All I Want For Christmas: 8 Gifts For an Alabama Crimson Tide Fan
As Christmas approaches, many Crimson Tide fans may take some time to process the season that has passed and wonder how things could have been different. No matter the horror of losing to Auburn, hope springs eternal as we know things will always turn Crimson eventually.
Click through to see one tide fan's Christmas wish list for this year, and the next.
A Time Machine
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I want Doc Brown's famous Delorean time machine. Not only was it a cool car in any time, but it would afford me the chance to fix a few things.
I could go back to 2009 and prevent the catastrophic knee injuries to Dant'a Hightower and Damion Square. Both players no doubt suffered from the injuries and were not what they could have been this year.
I'd then spend the fall of that year following Cam Newton and his father around with a camera; you never know what interesting things I might capture on film.
Before I left, I could tell Kareem Jackson what a pathetic year the Texans were going to have and that the blame was going to fall primarily on the secondary he was going to play in. Perhaps it might convince him to stay one more year at Alabama, allowing us to use true freshman Demarcus Milliner when we wanted to, not because we had to.
Then, on my way back home, I'd stop in at halftime of the Iron Bowl and inform them they were about to embark on one of the most disgraceful thirty minutes of football in the Nick Saban era. Perhaps that information could have made a difference.
How About a Little Derrick Thomas?
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In a year in which Alabama found the bottom of the barrel when it comes to the pass rush, and then started drilling a hole in the floor, I sure wish we could find another one like the late great and better late than never Pro Football Hall of Fame player, Derrick Thomas.
You can scheme all you want and coach all you want. Sometimes football success just comes down to special players with special abilities. Derrick Thomas could have and would have put the quarterback on the ground no matter what position he played, no matter what defense he played in.
On top of all that, he was just a great guy. I want someone like him for next year.
Some More All-Americans Please
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We all know recruiting is subjective, and it takes years to really see how good a recruiting class is. But lets face it, Alabama fans like to win at everything. Also of note: Having more All Americans in your recruiting class tends to work out better than having less.
Alabama currently has one of the top ranked recruiting classes in the nation. Its still a LONG way till signing day. The guys Alabama has committed will be courted all the more as signing day approaches. It's often difficult to hang on to them all. But if they can, and if they can land a few more top players, another recruiting national title is in reach.
The Tide is waiting on the decisions of a few more big time players. Top ranked lineman Cyrus Kouandjio is almost a must have player for the Tide, as is top ranked running back Isaiah Crowell or Demetrius Hart. Defensive players like Xzavier Dickson or Jadeveon Clowney would be nice. Perhaps there is another Derrick Thomas in there. I want them all!
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
A Senior Year For Julio Jones
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Julio Jones is the best receiver to play at Alabama since Bear Bryant was the coach. He might be the best receiver at Alabama since Don Hutson stalked the sidelines in 1934. Yet, if he leaves now, he will not own the Alabama record for career receiving yards, and his hands and feet will not be in the cement at the foot of Bryant Denny Stadium.
Though there is no question his MVP honors were earned and everyone knows how important he is. There is also no question it's a tragedy he is not enshrined in the record books and in cement at the foot of Denny Chimes.
I know great riches await him in the NFL. He is an unquestioned first round draft pick with excellent size, speed, and strength, great statistics and a work ethic and clean record to go with it. Julio Jones is a no-brainer first round pick.
But nonetheless, I'm going to close my eyes, click my heels together, think of Julio Jones and say, "There's no place like Tuscaloosa. There's no place like Tuscaloosa".
Another Year With Nick Saban and Staff
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Alabama fans should always be thankful for Nick Saban, his understanding family, his hard working staff and all of their families. As long as those guys are working hard, Alabama will remain near the top of the college football world.
The press should be thankful as well; win or lose, everybody wants to hear what the great one has to say, and every now and then he makes headlines. Saban's tense banter with the press is the stuff of legend.
While 2010 wasn't the kind of year we had hoped for, confidence is high that the program is exactly where it needs to be, and with super early "pre" pre-season polls having the Tide ranked as high as number two in the country, 2011 is looking like another shot at the big time.
I'm just wishing for more of the same for the future.
The Ghost Of Hannah Past
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Part of the failures of the 2010 season can be rooted in the failure of the offensive line to get physical, to impose their will on the other team. Every loss could have been a win if Alabama could control the line of scrimmage, but it was not to be.
So for this Christmas, I'm wishing for the spirit of John Hannah to get into our lineman. John, who isn't dead by the way, played angry. He probably sits in the stands angry. This guy hated to lose and God help you if you were lined up in front of him.
I ran into him a few years back as he was coming out of the McDonalds in Bessemer on his way to watch the Alabama Spring game. I didn't say anything because he already had his game face on. It was just best to stand aside. The dude has a game face decades after retirement!
Alabama needs to recapture some that physical attitude that carried them to two spectacular seasons in 2008 and 2009 and put a Heisman trophy in the Bryant museum.
Another Heisman Trophy
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Assuming Mark Ingram takes his show on the road to the NFL, how about another Heisman Trophy to sit in the Bryant Museum? This one to be held up by running back Trent Richardson.
I know the image of the old trophy has been tarnished by the pay-for-play antics of Cam Newton and his money grubbing father. Nothing better to clean it than a "work your butt off" kid like Trent Richardson, who has been content to sit in Mark Ingram's shadow for two years.
If Alabama's offensive line can recapture that John Hannah spirit, Trent Richardson has the ability to put up historic numbers, and that's definitely on my Christmas list.
An Oregon Duck Victory
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Lastly, how about a stunning upset victory by the Ducks in the BCS championship?
I know some of you will balk at this one, but I hate Auburn. I don't hate Auburn people, or even their players, but I hate Auburn. I hate the color; I hate the logo; I hate the uniform, the bird, the cat; I hate the stupid tree they roll with toilet paper; I hate it all.
If you're one of these wishy-washy fans who says "I root for Auburn except when they play Alabama," just don't talk to me. You probably moved to Alabama recently or you're really a soccer fan or something. Either way you're opinion is dead to me.
Did the American sailors at Perl Harbor in 1941 think to themselves, "Gee. I really like the Japs except when they are bombing us, Lets go eat sushi"? I think not.
Pick a side or shut up.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
