FIRST COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEKEND FOR 2007 IN THE BOOKS
...Let's not get too hasty!
Wow is the only word that I can think of to describe this past weekend in the wonderful sport of football! Mine started Thursday night when I went to Nashville to watch the last pre-season Packers game against the Titans. I was keeping up with the score of the first SEC game while I was there via Blackberry (love modern technology). I realized very quickly that it wasn't much of a game so I turned my total attention to the Pack.
I unfortunately missed the opening drive which was the only one that Favre played and he also scored a touchdown...if we had only left 30 minutes earlier! :-) I see some much needed improvement on the o-line and got to see our 3rd string QB which I didn't even know his name (it's Thompson, btw). Overall we looked good at times even though we lost - which I mostly equate that to the fact that most of our 1st string was out by the end of the 1st quarter and their 1st string was still in by the 3rd (Vince needs the reps)! Our defense has also improved thankfully, but we still need work in all of these areas.
Now, to turn to college discussion. ROLL TIDE ROLL, first of all - I had to get that out of my system once again. We hung 52 points on someone (finally), Tennessee got beat, Notre Dame got beat (loved seeing Charlie Weiss rattled on the sidelines)...I could go on and on. Auburn almost got...well, I won't be ugly - it's still early in the season...I'll save it for November (hopefully we'll still be in a status worthy of some smack talk).
I can't wait to see the Tide live and in person this weekend in Nashville (I just need to take up residency there or something I guess). I was speaking to a fellow "Bammer" this morning and we were talking about the difference on the field Saturday. You knew who was in charge and there was a level of respect that we haven't seen in a while and we never worried that our coaching staff didn't know what to do next...LOOOOOOONG overdue!
I don't want to get too hasty though either. I've said before that I'm a realist as well as a passionate fan. I try not to look too much through the green/gold glasses or the crimson glasses...which ever shoe fits. We were playing Western Carolina, for heaven's sake! We will have a much better opponent this weekend at Vanderbilt who scored 41 points this past weekend lest we forget! Vandy has been one of the SEC step-children for a long time, but they may surprise some people this year. That being said, Alabama will be prepared. We have a great coach that will study game film and will know how to call the game (again, have I mentioned that this is long overdue?).
Also, Bama fans, look out for the 22nd against Georgia. They are for real this year and it could be our first loss of the season. I've always been a fan of Coach Richt and respect him a great deal - I'm glad that they will have a good year, I just hate that they chose the year we have to play them to get it together, if you know what I mean!
I can't wait for another football filled weekend - my Packers play the Eagles on Sunday and my Crimson Tide against the Commodores of Vandy...look for me on that Lincoln Financial game as the hubby and I will be enjoying the southern hospitality in Nashville for that one!
On another note...
Thank goodness that I no longer feel alone! I'm meeting more and more females that are geeked up football fans like me this year. I don't know if they're just finally coming out or they're just catching on, but either way PLEASE know that the welcome mat is out and I'm thrilled to finally have some company. We can dispel all the myths that women can't hang in the conversation or know what we're talking about just because we're women...that has ALWAYS been my pet peeve!!! Ok - glad I got that off my chest.
It was a great beginning to the season and I look forward to the momentum continuing as the weeks go on...happy football season!