A New Beggining

Well, it’s that time again! Football season is here!!! Last year we won it all and we predicted it. If you don’t believe me, go check the earlier blog posts and you will see. Yeah, I never take off my Crimson Colored Glasses, but I don’t feel like I have to. Things look the same without them on. As long as Coach Saban is here, I don’t see us falling from the top tier of colleges in the NCAA.

But last year is over and now the players must prove that they have what it takes again. I’m sure you all have been hearing about how good the new freshman look in practice and who has emerged over the summer to make a contribution to this year’s team. We always get super excited about the incoming class of talent, and we should. We are consistently bringing in top talent year in and year out. This year’s class brought in guys like Deon Belue, Landon Collins, Amari Cooper, Eddie Williams, Adam Griffith…..etc. These guys are extremely talented and some of them will make a contribution early. If you play early at Alabama in this era, you are a very special athlete that will probably go on to the next stage of footaball. We have so much talent on our team, if a player doesn’t see the field in his first two years on campus he should not be discouraged. In fact, he should take advantage of that time to get bigger and stronger while learning Nick Saban’s system. If he does so, by his junior or senior year, he could be considered one of the best players at his position. Look at guys like Robert Lester, Ed Stinson, and Kenny Bell. These guys didn’t make a big splash in their first couple of years but now are the core of our team.

Yet, there  are a few new comers  that are special and will make a contribution in their first year on campus.  Guys like TJ Yeldon, Landon Collins, Deon Belue, and Amari Cooper will be called upon early to help this team get back to the Championship game.  TJ Yeldon is an amazing talent. The guy knows how to run the ball. I think he and Fowler will make sure that there isn’t a drop off when Lacy isn’t in the game. No disrespect to all of the other receivers that have came before Cooper, but I think he has the potential to be the best wide receiver in Alabama history. He may not have all of the stats that Julio Jones had, but that is only a result of the depth that we have at the wide receiver position. This guy is electric. He knows how to get open and has the speed to beat defensive backs deep. Landon Collins will make his first appearance on special teams. You’ll see him knock ball carriers off their feet on kick off if Cade Foster doesn’t put the ball in the end zone. Lastly, Deon Belue appears to be the best cover corner back that we have had since Fernando Bryant. He proved that he was special early when he intercepted AJ Mccaron in a scrimmage, returning it for 90 plus yards for a score. And by the way, he did it again in the next scrimmage.

Teams will go at our secondary early in the season. After a few interceptions, they will stop. We may not statistically be as good as last year’s defense, but we will be in the top 5 defenses at the end of the season.

I predict that we will go to the National Championship game again this year where we will beat either Florida State or USC. Our offense is more explosive and our defense is good enough to stop any team in the country. Now put on your Crimson Colored Glasses and Roll Tide!!!!!

Spring Game Analysis

We have a Dynasty! After watching the spring game, every question that I had about this years’ team was answered. My questions: 1. How would Barrett Jones handle the move to center? 2. Will Cyrus be able to handle the left tackle duties? 3. Who will return kicks? 4. How much of a liability will our secondary be? 5. Will we be able to generate a pass rush? 6. Will we be able to run the ball without Lacy?

All of those questions were answered on A-Day to my satisfaction. This was just the spring game, but I think some stars were uncovered and we still have more recruits coming in the fall. Our secondary impressed me the most, even though they gave up a few big plays. Players like Vinnie Sunseri and Deon Belue saw the opportunity for playing time and accepted the challenge. Our secondary is supposed to be the weak spot on defense this year and I think it will be at all. In fact, I think those guys will make opposing quarterbacks and coordinators pay for challenging them. Our defense may not be as stingy as last years defense, but I think they will cause more turnovers. Jesse Williams’ versatility gives us a pass rusher at the nose guard position for the first time in the Saban era.

If you paid attention to the offense in the scrimmage, I think it is noteworthy that we are preparing A.J. to take more shots downfield this year. Opposing defenses won’t hesitate to stack the box against us, so if we are going to be successful then we have to make them pay.

T.J. Yeldon is going to win the Heisman before he leaves Tuscaloosa for the pros; He is that good.  Every year we bring in 1 or 2 recruits who make an immediate impact and this year I think those recruits will be Yeldon, and Belue. I watched Belue take an interception 90+ yards for a TD in the first scrimmage. In the spring game, Yeldon showed that he had a combination of quickness, speed, elusiveness, and power that most elite backs have.

Lets just put it this way; WE ARE LOADED!!!! From top to bottom, I think the talent level of our program continues to improve each year. What a great time to be a Bama fan, and what a great time to wear your Crimson Colored Glasses. 

Crimson Colored Glasses A-Day Photos

Catching Up

Since our last blog a lot has changed. We posted photos at The National Championship Game then we turned our attention to the basketball, baseball, softball, and gymnastics teams. Crimson Colored Glasses is gearing up for a big year this year as we add more products to our flagship product, Crimson Colored Glasses. We thank you all for your support and like you, we will always be looking through Crimson Colored Glasses.

Basketball

The basketball season was very interesting, to say the least. We started the season off ranked #17 and had high hopes of this years’ team. Then the drama began. There were issues with players breaking team rules, injuries, and suspensions. I was thinking, “This is supposed to be the year we take that next step up, WHAT IS GOING ON!!!” Fortunately, Coach Grant didn’t panic like I did. Instead he kept the team together and really put his stamp on the type of program he wants to build. I’m not exactly sure what happened specifically, but there were rumors that players just wanted to do things their own way. I really hope those guys learned from their experiences and make better decisions in the future.

Anyway…..our younger players were forced to mature at a more rapid rate. The freshman class that came in responded admirably to the added pressure and really gave us something to cheer about. Coach Grant did an excellent job of righting the ship and we are very fortunate to have him as our coach. I feel the future is very bright for our basketball program and I’m looking forward to next year. We will have to continue to develop our big men Moussa Gueye and Carl Engstrom. I was really impressed with Engstrom’s development, but I think he and Moussa are going to have to be more physically imposing in the paint in order for us to be successful. We are looking good at the PF position with Nick Jacobs taking his game up a notch every game that he played in.

With the cast that we have coming back, I don’t see why we can’t take things a step further next year. I’ll make a prediction before the season begins later this year.

Softball

If you guys haven’t had the chance to see our softball team play, you should put that on the your bucket list. These young women are phenomenal. There isn’t any doubt in my mind that they will end up in the National Championship game and win it all. They are currently 37-2 and are really playing lights out right now. Pitcher Jackie Traina is an amazing pitcher. According to Rolltide.com, Traina leads the country with 25 consecutive wins under her belt. You can check outwww.rolltide.com to get the game schedule and more information as our young ladies win the title.

Gymnastics

Everybody knows that we have one of the top gymnastics programs in the country year in and year out. If you haven’t witnessed a Patterson coached gymnastic squad then you should before its too lat. Mrs. Patterson will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the best college gymnastic coaches of all time. Here ‘s something I bet you didn’t know. Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant hired her. She has won 5 NCAA Championships, 7 SEC Championships, 27 NCAA Regional titles, and the list goes on.

This years Women’s gymnastics team just recently won another NCAA Regional title and is now headed to Duluth, GA to for another NCAA Championship as a #4 seed. So wish our girls well as they go represent the best university ever!!!!!! The tournament begins on April 20, 2012.

Tune in Sunday to get my analysis of the spring game. A-Day at the University of Alabama is always huge, so I look forward to seeing some of you at the game. Roll Tide!!!!

Leron McClain Wears CCG's During In New Orleans

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Leron McClain Wears CCG's During In New Orleans

Crimson Colored Glasses Invades AIA