Its about that time again!

32 days and counting til we kickoff another season of Alabama football! SEC Media Days are over, players report soon, and we will be yearning for daily reports on how they look. Having no inside knowledge and relying heavily on published reporting, I will give some predictions for the upcoming season. But first, lets reflect on last season.
Congratulations to the football class of 2005. Bringing the Tide family a 10 win season was very special, and for that we say thanks. Both LSU and Auburn were better than us, and you can't complain (too much) about losing to better teams. That being said, I hope that the days of better teams existing in the SEC West, and SEC as a whole, are numbered. I feel we accomplished more than was expected last year, and now that our stable is closer to being completely restocked, I think we will continue to improve. Coach Shula and the staff did an outstanding job last year.
Congratulations to the seniors who were drafted into the NFL. I hope that each of you have long and prosperous careers, and that you will follow the example set by Shaun Alexander. Always remember that you will represent the University, its past, present, and future, as well as all of its fans, for the rest of your life.
Another congratulation should go to Tyrone Prothro for winning his Espy award recently. Congrats and good luck with your recovery.

Upcoming Season

Now to this year. TRUE we lost some talent and playmakers from last years squad. In my opinion, the talent we lost will be the least of our worries. Our biggest concern will be the leadership that was lost. Roman Harper, Demeco Ryans, Brodie Croyle were all great leaders, and they will be missed. Reports that JP Wilson has stepped up into a leadership role are very encouraging. Also, I think Ramzee Robinson can fill the shoes of Roman Harper in the defensive backfield. On the defensive interior, look for Juwan Simpson to step up. If we can have great leadership from within the team, the sky is the limit.
We had a great recruiting class, and based on recent years, many of those new players will be given a chance to contribute. Our offensive line needed help last year, and they certainly got it in this class, but will they help this year? Who knows. My guess is that at least two if not three of last year's line class will see playing time throughout the season.
Wide receiver is another position that we will see improvement. Nikita Stover is very capable of helping us this year, and hopefully DJ Hall will be back in uniform as well.
All reports on JPW have been very good, and we all know that Kenneth Darby is the best back in the SEC (sorry Irons, but with your offensive line, Darby would have had 3000 yards last year!) Behind Darby, we are as deep as I can remember us being.
Defensive backfield took a hit, but there is a lot of talent coming back. The corners are locked down with Bino and Simeon Castille. Jeffery Dukes is a headhunter with some experience, so I think our DB situation is good.
Juwan Simpson is more motivated than ever after his off-the-field issues of the past months, and together with Terrence Jones, they might be the best outside linebacker corps we have had in some time.
Gilberry and Clark, along with some new guys will hopefully be as dominant if not more so than last year.
On paper, the team looks really solid. Hopefully we will see improvement in the areas we were lacking last year and we will return to dominance in the SEC. ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!