Jumbo Package: Optimism abounds on Game Week
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Happy Monday, everyone. Or should we say, Happy Game Week! Congratulations for having navigated the long, hard offseason. It’s always great to feel that first little chill in the air to remind us that fall is just around the corner.
Oh. Well, at least the TV people are happy with the kickoff time, and we’ll be doing it all a week earlier in Tuscaloosa starting a couple years from now so that we can fit in more playoff games!
In any case, we’re about to see what this team is made of.
NIL has absolutely changed the college football landscape in irreversible ways, and that is no fault of DeBoer.
The harsh reality is that DeBoer is between a rock and a hard place. He’s never going to have the opportunity to replicate what Saban achieved, but Alabama fans have come to expect it … even if it’s not realistic.
“I think if you look at Alabama over the last couple of years, just relative to what we have come to expect from the Tide, they haven’t been as talented,” McElroy added. “I don’t know what else to say. I just think this year’s roster is a little bit more capable and maybe a little bit better across the board, so it is going to lead to a little bit better consistent performance.”
McElroy does think this year’s Alabama squad is a bit more talented than DeBoer’s first two iterations, but will it be enough for the Crimson Tide to actually compete for a national title? We’re about to find out.
Alabama is flying under the radar nationally, but the fanbase is quite excited with a talented and experienced defense combined with a wunderkind QB. Colin Gay and Nick Kelly each have Alabama going 11-2, but they don’t agree on the first loss.
Georgia is reloaded, from the return of Gunner Stockton, Nate Frazier and one of the best offensive lines in the country, to a defense that includes KJ Bolden and Chris Cole. Alabama tends to live up to the stage Georgia brings, winning each of the last five regular-season games against the Bulldogs. But the SEC Championship Game was real, and the Bulldogs should show up with that confidence as a championship contender.
Alabama will be fresh off an emotional, tough-fought victory over one of the conference’s best teams. Then, the Crimson Tide has to go on the road to Neyland Stadium, what our SEC player survey revealed to be the toughest place to play in the conference.
Considering Alabama is Tennessee’s biggest rival, that will only create an even more raucous environment.
This is a winnable game for Alabama, but the home team gets the nod.
Both have Alabama losing at LSU. The Tigahs are getting an awful lot of benefit of the doubt for a squad with a new coaching staff and roster full of mercenaries.
Mudita is back.
“Patrick Murphy came in and talked to the team about Mudita, which is a genuine excitement for your teammates, almost more than yourself,” Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said back on Aug. 11. “Really it was impactful yesterday when we heard that message, and it was something that we’ve been talking about and searching for.”
The message had an immediate impact on the team according to transfer fifth-year defensive lineman Devan Thompkins.
“After he had that speech in the team meeting, I would say the next practice, you should’ve seen the sidelines,” Thompkins said. “They just erupted. Offense and defense. I mean, seven-on-seven periods, goal-line periods, it didn’t matter what it was. The whole sideline just getting really energetic for everybody, and that energy carries throughout the whole team.”
Alabama has certainly been touched by CTE. Current players seem to feel that the program is taking it seriously and giving them the tools to be as safe as football can be.
Evidence on mouthguards and concussions is mixed and inconclusive, and no research directly ties mouthguard use to reduced CTE risk, since CTE stems from cumulative hits over years rather than any single event a study could isolate.
The Guardian Caps he referenced are soft-shell pads sometimes worn on the outside of helmets in practices and, occasionally, games, designed to disperse the impact of helmet-on-helmet collisions. Alabama offensive lineman Michael Carroll wears one in practice. Alabama was among the first programs to use new chin straps last season designed to absorb impact, according to a post on the team’s football equipment Instagram account; the manufacturer’s website cites a peer-reviewed study finding the strap reduces a head-acceleration metric by 35% compared with competitors.
Last, Trent Seaborn just continues to win.
After three straight close losses to Clay-Chalkville, the Alabama commit turned that table 180 degrees in the other direction in his last chance to beat the Cougars.
Seaborn completed 22 of 26 passes for 292 yards and four touchdowns as the Warriors took control over the last three quarters and pulled away for a 37-13 victory in Alabaster.
Thompson handed Clay-Chalkville its worst loss since a 31-7 defeat to Pinson Valley in 2019 and broke the Cougars’ 16-game winning streak. It also helped soothe the Warriors’ aggravation of having what has otherwise been a dominant era marred by three losses to Clay-Chalkville by a combined eight points.
There is something about that kid.
That’s about it for today. Have a great week.
Roll Tide.
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