August 14, 2015
Rivals.com
Everything has its own day. Thursday was International Left-Handers' Day. Wednesday, perhaps auspiciously for the Alabama football team, was International Elephant Day.
Today may not be celebrated internationally, but in college football terms, it's important, or should be. This is National Lack of Information Day.
Across the country, college teams are practicing. Most of those practices, though, have been preparatory, not full-speed-ahead scrimmaging. It's true at Alabama, and most other places. The demand for information is insatiable, but the actual knowledge to supply demand is in short supply. If the football world was a bagel, we'd be spreading the cream cheese too thin.
Vacuums are invariably filled, though. Speculation, which doesn't really hurt anyone, does most of the filling. That's why every "expert" in America, whether they have attended an Alabama practice or talked to an Alabama coach, can make a guess at Alabama's quarterback. But it can be a short step from speculation to panic. Players who suffer a routine practice injury can, given the power of social media, be "out for the year" in a matter of minutes. Anticipation turns to anxiety.
Fortunately, things are about to get better. Alabama will scrimmage on Saturday, and there will be more information. There might even be "statistics" of a sort, which will be greeted the way raw tenderloin is welcomed by a pride of lions. There will still be rampant speculation, but there will at least be some facts mixed in with guesswork. The corner will be turned, and the next three weeks will be more bearable. Barely.
So what is there to look for, or listen for, at the Alabama scrimmage? Nick Saban offered a couple of clues at his Wednesday press conference.
First, of course, are the quarterbacks. At that time, he said the staff, "still had to make a decision" on which of the quarterback candidates will get the most reps. But by Saturday, that decision will be made. Given the demands of game preparation, a ranking (not a "depth chart," of course) is necessary. That doesn't mean Alabama can't keep the competition open. It doesn't mean they can't alternate quarterbacks, or make a change in Week 3 if necessary. And it certainly doesn't mean Saban is going tell the media or the Wisconsin coaches or anyone else specifically what he plans to do.
Until he does, anything is possible. I have had four different "insiders" (not coaches) tell me about the quarterbacks this week and, honest to goodness, each one told me a different name is "the leader."
So we still won't know everything. But we will know more. People will still get wrapped up in the scrimmage fallacy, forgetting that a scrimmage is, by its very nature, a zero-sum game. In other words, let's say one of the quarterbacks throws a long touchdown. That would be great for Alabama fans, except that will probably mean that a cornerback got beat on the play. So there's that to worry about. If the same ball is intercepted, that's a good sign for the secondary - but it's a quarterback problem. That's why a scrimmage is a better recipe for depression than anything in the state of Alabama, except watching the legislature try to pass a budget.
The other questions - the running backs, the offensive line, the freshmen, the field-goal kicking - will still be there. It's just we'll have a little better idea of the answers. That won't make Sunday an international holiday - but it should.
https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1792219
Rivals.com
Everything has its own day. Thursday was International Left-Handers' Day. Wednesday, perhaps auspiciously for the Alabama football team, was International Elephant Day.
Today may not be celebrated internationally, but in college football terms, it's important, or should be. This is National Lack of Information Day.
Across the country, college teams are practicing. Most of those practices, though, have been preparatory, not full-speed-ahead scrimmaging. It's true at Alabama, and most other places. The demand for information is insatiable, but the actual knowledge to supply demand is in short supply. If the football world was a bagel, we'd be spreading the cream cheese too thin.
Vacuums are invariably filled, though. Speculation, which doesn't really hurt anyone, does most of the filling. That's why every "expert" in America, whether they have attended an Alabama practice or talked to an Alabama coach, can make a guess at Alabama's quarterback. But it can be a short step from speculation to panic. Players who suffer a routine practice injury can, given the power of social media, be "out for the year" in a matter of minutes. Anticipation turns to anxiety.
Fortunately, things are about to get better. Alabama will scrimmage on Saturday, and there will be more information. There might even be "statistics" of a sort, which will be greeted the way raw tenderloin is welcomed by a pride of lions. There will still be rampant speculation, but there will at least be some facts mixed in with guesswork. The corner will be turned, and the next three weeks will be more bearable. Barely.
So what is there to look for, or listen for, at the Alabama scrimmage? Nick Saban offered a couple of clues at his Wednesday press conference.
First, of course, are the quarterbacks. At that time, he said the staff, "still had to make a decision" on which of the quarterback candidates will get the most reps. But by Saturday, that decision will be made. Given the demands of game preparation, a ranking (not a "depth chart," of course) is necessary. That doesn't mean Alabama can't keep the competition open. It doesn't mean they can't alternate quarterbacks, or make a change in Week 3 if necessary. And it certainly doesn't mean Saban is going tell the media or the Wisconsin coaches or anyone else specifically what he plans to do.
Until he does, anything is possible. I have had four different "insiders" (not coaches) tell me about the quarterbacks this week and, honest to goodness, each one told me a different name is "the leader."
So we still won't know everything. But we will know more. People will still get wrapped up in the scrimmage fallacy, forgetting that a scrimmage is, by its very nature, a zero-sum game. In other words, let's say one of the quarterbacks throws a long touchdown. That would be great for Alabama fans, except that will probably mean that a cornerback got beat on the play. So there's that to worry about. If the same ball is intercepted, that's a good sign for the secondary - but it's a quarterback problem. That's why a scrimmage is a better recipe for depression than anything in the state of Alabama, except watching the legislature try to pass a budget.
The other questions - the running backs, the offensive line, the freshmen, the field-goal kicking - will still be there. It's just we'll have a little better idea of the answers. That won't make Sunday an international holiday - but it should.
https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1792219
