The Commissioner's MVPs

It is customary at this time of year to reflect on the just completed season and single out for special mention those players, plays, games and events that have been those most valuable or significant in Alabama's success. Such a process is inherently subjective and prone to error. My opinion may not be yours and both of us may have overlooked a person or event that had a greater impact than the ones we select. But with that disclaimer, here is my list of 2012 Superlatives:

Most Valuable Players:

Offense: AJ McCarron. The 2012 Crimson Tide was an offensive powerhouse. It was an irresistible force even against some of the most immovable objects that college football defenses put on the field. AJ played his position better this year than in 2011 when he was named MVP of the BCS Championship Game. He set the single season school record for touchdown passes [30] and threw for more yards [2933] than last year while attempting fewer passes. He earned an impressive pass efficiency rating of 175.3 with a completion percentage of 67.2%. During the season, he shattered the school record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception and set a BCS Championship Game record with 4 touchdown passes.

Honorable mention: Barrett Jones. Football is played first and foremost along the line of scrimmage and the 2012 offensive line lived up to its pre-season hype as the best in the college game. Anchoring that line, was a young man who is arguably the best offensive lineman ever to play at Alabama. A four year starter, Jones has played every position on the interior of the offensive line and received national recognition at guard and center. He returned for his senior season rather than go to the NFL and was rewarded with a second SEC Championship and third BCS Championship for his career. Obviously having time on his hands, Jones completed not only his undergraduate degree but also earned a masters degree in accounting.

Defense: CJ Mosley. The unquestioned leader of a stout, no-name, defense. CJ recorded 66 solo tackles during the season. Second place belongs to Trey DePriest who made fewer total tackles [59] than CJ made solo. Mosley's total of 107 tackles included 8 for lost yardage of which 4 were sacks. To this he added 2 interceptions, 2 pass breakups, 4 deflections, 3 hurries and 1 forced fumble.

Special Teams: The easy choice for this recognition in the kicking game would be Jeremy Shelly. He was flawless on 69 of 70 PATs and 11 for 11 on field goals. The only PAT miss was a team miss, and not on the kicker. He is the featured player on a special team that was greatly improved over last year. But my special teams MVP is a player who has been like a block of granite as the foundation of the kicking game. A young man who has endured and overcome more adversity in his college career than the vast majority of his peers.

My Special Teams MVP is Carson Tinker.

Freshman: Amari Cooper made his college football debut in the Michigan game and quickly established himself as a player of incomparable potential. He played in all 14 games and made 59 receptions for 1000 yards and 11 touchdowns. The 2013 Heisman voters may well have a tough choice to make between Cooper and AJ for the recipient of the stiff-armed trophy.

Most Memorable Moments: Here is my Top 10 Memorable Moments. Your list is equally valid, and by limiting the list to only 10 I am necessarily leaving many great moments out:

10. Alabama defeats Michigan to open the season.

9. Eddie Lacy bludgeons UGA's premier safety, Bacari Rambo in the second half of the SEC CG.

8. Jesse Williams knocks ND's star middle linebacker, Manti Te'o, aside with a forearm before pancaking the Irish safety to lead TJ Yeldon into the end zone in the BCS CG.

7. Amari Cooper makes a leaping catch to take away a possible interception, keeping a scoring drive alive against Georgia in the SEC CG.

6. Alabama 49 Auburn 0

5. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix intercepts a tipped pass to snuff out Notre Dame's scoring chance on the opening drive of the second half in the BCS Championship.

4. The Drive Part I: Alabama goes 97 yards on 10 plays in 5:37 to score a TD on its first possession of the second half effectively ending what was left of the BCS CG.

3. The Drive Part II: Alabama gains 72 yards on 5 plays in 0:43 capped off by a TD pass on a screen to TJ Yeldon to come from behind and beat LSU in Baton Rouge.

2. ND Coach Brian Kelly, when asked by ESPN at the end of the first half how the Irish, trailing 28-0, can get back into the game, replies: "I don't know. Maybe Alabama won't come back."

1. The Commissioner celebrates his 60th birthday with his entire family, and 101,000 of his closest friends, at Bryant-Denny Stadium as Alabama beats Western Kentucky University in the 2012 home opener.

It has been a great season and 2013 is not far off. Let's all get ready to travel this fall down the Road To 16!

The Commissioner