Tide Tidbits – February 24, 2010

Anders, Knight follow different roads toward the NFL
You don’t have to go to the NFL Combine to go to the NFL. Alabama alumni Eryk Anders and Zeke Knight are taking the road less traveled toward the league. They share a goal and a whole lot more. They’re friends and former teammates, linebackers who made the transition from Mike Shula to Nick Saban. They’re current roommates in Atlanta, where they’ve been working out at Competitive Edge Sports for the past month, preparing to impress NFL scouts beyond the combine. They have the same upstart agent, John Phillips of the Breakthrough Sports Agency in Jacksonville, Fla., who calls them “underdogs” with affection, and good reason. [More]

Crudup, Sherrer added to Tide staff
Alabama added two coaches to replace three vacancies on its staff, but Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban has not announced the specific duties of the two coaches yet. Former Stillman College quarterbacks coach Derrick Crudup Jr. has joined the staff along with Hoover High defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer. Sherrer is expected to fill the position formerly held by linebackers coach Jeremy Pruitt. Pruitt had served as a defensive coordinator at Hoover High before joining the Alabama staff as director of player development. He recently was given an on-the-field coaching job as linebackers coach after James Willis left the staff to become the defensive coordinator at Texas Tech. [More]

The top 64: Best prospects as 2010 NFL draft season kicks off
12. *Rolando McClain — ILB, Alabama, 6-4, 256, 1: A special athlete on the field and an outstanding leader. His instincts, intelligence, aggressive play and productivity draw comparisons to Patrick Willis. While leading Alabama to a national title last season, McClain won the Butkus Award as the top linebacker in the country. Some scouts wonder how much he benefited from playing in coach Nick Saban’s hyper-aggressive, 3-4 defense that helped keep him free to roam behind the likes of 365-pound nose tackle Terrence Cody. Still, McClain appears to have everything except sprinter’s speed and is expected to be a star. [More]

The SEC’s 30 best players: Nos. 1 and 2
What happens when you have the two best players that season in a conference the caliber of the SEC? You win a national championship. It’s no coincidence that Alabama ended up leading the way with seven players in our postseason countdown of the 30 best players in the SEC. The Crimson Tide were perfect in 2009 — 14-0 on their way to their first national title in 17 years. And how fitting that the No. 1 guy didn’t even make my preseason countdown of the 30 best players in this league. Geez! Here’s the breakdown by school: Alabama 7, Florida 6, Tennessee 3, Arkansas 2, Auburn 2, LSU 2, Georgia 2, Mississippi State 2, Ole Miss 2, Kentucky 1 and South Carolina 1. It wasn’t by design, but there were 15 offensive players and 15 defensive players, although 10 of the top 16 were defensive players. [More]

Roll Tide!

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