Breaking down the 2008 SEC teams for two weeks; Two-A-Days
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The first in a six part series.
Let’s get off to a clean start: I bleed Purple and Gold and have little patience for knuckle-dragging Gumps.
When Pete and crew asked me to do this, I agreed on two grounds: first, I write whatever I want – uncensored (within reason) – wherever the SEC wind between my ears takes me; everyone (and thing) is fair game. And second, CFN must match my weekly paycheck and donate it to the Alabama School for Reconstructive Dentistry.
Hey – that’s just me.
With that out of the way, and with our harsh, nuclear winter-of-an-offseason almost a thing of the past, let us take a look back, so that we may move forward. Together. As a CFN reader, you’re likely ahead of the curve on spring drills and two-deeps. So we’ll kickoff this look at 2008 with a cheat sheet (just a figure of speech, Urban) for each team: The Good, The Bad, and The DuBose. (BTW, come here with thick skin and a sense of humor, plus an interest in digging deep into the SEC, our nation’s greatest college football conference.)
So keep up, UGA fans; this might help. From left to right… In pairs.
‘BAMA
The Good: He might not be great, but senior QB JPW’s capable. And more to the point, he’s a Sr.; in this conference - more so than any other - poise/experience matters. But The Good is standing before him: two future NFL players in Smith & Caldwell (Jr. & Sr.), and good blocking TEs (McCall & Walker; both Srs.). Think ‘Experience’: the six wide, two deep has no freshman and just three sophomores – all backups.
The Bad: You'd think The Bad would be simply picking any unit on the defense. The line is young and average. At LB, with Johns making his one phone call, if EK isn’t playing and playing well (ticker concerns), and junior Hall's not reinstated (ha!), the front seven falls on Rolando’s (So.) shoulders; they’re big, but not that big. And the only DB that's a "go-to" guy is S Rashad Johnson (Sr.), and he’s a downgrade from Castille, who went undrafted. Look to see a lot of fresh faces playing on defense, which is a nice segue to the DuBose... But first, The Bad - 10 arrests in 12 months?! PaRole Tide!
The DuBose: All together now – and we do mean ALL – come on, Nicky… Why stop at 32? Why not 50? Think Nebraska circa 1970, and a roster tipping 150. ‘bama – The New Math. Or, considering some kids are going to get squeezed out: ‘bama – The New Red Meat.
The Jim Bob Cooter Award: Ezekial Knight; LB (Sr.)
ARKANSAS
The Good: Arkansas’ recruiting classes are bound to improve, seeing as how Petrino will promise every kid a starting spot on the roster, Kim Kardashian, the Head Coaching job at Penn State… Anything it takes, right Bobby (which begs the question: in today’s age, how many times does a man have to lie before he’s considered a liar?) The O will also improve – in Petrino’s first season at Louisville, total offense jumped from 97th all the way up to fifth. But The Good is the best center in America, Mr. Jon Luigs (Sr.), and an O-line strong up the gut.
The Bad: Who needs a soul? Ok, forgetting for a moment the relative honor/trustworthiness of your new head coach, The Bad is the cupboards are bare; everyone who could leave early packed and did. Petrino got a late start on recruiting (or early, if you’re a material holder of Home Depot shares), and the Hogs will have a hard time with depth at most positions, particularly RB. Last season the passing attack ranked #112 – while Monk was injured and Casey struggled, one could rationalize the weak performance because the rushing attack was scary-ridiculous (#4). Though they'd be lying to themselves - the passing attack reeked. And while Casey nearly tossed his arm off in the Spring game, he’s no Ryan Sorahan. Losing the entire Secondary doesn’t help either.
The DuBose: The lamest thing of the SEC offseason had to be new Ar-Kansas transfer Ryan Mallet (So., QB) trying to squirm out of his “Time Out” season. What was the thinking there? “My new coach doesn’t fit my style... so King Me!” Wow. Where were the adults in that story?
The Jim Bob Cooter Award: The Dick Bros., Casey & Nathan; QBs (Sr. & Fr.)
