The 2009 Team and Season Finally Get Back To Work

When Utah's football team opened camp Thursday at the practice fields, Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" blared over loudspeakers as the players warmed up.

My friend Tim Boozer couldn't wait to let me know that Dirk Facer and Dessert News told all the Utah fans about that little ditty. I'm sure there were lots of smiles and laughs.

That was a cute way of reminding that team about the success of last year—I wonder if Nick Saban wanted to remind the team that they had some unfinished business?

Could he have played to musical opening to HBO's "Big Love" (Hey, it's the only Mormanish/Utah thing I could think of), and flash pictures of Utah players celebrating?

Or perhaps he could have just played the Gator fight song and had flash pictures of Florida players posing with the crystal ball.

Either way it would certainly symbolize what this team should fight so hard to overcome and perhaps to say goodbye to it as well.

Though the spring A Day game adds much excitement and speculation for the newsless days to come, this week is the first time this 2009 team will be fully assembled.

Eddie Lacy, recently cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse, is finally on campus as are a few of the other missing pieces from earlier in the year.

This team is now finally complete, together and learning not only about each other, but their own strengths and weaknesses.

Now the battles begin anew: While some players have their name written into the roster as starters, others have roles yet to be won, respect to be earned and a coaches eye to catch.

So let this team acknowledge last year's shortcomings, and then move on to bigger and better things.

That's how the fans want it anyway.