Thoughts on 2013's Defense.

Snuffy Smith

All-American
Sep 12, 2012
3,539
641
162
Huntsville, AL
Had we had one or two guys near the pass rushing ability of a Clowney, Porter or Montgomery our defense would have been better than last year. I don't know who steps up or if we find one via JUCO but it's the most important defensive issue we have.

ND had 270 yds in passing and virtually every one of the pass plays our secondary had about as good a coverage as you can have short of interference. An effective pass rush could have cut that total in half.
This is what gets me when they say our secondary is suspect. Our lack of a pass rush this year has put our secondary in tough coverage situations.


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RollTide1224

All-American
Feb 18, 2008
2,385
87
67
Spartanburg, SC
I think Pettway is going to be a pass rushing force sooner than later. He had a sack last night, and has been extremely quick off the ball all year when he's gotten the opportunity. He finished the year with 3.5 sacks in very limited duty.
I really like Pettway he seems to be incredibly quick and just really have the knack for getting to the passer. Against Mississippi St. on the goaline he is the one who forced the throw that Lester intercepted. That play really made me say wow. He also was the first guy to make contact on the critical 4th down stop we had late against LSU. He has had pretty good big play production in limited time. I would guess that consistency in doing his job on all plays is his biggest issue before he becomes a full time starter.

I also like Devall he really showed some good pass rush ability to me at times throughout the year.

I hope Hubbard improves because he has tons of ability, but a lot of times to me he just seems slow or not that aggresive (he also seemed to be the bionic man this year with elbow and legs wraps growing in size throughout the season). Maybe I'm wrong but he has rarely made the big plays I think we need out of that position. I would not be surprised if he is pushed hard by others at least on pass rushing downs.

I'm really not too worried about the LB's and secondary I think we have plenty of talent there to get the job done. The biggest question for me on the defense is how all the young DL we have on the team that have been waiting for an opportunity take advantage of the available playing time.
 

RollTide1224

All-American
Feb 18, 2008
2,385
87
67
Spartanburg, SC
First, you guys have won 3 of the last 4 BCS championships without a great pass rush, so I am not sure why you are so concerned about this. That said, the 3/4 defense is designed to stop the run (works, right? :wink:) and, on passing downs, get pressure on the QB by collapsing the pocket - by having a NG and DT who are capable of pushing the center and guards back into the QB. Not sure that you have that kind of player on this team (or in the incoming recruiting class). Most of your sacks come off the edge and are a result of a blitz. That probably isn't going to change in 2013. But that isn't going to limit your success.
We finished tied for 16th in the country for sacks. We were only 3 sacks away from being in the top 10. So honestly we aren't that far off from having a great pass rush. I think what people are more looking for is that one player to step up that really causes headaches for the defense like we had with Upshaw. Most people think that we have the potential among some of the younger guys to have a little bit better pass rush.

Plenty of 3-4 teams in the NFL rush the passer in a dominant way. There is no reason to think that we aren't capable of doing the same with the right mix of players.
 

bonehouse81

All-SEC
Jun 30, 2006
1,206
0
0
Clarksville, TN
Big questions for the '13 D:

1. Can Ivory/Lake/player X give us what we need at NG?

2. Can we develop at least 3 (preferably 4) CBs we can really count on?

3. Can someone (Landon Collins?) improve our coverage ability at safety?

I see our DEs and LBs as good to go, with our pash rush seeing at least some improvement with Pagan, Devall and Pettway getting more seasoning and more snaps.
 

smohabbat

Scout Team
Oct 13, 2011
147
0
0
I've been thinking Pagan takes SDE, where do you think Pettway ends up? Wins SDE or takes WDE from Stinson?
I think Pettway ends up winning it from Pagan honestly and Stinson keeps his spot for the start of the season at least.
 

smohabbat

Scout Team
Oct 13, 2011
147
0
0
Big questions for the '13 D:

1. Can Ivory/Lake/player X give us what we need at NG?

2. Can we develop at least 3 (preferably 4) CBs we can really count on?

3. Can someone (Landon Collins?) improve our coverage ability at safety?

I see our DEs and LBs as good to go, with our pash rush seeing at least some improvement with Pagan, Devall and Pettway getting more seasoning and more snaps.

HaHa is a great safety and outplayed Sunseri the whole year despite the fact Sunseri saw significant time on defense his freshman year unlike HaHa. Collins needs to and is going to replace Sunseri or without a doubt Collins is going to transfer. he's too talented to be playing strictly on ST. Sunseri can be worked into dime packages and blitzing 3rd downs. He should be the captain of our ST unit too.
 

CrimsonEyeshade

Hall of Fame
Nov 6, 2007
5,409
1,520
187
HaHa is a great safety and outplayed Sunseri the whole year despite the fact Sunseri saw significant time on defense his freshman year unlike HaHa. Collins needs to and is going to replace Sunseri or without a doubt Collins is going to transfer. he's too talented to be playing strictly on ST. Sunseri can be worked into dime packages and blitzing 3rd downs. He should be the captain of our ST unit too.
There's talent, and there's figuring out the playbook. Every year at Alabama, we're reminded about the distance between the two in the back lines of the defense.
 

ohiotide14

1st Team
Jan 3, 2012
341
0
0
Youngstown, OH
defense will be much more seasoned. alot of returning guys with experience. fanning is somone to watch. i dont worry too much about the secondary, they took their lumps this year and will be much improved next year. everyone we lose we will fill with a player that has seen a good amount of pt already. this defense will be great. better than this years. injuries always play a part but as of now they will be great. tomlinson was going to contribute this year and will next. haha made major strides. this defense will be studly. not counting any incoming freshmen who could contribute. one of sabans defenses when its all said and done.
 

rgw

Suspended
Sep 15, 2003
20,852
1,351
232
Tuscaloosa
Landon Collins clearly has ability...he's been a big-time special teams guy this year. HaHa couldn't see the field in 2011, Barron couldn't see the field in 2008. They played on special teams and that was it. I think Collins is going to challenge for Lester's former spot. I haven't been that impressed with Perry, so the possibility is there for him.
 

RTR91

Super Moderator
Nov 23, 2007
39,407
6
0
Prattville
Big questions for the '13 D:



2. Can we develop at least 3 (preferably 4) CBs we can really count on?
The top 3 DBs for 2013 look to be Belue, Fulton, and Smith. Belue and Fulton enter their senior year of college with a pretty nice amount of experience. I've noticed with the Bama secondary a player only gets better from playing in it. Nick Perry said it himself during the week of the Arkansas game. These guys only learn the system by actually playing it and not just constantly looking at the playbook or game film.
 

bonehouse81

All-SEC
Jun 30, 2006
1,206
0
0
Clarksville, TN
HaHa is a great safety and outplayed Sunseri the whole year despite the fact Sunseri saw significant time on defense his freshman year unlike HaHa. Collins needs to and is going to replace Sunseri or without a doubt Collins is going to transfer. he's too talented to be playing strictly on ST. Sunseri can be worked into dime packages and blitzing 3rd downs. He should be the captain of our ST unit too.
HaHa made a lot of progress as the year unfolded. However, it seems like he tends to either misjudge balls in the air or is a little slow to break on the ball. Hopefully he can continue to improve his ball skills, though it's been said that a lot of playing the ball in the air is natural -- you either have it or you don't. I'd like to see him put on a few more pounds as well.

I'm hopeful Collins can give a huge boost to our athleticism/man-to-man coverage ability at safety. Lester/Perry/Sunseri were all able to be picked on when matched up in man.
 

rgw

Suspended
Sep 15, 2003
20,852
1,351
232
Tuscaloosa
I think sometimes HaHa has thought he could undercut the receiver for an interception when a simple tackle or contest was the best play. He's got natural ability but perhaps he's a little overconfident at times. He was all over the field Monday and demonstrated the kind of player he could be. It's no small thing that he played his best two games in two championships.

HaHa and Geno gave the secondary a big lift down the stretch after the troubles in early November.
 

rgw

Suspended
Sep 15, 2003
20,852
1,351
232
Tuscaloosa
HaHa made a lot of progress as the year unfolded. However, it seems like he tends to either misjudge balls in the air or is a little slow to break on the ball. Hopefully he can continue to improve his ball skills, though it's been said that a lot of playing the ball in the air is natural -- you either have it or you don't. I'd like to see him put on a few more pounds as well.

I'm hopeful Collins can give a huge boost to our athleticism/man-to-man coverage ability at safety. Lester/Perry/Sunseri were all able to be picked on when matched up in man.
Very few safeties are passable in man coverage situations. I just hope he can bring an enforcer mentality back to the safety spot we lost with Barron. If we can lock down something steady at the 3rd corner spot, I expect that we will see less safety on receiver stuff in 2013.
 

Bamaglory

1st Team
Dec 8, 2005
484
147
62
55
NT is the position I am most concerned about. I noticed a dropoff when Ivory came in. Hopefully Lake can make a big jump in his second year. We must have a dominant NT to stop the run. I am a little surprised we are not going after a JUCO to fill the need for at least competition here. I hate to say it, but AU just picked up a good looking JUCO NT type player and I watched his tape. Looked very good to me.
 

bonehouse81

All-SEC
Jun 30, 2006
1,206
0
0
Clarksville, TN
Very few safeties are passable in man coverage situations. I just hope he can bring an enforcer mentality back to the safety spot we lost with Barron. If we can lock down something steady at the 3rd corner spot, I expect that we will see less safety on receiver stuff in 2013.
Yeah, it's easy to get spoiled after watching Barron be the total package at safety for three years. :) I really like the way HaHa developed after not really playing at all his freshman year. I expect his upward arc to continue, to the point where he'll have a decision to make regarding the NFL after next season.
 

rgw

Suspended
Sep 15, 2003
20,852
1,351
232
Tuscaloosa
Personally, I thought Ivory handled NT very well this season. I feel good about what we have in Pettway, Pagan, and Ivory. Stinson will be the veteran of the front but I think Pagan and Pettway will get A LOT of snaps. One of them will start and the other is going to spell in quite a bit. Potentially, we could see a more effective push from the DEs next season. The LBs will end up making most of the sacks but a good pocket pinch can't be underrated in this scheme.
 

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