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Alabama Weekly
August 16th, 1998 -- Issue #6 --
Volume #1
AW Web Site: TideFans.com
Special thanks to Kristi of LadyinRed's
Bama Page and Joel Townley of Tide Town
Welcome to Alabama Weekly, a
weekly E-Mail Newsletter about Alabama football. The purpose of this
newsletter is to basically recap the weeks events that has happened in
Alabama Football and any important SEC news. Our goal is to send out a
new Newsletter every one to two weeks. We also hope to have a
"Fan's View" article weekly, if you have any writing skills
and would like to write an article please contact me. The newsletter
will be packed with Alabama Football news, information, previews and
much more. We are now over 600 subscribers to Alabama
Weekly and we continue to grow day by day.
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Site of the Week
LadyinRed's Bama Page
This is a great site if you like
to keep up with former Bama players of any sport, she also keeps up to
date with current BamaFootball news. Great site check it out! Great job
Krisit!!!
http://www.geocities.com/~kristifp/
First AP top 25 Poll
1. Ohio St. (30) 10-3 1,668 12
2. Florida St. (22) 11-1 1,663 3
3. Florida (5) 10-2 1,547 4
4. Nebraska (4) 13-0 1,534 2
5. Michigan (4) 12-0 1,475 1
6. Kansas St. (2) 11-1 1,335 8
7. UCLA (1) 10-2 1,331 5
8. Arizona St. (2) 9-3 1,256 14
9. LSU 9-3 1,237 13
10. Tennessee 11-2 1,094 7
11. West Virginia 7-5 985 --
12. North Carolina 11-1 864 6
13. Penn St. 9-3 804 16
14. Texas A&M 9-4 760 20
15. Colorado St. 11-2 631 17
16. Virginia 7-4 620 --
17. Syracuse 9-4 608 21
18. Washington 8-4 494 18
19. Georgia 10-2 480 10
20. Wisconsin 8-5 444 --
21. Southern Miss. 9-3 341 19
22. Notre Dame 7-6 291 --
23. Michigan St. 7-5 211 --
24. Arizona 7-5 208 --
25. Auburn 10-3 201 11
Others receiving votes: Texas 145, Southern Cal 121, Georgia Tech 86,
Missouri 72,
Colorado 60, Oklahoma St. 31, Purdue 30, Mississippi 24, Mississippi St.
21, Utah 17,
Brigham Young 10, Miami 10, Wake Forest 9, Oregon 8, Arkansas 7,
Kentucky 4,
Washington St. 4, Tulane 3, Marshall 2, South Carolina 2, Louisiana Tech
1, Toledo 1.
JP's News and Notes
written by JP
This week I will be focusing on
the first week of practice.
Freshmen reported earlier this week and made a huge impact on the
coaching staff fans and even the media. Everybody seem shocked at this
class's athletic ability and size. People have said that this class is
by far, the best class that Alabama has had in a very long time.
Players reported Tuesday afternoon. Two JUCO players that had a great
week, Canary Knight a linebacker looked great and will see a lot of
action this season at a position that Bama will need help at this year.
Miguel Merritt another JUCO player impressed a lot of people as well
this week. He will start at Strong Safety but will probably end up at an
outside linebacker this fall. "He is a very physical player,”
DuBose said. “We might put him at safety, then find ways to get him
closer to the line of scrimmage.” These two JUCO players will most
definitely have a major impact on this year's team.
At the QB position Tyler Watts and Luke Tucker had a great week,
throwing the ball well and hitting recievers in stride. We'll know who
the top two QB's are when Bama has their first scrimmage August 22.
Watts was quoted saying "I won’t be disappointed if I don’t
play at all this year, as long as I get better.” DuBose will also put
out a Depth chart for the QB's on after the practice on the 18th. Also,
one more note, Luke Tucker reportedly has been the most accurate QB of
the main four. Tucker was expected to redshirt.
Quotes from Coach DuBose on some of the newcomers that will se early
playing time this fall. “We got a good bit of the offense and defense
in place,” DuBose said. “it was obvious that we have some people who
will be ready to make an early contribution. “You don’t have to look
too hard to notice Eric Locke and Freddie Milons. I think the receiver
position will be very competitive when everyone gets here. “On
defense, you notice Canary Knight and Darius Gilbert at linebacker.
Victor Ellis has looked good and Reggie Myles is going to be a fine
player. And, as I said, I am pleased with both quarterbacks.”
Kenric Lott sat out the first two days of practice due to some academic
paperwork from his junior college that hadn't been transfered yet. The
paperwork was recieved and Kenric will be able to practice this week and
play this fall.
All The players that had injury's at the end of last year and during the
spring Michael Vaughn, Reggie Grimes, Sage Spree and Ryan Pflugner, will
be 100% this fall.
The varsity reported Wednesday night,
Now some bad news, Chris Hood is having some grade trouble and missed
practice this week. Things are not looking good for the senior defensive
end. Coach DuBose at this to say about Hood's situation, "He may or
may not be back," "There are
some personal problems he needs to attend to. As soon as that's
resolved, we'll move on." Stay tuned to Alabama Weekly for more
info on this issue.
Coach Mike DuBose had this to say about the freshmen and newcomers:
“Athletically, they look like they can do a lot of things, the
question is, how much can they handle mentally. “I just hope this
class is as good as we think it is and can be. From a potential
standpoint, it excites us to see these players. I think they are good
athletes, but they also have the character and the intelligence to leave
here with degrees.”
JP --
Editor of Alabama Weekly
Commitment #3
Tyler Harris a 6-2, 210lb,
Linebacker from Anderson County HS in Clinton, Tennessee. Harris is very
fast posting fourty times under 4.5. Harris camped at both Alabama and
Tennessee this summer. Tyler will qualify also. Not much has been heard
of or about Tyler but he projects to be an outstanding player for Bama
one day. He chose Alabama over Tennessee and Ole Miss
1998 Alabama Preview
written by: Jess Nicholas
Predicted Record : 8-3 (UF,UT,LSU)
Overall SEC : 5-3 (UF,UT,LSU)
SEC West : 4-1 (LSU)
Predicted Placement: Tied 2nd, SEC WEST (Mississippi State)
Quarterbacks : Fr
Running Backs : Vg
Wide Receivers: Ex
Offensive Line: Fr
Defensive Line : Av
Linebackers : Av
Defensive Backs: Vg
Special Teams : Av
Returning Starters
Offense: 4 (SE,FL,LT,C)
Defense: 8 (LE,RE,RLB,MLB,LLB,LCB,FS,SS)
Specialists:2 (P,PK)
TOTAL: 14/24 (58.3%)
OFFENSE
When one starts talking success in college football, one must look at
the quarterback position. No team has won a National Championship with a
rookie quarterback since Oklahoma did it in the mid-eighties with
Jamielle Holloway. Oklahoma was a wishbone team, and the quarterback job
on a wishbone team doesn't require the same caliber passer as does a
pro-set offense. But Alabama isn't running a pro-set offense---it's
planning to run the "spread" or "chaos" offense,
with forty passes a game, four receivers out on every play, and the
intent of causing abject mayhem for defensive coordinators. Running this
offense will be one of three quarterbacks who together threw three
passes last year. John David Phillips has all the physical tools. He
also has the lone career completion among the three top quarterbacks.
Redshirt freshman Andrew Zow, who is equally capable physically (he
originally committed to Auburn to play linebacker), has had good
practices and shows surprising poise. But both will be looking over
their throwing shoulders at Tyler Watts, the high school phenom most
Tide fans consider to be Superman. At this point, however, he is at best
only Clark Kent. Shaun Alexander finally gets his day as the featured
back in the Tide's offense. Question is, how many times per game will he
get the ball? The Tide coaches envision twenty-five to thirty
"touches" a game, meaning rushes and receptions added
together. Alexander has the body, the moves, the speed. He also has that
little something extra that most young running backs wet their sheets
dreaming about---the ability to turn any play into a SportsCenter
highlight. Backing up Alexander will be little Arvin Richard, who looks
like a pinball, and Montoya Madden, who looks like a bowling ball. Prop
48 sophomore Shaun Bohannon and redshirt Adam Cox provide further depth.
Dustin
McClintock is the only true entry at fullback, and he will be mostly
used as an H-back anyway. Signee Marvin Brown should get early playing
time.
The Tide may have the best collection of receivers in the SEC, if not
the country. Michael Vaughn returns to find Calvin Hall and Quincy
Jackson occupying starting spots. The solution? Start three receivers,
which Alabama will in most cases. Big Shamari Buchannan and a threesome
of talented signees---Freddie Milons, Eric Locke, and Sam
Collins---provide excellent depth. Redshirt freshman Jason McAddley and
junior Tim Bowens are also in the mix. Tight End is mightily
understaffed, however, with only walk-on Rhett Crutchfield having any
meaningful experience. Redshirt Joe Yount and signee Terry Jones,Jr.
figure to work into the rotation.
Alas, all is not well, however. The offensive line, long suffering from
the effects of a nonexistant weight training program, lackluster
coaching, and questionable recruiting choices, has much improvement yet
to make. In addition, three starters need to be replaced, and two
potential candidates are out or questionable---Sage Spree due to injury
and Corey Kinnebrew due to grades. That leaves undersized by brave Paul
Hogan at center and preseason All-SEC Chris Samuels at left tackle, and
a cast of thousands jockeying for supporting roles.
DEFENSE
Alabama isn't just making changes on the offensive side of the ball;
they've decided to revisit the years of defensive superiority under Gene
Stallings by trying their hand at the 3-4 defensive alignment. Defensive
Coordinator Ellis Johnson also plans to mix in a generous portion of
3-3-1, which involves a stand-up end whose prime job is to eat
quarterbacks. On the line, Alabama returns two talented but inconsistent
starters, senior Chris Hood and sophomore Kenny Smith. In the middle is
a new face---Prop 48 sophomore Carlos Stennis, a real workaholic and
capable run-stuffer. Depth is good here, especially with a host of
junior college transfers set to join the fray. The lacking elements are
health and consistency, the two factors that probably cost Alabama two
or three games last year alone. If this group stays healthy and
progresses on schedule, Alabama's line will unpleasantly surprise some
opposing offenses. New Defensive Line Coach Jackie Shipp, who himself
looks able to step in a game a get twelve tackles, will instill a killer
instinct in the players who choose to stay with his difficult program.
Linebacker goes from being the Tide's biggest preseason weakness in 1997
to one of its better strengths in 1998. Travis Carroll, who should
contend for a Butkus award in the future, is joined by returning
starters Steve Stanley and Trevis Smith and former starter Steven
Harris. Carroll displayed a tremendous amount of big-play ability in
1997, and has the leadership qualities necessary to provide
fourth-quarter moxie. Clint Wagonner will be the "1" in the
3-3-1 alignment. The main problem here is depth, and Tide coaches are
hoping that JUCO sensation Miguel Merritt, the runner-up to Tim Couch
for Kentucky's Mr. Football in 1995, can provide meaningful work.
Seniors Tito Smith, Granison Wagstaff, and Chris Edwards join freshmen
Jerome Moorehead, Darius Gilbert, Victor Ellis, and Marvin Constant as
contenders for playing time. The Tide's biggest strength defensively is
its defensive backfield, which is one player away from being the best in
the conference. The needed player in question is whoever wins the job at
right cornerback. Senior Antoine Hunter currently is listed first-team
there, but incoming freshman Reggie Myles may duplicate the feat of
now-senior Fernando Bryant and start as a freshman. Senior Kelvin
Sigler, the free safety, may be the most underrated Tider. He's not
flashy, but he always seems to be around the ball when the chips are
down. Strong safety Tony Dixon is a star in the making, probably the
best athlete in the group. Fellow sophomore Marcus Spencer will be the
primary backup at both spots. He has linebacker size and hits extremely
hard. Fernando Bryant, who will also see time at receiver, is preseason
All-SEC and is the best bet of any Tider to make a run at All-American.
He is also a dangerous kick returner, producing enough excitement in
that role last year to convince the coaches to let him try to make his
magic on offense this year. If his performance in the spring game is any
indication, Alabama may have found themselves another Chris Canty or
Charles Woodson. New coach Charlie Harbison has been well-liked and
looks quite capable of improving this unit over last year.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Tide's special teams are much like the little girl with the curl on
her forehead: When they're good, they are very, very good, but when they
are bad, they suck rocks. Punter Daniel Pope might be the conference's
best at the position, but the Tide was last seen auditioning various
band members at placekicker. Bama used five of them last year, and four
return to action in 1998. Bama is hoping that sophomore A.J.Diaz, the
only scholarshipped one in the group, can hold down the job. He's big (a
former soccer player), has a strong leg, and can punt in a pinch.
However, no scoreboard, endzone pylon, light standard, or vehicle in the
parking lot is safe when Diaz starts firing. Ryan Pflugner, the
pfabulous pflacekicker with the pfunny name, started last year on top
before injuries felled him. Offseason surgery was successful, but Tide
coaches aren't sure whether he'll be ready for the fall practice. Brooks
Brodie returns at snapper, but must get more consistent. The kickoff
return unit was nationally ranked last year, although the Tide has been
lacking a true punt returner since DavidPalmer became a Minnesota
Viking. Alabama must also find a new holder, which will probably be
selected from a group that includes Pope, receiver Wes Allen, and
quarterback Marc Mollicone.
OUTLOOK
The Tide should improve over last year's marks; in fact, it can barely
help but improve. Coach Mike DuBose, albeit still learning, has realized
his mistakes from last year and isn't the type to likely repeat them.
The Tide faces a tough schedule, which included WAC power Brigham Young
and Southern Miss, which finished 1997 in the polls and will likely be
ranked when the Tide faces them. Florida replaces Kentucky on the
schedule---but then again, Bama lost to the Kats last year. If anything,
the Tide should benefit from a league that, with the exception of LSU,
is a good bit weaker as a whole than it was in 1997. The Tide should
lose to Florida and LSU by goodly margins. Tennessee isn't the team it
was in 1997, but unfortunately for Bama, the game is being played in
Neyland Stadium, which is a universe removed from friendly territory. It
is this writer's humble opinion, therefore, that the Tide will finish
8-3, tied for second in the SEC West with Mississippi State, and will
once again find itself reaching the postseason, likely representing the
SEC in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
Jess Nicholas --
Alabama Weekly Columnist
1998 ALABAMA SCHEDULE
09/05 Brigham Young Tuscaloosa (ESPN)
09/12 Vanderbilt Birmingham (JPSPORTS)
09/19 OPEN
09/26 Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
10/03 Florida Tuscaloosa
10/10 Ole Miss Tuscaloosa
10/17 E. Carolina Birmingham
10/24 Tennessee Knoxville, TN (CBS)
10/31 S. Miss Tuscaloosa
11/07 LSU Baton Rouge, LA (CBS)
11/14 Mississippi St. Starkville, MS
11/21 Auburn Birmingham
11/29 OPEN
12/05 SEC Championship
TTBA
TWO-DEEP ROSTER
written by: JP
OFFENSE
SE 7 Quincy Jackson (Sr.); 84
Shamari Buchanan (Jr.)
LT 60 Chris Samuels (Jr.); 78 Michael Barfield (Fr.)
LG 70 Jason McDonald (Jr.); 61 Todd Whitmore (Jr.)
C 74 Paul Hogan (So.); 55 Brooks Brodie (Sr.)
RG 75 Griff Redmill (So.); 69 Michael Moore (Jr.)
RT 72 Will Cuthbert (So.); 63 Sage Spree (Sr.)
TE 38 Shawn Draper (So.); 85 Rhett Crutchfield (Sr.)
FL 83 Calvin Hall (Sr.); Michael Vaughn (Jr.)
QB 12 John David Phillips (Sr.); 5 Andrew Zow (Fr.)
FB 30 Dustin McClintock (So.); 21 Montoya Madden (Sr.)
RB 37 Shaun Alexander (Jr.); 26 Arvin Richards (So.)
K 19 Brian Cunningham (Sr.); 15 AJ Diaz (So.)
DEFENSE
DE 34 Chris Hood (Sr.); 92 Shaun
Williams (Fr.)
DT 88 Kenny Smith (So.); 95 Sam Matthews (Fr.)
DT 90 Jamie Carter (Jr.); 51 Carlos Stennis (So.)
DE 91 Clint Waggoner (Jr.); 98 Reggie Grimes (Jr.)
LB 4 Steve Stanley (Sr.); 11 Chris Horne (So.)
LB 44 Travis Carroll (So.); 59 Chris Edwards (Sr.)
LB 48 Trevis Smith (Sr.); 43 Steve Harris (Sr.)
CB 25 Fernando Bryant (Sr.); 3 Michael
Feagin (Sr.)
CB 39 Antoine Hunter (Sr.); 13 Kecalf Bailey (So.)
SS 24 Tony Dixon (So.); 41 Marcus Spencer (Sr.)
FS 20 Kelviun Sigler (Sr.); 17 Warren Foust (Sr.)
P 40 Daniel Pope (Sr.)
Newsletter by: JP and Brett Young
Special Article by: none this week
Special Thanks to: Jess Nicholas for his article
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