TEAM PREVIEW: Alabama Crimson Tide [by JessN]

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Alabama Crimson Tide: Team Overview
August 4, 2006
by Jess Nicholas

In a complete reversal of 2005, Alabama’s experience this year returns mostly on the offensive side of the ball. The question for Alabama is whether the Crimson Tide will be able to translate that experience into points. Alabama’s offensive line was brutally bad at times in 2005, which hurt the effectiveness of its running game and put QB Brodie Croyle on his back an average of more than three times each game. Alabama ranked 101st in sacks allowed in 2005. Fixing those numbers is crucial, because the defense is rebuilding and still has holes at middle linebacker and safety. And this doesn’t even take into account a new quarterback, John Parker Wilson. With 2007 looking like Alabama’s year, the 2006 season may be one of transition and learning more so than double-digit win totals.

Returning Offensive Starters: 9 (RT, RG, C, LT, FB, RB, TE, SE, FL)
Returning Defensive Starters: 4 (LDT, LDE, LLB, LCB)
Returning Specialists: 1 (PK)

Projected Overall Record: 8-4 (UF, UT, LSU, AU)
Projected SEC Record: 4-4 (UF, UT, LSU, AU)
Projected SEC West Record: 3-2 (LSU, AU)

Ratings (Ex, Vg, Av, Fr, Pr)
Quarterbacks: Av
Running Backs: Ex
Wide Receivers: Vg
Offensive Line: Fr

Defensive Line: Vg
Linebackers: Av
Defensive Backs: Av
Special Teams: Vg

OFFENSE

Alabama’s pro set offense looked efficient and daring until WR Tyrone Prothro got hurt in the Florida game. Afterwards – and particularly once C J.B. Closner went down with a leg injury – Alabama got ultraconservative in playcalling. For the second straight spring, Alabama rolled out the passing game in a big way, which was probably done as much to get the new quarterbacks comfortable as anything else. Expect Alabama’s bread and butter to still be the ground game, especially since wide receiver is a bit of a question mark at the moment due to the status of some of the players there.

QUARTERBACKS
Brodie Croyle hands off to sophomore John Parker Wilson, who looked very comfortable last year as a true freshman backup. Wilson’s progress continued through the spring, and reports from Tuscaloosa indicate he has welcomed the leadership role of the quarterback position with open arms. From a physical standpoint, Wilson does not have Croyle’s arm, which will change the complexion of the passing route selection somewhat. However, Wilson is equally as mobile as Croyle was, perhaps more so than in Croyle’s last year, when knee injuries slowed him. Wilson appeared to be better this spring than Croyle was at checking through his receiver progression, and has better touch on short and deep passes.

The intermediate routes and out patterns were Croyle’s signatures, and considering Croyle threw only 4 interceptions out of 339 attempts in 2005, Wilson will be hard pressed to equal Croyle’s efficiency. Depth is a major concern here. Marc Guillon, oft-injured and seemingly unable to go six months without finding his name brought up in a rumor about an injury or some other drama, had a decent spring and pulled far ahead of redshirt freshman Jimmy Barnes. But Guillon was again hurt at the close of spring, and simply can’t be depended upon for heavy duty come fall. Signee Greg McElroy figures to be Wilson’s top backup, if Wilson were to get seriously hurt or prove ineffective. If mop-up work is all that is needed, expect to see Guillon or Barnes, with McElroy redshirting.

RUNNING BACKS
Alabama has perhaps the best backfield in the SEC, which is saying something considering the depth charts at Arkansas and Auburn. Headlined by tailback Kenneth Darby, 2006 could be a year of new records around Tuscaloosa, as Darby is within shooting distance of many of Shaun Alexander’s rushing records. But even though Darby racked up 1,294 yards on 239 carries (5.2 avg.) last year, he was dodging far too many would-be tacklers in his own backfield. Given that the running game figures to be a larger part of the offense in 2006, Darby needs help from his front five or he could become cannon fodder. Fullback Le’Ron McClain is poised for a tremendous senior season as well. His blocking abilities make him the league’s top fullback, which would be undisputed if he were given more carries; as of now, most consider Arkansas’ Peyton Hillis the top fullback. McClain managed to stay healthy for 2005, and Darby will need him to do it again in 2006.

Depth is good behind both players. Tim Castille is the chief backup for both. He’ll handle short-yardage situations at running back, and will replace McClain at fullback when Alabama needs a decoy in the passing game. Castille looked faster this spring than last fall, when he was still recovering from a knee injury suffered in 2004. Behind Darby and Castille at tailback is redshirt freshman Roy Upchurch, who had a solid spring and separated himself from last year’s backup, Glen Coffee, who mimicked Darby by having surgery for a sports hernia. The wild card is Jimmy Johns, who will battle with Upchurch for carries out of the tailback position, and who can also play fullback and quarterback as needed. Ali Sharrief is injured and will probably miss the first half of the season.

Walk-on Theo Townsend has skills as a receiver and as a scatback and will get significant playing time on special teams. True freshman Terry Grant may force his way onto the field as a kick returner. He has true breakaway speed, which no one else in the tailback group really can boast. Fellow signee Mike Ford appears to have failed to qualify a second time. Behind McClain and Castille at fullback, Baron Huber proved in the spring to be a good blocker and a nice receiver out of the backfield. Walk-ons Will Denniston and Patrick Hanrahan provide depth.


WIDE RECEIVERS
Depending on who shows up for fall practice, this unit could either be stocked to the gills or dangerously thin. The one surety is that Tyrone Prothro will redshirt in 2006. With that out of the way, the starting positions are likely the property of Keith Brown and D.J. Hall, both of whom showed significant flashes of excellence in their sophomore years. But Hall was suspended for the Cotton Bowl, then followed that up by leaving the team during summer workouts. While head coach Mike Shula has said he expects Hall to return, it is not a given. If Hall is not back, it will be a huge blow – Hall quietly finished with 48 catches for 678 yards (14.1 avg.) and 5 touchdowns in 2005. He’s the steady player; Keith Brown (34 catches, 642 yards, 18.9 avg., 4 TD) is the breakout playmaker. Brown, however, also found his name come up in offseason rumors concerning whether he’d be back in the fall, due to grades. He did, however, stay with the team in the summer and any negative talk has since died out.

Behind them are Matt Caddell and Nikita Stover. Caddell has had his moments in his first two seasons, but has lacked consistency. He had a very nice spring, capped by a solid A-Day performance and will play a crucial role in the fall. Stover has the physical tools, but was slowed somewhat by injury in the spring and did not display consistency. If Hall does not return, Caddell becomes the likely starter next to Brown.

Beyond these four, things get a bit more uncertain. Will Oakley and Aaron McDaniel, a pair of sophomores with zero experience, are next in line. Oakley has been slowed by the most injury-prone hamstrings any human being has ever possessed, while McDaniel spent his first two years on campus as a cornerback. Oakley was hurt again in the spring, but McDaniel had a solid showing and both figure to play, if healthy. The wild card is true freshman Mike McCoy, who has wowed observers in offseason workouts with his speed, size and moves. Another signee, Earl Alexander, is a possibility to play, as well as walk-ons Darwin Salaam, Danny Barger and Reyn Willis. Of those three, Willis looked the best in the spring, showing good hands to go along with nice size (6’5”, 220 pounds).

Tight end figures to be a strength for Alabama, with Travis McCall and Nick Walker sharing the position. Walker is the better receiver of the two, while McCall is a much better blocker. Charles Hoke brings great height (6’7”) and hands to the position. That’s probably the complete list of contributors, although true freshman Preston Dial could force his way into the rotation. Alabama has several walk-ons available.


OFFENSIVE LINE
This is where the train could get derailed. Alabama has only one marquee player, center Antoine Caldwell. After that, the questions start. Alabama’s second-best lineman is probably sophomore B.J. Stabler, who figures to be the starting left guard, but who has been partially moved to right tackle to provide competition for senior Kyle Tatum. Tatum has by far the most experience on the line, but finished 2005 poorly after a solid start. Contributing to Alabama’s woes last year was the substandard performance turned in by whoever was playing left tackle at the time, which was most often Chris Capps. Capps returns, but figures to get pushed immediately by incoming freshman Andre Smith.

Others in the mix include Cody Davis, Drew Davis and Michael Johnson, who might also be in the mix at guard. What happens in the Stabler-Tatum battle will determine what happens at guard; if Tatum wins the position, Stabler will go to one of the guards and the other will become a battle between Marlon Davis and Justin Britt, who moves over from defensive tackle. Davis held the job coming out of spring. Scott Deaton and Justin Moon also figure to get long looks at guard, with signees David Ross, Alex Stadler and Taylor Pharr also in the mix. Evan Cardwell will battle Ross for the role of Caldwell’s backup at center. Converted tight end Trent Davidson has a chance to get in the mix at tackle. There is little to say about this group other than massive improvement is needed across the board.


DEFENSE

Alabama won’t deviate much from the 4-3 alignment with copious helpings of 3-3-5 packages that it used in 2005. And Alabama doesn’t need to, because those schemes helped elevate Alabama to a ranking of 2nd nationally in total defense and 1st in scoring defense. The major difference between 2005 and 2006 for Alabama will be experience; the Tide is replacing seven starters, and in several instances will be doing it with players who don’t have a lot of game time under their belts. Alabama also loses some flexibility based on the likely makeup of the linebacker corps – and there is also the issue of WLB Juwan Simpson, who figures to be in for disciplinary action of some kind after his offseason run-in with police.

DEFENSIVE LINE
Alabama must replace two starters, including the superb Mark Anderson, but the Crimson Tide is predicted to field a better, deeper defensive line regardless. It could, in fact, be the top unit on the Alabama defense. Long-time starter at tackle, Jeremy Clark, is back for his senior season. Clark has developed from a classic tweener into a powerful fixture on Alabama’s defensive front. If he stays healthy, which has been a problem in the past, Alabama will be able to trot Clark out and forget about that position. Of greater concern is who will start next to him.

Seniors Dominic Lee and J.P. Adams are the combatants at the moment. Lee has always been a wellspring of untapped talent, while Adams is a former walk-on and converted defensive end. Both will play a lot. Lorenzo Washington and Brandon Fanney figure to form the next line, with Byron Walton and Justin Johnson the next group. At end, Wallace Gilberry hopes to bounce back from a mini-sophomore slump to take over Anderson’s role as the feared pass rusher. A lot of what determines Gilberry’s effectiveness will be how well one of three players – Chris Harris, Bobby Greenwood or Keith Saunders – plays opposite him.

Saunders held the job coming out of the spring. The one concern there is both Gilberry and Saunders are on the light side for SEC defensive ends. Greenwood had a breakout freshman season in 2005 but went backwards a bit in the spring. Harris, a senior, will probably be the first sub off the bench on both sides. Brandon Deaderick and converted receiver Ezekial Knight provide depth. For the first time in years, Alabama doesn’t have a clear weakness on the defensive front, and has good numbers as well.

LINEBACKERS
This is the mystery of the 2006 Alabama defense. Prior to Juwan Simpson getting arrested for having a gun in his car – charges that were later dropped – Alabama was poised to start a pair of speed players on the outside with a classic run stopper, former walk-on Matt Collins, in the middle. What happens with Simpson remains unclear; as of press time, no punishment had been announced. A safe bet would be that Simpson misses the opener. Once he returns, he’ll start opposite Terrence Jones, a small but extremely fast player, and alongside Collins, who at 6’1” and 245 pounds, is a traditional run-stuffer. Jones has played many snaps over the past three years and can play any of the three positions. Simpson has not only improved his run defense, his speed allows him to cover even fleet wide receivers. Collins is fairly one-dimensional and can be a liability in the passing game.

Unfortunately, Alabama doesn’t have a substantially different player available on the bench; reserves Prince Hall and Darren Mustin are cut much from the same mold as Collins. Hall, a freshman with a big high school reputation, is one to keep an eye on. Demarcus Waldrop, a fast, gutsy player who lacks size, figures to back up both outside positions. Like Simpson, he’s good in coverage. The other backup will come from a group that includes former receiver Marcel Stamps, and a pair of redshirt freshmen, Zach Schreiber and Eryk Anders.

Anders, in particular, has drawn raves among practice observers. Other possibilities include Travis Sikes, who will get his first look at safety, and signees Charlie Higgenbotham and Charlie Kirschman. Kirschman is a middle linebacker built much the same as Collins, while Higgenbotham could challenge for time at strongside linebacker. Walk-on Kenneth Vandervoort adds depth in the middle. There are a lot of names in the linebacker list, but injuries could diminish quality here in short order.

DEFENSIVE BACKS
Ramzee Robinson found himself a preseason first-team all-SEC selection, and he deserves it. Not only has he developed into a shutdown cornerback as a senior, he’s also a natural-born leader. He anchors a secondary that was lethal to opponents’ passing games in 2005. Unfortunately, he’s also the only returning starter back there. The other cornerback position is up for grabs, with Eric Gray leading Simeon Castille coming out of spring. Castille is a fan favorite as a result of several gasp-inducing plays early in 2005, but Gray is steadier and Castille still has not completely made amends for whatever it was that got him suspended for the Cotton Bowl. In addition, he had a rough spring capped by a poor A-Day performance.

Lionel Mitchell finally looks recovered from concussion injuries and has the size and speed to make a difference at corner. Redshirt freshman Chris Rogers could be special if he applies himself. Walk-ons Forress Rayford and Courtney Moore could work their way into playing time, but a talented list of signees headed by Tremayne Coger and Marquis Johnson figure to compete for jobs early on. The real breath-taker, though, is not the off-cornerback position but rather the situation at safety.

Senior Jeffrey Dukes had yet another solid spring and has locked up one of the safety slots, but the other remains maddeningly wide open. Marcus Carter was listed as the starter coming out of spring, yet he was arguably overshadowed by both Rashad Johnson and Bryan Kilpatrick for most of the period. Both Johnson and Kilpatrick are walk-ons. Cory Reamer, who may have had the inside track on the job last fall before he tore an ACL, is back. Sam Burnthall had a decent spring and could be in the mix along with Travis Sikes. Again, signees may play a part, chief among them Andy Davis and Justin Woodall. There’s no doubting the collection of talent here, but experience is light and Alabama could have troubles early in the year.

SPECIAL TEAMS
By the time placekicker Jamie Christensen finished knocking off Texas Tech with a last-second field goal in the Cotton Bowl – his third such kick in 2006 – he had fans envisioning the return of former Tide great Van Tiffin. That’s very apropos, considering Tiffin’s son, Leigh Tiffin, is set to join the team in the fall as a walk-on. But he’ll likely find the kicking job wrapped up once he gets to Tuscaloosa, as no one is going to kick Christensen to the curb, particularly considering the bang-up job he did in the spring, increasing both his distance and his accuracy.

If Christensen stumbles, look for Andrew Friedman to get the first shot at replacing him. The punting job is not nearly so certain, but whoever wins it can’t do much worse than Jeremy Schatz did in 2005. While Schatz had his moments, he was mostly inconsistent and not a threat to boom a long punt. Redshirt freshman P.J. Fitzgerald had a mostly decent spring as punter, and summer observers say he got better after spring ended. Heath Thomas and Adam Hill are the backups.

The key component to the special teams, though, likely won’t be the punter, it will be the punt and kick returner. With Prothro out for 2005, the job is open. Simeon Castille was expected to return kicks and punts, but his status is still up in the air. The job might fall to one of two incoming freshmen, running back Terry Grant or receiver-cornerback Javier Arenas. A collection of wide receivers including Matt Caddell and Keith Brown might also be in the mix. As for kick coverage, Alabama does that very well and figures to only get better with an infusion of more talent from recruiting.