Injuries hurt continuity at Saturday scrimmage

The first scrimmage of the preseason is now in the books and, apparently, the back luck for the Crimson Tide secondary continues. Nick Saban just ran down a laundry list of injuries from this afternoon’s action.

• Cornerback Dequan Menzie has a “slightly pulled hamstring.”
• Robert Lester suffered a concussion early in the scrimmage.
• DeMarcus Milliner “twisted his ankle” and will be day-to-day.
• Blake Sims strained his foot and also got the day-to-day tag.
• And before the message boards crash, Saban made extra effort to point out Mark Ingram only got the wind knocked out of him late in the proceedings.
• Greg McElroy is just fine. He completed 26-of-33 passes for 360 yards, Saban said.
• Other stats are still to come.
• Check back in a little bit.

Alabama football practice opens

Click to view full size

It was already 86 degrees outside when football practices officially began at 9:30 a.m. Thursday in Tuscaloosa. That said, water breaks were plentiful during the 15 or so minutes the media was allowed to observe.

The first practice was for returning players only. The new guys will be out there at 7:30 p.m. when the Weather Channel says it will be even hotter at 92 degrees.

There were three different ESPN camera teams on the field this morning focusing mostly on the defensive line, running backs and offensive line.

Marcell Dareus was on the field and in the cameras’ focus quite a bit. Any NCAA eligibility issue would not change his practice status.

The only new face out there appeared to be Dequan Menzie, the JUCO transfer who is back from the April Achilles tendon tear. He was one of five defensive backs working with Nick Saban.

Come back soon for a wealth of videos.

Rod Woodson leaves team, other nuggets

Nick Saban just wrapped his first news conference of the preseason, prepractice period. There was a little bit of news. Here is the run down:

• Sophomore-to-be defensive back Rod Woodson left the team in a move Saban said was a mutual decision. Coming out of Olive Branch (Miss.) High School, Woodson was rated one of the top defensive backs in the country by recruiting services.
• On a related matter, Saban said junior college transfer Dequan Menzie is recovering quite nicely from the torn Achilles tendon he suffered in the spring. He’s participated in voluntary off-season drills including 7-on-7 drills and could be ready to go by the Sept. 4 opener against San Jose State. That would be huge for the depleted secondary since Menzie was one of the top JUCO defensive backs in the country last fall.
• Eligibility questions remain for freshmen Blake Sims and Tuscumbia’s Deion Belue. Neither have been cleared academically and are awaiting word on their status.
• Two freshmen are definitely out for this fall. Ronald Carswell qualified, Saban said but will defer enrollment until the spring, and Wilson Love did not pass his physical due to a pre-existing ankle injury. Both will join the team in January and will not count against scholarship limits.
• On the Marcell Dareus front, there is nothing new to report. Saban said the NCAA has the case in its hands and will issue a decision eventually. If you need the background on that situation, see the archives.
• Saban was mic’ed up and ESPNU cameras intently followed his every move at the newer for the one-hour “Alabama All-Access” set to air later this month.

Read more on these topics and a few more later on or in tomorrow’s paper. Also expect some new photos of the almost-complete south end zone expansion at Bryant-Denny Stadium.