Tide Tidbits – February 26, 2010

Alabama players have special edge
Spread offenses and 4-3 defenses are common in college football. Pro-style offenses are so named because they are standard in the NFL, and the 3-4 defense is spreading through pro football. Alabama runs a pro-style offense and a 3-4 defense. Does that give Crimson Tide players an advantage as pro prospects? It certainly doesn’t hurt, said Scot McCloughan, general manager of the San Francisco 49ers. “It makes it easier for us to figure out what they can and can’t do, on tape,” he said after talking to reporters from a podium at the NFL Scouting Combine. “It doesn’t mean there can’t be a tight end flexed out in the spread who can’t come in and be a blocking tight end. “It’s just a system. But it makes my life easier when you watch and Alabama or a USC, you can see them more at a position where they would be playing for us.” [More]

Lighter, Better, Faster, Stronger: The Case for Streamlined Football
“He ain’t heavy. He’s my brother.” So would say many players on Alabama’s national champion football team. He, of course, is Terrence Cody, the Crimson Tide’s All-American defensive tackle who kept Alabama’s undefeated season alive all by himself with a crucial block of a last-second field goal in the Tide’s game against Tennessee. Cody’s generally good-natured persona and size have made him popular both with his teammates and on a national level. His ability to eat up space on the line of scrimmage has frustrated many opponents, earning him the nickname “Mount Cody.” He smiles a lot and manages to keep the mood at practice fairly light through shenanigans like racing his coach. In April, Cody hopes to be among the 200+ players drafted from the college ranks who are given the opportunity to play football for a living. [More]

Alabama product may fit TE-happy Patriots
The Alabama tight end was a playmaking part of the Crimson Tide’s national championship season, and he believes former Belichick assistant Nick Saban has been training him to play for Belichick. “You always see the Patriots (scouts) there a lot (at practice),” said Peek, a 6-foot-6, 255-pounder who had 26 catches for 313 yards with three touchdowns. “It’s because coach Saban has already groomed us to be NFL players who work in that system, who understand the same philosophy, the team-first (attitude). That’s why the Patriots would probably show interest in Alabama guys.” Peek believes his play at Alabama will “translate seamlessly into Bill Belichick’s system.” [More]

Recruiting: Miami DT shines at combine, linked to Bama
Elkino Watson (Miami, Fla./Booker T. Washington) — Earlier this week at the Under Armour Miami combine at the Miami Dolphins training facility Watson stood out as one of the top defensive tackles in camp. The 6-foot-1, 282-pounder ran a 5.22 40, 7.97 L-cone — a drill to test change of direction and quickness — and a 4.94 pro agility shuttle, according to ESPN’s Gerry Hamilton, who was on site. Watson also turned in 18 reps of 185 pounds on the bench press. Hamilton also wrote this this about Watson: “In one-on-one drills, Watson was the most aggressive lineman with his hands and showed a quick first step with the ability to beat his opponent with a power bull rush or a quick and explosive series of movement.” If this guy sounds like a perfect fit for a Nick Saban-style defense, you’re right. Alabama, Hamilton said, is going after him as is Florida, LSU, Florida State and Vanderbilt. [More]

Why Nick Saban Is Already A Legend, and Why He Won’t Go Pro!
Early in his coaching career, Nick Saban began to make impressions. Impressions that have defined him as one of the most prestigious coaches in NCAA football. Nick Saban has accomplished in a short time, what most coaches hope to accomplish in a lifetime. He has restored prominence to the Crimson Tide, and proven that he can win in almost any Division-I conference. To further solidify his greatness, the University of Alabama has erected a statue of Coach Saban, adjacent to the statue of another Tide Legend, coach Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant. So will all of Saban’s success bring another shot at the Pros? I think not. [More]

Roll Tide!

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