5 Days Until Kickoff

And we are 5....5 Andrew Zow days away from the kickoff of college football. And in a continued effort to get your hearts & minds ready for Alabama football, I present to you today's video of Andrew Zow's crowning achievement at Bama: The 2001 Iron Bowl. The Tide's 31-7 upset victory was it's 2nd straight at Jordan Hare. In the first quarter QB Andrew Zow took a leveling shot at the Auburn goal line while attempting a reception. Many QB's would have been ruined by this and the fact that 90,000 Auburn fans smelled blood. The blood was Crimson alright, pouring from gaping Auburn wounds opened up by a fierce Bama attack on offense as well as defense. ENJOY!!



UPDATE: For those of you who don't/can't understand the stakes in the Bama/Auburn rivalry, check the number of current NFL players who were on the roster during this game.

Alabama
Brodie Croyle, Charlie Peprah, Anthony Madison, Roman Harper, Mark Anderson, Evan Mathis, Wesley Britt , Justin Smiley, Anthony Bryant, Antwan Odom, Jarrett Johnson

Auburn
Jason Campbell, Carnell Williams, Ronnie Brown, Tim Carter, Karlos Dansby, Carlos Rogers, Roderick Hood, Kendall Simmons, Reggie Torbor, Courtney Taylor, Jay Ratliff

Coonin For Stacks

OK..So the performance (read:cooning) that you see below....well...I'm not sure if they're shooting a commercial for McDonald's or if they're trying to enter some contest for McDonald's or what. But I guarantee you this has made its way to some McDonald's exec's email inbox and MARK MY WORDS, within a year's time, these kids (or their voices) will be on a McDonald's commercial, specifically on especially for BET McDonald's commercials aimed at the "Urban" community or on "Black" radio stations across the country.

In any event, I'm not made at these kids for (purposely or by sheer chance) trying to get their hustle on. I hope they get paid out the wazoo. Check the vid below.

8 Days Until Kickoff!!

Julio Jones (#8), WR, Alabama

And we are 8.....8 Julio Jones days from the kickoff of Alabama football. And in my continued effort to get your hearts & minds ready for Alabama football, I present to you a package of Julio Jones highlights. I will say this now, there are only two other people that I've seen in my lifetime to have so much hype coming out of high school, and not only deliver on that hype, but exceed it by leaps & bounds. Those two people: LeBron James and Tim Tebow. Pretty good coming for Mr. Jones. Enjoy!!

SIDEBAR: Ummm...in case you're wondering why Bama plays so hard, look no further than the pic below......just sayin...ROLL TIDE!!!

9 Days Until Kickoff!!

Victor Ellis (#9), LB, Alabama (Miss you,Bruh...RIP)

And we are 9...9 Victor Ellis days away from the kickoff of college football season in Alabama. For those uninformed about the man that and ballplayer that Vic was, google it. If you're too lazy for that, you can click here to read a quick synopsis about his valiant battle against a rare form of cancer that took his life last year at the age of 28. We're not saddened by losing Vic. We're thanking God for the time that we had with him. As Vic himself said before transitioning to the next level, he wanted people to "smile and go on". And in our efforts to get your heart & minds ready for kickoff, I present to you today's video of Bama's 1998 win against LSU. Enjoy.

Joke of the Day

WHEN I SAY I'M BROKE---I'M BROKE

A little old lady answered a knock on the door one day, only to be confronted by a well-dressed young man carrying a vacuum cleaner. 'Good morning,' said the young man. 'If I could take a couple of minutes of your time, I would like to demonstrate the very latest in high-powered vacuum cleaners.'

'Go away!' said the old lady. 'I'm broke and haven't got any money!' and she proceeded to close the door. Quick as a flash, the young man wedged his foot in the door and pushed it wide open.
'Don't be too hasty!' he said..'Not until you have at least seen my demonstration.' And with that, he emptied a bucket of horse manure onto her hallway carpet. 'If this vacuum cleaner does not remove all traces of this horse manure from your carpet, Madam, I will personally eat the remainder.'
The old lady stepped back and said, 'Well let me get you a fork, 'cause they cut off my electricity this morning.'

10 Days Until Kickoff!!

And we are 10….10 Walter Lewis days away from the kickoff of college football. And today I present to you your fix of Alabama football, I offer a throwback article on Alabama football from the September 3, 1982 edition of Sports Illustrated. ENJOY

Now that it has been duly confirmed that 68-year-old Bear Bryant is in a category all his own—the Alabama legislature passed a special law not long ago waiving mandatory retirement at age 70 for him, which presumably will allow him to continue coaching the Crimson Tide well into the next century—Bryant can get back to the business of producing championship football teams.
And Bryant, who made his name wrestling beasts of every stripe into line, from the bear that in fact got him his moniker to Ken Stabler and Joe Namath, has a feisty bunch this year. Still, this season ought to be a breeze after the turmoil of 1981, which included the distraction of Bryant's run to outstrip Amos Alonzo Stagg as college football's winningest coach, an embarrassing loss to lowly Georgia Tech, a stunning tie with Southern Mississippi and a 14-12 defeat at the hands of Texas in the Cotton Bowl, after three 'Bama starters had been left back in Tuscaloosa for disciplinary reasons. This season will be a piece of cake—if Bryant can get his charges back on their good behavior, that is. To that end, the folks across the state at Auburn are suggesting that the legions in Legion Field change their cry from "Roll Tide!" to "Parole Tide!"
Bryant acted like a tough probation officer during spring practice, constantly making examples of last year's offenders. Running Back Linnie Patrick, Offensive Tackle Bob Cayavec and Guard Gary Bramblett. "We have a chance to be a good team if we use our intelligence," says Bryant. "Last year some of the boys forgot how to be smart. Anybody with a bad attitude won't be around here long."
And Bryant isn't just talking through his checked hat. He has the people—17 of 22 starters back from last year's 9-2-1 outfit, plus Malcolm Simmons, the nation's 10th-best punter in 1981, and Placekicker Peter Kim, who last year tied the Alabama record for field goals in a season (15) and set the career mark (27). The only loss on offense is at tight end—something of a liability for a wishbone team that had the nation's seventh-best rushing offense in '81. Freshman Larry Roberts, who's 6'5" and 230 pounds, may end up with the job. The middle guard, a linebacker and two backs are the only absentees from a defense that allowed just 12.6 points per game. The heart of that unit is two-time All-America Safety Tommy Wilcox, and Bryant has ample replacements.
Moreover, for the first time in several years Alabama will begin a season knowing who its quarterback will be. Senior Walter Lewis, who has started off and on since his freshman year, is it. "I've matured a lot since I was a freshman," says Lewis, an electrical engineering major who worked last summer calculating energy-consumption patterns for the Gulf Power Company in Pensacola, Fla. "There were a lot of situations I had trouble with, but now I'm able to recognize them. It takes time to learn how to run the Alabama offense. I'm still learning. Experience is what's important."
Says Bryant, "He still waits too long sometimes before passing off on the option and often decides too early to keep the ball. And he still throws it up for grabs too much...but then some of the pros do too, I guess."
Despite such quibbles, Bryant has such confidence in Lewis and his backup, Paul Fields, that he spent much of the spring teaching the Tide the I-formation, the better to utilize the passing skills of Lewis and Fields and the outside speed of wide receivers Jesse Bendross and Joey Jones. But 'Bama's bread and butter will still be running out of the Wishbone, and much of its success will depend upon Patrick, an extraordinarily gifted junior who is the best of the 10 returning running backs. Alas, Patrick was AWOL the first day of practice last summer, was suspended from the team before the Vanderbilt game last September for missing a prepractice training-room treatment and made matters worse by going home—a no-no in Bryant's eyes—during his suspension. Then, before the Cotton Bowl, he was in a car that was stopped in which marijuana was being used, although Patrick was not smoking it himself and was not charged. This spring his trouble was his grades; his eligibility teetered in the balance until he passed the semester's courses. "I'm glad Coach Bryant gave me second, third and fourth chances to get myself together," says Patrick. "I can't accuse anybody but myself of causing problems."
With Patrick apparently straightened out, the problems won't be Alabama's. Instead, it will be poor Georgia Tech, which will have to play a revenge-motivated 'Bama in the season opener, and Penn State, which comes to Birmingham on Oct. 9, that will have to do the worrying. After that Alabama will spell trouble for the rest of the SEC, except for defending co-champion Georgia. Another problem 'Bama won't have is playing the Bulldogs; owing to the rotation of the conference schedule, the Tide will go through the third of four straight years without having to play Georgia—and Herschel Walker.

11 Days Until Kickoff!!

Steve Spurrier (#11), QB, Florida

And we are 11.....11 Steve Spurrier days away from the kickoff of college football. Before he was the Ol' Ball Coach, he was the Ol' Ball Player...Heisman winner, actually. But in any event, to get your hearts & minds ready for the kickoff of Alabama football, I present to you today, highlights from last year's Alabama vs. Ole Miss game, since I'm stuck in Rebel country working for the week. Their fans seem pretty excited about the upcoming season, and rightfully so. But I want to share this with you (and them) to give them a reminder of the pecking order. ENJOY!!

12 Days Until Kickoff!!

And we're 12...12 Alabama National Titles away from kickoff! And to get your hearts & minds right, I present to you Alabama's 2008 12-0 regular season. Enjoy!

2009 Pre-Season ALL MACK Team (NCAA)

It is with great pride that I present to you the first annual Pre-Season ALL MACK Team for the collegiate ranks. There are no monetary awards that go to any of the players on the list, but if Playboy's Pre-Season All-American team can be taken seriously, why can't mine, right?

The obvious query that I know most will have is "What is the criteria for the selections?" And the answer is actually quite simple. If I were a coach and I had one game to coach and my life depended on it, these are the 26 (11 offense, 11 defense, 4 Special teams) college football players I would want on my team. So without further ado, I present to you the 2009 ALL MACK Team (NCAA edition).

Click to view larger Image

• QB - Tim Tebow, Florida
• HB - Jahvid Best, Cal
• HB - Noel Devine, West Virginia
• WR - Julio Jones, Alabama
• WR - Arrelious Benn, Illinois
• TE - Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma
  
• OT - Ciron Black, LSU
• OG - Mike Johnson, Alabama
• C - Kristofer O'Dowd, USC
• OG - Brandon Carter, Texas Tech
• OT - John Jerry, Ole Miss

Click to view larger Image

• DE - Greg Hardy, Ole Miss
• NT - Terrence Cody, Alabama
• DE - Antonio Coleman, Auburn
• OLB - Travis Lewis, Oklahoma
  
• ILB - Brandon Spikes, Florida
• ILB - Rolando McClain, Alabama
• OLB - Bruce Carter, North Carolina
• CB - Trevard Lindley, Kentucky
  
• S - Taylor Mays, USC
• S - Eric Berry, Tennessee
• CB - Joe Haden, Florida

Click to view larger Image

• Punt Returner - Javier Arenas, Alabama
• Kick Returner - Brandon James, Florida
• Kicker - Thomas Weber, Arizona St.
• Punter - Zoltan Mesko, Michigan

And that's it. Any arguments, comments, or discussion is more than welcome.

This is Why I'm a Fan of this Guy

15 Days Until Kickoff!!

Tim Tebow (#15), QB, Florida

Aaaaand we are 15...15 Tim Tebow days away from the kickoff of college football. In today's effort to get your hearts and minds ready for the kickoff of Alabama football, I present the 1991 Iron Bowl. 1991 provided a a controversial atmosphere for the Auburn Tigers in the form of Eric Ramsey. With future NCAA sanctions inevitable Pat Dye's Tigers arrived at Legion Field with a 5-5 mark vs. Gene Stallings' 2nd year crew at 9-1. The match-up was classic SEC football. The defense on both sides of the ball dominated the contest. Alabama's offense lead by freshman David Palmer provided the difference in the Tide's 13-6 victory. ENJOY!!

16 Days Until Kickoff!!

Peyton Manning (#16), QB, Tennessee

And we are 16....16 Peyton Manning days away from the kickoff of college football. In my effort to get your mind and spirit right for the kickoff of college football, today's video is from Manning's freshman year at Tennessee (1994) against Alabama. The Crimson Tide continued their streak of victories over Tennessee (5 straight at Neyland Stadium and 8-0-1 in the previous 9 games). Bama improved to 7-0 after defeating the VOLS 17-13 in 1994. ENJOY!!

17 Days Until Kickoff!!

Philip Doyle (#17), K, Alabama

AAAaaaaand we are 17....17 Philip Doyle days from the kickoff of college football. And in my continued effort to get your hearts & minds ready for the kickoff of college football, I present to you today's video, which is ironically the game that inspired the picture in this post. In 1990, Gene Stallings' first year as the Tide's head coach, Vol fans were looking forward to ending their four-year losing streak to Alabama. Late in the game, Stacy Harrison (#1) blocked a 50-yard field-goal attempt by Tennessee, sending the ball bounding back to the Vols' 37-yard line. With four seconds left, senior place-kicker Philip Doyle nailed a 47-yarder, giving Alabama a 9-6 win. Listen to Eli Gold, Doug Layton, and Jerry Duncan describe the action. ENJOY!!

18 Days Until Kickoff!!

Archie Manning (#18), QB, Ole Miss

And we are 18...18 (Archie Manning) days away from the kickoff of college football. I can almost smell it!! In any event, here is today's video. It is of The #2 ranked Crimson Tide facing the #10 ranked Tennessee Volunteers at Legion Field for the third Saturday in October. The Tide rolled early behind QB Gary Rutledge who threw an 80 yard TD to Wayne Wheeler on Bama's first play from scrimmage. In the 2nd quarter with the Tide leading 21-7 Tennessee's multi-talented QB Condredge Holloway (who was in consideration by Coach Bryant in the recruiting battles but politics prevailed ) closed the gap to 21-14 with a 6 yard sneak, just before halftime. The 3rd period then began underway. The day belonged to Alabama's first African-American to receive a scholarship, Mr. Wilbur Jackson. ENJOY!!

19 Days Until Kickoff!!

Eric Dickerson (#19), RB, SMU

And we are 19....19 Eric Dickerson days away from the kickoff of college football season. And as the season gets closer, I continue my efforts to get your hearts & minds ready for college football by presenting videos of Bama football. Today's video is Gene Stallings coaching in his final game for the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 1997 Outback Bowl against the Michigan Wolverines. In a contest that Stallings always preffered, the defense prevailed, on both sides of the ball. Michigan lead 6-3 with just under 13 minutes to go in the game when heavy Bama D-line pressure forced a weak pass into the arms of Bama Linebacker Dwayne Rudd who raced 88 yards for Bama's first TD of the game. With neither team able to establish a ground attack Rudd's interception was the difference in the game. Alabama defeated Michigan 17-14, giving Coach Stallings his 70'th win in 7 seasons as his Tidesmen finished the 1996 campaign 10-3.

22 Days Away from Kickoff!!

Deuce McAllister (#22), RB, Ole Miss

And we are 22....22 Deuce McAllister days away from the kickoff of college football. In an effort to continue to get your minds ready for the season, I offer today's video of highlights from last year's Alabama-Ole Miss game. ENJOY!

23 Days Until Kickoff!!

Lance Alworth (#23), RB, Arkansas

And we are 23.....23 Lance Alworth days from the kickoff of college football. And in the ongoing effort to get your hearts & minds in the right posture for college football, I present today's video of highlights from Alabama's 2009 Spring game. Enjoy!

Police Allow Protesting Man To Wait For President Obama With Unconcealed Gun

Seriously?!? WTF?!?!? This is incredibly alarming. Not to say that most Americans are uninformed, but most Americans ARE uninformed. Maybe misinformed is a better word. This heated split between so called "liberals" and "conservatives" (which I think is the dumbest thing I've ever heard), in my mind, is a direct result of what the over-saturation of news media has done to our country. You know it's bad when people choose news stations like they choose political parties. It's ridiculous. The news should be just that...the news...Simply the facts...Not over-sensationalized opinions. But that's just what we have...and it helps some undecided people form opinions and sometimes TOO strong of opinions. For example, Bill O'Reilly's constant bashing Dr. George Tiller (Tiller the Baby killer as O'Reilly called him), and some nut who was heavily influenced by O'Reilly going into a church of all places and killing Dr. Tiller in cold blood.

That's what I think about when I see things like this. We've got to start thinking for ourselves. I mean really. Why in the world are you protesting the ability to offer someone proper healhcare? I don't understand.....It is my humble opinion that it's those people who have a microphone and a camera in their face to force their personal (uninformed or otherwise) opinions on others who are destroying the very foundation of our country.

24 Days Until Kickoff!!

Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, RB, Auburn

And we are 24....24 Cadillac Williams days away from the kickoff of college football. And in our on-going efforts to get your mind right for college football, I offer today's video. No descrption needed. Just watch and ENJOY!!

25 Days Until Kickoff!!

Rolando McClain (#25), LB, Alabama

And we are 25.....25 Rolando McClain days from the kickoff of college football. Today's video is a recap of the Alabama vs. Tennessee game from last season. Methodical, patient, disciplined; these were the attributes that propelled the Tennessee Volunteers to an undefeated 13-0 season and a National Championship in 1998 (oh, and a bone-headed play by an Arkansas QB). Now, 10 years later, these same attributes have switched sides. The Crimson Tide man-handled the Volunteers 29-9 at Neyland to go 8-0. ENJOY!!

26 Days Until Kickoff!!

Bobby Humphrey (#26), RB, Alabama

And that crushing sound you hear from the practice fields is a clear indicator that we are 26....26 Bobby Humphrey days away from the kickoff of college football. I'm pretty excited as Alabama's Fan Day was yesterday and the USA Today Coach's Poll came out last Friday. So if that isn't enough to get you pumped for the season, I'll continue with my effort to get your mind right for the season. Today's video is a highlight reel of Alabama football featuring (among others) Bobby Humphrey, David Palmer, Tyrone Prothro, Ray Hudson, Shaud Williams, Brody Croyle, and Rudy Griffin. ENJOY!!!

29 Days Until Kickoff

Dennis Riddle (#29), RB, Alabama

And we are 29...29 Dennis Riddle days away from the kickoff of college football. And in my ongoing effort to get you absolutely stoked about kickoff, I offer today's video featuring Dennis in perhaps one of the most dramatic finishes to an Iron Bowl in recent memory. The 1996 Iron Bowl where Riddle was on the receiving end of a go ahead TD with less than 20 seconds remaining to seal the win for the Tide. ENJOY

30 Days Until Kickoff!!

Mike Rozier (#30), RB, Nebraska

And we are 30.....30 (Mike Rozier) days away from the kickoff of college football season. And in my continued effort to get your mind right for the season I'm presenting a video. Today's video is a recap of the 1992 SEC Championship game against Florida. Legion Field in Birmingham saw the first SEC Championship game in 1992. 11-0 Alabama took on 8-3 Florida. Spurrier vs. Stallings. A classic confrontation with a classic ending... ENJOY!!

31 Days Until Kickoff!!

Sam Shade (#31), S, Alabama

And we're 31...31 Sam Shade days away from the kickoff of college football. And in today's effort to get your mind right for the upcoming season, I've found a highlight reel of a young man who's among Alabama's incoming freshman class, who reminds me a lot of Sam Shade. I saw Shade play in high school. I was in the 2nd or 3rd grade at the time, but my high school (Livingston, AL) played against Shade's high school (Wenonah, AL) in a 1990 playoff game. This guy was a monster. And the same is true with incoming freshman Rod Woodson, who I believe, if healthy, will go down as one of the best DBs in the storied history of the Alabama Crimson Tide. ENJOY!

32 Days Until Kickoff!!

Orenthal James Simpson (#32), RB, USC

And we are 32....32 (OJ Simpson) days away from the kickoff of college football. I thought about not doing OJ Simpson today because I sort of leaked it yesterday, and there was a small amount of backlash, especially with the Nevada Supreme Court hearing OJ's appeal soon and possibly granting him a release from a prison sentence. This countdown isn't about the legal system. It's not about Mr. Simpson's personal life. It's about football...college football, specifically. And one would be hard pressed to find many, if any, that did it better than The Juice. So we salute your accomplishments on the amateur gridiron today, OJ.

And in our ongoing effort to get your mind right for the upcoming season, today's video is a complete recap of Alabama's 1992 National Championship season. Bama finished 13-0 in 1992 with a 34-13 thrashing of #1 ranked Miami in the Sugar Bowl to win it's 12th national chamionship. ENJOY!

33 Days Until Kickoff!!

Pic 1 - Tony Dorsett (#33), RB, Pitt / Pic 2 - Marcus Allen (#33), RB, USC

And we're 33...33 (Tony Dorsett and Marcus Allen) days away from the kickoff of college football. I'm so excited about it that I have to post 2 great players (Dorsett & Allen) and I'm going to post two videos. The first video is of Eli Gold, the voice of Crimson Tide football, calling his first Iron Bowl in 1990.

The second video is from the Bama/LSU game in 1991. With 2:49 left in the game and a 4th and 2 at the Bama 11 staring LSU in the face coach Curly Hallman elected to attempt a game tie-ing FG. But Antonio London stepped up to deny the Bengal Tigers and the Crimson Tide went on to victory in Death Valley 20-17.