Tide Tidbits – January 26, 2010

Cody’s size seems to be big burden
Alabama coach Nick Saban rode into Fairhope Municipal Stadium in a black SUV, stepping briskly to the edge of the field to watch six of his former players work for the Miami Dolphins coaching staff in the first practice of Senior Bowl week. When it was over, he greeted them at midfield. And he had a question for one of them. “Why don’t you just tell me what you weighed in at?” Saban asked nose tackle Terrence Cody. To which Cody replied: “310.” Saban smiled at the joke. Both of them knew Mount Cody hasn’t been 310 pounds in a long time. Cody, the two-time All-American nose tackle who anchored Alabama’s stingy defensive front, actually tipped the scales at 370 pounds in Monday’s Senior Bowl weigh-in at the Mobile Convention Center. NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said that’s a number that will not help the draft status of a prospect for whom conditioning is a primary concern. [More]

Upchurch to make the most of late Senior Bowl invite
The Senior Bowl was the last thing on Roy Upchurch’s mind Sunday afternoon. The former University of Alabama running back was in Huntsville signing his name until his hand got sore at an autograph session when his cell phone rang. On the other end was a Senior Bowl representative with an offer he thought he had missed out on: “If to you can make it to Mobile, Roy, we’ve got a uniform waiting.” That’s all Upchurch, who was disappointed not to have been invited to play initially, needed to hear. “I had to drop everything I was doing. I had an autograph signing and I had to knock that out, then hit the road ASAP,” Upchurch said. “Then I got a few things I pulled together (in Tuscaloosa), which was nothing, I rounded up all that and hit the road. I got here at 4:30 (Monday) morning and I’ve been rolling ever since.” [More]

Big-time names cause a scene
Pete Carroll smiled as he climbed the escalator into the lobby of the Renaissance Riverview Plaza, waving to fans and dodging reporters. The newly named Seattle Seahawks coach may have been the most recognizable face in town, but he wasn’t the only high-profile personality attending the Senior Bowl workouts. Alabama coach Nick Saban drew the biggest cheers, as his SUV roared into rusty old Fairhope Stadium midway through the first practice for the South team, which was coached by his old NFL team, the Miami Dolphins. Saban spent time on the sidelines, chatting with old friends and watching his six Crimson Tide players working out for NFL personnel. The leader of college football’s national champions also signed the shirts of at least two children, writing, “Roll Tide!” [More]

Finebaum: Urban Meyer should win the Waffle House’s Man of the Year award
A week from now, most of the Internet sites will declare the University of Florida as national champs in recruiting. It’s a small consolation since the Gators, everybody’s pick to win a second straight BCS title back in August, were rolled in Atlanta by Alabama, shattering their hopes and dreams. Don’t be surprised if Waffle House also has a big announcement: That Urban Meyer will receive the chain’s “Man of the Year Award” for the person who did the most waffling in the past 12 months. Just in time to put a spin on his epic recruiting class, Meyer nonchalantly announced Saturday night at halftime of a meaningless basketball game that he was returning to coach spring practice. The statement, coming exactly four weeks after he announced his resignation, has given the frenzied and fraught Gator Nation reason to finally rejoice. Pardon me if I’m not buying anything Flipper has to say. [More]

Alabama Has Perfect Storm of Running Backs
The college football world will find itself in the perfect storm in 2010, a Crimson Storm created by over emphasis on the spread attack. Alabama returns an embarrassment of riches at the tailback position this year. While it’s not unusual for Alabama to field great running backs, the prevalence of the spread attack throughout college football has left high school running backs in search of teams still running the tried and true power run-based pro attack. Step in Nick Saban, who found a home in the driver’s seat of the winning obsessed Crimson Tide nation. In an era dominated by the spread attack, Alabama used a power running game and play action passing to steam roll most of the opposition and stampede to its 13th national title and an undefeated 14-0 record. [More]

Roll Tide!

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