JK Scott, AG and the other piece of the puzzle (Need for a Kick Returner)

230kv_barehand said:

Yea Maurice Smith should have spent more time taunting himself for all those blocks he missed last night..

Click to expand...

Yeah CJ was getting hit on the 15yd line on kickoff returns last night. I know he isn't that slow. Poor blocking was a big part of that.

twofbyc said:

I think White even picked it up and said something to him about it but he just kept heading for the sidelines. I knew right then it was going to be a long night. That ball is live until he takes a knee with possession; another second or two and it's an OSU TD. Careless, lack of concentration, unprepared - whatever.

Click to expand...

This

BAMARICH said:

Bottom line is that he should have been replaced at some point in the year (post-Arkansas?), but he wasn't. IMO, that's a decision directly attributed to Saban's NFL-type philosophy of going into a season with only 40-45 guys targeted to play and contribute. Once the season starts, it's rare to see any of our starters replaced. Leon Brown is "exhibit A"... he had probably twice as many penalties as any other OL this year, but he would never be replaced.

Click to expand...

Good post. I love CNS, I really do, but his NFL mentality has been very frustrating for me at times.

I wouldn't mind to see Humphrey or Tony Brown back there.

RobK said:

I wouldn't mind to see Humphrey or Tony Brown back there.

Click to expand...

I wanted Chris Black to return kicks all year, Tony would also do well i think

dvldog said:

Worse, he didn't even think to pick it up.

Click to expand...

Thank God DeAndrew White went back to pick it up and down it. What was CJ thinking. Man! He's a Senior. Doesn't he know the rules regarding K-O's?

twofbyc said:

I think White even picked it up and said something to him about it but he just kept heading for the sidelines. I knew right then it was going to be a long night. That ball is live until he takes a knee with possession; another second or two and it's an OSU TD. Careless, lack of concentration, unprepared - whatever.

Click to expand...

With the way it happened, even the tOSU players must not have known the rules, otherwise they would have been pouncing on that ball very quickly and #2 would not have been able to do what he did. Maybe it should have happened to WAKE-UP the Bama players. After we were ahead 21 to 6, I guess they thought we were in a park having a picnic.

BamaMoon said:

That's a case in point! He was always too "casual" in his approach IMO. I know he cared, or else he wouldn't have been put in that position, but he almost acted like he didn't care.

Even when he called for a fair catch, he'd catch the ball and then immediately drop it and run to the sideline. There were times when he dropped it so fast I was afraid they were going to rule it a fumble!

Click to expand...

I wish Alabama players would get used to just handing an official the ball before heading to the sidelines after a punt, kick-off return, or TD. Seeing them score and drop the ball very quickly, sometimes you wonder if they even had total possession of the ball when catching a TD pass in the end zone. Wouldn't that be part of teaching FUNDAMENTALS?

230kv_barehand said:

Yea Maurice Smith should have spent more time taunting himself for all those blocks he missed last night..

Click to expand...

He didn't look like he was trying to really block anyone on that play when he got the taunting flag! He's a Houston, Texas (Fort Bend County) guy and that disappointed me.
That was something you'd expect from the old Miami Hurricanes, but NOT a Bama player. These guys who get 15 yard penalties that hurt their teammates is
ridiculous! That's part of teaching FUNDAMENTALS and EXPECTATIONS also! When he came to the sidelines, did anyone jump down his throat for such a SELFISH play?

Bama players need to show CLASS, NOT 2/3 of class!

I watched ArDarius Stewart return kick against my old high school team & he sure looked really really good returning kicks..He was a player away from taking it to the house every kick return I when I watched him in high school & actually took one like 80yrds for a TD the last game..I was hoping that Ardarius would get a shot at returning kicks for Bama & think he could be really good at it..

I felt like CJ just wasn't himself all year. He had one or two flashes but no more. He missed a couple blocks last nigh that came back to haunt. One of the WR screens late in the first half was the worst. He also just sorta ran along on the big screen Henry caught but Bama scored. It's too bad for him because he had some huge moments for the Tide over his career. I'm sure with all the athletes CNS has recruited someone can return punts and kicks. Griffith hopefully will be/stay healthy as he can be a good enough kicker in my mind. Scott is just a beast. I had several friends ask me last night about drafting him. They couldn't believe he was a freshman. His punts last night were like watching something in a Disney film!

Ardarius and Robert Foster were both very good in HS returning kicks.

BAMARICH said:

Something happened to CJ this year in the return game. If you'll go back and watch games from last year, you'll notice an almost reckless approach on KO returns especially. He would run with an "I'm going to hit you rather than let you hit me" mentality. This year, and it was clearly apparent, he was looking for the first place to go down on returns. I don't know if he's been injured (one of my issues with CNS's coaching philosophy) and it affected him or if he's thinking about his future. Either way, a tentative KO returner doesn't help teams win championships.

Click to expand...

I agree...noticed that myself. I think the fumbles also played into it...became way too cautious.

I quit trying to predict the kick returner after convincing myself Bradley Sylve was going to return kicks after his Under Armour kick return.

Need a kick returner bad in 2015. Jones imploded after the fumble against Old Miss and was never really the same.