I've been a frequent visitor to tidefans for years and I thought it was time to get involved. With the dust beginning to settle on the season, it feels like the right time to debate this question (which I don't think has been posted before)…
Who would you include in an All-Saban team from his time at Alabama?
For the D I've just done it as the 3-4 base D, although I'd welcome any suggestions for the best Money or Star etc. Wanted to just make it 11 on each side (hence no slot receiver etc)
After the latest season it's getting harder and harder to pick, but here goes…
QB - AJ McCarron (This one isn't really up for debate anymore)
RB - Trent Richardson (Ridiculous to leave the Heisman winner off the first team, but I would put him behind the runner Richardson was in the 2nd NC winning squad). Ingram would be my backup, just ahead of Lacy (partly due to Lacy's problems with health)
HB - Brad Smelley
WR - Julio Jones
WR - Amari Cooper (Tough to leave off Maze, but Cooper is just phenomenal. Everything he does is so smooth. I think he becomes the greatest WR of the modern era by the end of his career.)
TE - Michael Williams
LT - Andre Smith (To be honest I'd probably rather have Cyrus, but I guess I wanted to not make it simply the 2012 line! Plus Andre in his prime - and when his mind was engaged - was well ahead of the talent that was on the roster in Saban's early days. I fully expect Cyrus to be the only choice by the end of next year)
LG - Chance Warmack (I hate to leave off a leader like Mike Johnson, but Warmack is just too dominant for there to be any debate)
C - William Vlachos (This is really just the way I've chosen to do it for organization, and I think B Jones was better, but Vlachos was Center for 2 NC wins so he deserves to be included. Very difficult to leave off Antoine Caldwell too)
RG - Barrett Jones (Placed him here because it was a toss up between Vlachos and Steen... gotta make good use of his versatility!)
RT - DJ Fluker
* The fact that I can leave off Carpenter, Cyrus K, Steen, Caldwell and Mike Johnson shows how unbelievably good our O-Line has been since Saban got here.
Defence
DE's - Wallace Gilberry and Marcel Dareus (So much for the argument about no pass rush from the DE position)
NG - Terrance Cody (Love Jesse W, it's another toss up, just think that as a pure NG Cody was slightly better, although obviously Williams can do so much more)
Jack - Courtney Upshaw
Sam - Jerrell Harris (Maybe a strange choice, but by the end of his career I think he was playing at a very high level. Reamer was more consistent for longer though. Dickson played well this year, although I'm not sure he was playing purely Sam?)
Will - Dont'a Hightower
Mike - Rolando McClain (Mosley will probably change this by the time he's finished, but I loved the combination of Hightower and McClain together. Although McClain's subsequent career is making it harder for me to remember the good days)
CB - Dre Kirkpatrick and Dee Milliner (Love Arenas and Jackson, but I think these two are the best corners that we've had. Certainly on the boundary anyway, I guess Arenas would be the Star in my team)
Safety - I always get mixed up about FS and SS… so I'll just pick Mark Barron and Rashad Johnson. Those two together would look good to me. Robert Lester has been solid, and obviously was better for longer than Johnson, but I think he plateaued at Alabama a little bit. The way Clinton-Dix played in the NC game makes me think that these picks might change next year though.
K - Leigh Tiffin (His senior year made up for everything)
P - Cody Mandell (He's getting better and better)
P/KR - Javier Arenas (I hate to leave Maze off the team, but Arenas was a special returner)
Long debut post! What are you guys thoughts?
Who would you include in an All-Saban team from his time at Alabama?
For the D I've just done it as the 3-4 base D, although I'd welcome any suggestions for the best Money or Star etc. Wanted to just make it 11 on each side (hence no slot receiver etc)
After the latest season it's getting harder and harder to pick, but here goes…
QB - AJ McCarron (This one isn't really up for debate anymore)
RB - Trent Richardson (Ridiculous to leave the Heisman winner off the first team, but I would put him behind the runner Richardson was in the 2nd NC winning squad). Ingram would be my backup, just ahead of Lacy (partly due to Lacy's problems with health)
HB - Brad Smelley
WR - Julio Jones
WR - Amari Cooper (Tough to leave off Maze, but Cooper is just phenomenal. Everything he does is so smooth. I think he becomes the greatest WR of the modern era by the end of his career.)
TE - Michael Williams
LT - Andre Smith (To be honest I'd probably rather have Cyrus, but I guess I wanted to not make it simply the 2012 line! Plus Andre in his prime - and when his mind was engaged - was well ahead of the talent that was on the roster in Saban's early days. I fully expect Cyrus to be the only choice by the end of next year)
LG - Chance Warmack (I hate to leave off a leader like Mike Johnson, but Warmack is just too dominant for there to be any debate)
C - William Vlachos (This is really just the way I've chosen to do it for organization, and I think B Jones was better, but Vlachos was Center for 2 NC wins so he deserves to be included. Very difficult to leave off Antoine Caldwell too)
RG - Barrett Jones (Placed him here because it was a toss up between Vlachos and Steen... gotta make good use of his versatility!)
RT - DJ Fluker
* The fact that I can leave off Carpenter, Cyrus K, Steen, Caldwell and Mike Johnson shows how unbelievably good our O-Line has been since Saban got here.
Defence
DE's - Wallace Gilberry and Marcel Dareus (So much for the argument about no pass rush from the DE position)
NG - Terrance Cody (Love Jesse W, it's another toss up, just think that as a pure NG Cody was slightly better, although obviously Williams can do so much more)
Jack - Courtney Upshaw
Sam - Jerrell Harris (Maybe a strange choice, but by the end of his career I think he was playing at a very high level. Reamer was more consistent for longer though. Dickson played well this year, although I'm not sure he was playing purely Sam?)
Will - Dont'a Hightower
Mike - Rolando McClain (Mosley will probably change this by the time he's finished, but I loved the combination of Hightower and McClain together. Although McClain's subsequent career is making it harder for me to remember the good days)
CB - Dre Kirkpatrick and Dee Milliner (Love Arenas and Jackson, but I think these two are the best corners that we've had. Certainly on the boundary anyway, I guess Arenas would be the Star in my team)
Safety - I always get mixed up about FS and SS… so I'll just pick Mark Barron and Rashad Johnson. Those two together would look good to me. Robert Lester has been solid, and obviously was better for longer than Johnson, but I think he plateaued at Alabama a little bit. The way Clinton-Dix played in the NC game makes me think that these picks might change next year though.
K - Leigh Tiffin (His senior year made up for everything)
P - Cody Mandell (He's getting better and better)
P/KR - Javier Arenas (I hate to leave Maze off the team, but Arenas was a special returner)
Long debut post! What are you guys thoughts?