Crimson Tide Hope John Parker Wilson's Experience Pays Off in 2008

He’s also having to learn yet another offensive playbook, now with his third offensive coordinator in as many years.  In 2006, under the tutelage of Mike Shula and Dave Rader, Wilson opened a lot of eyes with his ability to learn the system so quickly. He also put up some eye-popping numbers, setting seven single-season team records in just his first year as a starter. Then came Major Applewhite’s brief tenure at the Capstone, a year that saw Wilson work his way up the rankings among the all-time greats at Alabama.

Enter Jim McElwain, and as evident by his improvement on a week-to-week basis in spring practice, Wilson is already getting a good feel for the new offensive scheme which, according to head coach Nick Saban, should not differ that much from last season. But the fact remains obvious: Wilson has seen and been through a lot more than your average college football quarterback.

He’s experienced the highs, such as Alabama’s 41-17 thrashing of the Tennessee Volunteers two weeks prior to the LSU game in 2007. He has also experienced the walk-off overtime touchdown pass against Ole Miss in 2006.  With the good, he has experienced the bad like the costly fumbles in the Iron Bowl in 2006, the untimely interception against Mississippi State right before halftime in Starkville, and the aforementioned mishap against LSU last November.

But one cannot deny Wilson’s courage, not to mention his unshakable team attitude.  When Alabama lost two starting offensive linemen due to textbook violations mid-season last year for five consecutive games, Wilson did not use that as an excuse.  When the depth at running back was severely crippled due to injuries and suspensions, Wilson made no mention of it.  Instead, he took every bullet thrown at him.

While the only game-changing plays shown on highlight films may portray his struggles, and while Tide fans throughout the country may vehemently spew their criticism of the Hoover high school product, John Parker Wilson never threw his teammates under the bus.  Despite having a supporting cast that was hobbled due to different reasons, Wilson remained Alabama’s scapegoat of sorts, a role that he never complained about.

The 2008 edition of the Alabama Crimson Tide will need that experience and steadfast attitude from its senior quarterback to be successful. With an intriguing matchup against Clemson to kick off the season, and the familiar brutality of the SEC, it will certainly be a formidable journey for an Alabama program yearning to return to its traditional prominence as one of the elite in college football.  Who better to lead the charge than a guy entering his third season as a starting quarterback?

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