Roll, Tide, Roll! Alabama, Nick Saban and Mardi Gras

"F--- Nick Saban."

So exclaimed a gentleman as I walked down Bourbon Street on my way home from work today with my Crimson Tide neck tie on. All I could think of as a reply without starting a "debate" was "Happy Mardi Gras!"

I smiled and kept walking.

As I made my way past the commotion, I started thinking, "I wonder if Coach Saban ever celebrated Mardi Gras while at LSU..." After a chuckle to myself, "...no way."

A lot of people here in New Orleans do not realize that Alabama also celebrates Mardi Gras, and the second largest such festival in the country is held every year in Mobile, AL.

When I was a kid, my parents and I would drive down from Montgomery and attend a parade or two. The parades are a bit more family-friendly over there!

With Fat Tuesday coming up soon, the Crimson Tide family has much to be thankful for. 

We can all raise a Hurricane or Hand Grenade and cheers the rapidly approaching new season, as well as all the hard recruiting work Coach Saban did this year.

Alabama brought in another top three recruiting class, and most pundits are giving the Tide a preseason rank of No. 1 or No. 2. With a major quarterback competition between A.J McCarron and Philip Sims emerging this spring, along with many other starting positions up for grabs, it's about to get very interesting on the cap stone.

The Alabama A-Day game will show us the team's new direction, and a lot of new names.

The spring game is scheduled for April 16th, and there will also be a Nick Saban statue ceremony prior to kickoff. It'll be the first A-Day game with the new expansion of Bryant Denny completed; I'm hoping for another NCAA attendance record!

Being deep in Tiger land sometimes bothers me, but knowing how much LSU fans still hate Nick Saban and with the rivalry heating up year in and year out, I love to show my 'Bama pride any chance I can get!

Happy Mardi Gras, Crimson Tide fans, and Roll Tide Roll!