Tide Tidbits – October 31, 2009

Talking Title in Tuscaloosa
Things look pretty familiar for Nick Saban. Alabama is undefeated, ranked second in the nation and is competing with Florida, its Southeastern Conference rival, for a shot at the national title. Recruiting and preparing an elite team with championship ambitions is why Alabama gave Mr. Saban an eight-year, $32 million contract before the 2007 season and extended it this summer through 2017. Mr. Saban was charged with returning Alabama to relevancy. Now Alabama (8-0) is back among the elite. And Mr. Saban, a native of Fairmont, W. Va., who got his first college head-coaching position with Toledo in 1990, finds himself preparing for a Nov. 7 game against his old team LSU.[More]

For Alabama players, it’s rest — and back to basics
Before the season opener with Virginia Tech, Alabama fans had reason for optimism, but few had goals of perfection. A new quarterback and replacing three offensive linemen are a couple of good reasons to expect a stumble or two along the way. But don’t ask Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban about expectations or comparisons to last year’s team. “What I tell the team is you need to forget about all that and look forward,” Saban said. “It’s not about where you’re ranked or what you’re record is or any of that stuff because we have a four-game season when we come back off of this bye week and we’ll play those games one game at a time. We control our own destiny about how we play in those games, so that’s what we should be focused on. And none of the other stuff really matters.” [More]

Bama broadcaster living a dream
Chris Stewart is plugged into the heartbeat of Alabama Crimson Tide football fans perhaps more than anyone. Stewart hosts the Crimson Tide Networks’ radio postgame call-in show following Alabama games. He hears what is on fans’ minds. He also hears their complaints and sometimes their stories. “The scariest thing in broadcasting,” he said, “is (saying) ‘lets go to the phones.’” Though the calls are normally more rational when the Tide wins, Stewart heard his fare share of off the wall calls when Bama was going through a rough spell earlier this decade. Stewart even recalled playing the role of therapist for one caller after Alabama’s loss to Florida in the SEC Championship Game last December. “I had to talk him down off the ledge,” Stewart joked. “This guy was balling on the air. Just crying.” [More]

A Sense Of Urgency: The Alabama Senior Class.
The Alabama Football program must sense the urgency to finish well this year and get to the National Championship game. There is one reason why. The reason has twenty different meaningful components. This senior class is a blend of talent that dates back to the first recruiting class of Mike Shula and more recent efforts by current head coach Nick Saban. Length of stay for the classmates ranges from two to six years duration. This class represents the strength of the Alabama team and these seniors understand what it takes to get to a championship level. They have paid their dues and have contributed to the recent swell of pride in the Alabama Football program. [More]

Roll Tide!

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