Jan 7 | BCS National Championship | Alabama

[GoldenIsThyFame]

If I'm a Bama fan I think so. There is a reason Jones moved from Tackle to Center. Obviously going into this year the Center position was not as strong as the tackle position. I'm sure who ever would take Jones place at Center probably isn't that good or that polished yet.

Apparently he is pretty good just inexperienced. Thus the conundrum.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

Ryan Kelly is the RS freshman back up.. I think he was rated #6 C by rivals. Certainly looks the part and has gotten praised in camp recently, but I wouldn't expect anything less with the possibility of having to replace BJ in the natty.

 

[WakeUpEchoes]

@KevinScarbinsky: Rex Jones on Smashmouth: ND NG Louis Nix is a great player but no different from players Barrett has faced every week in the SEC.

That's so funny. I mean it's his pops so whatever. No big deal.

 

[Bishop2b5]

Do you want Jones out there if he is less than 75%? It seems highly likely that he will not be 100% at this point.

Probably not, but I don't expect that to be the case. He played most of the SECCG with the injury, endured the pain, and was very effective. I think he's probably in much better shape now in regards to the injury than he was then, the time away from practice and the boot are mostly precautionary, and what pain there still is he will simply deal with. If he can't and he's not effective, then we'll see what the RS freshman can do.

 

[koonja]

Scott Van Pelt ‏@notthefakeSVP

Dear SEC men, you can call it a "shaker" all you want...you're still a dude waving a pom pom.

 

[GoldenDomes]

Go Irish !!!

 

[chicago51]

Go Irish !!!

Reps

 

[phork]

Ugh I am so tired of being told "You will do this, and you will do that". Guess what? Its nothing new to us. We have been hearing that crap all year long, and all year long we've proven the "experts" wrong. Don't expect us to wilt like Western Carolina. We'll stuff your run and cover your WRs, since your WR corps is maybe the 4th best we've faced this year?

I am happy that you are confident in your team, but please don't be arrogant. This isn't ND from 2000s OregonSt or 2005s LSU *** whoopin.

 

[chicago51]

Miracle - Coach Brooks Addresses Team Pre Game - YouTube

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vwpTj_Z9v-c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

This gets me fired up.

I did a Kelly version:

Kelly: Great moments... are born from great opportunity. And that's what you have here, tonight, boys. That's what you've earned here tonight. One game.

An SEC team may have won the championship the last 6 times. But not this game. Not tonight. Tonight, we hit with them. Tonight, we stay with them. And we shut them down because we can! (Points to Te'o and Nix)

Tonight, WE are the greatest college football team in the nation. You were born to be football players. Every one of you. And you were meant to be here tonight. This is your time. Their time is done. It's over. I'm sick and tired of hearing about what a great football team the Alabama has. Screw 'em! This is your time! Now go out there and take it!

 

[tko]

Miracle - Coach Brooks Addresses Team Pre Game - YouTube

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vwpTj_Z9v-c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

This gets me fired up.

I did a Kelly version:

Kelly: Great moments... are born from great opportunity. And that's what you have here, tonight, boys. That's what you've earned here tonight. One game.

An SEC team may have won the championship the last 6 times. But not this game. Not tonight. Tonight, we hit with them. Tonight, we stay with them. And we shut them down because we can! (Points to Te'o and Nix)

Tonight, WE are the greatest college football team in the nation. You were born to be football players. Every one of you. And you were meant to be here tonight. This is your time. Their time is done. It's over. I'm sick and tired of hearing about what a great football team the Alabama has. Screw 'em! This is your time! Now go out there and take it!

have to say "reps" b/c i can't give you any more.

 

[chicago51]

Quality Bump

Taking a cue from who is likely next thread. Seeing how BCS Championship thread was knocked off front page I figured I would bump it up.

 

[Rocky2820]

Miracle - Coach Brooks Addresses Team Pre Game - YouTube

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vwpTj_Z9v-c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

This gets me fired up.

I did a Kelly version:

Kelly: Great moments... are born from great opportunity. And that's what you have here, tonight, boys. That's what you've earned here tonight. One game.

An SEC team may have won the championship the last 6 times. But not this game. Not tonight. Tonight, we hit with them. Tonight, we stay with them. And we shut them down because we can! (Points to Te'o and Nix)

Tonight, WE are the greatest college football team in the nation. You were born to be football players. Every one of you. And you were meant to be here tonight. This is your time. Their time is done. It's over. I'm sick and tired of hearing about what a great football team the Alabama has. Screw 'em! This is your time! Now go out there and take it!

Too funny, man. Just the other night I was wasting time on youtube and starting going through a bunch of clips from Remember the Titans. When I saw this one, I couldn't help but envision BK saying this in the locker room: “You make sure… they remember… forever… the night they played the Irish.”

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/el5QXV-W5_g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Bishop2b5]

Ugh I am so tired of being told "You will do this, and you will do that". Guess what? Its nothing new to us. We have been hearing that crap all year long, and all year long we've proven the "experts" wrong. Don't expect us to wilt like Western Carolina. We'll stuff your run and cover your WRs, since your WR corps is maybe the 4th best we've faced this year?

I am happy that you are confident in your team, but please don't be arrogant. This isn't ND from 2000s OregonSt or 2005s LSU *** whoopin.

Umm, you did notice that I said fatigue would be a factor for both sides and that I believed both teams will probably be exhausted late in such an intense game, didn't you?

 

[johnnykillz]

I think Bishop is alluding us to believe Bama is blood doping.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Umm, you did notice that I said fatigue would be a factor for both sides and that I believed both teams will probably be exhausted late in such an intense game, didn't you?

I saw your original post, and no, I didn't get that from your post, either. Also, I don't think you have it right. ND plays lines like the Red Wings, (or the Blackhawks.) And they change the front. And they play a lot more two gap. So there is really no comparison between the two teams defenses. AL offense versus ND's defensive line comes down to Jon-s against Nix; (I left the "e" out because he is limit-e-d, to such a gr-e-at d-e-gr-e-e!)

I know that everyone says how much deeper Alabama is, but I think if you look at the production from Williams, Day, Schwenke, Springman, etc. I don't see it it this oh so critical area.

I don't see Alabama as the best conditioned team in college football, either.

And for general Alabama points. Thanks for sharing your collective opinion of how mediocre Nix is. Nix is Te'o's bread and butter, and he thinks Nix is the best.

 

[Bishop2b5]

I think Bishop is alluding us to believe Bama is blood doping.

Now that I have no knowledge of one way or the other. Definitely seems like something Saban wouldn't tolerate though. Only thing I can tell you is that he kicked a projected starter at DB off the team a couple of years ago for testing positive for steroids, and none of our players have suddenly added an excessive amount of muscle mass in a short time, which is the most obvious sign of PED use.

 

[Bishop2b5]

I saw your original post, and no, I didn't get that from your post, either.

I know that everyone says how much deeper Alabama is, but I think if you look at the production from Williams, Day, Schwenke, Springman, etc. I don't see it it this oh so critical area.

I don't see Alabama as the best conditioned team in college football, either.

And for general Alabama points. Thanks for sharing your collective opinion of how mediocre Nix is. Nix is Te'o's bread and butter, and he thinks Nix is the best.

For assuming you were referring to my post, we all know what happens when we assume. Mea culpa.

As for me saying we are so much deeper than you, I haven't. I believe we are deeper, but not exceedingly so. Saban's had 5 years of top-3 classes to stockpile depth. Kelly hasn't had that much time yet. You have very good depth, but ours is a probably a little better. Will that be a factor next week? Who knows. Both teams are in very good condition, but this is going to be a tough, intense game and both teams will go through a lot of players and still be tired by the end.

As for me saying Nix is mediocre, you have me confused with someone else. I've never mentioned him at all, directly or indirectly. From what I've seen though, he looks like an outstanding player and will be a huge challenge for us to deal with.

 

[chicago51]

For assuming you were referring to my post, we all know what happens when we assume. Mea culpa.

As for me saying we are so much deeper than you, I haven't. I believe we are deeper, but not exceedingly so. Saban's had 5 years of top-3 classes to stockpile depth. Kelly hasn't had that much time yet. You have very good depth, but ours is a probably a little better. Will that be a factor next week? Who knows. Both teams are in very good condition, but this is going to be a tough, intense game and both teams will go through a lot of players and still be tired by the end.

As for me saying Nix is mediocre, you have me confused with someone else. I've never mentioned him at all, directly or indirectly. From what I've seen though, he looks like an outstanding player and will be a huge challenge for us to deal with.

Last time I checked you can only play 11 at a time. So if Alabama is 3 deep at every position and ND is 2 deep at every position. What is the difference? It is not like number 3s are going to decide the outcome. It is going to be the starters and the 2nd wavers that matter not some dude at the end of the bench.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

For assuming you were referring to my post, we all know what happens when we assume. Mea culpa.

As for me saying we are so much deeper than you, I haven't. I believe we are deeper, but not exceedingly so. Saban's had 5 years of top-3 classes to stockpile depth. Kelly hasn't had that much time yet. You have very good depth, but ours is a probably a little better. Will that be a factor next week? Who knows. Both teams are in very good condition, but this is going to be a tough, intense game and both teams will go through a lot of players and still be tired by the end.

As for me saying Nix is mediocre, you have me confused with someone else. I've never mentioned him at all, directly or indirectly. From what I've seen though, he looks like an outstanding player and will be a huge challenge for us to deal with.

Just adding a bunch in the grab bag, so the last wasn't pointed at you:

And for general Alabama points. Thanks for sharing your collective opinion of how mediocre Nix is. Nix is Te'o's bread and butter, and he thinks Nix is the best.

As far as the rest, I realize Al is deeper than ND. I was just trying to point out where ND manufactured depth; at the one place that was the most important.

 

[sfk324]

I didn't see this posted anywhere yet. They still don't know when/if Jones will practice again. It looks like it has been moved back to at least Thursday.

Scout.com: Barrett Jones Has Done All Asked

 

[gcashwell]

I didn't see this posted anywhere yet. They still don't know when/if Jones will practice again. It looks like it has been moved back to at least Thursday.

Scout.com: Barrett Jones Has Done All Asked

He is a true student athlete.

The main mismatch concern I have is Eifert. I don't think Bama has anybody that can handle him. He could very well be what ND needs to win.

Having Blake Sims on the scout team will help AL prepare for Golson.

 

[Buster Bluth]

I didn't see this posted anywhere yet. They still don't know when/if Jones will practice again. It looks like it has been moved back to at least Thursday.

Scout.com: Barrett Jones Has Done All Asked

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Jones faced four outstanding DT teams during the season [hardly every week and with major schedule gaps except for MissState/LSU] and none as good as Lou and none on one injured leg. Amazing the delirium of unknowlegdeable bonehead fans.

They are going to be sorely mistaken if they believe Lou is just another big DT, and nothing special. Fine with me, 9 will be ready to serve up some crow.

 

[phork]

ESS EEE SEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[NDinL.A.]

*** Regarding Jones, I remember talking to CoachD (of ISD... a dude that REALLY knows his stuff), before the Pitt gam, and I asked him about what I personally believed what to that point was a slightly disappointing year for Cave (I think his play picked up since I talked to CoachD...read into that however you want. I'm not saying I should be Heistand's asst, I'm just sayin'.), and he talked about how devastating foot injuries are for offensive linemen, and he thought that Cave was still suffering a bit from that, that Cave wasn't moving as well as he was before the injury, and that those take a long time to heal for some people.

Now, whether or not that was true about Cave, nobody knows. But when I heard about Jones' injury, I thought about that conversation with CoachD. And if what he says is true, I think Jones is going to have a helluva time dealing with IrishChocolate without enough time to heal. Just ask Kaled (sp) Holmes of USC, who got DEMOLISHED by Nix in the 2nd half of the USC game. You cannot play on a bad wheel and snap the ball and protect the QB against many college nose tackles, but it's suicide to do so against one of the top nose tackles in college football.

I get that Bama fans are downplaying the significance of the injury, and he'll, I'd probably be doing it as we'll if I were in their shoes. But they should be VERY worried that Jones isnt practicing yet...

 

[Old Man Mike]

Well, despite subconsciously hoping for some unusual advantage in this game [like a great player operating at much lower than normal proficiency], I remember this:

WAY BACK in the days when Frank Beamer was playing DBack for VT, my brother was the Right Guard starter on the O-Line. Over the course of the season he had succeeded in breaking the connection between the bones in his right big toe [a power pressure point on initial thrust blocking off-tackle runs, which were the VT staple then]. The team was successful and was invited to Atlanta for the Peach Bowl --- I think that was the one; my brother played in two bowl games.

There was no way that he was not going to play that game and play it full out. A lot of clever pain-killing injection down there and despite the still-severely barking shots and he knocked the slobber out of the opponent's DTs all game [He was one of the game captains and a leader similar to Jones]. He played the game like a wild man, and really paid for it during the next couple of weeks. I am placing my money that Barrett Jones is the same kind of guy, with probably cleverer doctors than VT had in the 60s.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

Well, despite subconsciously hoping for some unusual advantage in this game [like a great player operating at much lower than normal proficiency], I remember this:

WAY BACK in the days when Frank Beamer was playing DBack for VT, my brother was the Right Guard starter on the O-Line. Over the course of the season he had succeeded in breaking the connection between the bones in his right big toe [a power pressure point on initial thrust blocking off-tackle runs, which were the VT staple then]. The team was successful and was invited to Atlanta for the Peach Bowl --- I think that was the one; my brother played in two bowl games.

There was no way that he was not going to play that game and play it full out. A lot of clever pain-killing injection down there and despite the still-severely barking shots and he knocked the slobber out of the opponent's DTs all game [He was one of the game captains and a leader similar to Jones]. He played the game like a wild man, and really paid for it during the next couple of weeks. I am placing my money that Barrett Jones is the same kind of guy, with probably cleverer doctors than VT had in the 60s.

Love the insight OMM.

Can they give college kids cortisone shots? It usually takes about 2 weeks after of non activity to evaluate the effects...

 

[Irish#1]

Ugh I am so tired of being told "You will do this, and you will do that". Guess what? Its nothing new to us. We have been hearing that crap all year long, and all year long we've proven the "experts" wrong. Don't expect us to wilt like Western Carolina. We'll stuff your run and cover your WRs, since your WR corps is maybe the 4th best we've faced this year?

I am happy that you are confident in your team, but please don't be arrogant. This isn't ND from 2000s OregonSt or 2005s LSU *** whoopin.

but this is Bama,

 

[Irish#1]

Umm, you did notice that I said fatigue would be a factor for both sides and that I believed both teams will probably be exhausted late in such an intense game, didn't you?

You did but you dismiss the conditioning of the Irish as being less then the Tides, plus the D rotates the line and at LB so I don't see this D wearing down anywhere near the rate of Bama's other opponents.

 

[Cackalacky]

You did but you dismiss the conditioning of the Irish as being less then the Tides, plus the D rotates the line and at LB so I don't see this D wearing down anywhere near the rate of Bama's other opponents.

I have a feeling Bama fans might be underestimating a lot of NDs attributes.