Tide Tidbits – August 27, 2009

Alabama’s Bowman make good impression
His last name isn’t Richardson, Fluker or Kirkpatrick. No, Michael Bowman didn’t have the full spotlight that his freshmen teammates had when arriving at Alabama. And, no, he has yet to line up for a college game, but he is showing signs of his potential in the first month with the Crimson Tide while earning the respect of his head coach as well as teammates. At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, it would be hard for Bowman to blend in with the crowd of receivers because he is one of the bigger receivers in coach Nick Saban’s program. And he has taken notice. “I would say we’re certainly gonna try to coach and develop him this year, and we’re hopeful that he can contribute in some way to our team,” Saban said.

Tide staying away from injury bug
Tuesday late in preseason camp — three days after Alabama’s second full-contact scrimmage — a scan of the Crimson Tide’s practice fields for players on stationary bikes or wearing black (non-contact) jerseys revealed just one. Freshman receiver Kenny Bell was in a boot and wearing a black No. 7 jersey. That’s it. Roy Upchurch? In white. Trent Richardson? On the field. Offensive and defensive linemen? All working. In other words, Alabama remains remarkably healthy. This follows a season in which the Crimson Tide had very few significant injuries. All-
American left tackle Andre Smith missed the Tulane game with a sprained knee. Right guard Marlon Davis missed the Western Kentucky game with a strained hamstring. “I don’t think it’s any one particular thing,” Saban said Tuesday when asked how his team has managed to stay relatively healthy. “I think it’s a combination of things — and it’s really guys learning how to practice.”

Peek glad to walk in his shoes
In a season that has yet to begin, even minor victories project importance far later down the road. For instance, there was Alabama tight end Colin Peek, walking out of the locker room Wednesday evening with a normal sneaker on his left foot. “It’s been eight months,” Peek said, “so it’s definitely nice to wear a new shoe on there.” Ten days before the season opener against Virginia Tech that will be his first live game since 2007, Peek says that he “feels wonderful out there,” words of fortitude that ignore two screws that will be in his foot for the rest of his life. Peek, a 6-foot-6 senior, basically has no choice but to try to play through a lingering stress fracture in his left navicular bone, a tarsel bone in the middle portion of his foot.

Tide has chance for rematch with Gators
Florida will win the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division in 2009. The Gators are the No. 1 team in the nation, return 11 starters on defense and still have the great Tim Tebow behind center. The West, however, isn’t so simple. The three-team race between No. 5 Alabama, No. 8 Ole Miss and No. 11 LSU will be the most entertaining story in the league. Alabama’s Nick Saban is the best coach in the division and knows what it takes to win at this level. A year ago many folks claimed he was a season away from putting together a great team. However, the Tide went out and won 12 consecutive games in 2008 before falling to Florida,31-20, in the SEC championship game and to Utah, 31-17, in the Sugar Bowl. If this is going to be Saban’s best club at Alabama, that’s just scary.

If You Want to Understand Nick Saban, Watch Him at Practice
Everybody has a personal side and a public side. One reporter joked to me that both of Nick Saban’s were surly. He was just joking, but that is the impression many have of him. If you really want to know Saban, watch him at practice. He’s yelling, he’s coaching, he’s criticizing, and he’s praising. This spring a smiling Rolando McClain told me that if he calls your number, he’s mad at you, and if he calls your name, it’s because you did something good. “I didn’t come to Alabama to win 10 games a year and be a contender,” Saban told me. “I came here to win championships. Conference championships and national championships. I love it here because that’s just not what I want, but what this fanbase expects.”

Roll Tide!

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