"more on that after tonight's game."


...plus the two after that.

you know how there were two big stories leading up to the big bama/va. tech game? one, of course, was the julio/mark ingram fishing trip that probably, if it wasn't alabama football, should've never become a story. everyone in "saban nation" held their collective breaths in the hopes that two of alabama's most quality starters wouldn't be suspended for the opening, if not more, game. we all exhaled when it was announced that the two would be eligible to play.

the second story? it was the one about brandon deaderick getting shot. yep. alabama's starting defensive tackle that took a bullet in the arm and the thigh just days before his 2009 season opener. the first wave of concern was for the well-being of the young man. "is he OK?" "boy, that sucks for him!" "i hope they catch the guy that did it." that kind of stuff. once those questions were answered, though, the second wave of concern turned toward "well, since he's OK and all, ...is he going to play?" typical bama fans. typical any fans, right? the short version, as we all know, is that he did, in fact, man up and freaking play. that he did still amazes me. i only have had guns pointed in my direction, and both times i couldn't function for a month. that this guy actually got shot and went and did his football thing less than a week later is only more evidence of how much of a woman i truly am. i digress.

how many of you that watched the game remember deaderick having any sort of tangible impact on the game? any of you? sure, his name and his guts were mentioned, but i watched every snap of the game and most of the replay and it wasn't him as much as it was cody and dareus and anders on the defensive line that stood out to me. the d-line dominated for a lot of the game, and a guy that started every single game last year was hardly mentioned. and therein, more than any other example that i've seen through bama's first three games, lies the point that now defines this new era of alabama football. quality depth.

shula era fans could usually count on alabama's first 22 being on par or close to, talent-wise, their sec competition. not so with the second string, though, and if something major happened to a position at the top two levels of the depth chart, avert your eyes! remember when alabama would occasionally trot out a white receiver? exactly. white receivers shouldn't happen on purpose. just sayin'. and don't give me wes welker, friends of mine. he's the exception that proves the rule.

things are different now, though, and alabama has quality depth at almost every position. my most recent talking point over the last couple of weeks has been how julio's bruised knee may be the key for another dream season if only for the reason that mcelroy has now become acquainted with teammates whom catch the ball that don't wear number 8. do we, as fans, want our jesus back? of course we do. but it will be much easier for julio, long term, if maize and peak and mccoy can draw some attention their way too.

b.j. (or burton) scott is another great example of what i am speaking to. i don't have the numbers in front of me, but rivals and scout dot com anoint, i would guess around 50 or so high school seniors as "five star" recruits every year. two years ago, b.j. was one of those, right along with julio. his coming was to the capstone was almost as compelling as julio's. almost. but here was a kid that, like mark ingram and julio, already "looked" the part and had physical skills to spare. where has b.j. scott been the last 17 games??? mostly, on the bench. without a place to play. my guess is that he'll take javy's role both on D and in the return game next year, but to have such a talented and regarded athlete holding his helmet every saturday says all you need to hear about the excess of talent saban is stocking in tuscaloosa.

it's probably unfair for me to make any sort of projections on the season now that we're three weeks in, but i will say this. barring any unforeseen injuries, alabama losing more than two games this year will be a major upset in my head. sure, they could trip up if they take someone lightly, but the longer saban is there, the less likely that seems. but they will have more, on paper, than every team they play this year minus lsu and a potential rematch with tebow and friends to end the season. and they've got lsu at home. the one achilles heel remains the group in the secondary that seem to have learned their trade at the anthony madison school for never getting their head around to see the ball, so we'll just have to see if that plays a major role in an upset as we move forward.

being an alabama fan has not been this fun or given so much reason for optimism in a long, long time. timing-wise, for me, this has been a good thing. having one more thing to worry about and/or stay up at night dwelling on would be bad for personal business. thank you, nick saban, for taking my happiness into account.

you are the man.

roll tide.