2013 Aggie Football kicks off in about 5 months. Let me talk you down from the ledge by telling you about this DVD (Blu-Ray if you're high class like me) you can buy called 2012: The Season. It's available exclusively at Aggieland Outfitters and you can buy a copy by clicking anywhere in this sentence. Or this one. We Aggies aren't great at naming things are we? The Hit, The Shot, The Listeater, The Season. Fortunately, everything else about this production is top-notch. The thing starts with Nealy running out of the tunnel like Leroy Jenkins. I could end my review here, but I'll indulge myself a bit further.
Will Johnson narrates and this isn't spill-your-flask-because-the-jumbotron-is blaring-130-dB-toward-The-Zone Will Johnson. He does a terrific job bridging highlights and is only slightly outdone by play-by-play legend Dave South. The story of 2012 is set by Texas A&M's move to the SEC and a brewing quarterback competition during Spring practices. I won't spoil this part for you, but the winner experiences moderate success.
During an early clip montage Damontre Moore runs out of the tunnel and I clocked his 40 at 4.46 so I'm not sure what happened between then and the Combine. I also learned that all Aggie athletes wear Beats by Dre and now I'm thinking about buying the Executive version as a serious blog operator. We also catch some glimpses of Trey Williams Dance Party USA and GoodBullHunting.com Gameday banners!
I skipped the Florida game highlights but then I went back and watched them. In reverse, it kind of looks like we came back at the end. It's fun to watch Sean Porter being pissed off about losing because we know how things turn out in the end. We also interviewed that man! Now is a good time to tell you that I was really impressed with the highlight selection for each game, including the two losses.
SPOILER ALERT: Johnny Football had a shitload of time in the pocket for much of the season.
BUY A COPY
As I watched the highlights of each game, I noticed a high number of implied missed PATs. Hey, why do we only have 6 more points for the next clip? There may have been a missed montage opportunity here, capped off by Johnny's PAT attempt.
We blew out some really crappy teams, and the highlights are fun to watch. Plus, Dustin Harris burned South Carolina State for 96 yards. I predicted we would lose to Arkansas and we did not. In fact, there are positive Taylor Bertolet highlights here for your enjoyment. Johnny's Family Circus running routes to the end zone start to heat up around the Arkansas game.
HOLY CRAP, how did we beat Ole Miss? I watched this game at a sports bar in Vancouver and want to thank Steven Jenkins and Miracle Mike Evans for saving my trip. Swope was also huge in this game and should have won the EA Sports cover contest.
HOLY CRAP, how did we almost lose to La Tech? Oh, Quinton Patton. Kudos for condensing this six-hour game into 5 minutes.
LSU, skip.
During the Auburn game, we saw some flashes from CMike. I still get nervous when Johnny extends the football for touchdowns. Less nervous when it's 63-21.
I appreciated the player locker room reactions to our #SnowBowl2012 jerseys. I also began to admire Dave South's enthusiasm over garbage-time TDs. Sumlin is a total beast at this point and it shows in the postgame locker room.
The Alabama highlights alone are worth the price of this DVD. From the self-fumble signature play to the Everett interception, it's all beautiful. Nealy goes bananas in the locker room after the game. You need this. I'm not going to get too sentimental here, but I miss Kliff a little.
Sam Houston State is a nice after-dinner mint for the Alabama game. Then we get to paste Mizzou at home on Senior night. More Nealy, more records broken, more dominant victories over SEC opponents.
The main portion of the DVD is capped by a dismantling of Bob Stoops' Sooners in the Cotton Bowl and clips of the Heisman ceremony. There's a sweet bonus feature called "They Call Him Johnny Football" that goes in-depth on the post-Heisman media tour. You can also see clips of Manti Te'o and his girlfriend in this feature.
BILLY LIUCCI CAMEO ALERT! Keep a keen eye during those bonus features. You'll also see our beloved Jason Cook here.
The other bonus feature is the March of Honor and team entrance via a Matt Davis helmet cam.
You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cover your eyes. This is a very well-executed 1+ hour highlight reel of the 2012 season and every Aggie should own a copy. You can pick it up from Aggieland Outfitters or at their online store here.