Alabama Work Out: Dancing with the Stars

On Day Two, the defensive line took over the training session and injected a little humor. Chapman (99) was out of step and was too exhausted to get his arm movements in sync. One particular judge let him know wherein laid his deficiencies.

Nevertheless, the break from action was a much needed moment of comic relief. Saban took charge as Bruno Tonioli and ripped Chapman up and down for his poor arm lifts and sloppy footwork.

On hand was Terry Saban, standing in for the softer female side, impersonating Carrie Ann Inaba. In fact, she came down hard on Nick's criticism of Chapman and turned on the other three performers. In her opinion, Chapman was the only one performing the moves correctly. Dareus, Square, and Davis had their arms too high and were unbalanced in their steps.

Coach Pendry had the deciding vote and as typical for Stars judge Len Goodman, gave every competitor a high score, defending the moves and balance of each man on the line. In the end, all competitors received high scores from their teammates and were able to remain on the team.

On a More Serious Note

• The entire team met on the field for the first time. Day Two moved forward with more skill and drills.
• The players were in shorts and jerseys; it was extremely hot and the players were conscious of their hydration status throughout practice. One day earlier, Kendall Kelly suffered the effects of heat exhaustion and was held out of practice for Day Two.
• Jeramie Griffin did not pass the medical physical and was held out of practice as well. He is recovering from ACL reconstruction and may have issues with joint stability. Saban commented that a decision on his status will need to be made quickly so that appropriate action can be taken for Mr. Griffin and for the team.
• Blake Simms worked with the quarterbacks on Day Two. He is a versatile athlete that may have an opportunity to contribute on both sides of the ball. On Day One, Simms worked out in the secondary with the safeties.

Friday Press Conference

During his opening remarks for the press conference, Coach Saban let everyone know that Fan Day this Sunday was something that all the players were looking forward to. He also informed the media that Mark Ingram will miss Fan Day due to the death of his grand pappy. Ingram has been released from practice to attend the funeral of his beloved mentor.

Saban also took time to let the audience know how proud and impressed he was with the personal and physical development of defensive lineman Luther Davis. Davis is a model student athlete and has also taken on more than most on the team by accepting the responsibility of marriage and father over his career at Alabama.

There was also discussion of the offensive philosophy in years past. While not giving out specifics, Saban let the questioner know that his team is not locked into any particular philosophy. He mentioned the consideration of using a four wideout set and other approaches to open up options for the offensive attack.

This is the year that Saban has been waiting for since he came to the Capstone. All but five players are individuals he has hand picked over the years, along with his assistants. He has a plan that he is not going to leak to anyone. The media will have to just sit tight.

The options are limitless, offensively and defensively. Saban is comfortable with his choices as coordinators and their abilities.

The fury will be unleashed in 2010. As the season moves forward, the media and fans will enjoy the fruits of the labor expended during fall camp.

The hour approaches. Time draws near for every opponent on the Alabama schedule to enter the stadium trembling with fear. Alabama demands your respect and you will know why by the end of the first quarter of your contest.