the final word


two factors in last night's wake-up call that alabama isn't quite ready for prime time just yet.

the first?

"I don't think we gave them their due respect coming into the game." - glen coffee

i'm sorry. what? you had almost a month to prepare for an undefeated team, and you didn't respect that they could give you a game? why the hell not? for a team that prided itself on focusing on the opponent in front of them and not the big picture all year, this was a disappointing surprise. alabama dominated the first quarter this year. last night, the defense gave up 21 points (ultimately, enough to lose the game) before they woke up and decided to play. by then, it was too late. jpw proved one final time that his skill-set in combination with alabama's tattered line and one too few playmakers at receiver was too much to overcome. that alabama came out at less than 100 percent falls on the coach. not that i think saban let up preparing for this game, but somehow he allowed his players to. that's too bad.

the second?

andre smith. i spoke yesterday of the difficulty alabama had running the ball against tulane in the one other game smith was out. in that match-up, alabama rushed for 100 yards less than their 196.5 average per game over the course of the season. last night? they mustered 31. 31 yards that included jpw being sacked 8 times for minus 31 yards. losing big andre's replacement in the first quarter only complicated things further, forcing the line to play out of position and out of their element for the greater part of the game. the guys that were left played hard, but alabama's depth was exposed and every fan was reminded why most predicted next year the one that alabama would make "the leap" due to the fact that you usually need quality depth to do so. (auburn and georgia fans are nodding their heads in approval)

so, after running the table in the regular season, the tide heads into the offseason with the taste of two straight losses in their collective mouth, both unique in the lessons that can be taken from either. there's a part of me that thinks that nick saban wouldn't have it any other way. does it ruin the season? of course not. alabama will still be top twelve, at worst, in the season ending polls. they will probably remain there when getting ready to face a super-solid virginia tech team in the kickoff classic next august. come february, we'll celebrate another solid to really good recruiting class and start fantasizing about which quarterback will be leading the troops into battle now that the jpw era has mercifully found it's end.

without having ever seen him throw a pass, my vote is for star jackson. a playmaker at quarterback. can you imagine, alabama fans? i can, and i will.

the two losses sucked, but it was a good and fun season.

roll tide.