Tide better be ready or they can lose...

Texas A&M is on a roll...

     Behind all the hype and swooning over Johnny Football it is important to remember TAM has a great football team. Ask Auburn and Mississippi State just how good the Aggies are this year. Not all of this success is due to a kid that was recruited by most schools as a safety. Alabama will be prepared for Johnny Manziel. Being prepared and being successful are two different things. I'm not sure how you prepare for a firefly with turboboosters. This young man is the most exciting player in the SEC. He may not be the best player in the SEC but man is he fun to watch.  I think Kirby Smart will play Manziel with containment in mind and force #2 to beat his players through the air. TAM is going to have some success against Alabama. This isn't going to be a 21-0 beatdown like the Tide put on LSU last season. Never sell Saban and Smart short. They'll have something for the freshman to look and wonder what the heck are they doing.

 

How tired is Alabama?

 

      Once again the Tide is forced to play a team with a week off. Does everyone take a vacation the week before Alabama? It seems like it. The SEC needs to address this real problem. It may be a designed effort to level the playing field. If so, it hasn't worked. A lot has been made of the how hard the defense had to play against LSU. More has been made of the number of plays the Tide was forced to play last week. Both observations are true, but Alabama has so much depth on defense  they were able to rotate a lot of players on and off the field. The best defense that Alabama has this weekend will be their offense in my opinion. Expect the Tide to pound the Aggies time and time again. Look for AJ McCarron to throw the wide out screen to spread out Aggie defense. All things considered this is going to be a game where the runnng backs for Alabama are going to get a lot more carries than usual. Manziel can't beat you sitting by the fan on the sideline. Bama needs to control the line of scrimmage and control the clock. That's my opinion. It could be wrong but it seems logical. One thing is certain - the Alabama offense didn't exactly wear itself down against LSU. So the Tide offense may end up being the best defense of the game. Long and sustained drives are key. Keep that clock running. I believe that TAM's defense isn't up to the task of stopping the Tide offense, particularly the run game.

 

Bama should win this game...

 

      Last weekend Alabama fans were confident of a Tide win. Bama won but it wasn't easy and it took a brilliant drive at the end of the game to do so. This weekend it appears that Tide fans are a little less confident. No one expected TAM to be this good. Of course, no one knew Johnny Football then. This kid is the most instinctive quarterback I've ever seen. He doesn't seem to plan anything. He just does everything needed to do. Alabama is not likely to rush pass the TAM signal caller. They will push, build a defensive wall, and make him throw. It is going to be similiar game plan Bama used against LSU last season when Jefferson was playing. The only difference is that Jefferson isn't in the same league as Manziel. Texas A & M has a great offensive line with at least two players who will play in NFL. We need to be realistic however. TAM is likely to move the and score some points. Scoring some points is okay. Scoring points in bunches isn't okay, but I don't think that is likely.

     If Bama wins this weekend there is no one left on the regular season who can beat them. You look at the SEC East and I don't see anyone who can beat them. This weekend might be a preview about how the Tide will fare against a team like the Oregon Ducks.

Bama by 17.

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