I hope you are kidding about you would rather open up with a 1-AA team; I love opening with marquee oponents. Makes opening weekend much more exciting.

While we didn’t quite ‘roll’ over you, there were several mistakes we made that prevented us from dominating VaTech. The big pass play in the first half to Williams for a TD (and, dude, Williams will be a phenomenal player for you guys) exploited our one weekend on defense – right side corner, aka Marquis Johnson. He got burned in last year’s games against Florida and Utah, and they took advantage of him all night. Once our freshman develop, hopefully over the next couple of games, I hope we can get him off the field. He also missed assignments all night long against your WR.

Second, we were breaking in a new starting QB and two new O-linemen in critical positions. The first half play by McElroy was shaky and had me worried, but after half time he looked like a different person, and the long ball we have been missing the last few years (since Brodie left) seems to be alive and well in Greg. The O-line didn’t take that long to get going, as evidenced by our running game late in the second half and the pass protection the QB got most of the night.

You guys live and die on the big play, and you made a few huge ones that kept you in the game along with a couple of fumbles and interceptions that stopped promising drives on our end. However, we had a tremendous advantage in size and speed that harken back to the time before our last 10 years of turmoil. I never really thought the game was in doubt to be frank, just because it seemed like once we quit shooting ourselves in the foot we would be fine.

All that being said (and blatant homerism out of the way), that doesn’t take anything away from you. Foster came up with a pretty good gameplan, I just think you guys were outmatched physically. I also think our OC did fairly well in the second half – the last touchdown pass to Ingram was a fake hand off to him then a chunk downfield to hit him as your guys seemed to have lost him after the fake – and I was pretty impressed. I think you guys are one of the top defenses we will see this year, and there is no doubt in my mind you will have a great season. Wish you all the best, and from everything I hear (I wasn’t at the game) your fans were top notch class acts. Have a great season!

ROLL TIDE!

writing this blog. No matter what you say, your commenters will make you look like a goddamn genius by comparison.

when you said "Alabama fans were rejoicing with their usual “Roll Tide” chants that are extremely annoying," i believe you were referring to the rammer jammer. the expression “roll tide” is not part of this particular cheer.