Presumptive depth chart based on the roster...

bamaslammer

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This statement makes no sense.


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Actually they never released an official roster last year. they released the spring roster with the summer arriving freshman added. So I was wondering if they were actually going to release an updated roster. thankfully al.com released the roster in it's entirety. Thank you Andrew Gribble
 

CoolBreeze

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Well, Bama looks pretty dang good to me. People are kind of down on Yeldon, but he is a very good back. Henry is just so fast; hard to imagine him not playing a lot. I am more excited about the defense. Think Bama will be much better on defense. Real issue is QB; Bama is championship quality everywhere else. But can't win it without winning QB. I think BS will be fine against most of the teams; it is the one or two nailbiters I worry about.
Great post! My thoughts exactly!
 

JustNeedMe81

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I don't know why folks are so hard on Yeldon and Drake for their fumbles last year. Last year is gone. This is a new season for us. We know Saban and Burns are going to make sure the running backs knows how to carry the ball right way. Let it go, and let us enjoy the spring practice because I have a feeling we'll see lot of surprises and excitement this spring!
 

Nolan

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We've got a lot of depth all over the place, with an interesting blend of young, untested talent, solid 2-3 year contributors, and known quality starter-type guys. I'm sure that after last year and some of the stories that came out about complacency, CNS will play whomever works the hardest and buys in the most. That leaves me feeling pretty confident about what the depth chart will end up looking like.

Guys I'd like to see make a move up, perhaps secure a spot, are Grant Hill, Reuben Foster, Chris Black, and OJ Howard.
 

Bama in Quebec

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We've got a lot of depth all over the place, with an interesting blend of young, untested talent, solid 2-3 year contributors, and known quality starter-type guys. I'm sure that after last year and some of the stories that came out about complacency, CNS will play whomever works the hardest and buys in the most. That leaves me feeling pretty confident about what the depth chart will end up looking like.

Guys I'd like to see make a move up, perhaps secure a spot, are Grant Hill, Reuben Foster, Chris Black, and OJ Howard.
I totally agree with you. You nailed it. These guys are all sophomore with great potential. I said a few times that Grant Hill was my favorite player on the OL. I'm sure that if CNS plays whomever works the hardest and buys in the most, I have no doubt that a guy like Hill will see the field as a starter in 2014.
 

BigEasyTider

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And Dickson may end up moving to end.
Been hoping this would happen for a while now. Not sure if he could bulk up and hold his end at the point of attack like Stinson did, but I don't see where we have much to lose by giving it a chance. For all of the playing time he got last year at Jack, he didn't produce anything for us. A lone sack against Georgia State and a handful of tackles over the course of a 12-game season just isn't enough production in the 3-4 for the de facto starting Jack linebacker.

Actually, OJ has been blocking well to earn significant playing time throughout the season.
Howard played last year because of his abilities as a receiver, not as a blocker, and there is a big difference between doing it well enough just to get on the field as a pass option and doing it well enough to play every snap on the end of the line, if needed. Obviously he has a bright future ahead of him, and we certainly need to incorporate him more in the passing game this season, but he's got some real progress to make as a blocker at the point of attack.
 
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BigEasyTider

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A few thoughts on a handful of guys:

Think we'll finally see Chris Black significantly crack the WR rotation this season, provided he stays healthy. Natural progression and the departure of Bell will help his case a good bit, though I don't think anyone should get too carried away just yet. Given the fact that we will have a new quarterback, in addition to the overall depth of the receiver corps (including legitimate receiving options at both tailback, TE, and H-back), no one is going to really rack up a lot of catches. Figure Cooper will be the only WR on the roster to get north of 35 catches.

Expect that Reuben Foster will win the MLB job and play alongside Depriest, and he should go a long way towards shoring up the interior run defense. Really don't know how well he can hold up in the pass game, though, so he might be a two-down player.

Jon Cook looks to me like he still needs to add a good bit of weight. Was hoping to see him have a strong spring after his late arrival a year ago largely curtailed his year in Tuscaloosa, but I'm thinking he needs some more time in the S&C program before he really makes a move.

Jarran Reed looks like a big, bad man. We'll see how it translates, but he has the look of a legitimate SEC DL.
 

glasscutter256

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Jan 31, 2009
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Thank you Jess, for the depth chart. I like it for the most part. I'm hoping Dillon Lee will win out the Sam and just keep Duvall and X at Jack. Reuben foster is a big concern for me in the middle. He just seems to play upright too much and gets blocked way to easily. Hope he or Reggie can make a big improvement this year.
Interesting you have Walker Jones at Jack. I always saw him as an ILB. Don't know if his size just doesn't measure up?
I'll be interested to see if Rashaan Evans can make a push at JLB at all this year. Clearly X and Duvall just aren't getting the pressure off the edge like we need.
 

kayakerjess

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A fumbling problem out of the gate by Yeldon this year and that will immediately end that pattern.
Very well could. I'd be surprised if TJ doesn't understand that, but we'll see.
I wouldn't surprise me if Yeldon hasn't fixed his fumbling issues.. He's had some very big fumbles in some very big moments the last two years and hasn't made adjustments yet.
I really hope so, but what do you make of this picture on BOL's website from Saturday's practice?

 

BamaMoon

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I really hope so, but what do you make of this picture on BOL's website from Saturday's practice?

Saw that pic and thought "here we go again." They have guys in practice that try to punch the ball out when they are running drills and looks like Yeldon fumbled again.
 

kayakerjess

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Saw that pic and thought "here we go again." They have guys in practice that try to punch the ball out when they are running drills and looks like Yeldon fumbled again.
I was wondering if that's Scott Cochran in the background. I saw on a video where he is notorious for that "drill".
 

bamafaninOhiO

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A fumbling problem out of the gate by Yeldon this year and that will immediately end that pattern.
Unless Henry comes in and fumbles right back. everyone seems to be writing Yeldon out based on a very limited sample size for Henry. Henry is going to be great, btu I just dont think he'll be the starter this year, not with Yeldon in his third season.

Henry will get more carries , and I think that will actually help Yeldon. But IMO, Yeldon will be the starter.

Believe me, I like Henry too, but as others have said, I'd be shocked if they replaced Yeldon as the starter. That would be quite the slap in the afce to a back to back 1000+ rusher (first in school history to accomplish that)
 

bamafaninOhiO

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Been hoping this would happen for a while now. Not sure if he could bulk up and hold his end at the point of attack like Stinson did, but I don't see where we have much to lose by giving it a chance. For all of the playing time he got last year at Jack, he didn't produce anything for us. A lone sack against Georgia State and a handful of tackles over the course of a 12-game season just isn't enough production in the 3-4 for the de facto starting Jack linebacker.



Howard played last year because of his abilities as a receiver, not as a blocker, and there is a big difference between doing it well enough just to get on the field as a pass option and doing it well enough to play every snap on the end of the line, if needed. Obviously he has a bright future ahead of him, and we certainly need to incorporate him more in the passing game this season, but he's got some real progress to make as a blocker at the point of attack.
Howard will become much more dengerous when he becomes a better blocker....He'll be a monster when he gets the blocking down for running plays, but until then, teams will just anticipate a pass when he's on the field.
 

Bamabuzzard

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Unless Henry comes in and fumbles right back. everyone seems to be writing Yeldon out based on a very limited sample size for Henry. Henry is going to be great, btu I just dont think he'll be the starter this year, not with Yeldon in his third season.

Henry will get more carries , and I think that will actually help Yeldon. But IMO, Yeldon will be the starter.

Believe me, I like Henry too, but as others have said, I'd be shocked if they replaced Yeldon as the starter. That would be quite the slap in the afce to a back to back 1000+ rusher (first in school history to accomplish that)
My statement has nothing to do with Henry but solely with Yeldon. It doesn't take many fumbles to have a fumbling problem and the back up doesn't have to be better than the starter to take his spot. He just has to fumble a lot less. Yeldon fumbled enough that it is a concern. Both he and Drake had slippery hands last season. My point is if Yeldon (and Drake as well) opens up the season with "slippery hands" it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see both of them on the bench for an extended period of time while Henry and maybe others get their shot.
 

TouchThatThang

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If DMil can get significant playing time as a freshman, I see no reason why Humphrey can't. He's an unreal talent. Also, he will be returning punts for us by his sophomore year if not sooner.

Jackson will grab one of the tackle spots, he is an All-Conference/America-caliber guy. I would like to see Grant Hill grab the other. He is a special talent as well.

Just as A'Shawn logged significant time last season, so will Da'Shawn this season. He cannot be kept off the field. A'Shawn and Pettaway are proven pass-rushers, and between Reed, Tomlinson, Allen, and Hand, I expect someone else to emerge as a threat to get the quarterback. I think we will get more pressure from DL than we ever have under Coach Saban.

If Devall and Dickson are unable to get pressure from the Jack position, I hope Coach Saban lets Evans, Miller, and Tim Williams get some reps in to see if they can make a difference. We've got too many young, quick OLBs to settle for what we saw last year from that position.

Yeldon's patience served him very well in 2012, behind an OL that blew teams off the ball. With last year's OL, the window of opportunity was smaller and his patience became a liability. He and Drake are both very similar in that, once they make there initial cut, they are very forceful and reach their top speed quickly, but Drake makes his decision about a second sooner that Yeldon, and Yeldon needs to learn from this. Henry's performance against Oklahoma was the best I saw in CFB last season (did not watch the SECCG), and if he shows himself to be the best in 2014, he needs to start, period. We ain't got him long enough to have him play a backup's role for two seasons.

I think Black is the best receiver on the team after Cooper and expect to see him get the ball a lot. Kiffin's gameplan is generally to get the ball in the hands of your gamechangers and Black is a gamechanger.
 
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B1GTide

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If Henry is as good as he looked against the Sooners, it would be crazy to let Yeldon get more carries. It flies in the face of every promise made to these players about putting the best and most prepared player on the field.

How do you continue to recruit players like this if the message that they get is that they have to wait just because the guy in front of them is pretty good - even if they are better?

Saban will play the better player. Yeldon is going to have to earn his starting job all over again. Not saying that he won't, but is it really a slap in the face to be second string to the best running back in high school history?
 

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