Category Archives: Opinions

Crimson Tide 2016 Season

2016 Report: Will the Tide Roll or Fold?

The nation is packed full of SEC fans; after all, the Southeastern Conference is the most powerful in the NCAA, and some even suggest that the SEC is more like a pro football division juxtaposed against the Pac-12, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC. While that might be a touch on the hyperbolic side, it’s still proven every year that the SEC has a wide assortment of top-25 teams, like Auburn, LSU, Georgia, Florida, A&M, Ole Miss and, of course, the Alabama Crimson Tide. It seems like every year since Nick Saban has been coaching the Tide, Alabama has at least threatened the top spot in the nation and made a lot of money for those to enjoy Alabama sports betting. Will things change this year, or has Alabama finally lost too much talent on the field? The answer may be bittersweet, depending on where your SEC loyalties stand. If you’re not a fan of Alabama, be prepared to punch the wall. If you’re a Tide faithful, get ready to cheer. At least on paper, the Tide are looking just as strong as ever.

Despite losing Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake, a few key offensive linemen, and about half a dozen defensive starters, the Tide actually scored an A+ this off-season by recruiting the strongest class in the nation. And if you want to get into specifics on why Alabama will have a strong shot at repeating as SEC Champions this year, then look no further than their corp of wide receivers. Although it’s questionable on whether or not the Tide will have a top QB prospect to put the ball out there, what’s not in question is that they may actually have the best WR corp in the entire nation. Let’s start with their returning superstar, Calvin Ridley. Ridley really came on strong near the end of last year, and many predict that he can actually be better than Amari Cooper, which is definitely high praise. Last season, although only coming on after the midway point, and not having a stable quarterback for the first five games, Ridley caught 89 balls for 1,045 yards and 7 touchdowns. He has speed like Randy Moss, can run a route like Tim Brown, and can catch the ball like Odell Beckham, Jr. That’s certainly a deadly combination.

On the other side of the field, you’re going to find ArDarius Stewart, the junior whose 63 catches and 700 yards came in handy last year as the Tide won the National Championship. Stewart was actually a quarterback before joining Alabama, and coupled with his 4.3-40 speed, these intangibles make Stewart a nightmare for defensive backs. Then you have Robert Foster and Cam Sims in the mix. Both freshmen last season who didn’t do much on the field, they’re a year older and a year better, and they’re ready to really get down and dirty with some big-air football. Throw OJ Howard into the mix, and any QB the Tide puts out will have a large security blanket at the tight end position.

Naysayers of the sporting world are shaking their head and are pointing out that the Tide lost defensive coordinator Kirby Smart to Georgia’s head coaching vacancy, along with too much talent to replace. However, the Tide has a relatively new-look defensive front seven this season. Their secondary is much improved, which means their pass defense is shored up. But Saban has done something out of character and has shifted from a run-stopping juggernaut to a pass-rushing squad of commandos. Only two teams the Tide faced last year had a top running back that threatened to do damage, Leonard Fournette in LSU, and Nick Chubb in Georgia. Both were stopped and Alabama won both games. However, in the game they lost against Ole Miss, and in the games they could have easily lost against Tennessee, Auburn and Arkansas, it was the passing attack of those offenses that stung Alabama the most. Even though they had the best pass rush and the most sacks, their secondary was weak. This season, they’re putting out a strong secondary and even more of a pass rush. So while Fournette might go over 100 yards, look for multiple interceptions and sack-fumbles.

Nothing is written in stone here, of course. By the time Alabama puts its product on the field, injuries, miscues and other mishaps might plague the Tide and they could end up losing three games. However, when looking on paper and at their spring training alone, the Tide seem like a team ready to roll yet again in 2016.

The Florida Gators Looking To Make Fans Forget First Losing Season since 1979.

The Florida gators 2013 season was the first losing season (4-8) since 1979. I mean you really have to feel bad for those guys because they was littered with injuries and just could not overcome them. 2013 looked promising until quarterback Jeff Driskel was sidelined before camp even started with an appendectomy, while running back Matt Jones was held back with a nasty viral infection. At the end of the 2013 season, 23 players had missed games with injuries. While the Gators were in a constant battle against players missing time, there’s simply no excuse for losing to the Georgia Southern Eagles.     

So needles to say, that the theme this year around fall camp is lets stay healthy. That much was obvious after the team’s best player, sophomore cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, was hurt last at Thursday’s practice. Will Muschamp has taken the time to preach strength and conditioning and to hydrate and take plenty of vitamins to all his players. With all hands on board and healthy, the Florida gators know that they can get back to the same type of team that fans were used to see winning and competing for the SEC crown before 2013.

   On offense they return key starters like QB Jeff Driskel, RB Kelvin Taylor, RB Matt Jones, OT DJ Humphries,and  OL Max Garcia. Driskel will have to play to form like he did in 2012 when he lead the team to a 11-2, 7-1 (SEC) record. With new offense coordinator Kurt Roper, Driskel will have more chances to spread defenses out and throw the ball down field. The gators will also have a good back field with returning starter RB Kelvin Taylor and backup RB Mack Brown, they will balance the offense out well. I think with these changes and the returning starters, then the offense will be much improved.

             On defense they return key starters  DE Dante Fowler, DL Jonathan Bullard, LB Antonio Morrison, LB Michael Taylor,  and CB Vernon Hargreaves. The defense has been good since Muschamp took over a couple years ago and will continue to be good this year. Dante Fowler Jr. is the key figure if Florida is going to improve its sack numbers. The Gators ranked 11th in the SEC in sacks per game last season (1.6) and haven’t ranked higher than sixth since 2009. Fowler’s 2013 season, though, took a turn after tackle Dominique Easley was lost for the season in September, and now Easley is gone for good. Beyond cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, talent in the secondary is unproven, but they do have a stable of 4 and 5 star talent.

If the gators are going to return to SEC dominance, then they have to navigate a pretty tough schedule in which they play on the road at Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida State. Then they will still have to play Georgia in Jacksonville and South Carolina. In my opinion I do feel like the gators will be a much improved team this year just by staying healthy alone. Remember that this team has a lot of big time talent on it and they are ready to showcase those talents. So to you the Forida fans, go ahead and rip up all those old 2013 articles that mentioned all the downfalls of the gators. This year these gators are going to the fans much more to cheer and brag about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Auburn Ready To Repeat As SEC Champions In 2014

This time last year auburn fans did not know, that they were about to witness a season for the ages for auburn football. It was one of those seasons that you would never see a team have after going 3-9 and 0-8 in the SEC the previous year. The Tigers will want to prove that last year’s remarkable run to the BCS Championship game (and a record of 12-2, 7-1 in the SEC)  was not a fluke and they are well positioned to stay near the top. They return 14 starters including eight on offense led by quarterback Nick Marshall who becomes the first two-year starting quarterback that Gus Malzahn has had at the college level (coordinator or head coach). They do have to replace running back Tre Mason, but return four of their top five rushers and their top four receivers. 

They will have to replace key starters on defense like DE Dee Ford, MLB Jake Holland, CB Chris Davis, DB Ryan Smith, but returning starters like  DE Carl Lawson, DT Ben Bradley, DT Gabe Wright, DT Montravius Adams, LB Roninson Therezie, LB Cassanova McKinzy, LB Chris Frost, CB Jonathon Mincy, DB Jermaine Whitehead, should keep auburn fighting for the top spot in the SEC west.   

They do have a pretty tough schedule this year opening with the Arkansas razorbacks on Aug 30th, but they are still talented enough to navigate their way to a 9 or 10 win season this year. Key games will be at Kansas state, at Georgia, at Alabama,and 2 key home games with LSU and South Carolina. That is tough for any team in the SEC to navigate, but with the talent already there and the a couple top 10 recruiting classes under coach Gus Malzahn, the tigers are poised to make another run at the SEC Championship                                                                                        .

Tennessee’s Fans Are Ready For A New Winning Era

  The Vols are 16 years removed from 1998. The incoming freshmen were two years old when Tennessee won the national championship in 98. They have a very good 2nd year coach in  Butch Jones, a great stadium, and  a winning tradition to not get back into having winning seasons again.  They probably (because of all the new starters on the team this year) won’t make big splashes in the win column this year. The vols are only returning ten starters. Five on offense and five on defense. That much inexperience with a SEC schedule will probably lead to third or fourth  best record in the SEC east this year.  The Vols have not had what we consider a great season since 2007. Despite a 21-14 loss to eventual national champion LSU in the SEC Championship game, Tennessee defeated Wisconsin, 21-17, in the Outback Bowl and finished the season ranked No. 12. That’s what vols fans these days are hoping Jones can get this team back to. With key returners like QB Josh Dobbs, RB Marlin Lane, WR Marquez North on offense, and  LB AJ Johnson, LB Curt Maggitt, DB Brian Randolph, CB Cam Sutton on defense, and  the vols with two seasons of top 10 recruiting classes are poised to get back to fighting for the SEC East title again.  Yes Knoxville TN does have a lot to expect from this years team, but lets give the vols maybe one or two more years to get back to 10 wins seasons again. Lets see what Jones can do when he finally has his team that will be full of 4 star talent next year on the field. Be patient vols fans, because the vols are building brick by brick, and we are seeing it play out before our very own eyes.

LSU Looking To Make Some Noise in 2014

I took a moment to look at LSU’s schedule today and came up with this conclusion. The AD scheduled this team for sucess. LSU has 14 returning starters and a  new starting quarterback in Anthony Jennings. They return 5 offensive starters and 7 defensive starters. It will be a tough first game Aug 30th against Wisconsin. If they can make it past the Badgers, then I can actually see LSU going undefeated into the Auburn game on Oct 4th. The starters are very solid and as long as they can stay away from injuries, I believe this team can win 9 or 10 games pretty easily. Remember that they still have returning RB’s Terrance Magee and Kenny Hilliard in the back field. They also have returning WR Quantavious Leslie, WR Travin Dural, and WR Avery Paterson who is looking to have a breakout season. The tiger’s should have a very solid defense with returning starters  like DE Jermauria Rasco and LB Kwon Alexander being the leaders. I think at season’s end, LSU will give their fans a lot to cheer for.

Should He Stay Or Should He Go?

It was too easy. The Florida Gators (4-7, 3-5) fell short, or should I say fell flat on their face, this Saturday against The Georgia Southern Eagles with a score of 26-20.  What is worse then getting your butt kicked by a FCS school you ask? Paying them $550,000 to do so. That’s right The University of Florida paid Georgia Southern to come to Ben Hill Griffin, these moves are historically made by schools who feel like it would be an easy win. Things didn’t go as planned for the Gators on Saturday, or this season for that matter.

Georgia Southern beat the Gators without completing one pass. None, but they didn’t need to. The Eagles rushed for 429 yards, which according to HLN is the most against a Florida team since 1996. This loss is the Gator’s sixth loss in a row and has locked in their first losing season since 1979. Another terrible fact, Florida has had the longest active bowl streak with 22 years in a row which is now, just a thing of the past. There has been a lot of disconnect between Muschamp and Florida fans, especially after this year. 19-yar-old Gator fan Savannah White says “There needs to be a change. I don’t know if that change will be a coaching change or what, but there needs to be a change.”  This all begs the question, Will Muschamp stay or will he go?

Muschamp met with media today in Gainesville and underwent a flood of questions about his job security, but seemed very secure in his answers. According to the Gainesville Sun, when he was asked if he was concerned with losing his job he simply answered “Absolutely not, “ and that he was “absolutely” sure he would coach the Gators in 2014.  He seemed so sure in his answers until it came to his assistant coaching staff. “I’m not ready to make any statement on that at this point. We’re still playing out the season and those guys are going to coach their butts off. I’ll make that decision when I think it’s right.” What we do know is that the University of Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley has professed his allegiance to Coach Muschamp saying in a statement he made online that “As athletic director, I’m a thousand-percent convinced that Will Muschamp is the guy to lead this football program. Nothing has changed in what we feel about Will Muschamp from the day we hired him. Everyone around here wants the same thing.” I’m not so sure the fans feel the same way. One thing the fans need to keep in mind is the injuries that have plagued the Gators this year. If you haven’t been paying attention, according to Sbnation there have been 10 season ending injuries on offense and defense this season alone, 7 of them being starters. That could play a huge role in the disappointments this season but that doesn’t satisfy the fans. With all of the turbulence from fans, Muschamp continues to gain support from his players. Senior defensive back Jaylen Watkins said, “Everybody is fully behind Coach Muschamp. We try our hardest not to listen to all that on ESPN and just ignore it and know that we only have each other through this whole thing.” The Gators play 2nd ranked Florida State Seminoles this Saturday at 12pm.

Information from ESPN, The Gainesville Sun, SBnation, Alligator Army, and HLN was used in this article.

LSU Makes Florida’s Offense Look Offensive

Six points. Six lousy points. That is all the Florida Gators could muster in four quarters of football against an LSU Tigers team that gave up 44 to the Georgia Bulldogs two weeks ago looked like the second coming of the Steel Curtain. Florida’s offensive line was just that. Offensive. The defense played well enough, holding a prolific LSU offense to 17 points. But with no time to throw, Gator quarterback Tyler Murphy was unable to put the Gators in the end zone.

This is really embarrassing for a school known for the high powered offenses of Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer. There is no Fun-n-Gun in Gainesville anymore. There are big plays out there to be made if this team would give Murphy as little time. Trey Burton was running free in the secondary on one play, but Murphy had a Tiger defender grabbing his leg and had to flip a left-handed wobbler to a running back.

Florida fans have no complaints about the defense under Coach Will Muschamp. They are very good. But at some point this team needs to concentrate on getting the ball across the goal line. They have been terrible in the Red Zone now for four or five years. Thee has been two areas where this team has been bad in those years. Those are the offensive line and wide receivers. When you are bad at those positions, it makes it difficult to score on a good SEC defense.

Florida has to get better at those two spots. But when you have the reputation of being a 17-14 type team, understandably the best receivers and pass blockers are not too thrilled about playing at your school. So they need to get better with the guys they have. The problem is, without putting the ball up, it is tough to get better. Will Muschamp does not want to put the ball up, especially when he is winning. So there is the vicious circle that will stop the Gators from being a championship caliber team as long as Muschamp coaches them.

SEC Week 5 predictions

Well football fans, its Friday and just a matter of hours away until we kick off with week 5. But at least this week will be a little more exciting than week 4. LSU-Georgia and Alabama-Ole Miss should give the weekend some hype, but the Texas A&M-Arkansas’ rivalry should have everybody on their toes.

#12 South Carolina at UCF

– Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks better bring their A game tomorrow or UCF will take care of business. The Knights won’t lose without a fight. They are a much talented team than last year when Missouri beat them. I still have the Gamecocks though. South Carolina 28, UCF 17.

#6 LSU at #9 Georgia

– This is definitely one of the biggest games of the year and its going to be exciting to watch. My only concern with Georgia is can their defense show up and play good enough to stop LSU’s talented offense? I think LSU tames the Dogs today but not by much. LSU 28, Georgia 21.

South Alabama at Tennessee

– South Alabama beat WKU this year, who Tennessee killed. The Vols can’t expect to get a win handed to them but they shouldn’t have any problem. Tennessee 35, South Alabama 17.

#21 Ole Miss at #1 Alabama

– Everybody has Alabama on their upset alert, but Alabama is still the king of college football this year. They have some fixes in some areas but Saban and the Crimson Tide are too strong for this Ole Miss ball club. It will be a good first half game but look for Alabama to pull away in the second half. Alabama 42, Ole Miss 21.

#20 Florida  at Kentucky

– Its going to be interesting to see how Tyler Murphy plays tomorrow in his first start. With the loss of Driskel and Easley things are going to be shaken up a bit, but the Gators still have a strong reliable defense and they should pull this one out. The score is going to be close and Kentucky will put up a fight. Florida 28, Kentucky 14.

Arkansas State at Missouri

– Missouri has be real surprised the way they have been playing so far this year. I like them for tomorrows game. Missouri 38, Arkansas State 17.

UAB at Vanderbilt

– Vanderbilt has struggled every game so far but UAB still can’t size up to Vandy. Vanderbilt can use this game to fix their on going issues.

#10 Texas A&M at Arkansas

– I’m feeling quite confident in Johnny Manziel and the Aggies this week. They put a good beaten on SMU last week and I think they will handle their business by at least 2 touchdowns. Texas A&M 38, Arkansas 20.

 

Should Gator fans be concerned about injuries?

A lot of people are concerned that Florida’s season is completely tarnished. Well don’t think so fast, because its not.

With quarterback Jeff Driskel and DT Dominique Easley out for the remainder of the season, yeah its a big blow but its no reason to hang your head. I honestly don’t see too much of a change from this. I think its going to be more interesting to see how their offense develops with Tyler Murphy taking the snaps.

With the absence of Driskel, offensive coordinator Brent Pease will have to shake things up a bit and that could be a good thing. Maybe a change is what the Gators need.

Both Driskel and Murphy are dual-threat quarterbacks but Florida seemed like they were digging a bigger hole with Driskel and that conservative ball-control offense.

Murphy can make more things happen on the ground, which should allow Pease to run a Urban Meyer pro-style offense.

Florida has always been known by having a monster defense, so with the loss of Easley I don’t think there will be any drastic. Their defense is young and talented and they should be exciting to watch.