Re: Am I missing the A-Day Game Thread?
I was there yesterday. Here are my impressions:
QB -- It's either Coker or Cornwell starting. Both are inconsistent, but it seemed to me that Coker takes care of the ball better. Barnett is the future, but not the 2015 guy. He needs to fill out physically, and stop making poor throwing decisions, i.e., freshman mistakes. He'll be the man one day, just not this year.
RB -- talented at the top, but thin, thin, thin. Due to the way Kiffin uses him, it's kind of hard to call Drake a true RB. Behind Henry, you then have....two freshmen, one of whom split time at DB this spring. We really need Damien Harris to live up to hype. True, they're talking about Scarborough being ready in September. I hope so, but will believe it when I see it. I've never seen anybody come back from a torn ACL to their former selves in less than a year.
OL -- we'll be fine. Nobody's going to forget the 2012 line, but we'll be good. They've settled on the best five, and they're getting lots of reps together. Behind them, we actually have some depth everywhere except LT. Even there, we can fill in for a short time.
WR -- similar to RB. Talented at the top, but thin behind that. Foster is looking to have a breakout season, and appears to have earned the trust of the QBs to be where he's supposed to be, rather than free-lancing. Stewart is looking good as well. But behind that, it's a problem, exacerbated by the need for 5 or 6 to rotate in and out. As others have said, and similar to Harris at RB, we really need Ridley to live up to billing.
TE-- as others have posted, it's not a position of emphasis in Kiffin's offense. Still, I'd love to know what's limiting Howard. Saban has repeatedly hinted at something, but hasn't said what. He says only that one great play (referring to the 2013 catch-and-run against LSU) doesn't make a reliable player. But that conflicts with Kiffin's penchant for getting the ball to playmakers. I don't know what the issue is. Unless and until it gets cleared up, though, TE is a blocking position, not a playmaking one.
DL -- by reputation, excellent. Haven't actually seen it, though, due to injuries to Robinson and Hand, and to limited stunting in the A-Day game.
LB -- excellent against the run. Because TE isn't currently a position of emphasis in the passing game, and they didn't send Foster or Stewart across the middle (presumably to minimize potential of injury), I don't know how they are against the pass.
DB -- I think we'll be better than last year, though that doesn't set the bar very high. Lots of talent, some time in system, not a lot of game experience. But also a chip on the shoulder. We'll find out for sure soon enough. I expect a big dose of long passes from the opponents until we prove we can stop it. It's up to us to do that. We'll see.
Punter -- Scott didn't seem to have the greatest day making contact. A couple of low kicks that, while long, would have been highly returnable. An ugly low end-over-end punt rolled probably 30 yards and looked good only in the stats. Still, his mis-hits go 40+ yards. I think he may be the first punter to go pro early.
Placekicker -- I'm concerned about Griffith's durability. While any stress fracture might heal fine, the vulnerability to spinal stress fractures in a 20-year-old just isn't easily fixed. I know everything that can be done is being done. But whether he can make it through a season pain-free is a major question. A couple of backups look good, but there's a reason they're backups despite the starter's physical vulnerabilities.
Bottom line: we have the talent to contend for the national championship. Whether we're in the mix in November will depend on QBs taking care of the ball, and lack of injury to starters at RB, WR, P and PK.