All Things Alabama

[Irish#1]

2 Alabama players transferring, including B.J. Emmons | AL.com

processed.

I thought this only happens at ND. Right Koon?

 

[Me2SouthBend]

I thought this only happens at ND. Right Koon?

ND only has 3 star players on the roster that can transfer no 5's.

 

[BobbyMac]

Emmons didn't get processed. He had a significant injury last year and he got behind (maybe even academically) after not being fully ready in spring and from what I've read, still not 100%. He'll probably juco until spring semester (not play, just school like Barnett) and combine train.

Hopefully he goes to Tennessee and stays clear of any NC school on ND's schedule.

 

[Bishop2b5]

Emmons didn't get processed. He had a significant injury last year and he got behind (maybe even academically) after not being fully ready in spring and from what I've read, still not 100%. He'll probably juco until spring semester (not play, just school like Barnett) and combine train.

Hopefully he goes to Tennessee and stays clear of any NC school on ND's schedule.

Agree. Emmons has tons of talent, but the injury and falling so far behind on a depth chart already loaded with top talent made his departure a given. Most expected it to have happened months ago. Robinson leaving was a surprise though. We're already a bit thin at DB and he was expected to be a major contributor as a backup. No idea yet on why he decided to leave.

 

[T Town Tommy]

Agree. Emmons has tons of talent, but the injury and falling so far behind on a depth chart already loaded with top talent made his departure a given. Most expected it to have happened months ago. Robinson leaving was a surprise though. We're already a bit thin at DB and he was expected to be a major contributor as a backup. No idea yet on why he decided to leave.

Robinson left because he said he wanted to head back to South Florida. Good luck to him.

 

[BobbyMac]

Robinson left because he said he wanted to head back to South Florida. Good luck to him.

Starting CB at Freshwater U.

 

[T Town Tommy]

Starting CB at Freshwater U.

Possible but haven't heard that one just yet.

 

[BobbyMac]

Former Bama LB Eryk Anders goes to 8-0 and wins his first fight in the UFC with a KO tonight.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mother of god. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFCLongIsland?src=hash">#UFCLongIsland</a> <a href="https://t.co/7wgZTLV7Mh">pic.twitter.com/7wgZTLV7Mh</a></p>— Jonnyboy (@Jonnyboy_6969) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonnyboy_6969/status/888899491323138048">July 22, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[FDNYIrish1]

That kid is going to be nasty when he gets some experience. Some crazy KO's out there tonight. I have to look up what weight he played at while at Bama

 

[Legacy]

Projected Alabama depth chart heading into fall camp

Interesting player quotes:
Alphonse Taylor, found not guilty of DUI at Alabama, talks Da'Shawn Hand, Nick Saban discipline

 

[BobbyMac]

Projected Alabama depth chart heading into fall camp

Interesting player quotes:
Alphonse Taylor, found not guilty of DUI at Alabama, talks Da'Shawn Hand, Nick Saban discipline

Good to see Irv Jr. doing good.

Notes

Smith broke out during the spring and, by all accounts, has followed that up with a strong summer. He is on track to being a big factor on offense this season. Hentges remains the top blocker of the group. Smith is probably the most complete of the tight ends. And Forristall, while a work in progress as a blocker, has shown that he can be a playmaker in the passing game.

Notable Numbers

— At 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, Smith ran the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds during Alabama’s spring testing. The Louisiana native also bench-pressed 425 pounds, which was tied for best on the team among non-linemen.
— Smith caught three passes for 37 yards during the Tide's spring game. His top gainer was a 34-yard catch-and-run on a pass from Tagovailoa.

<iframe class="twofourseven-embed" style="max-width: 100%" frameborder="0" width="600" height="200" src="http://247sports.com/PlayerSport/Irvin-Smith-at-Brother-Martin-146974/Embed"></iframe><script async src="https://assets.247sports.com/Scripts/SkyNet/Shared/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MNIrishman]

Good to see Irv Jr. doing good.



<iframe class="twofourseven-embed" style="max-width: 100%" frameborder="0" width="600" height="200" src="http://247sports.com/PlayerSport/Irvin-Smith-at-Brother-Martin-146974/Embed"></iframe><script async src="https://assets.247sports.com/Scripts/SkyNet/Shared/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The hell is that expression? Blue Steel?

 

[RDU Irish]

Bama/FSU is a monster first week matchup. Whoever loses will be completely held harmless by season end so I won't gush too hard over their bold scheduling. Good to see them picking up ONE non-conference match up worth talking about though.

 

[RDU Irish]

And I bring it up b/c I just picked up two mid-field tix at face value - boom.

 

[Bishop2b5]

Bama/FSU is a monster first week matchup. Whoever loses will be completely held harmless by season end so I won't gush too hard over their bold scheduling. Good to see them picking up ONE non-conference match up worth talking about though.

We've been scheduling top OOC teams to start the season (or at least very early in the season) throughout Saban's tenure: Michigan, PSU, FSU, Clemson, Wisconsin, VT, and USC. I agree with you that a loss (if competitive) probably won't hurt either team much by season's end. Congrats on the tickets. Enjoy the game.

 

[RDU Irish]

I'll be enjoying the cash infusion from Stubhub - might parlay into actually going to the ND/UGA game though. Screw FSU and Bama - two of my least favorite teams.

And the one early decent match up is more than diluted by the other BS non-conference games they play. Just take the day off if you are going to pull that crap.

 

[Bishop2b5]

And the one early decent match up is more than diluted by the other BS non-conference games they play. Just take the day off if you are going to pull that crap.

Honestly, I've never really understood all the outrage over this issue. As long as a team is facing a strong overall schedule, what difference does it make? Are you playing 12 average teams; 6 great teams and 6 weak teams; or 3 great teams, 8 average teams and 1 weak team? The SOS is about the same.

The cupcake's payday is greater than for any other game of their season and goes a long way to funding their program. Getting a chance to face a major powerhouse on TV is a huge recruiting tool for those programs. For a program like Bama, after facing 8 or 9 brutal games (and usually coming off the LSU game and facing our arch-rival Auburn in 2 weeks), it gives us a breather, a chance to rest some beaten up players, and it gives a lot of developing players a chance to get some game experience. The cupcake's happy, Bama's happy, and our ranking isn't based at all on what we do against such an opponent, so who is hurt and what's the problem?

As long as overall SOS is good, who cares about an "exhibition game" thrown into the mix that benefits all concerned? In fact, our SOS is typically higher than ND's, so I genuinely don't get the emotional reaction to this.

A sample of preseason SOS rankings from the first 4 sources I saw:

UA ND

2017 2 10 (per Bleacher Report)
10 13 (per Athlon)
18 12 (per CBS)
11 22 (per ESPN)

The SOS rankings for the past 10 seasons are all from USA Today/Sagarin

2016 1 38

2015 1 17

2014 2 33

2013 39 30

2012 19 21

2011 15 25

2010 14 22

2009 2 37

2008 28 50

2007 30 24

 

[NDRock]

Honestly, I've never really understood all the outrage over this issue. As long as a team is facing a strong overall schedule, what difference does it make? Are you playing 12 average teams; 6 great teams and 6 weak teams; or 3 great teams, 8 average teams and 1 weak team? The SOS is about the same.

The cupcake's payday is greater than for any other game of their season and goes a long way to funding their program. Getting a chance to face a major powerhouse on TV is a huge recruiting tool for those programs. For a program like Bama, after facing 8 or 9 brutal games (and usually coming off the LSU game and facing our arch-rival Auburn in 2 weeks), it gives us a breather, a chance to rest some beaten up players, and it gives a lot of developing players a chance to get some game experience. The cupcake's happy, Bama's happy, and our ranking isn't based at all on what we do against such an opponent, so who is hurt and what's the problem?

As long as overall SOS is good, who cares about an "exhibition game" thrown into the mix that benefits all concerned? In fact, our SOS is typically higher than ND's, so I genuinely don't get the emotional reaction to this.

A sample of preseason SOS rankings from the first 4 sources I saw:

UA ND

2017 2 10 (per Bleacher Report)
10 13 (per Athlon)
18 12 (per CBS)
11 22 (per ESPN)

The SOS rankings for the past 10 seasons are all from USA Today/Sagarin

2016 1 38

2015 1 17

2014 2 33

2013 39 30

2012 19 21

2011 15 25

2010 14 22

2009 2 37

2008 28 50

2007 30 24

I think Alabama is extremely smart in the way they schedule. Looking at last year's schedule, you can really tell they care about winning and doing what it takes to be elite. They play four O.O.C. games. They usually play their toughest one first (last year it was USC). This gives them a long time to prepare for the game. The 2nd game they play a cupcake (last year W. Kentucky), so even if they have a letdown they will win. This also gives some of the back-ups a chance for game time. Third game is a tough match-up (Ole Miss), followed by another cupcake (Kent State), which gives them another chance to recoup and play some back-ups. Now they've played four games, everyone has had a chance to play and they are ready for the meat of their conference play.

They then had a string of four SEC games before their bye. Of course, the schedule the bye the week before their toughest test (LSU), which is perfect. Then they make sure to schedule their last cupcake right before their biggest rivalry game against Auburn. To me, perfect scheduling to maximize your teams chances. Something ND has not usually done, partly because of our Indpendence.

 

[Bishop2b5]

I think Alabama is extremely smart in the way they schedule. Looking at last year's schedule, you can really tell they care about winning and doing what it takes to be elite. They play four O.O.C. games. They usually play their toughest one first (last year it was USC). This gives them a long time to prepare for the game. The 2nd game they play a cupcake (last year W. Kentucky), so even if they have a letdown they will win. This also gives some of the back-ups a chance for game time. Third game is a tough match-up (Ole Miss), followed by another cupcake (Kent State), which gives them another chance to recoup and play some back-ups. Now they've played four games, everyone has had a chance to play and they are ready for the meat of their conference play.

They then had a string of four SEC games before their bye. Of course, the schedule the bye the week before their toughest test (LSU), which is perfect. Then they make sure to schedule their last cupcake right before their biggest rivalry game against Auburn. To me, perfect scheduling to maximize your teams chances. Something ND has not usually done, partly because of our Indpendence.

I think that's certainly been a factor in our success the past decade: getting a chance to recover, give injured players a break, an easy game early to work out the bugs before starting the conference games, and maybe most importantly long term... get younger players some real game experience.

My only real complaint is when a team schedules almost nothing but patsies, then pats themselves on the back about their "glorious" record (think Ohio St. a few years ago). OTOH, I think almost every major program has had a season or two where they put together a strong schedule, only to have several of their opponents have a down year. Not much you can do about that. Didn't ND have such a season 2 or 3 years ago? I know Bama did in 2013.

 

[NDRock]

I think that's certainly been a factor in our success the past decade: getting a chance to recover, give injured players a break, an easy game early to work out the bugs before starting the conference games, and maybe most importantly long term... get younger players some real game experience.

My only real complaint is when a team schedules almost nothing but patsies, then pats themselves on the back about their "glorious" record (think Ohio St. a few years ago). OTOH, I think almost every major program has had a season or two where they put together a strong schedule, only to have several of their opponents have a down year. Not much you can do about that. Didn't ND have such a season 2 or 3 years ago? I know Bama did in 2013.

Agree that you can only schedule, can't dictate how that team will be. Obviously the schedule has only been one factor in Bama's success. It used to kill ND when we played a bunch of Big 10 teams, and had to play them all at the beginning of the season as the Big 10 would not allow O.O.C. games once their conference play started. Think that has been changed. I believe the rule went into effect after the ND/MSU 1966 classic as it was the same day as OSU/UM and they didn't like it overshadowed their little game.

It used to cause us to have very front loaded schedules, we seem to be moving to a more balanced schedule now that we are with the ACC.

 

[Legacy]

I'll be enjoying the cash infusion from Stubhub - might parlay into actually going to the ND/UGA game though. Screw FSU and Bama - two of my least favorite teams.

And the one early decent match up is more than diluted by the other BS non-conference games they play. Just take the day off if you are going to pull that crap.

Smart business move. BTW I have five shares of Intel which I shall trade for five shares of Google.

 

[NDShark]

Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick saban says he'll catch solar eclipse on TV

Gotta love Saban

 

[Dizzyphil]

Looks like a key player is going to be out. Bama fans going to love this.

FSU's Baveon Johnson, Jauan Williams to miss year with injuries

 

[Bishop2b5]

I thought this was sort of interesting. Saban always brings in speakers throughout the year, but especially during camp. This year, one of the speakers he brought in was Auburn alumni Charles Barkley.

 

[Crazy Balki]

I thought this was sort of interesting. Saban always brings in speakers throughout the year, but especially during camp. This year, one of the speakers he brought in was Auburn alumni Charles Barkley.

Saban and Barkley are pretty good friends. Saban even offered to improve his golf game. Hey, if he can turn that complete dumpster fire that Bama was into what they are now, anything's possible.

 

[Bishop2b5]

Saban and Barkley are pretty good friends. Saban even offered to improve his golf game. Hey, if he can turn that complete dumpster fire that Bama was into what they are now, anything's possible.

I'll have you know that before Saban arrived, we were NOT a dumpster fire. A shit show, a disorganized disaster, a steaming pile of goat feces, a sinking ship, a cluster fuck, and maybe even a comedy of errors, but saying we were a dumpster fire is uncalled for.

Seriously, it's hard to fully grasp just how far into the toilet our program was then and how hard it was for us to imagine it would ever get much better, let alone ever experience being consistently at or near the top again. The prevailing wisdom was that the situation was so toxic and the fan base so hopelessly mired in the past, coupled with unreasonable expectations, that no top coach would be interested in the job. I'll admit I doubted I'd ever see another NC in my lifetime. Love him or hate him, Saban worked a miracle and exceeded our wildest dreams. Still don't think even he can fix Charles' golf game, though.

 

[Andy in Sactown]

I'll have you know that before Saban arrived, we were NOT a dumpster fire. A shit show, a disorganized disaster, a steaming pile of goat feces, a sinking ship, a cluster fuck, and maybe even a comedy of errors, but saying we were a dumpster fire is uncalled for.

Seriously, it's hard to fully grasp just how far into the toilet our program was then and how hard it was for us to imagine it would ever get much better, let alone ever experience being consistently at or near the top again. The prevailing wisdom was that the situation was so toxic and the fan base so hopelessly mired in the past, coupled with unreasonable expectations, that no top coach would be interested in the job. I'll admit I doubted I'd ever see another NC in my lifetime. Love him or hate him, Saban worked a miracle and exceeded our wildest dreams. Still don't think even he can fix Charles' golf game, though.

I'll bet he ca... oh, wait, Charles beat me to it.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

The prevailing wisdom was that the situation was so toxic and the fan base so hopelessly mired in the past, coupled with unreasonable expectations, that no top coach would be interested in the job. I'll admit I doubted I'd ever see another NC in my lifetime.

Too close to home. Remember where you are posting......

 

[Legacy]

Report: Christian Miller, Terrell Lewis Out for the Season:
The Tide won last night, but it was costly. (Miller was their starting SLB, Lewis listed as second string SLB)

Hootie Jones (S) also suffered some sort of shoulder injury and may miss some time, Rashaan Evans (starting WLB) pulled a groin (not serious), and Anfernee Jennings (starting Jack LB) sprained an ankle. All may miss some games.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Report: Christian Miller, Terrell Lewis Out for the Season:
The Tide won last night, but it was costly. (Miller was their starting SLB, Lewis listed as second string SLB)

Hootie Jones (S) also suffered some sort of shoulder injury and may miss some time, Rashaan Evans (starting WLB) pulled a groin (not serious), and Anfernee Jennings (starting Jack LB) sprained an ankle. All may miss some games.

Team doctors: Coach, were gonna be down a few guys moving forward

Saban: That's not how I see it