Head 2 Head: Alabama vs Western Kentucky w/ Simone Eli & Mike Johnson

well college football is finally back week one of the season is here and we are so excited to introduce a new host of this show as Mike Johnson joins us on Alabama's head-to head the tide counting down to a brand new era as kin bu will take over in Tuskaloosa and welcomes in to Western Kentucky on Saturday Mike Johnson Simone Eli let's go ahead [Music] head Happy game week everybody we're just a couple days away now from kickoff in Tuscaloosa as Alabama welcomes in Western Kentucky for week one and we welcome in the one and only Mike Johnson here to head to head we appreciate you joining us this season Mike as we break down the tide each and every week of course you are former Alabama standout playing up front for the tide uh when you look at this season Mike how excited are you to be talking Bama football as we go into 2024 well I think I'm just like every other Alabama fan right now that it's going to be a lot different the look is going to be a lot different I mean just listening to coach dour's pressers and kind of getting his attitude and and getting his Persona just getting used to that I mean I don't even know if if coach D'Or is gonna be a yeller on the sideline that'll be a little bit different vibe uh you know for everybody watching the games but I'm excited look I I think coach Savin very thankful for everything he did for me and for the program but coach dor seems like he's well suited to take over this program and kind of uh you know usher in the next era of Crimson Tide football and so I think that brings an exciting new chapter and uh look nobody was ever going to take over for Coach Sabin and hit the ground running but I think if there ever was somebody coach to board is a man for the job yeah no doubt it was not going to be an easy job regardless of who it was going to be we've always said that um and then it finally happened which kind of looked took everybody by surprise a little bit back there in January I had actually just gotten to Disney World and it was so funny because there was a running joke uh in the office every stop that I've been when I've been throughout the state of Alabama and it was I'm going on vacation I'm not coming back in this next a and retire okay so I land in Disney World and Nick Sav retires and I'm like I am not going back I'm not I am not doing this like this man just decided to just pull this out of nowhere and it really surprised everybody and now we enter this new era mic and like you mentioned I really do think that kayin dbor though completely different has absolutely made sure to kind of honor and appreciate what Nick Haven has accomplished has built the dynasty that Alabama has been while also making this his as he enters this ball yeah and and I think there's an excitement to that right I mean you look at what coach Sabin kind of had in the process he went through and the chapters he had with assistant coaches and obviously Kirby Smart and Jeremy puit but then kind of cycling through guys and coordinators and all these different guys there just seems to be a Renewed Energy around not only coach dor but also the staff under him and the consistency those guys might bring so what can you know a new offensive coordinator do with a guy like Jaylen milroe I think it's exci exciting I I you know I'm I'm hoping and praying and kind of holding my breath that we see the same brand of football but I think it's exciting nonetheless to just see something new and see kind of a new check it seems as though with fall camp in the books now entering game week that they're in a rhythm and if there isn't they surely haven't shown that in any sort of press conferences or any dealings that everything has really been business as usual so to speak out coming out of Tuscaloosa yeah and and that's a good thing and you know it's weird because I think over the years and you're just like me you kind of learned to kind of speak SA you know kind might be saying and what he's alluding to and how good he feels about the team it's like the worst he talked about him you know the better he might have felt about you know the field yes I don't know how to read coach dor yet and not only that but I mean getting a chance to listen to the assistant coaches and to build up to the season and getting a chance to hear them it's it's such a newfound kind of uh you energy around those guys so I'm excited you know coach dor I I think just listening to him as well as the assistant coaches like I said and kind of reading between the lines that will continue to grow but he really seems to be happy about the product so far and he really seems to be happy about the leadership and he talked about the consistency and the energy and it was something that was so big for us when we were playing under coach Sabin the consistency throughout training camp that I think you have to have if you're going to make a run through all I don't know what is it 16 17 possible games now I don't even know the count but L that's a long season right it was a maximum of 14 when I was playing now there's a couple more added to that so if you're going to make it all the way through that you have to have consistent energy sounds like Coach toor and Company are pretty excited about that so far yeah you know one thing about Coach dor that I feel like we've been able to see in in the glimpse of practice that we're able to see in the interviews SEC media days and he came down here to the Mobile area where I work full-time uh for some public appearances and he's just always the same guy and I think that that's a positive thing you know I think that what Nick Sabin was was obviously Legend I mean he's he stands on his own and who he was and brought to the table like you said we had to diagnose kind of what he was saying sometimes we weren't totally sure um but he had the the highs and lows which was his model and it seems like this is going to be a different model but one thing about kayin dor is that he is willing to change with the times whereas Nick Sabin was not willing to change times and he did not hide from that he said this is what I don't like anymore I don't want to talk about money I don't want to have guys that don't want to be committed to this and just love my program and love what have and work for playing time I don't want to deal with it so I'm not I'm going to the beach and he did and now you have guys in there who is the new era of football who want to change with his times and be the type of recruiters and the type of people you have to be in outside out the building I think that there's benefit in that and I think we're seeing these veteran players at Alabama really take to that at this point yeah and honestly I think as a fan base and obviously like I said as a former player nobody wants to see coach Sabin leave no fan was like oh he goes but I think that there is something to that in this era and I think that you know let's just look specifically on defense his his pattern matching scheme was so difficult at times to kind of learn and you really had to be entrenched in that system you really had to be cerebral yeah in this era of transfer portal I think it kind of fits a little bit better to kind of simplify things and make that a little bit easier be more of a disruptive defensive front and play a little bit more man coverage on the back end I think that's what you'll see so you know look I I think coach sabin's defense is legendary but you go back to what it was really after the Kirby Smart and Jeremy puit eras wasn't quite as good and I think a lot of those reasons were because it was difficult to teach same thing with you know what you wanted to do offensively it's just a new era of college football things are being done differently recruits are being brought in differently let's look at this team look at this roster and you look at the key guys back uh Jaylen milro who has played in the the highest of High games and has done unbelievably positive things on the field while also learning some lessons like he had to um early on uh last season and then going and leading Alabama into the playoffs and the things that they were able to accomplish there when you have a guy back like that and you bring in some of these new roles the guy you know the receiver room is going to look different you know figuring things up out front up front what do you feel like how much will this team benefit I guess so to speak from a Jaylen milro to be the vo in the locker room and and and the veteran key pieces out back on that side of the ball yeah it's been really an incredible offseason for J milro right you see him with like Aaron judge and you see him at like AR headquarters all these crazy things and it's like man if you thought there was going to be some kind of quarterback battle you seem to be sadly mistaken with what Dyan milro is doing this offseason no I think it's exciting you know I had a chance to visit with Coach dor uh doing radio over here in Atlanta and you know after the Michael pennick selection which seemed to shock the world we had coach dor on the show over here and we kind of asked him about you know working with working with Michael pennix at Indiana was a little bit different you had a running Michael pennix and a guy that you know would make plays with his legs and opposed to a Washington Michael pennick that throwing the ball all the time and kind of sitting back there in the pocket behind the job Moore awardwinning offensive line and coach dbor was very specific he said look at Indiana we had to have him run right we didn't have the athletes we had at Washington and I think in there is some science for Alabama fans when you look at what Jaylen milro might be is he going to be a runner is he going to be a thrower well the good news is that coach dor seems to be able to suit offenses to fit either one and so I think it's exciting to be able to really put somebody up to the skill set that Jaylen milro brings to the table I I don't think that Tommy Reese uh maybe got as much as he could have in that department and really was able to utilize all that skill set so now Jayla milroe one year older with a little bit different set of eyes kind of watching things and I think it's exciting to kind of see the way he'll be able to flourish and the way The Playmakers around him will be as well such great Insight Mike uh no doubt about that and when you think about the new pieces so to speak uh where do you maybe think that the biggest question mark is for you you as Alabama enters this year on the offensive side and that there's a big question loaded question because of the new regime and all of that but I guess when you look at maybe a a position so to speak in what room maybe do you just want to go out there and see what's this going to look like for the first few weeks yeah yeah I mean I think that that position could probably be wide receiver and I know that you know a number of pieces kind of leaving the room um the same thing with running back I mean Jason Kevin's no longer there and you have to look for some different guys I'm a massive believer in Justice Hayes so I'm not even going to look in the back field with that one but I think when you look out wide just simply the fact of how fast can some of these guys grow up and become pieces Jeremy Bernard I think is one of those guys that kind of plugs in right away I think he's athletic enough to really be a Difference Maker Kobe princess kind of the same way where is his landing spot and then obviously the five-star receiver Ryan Williams I think when you look at him how quickly can he get the speed but you're like me and Alabama fans are kind of nodding their head right now everything about these guys has been absolutely positive throughout training camp so you know it's different in the NFL you don't get the preseason games to kind of get that look in but nonetheless The Whispers you hear out of Camp seems like the wide receivers are coming along um I don't think anybody right now has questions about this offensive line I know you had some last year I really think this is a group that will flourish this year in terms of the leadership in that group they're obviously a massive group of people I mean I joke with people all the time that had I been recruited Taliban right now I would have been a scrub that was like four string on the chart there's no way I would crack the step chart with some of the size the athletes you know like they have there now so I I think those guys will all fit in I think you uh you know running a little bit different scheme maybe not leaning on them as much just straight up pass block 50 times a game will be a little bit different um but using those strengths I really think that Justice Haynes though offensively brings such a different explosive Dynamic that you maybe haven't had in a couple of years in that running back position I'm really excited about that so I'm going to lean into the wide receiver position a little bit just because I think they're unproven but I think at this point you got to feel pretty good about that group yeah just to pick you back off I mean I had the opportunity and honestly the pleasure to cover Ryan Williams for his three years at Sarah land and of course he opted to go to college early and you don't do that if you don't have a maturity about you and when kayen deor came down here and we asked him about Ryan specifically we know what type of talent he is on the field and what does it look like at the next level you never really know except for when you have a guy who looks like he's a generational talent and also is the type of person that goes in and and can just command a room like just by being people's friend like he's not trying to go in there and be say Hey I'm two-time Mr Football winner he just is a likable guy who just wants to be a part of something special and kayin deore you know alluded to that and so I think nothing but positive I agree with you when you want to see it all play out you want to see what does it look like when you get out there on the field and actually kick off the game but again I think all good things to be discussing as opposed to maybe like hey what are we gonna do with this spot it's just a matter of like who's going to get the Reps what's it going to look like how are you going to you know split up you know the the balls and I think there's all positive things on that side of the ball for Alabama in a lot of good ways and we'll see what the new blood looks like when it comes to scheme and the coaching staff as well I will jump in and tell you I mean it was one of those things when when Julio Jones was being recruited to Alabama and everybody was talking about how crazy Julio Jones was and this guy's you know the next coming the next great player and me being a guy there I'm like you know he's a high school kid five star how good can this kid be and Julio Jones shows up on campus and I couldn't quit looking I was like man this kid is UN he looks like an absolute robot I mean it was to me absolutely you know to see a kid walk out of high school the way he did oh yeah and it sounds to me like the you know the words out of Tusk Lo are a lot the same they were back then and just this kid is a generational Talent as a guy they're gonna be able to lean on as soon as he steps on campus yeah I cannot wait I truly cannot wait to see when you look at week one it's could be a night game at Bryant Denny Stadium Alabama taking on in Western Kentucky this is a Western Kentucky team that oh oh my God what what year was this this was two years ago I mean all the seasons run together two years ago I watched just dial it up against South Alabama and Kane wck was Defensive coin I mean he will tell you I mean coach hton they put it on them in New Orleans no question it's not the same Western Kentucky team that it was two years ago um you know and with the transfer portal you don't really know what it looks like because you're trying to fit in these new guys every single day what type of challenge do you feel like they can present Alabama well I think first and foremost if you're Western Kentucky coming into this game and you look at the secondary and you look at who was exiting the secondary who's coming back um you know you look at the communication back there and you obviously have a veteran presence and TJ Finley a quarterback I think you want to stress that secondary and try to test that communication very early it's a new coaching staff it's a new defense coordinator like you said and a lot of new players back on the back end let's spread you out now they don't have Malachi Corley who's a guy that a lot of people wanted the Atlanta Falcons to draft the wide receiver from Western Kentucky last year yeah he's not there anymore and I think when you look at the guys out wide they still have a lot of Playmakers I don't know if they'll be as explosive as they were a year ago when they were picked to finish first in the conference what would be your message to fans you know being someone who played for Coach sa and and knows what the the era really really felt like from inside the locker room what would be your message to fans as everyone just adjust to things looking different and feeling different and what you know just who knows what the change I mean what are they running out to I don't even know if they I mean everything like what how do you just you want everyone to be able to take it seamlessly some folks don't like the change I mean listen we live in the south we all like to you know we like things to be as they always have been right but but it's going to be different in some ways and and I think there's got to be maybe some patience with that win loss or or Draw yeah I mean I think my message would just be that you know even if this team doesn't have the same personality of saving coach teams does not mean they won't be fun to watch and does not mean they won't be successful I mean I think you look at the toughness and really the grit that this defense played with specifically you know prior to you know three or four years ago you know back 2018 and prior to that when you look at the uh you know the lack of of yards that were ever put up against this defense and you go back to some of the players the middle linebackers the Ruben Fosters that you always had in the middle even if things don't look like that even if if it doesn't quite have the edge and the tenacity that you might have seen does not mean this team won't be successful I really do look at Kan W's defense and I look at a you know a group that probably will allow more explosive plays but also think they'll create more negative plays as well you know coach saving really did a great job of putting up a little picket fence up front and not allowing you to run the ball this team will be more violent into the back field which will lead to more explosives it won't look the same I guess is what I'm saying is give the identity of this team kind of a chance to take shape give kayin dour's personality as a head coach to Alabama time to take shape don't don't react after one possession and say well that doesn't look the same or he didn't hit is hard yeah there's more than one way to do this we've seen uh you know Kirby do it differently than Nick did who does it differently dbo who did it differently than Ed oron and whoever else comes before them winning national championships kayin debor deserves the time to create his own personality I'm excited to kind of watch it come to fruition hopefully Alabama fans will give a little bit of cushion while that's going on be patient be patient ask some cushion and be excited too for the new era uh that will kick off at 6: PM it'll be a night game there at Bryant Denny Stadium under uh the lights it's always a fun light show there uh at in tus bloa for sure uh this has been super fun Mike I I am pumped to uh introduce you to the show great analysis great Insight Before I Let You Go one thing we do here on head-to-head is we give our predictions um obviously Western Kentucky coming to town where do you feel like this will look on the scoreboard when it hits triple zeros there at Bryant Denny on Saturday night I mean does anybody really know right I mean this is it seems like you know all these teams change so much from year to year uh listen I think I'm going to go somewhere in the ballpark of B scoring 48 points I I I think that Kay and nbor will want to send that mess message specifically on offense of what they're trying to get done and I think these players are hungry right they're they they hear The Whispers they hear the you know the post saving attitude this is the group of guys that stayed around after coach Savin that chose to be a part of this program I think they're very hungry I think they'll put their foot down I think they're a lot more explosive out of the back field right now at running back than they have been in previous years I I think they're right around 48 or 52 somewhere like that for Alabama scores offensively I do think Western Kentucky probably finds a way in the end zone but give me somewhere in the ballpark of like a 48 to type of game um I know that that's got bammer written all over it but look I'm I'm a bammer so it is what it is listen you know what and that's why we have you on the show we don't have Cole cuck on this show for a reason he's on the Auburn show saying the same thing about Auburn so you're doing exactly what you need to do here in episode one on head dad Mike and we appreciate you for that I I'm similar I I like 4210 I do think that with the you know with the cane wami violent attacking getting get in the back field type of type of uh defense you're probably going to to get to get burnt there could be a big play they get downfield they kick a field goal it happens it's not the end of the world and there's going to be a lot more of excitement in what that defense produces in terms of turnovers and getting getting the ball out than than what I just alluded to but that also happens as you learn and you make sure uh that everyone's communicating properly but nonetheless it's going to be a fun one Mike we appreciate your time man here on head-to-head and uh cannot wait to see what this team looks like on Saturday and then of course going in to week two as Alabama prepares for uh a new era of football for sure so Mike Johnson I'm Simone Eli this has been head-to-head and we will see you next week brought to you by Alabama beef farmers and Ranchers