Last evening I received a call from a my good friend that I am always excited to hear from, Kuiyam. This time the call brought some sad news though, Jesse had been released by the Seahawks. It shocked me some but knowing what we all know about his health issues of recent months and the nature of professional football concerning the physical abilities of a player, it wasn't so shocking.

For all of us that have known or knew of Jesse in the past years, we knew him to be almost invincible, a mountain of a man. Here was a young man that was so strong, bench pressing 600lbs and could have lifted more, that we all felt he would dominate in professional football after he left Alabama. Who can forget the play in the SEC playoff game against Georgia when Jesse stuffed a 3rd down play that forced Georgia to have to punt the football near the end of the game which pretty much sewed up the win for Bama. Only a few plays before this, he had gone down with a knee injury which indicated that he was done for the game, but no, he reentered the game and made his game saving play with the bad knee. This was Jesse Williams vintage, he doesn't know the words wouldn't or couldn't nor never. Jesse's childhood goal was to play professional football and even though he never got the chance to play a regular season game he did get to play in the preseason games. Everybody, except Jesse, had given him very little or no chance of every playing again after his cancer diagnosis but we all know the end of that story, he did play and played very well. He did fulfill his dream to a big degree but he lacked about a half a step of playing on Sunday afternoons. Personally I feel that God has other things for Jesse in his life ahead that will make him feel just as happy as if he had made it to the Sunday afternoon games. Maybe Coach Nick Saban could use another coach on his staff, now wouldn't that be a lifetime dream come true. 

Jesse is taking his bad news the same way he has taken all of his other bad news, like a BIG man and it isn't the end of the world as his life will go on with more opportunities awaiting. One bit of good news is already awaiting him though, his son is due to be born at anytime.

Good luck to you Jesse Williams and thank you for giving me the opportunity of meeting you and your family, some of the nicest friends I have ever had. May God's blessings be with you and your family. RTR!!!

Click here for link

To say it was hot is an understatement, I would guess the temp was in the 110-120 degree range on the field. I have to compliment the players for how they handled it as I didn't see any cramped players during the practice. There were a couple that were helped off the field bit I don't think cramps were their problem.

The scrimmage pretty much looked like the last scrimmage of the preseason for the players. I think CNS said the players have had one day off in the last 14 days so the players were pretty much drained from a physical standpoint.

Coach Saban opened his coverage of the practice with us emphasizing how he has challenged the players in respect as to what will they be remembered for when their playing days are over at Alabama. He stated that he told the players that each of them has a right to fail themselves but they have no right cause those around them to fail and in other words it is gut check time. It is time to step up and be that player that they have dreamed about being since they were a little boy.

Who will be the next QB is the question that everyone is asking and Coach said even Miss Terrie would ask him that when he got home. There is no first string QB right now but Coach was emphatic when he stated that the player that earned that would be the player that would not beat the team with mistakes. I think we all are well aware of that by now if you know anything about Bama football. As I watched the scrimmage I finally started to form an opinion of who I think the first two QBs are and who will be the starter.

If I had to point a finger at the one area that concerned me most about the team it would be the number of dropped passes. Again it was hot as blazes out there and fatigue could have been the big reason for a lot of them. There were also a lot of bad throws by the QBs as well. The starting defense and offense had some good moments though as the starters would flex there muscles occasionally.

Are we ready for Wisconson? No, but this team will get some needed rest and will be ready. It was good to see Kenyon Drake racing around the field as well as Bo Scarbrough and somehow I get the feeling that our running game coulds be something very special this year. The youngsters behind those team looked good as well when they had their chance to show up. The one player that caught my eye though was #16 Richard Mullaney, the transfer wide receiver from Oregon State. He made some good catches and ran really well after the catches. There were other players that had their good moments, Derrick Henry, Chris Black (finally got rid of the black jersey), ArDarius  Stewart ( made a super one handed grab on a tipped ball inthe end zone, and Kenyon Drake with aqll of these being on the offense. There were many good plays on the defensive side of the ball but the one player that caught my eye was#15 Ronnie Harrison. This young man seems to have a bright future in front of him.

There is two weeks of healing for the players now and it is much needed. I think this team will be more than ready for Wisconsin and by the way, my prediction for the starting QB is #11 Alec Morris and #18 Cooper Bateman with Morris getting the nod. Remember, this is just my prediction and not what CNS said.

And on a side note, Bill Battle introduced Bama basketball coach Anthony Johnson to the REC that drew a rousing ovation. I think there has been a bonding friendship developed between CNS and the football team and CAJ and the basketball team. CAJ is no dummy.

Get your tailgate parties planned because Bama football is just two weeks away. RTR!!!!

link to video

Click here for link

I know football season is almost here but my head is spinning with all of the recruiting news that we hear and read each day, way too many names and promises for me. I'll just wait on February to get here and see who signed the dotted line.

Basketball is getting started as well and I'm all excited about this season. There are some good things going on with CAJ and his staff so far with a full team now signed and the    schedule being completed. I am happy with the schedule even though it is tough because I think the earlier the team finds out how good they are the quicker they become a better team.

Bama is losing a basketball icon as Wendell Hudson is finally retiring. He has been with Bama for many years as a player and employee and has represented the school with nothing but the highest class.

Wendell was at the country club this weekend and was asked a few questions about CAJ and the team. Wendell is very excited about CAJ, staff, and team and has watched the players practice some. He stated that the Bama fans are in store for a big change in the style of basketball that we all have been used to watching. He feels that the recruiting edge is better than it has been in many many years and the style of play should get Bama into the realm of the better programs much quicker than what some of us might have been thinking. Wendell thinks the new style of play will lure the better players across the country to Tuscaloosa.

I was reading something today on a player that Bama is hot on, Terrance Ferguson. Rumors are out there that Bama has a real shot at this player. I found some videos of him that I will add the link for you to watch and I was very impressed and he is a 5 star by the way.

Anyway, just a little basketball gossip from me and maybe some of you have some things that you have been hearing or reading and would like to share a little of it on the forum.
 
Roll Tide!!!

Click here for link

I'm adding the link to the video of the practice as well.

Click here for link

Now Coach, just so you know, MD is expecting a Natty this year. 

Tonight was the night that all the members of the REC had been waiting on, Lane Kiffen was to be the guest speaker for our last meeting of this past season.

Say what you want about Lane Kiffen, but this guy has a great sense of humor. He started us off tonight talking about when he first got to Bama and he asked Coach Saban about how he would address the media when he did an interview. Coach Saban told him that it would be very easy for him, he would not be doing any interviews.

This would set the tone for a very funny and informative meeting. Coach Kiffen first went through his young career, giving us a glimpse of his past years in coaching and explaining to us that the University of Alabama is by far the premier college coaching job in the country. He talked about Coach Saban and explained what the word "process" really means as most of the media describes CNS as the man of the word "process". The term "process" means nothing more than making the right decisions, right choices, and if you are on the football field making a good play on every down. He said it sounds simple but it is very tough for the players as they have never experienced anything like this in their young lives and in the blink of an eye, they have to grow up again to a much higher level.

He gave us a word of caution concerning the offensive side of the football this year. When you loose nine of the starters from last year it naturally puts a big challenge on the team this year. The problem isn't that they are short of good players but that they are short of good experienced players. He is hoping that when the fall practices start, the players have done well in the off season preparations and will bring some pleasant surprises to the coaches this fall. He did mention some names but only in the term of what they are capable of doing and he feels that when they get more reps on the practice field their performances will match their expectations. Coach Kiffen did not elaborate on the quarterbacks only to say that there is no one that really stands out above the others.

The best thing I heard him say tonight was the defense will be lights out this year and they are solid at being two deep this year. There were some good things said about Rashaad Evans and Marlin Humphrey in that they had a very good Spring and should really help the team this Fall.

All in all I thought he did a good job of telling us, in a Coach Saban way, that the team can be a good team this year but it will take some good luck health wise and and the back ups from last year will need to play up their expectations of when they were recruited. He did elaborate on what a healthy Kenyon Drake and Bo Scarbrough would mean to the offense. If Kenyon Drake doesn't get hurt last year he would have been an All-American and Bo Scarbrough brings a ton of talent, running and receiving, with him. He was asked about a return to play time for Scarbrough and responded that it would probably fall into the 3-5 game range of the season but he wasn't sure.

In closing, he asked that when we as fans have game tickets and aren't going to use them to please either sell them to someone or give them to someone. A full stadium does wonders for the players and to all the recruits who are there trying to make a choice of who they would like to play for. Also, he said it makes Coach Saban happy as he** too.

ROLL TIDE!!!!!

 

Father we come to you knowing all things are in your control. Lord we pray thy will be done for Jesse. We pray you will heal this cancer that you took the stripes for and through your authority we seek healing. In the name of your son JESUS we pray and claim this prayer. AMEN

It was just a beautiful afternoon which made the scrimmage much more enjoyable to watch. With all of the rain and storms we have had of late, I just knew the weather would be rotten today.

I guess the big question that everyone has in mind is who will the next quarterback be but after watching them for 2 hours I didn't see that much difference between all of them. If CNS had to pick one tomorrow I think it would be a coin toss. In all fairness though, the defense is well ahead of the offense which could make the quarterback play look less than what it really is. I think the ADay game will give a better opinion of the players and positions than the scrimmage that we saw today.

The quarterbacks timing with the receivers seemed to be a problem today as so many passes were thrown behind the receivers but remember, I said the defense seemed better than the offense. The quarterbacks were scrambling all afternoon and many passes were thrown on the run as well as they scrambled a lot just to get some positive yardage . The defensive line looks quick and mean and this seemed to help the secondary a lot and that is something that we didn't see much of last year. There must have been 5-7 tipped passes today with at least 4 for interceptions. Again, this is something that we didn't see last year.

The receivers and running backs had their moments but there wasn't anything there that we haven't seen or was surprising in any way. The defense did a good job of defensing the run. Henry had a couple of nice breakaways but I don't think the practice was about running backs making long runs but them just making consistent good runs keeping a drive alive. There was no Amari Cooper on the field today either but there were a few good catches off the long ball and some short catches with a good run after the catch. There were also some dropped passes but in practice, I guess that's the norm.

The kicking game seemed to be ok as Scott was booming his punts up to 65 yards in the air with good hang time. Bama has another punter, Adrian Lamothe and he's a senior. He is from Monterrey, Mexico Prepa Tec. I don't remember him being on the team last year but I could be wrong on this. He had good distance with his punts but his hang time wasn't as good as Scott's. It's good to know there is a backup for Scott. Adam Griffith started a little slow on his field goal attempts but got everything going his way and made 4-5 from the 45-50 yard line in a row. His kickoffs were reaching the goal line each time or were in the end zone.

There were a few injuries but none seemed to be major. Reggie Ragland looked to have banged his knee up a little bit but I don't think it was anything serious. There were other nicks and bruises but nothing seemed season threatening.

If I had to pick the one thing that impressed me the most about the practice it would be the rush of the defensive line and their ability to control the running game. The two players that stuck out on that side of the ball the most to me was Da'Shawn Hand and D.J Pettway. They made or caused a lot of good defensive plays.

Coach Saban spoke to us afterwards and he talked a little longer than usual, which all of us do not mind a bit. He spoke in great length about the recent player dismissals from the team and was still very concerned that any of that had to happen. He mentioned how people or the media react towards disciplinary action toward players and how they are quick to say he's a really a good coach when he kicks a player off the team. He said he feels like a failure when that happens because his goal is not to run anyone off the team but to develop them into a person that they can be proud of who and what they are. He added that leadership on the team is so essential when you have 125 players. He stated that there are two kinds of leadership, positive and negative, and it's sometimes hard to find players that are willing to step up when needed to impose the positive leadership because there are times you have have to force yourself on someone to enforce the idea of making the right choices and decisions. There are ten players on the Leadership Committee now but he thought there might be a few more added this fall. I could sit and listen to this man speak for hours, he has so much to share about life and how to live it. As always, he had a few things to say that brought some good laughter from audience.

I wish all of you could have been there, it was a fun day.

A very good story about Coach Bryant meeting Reverend Robert Schuller on a plane. A long read but one you will enjoy on this Good Friday and Easter weekend.


Click here for link