Link: AJ McCarron to Return for Senior Season at Alabama

rgw

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I almost forget about Jalston because he participated so shortly this season but he truly was a dynamic that changed our offense. I imagine we would have seen some interesting personnel groupings with him. For example, splitting Yeldon/Lacy wide and lining him up at tailback for a 3-WR formation to get defenses out of position. He was as good of a pure lead blocker we've had at H-Back since Saban arrived, so traditional I-form type rushes would have been a great counter to defending our singleback runs.

I don't think you could say Fowler was "sorely missed" because the offense has hummed along fine but he was certainly a true hybrid player that gave us some unique and potentially very effective multiples on offense. I expect Fowler will be a big factor next year assuming he can get back to 100% by next Fall.
 

TIDE-HSV

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I almost forget about Jalston because he participated so shortly this season but he truly was a dynamic that changed our offense. I imagine we would have seen some interesting personnel groupings with him. For example, splitting Yeldon/Lacy wide and lining him up at tailback for a 3-WR formation to get defenses out of position. He was as good of a pure lead blocker we've had at H-Back since Saban arrived, so traditional I-form type rushes would have been a great counter to defending our singleback runs.

I don't think you could say Fowler was "sorely missed" because the offense has hummed along fine but he was certainly a true hybrid player that gave us some unique and potentially very effective multiples on offense. I expect Fowler will be a big factor next year assuming he can get back to 100% by next Fall.
On the few times this season we've struggled a bit on offense, usually short yardage situations, the first thought which has occurred to me has been that it wouldn't be happening if we had JF healthy...
 

bamafaninOhiO

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On the few times this season we've struggled a bit on offense, usually short yardage situations, the first thought which has occurred to me has been that it wouldn't be happening if we had JF healthy...
He's one of the more underrated/undervalued players on the team to me...
he's not gonna put up crazy stats or highlight reel runs, but he's a grinder who makes other players better by playing his part.
 

rgw

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On the few times this season we've struggled a bit on offense, usually short yardage situations, the first thought which has occurred to me has been that it wouldn't be happening if we had JF healthy...
Yep. The formation multiples might have created some issues, specifically that 3-WR look out of base personnel. Theoretically, you can get a OLB or safety on the slot receiver like Cooper. We really probably needed Fowler the most when Lacy got his bell rung in the TAMU game (the lack of the flag sucked in that spot but it wasn't going to give him his lucidity back). The way TAMU was playing the run, we needed a guy like Lacy or Fowler more than Yeldon in that game. The back was going to have to take on the unblock guy in the hole and hammer his way for effective yardage. Yeldon is good at breaking tackles on the edge but I think Lacy and Fowler were more adept at hammering out yards between the tackles at this point of their respective careers.

All that said, only missing a guy as talented as Fowler in one goal-to-go series is a testament to the talent on this team.
 

TIDE-HSV

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Yep. The formation multiples might have created some issues, specifically that 3-WR look out of base personnel. Theoretically, you can get a OLB or safety on the slot receiver like Cooper. We really probably needed Fowler the most when Lacy got his bell rung in the TAMU game (the lack of the flag sucked in that spot but it wasn't going to give him his lucidity back). The way TAMU was playing the run, we needed a guy like Lacy or Fowler more than Yeldon in that game. The back was going to have to take on the unblock guy in the hole and hammer his way for effective yardage. Yeldon is good at breaking tackles on the edge but I think Lacy and Fowler were more adept at hammering out yards between the tackles at this point of their respective careers.

All that said, only missing a guy as talented as Fowler in one goal-to-go series is a testament to the talent on this team.
Yeldon is just going to be a different kind of back and it's going to be very nice to have Fowler back to complement him. I have no doubt that TJ will thicken up before next season, but he's just not ever going to have the leg drive that EL, TR, MI and Fowler have. He's a little too upright. That doesn't mean that he might not out-gain all of them with his nifty moves in the hole that he probably couldn't make with more forward lean. So far, to me, Drake seems to resemble TJ more than any of the others. By the time Fowler graduates, here comes Henry... :D
 

rgw

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We're starting to get to the point USC reached before Carroll departed. It was almost a joke to look at their tailback depth chart. I suppose some across the nation already see us in that way but it is getting a little absurd even to me. We're going to lose Lacy but Yeldon and Fowler come back with experience and talent. Drake is kind of in that position Lacy experienced in 2010 where there just wasn't enough snaps for him to contribute greatly. Tenpenny, Jones, and Henry are all studs...we could have a late-cycle turn on Tenpenny (who may be one of the best talents in the nation) and it wouldn't really hurt us at all (we only have the all-time HS rusher coming in too).

EDIT: And I forgot Dee Hart...
 

bamacon

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We're starting to get to the point USC reached before Carroll departed. It was almost a joke to look at their tailback depth chart. I suppose some across the nation already see us in that way but it is getting a little absurd even to me. We're going to lose Lacy but Yeldon and Fowler come back with experience and talent. Drake is kind of in that position Lacy experienced in 2010 where there just wasn't enough snaps for him to contribute greatly. Tenpenny, Jones, and Henry are all studs...we could have a late-cycle turn on Tenpenny (who may be one of the best talents in the nation) and it wouldn't really hurt us at all (we only have the all-time HS rusher coming in too).

EDIT: And I forgot Dee Hart...
And Bo Scarborough. Dude is a Junior and is some kinda thick.
 

AlexanderFan

Hall of Fame
Jul 23, 2004
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Copy/Paste this year's stats to next year, already two BCSNC rings (possible third I'm not going to jinx) and a Win/Loss record that's out of this world, does AJ go down as the best Alabama quarterback ever?
 

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