This will be lengthy. I've been thinking about this since Thursday and I'm just now getting the patience to sit and try to type it out.
As Coach Saban says repeatedly, each year, a team creates its own identity. Since Coach Saban has been here, pundits talked about how much we lost, but we had so much coming back. The following will show what we lost at the end of each season and the comfort we had with what was coming back. And by that, I mean...if it comes down to it, these people could almost definitely shoulder the load and carry the team to success. I'm doing this off the top of my head, so I'm pretty sure I'll miss somebody, but here goes.
2007
Big losses: DJ Hall, Keith Brown, Wallace Gilberry
Proven key returnees: Andre Smith, Antoine Caldwell, JP Wilson, Rolando McClain, Rashad Johnson, Kareem Jackson
2008
Big losses: Andre Smith, JP Wilson, Glen Coffee, Antoine Caldwell
Proven Key returnees: Rolando McClain, Kareem Jackson, Javier Arenas, Terrence Cody, Justin Woodall, Mike Johnson, Big stars of the 2008 class (Ingram, Jones, Hightower, Dareus)
2009
Big losses: Rolando McClain, Kareem Jackson, Terrence Cody, Mike Johnson, Javier Arenas, Holla Mcghee (his real name always escapes me)
Proven Key Returnees: 2008 class stars (Ingram, Jones, Hightower, Dareus, Upshaw), Trent Richardson
2010
Big losses: Julio, Ingram, GMac, Dareus
Proven Key Returnees: Richardson, Hightower, Upshaw, Barron, Barrett Jones, Fluker, Warmack, Kirkpatrick, Nico Johnson, Eddie Lacy
2011
Big losses: Rest of the 2008 class stars (Hightower, Upshaw, Barron), Richardson, Nick Gentry, Josh Chapman, Brad Smelley
Proven Key Returnees: CJ Mosley, Eddie Lacy, Barrett Jones, Warmack, Fluker, Dee Milliner, Kevin Norwood, Kenny Bell, Christion Jones, Jesse Williams, Michael Williams, Robert Lester
2012
Big losses: Eddie Lacy, Barrett Jones, Warmack, Fluker, Dee Milliner, Nico Johnson, Jesse Williams, Michael Williams, Robert Lester,
Proven Key Returnees: AJ McCarron, TJ Yeldon, Amari Cooper, Cyrus Kouandjio, CJ Mosley, Kevin Norwood, Kenny Bell, Christion Jones, Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, Vinnie Sunseri, Anthony Steen, Brian Vogler
2013
Big Losses: CJ Mosley, AJ McCarron, Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, Cyrus Kouandjio, Vinnie Sunseri, Kevin Norwood, Kenny Bell, Anthony Steen, Ed Stinson, Adrian Hubbard
Proven Key Returnees: Amari Cooper, TJ Yeldon, Landon Collins, Jalston Fowler, Kenyan Drake, OJ Howard (?), Trey DePriest, Christion Jones, DeAndrew White, Xzavier Dickson, A'Shawn Robinson, Arie Kouandjio, Brian Vogler
So now here we are at the end of the 2014 season..Let's talk first about who we're for sure losing because eligibility has expired.
Blake Sims
Austin Shepard
Christion Jones
Nick Perry
Jarrick Williams
Arie Kouandjio
DeAndrew White
Trey DePriest
Leon Brown
Brian Vogler
Those guys are definitely gone. Now...three guys who have a year left, but if you think for a second that they're staying, I have some ocean front property to sell you in Iowa.
Landon Collins
Amari Cooper
TJ Yeldon
Now..some guys who have a decision to make..some for good reason.. Others because family members are pushing them. I won't say who is doing what.
Jarran Reed
DJ Pettway
Reggie Ragland
Denzel Devall
Now..the short list of near certainties that we have (that could shoulder the load and carry the team)
A'Shawn Robinson, Cam Robinson, Ryan Kelly, JK Scott, Derrick Henry, Cyrus Jones, OJ Howard (?????), Kenyan Drake (?????), Ryan Anderson
Each one of those years, we were losing either a QB or a defensive leader, but never both without a solid understudy (i.e. losing McCarron & Mosley, but having DePriest still as a defensive QB). But now...we lose our QB and our defensive play caller (Both of them...he and Collins).
Glaring holes and glaring questions to be answered between now and April. Despite the fact that we're stacked with talent like never before in our history, this is as vulnerable as I've ever felt headed into an offseason.
As Coach Saban says repeatedly, each year, a team creates its own identity. Since Coach Saban has been here, pundits talked about how much we lost, but we had so much coming back. The following will show what we lost at the end of each season and the comfort we had with what was coming back. And by that, I mean...if it comes down to it, these people could almost definitely shoulder the load and carry the team to success. I'm doing this off the top of my head, so I'm pretty sure I'll miss somebody, but here goes.
2007
Big losses: DJ Hall, Keith Brown, Wallace Gilberry
Proven key returnees: Andre Smith, Antoine Caldwell, JP Wilson, Rolando McClain, Rashad Johnson, Kareem Jackson
2008
Big losses: Andre Smith, JP Wilson, Glen Coffee, Antoine Caldwell
Proven Key returnees: Rolando McClain, Kareem Jackson, Javier Arenas, Terrence Cody, Justin Woodall, Mike Johnson, Big stars of the 2008 class (Ingram, Jones, Hightower, Dareus)
2009
Big losses: Rolando McClain, Kareem Jackson, Terrence Cody, Mike Johnson, Javier Arenas, Holla Mcghee (his real name always escapes me)
Proven Key Returnees: 2008 class stars (Ingram, Jones, Hightower, Dareus, Upshaw), Trent Richardson
2010
Big losses: Julio, Ingram, GMac, Dareus
Proven Key Returnees: Richardson, Hightower, Upshaw, Barron, Barrett Jones, Fluker, Warmack, Kirkpatrick, Nico Johnson, Eddie Lacy
2011
Big losses: Rest of the 2008 class stars (Hightower, Upshaw, Barron), Richardson, Nick Gentry, Josh Chapman, Brad Smelley
Proven Key Returnees: CJ Mosley, Eddie Lacy, Barrett Jones, Warmack, Fluker, Dee Milliner, Kevin Norwood, Kenny Bell, Christion Jones, Jesse Williams, Michael Williams, Robert Lester
2012
Big losses: Eddie Lacy, Barrett Jones, Warmack, Fluker, Dee Milliner, Nico Johnson, Jesse Williams, Michael Williams, Robert Lester,
Proven Key Returnees: AJ McCarron, TJ Yeldon, Amari Cooper, Cyrus Kouandjio, CJ Mosley, Kevin Norwood, Kenny Bell, Christion Jones, Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, Vinnie Sunseri, Anthony Steen, Brian Vogler
2013
Big Losses: CJ Mosley, AJ McCarron, Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, Cyrus Kouandjio, Vinnie Sunseri, Kevin Norwood, Kenny Bell, Anthony Steen, Ed Stinson, Adrian Hubbard
Proven Key Returnees: Amari Cooper, TJ Yeldon, Landon Collins, Jalston Fowler, Kenyan Drake, OJ Howard (?), Trey DePriest, Christion Jones, DeAndrew White, Xzavier Dickson, A'Shawn Robinson, Arie Kouandjio, Brian Vogler
So now here we are at the end of the 2014 season..Let's talk first about who we're for sure losing because eligibility has expired.
Blake Sims
Austin Shepard
Christion Jones
Nick Perry
Jarrick Williams
Arie Kouandjio
DeAndrew White
Trey DePriest
Leon Brown
Brian Vogler
Those guys are definitely gone. Now...three guys who have a year left, but if you think for a second that they're staying, I have some ocean front property to sell you in Iowa.
Landon Collins
Amari Cooper
TJ Yeldon
Now..some guys who have a decision to make..some for good reason.. Others because family members are pushing them. I won't say who is doing what.
Jarran Reed
DJ Pettway
Reggie Ragland
Denzel Devall
Now..the short list of near certainties that we have (that could shoulder the load and carry the team)
A'Shawn Robinson, Cam Robinson, Ryan Kelly, JK Scott, Derrick Henry, Cyrus Jones, OJ Howard (?????), Kenyan Drake (?????), Ryan Anderson
Each one of those years, we were losing either a QB or a defensive leader, but never both without a solid understudy (i.e. losing McCarron & Mosley, but having DePriest still as a defensive QB). But now...we lose our QB and our defensive play caller (Both of them...he and Collins).
Glaring holes and glaring questions to be answered between now and April. Despite the fact that we're stacked with talent like never before in our history, this is as vulnerable as I've ever felt headed into an offseason.
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