Quote Originally Posted by DegenCurtis21:
Always looking forward to your picks & write ups. Know nothing about South Alabama but going to tail you on it. I apologize if I had any influence on your decision to try to middle the Bama game. You were right on w/ your WVU pick. I was absolutely shocked at how well Trickett played. Bama should be VERY concerned with their secondary. I still think Coker is the better QB. Sims looked awful on the run. Lane Kiffin play calling was questionable. Just run the football. I had them -12.5 in teaser and lost. Sickening.
I feel like the Michigan State line is begging for MSU money, but that was just my first thought. It will be very hot, will their D-line get tired and wear down? I know their front 7 is great but the line really scares me. Feels like they're begging people to take Oregon...
Also going to tail you on Akron. Line has been going down fast & Penn State's offense isn't good enough to cover that number.
Thanks
I alone am responsible for every play I make. If a play loses, I have no one to blame but myself.
Addressing your other points:
While the secondary is somewhat of a concern, I would describe more a mild one rather than a major one. Alabama is extremely deep at the CB position, and this week they welcome back Eddie Jackson who was a starter prior to his injury.
Cyrus Jones played a very good game at one corner, but West Virginia mostly targeted Jackson's counterpart Bradley Sylve. And Sylve was pretty much in position throughout the game, but his poor technique of never looking for or finding the ball never allowed him to make a play on the ball.
Alabama also has two 5* stud CBs waiting in the wings - Tony Brown and Marlon Humphrey. Both are still pretty green, but both will get more involved as the season progresses. I look for Brown to secure a starting role at one of the spots before season's end.
Alabama did lose starting senior safety Jarrick Williams for 4 weeks, but quite frankly, the two guys playing behind him are more talented, albeit somewhat less experienced.
Alabama is waiting for Coker to grow into the starting role, but they played a very capable West Virginia team last week, and therefore had to play to win. Sims represented their best chance to win, which is why he was the starter. They really could not afford to mess around platooning QBs in a competitive game.
I will disagree with you on Sims and Kiffin however. Other than a few things that I think are attributable to first game jitters, I thought Sims played very well, and I thought Kiffin tailored an excellent game plan that catered to Sims' strengths. I have no problem there at all.
I understand your frustration with losing your bet, but other than that idiotic kickoff return for a touchdown (which killed both of our wagers), this game played out very much like I thought it would. I knew West Virginia would have some success moving the ball, and I thought Alabama would probably have to kick a few FGs as a result of stalled drives.
I have been very vocal on Covers about my thoughts on the Oregon/Michigan State game. I think this is a very bad match-up for Oregon, and I think Michigan State has an excellent shot of winning this game straight up. I think throwing out a DD line on this game is utterly ridiculous. I would have lined this game at 6.5 or 7.
Another aspect of this game that I think is being overlooked is how green this Oregon team is. Michigan State has by far the better and more experienced coaching staff heading into this game. The Oregon coaching has only two combined years of experience at its top three positions. Offensive coordinator Scott Frost had never called a play until last year. Career position coach Don Pellum is in his second game in charge of a defense that Nick Aliotti had headed since 1999. And Mark Helfrich is a 40-year-old second-year head coach who is hopelessly trying to meet impossible expectations. To think there won't be some sort of drop off from one of the most innovative and hottest commodities in the coaching profession is naïve IMO. Add in a whopping 40 newcomers to the 2014 roster, and the Ducks begin to look as green as their uniforms.
If you're going to tail one of my plays, may I suggest you follow me on South Alabama.
Best of luck to you this weekend Curtis!!!
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