Tide Tidbits – March 23, 2010

With knee rehab done, Hightower eager to make up for lost time
Whether Dont’a Hightower’s surgically repaired knee is ready for game action isn’t something that needs immediate determination. But the University of Alabama junior, certainly, is practicing as though it is. And he doesn’t even need pads to do it. The Crimson Tide returned to spring practice after a week off for spring break on Monday, working out in just helmets and shorts, but Hightower was ready for a bigger taste of contact than helmets and shorts provides. “We had a little altercation … It got a little bit too rowdy today,” said Hightower. Hightower was lost for the season Sept. 29 with torn knee ligaments against Arkansas. As the only returning starter in the UA linebacking unit, his return for the 2010 season is crucial for the Crimson Tide. Knee ligament tears commonly sideline football players for 12 months. But Hightower has apparently made a recovery after only about six. While the rehab may have been short, it didn’t lack in intensity. [More]

Five questions with Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy
Q. How do you feel about your situation this year compared to a year ago?
A. It’s night and day, as far as my comfort level and my confidence level in this offense. I keep trying to remind myself this is my first time to return as a starter since my eighth-grade season. It’s been a long time, and I’m very, very proud to have had the success that we did last year, but I think people realize there’s so much more. We’ve really only scratched the surface. I feel very strongly in our ability to improve and really kind of focus on the key areas where we fell short last year. [More]

No motivation material needed this year?
How does a team returning from a championship season find motivation? It’s the question athletes fitted for rings often stumble on, but Greg McElroy’s response is a simple one: No motivation necessary. “We’re not really trying to look for motivational material,” said the University of Alabama quarterback. “I think the motivation is coming from within, and the feeling we had. That Florida feeling from a couple of years ago still resonates with a lot of us.” [More]

Robby Green is back
As expected, safety Robby Green was back at practice today as the Crimson Tide resumed spring drills following a week off for spring break. Green was excused from the Crimson Tide’s first practice, on March 12, for “personal reasons,” coach Nick Saban said afterward. The rising junior has been cleared to practice, but his eligibility to play next fall remains in question. [More]

News and notes from the front lines
Julio Jones is still awesome. There were mutters on the sideline just watching Jones run routes and catch the ball. He still looks every bit like an NFL player. So does Mark Ingram. So does Trent Richardson. [More]

Nico Johnson Poised to Break Out in 2010
When Alabama’s budding inside linebacker star, Dont’a Hightower, blew out his knee and was declared unable to play for the rest of the 2009 season, Tide fans tore their clothes and wept.It was obvious that someone needed to try to fill in for Hightower. Since top backup Jerrell Harris was suspended, all eyes turned to true freshmen Nico Johnson and Tana Patrick. Saban announced before the Ole Miss game that Nico Johnson would start. With players like Johnson, Tana Patrick, Jonathon Atchison, and Ed Stinson, ‘Bama fans should be excited about the Tide linebacker unit for the next few years. [More]

Roll Tide!

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