Tide Tidbits - October 3, 2008

QB Wilson rolls with Tide
John Parker Wilson's passing numbers are mostly down, and he couldn't be happier. "My freshman and sophomore year, we couldn't run the ball at all, or like we'd like," Wilson said. "This year we've established the running game, establishing ourselves up front, and it's making everything else easier."

Bama's McClain has few peers in the middle
An NFL general manager was raving recently about the best middle linebacker in college football. His evaluation went something like this: "He's exactly what everybody in the NFL is looking for. He has great size, great speed, gets to the football and finishes and can also cover. And the best thing about him is that he's the smartest guy on the field." Alabama sophomore Rolando McClain has a growing fan club these days, even if NFL executive types aren't allowed by league rules to publicly comment about him. (Thanks BW for the link!)

QB Wilson rolls with Tide
John Parker Wilson's passing numbers are mostly down, and he couldn't be happier. "My freshman and sophomore year, we couldn't run the ball at all, or like we'd like," Wilson said. "This year we've established the running game, establishing ourselves up front, and it's making everything else easier."

Tide ignoring lofty rankings
Nick Saban is all about preparation, so he was ready for the question about Alabama being ranked No. 2 this week. “I don’t even know what we’re ranked. Nobody’s told me,” Saban said at his Monday press conference. “… Whatever it is, can somebody tell me who was ranked there last year at this time? Does anybody know?” Silence. So the coach asked another question. “Who was leading the marathon at the Olympics halfway through? Can anybody tell me? If they didn’t win, it doesn’t matter. Nobody cares.”

Lots of visitors, SportsCenter... and other stuff!
Before I get to tomorrow's notes, did you guys see SportsCenter? There was Alabama coach Nick Saban, talking to ESPN reporter Tom Rinaldi. It's only a few minutes, and apparently more is coming on Sunday.

Oakley recovered from foot injury
Alabama senior receiver Will Oakley looked down in the weight room to notice a bone popping out of his foot. "Actually, I didn't drop a weight on my foot," Oakley said. "I was on the box step-ups and my ankle rolled sideways and just snapped the bone in half. It was one of those freak things." Often plagued by frustrating injuries during his Crimson Tide career, Oakley had never broken a bone until this summer. The painful foot injury kept him out of the end of summer workouts and out of preseason camp.