Hype, Hype baby! Three weeks until kick-off, NCAA Football 2018!!!!
Fans like me love the hype. We watch and read everything we can find on our chosen teams. We love them. We make excuses when they're bad and we revel in their glory when they are good. We feel like we are strapping on pads and doing daily work-outs with them. We are so in-tuned with our teams, we feel like it is us. It gets personal. Let's face it, we love the adrenaline rush.
The Alabama Crimson Tide began practicing in full pads just two days ago.
(On a personal note...I can not imagine being in this heat, going through drills and wearing full pads. Ugh)
There are only twenty-five practices total before kick-off with Louisville. The Tide had four previous practices without pads.
I have to admit, it isn't the team I'm concerned about this year, it is the coordinators. New Offense and new Defensive Coordinators.
Let me just ask other college and pro teams, would you guys please leave our coordinators alone. Yep, it's true, everyone hates the Tide until they are looking for a coach, then it is the first place they look.
Defensive Coordinator, Coach Tosh Lupoi joined Coach Saban's staff in 2015 as the outside linebackers coach. He was moved to co-defensive coordinator before the 2016 season. He is now on his own as defensive coordinator since Coach Jeremy Pruitt left Alabama to be the Head Coach for the Tennessee Volunteers.
Coach Lupoi began his coaching career as Defensive Line Coach for the California Golden Bears. He amassed quite a resume at Cal. - He was the youngest full-time coach in Cal history at the age of 26. He was Rivals Recruiter of the year in 2010. Coach Lupoi will be calling the defensive plays on his own. Good luck, Coach!
Offensive Coordinator, Coach Michael Locksley joined the Tide Coaching Staff in January 2017. He was promoted to Offensive Coordinator after Coach Brian Daboll left for a new position with the Buffalo Bills in the NFL.
Coach Locksley has a lot of experience in his coaching career. He has worked in varying roles for Florida, Maryland, Navy Prep, Ilinois and New Mexico over a 26-year coaching career. Many years of good coaching skills honed to perfection. Good luck, Coach!
Excellent hires as always by Coach Saban. He's the best.
Back to the team hype. Alabama is flush with quarterbacks, very good quarterbacks. In my opinion, Tua Tagovailoa is the better quarterback, but Jalen Hurts has 28 starts under his belt. Jalen's best quality is definitely his experience and the fact that he is a dual-threat quarterback. He can run as well as pass. Tua's experience, the last half of the 2017 National Championship that he played masterfully! He led the team like a pro and threw with confidence. It was amazing. So, to me, I don't care which quarterback starts. They are both great!
There is much I could say about our 12 returning starters, two of the best among the twelve, are running backs, Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs. Damien could have gone high in last years NFL Draft but decided to stay home. He says he wants to play one more year with this team. Also, his mom wants him to graduate. Thank you, Mom! Senior Damien Harris, junior Josh Jacobs, sophomores Najee Harris and Brian Robinson, redshirt senior Ronnie Clark all scored for the Tide last year. We are loaded in our backfield.
The backs can't do anything without a strong Offensive Line. We are lucky to have four returning starters. The biggest thing with the "O" Line, is Coach Brent Key. He is beginning his third year as Offensive Line Coach. The past two years Alabama's line has been named a finalist for the Joe Moore Award. This award is given to the nation's top offensive front.
I will go more in-depth into the defense in another blog.
The Tide begins to play in a neutral site in Orlando, Florida at Camping World Stadium, against the Louisville Cardinals. Kickoff is at 7 pm Central time. It will be aired on ABC.
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