Report card: Alabama puts up sorry semester as season ends

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Report card: Alabama puts up sorry semester as season ends
By Jess Nicholas
TideFans.com Editor-in-Chief
Nov. 26, 2007

The 2007 college football regular season is over, so it’s time to revisit our midseason position-by-position look at the state of the program. It doesn’t promise to be good reading.

Quarterbacks: C+ (first half), D- (second half)
No position regressed as much as quarterback in the second half. It started off on a positive note, with John Parker Wilson having his two best games of the year at Ole Miss and against Tennessee. But after dealing with the aggressive, punishing defense of LSU, Wilson retreated into a shell much the same way he did at the end of 2006 and the way Brodie Croyle did towards the end of 2005. Wilson still cannot look off a primary receiver, doesn’t feel pressure well and has become too scared of contact in the pocket. The loss at Mississippi State was directly attributable to his play, and the loss at Auburn was also one of his worst games of the year. Wilson substantially damaged his chances of winning the starting job for 2008, as Alabama has talented freshman Nick Fanuzzi waiting in the wings and will probably sign two more quarterbacks in recruiting. As for the backups, Fanuzzi has been out with injury and Greg McElroy played only during trash time against Tennessee. He doesn’t seem to fit Alabama’s future plans.

Running backs: B+ (first half), B- (second half)
Things got off to a rocky start against Ole Miss when Glen Coffee developed a case of fumble-itis, then worsened when he was suspended for his role in a textbook scandal. His return against Auburn proved that had he been available against Mississippi State and Louisiana-Monroe, Alabama would probably have won both games. Terry Grant’s second half wasn’t as good as his first, but Grant still managed to get 80 or more yards in most of his starts and it took a thigh injury to bench him against Auburn. Jimmy Johns had a brief comeback against ULM that ended with a critical fumble, and reading between the lines it doesn’t appear Johns will have much of a role in Alabama’s future offensive plans. Roy Upchurch and Jonathan Lowe each had their moments in the second half, and if Upchurch continues to build off his Auburn performance, he might be in the mix for more playing time next fall. Fullback Baron Huber was a non-factor in the second half, and it’s possible he could lose his starting job in 2008 to Jeramie Griffin, who is redshirting. With Coffee back, there’s enough good here to be optimistic about in the postseason and into next season, but Alabama is still missing a true difference-maker at the position.

Wide receivers: A- (first half), C+ (second half)
There’s very little to be enthused about here, and a lot of talent got squandered in the season’s second half. Giving this group a C+ is actually generous, and is done so more based on the consistency of Matt Caddell, the blocking of Mike McCoy and the contributions of Alabama’s tight ends in the running game. D.J. Hall had his last good game against Tennessee, all but disappearing when Alabama needed him most down the stretch. Keith Brown was never a factor, although he had his brief moments of glamour, topped by a solid performance against Louisiana-Monroe. Nikita Stover showed enough fire to think he might grab a starting spot next year, perhaps from McCoy, who started the year strong but didn’t develop as quickly as hoped, and looked overwhelmed against good secondaries. Will Oakley started the year hurt and finished the year on the bench. He had one highlight (a key catch against Arkansas) and one lowlight (his failure to catch a pass thrown high against ULM, that eventually went for an interception). In the final analysis, Alabama will miss Matt Caddell, and will miss D.J. Hall’s production, but the rest is forgettable. At tight end, Preston Dial never became a key part of the offense the way his performance at A-Day suggested he might. Nick Walker put the ball on the ground too often in the second half and Travis McCall, while being a capable blocker, did not shine in the passing game after the midpoint. Alabama started promising, but finished not much better or worse than 2006.

Offensive line: B+ (first half), C (second half)
A lot of the falloff in the second half can be attributable to injury, and to the suspension of Marlon Davis and Antoine Caldwell as part of the Textbook 5. Left tackle Andre Smith actually regressed over the year, and needs to lose about 30 pounds or he can forget any notion he might have of leaving school after his junior year for the NFL. Left guard Justin Britt always tried hard but was never dominant; one has to believe that if Saban had arrived in 2006 rather than 2007, Britt would have stayed on defense. Caldwell played well at center except when asked to shotgun-snap the ball; if he wants to play in the pros, he’ll need to refine that art. Otherwise, scrappy Evan Cardwell will hold onto the center position and Caldwell will play guard or tackle in 2008. Cardwell did an admirable job until the Auburn game, when larger players dominated him. Marlon Davis’ involvement in Textbookgate was terribly frustrating. He’s Alabama’s best inside player when healthy and not in trouble, but Davis has been a part of off-field drama ever since his arrival at UA. He needs to get it together in the spring. Mike Johnson was on the verge of going to the bench until Textbookgate; he eventually moved to guard and did much better there than at right tackle. B.J. Stabler couldn’t stay healthy, a shame given that he played much better in 2007 than in previous years. Chris Capps was vindicated somewhat down the stretch, and stands a good chance at being named a team captain for his leadership. But the fact is that as a whole, Alabama underachieved, badly, and did it when it most needed not to. There is talk of freshmen playing key roles on the line in 2008.

Coaching/playcalling: B+ (first half), C (second half)
Around about the time Alabama lost Davis, Caldwell and Coffee, Alabama’s playcalling went from imaginative to vanilla. Without knowing exactly what the arrangement is in the playcalling flow, it’s hard to say, but assuming Major Applewhite was brought in to run the offense he so successfully designed at Rice, he surely didn’t get to run it at Alabama. Alabama’s dominance of Tennessee out of the I-formation may have given coaches false confidence that Alabama could run that as its base. But Alabama was more effective all year when in the no-huddle, shotgun look that allowed John Parker Wilson to maximize his pre-snap reads. Playcalling played a major part in the loss to Mississippi State and the Tide also went too conservative against ULM. With essentially a co-coordinator setup on the sidelines (Pendry plus Applewhite), finding the right balance is difficult. Alabama needs to simplify matters heading into 2008, and preferably give full control to Applewhite. Otherwise, Alabama will never be able to evaluate whether he’s the answer as a playcaller or not. As for the position groupings, all positions seemed to regress, although to what extent that had to do with the players’ personal psyche is unclear. Still, Curt Cignetti was a big improvement over Charlie Harbison at receiver, and Ron Middleton was far and away better than Dave Ungerer as a tight ends/special teams coach. Pendry was better than Bob Connelly – not that hard to do, really – while Burton Burns and Applewhite (as a position coach, not a coordinator) were basically a push compared to Sparky Woods and Dave Rader. What’s clear is that Alabama never got better on offense after the Tennessee game.

OFFENSE OVERALL: B (first half), C- (second half)
Alabama barely hung onto “C” territory and did so basically on the strength of its Ole Miss and Tennessee games alone. Although Alabama scored a lot of points on LSU, the offense had poor output that day. The Mississippi State and Louisiana-Monroe games were abominations. It’s a little more understandable against Auburn, where the Tigers have had strong defenses for years; still, that game was below par as well. Alabama didn’t score a second-half touchdown in its last three games. The problem appears to be more related to quarterback play than anything else, and it wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see a new quarterback take over for 2008. But Alabama also needs to refine its offensive philosophy and get better players into key positions, including at least one wide receiver slot, tight end, right tackle and perhaps fullback.

Defensive line: C (first half), B (second half)
Quietly, the defensive line jelled over the second half of the season and stopped being a sieve. The greatest gains were made by nose tackle Lorenzo Washington and tackle/end Brandon Deaderick. Washington would not have been the starter at the beginning of the year had Brian Motley not been hurt, but Washington seized the opportunity and became, if not a feared force in the middle, at least a respected defender. With continued work in the weight room, Washington could one day develop into another James Gregory or Elverett Brown. But things really started to take off when Tide coaches benched Bobby Greenwood and installed Deaderick at the tackle/end combo slot. Deaderick’s quickness was a nice match for Washington and the two played well as a team. Wallace Gilberry had another solid year at end and probably made himself some future NFL money with his play down the stretch. The major hangup here was depth. Gilberry played the entire season without a true backup, as Milton Talbert never developed into a contributor. Greenwood battled injuries the entire season but looked out of place in the three-man front anyway. Motley became a decent option off the bench, but was never dominant. Luther Davis has a bright future ahead of him but probably needed a redshirt year to bulk up. Alabama also played Josh Chapman, Alfred McCullough and Nick Gentry earlier in the year, but they all sat for the second half and Chapman and McCullough might get medical redshirts. When fresh, Alabama’s line was as good as anyone’s, but the lack of depth was a killer.

Linebackers: C+ (first half), C+ (second half)
This position group can be summed up by three words: up and down. Outside linebacker Ezekial Knight blossomed into a feared playmaker, and only an ankle injury kept him from taking the next step to stardom. He’ll likely be preseason all-SEC in 2008. But while Knight was going up, the rest of the unit was either stagnant or coming down. Offensive coordinators figured out that Darren Mustin’s talent couldn’t keep up with his effort levels, and frequently picked on him with zone running plays and passes across the middle. Mustin got caught up too often and too easily in traffic. True freshman Rolando McClain disappeared in the middle of the season, but reappeared in a big way against Auburn and gave fans a taste of what’s to come. Prince Hall’s season was mostly a bust; he peaked midway through the year and was a non-factor at the end of the season. Keith Saunders, like Mustin, got pegged as a liability by offensive coordinators and aside from a key pass break-up against Tennessee, didn’t make a single noteworthy play the entire second half of the year. Worse, Alabama did not develop depth. Hall was the only inside linebacker off the bench who played at all, as Demarcus Waldrop was hampered by injuries and Cory Reamer by a lack of size. Marcel Stamps was completely MIA. Outside, Chavis Williams played out of necessity behind Knight, but looked like the true freshman that he was. Brandon Fanney, Saunders’ backup, looked painfully slow and his future would seem to either be defensive end or nothing at all. This unit could have a vastly different look in 2008. Williams and McClain might fight for the Jack position, with the inside positions being completely up for grabs between true freshmen. Alabama will miss Mustin’s leadership in a big way, too.

Defensive backs: B- (first half), B (second half)
The emergence of Kareem Jackson at cornerback by itself is a major cause for celebration. By the end of the year, it was Jackson, not heralded senior Simeon Castille, who opponents feared. Jackson, only a true freshman in 2007, will probably get some preseason all-SEC votes in 2008 and should be Alabama’s next great defensive back. Safety Rashad Johnson had about as good a year as humanly possible, especially for a former walk-on. Teams continue to underestimate his abilities and continue to pay for it. The same, however, cannot be said for strong safety Marcus Carter, who managed to play four years and start two of them without ever making a truly key play. The best that can be said of him is that he was usually in the right position. As for Castille, the suspension of Marquis Johnson and the fact that Lionel Mitchell found himself in the doghouse the second half forced Alabama to shuffle its lineup. Castille moved from nickel safety to boundary corner in the 4-2-5 look, and that did not prove to be his strength. A strong showing against Auburn kept his second half from largely being a bust. Like other spots on defense, depth was an issue. Mitchell’s confidence was shot from the Georgia game forward, and Johnson never recovered from the burning he took at Florida State. Ali Sharrief and Javier Arenas ended up splitting the nickel and dime positions down the stretch, and Justin Woodall got a cup of coffee against Auburn. The loss of Carter and Castille to graduation will shuffle the deck heading into 2008, and this is one area many are expecting attrition.

Coaching/playcalling: A (first half), A (second half)
It may be selling the defensive staff short to give out just an A, given the talent gaps they had to scheme to overcome. Bo Davis, in his first shot at really coaching a defensive line, had a great first season on the job, making players out of Washington and Deaderick and making Gilberry a better player overall. Lance Thompson and Kevin Steele did the best they could do with what they had to work with at linebacker, and Kirby Smart and Nick Saban did the same in the secondary. The schemes were consistently well-tailored to fit opponents, and only the immense talent differential led to a high offensive output during the LSU game. Alabama would do well to hope there is no turnover on this side of the ball.

DEFENSE OVERALL: B- (first half), B+ (second half)
If you looked at this relative to the talent level, it’s an A+++. Alabama had no fewer than four defensive starters that might not start for any other team in the conference, yet the Tide put up good numbers overall and laid down for nobody. Still, talent issues created problems at key times against LSU, ULM and Auburn, and a few times this season when Alabama absolutely had to get a stop, it couldn’t. Still, the defense got better as the year went along, something the offense couldn’t say, and except for Darren Mustin, all the defense’s playmakers will return in 2008. There will be a leadership void to fill, however, with Mustin and Gilberry gone. Rashad Johnson and Ezekial Knight look like the most likely candidates to fill it. Whatever problems exist on this side of the ball, recruiting and recruiting only will fix. The coaches got just about 100 percent from this unit in 2008.

SPECIAL TEAMS OVERALL: B (first half), B+ (second half)
The key in the second half was the improvement of kicker Leigh Tiffin. Tiffin went from wild shot to consistent weapon in the second half of the year, despite finishing the season a cumulative 1-for-3 against ULM and Auburn. Javier Arenas and Jonathan Lowe added much as punt and kick return men. When Arenas was injured against ULM, however, it put pressure on Matt Caddell and D.J. Hall and neither responded. Alabama continued to cover kicks and punts well (despite one poorly covered punt against Auburn) and most of the key figures return for 2007. The big issue that remains is the situation at punter. P.J. Fitzgerald was better in the second half than the first, but he was never better than average. His best value to Alabama was as Tiffin’s holder. Still, Alabama made plays in the special teams department that changed games, and that’s more than many can say.

SUMMARY

Alabama’s 2007 season will be remembered as a thoroughly frustrating exercise. Alabama came within one play of beating Georgia, could have beaten Florida State with a little more effort on offense, and lost winnable games against LSU, Mississippi State, Louisiana-Monroe and Auburn. No one blew Alabama out, and no one could take Alabama for granted.

But at the same time, Alabama didn’t step up and snatch victory away on many occasions. Alabama’s three best games came against Vanderbilt, a start-to-finish domination; Arkansas, where the Tide finally made a fourth-quarter comeback; and Tennessee, where the Tide utterly demolished a team that will play for the SEC Championship this weekend.

The 0-4 finish in the final four games will be a bitter taste that stays with Alabama for some time. The Mississippi State game will be what many point to as the point at which the season went in the crapper, but it was actually the late loss to LSU (after losing 5 players to suspension the week before) that really deflated the team.

The loss to Louisiana-Monroe was one of the most embarrassing in the history of the school, and one that shouldn’t have happened regardless of external factors. It was the only time in 2007 when the coaching staff did an equally poor job as some of the players.

Going forward, Alabama may have a bowl trip to make. But even more important is the recruiting trail. That, unfortunately, is not something a crowd of cheering Bama fans has any control over.

The best part of the 2007 season? If not the win over Tennessee, it is that Alabama has Nick Saban in its employ. Unlike this point in 2006, when Alabama fans were disappointed to the point of depression, there does seem to exist a way out of the woods.