SEC OPINIONS - Football is more than a game in the Deep South

ALABAMA GAVE BIRTH TO SOUTHERN FOOTBALL....

Every team in the Deep South owes
Alabama a great deal...



   

Bama beats mighty Penn 9-7

    The new playoff system games kick off this Thursday.  Alabama is one of the four teams. So what else is new? Regardless of what national pundits want to say or even believe, there is always Alabama at the forefront. Alabama again. Alabama again and again. I suspect it will be Alabama forever. Some things are simply cast in stone. Alabama’s presence in the race for another national championship seems cast something even more lasting.  College football is the Deep South’s contribution to excellence in sports. The love of football lives deep in the hearts of all Southerners. The entire South has Alabama to thank for that love.

      To understand the importance of football in the South you must first know about its birth.We live in a section of America that has been treated almost like a third world country.  We were the butt of jokes regarding ignorance, poverty, and lack of indoor plumping. Southern Americans are not ignorant, we are not exactly rich, but we are not all poor, and we all have indoor plumbing. We aren’t cosmopolitan in any manner. We are very sophisticated in the structure of our society, along with its rules regarding courtesy, kindness, and respecting the understanding of what is morally right and wrong. Most of us fall on the right side of what is moral. Sure, we have a minority of people who are still bigots, racists, retrogressive, and to hold to some of the trappings of a time long past.  We are changing as a culture, but still hang on to those things which we value as important from the past.

   

West Coast Sports writers called Alabama's Johnny Mack Brown
 as "slippery as an eel." The Tide beat Washington.

  Football is one of those things. When the South was considered a haven for rednecks and crackers, we had football to separate us from the rest of the nation. It took some time for the rest of America to understand that Southern Americans played the best football. Those early players in the 1900’s proved that the South could lead the nation in something.   Football  superiority started with what is now the Ivy League. Anyone with a lick of sense knew that a poor white kid from the Deep South could whip the living snot out of some kid born with a silver spoon in his mouth.  The South had been kicked in the rear end after the War between the States. Football was one thing which was played in an area where rules existed for the wealthy and the poor. The football gridiron was one place in our society where we were all literally equal. It took some doing to get our foot in the door. When the door was cracked just a little, a storm of swamp rabbits and cotton pickers took that opportunity to show the rest of America that the South belonged. Today, we all take pride in the SEC and it’s football superiority. That started in the early part of the 20^th century,  and every team in the Deep South can thank the Alabama Crimson Tide for making that happen. How did that happen? Well, first you  have to understand that the South had been beaten down more often than a drunk Irish prize fighter. Except, we just wouldn’t stay down. Something inside of the Southern character continued to fight back. Maybe it was born on the battlefields of Gettysburg. When the rebel yell exploded before a battle, the Yankees cringed in their fortifications.  It takes more than a little courage to scream like a banshee and then get killed. I think Southerners still have that attitude. What better place to express such bedrock courage than on a football field.

Alabama fans welcome 1926 national champs home in Tuscaloosa

     All Alabama fans have an understanding of the first Crimson and White team that played in the Rose Bowl. That was 1926, but in 1922 and equally important game occurred back East. The Tide traveled to play the Penn Quakers. At this time Southern Football was a distant third to Eastern and Western Football. Alabama pulled off a 9-7 win over Penn. 
No longer could the Southern brand of football be ignored. That win rocked the East Coast in general, and the Ivy League in particular. Alabama followed that monumental win by going to Pasadena and beating Washington tea in what was then considered the biggest upset in college football history. I have often wondered if those young men who went to Philadelphia and Pasadena had any idea of what they were contributing to the Deep South. The southern teams were not the embodiment of skill and finesse. They just knocked your block off. They did so from picking cotton, hauling hay, and digging ditches. They were not just strong in body, but strong in spirit rooted by decades of being treated like second class Americans.  After those two games things changed. No longer could the South be forgotten. The nation could make all the jokes and innuendos about the South they wanted. They just couldn't ignore the fact that more likely than not if you played a team like Alabama you were going home like a whipped puppy, tail between your legs. I guess in modern America you could say that Southern football was trending. It is a trend that has never stopped. Even when FSU broke the string of SEC national championships you shouldn’t lose sight of the fact they were a Southern team. Even with the FSU championship many Southerner were morally offended by allegations which invaded that program. 

  

John Mitchell came to Bama on Bear's word
that his race was no factor...

   It is ironic that a racially divided area found common cause on the football field. Black Americans started to dominate the ranks of Southern Football. Those black players  fought the same prejudices that their white predecessors faced, and fought for different things as well, but they proved that any race of Americans could never be viewed as less worthy.  Now, I’m not stupid enough to think that everyone in Dixie has laid to rest their prejudice. Many clearly haven’t.  All those people have to do is watch the football teams in the South play. Any doubt about equality dies a futile battle with reality. Are things perfect? No, but how bad could they be without the binding spirituality of sports?  Poor white football players understood the plight of black Americans. Football caused a respect for the differences of our citizens to grow.We've seen so much change in my lifetime. More change will come. You can't stop the future. You can't even slow it down. 

     Football and sports changed so many things for the better. So if anyone cares to understand the importance of football in the deep south just open your eyes. At Alabama games we don’t cheer for white or black players. We cheer for Crimson players. I think that a lot of us have learned that true character is not the sole property of any racial group. I don’t think that Alabama fans cheer the unlikely story of Blake Sims, a black quarterback. They cheer the story of Blake Sims, a kid who had to prove his worth. Is his story even greater because he is black? I don’t think so. We love a kid like Sims because deep down we’d all like to believe we too have the right stuff. 

     Southern football helped a region pull itself out of ill repute and hopelessness when the rest of America laughed. Black American football players helped build a bridge of hope and understanding which will help bring racism to an end. Southern football is not just about a rise from reconstruction and regional bias. It is about the spirit of a region that wouldn’t be defeated. It’s also about the spirit of black Americans who fought a similar battle to gain recognition. Southern football fans helped fight that battle. Football helped elevate more than a geographic area. It lifted an entire community of blacks and whites to a better place. That's not to bad for something that's merely a game.

     

CRIMSON HOOPS - Tide takes on the 'Shockers...

Tough road game for Tide ...

Tide needs to win against a good opponent -

   

   Just when I think the Tide might have turned a corner, or at least peeked around one, Xavier scores 97 points and the Tide looks like Moses wandering in the desert without the pillar of fire for guidance. The tough play the Tide had shown against a much superior Iowa State team was nowhere to be found. If we thought that Iowa State and Xavier were good teams then you better buckle up for Wichita State on their home floor.

      WSU is a basketball program which is simply better than Alabama’s right now. Last season they lost no regular season games, and have lost only one this year. ‘Bama played the ‘Shockers a close game in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson even led the game with six minutes left. Then the depth and great defense of WSU turned the tide so to speak. Get ready to greet the usual suspects from last season. Last winter, the ‘Shockers abused Alabama inside. Alabama had managed to put All-Conference guard Ron Baker on the bench with early foul trouble. Instead, the Missouri Valley team turned to Cleanthony Earl who knocked down 26 for the game. ‘Bama had no one who could match up wirh the forward. The Tide even slowed down Fred Van Fleet who had only 11. The boards killed the Tide. WSU got 12 additional boards than the home team, which included 12 offensive boards. None of the missed shots hurt the Tide more than two offensive rebounds in the last two minutes.

      I’m not sure exactly what it is about WSU that is so impressive. It starts with coaching. Greg Marshall can flat out coach, and he is seems to have a knack of finding a way to win even when the stats say otherwise. One thing the ‘Shockers do is take care of the ball.  Marshall’s teams don’t waste shots either. They are not the most prolific shooting team you will ever see but they take a lot of good shots. Both team have similar stats except for two areas. First, the ‘Shockers are tough under the boards, and second, they are a much better defensive team than Bama. I thought that Bama played great defense against Tennessee Tech in the second half. Holding any team to only 17 points in a half is phenomenal. The Tennessee team had only 53 for the night. That is hopeful if the offense returns this week. As of Monday, no line had been posted for the game, but I’d guess it would fall around 12. That seems about right to me. One thing that should keep Alabama competitive in every game is their potential at guard. If the Tide can eliminate a few turnovers they can win some games. Interior play has been turnover city so far. I look for MK to get better. He has good hands. Taylor is better but, it is still an adventure when he catches the ball. 

     If the Tide can hold Van Fleet and Baker below their season averages and break even or close to even inside we might win. The Tide is still figuring out their lineup and there is a lot of youth and new on the team. Randolph and Tarrant are a strong backcourt. Throw Coleman in the mix and you slide Randolph down to the baseline, which causes a lot of matchup problems. Hale is pressing and he’ll be okay in the long run. I’m not sold on this team yet, but I’m not writing them off either. Alabama needs to beat WSU or UCLA. I went to the UCLA – Gonzaga game and the Bruins have some problems at the guard position. They are also big and explosive inside. If Bama loses both those games they need to win 15 or so league games to go dancing. 20+ is no cinch for the tournament any longer. The Tide may have a lot of good loses, but you still have to win some big ones. I like State by 10. If Tarrant can’t go it might be worse. It will take one heck of a game for Bama to win. My heart says yes, but my common sense says no. Hope I’m wrong. Roll Tide.

SEC OPINIONS - What a great pair...

Saban and Kiffin set a new bar...

It turned out to be a marriage made in heaven. For all of those (me included) who thought that hiring Lane Kiffin was a mistake, maybe an insanity, please accept my humble apology. Call them what you will – the odd couple, Mutt and Jeff, or even Batman and Robin. Call it the long and tall of it all. Alpha and Omega. Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin did some remarkable coaching this season. Saban, a man who constantly amazes me, looked at Lane Kiffin and saw the future and not the past. When Saban announced the hiring of Kiffin a kind of stunned silence began which soon gave way to downright anger in the Tide Nation. How could Nick Saban hire the much hated and extremely arrogant Lane Kiffin? Kiffin left UT in the lurch, and got fired by the Southern Cal AD at LAX. He was damaged goods to most anyone who wondered about his future. Many wondered if he might ever coach in the college ranks again. Enter Nick Saban.

I’m not sure that any man with less stature than Nick Saban had the ability to pull off one of the greatest coaching hires ever made. Today, we celebrate Kiffin for all he has done with the Alabama offense. That is what Nick Saban saw in Lane Kiffin. Kiffin wasn’t damaged goods, maybe just a little bruised, and suffering from a deflated ego. I first wondered about his hiring Kiffin when the ex-Southern California coach visited the Capstone for that week or so before the last bowl game. Was it possible that Saban was considering hiring him? I didn’t think so. Southern California is exactly Southern Mississippi either. It’s a long fall from one of the top programs in college football history to being an assistant. Yes, even at Alabama.

No doubt, the man has coaching skills. Big doubt, the man had people skills to match. Saban offered and Kiffin accepted. That says a lot about both men. Kiffin was too proud to beg for a job anywhere. Saban made it possible for Kiffin to install Kiffin 2.0 and get his life back on track. Saban, ever the wiley fox, understood the quid pro quo.

Saban understood the upside of hiring the offensive genius. He also understood the downside as well. While most people dwelled on the negative, Saban and Kiffin signed on for a lot more than a contract offering employment. Each man was giving up a lot of control. Somewhere in all the thought processes that each had to go through to reach decision to come to Alabama, there must have been a high level of trust established. I’m talking about serious out on a limb type trust. If Kiffin failed Saban would catch a lot of flack. It wasn’t as if the Tide hadn’t experienced success under past OC’s.

Here’s what I think happened. Saban knew that he had to drag his offense into a new era whether he liked it or not. Saban know what a wonderful OC Kiffin would make. Kiffen understood that this wasn’t just a change to redeem himself, this was a chance to redeem himself with the greatest coach in America. Alabama had no experienced quarterbacks waiting in the wing. Saban know that Lane Kiffin could help remedy that problem. Saban kept the media off Kiffin’s back by not allowing him to speak.. I bet Kiffin both liked and wanted that to happen. He needed to be judged on his ability to coach and not on non-football matters. Saban had the clout and the power to let Kiffin succeed while not allowing Alabama football to turn into Entertainment Tonight. Oprah and Dr. Phil couldn’t have created a better ending. Do you know what kind of leadership that hire took? Can we really appreciate exactly what Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin did this season for Alabama? I just beginning to appreciate this myself. Can you imagine the guts it took for Kiffin to tell Saban that Blake Sims was going to be his starting quarterback? We all knew how unpopular that choice was. What was going on in Tuscaloosa?

   What was going on was the start of a remarkable season. It will remarkable whether it is for one more game or two. It seems to me that if Blake is able to lead ‘Bama to national championship #16 it will seem like a fairy tale ending. Upon further reflection, I think it would be a lot of trust and ability that gets the job done. It doesn’t hurt that Blake Sims found some superpowers as well. Here's a final little teaser - who called the "we keep Blake in the game" decision vs. Auburn.

 

SEC OPINIONS - Time to heal our wounds with UAB

     I know several current and past UAB football players. My heart goes out of each of them. Jerking a football program around like a bulldog does with a new toy isn’t funny. Alabama should not gloat over the death of UAB football. I’m been stunned at the number of posters who hate UAB and Gene Bartow. The only sin that UAB committed was the dislike between Gene Bartow and certain people on the Board of Trustees, and dare to try something new.  Keep in mind this sin was committed in 1991. That’s a long time to be mad at anyone. You’d think that grown men could set aside personal differences and learn to live with the fact that UAB had football team. Gene Bartow may not have been the most likeable man in America. He isn’t the devil some make him out to be. Coach Bartow is dead. Let him rest in peace and wait for history to make a final judgment on his accomplishments. He was hired to do a job and he did that. He brought some competition to Alabama and Auburn. It certainly wasn’t on the field competition, but college football was a way help out the image of Birmingham. When Alabama left Birmingham it left a hole in the image of that fine City.

     The UAB program never threatened Alabama football. Since the start of UAB football I believe that Alabama has won 4 national championships, came close a couple seasons, and may win another one this season. Can someone explain to me exactly how UAB football was hurting Alabama. Alabama’s wins and income have soared to historical records. Can anyone tell me a single football player who chose to sign with UAB and not the Crimson Tide? Not a single one comes to my mind. UAB has had several great players, and some who went on to play in the NFL. None of those were 4 or 5 star recruits. Richard Nixon once said that no one could kick him around any longer after he resigned the Presidency in wake of the Watergate cover up. As far as I know, UAB committed no felonies in their program. What UAB did was to dare to offer an alternative to Alabama football. It’s time to stop the kicking now.

      You know, Alabama basketball is rarely mentioned in this decades old conversation. UAB did cause Alabama basketball a lot of problems. The made it to the Elite Eight and 12 other trips including a couple of 16 appearances. The played in 11 NIT tournaments. If anyone should have a beef with UAB it was the Alabama coaches. But, it was, of course, only basketball. That has never counted except to a few fans. UAB has been pretty darn good in basketball. Along the way from Bartow to the present the Blazers beat Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, Louisville, Alabama, Florida, LSU, Virginia, Villanova, Cincinnati, Connecticut and Memphis. They beat Memphis 10 times. They were no push overs.

I remember the year that UAB beat LSU in football in Baton Rouge. Seems to me there were some pretty happy Bama fans on that band wagon. The Blaxers struggled most of the time, however. They made it to only one bowl game in Hawaii. That’s not a bad place to spend the holidays. Here is what I want to say to Alabama fans and UAB fans. First, to the UAB followers. Your football program ultimately bite the astroturf because not enough of you cared. The last UAB game I attended the announced crowd was 16,000+. Probably only 4,000-6,000 were actually in attendance. UAB owns that sad fact. That’s on you. Don’t even try to forget that fact.

 I know that there is conspiracy theory that has been in place for years – The Alabama BOT wanted to get rid of your program. That may or may not be the truth. The real truth is if UAB had been able to put 25,000 fans in Legion Field on a regular basi,s we wouldn’t be here today. Perhaps some Board members wanted UAB to fold. I have no idea if that is true or not. I do know that know of the board members could make anyone stop buying tickets. Let’s assume all the conspiracy theories are true. This is still America and the last time I checked Alabama was still a part of the Union. Talking about problems is not the same as addressing them. It is not the same as getting people into seats.

     Bama fans, inow is time to let this go. The loss of any football team in Alabama doesn’t speak well about anyone in our fair State.  UAB is part of the University of Alabama. That means in some way they are family to all Tide fans. Really, some of us may be stupid, but we don’t have to be hateful under any circumstance. We always talk about class. It’s time to show some. Maybe one or two of those kids end up at Alabama. You can never tell. In all seriousness, it is time to close this verbal rivalry. Time to move on. And, it is also a time to help these players find another place to compete if they desire. So many negative comments are posted on boards about UAB survived on handouts. I hope those same people are willing extend a hand up for those kids now. Hate builds nothing more than more hate. 

SEC OPINIONS - Two quarterbacks

Sims inspires and delights Alabama fans

Indulge me just a bit. Yesterday was Thanksgiving. It’s the time of year that we are supposed to think about exactly what we are thankful for. I have a wonderful family. I have the greatest wife in the world and two superstar daughters. One of my daughters should work on Wall Street. The other is the last remaining flower child in America. Gosh, I have so much to be thankful for it’s hard to know where to even start naming my other blessings. Today, I wanted to tell you how thankful I am to one certain young man on the Crimson Tide football team.

It’s been a strange year for quarterbacks in our State. Jameis Winston won a national championship his freshman year as well as the Heisman Trophy. About the only thing that Blake Sims has won is the starting position at quarterback for Alabama. Winston was a five star prospect. He was the golden child of all recruiting his senior year at Hueytown High School.  Blake Sims, who is not even from Alabama, was a pretty good little athlete in Gainseville, Georgia. Winston fulfilled all the promises his ability had in store for him. He’s yet to take a snap in a losing game for his team. Winston spurned offers from both Alabama and Auburn. He turned his back on in state schools and decided his future was at Florida State. Blake Sims was offered a chance to play at Alabama and grabbed it in a heartbeat.

Winston walked on campus and was a star. Sims came to Alabama searching for a position to play. I’m not exactly certain what Alabama coaches had in mind for him, but I’d bet my last dollar it would never be a starting quarterback. Ironically, both quarterbacks had to beat out the same player to win the starting quarterback at their respective schools. Winston beat out Jacob Coker and the heavens opened up for the Hueytown native. Coker backed up Winston and then transferred to Alabama. He did so because he had always been an Alabama fan and, it appeared the starting position at Alabama was his for the taking.

Blake Sims and Jacob Coker entered into a fraternal war for the starting job after the former FSU quarterback transferred to Alabama. I think it would be fair to say that no one really expected Sims to win the job. After all, Coker was tall, strong, and had a big league arm. He was a cinch to play on Sundays when he finished at Alabama. Alabama fans gushed at his potential to replace star quarterback A.J. Carron who had 3 national championship rings on his hand, and had come to 4. Blake Sims wasn’t tall enough, fast enough, and didn’t have an arm strong enough to measure up to what Alabama fans had become accustomed. In fact, many thought the quarterback battle between the two was a paper tiger. The problem with that was the heart and the tenacity of Blake Sims. No one told him he couldn’t win the job, and even if they told him I doubt he’d have listened.

A funny thing happened on the way to the first game of the year. Sims got better. And then Sims got a lot better. After watching the two Alabama quarterbacks perform in real game action it became bedrock clear that Sims had won the job. Together with Lane Kiffin, the offensive coordinator, the pair decided to re-write the quarterback position. You can measure height, strength, speed, and distance. No one has found a way to measure heart and courage. Alabama had a quarterback named Pat Trammell. He had no discernable skills. He was an average passer, a mediocre runner, and not physically imposing. He had everything else, however. Somehow he found a way to take those intangibles and bacame a great quarterback. Blake Sims is the modern day version of Pat Trammell in many ways. Both had courage and leadership. Each loved the moment when the game was on the line. The both could look their offense in the eye and get them to understand how they were going to win. The other thing that stands out is that they both understood the value and the virtue of hard work and a never say quit attitude.

How strange it is to be able to compare Jameis Winston and Blake Sims. One has won the accolades of the football world for his ability. Black Sims has won accolades for his lack of ability, and for other things. I have no doubt that Jameis Winston will be a rich man very soon. He also will be a much hated person for his lack of virtue. Blake Sims won’t play in the NFL. But he can measure success in more meaningful ways. He can walk down the street, hold his head up high, maintain a steady look into other people’s eyes, and personify what it means to be a man. I’m very thankful for being able to share the football journey of Blake Sims. He has helped me regain some lost faith in younger Americans. I have the two best daughters in the world, but if I ever had a son I could do a lot worse than have one like Blake Sims.

 

Florida State should be more than ashamed...

It if walks like a thug, acts like a thug, and talks like a thug...

           A lot will be written about Alabama's second half demolition of Florida. I'll leave that sweet task to others today. This Sunday I want to write about the other team in Florida - FSU.  I wonder how long FSU is going to allow Jameis Winston to remain on their roster? How long will the administration of FSU prostitute themselves for all of America to see? How much longer will FSU allow Jameis Winston to teach young American males that being a thug is just fine and dandy? Most of us know what would have happened to Winston if he acted that way under Nick Saban. I know that winning football games is important in the South. Do you believe that the University of Alabama would bow in the presence of such tasteless behavior? People like to say that "he's young". Sorry, he's not that young. He may be that stupid or arrogant. Winston's behavior is a  result of being put in a situation that he isn't capable of things that require real character. There is such a difference between having character and being a character. 

     I personally find it amazing that despite being suspended he thought it necessary to suit up for a game in which he couldn't play. Of course, national TV played up his antics on the sideline. If Winston couldn't play he could still be the center of attention. I remember what a good friend told me when Alabama was recruiting him. "We don't want him, and we don't need him. The baggage is just not worth the trouble." I'm not sure what he knew about Winston and how he learned what he learned. "He's a great player," he said, "but that's all he is and he will ever be." Man, that's a tough critic. Winston's problems is that he no longer is a  child but is no where near being a man. 

     Blake Sims has no where near the talent of Winston. Sims has made the University of Alabama proud of how he has persevered. He has made himself a starter and star to the fans despite  a long and ragged journey. I don't personally know Blake Sims. I doubt I'd see him shoplifting down at the Piggly Wiggly. I see Sims cheering on Jake Coker from the sidelines. There is nothing fake or contrived about his actions. He's not panning for the camera. He's supporting his friend and his team. There is nothing shallow about Blake Sims. He's not some sort of thin veneer covering something that needs hiding. For all his talent, Jameis Winston seems incapable of hiding what he is. At least that's all he's shown me so for. Everyone is capable of change, even Jameis Winston. One thing seems certain, Jimbo Fisher, the FSU nation, and University won't have much to do with it if he does change. 

     

    

Tide has miles to go...

       No disrespect to Tide fans.  I see talent, speed, effort, and potential. Alabama hasn't become a good team. At least not yet. The number two team in the NCAA? I sure don't see that. The battle at quarterback continues. Both Sims and Coker have their strengths. Each have their weakness'  as well. In watching the Southern Mississippi game it doesn't appear to me that either man has won the job. I think that both are good and will get any better. It seems to me that the real problem the Tide faces in the future isn't at quarterback. The real problem with this 'Bama team lies on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

    The defense has a long way to go to be dominating. The defensive backs have a long way to go to even being adequate.