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Tony’s takes: Introducing my new weekly column

Tony_Tsoukalas

All American
Staff
Feb 5, 2014
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I always say this board feels like a second family. I sincerely mean that, so now it’s time to start showing it.

Barring a seven-month foray to FanNation, I’ve been with y’all since 2017. That’s almost a fifth of my life, and I still haven’t opened up the way I would around my friends.

They don’t teach you that in journalism school. Alabama didn’t have a Message Boards 101 — even though it would have been a better use of resources than preparing students for the nuclear wasteland that is today’s newspaper industry. Instead, they hammered home a set of rigid rules and ethics as well as an understanding that the Oxford comma is akin to communism.

None of that’s changing. I’m still going to stand by the standards that have shaped my career so far. You won’t catch me saying “Roll Tide” or rooting for Alabama. You also won’t find me attacking the university in an attempt to get more traffic on the site.

However, I am going to let my hair down a little bit more at least once a week. That’s what I decided to do when Kelly came up to me with the idea to ̶s̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶f̶e̶s̶s̶i̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶f̶r̶a̶n̶c̶h̶i̶s̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶s̶u̶l̶t̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶ write a weekly column.

In this space, I plan to discuss the week’s biggest Alabama storylines without taking myself too seriously. My hope is that it becomes an interactive discussion where we can all share a few laughs or maybe just vent frustrations.

With that said pour yourself a drink, and let's dive in.

Drink of the week — Batanga

I don’t think I’m going out on too much of a limb here by presuming the majority of this message board isn’t on TikTok. Don’t worry, you’re probably better for it.

I’m not as fortunate.

This week, the algorithm has decided I need to learn about the batanga, a cocktail comprised of Mexican Coke, lime and blanco tequila. Basically, a group of cocktail influencers took a vacation to Mexico recently, guzzled these things down like water and came back on a mission to convince casual consumers to do the same thing.

After seeing half a dozen clips about the drink I caved. Here I am making it my debut drink of the week.

This one’s easy to craft. For starters, get a highball glass and cut a lime wedge to help coat the rim with salt. Next, sprinkle in a bit of salt into the glass as well. From there, fill the glass with ice, squeeze in half of that lime you just cut up, add two ounces of blanco tequila and top it off with a Mexican Coke. To finish, stir everything together with the knife you cut the lime with.

Have one or two or however many it takes to get you through this column. If you like ’em, you’re welcome. If not, blame social media.

Cheers!

Sheridan hire isn’t sexy, but it’s sensible

I get the initial concern regarding Alabama’s next offensive coordinator. After all, you would have been hard-pressed to find Nick Sheridan’s name anywhere near a list of possible candidates for the position a year ago.

Last offseason, even the hiring of Tommy Rees felt a bit underwhelming, considering some of the other names linked to Alabama. It’s easy to see how this offseason could feel like much more of a gut punch, as the Crimson Tide went from having one of the nation’s top play-callers in Ryan Grubb to someone who was initially brought in to coach tight ends.

The truth is, Alabama has been planning on this for a while. Getting Grubb to Tuscaloosa was always going to be a longshot. He turned down the Crimson Tide last offseason and was hoping to replace Kalen DeBoer as Washington’s head coach before briefly following him down south this past month. Seattle was an obvious landing spot, but if the Seahawks didn’t come calling, another NFL team likely would have – either later this offseason or next year.

DeBoer knew that and had Sheridan lined up for the role just in case.

Promoting Sheridan isn’t the sexiest option, but at this point in the offseason, it makes the most sense. While his two years as Indiana’s offensive coordinator left a lot to be desired, at least Sheridan has previous experience as a play-caller. The former Michigan walk-on quarterback has also coached his former position at multiple stops, which will ease the transition as well.

Most importantly, Sheridan already speaks DeBoer’s football language and can help implement his offense immediately when Alabama opens up spring camp in less than a month. Bringing in an outside offensive coordinator to do that would be like hiring a non-Spanish speaker to teach Spanish 101 a week before freshman orientation.

“Quiero correr la maldita pelota.” (I want to run the damn ball)

While Sheridan will be named offensive coordinator, Alabama’s offense will still be DeBoer’s baby. The first-year head coach is expected to play a huge role in the Tide’s attack and might end up calling the offense this season as he grooms Sheridan for the role down the road.

DeBoer is one of the best offensive minds in the game. Outside of having a trusted deputy like Grubb, there’s an argument to be made that there isn’t a coordinator out there better suited to dial up the defense than him in Year 1.

Losing Grubb stings. There’s no way around that. However, Alabama would likely be in the same position it is now regardless of who it named as his replacement.

Keep an eye on Austin Mack

Before I get started here, let me make things clear — I still project Jalen Milroe to be Alabama’s starting quarterback this fall. The redshirt junior’s dual-threat athleticism could add another element to DeBoer’s attack, and that’s the Tide’s best chance of contending for a national title.

However, Milroe’s going to need to smooth over some of the deficiencies in his passing game before that’s possible.

Last season, Milroe completed just 52.3 percent of his intermediate passes (10-19 yards past the line of scrimmage.) Four of those throws were picked off, which accounted for two-thirds of his interceptions on the season. That’s just not going to fly in DeBoer’s offense, which requires quarterbacks to have the ability to pick apart defenses through tight pockets in addition to hitting them deep.

In the event Alabama can’t mold Milroe into its new setup, keep an eye on Washington transfer Austin Mack as a dark horse for the starting job. Mack reclassified to join the Huskies a year early last year. While the 17-year-old has yet to take a college snap, he was able to soak in DeBoer’s offense while learning under Heisman finalist Michael Penix Jr.

Mack was close with Grubb and would have likely stayed at Washington had the offensive coordinator been selected to replace DeBoer as the Huskies’ head coach. Nevertheless, he’s still happy with his transfer to Alabama, where he’ll have a leg up on the rest of the Tide’s quarterbacks as they look to learn the new system. Alabama's decision to promote Sheridan rather than hire an offensive coordinator from outside the program should only help his chances over the next few months.

Mack’s ability to learn DeBoer’s offense in such a short amount of time speaks volumes about his knowledge for the game. The 6-foot-6, 226-pound pocket passer is already skilled at breaking down defense at the line of scrimmage and has the arm talent needed to make all the throws Alabama’s new attack will require.

Alabama basketball brings back a classic look

The block A is finally back. For years, Alabama fans have clamored for the university to reincorporate its old block A logo back into its jersey scheme. This week, the basketball team answered the call, debuting a new retro-themed alternate jersey.

The new look is a tribute to the 2003-04 team that advanced to the program’s only Elite Eight appearance. It features white jerseys and shorts with crimson and gray piping as well as a new font that resembles the one the 03-04 team wore. It’s also the only Alabama jersey in any sport that says Crimson Tide instead of Alabama of Bama.



Most importantly, it brings back the block A, which stamped on the front right leg of the shorts. For those who need a brief history in Alabama’s most aesthetic symbol, the block A was the Tide’s official logo from 1974-2000. It features an elephant coming through a block A, and it’s beauty transcends generations as the Tide’s favorite logo.



Alabama’s new jersey was an instant hit when the team released it at the beginning of last week, and it looked even better when the Tide debuted it during its 100-75 win over Texas A&M on Saturday. Give whoever designed it an A+ — better yet, a block A+.

Alabama shouldn’t stop here, either. The Crimson Tide’s women’s team should be able to join in on the fun too. Shoot, slap that block A on a few baseball and softball helmets while you’re at it. I’d also like to see more use of “Crimson Tide” on shirts. Maybe a cursive “Tide” on a baseball shirt with a block A helmet. Go nuts!

Just don’t mess with football.

Alternate jerseys are fun, and Alabama should look to build off its current momentum, especially if it can translate into a few extra bucks for NIL purposes. However, some things are sacred.

Alabama football has arguably the most identifiable uniforms in college athletics, especially after teams like Notre Dame, Michigan and Ohio State have all made a mockery of their tradition in recent years.

Its good to have some fun, just don’t get too silly.
 
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