for those that have Rivals accounts..............when I read the articles on Bamaonline.com they seem to be written by non bias people, like an SI article, with slight bias here and there BUT this article I just read on Gatorbait sounds like a punk ass poster on a site like this versus a premium article written by someone who does it for a living...............tell me your opinion
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Marty Cohen
GatorBait.net Publisher

Talk about it in Alligator Alley
One thing about games the magnitude of Florida-Alabama is the preponderance of analysis we get treated to in the days leading up to the showdown. The Corner gets particularly amused at some of the national pundits, who really don't know the teams too well, and mostly state what are the preconceived perceptions of the participants.

Those positions are often more fiction than fact, or at least a blurring of the two. And in defense of the national media boys, and those from outside the area, they can't possibly know the details of these teams like the writers who cover them or the fans who watch 'em each week, so they get cut a little bit of slack. But not too much.

The Corner actually tried to stay away from much of the pregame buildup talk, because we already know more than these guys about the two SEC heavyweights. Fans seem to relish getting their blood boiling because some TV or radio guy had some notion about one of the teams, and want to go screaming to the players about the perceived oversights and ultimate disrespect from the media.

But The Corner was impressed by the idea of a piece that ran this week on ESPN.com by Ivan Maisel, one of the best in the business, concerning the SEC Championship Game. Maisel talked to four league coaches - three head coaches and a top assistant who didn't hide behind the cloak of anonymity - and culled thoughts from guys who faced both on the impending match-up.

The Corner can still remember doing a similar piece when undefeated Florida took on Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl in 1995, getting a long phone interview with Mike Hankwitz, who was defensive coordinator at Kansas in '95 after spending the previous 10 years in the same position at Colorado. Hankwitz, now the defensive boss at Northwestern, obviously had great knowledge about Nebraska's offense, and we can recall getting off the phone after the conversation with Hankwitz and for the first time, feeling a little queasy about that national championship game 14 years ago. Unfortunately, much of the great insight he provided came to fruition on that forgettable evening in the desert.

So The Corner read with great interest the piece by Maisel, which featured quotes from Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen, Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin, Kentucky head coach Rich Brooks and veteran South Carolina defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson. It was interesting, to say the least, and if you haven't seen it, it's worth digging up on ESPN.com. (or you can click here)

Certainly there was a little bias involved, especially from the adolescent who coaches at Tennessee, who refuses to say even the slightest complimentary words about Florida. Which is fine, who really cares about that tool?

But some of the comments made raised The Corner's eyebrows. Here's one from Mullen, the former UF offensive coordinator from 2005-08, on quarterback Tim Tebow. He said the Bulldogs' strategy when they faced the Gators was to make 'em execute long drives, which would likely be the plan for every defense in America. But here's where it gets a little touchy.

"We really encouraged them to run Tim Tebow," Mullen said. "One thing with Tim is he will wear you down but he will not beat you with the big play. They moved the ball on us, but we stopped them in the Red Zone."

Not beat you with the big play? What!?! Has Mullen been clanged on the head with one too many cowbells in the last year? Maisel backed up Mullen's assertion by stating that Tebow only has six runs of more than 20 yards this season, which is the height of lunacy, since Tebow's big plays are not measured by long runs.

Does Mullen truly believe Tebow will "not beat you with the big play." Really, Dan? The Corner guesses those 55 touchdowns Tebow accounted for in 2007 en route to the Heisman Trophy didn't encompass any big plays. Against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game last December, Tebow completed passes of 51 yards to Riley Cooper and 34 yards to Louis Murphy. And what about the dozen other "big plays" Tebow converted in the decisive fourth quarter. Or against Oklahoma. It just boggles The Corner's mind that a comment like that came from Mullen, who basically wouldn't be an SEC head coach if it wasn't for a career's worth of Tebow's "big plays."

And then of course, there's the fool on the hill in Knoxville. First there was this beauty: "If it wasn't for Tebow, it's easy. Alabama wins the game."

It was meant to be a knock on Florida, like the Gators are an ordinary team without its star quarterback. But what a foolish statement. Sure, take the best player away from any team, and the opponent is likely to win in a close matchup. Texas probably doesn't look so strong without Colt McCoy either. So yes, most teams starting a backup quarterback against an undefeated foe in a championship game will likely not have the edge.

And then Kiffin decided to gush all over the Alabama coaching staff, the one headed by a guy who is given credit for inventing coaching and has won more than nine games a whopping four times, count 'em four times, in 14 seasons as a college head coach.

"They are so schematically sound," Kiffin said about Alabama. "If you do start to beat them, Nick and Kirby (Smart, the defensive coordinator) are so good. They adjust. They are an NFL staff. NFL offenses will expose you, but can you adjust?"

Kiffin then called Saban's Crimson Tide "the best-coached team in the country. They have few penalties. They allow few sacks. They're very disciplined. They don't give up big plays."

Nah, the 67-yard touchdown run and the 72-yard touchdown pass by Auburn last week weren't actually big plays. Maybe Kiffin's high school offense couldn't produce anything noteworthy in a 12-10 loss to the Tide, but LSU managed a 41-yard pass and a 34-yard run, South Carolina completed a 52-yard pass, even offensively challenged Virginia Tech had a 43-yard pass against the Tide defense, not to mention a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

The Corner also found it interesting that Brooks, who UF head coach Urban Meyer often refers to as a coaching friend, didn't speak all that glowingly about Tebow either. Then again, Kentucky hasn't beaten Florida since 1986, and Brooks' teams lately haven't even been remotely competitive against the Gators.

All in all, it was a noteworthy read. Again, The Corner has made a concerted effort to steer clear of just about all of the title game conversation on a national scale - there's enough of it swirling around town to keep us more than occupied this week . . .

There is one incredible stat The Corner has to pass along - Alabama has not allowed a running back to gain 100 yards in a nation's-best 32 straight games, dating back to the middle of the 2007 season. That's not bad - Ohio State is next at 22 straight. Or course, Florida beat Alabama last year without a 100-yard performance, but it's a pretty impressive stat nonetheless.