2015 Will Bring even more question marks than 2014

CoachJeff said:

I really don't get this. AJ was runner up for the Heisman. Blake broke every meaningful offensive production record Bama has. The QB position has never been the downfall of a season under Saban.

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I never said it was the downfall. Just don't expect this much uncertainty at the position in a coaches 8th year here. Which one of the QBs on our roster do you feel confident in?

And BTW, while I agree with you about BS6, he got severely outplayed by OSU's 3rd string QB..

RollinTider1335 said:

Chill out Gary Busey! ;-) joking

Come on man! Don't take "tone" so personally. It's just discussion. I am a prospective outlooker, not retrospective.

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Bud, you wanted solutions. I gave you one.

Back to the thread. I wish I was as confident in your picks for next year's linebackers. One plays Jack and the other appears to be a one-trick, special team's pony. We'll learn by spring where the coaches are headed. But after all these great recruiting classes, you'd think more names would have popped up.

CrimsonForce said:

I never said it was the downfall. Just don't expect this much uncertainty at the position in a coaches 8th year here. Which one of the QBs on our roster do you feel confident in?

And BTW, while I agree with you about BS6, he got severely outplayed by OSU's 3rd string QB..

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Now there's a scientific sampling.

CrimsonEyeshade said:

Quarterback and linebacker -- we have no idea if any of them can play. Foster appears to have trouble with the playbook. Lee carries the scrawniest 240 pounds I've ever seen. The others have barely played. If Ragland leaves, depth becomes a glaring problem. Quarterback? Despite Jake's improvement, we still don't know if we have The Guy. The same goes at receiver.

Am I optimistic that we will find what we need? Always. But after watching our defense struggle despite guys having two years in the system or more, I'm not as confident as before.

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You forgot Devall! Probably the most experienced LB we have.

CrimsonEyeshade said:

Bud, you wanted solutions. I gave you one.

Back to the thread. I wish I was as confident in your picks for next year's linebackers. One plays Jack and the other appears to be a one-trick, special team's pony. We'll learn by spring where the coaches are headed. But after all these great recruiting classes, you'd think more names would have popped up.

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You should be confident man!! How many other teams are reloading like us??? The "down" SEC yr in 2015 may be our benefit.

WMack4Bama said:

First..you're too kind.

1. I agree. SDH has ALL the tools to be the second coming of CJ Mosley. CJ looked like a star from day one in his freshman year. But whatever shortcomings he had were softened as he had Hightower, Nico Johnson, Jerrell Harris, Tana Patrick, Courtney Upshaw to lean on. SDH is pretty much on his own after this year in that regard. I also think the kid from Hillcrest=Tuscaloosa (Keith Holcombe) will be interesting to watch there and he fits your description perfectly. But he, too, is a true freshman this year.

2. We have that. We're good there. D-line is the absolute last thing I worry about. It's our deepest unit.

3. I got nothin...Cyrus is our most consistent guy there. But he's not gonna call signals from his side of the field. The staff (namely Coach Saban) really likes Eddie Jackson. So to keep him on the field, maybe he moves to safety. He's actually a very good tackler. This should make room for Brown, Humph, and the two stud corners in this recruiting class. But as far as that signal caller in the back...Geno Smith maybe?

4. We're solid there. Chris Black, Ardarius Stewart, Robert Foster (so they tell me), Cam Sims, Falkins...all of these guys have played meaningful minutes.

Of the offensive line, I think if we have to have replace any linemen, having your center and your LT returning is as good as it can get.

And we're thin on lunch pail guys like you mentioned. I agree..you NEED those guys, because they do all the dirty work (Kelly Johnson from 2012 and Nudie Fowler come to mind as the most recent ones). But it's all 4 and 5 star everything around here. Not too many underdogs on our team.

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Eddie moving to safety would benefit everyone. As fast as Brown is, that would be great if he can call everything out at safety. He sounds like a sharp kid

Roll Tide 57 said:

what I miss is the Nick Gentrys, Brad Smelling, Norwoods, Javy's, Hubbards, I can go on & on not superstar first rounders but the kind of player Alabama built our reputation on.

The guy you don't even think about that helps win the game because he loves Alabama Football & his team.

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Are you thinking of the same Adrian Hubbard I saw play from 2011 to 2013? The guy I saw doesn't fit that description.

RollinTider1335 said:

On D, it could be Ragland. Another year in Saban's system wouldn't hurt him which is why I think he stays. Devall is experienced as well a R Foster. Both could put it together and be leaders next yr.

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Reuben Foster isn't that experienced. He didn't play that much last year, and he didn't get too much meaningful playing time this year since we mainly used 2 or 3 MLBs this year (Trey, Reggie and Dillon Lee when needed).

WMack4Bama said:

First..you're too kind.


1. I agree. SDH has ALL the tools to be the second coming of CJ Mosley. CJ looked like a star from day one in his freshman year. But whatever shortcomings he had were softened as he had Hightower, Nico Johnson, Jerrell Harris, Tana Patrick, Courtney Upshaw to lean on. SDH is pretty much on his own after this year in that regard. I also think the kid from Hillcrest=Tuscaloosa (Keith Holcombe) will be interesting to watch there and he fits your description perfectly. But he, too, is a true freshman this year.

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Holcombe reminds me of Corey Reamer. He and Ronnie Clark appear to be the hybrid guys that will help the defense against the spread offenses.

2. We have that. We're good there. D-line is the absolute last thing I worry about. It's our deepest unit.

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Anyone want to take a guess when we finally see Dee Liner break the DL rotation? He's entering his junior year, so he doesn't have that much time left.

3. I got nothin...Cyrus is our most consistent guy there. But he's not gonna call signals from his side of the field. The staff (namely Coach Saban) really likes Eddie Jackson. So to keep him on the field, maybe he moves to safety. He's actually a very good tackler. This should make room for Brown, Humph, and the two stud corners in this recruiting class. But as far as that signal caller in the back...Geno Smith maybe?

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Is Eddie that strong of a tackler? I keep thinking he's not. Were his troubles this year primarily because of his injury?

Of the offensive line, I think if we have to have replace any linemen, having your center and your LT returning is as good as it can get.

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Thought about the OL today and thought about starting a thread about the grouping. We should be back to the dominant OL we've seen in the past now most of Stoutland's guys are gone and Mario's picks have had time to mature into SEC O-linemen.

I can see the starting five be: Cam, Dom, Kelly, Shank, Hill. Bozeman can be the utility sixth guy. I put Dom at LG just because I think he and Cam can make the dominant left side like we had with CyKo and Chance.

This kind of ties in to the original thread - I have been king about my own personal expectations coming in to this year and how that turned out IMHO. Also my very preliminary expectations for 2015

Expectation for 2014 My FWIW Grade Expectation for 2015

Offense overall B- B C+
QB C- B C
RB A C C
WR B+ B (Only because of Coop) C
TE A C B
OL B B+ A-
PK B- C B+ (Maybe JK??)

Defense overall B+ C B
DL A B A
LB A B- C
DE B B- C
DB B D B (I hope)
P C A+ A+

That's just my off the cuff thoughts rewinding the season in my head. After doing this I realize that I fall in to the camp of 2015 will be a rebuilding year, but Coach seems to do fine with those kinds of rosters. Hopefully we have a bunch of players biting at the bit to fill the voids we have.

WMack4Bama said:

I'm with you on everything except TE grade for this year. Aside from Brandon Greene's catch in OT vs LSU, I'm struggling to find much of a redeeming quality there, unless you throw Fowler in there with them. Vogler was hurt ALL season. He gave it his all. I don't hold that against him. OJ Howard's production vs. the expectations were ummm....wow....and he wasn't / isn't a good run blocker.....at all. But I'm not giving up on him at all. I think he still has the potential to be everything that all the premature hyperbole said he could be.

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Yep on the TE. I thought that would be a big strong point but it just didn't happen. D would probably better sum up this year, and like you, I am really hopeful OJ lives up to the expectations.

I don't think we will win the natty but I think we will win the sec west regardless: I think our biggest obstacles in the west might be Arkansas and ATM. I think the missippis and auburn take a huge step back from their recent success. Our schedule is going to be tough with us drawing UGA and auburn on the road, but I think we should be the favorite in the west. We should have a better wr corps as a whole and we should have a more experienced cb group, but until we know who's coming back for us it's hard to tell which way the pendulum swings for us. I'm expecting atleast 9 to 10 wins with the other two or three very winnable depending on circumstances. So I feel grey about the upcoming season rather than black or white, but then I remember it is January and not April so my opinion will most likely change. But rtr

Thanks for this thread Mack...it's going to be interesting to follow and see where this leads, as will the quarterback competition...discussions of both will help pass the time between now and the Fall.

I think we may see somewhat of a shift in philosophy offensively next year. It's no secret that Kiffin has always put the ball in the hands of his best playmaker, and this year was no different. With Coop leaving, I think it will be necessary to spread the ball around more, unless one of the receivers emerges to play at the level Coop did (not likely!). I also think that the guys that are going to replaced on the O-line are going to replaced by more physical guys. If Jackson nails downs the playbook, we have a huge upgrade in run blocking, I think - no matter what position he ends up. Cam Robinson should be even better and Kelly will be a senior. I think we may see more of a shift back to a good power running game as these young, super talented O linemen filter into the roster. We seriously had to use a lot more smoke and mirrors in our running game this year than most people realize. If Drake comes back 100%, we've have him, Henry, and I honestly love what I've seen from Tyren Jones. Add Tenpenny, Bo, Flowers, and perhaps (hopefully) Damien Harris - I think we will once again be loaded at RB.

Call me nuts, but seeing Coker progress through the season (especially how he played against WCU) I feel pretty good about him next year under Kiffin's guidance. As much I came to love Blake Sims, I still think Coker is a more talented passer and has better size. Blake's height was an issue at times this year, and caused some poor throws. If Jake nails down the mental side of it, and I think he is, I believe he can be really good. Put it this way - I feel way better about Coker now than I did about Blake when he was announced as our starter this year, and we see how that turned out. Kiffin helped shape Blake into a pretty good QB, and I think he'll do it with Coker as well.

On defense, as it has been covered, the D line will once again be the strength of the unit. I think we are going to be good OLB, with the guys we have returning there, although Dickson is huge hole to fill. I'm as puzzled at ILB as you guys. If Ragland stays, I think we'll be OK, but if he does leave, SDH, Lee, and/or Foster will really have to step their current level of play. This is my 2nd most worrisome position next year.

At CB, I think Cy Jones will lock a spot down, and I hope Brown or Sylve can emerge at one of the other spots. Unless Jackson's knee injury is hampering his speed, I think he's better suited to play nickel or one of the safety spots. The tools and talent are here to have a very good unit if they come together. At least the guys coming back all have a lot of experience and while in the system. Historically, that has been a good sign for us at this spot.

Now, Safety. Safety scares the crap outta me. This is the first time in a long time that there isn't an heir apparent to be our elite best safety. After Rashad Johnson, you knew kinda knew that Barron, Lester, Vinny, Ha Ha, and Collins were gonna come in be great, based one what we saw of them early in their careers. I'm not sure who that is going to be next year. We have some very talented guys here, but none of them appear (at least on the outside looking in) to be a lock as the next great one. This is my most concerning spot on the team, IMO.

we did very well with this team getting to the playoffs. we did so with a 5th year starter at qb, one legitimate secondary player, linebackers in my opionion are just to big to cover from sideline to sideline or pass coverage. an off line that seemed to be in transition all the time. no return game. a great punter, a def line that was solid. rbs that needed a little more blocking than usual. I think the coaches did well overall. as for next season, I think, coker will be the obvious choice with a year under his belt, and kiffin back. we have at least 2 others that can challenge in bateman, cornwell. maybe even Barnett. we have ridley, coming in that resembles another cooper. solid off line talent, some more good linebackers, hopefully that is better in perimeter and pass coverage. secondary will be improved with brown, Humphrey, incoming Patrick, Sheffield, plus clark def line will be fine. I just hope our coaches saban, smart tone down the complicated defensive formations and let these 4 and 5 star athletes use their speed and talent to play more aggressively, and have a comfort level.

Tidewater said:

Yeah, taking a step back by winning the SEC and making the playoffs has really sucked.

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Next season?

Mack... Great post and thread. You said same things I would've said. I'm on same page with you. I'll address few things and all... here it goes:

I will start with defense: I honestly believe the front line will be the best as it can get with Reed and Pettway coming back. I think those guys will carry us next year providing that we don't end up getting hurt. I'm more concerned about our linebacker situation and if Ragland leaves, that will be a huge issue for us, but I'm hoping Smart/CNS will figure out a way to make it little easier on our LBs to call the plays for the defense. It's possible CKS probably will have to do same thing what Kiffin did for the offense, Read the defense and make adjustments on the fly from sideline. Something tells me that we'll see some changes on Defense and Look for lot of rumors related to CKS, CNS bringing someone in offseason, probably from NFL teams... Our safety situation isn't that bad as folks make it is, because we have some talented players back there, and I honestly believe Eddie Jackson will be moved to Safety position to ease the learning curves... Maybe Humphrey could be moved there too. Unlikely, but it's on the table. Lot of people will be moving around. I think we'll still see 3-4 defense, but we probably will change to 4-3 defense, but make it more hybrid with 3-4 instead of 3-4 with 4-3 hybrid.. ( make sense?)

Offense- We have lot of great weapons on offense, and I don't think we'll struggle again on offense, but with Coker at the helm, we could definitely go back to the same offense that Kiffin used under Matt Barkley. I doubt that Cornwell, Barnett, and other QBs will take the job from Coker... because he has received plenty of game experience and has looked good at times..... he has improved so much in last three for four games he has played and I expect him to carry that momentum to the Spring camp as no. 1. I really think we'll be okay next year because we have Scarbough, Drake, Henry, Jones, and those WRs... That's scary.

The majority of our defensive shortfalls was with defending deep passes. Cy Jones has become a very solid and physical corner, which is the stable of Nick Saban coached cornerback. The main question is not only finding someone opposite of Jones, but also a nickleback who is just as good and physical against the spread offense. But I am a firm believer that our secondary will actually be a lot better next season despite of all these things.

Regarding the safety discussion: don't forget that we have Hootie Jones in the wings. I know he doesn't have experience but I think he's a future great.

WMack4Bama said:

And more times than not, it was his athleticism that extended plays and got us out of jams. He bailed out his o-line a lot. None of the understudies bring that to the table.

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I'm scared we'll remember this during quite a few games next year..