Top 10 From The Weekend

kyle h · Mar 5, 2017

Hendo’s Top 10 From The Weekend

This is my first installation of the Top 10 from the Week/Weekend. Said it again and again, too excited to be here! I’ll try to be better…

ONE: Thoughts On The NFL Combine Through Sunday

1. O.J. Howard’s performance was incredible. At At 6-foot-6, 251 pounds he reminds me of a combined version of Larry Fitzgerald and Vernon Davis. His draft stock really is on the rise and he imo just got paid. His wing span 80 5/8. For real?

2. Jonathan Allen at 6-foot-3, 286 pounds running a 5.0 40-time. That is scary.

3. Cam Robinson at 6-foot-6, 322 pounds running a 5.1 40-time is even scarier. He would likely beat any of us reading this message board.

4. ArDarius Stewart looked super athletic during workouts and ran a blazing 4.49 40-time and had a 10.3 broad jump.

5. Dalvin Tomlinson had some great numbers as well. He ran a 5.19 40-time and a 4.58 shuttle time.

6. Tim Williams had 4.69 40-time which turned heads at 6-foot-2 and 244 pounds. That is some speed, his wingspan 78 5/8.

7. Reuben Foster going home was bizarre and really cannot comment on what I do not know.

TWO: Bamainsider.com Game Balls

1. Alexis Osorio - 11K’s vs. Jacksonville on Friday, now 9-1

2. Brock Love - 10K’s vs. ULM on Friday

3. Alabama Softball Team - Won the Easton Crimson Classic, beating Jacksonville, Drake, Stanford, Drake, and Jacksonville again on Sunday. The Crimson Tide outscored the opposition 37-1 this weekend and are now 19-2 this season. Unreal.

4. Dazon Ingram scored 22 points against Ole Miss on Wednesday

5. Lawson Schaffer hit big three against Ole Miss which spurred momentum change and eventually led to a win for Bama Basketball m/threads/alabama-walk-on-lawson-schaffer-comes-up-

6. OJ Howard, 4.51 40-time and 22 reps of 225 pounds at 6-6, 251 pounds

7. Cam Robinson, Big man running a 5.1 40-time at 6-foot-6, 322 pounds

8. Jonathan Allen, 5.0 40-time. Remarkable.

9. Ellis Ponder of Alabama Football - Alabama native from Fairhope that was elevated to the Director of Football this past Thursday. https://alabama.forums.rivals.com/threads/ellis-ponder-named-director-of-football-operations.71326/

10. @Harper41 Dude brings it. Period.

THREE: Tuscaloosa Food Rankings

1. City Cafe - No more needs to be said. This was my first experience of meat and threes.

2. Chucks - Dig the food and atmosphere

3. Avenue Pub - Had a burger there the other day (my goodness) with Bone and Tony

4. DePalma's - Lasagna was 100%

5. Waysider - First experience with grits. Unreal

6. Jalapeno’s Mexican Grill - Great service, good salas, good fajitas

7. Side-by-Side - Fancy place, service a little slow, but food is spot on

8. River - New restaurant down on the Black Warrior, pricey, but good
9. Dickie’s BBQ - Had a Boston Butt. Bomb.

10. Fuzzy Taco’s - Very good bbq tacos, chicken tacos, it’s good

FOUR: Top 10 Posts Of The Week

1. Timerland1111 posted the clip of Jalen Hurts bombing it downfield on the quad - Watch Here https://alabama.forums.rivals.com/threads/who-says-jalen-hurts-cant-throw-deep.71358/

2. Meet Tony Tsoukalas Thread - Flippin thread has 1,431 views and 91 replies. Clearly he already has groupies https://alabama.forums.rivals.com/threads/tsoukalas-a-little-about-me.71264/unread

3. SUV was totaled and first offer is wayyy off what we owe - @cola68 wanted some suggestions, boy did he get some. Need insurance advice, read here https://alabama.forums.rivals.com/threads/off-topic-suv-was-totaled-and-first-offer-is-way-off-what-we-owe.71245/

4. Play NFL GM, you can take one and only Alabama Player. The thread posted by BamaPG does not have a lot of action yet, but it got me thinking. I posted O.J. Howard, but then started backpedaling when I saw how many went with Allen. Clearly, I am a newbie around here, but I just loved Howard’s performance at the Combine. Give your input here https://alabama.forums.rivals.com/forums/talk-of-champions.16/

5. Bye Bye Tommy D - I was interested to see how the community was going to handle this thread and honestly I was impressed. While strong opinions were given, taken, and a few arguments stemmed, I felt in the end the board remained mostly civil and I was appreciative of that from a mod perspective. https://alabama.forums.rivals.com/threads/bye-bye-tommy-d.71351/

6. Outwork yesterday - I created this post, but this is not about me. This about what CNS has implemented at Alabama. This is the mindset that I personally want to live by and want my son to model. It’s tough to teach and to follow as complacency is easy to set in. You’ve got to want it. I hope our staff can emulate this effort. The thread also has a great video clip of Deionte Thompson getting after it in the weight room. https://alabama.forums.rivals.com/threads/outwork-yesterday.71332/

7. Chris Weinke set to join the football staff. Thread that dropped quickly in all the chaos of the new staff, etc. but it’s a good thread to read through and a pretty big land by Alabama. https://alabama.forums.rivals.com/threads/chris-weinke-joining-alabamas-staff.71268/

8. Colin Kapernick will now stand for the. Interesting thread with some good takes. Worth a skim through. I am a 49ers fan and watching the 49ers this last season is something I did very little of. Such a disappointing spot for the organization. https://alabama.forums.rivals.com/threads/colin-kapernick-will-now-stand-for-the.71322/unread

9. Updates on Reuben per CBS. As you know Reuben Foster was sent home from the NFL Combine for having what was said to be a heating exchange with a hospital worker. This is bizarre and we hope to get the full story soon. https://alabama.forums.rivals.com/threads/update-on-reuben-per-cbs.71376/unread

10. Bone’s Insider Report: It’s clear to see why there is rumored to be a statue of Andrew Bone insider a secured area of Bryant Denny https://alabama.forums.rivals.com/threads/bone-insider-report.71276/

FIVE: A-Day Is Coming, 10 Questions I Have

1. How many will be in attendance? Last year there was 76,212. In 2011 there was 93,310.

2. This is my first A-Day experience. I’ll be working of course, but my family will be in town. Will there be tail-gating, etc. Is it ok to bring my 8-year son and 4-year daughter?

3. Is there going to be a quarterback battle? Maybe, this is too early to ask when spring football has not even started, but it is something that is on my mind daily. To me it’s Jalen’s spot to lose. Guessing you feel the same, but I have a feeling that Tua is going to be pretty special. Really enjoy his demeanor off the field (from videos I’ve watched) and look forward to covering this potential battle for quarterback.

4. Harris, Scarbrough, Jacobs, Harris, Robinson, and Emmons! Oh my goodness, teams would be happy with just one running back of this caliber, Alabama has tons of ammunition in the backfield and my question is which back gets the most reps and which gets the least?

5. Drop off at the tight end position? Losing O.J. Howard is a monster loss, I am eager to see who steps up in this role. Forristall played in 14 games last year recorded 5 receptions for 73-yards, excited to see 4-star early enrollee Major Tennison out of Bullard, Texas. Tennison is 6-foot-6, 240 pounds.

6. Isaiah Buggs watch. Talking with Tony and Bone (I like that name for a radio show or a Law Firm haha) they both really like the JC transfer who is a Rivals.com 5-Star Defensive Lineman out of Gulf Coast, MS. Alabama has to replace some of the talented defensive linemen in the game, will Buggs be a lock in and play type addition?

7. How many plays in Raekwon Davis going to play? How good is he? At 6-foot-7 and 315 pounds, my goodness that is one large man.

8. Tony Brown at Corner along with Anthony Averett? Tsoukalas tells me that he likes Shyheim Carter at Star.

9. Cannot wait to see Rashan Evans play. I wonder if he’ll have over or under 70 tackles this year.

10. Eager to be apart of spring football. The Holy grail of College Football. What will the feel be on A-Day? What type of roar will 75K plus have in April?

SIX: Top Movies I’ve Seen and their grade

1. Girl on a train - A+ - Blown away. Great flick.

2. Sully - A- Good story. Can’t go wrong with Tom Hanks IMO

3. Deep Water Horizon B+ - Wahlberg and company do a good job recapping a horrible disaster

4. Rome Empire: Reign of Blood B, felt it was a good series and would recommend.

5. The Arrival - B- Just expected more. Love Sci Fi movies, but this just did not deliver

6. USS Indianapolis - D- This story deserved better. Could not even finish.

SEVEN: Alabama Basketball Commitment Updates

1. Alabama Commit Herb Jones is a state champ and throws it down nasty

2. John Petty of Jamison scored 22 points and 11 boards against Faith Academy to win the Class 5A Fianls.

3. Collin Sexton of Pebblebrook, GA - Wednesday night in the Georgia High School State Basketball 7A Tournament Norcross defeated Pebblebrook 82-60 ending Alabama Basketball Commit Collin Sexton's season. The Rivals.com 5-Star Player went out with a bang, however, scoring a game-high 31 points. Pebblebrook ends their season with a record of 21-8.

4. Alex Reese out of Pelham ended his season scoring 14 points and 11 boards against Paul W. Bryant

5. Galin Smith ends season as Callaway beats Clinton in MS Tournament.

EIGHT: Deeper Thoughts

Many months ago when I was approached with this opportunity, I knew right away I wanted to take it. There was no second guessing that needed to be made or for me to try to manipulate the contract, I’m ready.

My wife and I flew to Alabama, never had my wife or myself been before. We talked, prayed, and made this decision together. We have kids, we have family that we are both close to and pulling us from that isn’t just an easy ok let's go.

What it came down to is how many times in life do we get to work with the best, cover the most elite athletes and coaches in this line of work? If you don’t take opportunities and make the most of them IMO the door starts to close and the chapters in your life get shorter and less interesting. In life, you have to grow, have to change and have to make the best decision for you.

So on Saturday, when I was with my family in front of Bryant-Denny it’s quite amazing to me that we’re here, now all together, talking all things Alabama, with Alabama Football always in the back of our minds.

Previously I was offered a job to work for the Texas Rivals Site, USC Rivals Site, and while I was at the time bummed those opportunities did not work out for whatever reason, I now understand why. RT.

NINE: Funny and OMGoodness

1. Tony Romo teaches kids to play catch

2. John Ross sets NFL 40-Time record

3. Gators are going to Gator

TEN: Plays of the Week

Jalen Hurts touchdown throws first touchdown of the season

Hunter Alexander’s Walk Off RBI against ULM