Tide Tidbits - December 23, 2008

'Saint Nick' happy he's home for the holidays
"I don't even remember the last time," he said. "This is a great holiday season, certainly a time to be thankful for all of this and all the gifts that we have. That starts with your family, and being thankful that you have great relationships with your children and relatives and people that you can spend time with. It's always better if you can do that at home. That's what makes home what it is." He said he told his wife, Terry, not to get him anything for Christmas. "She said, 'Oh, I got you something,'" he continued. "I said, 'Oh yeah, what?' She said, 'Gold Toe socks.' I asked her what she wanted. You could have bought a whole truckload of socks.

Final word: Crimson Tide seniors want to cement legacy with win
Senior quarterback John Parker Wilson acknowledges all that Alabama's football team accomplished this year — the 12 wins, SEC West title, BCS bowl bid, a heap of postseason accolades. But he knows there is more to achieve. "We've had a great season up to this point, something we'll all remember," Wilson said. "But if we don't go out and win this game, it's going to be all for nothing."

Alabama will open up QB competition next season
Alabama second-string quarterback Greg McElroy will not inherit the starting spot from senior John Parker Wilson without a fight. "We will have competition for the position next year," Saban said. "(McElroy) has the most experience right now, but we're certainly going to let everybody compete for it and make a decision about who can do the best job of helping us win."

Saban: You'd best fear the Utes
Alabama returned to practice Monday in preparation for its Sugar Bowl matchup with Utah, and Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban issued a stern warning to those who might be overlooking the underdog Utes. "This is a lot better team than everybody thinks. ... Oregon State beat Southern Cal, and (Utah) beat (Oregon State). TCU is a very good team and they beat them. This is as good a team as we've played all year long, in terms of what they do. ... So if you think any different, you're thinking wrong."

Roll Tide!