montgomeryadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:
1.03.2007

A couple things, 1/3

Hey everyone. I just returned home from the Cotton Bowl. What an experience. The people who run that bowl know how to handle business. The actual Cotton Bowl stadium ain't much, but everything else associated with that bowl is first-class, blow-you-away kind of stuff.

I hope they handle my funeral someday. I'll actually feel important.

To business:
  • Nick Saban is in at Alabama for $32 million, which is nuts. This is the college football equivalent of Alex Rodriguez's $252-million deal signed in 2000. The Rangers offered $25 mil per year. The next highest bidder was around $18 mil. What Alabama accomplished Wednesday, much as Texas owner Tom Hicks did six years ago, came with a price tag that is financially irresponsible. Athletic directors everywhere are fuming; agents are smiling.
  • With that said, it's a brilliant hire for Alabama. Saban is one of the elite college coaches in the country (only Pete Carroll and Jim Tressel are in that group right now) and the Tide needed someone special to get things moving. They overpaid, but this is the guy they needed.
  • Auburn D.C. Will Muschamp is NOT going to Alabama with Saban. The end.
  • Before everyone starts predicting championships from Saban, though, remember that these retread-coach stories don't always end with major success. Steve Spurrier is an excellent offensive coach. His teams at South Carolina are good but not great. I don't see that changing. He'll go 8-4 or 9-3 most of the time. Bill Walsh wasn't very good at Stanford in the 1990s. Joe Gibbs isn't excelling in the NFL. I'm not knocking Saban. I'm just saying success isn't guaranteed.
  • Just for the record, I think Tuberville is in that second group of coaches on the national scale. He's joined by Urban Meyer, Lloyd Carr, Bob Stoops and Les Miles. I know. A lot of you don't think Miles is a star, but I believe it. Before you ask: I'm a graudate of U. Kentucky and Transylvania (Ky.) University.
  • I was impressed with the game Auburn DT Pat Sims played in the Cotton Bowl. He hustled the whole time, which isn't something you always see out of him. If he could play with more consistency, Sims could be an All-SEC player next season. Having Sims and Sen'Derrick Marks together at tackle is a really nice 1-2 for the Tigers.
  • WR commitment Chris Slaughter is going to be a star. Remember me saying this.
  • While I'm making factually baseless guesses about people, let me add another. Muschamp is going to build a top-rated defense at Auburn during the next two years. As he gathers the linebackers and defensive linemen he really needs to run that defense, the Tigers will become one of the five best NCAA defenses. Book it. All this internet chatter about how Muschamp is in over his head is laughable. The team had some problems this season. He wasn't one of them.
  • I hated hearing Finebaum trashing Bill Curry on the air today. Great coach? No. A complete and total loser? That's not true and it's the wrong thing to say about someone. Paul Finebaum is a gentleman in person. I don't understand what happens when the mic goes live.
  • Hearing the Alabama fans chant at Tuscaloosa Regional Airport this afternoon was hilarious on so many levels. For the record: I'd say that about Washington State or Florida State or Maryland fans just the same. There are fans. There are die-hards. Then there are the people who go to airports to welcome coaches. God bless those people. They make sports fun.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home


follow me on Twitter

• THE RING OF FIRE •
INAUGURAL CLASS
Phormerly Phred
Scottie B. in Tennessee
crudup
Hoopie
Ron Mexico
hip-hopanonymous
AUnMobilz
Sullivan013
Scott from Tucson
scottatl
jhag **FRANCHISE PLAYER**

CLASS OF 2008
Peter Frankenschmidt
Mr. Sensible
WarEagleRK

CLASS OF 2009
eddie4au
FakeSteveJobs (aka FSJ)
AUBigCat
michael
Steve from Columbia (aka SteveFC)
kristina
Jet

WHERE EAGLES SOAR
AUFan365 was Larry Bailey, 1948-2010

FEELING THE HEAT
WarEagleGirl
TarHeelTiger
Kathy
D. Miller
Dear Leader
j-z
Norm
digger4au
Harrison
LuvAU1968
cincytiger
mytommyd (is supposed to be mrtommyd)
ehyoutiger
wtc
IV
wakeriderof87
Sean
Scott Chocolate
NoVaTiger
Taylor
BinOBA
wes
Aeronaut
chip chip
Spongeworthy
Loganville Tiger
E-Bro
Ephemeral
au1n04
FearlessFreep
coosa
bear82
wartiger
patdyeswildturkey
atlantatiger
JD the Biscuitator
shesaid
depressedAUfan
dnatl

NOTABLE NEWCOMERS
Cousin Humpers = Bammers (aka CH=B)
dan dan the AU fan
bellefay1
API
Jay 'W. not Tate'
missinit
Craig Miller
AU1292
MLF
Comm'r of Flesh Wounds
Stupup74
61northak
Jimmy
bigdaddy334
Secondaid
Andrew
SCoats
astatguy
Jason Crawford
paulmain
Lowcountry Tiger
BigEZ
Will
WDCWE

MY PEEPS
Wifey
cpf
GritzNGravy
roundtable
Josh_Moon
MrsFrontRim & FrontRim
ChuckCrim
troyznoiz

FIRST DOCUMENTED POSTER
Buck

BANHAMMERED
Hamburglar
ROLLTIDEROLL
hairydawg
DavidOku
Jay_G (an impostor)
WarEagleogDotCom

Powered by Blogger

Subscribe to
Posts [Atom]

Advertisement