A view from the Alabama fan sites
A little slow at work this morning, so I was curious enough to sniff out some Alabama fan sites that might be similar to MGoBlog. I was hoping to find some good content - similar to what we get from Brian, Seth, and Alex - with a Bama perspective. What I found was, ahem, not that...
Bama fan sites, from what I saw, seem a step down from 11 Warriors - hard as that is to believe. There were three entries, none of which are worth a trip through the links provided.
Our first stop is rollbamaroll, which features a column called 'Jumbo Package'. This appears to be a collection of quotes from different stories/people, without any detail behind it. It's latest version has a quote from Saban about signgate - “We always change things up a little bit. We’re focused on what we have to do to try to get good execution and we’re not really concerned about any of that stuff”. Nothing inflammatory...
A previous version talks about the Helow hiring - "I think every year that we’ve been in the Playoffs we’ve tried to bring somebody in ... somebody to do a little extra work that has good experience,” Saban said. “And when we get off the road, being able to give us a good scouting report of what we need to know. So that’s the purpose, just to add sort of a special assistant to me, whatever you want to call it, to when I come off the road be able to get me up to speed on what’s happening." The bolded text is mine and explains exactly why he was hired. But of course, this is perfectly legal and has nothing to do with endangering the players safety.
The second stop on our journey is bamahammer, and is the worst of the three - by a mile. The one story I read (signed by a Nicholas Rome), was not even surface level - it was a 5th grade attempt at stereotypes. Not worth reading, I won't ever regain the time I spent there and suggest you don't waste your precious time on such trash.
The third, and final, stop is tidefans. This place might have some value in further investigations, perhaps the message boards if you're so inclined, as the one story I read was an interesting article. It is a comparison of the two teams' units, giving the advantage to Bama in 6 of the 8 categories. However, the author does say all the comparisons are very close - some uncomfortably so for Bama fans - and clearly gives the edge to the homers in most of these. He does say that Michigan's edge in running backs is clear and that Michigan's DL against Bama's OL is a bigger advantage to M than the Bama DL vs M OL battle is to Bama. Overall, this story offers a fair comparison but suffers from pedestrian, surface level evaluations rather than a more in depth, game film analysis that we're used to here. And it falls back on the old SEC vs Big Ten stereotype 'speed vs power', which, c'mon...
TL/DR?
TL/DR - Don't waste your time looking up Bama sites, there is no BamaGoBlog to be found. Maybe check out the TideFans site message boards if you want some smack talk, because that board had the only article worth reading. And I use that term loosely...
December 28th, 2023 at 9:51 AM ^
You would think the success of this blog, particularly the maintenance of audience during some lean years for the football program, would have created an uptick in quality analysis and balanced perspectives, from other sites across the CFB spectrum. And I would have thought that to be especially true of those programs where the audience is large, like Alabama.
December 28th, 2023 at 11:09 AM ^
A lot of work goes into breaking down game film. Seeing how the plays shake out and what went wrong or right. Then making it coherent to the masses.
Most other sights can get away with fluff pieces or marginal breakdowns of games. They get away with it because their fans don't know any better.
December 28th, 2023 at 3:08 PM ^
I guess the 'raising the bar' effect only applies when the audiences overlap. The landscape of sports team fanblogs is fairly unique in the sense that each team blogosphere has its own audience that doesn't overlap with that of another despite similar or identical demographics. Unless an Mgoblog-caliber fanblog emerges within a given team's blogosphere, there's no impetus for any of the others within that blogosphere to up their game. Fanblogs in other teams' blogospheres don't move the needle much. It's a chicken-egg problem, I suppose.
December 28th, 2023 at 10:06 AM ^
What bothered me the most when perusing these sites was the crayon font.
December 28th, 2023 at 10:12 AM ^
I don’t bother. The usual take is “B1G Ten Slow!!!” S-E-C!!!
December 28th, 2023 at 10:23 AM ^
Almost everything I’ve seen or read is just like that… Bama good.. B1G / Michigan is slow, hasn’t seen a mobile QB, is less talented than any SEC team, would be a seven (or more) loss team in the SEC, Harbaugh’s bowl record, Saban’s the best coach ever, and a huge Bama win on the way to another NC.
There was one Bama hosted YouTube that I found refreshing - essentially it said - Michigan is a very good team, and Bama is a very good team. QB play and turnovers will be very important. A number of very good matchups / comparisons - which justify the spread being what it is - not quite a “pick ‘em”, but not too far from that either.
I’m all Blue. The game will come down to.. quality of execution built on a scheme / game plan. I’m not overconfident - I respect Bama - and, I also recognize the potential of a healthy Team 144.
Go Blue!
December 28th, 2023 at 10:18 AM ^
I live in SEC land & at one time I lived in Alabama for over a decade so I'm well aware of SEC arrogance.
Even the most humble Alabama fan view us the way we viewed TCU last year. Most view us like we viewed FSU (without JT) yet still there are some that see us as (2015 MSU) which is considered by most to be the worst team to ever make the CFP.
If we don't like it, all we have to do is win.
December 28th, 2023 at 10:25 AM ^
I believe Harbaugh referenced a few mottos during his presser from Disneyland. One play, series, and game at a time.
Toe meets leather around 2:00 pm PDT on Monday.
December 28th, 2023 at 12:28 PM ^
Given the respective record of the two programs over the past decade, it's hardly surprising that Alabama fans—and SEC fans in general—would be regarding Michigan as little more than a speed bump on Alabama's road to another national championship.
More directly, Michigan was no competition for Alabama's main rival two years ago and last year the Wolverines faceplanted against a team that Georgia blew out of the stadium a week later.
And this is besides Michigan's pathetic 5-13 record in the Rose Bowl since 1-1-70, which by itself would make most Alabama fans optimistic.
Put it this way: if the situation was exactly reversed and Michigan had Alabama's recent record of success and Alabama had Michigan's, Michigan fans wouldn't be any less confident and dismissive of their opponent in the upcoming Rose Bowl.
December 28th, 2023 at 12:40 PM ^
Let's be honest, Alabama fans think of Michigan the way that Michigan fans think of Iowa . . . a team that does some interesting things given their limitations, but still a team that is overmatched. They, like we, expect to win the matchup.
Until we win, there is no reason for them to think differently.
December 28th, 2023 at 12:59 PM ^
"Until we win, there is no reason for them to think differently."
That's the unfortunate truth.
I've watched Michigan lose 29 bowl games since Schembechler arrived. The vast majority of Michigan fans were convinced before each one of those 29 losses that Michigan was the superior team for X number of reasons and would therefore win.
Anybody asserting that maybe the opposing team might be good enough to beat Michigan—or worse, actually has superior talent to Michigan—is routinely dismissed as a pessimist crank.
December 28th, 2023 at 1:23 PM ^
Wow, I saw all of those Michigan bowl losses too except for the first two. I didn't realize it was so many losses. Thanks for putting a number on it.
Bastard.
December 28th, 2023 at 3:13 PM ^
I also saw (most of) them. Perhaps I don't remember the first couple Rose Bowls, but the Orange Bowl game against Oklahoma sucked ass...
December 28th, 2023 at 1:33 PM ^
Do you really think that's true in the Harbaugh era? Especially in the past three years?
In 2021, I didn't hear that from a single person about Georgia. And even last year, I only saw a bare handful of true Michigan slappies dismissing anyone who thought TCU had a chance. Not saying we didn't think we should be favored, but it wasn't like we all didn't know without Corum and and still injured Edwards things could go south.
Going back earlier, in 2019 no one was pooping on anyone who thought Alabama was better. The Florida game in 2018 had too many opt-outs for anyone to think Florida wasn't good enough to beat us. I'd have to say the South Carolina game in 2017 was perhaps the only one where the vast majority of folks were overconfident and dismissive of anyone who thought we could seriously lose. The Orange Bowl vs FSU was also seen by everyone as essentially a toss-up due to it being a de facto home game for the Seminoles.
December 28th, 2023 at 10:24 AM ^
This is due to years and years of not having to sweat about anything related to their football program.
December 28th, 2023 at 10:55 AM ^
RE: tidefans
If you're giving Milroe the edge over McCarthy, I don't think you should be writing about football.
And yet, that's what their preview does.
They also seriously asked whether Penn State or Iowa was a more difficult game...
December 28th, 2023 at 11:01 AM ^
I think something that has benefited the blog is who Michigan’s had to coach. Harbaugh’s first year was the second year I started following the blog and each week it felt like I was in school reading UFRs on the “Harbaugh-fense” with Jed. The formations, pulls, counters, motions were so exotic and unique compared to the Hoke offense which was offensive. I feel like our level of football understanding grew thanks to finally getting a coach on both sides of the ball with nuance after a decade of bad football. Like if all a generation of fans knew was “5 star classes, 11 wins a year minimum” I think it’d be easier to just say “just go out there and win”. Akin to the Beilein era, Michigan is well scouted, developed, and sound, and I think it’s reflected in its fans and alumni due to the culture and admissions for the University and its programs.
December 28th, 2023 at 12:10 PM ^
Honestly, the fans don't have much to do with this. Read any gameday thread if you think we're all a bunch of erudite football connoisseurs.
It's the MGoStaff that is the difference. They are a cut above anyone else.
December 28th, 2023 at 1:21 PM ^
I trust the analysis here and insights provided.
The Michigan staff? I trust them implicitly - their level of experience - NFL knowledge / concepts - is tremendous.
I expect the team will show and do “new” things - the good news is.. the staff didn’t need to reach too far into their “bag of creativity” this season. Now, is the time to show what they ca do. IMO, it usually comes down to quality of execution - which I look forward to. And, to me, one of the better descriptions from the OSU game was - “they did things we hadn’t seen or expected”.
December 28th, 2023 at 11:09 AM ^
I'm kinda amazed that you were surprised that the quality of fan made Bama sites is bad.
December 28th, 2023 at 11:30 AM ^
the web ad for "tech partner from ukraine" on tidefans was the spiciest thing on that board. Not sure if I believe in santa claus anymore.
December 28th, 2023 at 11:44 AM ^
Reading 11 Warriors is hard enough, although I think Ramzy is a good writer. Definitely not going to give myself a brain bleed trying to decipher all that Bama crap.
December 28th, 2023 at 11:54 AM ^
The thing I've picked up from Alabama fans who take the time to comment is their near universal excuse for the Auburn game being: "Weird things happen in Jordan O'Hare." And no one coming anywhere near admitting that they got gifted a win there or that Auburn ran it down their throats all game.
December 28th, 2023 at 1:25 PM ^
That seems to be their version of "Kinnick juju" and I believe in that so they could be right.
December 28th, 2023 at 1:36 PM ^
Except that Iowa isn't our biggest rival and that our losses there have come vs teams close to us in talent and on-field play. Or at least a hell of a lot closer than the talent difference between Alabama and Auburn this year.
December 28th, 2023 at 1:30 PM ^
If the Kick 6 happened to you - the second most stunning play in football after the Cal/Stanford/Band play - you'd believe in weird things too.
December 28th, 2023 at 12:32 PM ^
And it falls back on the old SEC vs Big Ten stereotype 'speed vs power', which, c'mon...
And we fall back on the old SEC vs Big Ten stereotype 'stupid vs smart', which, c'mon...
December 28th, 2023 at 12:33 PM ^
One of the guys who crunches tape for RBR is somewhat (understandably) distracted with some medical stuff so it's probably why there isn't a post really analyzing things in detail, but he thinks (1) it's a bad matchup for Michigan (he thinks we'd slaughter Washington and would have a good shot on Texas), and (2) Michigan can absolutely do things to hit Bama's defensive weaknesses between using the TEs heavily (which we probably would do anyway) and throws to running backs running patterns out of the backfield (something Edwards can do better than most, if we game plan for it). Attack attack attack on the interior linebackers. He's said Michigan should be looking at past Dan Mullen game plans because he would give even great Saban defenses fits with that kind of stuff, misdirection, etc.
I still think Bama internet folks underestimate how good our defensive players are, and also underestimate the offense because if anything they mostly watched late season injured JJ offense where we took QB run out of the playbook entirely, and some Milton Berle game plans showing only enough to win. There's more in there especially if JJ is close to 100% with the rest.
December 28th, 2023 at 12:48 PM ^
I don't spend a ton of time on Eleven Warriors, but I actually find most of the content they produce to be of fairly decent quality.
Their message board and user comments are total shit though.
December 28th, 2023 at 12:51 PM ^
Let’s give em an edumucation on the real “war of northern aggression!”
December 28th, 2023 at 1:57 PM ^
Was kinda hoping a bama fan site would post about Alex’s FFFF and discuss it. But haven’t found that so far. Alex has been a pretty good scout in all his pieces so far and was fair to bama so id like to see what bama fans think of that column.
December 28th, 2023 at 3:16 PM ^
That's kinda what I was looking for...
December 28th, 2023 at 2:14 PM ^
Who's got it better than us??
December 28th, 2023 at 2:51 PM ^
Call us Deacon Blues?
December 28th, 2023 at 4:00 PM ^
My god.
One article says UM has not thrown for more than 200 yards since the ‘scandal’ broke… JJ threw for what, 280 and 330 against MSU and Purdue?
Also says UM was expected to win against Georiga in 2021 playoffs. And that UM hasn’t faced good corners or a good pass rush all year.
And the writing is horrible. I couldn’t make it any deeper.
December 28th, 2023 at 7:59 PM ^
Really appreciate this post. Good to know we’re still the number one college sports blog to coincide with the number one college football team. It’s biscuits and gravy baby! Go Blue
December 29th, 2023 at 6:31 AM ^
I live in Alabama as a Michigan fan. I have to say I was thinking there might be some humility and good sportsmanship like- “Gonna be a great game” “” or “ This is going to be the toughest and most competitive games of the year”
Nope- all I hear is we’re gonna whoop your ass. Bama gonna stomp yall. Etc.
I’m letting them all talk. When the game is done, I’ll be doing the talking.
GO BLUE!!!