Weeks 1 and 2....The beat goes on...

Tuscaloosa,AL Alabama came into both games looking pretty good against subpar competition, especially the first game. As a side note, to keep things interesting, the NCAA had Marcel Dareus

 suspended until the Duke game for ALLEGEDLY taking improper benefits from an agent or a friend of an agent.
Lucky for the first two teams, they will not have to face this beast. As a side bonus, Mark Ingram went ahead and had his knee scoped after somewhat injuring it in practice, to clean it up and to make it stronger instead of waiting and having it tear completely.

 So our backup,Trent Richardson has been shouldering the load.....shouldering is an inside joke since supposedly he was banged up also. Our 3rd string running back is Eddie Lacey, who is basically a hybrid of Mark and Trent. I call them the "Smash Bro's" since they seem to smash into defenders instead of avoiding contact. If you have ever faced a physical back who seems to get stronger as the game goes on, you know how tough it is to stay energetic for the whole game while you are trying to tackle a punishing runner. Except instead of him getting wore down and you getting wore down, they replace him with someone who is a lil faster and alot stronger. You still stay in the game and have to tackle him now, usually at the tail end of a brutal drive. It makes it that much harder for you to perform and bring your "A" game while you are physically and mentally drained. I think that is what Nick Saban will do to control the clock and tempo of the game when he faces some of the explosive offenses on in the meat of the schedule.

(ht:Gump4Heisman)

We faced an overmatched SJSU from California, and it wasn't even close...
All of our backups got playing time, and AJ to Julio was a sight to behold:

One handed-grab while reaching for the goal...here's to Julio getting at least 1000 yrds and 12 TD's this year....and hopefully a top spot in the draft...he is also one hell of a downfield blocker, which separates him from other WR's in the SEC.
Week 2:

Joe Pa and Penn St paid Nick Saban a visit. This is more than likely Joe Pa's last time in Bryant-Denny, and many think this will be his last year as a Head Coach. He is one of, if not, the last figureheads of a major NCAA football program. Bobby Bowden was fired retired last year and he and Joe Pa had a lil competition to finish with the most victories. As it turns out, Penn St. was breaking in a new freshman QB and had to be fed to the wolves slowly. Many think that CNS didn't turn up the heat enough out of respect for Coach Paterno. I tend to think that way. We were gaining 7 yrds+ a carry on offense, and hardly blitzing on defense. I think had it been any other team or coach, we blow em off the field in a big way.

This picture is put here for no particular reason, just because...

QUOTES FROM THE GAME:
"I thought (Alabama) had a very good football team," Paterno said. "They outcoached us; they outplayed us and kicked the crap out of us. Anything else you want to know?"

Welcome to the new and improved Crimson Conniption!

Tuscaloosa, AL... August 5,2010

A New Beginning...of a Real Live EA Sports Dynasty

What makes this year so special? Here we are, only a few years removed from the "Shula's On the Job Training" experiment,to a legit 2009 BCS MNC Champs.  We have come a long way from feeling embarrassed to wear anything Alabama out in public, to actually not being afraid to have others say "Bama's Back!".  Also improved is that we are dominating our in state rival in all phases, on the field, and off the field in recruiting. Auburn likes to ride around in limos to get recruits excited, while our coach simply sells , and I quote CNS....."Our coaches have over 57 years NFL coaching experience, why the hell do we need to ride around in limousines? If you ask me what I am selling to recruits, well, that's what we sell!"  The biggest thing most Tide fans have noticed about what CNS does, is he finds the best talent in the nation to run his defense. A lot of people in the sports media are lamenting the difference in last years defense  and how many went to the NFL ,to this years defense and how we will be playing catch up in alot of games. I think we will surprise alot more people than we did last year. They said the same thing last year about all the guys the offense lost to the NFL along the line, and the next thing you know, we have our first Heisman winner running behind that rag-tag offensive line, a line that DOMINATED more than they got dominated. Coach Pendry is one of kind, and I believe the best O-line coach in the nation, and I'm not so sure that CNS can keep his staff intact after this year. With success breeds advancement for all those around CNS, and usually other schools come calling and he will be looking to find the next great position coaches out there. I am sure Kirby Smart will be leaving and I am pretty sure McElwain will be courted also.  That's why I think this year will be a show of how well we coach up our defense and how we unleash our offensive potential, and I don't think it will look much different from an NFL expansion team. On offense, big things are expected from an unit that contains a Heisman winner, a potential Heisman winner, a first round NFL caliber WR in Julio Jones when healthy, steady blocking from the O-line and a pretty good TE in Preston Dial. The bar was raised when Bama was playing to their potential vs UF in the SECCG. That is the Crimson Tide I want to see, all the time, all season. The biggest question will be........