It's early, but Shane Lee is looking a lot like Dont'a Hightower. Predict he'll be an All-American by the end of his sophomore year.

Two thoughts: the OL needs to come off the ball more quickly and hold their blocks longer.....and....let's try quick pitches to Harris, et al, rather than running almost exclusively between the tackles. We're only two games in, but the running game lacks imagination and variety. Bama has the athletes and talent to do much, much better. And Nick will have to as the competition stiffens.

Fulmer is part of the problem. Frankly, UT needs a new AD and a forward-thinking administration that will support him. There's been an infestation of nativist thinking at UT since Phil was terminated, and the school has allowed him to insinuate himself back into UT's decision-making process...which has only made the parochialism fester and worsen. Phil's time has come and gone, and Phil needs to follow. UT is a tradition-rich program, but the school needs to shed its "homespun" approach to problem-solving and lower the bar on what it is willing to tolerate in the management of this situation. Otherwise, I predict matters will only get worse.

I think this youngster will be fine. As the # 1 kicker coming out of high school, obviously he has the skill and technique to succeed. Just needs a couple of those kicks to be good to raise his confidence and relieve some of the pressure that comes with being a freshman at the most prestigious football school in the nation, and at a position that is under so much scrutiny.

My thoughts exactly, 'licious. UT's administrative culture is entirely too parochial, and an "intervention" is long past due. Can't imagine any influential UT donors being able to take this train wreck much longer....but the root cause is a step or two above Pruitt.

Offensive line łacked energy....Jedrick Wills AWOL. What's the story?

Yeah, it was Duke. But I thought Shane Lee did a lot to make Saban worry a bit less about the injury to Dylan Moses. Don't know, of course, how Shane will grade out, but he was aggressive, appeared to handle his assignments well, and impressed with his sideline-to-sideline speed. Offensive line? Ragged, inconsistent, and not ready for prime time. Unless they "clean up" they'll have a tough time with LSU's and A&M's defensive fronts. (Najee Harris can't be pleased.) Jury's still out on the corners and safeties because they weren't challenged. (Baja learned a valuable lesson from the the CFP disaster against Clemson: that they no longer can "out athlete" every opponent, nor win with indífferent płay. I hope Saban reminds Jedrick Wills of this truth and that he'll play up to his considerable ability from here on out.)

Contrarian thought: UT would be better off without Fulmer, who has never gotten over being terminated and has managed to worm his way back into the school's affairs. Yes, he had success and, yes, he loves his alma mater. But that doesn't mean he's qualified to remedy what's going on at the school now. UT needs some fresh blood in the AD slot, with a proven track record as an AD (which Fulmer does not have) and experience hiring a top-tier head football coach (ditto to above). There simply appears to be a deeply dug-in morale problem in the football locker room that would benefit from a fresh set of eyes taking a look at it and recommending a remedy. As long as Fulmer's there in his current position, that's not going to happen.

Frankly, I'm a lot more concerned about the corners and safeties. If they play to their ability and focus on the fundamentals, a trip back to the CFP is virtually assured. If they don't, a lot more tears will be shed in Tuscaloosa.

Whoa!! What an unadulterated load of gibberish. King, a few suggestions: get some bed rest & take a Valium, along with a couple of aspirin to break the fever.

Whew !! What a load of gibberish. Hey, King. Recommend bed rest and a Valium, plus a couple of aspirin to break the fever.

Shockley is dead right..just like Gene Chizik was all last year. You can't have 5-star talent wandering around in the secondary, depending on innate ability to overcome lapses in concentration, missed assignments, broken coverages, and poor technique. Improvement in this area will be absolutely key to Bama's chances to return to the CFP, and to win it.

Not sure he was ever happy at Bama, and his departure last February was just a preamble. Better for him and the team that he's moved on.

Clean up the play at CB and safety, and prepare for another run in the CFP. Otherwise, we could be looking at another major disappointment. The Clemson game ought to be an aberration....but if outstanding 5-star talent again gives way to breakdowns in coverage, inattention, and mental errors, a repeat embarrassment against a top-tier team will follow for sure.

Hey, folks. Bama's offense will be just fine. What EVERYONE needs to ponder is: will Saban's defense okay like it's filled with four- and five-star talent, or not. Period.

If Paul's purpose in firing this shot was to put a burr under Nick's saddle, he probably succeeded. But my guess is Saban will hit the field this fall with blood in his eye, not needing a lot of outside motivation, determined to atone for last year's sloppy, unprepared effort against Dabo and hoping they'll meet again in the CFP. My bet is that he will, and they will...and then we'll see just exactly where these two programs stand in relation to each other. My money's on Bama.

The one thing I saw that concerned me was Tua's reluctance to step into his throws. Is last year's injury still lingering? Regardless, Spring games are not reliable barometers of a team's strengths because too many pieces are still in motion. With what must be an all -out mission to atone for the sloppy and undisciplined play the Tide brought to the Clemson game high on Saban's "to do" list, my guess is that we'll feel a lot more comfortable with ALL aspects of his team's readiness when they tangle with A&M.

Whoa, Paul!! Can't blame Kirby for a secondary that looked clueless and unprepared, nor a team effort that was about as desultory as any I can recall. It's an absurd thought, I know, but Alabama appeared to be utterly uninterested in playing that game. Why? Who the hell knows!? But the notion that Saban can't find a stable of coaches that can both recruit AND coach is preposterous. Regardless, my guess is that should Dabo and Nick meet again in this year's CFP, the result will be considerably different. And I imagine this thought is on Saban's mind as the Tide enters spring practice. Let's hope so...

Too bad Major won't be groomed for the OC position. I still can't understand why Saban finds Sarkisian attractive. Regardless, it won't especially matter who's calling the shots or how many analysts Nick hires if the on-field coaching in Bama's secondary doesn't improve. That's where the Tide's fate will be decided in 2019.

Bama's season largely is going to hinge on one issue: whether Bama's secondary actually starts playing to its potential. Saban is loaded with talent everywhere, yet we hear every year about how his losses to the NFL are going to weaken the team. Nope. Not yet. No, the real chink in the Tide's armor has been the strangely inconsistent and, at times, astonishingly disorganized and indifferent play at corner and safety. This is purely a coaching issue...period. You can't have a bunch of blue-chippers blowing assignments, missing signals, lining up in the wrong coverage, and generally nullifying their four- and five-star reputations without wondering why in the world the position coaches can't solve the problem. There are simply too many superior athletes back there for that to be happening.

A season-long deficiency of concentration, blown coverages, and generally indifferent play in the secondary finally caught up with Bama against Clemson -- which, despite what Bama-haters would love to believe, was not and is not a program that is four-touchdowns better than Alabama, game in and game out. Two years ago, Saban took Clemson to school in the CFP semifinal by holding the Tigers to 188 yards of total offense in a 24-6 win. Yes, I know. Trevor Lawrence hadn't arrived yet. But the reason for that thumping in part lay in leadership in the secondary, especially by Minkah Fitzpatrick. Lawrence is unquestionably a talented kid, but really...did he do anything particularly special against Alabama...anything that 5-star corners and safeties, properly motivated and well-coached, couldn't have neutralized? No. Saban is not likely to let this year's embarrassment pass unnoticed in the spring and summer, and I expect Alabama will take the field in 2019 with revenge on its mind. If that happens, a repeat with Dabo is likely to look a lot different from what we saw last month.

First, the Tide turns in an uncharacteristically disorganized, sub-par performance against Clemson. Now, we're told that the best Saban can hope for in an OC is a coaching re-tread with a checkered personal history and who has struggled to succeed everywhere he's coached. While no one would suggest the wheels are falling off in Tuscaloosa, I imagine anyone who has followed Alabama football closely and for a long period of time must be wondering if the ground is beginning to shift beneath this program's feet. Perhaps the 2019 season either will confirm or refute this supposition.

Upon a couple of days reflection, I concur with Smith. Alabama lost its focus and its discipline against Clemson. It did not lose because of inferior talent. This loss could very well be a positive for Saban as he contemplates integrating the nation's top recruiting class into the Bama program, because he can use it as perhaps the best teaching tool the nation's best coach could use in the aftermath of his worst loss. It may be that Alabama has lost its hunger...or it may be that the team simply had taken winning to be the inevitable outcome of its presence on the field. My guess is we'll see a rejuvenated and revitalized Tide team next season, anxious to redeem itself and reclaim the pinnacle. If Saban uses the "life lesson" Clemson presented him as a springboard, such an outcome is eminently possible.

Yep. Why throw when you're pounding away to the tune of 4 to 6 yards per carry on the ground? Plus, what better way to keep Trevor off the field when you're killing the clock and controlling the tempo of the game? Second guessing avails no success, but for the life of me I understood very little of what the Saban- Locksley brain trust did most of the night. 2 for 14 conversions on third down? Really? Well, one thing's for sure: Everyone who watched that game knows Clemson is not 4 touchdowns better than Alabama, day in and day out. They also know these two teams are likely to meet again next year. So, if you're Nick you're probably planning on hiring a new secondary coach who can coach 5-star CBs and safeties to perform to their talent and rely less on Tua to carry the load. Run, Bama, run !!!!

Strange game all the way around...and the fake field goal at the start of the second half --when Bama really needed to put some points on the board-- was inexplicable. Bama looked listless and disorganized all night. Weren't ready to play. Maybe Saban knew something at the end of the first half that we didn't know. Biggest lesson coming out of the night? Alabama's corners and safeties need a lot of help with technique and recognition. Bama's loaded and will be back in the '19 CFP, though, and will probably face Clemson again. If I were Dabo, I'd be ready. Saban won't let disaster strike twice.

Just finished watching Gene Chizik's post-game analysis, and he was on the money. The Tide's secondary, 5-star full as I it may be, was guilty of so many busted assignments, poor technique, and missed tackles that Clemson's victory margin might very well have been wider. Chizik says he's seen these same deficiencies since the start of the season, and he's right. Surtain's coverage of C.D. Lamb in the OU game was nothing more than a predictor of what was to come. Add to this problem a poor kicking game, too many mental errors, inexplicable play calling, and a general listlessness that seemed to permeate the entire team, and against a talented team like Clemson you're headed for defeat. No reason at all why Bama shouldn't be back in next year's CFP...but Saban's got a lot of "coaching up" to do in the meantime. Superior talent will take you only so far...

It looked to me as if Patrick's technique broke down a bit against OU. He appeared to be disoriented on occasion, and didn't seem to react to Lamb's cuts as quickly as he normally does. But it is true that the refs missed some push offs. Regardless, he's a helluva talent, and I expect him to bounce back nicely against the Tigers -- whose receivers can't possibly pose Surtain more problems than he faces going up against Jeudy and Co. each week in practice.

Regardless of the two teams playing, the site of the game ought to somewhere in the central U.S....and it ought to be indoors.

Would these malcontents prefer to see Notre Dame again?

Regardless of whether Tua or Hurts is the QB if Locksley decides to take the air out of the ball & rely primarily on the run, two things will happen: Murray's time on the field will shrink, and OU's defensive miseries will increase. Outcome? Probably more than the 2-TD spread being forecast.