I thought that was a very good and fair set of grades, Commissioner. It was an odd game on an odd day. It was interesting to hear Coach Saban critique himself after the game. Because he did so, I feel free to, as well. I know that going into the locker room with a delay of at least 30 minutes (but really no telling how long) must have been strange. For an obsessive planner like Saban, it must have been disconcerting. I’m not sure what the right thing to do was, but given results I’m pretty sure changing clothes and eating wasn’t the right thing to do.
It
is easy to blame the weather delay for Alabama’s relatively mediocre
performance after that time. There may be something else going on,
though. In his interview after the initial BCS standings were announced,
Coach Saban said, “Mindset is so important in this day and age and this
game." He talked about keeping the players focused on what they
needed to do. After the weather delay, Alabama seemed more focused on
getting off the field and home without anyone else getting hurt than it did on
taking the game to Missouri. To be fair, they didn’t have to. It’s
almost like they became slightly disinterested in the rest of the proceedings.
I hope the fact that this team really hasn’t yet had to play for a full 60
minutes doesn’t mean that when they are called on to do so, they don’t know
how.
Special
teams play was a regression Saturday, but some of that regression was based on
injuries. DeAndrew White was a key contributor on kick coverage.
His being out may not be the reason Missouri ran one back, but it didn’t
help. We had bad field position on a couple of occasions because Dee Hart
is out with a knee injury and not fielding kicks. Why our punter
mishandled a snap that was picture perfect I have no explanation for
–none. If he was going to muff one, though, Saturday was the day to do
it.
A
couple of notes. I thought the officials handled any number of things
badly on Saturday. From accounts I have read, both coaching staffs and
media members were suggesting it was time to get players and fans out of the
lightning for several minutes before the officiating crew decided to
accede. With all the emphasis we currently have on “player safety” isn’t
this an easy one? Wouldn’t the zebras like to be out of harm’s way,
too? I just don’t get it. Also, holding on the offensive line on
pass plays was apparently deleted from the rule book when I wasn’t looking.
Teams (our included) are taking advantage. Same thing with the
so-called horse collar tackle, which probably could have been called about four
times Saturday, on both teams. Perhaps the rain obscured the officials’
vision.
My
biggest gripe was the end of the game. There is less than a minute remaining,
Missouri had a fourth down near mid field in miserable conditions in front of a
crowd the size of one at a mid-size Texas high school game. The game was
out of reach. Most importantly, Missouri had a player lying immobile on
the sideline about two yards off the field of play (we read he is in good shape
and will be rejoining his teammates soon, thank heaven). Trainers from
both teams are looking at him. They were bringing on the
stretcher/backboard assembly…. How much wisdom does it take for the
referee to say to both coaches, let’s just wind the clock and let the 50
seconds run off? Instead, we go through the silly ritual of Missouri
taking a knee on fourth down (thereby losing something like half of their net
rushing yards for the day), stopping the clock, running respective offensive
and defensive players from each side back onto the field, marking the ball for
play, snapping it again…. I suppose I should be the last one expecting
common sense and a humane reaction from the likes of a SEC officiating crew.
As
I mentioned after the Arkansas game, I’ve had it with the CBS broadcasting
crew. For the second game of ours in a row, it was obvious they didn’t
really want to be there. As with Arkansas, Alabama’s opponent was
weakened by not having its starting quarterback and best player available for
the game. Tough, it happens. Some of their comments were
silly. Mr. Lundquist’s mispronunciation of names is a running joke
(though no longer a funny one) on SEC football message boards. They seem not to
like solid defensive efforts, apparently preferring the currently fashionable
quasi-arena football being played by the likes of Oregon and West
Virginia. It is no big deal, but emblematic of the dunderheads at CBS,
that they posted that ridiculous map about the “travels” of Jesse
Williams. Would it have been too much to do a little research and report
about why he came to America in the first place? Perhaps something about
his family? His fans in Australia who are now following American college
football for the first time? His interesting ethnic heritage? No,
instead we get a cartoony graphic map of the world and introduced to the fact
that someone on the crack research staff at CBS thinks the best way to get to
Arizona from Brisbane (which they put in the wrong part of Australia, by the
way) is across the Atlantic Ocean. Verne and Gary will be
broadcasting from a Columbia for the second week in a row, so maybe Verne can
get that right. I just hope they don’t let the graphics folks set up
their travel schedule, or they may go through Canada to get there….
More
later in honor of UT Week. Roll Tide. Beat Tennessee.
The Correspondent From The Tire Store
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