Why the NCAA needs a new rule regarding substitutions...

Balance is the key to college football...

     It seems to me that the offenses in college football pretty much have an edge over most defenses even before all this HUNH sense. Every play was a conspiracy about how to beat the defense and gain an edge. I mean, the defense quite literally had no idea what was coming their way most of the time.  For those of you who are not old enough to remember the wishbone in its being, there were those who thought no defense could ever stop the formation. HUNH might have its day in the sunshine but like the wishbone.

     I listened to Hugh Freeze on Paul's show the other day and he admitted it was a way to try to beat teams with better talent. For all of those who love the HUNH its pretty much an admission that your team can't play on a level playing field. You need an edge. It's not exactly like cheating but it's close. For those who say that defenses need to be in better shape you could just as easily say "recruit better" you losers. If it takes trickery and chicanery to win you must be pretty desperate. That's precisely what this is all about. It's about schools who can't cut the mustard on the recruiting trail, merely wanting a shortcut. I'm sorry that Auburn believes there program is inferior to Alabama. The historical truth is that most programs, if not all, are inferior to Alabama. Alabama didn't get to the place they earned by taking shortcuts. They earned it by going to places and beating teams when the nation believed that  Southern football was second rate. The Tide went up on the East Coast and played Penn who was the undisputed powerhouse in college football. They beat 'em. Then the Tide and other Southern teams beat West Coast teams so often the PAC Conference wouldn't allow those rednecks to play. Whether Auburn likes it or not, the Alabama Crimson Tide gave Auburn as chance to have a decent football program. That's not speculation. It's a historical fact.

     Here we are nine decades later and Auburn is still trying to match the Tide. They can't do it for a lot of reasons. Finally it took a coach who understood that truth and bevies up this gimmick offense.  Programs like Auburn, Ole Miss, and Oregon who are not generally considered national powers want to use an offense that college football never envisioned. Now, let me say that they aren't cheating. There is no rule, at least not yet, that says you can't play an offense without a huddle. So to say that these schools cheat by violating the rules isn't true. What they are doing is far worse than that - they are violating the very essence of college football. The huddle and the anticipation of the next play are an inherent part of the college game.  I'm sure if more plays are run you can score more often. I'm also sure more players will be injured. That's just common sense. What are the chances of a player being hurt on one play? Not much. What are the chances of a player being hurt in a 75 plays? Certainly, its  more. But I do think that people who argue the injury factor are just blowing hot air to some degree.  That horse left the barn when 15 games are year could be played. Let's not be hypocritical and argue player safety as the main reason to make a rule. The main problems is competitive fairness.

    I'd think that what most fans want is for the best 22 players to be on the field at any given time to decide who has the better team. The HUNH bunch don't believe that however. I can't blame  them. Everyone wants to win.  It seems only fair that both teams have a chance to get their best players in any given situation on the field. But some teams know they can't win that way so they will naturally try other ways. I don't blame Gus in doing what he is doing. At least he is admitting he can't man up with Alabama year in and year out. I recognize that Alabama lost to Auburn. No sour grapes from me on that one. The reason Auburn beat Alabama is that the Alabama field goal kicker had a terrible night. That's it. It wasn't the AU offense that beat Alabama. It was Alabama's kicking game that beat Alabama. In general, I don't really like high scoring football games as much as I do a defensive last man standing affair. Auburn and the others will do what they think will benefit them. They are sort sighted however.

    When the three point shot in basketball started I was concerned. It was my belief it would hurt college basketball. Instead of fundamentals, teams could rely on shooting alone. The three opened up the inside which was what the rule intended. There were only so many great big men around, but a lot of shooters. We then entered an era of slam dunk heaven. ESPN focused on the dunks, and players got even weaker on fundamentals. Everyone wanted to flush one. If you couldn't be a member of fly slamma jamma, then you wanted to shoot the three. And that's where basketball is today. Dunking and bombing are skills, of course. But they are not fundamental skills in basketball.  They are the bastard children of a bad rule. I'm sure that the same will occur with the HUNH offense. Here's my hunch about what will happen.  Quarterbacks will not have NFL  skills like in the past decades. The hurry up offense doesn't produce the  type quarterback you need in the NFL. All the emphasis will switch to the offense  I mean, why play defense when you have a hard time stopping the scoring? Let's just score more. The game of football has always been about balance. Why shouldn't the defense be allowed to substitute unless the offense subs? That rule was made to keep a certain balance on the field. Why give the offense a further advantage? It doesn't make sense. Will this proposed rule happen? It in the near future. If not this season then the next. Why?  Who wants to see Baylor or Texas Tech win a national championship?  Certainly not the NCAA and ESPN.  ESPN probably loves all this scoring. But when second rate teams starting playing for and winning national championships things will change. When TV ratings hit the bottom of the barrel we'll see some balance restored. Would you rather see Alabama and Southern Cal play for a national championship or two teams that you can't remember the conference they are from?

    In the long run talent generally wins. Has a HUNH team ever won a national championship?  The reason that the hurry up is being used is to cover up inferior talent. Do you think players are not going to catch on that the NFL doesn't want to see people run for hundreds of yards against a dog tired defense? What Auburn did last season was remarkable. Take nothing away from the Tigers. I suspect that their second time  around the SEC might not be as much fun. Defenses adapt. But it may take some type of rule to allow the offenses not to overwhelm defenses, and change the essence of college football.

What if Grant returns...

Tide should be much improved regardless...

    

  Truthfully, none of us know if Anthony Grant will return next. I've been told he is coming back. Everything seems to be subject to change in college sports though.  One thing will be clear - next season we will have enough talent to a lot of games. It won't be easy replacing Releford.  Players like him are rare. Give Justin Coleman some time and he'll prove to be a more than worthy replacement. However; he won't be Trevor. We might never see a point guard with his skill set again in Tuscaloosa.

     So for the sake of argument lets say that Grant does return next season. What can we expect? I don't think we'll be an Elite Eight team but we might make it through a couple of NCAA rounds if a couple of things go right. There are three areas that the Tide will have to address to become an NCAA player again.

1.  Justin Coleman can speed up the winning process if he can adjust to Division One ball. He has the talent. He has the foot speed, the ability to shoot well and score. They aren't the same. He can break the press. He is a wizard with the ball. He sometimes gets a little out of control, but players like Coleman always push their limits. You can back off some much easier than speed it up.

2.  Alabama needs to shoot a higher percentage from the outside.  Releford has been better than good, and Cooper has shown signs of life lately. No other Tide player is an outside threat. Norris, Mitchell, and Coleman are all threats. They are all big time threats. Mitchell is downright scary, and Norris won't find many players or zones he can't shoot over. Coleman will pull up on the break and shoot the three with accuracy. If all three adjust quickly it will be the first time that Alabama will have four big time shooters on the floor at the same time.

3.  Will Michael Kessens be the answer inside?  The short answer is yes because our inside game is so weak right now, almost anyone would be an improvement.  Kessens can play with his back  to the basket. Or he can show some decent range outside facing the basket. But, he's only 215 or so and is really a power. The icing on the cake would be that Taylor will get much stronger and find some type of drop step shot. Kessens could move down to the power forward.  My bet is that Jacobs be the first big off the bench if Taylor doesn't really improve. Otherwise Kessens may be forced to play the post.

      As with any team there are some sub-plots. What is going with Levi Randolph and Rodney Cooper?  Stated above it seems that Copper may be coming out of his funk. He has been steady under boards this season but his shooting has been woeful at times. Who knows what to say about Randolph. He no longer starts, he is tentative, and makes a ton of mental errors. Is his benching some type of message? I don't think there has been talk of that but you have to wonder. His defense has suffered as well.

     Sub-plot two is how is Grant going to alter his defense next season. (and all college coaches for that matter) The new rule regarding getting a little close to your friends has killed the Tide's perimeter defense. Lately, the Tide has been playing a pretty good zone defense. If this rule is going to stay the same a lot more teams will go zone and outside shooting will be even more important. Scoring is up 8% all over the NCAA. That's one reason why Alabama's allowing more points. The other reason is that the interior defense isn't as good. Taylor is changing that. Florida couldn't beat the Tide inside when they had the ball so they had to resort to the three ball. Imagine how it would effect Tide opponents if Alabama could shoot the ball as well as Florida. Alabama played Florida to a draw in the first half. The got beat by less than ten on a top three home  floor. I still believe that Grant is a first rate coach. If you can't recruit what good does that matter?  Better players are coming but the Tide hasn't found a inside banger in my opinion.That's why the loss of William Lee to UAB was such a perceived loss.

A GRATEFUL YOUNG MAN...

D.J. PETTWAY MAKES A STATEMENT...

      I don't know Pettway. Never shook his hand. I'm not even sure I would recognize him if I saw him. But I think his statements of late about coming back to Alabama speak volumes about his character. I have no idea exactly what he did a year ago or why. That was then and this is now.

    What Pettway did was obviously wrong. What Pettway had to endure to get back to Alabama would make a great movie. Have you ever seen a person so sincere and remorseful about an event that almost ruined his life? Pettway has undergone quite a transformation due to an encounter with heavenly remorse. I'm not talking church here. I'm not even talking about faith. I'm talking about what happens when a person understands the difference in getting caught and feeling that type of remorse, and the other kind. You know the kind that causes a man to look in the mirror and find the culprit of all his problems. When Pettway is finally able to tell his story I bet he'll say something about the ability to be the man he is today wasn't possible  without staring down the person he once was. His story is one of the most poignant stories I've read in a long time. I bet this man turns out to be a leader and winner both on and off the gridiron.

   Sometimes a second chance is the greatest gift a person can receive in life. You can waste that chance or do what Pettway did. I admire him for that. We all should. No person is unworthy of redemption. I hope I get to meet  him one day.