August 8, 2015
Cecil Hurt
TideSports.com Columnist
Today is Fan Day for the University of Alabama football team. Some things never change - it will be infernally hot. There will be long lines for autographs. Only the heartiest fans, and those who manage to grab seats in the shade, will last through the open practice. That practice will be analyzed like NASA combing data from Pluto. In part, that's a sign of obsession but it's also true that, for reporters covering the team, it's actually easier to get to Pluto than to see a full practice.
Some things, though, will be different.
Every year, independent upstairs observers (i.e., us) try to measure the autograph line to determine the most popular player. In most years, the quarterback is an easy winner. Occasionally, when there isn't a clear-cut front-runner at quarterback, some other offensive star wins the honor. Last year, it was close between Amari Cooper and T.J. Yeldon. This year, is it possible, for the first time ever, that it won't be an offensive player - or a defensive player?
J.K. Scott, the Alabama punter, is a possibility. He's popular. He's an amazing talent. Barring some unforeseen circumstances, he's the likeliest All-America candidate on the team. Still, a punter proving to be Most Popular would be like a third-party presidential candidate winning the White House. But it will be fun to watch.
While it doesn't qualify as "fun," it's always refreshing to hear from Alabama's offensive and defensive coordinators. Kirby Smart (defense) gave one of the best interviews of the summer on an Atlanta radio station, raising a number of interesting issues (including the hypothesis that Alabama defensive players did not respect Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones because he was a third-teamed at the start of the year.) Whether he'll revisit that game or not, there's a lot for Smart to talk about. In its last three games of 2014, Alabama allowed 100 points and while two of those three games were wins, that's a far cry from the dominance of the preceding years. Now, Alabama's defense is once again expected to be strong. It will be interesting to see if Smart sees things the same way.
Then there's Lane Kiffin. A year ago, Kiffin's presence was such a novelty that reporters looked at him as if he might sprout wings and fly. (He didn't, and was in fact engaging and informative.) This year, after universal praise for the work he did with Blake Sims a year ago, the interview will probably focus far less on Kiffin himself and far more on the Alabama offense. There are more questions than the allotted 15 minutes will allow. Finding a quarterback? Obviously, Kiffin can give more insight than anyone other than Nick Saban himself into how the spring and summer development went. Kiffin won't give a depth chart - he's been in Tuscaloosa too long to fall for that. But every comment about the quarterbacks will mean something.
There will be more. Replacing Cooper? Replacing Yeldon and utilizing the tight end? (A perennial Alabama question that dates back to the days of Xen Scott). The offensive line? They will all be on the table.
That's the good thing about Fan Day. If you are interested in sprinting across the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium so Saban can autograph your infant's onesie, that is fine. (After last Thursday's press conference, though, I would caution against bringing any unauthorized biographies into the autograph line.) But if your interest leans to information, there should be plenty of that as well.
https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1790360
Cecil Hurt
TideSports.com Columnist
Today is Fan Day for the University of Alabama football team. Some things never change - it will be infernally hot. There will be long lines for autographs. Only the heartiest fans, and those who manage to grab seats in the shade, will last through the open practice. That practice will be analyzed like NASA combing data from Pluto. In part, that's a sign of obsession but it's also true that, for reporters covering the team, it's actually easier to get to Pluto than to see a full practice.
Some things, though, will be different.
Every year, independent upstairs observers (i.e., us) try to measure the autograph line to determine the most popular player. In most years, the quarterback is an easy winner. Occasionally, when there isn't a clear-cut front-runner at quarterback, some other offensive star wins the honor. Last year, it was close between Amari Cooper and T.J. Yeldon. This year, is it possible, for the first time ever, that it won't be an offensive player - or a defensive player?
J.K. Scott, the Alabama punter, is a possibility. He's popular. He's an amazing talent. Barring some unforeseen circumstances, he's the likeliest All-America candidate on the team. Still, a punter proving to be Most Popular would be like a third-party presidential candidate winning the White House. But it will be fun to watch.
While it doesn't qualify as "fun," it's always refreshing to hear from Alabama's offensive and defensive coordinators. Kirby Smart (defense) gave one of the best interviews of the summer on an Atlanta radio station, raising a number of interesting issues (including the hypothesis that Alabama defensive players did not respect Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones because he was a third-teamed at the start of the year.) Whether he'll revisit that game or not, there's a lot for Smart to talk about. In its last three games of 2014, Alabama allowed 100 points and while two of those three games were wins, that's a far cry from the dominance of the preceding years. Now, Alabama's defense is once again expected to be strong. It will be interesting to see if Smart sees things the same way.
Then there's Lane Kiffin. A year ago, Kiffin's presence was such a novelty that reporters looked at him as if he might sprout wings and fly. (He didn't, and was in fact engaging and informative.) This year, after universal praise for the work he did with Blake Sims a year ago, the interview will probably focus far less on Kiffin himself and far more on the Alabama offense. There are more questions than the allotted 15 minutes will allow. Finding a quarterback? Obviously, Kiffin can give more insight than anyone other than Nick Saban himself into how the spring and summer development went. Kiffin won't give a depth chart - he's been in Tuscaloosa too long to fall for that. But every comment about the quarterbacks will mean something.
There will be more. Replacing Cooper? Replacing Yeldon and utilizing the tight end? (A perennial Alabama question that dates back to the days of Xen Scott). The offensive line? They will all be on the table.
That's the good thing about Fan Day. If you are interested in sprinting across the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium so Saban can autograph your infant's onesie, that is fine. (After last Thursday's press conference, though, I would caution against bringing any unauthorized biographies into the autograph line.) But if your interest leans to information, there should be plenty of that as well.
https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1790360
