Bama Football Again Practices Indoors On Friday
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| Crimson Tide Football Team Working Out Friday Afternoon Photo Credit: RollTide.com |
The University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team put in a couple of good hours of work on Friday afternoon inside the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility. Bama practiced in shells for the final practice leading into today's first intrasquad scrimmage of the 2016 Fall Camp.
Practice kicked off at 2:30 p.m. CT yesterday afternoon, with the main focus on fundamentals prepping for the scrimmage. Today's scrimmage begins at 1:00 p.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The team will have their first off day tomorrow since the start of the fall practice sessions. This was the Tide's 11th practice, with 17 more to follow.
All three of the healthy scholarshipped quarterbacks looked good. Jalen Hurts probably looked the best yesterday with his passing. David Cornwell is still hampered by his foot injury and limited.
The Crimson Tide kicks off the 2016 football season with a trip to Arlington, Texas where Bama will face USC in the AdvoCare Classic inside AT&T Stadium on Saturday, September 3rd. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on the ABC Network. Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Sam Ponder will be announcing the game.
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SEC Approves Maurice Smith Transfer From Alabama
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SEC Approves Maurice Smith Transfer From Alabama
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| Maurice Smith...finally gone Photo Credit: RollTide.com |
The Southeastern Conference yesterday afternoon approved the transfer of Maurice Smith from Alabama to play for Georgia.
The SEC has approved what is termed a conditional waiver allowing the former
Alabama defensive back to head to Georgia as a graduate transfer and to be
eligible to play immediately.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban granted a full release to Smith on Wednesday, and the needed SEC waiver approval came yesterday to allow Smith to go and play immediately.
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My Take On The Smith Situation
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| UA Head Football Coach Nick Saban Photo Credit: RollTide.com |
A lot of people won't like what I'm saying here. That's just fine.
The situation with the Maurice Smith transfer debacle is ridiculous.
From what I have read on the entire situation, this whole incident began with an email secretly sent from the mother of Maurice Smith to Alabama head football coach Nick Saban. Let me say, first, that mom's love their sons...or should. They do what they can to protect them. But there is a time to stay out of a grown man's business (or grown woman).
Yes, we call these young men playing college football "kids." But many of them, by the time they are Smith's age, have signed contracts ON THEIR OWN to play professional football in the National Football League. Can you imagine a mother sending a letter to an NFL coach in secret to get him to do "something" for her son? If they are old enough to sign multi-million dollar deals, they are old enough to deal with their graduate year of college football...without mama interfering.
Now, the stories coming out are pretty much from mama, daddy, and the young man who got upset AFTER mama sent a secret email and got the coach "fired" up. Perhaps some of the "stories", or parts thereof, are true. But I'd bet more than a wooden nickle that the real story hasn't been told. This is one of perspective.
When a prospect signs a letter of intent with a school, he or she knows that they have just said that this is MY school, but should matters change I can transfer. I may have to sit out a year to go where I want to go but I can transfer. However, if I want to immediately play, I need permission to go where I want to go. They KNOW this.
Do I like the way colleges handle scholarships now on pretty-much a year-to-year basis? No, I don't. But I also don't like the fact that athletes can now just decide they want to leave after giving a four-year commitment either.
I'm sure things were said by both sides in this transfer situation. I just don't happen to believe it's as bad as the Smith family are making it out to be.
Furthermore, I don't think Saban should have caved. Okay, that may be too strong a word. But he had rules and regs on his side. Yes, he COULD grand a transfer for a player to immediately play. But he doesn't have to. I wouldn't let a player transfer to an in-conference school with the chance of meeting in an SEC championship or bowl game. No way.
Should the SEC decide to change the rules, then I'm with them 100 percent. But right now, it is what it is. Or was. Seems it changed from not allowing to go ahead.
The coach has a season to get ready for. Not take up all this time on this nonsense. And much of the national media jumped on it just because it's Saban and Alabama.
And Kirby Smart? I liked the guy. I have now lost all respect for him. Wouldn't let a player transfer to play for his old coach OUTSIDE the SEC, but puts in his two cents-worth on a player leaving Alabama because he wants to come to Smart's school. Hypocrite.
Those reporters and sportscasters saying Saban was wrong and should allow the "kid" to transfer? Yeah, right. Had he gotten into trouble you wouldn't have considered him a "kid" and clamored for Saban to throw him off the team. Write your articles and announce your games and let the coaching professionals handle their business.
So, the Smith saga is over. He's going to Georgia. Maybe he's good enough to play.
Watch out, NFL coaches. If he gets the chance to play for one of you, you'll be dealing with Mama Smith as his agent.
Yeah. I love The University of Alabama and head football coach Nick Saban. To quote an Alabama song, "they're close enough to perfect for me."
