The Press Release Presents... The List

The Best (and worst) In and Around SEC Football- 2008

~The Best Upset: Ole Miss over Florida. The Rebels became the only team to defeat the Gators in the regular season. Better yet, they did it in the Swamp by blocking an extra point kick.
Out of Conference Honorable Mention: Texas Tech over Texas over Lubbock. Graham Herrel threw the winning TD pass to Michael Crabtree in the final seconds of the game.
~The Best Rivalry Week Upset: Georgia Tech over UGA in Atlanta. Tech broke a 7 year losing streak in the Tech-UGA rivalry game. The game was one of three losses the needed to be wins for UGA to have a successful season. (Bama and Florida were the other two.)
Interconference Honorable Mention: Clemson over South Carolina
~Heartbreaker of the Season: Bama over LSU in Baton Rouge. LSU was unable to make good on their Nick Saban Vendetta. Rashad Johnson intercepted the would-be winning TC thrown by Jarrett Lee giving the Tide new hope. Bama won in overtime, clinching the SEC West, locking up their spot in the SEC championship against Florida.
Honorable Mention: UGA over Kentucky in Lexington
~Most Improved Team Since Last Year: Alabama
~Most Improved Team Over the Season: Arkansas
~Most Improved Quaterback Since Last Year: John Parker Wilson (Alabama)
~Most Improved QB Over the Season: Jevan Snead (Ole Miss)
~Up and Coming QB for 2009: Tie- Randall Cobb (Kentucky) and Jefferson (LSU)
Honorable Mention: McCelroy (Alabama)
~Miss 'em When He's in the NFL: Mathew Stafford (UGA)
~Most Meaningful Victory: Alabama over LSU
~Breakout Freshman of the Year: Julio Jones (Alabama)
~Most Troubled Team: Auburn
~Team Most Likely to Crumble Next Year: LSU
~Coach of the Year: Nick Saban (Bama)
Honorable Mention: Houston Nutt (Ole Miss)
~Best Play: Rashad Johnson's interception of LSU's would-be winning TD in overtime
Honorable Mention: Casey Dick's TD pass to give Arkansas the win over LSU in the final seconds.
~Most Disappointing Season: UGA
~Most Shocking Coaching Move: Tommy Tubberville 'resigning' from Auburn
~Team That Went the Most Unnotices: South Carolina
~Team Most Likely to Bounce Back in 2009: Tennessee
~Most Intense Matchup: Alabama vs. Florida
~Most Shocking Points: Bama 41-30 over UGA
Honorable Mention: Florida 56-6 over South Carolina
~Best 'Too Close for Comfort' Game: Bama over Kentucky 24-21

Defining a season, a team and a tradition

You know when you're down, you can't make sense of anything and can't find meaning. Your'e searching for light, wishing you could go back and do it again. You're sad ,mad, disappointed and frustrated?

Well, that in so many words, is how it feels to be heartbroken.

NO, I didn't just get dumped.

Nope, I'm broken-hearted because I am a Bama fan who watched our boys play three quarter of fantastic football, before losing the fourth quarter, and eventually, the SEC Championshp to Florida.

I am by no means am down on my team or disappointed in them. They have done more than anybody thought they could. They have defined a season, a team and a tradition.

They have had a perfect regular season, and showed the college football nation that Bama is back, and isn't going anywhere. We don't need Tebow and all his damn awards. We don't need Stafford, Moreno, Harvin, or any of those guys. We aren't superstars. No, we're nitty gritty. We don't win with style points. We are down and dirty, in your face. You don't hear too much hype about our 'star players' because we aren't about 'star players' and the glam it brings. We are not about John Parker Wilson, Glen Coffee, Terrence Cody and Javier Arenas. We are about THE OFFENSIVE LINE, THE DEFENSIVE LINE, THE SPECIAL TEAMS, THE TEAM AS A WHOLE!!! Think we're lacking? Yea, the only thing we're lacking is a loss in the regular season. We are 12-0. Hmmm 12 seems like a familiar number. Oh, that's because Bama has 12 national titles, more than any team in college football history, so put that in your prayers Tebow.

I am proud of these players, coaches and what they've done. This one loss, does not define their season, the resilience from last year, the 12-0 'building year' ... that defines the season.

Thank you, Crimson Tide, for defining your season, and your fans, your team and above all, your tradition.

"Time and the Tide wait for no man."

What I've learned Part Two

And now, another edition of "What I've learned from college football" Part Two: "What I've learned from being a Crimson Tide fan"

- You can be a gracious loser
- Defense wins (almost) all the time
- Georgia fans are the most arrogant, whiny fans in the SEC
- Beating 12 opponents of 12 opponents is not enough to make 'them' believe
- Often ,credit is NOT given where credit is due
- Nick Saban is worth every penny of $4 million a year
- Building is just slang for 'kicking your ass with freshman'

Tide Pride

A nation gathered as one today, that is the Crimson nation, to watch the most anticipated matchup of the season, and arguably the biggest game to ever be played in the Georgia Dome. By the time I sadly got into my car to go to work smack dab in the middle of the first quarter, it was clear that if Florida wanted to beat us, they were going to have to earn it. No more of their juggernaut offensive football would work. They would have to fight off the most potent defense in the country, and for most of the game, they were unable to do so. Bama once again reminded anybody who had forgotten, just who we were and how we got here, Blood, Sweat and Tears, that's how, and we weren't going down without a fight, not on your life baby!

I am saying all this to remind everyone, especially the tide nation, and even myself of something that speaks very loudly to who the Tide is and what we are all about. Lets not forget that at this time last year we were hanging by the skin of our teeth just to come away with a winning record, A win in the Independence Bowl would be just enough to bump us over .500. Everybody knew that Florida would contend this year. Everybody knew that they could do it, win 11 or 12 games and go to the SEC championship. But let me remind you what else everybody KNEW about this season...

- Everybody KNEW that Georgia would be a great team and probably play in the national championship;
- Everybody KNEW that USC would go to the national championship;
- Everybody KNEW that Philip Fulmer was the head coach of Tennessee, Tommy Tubberville was the head coach of Auburn and Sylvester Croome was the head coach of Miss St.;
- Everybody KNEW that Clemson would win the ACC; AND
- Everybody KNEW that Alabama would only be improved from last year, and probably at best, make a 9-3 run for it

Imagine what else we'll know at the beginning of next season.

I say all this to bring me back the pride of the Tide. In a world where everybody knew Bama would be 'building' and was still a year away, we taught them a valuable lesson. Our building year can beat your polished, glamorous year.

And, throughout all of this, the Tide players and coaches handled the success with class, never taunting their opponent or their fans, never bragging, but instead briefly celebrating with grace and then without skipping a beat, turning their focus to the next game. They did all this, going 12-0 that is with little respect, being told they CAN'T do it by many anxiously awaited the moment the Tide would fall, the week they would lose and prove their 'weaknesses' true to their critics. But, that didn't happen. Week in and week out they improved, as individuals and as a team. Week in and week out they ignored the naysayers proving themselves where it counts, on the turf, only to quiet the criticism. But never once did the players or head coach Nick Saban mention the pessimism of their peers. In fact, the Tide, recognized the volatility of college football, recognizing that sleeping on their opponent, any opponent, would only turn into a nightmare. They played each and every opponent as tough as the one before. They did it with only 9 starting seniors, the fewest in the SEC.

When all is said and done, the Tide held the Gators to 31, impressive considering they had scored almost 50 points a game, outscoring opponents by 40 or more points on six occasions. Furthermore, the Tide led the game for nearly a quarter and gave Florida just about all they could handle.

But Florida took control of the fourth quarter, but the Tide walked away without looking ridiculous, looking like a team that deserved to be there, a team that could come out alive after Florida. That's more than most of Florida's opponents could say (LSU, Kentucky, UGA, South Carolina)!!

The Tide has shown resilience -- shown that we are somebody, and we aren't going to be left in your dust.

Oh, and next year, we'll be back and the 'early warning' we unleashed against Clemson in week one, is only the beginning. We will only get better, and you see what Saban can do with top recruits -- boys to men baby!

Despite this SEC championship loss, life is still sweet for the Tide, because we're going to the Sugar Bowl.

They are the Crimson Tide, and we are just getting started .... You want some, come and get it! See you next year, and if you think you saw us this year, you ain't seen nothing yet.