Tide Tidbits – December 25, 2009

McElroy evolves from ‘a guy’ to ‘the guy’
Greg McElroy woke up this Christmas morning in suburban Dallas knowing that, whatever presents are under the tree, what he really wants this year must be earned on Jan. 7. And that’s just fine with him. McElroy has proved he doesn’t mind waiting. His patience has paid off. But Christmas 2009 looks much different than Christmas 2008. McElroy has overcome adversity and answered a number of questions this year. He’s gone from “a guy” who could replace John Parker Wilson to “the guy” who drove the team the length of the field in the final minutes to beat Auburn. From the first-year starter who looked rattled against South Carolina and Tennessee to the man who outplayed Tim Tebow in the SEC Championship Game. [More]

Players surprised Tide winless vs. Texas
Alabama head coach Nick Saban likes to tell his players not to think too much about the history of Alabama’s program and write their own version instead. The 2009 Crimson Tide will have that opportunity Jan. 7. In the storied 117-year history of Alabama football, there have been monumental wins in the Rose Bowl, legacy-building wins in national championship games and exciting victories that have captured fans’ imaginations for decades thereafter. But there has never been a win over the University of Texas. “Especially as good as Alabama has been, the tradition and the history, I definitely find it surprising that Alabama has never beaten Texas,” Crimson Tide senior Lorenzo Washington said. “I would have thought at least once, somewhere, Alabama would have beaten Texas.” [More]

Bowls of winners: It’s a Christmas tradition
BCS Citi National Championship – Alabama minus-4 over Texas: My friends at the BCS will call this game the national championship until Rep. Joe Barton pries their cold, dead hands off the … wait, that’s a little overly dramatic. Last time the Longhorns went to Pasadena, I felt strongly they were ready to stage the upset against USC. Game lived up to its hype. This time I feel strongly that Texas is, indeed, on its way to Pasadena again. The Horns don’t have to worry about blocking Ndamukong Suh in this one. But Alabama’s front seven overall is superior to the Huskers’. That’s the real KEY. And Mark Ingram will show that Heisman voters did not make a mistake. Let’s see if Nick Saban can force himself to smile after winning a second national title. [More]

The Longhorns Keep Things Physical
Tommy Tuberville, the former Auburn coach and the former boss of the Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, said the Longhorns better keep their practices intense and continue blocking and tackling in pads as they prepared for the national championship game against Alabama on Jan. 7. It will be the only way to get ready for the Tide’s physical style. Texas Coach Mack Brown said on a teleconference this week that the Longhorns had been hitting in pads in practice to make sure their timing on tackling was crisp. “Will has said the practices are going to be exactly the same has they have been at both places,” Brown said, referring to Alabama and Texas. “We know Alabama is a physical team. We have taken the full week just to hit each other and scrimmage and get some timing back.” [More]

Watching film of Tide is like a horror movie, says UT’s Brown
Texas doesn’t get much of an opportunity to be an actual underdog, so coach Mack Brown has already decided to make the most of it. Alabama has been made a four-point favorite in the Citi BCS National Championship game on Jan. 7. If you believe Brown’s take this week, it could be, maybe should be, more. The Alabama game film has been the stuff of nightmares, Brown suggested. Think of a cross between the original Jaws and highlights of Ndamukong Suh in the Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship. “We’re not able to sleep,” Brown said. “They’ve got three Suhs up front. That’s the problem. Everywhere you look, they’ve been knocking people down. We’ve been afraid to show it to our kids.” [More]

2010 BCS Bowl Preview: 5 Things to Watch for in the National Championship Game
For the first time since the 2006 Rose Bowl, two undefeated teams will square off in the BCS national championship game when No. 1 Alabama takes on No. 2 Texas on January 7. To conclude our 2010 BCS Bowl Preview, here are five things to watch for in the 2010 title game. 1.) Can McCoy rebound? 2.) The Heisman winner vs. the No. 1 run defense in the nation 3.) Can McElroy continue his late season production? 4.) Can either team stop each other’s X-factors? 5.) Will ‘Bama start to read its own press clippings? [More]

Saban’s emphasis on mental conditioning has paid big dividends for Tide
Alabama players believe they owe much of their success this season to the Pacific Institute, which has conducted mental conditioning classes for the Crimson Tide since the spring of 2008. Quarterback Greg McElroy and middle linebacker Rolando McClain seem to have benefited the most. [More]

Merry Christmas
BamaFootball4Life

(Hoping for a Happy New Year on January 7th)

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