Music Friday: Auburn

Another Iron Bowl win for Alabama. 

Even though Auburn tried its best with a running quarterback, which is typically the kryptonite for the Tide, the Alabama offense was just way too much for the Tigers/Plainsmen/War Eagles.

Young had a great game, which has become expected, and it's too bad we come to expect it all the time because without him, I suspect Alabama would have had more than two losses this season. 

From a media standpoint, the 2022 season for Bryce Young has been severely underrated. 

In yesterday's game, Young threw the ball to nine different receivers, so he spread the reception love around. 

The other standout junior Will Anderson Jr. had three tackles for loss and two sacks, and like Young, has been underappreciated for his stats this year. He wasn't as explosive as last year, but he had a solid season. 

Both players are likely to go in the top ten of the NFL draft. 

Alabama will have a lot of off-season work to do for the 2023 season with a battle for starting quarterback waiting for them (Milroe vs. Simpson). We'll lose a lot from a defense that had tremendous promise but often was leaky in certain games. We'll lose a lot of DBs to the draft and graduation I suspect. 

I think we'll be solid at running back again even if Gibbs decides to go out in the draft. 

There's solid depth at WR, but as always, line play is key. 

I'm not expecting some championship games shakeout in which Alabama gets into the four-game playoff. 

But if were to happen, I suspect Alabama would be up against Georgia. 

Sunday Hangover: "Don't Carry It All"

In the course of my interactions with my daughter today, I discovered that she's a fan of The Decemberists. 

Here's the opening song of The King Is Dead.  

Sunday Hangover: Austin Peay

For as long as I've had this blog, I don't think Alabama has ever played Austin Peay. 

Regardless, the Crimson Tide played just fine. A shutout was in order even though early in the game the Governors had a couple of chances to score. 

It was good to see both Milroe and Simpson getting playing time, albeit it was later than expected. As the announcers related, it should be a real battle to see who takes over for Young as the starting QB next year. 

We haven't seen much of Simpson this year, but he's got tremendous arm strength and looks the part of a solid QB. Unfortunately, Milroe threw an interception during his lone stint at playing. 

With Gibbs hampered by ankle injury, McClellan and Williams ran the ball well. I am thinking McClellan is future star at running back. He reminds me of past Alabama backs. 

Next up is the Iron Bowl. Throw out the records and all that. 

Music Friday: "Line In the Dirt" & "End Times"

No surprise here, but I'm in a cranky mood today. 

So I'm listening to End Times by Eels. Here are a couple of songs that are back to back on the album--tracks five and six. 

Random Notes from a Crank

In surprising news, the Democrats have apparently won back the Senate. Hopefully Warnock will defeat the woefully unqualified Walker in the Georgia Senate runoff. 

Why aren't people telling Walker to "stick to sports" like they did with Kaepernick and LeBron? 

I suspect the GOP will win the House with some manner of a majority, but it would be a major upset if the Democrats retain the House. I just don't see it happening. 

A man can dream though. 

Here are some interesting factoids from the November "Harper's Index": 

• Portion of Americans who say political divisions have worsened since Joe Biden took office: 2/3
• Who would prefer an alternative to the electoral college system: 3/5
• Percentage of U.S. adults who consume "severely problematic" amounts of news: 17
• Factor by which these individuals are more likely to have a serious mental illness: 9
• Percentage increase since 2019 in the number of children who are unvaccinated against polio: 35
• Estimated age at which adults are unhappiest: 48

The last estimate seems pretty accurate to me. 

I tried to see if any Forward Party candidates won election, but that party came together so recently that it seems they only endorsed certain candidates. 

Sunday Hangover: Ole Miss

It was not a convincing win, but it was a win, nonetheless. 

In the first quarter, I was worried because the Alabama defense was not getting up to speed with the Rebels' fast-paced offense. 

I have continued to be frustrated with the offensive play calling because the Tide needs to run the ball much more effectively. 

Gibbs did not tote the rock in the second half with Saban going with McClellan and Williams at running back. That move was a bit surprising, but Gibbs did not do much of anything in the first half. 

A pleasant surprise was the play of Byron Young. He tied with Hellams as the leading tackler on the team with six solo tackles and five assists. He also had two sacks and two tackles for loss. 

Lawson also played a great deal, so that work is building for the future. 

It appears Brooks and Latu have become Young's preferred receivers. 

Barring a miracle of disasters among the teams ahead of them in the rankings, this year will not see Alabama in the championship playoffs. 

Bummer, man. 

Music Friday: "Pass the Mic"

I listened to Check Your Head early this week, and this tune has been rattling through my head all week. 

Now it's gonna rattle through yours. 

Sunday Hangover: LSU

Another loss in which the home fans storm the field. At least the LSU fans had enough sense and self respect not to destroy the goal posts. 

The first Alabama drive started out well enough. They marched right down the field and were likely to punch in a touchdown on that first drive, but Young tried to improvise too much and made a bad decision.

After that drive and up until the fourth quarter, the offense just seemed off. And it seemed off because Young was not his usual self. Also, I don't understand some of the play calls for runs throughout most of the game. 

We have Gibbs, who is tremendously talented, and we didn't use him enough. 

The largest problem that has not been solved this season is that we don't have consistent vertical threats in the passing game. 

Fans can gripe about officiating, and I rarely do, but that touchdown run by the LSU quarterback should have been called back. If you watch the play, the tight end Taylor clearly blocked our defender in the back. He got no part of the front side of the Alabama player. 

Regardless, the Tide should have stopped that two-point conversion. 

The chances of Alabama winning the West is very poor. We would need some serious help from either Arkansas or Texas A&M. 

From what I've seen from those teams, I'm not confident we'll get help.

Also, we would need to beat a crafty Ole Miss team next week. 

Music Friday: "Exhuming McCarthy"

I was listening to Document this morning, and this song reminds me of the various dog whistling movements that the right wing has undertaken over the years. 

What I'm talking about is recounted in David Corn's American Psychosis: A Historical Investigations of How the Republican Party Went Crazy.