Reliaquest Bowl for Bama and Michigan

[4Q Basket Case]

I have a contact directly affiliated with the team/lockerroom...

Anonymous source?

Not anonymous to me.

Sometimes, posters have to protect sources by neither naming them nor giving other information that might identify them. If they don't protect the source, you can bet the formerly anonymous person will clam up completely for all future information.

Depending on their position within the Athletic Department, it might even hurt the source's employment status, creating adverse impact on the source's family and/or prospects for future employment.

So when a poster bases a statement on what someone else says, and declines to identify that person in any way, you have to assess the credibility of the poster. During the course of a lot of years, Buzz has earned that many times over.

If Buzz has faith in his source, that alone is plenty good enough for me.

 

[Tidewater]

lol at Milroe and if we lose to 7-5 Mich again and finish 8-4

Yeah, that is a distinct possibility. Depends on the motivation level of the lads that show up.

 

[tusks_n_raider]

lol at Milroe and if we lose to 7-5 Mich again and finish 8-4

They’ll really have to Molly Wop us to take a whole win away.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

They’ll really have to Molly Wop us to take a whole win away.

Haven't heard that before...good one!

 

[bamaslammer]

I expect our staff to create a gameplan carved in stone and if it works and Michigan doesn't adjust then we might win but if it doesn't work then we will not make a single adjustment and It's a wrap.

I'm not sure what to think. This team was a mess. Not like they were terrible. They beat UGA, they beat Auburn and that still matters even when they suck. In fact we've lost a few games to Auburn teams that were garbage. So it still matters. But the Tennessee game was a disgrace, UT begged us to beat them and we just refused. Oklahoma skull &#$%^ us on national television. Getting beat by better teams or teams that are similar unfortunately happens, losing to an inferior team unfortunately happens as well. but It was obvious they thought Oklahoma was going to lay down and cooperate. IN WHAT WORLD DOES THAT EVER HAPPEN? I literally cannot think of a team we have ever faced that didn't play their hearts out against us. THAT is part of being Alabama. I mean when Shula and Dubose was our coach apposing teams would clean out the suspended list to start against Alabama. Clearly the staff had no clue even though I'm sure they have been told REPEATEDLY what they were getting into. But they were from "normal world". Tuscaloosa is it's own bizarre dimension. But how much of this is staff and how much is this a continuation of the attitude issue that this team had in 2023, attitudes that Saban managed to drive into the playoffs through his sheer force of will but never managed to stamp down, attitudes that contributed to the greatest coach of all time retiring. This team may take out it's frustration on Michigan and they might just crap the bed.

All I know is we will never win until the players quit saying they are great and start going out there to prove that they are great. Alabama has to kick the door to the playoffs clean off it's hinges and leave the idiots on the committee no choice. The game plans needs to be more aggressive, and if it's not working their needs to be backup plans, and backup plans to the backup plans.

 

[gtgilbert]

It's pretty much impossible to predict what this 2024 team will do.

I haven't followed Michigan's opt out or portal doings but the regular season Michigan team has a Defense that is better than OU's and it's specifically Very Good against the Run.

We do not run the ball well by conventional means.

Milroe runs the ball well sometimes and other times he doesn't and it's kind of dependent on how opposing defenses play him and also what Milroe's mental psyche is on any given day.

If they pressure him and he gets rattled it's a wrap.

He folds up like soggy tissue paper.

I expect Michigan to carbon copy everything Vandy, Tenn, and OU did against us.

I expect our staff to create a gameplan carved in stone and if it works and Michigan doesn't adjust then we might win but if it doesn't work then we will not make a single adjustment and It's a wrap.

I have no faith in this staff and less faith than that in Milroe.

I just want to get to the Spring and hope 2025 will have a new slate where players actually compete and earn their position fair and square.

This pretty much sums up the entire season...and it's a very concerning issue because this is one of the most important things the coaches have to be able to do...and we have shown no ability to do it in any game this season.

I'm willing to give the coaches a mulligan this season on adjustments. JM can be pretty good with a very narrow set of things, IF and ONLY IF, he reps them extensively exactly like they have to happen (scripted first quarter against UGA before they adjusted) and we are not relying on him to make decisions on the field. He isn't an on field decision maker, and that extends to his ability to adjust in real-time to something slightly different than what was scripted. Plus it's hard to adjust to other aspects of the offense since we are only able to run about 10-15% of it due to the limited of his skillset.

 

[UAH]

lol at Milroe and if we lose to 7-5 Mich again and finish 8-4

They proved last year that they know how to get under his skin!

 

[B1GTide]

They proved last year that they know how to get under his skin!

They know how to stop Milroe, and they have the defensive talent to get it done. We will see soon enough.

 

[editder]

I think MI will be pretty motivated by the potential of finishing the season with wins over OSU and Bama to push their record to 8-5.

I wouldn't be surprised if we show up looking like we slept on a park bench the night before.

I’m concerned about this, too. It’s going to be OU all over again in terms of them wanting the game. If Bama expects a cakewalk, they’ll be in for a big surprise.

The series is tied right now. We need this win.

 

[PA Tide Fan]

I think MI will be pretty motivated by the potential of finishing the season with wins over OSU and Bama to push their record to 8-5.

I wouldn't be surprised if we show up looking like we slept on a park bench the night before.

I actually think we may have the motivational edge here. Saban has been trying to diplomatically say how some mistakes were made in the selection process and a couple more SEC teams (including Bama) should have been selected which I also think was a strategy by him to motivate our players to go out and prove that we belonged in the playoff. I think Michigan had their big moment of satisfaction beating us a year ago in a much bigger game but this time it's only for an extra win. I think their satisfying win over Ohio State at Columbus tops any satisfaction they'd get from beating us again.

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

I'm willing to give the coaches a mulligan this season on adjustments. JM can be pretty good with a very narrow set of things, IF and ONLY IF, he reps them extensively exactly like they have to happen (scripted first quarter against UGA before they adjusted) and we are not relying on him to make decisions on the field. He isn't an on field decision maker, and that extends to his ability to adjust in real-time to something slightly different than what was scripted. Plus it's hard to adjust to other aspects of the offense since we are only able to run about 10-15% of it due to the limited of his skillset.

Yeah, its hard to adjust when you basically only have four plays in your offensive playbook...

 

[CrimSonami]

They know how to stop Milroe, and they have the defensive talent to get it done. We will see soon enough.

Michigan has a triple dose of confidence to go with that defense.
1- They just held tOSU to 10 points at the shoe.
2- They beat a Saban-Milroe lead team last year.
3- They beat a DeBoer-Penix lead team last year.
There’s no reason to think they won’t give Bama the same kinda problems especially with all the issues the portal has provided. Sadly enough I’m actually considering going to work and saving my PTO. That wouldn’t have even been a thought before the Xfer/NIL era.

 

[CajunCrimson]

This game should have one purpose, building for next year. This isn’t a reward exhibition, this should be about projecting next years team. This group (to me) didn’t deserve a reward game. When you underperform, you build. When you overperform, celebrate.

 

[CrimSonami]

This game should have one purpose, building for next year. This isn’t a reward exhibition, this should be about projecting next years team. This group (to me) didn’t deserve a reward game. When you underperform, you build. When you overperform, celebrate.

Well said.
But WILL this game and the practices involved REALLY be about building for next year? Or will we see more of the same? I’m interested to see how CKD handles this transition if it is actually a change in the guard relative to the locker room.

 

[tusks_n_raider]

This game should have one purpose, building for next year. This isn’t a reward exhibition, this should be about projecting next years team. This group (to me) didn’t deserve a reward game. When you underperform, you build. When you overperform, celebrate.

I absolutely agree.

It should be about the guys who will be stepping into new roles next season together with next year's returning starters.

I think Ty Simpson should start at QB and play almost the entire game unless we have a big lead and then give Mack some playing time as well.

The guys who are leaving just flat didn't get it done this year.

If they want to dress out fine but watch from the sidelines.

I have no say though and it appears that CKD is going to just role out the same guys and keep next year's players on the bench.

It's a complete waste of this Bowl preparation time as well as the game.

But we've got to give JM another showcase to shine since he's never had that before.

 

[gman4tide]

Well said.
But WILL this game and the practices involved REALLY be about building for next year? Or will we see more of the same? I’m interested to see how CKD handles this transition if it is actually a change in the guard relative to the locker room.

Speaking of practices...has there been 1 report? We're 5 days from gameday, so there should have been around 10 practices? Any reports at all?? Only thing on only Tide site i go to are nil/portal reports.

 

[Redwood Forrest]

I see we are divided into two camps, one of which wants to beat Michigan, and the other wants to prep for 2025. This probably won't end well.

 

[Evil Crimson Dragon]

I think MI will be pretty motivated by the potential of finishing the season with wins over OSU and Bama to push their record to 8-5.

I wouldn't be surprised if we show up looking like we slept on a park bench the night before.

I dont know..............I kinda think Bama might be motivated based on the last encounter they had with them. Bama players may want this game worse than Michigan

 

[davefrat]

I dont know..............I kinda think Bama might be motivated based on the last encounter they had with them. Bama players may want this game worse than Michigan

I hope so.

 

[CrimSonami]

I dont know..............I kinda think Bama might be motivated based on the last encounter they had with them. Bama players may want this game worse than Michigan

I certainly hope you’re right, but we don’t know how this group is going to approach or dedicate themselves given all the portal defections and injuries.