AJ (if he decides to forego), almost our entire offensive line, Jessie, Nico, and Robert will be significant replacement challenges. A loss to Georgia, despite our coach, system and unmatched tradition, might lead some to think that it is our turn to tromp around in the wilderness for a season or two.IMO, a loss to Georgia would ONLY signify what Nico spoke about earlier this year; he (and other seniors) wanted to ensure this was not a repeat of 2010. Although it cannot be an "exact" repeat at this point, a loss to Georgia would place Bama's 2012 campaign on a par with 2010...maybe not for exactly the same reasons, but the end result would be close to the same.
Bama will be in the hunt every year CNS is at the helm.
People will think what they want (and FTR, 60% isn't "almost all" :biggrin - CK and Steen will be back, I'm pretty sure. Ivory will take over from Jessie, Nico has been a perennial underachiever (up to this year), and talent behind RL is impressive - any leadership there at all and Bama's secondary will be better next year.AJ (if he decides to forego), almost our entire offensive line, Jessie, Nico, and Robert will be significant replacement challenges. A loss to Georgia, despite our coach, system and unmatched tradition, might lead some to think that it is our turn to tromp around in the wilderness for a season or two.
Wholeheartedly agree, but assuming he doesn't for thread discussion-sake, don't you think a loss to UGA would set the tongues wagging and make for an uneasy summer on the Capstone?I just don't see AJ going pro. He would benefit sooooo much more from a draft status standpoint to stay for his senior year.
No doubt we have some dragons to slay.This blog by Kevin Connell on the bamahammer.com website caused me to reflect on the historic significance of tomorrow's game against Georgia:
http://bamahammer.com/2012/11/30/alabama-football-is-a-loss-to-georgia-the-end-of-an-era/.
Let me say at the outset that I expect Alabama to beat Georgia. Still, college football games seldom come with a higher upside for the winner and a lower downside for the loser than tomorrow's SECCG. If Alabama beats Georgia, and goes on to beat Notre Dame in the BCSNC game, all of Alabama's historically significant football rivals will, in some manner, have been vanquished (at least for now) under Nick Saban's tenure. During the Saban era, the Auburn "streak" ended and Tuberville fled the state. Tennessee now occupies the bottom quarter of the SEC, and the Great Pumpkin no longer coaches. The Tide took down Texas - a team Alabama had never before beaten - and in Pasadena of all places. Hercules had 12 labors, but it seems to me that Nick Saban has only one major exorcism left to perform at Alabama and that involves Notre Dame. In the Hercules legend, the 12th labor - kidnapping the beast called Cerberus from the Underworld - was the most dangerous of all since no mortal had ever returned from Hades alive. Godspeed to Nick!
va tech is not really good right now, not sure what their prospects are for next year.Another factor that goes against the grain of an "end of era" thesis connected with a Georgia win today is the Alabama schedule for 2013. With both Auburn and Tennessee in a weakened state, the only teams on our 2013 schedule that look to be at all challenging currently are Virginia Tech, TX A&M, and LSU.