'Bama/Miami in 2012?

When you’ve made it back to the national stage, the country wants to watch you play...on the grandest stage. If you’re Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide, an “epic” regular season game of your choice is right around every corner.

In 2008 and 2009, Alabama participated in the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff which was televised by ABC.

In 2010 and 2011 Alabama will do battle with an old rival…Penn State. The 2010 contest will be in Tuscaloosa, and the 2011 duel will be held at the home of the Nittany Lions. However, once Penn State drops off the schedule in 2012…where is the next “big” game?

Alabama and Georgia Tech had a 2013-14 series planned, but now those plans have been scratched, and the Crimson Tide is going in a new direction.

Nick Saban said ‘Bama is in talks with ESPN/ABC and Chick-fil-A to discuss a 2012 game in Dallas or Atlanta.

Alabama and Texas Tech have already agreed to a game in 2012, so the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff could easily find the Crimson Tide and Red Raiders going
head-to-head in Dallas. The game is already on the schedule, so this scenario could be the “big ticket” in respect to a regular season contest.

However, a blurb in the Miami Herald has suggested the Miami Hurricanes could play in Atlanta in 2012. Could the Hurricanes face Alabama in the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff? As of this moment that scenario seems unlikely, but one can’t rule out the idea. Until ‘Bama has a solid schedule composed for future seasons, a rematch of the 1993 Sugar Bowl (1992 title game) is not out of the realm of possibility.

NFL Dreams: Crimson Tide Style

Former Alabama linebacker Cory Reamer is making the most of his NFL opportunity. Reamer, who was not drafted or signed as a free-agent, was invited to try-out with the New York Jets last week. One week later…Reamer is a proud member of the team!

Reamer signed a free-agent deal with New York and will now attend preseason camp in August. If Reamer makes the final cut…he will be on the official roster come September.

Jets coach Rex Ryan was thrilled with Reamer’s production during the mini-camp, and even made reference to him during his Friday and Saturday press conferences. Well, he made “reference” because he couldn’t remember Cory’s name. Although the Jets coach struggled with the name…"The guy that's really standing out to me is the kid from Alabama," Ryan said.

“The kid from Alabama”…”Cory Reamer”…oh well…same guy. I feel certain Reamer could care less what the coach calls him…just as long as he calls him!

In other news, former ‘Bama kicker Leigh Tiffin has received a free-agent deal with the Cleveland Browns, after showing his worth during his try-out session.

The Browns invited two place-kickers and one punter to their mini-camp, and Leigh Tiffin was the only one who remained.

Tiffin is the most prolific kicker in Crimson Tide history with 385 points and 83 fields throughout his 46-game career with Alabama. Tiffin is also the leading scorer in Tide history.

Finally, former Tide running back Roy Upchurch has been given the opportunity to pursue his NFL dreams. Upchurch has been invited to the Baltimore Ravens
mini-camp this weekend.

Upchurch has obviously yet to receive a free-agent deal, but like Reamer and Tiffin, he will be given the opportunity to earn his spot.

During his final year with ‘Bama, Roy rushed for 299 yards and caught 16 passes for the Crimson Tide. Alabama fans will ALWAYS remember Roy’s touchdown catch at Auburn which maintained the prefect season of 2009.

If Roy Upchurch signs with the Ravens, he will be reunited with college teammate Terrence Cody who was drafted by Baltimore in the 2nd round.

Crimson Notes 4/30/10

Even though we are still in the final moments of April, the preliminary watch list for the famed Lombardi Award has been released.

Alabama left tackle James Carpenter, defensive end Marcell Dareus, and inside linebacker Dont’a Hightower were included in a list of 75 players who have been deemed “watch worthy” during the 2010 season.

The Lombardi is awarded to the best lineman or linebacker in the nation. In 2009, former ‘Bama nose tackle Terrence Cody was named a finalist for the award which was ultimately presented to former Nebraska great…Ndamukong Suh.

In other news, playing the “Iron Bowl” the day after Thanksgiving will present another minor “issue” for the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2010.

Just like last season, the Crimson Tide will play a Saturday game before the tussle with Auburn on Friday. To make matters worse, Auburn (like numerous Tide opponents) will have an off week prior to the “Iron Bowl” with Alabama. However, if Nick Saban gets his way, the Tide “could” have more time to rest and prepare for Auburn.

As of now, Alabama is scheduled to face Georgia State the Saturday before the showdown with Auburn. One potential plan is to move the Georgia State game to Thursday night, which would give the Tide basically a week to rest and prepare for the Tigers.

The game with Georgia State (similar to the game with Chattanooga in 2009) is a “cream puff” victory and teeters on the verge of irrelevant. With that said, Alabama will certainly make the game as “painless” for all parties involved.

Let’s be honest…Georgia State is coming to Tuscaloosa for a CHECK, and Alabama is trying to avoid serious injury. Many times you simply have to fill the schedule, and this is a prime example of one of those times.

In the days and weeks to come I’ll provide more information concerning a possible schedule change in respect to this matter.

'Bama NFL Draft Recap/Crimson Tide Ride

Great things come to those who win, and players from the 2009 national champs were rewarded in a BIG way during the NFL Draft.

The 2010 NFL Draft marked the first time in school history that ‘Bama had five players picked in the first 3 rounds. In fact, prior to last week, Alabama hadn’t had more than five players drafted in all total…since 1994!

When the draft was over, the SEC had 49 players selected which is the most ever by the SEC. Winning breeds championships, but it also breeds NFL caliber talent.

In respect to the Crimson Tide, here is a list of all those drafted, signed as a free agent, and those attending mini-camps and workouts.

1st Round:

No. 8-Rolando McClain-Oakland
No. 20-Kareem Jackson-Houston

2nd Round:

No. 50-Javier Arenas-Kansas City
No. 57-Terrence Cody-Baltimore

3rd Round:

No. 98-Mike Johnson-Atlanta

7th Round:

No. 211-Marquis Johnson-St. Louis
No. 247-Brandon Deaderick-New England

Free Agents:

Colin Peek-Deal with Atlanta
Lorenzo Washington-Deal with Dallas
Eryk Anders-Deal with Cleveland

Mini-Camp Invites/Try-Outs:

Cory Reamer-Rookie Mini-Camp with the NY Jets
Leigh Tiffin-Rookie Mini-Camp with Cleveland
Justin Woodall-Try-Out with Chicago Bears this weekend



Once the NFL Draft concluded, fans of the Alabama Crimson Tide had the pleasure of seeing ‘Bama take to the track! The #00 Aaron’s Toyota Camry was transformed into the Alabama National Champions Camry for the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega.

The car, driven by David Reutimann, was very competitive and stayed in the lead pack most of the day. Reutimann actually led a total of 5 laps which caused the Crimson Tide fans at Talladega to cheer!

At the end of the day, Reutimann came home with a solid 14th place finish in the Aaron’s 499, proving that even in NASCAR…Alabama is still a top 15 team!

Prior to the race, University of Alabama Director of Athletics, Mal Moore, gave the command to start engines.