why does it matter if a coach said it to one of his players in a way that was obviously meant in an endearing way?   

And what kills me the most is that you’ve got a bunch of ya-hoos calling in who’ve probably said the word themselves talking about how bad it is that this coach said it.  

In the words of Chad “Ochocinco” – “Chile Please”.  

Here’s an idea for sports talk radio in Alabama –

Alabama has its first SEC game this weekend and we’ve got a top defense going against a top offense.  Maybe you could try to find someone to interview and talk about that.

It’s no secret - I love Nick Saban.  And I love the way he gives the media fits.  And I think that he loves giving them fits.  You can see a glimmer in his eye as he zings them.

After a nice win today (and by the way,  apparently it wasn’t enough to make him dance), he started off his press conference pretty positively.  By the way - did any ofyou notice his halftime interview?  He gave praise - at halftime!  I was shocked! 

Anyway, back to the press conference.  He seemed happy with the way most of the team played, pointed out the problems, and was very honest about his concerns - concerns about the team’s play up to this point and concerns about the team’s play as they begin to face SEC opponents. 

But then someone asked him - yet again - about sacks.  Do they never learn???  

This guy definitely hasn’t learned that Nick Saban doesn’t equate sacks to what’s important - ”affecting the quarterback.”  If you have watched any of his press conferences this season, you know how Nick Saban feels about sacks vs affecting the quarterback.  There are a lot more ways to affect the quarterback than just by sacking him.  ‘Aight? 

So, if you have the time, watch to the end of this.  I love it.  What a way to end a press conference.

I finally saw this video this week -

Didn’t know that the coach had moves like this….  Notice Javier Arenas videoing and players, “this goin’ on YouTube tonight”

Nick Saban has used a lot of analogies this season to try to get a point across to his team - that it’s about the type of competitor you are, not the competition you’re playing.  He’s tried using professional athletes like Tiger or LeBron or Kobe to explain that those athletes always go out and play their best, no matter who they’re playing. 

His latest analogy has taken a new twist - do you want to be an Escalade or a car in the cash for clunkers program.

And on a day like today - with rain and an early game - those players need to go out there and run like an Escalade. 

So, let’s hope that on a rainy, early gameday, that Alabama will step up and show that it wants to be a competitor - no matter who the competition is.

   or

I saw this and couldn’t resist posting it -

From the Columbus Dispatch before the USC Game this weekend:

“For those who arrive on campus early, will there be enough toilets?

Ohio State hopes so and says it has learned its lesson from big matchups such as the Texas game in 2005, in which cleanup crews found several soiled shorts and a few coolers filled with poop.

“You either deal with the problem up front, or you deal with it later when it’s ugly,” said Kelley-Snoke.”

Maybe this is where the saying ”getting the shit beat out of you” comes from???  LOL

If you watch or forward to the end at about 10 minutes in - there are some funny comments about Cody lobbying the Coach to play on 3rd down….