The wait is nearly over.
Fall camp
has begun. Fan Day is in the rear view mirror. The long dry season between
A-Day and the Cowboy Classic is about to end as the Tide starts what many
believe will be its successful quest for Number 15.
The months
since they swept up the crimson confetti in the Super Dome have not lacked for
college football news.
Arkansas removed a serving coach and Penn State removed the statute of a former one. If only PSU had been as diligent in 1998 as Arkansas was in 2012.. As it is, the Hogs are ranked in the pre-season top 10 and picked by some to have an outside chance to win the SEC West. In Happy Valley, Trailways has added extra bus service to accommodate all the PSU players looking to get out of town.
Individual
players have also made the news. Michael Dyer has set a record or sorts. Without
a single carry of the football, the former Auburn running back can now put “former
Arkansas State running back” on his resume. Tyler Bray, the quarterback on
whose fragile throwing arm the Tennessee season and Coach Derek Dooley’s career
both depend, got more attention from how he tossed beer bottles than footballs.
Fortunately
for Alabama fans, the program and its players pretty much stayed out of the headlines
and off the police blotter. Nose Tackle, Jesse Williams, perhaps is the Tide
player who garnered the most attention during the off season, and it was all
good. The social media went crazy two weeks ago when photos of Williams bench
pressing 600 pounds went viral on the internet.
Coach Saban
has said that the 2012 Tide reported to camp in the best condition of any
previous squad. Published reports from practice are encouraging. On the injury
front, Eddie Lacy and Arie Kouandjio have been in full contact mode. To no one’s
surprise, the offensive line of Cyrus K., Chance Warmack, Barrett Jones,
Anthony Steen and D.J. Fluker looks like it will live up to its advanced
billing. AJ is picking up right where he left off in New Orleans in January and
he will have plenty of targets to throw to in Kenny Bell, Christion Jones,
Kevin Norwood and Michael Williams. Running back continues to be the Tide’s
deepest position on offense with Lacy, Jalston Fowler, Dee Hart and T. J. Yeldon
each being good enough to start anywhere in the league.
Obviously,
it is on defense where graduation and early departures to the NFL have provided
the most opportunities for players to earn starting positions. Williams will
anchor the defensive line, where he will likely be joined by Damion Square and
Quinton Dial. Depth along the front will be supplied by Ed Stinson, Brandon
Ivory and Jeoffrey Pagan. Vinnie Sunseri, Dee Milliner, Ha ‘Sean Clinton-Dix, Landon
Collins and Robert Lester have the potential to be a formidable secondary. At
linebacker Tana Patrick, Nico Johnson, Trey DePriest, Xzavier Dixon, Adrian
Hubbard and C. J. Mosley are all experienced players who will be joined by RS freshman,
Brent Calloway as well as one of more true freshmen out of a recruiting class
loaded with defensive talent.
Things will
change somewhat between now and Labor Day weekend. With the quality of Coach
Saban’s recruiting classes and player development program the nature of those
changes is most likely to be positive.
Stay tuned.
The wait is almost over. I’ll be blogging about the Tide from now through
January.
The
Commissioner
