SB Nation - Luther Davis

The Iron Bowl Preview

outsidethesidelines — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:00:14 -0000

Alabama's Mark Ingram (22) runs on a 14-yard touchdown as Auburn's Josh Bynes (17) and Sen Derrick Marks (94) fail to tackle him in the 2008 Iron Bowl. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, File)

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No fancy introductions needed this week, you know exactly what this game is all about. Alabama comes in at 11-0 with their sights on a national championship, while 7-4 Auburn has proven to be a pleasant surprise in the debut campaign of Gene Chizik. Nothing more really needs to be said, so let's just straight into the match-ups.

Alabama Offense v. Auburn Defense

When the Alabama offense takes the field in Jordan-Hare Stadium, it will have the luxury of facing probably the worst defense it has faced all season in conference play. Auburn ranks dead last in the SEC in scoring defense, and even though they still have two games remaining, they have already allowed more points this year than any other defense in the history of Auburn football. First year defensive coordinator Ted Roof has probably done as well as reasonably could be expected with the group he inherited, but the issues for this defense run deep in terms of both top-end talent and quality depth. Specifically, there is almost no top-end talent on this unit, and absolutely no depth whatsoever. You do the math. The end result has been about what you would expect given those two harsh realities.

At the point of attack, Auburn's defensive line is led by senior Antonio Coleman, arguably one of the most underrated players in the conference. Coleman is great off the edge -- see the 7.5 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss -- and he will play on Sunday. Opposite Coleman you generally find a rotation between Antonio Carter and Michael Goggans. Carter is good off the edge, but struggles against the run have kept him from being a full-time starter, and while Goggans is bigger than Carter and brings a better force against the run, Auburn loses some of its pass rushing ability off the edge with him in the game. Coleman is the clear breadwinner here, and he's the one that makes the unit go. Thanks to his efforts, Auburn is fairly respectable seventh in the conference in sacks, which is about as good as they are in any defensive metric. It's not a great pass rush by any stretch, but it's at least respectable.

The real issue for Auburn is an inability to stop the run, and a lot of that is the result of a lack of run-stuffers on the defensive line. Coleman isn't particularly good against the run, and the same goes for Antonio Carter. Playing inside they have Mike Blanc and Jake Ricks, and while they are decent players, both are a bit undersized and they tend to get swallowed up by good offensive lines. And when you mix that with the fact that there is no quality depth on the line, it just gets ugly in the running game. Auburn is 88th in the country in run defense, and it's not hard to see why.

The real train wreck of the Auburn defense, however, is at linebacker, where everything that could have gone wrong for the Tigers has gone wrong. They came into the year with no depth at the position, and it hasn't gotten any easier since. Josh Bynes is the leader of this group, and while he's an outstanding physical specimen, he has struggled this year with injuries and adjusting to a new scheme. He hasn't made the plays behind the line like he did a year ago, and even though he has still been the strength of the linebacker corps, he has been a disappointment this year. Meanwhile, Eltoro Freeman was a five-star JUCO recruit that Auburn was hoping to be an instant impact player, but he has really struggled this year and only has a couple of good games to date. At any rate, he's not likely to play in this game after suffering a concussion and a leg injury against Georgia. Craig Stevens has quietly had a solid year, but he effectively rounds out the depth chart. Aside from him, all you have left is Jonathon Evans... he backs up all three position, but he's really undersized and probably only an average player even on his best day. After Evans, it's nothing but the walk-ons.

The train wreck doesn't look to fix itself by Saturday, either. Again, Freeman is seemingly unlikely to play against the Tide, and with him out Bynes will likely have to move over to middle linebacker. With him there, Stevens and Evans will get the start opposite him, and either they will literally play every snap or Auburn will be forced to give walk-ons some meaningful playing time.

The situation in the defensive backfield really isn't a lot better. Cornerback Aairon Savage suffered a season-ending injury prior to the opener and Harry Adams was kicked off the team in late October. The attrition has left Auburn only three cornerbacks on scholarship. With that in mind, Walt McFadden and Neiko Thorpe will get the start for Auburn, and D'Antoine Hood will see a good bit of time too. McFadden is a pretty good player in his own right, and while Thorpe has shown some good things, he's still a young guy who has made a lot of mistakes as well.

At safety, things really aren't much better. Mike McNeil looked to be a star this year but he hasn't played a snap in 2009 thanks to a broken leg suffered this Spring, and starting opposite McNeil was Zac Ethridge. Unfortunately, though, Ethridge suffered a season-ending neck injury against Ole Miss, and that has forced Auburn to search the bench looking for starters. Demond Washington and Darren Bates, both first-year players, will start at safety thanks to the attrition, and while both have shown some good things at times, they have also had their rough spots as well.

All in all, this is just a bad unit. They rush the passer relatively well, but they cannot stop the run and they have no depth whatsoever. The depth situation is so bad that the likes of Ball State and Furman put up 30+ points when the second and third team defenses went into the game, so that should tell you all you need to know. Those guys have given their all, but just being brutally honest it's probably the worst Auburn defense I've seen in my lifetime.

Offensively for Alabama, this is really where you have to win the game. We've got a Heisman Trophy candidate at tailback and a strong rotation behind him, so there is no reason why we shouldn't gut these guys and move the ball up and down the field. Likewise, they don't match up with us particularly well at the skill positions either. What more can you say? Even LSU and Georgia put up 30+ against these guys, and frankly if we don't do the same we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Alabama Defense v. Auburn Offense

The real show for the 2009 Auburn Tigers has been on the offensive side of the ball, and it is there that Auburn has gotten the job done. And if you look at this group from the outset, what makes it so difficult is that they don't fit conventionally into any one category. The only thing I can compare it to was the Houston offense we faced in 2007 with Art Briles... the Cougars pretty much did whatever Briles felt like doing at the time, and that is effectively what we have with Auburn and Malzahn. There is not really a rhyme or reason to the flow of the structure of the offense. And the hell of it is that, despite the success, if you look at Auburn in terms of pure talent on the offensive side of the ball, and it's not an overly impressive group.

The offensive line is a solid group, but not a spectacular one by any stretch. Left tackle Lee Ziemba has a great frame and very good athletic ability, but he has been plagued by false starts all year long. Ryan Pugh at center is easily the dirtiest player in all of college football -- don't be surprised to him at least try to take one of our guys out again this year (he went after Luther Davis last year) -- but when he's not trying to end careers he's a fine center. The guards, though, are somewhat cogs. Neither Mike Berry or Byron Isom are bad players, but neither are really difference-makers either. Likewise, Andrew McCain at right tackle is below average. A legitimate run of injuries would kill this group simply because there is no depth whatsoever, but they've been relatively fortunate on the injury front.

Quarterback Chris Todd has surprised everyone by his solid play this year, but even so I don't think anyone would really dub Todd a high-end player. He doesn't have very good mobility, and that limits the dual-threat options that Malzahn would surely like to employ, and he has one of the weakest arms in the SEC even after having shoulder surgery this past offseason. His strengths are his decision-making ability and his accuracy, but even those have gone incognito at times this year. As a whole he has put up a strong season statistically, but credit for that likely goes more to Malzahn for putting him in good situations than it does any inherent ability on Todd's part.

The backfield does have its fair share of talent. Ben Tate is no Mark Ingram -- despite what he might like to tell you -- but he's a fine player in his own right. He's a senior with a lot of raw talent, and he'll play on Sunday. Likewise, Onterrio McCalebb is a highly-talented player, and honestly the only reason we didn't pursue him out of high school was because he had poor academics (he had to do a tour of duty at Hargrave before qualifying). When healthy, those two form quite the potent 1-2 punch.

On the outside at receiver has really been the issue. Darvin Adams has stepped up and became a legitimate playmaker -- and he may in fact be the breakout player of the SEC -- but aside from Adams it just hasn't developed. Terrell Zachery and Mario Fannin have shown flashes of brilliance, but they've also had stretches where they have gone almost completely incognito as well. Likewise, tight end Tommy Trott has really never been able to live up to the recruiting hype that he had coming out of Montgomery in 2005, and he doesn't give them the threat that they would like.

Again, if you look at this offense on paper, it's nothing particularly impressive. They've got a fairly decent line and a good rotation at tailback, but they've got issues at quarterback and at wide receiver, and there is no depth. Based on that, you would probably think that Auburn would normally be an average-at-best offense, but that hasn't been the case. All the credit in the world goes to Malzahn, and he has done nothing short of a fabulous job down on the Plains. There is no question whatsoever that he is the SEC Assistant Coach of the Year. He has taken an average-at-best group with no depth and made them one of the most prolific offenses in the country.

Defensively, Alabama has its work cut out this week. Auburn is confusing as hell on offense, and the end result for much of the year has been that they have generated a ton of big plays via defensive confusion and busted assignments. I'm sure we've devoted a much larger chunk of time than normal to assignment work this week just because of that. Our defensive players will have to be fully aware of their assignments at all times, otherwise Auburn will generate some easy big plays at our expense. More so than just about anyone else, Auburn pushes you to the edge of in terms of forcing you to play disciplined football, and they have largely struggled when opposing defenses have played sound, assignment-based football.

At the very least, this is a unit that gives you a lot of legitimate challenges, and it's a dangerous group. The Auburn offense of a year ago was worst than anything Mike Shula ever put on the field, but Malzahn has legitimately transformed them into one of the best offenses in the country, and they will give us some problems this Saturday. They are probably the best offense we've seen since Arkansas left town, and unlike last year this group will definitely score some points on us.

Putting It All Together

All in all, Alabama is clearly the better team in this game. Regardless of how you look at it -- high-end talent, quality depth, position match-ups, etc. -- Alabama is the better of the two teams. There are a lot of reasons as to why we are a 10-point favorite going on the road.

On the other hand, though, this game is far from a breeze. Last year in his column I wrote that because of Auburn's complete and total lack of an offense, Alabama would have to create a path to victory for them to win. This year, though, that's far from the case. Auburn has an explosive offense that can legitimately score a lot of points, and that can clearly put this game in jeopardy. We're favorites for a reason, but this game isn't the open and shut case that it was a year ago.

And for Auburn, that is really how they win they likely look to win this game. Offensively, they are clearly going against a very good unit, but we've struggled with spread teams in the past and they have to hope to score some points offensively. Defensively, they look to have a hard time stopping us, but we've been our own worst enemy at times and we may very well do that come Friday. And that's Auburn's hope. Hope that they have some success offensively, and that their defense plays well enough / our offense shoots itself in the foot enough to squeak out a narrow victory.

At the least, a blowout like we saw last year should not be expected. Any Alabama fan legitimately expecting a repeat of 36-0 is likely fooling themselves. As I mentioned yesterday, blowouts in this rivalry are quite rare, and it would be a major surprise to see something like that happen again this year. On the other hand, though, it's not like Alabama necessarily needs it. We control our own destiny at this point, and we don't need style points. We just need to win and stay healthy doing so, and as long as you do that the exact margin of victory is irrelevant.

For Alabama, a hot start would be nice. We have been slow starters all season, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, and you have to hope that changes this weekend. Whenever you face a team with no depth, a hot start practically breaks their back from the outset because they don't have the depth needed to mount a comeback down the stretch. If Alabama can do that, victory is almost assured from the very beginning. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to do that all year, and I really don't see any reason that would definitively lead me to believe this week would be any different.

All in all, we're the better team here, and we should get the win. We should be able to score enough points on their weak defense to keep them at bay, and our defense should give them some hard times offensively. But Auburn is like the other SEC teams we've faced this year. They have their own set of strengths and they present their own unique set of problems for you, and you must respond accordingly. If we move the football like we should on offense, don't shoot ourselves in the foot, and play sound, disciplined, assignment-based football on defense, we should win this game. If not...

Hope for the best.

The Film Room: Looking At LSU

outsidethesidelines — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:03:15 -0000

This week in the film room I want to do a bit of a blurb piece, looking specifically at several of the bigger plays in the Alabama v. LSU game. Unlike in past weeks in which we have focused specifically on individual players with a specific point of evaluation in mind, this week we're going to bounce around a bit and just take a bit more casual look at some of the biggest plays in the game this past Saturday, looking for anything we can find.

First off, let's look at the first snap that we took out of the Wildcat. You will recall that in the Initial Impressions piece I said that, with Earl Alexander (a former high school quarterback) going in motion, we were almost certainly looking to throw the football. Let's look at the play again:

Notice the LSU cover package here. They have clearly manned up the three receivers, with safety Chad Jones over the top. I still think that this play was intended to be a pass, but given LSU's defensive response, it's hard to see how we would have successfully thrown the football. The only way it could have been done is if Alexander had thrown the football to the left and hit either Ingram or tight end Michael Williams slipping out of the backfield in the opposite direction.To be sure, the fumble was certainly disappointing because even with the recovery we were still faced with a third and long, but it's hard to see this one being a success through the air. We may have called a pass option on this one, but I imagine that it would have likely ended up being a run had the fumble not occurred.

Next, let's actually go back a play to the snap immediately before that. It's a first and ten near midfield and we decide to take a shot downfield to Maze early in the game. You'll probably remember this play well, but nevertheless you can get the jist of what happens with the following .gif (note, you need to click the .gif to make it work):

Disappointing, eh? I don't know exactly what route Jai Eugene was looking for, but he was clearly expecting that route to be broken off at the intermediate level somehow. He certainly wasn't expecting Maze to try to beat him deep, and as a result he ended up getting turned around and Maze blew right by him. This one just makes you want to throw the remote through the TV, plain and simple. Even with a semi-decent throw this is a touchdown, and not only does McElroy overthrow him he throws it out of bounds to boot. Double negative. This one hurts.

I guess we'll go ahead and knock out all of the negative McElroy stuff now, so let's take a look at the second Wildcat snap that we ran, this one coming late in the third quarter with 'Bama trailing 15-10.

I loved this play design from the outset. When Julio Jones comes down on the jet sweet and McElroy steps back, you know that every single LSU defender is looking for something on the frontside to Julio Jones. So what we do? We slip Brad Smelley out on the backside and we get them with it. The LSU defense isn't expecting it at all, and Smelley gets behind the secondary. A good throw and this is a touchdown, and even with a decent throw we probably have a first and goal. Unfortunately, this one sails long too, incomplete pass. We eventually settle for the field goal to cut the lead to 15-13.

Do, however, pay close attention up front on this one, particularly with regard to LSU defensive tackle Drake Nevis. The junior from Marrero whips William Vlachos at the point of attack, and he hurries the throw. It's still clearly a throw that McElroy should make, mind you, but nevertheless Nevis does a great job of getting into the backfield and making it a more difficult throw. The more you watch of the film, you see that Nevis played a whale of a game. I bet he graded out really high when Miles and company reviewed the film.

At any rate, let's close up the negative McElroy stuff here by taking a closer look at the safety:

First off, notice how we come out here guns a blazing, to paraphrase Saban. Not only are we throwing the football out of our own end zone on a third and long with a narrow lead in a low scoring game, notice that we are doing so with only five men in to protect the quarterback. Both Mark Ingram and Colin Peek go out on pass routes, and we are left with only the five linemen to get the job done. This one is as gutsy as it gets.

Unfortunately, Mike Johnson whiffs on the block of... guess who? Drake Nevis. Once again Nevis gets into the backfield and forces the safety, a fine play on his part. Again, though, McElroy shoulders a lot of the blame here. Even with the whiff by Johnson, McElroy still has approximately three seconds to get rid of the football, but for some reason -- even though everyone is covered -- he keeps holding onto the football for dear life. Predictably, the pressure eventually gets to him and the safety is the end result. He should have just thrown this one away. Thankfully, we lucked out that it was only a safety.

Now in all fairness to McElroy, while he did make a lot of bad plays, he also made his fair share of good plays too, and that is what we'll look at next. The following is McElroy's touchdown pass to Darius Hanks:

For all of the criticism of the passing game the past few weeks (and rightly so), here is a textbook example of where everything is executed perfectly and the play is performed exactly like you draw it up on paper. And this is also a textbook example of the type of things that you must do when an opposing defense loads the box to stop the run. Notice that after Ingram's previous success on the ground that LSU practically commits eight defenders to stopping the run this time around. That forces man to man coverage on the outside against all three receivers.

For McElroy, this is a simple read. We roll the pocket to the right to avoid the pressure, and it's obvious that he has a man-to-man match-up of Hanks on a safety. For McElroy, he either throws it downfield to Hanks if he is open, or checks it down to Earl Alexander. Fortunately, Hanks runs a fine route and gets good separation on the defender, and McElroy delivers an absolute strike. Just how you draw it up... touchdown 'Bama.

Next, let's look at a couple of defensive plays, specifically focusing on the two big runs that LSU had after the safety in the end zone. First, let's take a look at Charles Scott final run where he rips off a big gain to put his Bayou Bengals deep in 'Bama territory:

Notice that we come out and defend this effectively in our base 3-4 set. Eryk Anders has his hand on the ground, but even so this is pretty typical base 3-4 stuff, and also notice that we've got Mark Barron creeping up into the box. We've effectively got the back-up defensive line in the game for this snap -- Marcel Dareus, Luther Davis, and Josh Chapman -- but even so we have eight men ready to stop the run.

And in all fairness both Scott and the LSU offensive line does a solid job, but what really kills us here is poor tackling. Mark Barron is really playing the outside here and isn't in position to stop an interior run, but the real disaster is in the middle with Cory Reamer and Justin Woodall. Those two may be seniors, but they looked like freshmen with this effort. Instead of crashing down hard and making the tackle, the best Reamer can muster is a weak arm tackle attempt, which of course the powerful Scott blows right through, and then after that Woodall completely whiffs in the open field on a tackle. With a good play by Reamer this is a two-yard gain, and with a good play by Woodall it's an eight-yard gain, but unfortunately those two whiff and Scott is off to the races.

With LSU driving, Stevan Ridley comes off the bench and gives the Tigers a lead with his touchdown run. Let's take a closer look, particularly keeping a very close eye on the match-up of LSU center T-Bob Hebert on Terrence Cody:

Well, now that is certainly one for those conspiracy nuts, now isn't it? This is a run right into the heart of the line on second and short, and we have it snuffed out pretty well. Cody is in position to make the tackle, and looks to do so with Ridley trying to cut it to the outside. He ultimately misses the tackle, of course, simply because Hebert flat out tackles Cody in the open field. This should have been a holding penalty setting up a 2nd and 13, but alas no such flag came about.

Of course I'm not going to complain too much about the officiating because you do also need to focus on your own effort, and that certainly falls short here. Keep your eye on Eryk Anders, he has outside contain to the offensive right, and he basically just blows it. He gets sucked too far inside, and Ridley beats him to the outside. Touchdown LSU.

Finally, let's wrap this piece up by taking a closer look at the gamechanging touchdown on the screen pass to Julio Jones:

Notice how odd it is that LSU is actually in really good position, before the snap, to stop this play. They've got a base 4-3 look, and the linebackers are playing a bit soft. A safety is manned up against Julio Jones, to be sure, but this is the short side of the field and there is also another safety over there for help, plus a linebacker. I don't care who you are covering, someone between Brandon Taylor, Danny McCray, and Kelvin Sheppard should stop this play.

At any rate, we feign something of a pass to the right, and then McElroy wheels back around to throw to Julio. The entire left side of the Alabama offensive line, plus the center, all move out to the second level to block. Now, Brandon Taylor, knowing that he is a safety in man coverage against Julio Jones, plays it very safe, and leaves a massive cushion between him and the 'Bama wideout. And that, in many ways, costs him here. He sees the screen and runs in very hard, right by James Carpenter, who was supposed to block him -- and for what it's worth, the Auburn fans complained of a block in the back on this play by Carpenter on Taylor because there is a photo showing him blocking the LSU defensive back from behind, but if you watch the film, naturally the Auburn fans are wrong as Carpenter whiffs so badly that he barely touches the back of Taylor so lightly that Taylor himself probably never even noticed.

Unfortunately for Taylor, with him racing in, he loses body control, and Julio makes a quick, nifty cut to the outside to sidestep the LSU safety. Kelvin Sheppard effectively takes himself out of the play by biting on the fake to the right, and when Danny McCray tries to come in to make the tackle, he takes a poor angle and there William Vlachos gets just enough of him to knock him out of the play. And with the LSU defense firmly in the review mirror, Julio is off to the races. Touchdown 'Bama.

The Virginia Tech Preview: Tide Defense v. Hokie Offense

outsidethesidelines — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:00:18 -0000

Editor's Note: This is the second installment in a four-piece series that will give an in-depth preview of the individual unit match-ups, as well as a special teams preview, and finally ending on Friday with a final wrap-up before the two teams face off on Saturday night.

Part 1: Tide Offense vs Hokie Defense

The Virginia Tech Offense

Any in-depth analysis of the Virginia Tech offense must begin with proper consideration given to one man: Tyrod Taylor. What makes the Virginia Tech offense unique really has nothing to do with it's formations, it's passing concepts, it's run blocking schemes, or anything of the sort. No, what makes the Virginia Tech offense unique is because the entire offense completely and totally revolves around Taylor. When you watch the film of this unit, it's almost nothing short of amazing just how much of a linchpin that Tyrod Taylor is to the entire unit. Everything is predicated upon him; even when he performs the most fundamental of duties -- handing off to the tailback, direct snaps that go to other players, etc. -- the offense nevertheless somehow goes through him.

And with Taylor as the centerpiece, the Virginia Tech offense has changed quite a bit in recent years. Offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring is still in Blacksburg -- he was given the title of defensive coordinator in late 2001 -- and has remained a constant for almost a decade, but his offense is fundamentally different with Taylor at the helm. In years gone by, the Hokies tended to be a run heavy team that operated out of very conventional formations. They spent much of their time either in the I-formation or with two tight end sets, trying hard to establish the interior running game, and much of the passing game became a by-product of the playaction pass. But again, that's all different now with Taylor at the helm. They still spend a good deal of time in the I-formation and also with two tight end sets, but they are not limited in that regard any more. With Taylor, they also really like to spread the field and put Taylor back in the shotgun, thus taking full advantage of Taylor's athleticism in space.

Given Taylor's extreme importance to the offense, we should take a closer look at him as a player. From the outset, Taylor was a bona fide super recruit coming out of Hampton, Virginia's Hampton High School, a dynasty in Virginia high school football circles, with seventeen state football championships. When he came out of Hampton High on 2007, Taylor had been a three-year starter and was a consensus five-star recruit. Rivals.com had him as the #1 dual threat quarterback in the country, and he chose to stay in-state with the Hokies, turning down a scholarship offer from the Florida Gators, whose head coach Urban Meyer recruited him heavily to run his spread option.

The reason everyone wanted the 6'1 and 215 pound Taylor was simple... his legs. In a day and age where 40 times are often outright lies, Taylor is a legitimate 4.40 player, and it is his unbelievable speed and athleticism that makes him the player that he is, and it is also what makes him the focal point of the Virginia Tech offense. Because of his ability to make big plays with his feet at any given time, opposing defenses must always be aware of his positioning on the field, and that is why the Virginia Tech coaching staff ensures that their entire offense runs through him. Stinespring and company love to always make you account for Taylor even when the ball doesn't go to him. For example, in simple dive plays out of the I-formation, after giving the hand-off, Taylor generally makes very, long sweeping retreats from the location of the exchange as if he's keeping the ball and going out for a run. This is done, of course, to ensure that one defender must account for Taylor, even though it's an inside hand-off to a tailback. This is just one of many ways in which the Virginia Tech coaching staff constantly keeps the offense running through Taylor, regardless of what is actually going on.

And no Alabama fan should underestimate just how deadly Taylor's athleticism can be. Many like to paint Taylor as a typical run-happy quarterback with no real passing skills, and in all fairness that might be true, and in many ways is true. Still, nevertheless, even if that is completely accurate, Taylor is nevertheless such an elite athlete that he is still a very dangerous player. In today's game we often have mobile quarterbacks playing the position with good athleticism, but Taylor isn't just a mobile quarterback, nor does he just have good athleticism. I've been following Alabama football closely since 1990, so this is my 20th year, and I feel confident in saying that we have never faced an opposing quarterback with the kind of ultra-elite speed and athleticism that Taylor brings to the table. Again, he's not just a mobile quarterback, he's the kind of elite athlete who will certainly play in the NFL one day -- and probably be a fairly high draft pick at that -- thanks to that athleticism.

Soundtrack Warning: Crunk

Fortunately, the good news for Alabama fans and our coaching staff is that for all of Taylor's frightening athleticism, he's still a very incomplete player as a pure quarterback, and the rest of the Virginia Tech offense is riddled with holes and shortcomings. This unit finished 90th in the country last year in scoring offense, and 103rd in total offense, continuing a downward trend in recent years in their ability to move the football. From 2005, when Tech finished 17th in the country in total offense, they have fallen to 49th, to 53rd, to 103rd. Far from being a one year anomaly, the Hokies are a team that has seemingly struggled to move the football almost forever.

The Hokie Offense: A Critical Look

Given the struggles of the Tech offense, you don't have to look far to find its weaknesses.

Since we gave Tyrod Taylor so much focus in the overview, perhaps it's best we start with him, because for all of his greatness as a runner, he really struggles throwing the football. Truth be told, as a passer, he's just not much, period. Last year as a passer he completed only 57% of his passes, averaged under 6.0 yards per attempt, threw two touchdowns against seven interceptions, and his QB rating of 103.2 put him somewhere around 110th in the country. Making matters worse, the coaches have really simplified the passing game as a whole to help Taylor, effectively reducing it to a smattering of dink and dunk passes. You watch the Hokie offense and you see countless curls, hitches, screen passes, square-ins, and the like, and even so he cannot complete 60% of his throws. Furthermore, the few times that Taylor did actually play pretty well as a passer, it was predictably against bad defenses. The four highest individual game quarterback ratings that he posted in 2008 came, not so surprisingly, against a Division 1-AA team (Furman), a team still trying to make the jump to Division 1-A (Western Kentucky), a 5-7 ACC team (Virginia), and a team that finished 89th in the country in pass defense (Nebraska). Factoring out those four games and looking at the rest of the season, Taylor had a paltry QB rating of 82.0, averaged under five yards per attempt, and didn't throw a single touchdown pass (though he did throw seven interceptions).

And the vertical element of the Hokie passing attack with Taylor in the game is simply non-existent. By my count, only about six of his passes went for more than 20 yards a year ago, and in the rarity that he does hit a deep pass, it's usually ugly and even then not exactly ideal. For example, in their Orange Bowl victory last year against Cincinnati, Taylor hit receiver Danny Coale for a 34-yard completion, but a closer look reveals that Coale had gotten wide open on a post, and a ball that even hits him remotely in stride is a touchdown. Unfortunately, the ball sails wide, Coales has to lay out to make the catch, and the sure touchdown turns into a 1st and 10 at the Cincinnati 14. Unable to pick up a first down from there, the Hokies have to bring on the field goal unit, and with a missed kick a sure touchdown becomes a turnover on downs thanks to an inaccurate, though still completed, pass.

The results, though terrible, shouldn't be the least bit surprising. This time a year ago, Frank Beamer announced that the Hokies were actually going to redshirt Taylor in 2008, so truthfully had the coaching staff had their way Taylor wouldn't have played at all last year. Unfortunately for Tech, though, Sean Glannon was terrible in the opener, and after a surprising loss to East Carolina in Charlotte, the Hokie coaching staff had to reluctantly take the redshirt off Taylor and put him into action.

Of course, as should probably be expected, many Hokie fans are drinking the Kool-Aid talking about the incredible progress Taylor has supposedly made this off-season. In an objective light, though, there's little reason to expect any real, considerable improvement. From the outset, Taylor has never been a particularly accomplished passer, even in high school. Even as the quarterback for Hampton High -- where, again, he was playing on a very high caliber team with a lot of talent surrounding him -- he still only averaged about 125 yards per game as a passer, and barely completed 50% of his passes. Moreover, in terms of physical skill set, Taylor doesn't have a great arm, and is not very accurate to boot, plus he's short for the typical pocket passer. His delivery is a tad bit odd, and he's very inconsistent with his footwork. And his route progression, well, there is no route progression. As a general rule, he looks immediately towards his primary target, and if he's not open he takes off running. Anything might happen, of course, but I see no objective reason to believe that Taylor will take a major step forward this year as a passer. He has never been a particularly good passer before, and truth be told he will probably never be one in the future either. All such Hokie hopes to the contrary are just that, hopes, unsupported by any other objective factual basis.

Unfortunately for the Hokies, the problems are even worse up front with the offensive line. As a group, the offensive line seemingly run blocks well (though that's somewhat up for debate, too), but the pass blocking has been so horrendously atrocious the past couple of years that even an Alabama fan who lived through the Chris Capps / Kyle Tatum era could not understand. Last year the Hokies gave up a whopping 42 sacks on a mere 291 passing attempts for an adjusted sack rate of 14.43%. That literally put them dead last in the country in terms of adjusted sack rate, 119th out of 119 teams. And it wasn't just a one year anomaly, either. The year before -- despite having Duane Brown starting at left tackle, who would be a first round NFL Draft pick the following April -- they gave gave up 54 sacks on 379 passing attempts, for an adjusted sack rate of 14.24%. I'm not positive that was dead last in the country, but for the sake of the all the other quarterbacks in the country, I certainly hope no one struggled to protect the passer more than that. And perhaps not too surprisingly then, offensive line coach Curt Newsome had to undergo a double bypass heart surgery on June 19th. He himself said stress played a role in the near 100% blockage of his arteries, and while he was almost certainly addressing that more towards the high amounts of stress inherent in being a collegiate football coach, I'm sure as hell that having to watch this unit play for two consecutive years did no favors for his health.

Moving forward to the 2009 season, three starters return, but returning starters from a unit that has been consistently that terrible is rarely a good thing. I wouldn't expect it will be for this year's Hokies, either. Ed Wang returns at left tackle, and Blake DeChristopher returns at right tackle, plus Sergio Render returns at guard (though he has swapped guard positions). Those guys look physically okay, but obviously something is not right. Jaymes Brooks, a redshirt sophomore, is taking over at right guard, with an undersized Beau Warren taking over at center. Warren is listed at 288 pounds, and frankly just looking at him that might be a bit of a stretch.

What the Hokie offensive line did well in 2008 was run block, or at least it would seem that way on the surface, even if it's not necessarily true. Darren Evans ran over 1,200 yards a year ago, averaging almost 4.5 yards per carry, and put together a great season. Before really watching the Hokies on film, I thought it was just the typical case of a decent back behind a good, mauling offensive line, but seeing Evans on film I was very impressed with him as a player. He displayed good speed and a good short-yardage bust, but he also had good balance and field vision to boot. Perhaps most impressive of all, he could consistently drive his hips low for a quick change of direction, something quite rare for a back of almost 220 pounds. To put it mildly I became impressed, and he exceeded my expectations.

TE Greg Boone

Which brings us to a pressing question, did he do well because of the Hokie offensive line, or did he do well in spite of the offensive line? In most cases I normally give the credit to the offensive line because their importance to the running game tend to get undervalued a bit, but if you look closer at the splits, the Hokies have a huge drop-off in rushing production when backs not named Darren Evans were given the ball. Kenny Lewis, Jr. and Josh Oglesby combined to get 102 carries for only 325 yards, right at 3.1 yards per carry, a significant step down from the production that Evans posted. On the surface, it seems like there was a very big gap between Evans and the rest of the tailbacks on the roster, and it certainly seems like Evans' torn ACL was indeed a huge injury for the Hokies. Perhaps Frank Beamer was being all too honest when he spoke of the impact that Evans absence would have on the Tech offense.

The rest of the Hokie offense looks to be generally solid, even if not spectacular. The wide receiver corps is nothing overly special, and there are no Julio Jones type players. That said, the group as a whole is a solid one, and several players have the ability to get the job done. Their biggest problem, honestly, more than anything else is that they simply haven't had a quality quarterback to be able to consistently get them the football. Also, one more weapon does exist on the roster, and he's one to keep your eye on, Greg Boone. A truly massive player, Boone is a 6'3 and 280+ pound tight end with good athleticism, and naturally he's as strong as a bull. The Hokies can often use him in a variety of ways, too, including even in the wildcat.

All in all, though, despite Taylor's elite athleticism, plus having a very unique player on the roster in Boone, this Tech offense simply isn't a very good one. Taylor can indeed be deadly with his legs, but aside from that there is just generally very little to fear. Taylor has the track record of a terrible passer, and the offensive line probably couldn't pass block competently if their lives literally depended on it. The running game would be pretty strong with Darren Evans, but he's not going to be playing this year, and if the track record from a year ago holds up, they may very well be struggling to run the ball this year. Not much else needs to be said... you finish at the bottom of nearly every statistical offensive category for a reason.

The Alabama Defense

Nick Saban brought with him to Tuscaloosa a reputation as a builder of big, physical defenses built on speed and aggression, and just over two years since he arrived, Saban is well on his way to building exactly that kind of monster. The roster that he inherited in January of 2007, built for Joe Kines 3-3-5 scheme, was nowhere near the type and / or caliber of personnel Saban needed to operate his 3-4 scheme at a high level, but thankfully a renewed focus on the S&C program and a recruiting juggernaut have allowed Saban to quickly construct his defense.

The Nick Saban 3-4 scheme is, for all of us 'Bama fans, are pretty well known commodity at this point. In many ways it's a typical 3-4 scheme, one that relies heavily on zone blitzes and the inherent lack of unpredictability built into the scheme. The 3-4 is a highly flexible scheme, and Nick Saban takes full advantage of that by constantly changing his fronts, cover schemes, and blitz packages. Making things even better, Saban's specialty of coaching defensive backs generally makes his unique version of the 3-4 that much more effective once it actually takes the field.

After experiencing some struggles at times in his debut 2007, the defense quickly came together for the 2008 season. Saban found the space eater he needed to play the nose in Terrence Cody, Rolando McClain carried his game to the next level, Dont'a Hightower made a huge impact as a freshman, and several other players improved as well. The impact of it all quickly became evident. The Tide run defense was nearly impossible to run on with a healthy Terrence Cody in the lineup, and very stout against the run even when he was out with less than 100% with his knee injury. The pass rush never materialized, but even so the Tide led the SEC in pass efficiency defense, and allowed a stingy average of 5.8 yards per passing attempt.

Moving into the 2009 season, things continue to be on the rise in Tuscaloosa. Eight starters return from the 2008 defense, and quality depth has increased dramatically everywhere. As of this writing, we legitimately have somewhere around 25 players who can legitimately be contributors to this defense. With little doubt, if we can stay even remotely healthy, this should be the most productive defense we've had in years.

The Alabama Defense: A Critical Look

At the risk of being deemed a homer, I must nevertheless objectively say that when taking a critical look at this defense, there are really just very, very few flaws to even legitimately address. Bottom line, it's a very well coached defense, and one that is loaded with not only experience and top-end talent, but quality depth throughout the roster at almost every single position. If you were looking for an ideal defensive unit, you'd be hard-pressed to find one much more attractive than this one.

In the short-term, the biggest problem the Tide has is overcoming the likely loss of Brandon Deaderick, who was tragically shot outside his apartment Monday night in Tuscaloosa. Fortunately for Deaderick and the Tide, the shooting effectively went as well as it reasonably could have -- just puncture wounds in the arm and hip; no damage to bones, arteries, or nerves, no surgery required, and released from the hospital approximately 16 hours later -- but even so I imagine he's unlikely to play against the Hokies. Deaderick was going to start in 2009, just like he did last year, at defensive end, and his loss is not what anyone hoped to see. Fortunately, if there was any year to have this sort of a tragedy, it was this year. His back-up, Luther Davis, is good enough to start for about any other SEC team, and he should transition into the starting role without any real trouble, if needed, but don't discount the possibility of Marcel Dareus -- who normally backs up Lorenzo Washington at the end-tackle combo position -- moving over and starting in Deaderick's absence. Dareus has the best long-term upside of any defensive lineman we have, and he is likely the #3 defensive end on the pecking order, regardless of position, so he may very well move over to the natural end position. Either way, as much as Saban and company rotate the defensive linemen, Davis and Dareus were going to see a lot of meaningful playing time regardless, so this won't be a major transition for either one. Darrington Sentimore now has a much better chance of playing as a true freshman, and Damien Square will likely be moved back from Jack linebacker, and both should provide quality reps at the position as well. Time will tell, but rationally speaking it seems we should be able to pick things up in Deaderick's absence with no major drop-off in production.

LB Eryk Anders

Aside from the Deaderick shooting, the Tide defense has remarkably few concerns. Pass rushing was a major problem a year ago, but even so we still played very effective pass defense, and things look improved this year. The linebacker corps is more athletic than a year ago, we're getting our best edge rusher (Eryk Anders) on the field more often, and Sal Sunseri has brought with him a renewed focus on pass rushing techniques. Thus, our pass rushing attack ought to improve this year, and frankly even if it doesn't, we showed last year that an inability to rush the passer was not fatal to the success of our overall pass defense.

Our biggest weakness, of course, assuming that we continue to be unable to rush the passer with any degree of consistency, is probably against spread teams with accurate quarterbacks who can consistently spread the field with quality receivers to boot. But again that may be a problem we fix anyway in 2009, and even if not, the Hokies don't have anywhere near the pieces in place to power such an attack. Yes they do spread things out occasionally, but it's to maximize Taylor's running ability, not to emphasize the passing game. Taylor isn't a very accurate quarterback, Tech might not have the receivers in place to do it effectively, and even if they did the offensive line probably wouldn't be able to hold up regardless, so even that is a moot concern in this particular game.

Aside from that, the rest of the concerns are really more nit-picking and the luxuries of riches than anything else. Many 'Bama fans would probably still complain about Marquis Johnson, but what is that really? At worse, it's a complaint that we only have a serviceable SEC level player (and a senior to boot) as our nickel corner, and a player that at any rate who will see his playing time getting major challenges from two five-star recruits currently on the roster. Geez... how will we ever manage to get by? Again, it's basically nit-picking from that point on.

The truth of the matter is that unless 'Bama gets unexpectedly hit very hard by a run of injuries, there is absolutely no reason to expect that the Tide won't field a great defense in 2009.

What To Look For

In the aggregate, this looks to be an good match-up for those who bleed crimson. The Hokies do not have a very good offense, and the Alabama defense should at the least be in the discussion with regard to who has the top defense in the country. It doesn't take any real, in-depth analysis to figure out that when two units of those respective abilities collide, it's likely to result in the offense scoring very few points and the defense dominating the day. When factoring out defensive and special teams scores, the Hokies offense only averaged 19 points per game last year, and it would probably be a surprise to see them score that many against what should be a very stingy Alabama defense. And making matters worse for the Tech offense is that the one true weakness of the Tide defense -- which, it should be said, is something that might not even be a weakness this year at all -- is something that the Hokies do not have the right personnel in place to exploit.

The Virginia Tech running game, in particular, seems to be in for a long night. With Darren Evans out for the year, it's a running game of arguably questionable quality to begin with, and going up against the Tide's incredibly stout run defense is a tough task for even a team with a strong rushing attack in their own right. The Hokies might try to run the football inside a good bit on the Tide -- then again, if Beamer and company think it's futile, they'll probably move away from it pretty quickly -- but it's highly unlikely that it will yield any real success. Beau Warren, at least 60 pounds lighter than Terrence Cody, will need help with the gargantuan nose guard, so Cody should command double teams every single time the Hokies plan to run inside. That alone plays right into our hands. Moreover, even without Brandon Deaderick, our deep rotation of big, strong, and physical defensive ends -- Lorenzo Washington, Luther Davis, Marcel Dareus, Damien Square, and others -- will be able to hold their own at the point of attack throughout the course of the game. That alone will eat up the bulk of the Hokies' blocking unit, and it will largely allow a great linebacker corps to roam free all night long, looking to make plays, and the same goes for two good run defenders at safety in Justin Woodall and Mark Barron. Making the match-up even more advantageous for the Tide is the Hokies' complete lack of a vertical threat in the passing game, which will allow the Tide to stack the box when needed. Bottom line, if the Hokies can have any considerable degree of success in the running game, it will come as a legitimate surprise to any objective observer.

The Hokie passing game looks to fare little, if any, better. The Tech passing game will likely be one of the worst in the country yet again, and the Tide pass defense will likely be one of the best. Again, do the figurative math. Taylor is a below average passer, and while the Virginia Tech wide receiver corps is a solid group filled with more than a few quality targets, they likely aren't as good or as experienced as their counterparts in the Alabama defensive backfield. All in all, it's simply a match-up that heavily favors the Tide.

All of the aforementioned, though, is pretty basic stuff. No real analysis is needed to discover that a very good defense is likely to shut down a bad offense. The real strategy in this game will be how the Tide chooses to defend Tyrod Taylor and his abilities as an elite runner.

Many would advocate playing man coverage on the receivers and trying to rush Taylor with all you have. Given how much Nick Saban loves to give different looks from his 3-4 defensive scheme, I'm sure we will do that a few times, but as a general strategy it's probably not as ideal as many would initially think. To begin with, from the outset, bringing a lot of pressure on Taylor isn't necessarily a good strategy. Taylor is unbelievably elusive, and if you bring a lot of rushers and he slips out of it -- which I can guarantee you he will do on more than one occasion -- you have very few defenders left downfield, and he's going to turn it into a very big play. Don't misinterpret what I'm saying... getting pressure on Taylor is a good thing, but having to bring a lot of defenders on blitzes in order to generate it quickly becomes a very risky strategy with a runner like Taylor that can get you burned. Furthermore, consistently playing man coverage against the Hokie wide receivers fails to exploit one of Taylor's biggest weaknesses as a quarterback, which is reading defenses. If you predictably play man on the outside, Taylor's almost complete inability to read a defense completely goes away because he can correctly assume the overwhelming majority of the time that he will be throwing against man coverage.

Spying Taylor is also an attractive option to many, but again it's probably not ideal as a general strategy. Putting a spy on a mobile quarterback is generally a good strategy, but that generality only holds up well against quarterbacks who have good mobility, not great mobility. Trying to spy such an elite athlete like Taylor is a fundamentally difficult task because you really don't have an equal caliber athlete to put on him. To be sure, we have some guys with Taylor's athleticism, but they are playing corner, and it's very difficult to spy with a corner. Corners are forced to line up so far away from the quarterback (and that goes even for the nickel corner) that the spy himself can effectively be eliminated by the offensive coordinator just sending the play in the opposite direction. What you need in order to have an effective spy is someone who is going to be able to consistently line up relatively close to the quarterback -- without giving away his responsibilities with his pre-snap alignment -- someone like a safety or a linebacker. But, again, who do we have at safety or linebacker that can legitimately go toe-to-toe with Taylor in the open field? Arguably no one. Jerrell Harris, Mark Barron, and Robby Green would probably be our best candidates, but even they would likely face a speed and agility deficit to Taylor. Again, it's an attractive option to many as an initial matter, but a closer look reveals such a strategy can be problematic when dealing with a truly elite athlete like Taylor.

A better strategy, and one I expect we will probably be using frequently, is to employ a wide variety of zone and rush packages. Playing a wide variety of heavy zones against Taylor is an ideal option because it great limits his ability to run with the football, which in truth is when he is at his most dangerous. At the end of the day, what we really want is for Taylor to throw the football, and even Rolando McClain explicitly said yesterday that the assignment of the defense is to contain Taylor and make him throw the football. Playing a heavy zone helps accomplish that because it largely removes the possibility of a big run, and also helps to ensure that when Taylor does take off to run, he'll quickly be met with a host of defenders arriving with bad intentions, both of which are incentives for him to stay in the pocket and throw the football. Furthermore, by constantly mixing up zone blitz packages, we can more effectively exploit Taylor's inability to read defenses. Also, it should be kept in mind that with Tech's complete lack of a vertical threat in the passing game, and it's reliance on short, dink and dunk throws, we can play heavy zones that almost solely attack the short and intermediate routes, thus creating some very narrow windows for Taylor to throw the football into, which can easily lead to a slew of incomplete passes and a chance at interceptions. Truth be told, we could probably play Cover Zero most of the night and still not give up a big passing play, and that alone provides us with a competitive edge over the Hokie offense.

Now, to be sure, I do imagine we will see some spying on Taylor, and I also imagine we'll see some heavy blitzes. The base defense, I think, will frequently use the heavy zones that I described earlier, but Nick Saban likes his defenses to be multiple in their approach and inherently unpredictable. That alone will ensure that Taylor sees a little bit of everything come Saturday night. Either way, in terms of individual assignments and responsibilities, three words must be effectively tattooed into the foreheads of every Alabama defender... contain, contain, contain. Keep Taylor in the pocket, limit his big runs, and make him beat you throwing the football. If you can consistently do that, you've won the battle.

On the other side, the Virginia Tech offense will probably have a few things up their sleeve, and they might not operate exactly how we think. Even though they haven't been a very good offense, the Hokies are a well-coached football team, and they are perhaps a bit more imaginative than you would at first think. If we really can shut down their interior running game with no problem, this isn't a staff dumb enough to keep futility running it straight into the line. They will mix things up and try something else, probably with Taylor operating almost solely from the shotgun. Moreover, again, they have used Boone in the Wildcat in the past (even with him throwing a pass once), and have at times lined Taylor up out wide and brought him down on jet sweeps. And, of course, with a mobile guy like Taylor, a bit of the option game is never out of the question. One way or the other, If things aren't going well, don't expect this coaching staff to just lay down and take it, they'll probably try a few things outside the box in an attempt to muster some offensive production.

That notwithstanding, though, it nevertheless looks to be a very tough night for the Hokie offense. For all of Taylor's dynamic athleticism and Boone's unique physical skill set, this is still a poor offense, and one that struggles to move the ball effectively. They have no real big play ability aside from Taylor's runs, and they cannot muster the kind of consistent production needed to methodically march the football down the field to put points on the board. Rest assured Taylor will make some big, incredibly frustrating plays -- at least frustrating for the 'Bama fans -- he's just too good an athlete not to. Likewise, Boone could be a tough match-up, and a few more guys in the Hokie rotation can get the job done. That will result in some good things happening, but again it's hard to see this unit having the consistent success needed to put any considerable number of points on the board. By all objective measures, this is a bad offense going up against a potentially great defense, and the strength of the Crimson Tide defense should dominate the night.

Wrapping Up Fall Camp

outsidethesidelines — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 18:44:51 -0000

With the start of Fall semester at The University of Alabama, Fall camp finally came to a close for the Crimson Tide. The grueling two-a-day sessions are now over with, and with a return to the classroom, life for the football players returns to essentially the "normal" in-season daily grind of early morning workouts, followed by classes all day, and evening practices almost to dusk. The Tide will scrimmage once again tomorrow, once again the following week, and after the completion of the final scrimmage, all eyes will officially turn to the season opener against Virginia Tech. Believe it or not, kick-off in Atlanta is a mere fifteen days away. Before we focus in on tomorrow's scrimmage, however, let's do a final wrap on Fall camp.

On the positive side of things, the most surprising thing to me about Fall camp was Nick Saban's particularly positive demeanor. Yes he did complain about a lack of effort in a couple of practices, and he did go nuts on a reporter a time or two, but all in all when Saban spoke of his team as a whole, as well as with regard to individual players, he was much more positive and optimistic than I've ever seen him. Part of this should be expected considering the team as a whole is still improving over what we were when he arrived, but nevertheless the reviews given by the ol' Nicktator seemed to be particularly glowing. He consistently talked about how many players were doing very well, and how talented they were, etc. If nothing else, it's hard for me or any other observer to overly complain about this team considering how highly Saban has spoken about them to date. It goes without saying that Saban himself is notoriously a harsh critic, so to please him requires a player (and a team) to meet a particularly demanding standard.

On a more somber tone, Injuries, of course, are everyone's major concern during this period, as nothing is ever more disheartening that losing a player for any extended period of time when we are, frankly, just playing with ourselves. Unfortunately, as Lombardi said, football is a collision sport and injuries are not a possibility but a certainty. To that end, Jeramie Griffin went down for the year with a torn ACL, and his loss is an unfortunate one because he is a very talented player. Fortunately, aside from Griffin's knee injury, the rest of the Tide remained quite healthy throughout the course of camp. There were some nagging injuries, but nothing major, and nothing expected to keep anyone out for an extended period of time.

At the quarterback position, Greg McElroy is clearly the starting quarterback, but the back-up job is still very much up in the air. In the first scrimmage last Saturday, all three candidates vying for the back-up job received approximately the same number of reps, and there is little separation. If I had to wager right now, a decision has not been made, and likely will not be made until after the third scrimmage. With no disrespect intended to Thomas Darrah, the battle is likely between A.J. McCarron and Star Jackson, but in all fairness it would be no major shock to see Darrah win the back-up job. On way or the other, though, performance in the coming eight days will decide who is the back-up, and to date all Fall camp has done is to underscore the uncertainty that we have with regard to who is actually going to win the back-up job.

The tailback position is likely just as much of an uncertainty. Clearly Mark Ingram is the starter, but from there it's hard to figure. Roy Upchurch will see a lot of playing time in some capacity, but even if he can stay healthy all year (something that he has never done before), there will still be a lot of carries to go around to another back, and to that end both Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy have had very impressive showings to date in Fall camp. Moreover, Saban has even said that Terry Grant has also done well, so perhaps he can find a niche role here as well. One way or the other, it's just really hard to say how things will shake out from here. Ingram will start and Upchurch will play a lot, but aside from that we have a great deal of uncertainty. Both Richardson and Lacy look excellent, but one of those likely will (and probably should) get a redshirt this year, and right now we simply do not know how that will play out. They are two very similar players in terms of physical skill sets, and they have both impressed. It could go either way, and again Grant remains a bit of an x-factor. Much like with the quarterback position, once we get past the starter at tailback, we really do not know how things will play out from there.

The offensive line looks to be relatively set. There is no doubt that James Carpenter has locked up the left tackle job, and likewise there is no doubt that Mike Johnson will start at left guard. William Vlachos was thought to be in a position battle coming into Fall camp, but if all indications we have are even remotely true, he has won that battle and is now effectively the unquestioned starting center moving on to Virginia Tech. Furthermore, Drew Davis seemingly has the right tackle job locked up, and those four linemen seem to be pretty much set in stone. D.J. Fluker has looked solid thus far, but he still needs some refinement, and barring a late surge, he may very well be looking at a redshirt season. At the very least, a starting job does not seem likely for him early in the season.With others who were expected to compete for a starting job, like David Ross, they seemingly have not been able to make much progress one way or the other towards a starting job. That may be bad news for them, but in all honesty it's probably a good sign for the Tide. Our back-up line now consists of the likes of John Michael Boswell, David Ross, D.J. Fluker, Tyler Love,and others, and frankly the second string figures to be better than any we've had in Tuscaloosa in ages.

The big opening on the offensive line has been at right guard, where Alfred McCullough spent most of the early part of Fall running with the first unit, and where Barrett Jones has spent the latter part of Fall running with the first unit. As of right now, most expect that Jones will win the starting job, but I'll be brutally honest... all of this has came as a major surprise to me. Coming into the Fall, it was thought to be a three-way battle for the starting job between Chance Warmack, Bryan Motley, and John Michael Boswell, with the possibility of David Ross joining the fray if he moved back from center. McCullough wasn't even in the picture, and neither was Jones. In fact, I specifically wrote that I felt that Jones was still a year away from making a major contribution. I really have no idea as to what to make of this development, and I'm not even going to feign for one second that I do. For better or for worse, the starting line going to Atlanta will seemingly be (going left to right): James Carpenter, Mike Johnson, William Vlachos, Barrett Jones, and Drew Davis. That seems to be the starting five that we will sink or swim with.

The wide receiver position has underdone a massive overhaul in the past year, and the quality depth at the position is really starting to show off. Julio Jones will be the cornerstone of the corps, of course, but Marquis Maze, Darius Hanks, Earl Alexander, and Mike McCoy are all seemingly progressing very well in their own right, and the incoming group of true freshmen have been very impressive as well. This Fall, I think, has shown us that Chris Jackson probably had good reason for transferring... it's going to be very hard for anyone to crack this group and get some legitimate meaningful playing time in the near future.

Of the true freshman at wide receiver, seemingly the most likely to earn playing time at this point is Kevin Norwood. The Mississippi native has had a very productive Fall camp, and Saban himself even explicitly said after the first scrimmage that he was the most consistent of the true freshmen receivers. Moreover, in the media session shortly thereafter, Norwood was spotted working with the first unit at wide receiver, something that we have not seen out of any of the other three true freshman wide receivers, Kendall Kelly, Michael Bowman, and Kenny Bell. Now, to be sure, both Kelly and Bowman have impressed to date, and both are physically ready to play at the college level, but at some point a redshirt becomes an increasingly attractive option. In other words, those guys may play, but unless you figure that they can do enough to play a significant number of snaps, a redshirt is probably the better route to go. For now, Norwood seems to be the only true freshman wide receiver almost guaranteed to play from the start.

And speaking of Kenny Bell, expect him to redshirt. Saban recently said that he was suffering from shin splints and that he was going to be in a boot for about a week. That injury is particularly difficult for a guy like Bell who relies so heavily on his raw speed. Shin splints usually just need a lot of time off to heal, and I imagine that is what the doctor will order for Bell. Combine that with the inherent difficulty in cracking the line-up with the quality of this receiver corps, not to mention the unanimous opinion that Bell needs to add some weight in the S&C program, and I think you can almost be entirely certain at this point that Bell will redshirt.

The defensive line just continues to get better and better, and depth is just continuing to grow even further. The starting front three boasts three high-end players, and the back-ups at the end positions really do not consitute any real drop-off. Marcel Dareus and Luther Davis are probably the two best back-up defensive ends in the conference, and those two would probably be starting on at least half of the other SEC teams. Furthermore, the rest of the rotation has filled out as well. Damien Square continues to impress, and incoming true freshman Chris Bonds has finally gotten healthy (big news for someone with his raw ability). Darrington Sentimore has already drawn rave reviews from the upperclassmen, and Brandon Moore looks good as well. Furthermore, Kerry Murphy -- despite the setbacks stemming from the recent tragic murder of his brother -- has done a great job in the past year in the S&C program, and a role can be found for him somewhere. The truth of the matter is that this line looks incredibly good. Even with it being only a base three-man front, we nevertheless still have around ten different high-quality players that we can rotate in and out at will.

Despite talk of Dont'a Hightower moving to Jack linebacker, that does not look to be coming to fruition. He will be moving outside in passing situations, no doubt there, but his base alignment will nevertheless come inside at the Will position, where he will once again be starting alongside Mike linebacker Rolando McClain. Chris Jordan has continued his development this Fall, and with the addition of Nico Johnson at inside linebacker -- not to mention the possible contributions at the position from Tana Patrick and Jerrell Harris -- we have a deep rotation at the inside 'backer position.

With Hightower staying inside, that essentially creates a battle between Courtney Upshaw and Eryk Anders for the starting job at Jack linebacker. Without doubt, Anders is clearly the team's best pass rusher off the edge, and he is going to play a lot this year regardless. However, the smart money is probably on Upshaw being the starter and more of the every-down player. For all of his edge rushing abilities, Anders is definitely on the small side, and Upshaw likely presents a better option on running downs. And, of course, it should go without saying that Upshaw is a talented pass rusher in his own right. I doubt it matters a whole lot one way or the other considering that both are going to see a lot of playing time regardless, but from the looks of things, the smart money is probably on Upshaw being the starting Jack linebacker for the bulk of the season.

The Sam linebacker position, however, has been pretty quiet all throughout camp. Cory Reamer returns and he can certainly play the position, but honestly with guys like Nico Johnson and the continued development of Jerrell Harris, we have better athletes who can play the position right now. Reamer is a smart, hard-working kid who is going to get a good deal of playing time regardless, but I expected to hear more out of this position. Chavis Williams is likely facing a now-or-never situation, and the aforementioned Harris looked like the prototype player for the position this Spring. Again, I think Reamer will play a lot regardless, but I wouldn't be surprised to see his playing time get chipped away at somewhat throughout the course of the season.

The defensive backfield has largely remained the same, particularly with the corners. Kareem Jackson and Javier Arenas look to start yet again, and Marquis Johnson also looks likely to continue being the most underrated player on the team, as he continues to generally give solid play despite vast outcries from fans completely shocked that Saban hasn't forced him to transfer to the Institute of the Blind, Deaf, and Disabled. All three of those players are upperclassmen with a plethora of experience, and they will see lots of quality playing time this year, no doubt about it. However, do expect Dre Kirkpatrick to make a contribution immediately. The consensus opinion is that Kirkpatrick has, without doubt, had the most impressive Fall camp to date of any true freshman, and he's going to play a lot this season. I look at it this way: right now we have five good, quality cornerbacks on this roster... Kareem Jackson, Javier Arenas, Marquis Johnson, Dre Kirkpatrick, and Burton Scott. When was the last time we could legitimately say that?

The safety position also looks to be quite settled, as Coach Saban explicitly came out and said recently that we effectively have three starters at safety: Justin Woodall, Robby Green, and Mark Barron. Woodall will play the strong safety role, whereas Green and Barron will play free. And, frankly, based on what we have seen lately, I think that Barron will probably get the start over Green against Virginia Tech and for most of the year as well. Though Barron is a great athlete in his own right, his tendencies are likely suited slightly more to the run, while Green would specialize slightly more against the pass. Both will see a ton of meaningful playing time either way, but the smart money is Barron being in the game more in running situations, with Green playing more in obvious passing situations. Now, with that basic insight, do the math... Virginia Tech was a horrendous passing team last year, and probably won't be very good in that regard this year either. And most of the other teams on the schedule are likely not going to have great quarterback play either, and will also look to establish the run. I think that probably leads to Barron starting most of the time, and getting slightly more playing time than Green.

All in all, when looking back on Fall Camp '09, it's hard to complain too much about the things going on in Tuscaloosa. We probably have more raw talent on the field than we've had since 1992, and quality depth is emerging almost everywhere. The incoming true freshman class looks incredibly talented, and even Coach Saban is pleased. No one knows exactly what the 2009 season will bring, and make no mistake about it, success is still by no means guaranteed. Nevertheless, with Fall camp now in the rear view mirror, things have seemingly gone as well as we could have reasonably expected.

2009 Alabama Fall Football Roster (as of 8-5-09)

kleph — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:05:56 -0000

You know Alabama football is starting to get crackin' when the first fall roster is released. And, lo and behold, here it be... all 105 players who have officially reported for fall practice as of yesterday.

Number	Name	Pos.	Class HT.	WT.	Hometown/Last School
82	Earl Alexander	WR	Jr. 6-4	212	Phenix City, Ala./Central
32	Eryk Anders	LB	Sr. 6-2	235	San Antonio, Texas/Smithson Valley
28	Javier Arenas	DB	Sr. 5-9	195	Tampa, Fla./Robinson
49	Jonathan Atchison	LB	Fr. 6-2	220	Atlanta, Ga./Douglass
4	Mark Barron	DB	So. 6-2	214	Mobile, Ala./St. Paul's
7	Kenny Bell	WR	Fr. 6- 1	160	Rayville, La./Rayville
44	Alex Benson	LB	Sr. 6- 1	225	Trussville, Ala./Hewitt-Trussville
86	Undra Billingsley	TE	Fr. 6-2	276	Birmingham, Ala./Woodlawn
93	Chris Bonds	DL	Fr. 6-4	280	Columbia, S.C./Richland Northeast HS
67	John Michael Boswell	OL	So. 6-5	306	Northport, Ala./Tuscaloosa County
88	Michael Bowman	WR	Fr. 6-4	210	Rossville, Ga./Ridgeland
87	Drew Bullard	LB	Jr. 6-3	238	Florence, Ala./Florence
77	James Carpenter	OL	Jr. 6-5	300	Augusta, Ga./Coffeyville[Kan.] CC/Hephzibah
99	Josh Chapman	DL	So. 6-1	313	Hoover, Ala./Hoover
62	Terrence Cody	DL	Sr. 6-5	354	Fort Myers, Fla./Gulf Coast C.C,/Riverdale
57	Marcell Dareus	DL	So. 6-4	296	Huffman, Ala./Huffman
16	Thomas Darrah	QB	So. 6-5	227	Newnan, Ga./Newnan
79	Drew Davis	OL	Sr. 6-7	306	Evergreen, Ala./Sparta Academy
96	Luther Davis	DL	Jr. 6-3	275	West Monroe, La./West Monroe
95	Brandon Deaderick	DL	Sr. 6-4	306	Elizabethtown, Ky./Elizabethtown
51	Michael DeJohn	LB	Jr. 6- 1	241	Hoover, Ala./Hoover
85	Preston Dial	TE	Ir. 6-3	233	Mobile, Ala./UMS-Wright
40	DeMarcus DuBose	LB	So. 6-1	232	Montgomery, Ala./Jefferson Davis
13	Rob Ezell	WR	Jr. 5-10	170	Athens, Ala./Athens
97	P.J. Fitzgerald	P	Sr. 5-11	204	Coral Springs, Fla./Stoneman Douglas
76	D.J. Fluker	OL	Fr. 6-6	340	Foley, Ala./Foley
58	Nick Gentry	DL	So. 6-1	264	Prattville, Ala./Prattville
11	Brandon Gibson	WR	So. 6-2	192	Mobile, Ala./UMS-Wright
6	Demetrius Goode	RB	So. 5-9	191	LaGrange, Ga./Troup/Hargrave
29	Terry Grant	RB	Jr. 5-10	190	Lumberton, Miss./Lumberton
33	Hampton Gray	DB	Sr. 6- 2	196	Northport, Ala./Tuscaloosa County
23	Robby Green	DB	So. 6-0	181	New Orleans, La./John Curtis Christian
34	Jeramie Griffin	RB	So. 6-2	224	Batesville, Miss./South Panola
15	Darius Hanks	WR	So. 6-0	184	Norcross, Ga./Norcross
54	Glenn Harbin	DL	Fr. 6-5	257	Mobile, Ala./McGill-Toolen
5	Jerrell Harris	LB	So. 6-3	227	Gadsden, Ala./Gadsden City
30	Dont'a Hightower	LB	So. 6-4	255	Lewisburg, TennJMarshall County
40	Baron Huber	RB/TE	Sr. 6-4	263	Knoxville, Tenn./Powell
22	Mark Ingram	RB	So. 5-10	212	Flint, Mich./Southwestern Academy
3	Kareem Jackson	DB	Jr. 6-0	193	Macon, Ga./Westside/Fork Union
2	Star Jackson	QB	Fr. 6-3	206	Lake Worth, Fla./Lake Worth
24	Marquis Johnson	DB	Sr. 5-11	191	Sarasota, Fla./Booker
78	Mike Johnson	OL	Sr. 6-5	303	Pensacola, Fla./Pine Forest
35	Nico Johnson	LB	Fr. 6-3	225	Andalusia, Ala./Andalusia
75	Barrett Jones	OL	R-Fr. 6-4	289	Memphis, Tenn./Evangelical Christian School
8	Julio Jones	WR	So. 6-4	211	Foley, Ala./Foley
26	Phelon Jones	DB	So. 5-11	195	Mobile, Ala./LSU/McGilk-Toolen
36	Chris Jordan	LB	So. 6-3	230	Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood Academy
81	Kendall Kelly	WR	Fr. 6-3	216	Gadsden, Ala./Gadsden City
20	Tyrone King	DB	Sr. 5-11	203	Birmingham, Ala./Grambling State/Minor
21	Dre Kirkpatrick	DB	Fr. 6-3	185	Gadsden, Ala./Gadsden City
42	Eddie Lacy	RB	Fr. 6-0	210	Geismar, La./Dutchtown
37	Robert Lester	DB	Fr. 6-2	207	Foley, Ala./Foley
72	Tyler Love	0 L	R-Fr. 6-6	303	Mountain Brook, Ala,/Mountain Brook
33	Mike Marrow	RB-HB	Fr. 6-2	240	Holland, Ohio/Central Catholic
4	Marquis Maze	WR	So. 5-10	179	Birmingham, Ala./Tarrant
10	A.J. McCarron	QB	Fr. 6-4	190	Mobile, Ala./Saint Paul's Episcopal School
25	Rolando McClain	LB	Ir. 6-4	255	Decatur, Ala./Decatur
80	Mike McCoy	WR	Sr. 6-3	215	Rankin, Miss./Northwest
52	Alfred McCullough	OL	So. 6-2	305	Athens, Ala./Athens
12	Greg McElroy	QB	Jr. 6-3	220	Southlake, Texas/Southlake Carroll
56	William Ming	DL	Fr. 6-3	260	Athens, Ala./Athens
59	Brandon Moore	DL	Fr. 6-5	310	Montgomery, Ala./Carver
66	Brian Motley	OL	Jr. 6-3	291	Autaugaville, Ala./Autaugaville
64	Kerry Murphy .	DL	Fr. 6-4	323	Hoover, Ala./Hargrave/Hoover
46	Wesley Neighbors	DB	So. 6-1	210	Huntsville, Ala./Huntsville
83	Kevin Norwood	WR	Fr. 6-2	180	D'lberville, Miss./DiIberville
18	Morgan Ogilvie	QB	So. 6-0	195	Mountain Brook, Ala./Mountain Brook
2	Tana Patrick	LB	Fr. 6-3	235	Bridgeport, Ala./North Jackson
84	Colin Peek	TE	Sr. 6-6	255	Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./Georgia Tech/Bolles
39	Kyle Pennington	DB	Jr. 5-11	188	Chatom, Ala./Washington County
68	Taylor Pharr	OL	Jr. 6-6	290	Irondale, Ala./Shades Valley
54	Russell Rains	OL	Fr. 6-2	260	Satsuma, Ala./SaWuma
13	Cory Reamer	LB	Sr. 6-4	234	Hoover, Ala./Hoover
3	Trent Richardson	RB	Fr. 5-11	220	Pensacola, Fla./Escambia
8	Chris Rogers	DB	Sr. 6-0	190	Lakeland, Fla./Evangel Christian
74	David Ross	OL	Jr. 6-3	299	Homewood, Ala./Homewood
1	B.J. Scott	DB	So. 5-11	196	Prichard, Ala./Vigor
46	Chris Scott	WR	Sr. 5-11	170	Birmingham, Ala./Ramsay
50	Brian Selman	SNP	Sr. 6-0	210	Vestavia Hills, Ala./Vestavia Hills
94	Darrington Sentimore	DL	Fr. 6-3	280	Norco, La./Destrehan
26	Ali Sharrief	DB	Sr. 5-9	200	Stevenson, Ala./North Jackson
94	Jeremy Shelley	PK	Fr. 5-10	170	Raleigh, N.C./Broughton
48	Travis Sikes	WR	Jr. 6-3	198	Nashville, Tenn./Christ Presbyterian
71	Allen Skelton	OL	So. 6-1	265	Coker, Ala./Tuscaloosa County
17	Brad Smelley	TE	So. 6-3	233	Tuscaloosa, Ala./American Christian
92	Damion Square	DL	Fr. 6-3	272	Houston, TexaslYates
61	Anthony Steen	OL-DL	Fr. 6-3	305	Lambert, Miss./Lee Academy
47	Ed Stinson	LB-DL	Fr. 6-4	240	Homestead, Fla./South Dade
90	Milton Talbert	DL	Jr. 6-4	275	Hattiesburg, Miss./Hattiesburg
99	Leigh Tiffin	PK	Sr. 6-2	212	Muscle Shoals, Ala./Muscle Shoals
51	Carson Tinker	ST	So. 6-1	220	Murfreesboro, Tenn./Riverdale
87	Chris Underwood	TE	So. 6-4	231	Birmingham, Ala./Vestavia Hills
5	Roy Upchurch	RB	Sr. 6-0	205	Tallahassee, Fla./Godby
41	Courtney Upshaw	LB	So. 6-2	249	Eufaula, Ala./Eufaula
73	William Vlachos	OL	Jr- 6-1	294	Birmingham, Ala./Mountain Brook
65	Chance Warmack	OL	Fr. 6-3	301	Atlanta, Ga./Westlake
97	Lorenzo Washington	DL	Sr. 6-5	290	Logansville, Ga./Hargrave
91	Alex Watkins	LB	So. 6-3	225	Brownsville, Tenn./Haywood
55	Chavis Williams	LB	Jr. 6-4	223	Dora, Ala./Dora
60	David Williams	OL	Fr. 6-3	272	Duncanville, Ala./Hillcrest
89	Michael Williams	TE	Fr. 6-6	266	Reform, Ala./Pickens County
9	Nick Williams	WR	Fr. 5-10	165	Fort Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas
27	Justin Woodall	DB	Sr. 6-2	221	Oxford, Miss./Lafayette
18	Rod Woodson	DB	Fr. 5-11	200	Olfve Branch, Miss./Olive Branch

Post-Spring Previews: Alabama

Gamecock Man — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 03:02:54 -0000

After taking on Kentucky at home, Carolina has to travel to Tuscaloosa to take on Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide. For all the love going towards Ole Miss this off season, this game against 'Bama will most likely be the second most difficult game on the schedule, IMO. As CFN points out in regards to the Tide,

The season will be a success if ... the Tide wins the SEC title. It's asking too much to have the same regular season two years in a row with all the same injury breaks and after the SEC was down last year. But the schedule isn't bad and the team is loaded with talent and depth. So the team is better, the schedule is better, and the program will be more motivated than ever after how last year ended. Bama can't be shooting any lower than an SEC title as the goal.

This is a team that has the tools and coach to go all the way, despite the lackluster finish to last season and the fact that they lost a few offensive play makers like John Parker Wilson and Glen Coffee. A win would be an unqualified upset for us, even if we turn out to have a pretty solid team.

Let's take a look at how we match up against these guys.

Offense

Quarterback

Now that longtime starter John Parker Wilson has moved on, the Tide are looking to junior Greg McElroy to lead them to another SEC West crown. McElroy appears to be a master in the art of patience, as he also served as a longtime backup in high school to former Missouri Heisman contender Chase Daniel. McElroy has played well in mop-up duty at 'Bama and was able to take a firm hold of the starting job in spring practice despite the presence of highly recruited talents like Star Jackson on the 'Bama depth chart. McElroy's job, much like Wilson's was, will be to play the role of game manager, as the Tide's offense will again rely on a strong down-field rushing attack. Based on what we've seen so far (which is little, admittedly), McElroy looks admirably suited to doing well in the 'Bama system. While he doesn't have a huge arm, he 's accurate and makes good decisions. I'd call this a push; Stephen Garcia looks to be a little more physically talent than McElroy and may surpass McElroy as the season progresses, but McElroy gets the benefit of the doubt because he's yet to show the kinds of decision making problems that Garcia showed late last season.

Verdict: Push

Running Backs

Now that star tailback Glen Coffee has left Tuscaloosa for the NFL, the Tide will need to find identity in their backfield. They'll likely employ a committee approach, much like us. Mark Ingram will probably be the number one guy; he rushed for over 700 yards as the second back in last year's rotation. Ingram pulled his hamstring and missed part of spring practice but will be ready to go in the fall. Other backs include Roy Upchurch, Terry Grant, and incoming freshman Trent Richardson, who was one of 2009's top recruiting targets. While losing Coffee hurts somewhat, it should be apparent by now that 'Bama has the talent to have another strong rushing offense. I think we're going to have a better running game this year, but we have a slight to strong disadvantage in this comparison.