CoachHal.com

Mal Moore: Bryant-Denny Stadium expansion set to be completed by July 1
By Gentry Estes, Mobile Press-Register
February 13, 2010, 1:31PM

The ongoing south end zone expansion of Bryant-Denny Stadium is scheduled to be completed July 1, University of Alabama athletics director Mal Moore told fans today at the inaugural BBQ Cook-Off held at the stadium.

That's more than two months before the Crimson Tide opens the 2010 season Sept. 4 with a home game against San Jose State.

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A look at the latest proposed college football rule changes ...
By Gentry Estes, Mobile Press-Register
February 12, 2010, 10:25AM

The NCAA Football Rules Committee got together and started the process Wednesday on a few rule tweaks that could be in place during the next two seasons.

Among its proposals was one to tougher up rules against taunting.

The committee is asking that penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct be considered live-ball fouls beginning in 2011.

What does that mean?

It means that if a player is deemed to have taunted an opponent during the process of a scoring a touchdown, the penalty would nullify the score. Note that excessive celebration is not included and would still be viewed as a dead-ball miscounduct foul, assessed after the score is counted.

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Sports columnist Mike Herndon: Bill Belichick links championship seasons by Tide, Saints
By Mike Herndon
February 10, 2010, 5:07AM

Roman Harper, like the rest of his teammates, was all smiles after New Orleans' 31-17 win over Indianapolis on Sunday in Super Bowl XLIV. But then, Harper's been smiling for the better part of a month.

The former Alabama safety's affinity for his alma mater is well-known in New Orleans. He's often asked about recent Crimson Tide performances in the locker room after Saints games and never disappoints. After Alabama beat LSU in November, Harper jokingly answered questions as though he was still a senior in Tuscaloosa.

Now he and his alma mater have won championships in the same year.

Mike Herndon "I was out there (for the BCS championship game in Pasadena)," Harper said Sunday. "It was great being out there watching those guys play the way they did. Sorry for (Texas quarterback) Colt (McCoy), but it wouldn't have mattered. ... (Now) I'm a world champion. I just can't wait to get a ring and actually see what it's like to say, 'I'm No. 1.'"

The Saints and the Crimson Tide have vastly different histories and play under vastly different expectations. Alabama's trophy case is filled with national championship hardware and its fans expect more. Until Sunday, New Orleans hadn't made the Super Bowl in its 43-year history. Its fans, though loyal, have grown to expect disappointment.

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Finebaum: Gene Chizik and Nick Saban are Signing Day winners
By Paul Finebaum
February 09, 2010, 6:01AM

Nearly a week after National Signing Day, I'm still nursing a headache. Have you ever heard so much sound and fury signifying nothing? Are you ready for some more blather? The following are mere snapshots from the wild and woolly recruiting wars, chiseled down to the basic winners and losers.

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