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After a particularly horrific Houston Oilers’ loss, Bum Phillips was purported to have said, "The film looked suspiciously like the game itself". So it was with Friday’s game against Auburn. For the second time in three weeks Alabama lost a game it should have won, and in this case, it shouldn’t have been particularly close. Thanks for bearing down to the miserable chore of grading this effort, Commish.
But at your invitation, I’ll disagree with the grade for the coaching staff. I understand wanting to "shorten" a game against an offense like Auburn’s. I understand not taking unnecessary risks. I do not understand leaving an aggressive, successful game plan in the locker room and reverting to type for the second half of the biggest game of the year. Coach McIlwain is taking the blame for this all over the internet and in newspapers. I expect it was not, at least solely, his decision. The general plan for how the team will play rests at the feet of the boss. To his credit, he took some blame for this loss. Because it is upsetting my digestion, I’ll not dwell too much on what everyone could see on TV and focus on some things you may not have seen if you weren’t at the game.
1. The Alabama student section showered the Auburn players with Monopoly money as they left the locker room.
2. The inmates are running the asylum at Alabama Polytechnic. The head guy may be the one most in need of an orange and blue hug me jacket. After the game he ran and pumped his fists at the Alabama student section. Apparently it is true that you can’t buy class. Can you imagine Coach Saban making gestures at another school’s student section? Coach Stallings? Coach Bryant? Please.
3. Auburn (like Oregon and a couple of others) are exploiting rule loopholes that I expect will be closed soon. They very effectively snapped the football while the official who marked the ball was still running to his position. On at least two occasions he literally ran into Alabama defensive players making shifts. On several other occasions he was in the way of defensive players’ view of the backfield. Alabama was penalized for not being set before a QB sneak. That was the ultimate irony of the game. Auburn tries to never be set before snapping the ball. Even so, the defense reacted well even at the last minute and holding Auburn to 28 points is nothing to brag about, but should have been sufficient to win the ball game.
4. Speaking of rules, they do NOT apply equally. Coach Cochran spends his Saturday afternoons and evenings grabbing coach Smart by the belt loops and pulling him off the field to the sideline. Auburn has two coaches, you can name one, who regularly runs on the field as far as the numbers to cut the fool with the players. Apparently he is permitted to do this by the officials.
5. Speaking of being above the rules, I know nothing about Cam Newton except what I read in the papers. I.e. he is a liar, a thief, a cheat, and a scofflaw. Watching him Saturday none of that is particularly hard to believe. His performance was strictly pedestrian, but you would never know it from the way he handled himself. One example, before the game when the "team" ran out of the locker room, he sprinted to the front, past the team, past the cheerleaders, past Aubie the Tiger mascot, and past the two overweight guys who carry the flags. He skipped and hopped, and danced his way past the point the rest of the "team" heads for the bench and went to wave to the band and visitor’s section. Cam is all about Cam.
6. BDS was as loud as I have ever heard it, or any football stadium. I expect it is rapidly earning a reputation as a very difficult place to play.
7. I’m not sure how Alabama will handle a bowl game. Even against Auburn there was a missing element of excitement. Greg McElroy may play in the next game, but would not if he was my son. I have said it before, there is too much talent on this team to end up with four losses on the season, and three of the last four. Before the next season the coaches need to find a way to instill some desire into the Crimson Tide.
I’ll look forward to your analysis of what needs to change.
The Correspondent From The Tire Store
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