Tide Tidbits – August 29, 2009

Injuries won’t keep Tide off the practice field
It may be common on Alabama’s team, but that doesn’t mean junior cornerback Kareem Jackson is any less proud. No, he has never missed one practice during his collegiate career. Yes, he hurt his left wrist so badly last season it required surgery. “I don’t plan on missing practice anytime soon,” Jackson said. “I just won’t let myself miss practice. As much as I might talk about it, you better believe every day I’m going to be out there full throttle. One leg or one eye, it doesn’t matter.” Jackson has played in all 27 games since he arrived at Alabama, and his story is typical. “We’re a physical team,” receiver Darius Hanks said. “Coach Saban is a tough coach. He doesn’t like soft players out there. I guess that’s a big part of it.”

Not just for kicks
P.J. Fitzgerald has gotten off 88 straight punts since he last had one blocked. Virginia Tech will be looking to end that streak next Saturday when No. 5 Alabama plays No. 7 Virginia Tech in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome. The Hokies blocked two punts — and a pair of field goals — last season and have a reputation under head coach Frank Beamer as one of the most aggressive kick-blocking programs in the country. Fitzgerald, Alabama’s senior punter from Coral Springs, Fla., doesn’t have to be told about Virginia Tech’s prowess on special teams. “Coach Beamer is known for his special-teams tactics,” Fitzgerald said, “and I know that because growing up I was a Miami fan. They both played in the Big East, so I always saw them in action.”

Ailing Cody misses third day of practice
Alabama nose tackle Terrence Cody remained out of practice Friday afternoon, marking the third consecutive day he has been absent since catching the flu bug currently going around campus. Sophomore Josh Chapman has worked at nose tackle with the top defensive line group the past three days. “We haven’t seen Terrence in a little while,” left guard Mike Johnson said, “so hopefully he can knock that out before I have any chance of contamination. I don’t need any of that.” Alabama coach Nick Saban said Thursday that the players dealing with flu or flu-like symptoms typically have recovered in about three days. “We’re doing a lot of hygiene and nutrition-type stuff as preventative measures so that we don’t get this throughout our team,” Saban said.

Alabama searches for team identity
Alabama is a week away from its season opener against Virginia Tech. The Crimson Tide is ranked No. 5 in the preseason rankings, a number that means nothing to coach Nick Saban. There are parts in place, but the coach said the team’s identity, it’s personality, will have to evolve. “We want to be a team that nobody wants to play,” Saban said Thursday after practice. “Clearly, to me, that comes from how physical you are, how tough you are, the kind of effort and intensity you play with, as well as your ability to execute. And that’s certainly something that we want to continue to create as an identity.” But the coach added that just because last year’s team had many of those qualities doesn’t mean this team will. “Every team has to develop that personality and identity based on the intangibles they have — which are very hard to measure until you actually see them compete and handle some of these situations, especially when things don’t go right,” Saban said.

Barron, not Green, likely to earn starting safety nod in opener
Remember all the talk about Robby Green stepping in for Rashad Johnson at safety? Well, it’s looking more and more like it won’t be Green after all – at least to start the season. While head coach Nick Saban has yet to release a depth chart and while nothing is set in stone and while the media is only allowed to watch a few minutes of individual drills, it appears hard-hitting sophomore Mark Barron will be the guy trotting out to one of two safety spots when the Alabama defense takes the field against Virginia Tech next Saturday. During the Tide’s full-pads workout Friday afternoon at the Thomas-Drew Practice Facility, Barron and returning starter Justin Woodall were the two players manning the first-team safety positions. Green and Ali Sharrief came in with the twos.

Roll Tide!

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