The crew is here, ready to update you on the biggest day in the Hoover festivities. Coach Nick Saban just rolled in, I'm upstairs getting things ready, but Aaron Suttles and Tommy Deas are downstairs. We have a camera down there, and will put up the goods asap.
Stick with us all day as we provide updates on day 2 of the SEC Media Days at the Wynfrey Hotel.
- Chris
Chris Rattey Director of New Media Tuscaloosa News | TideSports.com chris.rattey@tuscaloosanews.com
Rogers Redding of the rules committee is currently at the podium, going over the rule changes (such as horse collar tackling) for 2008, accompanied with video examples.
Worth noting, is none of the videos have shown any SEC teams, so far it's only been ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-10.
Our Bulldog fans always have high expectations. We always have high expectations. Our goal is to win the East then win the SEC Championship game. In order to get close to that point you have to put the work in on a daily basis. People started talking about the National Championship after last year's Sugar Bowl, that's too early to start chewing on that bone, so to speak
After the Tenneessee game I noticed everyone was waiting around looking for something to happen. I knew something had to change and it started with me.
We know everybody on our schedule can beat us. We know when we play Alabama, Auburn and LSU in the West that's tough. When we play Arizona State that's tough. We don't pick out each game saying this one will be tough, that one will be tough. We know every game will be tough. But that's the exciting part about this league and this season. LSU won the National Championship - they lost twice, that's the way our league is.
To claim that amount of national championships among coaches is kind of intimidating. The coaches on our schedule have a combined nine national championships between them (Nick Saban, Les Miles, Steve Spurrier, Philip Fulmer, Urban Meyer and Paul Johnson, two at I-AA Georgia Southern)
It's a great time to be at the University of Alabama. We feel really good about the positive energy our fans have demonstrated over the 18 months we've been here. We want to create an environment where our players can be successful in life as well as the football field. We feel good about the 80 percent graduation rate we have.