CoachHal.com

Kiper: Cody could still be a first-rounder; Tebow should have skipped Senior Bowl
By Mike Herndon
February 17, 2010, 2:20PM

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper held a two-hour teleconference with assorted media members today and dropped a variety of pointed opinions on the upcoming NFL draft.

Among the most interesting was his expectation that massive Alabama nose guard Terrence Cody, relegated to second-round status or worse by many pundits after weighing in at 370 at the Senior Bowl last month, still will be selected in the first round.

"It's going to fluctuate with him," Kiper said of Cody's weight. "He's the clogger, the space-eater, that I think certain teams in the first round will target. ... He's the one guy who will filla role that you're not going to find at the nose tackle spot.

"There is value with Cody. I personally think he's a late-first-round pick."

Also, Kiper said Tim Tebow, whose stock seems to have dropped since a sub-par performance while battling illness at the Senior Bowl, should not throw at the NFL combine later this month and should never have come to Mobile.

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Nick Saban's 'one voice' philosophy spreads to other programs
By Gentry Estes, Mobile Press-Register
February 15, 2010, 1:15PM

Interesting post last night from Andrew Carter, who covers Florida State for the Orlando Sentinel.

Basically, what was expected now that coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher -- a Nick Saban disciple from the LSU days -- has taken over for Bobby Bowden is happening.

Florida State, traditionally one of the more media-accessible programs under Bowden, will not be that way under Fisher, who is opening up Saban's playbook in all areas for the Seminoles. That includes the "one voice" approach where assistant coaches and freshmen players are typically not allowed to speak publicly.

Per Carter's post ...

Saban, who recently led Alabama to the national championship, is well known for being a brilliant defensive strategist and for his maniacal attention to detail. He's also known, perhaps, as the one college football coach who has inspired countless others to limit media access to their programs.

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