Sunday Hangover: Arkansas

I was hoping for a shutout, but that didn't happen. Much to the chagrin of Crimson Tide fans, the Razorbacks scored in the third quarter. 

Coach Sark had a solid game plan going into the game. He got Jones acclimated early by calling a lot of short passes. Jones did show his arm strength on a number of long throws, notably the 40-yard TD strike to Jeudy. 

The running game looked good against an outmanned Arkansas defense. 

As for the defense, I still have concerns about the Tide's ability to stop the run. 

The two freshmen middle linebackers ~ Lee and Harris ~ were the leading tacklers on the squad. Lee had two tackles for loss and a sack. That was the lone sack of the game, but Lewis had six quarterback hurries. 

The team will have an off week just like LSU has before they play the Tigers in less than a couple of weeks. 

Music Friday: "W.M.A."

I was listening to Pearl Jam Radio on my way to taking my car for an oil change, and this song was preceded by bassist Jeff Ament talking about how this is a great songs because of the drum part, which is one of his favorites out of all of their songs. 

It is a great drum part that pairs well with his bass line. 

And then there's "Police stopped my brother again."

Sunday Hangover: Tennessee

The big news of course is that Tua didn't play the majority of the game. He'll be out vs. Arkansas because he has a high ankle sprain. 

So Mac Jones came in and looked pretty dang nervous early on. Then it looked like he got his legs under him a bit and played much better. 

The Tide relied upon the ground game, which was something different this season. Both Harris and Robinson had good games, with Harris gaining 105 net yards on 21 carries. But the offense did pass for 233 yards. 

Interestingly, if we are to go by Coach Saban's mantra about having "balance" on offense, the Tide did exactly that: 233 yards rushing and 233 yards passing. 

Overall though, I think the team needs to tighten up their defense even more. Lewis once again stood out as a performer, but I'd like to see more production from the defensive linemen. 

But like I said, next up is a squad of Razorbacks.

Music Friday: "What Are You Willing to Lose?"

At the conclusion of walking my loyal dog Sampson last night this fine tune came across on Shuffle.  

Lucero makes some fine music. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I found a typeface I will now be using more of: Charter. It's easier on my eyes when I look at documents on a screen. 

For this blog I've been using Trebuchet for years. It's a sans serif font that has some serif-like style with its pointedness. 

And this all reminds me of the character Brick from The Middle who is also fascinated with typefaces. 

I started watching that show a few months ago. It's hilarious. Of course, with my timing, I didn't actually watch the sit-com when it was off the air. 

HBO has a new series I'm interested in: Watchmen. I enjoyed the graphic novel and its adaptation to the big screen. On the latter opus, I guess I"m a minority if one goes by all the vitriol on the InterWebs. I don't know what the series will be like, but I was surprised by Don Johnson being in the show. I haven't seen him in years. 

His Dark Materials looks very interesting too. I'm intrigued. I'm considering reading the novel trilogy that is the series' basis. 

Who are the morons who started the idiotic trend of wearing socks with Birkenstocks?

Sunday Hangover: Texas A&M

After A&M's opening drive where they mixed in the run and passing games effectively, I was concerned. Then a couple of Tide touchdowns happened, and the Aggies, for whatever reason, seemed to abandon the running game. 

It's not like Alabama was up that big on A&M, so I don't understand why they didn't stick to the formula that created an impressive first drive of the game. 

The line looked even stronger this game with the addition of Brown at RG and Dickerson moving to Center. Both Harris and Robinson ran well behind them with Harris garnering 114 net yards. 

The receiving corps clicked well with Tua. The Tide loves slant patterns and then runs slant-and-gos off them. 

Jennings and Lewis had really good games on the defensive side of the ball. 

However, I'm still concerned about the defense. 

Music Friday: "You Did Good Kid"

This week I discovered The Hold Steady, one of my favorite rock bands, put out a new album last month. 

No one told me about it. 

Here's a cut from the new album. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Because I have two fantasy football teams and I am always open to stealing someone else's plays since I run an offense at the JFL level, I've been watching quite a few NFL games in addition to the my regular viewing schedule of watching college football on Saturdays. 

I find it interesting that both the Colts (vs. the Chiefs) and 49ers (vs. the Browns) won convincingly this week by running the ball. And much to my pleasure, San Francisco used a two-back set with a fullback. 

I get that people like watching the passing the game, but I love it when a football team has a great running game. 

That is why is bothers me that Thielen and Diggs of my NFL team, the Vikings, are bitching about how they're not getting a lot of passes thrown their way. Boo hoo. 

Run the damn ball. 

I need that hat. 

Even better is a team that has a great defense. 

My fantasy baseball team, the Schlitzophrenics, won the league again this season. Over the last five seasons I've won the league four times. 

Bask in my greatness. 

Music Friday: "Non-State Actor"

It's a shame that Chris Cornell is no longer with us. 

King Animal is a great album.